1 Hour 1 Decision (1H1D)

What if Jaws was actually about loneliness… and also had multiple monsters? On the surface, this episode is about is a platforming adventure game developed by Jo-Mei Games and published by Electronic Arts. Lurking below, however, is a story about coming to grips with depression and its many causes. How will we feel about tackling such a sobering narrative? Will the gameplay be compelling enough to...

Are you ready for some (American) football? Not to be confused with the one where feet are in constant contact with the ball, we instead hit the gridiron and recount our experience with 2019's entry in the popular football franchise. Developed by EA Tiburon and published by Electronic Arts, this title has no shortage of virtual athleticism while also introducing a personalized career mode. Have th...

How do you feel about breaking into your neighbor's house? Our curiosity has gotten the better of us as we attempt to sneak into our creepy neighbor’s house in this stealth game developed by Dynamic Pixels. As an added bonus, we are bringing two-thirds of The Crowned Heathens along with us for the breaking and entering! We also have the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button on deck to blame for any...

Is this the one with the soccer cars? Nope, this is the one with (wait for it) an arena full of rockets! Our friend the Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has decided we are reviewing a multiplayer online battle arena for this episode. Developed by Final Strike Games and published by Electronic Arts, this game is definitely a third person shooter, but it also shares DNA with games from other genr...

Do you like riding mountain bikes? How about from the comfort of your couch? The Xbox Game Pass “Surprise Me” button has picked something decidedly different for this episode. Get your helmet and pads ready because we are taking a look at the downhill mountain biking game developed by RageSquid. Inspired by the extreme sports games of their youth, the Dutch studio set out to capture that experienc...

What happens when four players simultaneously attempt a physics platformer? On this episode, we are joined by Joe and Darwin from "How Did We Miss This?" to check out the puzzle-platform game developed by Tomas Sakalauskas and published by Curve Digital. The HDWMT crew has some experience with this title and volunteered to guide us through our standard hour of gameplay. Will their intervention thu...

This game sounds suspiciously like Tom's Blind Guardian Song of the Week! Back in the 1980's there was a trilogy of fantasy RPG games that captured the hearts of many PC gamers. Three decades after that trilogy went dormant, inXile Entertainment has successfully crowdfunded and released this fourth installment. How will this dungeon crawler stack up to the reputation of its franchise? Will knowled...

How many of these card games are on Game Pass? Are we destined to find out? Is it possible that the "Surpise Me" button has attained sentience? For this episode, it has selected another "card & board" game for us play! Developed and published by Tinogames Inc, this title is described as a "strategic, deck-building game" and that definitely sets some expectations. How will this game stack up ag...

What happens when you blend together a chose your own adventure book and a collectible card game? Returning from its vacation, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is back to work and has selected a roguelike with tactical, card-based combat for this episode. Developed by Sharkbomb Studios and released in 2019, this game has managed to fly completely under our collective radar. Will we regret m...

This is not a sketch comedy show, please don't sue us. It may shock you to learn that the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" Button makes some of our decisions but not all of them. We were asked what we have been playing besides games for this show, so we are taking the opportunity to share some insight into our offline gaming habits. We discuss Tom's current love for VR and the growing backlog that hau...

Don't let the roman numeral fool you, this isn't actually the fifth GTA... It is a small miracle that one of our hosts has managed to avoid playing this Triple-A action-adventure sandbox title for as long as he has! Developed by Rockstar North and published back in 2013, this game has appeared on just about every platform out there. On this episode, we are joined by Curt from the Half Hour Bros Po...

So is Ori a monkey, a rabbit, or a fox? Wait a sec... how about a lombax? On this episode, we give the surprise me button the day off and play a game requested by our listeners! To add to the drama, we have conscripted those very listeners to defend their recommendation! How's that for a monkey's paw? How will we feel after an hour of playing this platforming Metroidvania-style game developed by M...

The year is 2021 and we are grappling with a pandemic... also we play a game about it. You can tell this one is random because playing a video game based on a board game about managing a pandemic while living through an actual pandemic is probably not at the top of our to-do lists. Well, the "Surprise Me" button has spoken and we are obliged to acquiesce. What will we think of Asmodee Digital's tr...

Ever feel like the weather is out to get you? Well... it is. The random titles chosen by the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button continue this week. For this episode, our dynamic duo were tasked with spending an hour playing a funny, quirky puzzle game developed by Unbound Creations. Will our hosts use the power of Zeus to make the world a happier place or will they rain mercilessly on all the den...

Sure, on the surface it's clearly a game about mining, but is the title also foreshadowing something else? Our hosts have been tasked with descending into the dark to harvest precious metals and locate the source of some unsettling noises in this action-adventure, roguelike game by Thorium Entertainment. What will they unearth as they spend an hour with the game? Will this random Xbox Game Pass ti...

If you thought we took a break from games to watch a horror film... you probably googled the wrong title. On this episode, our hosts talk about their hour-long experience with the single player adventure game developed by the very indie studio Infinite Fall. Originally funded on Kickstarter, this game has made its way on to Xbox Game Pass and was randomly selected by the "Surprise Me" button for r...

The fuzz is out to stop reckless racers in this twentieth(!) installment of the famous racing game franchise. Our hosts might be considered "rivals" of a sort, but will they feel "the need for speed" while playing this arcade racer developed by Ghost Games? The Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button is clearly interested in the answer because it has selected this particular title from the myriad of o...

What do you get when you combine acclaimed comic book artist Joe Madureira with a turn-based RPG? For this episode, the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button has landed on an interesting choice. Both Tom and Chris are certain to bring some amount of unconscious bias to their hour with this turn-based RPG developed by Airship Syndicate and published by THQ Nordic. Will they be able to look past their...

It's time for shootin' and lootin' in a post-apocalyptic world filled with punks and marauders... If there's one thing we should all know by now, it's that the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button sure likes to make Tom and Chris experience the apocalypse. On this episode, the guys review their hour of play time with Rage 2, an action-packed first-person shooter developed by Avalanche Studios in co...

"Dungeon" sounds promising, "Endless" not so much, especially when we only have an hour on the clock. For this episode, Tom and Chris found an hour to join up and tackle this random selection from Xbox Game Pass together. How will the two of them feel about this roguelike tower defense game developed by Amplitude Studios? Will the bias of playing cooperatively taint their review? Will help from ra...

Horror is on the menu at this fictional pizza chain and Chris is less than thrilled about it. Nevertheless, the Surprise Me button on Xbox Game Pass has randomly selected Five Nights at Freddy's by Scott Cawthon for this episode and so... play it, he must! Will he be able to get past his aversion to jump scares and find some joy during his hour of game time? Will Tom discover that he has been tota...

Did you know this game's plot revolves around blood? Well, it IS the first bullet on the ESRB rating. Also "vein" is in the title, so that should have tipped you off... It looks like the Xbox Game Pass "Surprise Me" button landed us on another post-apocalyptic title, but this one has an anime twist! Will this action role-playing game developed by Bandai Namco feel like Dark Souls and Final Fantasy...

Space is always an enigma... but for how long? Ever wonder what it would be like to be the Artificial Intelligence of a spacecraft? It's probably not something you have considered, but in this plot-driven puzzle game developed by No Code, you can find out! There's no doubt that the Surprise Me button built into Xbox Game Pass has selected a truly unique experience this time. Just one hour is all w...

What does this special episode have to do with a teenager's coming of age party? Nothing, actually. It turns out this phrase has a completely different meaning in the sports world and we are using that definition here! Let the games begin! On this VERY special episode, we have our dear friend Eric from Game Positive (http://linktr.ee/GamePositive) join us to recap the first 16 games that we've pla...