Season 2 Premiere: Game Recommendations Challenge [S02E01]

Al, Ian, and Tim kick off season two by recommending games outside each other’s comfort zones—from Montana cult shooters to 6,000-hour space empire black holes—then immediately worry Ian will disappear into Stellaris forever.

https://gog.fm/listen

This season premiere establishes a new format where each host recommends two games the others wouldn’t normally play, with reviews coming in episode 10. Ian pushes Tim toward Far Cry 5’s co-op cult shooting and Al into Remnant 2’s Soulslike co-op, while admitting he owns neither on PC yet. Tim drags Al back to 1999 arcade nostalgia with Tekken 7 and threatens to delete Ian’s social life with Stellaris’s 6,000-hour addiction potential. Al weaponizes Warhammer 40K by giving Ian the boomer shooter Boltgun gateway drug before episode 5’s lore deep-dive, then gifts Tim the cathedral-sized battleship tactical combat of Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2. Three gamers establish they’re “actual real podcasters now” with 10 whole listeners, reveal Al’s Space Marine 2 obsession (prestige level 2 tactical marine), and promise Tuesday game nights for “friendly grumpy bastards.”

Grumpy Old Gamer Podcast – Episode 1 (Season 2) Show Notes

Episode Title: Game Recommendations: Push Your Boundaries
Hosts: Al (host), Ian, Tim
Episode Length: TBD
Special Note: Season 2 premiere; recommendations revisited in Episode 10

Episode Summary

In the first episode of Grumpy Old Gamer season two, Al introduces the new recommendation format where each host picks two games (under £10) to push the others outside their comfort zones. Ian recommends Far Cry 5’s Montana cult shooting and Remnant 2’s Soulslike co-op to his targets, despite not owning Far Cry 5 on PC yet. Tim pulls Al toward Tekken 7 arcade nostalgia and threatens Ian’s free time with Stellaris’s galaxy-conquering 4X addiction (Al has 6,000 hours logged). Al uses Warhammer 40K as both recommendations: giving Ian the Boltgun boomer shooter as episode 5 prep, then gifting Tim the lore-heavy Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 fleet combat. The hosts establish their success (10 listeners!), reveal Al’s Space Marine 2 addiction, announce Tuesday game nights, and promise episode 10 reviews of these six boundary-pushing recommendations.

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Key Topics Discussed

Season 2 Introduction

The Success:

• “Season 1 was a raging success”
• “About 10 listeners across 10 episodes”
• “Fantastic”
• “Suckers for punishment”
• Pretty nifty stuff lined up

Tim’s Behind-Scenes Work:

• Been doing editing
• Creating shorts
• “Something satisfying about it”
• “It’s nice”
• Not even halfway through season
• “Lot more shorts to come out”

Where to Find Content:

• YouTube (obviously)
• TikTok (Tim not massive fan)
• Rumble (full podcasts, not shorts)
• “If you’re listening to this, probably listening on Rumble”

The Recommendation Format

The Rules:

• Each host picks two games
• Games under £10 (tenner)
• “About 50 American dollars” – Al’s joke
• Actually about $12
• Push people outside comfort zones

The Timeline:

• Review thoughts in couple episodes
• Final verdict Episode 10, Season 2
• “Tim’s suggestions were terrible and Al’s suggestions were fucking awesome”
• Remains to be seen

Why This Format:

• Great season opener
• Great season closer
• Games you wouldn’t normally play
• Branch out beyond comfort

Al’s Space Marine 2 Admission:

• “Consumed every waking hour recently”
• Prestige level 2 tactical marine
• Would sit 10 hours talking about it
• “Nobody wants to hear that shit”
• Branched out through podcast
• Initially fearful of Space Marine 2
• Now loves it

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Ian’s Recommendations

Far Cry 5 (for Tim)

The Controversy:

• “Fuck Ubisoft and all that”
• But Far Cry 5 “pretty decent game”
• Enjoyable to play

Tim’s Far Cry History:

• Played Far Cry 3 (enjoyed)
• Far Cry 2 (enjoyed)
• Original Far Cry (enjoyed)
• “Heard it went a bit downhill”
• “Trust your judgment”

Why Far Cry 5:

• Many Far Cry options
• Chose 5 for specific reasons
• Wouldn’t like 6 as much

The Setting:

• Rural Montana
• “Your favorite country of all, America”
• “Running around shooting cult members”
• “Actually does sound up my alley”

Gameplay Loop:

• Open world map
• Bases and enemies everywhere
• Take bases, liberate them
• Stealth or guns/explosions
• “Going crazy with it”
• Characters to interact with
• Side missions

The Structure:

• Four antagonists
• One main, three sub-antagonists
• Each lieutenant has map section
• Nonlinear progression
• “Can go at this game in any order”
• North, west, east – player choice
• “Adds a lot of replayability”

Resistance Meters:

• Actions lower resistance meter
• More enemies appear
• Story progresses
• General gameplay loop

Guns for Hire:

• “Thing you’re going to love”
• Literal bear maul enemies
• Name: Cheeseburger
• “Good boy slash girl slash I don’t know what”
• “Big bear doing big bear stuff”
• “Already sorted it for me, mate”

The Co-op Hook:

• “Best part of this game”
• “Reason I really recommended it”
• Strong co-op features
• Co-op elevates, doesn’t dilute
• “Really fun to run around and hunt and fight”
• With a friend

Ian’s Ownership:

• Doesn’t own on PC yet
• “On my list”
• Gladly pick it up
• Owns on PlayStation
• “Play the fuck out of it”

The Confusion:

• Al: “Why recommending game you haven’t played?”
• Ian: “I meant on PC yet”
• Owns PlayStation version
• Played extensively there

What Sets 5 Apart:

Vehicles:

• Really nice
• Lots of helicopters
• Straight up airplanes
• Land vehicles, ATVs
• Boats
• Puddle jumpers (seaplanes)

Better Than 6:

• Gameplay setup better
• Hard to describe what didn’t like about 6
• Gameplay loop not as enjoyable

Better Than 3:

• Got rid of climbing tower things
• Controversial (some enjoyed towers)

The Breaking Bad Tangent:

• Tim asks about antagonists
• Far Cry 3 and 6 antagonists
• Both in Breaking Bad?
• Actually Better Call Saul
• Vaas from Far Cry 3 best villain
• Everyone agrees
• 2010 release era
• Social media marketing
• Lots of shorts
• “Really bloody good”

Release and Graphics:

• Came out 2018
• Not too long ago
• Graphics hold up well

Tim’s Verdict:

• “You know what, mate, I look forward to it”
• Customize gun, shoot face
• “Perfectly fine”

Where to Buy:

• Steam
• PlayStation
• “Pretty much everywhere”
• Link in description

Remnant 2 (for Al)

The Game:

• Sequel to Remnant from the Ashes
• Came out 2023
• On sale for about £10

The Genre:

• “Soulslike shooter”
• Really good dodging required
• Shooting placement critical
• Healing management
• “Everything has to be top-notch”
• Co-op looter shooter

The Space Marine 2 Inspiration:

• Time spent playing together
• Running around dodging and shooting
• Killing enemies
• “Think you’re gonna love it”

The Setup:

• Three-player co-op shooter
• Three weapons at time
• Like Space Marine on that
• Choose different class
• Customize gameplay
• All about customization

The Classes:

Medic:

• Heal focus

Hunter:

• Long-range damage

Handler (Ian’s Favorite):

• “Whole gist is they have a dog”
• Send dog to heal teammates
• Dog attacks enemies
• “You can pet the dog”
• “Brilliant”

Dual Archetype System:

• Mix and match classes
• Pick any two
• Perks from both
• Lots of replayability
• Play way you want

Al’s Concern: Soulslike

• “Soulslike is really hard games”
• Al’s hesitation obvious

Ian’s Counter:

• “If I can handle it, you can handle it”
• Sucks at Dark Souls games
• Terrible at Elden Ring
• But manages Remnant 2
• If good at Space Marine 2, excel at Remnant 2

No PVP:

• PvE only
• No PVP elements
• Join with random people
• “Matchmaking really good”

Leveling Strategy:

• Really good for leveling quickly
• Getting good gear
• Jump in quick match
• Fight whatever boss
• All about boss fights

The Boss Fights:

• “Really epic, huge boss fights”
• Make you stand back
• “Wow” factor

The Gunplay:

• “Chef’s kiss”
• Nailed different gun types
• ~20 different gun types
• All feel smooth
• All feel good

Al Still Worried:

• “Still thinking Soulslike”
• “Don’t want to play something hard”

The Soulslike Difference:

• Really strong co-op feature
• Designed to be played co-op
• Ian’s opinion
• Will gladly play with Al
• Played lot on PS5
• Looking forward to starting new character

The Story:

• “Oh yeah, absolutely”
• Cleverly designed
• Each playthrough different
• Go through different worlds
• Different story missions
• Based on playthrough
• “All kind of randomized”

Procedural Generation:

• Some procedurally generated places
• Corridors to keep fresh
• Boss fights always same
• Arenas always same

The Worlds:

• Four or five different worlds
• Each playthrough only see two
• Incentive to keep replaying
• Story is “really good”

Space Marine 2 Carryover:

• “Carry you all the way”
• Good at dodging and shooting
• “Golden”

Al’s Dodge Admission:

• “Not very good at dodging”
• Tim agrees most Space Marine players bad at dodging

Availability:

• Steam
• All consoles
• Link in description

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Tim’s Recommendations

Tekken 7 (for Al)

The Throwback:

• To arcade games episode last season
• Recommendation: Tekken

Tekken 7 vs 8:

• 7 under tenner
• 8 “bit too flashy”
• Still same thing

The Nostalgia:

• Throwback to old arcade feelings
• Sitting with lads
• Playing Tekken
• Games still exist

Al’s Play Style:

• Well into 4X games
• Well into RTS games
• “Bit out of the way”
• “Think you’ll enjoy it mate”

Al’s Last Tekken:

• Tekken Tag Tournament
• From 1999
• 27 years ago

What to Expect:

• Need controller
• Can’t do mouse and keyboard
• Going back long time

Tim’s Answer:

• “Will look sexier”
• “Can still beat the fuck out of people”
• “What more could you want?”
• “Sexy beatings”
• Favorite kind of beatings

The Reminiscent Feeling:

• Nights with mates
• Sitting down playing Tekken
• “These games still exist”
• Al lived it
• “Nostalgia boner”

Character Recommendations:

Ian asks which characters:

• Very subjective
• Maybe Kazuya
• Maybe Yoshimitsu
• Jack
• King (wrestler with cheetah mask)
• Not overly complicated
• Complicated enough for combos
• “Destroy someone”

Story Mode:

• Al traditionally single player
• Doesn’t like getting beat
• Think there is story mode
• Tim hasn’t played personally
• Full story mode exists
• But it’s online

The Online Evolution:

• Tekken Tag Tournament: local multiplayer
• Swapping controllers
• Two-person beatdowns
• Now moved to online space

Why Tim Hasn’t Played Story:

• Picked up Steam sale
• Friend Johan
• “Wanted to kick the fuck out of each other”
• Can’t do in person
• Do it online

Al’s Understanding:

• “Certainly understand appeal of kicking fuck out of Johan”
• “Valid”

The Challenge:

• Johan listening: “Get Tekken 7 and I will kick your ass”
• Al probably won’t
• Skill floor/ceiling question
• Going online, getting blitzed?

Tim’s Reassurance:

• “Don’t think you will, mate”
• Played Tekken game before
• Not much changed besides graphics
• Long time ago though

Tim’s Experience:

• Same situation
• Got 8 as well
• Before that, PS2 era
• Haven’t played since

Why This Game?:

• “Not my game. Not my kind of game”
• Al questions: “Why inflicting me with this?”

Tim’s Reasoning:

• Not inflicting
• Al reminiscing about arcade
• Episode about arcade stuff
• Really good memories
• Tekken or Street Fighter memories
• Brought Tim back to that
• “Let’s have a game of Tekken”
• All played it
• All enjoyed it
• Reminiscent of arcades
• Something different
• Not another RTS
• Something different but appreciable
• Long run, probably appreciate

Al’s Response:

• “Actually quite looking forward to it”
• Why great season opener/closer
• Pushed toward games wouldn’t normally play
• Space Marine 2 example
• Fearful of playing
• Through podcast, branched out
• Now loves it
• Tekken Tag Tournament long ago
• Looking forward to Tekken 7

Tim’s Impressed:

• “Very impressed”
• “Rinsed crap out of Space Marine 2”
• “God damn it”

Al’s Self-Awareness:

• Must move on from Space Marine 2
• Would sit 10 hours talking
• Prestige level 2 tactical marine
• Nobody wants to hear that

Availability:

• Think on Steam
• Pretty cheap
• Under £10
• About £7
• Link in description

Stellaris (for Ian)

The Introduction:

• 4X game
• “Probably one of the best”
• Galactic game
• Favorite games ever made

The Lineage:

• First, second, third, fourth: Galactic Civilizations
• Also 4X game
• This is that “but more brutal”

The Honesty:

• “Probably not up your alley”
• “Fascinating game”
• “If you can sink your teeth into it”
• Hours, days, months
• “Just Stellaris”

What is 4X?:

• Ian doesn’t know
• Abbreviation of four words
• Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate
• Subgenre of strategy games

The Explanation:

• Think Civilization games
• Explore surroundings
• Expand empire
• Exploit resources when found
• Exterminate enemies

The History:

• Al getting “really nerdy”
• Phrase coined by UK journalist
• Reviewing Masters of Orion
• Early 90s
• Spawned entire subgenre

Al’s Experience:

• Tim said days, months
• Al: 6,000 hours played
• “One of the best games of all time”

The Concern:

• “We will never see you again”

Ian’s Fear:

• “Hope this doesn’t awaken something in me”

The Risk:

• It will awaken something
• Fascinating exploration
• Start with one planet
• Particular race
• Pick traits and characteristics
• Choose galaxy size
• Go out, interact with neighbors

Neighbor Types:

• Xenophobic
• Pacifist
• Religious
• Militarist
• Own particular traits
• Machine empires

The Development:

• Been around since 2016
• 10 years old
• Not released and stopped
• 10 years of content
• Fantastic, fascinating game
• Al absolutely adores it

Al’s Avoidance:

• Trying not to play again
• Knows if does, will be hooked
• Won’t do anything else

Tim’s Agreement:

• “Al has absolutely nailed it”
• Intrigued to see what happens
• If Ian plays Stellaris

Multiplayer Question:

• Is it PVP or PVE?
• There is multiplayer
• Depends on other people
• As single player experience
• “Nothing quite like it”

The DLC Problem:

Al’s Concern:

• Amount of content
• Paradox developer
• Known to be DLC-heavy
• Games under tenner rule
• Base game on sale under £10
• Pick up for chump change
• Normal price $34.99

The Full Experience:

• All of Stellaris
• Access to every DLC
• Region of $400

The Sims Comparison:

• “What in the Sims?”
• Not to $1,400 extent
• Season 1 episode covered Sims 4
• £1,400 to play everything

The Subscription Option:

• Might be worth trying
• $10 subscription
• Access to everything
• Subscription-based

The Base Game:

• By itself is great
• Every DLC release
• Update to game
• Many aspects go free
• Expanded beyond original
• But full experience needs DLCs
• Why Al hesitant to jump back

Ian’s Understanding:

• “Real-time strategy space game”
• “Trying to conquer galaxy”

Al’s Correction:

• Want to conquer something
• For sure

Tim’s Addition:

• Over-the-top conquest style
• Or politically
• Or sabotage
• Really interesting
• Depends on mindset
• How you want to play

Ian’s Interest:

• “Interesting”
• “I’m interested to play this one”

Al’s Best:

• “Beautiful space stuff”
• Always a plus

Race Design Recommendation:

Before Beginning:

• Take time to design own race
• Spend time on options
• Different ways to customize
• Match way you want to play

Examples:

• Xenophobic: hate everybody, exterminate
• Pacifist: peaceful coexistence
• Pacifist can only fight defensive wars
• Can’t declare war randomly
• Need reason
• Can’t say “want your planets”
• Must wait until attacked

Pacifist Run Possible?:

• “Don’t attack and still beat game?”
• No real beating game?

The Gandhi Run:

• “Literally do Gandhi run”
• Like from Civilization
• Can do it
• Maybe with less nuclear bombs

Challenge Runs:

• Ian loves challenge runs
• Knife-only runs in shooters
• Likes how game gives options

Montu’s Channel:

• YouTuber massive for Stellaris
• Done number of challenges
• Link below
• One planet challenges
• One system challenges
• Doesn’t expand at all

Vassalization:

• Thing as well
• Take smaller empires under wing
• They give you stuff

Al’s Prediction:

• “Unleashed a beast”
• If get into this, absolutely love
• Quite high barrier to entry
• Prepared to put time in
• Not like Boltgun (press play, shoot)
• Not like Space Marine 2
• It is complicated
• Requires thought
• Al knows Ian capable of thought
• Had conversations in past
• Sure will manage

The Design Question:

• Take time to think
• How would I like to play?
• As pacifist?
• As religious zealots?
• As devouring swarm?
• Consume entire galaxy?
• Can do that

Platform Question:

• Exclusively Steam?
• No, on console now
• Get on PC
• Steam Workshop access
• All the mods

Events and Anomalies:

• Discover when exploring galaxy
• Real great Easter eggs
• Blade Runner example
• Can find Tannhäuser Gate
• Mentioned in Rutger speech
• End of Blade Runner
• Little Easter eggs
• Steam Workshop expands it
• Don’t need DLCs
• Go nuts with mods
• Steam Workshop inclusions

Console Playable:

• Is playable on console
• But for full experience
• Want immersed in PC

Al’s Excitement:

• Really excited for Ian to play
• Would love to be in Ian’s position
• Tim saying “Go play Stellaris”
• 6,000 hours of life again
• Because fantastic

Ian’s Anticipation:

• “Looking forward to it”

Final Count:

• One recommendation left

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Al’s Recommendations

Warhammer 40K Boltgun (for Ian)

Al’s 40K Obsession:

• “Warhammer 40K nut”
• “Just think it’s brilliant”
• Tim is as well

The Tim Introduction:

• Grumpy Old Gamer project start
• Ian said “somebody I’d like you to meet”
• Al: “Oh fuck hell, some idiot”
• Introduced to Tim
• “Yeah, some idiot. He was right”
• Got talking
• Spent two hours on 40K lore
• Tim is “brother in arms”

Ian’s Lore Knowledge:

• Played little Space Marine 2
• Probably couldn’t tell:
  • Space Marine from Imperial Guard
  • From Dark Eldar
  • From whatever
• Not much exposure to lore
• Tim and Al do

Ian’s Acknowledgment:

• “Fair assessment”
• Al made those terms up?
• No, didn’t
• “He may be exacerbating point”
• Actually real things

The Game:

• Warhammer 40K Boltgun
• Boomer shooter
• Know what boomer shooter is?

Boomer Shooter Explanation:

• Current trend
• Games in style of Doom and Quake
• Games thoroughly enjoyed
• When FPS first a thing
• Current trend releasing that style
• This is “Warhammer 40K Doom”

Why This Game:

• Great way to introduce lore
• The setting
• How things work
• How over-the-top everything is

Episode 5 Tease:

• Going to be Warhammer 40K themed
• Some releases coming up
• “Effective releases, mate”
• Tim and Al do 40K introduction with Ian
• Episode 5 coming up

Boltgun Benefits:

• Easy in to setting
• Very lore-light
• Play as Space Marine
• Know what Space Marine is?
• “Big guy with gun”
• Big guy

The Setup:

• Play as Space Marine
• Have bolt gun (hence name)
• Have chainsaw
• Set on Graia
• Same planet as Space Marine 1
• Tied to lore

Ian’s Recognition:

• “Oh god, yeah, you’re right”

The Enemies:

• Fight Thousand Sons
• Enemy in Space Marine 2
• Things Ian will recognize
• Played some Space Marine 2
• Able to pick up on things
• Will thoroughly enjoy

Ian Likes Shooters:

• “Yeah, yeah”
• “Just I don’t know much about Space Marines”
• “And Warhammer 40K”

The Great Thing:

• Don’t need to know
• Don’t need to know about:
  • Space Marines
  • Warhammer 40K
  • Thousand Sons
  • Chaos
  • Different weapons
• Can go in as complete 40K virgin

The Accessibility:

• Listening and thinking
• “Heard of it, don’t know much”
• Really good introduction to lore
• Very easy game to get into
• Press play, you go
• Before you know it
• Blowing shit up

Tim’s Simple Explanation:

• “Essentially Doom”
• “But with better graphics”
• “In 40K universe”

Al’s Graphics Clarification:

• “When we say better graphics, only just”
• Very pixelated
• Very 16-bit
• Looks like Doom did
• Except runs on modern machine

Tim’s Meaning:

• Doom came out 1992
• “3D-ish but not quite”
• Got feeling of Doom
• If that makes sense

Why Doom Feeling:

• Pure power fantasy
• One-man army
• Chopping through heretics
• Through enemies and demons
• Just destroying everything

Classic FPS Design:

• Real classic FPS design
• Level design
• Secrets you can find
• Different paths
• Will really enjoy
• Episode 5 and more Space Marine
• Much greater appreciation of lore
• Having played this game

Ian’s Interest:

• “From what I play in Space Marine”
• “Interested in the lore”

The Deal:

• Will gladly play this game
• But think should do episode
• This season maybe
• Explaining and breaking down
• Warhammer 40K to newbie

Al’s Response:

• “We said this 5 minutes ago”
• “I was working that in there”
• “Were you not paying attention?”
• “See what we’re working with here?”

Ian’s Defense:

• “I was working it in there”
• Didn’t name episode title

More Than Willing:

• Happy to do it
• More people know about 40K
• Better place in world (Tim’s eyes)
• Lore and everything phenomenal
• Put up there with Lord of the Rings
• Or old Star Wars (ignoring J.J. Abrams)
• It’s there
• Wouldn’t say superior
• Not with talking
• But so much there
• “Amazing”

The Pond Metaphor:

• “Put your foot in that little pond”
• “Oh my god, will swallow you up”
• “That’s it”

Perfect Entry Point:

• For anybody interested in 40K
• If like the vibe
• Take with intent that’s there
• Get into in episode 5
• Doesn’t take itself too seriously
• Don’t take too seriously
• If like vibe, explore deeper
• If don’t, still have blast
• Running around
• Shooting shit out of stuff
• Win-win

Availability:

• Link in description
• Will be there

Al’s 40K ADHD:

• “Got my 40K ADHD on”
• Everything out window
• Case of move on
• Want to get off this
• Go play more Space Marine 2

Everyone Agrees:

• “We all do, brother”

Link Reminder:

• Yes, link in description

Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (for Tim)

The Theme:

• Al said going to be theme
• Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2

Tim’s Reaction:

• “You know what, mate?”
• “Can’t fucking wait”
• “Want to play the hell out of that”

Fellow 40K Fanatic:

• Tim gonna absolutely love this

Full Disclosure:

• Did think about recommending to Ian
• Rather than Boltgun
• But this so lore-heavy
• Don’t think Ian would get as much enjoyment
• As Tim will

The Setting:

• Set during
• Between 12th and 13th Black Crusades
• Or it’s Black Crusade

The Characters:

• Abaddon the Despoiler in there
• Cadia in there
• Set after or around fall of Cadia
• “Cadia stands”
• “Planet will crack before Guard do”
• Really neat stuff
• Just love about 40K

Tim’s Understanding:

• “Out of context makes no sense”
• “But I understand exactly”

The Game Type:

• Real-time tactical fleet combat

For the Uninitiated:

• Fleets in Warhammer 40K
• Cathedral-sized battleships
• Multi-kilometer long battleships
• Cruisers
• Carriers
• Broadsides
• Nova cannons
• Torpedoes
• Teleport strikes

The Factions:

• Four, maybe five
• If look one way
• Space Marine fleets
• Imperial Navy
• Tyranid fleets
• Orks
• Chaos
• Each plays differently

Al’s Prediction:

• “Honestly mate, think you’re going to love it”

Faction Playstyles:

Imperial Navy:

• Driving headlong
• Pointy bows
• Unleashing broadsides
• Everything in range

Space Marines:

• Standing off
• Firing strikecraft
• Deep striking Terminators
• Onto enemy ships
• Fuck them from inside

Orks:

• All about ramming shit
• Smashing it

Tyranids:

• Hardest to play against
• Actual creatures in space
• Want to latch on
• Tear ship apart

Tim’s Chaos Interest:

• Maybe mod or something
• Chaos has inflicted
• One overmind or hive ship
• Of Tyranids
• If can do that in Battlefleet
• Want to play Chaos
• That hive fleet went down
• Lore-wise

Al’s Response:

• Maybe have it
• Maybe don’t
• PC game
• Can probably mod it

The Deep End:

• “This is deep end for lore”
• Boltgun is shallow end
• This is Ian with water wings
• Little hoop around waist
• So doesn’t sink
• This is going into Atlantic
• Or Mariana Trench
• Just so sunk deep into lore
• Think you’re going to love it

Tim’s Eagerness:

• “Look forward to it. I do”
• In fact
• In couple hours start playing it

The Visuals:

• “Battlefield beautiful”
• Looks absolutely beautiful
• Could be screen saver
• In background
• Just looks fantastic
• What I’ve seen
• It’s Warhammer

Al Agrees:

• Does look gorgeous

Al’s Reservation:

• Not 3D
• Kind of like
• As much real-time
• Faithful interpretation
• Battlefleet Gothic tabletop game
• Takes place on 2D field

The 3D Wish:

• Sometimes look at that
• Would be excellent if 3D
• Ships from above or below
• Would be absolutely fantastic
• But it isn’t

The Tabletop Question:

• Then other thing was
• Well, tabletop
• “Yes, it’s like tabletop”

Making Battlefields Interesting:

• Then other thing was
• How make battlefields interesting?
• They try
• There’s nebula
• Dust clouds
• Space installations to capture
• Minefields
• Asteroids
• Geographical elements (for want of better word)
• Have to contend with
• Whilst dealing with enemy

The Fog of War:

• What really like
• When start
• Lay out ships at start
• Set off across board
• Can’t see enemy
• Don’t know where they are

Tim’s Excitement:

• “Oh, you literally…”

Al’s Confirmation:

• “Literally, yeah”
• Can’t see where they are
• Send off probes
• Fire off probes
• Try to locate them
• Then get sensor blips
• Might see blip
• Is it battleship?
• Is it escort?
• What am I facing?

The Discovery Phase:

• Can be really interesting
• That whole discovery phase
• But then when starts
• Just so intense

Ship Management:

• Can manage ship systems
• Once start taking damage
• Gun decks might go down
• Engines might go down

Tim’s Agreement:

• “Not as simple as sounds”
• One big ship fires another
• So many different moving parts
• Think will really appreciate
• Know do like
• Interesting granularity
• In games as well

Tim’s Preferences:

• “May be monotonal and dull”
• “Grand scheme of things”
• “But I like the shit”
• “Like the nitty-gritty”
• “If that makes sense”

Al’s Reassurance:

• Nothing dull or monotone about this
• Think will absolutely love it

The Campaign:

• Full campaign
• Capture planets
• Take over areas
• Have objectives
• Missions and tasks
• Need to accomplish
• Think will really love it

Al’s Actual Excitement:

• Excited to see
• How much enjoy this game
• How much say

Tim’s Praise:

• “That was fantastic explanation”

Tim’s Plan:

• Going to put this out
• Will stream it
• Put first reactions
• On fucking YouTube
• Well, not YouTube
• Maybe Twitch
• Natural first instinct reaction

The Reasons:

• A) Excited about it
• B) Anything 40K, of course love it
• C) Could be interesting

---

The Recap

All Six Recommendations:

For Al:

• Tekken 7 (from Tim)
• Remnant 2 (from Ian)

For Ian:

• Stellaris (from Tim)
• Warhammer 40K Boltgun (from Al)

For Tim:

• Far Cry 5 (from Ian)
• Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (from Al)

Links:

• All in description
• Of podcast
• Or YouTube video if watching

The Timeline:

• Come back in 10 weeks
• Tell what thought
• If Ian ever returns
• After being unleashed into Stellaris

Everyone Happy?:

• Any concerns?

Ian:

• “No, looking forward to it”

Tim:

• “Very interesting”
• “Left out of left field type thing”
• “What’s harm in trying?”

Al’s Fishing Joke:

• Game recommended to Tim
• Has fishing in it
• Good fishing simulator

Tim’s 40K Joke:

• “I’ll raid Cadia”
• “Might not understand reference yet”
• “But I will”

Al’s Response:

• “Yes, but you will”
• “By the Emperor I will”
• Maybe not till episode 5
• But will

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Closing Remarks

Episode 1 Complete:

• “Thank you very much gentlemen”
• “Coming and joining me”
• “Episode one of season 2”
• “This is exciting”

The Reality:

• “Season two is here”
• “Just like woohoo”
• “Actually real podcasters now”

If Made It This Far:

• “Dear listener”
• “Thank you so much”
• “Sitting and listening to us”

The Ask:

• Do favor
• Whatever platform listening
• Spotify, Amazon, Apple, whatever
• Hit follow button
• Informed when next episode drops
• Shows systems/platforms
• We’re interesting
• Means other people listen
• “Really do appreciate that”

Discord Invitation:

• Come join Discord
• Link in description
• “Christ, there’s a lot of links”
• Have to go through

Tuesday Game Nights:

• Starting to do game nights
• That’s game nights on Tuesday
• Want to play games
• With bunch of
• “Really really friendly, grumpy bastards”
• Come join Discord
• Great to meet you
• Great to meet people
• Play games with

Final Sign-Off:

• “That’s it from us this time”
• “Will see you next week”
• “Thank you very much for listening”
• “Take it easy”
• “Goodbye”

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Notable Quotes

On Season 1 Success:

• “Season 1 was a raging success. We had about 10 listeners across 10 episodes, which is fantastic”
• “Being the suckers for punishment that we are, we’ve come back”
• “We’re actual real podcasters now”

On Far Cry 5:

• “Fuck Ubisoft and all that, but Far Cry 5 is a pretty decent game”
• “Your favorite country of all, America”
• “Running around shooting cult members. That actually does sound up my alley”
• “A literal bear maul enemies for you. No. Cheeseburger. Yes”
• “Big bear doing big bear stuff. You know, already sorted it for me, mate”

On Recommending Games:

• “Why are you recommending a game that you haven’t played?” – Al
• “I meant on PC yet. I play the fuck out of it. I own it on a PlayStation” – Ian
• “What the fuck? Here’s a great game I’ve never played that I think you should play” – Al’s sarcasm

On Tekken 7:

• “Will look sexier and you can still beat the fuck out of people. What more could you want?”
• “Sexy beatings. Sexy beatings are my favorite kind of beatings”
• “Nostalgia boner. How about that?”
• “Certainly understand the appeal of kicking the fuck out of Johan. Valid”

On Stellaris:

• “I’ve played 6,000 hours of Stellaris. I think it is one of the best games of all time”
• “My only concern is that we will never see you again”
• “I hope this doesn’t awaken something in me”
• “If you wanted to play all of Stellaris with access to every single DLC is going to cost you in the region of $400. What in the Sims?”
• “What Tim’s done here is he’s unleashed a beast”

On Warhammer 40K:

• “Oh, there’s somebody I’d like you to meet. Oh, fuck hell, some idiot. Yeah, some idiot. He was right”
• “Brother in arms. Damn right brother”
• “You don’t have as much exposure to the lore. That’s a fair assessment. And he made those terms up. No, he didn’t”
• “This is Warhammer 40K Doom”
• “Can you can go in as a complete 40K virgin”
• “Put your foot in that little pond, oh my god, it will swallow you up and you will just that’s it”

On Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2:

• “You know what, mate? I can’t fucking wait. I want to play the hell out of that”
• “Cathedral-sized battleships. Multi-kilometer long battleships”
• “This is the deep end for lore. If you think Boltgun is the shallow end, this is you’re going into the Atlantic or the Mariana Trench”
• “I’ll raid Cadia, but you might not understand that reference yet, but I will. Yes. But you will by the Emperor I will”

On Space Marine 2:

• “I will sit here for the next 10 hours talking about my prestige level two tactical marine and nobody wants to hear that shit”
• “You have rinsed the crap out of Space Marine 2 recently and it’s like, god damn it”
• “I want to get off this and go play some more Space Marine 2. But we all do. We all do, brother”

On Remnant 2:

• “Soulslike shooter. This is not – So Soulslike is really hard games”
• “If I can handle it, you can handle it. I suck at like all the Dark Souls games”
• “You can pet the dog. It’s brilliant”
• “The gunplay on it just chef’s kiss”

---

Memorable Moments

The 10 Listeners Joke:

• Season 1 “raging success”
• “10 listeners across 10 episodes”
• Self-deprecating humor
• Sets tone for season

The American Dollars Conversion:

• £10 = “about 50 American dollars”
• Al’s obvious joke
• “It’s about 12, something like that”
• Casual international banter

The Cheeseburger Bear:

• Far Cry 5’s Guns for Hire
• Literal bear named Cheeseburger
• “Good boy slash girl slash I don’t know what”
• “Big bear doing big bear stuff”
• Tim immediately sold

Ian Doesn’t Own Far Cry 5 on PC:

• Recommending game he doesn’t own
• Al’s confusion
• “On PC yet”
• Owns on PlayStation
• “Play the fuck out of it”
• Awkward but hilarious

The Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul Tangent:

• Far Cry antagonists discussion
• Both in Breaking Bad?
• Actually Better Call Saul
• Tim and Ian bonding
• Al steering back

Sexy Beatings:

• “Beat the fuck out of people”
• “Sexy beatings”
• “My favorite kind of beatings”
• Absurd escalation

The Johan Challenge:

• “Kick the fuck out of each other”
• Can’t do in person
• Do it online
• Al: “Certainly understand appeal”
• If Johan listening: challenge issued

The Stellaris 6,000 Hours Reveal:

• Al casually mentions
• “One of best games of all time”
• Tim and Ian immediately concerned
• “We will never see you again”
• Ian: “Hope doesn’t awaken something”
• It absolutely will

The $400 DLC Shock:

• Stellaris full experience
• All DLCs: ~$400
• “What in the Sims?”
• Reference to Season 1 episode
• Sims 4: £1,400
• Paradox DLC policy exposed

The Gandhi Run:

• Pacifist playthrough
• “Like from Civilization”
• “Except maybe with less nuclear bombs”
• Gaming inside joke
• Civilization’s aggressive Gandhi bug

Tim Meeting Story:

• “Somebody I’d like you to meet”
• “Oh, fuck hell, some idiot”
• “Yeah, some idiot. He was right”
• Affectionate mockery
• Two hours talking 40K lore
• “Brother in arms”

The 40K ADHD:

• Al getting excited
• “Got my 40K ADHD on”
• Everything out window
• Want to play Space Marine 2
• “We all do, brother”
• Relatable obsession

The Cadia Joke:

• “I’ll raid Cadia”
• “Might not understand reference yet”
• “But I will”
• “By the Emperor I will”
• Episode 5 tease
• Inside joke for later

The Link Reminder Spam:

• “Christ, there’s a lot of links”
• “Have to go through”
• Every game mentioned
• All in description
• Discord link
• Self-aware about effort

Tuesday Game Nights:

• New announcement
• “Really really friendly, grumpy bastards”
• Oxym moron humor
• Community building

---

Technical Details and References

Games Recommended:

Far Cry 5 (Ian → Tim):

• Released 2018
• Rural Montana setting
• Cult members antagonists
• Four antagonists (1 main, 3 lieutenants)
• Nonlinear progression
• Resistance meters
• Guns for Hire (Cheeseburger bear)
• Strong co-op features
• Helicopters, airplanes, ATVs, boats, seaplanes
• No climbing towers (vs Far Cry 3)
• Better than 6 (gameplay loop)
• Available: Steam, PlayStation, everywhere
• Price: Under £10

Tekken 7 (Tim → Al):

• Under £10 (about £7)
• Tekken 8 “too flashy”
• Last Tekken Al played: Tag Tournament (1999)
• Characters suggested: Kazuya, Yoshimitsu, Jack, King
• Story mode exists
• Online focused
• Not much changed from PS2 era besides graphics
• Available: Steam
• Controller required

Warhammer 40K Boltgun (Al → Ian):

• Boomer shooter style
• Like Doom/Quake
• Warhammer 40K Doom
• Play as Space Marine
• Bolt gun and chainsaw
• Set on Graia (Space Marine 1 planet)
• Fight Thousand Sons (Space Marine 2 enemy)
• Very pixelated, 16-bit aesthetic
• Runs on modern machines
• Classic FPS design (secrets, multiple paths)
• Lore-light but immersive
• Episode 5 prep (40K introduction)
• Available: Steam (link in description)

Remnant 2 (Ian → Al):

• Released 2023
• Sequel to Remnant from the Ashes
• On sale for ~£10
• Soulslike shooter
• Three-player co-op
• Three weapons at time
• Classes: Medic, Hunter, Handler (has dog)
• Dual archetype system (mix two classes)
• No PVP, PvE only
• Good matchmaking
• ~20 gun types
• Procedurally generated elements
• 4-5 different worlds per playthrough
• Boss fight focused
• Available: Steam, all consoles

Stellaris (Tim → Ian):

• 4X game (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate)
• Released 2016 (10 years old)
• 10 years of content updates
• Al has 6,000 hours played
• Space empire building
• Design your own race
• Traits: xenophobic, pacifist, religious, militarist, etc.
• Machine empires possible
• Galaxy size customizable
• Single player and multiplayer
• Base game: $34.99 normally, under £10 on sale
• All DLCs: ~$400
• Subscription option: $10/month for everything
• Available: Steam (recommended), console
• Steam Workshop for mods
• Easter eggs (Blade Runner’s Tannhäuser Gate)
• High barrier to entry
• Requires thought and time
• YouTuber: Montu (challenge runs)
• Vassalization mechanic
• Challenge runs: one planet, one system, etc.

Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 (Al → Tim):

• Real-time tactical fleet combat
• Set between 12th and 13th Black Crusades
• Fall of Cadia setting
• Abaddon the Despoiler present
• Cathedral-sized battleships
• Multi-kilometer long ships
• Factions: Imperial Navy, Space Marines, Tyranids, Orks, Chaos
• Different playstyles per faction
• 2D field (faithful to tabletop)
• Fog of war (probes to locate enemies)
• Sensor blips system
• Ship system management (damage affects decks, engines)
• Nebula, dust clouds, space installations
• Minefields, asteroids
• Full campaign mode
• Capture planets, objectives, missions
• Lore-heavy
• Beautiful visuals
• Available: PC (link in description)

Historical References:

• Tekken Tag Tournament (1999)
• Masters of Orion (early 90s, coined 4X term)
• Blade Runner (Rutger Hauer speech, Tannhäuser Gate)
• Civilization games (Gandhi runs)
• Galactic Civilizations series
• Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul (Far Cry actors)
• Space Marine 1 (Graia planet)
• Space Marine 2 (Thousand Sons enemies)

Warhammer 40K Lore Mentioned:

• Space Marines
• Imperial Guard
• Dark Eldar
• Thousand Sons (Chaos)
• Abaddon the Despoiler
• Cadia (planet)
• “Cadia stands”
• “Planet will crack before Guard do”
• Black Crusades (12th, 13th)
• Tyranids (hive ships)
• Orks
• Terminators
• Stern Guard
• Imperial Navy
• Graia planet
• Episode 5: full 40K introduction planned
• Lord of the Rings comparison
• Star Wars comparison (old, not J.J. Abrams)

Companies/Developers:

• Ubisoft (“Fuck Ubisoft”)
• Paradox Interactive (Stellaris, DLC-heavy)
• Various Far Cry developers
• The Sims 4 (£1,400 for everything)

Platforms:

• Steam (primary recommendation)
• PlayStation
• PC
• Console (general)
• TikTok (shorts)
• YouTube (shorts, full episodes)
• Rumble (full podcasts)
• Twitch (Tim’s planned streaming)

Community:

• Discord (link in description)
• Tuesday game nights
• “Friendly, grumpy bastards”
• Johan (Ian’s friend, Tekken opponent)
• 10 listeners (season 1)

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Future Episode Teases

Episode 5:

• Warhammer 40K themed episode
• Tim and Al introduce 40K to Ian
• After Ian plays Boltgun
• “Effective releases” coming
• Full lore breakdown
• Promised multiple times

Episode 10:

• Season 2 finale
• Review all six recommendations
• Determine if “Tim’s suggestions terrible”
• “And Al’s suggestions fucking awesome”
• Or vice versa
• Ian might disappear into Stellaris beforehand

Ongoing:

• More Space Marine 2 discussion (inevitable)
• Tuesday game nights
• Tim’s shorts production
• Streaming plans (Tim)

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Contact & Community

Listen: Spotify | Apple | Amazon | YouTube
Follow / Community: Discord | Twitch | Steam | Curator | Facebook | Twitter | Bluesky | Instagram | Threads
Contact: Website | grumpyoldgamer[at]gog.fm

Special Announcements:

• Tuesday game nights starting
• Join Discord for details
• All game purchase links in description
• Shorts on YouTube and TikTok
• Full episodes on Rumble

Call to Action:

• Hit follow button on your platform
• Informs of new episodes
• Shows platforms they’re interesting
• Helps other people discover
• “Really do appreciate that”

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Episode Verdict

The hosts successfully launch season two with a format designed to push boundaries and create accountability—each recommendation carefully chosen to challenge comfort zones while remaining accessible under £10. Ian’s picks balance co-op experiences (Far Cry 5’s Montana cult chaos, Remnant 2’s Soulslike shooting), though admitting he doesn’t own Far Cry 5 on PC yet undermines credibility slightly. Tim weaponizes nostalgia (Tekken 7’s arcade callbacks) and threatens social lives (Stellaris’s 6,000-hour black hole), gambling that Ian won’t disappear forever into space empire management.

Al’s Warhammer 40K double-barrel approach proves most strategic: Boltgun serves as accessible gateway drug for episode 5’s lore deep-dive, while Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2 rewards Tim’s existing fanaticism with cathedral-sized battleship tactical combat. The revelation that Stellaris costs $400 for full DLC access exposes Paradox’s monetization while the $10 subscription option provides escape hatch. Tim’s admission he’ll stream Battlefleet first reactions and Al’s 6,000 Stellaris hours confession add stakes to episode 10’s verdict.

The format works because recommendations balance challenge with interest: Far Cry 5’s Cheeseburger bear sold Tim immediately, Tekken 7’s “sexy beatings” broke Al’s resistance, Boltgun’s “40K Doom” accessibility convinced Ian, Remnant 2’s dog-petting Handler class sealed Al’s commitment, Stellaris’s Gandhi runs intrigued Ian despite $400 DLC terror, and Battlefleet’s lore-heavy fleet combat thrilled Tim completely. Each host demonstrated knowledge of their targets—Ian understanding Al needs co-op hooks, Tim recognizing Ian’s challenge run addiction, Al leveraging both hosts’ 40K obsession.

The Tuesday game nights announcement, Discord invitation, and “10 listeners” self-deprecation establish community while acknowledging small but dedicated audience. Tim’s editing work (shorts production), platform expansion (Rumble, TikTok), and Al’s Space Marine 2 addiction (prestige level 2 tactical marine) provide ongoing narrative threads. The promise to reconvene in episode 10 creates accountability loop—will Ian survive Stellaris? Will Tim stream Battlefleet reactions? Will Al finally stop talking about Space Marine 2?

Key Takeaway: Six games under £10 push three gamers outside comfort zones with strategic precision—co-op experiences for the social gamer, nostalgia trips for the strategy addict, 40K gateway drugs for the lore-curious, and one 6,000-hour galaxy conquest simulator threatening to delete Ian’s free time forever. Episode 10 will determine if Tim’s suggestions were terrible and Al’s fucking awesome, or if everyone just discovers new obsessions. Either way, Cheeseburger the bear already won.

The Bottom Line: Season two begins with accountability, affordability (all under £10), and weaponized recommendations designed to either expand horizons or destroy social lives. The real winner is Warhammer 40K, appearing in three of six recommendations because Al and Tim are “brothers in arms” who spent two hours discussing lore when they first met. The real loser is Ian, who faces Stellaris’s $400 DLC trap and 6,000-hour time sink. Tuesday game nights await for “friendly, grumpy bastards” who survived season one’s 10-listener triumph. By the Emperor, episode 5’s 40K introduction cannot come soon enough.