Now this edition of Blackie's on a Rampage seems to be an issue near and dear to me, as it seems that not only am I not the only one that shares the same sentiment regarding the state of the Podtoid. Since this is obviously something that I fear the current staffers of Podtoid might hold against me, I'm just going to be completely and totally blunt about it; Podtoid is starting to suck. Don't get me wrong- there's that whole Ep 18. to episode 27 string of episodes in which the Podtoid just fucking shined, and made me laugh to the point where I was certifiably insane, and it even got better since it launched in September last year. Up until now, an entire year later, the Podtoid has been just fine, but for some reason, I feel like somewhere in the general vicinity of Podtoid 28, it all started going downhill. Now you have to understand, that ever since, probably Podtoid 15 or so, I've been a loyal fan of Podtoid. The witty, but obscure references by Nex, the retro outlook on gaming by Colette, the occasional outburst of anger by Linde (He was that one guy that went to the bathroom during Podtoid 26), and even the black words of wisdom by Ron - all great aspects of a great podcast, and possibly the only one that has held my attention for as long as it did. But thats the problem. It held my attention because there was always a large cast that always had something to discuss without having to draw out small topics or trying to be too serious with what they did. Soon after I started listening to the Podtoid, the episodes started slowing down, of course, the best example being the large gap between 18 and 20 (there was no 19, remember?) which was due to the whole spiel of racism spurned by that kimberly025 cunt who was unable to tell the difference between a country and a race. But after that, Podtoid picked up again, and to my recollection, became more powerful than ever before. It had much more community involvement, people enjoyed listening to it, and there was even a guy who sacrificed (unwillingly) flaps of skin on his arm just for the sake of Andy Griffiths' shit stained visage in his head. To put it simply, it was the high point of Podtoid, and it all went downhill from there. The main problem? The entire show started to get smaller and seemingly less important. The cast fell exponentially smaller, until it became just two people, in the most recent Podtoid, Episode 31. This wasn't as much a Podtoid as it was a discussion, and thats all it seemed like. There was little of the witty humor and banter that Destructoid is famous for, there's the shortest cast Podtoid's ever had, and overall, it wasn't a very good episode of Podtoid. I invoke you to go back and listen to the middle episodes of Podtoid, from about 14, and then come back and try to convince me that I'm wrong. It seems like even the editing has gotten worse, with I can't exactly complain about, seeing as how I don't have the workforce that Dtoid does, but it seems as if they're just adding music to the beginning and end of the podcast, while Nex and Co. talk in the middle. That was just Podtoid 31 though. My real problem started with Podtoid 29, when Leigh joined the cast. Let me correct myself here, as my problem with the podcast was definately not with Leigh, as it was for others, who will remain unknown (of course), but it was more of what happened when Leigh went on the podcast. Before I say this, I want both Nex and Leigh to understand that I have nothing against either of you, and I don't mean to offend even in the slightest when I say this, but it seemed like Podtoid 29 should've just been renamed to Nex & Leigh Flirting While Linde Interjects. Thats all it was practically, which while not exactly totally unacceptable, just isn't what Podtoid was all about. As I'm listening to it now, I realize that not only was it riddled with random non-sequiturs, but it focused less on actual gaming news, and more on Nex, Linde, and Leigh. However, the good thing I loved about this episode, was that per usual, you managed to actually take the negative news, such as the GayGamer DDoS attack, and add a humorous perspective onto the news, which practically sums up Dtoid in whole. Of course, the biggest part I have to comment on is Nex's big news on Podtoid 31. As if it wasn't sad enough that the Podtoid has been truncated to 2 people, and possibly 3 with the exception of outstanding sicknesses, learning that Nex was stepping down from his position as the Podtoid host was particularly unsettling. Irregardless of whether or not the outcome of Podtoid is attributed to Nex, its kinda sad to see that Nex is no longer the host of Podtoid. While I enjoy Nex's witty banter, I know I'm not the only one that has noticed how he's run Podtoid lately, which is a different topic for a different rant. This one ends here. Before you pass judgement on this article, editors and community members, keep in mind that I did not want to offend anyone or make them think any less of me because of this article. All in all, as much as I tried to avoid this from becoming a review of Podtoid, I just needed to explain why I believe that Podtoid has started losing quality, instead of keeping the quality that we've all accepted form Destructoid itself. I'm pretty confident in saying that this is the last time I complain about an aspect of Destructoid. Also, cocks. Oh, and to you 216 commenters who found a way to 'bring the man down', I salute you. ... Wankers. Blackie's on a Rampage I Blackie's on a Rampage II Blackie's on a Rampage III