Button Boys

This week we're headed to Tinseltown, doll. That's right, the dream factory has come a-knockin' and it's time to talk about the best and worst movie tie-in games. From scantily clad babes performing kung fu moves to top-down tactical thrillers, the Boys dissect the mainly terrible, but sometimes great, film forays into gaming, as well as which films are absolutely ripe for adaptation. But before a...

It was a dark and stormy night, the wind howled against the rain-speckled windows of Pierre's shed. Inside, three hooded figures gathered around a tea-stained table, pushed aside their podcast microphones and began an unholy chant. Lightning crackled through the brooding sky as, within the walls of the haunted chamber, the spookiest games were summoned forth. That's right, it's Halloween week, and...

We've all had one of those days: just missing the bus, stepping in a deep puddle, pissing ourselves a little bit. But none of us have had the kinds of days that gaming protagonists routinely face. From severed limbs to shipwrecks, we subject our digital avatars to the worst possible experiences. This week the Boys discuss the absolute worst of it. Crawling through sewers, being flayed alive, catch...

Much like side streets, side arms, side tables, side dishes and sidemen, can provoke surprisingly strong feelings. This week we're going off the beaten track, ignoring the main objective and tackling the good, the bad and the ugly of secondary storylines. We've got drunken foolery, farting pigs and complete letdowns. But enough about the hosts, on with the podcast! As always, the Boys catch up on...

This week the Boys try to settle the debate raging across the country: which historical or futuristic period makes the best setting for a game? From early symbolic thought through to space travel across the outer reaches of the universe, gaming covers every era, but which one suits it best? Before all that, we check in on Glenn to see how he's dealing with the social media backlash to his Crimson...

This week's topic is all about the maggot in the apple, the flaw in the diamond, the suspicious stain on the clean-smelling underwear. That's right, it's the parts of otherwise great games that we hate. Disgusting sound effects, tedious intros, impossible tasks and unfamiliar mechanics have all weaselled their way in to the Boys' all-time favourites. But before that, they catch up on what they've...

If you missed out on the first ever Button Boys LIVE, don't worry, we remembered to record it! This week, the Boys had to pitch their worst-ever game ideas to an audience at Leicester Square Theatre. After a few minor technical hitches, Sarah came straight out of the gates with an avian-themed game for the gerontophiles among us, Pierre set out his vision for a drone-controlled dating sim and Glen...

I'll let you into a secret. We've been lying to you all this time. Every week, when you think you're listening to the latest video game content your podcast app of choice has to offer, we've been pulling the wool over your eyes. That's right, what you've been hearing is literally weeks old. But don't fear, because The Boys are back and fresh as hell. With a month off between recordings, they've cr...

This week we're getting to grips with the age-old tutorial. Whether it's boot camp, prison or simply being born every game takes its time to show you the ropes. The Boys look at the seamless, the absurd and the downright clunky attempts at tutorials. But before that, we catch up with what they've been playing. Pierre's switched off his brain with a psychedelic throwback to impenetrable Japanese ga...

Have you ever found yourself enjoying a game and then BAM... you hit an ick? Something so minor but so off-putting that you just have to put the controller down and walk away. This week's episode is all about those moments. The small things that games can do to really ruin your experience. From cringey box blurb and clunky dialogue to lame side quests and lewd camera angles, we've got ick covered....

We've all had those moments. You put down the controller, take a long, measured breath and express your absolute shock/consternation/contempt/awe (delete as applicable) with the phrase, 'You've got to be f***ing kidding me!' This week the Boys relive their most jaw-dropping debacles. Whether it's realising they can't complete a game because of a terrible decision, treacherous save points, game-cha...

*Cues Fortunate Son* Bone spurs will not save you from this very special episode of Button Boys, brought to you by Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. So don your warpaint and load up the Huey because we're in for a wild ride. And by wild ride I mean Sarah, Glenn and of course Pierre have been getting to grips with Hell Let Loose: Vietnam. From hidden boat attacks, helicopter evacs and dragging your teammate...

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there. And we don't like different. Or too much of the same. And that's why this week's episode is all about the games you play once and have absolutely no appetite to return to. Whether it's outdated mechanics, not wanting to spoil their nostalgia or just because the games were plain terrible, the Boys examine the games they've known and l...

Pop on a bib and bring out your best dinnerware, as this week's theme is food and drinks. From phone booth chicken to liquid burgers for two, the Boys discuss the entire range of video game F&B. Mouthwatering meals and stomach-churning sustenance are all on the menu for today. But before that, we catch up with what they've been playing, with Sarah's discovery of a delightful point-and-click, Pierr...

Every person who plays video games has had a moment when their jaw drops, their eyes widen and they find themselves dribbling onto their laps the sheer effort of comprehending the paradigmatic shift in front of them. Ok, maybe not every person. Still, this episode is dedicated to those moments: the times when you just couldn’t believe what a leap forward games had taken; the times when you realise...

Unzip your wallets and loosen your coin pouches because this episode's all about the most filthy of lucre: money. From septims to souls, in-game currency has been integral to countless RPGs, platformers and Glenn's favourite shopkeeper games. But how do you spend yours? When does it work, and when does money lose all meaning? Why does Glenn like being poor so much? And what's the vendor doing with...

This week's episode is all about bosses, from the good ones to the bad ones to the really, really old ones. The Boys recount the most annoying boss mechanics, challenging fights and memorable final encounters. Before they get too bossy, though, the Boys catch up on what they've been playing this week. While Pierre has been enjoying competing online in an old favourite, Sarah and Glenn have been su...

The rage, the desperation, the cries of "Why, God, why did you do this to my beautiful boy?" This week's episode is all about gaming heartbreak. Hundreds of thousands of hours of gaming time are lost every year to power cuts, faulty chips and malevolent cousins. We all know that pain. Was it all for nothing? Well, this week, the Boys, in the safe space of the shed, share stories of anguish from th...

There is never, ever enough time to game. This week's episode dares to dream of a world in which we have nothing to do: no obligations, no commuting, no structure. Basically, 2020. If the world were to shut down again, what are the games that you'd finally love to play? Is there an epic RPG you just can't see yourself completing, or an open-world multiplayer game that requires too much commitment?...

In this week's episode, the Boys scrape up the fetid sludge from the bottom of the barrel to see what absolute slop they can find. From clones to cash grabs, smut to even smuttier smut, they've braved the worst so you don't have to. But, much like their mudlarking counterparts, they've managed to find a few glistening trinkets amongst the detritus. Elsewhere, the new Patreon Age of Empires playalo...

Cast your minds back to the start of the year, in the dank, dark depths of winter, when our intrepid hosts, full of hope and joy, set out their stalls with their most hotly anticipated games of the year and risked it all to be crowned Best Boy 2026. Fast forward to late June: sweltering heat, the world in a state of turmoil, the perfect time to check in on how they're getting on. What are their sc...

With Pierre off in Japan and Sarah still salty about their recent loss over on Patreon, we decided to dedicate a whole episode to The Last of Us games. And who better to join us than the award-winning journalist, author, host of My Perfect Console and friend of the show, Simon 'Podcast' Parkin. Simon edited the recently announced Look for the Light: The Last of Us Anthology, which contains intervi...

NEWS FLASH! Button Boys is going LIVE. September 15th, Leicester Square, 7pm. Tickets go on sale 15th June with a pre-sale for our Patreon members. Head over to Patreon to find out more information and follow the link below to book. The pale horseman approaches this week and beckons to you with his skeletal finger to come follow him to the Great Beyond, where you'll find this episode of Button Boy...

This week's topic, as kindly suggested by BirdsNest on the Discord, is the vacuous, time-wasting, mind-numbing empty-calorie games that we just can't get enough of. As always, we catch up with what the Boys have been up to. Pierre's headed into training against the hard-as-nails CPU in a quarter-of-a-century old game, and Glenn, Sarah and Producer Ben have been off to a very swanky event for a lit...

The Button Boys are back to defy all expectations, turn everything on its head and redefine everything you hold dear. Or talk about games they thought they didn't like and now they do, whichever's easiest. This week on the gaming road to Damascus it's all about U-turns. Pierre has done an about-face on story games, Sarah's done a 180 on wacky gunslingers and Glenn's completely Lego of his prejudic...