Beat of the Month

The Nintendo Switch 2 is fast approaching, so we decided to take one last look at the original Nintendo Switch - the greatest video game of all time! OK maybe I'm going a bit overboard with that last statement, but the Switch has been wildly successful and it's life cycle coming to an end is a big event. First, we take a trip back to the launch and share our thoughts on the early lineup of games and our launch day experiences. Then we take a look at the games, the peripherals, the online service/store, and have some trivia along the way. We cap it off with games we still have in our backlog for Switch 1 while talking about our plans to pickup or pass Switch 2.So grab your joy-cons...no not that one - it's got drift. No not that one either. You know what, how about you grab the pro controller instead and join us...as we say goodbye to Nintendo Switch!

For those of you who just didn't get enough celebrating over Mother's Day Weekend, we've got something in store for you - an episode all about Mom Games! 150 episodes after our debut episode dealing with Dad Games, we finally come back around to celebrate with the moms. Yeah we missed the timing a bit for Mother's Day, but better late than never. We start off the episode talking about games we played with our moms or games that our moms like to play. Then we take a break to do a catchup with our video game Fantasy league, followed by a look at all the games with a mom theme we played this month such as Yakuza Infinite Wealth and Detroit: Become Human. We also talk a bit about some games off theme like the excellent Blue Prince. It's a pretty packed episode once again! If you didn't wish your mom a happy mother's day then you better do it right now. And when you're done, come back and join us, for this episode on Mom Games! And if you want to follow along with our video game fantasy league, come visit at fantasycritic.games and search for our league, The Beats. Enjoy the show!

For our big 150th episode celebration we have...a regular episode. Our 5 year anniversary is coming up so maybe we'll do something special for that. But for this one - we're taking a deep dive into indie darling Outer Wilds!If you've seen this game mentioned online it usually comes with a word of caution to go in as blind as possible - and we'd agree! For the most part. We start off the conversation with our experience getting into the game, what we wish we had known before we started, and how we would describe it in as spoiler free terms as possible. After that, we shift gears into heavy spoilers talking about most key areas of the game, places where we got stuck, our interpretation of the story, and then blowing the doors off with details about the very end of the journey.If you're remotely interested in playing this game I would certainly recommend hitting pause once we give the spoiler warning and give it a go! And if you're an Outer Wilds veteran, then I hope you enjoy our stories of fumbling around through space while scratching our heads. So with that, grab you space suit and get ready to explore the unknown, with our deep dive on Outer Wilds!

Spring is here! Last year around this time we did an episode on Nature Games to celebrate the warmer weather, and this time around we are doing an episode on Bug Games! For some games with bugs as the main focus we've taken a look at PS5 launch title Bugsnax and Wii game Deadly Creatures. We also continue Spiral's journey into Naughty Dog games with his take on The Last of Us 2, and Melbro has the latest hype game in his backlog - Black Myth: Wukong. Things get rounded out as usual with some Bug Game trivia. So grab your bug net and your bug spray and join us for this episode on Bug Games!

We might be a day late seeing as this episode is posting April 1st, but this is our annual March Madness bracket, and it's a wild one! Instead of choosing a theme first and then selecting the 64 applicable items to battle it out, we instead choose 64 random gaming items and then decide what the theme is before the deliberations begin. So it's a mix of games, characters, systems, even songs - all going head to head. Wait, what does Samuel L. Jackson have to do with video games? Well, maybe it's best to shut your brain off for this one and enjoy the ride.One warning that is not an April Fool's Joke - all of our episodes are rated explicit, but this one is a fair bit more crass than usual. You'll want to pull out the headphones for this or make sure grandma is in bed before giving this one a listen. But if you've stuck with us for this many episodes, you have an idea of what you're getting anyway - we hope you enjoy the show.

We are back from a one week hiatus, and to put your mind at ease we are taking a look at Cozy Games! If you're a long time listener you might recall we did an episode on Relaxing Games back on episode 31 & 32. What's the difference between a Relaxing game and a Cozy game you ask? We decided to explore that topic since some of us weren't sure there was a difference... We also talk about what makes a game 'cozy' to us - and then get into the games! For this episode's lineup we've got an old favorite of the show being explored for the first time by Spiral - A Short Hike, indie platformer Gris, mobile game Hook 1 & 2, and then Killer Frequency which Muff applies the cozy label to - and more! And as is the case sometimes, we don't always stay on theme. Unfortunately the off theme game is the antithesis of cozy, so we hope you can still get comfy while you listen. As usual we round out with some trivia which...doesn't quite go as planned. So grab your safety blanket, your favorite stuffy, and join us - as we explore Cozy Games!

We've always thought of ourselves as a little Looney here at Beat of the Month, and this episode we decided to lean into that with an episode all about video games based on cartoons! We cover some old favorites such as Aladdin and The Lion King, some new cartoon based games like Bluey, and then a whole bunch of South Park games - 4 of them to be exact! Throughout the episode we also share a bit of our memories with cartoons and what it was like after a hard day of school and turning on some Tiny Toon Adventures. There's an extra large dose of cartoon game trivia at the end, and we also cover other games that we've been playing lately. Not only that, but we look back all the way to episode #1 for a special clip - lyin' king indeed... So grab your Hi-C ecto cooler, plug in your Walkman, and join us for this episode on Cartoon Games! Oh, and just in case you happen to be new to the show - while the topic might be cartoon games, our show is not for kids!

For this episode The Beats Crew put down their controllers and pick up their remote controls to watch the recently released show Secret Level. This new anthology show on Amazon features bite sized episodes with unique takes on 15 different games. The games range from old classics like Pac-Man and Mega Man, more modern offerings like The Outer Worlds and Sifu, and then some lesser known franchises such as New World and Crossfire.As to be expected, opinions vary on each episode with some people energized to play games in the franchises that they haven't played before, and others being less impressed and having no desire to find out more. And then to cap things off it's a double dose of Secret Level trivia! With Secret Level Season 2 already being confirmed, what games would you want to see featured? Let us know at beatofthemonth@gmail.com!

It's early in the year and the Beat of the Month Crew are taking a look at all the games coming out in 2025. But to make things a little more interesting we are not just talking about the games - but drafting them! Just like you would for Fantasy Football, we are picking what we think will be the highest rated games of 2025 and choosing them to fill our roster of games. The rules are a bit different from your typical fantasy draft, but we explain it all during the episode. Will Grand Theft Auto 6 truly come out this year? Will Elden Ring Nightreign continue the FromSoft streak of highly rated games? Some tough choices lie ahead (and some already proven to be mistakes since we recorded...). If you want to follow along with our progress during the year go to 'fantasycritic.games' and follow our league 'The Beats'!

It's our first episode of 2025 and the beats crew are taking a look back at all the games we played in 2024! It's a packed episode kicked off with our annual award show and picks for best games of the year. We also reflect on our favorite gaming moments and run down the stats for all the games we played. Want more? We also unveil our new rating system that will take affect for 2025 as well as the winner from our Nintendo Switch online giveaway. More??? As if that wasn't enough, we then choose the ultimate game of the year award from all of the past Game Award winners. WOW! Thanks to everyone for listening in 2024 - we've got a bunch of fun episodes planned for 2025! Just a reminder that if you want us to pick a certain theme or ask us a question to please send us an email at beatofthemonth@gmail.com. We hope to hear from you!

Here at Beat of the Month we vote on a theme of the month each and every month (hence the title of the show) and then we play games on that theme. For this month the votes were tallied and the winner was...Dickcember. What exactly is Dickcember do you ask? Well that's a great question since even the people who voted for it don't know! What I do know, is we played games such as Sonic X Shadow Generations, Cyberpunk, The Grinch that stole Christmas, Alan Wake 2 - and more! We also talked a bit about The Game Awards to kick things off since we recorded shortly after the show aired. Join us next episode for our own award show where we talk about all the games we played in 2024 as well as our most memorable gaming moments, our year in review stats, and a special segment where we rank the past Game Award winners. We look forward to another year of great themes in 2025!

It's back to back bangers here at Beat of the Month with another deep dive for a highly successful game of 2024 - this time taking a look at Balatro! With an average playtime for each of our crew exceeding 50 hours, we take a look at what keeps bringing us back to play more of this poker themed rougelike. From jokers that radically change the way you play every game, leveling up your hands with planet cards, altering your deck with tarot cards, boss blinds that apply restrictions - there's a ton to talk about. We also recap an in-person poker night we had where the stakes were big and the trash talk was bigger. Who of the Beats crew came out on top? As usual, we round things out with some card based trivia - will you ace the questions or end up a joker? So roll up your sleeves, grab your sunglasses, and join us - for this deep dive on Balatro!

Sony's 30th anniversary celebrations are underway and what better game to have an episode about than Astro Bot - a love letter to all of Sony's franchises! We dive into all the things that make the new Astro Bot game great - the cameos, the levels, the bosses, and more. We also discuss whether or not Astro will cement himself in Sony's legacy as well with a Game of the Year award. In addition to the latest game in the series, we also talk a bit about the earlier games in the franchise. Most are likely familiar with the PS5 pack-in game Astro's Playroom, but did you know there was a Playstation VR exclusive game before that? And did you know that there was another VR exclusive mini-game compilation before that? And did you know there was something even before that??? The little robot's legacy ran deeper than we realized! So grab your headphones and your jet pack, booster...hover...thing - and join us, on this Astro Bot Deep Space Dive!

We're a week out from Thanksgiving and soon we'll all be enjoying a feast of turkey with all the fixin's. Since our ancestors filled their Thanskgiving table the old fashioned way via hunting and fishing, we decided to have an episode focused on those topics as well - in a digital format of course. Well maybe not entirely digitally since some of the crew does have background with the outdoor arts. For the rest of us, we settle in and talk about games such as Dave the Diver, Dredge, Cabela's Survival; Shadows of Katmai - and more! We also throw in a dash of semi-related games like Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and completely unrelated stuff such as Lies of P and Time Crisis 4. As usual we wrap things up with trivia - can you guess what system had 11 bass fishing games on it? So grab your rod and reel and join us for this episode on hunting and fishing games!

What if you could only pick one game for each console - one game that would most represent that console? Would you pick the best game for the system? Would you pick a launch title that set the stage for the console? Would you choose a late release that showcased what the system was capable of? Would your decisions change if these games would be put in a box for aliens to open up 2000 years from now? Well if you're wondering why I'm asking all these questions, it's because that's what this episode is all about! We run through all the major consoles and decide as a group on one game per system that we feel tells the story of that console best. Some systems lend themselves naturally to one game, but others are a bit tricky. So grab your headphones and some Snicker's Ice Cream Bars™, and join us on this journey to fill up our gaming time capsule!

It's still the spooky season still y'all! In the past we've done deep dives on some truly terrifying games like Dead Space and Resident Evil. This time we're doing something a little different and exploring into the unknown to see why exactly kids love Five Nights At Freddy's. None of us have any first hand experience with the games and we decided to jump in head first - let's just hope we don't lose our heads in the process... We take a look at a bunch of games including the first game that started it all, a few of the original style that came next, and Security Breach. Then we take a look at the blockbuster movie and see if all that money it made was for good reason. So grab your stinky animal suit, zip up, and join us for this doubleheader deep dive into Five Nights At Freddy's!

The spooky season is here! We've done scary games, monster games, zombie games, ghost games, and this time we're focusing on a common aspect from most of those games - blood! First we get the bloody juices flowing with a little blood trivia and talking about the bloodiest games we've ever played. Then we get into the meat of the discussion with bloody games we played so far to celebrate October. We've got discussion on Bloodborne (right there in the title!), the bloodiest Final Fantasy game with FFXVI, and...Mr. Mosquito? That last one wasn't what I had in mind, but hey - blood is blood! Grab some gauze, bring your band-aids, and join us - for some Bloody Beats!

Hot on the heels of our last episode where we declared the ultimate video game president, we've got another politically themed show - a deep look at the game Papers, Please! It's one of the most unique games that we've covered with a demand for attention to detail, quick decision making, and deep moral decisions. Oh, and do you remember those Spot the Difference games from when you were a kid? Did you like those? Then you'll love this! As most deep dives we spoil a lot of what this game has to offer, so if it begins to sounds interesting I recommend giving it a shot - it's $5 on mobile! Or you can also buy the physical Playstation Vita version for 20x that, if you so choose... So, grab your passport and your bribe money, and prepare to get detained at some point during this deep dive of Papers, Please!

The political season is heating up and the Beat of the Month Crew are getting in on the action! We've got a double dose of political antics this episode with a look at games with a political theme. We play a bit fast and loose with the theme as usual, but we played some Ghost of Tsushima, Super Mario Odyssey, Cult of the Lamb, and a little Disco Elysium (and by a little, I mean a little). We've also got some odds and ends in there like Nintendo World Championship and Mr. Gimmick. We also fill our ballots and cast our votes for the perfect video game character election featuring the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and more - it's a packed episode! And join us next episode for a deep dive on Papers, Please where we keep the political theme going.

For this episode's deep dive we have not one but two games to cover - Not just a single game but not quite a trilogy, it's the duology of Hotline Miami 1 & 2! If you like retro games but want them with more eye gouging, head smashing, and blood splatters, then this is for you. We cover our favorite weapons, levels, and characters (and oh boy are there a lot of characters). We also try to unravel the story of both games, which is more complicated than you would think. The end rounds out as usual with some trivia - 'Hot' 'Line' style. As is the case with these deep dives, some of us were hotter on this game than others, but we did our best to keep the naysayers in line (yes I just did that). So grab your rooster mask and join us for... actually can you leave the mask? It's a little creepy. But we still hope you join us for this deep dive on Hotline Miami 1 & 2!

With the last of the big USA based gaming magazines coming to an end, we decided it was a perfect time to look back at all the fond memories of not only Game Informer, but of all video game magazines. OK maybe not all (there were a lot!) but we do cover the heavy hitters - Gamepro, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and of course, Nintendo Power. We also get into some lesser known magazines like Next Generation and Ultra Game Players, as well as some of the magazines centered around walkthroughs like Tips & Tricks or Expert Gamer. Then you've got the console specific magazines that came with demo discs, and more - there is a ton to talk about! We've got a bookend of trivia for this episode as well - can you name the top 20 SNES games from March 1995? It's not that easy! So get out your reading glasses to read the fine print on that ProTip, and join us for this look back on video game magazines. We'll miss you Game Informer!

Elden Ring was a huge game for The Beats crew when it came out over 2 years ago in February of 2022, so when the new massive DLC Shadow of the Erdtree came out we had to revisit it with another episode. This time around though we are going through heavy spoilers including the final boss for the DLC - so you have been warned! We cover our favorite bosses, builds, weapons, and just what the heck is this game about in terms of story anyway? We wrap things up as usual with trivia, and we've got Darkside's brother Rick, Elden Ring lore expert, as a special guest to help guide us through it all. So grab your whistle and get ready to call upon another episode of The Beat of the Month - Elden Ring style!

It's the middle of summer and we've seen a lot of games announced, so The Beats Crew decided to take some time away from talking about games we've played, and focus on some games we want to play! We talk about Summer Games Fest as well as the latest State of Play, Xbox Showcase, and Nintendo Direct. From there - it's anything goes. We talk about getting sad from finishing a game, a gaming delivery gone wrong, some Muff focused trivia - and more! So turn the lights down, think about your favorite cosplayer (a Muff trivia question by the way...) and join us for a slightly unstructured episode!

Before the Elden Ring DLC commands all of our time, we decided to take a look at a smaller game with an even smaller protagonist - Stray! It's got scratching, it's got meowing, it's got...robots? It wasn't a long game but this cat led adventure game made a lasting impression with our crew. And with the recent announcement that Stray is coming to switch it'll soon be able to be enjoyed by everyone! But be forewarned - we've got a lot of spoilers throughout. We've also got a double dose of cat trivia at the end. Even if you're a dog person we invite you to grab your headphones and join us for our deep dive of Stray!

Way back on episode 26 we had a topic of disappointing games. Those were games that we thought were going to be really good but ended up just being OK or kinda bad. A little over 100 shows later and we are revisiting that topic, but this time around just focusing on flat out bad games. We never intended any of these games to be good, and in most cases they were not! To add to the fun, we also did a little Secret Santa type swap where we chose crappy games for each other to play. Some people got lucky with a decent game and others were stuck playing Lizard Lady vs The Cats. We also chose to play some terrible games by choice such as classic bad game Shaq Fu and more modern games like Control. Wait, Control is a bad game? Well to some of the less cultured members of the podcast... To balance things out, we did get some great game discussion mixed in with - new indie game hotness Animal Well, FromSoft classic Sekiro, Final Fantasy Theatrhythm, and more! Oh and if you stick around to the end...my apologies.

The Beat of the Month crew are back and this time we're doing another game show episode - Family Feud style! Step aside Steve Harvey because Melbro is at the helm. Having surveyed 1000s of individuals, he's equipped us with 12 rounds of questions for an epic showdown between Rochelle Guys and OG3. Can you name the top 5 ways that you can tell you're about to fight a boss? Who will claim victory? Tune in to find out!

For this episode we've got another series of interviews, this time focusing on a single game - a light gun shooter for the PlayStation 1 that was released back in 1998 - Elemental Gearbolt! What's so special about this game? When you think light gun games you probably think about House of the Dead, Time Crisis, or something very similar. Which is perfectly fine - those are fun games! But Elemental Gearbolt is so unique with its music and story that it stands out in the memory of anyone who has played it. Not only is the game itself unique, but it is also associated with one of the most sought after collectibles in gaming and had a $10,000 contest giveaway to promote it. We've got interviews with individuals who have extensive knowledge on each of these aspects. If you've never heard of this game before I hope you walk away a fan, and if you were already a fan I hope you enjoy this interview special - on Elemental Gearbolt!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Saturday to bring you an early episode of Beat of the Month! It's May 4th, so of course the special occasion is Star Wars Games! We've been playing Star Wars games all month long and The Beats crew has got quite the assortment of games to talk about. We've got a quartet of old school games from the Atari 2600 with Star Wars Arcade and Death Star Battle, all the way up to modern day with Jedi Survivor on PS5. We also talk a bit about some Star Wars adjacent games like Mass Effect 3 (OK, loose connection but hey - space is space). We round things out with a bit of Fallout the TV show and of course some Star Wars trivia. So instead of watching the original trilogy for the 50th time, join us for some Star Wars gaming goodness!

As the earth cycles around the sun, we've made a complete cycle around the Beat of the Month crew and landed back at Muff's choice for the next deep dive. Featuring wrestling, bikinis, and an all female cast, it could only be Rumble Roses! I hope you saved your eclipse glasses since these visuals are so hot they'll burn your retinas! While there were only two games in the series (for PS2 and Xbox 360) the series seems to have gained a bit of a cult classic following. Obvious reasons aside, it also has a pretty solid wrestling game foundation. We get into the characters, the mechanics, the story - and more! And we've got some wrestling game trivia to end the round as well. So grab your popcorn, your sweat bands, (and if you must...your tissues) and join us for this deep dive into Rumble Roses!

Winter is over, the birds are chirping, and the weather is changing - but the Beat of the Month marches on! No wait, March was last month. For THIS month, we are looking at games featuring Mother Nature, since April Showers bring May Flowers! For the most part we've got games with rain such as Death Stranding and Arkham Knight, but we also sneak in some other weather related games in there as well. Not a single mention of Heavy Rain which seems like a missed opportunity, but what can you do - we all played that game already! Think you have a better idea than games about rain? Well, you might be on to something... If you have any episode suggestions, please send us an email at beatofthemonth@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you!

It's March Madness and Women's History Month, so what better way to celebrate than having a 64 bracket tournament of the best women in gaming! The Beats crew each took our favorite choices as well as some fan picks, randomly assigned them to the bracket, and then went through each of the match ups to pitch our cases for a final winner. Some heavy hitters got eliminated early, some obscure contenders stayed longer than expected, and some arguments got quite heated! Does Sonya Blade have more of the public eye than Princess Zelda? Is Malenia from Elden Ring more than just a meme? Find the answer to these questions and more!

This episode the Beat of the Month crew are focusing on a topic we know all to well - madness! These are games where the main character is going crazy or maybe were already insane to begin with. We've got some oldies covered such as Loaded for the original Playstation, 2000s PC game American McGee's Alice, the original Alan Wake, and more! We also cover some odds and ends that are a little less maddening such as card game craze Balatro and hear from some adventures in thrifting. So even if it isn't cold be sure to grab your straight jacket and join as for a maddening episode! Also, please keep a look out for social media posts where we will be asking YOU to contribute ideas for our March Madness bracket of best women in gaming!

With all of the news recently with Xbox and Sony and their future plans, the Beat of the Month crew take some time to reflect on the current state of the games industry with some general discussion. Sound boring? You couldn't be more wrong! Tensions run at their all time highest causing one Beats member to leave mid-episode. But before those shenanigans we take a look at our memories with the very first original Xbox and the early days of Xbox Live. We also kick things off with some Xbox trivia. Why would we have trivia at the start of the episode anyway? Inquiring minds want to know...

This episode the beat of the month crew celebrate games featuring the exciting world of dating! We talk about dating games we played recently, others games we played, and then talk about some dating experiences ourselves! So grab your significant other, tell them to be quiet for the next two hours, and enjoy the episode!

With the release date of Dragon's Dogma 2 quickly approaching, the Beats crew decided to take a deep look at the original game to see what all the hubbub is about! This episode is all about Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen, and we have quite a bit to unpack with this western style RPG made by Capcom. We start out with an overview of the series, a look at the game's mechanics - including the very unique Pawn system, and then a walkthrough of the main quest. It's a unique episode this time since while most of us were completely new to the game, Moose was here to guide us through some of the aspects of the game that we didn't fully understand. Affinity? Items Spoiling? Fast Travel? As I mentioned, there is a lot to unpack! And you better unpack lest you want to be overencumbered... And as usual we have some Dragon's Dogma trivia at the end to wrap things up. So bring your favorite rambling pawn and join us on this deep dive of Dragon's Dogma!

We are easing into 2024 with this episode by playing anything we want! That's right - no theme, no deep dive, no pressure - just playing whatever we had in the old backlog or wanted to wrap up from 2023. As expected it's a hodge podge of games ranging from Sonic Superstars, Mass Effect, Returnal, Spider-Man 2, PSVR2 games, and more! We've also got some 'anything goes' trivia which seemed like a good idea at the time, but well, maybe a little focus is a good thing... If you have an episode suggestion for us for 2024, please send us a note at beatofthemonth@gmail.com!

2023 was such a packed year for games we couldn't fit it into a single episode! That's right - we take another look back at the following year, this time with a bit more of a standard approach. First, we cover our top 5 games that we each played in 2023. As expected there are a lot of the heavy hitters you would expect, but there are also a few surprises including one game so impactful that it made one Beats member begin to realize they've been playing for the wrong team! After that, we review our console 'year in review' stats from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft - again a lot of titles you'd expect, but as usual Muff has a surprise in store for us. After this we will truly be moving forward into 2024 and we hope you will join us for a deep dive into Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen, Dating games for Valentine's Day, and more!

It's our annual year end episode and it's packed full of discussion with what we played in 2023! There were a ton of great games this year but we also include any games we played this year that may not include games released in 2023. We run down our awards and then lookback on our memories from the year such as favorite multiplayer and single player moments, a radio spot we had, as well as our annual report card for each of the 3 main consoles. We also break down our stats of how much gaming the beats crew did this year and have a double dose of Game of the Year themed trivia. Also - we announce our big winner for the Nintendo Switch Online membership giveaway that one lucky winner will get for 2024 - it's a huge episode! We look forward to playing more games in the new year and telling you all about them!

This episode the Beat of the Month crew are taking a deep dive into one of Melbro's favorite games from the past couple of years - Neon White! We explore the gameplay, the characters, the music, the design - and more. Did everyone enjoy the game as much as Melbro? *hint - it's complicated* We also tallied up our stats and see who came out on top as the true elite gamer of the group. Whether you're familiar with the game or not, there's a lot to enjoy still (plus the trivia at the end isn't really related to the game at all). So discard your pistol to jump into your headphones and join us for this deep dive of Neon White!

Move over Marvel, the Beat of the Month crew are taking over the superhero space for a week and talking about all things related to caped crusaders! Then again we talk a lot about Marvel during the episode, so maybe they aren't really moved over all that much. However, that's not all we have to talk about! In addition to discussion about the new Spider-Man 2 we also talk about some older classics such as TMNT and Boogerman (ok, maybe that last one isn't such a classic). The episode kicks off with what we like and don't like about superheroes, what defines a superhero, and some trivia to get our brains boosted for the rest of the discussion. So pull out your action figures, get your superman underoos, and join us for this look at superhero games!

Thanksgiving is approaching and the Beat of the Month crew have an appetite for games all about food! We go through the timeline of gaming history with several old classics such as Pac-Man and Burgertime, some 16-bit games with Chester Cheetah and Garfield, newer titles like Yakuza and The Witcher, and more! For the cherry on top we have some extra discussion about what we eat as we game, Super Nintendo Land's Toadstool Cafe, and a trip to the Sonic Symphony. So grab your turkey leg, cook up some stove top stuffing, and from the Beat of the Crew we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween! We round out our October with a look at classic horror movie monsters in games! Or was it iconic scary movie villains in games? Wait, are we limiting our conversation to just games? Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out along the way. Our discussion mainly focuses on older games such as (of course) Castlevania and Monster in My Pocket, but we also delve into some newer titles as well. It's one of the stranger episodes we've done which is saying something!

It's the middle of October and as tradition here at Beat of the Month we continue our spooky season with a look at Ghost Games! We talk about a variety of topics this episode ranging from real life ghost stories, trips to Super Nintendo Land, and oh yeah, a couple games that have ghosts in them - including Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins, Ghostwire Tokyo, and more! And of course we have some ghost trivia to round things out. We've got one more episode at the tail end of the month to round out the Halloween spirit, so stay tuned!

The Beat of the Month crew are kicking off October with one of the most frightening gaming series ever - Dead Space! We talk through our thoughts on the new remake of the original Dead Space as well as the other two main entries in the series. There's also a surprising amount of side content that this series has seen over the years including spinoff games, books, movies, and more! And the good news for you is that where this podcast is going you won't need eyes to see - since it's all audio! Wait, that's a reference to the wrong franchise... In any case we've got a lot to talk about, wrapping up with a 'dead' 'space' game at the end that will test your knowledge of more than just horror games. We've got more spooky shows ahead in October with Ghost Games and Iconic Horror Villains in gaming - so stay tuned if you dare!

On this episode the Beat of the Month crew take a look at one of the newer genres to emerge into the video gaming scene - Souls-like games! What exactly is a Souls-like game anyway? Let's see - hard difficulty, uh...hmm... well we talk about it some and figure it out. We also talk about some of the specific Souls-like games we played recently such as Remnant: From the Ashes, Tunic, Death's Door - and more! Before we get into all that though, we spend some time at the top of the show to talk about hard hitting topics like movie theater popcorn, air conditioner repair, and all of the errors that we made during the previous episode. As usual we've got trivia to round things out for another packed episode!

The main mission of a game is definitely important, but it's those great side quests that can spice things up and take a game to another level. One could argue that a great side chick can have the same effect. This episode the Beat of the Month crew are tackling both topics! Only the most depraved members of the Beat of the Month crew could speak to this, so Brian had to leave the hosting duties to Muff. Apologies in advance for the insanity that you are about to witness. In this slightly coherent episode we tackle the best side quests in games as well as the side women that left us wanting more. We talk about Witcher 3, Final Fantasy, Horizon Zero Dawn - and many other games! We also have a trivia game involving side quests and side pieces that is...interesting. So grab that special someone in your life and ask them to join you for this episode of Beat of the Month!

Hot on the heels of episodes about Rhythm Games and Party Games the Beat of the Month Crew tackle the ultimate rhythm party game - Rock Band! Whether you are a Call of Duty playing dude bro or a World of Warcraft basement dweller, you've probably played Rock Band before. We take a look back at some fond memories we have of the Rock Band franchise and the big parties we used to throw centered around the game. We also talk about the extensive DLC song list, the variety of instruments, and the infamous Stage Kit complete with strobe light and fog machine. In addition to Rock Band we dip even further back into the games that came before such as (of course) Guitar Hero, but also Karaoke Revolution, Amplitude, and more! We also kick things off with Rock Band/Guitar Hero trivia and even have some snippets of our latest Rock Band session with questionable vocal quality. So grab your plastic Fender Stratocaster, secure your USB microphone, and get ready to rock out over some Rock Band!

While it's been said many times on this show that real men work, we also take some time to party every now and then. This episode the Beat of the Month crew are taking a look at Party Games! We talk about what defines a party game, what separates a good party game from a bad one, and of course discuss some of the games themselves. We didn't get to play as many as we had hoped for, but still got in some rounds of Overcooked, Fall Guys, and more. And of course, we've got some party game trivia to close things out. So grab your headphones and your party hat and come join us for this look at Party Games!

Here at Beat of the Month we've talked about all kinds of games, rambled in-depth about genres and systems, but haven't taken a deep look at one of the most important aspects of any system - the controller! This episode we discuss our most loved controllers, our most hated, and everything in between. From the humble beginnings of a joystick and a single button to the complex controllers of today that pack in a dozen or more buttons and tons of extra tech, there is a lot to talk about. We get into some random controller related topics as well such as light guns, 3rd party offerings, and some controller types you may have forgotten even existed (fishing anyone?). As usual we get into some controller trivia right out of the gate - cow milking, table flipping, butt poking - some controllers get pretty wild! So whether you're still a fan of the simple NES pad or you've got a 100 button Steel Battalion behemoth sitting in your closet, there's something for everyone in this episode filled with controller conversation!

Kick, Punch, it's all in the mind Want a rhythm game podcast? I'm sure you'll find The beat of the month crew, are coming through for you So get ready to listen about a game or two! Yes maybe a cheesy description, but we couldn't hold back our excitement for this episode about Rhythm Games! Well, maybe some of us are more excited than others... We're all in the middle of Zelda and Final Fantasy, but still came through to talk about a bunch of rhythm games including Dance Dance Revolution, Elite Beat Agents, Final Fantasy Theatrhtyhm, and more! We also talk about some lesser known games including fan suggestion Rhythm Sprout and a couple Japanese only releases. Plus there's an extra dose of trivia with some trips down memory lane - did you know Nintendo hosted a Donkey Konga tournament at select movie theaters around the country? Listen in to find out more details from one of the attendees...

This episode the Beat of the Month crew talk about one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time - The Legend of Zelda! With the recent release of Tears of the Kingdom we share our initial impressions, which might not be as glowing as you'd think! Well with 8 different people some of us are bound to have wrong opinions... At the time of this recording many of the crew were focusing on Final Fantasy VII Remake, and by the time this airs the focus will have shifted to Final Fantasy XVI, but a few of us still have put some solid time into Link's latest adventure. We also reminisce on our first experiences with the franchise, talk about some of the games we liked the most (and a few we didn't like as much). We've also got a bit more in-depth discussion on a few games that the crew has played more recently including the new version of Link's Awakening and his very first game on the NES. There's a music selection segment (since how can you talk about Zelda without mentioning the excellent history of music) and some trivia to kick things off. It's a packed episode! So get ready to hookshot your headphones and join us in this heavy dive into Hyrule!