First off, I enjoy the hosts and their sense of humor. I mean, not only are they gamers, but Ed Healy and Rone Barton are designers and developers, too. I would go into more detail, but when I think about their ages and my age, as well as their level of varied success....well, it is too early in the day for a double of my fine Glenfiddich single malt.
Although, it is quite good scotch.
But, regardless of my neurosis of the moment, the tone, humor, and obvious joy at doing their gig has made the hosts of Atomic Array an excellent draw. It is quite easy, I think, for a podcast with a good idea and steady guests and subjects to lose their audience simply due to a lackluster ensemble of hosts. Mumbling introverts need not apply, folks, but boisterous blathering folk are damn fine additions to a show.
Not only are the hosts solid, but they are obviously gamers, first and foremost, with an enjoyment for the variance in the industry that lends for an in depth discovery of new games from a trusted source. Another reason for the podcast, as I doubt that they would mark out or shill themselves for a mediocre or bad game, Ed and Rone both come across quite ethical, too. Odd and eccentric, but honest.
Next up are the guests, who are fairly consistently fun to listen to, in that you get a solid presentation on their products, while Ed and Rone ask solid questions, interspersed with humor and mini-skits, such as Cthulhu calling in to ask for tech support. It is the interviews, which are the bulk of the shows, that are the best resource since they give an excellent breadth of coverage of the game topics at hand. Between the hosts and the guests, you should have a solid feel of whether you would like to buy the aforementioned game or not.
In addition to the excellent interviews, you have some segments that I will call editorials, but they are more like focused skits, rants, or raves by either Ed or Rone. These little bits are quite good and offer solid breaks from the normal cadence of the interview.
Last, but certainly not least, are the giveaway and contests that Atomic Array have, which you have to listen to the podcasts, in order to know how to participate, and that is all I am going to say about that. They are cool and fun, I think, and make for some interesting listening, too.
When you think about your gamer life, if you see yourself as more of a widely read gamer, who prefers learning about any and all systems, then Atomic Array is for you. But, if you are a gamer who is loyal to one system or another, maybe more, then Atomic Array is still for you, you just have to pick and choose.
My advice; subscribe to Atomic Array with whatever podcast device and system you prefer, as I think you could a lot worse than Ed and Rone.
