The Game Informer Show

With two new consoles and a host of great indie and PC games, 2014 should be a landmark year for games. In this week's show, we talk about the upcoming titles we're most excited about. Host Matt Helgeson is joined by Matt Bertz and Andy Reiner, as we discuss such high profile games as Titanfall and Destiny, as well as some under the radar gems. (Please visit the site to view this media)

Bungie and Activision have joined forces to create Destiny, one of the most ambitious shooters ever made. Listen in as we ask reader questions about the game to two Destiny team members. Matt Miller and Bryan Vore, who were both on our cover story trip to see the game, serve as hosts of this special edition podcast, posing questions submitted by readers and GI.com community members to Bungie's Eric "Urk" Osborne and David "DeeJ" Dague. (Please visit the site to view this media)

2013 was a breakout year for indie games. In this podcast we discuss some of the year's best, including Gone Home, The Stanley Parable, and more. Host Matt Helgeson is joined by Matt Miller, Kim Wallace, and Jeff Marchiafava for a wide-ranging discussion that touches on many of the year's best indie titles and the rapid growth of this sector of the game industry. (Please visit the site to view this media)

This week we break down Spike TV's controversial VGX awards and talk about a trio of excellent racing games that have released recently. First up, host Matt Helgeson is joined by Ben Hanson, Ben Reeves, Dan Ryckert, and Tim Turi to talk about Spike TV's VGX Awards (the revamped Spike VGA Awards). It was a wildly uneven show that drew criticism from many, including co-host Joel McHale. We'll go into all the gory details. In the second segment, Matthew Kato, GI's resident racing expert, and Andy Reiner come in the studio to talk about a trio of very good racing games that have released towards the end of 2013: Forza Motorsport 5, Need for Speed Rivals, and Gran Turismo 6. We also ponder the future of the genre. (Please visit the site to view this media)

We sing the praises of Media Molecule's excellent Vita game Tearaway, and look back at the year that was. In the first segment, host Matt Helgeson and Dan Ryckert discuss Media Molecule's magical new platformer, which is perhaps the best Vita game to date. There's a lot to talk about, and it's an experience that should not be missed. For more, read our review of the game. Next up, we welcome GI news editor Mike Futter to the studio. He's in visiting from New Jersey this week, so we took the opportunity to get him on the show to analyze some of 2013's biggest news stories, including the shuttering of LucasArts and THQ and Microsoft's Adam Orth controversy. (Please visit the site to view this media)

Another week, another console launch – and we're here to talk about it all. Listen in to hear our take on the Xbox One. In the first segment, host Matt Helgeson is joined by Matt Kato, Jeff Cork, Andy Reiner, and Matt Bertz to talk about the Xbox One. From the hardware to the user interface, we break down every aspect of this ambitious console. Next up, we welcome Tim Turi, Bryan Vore, and Ben Hanson to the booth to talk about two games that make perfect sense together: Dead Rising 3 and Super Mario 3 World. Okay, we'll admit it's a weird mix, but they are two amazing games and we break them down extensively. (Please visit the site to view this media)

Weeks don't get more eventful than this. Sony is ready to release the PlayStation 4, and we've played it. Tune in to hear all about it, and some discussion of a classic new Zelda game. We start off, unsurprisingly, with the PlayStation 4. Host Matt Helgeson, Andy Reiner, and Jeff Cork have all spent significant time with console, and are here to give all their impressions of the hardware, interfaces, and services. Next up, we have a brief segment with Dan Ryckert and Matt Helgeson about two of Sony's big launch titles, the futuristic shooter Killzone: Shadow Fall and Sony Japan Studio's platformer Knack. It's a big Sony week, but we can't ignore The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. This is not only one of the best games of the year, it's one of the best Zelda games ever. Dan Ryckert, Ben Hanson, and Kyle Hilliard discuss some of the improvements that Nintendo made to the traditional Zelda formula. (Please visit the site to view this media)

It's already done $1 billion worth of business, but many feel that the Call of Duty franchises is beginning to slip. We discuss the latest in the blockbuster franchise, Call of Duty: Ghosts. Host Matt Helgeson is joined by Dan Ryckert (who reviewed the game) and Andy Reiner to talk about Ghosts and what it means for the future of Call of Duty. Note: We actually have two podcasts today, so be sure to check out our special edition podcast on The Order: 1886. (Please visit the site to view this media)

We asked readers for questions about Ready at Dawn's The Order: 1886, and we pose them to creative director Ru Weerasuriya. This podcast is hosted by GI editors Matt Miller and Tim Turi, who traveled to Ready at Dawn for our coverage of the game. (Please visit the site to view this media)

This week we break down three of the year's most anticipated games, and talk about a cool gaming charity even you can get involved with this weekend. First up is Battlefield 4, with host Matt Helgeson joined by reviewer Matt Bertz. This new Battlefield brings back some popular features from the past, and adds some interesting new modes and features. We discuss it all, and also talk about the series' new attempt at delivering a compelling single player game. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag is next. Does this pirate themed AC adventure stack up to the rest of series? Game Informer reviews editor Joe Juba will tell us. The Dark Knight has new video game adventure that just released, and it's not developed by Rock Steady. Did new developer Warner Bros. Montreal create a game worth of the Batman name? Reviewer Andy Reiner and Kyle Hilliard discuss. Finally, Tim Turi, Ben Reeves, and former GI intern Jack Gardner stop by to talk about their 25-hour gaming marathon that will be livestreaming on our site this weekend to benefit Extra Life and the Gillette Children's Hospital. It's going to be a fun event, and all proceeds to to a great cause. (Please visit the site to view this media)

In a diverse show, we discuss the best Lego game yet, as well as 2013's explosion of experimental indie games. In the first segment, host Matt Helgeson is joined by Lego Marvel Super Heroes reviewer Jeff Cork (who battles through pneumonia to appear on the show) and Andy Reiner to talk about Traveler's Tales' excellent new entry in the popular franchise. Jeff and Reiner think it's the best Lego game yet and are on hand to tell you why. In the second segment, we discuss some of 2013's  intriguing indie title that have challenged our definitions of what constitutes a video games. From Papers, Please to The Stanley Parable, it's been an interesting year, in no small thanks to a new vanguard of experimental indie developers. In this segment, we ponder what it all means. (Please visit the site to view this media)

We discuss Telltale's strange new adventure, the latest (and greatest?) Pokémon game, and the fallout from the Watch Dogs delay. In the first segment, host Matt Helgeson is joined by Kim Wallace (who reviewed Episode 1 for Game Informer), Jeff Cork, Andy Reiner, and Tim Turi in a discussion of Telltale's latest episodic adventure. This is a much different beast than the hit The Walking Dead, but it's dark tale on fairytales is no less gripping. Next up is Pokémon X & Y, which Matt can't pronounce right. Veteran trainers Kyle Hilliard, Tim Turi, and Ben Hanson stop by to chat, along with Dan Ryckert, who's playing a Pokemon game for the very first time. Finally, news editor Mike Futter checks in via phone to talk about the delay of Ubisoft's Watch Dogs and how that might affect the company's financials and the next-gen console launches. (Please visit the site to view this media)

In this week's episode we speak with the lead designer of XCOM: Enemy Within and debate Quantic Dream's polarizing Beyond: Two Souls. First off, we welcome a special guest to the Game Informer Show: Ananda Gupta, the lead designer of the upcoming expansion XCOM: Enemy Within. There's a lot of new content in the game, from espionage to crazy new gene modifications. We go into all the expansion's new content in detail. Following up is Joe Juba, who joins host Matt Helgeson to discuss his review of David Cage's Beyond: Two Souls. Cage is a distinctive storyteller, but not everyone agrees about the quality of his latest project, which starts actress Ellen Page. The wide-ranging discussion also turns to the philosophy of reviewing games in general and other games which garnered wildly divergent reactions. (Please visit the site to view this media)

We talk about the huge potential – and painful launch – of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto Online. Matt Bertz, who's been covering GTA V since our cover story on the game, has spent about as much time as anyone who doesn't work for Rockstar in GTA Online (i.e. before it launched and completely broke). Andy Reiner and Dan Ryckert (who wrote an editorial about the controversy) also join host Matt Helgeson for a discussion of the game, it's ambitious plans, and whether or not Rockstar can right the ship. In the second segment, Kyle Hilliard does a special post-release interview with producer Josef Fares of Starbreeze's excellent downloadable game Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Warning: this segment contains spoilers. (Please visit the site to view this media)

Earlier this week, we asked Call of Duty fans what they wanted to know about the series' next-gen debut. We received numerous questions from fans that are looking forward to Ghosts, and took them directly to executive producer Mark Rubin. Click below to hear Ben Hanson and myself present the community's questions to one of the development leads from the upcoming title. (Please visit the site to view this media) To learn more about Call of Duty: Ghosts, click the banner below to access our month of coverage.