Podcast Power Rankings: Week 1

11. A Life Well Wasted
Robert Ashley covers a single video game related theme through the perspective of the people he talks to. A Life Well Wasted is always thought provoking and emotionally evocative. This is the most resource intensive podcast on the list combining excellent editing and original music to exceptional interviews. These podcasts are always a treat because they are so good no matter how infrequently they are produced. This show would be vie for the top spot if it were created regularly. If you are a gamer, all of these podcasts are a must listen.

12. Nintendo Voice Chat (IGN)
Craig, Sam, Scott, are back for episode 79. Special guest Peer Schneider returns for his third episode this month and Martin Robinson (IGN UK) was a good addition. This Nintendo centered E3 talk was much more interesting than one would expect because of Peer and Scott’s objective influence on the group. The last two weeks have been much better than normal.

13. The HotSpot (GameSpot)
Brendan is the same as always however without McShea the show was much more listenable. The Hotspot featured the supporting cast of Brian Eckberg, Ricardo Tores who Kevin Vanord who sound as if they care more about sharing video game news which is vastly different than their normal episodes.

14. Tech Fetish (IGN)
Scott Lowe is joined by Levi Buchanan and Rich George for Tech Fetish as they cover E3 and the release of the iPhone 4. The three major console makers shared playable versions of their newest hardware sadly the guys couldn’t agree on any positive or negative impressions. The show is not better when Rich is on. He is a host who has a tough time acting as a contributor. This was a poor sounding podcast as the stereo mix was pretty out of whack and Levi’s sound quality was distracting. If you like talk of standing in lines and reports of iPhone 4 complaints this episode is for you.

15. The Geekbox (Hammersuit)
Ryan Scott hosts this geek centered show with contributors Karen Chu, Andrew Fitch, Ryan Higins and Brock Sager. No topic is off limits as they discuss entertainment from every medium. Ryan may be the host but Karen is the most valuable asset in the show because she clarifies questions most listeners would have. The guys are not great speakers but with the help of Karen, the discussions develop without a noticeable hitch.

16. Podcast Beyond (IGN)
Podcast Beyond had a very irregular mix of contributors this week. Greg and Colin were on the show and Hilary Goldstein and Sony’s Social Media Manager Jeff Rubenstein replaced Ryan Clements. Normally the show consists of four guys with a slightly irrational hyper love for Sony however adding Jeff was not a good decision. Without Hilary the show would have removed any sense of objectivity (reality). Two guests that have made the show better recently were Jim Reilly and Hilary. If Jim has the time adding him to every show would be great.

17. CAGCast (CheapAssGamer.com)
The CAGcast is a pretty good show content wise however it does many things wrong from the beginning. The show covers great gaming deals and has big giveaways that reward the listener for participation. They explain their experiences in an entertaining way but the audio quality is below average. The CAGCast is stuck with the nicknames they have given themselves which would be great plan if this were an underground show but it is not (Wombat, Shipwreck, Cheapy-D). They also stacked 2 shows in one episode in non-consecutive order. It may have been a bad episode and still deserves a listen.

18. Dead Pixel Live
If one listens to this show long enough that person might ask why this is considered a game related podcast. The show was a collection of music as if it were a radio show demo tape. The website links to a talk show however I am rating what I find on iTunes and that is either broken or confusing. I will check it out again later but not this week.

Line of the Week comes from the Bombcast :

Vinny – “Sharing a house with 5 dudes, somethin’s going to end up in the back of your throat… (5 seconds pass)… You know what I’m saying? Anybody?”
Ryan – … Man…

Suggestions are welcome. If you want to contact me my spam safe email is mrdurden58@yahoo.com.

I promise give it a shot for at least an hour. If it fits into the ranking system, I will add it. Please be patient until this is sorted out.

Thanks for the advice everyone! Soon to be ranked: