Best Big Red Barrel Podcasts (2025)

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#442 - Tara Me Sue, More Pear Puddings and Dark Days in Denbigh 50:27

Play Pause

2h ago50:27

50:27

Wagon wheels, mushy pea hummus and baked bean daal. Move over Rick Stein, there’s new gastronomic broadcasters in town. Yes, food is the order of the day as the delectable George Egg rides into the studio to serve up a delicious Made Up Game for Elis and John. And the theme doesn’t stop there, for before you can say ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ there's a …

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#441 - Full Fibre Content, Ladies Lashathon and Taking a Mini Retirement 44:43

4d ago44:43

44:43

It’s the TFI Late Review on the show as a night-time recording has Elis at his energetic peak. He's ready to throw a chair at a wall and also discuss the latest avant-garde Spanish melodrama. It’s a different vibe altogether, the boys don’t even know what day it is. But in such a circular audio environment, what even are days? We speak to the chatt…

1
BRB UK 638: Sneaky Trains and Sabotage Claims

6d ago

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The Siege and the Sandfox, Monster Train 2, EA cancels another big title, and Build a Rocket Boy calls shenanigans over MindsEye coverage The post BRB UK 638: Sneaky Trains and Sabotage Claims appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#440 - Beefcake Alert, The Lust King and Producer Dave’s Handsome Surprise 1:03:09

7d ago1:03:09

1:03:09

Every week on this show you think that the last vestige of John’s weird past is revealed. You think there cannot be any more layers peeled back. And then bam(!), another one, as yet another aspect of intense Robins c.1994-2004 hits you smack in the face. This is one such episode. But don’t worry it’s not all too harrowing, for there’s a huge and ex…

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#439 - Inverting The Pilaumid, Winning 18 Apples and The Mayor of Thornbury 54:56

11d ago54:56

54:56

There’ve been contrasting weeks for our two heroes. It’s a non-stop all anecdote premiere for Elis. For he has as follows… met Hugh Grant, attended Ken Clarke’s curry house, been to film screenings and had his greatest ever stag - apart from the one organised by John he stresses. *And* Mo Salah thinks he matters. John meanwhile has been asleep for …

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BRB UK 637: The Dumb Ages?

12d ago

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Doom: The Dark Ages, Bungie plagiarism claims, Darth Vader joins the AI Dark Side, and Stellar Blade faces the Ban Hammer The post BRB UK 637: The Dumb Ages? appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#438 - The Human Clock, Threads Be Cloves and Thanks For Jumping on That Call 1:10:46

14d ago1:10:46

1:10:46

It’s official. Elis and John are the most listened to on demand radio programme amongst the Under 35s on BBC Sounds. This is huge. Finally the boys are appealing to a demographic that extends upwards to those could well be married with two children. Bringing 5 Live’s average age down from 57 to 55 was the aim. But they’ve overshot so far that it’s …

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#437 - The Great Geordification, Cloud Storage Afterlife and Narrative! Narrative! Narrative! 53:40

18d ago53:40

53:40

He’s only gone and done it again. The serial winner himself, John Robins, the narrative bender, has won yet again. Despite not even really liking football, John just can’t help being John, and he's done something on the football pitch worthy of an end-of-tournament emotional BBC sports montage that makes Elis cry. If anything feels significant, thi…

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BRB UK 636: Potboy!

19d ago

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The Midnight Walk, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra delayed, Oblivion Remastered issues and the FTC loses to Microsoft The post BRB UK 636: Potboy! appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#436 - I Attract The Mums, 200,000 Items and John Robins Ltd. 1:11:14

21d ago1:11:14

1:11:14

This show isn’t often one for big announcements. But today we park the trivialities. There’s not a mention of word games or credit scores in sight. For another obsession is about to take over the life of Johnny JR. It’s big. And it could complete his transformation from movement cynic to the Haile Gebrselassie of rural Bucks*. And Producer Dave is …

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#435 - Orcs & All, Cannellini Alley and ‘Wisdom, Bit of Sadness, Go Home’ 1:10:36

25d ago1:10:36

1:10:36

Young John Robins goes under the microscope as we learn some revealing things about his burgeoning adulthood; whilst other holidaymakers were making art around turtles and sunsets, what was a youthful Johnny JR focusing his attention on? When students were showing off their favourite books in their dorm rooms, what tomes was Robins proudly showcasi…

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#434 - TwistMcGist, Spikey Mike and Oh You’re A Catholic 1:09:31

28d ago1:09:31

1:09:31

It’s been a fallow period for Mr Elis James. The one time leading light of Cymru Connecting has faltered. Boy wonder no more. With 5 failures in his past 6 outings, everyone is asking "has his star fallen?" Will he become like Adel Taraabt, a mere “the streets won’t forget” connector of unfulfilled promise? Today he tries to arrest the descent and …

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#433 - Pasta Disaster, Child Of The FTSE and The BACS Is Safe 1:07:39

1M ago1:07:39

1:07:39

Who built John? We find out that it takes more than just a village/borough/nation to raise such a superhunk. He has an entire team behind him, like all of the top athletes of his generation. And not just any top athlete superhunk, but one on the verge of yet another birthday. With this year's birthday, Elis has pushed the present boat out even furt…

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BRB UK 635: Expédition Trente-Trois

1M ago

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Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Borderlands 4 State of Play, Lost Soul Aside gets delayed and EA cuts 300 Jobs The post BRB UK 635: Expédition Trente-Trois appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#432 - Roast Goose, Intro Sequels and The Volkswagen Barrel of Paint 1:07:02

1M ago1:07:02

1:07:02

“This question will have enormous ramifications for my mental health for the rest of my life.” It’s that sort of episode. Today is MASSIVE for Robins, as Producer Dave surprises him with a humdinger of a special guest. It's John's time to enjoy the fruits of 14 months worth of Made Up Games labour. But it’s not all about fruit - which, yes, could b…

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#431 - Corner Energy, Non-Playable John and Tubing The Room 1:00:59

1M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

John and Producer Dave are back from a high after John turned 2,000 revellers up to eleven with his problematic walk in music. Elis has questions but Robins simply adds so much value to live events. And he’s been adding his own energy to another live event - that of the singles night variety. And he sure did set the vibe by diving straight in with …

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BRB UK 634: Ooh… Shiny Jank!

1M ago

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The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, The Blue Prince, Marathon and Ghost of Yōtei gets a release date The post BRB UK 634: Ooh… Shiny Jank! appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#430 - Grief Granola, Psephologist Wildfowl and How is Scratching Free? 1:22:10

1M ago1:22:10

1:22:10

You’ve probably heard it whispered on the train on your way into work. You’ve likely heard mutterings about it on the concourse at the football. And you’ve almost certainly heard your grandma claim it at Sunday dinner. Well, this episode confirms the rumours; no one else is doing this. Especially if by ‘this’ you mean an extensive chat about spare …

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#429 - Czecholate, 11 Years of Silence, and No One Else is Doing This 58:22

2M ago58:22

58:22

We join our heroes during a telling off session, because someone is being a naughty boy. Has John eaten too much chocolate on the way in and he’s about to experience the mother of all choco crashes? Has Elis insisted that we scrap the proposed running order to talk instead about every conceivable permutation of the Nations League? Or could Producer…

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BRB UK 633: 5318008

2M ago

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The Blue Prince, Skull and Bones' Season Two, Star Wars: Zero Company and more The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered leaks The post BRB UK 633: 5318008 appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#428 - Hunting Aled, Gen Sea and Harriet Kemsley 1:13:22

2M ago1:13:22

1:13:22

Acceptance is the word on everybody’s lips today, but it has different meanings for Elis and John. For John it’s a meaningful form of accepting things as they are in life. For Elis it’s about accepting that his wife Isy will never be interested in the Nations League. Both are valid, I'm sure you'll agree. Also getting in on the acceptance game is t…

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#427 - OALPs, Scared To Stand and Career Progression In Feudal Britain 49:20

2M ago49:20

49:20

Elis and Producer Dave are fresh from taking breaths of the night DJ’ing. The only two people on planet Earth to become hipper as they age. But Mixmag has it that Elis spent most of it seated. Because that’s what the top DJs do. Harris, Tong, Guetta, all from a seated position whilst sucking on Werther’s Originals. Yes Elis got a little bit tired b…

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BRB UK 632: The Tale of Two-Toed Tim

2M ago

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Oh, baby, we gettin' down in the nitty gritty of that big ol' Bayou with Coleman and Tim for some of that South of Midnight. Yes, indeedy, ya'll better believe it! It's been a quiet week while all focus is drawn to the Nintendo Switch 2 in all its glory and controversies this week, but we've still managed to muster up some points of interest to kee…

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#426 - Writing Sid, UNESCO Accents and Condemned to a Life of Seeing Clearly 1:00:29

2M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

John’s managed to pick himself up after last Friday’s show. Well to a certain degree at least - thank the lord. But the collective vibe scale is nudged handsomely towards ‘winning’ as Elis has had one of his all time great days. Cycling? Check. Wales? Check. All time hero who laughs at every single one of his jokes? Check. So it’s all the fun of th…

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#425 - The Credit Score Special 59:57

2M ago59:57

59:57

We’ve hit a low ebb. The show which won Best Entertainment Podcast at the British Podcast Awards just a few years ago is dredging the bottom of the barrel. That new low being production staff researching their credit scores ‘live’ on the show. Throw in a chat with an expert on credit ratings and it’s a wall to wall credit ball. And at such an ebb o…

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BRB UK 631: Mice Controls

2M ago

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Atomfall and absolutely everything we now know about the Nintendo Switch 2 The post BRB UK 631: Mice Controls appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#424 - Zanecdotes, Fab Pensions and Mallett’s Depths 1:02:33

2M ago1:02:33

1:02:33

Huge news in Elis and John towers today, for Producer Dave bumped into the man, the myth, the Solero supper himself, Mr Tim Davie. Could he use this opportunity to pitch a brand new true crime podcast about dupes from Stockport who get sold fake shoes? Well that commission’s ripe for the taking if there’s a Magnum that goes the other way. Alongside…

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#423 - Gareth Guffer, Dune July and Planet Credit Score 47:09

2M ago47:09

47:09

The sun is shining, blossom is blooming and death and divorce are on the lips. Oh the joys of spring. For how is John going to bid farewell when he and his wheels go off to the great scrapheap in the sky? And how does the statistical likelihood of marriage breakup impact the need to draw cold hard financial lines in the sand? It’s all cheery stuff …

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BRB UK 630: Shinobis, Samurais and… Mullets?

2M ago

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Assassin's Creed Shadows, Mullet Madjack, Nintendo Direct and the resurrection of Game Informer The post BRB UK 630: Shinobis, Samurais and… Mullets? appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#422 - Jimmy Bond, £35.17 and Tudur Owen’s Dad’s Monkey 1:05:04

2M ago1:05:04

1:05:04

Palin, Chalmers, Livingstone… Robins(?!). Yes, gliding into the show today is one of Britain’s greatest travellers. An adventurer unequalled in the 21st century. Because John has been on his once per 9 months short haul trip. Naples has experienced Robins, and he it. With such pizza consumption and the undoubted oscillation between ‘hungry’ and ‘fu…

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#421 - Yakat, Clentin Coins and Is It A Long Forest?! 51:08

2M ago51:08

51:08

Tech problems aplenty behind the scenes, but none of you will notice until the boys bring immediate attention to it. No matter though because the mood is high, for John has not yet had his two squares of chocolate. And there’s a lot flying about today. Adrian gets intense about the length of forests and some of the finest fancy dress in the region …

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BRB UK 629: Time to Play the Game?

3M ago

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WWE 2K25, Hollow Knight: Silksong rumors, Star Wars game news and are we getting an Oblivion Remake? The post BRB UK 629: Time to Play the Game? appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#420 - Cheek Not Filth, World Beaker People Day and Apple Crumble Designed For Three 1:07:05

3M ago1:07:05

1:07:05

You join today’s show mid-crash. Mid-comedown. John Robins is 30 minutes post-butterscotch. How is he meant to broadcast at the top of his game on such a slippery downhill blood sugar slide? Do Elis and Dave need to have an intervention to get him back on the straight and narrow? Amidst such a rut however there’s time to dig into offering business …

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#419 - BQWND, The Bailiff of Content and Watching Mince Defrost in Real Time 1:09:18

3M ago1:09:18

1:09:18

If content were a wrist, chat were the blood flowing through the veins of that wrist, and today’s episode of Elis and John were the finger, then all 3 would be in perfect harmony. For this is an episode with its finger firmly on the nation’s pulse. What else is the nation talking about than mullets, Van Morrison, dressing up your kids, and a pile o…

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BRB UK 628: Rise of AI-Loy

3M ago

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Split Fiction, New Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Trailer, Niantic Sells up and Sony's AI Aloy The post BRB UK 628: Rise of AI-Loy appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#418 - Pasta Joke, Quarry Stuff and Black as Sackcloth 1:07:22

3M ago1:07:22

1:07:22

The Cymru Connection is officially newsworthy: we said it could be significant, and boy was it. Sadly we didn’t get a 2000 word thinkpiece on whether opening with the question ‘where did you go to school?’ is actually harmful for Elis’s xC (expected connections), but we did get a 3 minute package on the nation’s favourite feature that will no doubt…

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#417 - Sun on the Cheeks, The Nadir of the Mullet and Squatting in a Poltergeist’s World 1:00:03

3M ago1:00:03

1:00:03

Is John having a Pep Guardiola moment? For a man who wins a lot, he’s chalked up a lot of losses this week. Firstly there’s an unprecedented Wordle catastrophe that only the language of the great Bard can summarise. And secondly, there’s a barren month on the old PB’s (premium bonds). But worry not, for John has “lit a fire in today”. What kind of …

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BRB UK 627: A Bit Twee

3M ago

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A Game About Digging A Hole, Monster Hunter Wilds, PlayStation lay-offs and the return of Acclaim The post BRB UK 627: A Bit Twee appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#416 - That’s Massive For Me, The English Enigma and Wales Today 1:09:50

3M ago1:09:50

1:09:50

“Wales might be a country of 3.1 million people, but it seems like we all know each other. Well one broadcaster on BBC Radio 5 Live is putting that to the test.” [Roll VT] It’s a big day for Elis. This could be significant. BBC Wales are in the house to cover the local / national news stories on everyone’s lips: The Cymru Connection. The eyes of a …

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#415 - This Is Your Stand Up Life: John Robins 1:00:04

3M ago1:00:04

1:00:04

“I just feel ashamed and sad now.” John’s in a bad mood. He has made this patently clear he wants nothing to catch him off guard. That’s great news for Elis when he’s got a big fun surprise for John that he’s put a load of work into. Wish him luck. Because it’s a huge milestone week for Mr Johnny JR Robins. Two decades on the circuit. And in that t…

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BRB UK 626: YAARkuza!

3M ago

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Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Avowed, Pokemon Presents and the ID@Xbox Showcase The post BRB UK 626: YAARkuza! appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#414 - Yesterday’s Bone, Book Humour and The Coalface We Call Prose 1:06:40

3M ago1:06:40

1:06:40

John’s currently penning something which will change global culture. But what if we lift the bonnet of his genius? That is what we find out on today’s show. For in that bonce is a V8 plucking words from the ether with such vim and vigour, and combining those words to make phrases, clauses and sentences. Word constructs which then combine to make re…

1
#413 - Generation Graze, A Chunk Funk and Rustle Click Munch Ting Ting 54:45

3M ago54:45

54:45

John has eaten some chocolate just before recording and now he’s all glum. So it’s up to Elis and Dave to get him out of his funk. Their options: 1. Take his trousers off. 2. Give him a wedgie. 3. Let him tell his anecdote about going to a folk gig and sitting in front of an annoying couple. One wonders which they’ll pick? After the chunk funk (cho…

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BRB UK 625: Mushroomhead

3M ago

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Avowed, revisiting Onimusha: Warlords, the Seige X tease and Niantic possibly selling their games division The post BRB UK 625: Mushroomhead appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#412 - John’s Pensionversary, Riffing on Togetherness and There Will Always Be More Steves 1:05:35

4M ago1:05:35

1:05:35

Brace yourselves, because John is about to discover something massive LIVE on the podcast. This could be significant. This could change the game. This could mean that Project 2032(TM) has come early. It’s a potentially life-changing day for Robins, and somewhat like an episode of 24, it all plays out in real time. Strap yourselves in, folks. And wi…

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#411 - Hayley They’ve Dropped!!, #PoorBloke and A Civil Servant For Love 1:09:58

4M ago1:09:58

1:09:58

Love is in the air and it’s really setting Producer Dave’s pulse racing. And not just because he’s madly in love himself. Rather it’s because Elis and John are leaning into topical content in a natural fashion without prompting. Something to get any commercial radio producer excitable. For yes, it’s Valentine’s Day. Romance is making the studio a t…

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BRB UK 624: Baby’s First RPG

4M ago

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Eternal Strands, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, No Man’s Sky and PlayStation's State of Play The post BRB UK 624: Baby’s First RPG appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com

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#410 - Nepo Connectors, Keir Today John Tomorrow and Richard Herring 1:16:11

4M ago1:16:11

1:16:11

What do the people want? Wordle Live. What do they not want? The Cymru Connection. That’s the opinion of John Robins. Just John Robins. You thought that we were out of the Wordly woods. But no, the more concern you have for the woods the more trees John will plant. PLANT being a good starter. John wants a feature substitution and he'll wage this wa…

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#409 - The Double Ian, Everyone’s Sacked and John Goes In On Shoes 53:49

4M ago53:49

53:49

You would think Elis and Producer Dave would be offering praise to the mood gods, for Johnny JR is in a good one, having interviewed his favourite musician of all time for a project he cannot comment on. May - check. Oldham - check. McCombes - check (but didn’t engage). Yet the fly in the ointment: with such big energy, John’s sackings flow forth l…

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BRB UK 623: Survivor Like

4M ago

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Death Howel, Death Howl, Achilles Survivor, a new Battlefield game and another attempt at the Sleeping Dogs movie The post BRB UK 623: Survivor Like appeared first on Big Red Barrel.By BigRedBarrel.com