This is the first in what will be a series of Podcast reviews. I will be listening to a number of episodes before I do each review.....in this way my review will not be of an individual podcast but of a particular series as a whole. The review format I am using will still change so please contribute any thoughts you might have on how I can make it better.
Podcast Review #1: The Ultimate Podcast (season one):
Background: I thought I might as well start off by reviewing one of the more controversial podcasts around (even though I don't really get why it is all that controversial). This is the brainchild of Steve Weeks (the*mad*gamer on BGG) and his influence can be seen everywhere. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the podcast it runs for about an hour and can be found at the website of the League of Untouchable American Gamers (www.league-radio.com). The focus of the podcast is the promotion of American games at the expense of Eurogames as well as the politics of boardgamegeek.com. Based out of
Houston the show doesn't take itself too seriously and is a mixture of commentary, game reviews, music, comedy and guest interviews.
Pros: The strength of this podcast lays in the radio caliber talents of Steve Weeks. He has a strong clear voice and is both charismatic and talented. He kind of comes off as a Rush Limbaugh type personality whose focus is board games instead of politics. This might annoy some people but it does speak to his considerable talent. Weeks biggest strength is his ability to give clear and concise descriptions of game play in relation to games that he is promoting. It is very likely that you may become interested in one of his game suggestions after listening to the podcast. The sections of the shows are broken up by 2-3 minute songs that are preformed by Weeks himself. I have to give credit where credit is do and say that these songs are very good. Weeks has a bit of Elvis in his voice and shows some writing talent as well. The interviews that Weeks lines up for his shows are solid but will appeal most to those familiar with BGG politics.
Cons: I have a number of small issues with these podcasts. Although I think the musical numbers are high quality they seem out of place to me. It appears that Weeks is looking for a forum to promote his music and as such the placement of the songs can seem forced. I am also not that big a fan of Weeks comedy numbers. I give him credit for effort but I rarely find myself laughing. The major problem with this podcast is that it can become bogged down by tiresome BGG politics and attacks. If you are not passionate about these issues then a large part of this podcast will fail to engage you.
Conclusion: Overall this is a podcast that you can probably afford to miss. It is entertaining at times and is a good source of information with regards to the games that Weeks promotes. Weeks does a competent job of hosting, it is well produced and has some well spoken guests. Personally I find the musical interludes a tad annoying although it is not due to the quality of the music. It's that sometimes I just want to listen to a podcast and if I were in a mood for music I would turn on my ipod instead. The biggest problem with this show is that it is very much focused on the culture and politics of BGG. Although it is evident that Weeks doesn't take himself or his issues all that seriously it still results in a podcast that is geared to a specific audience. As such it often seems like you are listening to an inside joke with a punch line that you don't care about. That being said, if you are interested in the BGG Eurogame/Ameritrash debates you might well find this interesting. Although some people find this podcast mean spirited I think they are probably reading a bit too much into it. If Weeks were to take a shot at me I would probably just chuckle along with him.
Overall 5/10
