The Explosive Alan Podcast
Join Dan, Ash, Gareth and Nick as they talk games, films and TV, answer the community's questions and attempt to outdo each other in weekly challenges.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our lovely listeners (and our ugly ones too). What a memorable year it's been, with all those things that happened. You know, the things. So numerous are the things, that we've collated them all into this handy, digestible episode containing the least worst things we've done on The Explosive Alan Podcast in 2014. In other words: WE'RE DOING A GODDAMN CLIP SHOW. *mushroom cloud*

Direct download: ExAl_Ep46_BestOf2014.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 12:00am UTC
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Last year's Drunkcast had a terrible baby. Enjoy our shambolic recollections of the gaming year gone by, as well as an awful Christmas play that could do actual mental harm to infants. Have a wonderful birthday, Jesus!

Direct download: ExAl_Ep45_Drunkast2.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 2:25pm UTC
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Everything's slightly different this week, from the incredibly suspect listener-generated episode names and transformed news section, to a Great Debate that features very little in the way of debating and a challenge that, for the first time, is provided by our special guest. We're not really sure what's going on, to be honest. We're scared. Hold us.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep44_HyruleAtMarioKart.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 2:51pm UTC
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Prepare to listen in awe to the wise words of amateur Amazon reviewer 'Freedom Of Speech', who could teach the professional critical community a thing or two. There's other stuff about Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed Unity, Halo 5, Overwatch and sausage roll-inspired homicide, but really it's Mr. Speech's show.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep43_TheGoodTheBadAndTheGlitchy.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 4:53pm UTC
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Regular listeners might spot that this week's intro theme is the first to be inspired by a listener suggested episode title (Ep33's in fact) - we're open to suggestions for future songs, so start sending them in! Episode 42 doesn't answer the ultimate question to life, the universe and everything, but we do find out who the gang would team up with to blow up Parliament, and discover what game Simon would make featuring a drunken toddler and a Fleshlight. Spoiler: it ain't pretty. Also! Chat of first-person GTA, the return of Denis Dyack and the future of mobile gaming.

(And if you'd like to join the Explosive Alan Minecraft server, Tweet @chongster62! Make sure you're running version 1.7.10.)

Direct download: ExAl_Ep42_ThePressXFactor.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:58am UTC
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Look! It's a blue moon! Must be time for another Explosive Alan Podcast! Apologies for our ongoing sporadic release schedule but, y'know, work and stuff. In this episode, we answer more of your pressing personal questions, celebrate news of the return of Micro Machines and LucasArts classics, create an unholy fusion of EGX and Blankety Blank, and hear what you have to say about Nintendo’s reliance on nostalgia. And here's a link to that survey we chat about: bit.ly/1tAwTTG

Direct download: ExAl_Ep41_WhyCantWeAllJustHaveABigHug.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 12:00pm UTC
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We've discovered the secret to making podcasts the easy way: just get other people to do all the talking. We ventured all the way to a slightly different part of London to attend gaming expo thing EGX AKA TEFKA Eurogamer Expo, and asked a whole bunch of listeners and developers to chat away about the games they're playing and the games they're making. We still do a bit of podchat, including news of a Tetris movie (A TETRIS MOVIE), an on-off-then-on-again challenge and an extensive Great Debate about the confusing Destiny.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep40_EGXplosiveAlan.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 2:24pm UTC
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Despite the title, we don't actually cover Microsoft's potential buyout of Mojang in any meaningful detail. Misleading, us? We do, however, let our tongues wag over Destiny, surprising Sherlock cameos, and the uneasy relationship between the gaming media and its audience. We're kindly assisted by the seemingly omnipotent Matt Lees. Seriously, he manage to post seven Tweets, publish a 2,000 word blog post and produce three YouTube videos while we recorded AND WE DIDN'T EVEN SEE HIM MOVE.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep39_MicrosoftAnotherNotchOnTheBedpost.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 3:20pm UTC
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Sorry we're so late on this one, but we were busy figuring out how to melt down Gareth and Ash into a single uber-presenter. Unfortunately we just plain melted them (apologies to their families) so we got Julia Hardy to step in until we figure out a way to reconstruct them from the gloop that remains. We've all been there. We mask our sadness pretty well while chitting the chat out of news of new/New 3DS-s, hellish Saints Row expansions, Rise of the Tomb Raider's faux-exclusivity and celebrity gaming voiceovers.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep38_EverybodyWasPikaFuFighting.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 10:48am UTC
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NOMINATE THE EXAL PODCAST FOR A GMA BEFORE 12TH AUGUST! http://bit.ly/gmanoms

After all that exercise in Simon's takeover episode, normal service resumes as three-quarters of Team ExAl stay firmly on their behinds. And oh! The things we talk about. Destiny's friends-only raid policy, some fool trying to sue Sony, the re-return of Resident Evil, Yogsventures controversies, Simon not knowing who Dominik Diamond is (at least we do if he hasn't edited it out) and 'TV's' Dan Maher actually appearing on TV.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep37_TheReissuedRemasteredRemixedRemakeRe-Release.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 4:26pm UTC
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Happy birthday to us / Happy birthday to us / Happy birthday dear us / Happy birthday to us. Hooray. We celebrate our first anniversary in style - and that style is curiously similar to the format of the previous 34 episodes. The flab four discuss Yogscast controversy (not that one, the other one) and the baffling success of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, attempt to identify popular cartoons dubbed into foreign languages and share your favourite gaming moments of the last 12 months.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep35_TheExplosiveAlanMegaAwesomeBirthdayEpisode.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:15am UTC
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Pull up a chair, dear listener, and eavesdrop on another hourish of candid chat between the Explosive Alan gang. We're a proper gang and all, with a base, secret handshake, bespoke bomber jackets and an arbitrary rivalry with another podcasting gang (Gardeners' Question Time). What have we got for you this week? Let's see... Hold on... Right. Something about Lindsay Lohan, a quiz all about Arnie and chat about gender segregation in eSports. We're sure we've managed to do something entertaining with all of that.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep34_GetYourFakeBeardsForTheHearthstoneTournamentHere.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 9:47am UTC
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E3's almost enough of a distant memory to make any podcast dedicated to it seem totally redundant. Almost. The gang, this time joined by TotalXbox.com/OXM's Aoife Wilson, pick over the bones of the show and share their highs and lows. Is E3 best enjoyed from a distance, or up close and personal? Did workshy fop Dan have a better time than equipment-lugging workhorse Gareth? (Hint: yes) Do our listeners think that E3 is worth bothering with any more? Listen now for answers of sorts.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep33_A-Mii-bo_YoureASuperSmashBroCollector.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 1:19pm UTC
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Our ongoing quest to get every member of Regular Features on the show continues with a special appearance from living human Steve Hogarty. We grill him about his trip to the annual EVE Online Fanfest in Iceland, pore over the latest news - including Mortal Kombat X, Battlefield Hardline and the Metal Gear Solid film - flagrantly rip off Just A Minute, and discuss the pros and cons of DRM.

Intro Lyrics: The power of hype is a curious sight/Helps a poor game sell, when it’s overpriced shite/Fogs the mind of pre-ordering types/Makes crap appealing, that's the power of hype/Promises broken, shattered dreams/You paid the price for day one DLC/Keeps embargoes late, mm, so the truth won’t out/Power of hype that eliminates doubt/You don't need footage of gameplay/Just need some concept art to make it rain/It's loud and expensive and it lies sometimes/And it plays trick with our minds/That's the power of hype

Direct download: ExAl_Ep32_YouGottaFightForDigitalRightsIn3rdParty.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 12:10pm UTC
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We were lucky enough to rope in Jon 'Log' Blyth (AKA Loggy B), recently departed Official Xbox Magazine writer and regular member of the highly irregular Regular Features podcast, before he departs for a new life as a publican. The whole gang is back together for the first time in what feels like forever too, so you really have no reason not to listen to this hot 'n' heavy five-man aural chatbang. Also: Kinectless Xbone fallout, Far Cry 4, Halo 5, People Can Fly's abandoned detective noir game, lullaby covers of pop songs and a sordid tale of Gareth exposing himself to Log's mum via social media.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep31_CongNatal.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 2:12pm UTC
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In a week where Nintendo has transformed from cuddly, family-friendly company to hate-coding bigots (depending on who you talk to you, anyway), we largely ignore that - for now - and put our collective mind to the latest Call of Duty, Project Morpheus' terrifying shark demo, the Amplitude Kickstarter, Nintendo's other big problem and an interesting challenge that combines storytelling with expert punmanship. Episode 30, you guys.

Direct download: ExAl_30_CallOfBeauty-HouseOfCoDs.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 9:02pm UTC
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With Ash and Gareth swanning around the Windy City this week, we've had to bring in the big guns to compensate for their absence. Enter Kotaku UK editor Keza MacDonald, who did such a good job that we only noticed the other pair weren't there when the entire recording went by without a single dick joke. Lots of good stuff this episode, with talk of our encounters with Watch_Dogs, Tomodachi Life, Dark Souls II, and Final Fantasy XIV; news of a new Project Zero, terrible Wii U sales and the baddest of bad CoD losers; a Google-themed Challenge and a truly Great Debate about the rise of free-to-play and microtransactions.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep29_LivingInATomodachiLife.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 1:43pm UTC
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Watch the Tomodachi Life Nintendo Direct! Actually, listen to this podcast, featuring special guest Johnny Chiodini and talk of Super Smash Bros., Amazon Fire TV, the Assassin's Creed movie and MS & Sony's foray into TV shows, first, then watch the Tomodachi Life Nintendo Direct.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep28_YouHaventHeardTheLastOfUs.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 2:12pm UTC
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We defy you not to do THAT whistle after reading that title (doing it in your head counts too). The Struggling To Get-Along Gang are joined by award-winning indie developer Mike Bithell, creator of the wonderful Thomas Was Alone. We quiz him about Volume, his upcoming reinterpretation of the Robin Hood legend and drag him into the rest of our nonsense, including a particularly tense challenge, a debate about online trolls and news of a disastrous indie game jam, the new head of Xbox and bloody Oculus Rift.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep27_BithellWhileYouWork.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:56am UTC
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There's been a lot of talk about the "Conscious coupling" of Facebook and Oculus VR, and who are we to avoid jumping on the "we know the inner workings of a multi-billion dollar corporation" bandwagon? So yes, FacebOculus dominates the chatter this week, but there's still room for Assassin's Creed Unity, The Last of Us PS4 rumours and Star Wars news and a challenge based on gaming locations that Dan is surprisingly awful at.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep26_MightAsWellFacebookYoureAddictedToRift.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:01am UTC
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Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has proved to be incredibly divisive among the gaming community, so we've predictably jumped aboard the controv-o-wagon to discuss Kojima's plans and what it spells for big-budget game development in general. Before all that though, we've got chat of Project Morpheus, Titanfall, Sim City finally going offline, Super Game Jam and, sigh, Sonic the bleedin' Hedgehog. Also's Simon's super-scary challenge goes horribly awry so we mimic something off Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow instead.

Direct download: Ep25_ZeroesTheorem.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 12:00pm UTC
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Believe it or not, this episode contains a world-exclusive announcement that, conveniently, actually relates to the episode number. Strange AND bizarre. The revelation comes courtesy of guest and long-time listener, not to mention novelist and scriptwriter extraordinaire James Swallow. This episode tackles the week’s big releases Titanfall and Dark Souls II (in song, of course), news on everything from BAFTA Game Awards results to a Frog Fractions sequel, a tricksy odd-one-out challenge and (in our humble opinion) one of the best Great Debates we’ve ever done. It’s a cracker of a show, basically.

Direct download: Ep24_SwallowAndAlansSons.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 12:31pm UTC
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The original fab four (well, after the original fab four) reunite and it's like nothing's changed. At all. Seriously. You'd think a bit of time away would refresh things a bit, but no, it's just more of the same old, same old. Pfft. We guess it's alright if you like that sort of thing, but not us. We much prefer that Garderner's Question Time podcast. Still, you'll probably love all the news, chat and challenges, but that's because you're young and still have the rest of your life ahead of you. Enjoy it while you can. VIDEOGAMES!

 

Intro lyrics

Games have changed,

Their contents are perverse

They used to be so happy now they're full of gore and worse

Should we blame developers?

Or blame society?

Or the kids who play online Call of Duty?

No, blame Ubisoft, blame Ubisoft

Whose team of dumb marketing guys caused the censorship we despise

Blame Ubisoft, blame Ubisoft

We'll never see the anal assault, it's Ubisoft's fault

They blame Europe

For their vile plan

They’ve censored a cartoon

Getting a fake dick up the can

So now we've got to watch

A crappy drawing and some text

That's basically telling you to fuck yourself

Blame Ubisoft, blame Ubisoft

No abortions will we play, since those Frenchies got their way

Blame Ubisoft, blame Ubisoft

Although, that said, Watch_Dogs is coming out in May

Direct download: ExAl_Ep23_StickOfTruARKHAMKNIGHT.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:13pm UTC
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Don't call it a comeback. Well, you can if you want; three weeks off is a lifetime in podcasting terms. We might as well have been dead, frankly. Anyway, Ash is still prancing around in paradise, but Dan's back and, after a short scuffle with Simon, is back in the driver's seat. This time, we discuss South Park censorship, test our knowledge of release dates and contemplate the death of triple-A gaming.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep22_SonicBoomShakeShakeShakeTheRoom.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:52pm UTC
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In our first episode without Dan Maher, Simon attempts to lead the pack through another minefield of questions, news, challenges and debates. Will he make it through without buckling under such extreme pressure? Find out*! We're also pleased to re-welcome games writer Chris Slight, who stands in for Simon while Simon stands in for Dan.

*Spoiler: He doesn't, and dies midway through the show.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep21_CandyC_nts.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 10:00am UTC
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We were delighted (not to mention slightly surprised) to be joined by talented actor and all-round lovely chap Chris Jarman - currently singing about terrible things as The General in the superb West End production of The Book of Mormon. He sticks around for the entire episode as we cover all the usual bases and bring a gaming twist to the deeply depraved "party game for horrible people" Cards Against Humanity. He even contributed to the intro tune and acted as this week's news gong. Whaddaguy.

Direct download: ExAl_Ep20_ThePodcastOfMorons.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 11:15pm UTC
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We've listened to community feedback and taken a good, hard look in the mirror to ensure that The Explosive Alan Podcast 2K14 is the ultimate simulation of a gaming podcast. New features for '14 include:

- Procedural presenter interaction!

- Fully linear narrative with no moral decisions and just one ending!

- 63% all-new jingles!

- ShatChat(tm) authentic janky microphone emulation!

- Sobriety!

Direct download: ExAl_Ep19_OneDirectionHateTheXboxOneButLoveCatsOnRoombas.mp3
Category:Gaming -- posted at: 12:30pm UTC
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