Windbreaker

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about what it takes to keep a franchise feeling fresh in 2026.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Jack Packard joins the regular crew to chat about games as engines for comedy.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty want to expand on the topic of games that have made us cry, which Yahtzee covered in his most recent Semi-Ramblomatic.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty unpack the current state of hand-holding in games.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty dig into trilogies in video games -- which have soared, which have stumbled, why capping off a trio of stories tends to be so difficult for so many franchises, and why we see so few “Part 3s” nowadays.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty dig into the act of coming back to life in video games. Twists on the mechanic that have worked, ones that haven’t, and ideas that we haven’t seen tried out yet.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, JM8 and Marty dig deep into Pokémon Pokopia -- what they liked, what they didn't, and what lessons Game Freak should crib from it.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty dig into fantasy settings in games -- which work, which don't, and how you can make a boring one feel more alive.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty are going full spoilers on their Resident Evil Requiem thoughts. The good, the bad, the lickers, and everything in-between.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty bounce off recent examples like Pokemon Pokopia, Hades 2, Slay the Spire 2, and Mewgenics to chat about the elements that go into a great game to just zone out to.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty watched Return to Silent Hill, the 2026 film based on Silent Hill 2. And oh boy, do they have some thoughts.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty take a look back at the 25 years of Xbox, and how its games, consoles, and legacy will be remembered.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty celebrate Valentine's Day by talking about their favorite couples in gaming, what makes a good video game relationship, and why so many stumble.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about their history of mods in games, from '90s shooters and MMOs, to PC ports of Nintendo classics.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty use the new game Cairn as a jumping off point to chat about the history of climbing in video games.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty are trying something they call the 5-10-20-30 -- they'll each built a video game playlist by picking one game from the years 1996, 2006, 2016, and 2021.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty dig into the current state of VR gaming in 2026.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty dig into why The Alters was Yahtzee's Game of the Year for 2025.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty kick off the new year by looking back at their favorite gaming moments of 2025.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee and Jack are joined by Edmund McMillen (Mewgenics, Super Meat Boy, The Binding of Isaac) to chat about the evolution of indie games throughout the 21st centruy.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee and Marty get hungry as they chat about the history of food and cooking in video games.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee is feeling under the weather, but do not fret! JM8 and Marty are here to discuss their favorite examples of games that feel like they're in a genre of their own (or felt like that at the time of release).Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty take a look at the past, present, and future of episodic gaming, in light of the release of AdHoc's Dispatch.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty take a look at the freshly dropped Game Awards nominations for 2025.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Jesse Galena discuss about “atmosphere” in games. What does the term mean to us, which games do it well, and why do they succeed?Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Jack discuss about the transition of board games to the screen. Did Video (Games) Kill The Table (Top) Star?**Send any complains about that joke to our podcast producer.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, JM8, Marty, and Jesse are together in Milwaukee, and chatting about the joys of gaming with pals in-person, from couch co-op, to TTRPGs, and more.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about the current state of the PS5 -- its library, its future, and whether its lacking an identity that previous PlayStations had.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about the video game stories that have stuck with them, even years/decades after release.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about the current state of horror, and where Japan fits in there.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about their all-time favorite power-ups in video games.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 dig into Silksong's difficulty, and use it as a springboard to chat about the line between the good and bad kinds of hard.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about the hype leading up to a game like Silksong, and whether any piece of art can ever live up to those lofty expectations we create.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about "True" endings that make you go above and beyond to unlock, including which ones we like and which ones we hate.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 attempt to make a D&D-esque alignment chart for video game developers, ranging from Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about all different kinds of ways that games help guide the player towards their destination.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat what the best course of action is for a franchise that has seemingly lost its way.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about the moments in games that grind a replay to a halt.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 chat about the design decisions in games that really irk them.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, JM8 is off on assignment, so Yahtzee, Marty, and Jack are chatting about the current state of Nintendo in the wake of the Switch 2.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, JM8 is on vacation, so Yahtzee, and Nick are chatting about Hideo Kojima, his impressive library of games, and how he stands out amidst other video game developers.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Marty is on vacation, so Yahtzee, JM8 and Nick are discussing open world games and what makes them actually fun to be in.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee is on vacation, so JM8 and Marty are joined by Jack to chat about their own personal gaming backlogs, especially in the face of the current Steam Summer Sale.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about the use of time as a central mechanic in video games.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about the highs, lows, and oddities of video games in 2015.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about the big reveals from Summer Game Fest 2025.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty dig into the biggest sub-genre of the past few years, and try to figure out what separate as a good cozy game from a bland imitator.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty celebrate the start of "E3" season by chatting about the advertising -- trailers, print ads, features, interviews, demos, and more -- that actually worked on them in the past.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about their favorite weapons in games, and what makes them memorable from a mechanical, visual, and audio perspective.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week’s episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about the new GTA 6 trailer, and use that to discuss the broader topic of GTA clones.Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠