Windbreaker (Second Wind)

On this week's episode of Windbreaker, Marty, Frost, and JM8 discuss the relationship between developers and players. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the past, present, and future of the metroidvania genre. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the merits of remaking fan-favorite video games from the past, the remakes that have hit and missed over the years, as well as titles that are primed for the remake treatment.  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

Yahtzee Croshaw, Marty Sliva, and Sebastian Ruiz are back with a brand-new podcast on Second Wind! For this inaugural episode, the crew is joined by special guest Stephanie Sterling to discuss this year's Game Awards nominations.  From the team behind The Escapist, we're excited to introduce you to our new employee-owned and fully independent outlet, Second Wind.  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, Frost, and Jack chat with Ross Scott about games preservation and his Stop Killing Games  campaign. For more info on how to get involved check out the website at https://www.stopkillinggames.com/ 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, Frost, and JM8 discuss the unforgivable sins of 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, Marty, Frost, and Nick discuss the sunk-cost fallacy of finishing games... even if you're not enjoying 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, Yahtzee, Marty, and JM8 take a look at some of the movies throughout history that've had the biggest influence on 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, Frost, and Marty chat that old chestnut of difficulty in games, springboarding off the release of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. 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 KC share their thoughts on last weeks Game Awards winners, losers, and reveals.

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 characters who deserve the spotlight of their own 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 chat why the original Silent Hill 2 remains such a classic, and some early thoughts on the new Remake. 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 some of their favorite horror games from throughout the years that are bit off the beaten path. 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, Frost, and JM8 chat about the game developers that they would most like to meet. 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 joins Yahtzee and Frost to discuss the wildly popular games and genres that they just can't wrap their heads around. From idle farming sims to cookie clicker, exactly what is it about these things that keeps players hooked? 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, Frost, and Marty discuss the state of modern games coverage, including the recent drama surrounding the blurry lines between professional critics, YouTubers, and influencers. From the team behind The Escapist, we're excited to introduce you to our new employee-owned and fully independent outlet, Second Wind. 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 use the release of Astro Bot on PS5 as a jumping off point to discuss the current state of 3D platformers across AAA and indies. 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, Frost, and Marty celebrate the first day of April by having the tough conversations. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the history of save systems, the games that did it differently, and the ones that dropped the ball. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about their favorite individual game mechanics of 2023, including Ultrahand in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the Lovecraftian inventory management of Dredge, and the orb-hopping puzzles of Cocoon.   From the team behind The Escapist, we're excited to introduce you to our new employee-owned and fully independent outlet, Second Wind. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the various ways that games can actually make us laugh. 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 importance of "good graphics" in 2025, and whether they're enough to carry an entire game.

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 use UFO 50 as a bouncing off point to chat about the joy of simple 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 chat about our favorite emergent and self-imposed challenges in gaming history. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the growing popularity of lore-based media, and the increasing barrier to entry a lot of stories have. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about AAA franchises, and whether or not their evolution lends to an inherent identity problem. 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, Frost, and Marty discuss what goes into a good video game villain, and where some games 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 the best, worst, and weirdest leaders 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, Frost and Marty catch Yahtzee up on all the big announcements from this weekend's Summer Game Fest showcases. 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 discuss how all great artists steal, but at what point does that become a genuine problem?

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 chat about the various ways that gaming is the most complicated hobby they have.

Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup

On this week's episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about the games of 2014, and how the modern landscape compares to a decade ago. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about grinding in games, and what separates the good kind that keeps us coming back for more, versus the bad kind that makes us want to walk away. 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, Frost, and Marty discuss the past, present, and future of secrets 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, Frost, and Marty chat about what makes a good leveling system 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, Marty, and JM8 go look back at some of the biggest "what ifs?" in video game history, including Silent Hills, Starcraft: Ghost, and the Nintendo PlayStation. 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 the moments that our favorite franchises took a wrong turn. 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, Jack, and JM8 go nostalgic on the gaming magazines, media, and spaces that defined us growing up. 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 importance of "good graphics" in 2025, and whether they're enough to carry an entire game.

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, Frost, and Marty discuss what delineates a game from an experience. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the slightly-obscure games and moments that they keep thinking about years later. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the role of microtransactions, and whether they can ruin an otherwise good game. 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, Frost and Marty dissect this year's 'The Game Awards' winners, announcements, random Hollywood celebrity appearances and the increasing commercialization of gaming's--  oh sorry, we're being told to wrap it up.    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 which games they personally think represent the "peak" of each of the major genres.

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 with some gaming resolutions and predictions. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about what goes into a satisfying video game ending, and what causes some finales to 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 the good kind of jank, the bad kind of jank, and every kind of jank 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 chat about their least-favorite kinds of levels in games, from forced stealth sections to FromSoft's beloved poison swamps.

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, Frost, and Marty discuss the 15th anniversary of Sucker Punch's Infamous, and chat about games/franchises they'd like to see make a comeback. 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, Frost and Marty pull out their crystal balls and try to predict the future of gaming. 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 March 10th, aka Mario Day, by choosing which four games featuring the iconic mascot that they’d choose over all others.

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

This week's episode of Windbreaker is all about video game cities - from the most atmospheric, to the completely forgettable. 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 are joined by Miracle of Sound (Gavin Dunne) to chat about the past, present, and future of video game music. 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, Frost, and Marty reflect on what they want to see from gaming in 2024, from trends that need to die out, franchises that should return, and more power being given to the actual creatives. 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 five games that each of them would pick to help represent the medium to someone who'd never even heard of video games before. 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, Frost, and Marty chat about the worst things in their favorite games -- from Super Metroid's wall-jumping, to the Okumura boss in Persona 5, to the final quarter of most From Soft 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 nominees for 2024's Game Awards. 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, so Nick steps in to chat about roguelikes and roguelites with, JM8 and Marty.

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 how failure is used successfully (and unsuccessfully) in games, both narratively and mechanically. 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 with cheat codes, unlockable cheats, exploits, modern QoL features, and all that jazz 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 realism in games, and whether or not that goal is overrated. 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 are joined by Jack to chat about the concept of "one-hit wonders" in music and movies, and whether that exists in games as well.

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 what separates a memorable video game merchant from a forgettable one.

Second Wind is fully independent, employee-owned and fan-funded. Consider supporting us on Patreon for as little as $1/month at⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/SecondWindGroup⁠

On this week's episode of Windbreaker, Yahtzee, Frost, and Marty discuss the history of weird 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 use Blue Prince as a jumping off point to discuss what makes a good video game mystery.

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 discuss which five games they'd pick as their personal desert island discs. Think of it as a kind of companion to last week's episode on the video game syllabus. 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 own personal histories with handheld gaming, from the Game Boy to the Steam Deck. 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 Frost discuss video game side quests, and how they personally engage with 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, Yahtzee, JM8, and Marty chat about notable video game openings, and what separates the good from the bad.

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 why pirate-themed games, no matter the genre, seem to resonate so strongly with 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, Yahtzee, Marty and Frost discuss video games and their use of superheroes. 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