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2026 is here! Before we fully embrace that though, the crew must first definitively and collectively decide on which video games topped our lists for 2025 across eight exciting categories! The batch for today include: Best Aesthetic, Best Story, Best Character, and Best Moment or Sequence! Best Aesthetic - 0:02:54 Best Narrative - 1:24:50 Best Character - 2:24:40 Best Moment or Sequence - 3:21:55

Happy holidays, listeners! Our gift to you is that we’re not dead and we have also dedicated ourselves to updating the massive amount of topics that we’ve covered since we started all the way back in 2018. What is Peter Molyneux working on these days? How much does Poop Slinger cost? Tune in to find out!

Today we take a trip back to 2021 to have a concerning conversation as well as share some insights on the insecurities and impermanence of online video game ecosystems. This along with witnessing, in two different examples, the worst of what can happen when your once beloved property is taken over by the dregs of the internet.

Let us relive some trauma on this episode as we dig into the dark chapter of one of the absolute best franchises to ever grace gaming. Turns out that underfunding an inexperienced studio to tackle a major project in an unreasonable time frame is a poor path to success, who knew!

Who’s ready to party like it’s Easter Sunday, because this week we’re going to get blasphemous and explore what is probably the most elaborate and insane PR campaign for a video game ever. Seven full months of religious-infused stunts destined to promote the character action title that time forgot. Ain’t no sunshine into these layers of Hell!

It’s an 18+ adults only Valentine’s Day special today as we break out the worst console ever made, the Philips CD-i, and recount the true story of when a “sex manual” from the early 70s was bizarrely adapted into an interactive video game from the early 90s. Not even the folks responsible can hide from us!

The discussions conclude as we find our answers to the four final categories: Best Surprise, Biggest Disappointment, Worst Game, and of course a collaborative list of the ten Best Games overall!  Biggest Surprise 0:02:02  Most Disappointing 1:30:04  Worst Game 2:36:45  Best Game 3:26:21

This week begins our mission of naming the top of what gaming in 2024 had to offer. In our first half of the debates, we honor our picks for: Best Aesthetic, Best Story, Best Character, and (perhaps our personal favorite) Best Moment or Sequence. Let the arguments commence!  Best Aesthetic 0:01:02  Best Narrative 1:12:38  Best Character 2:00:31  Best Moment or Sequence 3:03:46

Woo lad! It’s been a whopping six years and nearly 120 episodes! You know what that means. Today we reinvestigate the back catalog to see what’s new with our topics. It’s honestly surprising just how much can change in the last 12 months. Come find out!

We close out the spookiest of all holidays with the unusual tale of how a fun 80s arcade shooter came to be! That was before it killed someone, played a role in a homicide case, and found itself in the middle of multiple conspiracy theories!

Halloween season has officially started so this week we get our hands dirty with Rockstar’s found footage murder simulator… classic? From its controversial portrayal of a deranged man forced into the seedy underground world of snuff film creation to its divisive launch, ensuing bans, and connection to a heinous real-life crime! We cover it all! Not to mention provide a nuanced discussion of using violence as a form of artistic expression and social commentary! Hooray!

It’s our most boob-filled discussion to date as we dissect the development and release of one of the biggest box office hits to ever be based on a classic video game! A blunder filled with interesting casting choices, over the top wire work, cute snow dogs, and an eccentric soundtrack to boot.

Come join the crew in watching the 2001 action-adventure blockbuster hit starring Angelina Jolie! And trust us when I say that you won’t want to take on this task alone… because this film sucks! Weak characterization, sloppy editing, and poor cinematography are only the start of this dud. But don’t worry, our audio track is here to spice things up and save you from utter chaos! Then you’ll have all the context ya need for when we dig into its full production on the next episode. Stay tuned!

We got a fresh batch of weird little stories for the pod this week as we discuss the tangled web of digital music licensing, interactive cures to fight real world disease, and what happens when a public wedding proposal inside of a popular video game goes awry.

And we’re back with our deep dive through the Valve timeline! This week we take a step into the realm of virtual reality as well as explore the mega company’s most recent success following the release of their SteamDeck handheld series!