Hardcore Gaming 101

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG REVS UP SOME CHAINSAWS! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Square's first handheld RPG. Then stick around for Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, enduring proof that Valve can't count to three! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be THE BOUNCER   — Square's early PS2 beat-em-up!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, much m...

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG SOARS TO THE SKIES! Join the HG101 gang, plus returning special guest Saralene , as they discuss and rank the second entry in Nihon Falcom's Trails series. Then stick around for Top Banana, an unrelenting onslaught of audiovisual cacophony! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be DOUBLE SWITCH   — the twisting, mechanically-complex spiritual successor to Night Trap!   Do...

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG FRAMEDROPS ONWARD! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an open-world RPG with an arcade-style sensibility. Then stick around as returning special guest Phil Salvador joins for Marble Drop, a puzzle game about dropping all the correct marbles into all of the correct holes! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be PSEUDOREGALIA   — a dreamlike 3D platformer that wo...

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG CONTINUES! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a tactical RPG about saving the world with psychic powers. Then stick around for Diablo, a game that redefined the action-RPG! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be KAISOKU TENSHI: THE RAPID ANGEL   — a comedic beat-em-up that can doom you to a bad ending within the first 30 seconds!   Donate at Patreon  to get th...

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG ZOOMS ON! Join the HG101 gang, plus returning special guest Ghaleon Unlimited/Chris Hatala , as they discuss and rank the last trace of Phantasy Star's existence as an offline RPG. Then stick around for Fallout: New Vegas, a game about how terrible it would be to deliver mail in a nuclear apocalypse! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be MOON CHILD   — a true story abo...

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG HAS RETURNED! Join the HG101 gang, plus returning special guest Ghaleon Unlimited/Chris Hatala , as they discuss and rank Falcom's action-RPG that introduced the world to a new adjective. Then stick around for Neon Genesis Evangelion: Girlfriend of Steel, a visual novel that brings fans exactly what any traumatized mech pilot would want - dating! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get...

FPS Through the Ages draws to an explosive close! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a 2020s first-person shooter that blends classic and modern FPS elements into a gory cybernetic thrill ride. Then stick around as returning special guest Sean Seanson joins for Magical Date: Doki Doki Kokuhaku Daisakusen, an arcade game about wooing girls based on your ability to do basic math! This week...

FPS Through the Ages moves when you move! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a 2010s viral hit that attempts to redefine the first-person shooter genre. Then stick around for Muppet RaceMania, a kart racer with a surprising amount of platforming mixed in! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be TRICKY QUIKY GAMES: DIE SUCHE NACH DEN VERSCHOLLENEN SEITEN   — an advergame platform...

FPS Through the Ages brings out the big (gravity) guns! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a 2000s first-person shooter that brings forth the stunning innovation of chucking objects at an NPC's head. Then stick around for 3D Dot Game Heroes, a 2D-turned-3D Zelda clone that lets you create your own player character! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be BULLETSTORM   — a foul-m...

FPS Through the Ages patrols forth! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a 1990s first-person shooter that pushes the Wolfenstein 3D engine to absurd heights... literally. Then stick around for Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, the movie tie-in that completes the prequel trilogy! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be PARAPPA THE RAPPER   — an incredibly cool, incredi...

FPS Through the Ages soars on! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a 1980s intergalactic first-person shooter/RPG for the X68000. Then stick around for BROK the InvestiGator, a beat-em-up adventure that lets you punch your way past difficult puzzles! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be LORETTA NO SHOUZOU: SHERLOCK HOLMES   — the only adventure game for Sega's SG-1000!   Donat...

A new HG101 event begins - FPS Through the Ages! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a 1970s first-person space combat game for the Odyssey². Then stick around for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, an over-the-top lawyering adventure that no one should have an objection to! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be MEGA MAN SOCCER   — the secret reason why Mega Man kicks around a ball...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a newer, co-op multiplayer take on the idea of a robot quest. Then stick around for Steve Meretzky's Planetfall, an interactive fiction game filled with very logical puzzles, designed to trip up anyone who is not paying attention! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be ROBOQUEST (1996)   — an older, more confounding take on the idea of a robot...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a glimpse from the deeper depths of Sonic fandom. Then stick around for 20 Minutes Till Dawn, a Lovecraftian Vampire Survivors-esque survival game! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be GROW HOME   — a massively large-scale 3D platformer where the plant you grow serves as the path upward!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and muc...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank the first poorly-rated Mario film. Then stick around for D.O.A.: Dead or Alive (2006), Ryu Hayabusa's most noteworthy film appearance! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION   — that one fighting game based on the live-action Dragonball movie...!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, much more! Follow th...

Join the HG101 gang, plus special guest Darren Hupke of Pixels and Polygons , and returning special guest Katherine , as they discuss and rank the Uncharted sequel that would define a generation. Then stick around for Gearheads, a truly competitive "overwhelm your foe with a whole bunch of toys on a chessboard" experience! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION   — t...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a too-ambitious-for-its-own-good Lost World: Jurassic Park FPS. Then stick around for Golden Light, a Baroque-like roguelike that offers quite the meaty experience! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be CRASH BANDICOOT 2: N-TRANCED   — Vicarious Visions' second effort at a handheld Crash platformer!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus cont...

Join the HG101 gang, plus special guest Katherine , as they discuss and rank an aquatic spiritual predecessor to the Zero Escape series. Then stick around for Your Only Move Is HUSTLE, a turn-based stick-figure combat game! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be WWF BETRAYAL   — a non-wrestling beat-em-up for the Game Boy Color!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, mu...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a landmark for '90s PC gaming. Then stick around for Darkwing Duck (NES), a Capcom platformer based on the popular Saturday morning cartoon! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be DEVIL DICE   — an unconventional dice-rolling action-puzzler for the Playstation!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, much more! Follow the show...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an Australian mascot platformer about being a tiger with two mouths. Then stick around for Crimsonland, a bloody 2003 game that paved the way for Vampire Survivors! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be MILANO'S ODD JOB COLLECTION   — a 2D life-sim/minigame collection from the makers of Wonder Boy!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus conte...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a Game Boy Advance game based off a hybrid live-action/CGI kids television show. Then stick around for Arctic Eggs, a futuristic physics-based frying game! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be STARSEED PILGRIM   — a mysteriously minimalistic puzzle-platforming garden experience!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, much m...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a low-poly PS1-inspired horror game. Then stick around for Rusty, a PC-98/DOS game that Castlevania fans will love! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be THE ADVENTURES OF BAYOU BILLY   — the Konami game whose biggest claim to fame is serving as the plot for episode 2 of Captain N: The Game Master!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus conte...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an off-rails light-gun shooter/survival-horror hybrid. Then stick around for Starstruck: Hands of Time, a mixed-media rhythm RPG! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be RASCAL   — a bubble-blowing 3D platformer!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, much more! Follow the show on  Bluesky  to get the latest and straightest do...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank an interactive experience starring a literal cyborg pig cop. Then stick around for Ape Out, a dynamically percussive action game about an ape who... escapes! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be TEQUILA & BOOM-BOOM   — a cartoon animal western adventure game!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and much, much more! Follow the show...

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a morbid take on a morbid game concept. Then stick around for Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia, a game that can drive the most good-natured person into a passionate rage! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be NINJA GOLF   — a cool Atari mashup between ninja action and the sport of golf!   Donate at Patreon  to get this bonus content and m...