As E3 finishes for another year, sit back and listen to Pete, Dan and Sam discuss the highs, the lows, and the future of this next generation of consoles.

Once again, join Pete, Dan and Kris as they talk about Sony’s recent slice of E3 2013. Is it too good to be true? Listen and find out.

As E3 2013 kicks off, join Pete, Dan and Kris in their post-show discussion of the Microsoft Presentation.

How many frames per second? What is a drivatar? How much?

Find out.

Join Dan, Sam and Pete for the first of a series of shows that discuss the latest goings on ahead of the biggest gaming expo in the world.

Money is a funny old thing, it rolls around the bottom of your pocket making lots of noise and generally being quite annoying but the second you decide you need it you find it isn’t there anymore. This is a problem that Freeplay finds regularly occurs whilst in game shops. This is why it has decided to cast off the shackles of economic dependence and vow to only play games that be enjoyed for free!

On this month’s show Dan and Pete helm a two-hander looking at Indie puzzlers. This month they take a look at the game within a game that is Atum and then enter the world of a painting and sleepwalk their way to bed with Back to Bed, I don’t think two more obscure yet accurate descriptions could have been made.

To Play Atum Click Here

To Play Back to Bed Click Here

And if you want a closer look at this month’s games, scroll down and view the special Freeplay video expertly dubbed the ‘Freeplay Preplay’. This video sees Dan take a walk through both games so you can get a better understanding of this months titles… So what are you waiting for? Go watch! Then Listen!

Having teamed up together and successfully made their way through a chapter of Dead Space 3, Sam and Kris go their separate ways. Therefore in the final part of this series, sit back and listen to a split-ear conversation between them as they play separately together.

How will they fare? Will they be more or less scared? Who is the biggest wuss?

Listen and find out.

Dan and Peter get together for a special episode featuring immediate reactions to the unveiling of the Xbox One from Microsoft. Covered topics include: Call of Duty: Ghosts, television integration, NFL, comparisons with PlayStation 4, and much much more.

If you want even more Xbox One coverage, check out the Gremlin’s live blog from the event, on Twitter.

After the sucess of their last trip, Sam and Kris swap the zen-moutain views of Journey for  the dark and twisted spaceships of Dead Space 3.

Can such a game remain scary if you have someone there to hold your hand? Join them as together they try to keep the fear at bay, through some quite unorthodox means.

Tune in next week to the second part, as the plucky pair go their separate ways.

Have any tips of how to face your fears in gaming? Let us know below.

For Kris’ look at fear in gaming head here.

In the fourth episode of Arc 5, Peter Willington pulls on all of his marketing know-how to write an email to companies offering his services as a VO, on top of creating the voice reel he’ll use to approach them.

All music tracks and sound effects featured are the intellectual property of the developer or artist and used by us to better convey the tone and feel of the game. If you like what you hear in the short excerpts used you should support the artists that created them by either buying the games, the soundtracks themselves or – better yet – both. At InRetroSpectPodcast.com we don’t make a single penny on the podcasts we produce, instead we’re passionate about the games we discuss and in ensuring that full credit is given to the fantastically talented people that make them.

Anyone who lives by a road, a dirt track or even near any granite surface will know that cars are pretty popular these days. The problem is that even though they are exceptionally abundant the vehicles are so damn expensive that no one has the courage to take any risks whilst behind the wheel. No driver ever dares to race across roundabouts, there are no passengers ready to scream out pace-notes, and domestic cars don’t take to sharp hairpins very well.

So in order to keep you safe on the road whilst at the same time quenching the need for speed this month Freeplay explores the realms of Motor Sport games. Just remember to clunk, click for every trip.

If you want to join the gang then you can find this months games here;

Moto Trial Fest

Need for Speed World.

Used to entice and sell every Triple A title in recent memory the Pre-Order Bonus is now a common tool in Video Game marketing. However, this month Sam argues that these methods employed to get us to drop money on a game before it has even been released are slowly being ignored by those selling them in store. Could it be that you would be better off not spending any of your cash up front at all? Find out in the latest edition of Through the Reticle.

Fresh from his visit to the lovely Dutch town of Breda, Kris looks at Google Maps and Street View, to see how developers have used these platforms to create games. If your city was a level, what kind of game would it be within?

The three games discussed:

Real World Racer - Tom Scott

Street View Zombie Apocalypse - Wonder Tonic

Cube - Google

In the third episode of Arc 5, Peter Willington’s journey to becoming a voice actor continues unabated, as he talks about the process of rapid auditioning, the culture of amateur VO, filling a resume, and staying positive.

For the Bloodstone Manor series – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukinyKGhl08

On this month’s Freeplay, Dan is joined by Pete, Kris and Sam as they re-enter the world of Multiplayer gaming with the period RTS game ‘Ministry of War‘ and an MMORPG based on the world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, ‘Lord of the Rings Online‘.

Which of the team took advantage of a man in the stocks? How did the gang fare in the world of Ancient Rome and who kindly helped an old lady walk up a road?

All these answers and more in Episode 36 of Freeplay!

RAW is here once again. The un-scripted, un-edited and un-scheduled show of the InRetroSpect label. In this edition the guys have twenty minutes to debate what couples should make their Top Five ‘Video-Game Romances’. They have ten luscious pairings to pick from and a strict time limit in which to do it. Find out who they choose to stay between the sheets in the latest episode of InRetroSpect RAW.

This month Sam takes a look once more at the impact of death in video games. How crucial to narrative, structure and character is the moment when you first extinguish a life in a title? Could it be that when you draw first blood it is one of the most important parts of our modern gaming culture? Find out in the latest Through the Reticle.

All music tracks and sound effects featured are the intellectual property of the developer or artist and used by us to better convey the tone and feel of the game. If you like what you hear in the short excerpts used you should support the artists that created them by either buying the games, the soundtracks themselves or – better yet – both. At InRetroSpectPodcast.com we don’t make a single penny on the podcasts we produce, instead we’re passionate about the games we discuss and in ensuring that full credit is given to the fantastically talented people that make them.

This month, Kris takes you on a journey of the InRetroSpect team’s World Cup campaign, presenting the nine key ingredients of a successful multiplayer experience.

In the second episode of Arc 5, Peter Willington describes his experiences starting out in the world of voice acting. Getting advice from the Voice Acting Alliance boards, practicing reading aloud from Osamu Tezuka’s Dororo, appearing on The Voice Chat, and a chance encounter with the Lady of Payne.

For my interview as part of The Voice Chat – click here

For the unedited interview – click here

For Haruhost on Voice Acting Alliance – click here

For Lady of Payne on YouTube – click here

For more on Dororo – click here

Hello children, are we all sitting comfortably?

Then let’s begin…

This month Freeplay returns to a time of innocence, where summer’s lasted forever, hopscotching their way through two free to play kid’s games.

In the InRetroSpect playground this month, Dan,Pete, Sam and Kris, along with the new kid in class Adamski (Midlife Gamer) tackle domestic issues in Dragon City, before discovering how Puzzle Pirates is in fact a place where parent gamers hide.

To listen, press the Play button.

Don’t forget to take a look at the charities highlighted by Adamski in this month’s show and the incredible work they are doing at the moment. You can find them at GamesAid & Special Effect.

Finally if you want to take a look at Sam’s extra special pirate character ‘Beardy Balls’ take a gander at the picture below….

All music tracks and sound effects featured are the intellectual property of the developer or artist and used by us to better convey the tone and feel of the game. If you like what you hear in the short excerpts used you should support the artists that created them by either buying the games, the soundtracks themselves or – better yet – both. At InRetroSpectPodcast.com we don’t make a single penny on the podcasts we produce, instead we’re passionate about the games we discuss and in ensuring that full credit is given to the fantastically talented people that make them.

By the time you’ve got round to reading this you should know an increasing amount about the retail future of the Sony Computer Entertainment Company. However, at the time of recording our plucky host, Sam, didn’t know anything. Not least about what form the new PlayStation 4 would take or what it would contain. All he was certain of were two things; the first was that in creating this episode he was making a Podcasting Time Paradox and the second is the certainty that the PlayStation 4 would hold ‘a lot of stuff’.

Kris takes you on a run for his life as he flees the undead, putting SixtoStart’s Zombies Run! through its paces. As an extra treat he’s been able to also interview the game’s co-creator (Naomi Alderman), for her insight as to the genesis of this cult audio augmented reality game.

Get your trainers on, plug your headphones in – this one’s a good one.

 For a transcript of the complete interview, head here.

If you want to read Kris’ conference paper on the game, head here.

In the first episode of Arc 5, Peter Willington unveils his next project: becoming a voice actor. How and where do you start with voice over? How do you try and get people to notice you when you’ve got very little experience? And how careful do you have to be when your journalistic integrity could potentially be compromised?

In this month’s episode Dan, Pete and Kris, along with special guest Vaughn Highfield,discuss the best free games that are a little left of field. From the myriad of poetry-filled encounters of Relive Your Life to the utter bizarre Frog Fractions, join us as we think outside the box.

What are the medicinal properties of Frosty Jacks? What do bears love more than anything else? What was the riskiest thing Pete did during his Punk faze?

Find out here.

Warning not suitable for children.

For those who are interested, here is a picture of the Swiss Wall.

Though it might be late, out of sync and behind schedule the first Through the Reticle of 2013 has finally arrived. Though there are no excuses for being so late, Sam does try to make it up to you by asking if games really care about the demands that life puts on the free time that we have. Could it be that developers don’t care if we don’t have the time to play their games?

Kris visits one of the most important locations in DC comics’ history, retracing the steps of Bruce Wayne and the event that made him what he is today.

“I really enjoyed the Digital Wanderlust on Park Row. The confluence of your thoughts and Bruce’s actions was excellent.”

James Carter –  Cane and Rinse

In the final episode of Arc 4, Peter Willington explains why he’s been absent on the label for the last couple of months, and talks about the breakdown of his efforts to achieve a world record in BMX Airmaster for the Atari 2600. Defeated but undeterred, he also hints at what to expect next from him, in the coming months. A sombre P:C show then, but an important one nonetheless.

All music tracks and sound effects featured are the intellectual property of the developer or artist and used by us to better convey the tone and feel of the game. If you like what you hear in the short excerpts used you should support the artists that created them by either buying the games, the soundtracks themselves or – better yet – both. At InRetroSpectPodcast.com we don’t make a single penny on the podcasts we produce, instead we’re passionate about the games we discuss and in ensuring that full credit is given to the fantastically talented people that make them.

January can be a depressing time of the year. The Christmas decorations are being taken down and the brilliance of the New Year’s celebrations are now just hangovers slowly subsiding into hazy memories. But as the next twelve months get underway, here at InRetroSpect we have decided to close out the festive period with aplomb by celebrating the majesty of Twelfth Night .

As with last year the team have joined together to discuss each of the games that they received from their Secret Santa in the Freeplay Christmas Special. In the show we’ll find out what happened when Pete laced up his boots with FIFA 12, and how Kris turned psychic with Mindjack. Sam shares his adventures in Dragon Quest IX and we’ll hear about Dan who joined Duke Nukem in the Land of the Babes.

So sit back, relax and listen as we kick off 2013 here at InRetroSpect.

Warning! May not be suitable for Children! 

You can listen again to the Christmas special here.

Its that time of year again! The third Freeplay Christmas Special is upon us. Join Dan, Pete, Sam and Kris for another festive treat. In this show, the guys navigate Father Christmas across the icy plains of Lapland in Santa Rider 2 and illustrate how Escape the Christmas Room has an important lesson to teach about the festive season.

What will Christmas 2022 be like? What embarrassing gift did Dan get from his secret santa? Can Kris retain his crown in the Christmas quiz?

Tune in and listen.

This month Sam Turner explores his growing tendency to cheat and circumvent the rules whilst playing games. Having never found the need to cheat before, Sam explains what it is about games that are encouraging him to find ways of artificially maintaining life, offering ammunition, and skipping levels.

This month Kris goes back to his childhood, piecing together his take on the level designs of the Little Big Planet series. Are you an architect or explorer?

InRetroSpect RAW is here again! If you’ve not heard of it before then simply put RAW is the un-scheduled, un-scripted and un-edited show from all the team at InRetroSpectPodcast.com. The rules of RAW are simple. All of the InRetroSpect ‘crew’ have twenty minutes to debate and select their top five gaming subjects. In the past the team have discussed their top five favourite sidekicks, their top five most dastardly villains and their top five most grisly deaths. This time the ’gang’ make face the agonising choice of what should make up the InRetroSpect Top Five Movie Tie-In Games.

For Pete’s take on the Lion King

For Kris’ views on Enter the Matrix and The Lord of the Rings

This month Freeplay gets some fresh air, bringing to your ears the best free games you can play on the move. In a bid to educate Kris on the pleasures of mobile gaming, Dan, Sam and special guest Adam Riley take a trip down memory lane with their first experiences of mobile gaming.

On their travels they come up against tricky level design in Jelly Car, traverse parallel worlds in Dimensions, before discussing what mobility brings to gaming.

In the final part of their walk through Journey, Sam and Kris discuss mountaineering, pilgrimage and what it’s like to be on top of the world.

Join them as they continue to break the rules a little, as they strive to complete the game.

This month Sam and Kris go on a walk together, navigating their way through That Game Company’s Journey. Their challenge: to experience actual verbal communication with each other whilst on their quest – something which the game’s creators sought to remove. Have they cheated or are there benefits in being able to talk whilst walking together?

Join them on their pilgrimage and tune in next week for the final part.

RAW is a unique show from InRetroSpect as you can never be quite sure when an episode is going to arrive in your ear holes. Despite their irregular nature we thought that now was a good time to give you another. Dan, Pete Kris & Sam have twenty minutes and twenty minutes only to debate what should make their ‘Top 5′ of a certain gaming topic. This time around find out who makes the InRetroSpect Top 5 Villains.

Society tells us that we should go out and enjoy sport. If you listen hard enough you can just about hear society say.. “Go out and get some fresh air you fat lazy sack. Don’t stay in and spend all of your money on expensive video games. After all, taking part in sport is free!”.

Now whilst society can at times talk absolute twaddle, here it has raised some extremely good points. For example, you certainly should  enjoy sports and also video games certainly are very expensive. So here at Freeplay we decided to find out if we could take one stone and hit both birds.

This month Freeplay scours the internet for sporty games  and for sporty games only. So slip on your football boots, throw on your rugby top, insert your cricket box and join us on the field for Episode 30 of Freeplay.

On this month’s show we take a look at two athletic games designed by a Doctor from Oxford University; QUOP & GIRP. We also PUTT the crazy back into crazy golf with Wonderputt and we discuss if gaming can ever replicate true sporting achievement.

You can play the games…

To play QWOP Click Here

To play GIRP Click Here

To play Wonderputt Click Here

And to find out what this is below, you’ll just have to listen to the show….

This summer, Sam did something that he had never done before. He attended a gaming expo for the very first time. Eurogamer 2012 was the location of choice and like most people who lose any kind of virginity he decided that after he was finished it would be best to tell everyone about every sordid detail. Would it live up expectations or would it be an under-whelming experience?

In this month’s show Kris puts the pedal to the metal, driving quickly through a shrinking Driver:SanFrancisco…

Warning, contains some minor spoilers and maths.

In this episode of Pause:Continue, Peter Willington finds out that “playing for work in your spare time” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. A squandered month of procrastination? Not quite, this is where he learns a very valuable lesson, via a documentary starring Steve Wiebe.

All music tracks and sound effects featured are the intellectual property of the developer or artist and used by us to better convey the tone and feel of the game. If you like what you hear in the short excerpts used you should support the artists that created them by either buying the games, the soundtracks themselves or – better yet – both. At InRetroSpectPodcast.com we don’t make a single penny on the podcasts we produce, instead we’re passionate about the games we discuss and in ensuring that full credit is given to the fantastically talented people that make them.