Best CritRate Podcast Podcasts (2025)

We react to the first look at the Zelda movie cast and dive into NCSoft’s newly announced Horizon: Steel Frontiers. Also we talk Ark Raiders risk and reward, and which Game Awards nominee pulled itself out of the race.

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Episode 161 - Steam Hardware Revealed, GTA 6 Delayed, and Game of the Year Predictions 1:27:06

Play Pause

1M ago1:27:06

1:27:06

The crew unpacks Steam’s new controller, PC, and wireless VR headset, plus thoughts on how it all stacks up against what’s already out there. We also react to GTA 6’s delay, talk through our growing game backlogs, and make some bold calls ahead of this year’s Game Awards.

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Episode 160 - Ball Pit, Battlefield, and the Battle Over Game Spoilers 1:23:21

1M ago1:23:21

1:23:21

This week Justin returns to the podcast as the gang discusses their first impressions of Ball Pit, Battlefield vs. Arc Raiders, and we go deep on the ethics of streaming game spoilers, and Nintendo's patent predicament.

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Episode 159 - Our Halloween Episode 1:06:21

1M ago1:06:21

1:06:21

Liz Returns for a not so spooky Halloween episode of the Crit-Rate Podcast.

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Episode 158 - The Boys are Back! 1:09:05

2M ago1:09:05

1:09:05

This week Alex and Justin are back in the seat talking Ghost of Yotei, Battlefield 6, the passing of Itagaki-san, and more.

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Episode 157 - Street Fighter Goes Pay-Per-View & Pikmin’s Surprise Reveal 1:13:43

3M ago1:13:43

1:13:43

Capcom’s latest move to monetize tournament streams left fans, and developers, stunned. Meanwhile, Nintendo stealth-drops a weird Pikmin animation, and Sandfall surprise drops a free update... and continues to delight gamers everywhere.

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Episode 156 - Final Fantasy Tactics Returns, Hades 2 Shines, and Xbox Ups the Price 1:32:53

3M ago1:32:53

1:32:53

We’re finally getting our hands on Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles and Supergiant’s stellar Hades 2, with some solid first impressions on Ghost of Yotei too. Then it's all about the big industry moves: Game Pass hits $30/month, EA goes private, and Rock Band 4 gets delisted.

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Episode 155 - Wolverine Trailer Reactions, Saros Hype, and State of Play Highlights 1:21:41

3M ago1:21:41

1:21:41

Scerbo, Chou, and Alex dive deep into the latest PlayStation State of Play, from Saros’ bullet-hell chaos to Wolverine’s surprisingly violent debut.

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Episode 154 - Silksong Struggles and the Nintendo Direct Breakdown 1:21:38

3M ago1:21:38

1:21:38

We dive into where Silksong is landing (and missing) for each of us. Some of us are deep in the zone, others not so much. Then we go through the latest Nintendo Direct: Fire Emblem hype, Mario Galaxy nostalgia, and the sheer absurdity of Nintendo’s $100 Virtual Boy peripheral.

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Episode 153 - Silksong Takes, Trophies Earned, and Teabags Deployed 1:39:53

4M ago1:39:53

1:39:53

Silksong has us all in our feelings—Chou’s hooked, Alex is cautiously impressed, and Scerbo’s vibing with the atmosphere. We also talk Sword of the Sea platinum journeys, Gears nostalgia, upcoming direct predictions, and the "fairness" of game pricing.

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Episode 152 - Magazines, Swords, and the Return of Tactics 1:13:00

4M ago1:13:00

1:13:00

In a rare two-hander, Justin and Alex wax nostalgic about gaming magazines, fall into the zen vibes of Sword of the Sea, and get way too excited about the Final Fantasy Tactics remaster.

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Episode 151 - Gamescom 2025 Reactions, Resident Evil 9, and Sword of the Sea Impressions 1:37:32

4M ago1:37:32

1:37:32

This week, we dive into everything from the big Gamescom reveals to the future of Final Fantasy and why Sword of the Sea might be the next great chill game. Scerbo’s loving RE9’s direction, Chou is embracing nostalgia, and Alex… just wants Pokémon to evolve already.

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Episode 150 - Pikachu’s Eating Burgers and Roblox Is a Crime Scene 1:13:00

4M ago1:13:00

1:13:00

The crew unpacks a wild week, from Pokémon burger mania to a deeply troubling Roblox investigation.

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Episode 149 - Kojima was right, Bonanza sucks 1:18:46

5M ago1:18:46

1:18:46

The crew is back this week! Join them as they debate Kojima’s cult status, break down what Donkey Kong Bonanza gets wrong (and right), and dive into the growing controversy around MasterCard’s role in Steam game censorship.

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Episode 148 - Is the Switch 2 Already Boring? 1:28:17

5M ago1:28:17

1:28:17

The Justins return from a whirlwind BitSummit adventure full of riverside drinks and indie dev heart, only to be met by a Nintendo Direct that left us wondering, what are we even doing here? We talk Donkey Kong Bonanza, Octopath Traveler Zero, Chillin' by the Fire, and why Zelda’s current era needs to end.…

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Episode 147 - Death Stranding & Donkey Kong & Zelda, Oh My! 32:44

5M ago32:44

32:44

Alex and Liz hold down the fort while the Justins are off in Japan, diving deep into Death Stranding 2’s deja vu design and the rollercoaster that is Night Reign. Plus, they get hyped (and slightly skeptical) over Donkey Kong’s movie debut and the fresh-faced cast of the Zelda film.

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Episode 146 - You Don’t Own That Game, Actually 1:18:23

6M ago1:18:23

1:18:23

Scerbo’s dealing with guilt about taking his Switch 2 back from his kid, Chou’s all in on Peak, while Alex is sneaking in Mario Kart World after a long week at the beach!This week, the gang dives deep into the “Stop Killing Games” movement, what happens when online games vanish, who’s responsible, and we try to actually come up with some decent sol…

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Episode 145 - The End of Xbox 41:17

6M ago41:17

41:17

This week we discuss all the layoff that hit Microsoft

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Episode 144 - The Gang is Back In Town 1:10:27

6M ago1:10:27

1:10:27

Everyone is here, and we're LIVE

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Episode 143 - Games We Love, Games We Regret, and Bungie's on Fire! 1:00:27

6M ago1:00:27

1:00:27

Scerbo dives into Mario Kart’s GP structure and why online chaos might be too much of a good thing, while Chou revisits Hyrule in 4k 60fps on the Switch 2. Liz shares why she hasn’t unboxed her console yet and Alex gives his first impressions of Mario Kart on the new hardware. All this while we walk through the messy state of Bungie’s Marathon and …

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Episode 142 - Resident Evil 9, Scott Pilgrim, and the Xbox Handheld 1:40:59

7M ago1:40:59

1:40:59

This week we discuss the Xbox Show, and Summer Games Fest and all the announcements that came with!

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Episode 141 - State of Play June 4th 2025 1:39:07

7M ago1:39:07

1:39:07

Let's talk details from the new State of Play!

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Episode 140 - Summer Game Fest, Elden Ring Movie, Cyberpunk 2 1:23:47

7M ago1:23:47

1:23:47

Liz is back, Alex is alive, Scerbo’s getting tickets, and Chou’s out digging into Expedition 33. The whole gang’s finally together to talk RPG obsessions, Bungie’s art theft mess, Cyberpunk 2 hype, Elden Ring’s A24 glow-up, and why Summer Game Fest might actually slap this year.

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Episode 139 - No Alex this week 1:12:20

7M ago1:12:20

1:12:20

Welcome back to a new episode of the Crit-Rate Podcast!

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Episode 138 - The Boys Are Back From PAX 1:01:22

7M ago1:01:22

1:01:22

On this week's episode Justin and Alex debrief on their PAX East experience, discuss more Expedition 33, and go over all the news about GTA VI.

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Episode 137 - The Best $50 We’ve Ever Spent 1:25:46

8M ago1:25:46

1:25:46

Scerbo's obsessed with Expedition 33, Chou’s digging into its combat mechanics, and Alex is cautiously catching the hype—this might be the best $50 RPG we've ever played. We also dive into Switch 2 preorder chaos, Borderlands 4 skepticism, and why the industry is weirdly booming despite all the layoffs.…

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Episode 136 - Pre-Order Panic & Claire Hype 50:07

8M ago50:07

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It’s just the two Justin's this week, spiraling into pre-order madness for the Switch 2 while counting down the hours to Claire Obscure. We get nostalgic about PS2-era themes, debate collector’s edition junk, and prep for the inevitable retail bloodbath—because of course we are.

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135 - Remasters, Tariffs, and Vampire Sunburns 1:13:43

8M ago1:13:43

1:13:43

This episode, the crew talks Switch 2 pre-order panic, the fall of Tequila Works, and whether video game remasters are getting out of hand. Plus, a look at the new Marathon gameplay reveal, a little love for Doom, and a heated debate over what price actually makes you skip a game.

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Episode 134 - Not Everything Is Great In Nintendo World 1:27:00

9M ago1:27:00

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This week Justin, Justin, and Alex discuss all the new news beats we've seen about the ever evolving Switch 2 landscape.

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Episode 133 - Switch 2, Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza!! 1:46:46

9M ago1:46:46

1:46:46

Justin and Justin are back again to discuss everything at the Switch 2 Direct!

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Episode 132 - The Before Direct 1:03:40

9M ago1:03:40

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Alex and Liz hold it down this week to discuss the Nintendo Direct prior to the Switch 2 Announcement.

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Episode 131 - AI in voice acting, New Nintendo Store, and the Oblivion Remake 1:20:27

9M ago1:20:27

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This week there is so much to discuss, and Justin has returned to the fold to go through it all with us!

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Episode 130 - Xbox Handheld Coming Soon? 1:04:46

10M ago1:04:46

1:04:46

This week Alex and Justin hold it down to discuss Xbox, PSSR, and more.

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Episode 129 - Monster Hunter Wilds First Impressions 1:07:12

10M ago1:07:12

1:07:12

This week Justin, Justin, and Alex talk Monster Hunter Wilds for...a while.

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Episode 128 - The Dawn of Monster Hunter Wilds 1:40:58

10M ago1:40:58

1:40:58

This week Justin Chou returns to the podcast to discuss recent game delays, and excitement for Monster Hunter Wilds.

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Episode 127 - Elden Ring Nightreign Demo 1:08:15

10M ago1:08:15

1:08:15

This week Justin and Alex discuss new games, GTA 6, and more!

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Episode 126 - A Justin-less State of Play 1:13:23

10M ago1:13:23

1:13:23

This week Alex and Liz hold it down while the Justin's are off at DICE.

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Episode 125 - Capcom Spotlight And More Switch 2 News 55:35

11M ago55:35

55:35

We're back again and this week we're discussing the Capcom Spotlight, and more Switch 2 news.

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Episode 124 - The Whole Crew Is Back 1:23:39

11M ago1:23:39

1:23:39

This week the entire team is reunited for the first time in weeks!

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Episode 123 - Switch 2, and more PlayStation Cancellations 1:14:33

11M ago1:14:33

1:14:33

Finally we have some hard information on the Switch 2! We also discuss the cancellation of Bend, and Bluepoints new games.

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Episode 122 - We recorded this the day before the Switch 2 was announced... 1:08:54

11M ago1:08:54

1:08:54

So we were one day early...

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Episode 121 - Welcome to 2025 1:19:42

12M ago1:19:42

1:19:42

This week we discuss some CES news, Upcoming 2025 games and more!

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Episode 120 - Marvel Rivals, and Elden Ring Nightreign 36:22

1y ago36:22

36:22

This week we discuss Marvel Rivals, and a bit more of a deep dive on Elden Ring Nightreign.

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Episode 119 - The Game Awards 2:00:04

1y ago2:00:04

2:00:04

This week we discuss all the announcements and awards at this years Game Awards.

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Episode 118 - Crit-Rate GOTY 1:55:46

1y ago1:55:46

1:55:46

On this week's episode all the hosts return to discuss our individual picks for Game of the Year.

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Episode 117 - New Handhelds Abound 1:11:32

1y ago1:11:32

1:11:32

On this week's podcast we discuss the potential new Sony handheld, FFVII Part 3, and more!

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Episode 116 - This is a Podcast 1:34:14

1y ago1:34:14

1:34:14

This week we discuss Xbox's new marketing direction, GOTY nominees and more!

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Episode 115 - Black Friday Sales, and the Xbox Interview 1:15:17

1y ago1:15:17

1:15:17

On this week's episode Justin and Justin hold it down to talk games, xbox, black friday and more!

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Episode 114 - Switch 2, PS5 Pro, and Hogwarts Legacy 2 1:07:21

1y ago1:07:21

1:07:21

This week we discuss a bunch of news that dropped this week with a focus on new consoles.