Probably not the right place for it but I'm not sure where else to put it - just heard the Volume 12 reveal and really gutted to hear the news that you and Josh are leaving/cutting back

I've been listening to both of you guys for 10+ years now and just wanted to say a big thank you for all the entertainment, interesting information and in depth conversations you've provided over the years - always looked forward to you two being on an upcoming podcast.

All the best in whatever you've got on next, show won't be quite the same without you.

Make sure you come back for Everwild, Sea of Thieves or whatever Rare podcast the team puts out in the future!

Edit - @dezm0nd

Same. Two of my absolute favourite members but especially Darren. Brings something different to C&R, a very good-natured mischief.

Rhaegyr wrote: ↑January 9th, 2023, 1:32 pm Probably not the right place for it but I'm not sure where else to put it - just heard the Volume 12 reveal and really gutted to hear the news that you and Josh are leaving/cutting back

I've been listening to both of you guys for 10+ years now and just wanted to say a big thank you for all the entertainment, interesting information and in depth conversations you've provided over the years - always looked forward to you two being on an upcoming podcast.

All the best in whatever you've got on next, show won't be quite the same without you.

Make sure you come back for Everwild, Sea of Thieves or whatever Rare podcast the team puts out in the future!

Edit - @dezm0nd

Ah thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I've been podcasting for years, maybe over a decade and i'm at a point in my life where I need to focus on being a Dad first and foremost.

I've been looking after Ivy since she was 9 months as my primary role on planet earth and as a newly divorced man, my main focus in life is making sure Ivy lives the best life possible until she resents me and tells me to go away.

On a serious note, I am finding it too tiring to even play a videogame through to completion and being a full time single parent, i've had to be honest with myself and release the things i love doing but no longer have the required enthusiasm for.

I may crop up from time to time, I'm certainly still here for CaR just not in the way I used to be.

Will Marley wrote: ↑January 9th, 2023, 6:57 pm Same. Two of my absolute favourite members but especially Darren. Brings something different to C&R, a very good-natured mischief.

Makes me tear up a bit. This is exactly what i wanted to bring to podcasting. A little bit of cheek alongside my own perspective on videogames. Thank you.

Thanks for all your work on the show Darren! It's been a pleasure to listen to you over the years.

dezm0nd wrote: ↑January 10th, 2023, 7:37 am

Rhaegyr wrote: ↑January 9th, 2023, 1:32 pm Probably not the right place for it but I'm not sure where else to put it - just heard the Volume 12 reveal and really gutted to hear the news that you and Josh are leaving/cutting back

I've been listening to both of you guys for 10+ years now and just wanted to say a big thank you for all the entertainment, interesting information and in depth conversations you've provided over the years - always looked forward to you two being on an upcoming podcast.

All the best in whatever you've got on next, show won't be quite the same without you.

Make sure you come back for Everwild, Sea of Thieves or whatever Rare podcast the team puts out in the future!

Edit - @dezm0nd

Ah thanks, man. I really appreciate it. I've been podcasting for years, maybe over a decade and i'm at a point in my life where I need to focus on being a Dad first and foremost.

I've been looking after Ivy since she was 9 months as my primary role on planet earth and as a newly divorced man, my main focus in life is making sure Ivy lives the best life possible until she resents me and tells me to go away.

On a serious note, I am finding it too tiring to even play a videogame through to completion and being a full time single parent, i've had to be honest with myself and release the things i love doing but no longer have the required enthusiasm for.

I may crop up from time to time, I'm certainly still here for CaR just not in the way I used to be.

Not at all - like I said earlier, thanks for the decade plus of entertainment! Don't think I'll ever forget your tales of adventures with Stop n Swop or glass Lucozade bottles to the head

Totally understand your daughter coming first - can't imagine how hard it is being a single parent, doubly-so in these times.

Didn't want to name favourites but seeing as someone else has I don't feel guilty doing it now - you were definitely the highlight for myself and my group of real life friends who listen/subscribe to Cane and Rinse. First thing we said after listening to Vol 12 was "aw man, Darren's leaving!". Hope that doesn't activate your big head mode!

All the best Darren - good luck continuing being a dad and hope you're able to get some motivation/energy down the line to sink back into the medium you obviously love.

Will definitely miss Josh and Darren's contributions, all the best to both. Goldeneye episode's a favourite of mine, as is the Braid one where they both respectfully trash an indie darling haha. Lots of great stuff over the years.

markfm007 wrote: ↑January 10th, 2023, 10:29 pm Will definitely miss Josh and Darren's contributions, all the best to both. Goldeneye episode's a favourite of mine, as is the Braid one where they both respectfully trash an indie darling haha. Lots of great stuff over the years.

Oh the Braid episode is one of my favourite entries of the C&R podcast. I tried it before the episode came out and I just could not get on with it. Admittedly part of that was that it would slow down to a crawl when it was being streamed on Playstation Now but it was far from the biggest reason. It just had this feeling of trying too hard to be an "artistic" game that it just rubbed me the wrong way and many of the puzzles were frustrating to pull off even if I knew the solution. It was so good to hear Josh and Darren tear into it and made me relieved I was not the only one who did not care for it. Moments like that are definitely what will make their absence from the show all the more glaring.

Josh was always great at articulating why the narrative/design of a game succeeded or failed and Darren was always a treasure trove of knowledge on everything to do with Rare. Also Darren's stories on the N64 episode made it my favourite console special easily. Lot of laughs in that one! Best of luck to both Darren and Josh in their future endeavours and I hope they can make an occasional appearance every now and then. They were great additions to the team.

Anyone had a chance to sit down with that One Piece RPG? I loved that series in my younger years, and a series revisit sounds like a lot of fun, but something about the trailers made it appear low-rent and grindy.

Definitely Not Fried Chicken [PC] – January 18
A Space For The Unbound [PC, PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 19
Colossal Cave [PC, PS5, XSX, Switch] – January 19
Persona 3 Portable [PC, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 19
Persona 4 Golden [XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 19
Fire Emblem Engage [Switch] – January 20
Fire Emblem Engage: Wave 1 DLC [Switch] – January 20
Monster Hunter Rise [PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO] – January 20
Forspoken [PC, PS5] – January 24
Mahokenshi [PC] – January 24
Risen [PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 24
World War Z [PS5, XSX] – January 24

Jobobonobo wrote: ↑January 12th, 2023, 9:50 am Oh the Braid episode is one of my favourite entries of the C&R podcast. I tried it before the episode came out and I just could not get on with it. Admittedly part of that was that it would slow down to a crawl when it was being streamed on Playstation Now but it was far from the biggest reason. It just had this feeling of trying too hard to be an "artistic" game that it just rubbed me the wrong way and many of the puzzles were frustrating to pull off even if I knew the solution. It was so good to hear Josh and Darren tear into it and made me relieved I was not the only one who did not care for it. Moments like that are definitely what will make their absence from the show all the more glaring.

I haven't actually played it myself, other than the first level or two years ago. The episode stuck out to me though because it was a great conversation, different opinions coming together, rather than just sticking to the consensus or going all out negative. Great sense of humour and good analysis too. Definitely get what you're saying though, and it was funny to hear them stick it to a game that is often praised quite highly.

Yeah, I remember it was not wholly negative with some of the cast liking it but even hearing from those who did not get on with it made me feel less like a culture-less pleb I suppose. Honestly might give this another listen soon, just an entertaining analysis all around.

I loved Braid, and was excited for the remastered Anniversary edition (which is probably never coming out at this point) until Jonathan Blow blocked me on Twitter for calling out his anti-vax bullshit. The prick.

Once you get past the novelty of "Wow, a game from an independent developer?!" Braid is honestly kind of mid. It's nothing greater than the sort of stuff people were making on Newgrounds at the time.

Magical_Isopod wrote: ↑January 16th, 2023, 2:13 pm Once you get past the novelty of "Wow, a game from an independent developer?!" Braid is honestly kind of mid. It's nothing greater than the sort of stuff people were making on Newgrounds at the time.

I don't know if I agree with that. I think it was pretty revolutionary as far as 2D platformers go, and it's barely been copied since. I'm not sure I'd agree its critical acclaim came from the fact it was an indie dev, although I would agree that it was one of the first big hitters which may have put more attention upon it than would if it was perhaps released today.

Alex79 wrote: ↑January 16th, 2023, 12:51 pm I loved Braid, and was excited for the remastered Anniversary edition (which is probably never coming out at this point) until Jonathan Blow blocked me on Twitter for calling out his anti-vax bullshit. The prick.

Ugh, Twitter was a mistake. We were never meant to be allowed direct access to the thoughts of every celebrity or creative figure. Can really break the illusion of whatever high esteem you held them up in.

Forspoken [PC, PS5] – January 24
Mahokenshi [PC] – January 24
Risen [PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 24
World War Z [PS5, XSX] – January 24
Anniversary Wonder Boy Collection [PS5, PS4, Switch] – January 26
Hitman: World of Assassination [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 26
Hitman 3 Freelancer mode [PC, PS5, XSX, PS4, XBO, Switch] – January 26
NeverAwake [PS5, PS4, Switch] – January 26
PS5 DualSense Edge – January 26
Dead Space Remake [PC, PS5, XSX] – January 27

I played the Forspoken demo yesterday and I'm just not that interested in the game but it really does have a good bit of swearing for swearing's sake and not to the game's benefit.

Also, the Wonder Boy Collection is a weird bunch of games. It's the first (Wonder Boy), second (Wonder Boy in Monster Land), fifth (Wonder Boy in Monster World) and sixth (Monster World 4) games in the series, skipping Monster Lair and The Dragon's Trap. Al least if they swapped the original game with Dragon's Trap it would be the full Monster World series.

I am very apprehensive about Forspoken, because Square-Enix has been withholding review codes from a bunch of major and small media outlets. That's usually not a good sign. A friend of mine is very excited for this game because it has an "Indigenous protagonist," but I can't find any evidence of that at a cursory glance. Games needs more Indigenous leads than just Tommy (Prey) and Connor (Assassin's Creed 3), dammit!

Dead Space is going to be an interesting one, because all it has to do to succeed is clear the rather low bar set by The Callisto Protocol. That one's gonna be fun to watch. I have an hypothesis that Dead Space 2023 is going to be a "remakequel" a la FF7R, and I am curious to see if I am correct. If it's any bit as good as 1 and 2 - and I have tremendous faith in EA Motive, who made the incredibly underrated Mass Effect: Andromeda - then I'll probably pick it up when it drops to $40 or so.

Magical_Isopod wrote: ↑January 22nd, 2023, 2:07 pmDead Space is going to be an interesting one, because all it has to do to succeed is clear the rather low bar set by The Callisto Protocol. That one's gonna be fun to watch. I have an hypothesis that Dead Space 2023 is going to be a "remakequel" a la FF7R, and I am curious to see if I am correct. If it's any bit as good as 1 and 2 - and I have tremendous faith in EA Motive, who made the incredibly underrated Mass Effect: Andromeda - then I'll probably pick it up when it drops to $40 or so.

There has been a fair bit of discussion about the Dead Space remake on the IGN podcast recently and they had a good few hours of hands on testing with it. Their general consensus was that it's more or less a shot for shot remake of the first game, with a few new gameplay mechanics. Which is probably either great news or bad news, depending what you thought of the first game.