Rand(nerds);

Welcome to Episode 299We welcome Skazz back to Youtube after having his account restored, and with much rejoicing as we'll be able to upload a number of videosWe discuss the early days of YouTube, when most creators were using basic webcams to make content, and how much its changed now along with some of our pet peeves around filming habits. We then discuss our preferred audio gear choices with both of us have a shared love for Rode Ram then discusses Kona 2 Brume, the follow up to a Kona, which he played a few years ago. We talk about the changes in this most action focused sequel and the move from supernatural to a more sci-fi theme. Plus as far as we are aware the only game with a controllable dog-sled.We also talk about going to replay The Long Dark and our ongoing playthrough of RV There Yet, plus discussion of future Game Days options and our forthcoming 24hr livestream, and a surprise plan for episode 300 NotesDog sledding action in Kona II: Brume on SteamBoth Skazz and Ram preferred brands of micr

Welcome to Episode 298A bit of a different podcast this week, as Skazz reveals how he has got caught up in a recent ban waveIt took a while to figure out what happened, but we think we've worked out what caused the problem. But will some time to hopefully resolveWe discuss the broader implication and how a ban can and has affected people livelihoods and the knock on effects of such a ban on other YoutubersWe discuss alternative streaming platforms and discuss the plans for the future We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 10th August 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on Twitch or kick

Welcome to Episode 297This episode, we discuss AI's impact on the world, the parts we dislike, like generative AI, and some of its genuine benefits. We share encounters with AI in the wild, including a cold-calling AI bot tricked into giving a curry recipe, and people using AI to write books while claiming the work as their own. We also talk about how replacing entry-level jobs with AI may well cause a serious skills and experience gap down the line.We also discuss The Asylum's mockbuster films, Ram's plans to replay Deus Ex: Human Revolution next year (since it's set in 2027) and how it compares to the real world, some sad but fascinating plane incidents, and a local wildfire.NotesThe future is here, channel 4 did an AI presenter in 2025Maker of the finest knockoff films, The AsylumNot often seen in UK, a wildfire in SouthwoldThe danger of over confidence with the Dunning-Kruger effectA British airway pilot that got sucked out of a window BA Flight 5390Not done in a 747, but a test pilot comp

Welcome to Episode 296Ram has been playing Contraband Police, inhabiting the role of a border control agent in the 1980s and having to run a checkpoint. its a very Ram game involving checking details on passports, inspecting cargo and searching for contraband. A surprisingly deep game not just with the core mechanics, but also featuring a story, car chases, base upgrading and ok gun combat. Ram get's to live out the power fantasy of telling people there papers are not in order and to please leave.We also discuss: Jockey Wheel mishaps, territorial (real) rams and preferring sheep for conversational purposes.NotesDon't let people in unless their papers are in order with Contraband PoliceWe look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 30th July 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 295We kick off discussing why are bit behind in our upload due to the recent brutal UK heatwave and how's its affected both of us with some thermal-throttling. We talk about our methods of survival including trying to sleep outside (resulting in a hammock purchase) and looking at AirCon options. Ram also discusses helping his aging greyhound handle the heatSkazz then takes us through the rough time Sony has been having, mostly of there own creation, firstly, with the removal of films not just from the online stores, but the digital purchases from peoples own library's in the UK. Secondly, with their announcement of dropping physical PlayStation discs from 2028 and the backlash this has caused, and finally the closure of the PS3 and Vita stores, although this does seem somewhat fair.We end up having a big discussion over end of physical discs and how we, admittedly coming form a more PC background, do not think it a big of a deal as its being made out to be. due to the nature of how

Welcome to Episode 294After a brief diversion into Ram's cookbook bookshelf issues, we move onto more pressing topics.We discuss the government's proposal to ban social media for under-16s. While we generally agree social media — despite having some benefits — is overall not a great thing, not just for kids but for society as a whole, we talk about why a ban like this could not realistically be enforced. We also get into our own childhood experiences of the early internet, plus a brief detour into internet fame in the modern day and what it even means to be a household name in the age of mass media. Ultimately, we talk about how more effort should go into parents understanding the dangers of the internet and how to actually parent their kids around it.Skazz then talks through the demo for the new Star Fox remaster on Switch 2 — the changes they made for the better, the new features, the nostalgia it triggered in him, and how it might introduce a whole new generation to on-rails shooters.We also discus

Welcome to Episode 293We talk about the new 11th edition of Warhammer 40k that is due out soon, which Ram somehow nearly missed. We discuss the hobby and how different people choose to partake, sometimes not even playing the game. This follows onto reviewing over hobbies such as Lego for audits. We also talk about our time with Lego Mindstorms, the robotics kit from Lego.Skazz then discuss both Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth, he discusses purchasing them for the switch 2 and how he feels the game have been overlay padded out with unneeded content. He also discuss changes that have been made to the storyWe also discuss, our new bins - or lack there of, vegan dogs and a modern day version of LogoNotesMore plastic crack coming our way with Warhammer 40k 11th editionHere are some memory's of programming in Logo and the robot turtle that went with itBuild robots with Lego MindstormsFF7 Remake and Rebirth has made it to the switch twoWe look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 18th June 2026,

Welcome to Episode 292Ram has turns 40 this week, and we marked the occasion with a birthday sheep.We kick things off discussing Ram's birthday celebrations, including a trip to the cinema to see The Sheep Detectives (Hugh Jackman as a shepherd, and including the likes Patrick Stewart and Bryan Cranston as sheep). Follow up with a Chinese takeaway. We end discussing our choice of various take aways and lament the lost to fire of the local Indian. We also discuss ram's trip to the recent Pig & Poultry FairSkazz looks at some recent tech with the new steam controller, discussing the changed and steam deck compatibility We also discuss the minions summering Cthulhu, buying a tractor for commuting and confusing McDonald's workers with real cowsNotesOur woolly friends solve a murder in The Sheep DetectivesThe crossover we never expected to seeThe minions summon CthulhuThe latest in Pig Technology at the Pig and Poultry fairThe new Steam controller https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller

Welcome to Episode 290Only 6 minutes late this week, practically a record for us!We get into gaming first by discussing RV there yet, a physic based puzzle game where you have to get your RV back from your camping trip by navigating across a large physics-based map full of rock slides and chaos, its like a crossover of Mudrunner and a Top Gear road trip. We talk about the clever damage system, the fun winching and physic mechanics, but agree it best played with friends Onto a more disappointing game, Ram has been playing Layers of Fear. It was mean to be a psychological horror but delivers nothing but relentless cheap jump scares and a paper-thin gameplay loop, with you walking from room to room and puzzle so simple they don't deserve to be call thatSkazz has been getting back into VR and the new Meta Quest 3. He talk about the new features like the colour pass through with mild mixed reality, the excellent pancake lenses and how the wireless PC streaming works brilliantlyWe also discuss defeating werewo

Welcome to episode 291 We kick off with some discussion of our approaching 300th episode milestone and the upcoming teddy bear warsWe talk about the good and bad of gaming community's and how they can become echo chambers with people regurgitating opinions rather then forming their own and how people should not be afraid to enjoy what they want to enjoy, even if it goes against the mainstream. We talk about midnight launchers and discovering games yourself in the shopsRam then talks about his early impressions of Atomic Heart (2023). Set in an alternate-timeline Soviet Union with what feels like some it has been very heavy influenced by Bioshock Infinite. Some fun gameplay but also some awful characters NotesThe nanny state stopping people launchers themselves out of a trebuchet Explore a world where robots have gone mad in an alternate USSR in Atomic HeartWe look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on 21st May 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 289We kick off reflecting on ageing and the unsettling reality of how quickly life passes discussing "life calendars", prostate exams and what day of the week we are onWe then move onto Ram creating Nicktopia 15 in Timberborn, He discusses some of the major changes since he last played, including bad water mechanics, automation, logic gates, zip lines, and the new dedicated warehouse system. In a historic first for his colony, not a single beaver died due to his mismanagement. instead he has happy, dancing, zip-lining beavers enjoying statues, mudpools, and debate chambers.We also look at real-life beavers in the UK, and good news, they are being reintroduced this year almost perfectly timed with Timberborn's 1.0 release.NotesHave fun with wet beavers in TimberbornAnd they are coming back to the uk!We look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on April 23rd 2026, at 18:30 GMT+1 either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 288Despite discussing it last episode, Ram has not been playing Timberborn, instead he saving it for the Easter weekend so he can dedicate some time to itRam then shows his enthusiasms over the Project Hail Mary film, Having been a big fan of both the book and Audio book, he's reviews and discusses the plot of the film and compares it to the novel (Lots of spoilers!). Along with discussing Ryan Gosling's performance and how they had to truncate the plot for the film to focus on the relationship between Grace and the Rocky. He also shows off his helmet and talks about some other merch he'll be getting. Keeping to a space theme, Ram then talk about the game Tin Can, a small survival game where you maintain a broken escape pod's systems until you get rescued, Although only briefly played, Ram is looking to try it in VR mode.Finally we move onto the our latest Games Day game R.E.P.O, a co-op roguelike survival horror game we are apparently debt collectors retrieving random valu

Welcome to Episode 287Poor Skazzz is running on no caffeine and suffering for itRam is very much looking forward to Timberborn hitting version 1.0 which is being released the same days as the podcats, Ram has high hopes as think to some changed he should be able to create an accident gulag, he also talks about picking up an adorable Iron Tooth plushieMoving onto what we've been playing, whilst waiting for Timberborn, Ram has been having fun in Ship Graveyard Simulator 2. Hes talks about the mechanics — buying ships, methodically dismantling them with hammers, circular saws and blowtorches, sorting scrap at the recycling yard, and upgrading your tools. He compares it to Hardspace: Shipbreaker which he played last year, and give his thoughts on which one is better out of the twoSkazz then takes us into a big nostalgic deep-dive. After failing to find his old Warcraft games on Battle.net, he ended up down a rabbit hole of disappointing WoW private servers before rediscovered his love of Final Fantasy XI by p

Welcome to Episode 286 We kicked things off with the revelation of Skazz drinking alcohol-free beer, which somehow leads us into a conversation about old house layouts, how corridors are a surprisingly modern invention, and how Ram grandfather built a clever loft ladder. We also discuss how ram dogs Swift and Angel have managed to get addicted to doggy crack in the form of a milk supplement 'Better dog' and how they now refused to drink anything elseOnto games, Skazz has broken his rule of not buying games by purchasing Ys X Proud Nordics, however there is an issue with the developer anti-consumer practices with the back handed 'loyalty discount'. This leads us into the bigger debate on collecting more modern games and how its not preservation. Ram discuss the upcoming release of Timberborn 1.0 on march 12th, and how much he looking forward to it, hopefully he wont make an accidental gulag this timeRam them moves onto Frostpunk, a survival city-builder set in a frozen steampunk alternate histo

Welcome to Episode 285We start of by discuss the rising prices of hardware thanks to the demand of AI. As well as some software issues with Skazz mucking up a simple fix of his Steam Deck issue, Ram fighting DaVinci for being too greedy with his cache Moving onto games, we discuss Bloody Trapland 2: Curiosity a platformed with Co-op mode which we have been playing on games day, and how some of us (Ram) is struggling with the game-playSkazz then asked an question of Ram, what would make him leave Windows, we then move onto keeping kids safe on the internet and how the current government policy are simply not workable NotesA difficult platformer with lots of deaths, Bloody Trapland 2: CuriosityWhy does notepad need AI, and what security issues can is causeAt least when AI screws up it will apologies to youSome of the horrors of Radiation from the past for the poor Radium GirlsWe look forward to seeing you all on the next podcast on February 26th 2026, at 18:30 GMT either on YouTube or Twitch

Welcome to Episode 284 We kick off discussing sub vs dubs of imported TV series and where they can go wrong, before we manage to move onto gamesSkazz has been living the mercenary life in Armored Core fires of Rubicon. Stomping round in a big robot suit killing loads of enemy's, gathering intel and somehow being stealthy, hes suffered from control confusion, reliving the same story lines and developing an easy strategy to take down his opponents.Ram has been running a restaurant and in Parisian Brasserie Simulator, A surprisingly stressful game including surviving the horrors of the breakfast services, scary character models and over expanding his restaurant so much he tanks his review. We also discuss how Ram is in every anime, how to survive against a tank in real life and optimising the fun out of gamesNotesWhen you get AI to design your logo for an international organizationMech fighting in Armored Core Fires of Rubicon An ancient game who's rules were rediscovered a few years a go, the Royal Game

Welcome to Episode 283, our first podcast of 2026We kick things off discussing whether it actually rains in Australia and the recent snow 'storm' in the UK, before exploring how Ram's smart home setup is making life easier.On the gaming front, Skazz talks about picking up a mini console—the Commodore 64 Black Edition. This classic console comes with a twist: it only features recently released commodore games.Ram has been playing the System Shock 2 remaster, discussing how it stays faithful to the original while highlighting new features like co-op mode. He explores how System Shock evolved the genre and paved the way for Bioshock.We also dive into the dangers of overhyping games and TV shows, Skazz's skills as a blender, and the king of office equipment.NotesCold this winter? how about a Japanese's heated tableA classic commodore 64 mini console with 'modern' gamesClassic C64 controller, the Cheetah BugAnother amazing remake by Nightdive studios, the System Shock 2 remasterWe look

Welcome to Episode 282, our 2025 Christmas Special!We start off talking about the puzzle game we've played for this years Christmas Special games night; Operation Tango, Skazz plays a secret agent sneaking into bases, and Ram is the voice in his ear as the crafty hacker, we had to complete a series of mission save the world from baddies. We discuss the puzzle mechanics of this game along with other puzzle games from the past and possible VR puzzle games to try outWe then we move onto our game of the year, Skazz had less enjoyable gaming year the Ram, but still has pick out some good choices, first with wheelchair sports game Drag X Drive taking a unique use of the switch Joycons, then FBC Firebreak for it fun gameplay despite the reception it gotRam also has a couple of choices, first up is the relaxing sci-fi ship dismantling game Hardspace Shipbreaker, and then the very strange Pacific drive with only a car as your friendWe also learn we are the Top Gear of Gaming podcasts, the terror of the bells and t

Welcome to Episode 281We kick off discussing time traveling fridges and ram celebrates completing his editing for the year Onto gaming, Ram has been playing another game from Sam Barlow, Immortality, your exploring some film reals searching out the truth of what happened to a actress by review her three unreleased films. Ram talks about the mechanical differences between this and the previous games and in a spoiler section ram talk about his theory of the game story and how he got it complete wrong We also discuss the System Shock 2 remaster and fan remake Timesplitter Rewind along with the issues we have with various video editors NotesNot a fridge, but Bill and Ted orginal time machine was meant to be vanIt was actually Back to the Future that was going to use a fridge as a time machineThere are still some police boxes still in the UKDurham constabulary have got a genius editorFind out happens to a forgotten movie star in ImmortalityFind a bink video player and you to can watch videos from ImmortalityTurns

Welcome to Episode 280, and all the listeners from the edge of the bell curveAs normal we kick off by rambling, with a bit of discussion over the number 280, and learning it has nothing special about it, we also work out which fantasy race's map to real world occupation'sWe do eventually get onto games. Ram has been playing the latest in Frictional Amnesia series; Amnesia: The Bunker. Ram talks about his weird take on how he "enjoys" horror games and what make this one a little different from previous entries in the series, along with related games. We also discuss the world toilet day, Audio recording problems, proving the earth is not flat and Valve's major mistake NotesHow many descriptors can a bullet get? The experimental rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge the .280 BritishDo you give a sh*t? If so make sure World Toilet Day is in your calendarBe careful not to slide, after we've changed the tilt of the earthA slightly different style of game from Frictional in Amn