Explore every episode of the podcast I Beat It First

In a world where only witches can cast magic, they must avoid being seen by ordinary people while casting. While Coco does her chores, she daydreams of becoming a witch. When a young witch named Qifrey visits her village, Coco uncovers the “absolute secret,” becomes Qifrey’s apprentice, and begins her studies. This is the story of children who encounter despair, yet reach out toward hope.

Witch Hat Atelier follows Coco, a kind and hardworking young girl who has always dreamed of becoming a witch, despite lacking the innate talent required in a world where magic is a closely guarded secret. Her life changes forever when she secretly observes a visiting witch, Qifrey, casting a spell, leading her to realize that magic is actually drawn, not an inborn trait. Attempting to replicate a spell from a mysterious picture book she was given as a child, Coco accidentally unleashes forbidden magic that turns her mother to stone. Recognizing the spell's dark origins, Qifrey takes Coco under his wing as his apprentice.

Our next anime will be Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You:

Sasaki is an overworked salaryman drifting through the corporate grind, sustained by cigarettes and the cheerful service and smile of Yamada, the clerk at his favorite supermarket. But one night after a grueling shift, he arrives late to find Yamada nowhere to be seen. With nowhere left to smoke, his spirits sink—until a pierced young woman calls out to him: “You can smoke here.”

In episode 175 of the podcast, the guys crack open award-winning beers before diving headfirst into an action-packed review session covering everything from the brutal combat of Marvel's Wolverine and the shopkeeping mechanics of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault to the nostalgic charm of the Dragon Quest 1 and 2 HD 2D Remake and narrative depth of Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. The conversation turns spicy as The Guys tackle major gaming industry drama, dissecting Sony’s controversial digital licensing stance, Sony's sudden funding cancellation for Hideo Kojima's project, and Microsoft's dystopian ad-injection patent. After geeking out over revolutionary AMD ray tracing technology that reduces RAM requirements by 98%, the guys wrap up with retro gaming anecdotes, community banter, and plugs for network shows like Cutscene and Patch Notes.

The Guys officially gave the podcast a makeover, prioritizing actual game talk and industry news before spiraling into their new, mandatory segment, "You’re wrong because reasons." They dove into the chaotic energy of managing a gas station and hunting deer for Juice in Goo Deer, dissected the strategy of Unicorn Overlord, and had a collective "we're officially old" moment while celebrating Samsung’s new hearing-aid earbuds. Amidst the existential dread over digital-only game ownership, The Guys also took a trip down memory lane to their childhoods—where "replayability" meant playing Mega Man or Final Fantasy 7 on loop simply because that was the only game they could afford.

Goo Deer Steam page

Join The Guys as they attempt to balance serious industry analysis with the realization that they’re mostly just two adults screaming into the digital void. Between dissecting why modern gaming performance feels like a dumpster fire and ranting about daylight savings like the retirees they aspire to be, they also find time to recap their latest convention disasters—including the time they accidentally convinced security they were crusading against Cocker Spaniels. From obsessing over bizarre 2000s-era gun-shaped computer mice to pranking their own bosses via comic books, The Guys deliver a mix of sharp industry critique and "we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing" energy. It’s the gaming podcast for anyone who loves the industry but is mostly just here for the jank.

Join the guys as they tackle everything from the aggressive price gouging in GTA 6 to the existential dread of losing your digital game library. In this episode, the guys sip "juice bomb" beers, complain about survival game mechanics until they’re blue in the face, and try to justify why they’re still playing niche titles from the PS2 era. Whether they’re dissecting corporate greed or debating the merits of a pinball-war-strategy hybrid on the GameCube, the guys are just here to prove that while they might not know everything, they certainly have strong opinions about it.

The guys are back after a two-month hiatus, jumping straight into a lively session that kicked off with some beer tasting and a critique of increasingly generic AI-generated descriptions. After experimenting with new prompts to inject some humor back into the AI's output, the guys shifted gears to discuss recent gaming developments, including the new direction for Dragon Quest 12 and the expanding cinematic universe connecting Control and Alan Wake. The bulk of the conversation focused on the "hate-playing" phenomenon—the shared habit of sticking with subpar games until the credits roll, from frustrating NES platformers to disappointing PS3-era shooters. Looking ahead, the guys are already prepping for the next episode, where they’ll be digging into games they believe only they have played.

On this episode of "I Beat it First," hosts Eric and Jason kick off with a high-ABV beer review, complete with dramatic and humorous AI-generated flavor descriptions, before diving into the high-cost future of entertainment by debating if immersive dome theaters (like the one where Eric saw Empire Strikes Back with expanded scenery) can save cinema from expensive concessions and streaming competition. They then cover the games backlog, praising unexpected hits like the "couch cozy survival game" Pacific Drive and Dead Island 2, while warning about Sony's concerning new online connectivity policies and lamenting the shock of rising Warhammer model prices. Finally, the segment "You Are Wrong Because Reasons" sparks a debate over games they deliberately abandoned out of dislike, featuring critiques of titles like the "Chore Simulator" Assassin's Creed 3 and the inventory-heavy Final Fantasy Stranger of Paradise, and ends with a tease for the next episode’s ultimate challenge: naming the single game they "fucking hated" but still earned the Platinum trophy for.

Eric totally forgot to include a description for this episode and Jason is working on fixing the website. So this will totally work as a place holder until Eric decides to update or we both just say screw it and let it slide. Either way, give this episode a listen ^_^

Becha thought we got all of the Switch 2 complaints out in one episode. Well, you were wrong. At least this time it's not for almost the entire podcast.

For those keeping track with the leaderboard, Jason won this round.

Get ready for some bitchin' everyone because all the Switch 2 info is here and well... just listen.

We're back, and so are AMD's GPU's. Reminder that we have transitioned to a once a month episode, so see you in 4 weeks.

WE'RE BACK BITCHES! After a year away the IBIF podcast is back with some minor tweaks. Tune in to hear what's happened, what's happening, and where we're going from here.

Special thanks to TheBulldogOmega for joining us for another great year end podcast! We have an IBIF first with the very first UNANIMOUS #1 game; CONGRATS LARIAN STUDIOS AND BALDUR'S GATE 3!

Our lists are as follows:

Eric

1. Baldur's Gate 3
2. Marvel’s Midnight Suns
3. Final Fantasy XVI
4. Warhammer: 40k Rogue Trader
5. Labyrinth of Galaria: Covenant of Dusk

Jason

1. Baldur's Gate 3
2. Final Fantasy XVI
3. Sea of Stars
4. Super Mario RPG
5. Atomic Heart

Chris

1. Baldur's Gate 3
2. Dredge
3. Station to Station
4. The invincible
5. Last Train Home

Bulldog

1. Baldur's Gate 3
2. Lethal Company
3. The Invincible
4. For the King 2
5. Bred and Fred

Spoopy Season has come to an end, but you can still scare Eric by getting us to $2k on Nov 4th. Visit us at https://Twitch.tv/IBeatItFirst or donate at https://www.extra-life.org/participant/510652.

The long winter is over, now we begin the even longer winter of Microsoft world domination.

Rich old white guy is retiring because his commute is too strenuous.

We can't make this up, that's really why Jim Ryan is retiring.

Don't let engine or game devs gaslight you, Starfield is POORLY optimized and Unity is run run by a horrible CEO.

Sorry not sorry for the terrible singing

Can Microsoft find Hasbro's lost games? Do a lot fo CoD players cheat? Did Scalpers ruin the Spider-man PS5 launch? The answer to all of those is probably.

The FTC has lost and only time will tell if we've all lost. Let's discuss our impending doom.

Who wants to see what Chat GPT says are the main reasons for not allowing the Microsoft acquisition of Activison? Nobody... but here it is anyway.

The potential acquisition of Activision by Microsoft has raised concerns among industry observers and gamers alike. While Microsoft's acquisition of Activision would undoubtedly have significant financial implications and potentially strengthen its position in the gaming market, there are valid reasons why some argue that such a consolidation should not be allowed.

Firstly, allowing Microsoft to acquire Activision would result in a consolidation of power in the gaming industry, potentially reducing competition and limiting consumer choice. A merger of this magnitude could lead to a monopolistic situation, where Microsoft would have unprecedented control over a vast library of popular game franchises. This could stifle innovation, as smaller developers might face greater difficulty accessing the market and finding opportunities to release their games on competing platforms. Moreover, it could lead to an imbalance in negotiations with other console manufacturers, potentially resulting in exclusive content being locked behind Microsoft's ecosystem.

Secondly, the acquisition could have negative consequences for the diversity and creativity of the gaming industry. Activision is home to numerous studios with unique creative visions, and the acquisition by Microsoft could risk homogenizing the output of these studios. With Microsoft's primary focus being on its own platforms and services, there is a concern that creative freedom and the ability to take risks might be compromised in favor of safer, mass-market approaches. This could limit the variety of gaming experiences available to players and impede the industry's ability to explore new genres and ideas.

Considering these factors, it is important for regulatory bodies to carefully evaluate the potential consequences of the acquisition and ensure that the interests of consumers, developers, and the industry as a whole are protected.

It's that time of year again! Let's talk about games that we probably won't see for 2 years...

Good news, if you can see the fruit shapes on Trix then you're not an adult!

2022 is in the books and we gave our top 5 of the year!

Chris: 5: V Rising 4: Undecember 3: Tunic 2: Beacon Pines 1: The Entropy Centre Jason: 5 Cult of the Lamb 4 Ixion 3 Tunic 2 Elden Ring 1 Horizon Forbidden West Eric: 5 Tunic 4 Vampire the Masquerade: Swansong 3 Immortality 2 Stray 1 A Plague Tale: Requiem

Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam; spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked beans spam spam spam; or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.

The Twitch Con FOMO is real... or is it? We certainly are sad we missed the people...