Steve Ritchie is one of the most important pinball machine designers in the world. In this show you’ll hear about his background, his career and the remarkable stories behind some of the best pinball tables in history.

HJ111 - The 2014 HatchetJob Awards

Feb 7th, 2016 1h 40m

In our yearly HatchetJob awards AKA Insert Category, we invent awards for the videogames we played in 2014 - yes 2014 - from the serious to the stupid, from sex robots to sociopathy. Can you guess which titles won the ‘Ubiest Ubiboo’ and 'Decr

HJ110 - The 2013 HatchetJob Awards

Mar 23rd, 2015 1h 8m

In our yearly HatchetJob awards AKA Insert Category, we invent awards for the videogames we played in 2013 - yes 2013 - from the serious to the stupid. Can you guess which title won 'It's a condition!' ? This show was recorded in February 2

HJ109 - 18 hours with The Last of Us (and my mother)

Jan 24th, 2015 59m 40s

In this show we discuss playing The Last of Us with a parent (who watches it as if it were a film) and whether the game, and its story, are deserving of the praise heaped upon them. There are spoilers for the game and the film 28 Weeks Later.

HJ108 - What do bomb disposal experts feel about their robots?

Nov 9th, 2014 1h 4m

Roboticist and educator Dr. Julie Carpenter tells us about her research with bomb disposal experts, how society might have to change as robots become more advanced and even what happens when a robot powers down in front of a small child. Recor

HJ107 - The 2012 HatchetJob awards

Feb 7th, 2014 42m 34s

In our yearly HatchetJob awards AKA Insert Category show, we invent awards for the games we played in 2012 - yes 2012 - from the serious to the stupid. Can you guess which title won Wub Wub?Music is Don't Go (RumbleStep Mix) by CDKGootecks

HJ106 - Why how you practice affects how good you'll get

Jan 15th, 2014 26m 7s

Dr.Tom Stafford is a lecturer in psychology and cognitive science at the University of Sheffield. He explains why the way you practice affects how good you get at something - and he's got 850,000 people to back him up.Axon game: http://axon.

HJ105 - Splinter Cell, Snowden and the NSA

Oct 21st, 2013 46m 9s

We discuss Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA and how games should portray governments in the future. Some spoilers about locations and plot devices.

HJ104 - Taking submissions for Insert Category game awards

Aug 26th, 2013 2m 12s

We're taking submissions for the 3rd annual Insert Category awards from HatchetJob.com. Invent an award for a game released in 2012.Music from Incompetech.com

HJ103 - Bioshock Infinite. (Spoilers and swearing)

Jul 10th, 2013 44m 2s

We discuss Bioshock Infinite & touch on topics such as racism in the early 20th century, meaningful choices in games & how we're being asked to pay for unfinished stories. M: Paradise is Lost A: Mauerhuhn

HJ102 - SD, NnK, RitD

Apr 1st, 2013 46m 34s

We discuss Sleeping Dogs, Ni no Kuni and Rumble in the Dungeon. The first part of the show is about AI, cloud computing and human resources. Skip to about 9m15s for the start of Sleeping Dogs.Rumble in the Dungeon rules PDFMusic is Crazy Dr

HJ101 - Far Cry 3

Dec 24th, 2012 52m 48s

Far Cry 3 has been praised from the highest mountain to the darkest jungle glade. But is the game more prey than predator?Music: Amanita Muscaria by Jeris

HJ100 - Competitive eating's culture, tactics and future

Oct 13th, 2012 41m 57s

We speak to Johnnie Excel, competitive eater and StarCraft 2 player, about competitive eating's culture, tactics, future and more.Johnnie's YouTube channelCNN article on Kobayashi arrestS: Put Your Hands Up (Dubstep Version) A: Chandubaba

HJ99 - Dust: An Elysian Tail, Yongsan shopping, Crysis

Sep 19th, 2012 50m 7s

We talk about Dust: An Elysian Tail, find out what it's like to go game shopping in Yongsan (South Korea's Akihabara) and find out if Crysis is more pavement than playground.Music is Nadeya (Club Mix) by Destinazione Altrove, used a sample f

HJ98 - 2011 UnCategory videogame awards (explicit)

Aug 25th, 2012 39m 56s

For our alternative 2011 'GOTY' show, we asked listeners to make up awards and choose games to win them. That way, games win awards that reflect how you felt about them, not how the industry decides to categorise them. The show has one bit of

The 2011 UnCategory game awards. Your winners are?

Aug 1st, 2012

It's time for our third-annual awards show!Tell us about a game you played in 2011. Create an award for it to win. This is not a GOTY show.the two years we’ve run an awards show that is a year late and doesn't have any categories. By doing 2

HJ97 - Film review: Elite Squad and The Enemy Within

Jun 25th, 2012 3m 55s

In this super-short film review, you'll hear about Brazilian films Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. Music is Ice and Chilli by _ghost .

HJ96 - Co-op games and paid unlocks

Jun 6th, 2012 1h 7m

We discuss co-op game mechanics, segue into paid unlocks and invent (possibly) the worst game in the world.Music is 'Cuss The Sky' by Camburn.

HJ95 - Predator 2, Saints Row 3, X-Com:UFO

Feb 2nd, 2012 1h 20m

Is Predator 2 a cultural artifact? Are the Saints really needed in Saints Row 3? Is X-Com still good? Does nostalgia drive game purchases? What's it like gaming on a projector?Kara Leung interview Box Shot AKA Smuggler's CrampE.S. Post

HJ94 - He summarises boardgame rules

Nov 29th, 2011 1h 14m

Universal Head produces summaries of boardgame rules. We speak to him about how he got into gaming, how he does his summaries and what he thinks of videogames and tombstones.Universal Head's blog & summariesHatchetJob Earth Reborn videoMusi

HJ93 - Claw machines & crane games

Oct 24th, 2011 39m 57s

Matt Magnone really likes claw machines (or crane games as they're called in the UK); you know the ones, all cuddly toys and robotic arms. We spoke to him about his claw machine experiences, insight and tips and tricks. Tips of the claw machi

HJ92 - What's it like moving to South Korea?

Sep 25th, 2011 1h 15m

We speak to Staats, part of the HJ crew, about his move to South Korea; his first impressions, thoughts and insights. Korean Sunshine Policy. Music: We Are Free ft. Snowflake, by Zep Hurme.

HJ91 - Deus Ex Human Revolution, Disgaea 4

Sep 13th, 2011 52m 51s

We discuss Deus Ex Human Revolution in the context of emergent gameplay & resource management. We also touch on whether Disgaea 4 could be a casual game. The 'spoilerific' video.Deadly Creatures gameMusic: Sick by DoKashiteru.

HJ90 - Your 2010 game awards

Sep 5th, 2011 1h 19m

You create the categories, you pick the winners. In our second-annual game awards - aka Insert Category aka UGGA - we read out your submissions for notable games of 2010. Can you guess which won 'Best use of a sandwich?'Music: Recommende

HJ89 - Tell us your games of 2010

Aug 11th, 2011 3m 48s

We’re taking entries for our 2010 ‘personal best’ gaming awards: you create a category, you choose a winner. Let's have awards which give us time to reflect on a game, not just ones which happen in December and praise AAA titles released in N