I've never thought about ranking podcasts. To me, they occupy my time in two ways: either a podcast is interesting and informative, or it provides more non-diegetic sound while I play a video game or read. Either way I love podcasts and will use this opportunity to fill you in on some excellent shows that I've enjoyed this year. (Note: Only numbers 1 and 5 were created in 2009)
What is it? An offshoot of 1UP's Retronauts podcast, Active Time Babble is Jeremy Parish and Kat Bailey's new addition to the myriad of shows 1UP already has -- only this one is especially awesome. The title's pun should be obvious to RPG players, but if not it comes from the title for a common battle mechanic in JRPGs called "active time battle." The podcast therefore, naturally, concerns itself with all things role-playing, including (so they say) everything from Final Fantasy to western table-top games.
Why I love it: I've always enjoyed Parish and Bailey on their various podcasts and shows, and this one is no different. They are generally eloquent and concise speakers, so the "Babble" part isn't so much "meandering" as it is "dialog for a specific audience." Guests like Thierry Nguyen contribute interesting discussion as well. Simply put, if you like RPGs or video game conversation in general, you're bound to enjoy this one and learn something too!
Continue Reading------>
What is it? JapanesePod101 (from the website of the same name) is a Tokyo-based language show in the self-study genre of podcasts. There are of course a billion other "Learn Japanese Fast and Also at Your Own Pace, Easy and Free!" podcasts on iTunes, but JapanesePod101 is one of the few with consistent updates. Run by a guy from New York, a few other native English speakers, and many native Japanese, their nearly daily output of shows are organized according to your level of language proficiency.
Why I love it: This podcast was an immense help when I was studying Japanese at my university. The people are nice, organized, and very skilled in both languages so the shows always move at a quick pace and never drag. The Beginner level shows were too easy and the Advanced too hard, but that just means the stratification works! It's a freemium business model, so if you don't have access to classes like I did, tons of resources are available on the website. If you're interested in studying Japanese, I definitely recommend this show.
What is it? This one is ubiquitous enough, plus the title explains its purpose perfectly. Staffed by howstuffworks.com, the Atlanta-based (yay!) podcast picks interesting articles from the website and explains them in dialog form.
Why I love it: In the few months I've listened to this one, I've learned about Jack the Ripper, the Necronomicon, "near-death" experiences, weird national festivals, etc. If one episode isn't totally awesome to me, I'll at least think "Yeah. I should know that." Given its weekly high-ranking status on iTunes, I imagine many people love this one. But just in case you thought this was a boring or shallow podcast and passed over it, check it out: an entire episode on the Necronomicon. End.
What is it? It's kind of a mix between Stuff You Should Know and This American Life, only better. I learned about it through Morgan Webb's twitter (of all places), but it should be in the top rankings. It covers very general topics similar to TAL, like stress and numbers; and is also edited similarly to TAL or A Life Well Wasted, but still unique.
Why I love it: Though I haven't listened to many episodes, this show is, to me, the best implementation of thematic-and-informative-and-crazy-editing podcasts on the internet. The music is fantastic, the pace is far better than TAL, and the stories are just better (again, to me). The most recent show is all about "In C," an early minimalist composition and some new arrangements of it. Too cool.
What is it? This podcast is a reaction. It is a rebellion from typical mind game BS. This is the truth.
No, just kidding. RebelFM started as a regrouping for many 1UP staff members fired in January (or, the "1UPocalypse"). The podcast saw Nick Suttner, Phil Kollar, Anthony Gallegos and others discussing the restructuring, the sell of 1UP, disappearance of EGM, and of course, video games, literally the day after it all happened. Now it has come into its own as a topical games podcast with a heavy focus on listener input. And its Game Club shows are an extension of 1UPFM's Backlog.
Why I love it: I listened to all 1UP's podcasts in 2008 and got to know the staff as well as any reader/listener could. I have never seen a better example of not-famous people like me getting to know industry leaders in a very close way. Therefore I'm emotionally attached to 1UP and its network of staff and former staff. That said, I won't say this is the best podcast on the internet, but I will say that its cast and relaxed feel have made it an important part of my week and my favorite podcast.
Posts
2 comments:
I can't believe that A Life Well Wasted didn't make this list. Granted, you weren't only listing podcasts that started in 09, but even so, that seems like a shoe-in... shue-in, schwinn?
I wanted to put A Life Well Wasted and Out of the Game on here, but neither has new episodes often enough. I wanted more "Go check this out now!!" sorts of 'casts. But yeah, it's certainly an honorable mention.
Post a Comment