21st Century's Best and Worst Games (ft. Chloe Landau, Corey Laisure, and Olivia Merryman)

Welcome back to Let's Talk Media! In this special birthday episode (recorded in May 2020 to celebrate host Vedant Akhauri turning 20), Vedant is joined by his Ithaca College Television (ICTV) colleagues Olivia, Chloe, and Corey to talk all about video games. Together, they take a nostalgic and critical look back at the last two decades of gaming, crowning their personal picks for the best and worst video games of the 21st century so far.Here is a breakdown of their games. Which made the childhood memories? The best? The worst? Check out the episode to find out:Super Mario (NES)Secret of ManaForza MotorsportArctic ThunderThe Legend of Zelda: Twilight PrincessType to LearnReader RabbitLeapFrog gamesMario Kart (Gamecube)Uncharted series (specifically Uncharted 2, but also 1, 3, and 4)TransistorPokémon Gen 4 (specifically Pearl, Diamond, Platinum, and the Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky series)Outer WildsLife is StrangeLego Star Wars: The Complete SagaAce Attorney: Dual DestiniesWhat Remains of Edith FinchThe Last of Us (and the Left Behind DLC)The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (with shoutouts to The Witcher 1, 2, Skyrim, and Cyberpunk 2077)Detroit: Become Human (Olivia's best pick, which brings up mentions of Heavy Rain and The Wolf Among Us)The Beginner's GuideRatchet & Clank: A Crack in TimeI Spy Treasure Hunt (along with Spooky Mansion, Fantasy, and Mystery 2)To the Moon (and the sequel Finding Paradise)Portal and Portal 2Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasJackbox Party Games (specifically Quiplash)Professor Layton and the Unwound FutureGod of War (2018)Sonic '06 and Sonic Unleashed (with passing mentions to Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Forces)No Man's SkyWatch DogsAssassin's Creed UnityHarvest Moon (contrasted with the much better Stardew Valley)Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to InfinityDetroit: Become Human (Corey completely disagrees with Olivia and places it on his worst list)Dear Esther (with a passing mention of Death Stranding)Minecraft (and Minecraft Dungeons)Animal CrossingXerxes (An upcoming indie game on PlayStation Dreams co-written by Corey)Fortnite (Jokingly brought up in the bloopers as the worst game)Hand Simulator (Bloopers)If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a rating to be notified of future episodes. You can subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow the show on Instagram @letstalkmediavaRemastered: June 27, 2026Song Credit: HolFix - Wasted Panther (Chiptune)Song Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/@holfix