Unoriginal Soundtracks #71: Crusader Kings 2

Every other Wednesday, I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for relevant terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and uncover hidden gems. Make requests to @USPodcast on Twitter.

If you can forgive its glitchy tutorial and throw yourself into its intimidating, complicated simulation of an intimidating and complicated time, Crusader Kings 2 is a dramatic empire-builder. It's the topic of today's thoroughly un-medieval podcast of rap, punk, and doo wop.

Unoriginal Soundtracks #49: Left 4 Dead 2

Every other Wednesday, I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for relevant terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and uncover hidden gems. Make requests to @USPodcast on Twitter.

Left 4 Dead 2 tightened the formula Left 4 Dead concocted: intense co-operative adventuring with much more character and atmosphere than one would expect from a multiplayer-only shooter. That character makes for an episode of Liverpudlian rock, St Louisan jazz, New York mariachi, and more.

Shuffled #39: TPCS

Every other Wednesday either Matt or Alex C-Y share their love of music in an assortment of ways. Shuffled is a podcast whose format is as varied as their tastes in music, so hopefully you won't ever be bored and everyone can find something to enjoy. 

After a brief hiatus, we are back with more tunes and a special guest. This week, Evan Killham joins Matt as they look back on Evan's podcast, This Podcast Contains Spoilers - a show about, well many things, but mostly spoilers (not the ones that go with cars). What does music have to do with a show about discussing a movie, video game, book, board game, or fan fiction? Listen and find out!

Unoriginal Soundtracks Podcast: GTA San Andreas Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.
This cynical Scottish look at America was the most expansive, ambitious Grand Theft Auto of them all. For the first time in the series, you could murder unlikable Americans across an entire state. But it was the furthest the series went in giving you the American dream -- you go from a skinny nothing to owning the skies.

It also provides plenty of opportunity for foreigners to explain this in song.

Unoriginal Soundtracks Podcast: Fallout New Vegas Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

Songs about destruction, betrayal, and the ghosts of Las Vegas make up this episode of Unoriginal Soundtracks. The end of the world and an unscheduled stop in Nevada makes the premise of Fallout: New Vegas.

Unoriginal Soundtracks: Fallout 3 Edition

Every other Wednesday I share a playlist of songs tangentially related to a single game or series. Songs about alien sex for Mass Effect, songs about world leaders for Civilization, and so on. Searching for random terms on Spotify is a great way to discover new music and rediscover old classics.

This week, it's time for Fallout 3. One of my favorite memories of that game was finding a text adventure buried in the rubble of a comic-book-publisher's office. In fact, all of my favorite moments involved computer terminals -- the shooting was so-so, and the character animations wooden, but none of that mattered when I was exploring, listening to old jazz, and piecing together stories from before the bombs.