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The Back Page: A Video Games Podcast
Episode 53: The Xbox vs GameCube Draft
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Who can build the best hypothetical mini console, Matthew, representing GameCube, or Samuel, representing the original Xbox? As both consoles have turned 20 years old, in this episode we'll revisit the libraries of each in a competitive format.
Wondering who won this one? It was Matthew, with around 60% of the vote.
This week's music is from the Super Mario Sunshine soundtrack by Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka, the Metroid Prime soundtrack by Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuma, The Simpsons: Hit and Run soundtrack by Marc Baril, Jeff Tymoschuk and Allan Levy, and the Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne soundtrack by Kärtsy Hatakka and Kimmo Kajasto.
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Our 10 Most Anticipated Games from Summer Games Fest 2026
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Mina the Hollower, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight + Mailbag
01:43:46|Bond is done! Now for some other great games that landed in May, plus the new Onimusha demo.
Two Giant Men Play 007 First Light
01:49:19|It's here – the James Bond game we've been waiting almost six years for! How much Hitman is in First Light? And how successfully does IO borrow from Naughty Dog? We discuss these subjects and many more across almost two hours.We've done our best to keep this episode free of spoilers. You'll hear about none of the major story beats in this one.
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The N64 + GameCube Mega Draft
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What We've Been Playing (007 First Light, Pragmata, Vampire Crawlers, Tides of Tomorrow, Titanium Court, Replaced)
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The Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and WiiWare Draft
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Game Design Crimes (with Jamie Smith)
02:04:28|New podcast format time! 10 of our listeners' biggest gripes with games get litigated in a Room 101-style format (except legally distinct), from tailing missions in open world games to mandatory stealth sections in non-stealth games.Joining us once again is designer Jamie Smith!The very last entry was provided by SAFC_Jack91, which Samuel forgot to write down in the original episode plan.