In the spirit of game of the year awards, we have taken the opportunity to make some of our own type of picks– and of course ours are centered around podcasts. Although we cover game, tech and movie podcasts, the fact that all of the winners were gaming podcasts is purely coincidence.
Since this is the first year that we have done these awards, we started with a modest 5 categories. We spent a significant amount of time as a team discussing these picks, and you can get a feel for some of that discussion below.
Also, you can vote for your favorite podcast of the year in our reader poll. But before you do, check out the definitive CastMedium picks!
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Best Format:
Format is one of the biggest hurdles that any successful podcast has to clear. With so many podcasts out there it can be hard to bring something truly fresh to the table, but that just what these podcasts have done.
Winner – Mobcast
Runner-up – Drunken Gamers Radio
The Mobcast swept this one in our discussion. Everyone agreed that the Mobcast found an interesting approach in talking about games in a time when almost every other podcast was caught up in just talking about what they had been playing. They even managed to work their community in regularly in a unique way. Drunken Gamer Radio is also still able to makes things feel fresh after 4+ years.
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Best Production:
There are over 100,000 podcasts available in the iTunes store alone, and we would venture to guess that almost 90% of them have relatively poor production values. It’s not uncommon to find that even podcasts from big outlets sound bad, but the podcasts below will make you appreciate how good podcasts can sound and look.
Winner – A Life Well Wasted
Runner-up – CO-OP
This was another easy one. Robert Ashley’s A Life Well Wasted represents the pinnacle of masterful production. It would be impossible to comprehend how 1 man can produce such quality if it weren’t for the long intervals between episodes. And CO-OP looks great on a weekly basis.
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Best Opening Theme:
Finding an opening theme to your podcast can be a daunting task. All too often, podcasters resort to generic techno or pre-packaged GarageBand tracks. These are the podcasts that have gone the extra mile.
Winner – Rebel FM
Runner-up – Retronauts
This category proved itself to be the trickiest to decide, but once we set a few guidelines, the choices quickly narrowed down. The Rebel FM theme is unique in that not only does the tone fit the attitude of the podcast, but it is also very specific and incorporates the podcast name successfully. Similarly, the Retronauts theme sends you right back to the 8-bit days.
Note: Chris Wilson, composer of the Rebel FM theme, and his work can be found on MySpace, iTunes and CD Baby.
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Best New Podcast 2009:
As the medium continues to grow, there are new podcasts every year. Some are reinventions of old show, and some are completely new. These are the best new additions to the podcasting landscape over the past year.
Winner – Rebel FM
Runner-up – 4 Guys 1UP
Rebel FM was a fairly easy pick for top spot here. While it can be a rather divisive podcast, and it certainly is not all of our favorite, no one can deny the impact that it has had on the games podcast landscape. You would never know that this started as the spiritual successor to 1UP FM after the 1UPacolypse. Arthur, Anthony and Tyler have made it their own and cultivated a huge community.
4 Guys 1UP came from an unenviable position. After Garnett Lee’s departure for Gamefly Media, David Ellis was put in charge of creating a successor to the popular Listen/1UP Yours. He brought something fresh to the table with 4 Guys 1UP and is proving that he is up to the task.
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Best Podcast 2009:
This is the best of the best. The podcast that makes us refresh our browsers and iTunes for hours on end, just in case it might have come out early.
Winner – Giant Bombcast
Runner-up -
No runner-up here. This pick was so fervently unanimous that it felt right to have the Bombcast stand alone. The thing that sealed its top spot was that everyone agreed that this really is the only podcast that we will consistently listen to single episodes more than once. Funny, informative, off-topic and just a blast– it’s your weekly Bombcast. Cheers to Ryan, Jeff, Vinny and Brad.
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I just dont understand the love for Giant bombcast. I hear people say its the best all the time but I honestly cant stand their podcast. They go off topic more then almost any other podcast out there and its always about completely uninteresting stuff. If you want to go low brow the Drunken Gamers are a million times better and if you want to go High Brow then Gamerswithjobs beats them black and blue. That video game podcast id say is the best middle of the road and I doubt anyone even listens to it.
Personally I find the random off topic tangents the guys go off on to often be the most entertaining parts of the show. I do enjoy their game discussion but honestly they don't tend to say anything that different from people on other podcasts, for the most part anyway. The way they riff off each other and just make up random skits and such really appeals to me.
I can understand how it wouldn't be for everyone though.
Good awards, I totally agree. A Life Well Wasted is a damn fine podcast and always worth the wait.
Cheers to the GiantBomb crew for an exceptional year of podcasting. Here's to a repeat performance in 2010!
As one of the guys on the staff who fought for Rebel FM on this one, my main argument was that Rebel FM's was more fitting and explanatory than Retronaut's theme. No slight against Jeremy and his crew, but I just think that the ground tread by 8-bit music is well stomped upon, which makes me draw back a little. However, Retronauts theme does stand out from the crowd, but not enough that it instantly popped into my mind when I tried to recall it.
On the other hand, Rebel FM's song stuck in my head for a couple weeks after Anthony, Arthur, and Tyler introduced it. Not only that, but just the beat of the song and the carefree mood of the music reflect the mood of the podcast, which is typically light and entertaining. The lyrics are also well written but don't drag on too long. When it came down to it, I felt that RFM's theme was far more representative of the show than its competitors.
I also pushed for Rebel FM at the top spot, but also did my part to make sure Retronauts wasn't left out of the running. As Jon mentioned, I think the deciding factor was that a few staff members remembered liking the Retronauts theme, but couldn't immediately remember it. Rebel FM has a theme that all of us can immediately think of, hum, or even sing.
Idle Thumbs will get its due praise– stay tuned. I wouldn't let the year close-out without some Idle Thumbs love.
I was pulling for Retronauts myself but the other guys on the staff made a pretty compelling argument for Rebel FM, I had to agree in terms of a theme that really encompasses the feel of the show the RFM theme is pretty unmatched. I'm glad Retronauts got the runner up spot, I think it definintely deserves it if for nothing else than after 2+ years it still remains extremely listenable.
I really like the Bombcast's intermission music. It sounds slightly familiar. Does anyone know where it comes from? Did Jeff make it?
It always reminds me of the "Let's All Go to the Lobby" intermission music from old movie theaters…but I suspect mgscholar's answer is more useful.
Alfred – I'm not sure about Jeff and Ryan on the Mobcast, but there's a video interview with the two of them and the Penny Arcade guys at PAX that is also pretty interesting. It's a little more focused on the behind-the-scenes strategies/ideas for their respective companies, but I thought it was really interesting.
I'm pretty sure he was referring to the one with Brad and Jeff at the Giant Bomb office once people started complaining about the Mobcast audio quality. But I do agree that was a fantastic episode.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment. The song really is a breath of fresh air in the podcasting space. I have added a few links to the post so people can find you more easily. Congratulations again on the win.
That's really awesome, thanks so much.