Monthly Archives: January 2026

Home2026January

S6 E209 Source Demoman turned into Ram (Jan 2026)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes January 14, 2026 Leave a reply

This week on And Now for Something Completely Machinima, snacks are flowing, pretzels are implied, and Tracy throws us a curveball of a film pick. 🍪🎬

We dive into “Demoram” by Livviathen, a lightning-fast, 90-second burst of animated chaos made in Team Fortress 2 and Garry’s Mod—and somehow packed with more storytelling, personality, and punch than films ten times its length.

At first glance, it looks like old-school machinima. But look again, and you’ll spot razor-sharp animation choices, perfectly timed sound design, and a wild, Warner Bros.–style cartoon energy that feels both nostalgic and fresh. A furious Scottish cyclops ram, a doomed Scout, explosive slapstick violence, and blink-and-you-miss-it details all collide in a miniature masterpiece.

We talk about:

  • Why less than half the action is actually shown—and why that makes it brilliant

  • How sound design carries the story as much as the visuals

  • The genius of using gaps, cuts, and implication instead of over-animating

  • Why Livviathen’s claim of “not being an animator” absolutely does not convince us

  • And how this short channels Bugs Bunny, Road Runner, and Ren & Stimpy… inside Source Filmmaker

Plus, we explore Livviathen’s behind-the-scenes channel, her creature work (including the unsettlingly awesome Spantis), and why her workflow proves that instinct and timing matter just as much as polish.

Short, silly, ferocious, and shockingly smart—Demoram is proof that machinima can still surprise us.

👉 Watch along, then tell us: what do YOU call someone who animates like this if not an animator?

Audio only version here –



and YouTube version of this episode here –

Here’s the film –

The Demoram by Livviathen, released 20 July 2025

and the making of –

For more about Liv and her creation, Spantis, check this out.

S6 E208 Bad endings = new beginnings? (Jan 2026)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes January 8, 2026 Leave a reply

🎮 What if the “bad ending” of Half-Life… wasn’t the end at all?

In this episode of Completely Machinima, Phil, Tracy, and Damien dive into one of gaming’s most legendary “what ifs.” We explore a fan-made Half-Life mod that does the unthinkable: it turns the game’s infamous impossible ending—the one where you’re meant to die horribly—into a brutal but beatable continuation of the story.

Instead of accepting your fate at the hands of the mysterious G-Man, this mod asks: what if you survived? The result is a fascinating piece of fan fiction-meets-game design, complete with eerie “backrooms” vibes, authentic Half-Life visuals, and a surprising amount of new gameplay—made nearly 20 years after the original game launched.

Along the way, we talk about:

  • Why Half-Life’s world still inspires creators decades later

  • The passion (not profit!) behind modding communities

  • How mods act as hidden résumés for future game developers

  • Steam, new hardware rumors, and the eternal hope for Half-Life 3

  • Plus a bonus machinima pick featuring Ryan Gosling awkwardly—but brilliantly—dropped into Half-Life 2 😄

Whether you’re a hardcore Half-Life fan, a modding nerd, or just love stories about creative communities keeping worlds alive long past their expiration date, this episode is all about the joy of saying: “What if we didn’t stop there?”

👉 Let us know what you think on our socials—tell us which game ending you wish someone would rewrite.

Here’s the audio version of this episode –



and here’s the YouTube version –

Here’s the link to the film –

Surviving the Bad Ending in Half Life (Remastered) by Sanity Lost, released 8 Oct 2025

And the second film is a Half Life machinima that includes Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling in Half Life 2 by eli_handle_b.wav released 21 Oct 2025

S6 E207 Is that Bond… James Bond? (Jan 2026)

Tracy Harwood Podcast Episodes January 1, 2026 Leave a reply

🎬 This week on And Now for Something Completely Machinima, we’re shaking (and stirring) things up with a deep dive into Benjamin Tuttle’s long-awaited James Bond machinima, Endgame – Part One 🍸💥

Host Damien Valentine kicks things off by revealing he actually voices Q in the film (recorded years ago!), before the panel digs into why this project is such a standout. Created in iClone and rendered in Unreal Engine, Endgame delivers a Bond look and feel that’s grounded, stylish, and refreshingly not sci-fi flashy—London actually looks like London, and the tone leans classic rather than futuristic.

🎶 From its full-length Bond-style title sequence and original theme song to slick action choreography, witty humor, and loving nods to Bond lore (Spectre, Q, M, Cold War vibes, and yes—the car), we agree: this is a heartfelt homage made with serious craft. There’s also a touching dedication to Ken White, honoring the machinima community that helped shape projects like this.

Of course, no good Bond briefing is complete without critique 👀
We debate storytelling clarity, episodic structure, sound mixing, facial animation quirks, and whether Part One leaves us with enough of a cliffhanger to fully ignite anticipation for what comes next.

🎤 Along the way, we talk:

  • What makes a Bond feel like Bond (without copying the originals)

  • Machinima’s evolution as a filmmaking medium

  • Unreal Engine vs iClone (and why skill matters more than tools)

  • Why this project is a major proof-of-concept for solo creators

💡 Bottom line: Endgame – Part One is ambitious, polished, and packed with love for both James Bond and machinima—and it sparks a lively, thoughtful discussion you won’t want to miss.

👉 Grab your martini, hit play, and join us for one of our most energetic episodes yet.

Here’s the film –

Audio only version of this episode –



and YouTube version here –

Tracy Harwood and Ben Grussi’s Machinima Book, On Sale Now!