The Video Game Hall of Fame: Recent Episodes
Video Game Hall of Fame
Welcome, esteemed listener, to The Video Game Hall of Fame! Alex Aldridge, Rob Kirkup, Simon Pike and Stephen Andrews have created this definitely prestigious Hall of Fame in order to induct and celebrate the greatest games of all time.
Every episode we'll set a category and each nominate a game within it for induction, but the final vote goes to YOU, the listener! Follow us on Twitter @VG_HOF to cast your votes.
By jove, here we ruddy well go, pip pip, innit blud, you filthy slag. That's right, this episode we're nominating games specifically developed or published in good ol' Blighty.
This has to be one of the most eclectic nominee groups you'll ever hear out of us, so drink it in like you're throwing limbs in 'Spoons, ya fackin' melt.
Go to @VG_HOF to vote on the one you want in the HOF, rate/review/subscribe on your pod platform, pull your knickers up and get me a cup of tea. Wanker.
Keep your stupid comments in your pocket... along with these handheld games! That's right, we're celebrating the pint-sized perfection that comes from holding a brilliant game in the palm of your hand while you take a monster shit to get away from the family for half an hour at Christmas.
Oh, and Switch games are banned from our selection pool because, c'mon, that's cheatin'. Now you go get your sweet candy arse over to @VG_HOF and vote on the nominated game from this episode you want in the Hall of Fame.
Like/review/rate/tell friends please! Email to videogamehof@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: this podcast's audio is randomly generated. If you die whilst listening to it, it will be completely different when you listen again.
That's right! It's roguelikes! Games that are like Rogue, but not Rogue. Rob only likes one roguelike. Alex likes many roguelikes. Steve likes the one roguelike you know he likes. Simon is also here.
Vote for your favourite nominee over @VG_HOF and the winner will be inducted into the Hall of Fame!
Rate/review. Send us an email to videogamehof@gmail.com
The time has finally come to settle the ultimate argument as the deepest part of VGHOF lore has its moment in the sun. We are both - you and us - going to decide which game with turnips deserves Hall of Fame status. Drink it in, this is momentus.
We also have the emails section ruined again by another potentially certified moon-howler. Why does this always happen to us?
Don't forget to go vote on the poll over @VG_HOF and email us (unless you're a psycho) at videogamehof@gmail.com
It's everyone's favourite episode type - the one where democracy dies! That's right, we're once again going back through the previous batch of episodes since episode 20 to each pick one game that didn't win a listener poll and just lob it straight into the Hall of Fame because it's ours and we can.
Following that, we do a lot of admin where the next nine episodes are all laid out and the categories are set. There are going to be some crackers in the future, lads.
Normally, that would be it, but during this episode it emerged that the legendary Grant Kirkhope had helped Alex and Banjo-Kazooie take control of the 3D platformers poll which eventually garnered over 4000 votes. The anger of the rest of the lads is genuine GOAT podcasting.
Go vote on the topic you want us to pick from next @VG_HOF (gonna be a short one for a quick recording turnaround), email us at videogamehof@gmail.com and apologies for Steve's audio. It shit the bed and randomly turned itself to as quiet as possible, so he broke his brain trying to fix it and it's the best we could do. Won't happen again xx
As we approach the Big 3-0 we go 3D with that most quintessential of all late-'90s gaming genres: 3D platformers!
There's also an email that has us deciding on which pod member's entire catalogue of inducted games we'd most like to delete. You can email us too! videogamehof@gmail.com
Vote for the game you want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame over @VG_HOF on Twitter.
It's not GOTY season anymore... except here! This episode, our nominees all come from the pool of games that have won a Game of the Year award at an event or ceremony. They're all listed here if you want to play along: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Game_of_the_Year_awards
Vote for the game you want in the Hall of Fame over @VG_HOF - the poll should be up soon after the episode dropped.
Please rate/review us on your pod platform of choice and we'll see you next time around for 3D Platformers!
This episode's subject was the result of a random generation of a year in the 90s to pick games from. Now, full disclosure, we were initially rolled 1992 but realised how many games from that year we'd already inducted, so we did another one and got 1996!
1996, as it turns out, was a year that some incredible things happened, and some iconic franchises were born. You can be sure we nominated a lot of those for the Hall of Fame.
There's also a really thought-provoking question from Steve, two decent emails, and one from Shagger that ruined everything. Emails will never be the same again.
Go vote for the game you want in the HOF over @VG_HOF, tell your mates to do the same, rate/review on your pod platform of choice, and tune in next time for Game of the Year Winners!
That's right, we're fighting for the underdog this episode, as we're all nominating only games that scored 79 and under on Metacritic. 7/10s, or 'hidden gems', have become a huge part of games media in recent years, and we're getting in on the act to stick one of them in the Hall of Fame.
We've got loads of honourable mentions and a discussion on what exactly a 7/10 game is, plus the obligatory offensive email from Shagger. We don't know how he keeps outdoing himself.
Go now to @VG_HOF on X and vote for the game you want in the Hall of Fame. Please rate/review on your pod platform of choice too!
We're selling our souls for those sweet license deals this episode, as we nominate four games that license IPs from outside the gaming sphere (not sports, though).
Despite having something of a bad rap, there are a huge number of great licensed games, and we cover as many as we can here. Go vote for the one you want in the Hall of Fame over @VG_HOF.
Of course, stay tuned for some more incredible emails from that bloke who upstages all of us at the end, or ruins the pod, depending on your tolerance for smelly tents. videogamehof@gmail.com if you fancy adding to the madness!
Year two of the Video Game Hall of Fame commences with a de facto game of the year episode! We're nominating games released in 2023 for this one, and we had a hell of a lineup to pick from, amirite?!
Once you've heard the pod and our nominees, head on over to @VG_HOF on Twitter and vote for the one you want to be inducted to the Hall of Fame as the first member of the Class of 2024.
Please rate/review on your pod platform of choice and send us emails, like the two legends who did in this episode, to videogamehof@gmail.com
Merry Christmas one and all! This year, and probably every year, we offered you the gift of nominating the final games in the class of 2023 for the Hall of Fame. You came through with some... games.
There were some suggestions that were downright terrible games, and some we unfortunately have never played, but in amongst all that came four crackers that you'll have a hard time voting on.
To do that, go to @VG_HOF on X and chuck in your vote for the game you want to be inducted. Then rate/review us on your pod platform of choice, have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year, and we'll see you in 2024.
That's right, we're nominating RPGs from W, not J! The lads have some big hitters for you this episode, so you'll likely have a tough choice on your hands.
To make that choice, head over to @VG_HOF on Twitter and vote for the WRPG you want to go in the Hall of Fame.
Please rate/review and share this pod with your pals if you like it, send emails to videogamehof@gmail.com and tune in next episode for our Xmas special!
We gave you the options, you once again voted against turnips. So, here we are with four game nominations that are all (according to GameRankings) superior sequels to their original predecessor.
It's just second games in a series here, too, with minor allowances made for things that are direct sequels to specific entries (like Mario Galaxy 2 or Final Fantasy X-2 etc).
To vote for your favourite nominated game, you'll need to head on over to @VG_HOF on X and choose the one you want to go in the Hall of Fame.
Please review us on your pod platform and send some emails to us via videogamehof@gmail.com - we really miss them :'(
We're back to force games into the Hall of Fame that you lot didn't vote for! To wrap up episodes 11-19, each host picks a game that lost in a previous poll to automatically be inducted into the HoF. Did your favourite game previously miss out? Fear not, it has one final chance to be in the class of 2023!
We also lay out all the categories we'll be nominating games from for all the episodes up to number 30, with plenty of debate, discussion and daft bollocks along the way. Of course, we have another email from Shagger too. You know you love 'em.
Head over to @VG_HOF to vote on which category we choose nominees from next!
Spooky season is here, so here's a spooky episode. Well, it's the same as all the other episodes really, but we're nominating horror games for you to vote into the Hall of Fame. So, yeah... boo!
There's also a story about Derren Brown and another incredible poem from You-Know-Who. Honestly, his content is better than ours so you might as well just skip to the end.
Once you've heard the noms, head on over to X @VG_HOF and vote for your favourite horror game. Then email us some stupid nonsense to videogamehof@gmail.com
We embrace spooky season in typically morbid fashion, as we're nominating games from dead or dying genres in this episode. If you've got a game you love and think, "they don't make these anymore," then you know what we mean!
Don't forget to rate/review on your pod platform of choice, tell your mates to check us out, say hi over @VG_HOF, and email us at videogamehof@gmail.com
It's a bit of a wildcard category this episode, as our nominated games could be basically anything, provided we initially disliked (or even hated) them, before completely changing our opinion and loving them. We've all been there, right?
Yes, we also have more poems - all of outstanding quality.
Go vote in the polls for the game you want inducted into the Hall of Fame as soon as you've finished listening via @VG_HOF on X, or tvghof on Instagram.
Please rate/review the pod on your platform of choice!
This episode, the lads are nominating games in the Management Sim category. Yes, Rob wanted to include the entire Football Manager series, but he's not allowed.
We also have some more ridiculous emails, including some very NSFW poetry, video game baddies, and our recommendations for other podcasts.
Go and vote for the management game you want in the Hall of Fame on Twitter/X @VG_HOF or tvghof on Instagram.
Send your emails (we love 'em really) to videogamehof@gmail.com and please rate/review on your platform of choice - it really helps x
It's time to P. A. R. T. Why? Because of a democratic process of voting for the theme for each episode of the podcast. Why else?
Steve's choice for category was, as you've hopefully guessed from reading the title of the episode, party games. So stick on your party hat, fill up your party bag, knock off with some drunken co-worker in the toilets and let's bloody well party, shall we?
This episode was chaos, by the way. Alongside party games you've got airplane-based break-ups, gripes about expensive games and roundabout usage, the Turkish PSN store, Die Hard vs Lethal Weapon, Simon's new house, poetry, shagging and much, much more.
Go to @VG_HOF on X to vote for the party game nominated in this here episode and the winner will go into the Hall of Fame! There may also be a poll on https://www.instagram.com/tvghof/ too if we can be arsed.
Email us: videogamehof@gmail.com
Are you ready to expand your horizons? Maybe you just like staring at little icons on maps? Whatever your pleasure, we're here to nominate four of our favourite open world games for the Video Game Hall of Fame.
Once you've heard the episode, head on over to Twitter @VG_HOF and cast your vote - the winning game will be inducted and immortalised.
We also had an email about wrestling games that god our blood pumping and set the tensions high. Jabroni. If you want to know your role and send us an email, then shoot it to videogamehof@gmail.com
Rate/review us on your pod platform of choice and we'll see you for party games next time!
As the Hall of Fame gang recover from various bouts of lurgy, we return slightly hoarse but no less enthused to talk about Alex's chosen category: hack and/or slash games.
As always, each of the four pod members will pick their favourite game from the category, and it's up to you to head over to @VG_HOF on (ugh) X and cast your vote for the game you want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame!
We also have a delightful email from another person with a hilarious name who asked a whole host of questions ranging from our favourite movies you've never heard of to closed-down shops we all miss. If you want to get your questions on the show, shoot one of them electronic mails to videogamehof@gmail.com
Please rate/review on your platform of choice, and we'll see you again for open world games in Episode 14.
We're being right wrong'uns on this episode! In a break from the standard sort of category we usually nominate games from, we're getting stuck into some controversies and seeing which games straddle the line between infamy and brilliance the best.
Believe us when we tell you that controversy does not diminish the standard of the games nominated in this episode, as we may have the strongest lineup yet!
Don't forget, as always, to head on over to @VG_HOF on Twitter once you've finished listening and vote for the game you want to see go into the Hall of Fame in the poll there.
Review/rate us on your pod platform of choice, pretty please, as it really helps us get to more people, and email videogamehof@gmail.com if you want to ask us a question.
It's the tactical choice to listen to this podcast. In real time! No need to strategise, just press play! That's right, this episode we're each nominating a strategy game for the Video Game Hall of Fame.
Once you've heard our nominations, head over to @VG_HOF on Twitter and vote in the poll for your favourite, and the winner will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside the likes of Super Mario World, Final Fantasy VII, Minecraft, and Halo!
Please leave us a review/rating on your pod platform of choice if you like what you hear, or email videogamehof@gmail.com to get in touch.
We are the people's Video Game Hall of Fame, but that doesn't mean the people are right 100% of the time. Let's be honest, we nominated waaaaaaay too many good games to only have one go in the Hall of Fame from each category. Fear not, though, because we're here to right those wrongs by inducting one more game each from the first nine categories of the pod.
That means we will be inducting four games from amongst the 2D platformer, FPS, pre-3rd gen, beat ‘em up, JRPG, 8-bit, driving, rhythm, and indie categories. The only catch is that once a category has been chosen from, it's locked off for anyone else. Someone inducts Sonic the Hedgehog from 2D platformers? No Mario World for anyone else!
We also lay out the categories we'll be choosing from for the next six episodes. We pick one each, one's randomised from a list, and the last one will be decided by you! See? We've not taken all the control away. To vote on which category we'll be nominating from in the next episode, head over to @VG_HOF on Twitter.
Rate/review, email us at videogamehof@gmail.com, think about games with turnips, all that. Love you, bye.
It's time to channel the spirit of independence! This episode, we present to you our four nominations from the indie games sphere. As always, you will decide which nominee gets inducted into the Hall of Fame!
There are so many amazing indie games to choose from, spanning every and all genres, so we all found it incredibly tough to pick just one each. If you like one our nominees, then head on over to @VG_HOF on Twitter and cast your vote for your preferred winner. If you don't like our picks, then let us know which game we should have nominated instead!
This is definitely a category that we will revisit at some point, but the games here can always come up again in different categories, so calm down if this episode makes you upset! If you need to vent at us through email, and your name's not The Shagger, then hit us up at videogamehof@gmail.com. Ok, even if you are Shagger and want to email us again, that's fine.
Rate, review, subscribe. All that shite.
Apparently this episode's genre is controversial. Apparently one member of the pod 'hates' rhythm games. But you're not like that are you, dear listener? You all like fun times with music and occasionally hitting or plucking things, right? Good, great, wonderful.
We have another lineup of four games to introduce to you with our very bestest (or, in one case, most reluctant) reasoning for why each should go into the Hall of Fame. The eventual winner, as always, is down to you. Once you've heard the episode, head on over to Twatter and vote in the poll over @VG_HOF - with the inductee announced in Episode 9.
Don't forget to leave us a rating/review on your pod platform of choice, and email videogamehof@gmail.com if you want us to read out your questions/opinions on the show.
You best put seatbelts on your ears, folks, because we're about to take them for a ride! That's right, this episode we're all nominating our favourite (or tactically nominating the most likely poll-winner) driving games!
As always, we've got an eclectic mix of games from a wide variety of eras; from the early '90s to the late '00s; from arcades to consoles. As long as you sit yourself in a traditional car, hit that accelerator and enjoy the thrill of virtual driving, you're in. That means no kart racers or silly shite like Sonic R and Snowboard Kids. They'll likely come up later.
Once you've heard the episode, head on over to our Twitter @VG_HOF and cast your vote for the game you want to be inducted. Don't forget to leave us a lovely review on your pod platform of choice and if you want us to read out your questions, opinions, measurements, list of greatest fears, then email videogamehof@gmail.com
We're going old skool again, as your nominees for the Video Game Hall of Fame this time hail from a bygone era of blocky chiptune greatness - the 8-bit generation! Having covered pre-3rd Gen games previously, we're sticking mainly to home consoles and handhelds this time around, so fans of NES, Master System and Game Boy are in for a treat!
We also have to induct the poll-winning JRPG from Episode 5 into the Hall of Fame, learn about Rob's new unexpected friend, and settle the matter on whether chickens are dinosaurs.
Once you've heard the episode, head on over to our Twitter @VG_HOF and cast your vote for the game you want to be inducted. If polls have stopped working without you paying for a blue tick to vote, then we'll have hopefully figured something out as an alternative! Don't forget to leave us a lovely review on your pod platform of choice and if you want us to read out your questions, opinions, measurements, list of greatest fears, then email videogamehof@gmail.com
Konnichiwa and arigato to you, esteemed listener, for joining in the next instalment of the Video Game Hall of Fame! This episode, we're nominating four JRPGs, with the winner to be decided by your votes. Which game will join Sonic 2, Halo: CE, Fantasy World Dizzy and Streets of Rage 2 in the HOF? That's entirely up to you.
We've another eclectic mix of games to choose from, spanning from the SNES and PS1 up to the Dreamcast and GameCube. If we missed your favourite game in the genre, let us know why we were wrong by emailing videogamehof@gmail.com.
Once you've heard the episode, head on over to our Twitter @VG_HOF and cast your vote for the game you want to be inducted. Go. Quick!
Put up your dukes, punk. It's time to hit streets and faces. With pipes and stuff. That's right, this episode we are nominating four games in the beat 'em up genre for you to vote on. The winner, as always, will enter the Video Game Hall of Fame.
One thing you can count on with us is that we will pick an eclectic mix of games to choose from, and this time is no exception. Our nominees span from the arcades, 16-bit consoles, through to the Dreamcast and PS2 era, so there should be something for every brawler fan out there.
You know the drill by now. Once you've heard the episode, you've got a week to hurry over to @VG_HOF on Twitter and cast your vote for the game you want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Do it now!
Oh we 'bout to go oooooooold skool! That's right, this episode our Video Game Hall of Fame nominees are all games that released before the fabled 3rd generation of video gaming. There'll be no Nintendo or Sega here, their consoles don't exist yet!
Sit back, relax, and get ready to drift back in time to a far, far simpler era of pellet-chewing, ping-ponging, dig-dugging, bubble-bobbing fun.
Once you've heard the episode, you've got a week to get your arses over to @VG_HOF on Twitter to cast your vote for the game you want to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. We are but simple nominators; the final decision is yours!
The dust has settled on our 2D platformer episode, and we have inducted our first game into the Hall of Fame. Following on from that, it's time to double the number of inductees as we present to you our nominations for first-person shooters.
As with Episode 1, each member of the pod will submit one nomination each from the FPS genre, and it's then up to YOU to cast your vote on the Twitter poll over @VG_HOF.
We really enjoyed chatting about shooters, both old and new, and also had some brilliant email questions that have us rambling about everything from turnips to karaoke. If you want to get in touch and have us answer your question (on anything at all) then send it to videogamehof@gmail.com.
Here we go! The Hall of Fame's inaugural episode has arrived, and we're ready to start building up the roster of inducted games with 2D platformers. Each member of the crew will nominate a 2D platformer, explain why they think it deserves to be in the hall of fame, why everyone else's pick is wrong (mainly just Rob does that) and then we leave the rest up to you.
Once you've heard our nominees, head over to @VG_HOF on Twitter and cast your vote in the poll that will go live as soon as this episode airs. You'll have a week from then (sorry late adopters to the pod, but you'll get to vote next time, right?) to cast your vote and we'll announce the winner, and first Hall of Fame inductee, in Episode 2.
What games did we miss out? Which one of our nominees is your pick? What game genres do you want us to look into in the future? Want to ask as a totally random question? Tweet us, or email videogamehof@gmail.com and we'll read out the best replies on the next episode of the pod.
Welcome, esteemed listener, to The Video Game Hall of Fame!
Alex Aldridge (A Winner is You, Gears Intel), Rob Kirkup (How Haunted?), Simon Pike (writer for Triple Jump) and Stephen Andrews (a legit actor) all met while working on the now-defunct Sega Mania Magazine, and have since made it their mission to create this definitely prestigious Hall of Fame in order to induct and celebrate the greatest games of all time.
Every episode we'll set a category and each nominate a game within it for induction, but the final vote goes to YOU, the listener! If you like what you hear in this introduction, get yourself set for Episode 1, where we'll be nominating our potential inductees from the 2D platformer genre. Once you've heard that, give us a follow over @VG_HOF and cast your vote.
You can also email us with what games you would have nominated, categories or genres you want us to include in future, or just to say hi and ask Rob to tell a spooky ghost story (don't worry, he definitely will) at videogamehof@gmail.com. See you for Episode 1!