Best Andrew Schieffer Podcasts (2025)

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YoVG # 514 The Rise of Handhelds - Holiday 2025 1:18:05

Play Pause

5d ago1:18:05

1:18:05

Handhelds are on the rise! Where once the only option was a Switch or a Steam Deck, now we have Android devices like Ayn's ODIN line, Lenovo's Legion Go, and ROG's Ally series. Plus, Playstation and Xbox are expected to commit to hybrid or handheld consoles in the near future. So, how do you know where to start? Do OS's matter? Do price points diff…

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YoVG # 513 Sony's State of Play Japan 2025 1:24:18

7h ago1:24:18

1:24:18

Sony dropped a State of Play just for its Japanese Developers. Matt and I are split on this one. He feels it fell flat, I feel it says: Sony is finally waking up to the type of games it should be pushing harder. Plus: We debate horror elements and their effectiveness. I love ambience and build up, he loves sudden unavoidable terror. We score the St…

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YoVG # 512 Unlikely Tie-In Games (That Should Exist) 1:10:18

22d ago1:10:18

1:10:18

In the 90's tie-in games for movies and TV shows were pretty much BS. I mean most of the time they had little to nothing to do with the property they were tying into, and in the worst of cases actively made the original property worse by association (ET). Not to say that there weren't good ones, too. But more often than not, a tie-in game never rai…

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YoVG # 511 Expecting 2026 Turbulence 1:06:32

1M ago1:06:32

1:06:32

Hey, so all these layoffs? Well, it means lots of projects are dead in the water. And that means we are going to see a serious dip in games coming to market. Will that be next year some time? Maybe the year after? And I hear you - AI is gonna solve this problem! But what if it doesn't? What if AI goes bust? No your highly profitable money printing …

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YoVG # 510 The GameFreak Leak 1:13:25

1M ago1:13:25

1:13:25

I liked the title The Freak Leak, but then who would click on it? GameFreak had a leak. It was possibly an old school phishing scheme, which is sort of hilarious. That leak did tell us what games they are working on for the coming five years or so, but that isn't what we are interested in - two guess what it the games are though lol. No they leaked…

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YoVG # 509 Fallout New 3rd Party 1:03:43

1M ago1:03:43

1:03:43

It's Microsoft. Rumor has it that Microsoft wants out of the hardware business (surprise, surprise!) and that means Xbox may not have a new generation next year. But does that mean Xbox is dead? Maybe not. As we have seen: Xbox branded portable could lead into Xbox branded gaming PCs and so on. So, if 3rd party is close to dead in the US, and Micro…

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YoVG # 508 State of Games - Holiday 2025 1:09:47

1M ago1:09:47

1:09:47

What is the state of the gaming industry going in to Holiday 2025? Shockingly fragile. There is only one major third party publisher left in the US. Microsoft is backing away from hardware. Sony is facing down stagnation. And then there's Nintendo. Who's mostly fine. They aren't happy about tariffs, but for the most part they are weathering this st…

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YoVG # 507 Tokyo Game Show 2025 1:01:02

2M ago1:01:02

1:01:02

Sony and Microsoft had their showcases this week for TGS 2025. We dive into what's exciting, what's confusing, and what is just plain bad. Join us for some musings on the next six months in gaming!By YoVideogames!

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YoVG # 506 Will Games Be Worth The Price In 2026? 1:19:38

2M ago1:19:38

1:19:38

The price of gaming keeps going up. Sure, part of it for those of us in the US is tariffs. But gaming has become much more expensive world wide. Especially AAA gaming. However, with games like Clair Obscur and Silksong coming in well under AAA pricing, and punching far above their weight - we need to ask: will triple A games be worth the price next…

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YoVG # 505 Did Nintendo Meet or Beat Expectations? 1:12:42

2M ago1:12:42

1:12:42

Did Nintendo beat expectations? No. Well, according to Matt. While nothing was BAD in the direct, and plenty was GOOD: Nintendo didn't justify the new system or the cost increases (Tariffs not included). Personally, I was easier to please. Maybe because I know I am not going to buy a Switch 2 for at least a year. We gave the PS5 a year to try and j…

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YoVG # 504 Game Journalism & What Happens If It Dies? 1:07:08

3M ago1:07:08

1:07:08

Game journalism is often derided as pointless or nonexistent. We ourselves have made those jokes in the past, especially when talking about the old school game magazines. But what happens when game journalism dies? Journalism in general is on its last legs, and game journalism seems to be on the very edge of disappearing. Content creators sometimes…

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YoVG # 503 Games People Love That We Don't Get 1:12:30

3M ago1:12:30

1:12:30

Or "Old Men Yell At Cloud" There's a lot of great games. Honestly, there might actually be more good games than bad ones these days. But sometimes, even a good game, that people love, make us scratch our heads. We've talked about them here and there in the past, but now we are going to focus on them. For fun. Don't take this too seriously. Enjoy th…

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YoVG # 502 A Bit O' Gamescom 2025 1:03:05

3M ago1:03:05

1:03:05

I held it together and we recorded a little Gamescom talk. We didn't go super deep on any one game, but the biggest takeaway this year? Horror fans are gonna EAT. At least, in my opinion. Hop in, hang out, I only cough twice and never into the microphone. I was very brave: say it!By YoVideogames!

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YoVG # 501 Gen Z Stops Spending! 1:00:10

3M ago1:00:10

1:00:10

We're in the doldrums before Gamescom, so there is a tight lid on anything new and exciting. I just got back from a week of travel so bad I'm having flashbacks straight out of Apocalypse Now. And that means: we meander a bit this episode. We cover a bunch of small topics and tangents. Enjoy us in your ears as we cover industry panic, and the usual …

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YoVG # 500 The Most Trash Games We've Ever Played! 1:06:37

3M ago1:06:37

1:06:37

Episode 500 is for the haters! We've been on a positive upswing for almost two years now, but it's time to return to our roots. We were born haters, and haters we shall remain! Actually, we've spent so long focusing on staying positive that we had sort of a hard time being too harsh - even when the games deserved it. But we still had fun and I bet …

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YoVG # 499 We Need a New Fighting Game IP 58:52

4M ago58:52

58:52

Something entirely new. Not based on an existing IP. Built from the ground up by a good team without the restrictions of making characters that match expectations. How do you do it? Matt brings out his Fighting Game Triangle: Content, Roster, Presentation and we dig into finding a balance among the three. He does not like my ideas. :P…

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YoVG # 498 The Best Games of (the first half of) 2025 1:03:56

4M ago1:03:56

1:03:56

Taking a suggestion from you guys: we decided to talk about games we hope don't get forgotten by end of year. And maybe a couple we know definitely will. So, let's talk early GOTY contenders, and a couple disappointments.By YoVideogames!

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YoVG # 497 Do Gamers Want More of The Same? 1:14:25

4M ago1:14:25

1:14:25

The reactions to Ghost of Yotei have been mostly positive, but one common complaint is that there was "no reason" to not continue Jin Sakai's story. In my opinion, it's okay that his story is done and it is more interesting to leap to a new time and new character. This provokes another conversation about sequels/franchises in general: do gamers wan…

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AI Competition and Security: A discussion with Kemba Walden and Devin Lynch 31:11

4M ago31:11

31:11

“We’re in a whole tangled mess…we’ve gotten ourselves into a tangled mess around not just securing our infrastructure, but also around competition for the pieces of our infrastructure.” AI has become a cornerstone of modern defense, economic security, commerce, and more. But without effective cybersecurity strategies, the technology that has helped…

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YoVG # 496 Microsoft Ruins Matt's Birthday 1:26:07

5M ago1:26:07

1:26:07

Microsoft has ruined all its goodwill from even six months ago. Is that Phil Spencer's fault? Probably not. In fact there is evidence that ol' Philly boy has done his best, but that doesn't help the thousands Microsoft laid off - so our sympathy is limited. I don't think Xbox is ever going to climb out of the hole it dug itself fifteen years ago. T…

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Keeping Our Beaches Clean with the Surfrider Foundation 16:13

5M ago16:13

16:13

This summer, millions of Americans will head to the beach to beat the heat. But how clean is the water they're swimming in? At many beaches, especially on the East Coast, water quality is rarely tested for bacteria, pollution, and other health hazards that may be dangerous to both beachgoers and the many species that live in marine habitats. While …

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Death Stranding 2 and What Sells Us a Sequel? 1:07:09

5M ago1:07:09

1:07:09

Hey! Welcome back. You may have noticed a lack of episode last week, and that is because of not one, but three freak acts of nature. It is not an exciting story, but it does emphasize that I might be cursed. Anyway, the delay meant that I could buy and check out Death Stranding 2. I didn't play DS1. I had seen enough of it at several E3s to know it…

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NATO’s “Brain-Dead” Summit 24:44

5M ago24:44

24:44

“I think what happened here is Europeans made a lot of commitments that they don’t have any intention of fulfilling—at least in the near term—and this is all about appeasing President Trump to keep him engaged with the NATO alliance.” At the recent summit in The Hague, Netherlands, NATO allies agreed to spend a target 5 percent of GDP on defense in…

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Did U.S. Strikes Prevent an Iranian Bomb—or Provoke One? 22:28

5M ago22:28

22:28

“The word ‘obliteration’ is being used a lot…I think there’s a little more nuance to it.” Intelligence assessments from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran, and the United States have provided competing accounts of the functionality of Fordow, Iran’s critical uranium refinement site, and the Iranian nuclear program as a whole. The intellig…

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Is Ideology Blinding Iran to Reality? 28:50

5M ago28:50

28:50

“They didn’t understand the essence of Israel, and they are now dead.” Are Iran and regional terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah considering the reality of Israel’s military posture and motivations? Iran may have underestimated Israel’s willingness to launch a surprise attack like the one that started the 12-day war, but with a fragile ceasef…

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Emergency Podcast: How Degraded is Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Program? 13:45

5M ago13:45

13:45

CSIS Missile Threat Program director Tom Karako joins the podcast to assess conflicting reports about the degradation of Iran’s nuclear and missile program and how soon Iran may be able to rebuild.By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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12-Day War: Now What? 25:19

5M ago25:19

25:19

CSIS’s Jon Alterman, a longtime Middle East scholar and geopolitical expert, joins the podcast to discuss potential outcomes from Israel and Iran’s 12-day war and shaky ceasefire. Key question: Does the conflict and ceasefire make the world a safer place and reduce nuclear proliferation, or does it possibly increase nuclear proliferation?…

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Emergency Podcast: Iran Strikes Back 15:19

5M ago15:19

15:19

CSIS Middle East Program Director Mona Yacoubian joins the podcast to discuss Monday’s strike by Iran on Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American military installation in the Middle East and the broader strategic implications of the conflict.By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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Google's Gopi Kallayil on the AI Revolution 47:12

5M ago47:12

47:12

In this cross over episode, Mariana and Andrew are joined by Gopi Kallayil, Google’s Chief Business Strategist for AI, to explore what he calls “the most profound technology ever created by human beings.” Gopi shares how AI’s evolution is reshaping industries while amplifying human cognition and creativity. They discuss the tightrope between AI’s p…

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How Might Iran Conflict End? 29:50

5M ago29:50

29:50

CSIS’s Norm Roule, a former senior U.S. intelligence officer for the Middle East joins the podcast to discuss how conflict with Iran might end, what regime change could look like, the wider implications for the United States and the region and more.By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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Israel’s Strategic Objectives and the Future of Warfare 23:44

5M ago23:44

23:44

CSIS’s Eliot A. Cohen, former dean of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and former councilor to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joins the podcast to discuss Israel’s strategic objectives, potential regime change in Iran and what Israel’s military operation indicates for the future of warfare.…

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YoVG # 494 Not E3 - The Dust Has Settled 1:07:57

5M ago1:07:57

1:07:57

2025 Sony State of Play, Summer Games Fest, and the Xbox showcase have come and gone. We've had some time to step back, come down from the hype, and think of what really grabbed our attention last week. So, what stood out to you? What got you hyped in the moment, but now that you've had a minute, the optimism has cooled? Was Not-E3 a major success?…

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Israel-Iran: Is Time Running Out? 18:24

5M ago18:24

18:24

"This is easily once of the biggest ballistic missile and ballistic missile defense engagements in history, and it is truly momentous in terms of the overall context and the overall posture that Israel is taking." Israel and Iran have been at war since June 13, with each country firing hundreds of ballistic missiles in just a few days. Iran's defen…

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Emergency Podcast: Israeli Strike on Iran 30:13

5M ago30:13

30:13

CSIS’ Seth Jones, Emily Harding and Ben Jensen join the podcast to discuss Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, leadership and other targets.By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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YoVG # 493 Guest Rick Lagnese of Madfinger Games! 1:22:01

6M ago1:22:01

1:22:01

This week we have a special guest on the show: Madfinger Games' PR and Comms Director - Rick Lagnese! Madfinger Games is currently developing Grayzone Warfare, an MMO FPS in early access, but has its beginnings in mobile games. You might think that is a huge leap, but there is a clear through-line from their earliest games to today. Developing and …

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Can We Share Spectrum? 13:09

6M ago13:09

13:09

"The spectrum is a scarce national resource...it is absolutely a defense priority." Much of the spectrum has been auctioned off for commercial use, sparking a fierce debate on Capitol Hill: How can we balance spectrum use between commercial and national defense needs? While fast telecommunications is crucial to our economy, leaving spectrum space f…

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YoVG # 492 Sony State of Play - Summer 2025 1:11:09

6M ago1:11:09

1:11:09

Oh, okay Sony. I don't know why people are so hard to please these days, but this was a solid presentation. Went from one game on the horizon to now like half a dozen dropping just in September? Pragmata isn't dead? Romeo IS dead? Overall this is one of Sony's better state of play presentations - let's get into why!…

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What is the End Point of U.S.-China Competition? 26:41

6M ago26:41

26:41

“I do believe we’re in a strategic competition. I believe it’s fine to describe it that way analytically. But if it’s a competition that is purely strategic, what’s the goal? What’s the endpoint?” U.S. strategic competition with China is a cornerstone of our Indo-Pacific policy. However, this suggests that the U.S.-China relationship is always a ze…

2951
Russia’s Battlefield Woes 17:40

6M ago17:40

17:40

“The stark reality is that the Russians really aren’t doing well on the battlefield, and their economy is also in pretty tough shape.” CSIS experts examined several indicators of Russia’s battlefield performance and found that it has been performing poorly since January 2024. Russia’s rate of advance on some fronts has been as slow as just 50 meter…

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YoVG # 491 The Doldrums 2025 1:07:53

6M ago1:07:53

1:07:53

It's that time of year where things slow down. The calm before the storm of summer announcements. E3 may be dead but the excitement of E3 week lives on. Unfortunately, it means this time of year - unless there is a major leak - is usually quiet. But that's okay because this episode we talk about areas of the world, mythologies and cultures that cou…

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YoVG # 490 Is Any Game Worth $80? 1:03:42

6M ago1:03:42

1:03:42

Subjectively, yes. There are games I would pay 80 for and not feel bad. Although one problem may be that you don't know until you own it and have played it - whether it is worth it. Profits in the game industry have never been higher, so why is Randy saying he needs the real fans to shell out 80 bucks for a game? What makes a game "high end" in his…

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The Golden Dome and the New Missile Age 20:36

6M ago20:36

20:36

“Back in 2015, about $12.8 billion, or about 7.6 percent of DOD’s modernization, went to missile defense of some kind. Today it’s up to $25.5 billion, and 8.2 percent of DOD’s modernization budget.” As hypersonic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles become increasingly more common on the battlefield, focusing on the full spectrum…

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Trump’s Middle East Minerals Deal 16:02

6M ago16:02

16:02

“The Gulf is an absolutely critical player in critical minerals, because they’re all working on their goal of diversifying away from a reliance on oil…Each of these countries has adopted critical minerals as a central priority for their own economic development agenda, and that mirrors President Trump’s prioritization of minerals.” Minerals collabo…

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YoVG # 489 Peak Anime & Summer Games Fest Possibilities 1:06:51

6M ago1:06:51

1:06:51

Alright, who the hell knows what's coming for Summer GamesFest 2025. Microsoft has blown it's load so maybe we have a shocking Xbox Games Showcase in June, or maybe it is a dead zone. Sony has Ghost of Yotei and Marathon, but Marathon is in rough shape by many accounts. And Nintendo is going to do its own thing. What's that leave? Two hours of Deat…

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Emergency Podcast: U.S.-China Tariff Pause 27:20

6M ago27:20

27:20

“The economic costs were beginning to become much more obvious—not just in terms of the market volatility, but potential shortages, inflation, the rare earths restrictions that the Chinese imposed. Those were going to bite soon.” On May 12, the White House announced a 90-day pause in the trade war between the United States and China and a significa…

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Analyzing Missile Attacks in Ukraine 31:48

6M ago31:48

31:48

“Modern war is almost a new missile age.” Missiles have played a crucial role in the Russia-Ukraine war, with Russia beginning to send mass missile salvos at command and control nodes, political centers, and even civilian targets. The CSIS Futures Lab has launched an innovative new project, the Russian Firepower Strike Tracker, that uses AI and dat…

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Trump and the Australian Elections 20:30

7M ago20:30

20:30

CSIS’s Charles Edel joins the podcast to discuss the Australian elections and what it means for the Trump administration and the United States.By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

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YoVG # 488 1000xRESIST Creative Director Remy Siu! 1:11:19

7M ago1:11:19

1:11:19

1000xRESIST was a GOTY contender for Matt last year and by a twist of good luck we got to sit down with Remy Siu, the creative director, for the one year anniversary of release. With such a small team, Remy wore a lot of hats. He comes from a performing arts background, and during the COVID shutdown he found himself with the time to start learning …

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YoVG # 487 Industry Obscur Expedition Stonks 1:10:03

7M ago1:10:03

1:10:03

This week saw the buying of Polygon (and subsequent layoffs), GiantBomb's implosion (and subsequent staff exodus) and in a bright spot Clair Obscur Expedition 33 released (it is great!) So, why is the industry seemingly cannibalizing itself at the height of its fortunes? Well, we've said it before: short term gains to entice investors. Alanah Pearc…

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A Drone and Ground View From Ukraine 19:21

7M ago19:21

19:21

CSIS’ Emily Harding joins the podcast to discuss observations from her recent visit to Ukraine including drone warfare, the state of the battlefield, U.S. and European support as well as the mining deal forged by President Trump and President Zelensky.By CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies