Tony and Simon are back and are joined by Shaun Davis. Shaun is suffering from some obscure – and possibly alien – lurgy but soldiered on, just for you!

THIS EPISODE

• Simon shares his thoughts on CoD: Advanced Warfare – exo-suits and abilities are great, but hovering is just silly!
• Tony got his hands on a “The Crew” beta code. He’s not a driving game fan, but he got drawn into this one!
• Alien Isolation – looks good, sounds good but check-point frustration can spoil the play.
• Shaun returned to Los Santos on the PS3 to refresh the environment in his head, ready for the new release on PS4.
• Tony is getting hacked off with Sony’s firmware updates and got weirded out by The Binding of Isaac
• A video showing the differences between PS3 and PS4 GTA-V has been released… just WOW!
  

  Click here to view the embedded video.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues, after last week’s wash-out draw, what could possible go wrong this time?!?

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Tony and Simon are back and are joined by Barry Gilkes. Barry has gotten over his Windows 8-related communications issues and now (finally) joins the boys for a chat!

THIS EPISODE

• Simon celebrates a birthday and has a nice time!
• Barry shared getting some ‘wins’ at Tekken against a rather good opponent!
• GTA-V on the new-gen gets an airing – the team are generally very impressed
• Farcry 4 gets a big thumbs up from Simon, who we discover is a frame-rate snob!
• Tony regrets not getting the Season Pass with his Assassins Creed Unity title – given Ubisoft’s apology to owners is supported with a free game!
• BUT.. barring the glitches he likes the way the games works!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues, right, can we have a proper quiz please?

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

And all through the night, Tony and Simon were heard bickering, over frame-rates and other such nonsense…

It’s the last ‘cast of the year and the boys are joined by Sarah-Lou Costley to mull over the current goings on in the gamer-verse (Really… gamer-verse??) Yes… suck it!!

THIS EPISODE

• Tony demands Christmas music and ridicules the results… muppet!
• Advent calendars are discussed – are you in for Lego, Gin or the usual cheap soapy chocolate?
• Simon enjoyed – and was a little affected by – Valiant Hearts
• The Game of Thrones episodic game from TellTale has arrived. Watch the TV series first!
• Tony has dived into The Crew and got just as far as he did in the beta… he still likes it though
• Assassin’s Creed Unity has become playable after the recent updates but Simon questions the capabilities of the current consoles!
• Sarah bemoans her lack of effective broadband, but has been hitting Animal Crossing: New Leaf HARD! And is making the effort to actually finish GTV-V
• Simon has a blanket… true story!
• Destiny continues to frustrate with DLC-only weekly events!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” rumbles inexorably forward, will a new winner emerge?

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

As 2014 is now well and truly done, we thought it’d be a good time to get the opinions of the team together once again and deliver:

The Ready Up Game Awards for 2014

Tony and Simon are joined by Susan to discuss the nominations and the winners in the categories of:

1. Best Story – always one to provoke a broad range of opinions
2. Best Graphics – Do you go for photo-realism or quirky art styles?
3. Best Multi-player – If you like to play with others, which is the best game?
4. Biggest Letdown – The golden raspberry of the Ready Up Awards
5. Biggest Surprise – What crept up behind the team and went “BOO!”
6. Best Portable Game – Gaming on the go just keeps rolling on and there are some great games out there
7. Most Anticipated Game – Things can only get better… right? What are the team looking forward to in the year ahead?
8. Best Game – The Grand Prize, the Big One, the Champ.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” rumbles inexorably forward, will a new winner emerge?

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Tony and the ever dry and droll Simon are back and joined this time by Ben Edwards, a gaming buddy collected along the way.

Multiplayer gets a massive airing in this episode as the guys are very used to playing together. We learn though that there are still the idiots online who seem to be hell bent on spoiling things for the new folks.

THIS EPISODE

• Has modern communications undermined the old-style gamers’ forums and communities?
• MOBAs, competition drives aggro?
• Online achievements / trophies – generally, no thanks!
• Simon has been immersed in Resident Evil, the remaster of the remaster. A 20 year old game which is now much more scary!
• Vanquish also got a mobile airing while Simon was away from home and enjoyed ‘slide mode’
• Ben has delved into the Binding of Isaac and likes the weirdness. Tony just didn’t get it.
• Ben also got back into World of Warcraft and is enjoying the Warlords of Draenor expansion. Shame about all of the ‘free’ level 90s!
• Tony got Hohokum and enjoys controlling rainbow, disco sperm! (His words!)
• Simon and his girlfriend also enjoyed the Game of Thrones Living Card Game while they were away.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues… will it claim another victim? Probably.

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Tony and Simon are getting all loved up in the run up to Valentines day… not with each other you understand but with their other halves although… well who knows! Moving on!!

The boys are joined by the one and only Dan Bendon who likes fighting games… who knew!

THIS EPISODE

• Love is in the air and Tony has made the effort this year… apparently.
• Fighting games get an extended origin after Dan reveals his biggest gaming disappointment.
• Why has it taken so long for hardware accessories to come out for the new consoles?
• StreetFighter V is exclusive to the PS4.
• Remote Play is great except when it’s not and the Vita seems to have been forgotten in favour of Experia Phone usage?!
• Why are some games ‘saves’ so rubbish!
• Simon has been enjoying the Game of Thrones episodic game, Dan has just started watching the telly series but has also played the board game which he very much enjoyed.
• Tony is hooked on Dying Light and enjoys the locations so much, he doesn’t mind doing all of the side quests!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues to bounce merrily along, ready to pounce upon the unwary and steal their souls! or something…

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Due to “shenanigans” going on at football, Simon was late… never mind eh? Tony and Producer John kick things off and immediately dive straight to the bottom of the crudity well (that’s not a well full of carrot sticks and celery by the way!)

The boys are joined by the Jon Brady who provided the longest running answer to a simple question… EVER!

THIS EPISODE

• Dynasty Warriors – great for about 4 hours apparently
• Blood and beards…
• Jon talks about Rogue Legacy and the odd character traits your ancestors had! Also compares it to Spelunky with Simon.
• Simon is attempting to 100% GTA-V and is finding holes in the story.
• The team dissect the Peter Molyneux / Godus situation
• Don’t let someone you don’t know control your game … AND
• don’t delete other peoples characters.. even if they are stupid enough to give you control of their game!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues to bounce merrily along, ready to pounce upon the unwary and steal their souls! or something…

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Simon is here! HURRAH!! No shenanigans this week so the team were tougher at the kick-off and get straight into the meaty business of interior doors, company seminars and aching legs. The fun just never ends with those boys!

Joining in with the hilarity and bringing at least a little bit of gaming to the table is Philip Gallagher, you can find his work right here on the site!

THIS EPISODE

• TV Sit-coms are discussed… no really!
• The Sonic series is dissected – Did you know ‘Tails’ is called Miles Prower?
• Phil has been playing Gratuitous Space Battles 2. A game about battles in space which are gratuitous… well named really!
• Simon’s love of GTA-V has been tarnished by bad achievement capture.
• Tony tried and was frustrated by the heist update for GTA Online – too many other people apparently!
• Simon has gone retro and has been playing on his SNES

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues to bounce merrily along, ready to pounce upon the unwary and steal their souls! or something…

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

There we were, all ready to begin. Tony had taken his pre-podcast poop and Sarah-Lou – our special guest for the evening – was finishing her chicken salad. Producer John had a gnawed interface in place which was sounding SWEET there was only one thing missing…

And then Simon arrived and the world was complete – OK he was a little flushed and flustered but the team was complete, so the nonsense commenced!

THIS EPISODE

• Sarah-Lou now has proper internet again, so she gets to shoot stuff again… hurrah!
• Sarah-Lou is also catching up on World of Warcraft and her Pandaren character
• Tony wonders if it’s OK to lie about your online time!
• He’s also VERY much enjoying the arrival of the much awaited Heists update for GTA Online
• All of the team like online play because it makes them feel less alone (this is more than a little worrying as I write it up!)
• Sarah-Lou enjoys Destiny – she likes to dance in the Tower!
• Tony discovers a brand new, almost unheard of game!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” continues to bounce merrily along, ready to pounce upon the unwary and steal their souls! or something…

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Easter took its toll on the team with both Simon and Tony suffering from over-indulgence over the long weekend. Simon has realised he’s getting older and blames God for now needing regular sleep!

Jonny Cox however is as fresh as a daisy and brought an air of intelligence to the ‘cast – let’s be honest though, it’s a low bar.

THIS EPISODE

• Jonny shares his surprise at the CoD Nazi / Zombie / Asteroid backstory
• Simon has been playing Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishment and sort of likes it!
• Do we need a game set in the 70s? Tony thinks so!
• Big games cost a lot, are we seeing too many sequels to games just because they’re safe?
• Simon has started collecting games, principally because he never plays any of the ones he’s bought!
• Tony is enjoying Drive Club (finally!), very pretty and a discount price on PS+
• Jonny brings some literature to the mix with “Ready Player One” and believes it may be a vision of the future!
• Tony reminds us that PlayStation Home has closed – as has OnLive. Sorry Second-Lifers!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” lurches from the shadows to strike at your soul!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Simon is ‘the walking wounded’ at the moment having suffered a fracture to his ankle – well he says it’s a fracture but it’s more of a sprain really. Tony is full of sympathy of course and extends this in the usual way – he laughed out loud.

Our guest, ‘Young’ Scott Cameron was a little more sympathetic, not hard to achieve but he got there and he was wearing Mr Potato Head pajamas!

THIS EPISODE

• Scott enjoys various story twists in his games
• Simon has been into Demon Souls and reckons it’s the most easily accessible of the series
• Scott also likes Demon Souls and the Valley of Defilement – at least I think the two are related!?
• GTA V for PC gets a good, solid airing and the team are all dizzy about it.
• GTA V Director and Editor is a brilliant game add-on and Tony gets a little excited!

The Rockstar Editor and Director Mode in GTA-V

• Simon got into Pillars of Eternity, an old-school RPG game born out of a Kickstarter project.
• Do you game-stack? Scott has over 600 on Steam and has played 64.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Simon has car trouble, Tony has little sympathy and special guest Producer John has constipated cats… it’s all go on this episode!

THIS EPISODE

• John has been buying new stuff, in particular a headset for the Xbox ONE. Tony is annoyed that he still needs to have a wire attached and laments the passing of the Xbox 360 wireless headset
• Simon’s other half Charlotte has been playing The Dream Machine and he really likes the way it looks and plays.
• Simon has also been enjoying PES 2015 – he finally got the bargain he wanted!
• Tony couldn’t remember which driving game had “Nigel Mainsail” in it. It was Supercars II.
• John has been enjoying Forza Horizon 2 much more than he did the first one and unpacks his other purchase and Arcade Block from Nerd Blocks.
• The boys talk about the XBox ONE for a change, but John’s not still not totally happy with the titles available.
• There’s a prize! Listen through the podcast and answer the question from Producer John after the end theme for a chance to win.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Tonight’s episode was brought to you by Captain Morgan’s Golden Spiced Rum – at least Simon was! Tony was rum-free, but advised us that all of his bits are fine. Yes I know!

Tonight’s special guest is Chris Challinger who suffered an unfortunate clash between the Ready Up Podcast and House of Wolves.. we won! YAY!

THIS EPISODE

• Chris shared a controller-throwing moment and Producer John shared Original Xbox stories.
• Tony enjoyed the Hip-Hop, fighting games mashup “Def Jam: Fight for New York” which is odd given he doesn’t like Hip Hop or fighting games!
• Chris shares his first, initial, very early and not wholly formed impressions of Destiny: House of Wolves
• Simon is continuing to spend his time in the best, this time he’s playing Command and Conquer: Red Alert – Tony learned the plot!
• Tony is getting into Rocket League – but prefers the name of the original.. SuperSonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle Cars
• He’s also been re-visiting Guacamelee and has been dressing up as a Piñata (!)
• There’s a prize! Listen through the podcast and answer the question from Producer John after the end theme for a chance to win.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

They’re back and they’re… well not doing too badly, getting by.. you know! Tony and Simon are joined this week by the very talented Mr James Gilmour who expressed an unexpected love of Crank 2 – starring Jason Statham. Well, it takes all sorts!

This episode:

• Simon drinks flat Coke with rum from a mug – it’s a games-related mug though so that’s OK
• The team discuss Jason Statham movies, metaphysical TV shows and really stray VERY far away from the whole subject matter of this podcast… at least for a while
• Luckily, James shared some great mobile gaming recommendations because he likes stuff which is innovative
• Tony enjoyed “Does Not Commute” and James love the underlying story
• James and Simon now ‘speak the language’ of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and it makes them more enjoyable as games
• Wolfenstein makes you get stuck in, but Tony felt a bit mixed up over it.
• Simon wonders why there’s even a campaign in Call of Duty because the endings are all crap!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot, you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

It’s that time of year when all eyes turn to the Magic City of Las Vegas and drink in the deliciousness of cutting edge graphics, demanding gameplay and incisive storytelling that comes with the various announcements. It’s E3!

The Team devote this episode to what been trailed, talked about, hyped and hoped for and also take a wander over some of the less well-trodden ground too. Simon (live from Vegas??) and Tony are joined by Dean Bowman this time.

This episode:

• Dean shares his current love of the Witcher 3. He’s aiming for Platinum!
• The Final Fantasy VII announcement got a great reaction online, the team want to see it too, but perhaps not all of it.
• Did Sony fall short by highlighting 3 ‘old’ games during the show?
• The Last Guardian invoked a LOT of discussion and comparison – Tony wants more of this sort of thing too!
• Ghost Recon: Wildlands sparked Tony’s interest and it’s 3rd person too, so Producer John is happy!
• Fallout 4 peaked Simon’s interest and he’s looking forward to the more rewarding open world experience that series has provided. Dean is interested in what the crafting elements can bring.
• Xbox Backwards Compatibility – a ‘big thing’ or a gimmick to gain market share?
• There’s a massive list of stuff which the guys touch upon too, have a listen!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot, you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

After all of the hullabaloo of E3 it’s time to slip back into the comfortable pair of slippers that is the Ready Up Podcast. Tony is back but Simon is not! So Producer John steps into the breach and makes a vain attempt to fill his shoes. The team are joined for this week’s show by none other than Sean Labode! I KNOW RIGHT!!

This episode:

• Sean shed a tear over the announcement of Shenmue 3. The original shaped his life, apparently.
• Is Kickstarter a good platform for game funding though…
• Tony loves Batman: Arkham Knight, except for the BatMobile bits – engage rant mode!
• John tried to play Massive Chalice… for a little while at least.
• Then he moved on to Project Cars and has discovered a pretty good Race Sim!
• Sean has been playing BloodBorne and he came in cold with no Dark/Demon Souls lead in either!
• Tony is super-happy that Rocket League is going to be on PS-Plus.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot, you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Simon is back from his ‘wanderings’ – we have to put that into quotes as legally we can’t say what he was actually up to! So he and Tony are back once again to regale us with stories of derring-do and of crushed dream, of rocket cars and Bat-creatures and they’re helped on the way by our guest this week Shaun Davis!

This episode:

• Simon tells us of a ‘sort of Paella’.
• Shaun is just married… so back to gaming then!
• Or movies as the team chat about Jurassic World and Terminator: Genisys
• Shaun has been playing MGS: Ground Zeroes – he likes stories and MGS has always delivered those for him
• Batman: Arkham Knight – perhaps too easy and perhaps too much Batmobile?
• Rocket League has become a massive thing! Tony is as like a proud dad!
• Simon needed to clear some space on his Vita – so he played through Uncharted: Golden Abyss – perhaps too long, but very pretty
• Her Story has also appealed to Simon and Tony, searching for clues in video clips is interesting.

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s not about Crash Bandicoot, you know!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Tony and Simon round off this season of The Ready Up Podcast in fine form! Mattresses feature heavily (and why not) but it’s fortunate that our last guest of the season, Jonny Cox, is here to bring things back to the level ground of a games related podcast – sort of!

This episode:

• Simon decries the costs of the modern mattress
• Tony is ‘the chair guy’ in his office
• The glut of great games on the Horizon has made Jonny very happy, especially “No Man’s Sky”
• Is VR ready for the world… is the world ready for VR?
• Will Tony have a reason to blow off his Xbox One… blow the DUST off his Xbox One!! – with the upcoming releases?
• Simon is working through Rogue Legacy on his Vita (everything else is in boxes!)
• Great games don’t have to be perfect to be great. Perhaps it’s because they aren’t?
• Jonny ‘invented’ a new game called Murderball – unfortunately someone else got there first:

  and if you check out the soundtrack to the movie, “Anyone Else But You” it contains the Konami code! You see, everything is related…

• He is also playing the episodic time-travel game “Life is Strange”
• Tony wonders if the recent Double Cash Heists in GTA-Online are significant – probably not!

PLUS!

“The Crash Bandicoot Memorial Quiz” – it’s the series decider… who will be victorious?!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

The Ready Up podcast is back from the dead, and shambling along, looking for brains in time for Halloween. Welcome to Season 5!

Hosts Dean Bowman and Susan Marmito are joined by Kirsten Kearney, aka the Queen of Ready Up.

• What have you been playing? We address Dean’s Destiny addiction, Susan has kind of been playing Elite: Dangerous and Kirsten will no doubt be sinking hours and hours into Tales of Zestiria, even if it is a mashup of the last two games.
• It’s the news! NX dev kits, we’re too old for Youtube and Game stores hinting at Scottish independence.
• Halloween… With Halloween around the corner, we discuss the scariest games we’ve ever played and find out why Dean is afraid of Guitar Hero.
• Two Truths, One Lie It’s guests versus hosts! Is Kirsten a fantastic liar, or do Dean and Susan have hidden lie-detector skills?

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.

Sparks fly and there are fireworks in the sky! Hosts Dean Bowman and Susan Marmito are joined by Scott Cameron, aka Ready Up’s AV (Audio Visual, not Adult Video) guru.

• What have you been playing? Scott has been playing Guildwars 2: Heart of Thorns, Susan has gone back to Pokémon Soul Silver and Dean has been playing Divinity: Original Sin.
• It’s the news! Call of Candy, memories of Halo and shaking hands with Bond villains.
• Fireworks The prettiest fireworks games you’ve ever played.
• Two Truths, One Lie Time for a history lesson with Scott!

Subscribe using iTunes or our Podcast RSS Feed.

Ready Up Podcast theme music courtesy of Tommy Tallarico.