When a Japanese developer wants to dig up a long-abandoned franchise and market it to westerners, one common tactic is to outsource it to a western developer. Sometimes, especially in the 2000s, this came with a mandate to make the series relevant to gamers looking for some hard-boiled nihilism, and the results stand as monuments to a strange era of gaming defined mostly by Grand Theft Auto making piles of cash. With help from PNB Podcast's TL Foster, let's look at five of the grittiest reboots ...
Jun 07, 2019•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 319
Games crib from each other all the time, but sometimes, a new gameplay idea can be a huge hit with fans and still be widely ignored by the industry. With help from John Brandon of Square Roots Podcast, we'll dig into five of our favorite series with unique features that have yet to be (widely) swiped by other games, and then we'll immerse ourselves in Blood & Truth, get cranky about Playdate, and look at the universes you wish were secretly connected.
May 31, 2019•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 318
Games tend to live in their own conveniently isolated universes, where the rules are different and only one hero's journey can unfold at a time - but sometimes hidden webs of connective tissue link seemingly separate franchises. With help from Heidi Kemps of gaming.moe, we disentangle five of those webs this week, before getting absorbed by A Plague Tale, George R.R. Martin's foray into game development, and your predictions (some wrong, some right) for the Game of Thrones finale.
May 24, 2019•3 hr 33 min•Ep. 317
When wrestlers become actors, the results tend to be either wonderful or laughable - and wrestlers who act in video games are no exception. This week, Larry Niece of Pody Slam! joins us for a look at five standout performances by wrestlers in non-wrestling games, after which we jump headfirst into Rage 2, the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection on Xbox One, the Final Fantasy VII remake, and the water levels that got you good and stressed.
May 17, 2019•2 hr 27 min•Ep. 316
Underwater levels have a long history of being terrible, but underwater games? Those are something special. This week, we welcome special guest Cicero Holmes of Spawn On Me and Discovery Debrief as we dive into five of our favorite undersea adventures, after which we chat about Shakedown Hawaii, (more) Days Gone, Microsoft's trash-talk guidelines, and the games you love in spite of other people reviling them.
May 10, 2019•3 hr 38 min•Ep. 315
Last weekend, nerd culture was rocked by two huge battles on the big screen and the small one (we're talking about Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones, naturally), so with help from PNB Podcast's TL Foster, let's dive into five times video games made you feel like you were in the middle of a massive, chaotic conflict. Then we shift gears to talk about Days Gone, join the endless chorus giggling at the Sonic movie, and look at the comics and comic storylines you'd like to make into games....
May 03, 2019•3 hr 35 min•Ep. 314
Avengers Endgame is in theaters this week! What does that have to do with videogames? Plenty, because even if there's no official tie-in game, Marvel's Thanos/Infinity Stone arcs have been fueling games since the '90s. With help from two very special Chrises - Comics on Consoles' Chris Clow, and game-industry legend/Operencia writer Chris Baker - we dig into five games that trace their origins back to The Infinity Gauntlet, after which we wade through gore in Mortal Kombat 11 and Katana Zero, wa...
Apr 26, 2019•3 hr 34 min•Ep. 313
We don't usually let real-world tragedy make it into VGA, but the destruction at Notre Dame hit hard for us - and with medieval scholar (and Macworld editor) Leif Johnson joining us this week, we took the opportunity to honor Paris' most iconic cathedral with five games that let you explore meticulous digital versions of it. Then it's on to World War Z, details on the next PlayStation, Capcom's logo-shaped Home Arcade retro console, and the final sendoffs you'd give beloved characters.
Apr 19, 2019•2 hr 10 min
Game of Thrones is back this weekend, and if you don't watch it, too bad! This week starts off with the Top 5 Game of Thrones games, with help from Thirty Twenty Ten's Diana Goodman, so expect a healthy amount of show- and book-related banter thrown in. After that, we switch gears and talk about Earth Defense Force: Iron Rain, Mario and Link dabbling in VR, and the best April Fool's jokes you've pulled and/or fallen for.
Apr 12, 2019•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 311
Another April Fool's Day is behind us, and this year brought a few fun, playable surprises our way, either showing up in familiar games or rolling out as entirely new ones. With PC Gamer's Tyler Wilde in attendance, let's take a look at some of 2019's best playable April Fool's "jokes," after which we'll dig into the Borderlands 3 reveal, the Genesis Mini, and the game characters you'd like to play as in their twilight years.
Apr 05, 2019•3 hr 58 min•Ep. 310
With Mortal Kombat 11 revealing the return of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as (old) Shang Tsung, Jorge Albor of Experience Points rejoins us this week to talk about videogame heroes who've aged dramatically over the years, going from young rookies to old pros in the span of a series. Then it's on to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, rumors of new Switches, and your thoughts on Stadia.
Mar 29, 2019•3 hr 42 min•Ep. 309
With GDC in full swing this week, the core VGA cast assembles for a look at games that let you make their worlds visibly worse, twisting the landscape through your own misdeeds, apathy, or sheer force of personality. We then spend a lot of time talking about Google's Stadia announcement, Cadence of Hyrule, the Oculus Rift S, and your favorite videogame re-creations of real-world landmarks.
Mar 22, 2019•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 308
With The Division 2 taking players to Washington, D.C., this week, we roped in Gamesradar+'s own Lucas Sullivan for a look at five other games that challenge you to literally fight for control of the White House. Then we switch gears to talk about Devil May Cry 5, The Division 2, Baba is You, another publisher dropping out of E3, and the franchises you think are in dire need of a reboot.
Mar 15, 2019•2 hr 28 min•Ep. 307
Reboots happen pretty frequently in entertainment; what's much rarer is the "reboot" that later gets pushed aside so the original story can continue. This week, we'll look at five of the best, with help from erstwhile VGA co-founder and studio namesake Tyler Wilde, of PC Gamer. Then we'll talk about Ape Out, ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove, Sonic's movie redesign, and your dream videogame mashups.
Mar 08, 2019•3 hr 40 min•Ep. 306
Competing game publishers don't often let their characters out to play with each other, but when they do, the results are usually fun. This week, we celebrate five surprising crossover cameos in third-party games, with help from friend of the show Tyler Nagata, after which we'll dig into Reggie Fils-Amie leaving Nintendo, rumors of Xbox Game Pass coming to Switch, and the worst endings you've ever seen.
Mar 01, 2019•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 305
When a game's "bad" ending becomes the canonical one, interesting possibilities arise as its world and heroes continue to unravel. MacWorld's Leif Johnson joins us this week to look at five sequels shaped by downer endings, after which we'll plunge straight into Tetris 99, Metro Exodus, Crackdown 3, Far Cry New Dawn, Anthem, and your all-time favorite videogame romances.
Feb 22, 2019•2 hr 57 min•Ep. 304
Another Valentine's Day has come and gone, so let's bury it in style with a look at five of the best romances from BioWare games, as chosen by guest star Kayla Zumbaum of PNB Podcast. Things then take an apocalyptic turn as we dig into Far Cry New Dawn, this week's meaty Nintendo Direct, and your favorite videogame simians.
Feb 15, 2019•3 hr 36 min•Ep. 303
Hope everyone had a happy Lunar New Year! To celebrate, we roped in friend of the show Heidi Kemps to help us dig into five games based on one of our favorite works of Chinese fiction, Journey to the West (aka Monkey, aka Saiyuki). Then we chat about Wargroove, Apex Legends, Etrian Odyssey Nexus, a VR sequel to Groundhog Day, and your nominees for the best years in gaming.
Feb 08, 2019•2 hr 6 min•Ep. 302
This week, we'll look at five games that gave us a single-serving protagonist, who stuck around just long enough to show us the ropes before stepping aside to make way for the real hero. Then, friend of the show TL Foster joins for an extended chat about Kingdom Hearts III, the Resident Evil 2 remake, Metroid Prime 4 switching developers, and your favorite Resident Evil/Kingdom Hearts (chains of) memories.
Feb 01, 2019•2 hr 28 min•Ep. 301
Wow! We somehow made it to 300 episodes! In keeping with tradition, we do away with our usual format this week and grab friends of the show Brett Elston and Dan Amrich for a heated roundtable discussion to pick the best years in gaming history. Will your favorites come out on top? Will anyone be happy with the results? Is this just five old guys getting nostalgic about games? The answers may or may not surprise you!
Jan 26, 2019•3 hr 32 min•Ep. 300
When long-running franchises mix it up by swapping in a different protagonist every game, it can be a rare thrill to watch your hero cross paths with their fondly remembered predecessors, for better or worse. We take a look at five of our favorite such moments this week, along with the Resident Evil 2 demo, the Pinkertons suing Rockstar, the dead franchises you want to see rise from the grave, and more!
Jan 18, 2019•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 299
With Onimusha and No More Heroes poised for a long-overdue imminent return next week, we spend this week’s show looking back on once-massive game franchises that have been silent for years, with help from returning guest Micah Seff. Then it’s on to New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, the latest shot fired in the Epic/Steam war, your most anticipated games of 2019, and more!
Jan 11, 2019•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 298
The first week of January is always a slow one, making it an ideal time to reflect on some of the games we're most excited to play in the next 12 months, with help from MacWorld's Leif Johnson. For good measure, we throw in some chat about Atlas, Monster Hunter World's crossover with Assassin's Creed Origins, and your personal games of the year.
Jan 04, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 297
Welcome to our sixth annual end-of-year roundup, when we gather together a bunch of games-industry guests and count down our favorite games of the year. This year's show is one of our biggest yet, weighting in at a hefty 3.5 hours and featuring appearances from Brett Elston, US Gamer's Kat Bailey and Mike Williams, MacWorld's Leif Johnson, Experience Points' Jorge Albor, Ubisoft News' Youssef Maguid, Anthony Acosta, and Thirty Twenty Ten's Diana Goodman.
Dec 28, 2018•4 hr 38 min•Ep. 296
Next week, we'll count down our picks for the top games of 2018 - but our rules exclude remakes and remasters, and it's been an amazing year for those. So with help from USGamer's Nadia Oxford, we're dedicating this week to five of 2018's most impressive remakes, all of which brought long-dead classics roaring back with current-gen polish. We then talk Below, year-in-review games-industry stats, and the expectations-vs.-reality of your holiday toy memories.
Dec 21, 2018•2 hr 38 min•Ep. 295
With the holidays looming large and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tying up everyone's Switches, GameXplain/IGN alum Micah Seff helps us celebrate by talking about five iconic killer toys that come to life and try to murder people. (It makes sense in context, we swear.) We then switch gears to talk Smash, Ashen, Earth Defense Force 5, Hades, The Game Awards, your favorite obscure game-music tracks, and a whole lot of other stuff in a nearly three-hour megashow!
Dec 14, 2018•3 hr 51 min•Ep. 294
Headphones are recommended for this week's show, in which VGMpire's own Brett Elston rejoins us to help pay tribute to mind-blowing music from unspectacular games. After that, we move on to Just Cause 4, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, Epic's new game store, the swag you scored during Black Friday, and much more.
Dec 07, 2018•2 hr 52 min•Ep. 293
The holiday season is officially upon us, which means that for one reason or another, a lot of you are statistically likely to get loaded over the next few weeks. If you'd rather watch a game character get sloshed on adult beverages, there are plenty of games that'll let you get your hero drunk - and with help from MacWorld's Leif Johnson, we'll look at five of the most interesting. Then it's on to talking about Darksiders III, Sony opting for PAL versions on the PlayStation Classic, Console War...
Nov 30, 2018•2 hr 23 min•Ep. 292
Happy Black Friday! We understand a lot of you might be spending time with family over the long weekend - and sometimes, that time can start to feel like a pressure cooker. Why not blow off some steam by listening to us talk about five of the most absurdly dysfunctional families in gaming, with special guest Alaina Yee of PCWorld? Stick around after, because we'll jump into a lengthy chat about Black Friday deals, Fallout 76's launch, Devil May Cry Netflix news, and your favorite Stan Lee charac...
Nov 23, 2018•3 hr 30 min•Ep. 291
This week saw the passing of a true legend: the comics-creating, cameo-crushing alliteration aficionado known as Stan Lee. Marvel superfan Chris Baker rejoins us to celebrate Stan's legacy with a look at his greatest videogame cameos, after which we'll get into Hitman 2, the Detective Pikachu trailer, The Game Awards nominees, and the game characters you'd elect to office.
Nov 16, 2018•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 290
