Broadcasting from our Milwaukee studio, Birds & Swords is a diverse gaming podcast, celebrating the world of video games both old and new. Co-hosts Micah and Alyssa dig into current gaming news, top favorite lists, chat with guests, interviews, and celebrate in the overall diversity of gaming culture.
And birds. BEEP!
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E9 “Avalanche Studios Technical Sound Designer: Corey Bertelsen”
We sit down with Technical Sound Designer Corey Bertelsen of Avalanche Studios in Sweden to chat about sound design, music, and the journey that took him abroad to work at one of the world’s most premier video game studios.
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E8 “Marriage & Oblivion”
Alyssa and Zack tie the knot, and to celebrate, we dive into the fiery pits of Oblivion.
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E7 “The Last of Us: Season 2”
Zack joins us to talk about what we loved, hated, and meh’ed about from the second season of The Last of Us.
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E7: “Convergence”
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E6 “Kingdom Hearts IV & Clair Obscur: Expedition 33”
We break down the new Kingdom Hearts IV screencaps released by Square Enix and dive into the phenomenon that has become Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E6: “The Price”
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E5: “Feel Her Love”
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E4: “Day One”
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E3: “The Path”
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E5 “Gaming in April”
We sit down to discuss our spring gaming rejuvenation through indie games like The Plucky Squire, Killer Frequency, and Anno: Mutationem, while also tackling triple-A titles Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Spider-Man 2. It’s gonna be a beep.
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E2: “Through the Valley”
B&S Rapid Review: The Last of Us S2 E1: “Future Days”
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E4 “Nintendo Direct- Switch 2 Breakdown “
Join us as we break down yesterday’s big Nintendo Direct on the Nintendo Switch 2 by diving into the hardware, the games, the release date and the price.
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E3 “Apex Legends Associate UI Artist, Mikaela Jade”
We chat with Activision and Raven Software UI artist Mikaela Jade about her work on Apex Legends, office life, and creative freedom within the brand identity on one of the world’s most popular online video games.
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E2 “Outage”
In our new episode “Outage”, we dish about yet another PlayStation Network outage, but end up supporting PlayStation anyway due to their absolutely incredible lineup of games currently on their affordable PlayStation Plus Extra catalog. Alyssa gets raptor training.
Birds & Swords: A Recap of Wednesday’s Sony State of Play
Fresh off of Sony’s recent PlayStation network outage, the worst since the whole-month outage debacle back in 2011, Sony held their late-winter State of Play on Wednesday afternoon. With recent announcements of their big first-party exclusive games dripping in triple-a flair, fans were excited to see more of what Sony does best on PlayStation in this modern era of showcasing. Would Sony deliver on the excitement?
Birds & Swords – LVL4: E1 “Hen House”
We kick off LVL 4 by celebrating kick-ass female protagonist in our brand new episode: “Hen House” Amidst the internet backlash against all of the new games announced with female leads, we dive into the crux of the divide and draw a path to the present by embracing the hens that make gaming in 2025 one for the heroines.
Birds & Swords: Nintendo Switch 2 React
We react to the short Nintendo Switch 2 hardware teaser trailer, with more hidden details in it than it may seem.
Birds & Swords: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes: 8-minute photo finish
Stray Review from Birds & Swords Micah Poggemoeller on V13
When Blue Twelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive revealed Stray at PlayStation’s Future of Gaming event in 2020, cat fans and adventure gamers drew an eager eye to the dark alley dystopian romp. Two years and plenty of gameplay teases later; Stray is out and ready for players to discover what it’s like to become a feline hero in a world where cat is king.
Birds & Swords – LVL3: E10 “Years in Gaming: 2001”
We begin our Years in Gaming series with a cornerstone of the modern era: 2001
The Barn 