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Vidjagame Apocalypse
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Videogame-industry veterans Mikel Reparaz and Anne Lewis rally their colleagues for weekly discussions about games, the industry, and the circus of egos and information that surrounds it all.
628 Episodes
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Plenty of sequels improve on a formula or reinvent it entirely, but how many really perfect it? This week, Tony Wilson of Framework joins us for a debate about which five sequels nailed what their predecessors were goinf for, turning classics into masterpieces. Then we'll get into Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Sand Land, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, a little Stellar Blade, and the in-development(-hell) game movies you most want to see. Question of the Week: What games did we miss in our top 5? Which sequel “nailed it” by iterating on what earlier games had done? Break song is Toss A Coin To Your Witcher by Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
The Fallout TV series is out, it's great, and it's making us think of other, less-fortunate game-to-movie/TV adaptations - the ones languishing for decades in development hell, continually changing hands only to fade into obscurity. We'll look at five of the most striking examples this week, after which we'll get into Harold Halibut, Children of the Sun, the Fallout series (no spoilers), Nintendo skipping Gamescom, and your favorite Metroidvanias (that we didn't talk about last week). Question of the Week: Is there a videogame movie in development (or in development hell) you’re looking forward to seeing? Break song is Crawl Out Through the Fallout by Sheldon Allman. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Super Metroid turns 30 in the US on April 18, so we're celebrating the genre it kick-started by inviting Brendan Hesse for a debate-style Top 5 about the best Metroidvanias. Then we'll get into Season 1 of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Star Wars Outlaws, The Rogue Prince of Persia, and your favorite videogame x brand cross-promotions. Question of the Week: What’s your favorite Metroidvania that we didn’t talk about in the Top 5? Tell us what we missed. Break song is Regretroid by Starbomb. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Localizing games from Japanese to English (or vice versa) can be a delicate process, and sometimes yields results that are strange enough to become cultural phenomena on their own. This week, Greg Moore joins us to look at five famously weird localization decisions, after which we'll get into Freedom Planet 2's console release, (still more) Dragon's Dogma 2, a report that older games are taking up the bulk of everyone's game time, and the home console repairs or hacks you're proudest of. Question of the Week: Inspired by Matt’s shameless Sonic IHOP plug, what’s your favorite videogame/other brand cross-promotional tie-in of all time? Break song is Invasion of the Gabber Robots by The Laziest Men on Mars. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
"Janky" can mean a lot of things in the context of games, but this week - hot on the heels of Dragon's Dogma 2 - it means weird, faintly shoddy-feeling fun, and Jarrett Green joins us this week to talk about five games that are arguably beloved because of their jank. We'll also talk (a lot) more about Dragon's Dogma 2, plus Alone in the Dark, Marvel Rivals, Gearbox's sale by Embracer, and the overlooked/cult games you think deserve a sequel. Question of the Week: Tell us about a time you hacked or repaired a console, controller, or other piece of gaming hardware on your own. Break song is Emil's Shop Theme (English) from Nier Automata. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
The right music can make an already memorable moment unforgettable, and this week Tony Wilson of Framework joins us for a look at five games that expertly surprised us with unexpected musical moments, elevating their stories in the process. Then we'll get into Rise of the Ronin, Alone in the Dark, the newly greenlit Sims movie, State of Unreal 2024 news, and the franchises you'd like to see WayForward reinvent next. Question of the Week: Now that we have Dragon’s Dogma 2, what criminally overlooked/cult hit game needs a sequel glow-up? Break song is Unshaken by D'Angelo. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Akira Toriyama passed away at 68 on March 1, leaving behind a rich legacy of iconic manga, anime, and (largely dragon-themed) videogames. To mark his passing, we're joined by TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing for a look at five game franchises to which he lent his talents, after which we'll get into Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story, Contra: Operation Galuga, Nintendo's Mar10 Day announcements, and the dormant EA franchises you'd like to see them refocus on. Question of the Week: In the vein of Contra: Operation Galuga and other WayForward adaptations of existing IP, what series should be WayForwarded next? Break song is Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Ian Gillan. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
This week is bookended by Ufouria The Saga 2 and WWE 2k24, both of which let you switch characters on the fly by tagging in partners - so with help from Emmett Watkins Jr., we'll count down five games that had some of the coolest character-swapping mechanics. Then we'll dig into Unicorn Overlord, Balatro, announcements from the Xbox Partner Preview, and your favorite second entries in game series. Question of the Week: What dormant EA franchise shoulld the company refocus on? Break song is I Wanna Take You For A Ride from Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
1 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is out, and being that it's the middle entry in a trilogy, we've invited Brendan "The Crawl" Hesse to talk not only about the game (he finished it), but for a a debate-format Top 5 about other trilogies with fantastic middle entries. We'll also get into Pacific Drive, the Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster, news from the Pokémon Presents, and your favorite franchises that haven't put out a new entry in at least a decade. Question of the Week: What's your favorite second game in a series? Break song is Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealers Wheel. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
2014 was a big year for series swan songs, when a number of once-huge videogame franchises launched what would end up being their last installments (as of this writing 10 years later, anyway) - so this week, we pay tribute to five of our favorite series that have now been dead (or at least dormant) for a decade. Then it's on to Mario vs. Donkey Kong, (more) Helldivers II, Penny's Big Breakaway, the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, Elden Ring DLC news, and the biggest asshole moves you've pulled in games. Thanks to this week’s sponsor, NordVPN. Visit nordvpn.com/lasertime to get an exclusive deal and try it risk free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Question of the Week: What's your favorite franchise that has been dormant at least 10 years? Break song is Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Bioshock Infinite cover) by Tears for Fears. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Skull and Bones is out this week, so we're reinventing one of our earliest Top 5 topics and debating the best-ever pirate games! Will your favorites find swashbuckling glory or be keel-hauled into ignominy? Then we'll get into Helldivers 2, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, and the villains you think should get their own games. Thanks to this week’s sponsor, NordVPN. Visit nordvpn.com/lasertime to get an exclusive deal and try it risk free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Question of the Week: What's the biggest asshole move you've ever pulled in a game? Break song is You Are A Pirate by Máni Svavarsson, Ken Pontac, and Mark Valenti. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Beloved actor Carl Weathers passed away last week, and TL Foster joins us to help pay tribute with a look at five games Weathers either appeared in, or that included the characters he brought to life. Then we'll get into Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, Foamstars, the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo, Disney buying a stake in Epic, and the fighting-game characters you think deserve their own spinoffs. Thanks to this week’s sponsor, NordVPN. Visit nordvpn.com/lasertime to get an exclusive deal and try it risk free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Question of the Week: What vidjagame villain deserves their own starring role as the (anti)hero of a game? Break song is Oh No You Didn't by Wojahn Bros. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Tekken 8's launch has us captivated this week, so Anthony "BruceWayneBrady" Abatte joins us to talk about it — and about five of the fighting-game series' most noteworthy spinoffs. Then we'll get into the PlayStation State of Play news, the simultaneous reveal and cancellation of an unproduced Deus Ex, and your favorite games that rip off other games. Thanks to this week’s sponsor, NordVPN. Visit nordvpn.com/lasertime to get an exclusive deal and try it risk free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee. Question of the Week: Which fighting game character from any franchise deserves their own spinoff action game? Break song is Knocc 'Em Down by Snoop Dogg. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
We're continuing to play with format this week, starting with a non-traditional Top 5 about sequels that went by completely different names. Why's it non-traditional? We don't even start with a set list, and debate to decide it right there on the show! Then we'll delve into a slew of new releases including Palworld and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the reveals from the Xbox Developer Direct, and the franchises you think should be re-rebooted. Question of the Week: What's your favorite game that could be considered a knockoff of another, more successful game? Break song is A.M. 180 by Grandaddy. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is out this week, and we're all big fans! Before we dig into it on the show, though, it also inspired this episode's (traditionally formatted) Top 5, about series that have gotten more than one reboot over the years. Then we'll talk about Billy Mitchell settling with Twin Galaxies, GameStop backing off NFTs, and the series-outlier games whose gameplay you wish they'd revisit. Question of the Week: What once-rebooted franchise do you think could benefit from another big reset? Break song is Mond, Mond, Ja, Ja by Die Kåfer. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
With Tekken 8 launching in a matter of weeks, this week's Top 5 pays homage to other series that managed to hit at least eight games (and kept the number somewhere in their titles) - but with a twist, as we continue to experiment with new Top 5 formats. This week, we combine a trivia contest and a debate over which games should be included... to, uh, uneven results. Then we'll get into HBO's The Last of Us casting its Abby, SAG-AFTRA striking a game-voiceover deal with an AI studio, and your most anticipated games of 2024. Question of the week: What's an outlier or unusual game in a long-running series whose gameplay formula you wish they'd revisit? Break song is The Count Sings About 8 from Sesame Street. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
Let's start off 2024 right: With a look at five games we're especially looking forward to in the next 12 months! Then we'll get into the Polymega retro console (and Mikel's nearly four-year wait to get one), the 14,000 games Steam added in 2023, the first human being to "beat" NES Tetris, and your personal Games of the Year for 2023. Question of the Week: Which game are you most looking forward to in 2024? Break song is New Year's Resolution Song by Rhett & Link. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.
If you've been following along the last few weeks you should know our top 10 games of 2023. What you probably don't know (unless you're a Patreon subscriber) is how we arrived at the final order for our list. Every year we record a Patreon-exclusive episode where Mikel, Matt, and Chris duke it out to decide on the order of our top 10. Patrons have had access to this episode for an entire week, but since it's the holidays and we're feeling generous, we wanted to give all of you a little taste of this exclusive episode that we like to call... THE ORDERING! To access the full episode you'll have to go to Patreon.com/lasertime and subscribe. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you in 2024!
The wait is over! We continue with the second half of the GOTY countdown we started last week, and reveal our Top 5 Games of 2023! We've once again invited a rotating panel of guests to help out, including Jesse Cox, TL Foster, Tony Wilson, Brendan Hesse, Ryan Harig, Steve Guntli, and Jorge Albor. Did your favorite game make the cut? Listen and find out! Question of the Week (Month?): What's your personal Game of the Year for 2023? 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: 8:48: #5 with Jorge Albor 29:33: #4 with Brendan Hesse and Steve Guntli 48:08: #3 with Steve Guntli and Anthony Abatte 1:09:29: #2 with Ryan Harig and Brendan Hesse 1:33:52: #1 with Jesse Cox, TL Foster, and Tony Wilson
A fantastic year for games is nearing its end, which means it's time for us to look back at the past 12 months and anoint our top 10 games of the year in a discussion so big, we had to split it into two shows. This week, we're joined by a rotating panel of guests including Tony Wilson, Brendan Hesse, Chris Baker, Steve Guntli, Woody Ciskowski, Jorga Albor, and Johnny Brandon. Check out our picks for 10 through 6 this week, and stay tuned for next week, when we'll kick it off with #5 and count down to our Game of the Year. 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: 5:27: #5 with Tony Wilson and Brendan Hesse 26:28: #4 with Chris Baker and Steve Guntli 50:02: #3 with Brendan Hesse and Tony Wilson 1:12:44: #2 with Steve Guntli and Woody Ciskowski 1:32:54: #1 with Johnny Brandon and Jorge Albor
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chris just described kung fury.
Chris floundering trying to prove he's not a complete P.O.S. lol
chris love ya but slow down on the sauce on podcasts your arguing over the devil was insufferable.
that ff8 remaster looks like the pc port. I have the original pc version and the screen shots look just like what I played back in 99 on a voodoo 3 card. pc master race.
This podcast used to be great. Now it's just an excuse for obnoxious impressions of little remembered characters, in jokes and, unnecessarily loud people.