High Level Chronicles Podcast

Episode 056: National Video Game Day – Origins, Do-Overs & Evolution

National Video Game Day special! We share our first-hit gaming origin stories (NES, SOCOM, N64), pick the games we’d wipe and replay (The Last of Us, Pokémon Blue, NES TMNT, Divinity/BG3), and put modern gaming on trial—do bigger worlds, cross-play, and Unreal-level graphics beat couch co-op, LAN nights, and simple split-screen fun? Plus a strain review (Bubba Kush x Jelly Donuts), listener shoutouts (Skyrim, Mario Kart 8 Rainbow Road, The Boys), and full giveaway details. Giveaway (Sept): 5 seed packs (winner’s choice, availability applies) + 5 pre-rolls + Grove Bags + guest spot on HLC to pick our topic. How to enter: Subscribe at youtube.com/@HLCpodcast420 and like any video. Winner announced: Oct 4 episode (by YouTube username). Chapters in description. Subscribe + drop your Leveled Up: strain + game/show you’re vibing on. Stay leveled up!

Episode 055: Greatest Video Game Heroes and Villains of All Time | High Level Chronicles

From legendary heroes like Link, Kratos, and Geralt to unforgettable villains like Sephiroth, Wesker, and even that damn Duck Hunt dog, Chris and Paul dive into the characters who shaped gaming history. In this episode of High Level Chronicles, the guys debate what makes a true hero, why some villains are so iconic, and whether every bad guy deserves a redemption arc. Plus: listener “Leveled Up” stories, stoner strains, wild gaming sessions, and a High Court debate you won’t want to miss.   Stay leveled up. We are out.

Episode 054: Patch Notes: Our Personal Updates

In this “emotionally patched” episode, Chris and Paul roll out personal patch notes like it’s a major game update — except instead of fixing FPS drops, they’re fixing life habits.   The Leveled Up segment delivers peak stoner-gamer chaos, from spending hours making naked elf characters to rage quitting Mario Kart over a blue shell from a 6-year-old. Then the guys share their own bug fixes, like Chris changing his Black Myth skill tree to finally wreck a boss in one try, and Paul discovering rowing as his joint-friendly cardio after a nasty knee injury.   New features include journaling to calm insomnia brain loops, more protein in their diets to protect muscle gains, and building a dual-purpose home drum and workout studio. The High Court wraps up debating whether you should be able to publish patch notes on other people — spoiler: it depends if you like drama.

Episode 053: The Side Quest Spiral: Gaming Dopamine Hits & Real-Life Avoidance

Chris and Paul are back after battling tech gremlins and side questing through both their PCs and lives. Chris recounts how his power supply took out his motherboard in a blaze of glory, triggering a full-blown hardware glow-up with a beastly new build. Meanwhile, Paul ditched his sluggish laptop for a real-deal gaming rig and instantly felt the digital upgrade.   From “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” nostalgia to getting wrecked in “Black Myth: Wukong,” the boys spiral into why side quests in games hit way harder than actual real-life responsibilities. Listeners chime in with their own legendary detours — cheese wheel pyramids in Skyrim, mushroom hunts in Zelda, and horse pampering in Red Dead 2.   The crew even dips into shows like Mr. Robot, The Sandman, and that new Superman flick, and Chris shares how he's been converting grow rooms into drum dungeons and backyard hangouts. The High Court segment returns with a banger: Should side quests be optional — or are they the real meat of the game?

Episode 052: CERN, Satellites, and Sativa: Conspiracies That Slap When You’re High

This week on High Level Chronicles, Chris and Paul fire up the lemon cherry gelato and dive beak-first into the world of baked conspiracy theories. Ever wonder why you've never seen a baby pigeon? Or why the flag on the moon looks like it’s caught in a gust of interstellar wind? From AI shirts to Raven Rock, and from Black Myth: Wukong to bandwidth upgrades, it's all on the table today. Get ready for government pigeons, Kubrick’s lighting budget, and more bizarro logic than a Reddit thread at 2AM.