Press Row Podcast – Episode 9 – 2012 Holiday Spectacular
It’s Episode 9 of the Press Row Podcast – a celebration of everything we loved about sports video games in 2012! We’ve gathered a who’s who of industry folks, media types, pundits, and fans all to tell us about their top three sports games of the year. It’s an epic holiday episode. Enjoy!

Joining us this week:

Gus Ramsey, ESPN
Ian Cummings, Row Sham Bow
Donny Moore, EA
Ben Haumiller, EA
Ryan Lewis, 4th String
Jon Robinson, ESPN
Mike Young, EA
Todd Zuniga, 4th String
Mike Phillips, Player One Podcast
Greg Sewart, Player One Podcast
Brad Hilderbrand, EA
Kat Bailey, Active Time Babble
Sean Ramjagsingh, EA
Zach Farley, Maddentips.com
Steve Gibbons, Maddentips.com
TJ Lauerman, ThatSportsGamer
Scott Bins, ThatSportsGamer
Pete Dodd, For Your FYI
Bill Montag, MyPlayerTracker
And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there
Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!
Run Time: 2:48:29

It’s Episode 8 of the Press Row Podcast – the long-awaited 2012 Sports Game Of the Year show! Here’s the gameplan:

First Quarter – Each panelist makes a case for the six 2012 Sports Game of the Year nominees.

Second Quarter – We reveal the subcategory winners

Halftime – The gang answers some user mail and feedback

Third Quarter – Each panelist reveals their individual 2012 Sports Game of the Year rankings from third to first

Fourth Quarter – The 2012 Sports Game Of The Year Winner is announced!

The Final Gun – A big thank you to the fans and the panelists

Joining us this week:
Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)
Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)
Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)
Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@ChrisSnr)
And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there
Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 
Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!
Enjoy the show!
Run Time: 1:29:16

It’s Episode 7 of the Press Row Podcast! It’s Christmastime and we’re in full year-end reflection mode, talking about what we’ve played this year and what we’re already thinking about for 2013. Here’s the gameplan:

Kickoff - What the crew has been playing

First Quarter – Believe it or not, we’re starting to get initial information about the spring sports games MLB The Show and Tiger Woods. We chat about what would get us excited to play them.

Second Quarter – We reflect on the infamous Twitter meltdown of a former Madden NFL contributor and how it impacts what people think about the game

Halftime – The gang chats about some user mail and feedback

Third Quarter – Each panelist makes a sports game prediction for 2013.

Fourth Quarter – We announce the categories and nominees for the 2012 Press Row Podcast Awards!

2 Minute Warning – Parting shots from the gang

The Final Gun – Where to follow and read all of the Press Row Podcast panelists

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)
Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)
Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)
Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@ChrisSnr)
And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

• Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there
• Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!

It’s Episode 6 of the Press Row Podcast! We’ve got an excellent new segment and a new fifth chair – and a brand new console launch to talk about. Here’s the gameplan:

Kickoff - What the crew has been playing

First Quarter – The Wii U has hit the streets – along with three major sports games. Rich reviewed all three for GamesRadar, and Owen spent some quality time with a couple as well; the two chat about their experience and what the platform has to offer.

Second Quarter – Up next, Owen and crew discuss the abrupt end of 2K Sports’ online support for the majority of their sports games

Third Quarter – The gang chats about some user mail and feedback

Fourth Quarter – We welcome our first-ever guest – RowShamBow’s Creative Director Ian Cummings! Ian takes questions from the crew about a bunch of things, including Madden, the future of sports games, and what it’s like to go from console development to the mobile/social platform. He also chats about his team’s brand new free game, Letter to Letter (available on 12/1 in the Apple and Android stores).

2 Minute Warning – Parting shots from the gang

The Final Gun – Where to follow and read all of the Press Row Podcast panelists
Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)
Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)
Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)
Chris Sanner, Operation Sports (@ChrisSnr)
And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there
Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!
Enjoy the show!
Run Time: 1:29:16

It’s Episode 5 of the Press Row Podcast, and we’re back to full strength! The crew goes in depth on all sorts of games, including wrestling, racing, basketball, and more. Here’s the gameplan:

Kickoff - What the crew has been playing

First Quarter – It’s WWE 13 review time, so Mike and Samit detail what they love and hate about the game and their Joystiq and Polygon reviews

Second Quarter – Up next, Need for Speed Most Wanted review talk, as Rich wrote a piece for GamesRadar

Third Quarter – The gang chats about some user mail and feedback

Fourth Quarter – It’s back to sports games and training modes – or lack thereof – based upon a few community comments

2 Minute Warning – Parting shots from the gang

The Final Gun – Where to follow and read all of the Press Row Podcast panelists

Joining us this week:
Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)
Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)
Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)
Steve Noah, Operation Sports (@steve_os)
And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there
Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 
Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!
Enjoy the show!
Run Time: 1:33:31

Press Row Podcast – Episode 4

It’s Episode 4 of the Press Row Podcast, and while we’re down a man this week (get well soon Steve!) we’ve got a lot to talk about, from racing games to training modes and review scores. And that’s just for starters! Here’s the gameplan:

Kickoff - What the crew has been playing

First Quarter – It’s Forza Horizon review time, so Owen details why Forza is so appealing to so many people

Second Quarter – We talk about Downloadable Content’s good, bad, and ugly – and where it may lead in the future

Third Quarter – We go deep into the subject of training modes in sports games, spurred on by an email from an EA Game Changer listener

Fourth Quarter – The NPD sales numbers are half-full of sports games this month – is that great news, or perhaps something decidedly less so?

2 Minute Warning – Parting shots from the gang

The Final Gun – Where to follow and read all of the Press Row Podcast panelists

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)

Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)

And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 1:27:21

Press Row Podcast – Episode 3

It’s Episode 3 of the Press Row Podcast, and we’re all worked up over our full plates of sports games -some of us more than others. Our cast of some of the best sports video game writers in the business is back. Here’s the gameplan!

Kickoff - What the crew has been playing

First Quarter – It’s NBA 2K13 time, and we go in depth from several angles

Second Quarter – We look back at the long, slow, painful death of NBA Live 13

Halftime – Listener feedback

Third Quarter – We discuss the Rise of the Ultimate Team across the industry

Fourth Quarter – Patch Culture and its impact on sports games reviews well after release

2 Minute Warning – Parting shots from the gang – including an, um, interesting take from Owen about NBA 2K13’s replay camera

The Final Gun – Where to follow and read all of the Press Row Podcast panelists

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)

Steve Noah, Operation Sports (@steve_os)

Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)

And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too!

Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 1:40:24

Press Row Podcast – Episode 2

We did it! It’s episode 2 of the Press Row Podcast, and our first since being officially picked up by the Operation Sports network. We’re pumped up to be coming at you every two weeks now, and we celebrate in style with our cemented full cast of characters – also known as the best sports video game writers in the business.

Joining us this week:

Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)

Steve Noah, Operation Sports (@steve_os)

Mike Suszek, Joystiq (@mikesuszek)

And your host, Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Here’s the gameplan:

Kickoff - What the crew has been playing since our last show

First Quarter – It’s FIFA 13 week, so we go in depth from several angles

Second Quarter – We explore the fascinating exchange between Owen and his Editor in Chief at Kotaku, Stephen Totilo about sports video games (found here: http://kotaku.com/5945183/a-note-about-our-reviews-of-sports-video-games)

Halftime – Listener feedback

Third Quarter – The crew dives into the current legal mess surrounding NCAA Football and what it may mean for the franchise’s future

Fourth Quarter – Looking at the current (or what was at the time of recording) situation developing between NBA 2K13 and NBA Live 13

2 Minute Warning – Parting shots from the gang

Overtime – Owen weighs in with an extra-time item

The Final Gun – Where to follow and read all of the Press Row Podcast panelists

Send us your feedback! We love to hear from you and can’t wait to read your stuff on the air in a future episode. Do it one of these ways:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

Also, the Press Row Podcast is now available on iTunes, so subscribe and rate it too! The link is here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/operation-sports-press-row/id563624090?mt=2

Enjoy the show!

Run Time: 1:30:06

Welcome to the Press Row Podcast

Operation Sports is proud to present episode 1 of the Press Row Podcast. Featuring an All-Star lineup of the industry’s best sports video game writers, it’s a show dedicated to the games we love from the perspective of the people who make their living writing and talking about them.

And when we say All-Star cast, we mean it. For our inaugural show, we’ve got Owen Good from Kotaku, Samit Sarkar from Polygon, our own Steve Noah from Operation Sports, and host Richard Grisham from GamesRadar. If you’ve been tuned into sports game journalism the past few years, chances are you’ll be as excited as we are that we’ve gotten these personalities from multiple sites all together on one show.

Being the first episode, of course, we’re still finding our footing and there are a few audio issues here and there. But that’s OK – we hope that this is the start of something big and bold, and there will always be bumps along the way.

What’s most important, though, is to get YOUR feedback. The Press Row Podcast is about creating conversations about the games we love so much, and we want to hear from you. Got topics you’d like us to discuss? Specific questions about a current or past franchise? Thoughtful criticism? Fire it to us and we’ll talk about it on the next episode. Here’s how:

1)      Follow the show on Twitter at @PressRowPodcast  and send us some Tweets while you’re there

2)      Email the show at PressRowPodcast@gmail.com 

We’ll have the show available through the iTunes store in the coming weeks, but for now your one-stop shop to listen and download is right here at Operation Sports.

Show Details

Run Time: 1 hour, 2 minutes

Panel Guests:

Owen Good, Kotaku (@owengood)

Samit Sarkar, Polygon (@samitsarkar)

Steve Noah, Operation Sports (@steve_os)

Richard Grisham, GamesRadar (@richgrisham)

Enjoy the show!