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Console Crusade

Console Crusade

By Console Crusade

Video game news, reviews, retro gaming, and too many opinions! The Console Crusade Podcast is hosted by EJ Olson, Nick Durheim, and Chris Gilly-Forrer, released Wednesdays.
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79. The Cuisine Crusade Podcast (ft. Andrew Chavez)

Console CrusadeJul 23, 2020

00:00
01:20:07
149. Top Ten Games of All Time (Kind Of!)

149. Top Ten Games of All Time (Kind Of!)

A supersized edition of the Console Crusade podcast where we go over three distinct top ten lists: Chris’s top ten games of all time, Nick’s top ten most important games ever, and EJ’s top ten favorite games since 2016. The criteria is loose and the boys are juiced! LET’S GO


(0:02:09) - Top 100 Honorable Mentions (Switch)

(0:25:00) - Top Ten Intro

(0:31:15) - The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

(0:44:18) - Xenoblade Chronicles 2

(0:58:10) - Marvel’s Spider-Man 2018

(1:00:26) - Super Mario RPG Remake

(1:02:35) - Banjo-Kazooie 

(1:06:24) - Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

(1:13:14) - Pokemon Crystal

(1:20:53) - Mother 3

(1:35:19) - Risk of Rain 2

(1:40:07) - Resident Evil 4

(1:41:41) - Guitar Hero 3

(1:44:35) - Animal Crossing: New Horizons

(1:56:49) - Hades

(2:04:04) - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

(2:13:19) - South Park: The Fractured But Whole

(2:24:48) - Final Fantasy XII

(2:37:09) - Donkey Kong Country 2

(2:46:19) - Call of Duty: Warzone

(2:56:09) - Metroid Dread

(3:06:51) - Link’s Awakening DX

(3:13:39) - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

(3:28:44) - Mega Man X

(3:39:28) - Bloodborne

(3:53:10) - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

(4:02:34) - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

(4:12:41) - Super Smash Bros Wii U & 3DS

(4:28:14) - Fire Emblem Three Houses

(4:34:30) - Metroid Prime Remastered

(4:38:52) - Hollow Knight

(4:52:19) - Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee

(5:03:19) - Top Ten Recap

Mar 27, 202405:06:09
148. Fantasy Critic Deep Dive with Creator Steve Fallon

148. Fantasy Critic Deep Dive with Creator Steve Fallon

This week we're joined by Steve Fallon, software developer and creator of fantasycritic.games, for a peek behind the curtain of one of our favorite pastimes!

(0:02:50) - What we’ve been playing (Elden Ring, Celeste, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)

(0:48:20) - A Fantasy Critic deep dive with site creator and developer Steve Fallon

(2:00:37) - Critical Hits

Mar 13, 202402:30:07
147. Copium

147. Copium

The poopsmith has taken a vow of silence...

(0:08:26) - Top 100 Honorable Mentions (Nintendo 3DS)

(0:30:59) - Industry layoffs

(0:37:26) - Developers and publishers going independent

(0:43:00) - Nintendo sues Yuzu

(0:54:09) - Pokemon Presents reaction

(1:16:59) - Final Fantasy VII Remake thoughts

(1:35:39) - Chris beats Resident Evil IV Remake

(1:48:17) - What Nick's been playing

Mar 06, 202402:04:40
146. Direct to DVD

146. Direct to DVD

Hollywood video forever.


(0:00:00) - Candy tier list rant

(0:11:05) - Intro

(0:12:36) -  Top 100 honorable mentions (Nintendo DS)

(0:36:41) - Chris directs a a stage show

(1:06:30) - Nick’s been playing games

(1:58:11) - Chris plays Resident Evil 4

(2:09:59) - Nintendo’s Partner Direct + Xbox going multi-plat

Feb 28, 202402:29:35
145. Mamma Mia!

145. Mamma Mia!

MARIO IS MISSING

(0:02:39) - Final Fantasy VII

(0:17:48) - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Demo

(0:36:44) - Warzone Ranked 

(0:41:41) - Top 100 Honorable Mentions (Gameboy Advance)

(1:14:00) - Pokemon musings

Feb 14, 202401:23:37
144. The Lost Crown

144. The Lost Crown

Brandon’s not the only one who’s lost his crown. 

(0:06:06) - Sony State of Play reaction

(0:39:25) - Fantasy Critic Week 4

(1:09:40) - Top 100 Honorable Mentions - Gameboy Edition

(1:32:44) - Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown review

Feb 07, 202402:35:12
143. A 2023 Bee-wind (And 2024 Buzz)

143. A 2023 Bee-wind (And 2024 Buzz)

This one's for the boys back home.

(0:00:38) - Nick looks back on 2023

(0:17:05) - Chris’s 2023

(0:34:46) - Bee Simulator review

(0:48:51) - 2023 from EJ’s eyes

(0:58:46) - Looking ahead to 2024

Jan 31, 202401:27:58
142. Trade Bait

142. Trade Bait

It's only week 4??

(0:08:09) - Fantasy Critic trade drama

(1:20:32) - What we’ve been playing (Prince of Persia, Atelier, Palworld)

(1:37:12) - AI art in video games

Jan 24, 202401:50:57
141. Critical Hits: Whammy Week

141. Critical Hits: Whammy Week

A little catch up, a little trivia, a little Fantasy Critic.

(0:00:00) - Holiday catch up + what we’ve been playing 

(0:48:05) - Fantasy Critic update

(1:09:40) - Critical Hits: Whammy Week

Jan 17, 202402:27:36
140. Fantasy Critic Draft 2024

140. Fantasy Critic Draft 2024

The fellas look forward to year 4 in their Fantasy Critic league, drafting a total of 30 games to kick off the competition.

Jan 11, 202401:47:50
139. Fantasy Critic 2023 Wrap Up

139. Fantasy Critic 2023 Wrap Up

CROWN THE CHAMPION

Dec 20, 202301:23:55
138. The Game Awards 2023

138. The Game Awards 2023

(0:02:05) - Breaking down the awards at The Game Awards 

(0:30:56) - The Game Awards announcements

(1:10:37) - What we’ve been playing

(1:25:06) - WE’RE BACK - A Warzone Story

Dec 13, 202301:45:59
137. Consensus Crusade Podcast

137. Consensus Crusade Podcast

Backstreet’s back baby

(0:09:54) - What we’ve been playing (including a Pokemon rant)

(1:00:51) - CC Top 100 honorable mentions - Wii U 

(1:16:54) - Ranking (almost) every video game controller ever made

Dec 06, 202303:02:05
136. Super Mario RPG Revew

136. Super Mario RPG Revew

The boys are joined by friends of the pod Brandon and Tiffany to discuss a remake of their childhood favorite Super Mario RPG!

Nov 29, 202301:58:40
135. Super Mario Wonder Review

135. Super Mario Wonder Review

UH OH

(0:06:42) - The Legend of Zelda movie + fan-casting

(0:53:43) - Super Mario Wonder review 

Nov 22, 202301:54:41
134. Covid Crusade Podcast

134. Covid Crusade Podcast

The boys make some predictions about The Game Awards 2023. We're on to you, Keighley!

Nov 15, 202302:10:41
133. Marvels Spider-Man 2 Spoiler Review

133. Marvels Spider-Man 2 Spoiler Review

I WANT SPIDER-MAN

(0:03:24) - Super Mario Wonder impressions

(0:24:27) - Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 spoiler review

Nov 01, 202302:56:56
132. Joe Woke, Joe Broke

132. Joe Woke, Joe Broke

ONE WEEK REMAINING


(0:03:51) - Best Buy exiting the physical media market

(0:21:14) - Cinema Crusade Podcast

(0:27:13) - Analogue 3D - N64 FPGA

(0:36:11) - Games Nick and Chris have been playing

(1:01:28) - EJ’s game haul

(1:10:08) - Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 beta

(1:14:23) - Weekend plans

(1:21:02) - Minor FantasyCritic league update and Spider-Man 2 reviews

Oct 18, 202301:32:47
131. Arborvitae Doobies

131. Arborvitae Doobies

A veritable bevy. 


(0:00:21) - Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 preamble

(0:06:53) - Chris’s harrowing cat journey

(0:13:35) - BOB

(0:18:46) - Wii top 100 honorable mentions

(0:44:56) - PS5 Slim news

(0:55:26) - PS5 Pro speculation

(1:01:10) - The Lord of Ring: Gollum apology

(1:02:09) - Whammy League update

(1:03:22) - Epic layoffs: an anti-capitalist rant

(1:22:16) - A brief moment of self reflection

(1:34:15) - How Right, How Wrong, How Long?

Oct 12, 202301:44:31
130. Cynical Hits

130. Cynical Hits

League updates and an acrimonious game show---a Console Crusade classic!


(0:03:40) - FantasyCritic Q3 update

(0:33:42) - Best Buy sale shenanigans

(0:38:12) - Analogue Pocket pre-order disaster

(0:48:38) - Critical Hits #3 

Oct 04, 202302:09:24
129. Absolutely Dumpstered

129. Absolutely Dumpstered

(0:02:29) - Chris beats Spider-Man: Miles Morales

(0:06:57) - Nick plays games too

(0:15:50) - EJ’s last day in Warzone + killing pro players on stream

(0:27:57) - Critical Hits: Console Crusade’s quiz game

(1:19:54) - Warzone with Bob, Ben and Brennan

(2:32:56) - EJ’s solo Warzone rant

Sep 28, 202302:49:22
128. Roundball Rock

128. Roundball Rock

(0:04:11) - Nintendo’s September Direct 

(0:48:19) - Unity’s greed

(1:02:17) - Nintendo Switch 2…again?

(1:05:47) - Games we’ve been playing including Spider-Man Miles Morales

(1:26:31) - Final Fantasy Rebirth

Sep 20, 202301:44:40
127. Godspeed, Spider-Man

127. Godspeed, Spider-Man

(0:01:10) - Starfield preamble

(0:05:34) - Intro-ish + 19 inches of Venom

(0:08:16) - Sports for some reason

(0:16:13) - Nintendo Switch 2 Gamescom rumors

(0:26:47) - Sony subscription price increases

(0:33:21) - Marvel’s Spider-Man 2018

(1:38:03) - Nick and EJ go shopping

(1:42:41) - Nerd culture, acceptance, and sharing our hobbies with other people

Sep 13, 202301:56:26
126. No Offense, But That's A Good Game

126. No Offense, But That's A Good Game

(0:05:34) - Sony’s Playstation Portal

(0:20:09) - FantasyCritic League Update

(0:31:12) - Starfield Leaks

(0:37:50) - EJ’s Red Dead Redemption rant + inconsistency from game reviewers

(0:55:16) - Charles Martinet ‘retires’ and becomes Nintendo’s ‘Mario Ambassador’

(1:06:15) - Chris & Nick chat Luigi’s Mansion + Unsighted

Aug 30, 202301:34:54
125. Birthday Crusade Nick-Cast

125. Birthday Crusade Nick-Cast

To hell with the SEO! We recorded on Nick's birthday (double sweet 16 baby!) and felt it appropriate to share some memories in honor of our friend. He also spends some time talking about his pesonal top 5 games ever. La Croix Boixs for life!

Aug 16, 202301:51:19
124. EAT IT

124. EAT IT

The guys give their final thoughts on The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom now that Chris has 98.43% completion---stay tuned to the end of the episode to get his real time reaction to the final boss encounter!

Aug 02, 202301:58:48
123. Cathode Crusade Podcast

123. Cathode Crusade Podcast

(0:03:29) Barbenheimer 

(0:07:22) EJ’s theater rant

(0:15:15) Chris hitchhikes + another Zelda update

(0:27:11) EJ’s retro vacation

(0:37:23) Childhood memories and Pokemon trading

(0:44:18) Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision-Blizzard and the FTC trial

(1:09:14) Spider-Man 2 story trailer musings

(1:17:42) Tales from the garage sales

(1:20:37) CRT sickness

(1:31:54) Chris’s Alaskan exfil

Jul 26, 202301:46:42
122. Potpurri

122. Potpurri

Games we’ve been playing, news including the Microsoft FTC drama and their agreement with Sony to keep Call of Duty on their platform, Fandom’s UI issues, Pokemon rumors and more!

Jul 19, 202301:26:14
121. COLLUSION

121. COLLUSION

Fantasy Critic weekend showdown (0:02:48)


What we’ve been playing, plus retro games on modern hardware (0:38:14)


EJ’s retro game shop mishaps (1:21:09)


Nintendo’s next console and TSA leaks (1:34:49)


Jul 12, 202302:21:50
120. FantasyCritic Quarterly

120. FantasyCritic Quarterly

Console Crusade's second FantasyCritic quarterly update. It's been a weird year!

Jul 05, 202301:32:47
119. Mushroom Kingdom, Here We Come (ft. Brandon Gustaveson)

119. Mushroom Kingdom, Here We Come (ft. Brandon Gustaveson)

Nick, Chris and EJ are joined by longtime bud Brandon Gustaveson to chat Final Fantasy XVI, Zelda, Gamecube honorable mentions, and break down Nintendo's latest direct featuring Mario Wonder, Super Mario RPG remake and more!

Jun 28, 202302:12:46
118. Lick It Up (ft. Nathaniel Andalis)

118. Lick It Up (ft. Nathaniel Andalis)

The guys are joined by Chris’s buddy Nate to chat what they’ve been playing lately (Mega Man, Diablo, Zelda, and more!) plus chat their N64 top 100 honorable mentions. News this week includes Grimace’s Birthday, game preservation sadness, Final Fantasy voice acting and Nintendo movie rumors. Recorded before the announcement of today’s Nintendo Direct, the gang also give their (now outdated) predictions for a few things we may see (or saw!) at the showcase.

Jun 21, 202302:05:55
117. Summer Game Fest Recap

117. Summer Game Fest Recap

Prince of Persia (0:02:18)

Graphics in modern gaming (0:06:32)

Mortal Kombat 1 (0:11:39)

Smash Bros (0:20:05)

Dead by Daylight (0:22:43)

Spider-Man 2 (0:25:30)

Lies of P (0:28:43)

Sandland (0:31:02)

Alan Wake 2 (0:31:59)

Final Fantasy VII (0:35:48)

Palworld (0:48:40)

Sonic (0:49:40)

Fable (0:54:53)

South of Midnight (0:59:10)

Star Wars Outlaws (1:01:10)

Avowed (1:10:12)

Sea of Thieves (1:13:44)

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (1:15:01)

Like A Dragon (1:18:36)

Atlas Rock Block (1:22:35)

Starfield (1:31:01)

Jun 14, 202301:50:30
116. Three Tiers for Sweet Revenge

116. Three Tiers for Sweet Revenge

Intro, housekeeping, Dragon Ball Z? (0:00:00)


SNES - Top 100 Honorable Mentions (0:06:41)


EJ’s backslide into collecting and foray into reselling (0:30:59)


Sony handheld (0:52:30)


BREAKING NEWS - Nintendo Online update (0:57:14)


Spider-Man nontroversy (1:02:19)


Sony showcase musings, general industry chat (1:03:45)


Aspyr/KOTOR II drama (1:15:21)


Tiffany’s Nintendo console tier list objections and why the N64 is actually bad (1:20:45)


Console Crusade ranks every Nintendo franchise (1:26:42)








The real Nintendo franchise tier list (2:26:31)

Jun 07, 202302:27:23
115. Tears for Fears of the Kingdom

115. Tears for Fears of the Kingdom

Console Crusade has been playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom NON-STOP---please enjoy a spoiler filled discussion about one of the best games of 2023.

May 31, 202302:38:03
114. Tiers of the Kingdom

114. Tiers of the Kingdom

Everyone is busy playing the new Zelda game, so this is a little pre-ToTK filler---please enjoy Console Crusade's ranking of every Nintendo console!

May 17, 202301:12:48
113. The Crusade Clown

113. The Crusade Clown

A light week in anticipation of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!


New segment discussion (0:01:05)


EJ’s Metroid Prime Remastered update (0:07:42)


NES game highlight (0:16:13)


Megaman X musings (0:36:26)


Nintendo fiscal report (kinda) and Switch 2 speculation…again (0:39:13)


Zelda: Skyward Sword discussion (0:56:27)


May 10, 202301:10:05
112. More Like NO-Taku, Amirite??

112. More Like NO-Taku, Amirite??

Catching up on some gaming news!

Redfall (0:01:31)

Should game reviews focus on performance? (0:08:00)

Kotaku's Luke Plunkett tweets + Chris's RAGE (0:19:24)

PointCrow / Zelda DMCA controversy + Nintendo being out of touch with the community (0:35:27)

Tears of the Kingdom leaks (0:45:36)

Zelda price hike and potential Switch 2 launch games + Metroid slander (0:49:05)

Microsoft's current plight (1:00:08)

Fantasy Critic league musings (1:14:02)


May 03, 202301:26:33
111. Metroid Prime Remastered

111. Metroid Prime Remastered

A review? A retrospective? JUST RANTS? There's a little bit of everything here as Chris, Nick and EJ discuss their time with Nintendo's recent Metroid Prime Remastered.

Apr 26, 202302:09:46
110. Ah, Peace and Quiet...

110. Ah, Peace and Quiet...

Nick and Chris chat video game NEWS, including that ripper of a Zelda trailer! EJ was too lazy to generate timestamps for this episode, so this week's topics are a surprise. Enjoy!

Apr 19, 202301:25:27
109. Mario Movie Reactions with The Group Chat

109. Mario Movie Reactions with The Group Chat

THE GANG IS BACK TOGETHER AGAIN BABY. The guys chat the Mario Bros Movie, games they've been playing at the beach together, and then finally share their takes on God of War Ragnarok.

Apr 12, 202302:10:27
108. AI Generated Video Game Reviews

108. AI Generated Video Game Reviews

Nick, Chris and EJ catch up about what they've been playing the last few weeks. Beware of Robot.

Apr 06, 202301:42:34
107. NEWS?? eShop Drama, Zelda Reaction, PS5 Pro & More!

107. NEWS?? eShop Drama, Zelda Reaction, PS5 Pro & More!

Nintendo eShop Drama (0:00:33)

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Gameplay Reaction (0:40:19)

E3 Abandoned? (1:13:17)

PS5 Pro Rumors (1:25:50)

RIP Lance Reddick (1:39:59)

Mar 29, 202301:51:15
106. The Last of Us Finale (ft. Lindsey Floyd and Tiffany Gilly-Forrer)

106. The Last of Us Finale (ft. Lindsey Floyd and Tiffany Gilly-Forrer)

Chris and Nick sit down with their partners to discuss episode nine of HBO's The Last of Us while EJ attempts to be on his best behavior for more than 12 minutes at a time! 

Mar 15, 202301:47:36
105. Fantasy Critic Quarterly + The Last of Us 8

105. Fantasy Critic Quarterly + The Last of Us 8

EJ, Nick and Chris are joined by Brennan Allen to check in at the three month mark of their Fantasy Critic league, as well as recap episode 8 of The Last of Us. 

Mar 09, 202301:47:08
104. Pokemon Presents + Last of Us 7

104. Pokemon Presents + Last of Us 7

WE'RE SO TIRED

Mar 01, 202301:29:01
103. WHAMMY (Plus Last of Us 6)

103. WHAMMY (Plus Last of Us 6)

Last of Us, Risk of Rain 2, a little Hades, and the Console Crusade Fantasy Critic WHAMMY League 2023. 

Last of Us 6 Discussion - (0:43:19)

Feb 22, 202301:38:34
102. Promises, Promises: The Last of Us 5

102. Promises, Promises: The Last of Us 5

The guys chat about games they've been playing before recapping episode 5 of HBO's The Last of Us. 

The Last of Us Recap - (1:02:32)

Feb 16, 202301:47:54
101. Nintendo Direct Reactions + The Last of Us 4

101. Nintendo Direct Reactions + The Last of Us 4

A good Direct! It's about damn time, though this podcast is not without EJ's usual Nintendo rage. Nick and Chris show some love to Metroid before the guys reflect on episode 4 of HBO's The Last of Us. Timestamps below.

Metroid Love (0:51:47)

Zelda Rage (1:06:45)

The Last of Us Episode 4 (1:27:59)

Feb 08, 202302:06:51
100. Console Crusade's Top 100 Video Games of All Time

100. Console Crusade's Top 100 Video Games of All Time

Console Crusade's absolutely UNIMPEACHABLE list of their top 100 favorite video games that have ever been made. Timestamps below.

View full list at: www.solo.to/consolecrusade

Intro and parameters - (0:00)

Compiling the list - (0:13:17)

Ranking the list - (2:41:00)

100-81 recap - (3:29:22)

80-61 recap - (3:49:54)

60-41 recap - (4:21:32)

40-21 recap - (4:46:52)

20-11 recap - (5:12:52)

10-1 recap - (5:43:12)


Feb 05, 202305:44:29