The Pitch: It's a podcast about a guy who listens to everybody else's podcasts and plays the worst bits. He also makes fun of how terrible everybody else's podcasts are, all while he has an even worse one. Hilarity ensues.

What Happened? In a lot of ways Somebody Else's Podcast was an obvious next step for Defunct Games. I had just finished up my short time with After Thoughts and was looking for a similar project. More specifically, I was looking for a similar project that didn't require me to waste all of my time. At this point I was already listening to hours of podcasts each week, so the idea of making fun of everybody else's worst moments felt natural to me.

After toying with a few ideas, I eventually settled on a title and format for Somebody Else's Podcast. I decided to make it a fairly low-key affair; it's a podcast after all. Even with my outdated equipment, the first episode went off without a hitch. The reception was so good that I had no problem making nine more episodes without a break. The show was popular and we were starting to get some traction.

As time went on I found myself listening to fewer video game podcasts. My life suddenly became busy with other things, which left it hard for me to pull out choice quotes. Another problem is that video game podcasts started to improve. The worst of the bunch eventually went away and the new podcasts are more polished than ever. I was having to dig through a lot of smaller shows in order to find the best content, and that became time consuming at an hour a pop. I simply couldn't afford to devote that much time to listening to podcasts, which spelled certain doom for Somebody Else's Podcast.


Chance of Renewal: 100% - It's not a question of if Somebody Else's Podcast will come back or not, it's a matter of when. I can see this fan favorite fitting in with the new podcast initiative I will be announcing next week. Don't look for Somebody Else's Podcast to return anytime in the near future, but I can guarantee that there will be another new episode ... eventually.

The Pitch: Two opinionated gamers discuss what they like and dislike about some of the most memorable characters of all time. From fighting games to platformers, every character gets judged and scored. How did your favorite video game hero fare? Find out when we dive into the Player Select!

What Happened? Player Select is one of those simple concepts you throw out when brainstorming ideas. Who needs to come up with anything clever or witty when you can review classic video game characters? And there are so many to choose from that the possibilities are almost endless. Heck, why stop there? Why not expand into boss reviews, level reviews and a whole article dissecting the first levels of games. It's easy to see how Player Select is nothing more than a slippery slope for other lazy articles.

Between 2003 and 2006 we published a total of three episodes. They included the cast of Street Fighter II, first-person heroes and everybody from Mortal Kombat II. These episodes employed the writing talents of longtime friends of Defunct Games, such as Justin Smith, Lee Miller and John Bertagnoli (who would later demand his name be changed to John Xavier).

In 2009, John and I decided to resurrect this forgotten series. We retooled the show's design and took another stab at it. This time we tackled famous mascot characters and it was an overwhelming success. But even with the renewed success, something still didn't feel right. I planned for future episodes, but quietly I scuttled them in order to work on bigger and better features. Somewhere I have a folder with nothing but half-finished episodes of Player Select.

Chance of Renewal: 90% - I have laid down the ground work on several different occasions for new episodes of Player Select, but they never seem to pan out. It's only a matter of time before everything works out and we get new gamers together for a new episode. I have plenty of great ideas swirling around my head (Metal Gear Solid characters, Grand Theft Auto protagonists, etc.), but there's always something holding me up. Perhaps that will change after I publish this anniversary article.

The Pitch: It's a game show in which we quiz everyday people normal video game questions to see if they get them right or wrong. But here's the catch - they aren't being tested, YOU ARE! Your job is to read the question, look at the picture and determine whether you think they got it right or wrong. It's a simple game with addictive results.

What Happened? This is, without a doubt, one of my favorite shows. Not only was it fun to play, but I had a great time putting it together. I remember ending all of my E3 interviews with these super easy video game questions. It was fun to watch them squirm, especially since I knew it would be going on the web for all to see. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to go to local game stores and talk to everyday gamers. Service Gaming: The Show is one of the best ideas I've ever had.

Unfortunately, some good ideas are limited by web know-how. From one move to the next, eventually Service Gaming became unplayable. It certainly wasn't on purpose; I would love to continue offering brand new episodes. We tinkered with it a few years ago, but it wasn't enough to withstand the most recent move. At this point the show would need a full make over, something that I'm not prepared to work on at the moment.

There's a darker story to the demise of Service Gaming. One of the industry types we interviewed was Jason Montes, who was stuck doing Hudson PR back in 2006. Three years later Jason would be part of a tragic murder/suicide, but he was excited to play our game when we met. Even though these sad events happened years later, it always cast a dark cloud over a possible resurrection.

Chance of Renewal: 60% - If I could come up with a working interface (most likely does through Flash) I would be up for new episodes of Service Gaming. I love getting out there and asking inane questions, especially at conventions and other industry events. Unfortunately I don't see this in my schedule. If you're somebody who loved Service Gaming: The Show and knows a thing or two about making Flash games, you should drop me a line immediately.

The Pitch: This monthly feature counted down the top five articles of the last four weeks. Not only did it offer compelling reasons to read each article, it gave some behind-the-scenes information about the writing process. This feature was also a good way to catch up on recently posted reviews.

What Happened? Believe it or not, it takes quite a bit of time and energy to publish each article on the site. It's not like Defunct Games has a huge staff, there are times when it's just one person posting daily articles. It's only natural to want as many people to see your articles as possible, especially after so much work went into them. Because it's easy to miss an article here and there, we devised a fun article that recapped the best articles of the month. We called it RECAPPED!! (I'm not sure why).

As simple as the idea was, actually writing the article was a giant burden. For one thing, I was forced to rewrite huge chunks of my article, which never made any sense. I also had to come up with post-article thoughts, something that wasn't easy to do when the feature posted a day or two ago. And finally, the article took away a day out of the month that could have been used for something more interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a lazy writer. I have no problem putting forth the energy to finish a four-thousand word article, but the whole process felt pointless. I felt like I was running in place, simply repeating what I've said before. Not only was it fruitless, but the process was incredibly boring. There has to be a better way to convey the same information, something that doesn't require so much effort on my part. Frustrated by the work, I officially shut down RECAPPED!! on the second day of 2008.

Chance of Renewal: 25% - I can see this show coming back with a different name and style. As much as I would like all Defunct Games fans to come to the site on a daily basis, I'm realistic about how people use the internet. It makes sense to have a regular section that recaps the best features and reviews. What I don't want to do is get back into the grind of writing lengthy recap articles that take time away from better articles. If I can find that balance, then I would have no problem resurrecting this show.