Player Player: A Video Game Podcast · Player Player

Player Player Villain Series (Week 1) ft. Jardo

·1 hr 7 min·5 clips

Jardo says 2025 is 'the worst year for video games in all of human history.'

Joseph Hooper opens by greeting listeners and thanking both old and new additions to the crew for tuning in. He sets the show up as the weekly place where they gather around the virtual water cooler to talk about video games and the culture around them. Jardo comes in as the co-host with the anarchist streak and the reputation, and the Discord comes up almost immediately. There is plenty of teasing about how often he seems to end up in the arguments over there, and that sets the tone for everything that follows. The conversation stays loose and personal, which fits the show. It feels like people who know each other well and are happy to chase whatever thread looks entertaining. The episode then moves into a broader gaming debate. One of the main topics is turn based combat, especially around modern games that try to bring that style back or reshape it. The discussion lands hard on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, with the speakers arguing about whether its story really belongs in the top tier or whether people are reaching when they praise it that highly. That turns into a challenge about what counts as a better story in the last couple of years. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Miles Morales, Baldur’s Gate 3, The Last of Us Part 2, and other games get thrown into the mix. Miles Morales gets singled out for a joke about how little the villain and plot details actually stick in memory. The talk keeps moving because nobody is trying to make a neat formal review. Final Fantasy 16 comes up as a warning sign for a game that can wear out a player’s patience with a combat system. That leads into Legend of Dragoon, which they treat as an older model for the kind of turn based or timing based combat they are talking about. The older game gets praised for its combat, its graphics for the time, its story, and even one song that still lives on somebody’s playlist. The comparison becomes a way to argue that newer games sometimes borrow the shape of an idea without really adding enough of their own spin. The tone stays playful, but the opinions are blunt. At one point the conversation drifts into a Stephen A. Smith style caricature of how the takes are being delivered, which fits the show’s habit of turning argument into performance. The episode keeps the feel of a live hangout rather than a scripted segment. Jokes, interruptions, and quick corrections are part of the structure, not a distraction from it. The show also keeps circling back to the social world around the podcast, especially the Discord and the idea that people there are going to have strong reactions to what was said. That gives the whole episode a community first feel, like the conversation is already continuing somewhere else. The closing section swings back to audience engagement and the open invitation to join the show. Listeners are asked to comment, weigh in, and DM the host if they want to come on. The episode ends by reminding everyone that the next two weeks are already scheduled, but there is still room for people to come in and talk about whatever they want. It finishes the same way it started: casual, direct, and built around the idea that the best part of the show is the ongoing back and forth.

As heard by us

A loud, funny game argument episode that works because it leans into Discord tension and strong opinions.

This episode stays loose and quick on its feet, moving from Discord jokes into a lively argument about video games and then back again. Jardo comes in with the sort of reputation that seems to guarantee extra noise, and the show leans into that friction instead of sanding it…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play if you want a gaming argument that actually swings back.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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