Podcasts about vidjagame apocalypse

We've been to the "play as a villain" well a bunch of times, but this week's theatrical release of Thunderbolts inspired TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing to join us for a look at games that let you play as whole teams of characters who don't typically play well with others. We'll also get into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a smattering of Switch and Switch 2 news, Epic's court win against Apple, and your views on remakes and remasters. Question of the Week: Is there an “antiquated” style of gameplay (e.g. turn-based RPGs) that you think should return? Break song is E.G.G.M.A.N. by Paul Shortino. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The long-rumored Oblivion remaster was revealed and released on the same day this week, inspiring us to invite merritt k and Anthony Abatte for a chat about five other games that surprise-released on the same day they were revealed. Then we'll get into The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (of course), Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Nintendo maybe not having inventory to fulfill My Nintendo Store preorder requests, and your experiences with companion apps. Question of the Week: What are your thoughts on game remakes and remasters? Do you like playing them? Do you finish them? Is the past better left in the past? Break song is Instant Pleasure as performed by Rufus Wainwright. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Jay and Silent Bob recently arrived in Call of Duty as premium operator skins, but it's hardly the first time actors associated with Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films have starred in games. Dave Rudden joins us this week to talk about five of 'em, after which we'll talk more about Blue Prince, the Minecraft movie, Switch 2 letting Zelda players repair their weapons with a mobile app, and the most money you've ever spent on a console at launch. Question of the Week: Do you have fond memories of any "companion-app" gaming experience? Should these still be a thing? Break song is Clerks by Love Among Freaks. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

This is a big week for strange and cryptic games, and TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins to celebrate the release of South of Midnight with a look at five games that explore the supernatural and seamy sides of the American South. We'll also delve into Blue Prince and Promise Mascot Agency, complain about tariffs, speculate about Donkey Kong Bananza, and hear your thoughts about the Switch 2 reveal. Question of the Week: What's the most you have ever spent for a console at launch (via bundles, secondary market, etc)? Break song is You've Got to Walk by Ben Babbitt and the Bedquilt Ramblers. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

In this era of multiplatform releases and more-or-less standardized hardware, it can be easy to forget that great games didn't always stay great once they'd made their way to different consoles and computers. In fact, ports that were rushed, incomplete, or just plain lousy used to be common, and this week, we'll look at five of the most infamously bad ones. Then we'll talk about Atomfall, InZoi, and - of course! - the Switch 2 reveal, plus your views on dressing characters for aesthetics vs. stats. Question of the Week: What are your thoughts on Switch 2? Did it live up to your expectations? Are you excited? Disappointed? Let us know.  Break song is Rocket Man as performed by William Shatner. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Plenty of games let you change your character's clothes, but in how many does it really matter, from a gameplay standpoint? At least five, which we'll talk about this week with model/stylist/game brand strategist and former journo Aiden Strawhun, who also knows how to talk about Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land way better than the rest of us. We'll also get into The First Berserker: Khazan, new announcements for Monster Hunter Wilds, the return of Game Informer, and the game names you've habitually mispronounced. Question of the Week: Do you dress your game characters purely for power and stats, or more for aesthetics?  Break song is Cover Girl by RuPaul. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is out, and we've got IGN's reviewer - friend of the show Jarrett Green - on to talk about Ubi's massive open-world shinobi-and-samurai adventure in feudal Japan! But first, we'll use this as an opportunity to talk about five other games made by western developers, but set in Japan. Once all that's done, we'll talk about the internet's reaction to Karl Urban's Johnny Cage, the SNES mysteriously getting faster with age, and your long-standing gaming regrets. Question of the Week: Inspired by the Suikoden remaster, what's a game name you've habitually mispronounced, either by mistake or (for comedy's sake) on purpose? Were you ever embarrassingly corrected? Tell us about it. Break song is We're the River City Girls by Megan McDuffee. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We just passed Mar10 Day this week, and that got us thinking about all the times console makers have thought, "Hey! What if WE had a cute, highly marketable face to sell OUR hardware?" We'll take a look at five of the least successful attempts at machine-exclusive mascots this week, after which we'll get into WWE 2k25 and Wanderstop, share updated thoughts on Monster Hunter Wilds and Suikoden I & II HD Remaster, and hear which games you think should have a Nemesis System of their own. Question of the Week: Do you have a persistent regret about a game (i.e., did you finish a game the "wrong" way, miss a piece of a story, make a bad decision, etc., that you've never gotten around to correcting)? Break song is the credits music from Gex. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Ever wonder why so few games include features like, say, Shadow of Mordor's Nemesis system, or minigames you can play during loading events? It's because they are or were locked behind patents - and this week, Jesse "Street Cleaner" Bishop joins us to talk about five such features - as well as the launch of Street Cleaner 3. Then we'll get into Monster Hunter Wilds, Two Point Museum, Everhood 2, the reveal of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, and your personal feelings about game demos. Question of the Week: If it weren't patent-protected, what game or series do you think could benefit from something like the Nemesis system? Break song is It Ain't Safe by Street Cleaner & NormallyRetro. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.  

Landing a celebrity to star in your game is usually a huge deal - but like a lot of things, celebrities can go bad over time, turning their games into weird cultural artifacts with unpleasant associations. This week, Anthony Abatte joins us to talk about five games with stars who probablly seemed like a great idea at the time, after which we'll get into Street Cleaner 3, Steam Next Fest, Monolith's closure, and the games you'd like to see do a pirate-themed sequel. Question of the Week: With Steam Next Fest launching a ton of demos onto the service, do you typically play demos to sample games, or do you just jump right in and buy ones you're interested in? (And did you have a favorite from Next Fest?) Break song is Although the Sky by Dorkus64. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

With Avowed's launch casting a spotlight on Obsidian this week, we got to thinking about the studio's unique trajectory, and so Trone Dowd — who reviewed Avowed for Inverse — joins us to talk about about studios who got nudged off series they created (for whatever reason), and used their ideas to make something new (but familiar). We'll also get into Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza Pirate in Hawaii, the Street Fighter movie's new director, Nintendo discontinuing the Gold Points program, and the obscure games you'd like to see return via a streaming service. Question of the Week: Zelda did it. Assassin's Creed did it. Yakuza did it. What game series should take to the high seas for a pirate adventure next? Break song is Fly Me To The Moon (∞ Climax Mix) by Bart Howard and Helena Noguerra. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Mikel's away this week, so Matt and Chris (with accompanying soundboard) invited the Welcome to the Thing crew to break format a bit with a top 5 that doesn't focus so much on games, but rather game distribution services, technologies, and platforms old and new -- the cable companies of games, if you will. After that, we talk about Civilization VII, more Rift of the Necrodancer, and break down all the big news from this week's State of Play. It's a fun one, we promise! (Did we mention Chris is manning the soundboard this week?) Question of the Week: What obscure or impossible-to-play game do you want to be playable on modern platforms? Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Hero-ing can be a thankless business (apart from all the improbable material rewards for rescuing hapless villagers or whatever), so it's uplifting when games try to show you've made a difference by bringing back all the friends you've made and people you've helped to support you in the final hour. TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins us to talk about five of our favorite such moments, after which we'll get into Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Rift of the NecroDancer, Sniper Elite: Resistance, news from the Capcom Spotlight, and the times you've gone full "dark side" in games. Question of the Week: What's your least favorite gaming trend that wore out its welcome quickly? Break song is MGMT - Kids But It's September By Earth, Wind & Fire by William Maranci Mashups. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Sometimes it's really empowering to embody a pissed-off rage junkie, the kind of human chainsaw who can charge wildly into every confrontation and savagely batter everything in their path. This week, Jesse Cox joins us for a look at five games that let you do exactly that. Then we'll get our hands bloody with Ninja Gaiden II Black and Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, discover Shady Part of Me, Virtua Fighter 5 REVO, and Eternal Strands, and talk about GTA 6 news, the Microsoft Developer Direct, and your favorite videogame prequels. Question of the Week: Have you ever enjoyed going full "dark side" in a game, whether because of a linear story, moral choices, or just free-form sadism (a la Sims)? Tell us about it. Break song is Berserker by Love Among Freaks. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Last week's release of Dynasty Warriors Origins inspired us to spend this episode looking at five of the best games to bear one of the industry's most-overused words in their titles (Origins, of course). Then we'll get into Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, reactions to the Switch 2 reveal, Marvel Snap getting temporarily swallowed by the TikTok ban, and the earliest games you remember adding to your backlog. Question of the Week: What's your favorite prequel and/or origin-story game? Break song is Black Betty/Castle Rock (as performed in Rayman Legends). Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Some release dates loom especially large in videogame history (mostly because they factored heavily into marketing), and this week Anthony Abatte joins us as our first guest of 2025 to talk about five of the most significant ones. Then we'll get into Dynasty Warriors Origins, Hyper Light Breaker, the DICE Awards nominees, and the gaming innovations you think are the most important,  Question of the Week: What's the first game you remember adding to your backlog? Break song is Supersonics by The Presidents of the United States of America. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The announcements at CES (and their heavy push toward AI) this week inspired us to resurrect the debate-format Top 5 to decide what the five most important technical innovations in gaming are. Did we get it righ? Probably not, but you can tell us what we missed. Then we'll get into Sony's freshly announced slate of game adaptations, alleged Nintendo leaks, and the games you're most looking forward to in 2025. Question of the Week: What do you think is the most important innovation in gaming? Break song is Push a Little Button by Ninette. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We're a quarter of the way into the 21st century, and kicking off a new year of shows the way we always do: with a look ahead to the five announced games we're looking forward to the most. Then we'll get into January's PS+ games, how Riot measures Arcane's success, and your personal Games of the Year for 2024. Question of the Week: What upcoming game are you most looking forward to in 2025? Break song is Love is a Long Road by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

It's time for our last show of 2024 - and the end of our Games of Year countdown! This week, we'll get into our top 5 favorites with a roster of guests including Trone Dowd, Steve Guntli, Brendan Hesse, Kevin Erhard and Phil Keeling of Pixel Lit, Emmett Watkins, Jorge Albor, and TL Foster! Did your favorite game(s) make the cut? Listen and find out! Question of the Week: What's your personal Game of the Year for 2024? Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne. There's a lot of chat this week, so here's a quick timestamp cheat sheet if you'd like to skip ahead to unveil each entry: 0:02:32: #5 with Trone Dowd and Steve Guntli 0:30:16: #4 with Brendan Hesse 0:45:12: #3 with Kevin Erhard and Phil Keeling 1:11:03: #2 with Emmett Watkins and Jorge Albor 1:28:47: #1 with TL Foster and Brendan Hesse

2024 is almost over, so it's time to begin our annual Games of the Year countdown - split into two parts, because there's a lot to talk about. This week, we've invited a rotating panel of guests including TL Foster, Steve Guntli, Greg Moore, Tony Wilson, and Anthony Abatte to discuss our favorites; check out entries 10 through 6 this week, and stay tuned for next week, when we'll resume the countdown at #5 and drill down to our Game of the Year. Question of the Week: What's your personal Game of the Year for 2024? Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne. There's a lot of chat this week, so here's a quick timestamp cheat sheet if you'd like to skip ahead to unveil each entry: 0:08:29: #10 with TL Foster 0:33:09: #9 with Tony Wilson 0:47:26: #8 with Anthony Abatte 1:11:30: #7 with Steve Guntli and Greg Moore 1:37:34: #6 with Anthony Abatte and TL Foster

This year has been brimming with quality retreads, from brilliant remakes of classic games to remasters of games from just a few years ago, and before we start on our year-end GOTY countdown next week, TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins us to talk about five of our favorite remasters and remakes of 2024. We'll also talk a whole lot about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind with Dan Amrich (who wrote its dialogue and voices the Blue Ranger), Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, and your favorite DLC from this year. Question of the Week: What's your personal Game of the Year for 2024? Break song is Mass Destruction -Reload- by Lotus Juice. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We've officially entered the final weeks of 2024, which means we get to start on our year-end best lists and tell you about all the stuff we liked the most this year! Let's kick this off with Tony Wilson of Framework and a look at our five favorite DLC expansions, after which we'll talk about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, AntonBlast, PS5 getting 30th-anniversary themes, and your favorite spinoffs of established series. Question of the Week: What's your favorite DLC of 2024? Break song is Night Springs by Keira from Alan Wake II. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Once a game series reaches a certain level of success, spinoffs are inevitable; some of them spawn their own franchises, like Mega Man X, while others rapidly fizzle into obscurity, like Mega Man Soccer. This week, merritt k and TL Foster join us to celebrate five of the latter category, after which we'll get into Trombone Champ: Unflattened, Loco Motive, the Xbox Avatar app disappearing, and the games you felt the least fulfilled after beating. Please help support this week's guest by wishlisting merritt k's awesome soon-to-be-released game, Fledgling Manor: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3238510/Fledgling_Manor/ Question of the Week: What's your favorite spinoff (the more obscure, the better) from an established series?  Break song is Nowhere Fast by Fire Inc. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Nov. 27 would be Bruce Lee's 84th birthday, and that's as good an excuse as any to get Anthony Abatte on for a howl-filled discussion of our favorite unauthorized Bruce Lee knockoffs in fighting games. Then we'll talk about STALKER 2, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Great God Grove, The Game Awards 2024 nominations, and the songs you associate with specific videogames (that didn't include them). Question of the Week: What's the least fulfilled you've ever felt after finishing a game? Break song is Be Like Water by RZA. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Note: Emmett's audio this episode is a bit rough, though still audible. We'll tweak settings for next time but bear with us for this episode! You ready for this, playa? Welcome back to the club! In this episode, Allan Muir returns to join Emmett Watkins Jr. in discussing the games that will get us through the current political moment. Look, Trump won, and we have a lot of work to do to survive and take care of each other as he returns to power. Playing games won't directly change anything, but the art we embrace does help us view the world differently. Here are a few games that engage with the moment we're in, or even allow us to disengage from it for a while. And hey, maybe you'll even get a few novel recommendations as well! Also, in the Whatcha Playin segment, Al talks about their time with Dragon Age Veilgaurd while Emmett talks about his time with El Paso Elsewhere and Coffee Rush. Timestamps: Start 00:00 TotS: Games That'll Get You Through the Political Moment    29:03                               Fallout Series (not Brotherhood of Steel or Shelter)    30:46                               Metaphor Refantazio/1000XResist    53:36                               Dragon Age Series    1:01:45                               Red Dead Redemption II    1:15:26                               Simulator Games    1:20:51                               Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess    1:30:26                               Novels to Read    1:40:09                               Whatcha Playin?    1:47:52                               Dragon Age Veilgaurd    1:48:28                               El Paso Elsewhere    2:04:06                               Coffee Rush    2:12:04                               Housekeeping    2:19:06 Housekeeping: Potato Sack Racing Simulator 2024 | VGU Test Drive Vidjagame Apocalypse : The Top 6 Top 5s - Vidjagame Apocalypse 600 VGU.tv's Starter Pack  Check out YouTube Channel here!⁠ ⁠Follow us on Bluesky, @vgu.bsky.social!⁠ ⁠Like us on Facebook!⁠ ⁠Follow us on Instagram!

As much as videogames tend to be about wreaking havoc and wrecking stuff, there are relatively few that actually let you tear through and collapse the buildings that dot their landscapes. We're not sure why it took us 601 episodes to reach the topic of games where you can wreck buildings, but here we are, and after that we'll get into Tetris Forever, Rise of the Golden Idol, Slitterhead, Super Nintendo World news, and the game characters you wouldn't want to have over for Thanksgiving. Question of the Week:  Is there a song you associate strongly with a specific videogame - whether because of its themes or a specific memory of playing them together - even thought it isn't actually connected to that game? Break song is Turn Down For What by DJ Snake and Lil Jon. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We've somehow made it to 600 shows! To celebrate, TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins us for a laugh-filled Top 5 about previous Top 5s, and it's so big, it's a TOP 6! After that trip down memory lane, we'll talk more about Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania, Nintendo confirming backwards compatibility for the Switch successor, and your favorite moments from our 599 previous shows. Question of the Week:  Who's a videogame character you'd hate to have Thanksgiving dinner with? (If outside the US, substitute any extremely stressful family holiday dinner of your choice.) Break song is Top That by Larry Weir and the cast of Teen Witch. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

It's the day after Halloween, but we've got one last spooky show in us - this time about wandering ghosts you can find off the beaten path in games that aren't even about horror.  With Tony Wilson of Framework along for the ride, we'll also talk about Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Clock Tower: Rewind, an Oregon Trail movie, and the games you wish other games would rip off more. Question of the Week: In honor of our 600th episode next week, what's a favorite moment of yours from our show? Break song is Ghostfire by Tiger Army. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The early Resident Evil games were once popular enough to spawn a whole horde of zombie-killing imitators with fixed camera angles and tank controls, and erstwhile host Dave Rudden rejoins us this week to laugh at five of the more obscure ones. Then we'll get into Sonic X Shadow Generations, Mechwarrior 5: Clans, news from the Xbox Partner Preview, and your most favoritest zombie games. Question of the Week: What's a game franchise you wish more competitors would rip off? Break song is David Duchovny, Why Won't You Love Me? (The Reboot) by Bree Sharp. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We're deep into spooky season, so let's take a look back at the strange wave of profane, silly, borderline sleazy zombie games the industry pumped out in the late-'00s/early-'10s, with help from TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing! Then we'll talk more about Metaphor: ReFantazio, Europa, the Game Freak data breach, and your most irrational habits when playing games. Question of the Week: What's your favorite zombie game? Break song is The Middle - Jimmy Eat World by Skatune Network. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Expecting a movie to be an entertaining adaptation of a videogame and be scary seems like asking too much, but gosh darn it if the horror-game movies we talk about in this week's Top 5 with Steve Guntli (of CinemArcade and Puppet Masters/Castle Freaks) didn't try. Then we'll talk about the Silent HIll 2 remake, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO, Nintendo's timely new announcement, and your favorite mind-blowing twists in videogames. Question of the Week: What's your most irrational habit when it comes to playing games? Break song is The Sticky Sweethearts - Lost in the Corn Maze by Obscurest Vinyl. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

With spooky season upon us at last, TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins us for a Top 5 on games that gradually reveal themselves to be haunted traps set by malevolent entities lurking deep within the code (ample spoiler warnings and timestamps here, so keep those fast-forward fingers ready). Then we'll get into The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Mortal Komba 1: Khaos Reigns, Katsuhiro Harada trying to get Colonel Sanders into Tekken, and the unexpected settings you'd like to see your favorite game characters in. Question of the Week: Tell us about an unexpected twist in a game's story that kinda blew your mind. Break song is Your Reality (Credits) by Dan Salvato. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We're all busy, traveling, or directly in the path of a category 4 hurricane this week - but the show must go on, so please bear with our lack of a Top 5 as we jump straight into UFO 50, Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, the State of Play and Sonic Central announcements, and the words you learned from vidjagames. Question of the Week: What unexpected genre or setting do you want to see your favorite game characters in? (Example: Zelda IN SPAAAAACE!) Break song is Konya Wa Hurricane (There's A Hurricane Tonight) by Kinuko Ohmori. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Astro Bot's trajectory from minor character in a tech demo to the face of the best-reviewed platformer on PS5 inspired this week's Top 5, about platformer mascots who went from secondary characters to headlining their own games. After that, we'll get into Funko Fusion, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's Mask of Darkness DLC, The Plucky Squire,announcements from the EA investor event, and your favorite memories of the Dreamcast. Question of the Week: What's a word you learned from a videogame? (Can be a word you just didn't know before, or a gaming term that you learned by playing a specific game.) Break song is I'm Your GPU by Kenneth C M Young. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We just passed the 25th anniversary of the Dreamcast's 9/9/99 US launch, and are marking the occasion with a look at five of the strangest and best controllers and accessories for Sega's ill-fated console. Then we'll dive straight into Astro Bot, PS5 Pro, Warhammer 40k Space Marine II, Yars Rising, the Minecraft movie trailer, and your favorite games that got so-so reviews.  Question of the Week: What's your favorite Dreamcast game, or favorite memory of the Dreamcast? Break song is My Sweet Passion (Chris Vrenna & Mark Blasques Remix) by Fumie Kumatani, Chris Vrenna, and Mark Blasques. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

All three hosts of Welcome to the Thing - TL Foster, Emmett Watkins, and Jarrett Green - join us this week for a special crossover episode and take charge of our Top 5 to focus on "value versions" of popular big-deal games. We'll also get into Tactical Breach Wizards, Bakeru, Squirrel with a Gun, Concord's rapid demise, the best Zeldas being declared non-canon, and your favorite Star Wars NPCs. Question of the Week: What's a game that got so-so reviews but is a 10/10 in your heart? Break song is Fucked Up In The Crib by POPSTARBILLS. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Star Wars Outlaws is out (and fun as hell) this week, inviting players to meet Canto Bight street thief-turned-interstellar scoundrel Kay Vess - so we're inviting Chris Baker back to talk about Kay and five other Star Wars heroes who were created especially for videogames. We'll also get into Castlevania Domunus Collection, Nintendo Direct news, and your thoughts on politicians and their likely favorite games. Question of the Week: Who's your favorite Star Wars NPC? Break song is Nar Shaddaa Party (feat. Kym'zi) by The Kyberpunks. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Black Myth: Wukong is out, and Tony Wilson of Framework has been playing it - but also, Sun Wukong's defiance of Heaven inspired this week's Top 5, about games driven by rebellion against the gods. We'll also get into Dustborn, Arco, reveals from Gamescom's Opening Night LIve, and the "terrible" works of pop culture you'll die on a hill to defend. Question of the Week: Name the favorite game of any politician (not a quiz, just make up something funny). Break song is Sorrow by Bad Religion. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The Borderlands movie opened last weekend, and we've got things to say about it. It also underwhelmed at the box office, putting it on track to be a major flop - but will it flop as hard as the videogame-based movies in this week's Top 5, all of which lost millions in theaters? While we wait to see, we'll get into The Crush House, SteamWorld Heist II, Beetlejuice in MultiVersus, and the first game magazines you remember reading. Question of the Week: What's a piece of pop culture or media that's generally regarded as terrible, but you'll die on a hill to defend anyway? Break song is Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Game Informer's plug was shockingly pulled last week, bringing the last of the major US videogame magazines to an unceremonious end. We'll leave it to others to properly eulogize GI, but we'll mark its passing by inviting Dan Amrich and Dave Rudden (both former editors of GamePro and other mags) to talk about five of our all-time favorite game magazines. Then we'll get into Volgarr the Viking II, World of Goo 2, a new Darksiders, and some things you were introduced to by videogames. Question of the Week: What's the first game magazine you remember reading? Specific issues if possible. Break song is the Nintendo Power commercial jingle. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Deadpool & Wolverine is in theaters, and we're so fixated on Marvel's foul-mouthed, fourth-wall-breaking murder-goof that we're going to talk about five games he stars in, and invite the legend Chris Baker - who worked on many of them and made headlines for refuting the "$100,000,000" rumor - to talk about them with us. Then we'll get into Thank Goodness You're Here, videogame voice actors going on strike, our favorite PlayStation mascot getting their own controller, and your experiences with gaming competitions. Question of the Week: What was something you were first introduced to (like, say, Deadpool or sports) through video games? Break song is Theme of Deadpool by Hideyuki Fukasawa. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The recent release of Twisters inspired us to spend this week's Top 5 segment talking about five of the best tornadoes in games, because why not, and we even invited Tony Wilson of Framework to help us talk about 'em. Then we'll get into Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition, Veritus, Kunitsu-Gami, EVO 2024 announcements, and the cool stuff you've won in contests. Question of the Week: Inspired by Nintendo World Championships and EVO, tell us about a gaming competition you participated in (whether win, lose, or draw).  Break song is Tornado of Souls by Megadeth. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

This week's launch of EA Sports College Football 25 marks the return of the NCAA Football series after an 11-year absence, so TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins us to talk about it and five other long-dead or dormant sports franchises that we'd love to see come back. Then we'll get into Anger Foot, Yeah! You Want "Those Games," Right? So Here You Go! Now, Let's See You Beat Them! 2, the cancellation of Crash Bandicoot 5, and the funniest games you've ever played. Question of the Week: Have you ever won anything in a contest? Tell us about it. Break song is Sports! by Tim and Eric. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Games that are pure parodies - ones that (mainly) target a single game from a competitor to emulate and lampoon - are relatively rare for a lot of reasons, but we scraped together enough to make them the subject of this week's Top 5. After that, we'll look at The Case of the Golden Idol's Xbox debut, the Xbox Game Pass price hike, 3DS's Puzzle Swap finally getting "beaten," and your favorite games starring playable monsters and/or animals.  Question of the Week: What's the funniest game you've ever played? Break song is Never Stop Sneakin' by HyperDuck Soundworks. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We're heading into the 4th of July weekend, when Americans traditionally celebrate Jaws' 1975 attack on Amity Island, so this week we'll (finally!) look at five games where you get to play as a bloody great shark. Then we'll talk about Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, The First Descendant, Nintendo's anti-scalper strategy, and the characters you'd like to sese appear iin Mortal Kombat 1 next. Question of the Week: What is your favorite game starring a monster or animal you can play as? Break song is Jaws by Lemon Demon. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We're halfway through another year, so we've grabbed Brendan Hesse to help us take a look back through the past six months and pick out our five favorite games from 2024 so far. Then we'll get deeper into Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, rumors around upcoming additions to Mortal Kombat 1's roster, and your favorite games to come out this year. Question of the Week: Who should be the next Mortal Kombat guest character? Break song is Bosk on a Segway by MC Chris. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.  

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdree is out at last today, and we've got Tony WIlson of Framework on to talk about his experience with it - but first, we're going to talk about five DEEPLY suspicious. wildly creepy NPCs who actually proved trustworthy in spite of setting off alarm bells in our heads. Plus we'll talk about the Nintendo Direct reveals — including Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Zelda: Echoes of Wisdome — as well as Still Wakes the Deep, #BLUD, and much more! Question of the Week: What's your personal Game of the Year for 2024 so far? (As in, a game that's come out in the past six months.) Break song is You Can't Judge a Book By the Cover by Bo Diddley. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.  

This week, we delve into news from Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, and Ubisoft Forward — but not before inviting Chris Baker on to talk about five "lesser" ports of A-list games that suddenly became the only versions after the "real" games got canceled. We'll also take a look at Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Selaco, and the pop-culture icons you think still need defining games. Question of the Week: Have you ever had a chance to experience a piece of "lost" media (canceled games, unreleased movies, etc.)? Tell us about it. Break song is Good Enough for Now by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The incredible Godzilla Minus One is now on Netflix, so Anthony Abatte joins us to talk... not about Godzilla games (which range from "pretty good" to "abysmal"), but about Godzilla and other cultural icons who have videogames, but not ones that really capture their essence the way, say, Arkham does for Batman. Then we'll touch on Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the Yakuza live-action series news, announcements from last week's State of Play, and your favorite videogame-trope-inspiring movies. Question of the Week: What's a pop culture icon that hasn't managed to get a definitive game yet? Break song is The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny by Lemon Demon. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The release of Furiosa over the weekend got us all fixated on Mad Max again, so we're starting off this week's show with a look at five desert-drivin', raider-fightin', wasteland-survivin' games that owe their existence to George Miller's legendary film franchise. Then we'll get into The Rogue Prince of Persia, MultiVersus' official launch, the Just Cause movie announcement, and the digital games you wish you'd bought physically (or vice versa). Question of the Week: What is your favorite movie that has inspired videogame tropes? Break song is Bitchin' Camaro by The Dead Milkmen. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.