The Cartridge Family

Square Enix delivers the long-awaited FF7 remaster, John plays Animal Crossing after dark, and Buffa is buried in zombie guts.

Joe and his wife share a tender moment with Animal Crossing, while John breaks out the barber shears.

Sony reveals PS5 details in the most boring way possible, while GameStop does something good and something horrendous in the same day!

Doom guy! Doom guy! He’s our man! If he can’t kill it, no one can!

After two months of nothing, the 2020 gaming lineup has us opening our wallets. OK, we pay for everything with cards. No one carries cash anymore.

Joe's got it bad for Shovel Knight while John spends his time virtually mowing a lawn.

Hey, bro. It’s just a video game, right? Why are you looking at me like that? No seriously, put the console down!

Nintendo makes airports fun, while Sega unofficially changes its name to Yakuza Incorporated.

Three crude dudes talk collector editions, the coronavirus impact on the games industry, and more!

Someone allegedly “leaked” the PS5 boot sequence, but is it real? Who cares? Where does it rank amongst the best console jingles of all time?

Pretty sure we just saw a video game running on PlayStation 5. Also, will any games come out in the first half of 2020? No? Cool, ok.

Look on the bright side… all of these delays mean you can finally make a dent in the old backlog!

John just got back from Las Vegas, where Sony made the tamest new console announcement of all time. Your move, Microsoft!

It’s a New Year, yes it is! The dads reveal their video game resolutions for 2020, while Buffa and John have very different opinions of the Modern Warfare single-player campaign.

We wrote a jingle for each year. That's 10 jingles for the price of one!

Is Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice the ultimate game of the year? Will The Game Awards become as prestigious as the Oscars? The Family debates.

Plus, Buffa vows to solve the gravest threat mankind will face... the Xeno Crisis!

Joe has officially ascended to the realm of father fathers, and yet still has time to play The Outer Worlds. Impressive!

An all-time great beatdown awaits you.

Hey, big guns? It's time you took a cue from the little guy.

Apple Arcade saved The Family so much of that sweet cash that John splurged on gaming hardware, which he then unboxed in front of our eyes.

A salacious podcast about what those 3 camera on the iPhone 11 Pro really mean.

Hey listen up, Xbox. If you want us to talk about all the cool things you're doing, then be cooler than Nintendo.

Buffa, you've had this comin' your way for a long, long time. Buckle up, (father) brother.

We are pleased to announce Christopher Buffa, Head of Business Development for Zana Keen.

John spends another week with a different family while Jason Onorad helps us catch up with the latest in gaming.

Jason Onorad joins for an episode that is very lacking in John Benyamine, but chock full of ways to beatdown Joe.

This is the episode where we learn that Buffa is operating on a different plane of existence.

Better late than never!

Of All Man's Achievements In The 21St Century, This Is The Climax!!!

When Buffa takes his annual trip to South America (on business, of course), the boys play their favorite game of all.

It was nice knowin' ya, fellas.

The fam can't get enough of this new Xbox branded body spray.

Our plot-writing muscles begin to flex as we begin to plan the inevitable The Cartridge Family sitcom.

On today's episode, the fam explores a decadent paradise of the future wherein our major kitchen appliances come with an Xbox Gold Subscription.

Now declaring this podcast's candidacy for all future Bubsy Video Game Titling Meetings. You could've called it literally anything. What is this?

Take a shot of tequila everytime we say the word 'whiplash'.

You thought we were being lazy sacks, but instead the boys were meticulously prepping the greatest podcast episode to ever grace our big, blue globe.

What is a video game mascot? A miserable little pile of secrets.

The fam talks about The Game Awards, Red Dead Redemption, and we hear from a recovering Amiibo addict who battled a potential Ridley-related relapse.

Today, Buffa's out to sea sending signals via Morse Code to us, his one true fam.

Skip the first 10 minutes of this one unless you want to find out what Thanksgiving horrors await your consciousness in 2099.

I have some mixed emotions on Red Dead Redemption 2. The game is objectively amazing. It is sometimes, however, at odd's with itself. Of course, if you're curious about my feelings here, my recommended method of ingestion is podcast but, in...

On today's episode, Joe does his best to solicit culinary, video game gifts from his favorite podcast family.

If you think about it, its pretty dang cool that we can all be in different parts of the country and come together to do a podcast about video games. If you're editing that podcast though, its not very cool at all.

John and I spent a day or two in Ohio with the Janitor (proper noun) himself, Asif Khan, this week. While we were there, we discussed all sorts of things including the state of the games industry, the housing market, and the likelihood of the All-Time...

Sometimes my father brothers travel long distances to do work outside of the country. Right now is one of those times. They're all away. All of them. So, I'm left here to fend for myself and somehow put together a podcast with no father-brothers....

It's that time of the year again, folks! Things are moving quickly and getting more interesting with each passing day. We've got patent news from industry giant Bungie indicating a potentially new IP they're working on, Nintendo's plans to refresh the...

It's nice to be back into the swing of things here. Needless to say, the fam wasn't getting their much-needed chator gamingfix until we got back on our usual podcasting grind. Onto today's episode: If you're anything like me, it was...

So, first of all, many apologies for the multi-week gap in our content schedule. I would like to formally say that "We're Back" and things should be running smoothly again. For the record, this is what happens when you replace your old trusty iMac for...

Its been about a year since we started this podcast. Last summer, myself, John Benyamine, Chris Buffa, and Vin Genova took control of your ears and haven't let go since then. In that time, Vin has moved on to other ventures while the fam here gained...

We’re coming up on fifty episodes of The Cartridge Family, already. Can you believe it? It feels like just yesterday we were digging into our very first show, green as can be, naive and ready for anything. Yet here we stand, on the precipice of a...

The Cartridge Family, if you're new to the show, is a podcast where four (long-time and short-time) games industry fellas get together every week to talk about what's going on and what used to be going on. We try and keep things light but sometimes we...

After last week’s mayhem, we’re finally settled and back in our usual groove. Half the family is still neck deep in Octopath Travelerwhile the Father-Father’s are busy with other less important and interesting games. Today we discuss the newly...

John’s fault. He messed up. So, this week you don’t get to enjoy our usual, gaming-drenched banter. Instead, Andrew and I dive deep into Octopath Traveler, a game that is shaping up to be my favorite of the year. Andrew and I played all the...

Brace yourselves. Today’s the day you’ve had marked on your calendar for months and months. No, not because you’ve been looking forward to the upcoming JRPG, Octopath Traveler, but because you’re childishly supertitious and today is Friday the...

Today marks only one more week until Andrew and I are neck deep in Octopath Traveler. It just occurred to me that they never actually named the game; they simply removed ‘Project’ from the front of it. I’m hoping that’s the worst thing I have...

When you live in the presence of genius, it’s allure and power are undeniable. When a true artist creates, unhinged from the confines of Big Brother, the results are irrefutable. When you play the new Kojumbo game (can we even call it that), the...

I’ll tell you something. Listen close. Sometimes, it all becomes too much to repress. The emotion. The grind. It really gets to you after forty episodes. Sometimes, you just need to blow off a little steam. Sometimes it helps to give the beatdown...

Stop reading this. Hit play and listen to us talk. This is a podcast, after all. Still here? If you insist. We’re excited for E3 2018. It’s a few days away and we’re feeling like children again. The excitement is reaching its annual climax and...

Do you hear the march of the E3 Army in the distance? They approach, swords in hand, ready to conquer your wallet and monopolize your free time. The drums grow louder, the chants more sinister. You hear a voice in the crowd, desperately, “save...

As the E3 excitement mounts around us, the family gathers once again to discuss video games, their most favorite of pasttimes. It was an interesting week in gaming: Detroit: Become Humanreleased, Best Buy canned their lovely Gamers Club...

We’ve had trouble getting the full fam together lately, but that’s because we’re all so busy learning about, writing about and travelling for the games we all love so dearly. Today, despite Andrew’s absence, the fam got together to celebrate...

The Cartridge Family have always had noble pursuits when it comes to spending time together. When the holiday season comes ‘round, the boys are sure to put family first. We carol and wassail together, sit round the hearth together, and of...

The Cartridge Familyis a foursome of (talented and handsome) (sort of) young individuals who make a living in the games journalism industry. When I was younger, thinking about careers, I’d often revisit the idea of games as a livelihood before...

I thought John was headed to Croatia for business. He said it was for business. It turns out he was harvesting 30 year old landmines for the purposes of reminiscing about games of a similar age with me, his brother-son. Suffice it to say that the...

It’s always nice to have guests here at the Cartridge House (yes, capital H). Today, Josh Hawkins of Greenlit Content decided to grace us with his God of Warknowledge and so much more. Besides our favorite Nordic father-brother, the fam runs through...

This is a safe space. You can speak your mind here. It’s okay to admit to yourself and everyone around you that you wish your dad was an enormous, violent brute covered in what I assume is permanent red war paint. No one is going to judge you for...

It’s been a good year for me (re: games), and things are only getting better. Example A: I’m knee deep in Persona 5, which of course came out last year but allow me this indulgence, would you? Example B: Ni No Kuni II was released last week to...

Spring is here. It is spring now. If I keep saying that, it’ll eventually become true. At least I have companionship during these cold and snowy days; companionship in the form of (you guessed it) video games. Ah, the harsh glow of the LCD panel…...

Let’s start by saying — we’re so very sorry for not getting a show out last week. The irony here is that last week’s news was the perfect fodder for an episode of The Cartridge Family and yet no episode was delivered. Despite our absence,...

Man, Into the Breach sure looks fun. I wish I had something to play it on. Luckily, Andrew’s got the scoop today on the hot new tactics game from FTL developer Subset Games. On today’s show we discuss the latest notable releases in gaming...

I remember back in middle school when Papa Roach was dropping dimes right and left, my peers were scribbling his poetic rantings in their notebook while moms nation-wide were deeming him too controversial for young Johnny’s virgin ears. I never...

Edit: This didn’t make the cut for the show, but … Breakfast cereals are certainly no stranger to advertising schemes targeted at children. So, when Nintendo announced Super Mario Cereal last year, we were all naturally very excited to stock...

It’s pretty remarkable that Destiny originally released over 3 years ago (there I go again contemplating my own finite mortality). Since release, along with that of it’s sequel, Destiny has carved out a place for console gamers to grind for gear...

We got the family to all (almost all) sit down to dinner together in the same room. I said, in my strictest of tones “put away your phones, remove your elbows from the table, and sit up straight for it is time to discuss video games, as a family.”...

I am a selfish person, so I’m going to kick off things here by letting you all know that blissful 2D platforming has made a triumphant return in the form of Celeste, a game developed by the minds behind TowerFall. I am utterly overcome with simple...

Nintendo’s history of releasing quirky, exciting gaming peripherals continues with the announcement of Nintendo Labo, coming this spring. If you haven’t yet learned about Labo, the product comes packed with “blueprints” to a number of...

Most of you are well aware that The Cartridge Family is an elaborate front for the fam’s Nintendo Switch enthusiast fan-club, but we sincerely make no effort this show to conceal our true form. Nintendo Directs are exciting, though, so can you blame...

It’s good to be back! The family was all in attendance today, and thank goodness they were because we did spend some time going over the family tree today — just exactly who is Papa Cartridge? You’ll have to listen to find out. In between...

Thus marks the end of an eventful trip around the sun. This year provided us with a variety of events on which to reflect (almost none of which have anything to do with video games) —  nevertheless, the family thought it wise to focus their...

Leave it to that classic dynamic duo (Andrew and Joe) to steer an otherwise lighthearted podcast into a dark place. The twosome spend this episode going over the FCC’s Net Neutrality repeal (you know, the one that’s going to potentially threaten...

So, we’re in the 2nd week of December now which means there’s even less happening in games than last week. But, honestly that’s not really true considering all the exciting stuff that happend during this year’s The Game Awards. All and all, it...

We’ve officially entered the unnoffical end of the games season. Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the years-in-the-making followup to the Wii’s sorta-hard-to-find JRPG darling is finally here, courtesy Monolithsoft and Nintendo. My bedroom Nintendo Switch...

It was a long weekend for the fam. Too much food, too little sleep, and then some more food. In the midst of our eating, we sat down to discuss the world of games, which happens to be our favorite of all the worlds. Fun Fact: If you listen carefully,...

So this week we had no choice but to focus on the obvious: EA is on their knees, begging for Walt’s head’s mercy, profusely apologizing for taking one of the most beloved IPs of all time, Star Wars, and shining a hideous light on it. Whatever your...

There came a-knockin’ in the night. It was a young, but cunning sir by the name of Zucosky — Andrew Zucosky. It was foretold by the Podgods that a gentle spirit would grace the fam with his presence. Little did the fam know the spirit was...

Hello again! So, we did our Halloween show last week even though this week we brought out the skeleton crew. On this week’s episode, Buffa and I sit down and discuss our deep adoration for Super Mario Odyssey (even though I botched the game club)...

A historic day in gaming, no doubt: October 27th, 2017 is a packed one with the release of Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Super Mario Odyssey. Admittedly, I am curious about Assassin’s Creed if its indeed the...

We had an eventful week, there’s no doubt about it. And, while most of this week’s news was fun and games, some of it was disheartening. Visceral Games is officially no more, EA’s long-time in-house studio best known for the Dead Space...

Buckle up for The Cartridge Family’s weirdest outing yet. On today’s show we acknowledge the rule of 3s as it pertains to Scottie Pippen’s participation in a ‘90s FMV game before we try and pinpoint the exact moment SE (Space Era) began along...

It seems in our old age we’ve succumbed to the warm embrace of nostalgia. This week, we again look back in time at Valve’s most delectable release, The Orange Box. You remember, right? It had a bunch of Half-Life 2 episodes and Portal and Team...

In this episode we’ll go over the latest headlines in gaming before chatting about what Halo 3 (released 10 years ago this month) meant to us way back when. We’ll discuss Cuphead, an homage to cartoons from the 1930s, since John and I have been...

When Buffa’s away, the children play. Unfortunately Papa Buff had to take care of his other children during today’s recording, so we definitely missed out on his SNES expertise which likely would’ve made for a more enriching show. However, what...

On this week’s show we go over the latest game releases, talk a bit about the Nintendo Direect that aired a few days ago and the headlines it brought with it, and finally, because I can’t help myself we touch ever so slightly on Destiny 2’s post...

Bungie’s Destiny 2 is finally upon us and we’re committed to deciding if its been worth the wait or not. Join us today as we enjoy a story-spoiler free discussion about what Destiny 2 is all about, how its different from the original Destiny and...

On this Episode ... We go over the latest releases in gaming, discuss Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle briefly, go over PS4's console-exclusive Absolver, and finally Joe complains that Sonic Mania is too hard because he is a little, itty-bitty baby.

Well, I feel like a schmuck. It’s episode two and we’re already breaking format because certain Cartridge Family members just had to take precious vacations, visit Germany for Gamescom, and give birth (not literally since biologically he can’t)...

Hello and welcome to very first episode of The Cartridge Family - we're so excited to have you join us as we discuss what's happening this week in gaming. The episode content is as follows:   News: Crackdown 3 Delayed Into 2018 People love...