Critical Arcade

This week Dave and Nick must join Captain Phoenix and the Aeropans to help uncover the secrets of the eco shortage and the mysterious dark eco that is causing havoc. As they dig deeper they uncover a plot involving dark eco experiments, ancient Precursor artifacts, and a villainous figure known as the Dark Warrior. They must stop this new threat from plunging their world into chaos and restore the...

Dave grabs his +20 Smoldering Legendary Monocle and Nick wears his +5 Lucky Legendary Spandex Pants because they have both been exiled to Wraeclast, a land plagued by corruption, ancient evils, and supernatural entities. They must embark on a treacherous journey through this realm, seeking redemption and uncovering the truth behind the land's dark history. Will Dave stop referring to the gameplay...

Uh oh, Dave and Nick are going a bit Danish again. That's right they are becoming one with everyone's favourite constructible toy, LEGO. But this time in a galaxy far away with itty bitty lightsabers. Tasked once again with taking on the personas of a vast cast of legends and stopping The Big Bad . This time with even more Lego hijinks and tomfoolery. Will Dave get over the fact that the Lord of t...

All aboard!! Nick and Dave are travelling through the stars on an interstellar train. That's right they've put their brightly coloured contacts in, dyed their hair a luminous colour and have been working on their cringy catchphrases. They are tasked with battling unknown enemies and unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos in a story that has yet to even have a glimpse of an ending. Will Nick be ad...

This week Nick and Dave take on the role of the young Padawan Jaden Korr as they travel to Yavin 4 to join the Jedi Academy to train to become Jedi Knights. Under the tutelage of Luke Skywalker and Kyle Katarn, they must stop the Dark Jedi from resurrecting the Ancient Sith Order and resist the urge to burn a hole through Rosh, the most annoying being in the universe. Will Nick resist the pull of...

Oh boy... In this episode, Dave and Nick travel to the middle of Nowhere to help a friend sell her house only to find she is missing. After hearing a blood-curdling scream in the forest they investigate and must pick up multiple vague, ambiguous pieces of paper which somehow helps, I think. All while being chased by the mysterious Slenderman who likes the papers where they are?! Will Nick or Dave...

What the cluck? Dave and Nick are visiting Tweedy's Farm in the English county of Yorkshire, but things have gone a-fowl. They find themselves controlling the plucky chicken Ginger helping her and her friends build an elaborate plan to escape becoming chicken pies! Will Nick be able to see past his childhood love of this movie and be impartial? And why does Dave seem so passionate about Sprout was...

This week Nick and Dave grab their tactical gear, bulletproof vests, badass haircuts, and become part of a group of elite counter-terrorist operatives from various countries and organizations around the world. They will be tasked with working together with their team to outsmart and outmaneuver the opposing team in order to achieve victory. Or run and gun in solo like some sort of hero thinking th...

In this episode, Dave and Nick are joined by their editor, Niklas, to be transported to Dragon Ball Z's earth where they are tasked with putting to rest past combatants and stopping the combined malice and evil of Hell itself. Does Dave actually fight people at picnics? Did Nick actually choose academia over Dragon Ball Z? And will Niklas ever return for another episode? Find out next time on CRIT...

In this episode, Nick and Dave are woken up in 18th Century England taking on the role of Miriam, a Shardbearer, who must help defeat the hordes of Demons released from hell and track down fellow Shardbearer Gebel who is hellbent on taking his revenge on the world from his gothic inspired uber castle, the Hellhold. Will Nick ever pick his jaw off the floor after realizing Save Rooms are found thro...

Finally, Nick and Dave are joined by their wives! Nick and Trudi and Dave and Joanette take on the roles of May & Cody whose turbulent relationship has reached its breaking point. However, through some magical intervention, their minds are transported into two dolls made by their daughter, Rose. With the help of the magical Dr. Hakim, they must learn to work together and overcome their differe...

This week Dave and Nick grab their Nightvision goggles and ultra-tight stealth gear and jump into the role of Sam Fisher, veteran field agent of the Third Echelon. But with the loss of his daughter, life isn't so black and white anymore and they have to navigate the murky waters of undercover work in the JBA. Will Dave ever lean to run in this game or just continue to sexually saunter to every enc...

This week Nick and Dave get their hands on probably the Greatest JRPG of all Time; Chrono Trigger. They take control of the time-traveling crew of Frog, Ayla, Lucca, Robo, Marle, and Crono and their task is to save the world from the clutches of Lavos while traveling multiple time periods. Will Nick be able to get over how much content is stuffed into such a small cartridge? Will Dave ever stop gu...

The worst has happened... Nick and Dave's plane has crashed on a densely forested peninsula surrounded by crazed cannibals! Oh, and they both have a son named Timmy who some red guy stole or something. Now they must muster all their skills and knowledge to survive, try to locate their Timmys, and unravel the mysteries of the island. Will Dave even venture away from the crash site? Will Nick comple...

This week Dave and Nick are plugging themselves into the Digital World and teaming up with their digital companions yet again. This time tasked with taking down the evil corporation A.o. A. whose plotting to control the world. Will Dave buckle under the pressure of saving the world being on his now 12-year-old shoulders? Will Nick grow too old to finish the game waiting for the battle animations?&...

This week Nick and Dave are whisked off to have a look at Wario's newly built castle that's overflowing with the riches he's "acquired" and definitely not stolen. But then an ominous evil Jewel awakens and takes everything he has, because of course it does. It's now up to Nick and Dave to help Wario get it all back in a new world that's part Alice In Wonderland and part Jurassic Park! Will Dave's...

This week Dave and Nick are transported to the region of Galar where they have to watch their fiance die in their arms by the hands of the evil dragon's henchmen. But with the power of their new Dragon Blade and disembodied Dragon voice-in-their-head, Valthorian, they must track down the other evil dragons and vanquish them to save the world and to quell the raging fire within themselves. Will Dav...

This week Nick and Dave arrive at the pastel-dipped, strangely dystopian, town of Portia where their estranged father has left them a dilapidated Shack to start a new life and career. Thanks, Dad! They must use their wits and hone their skills to become the best carpenter/farmer/researcher/warrior that there ever was... in a community that has Children of the Corn vibes. Will Dave ever get past hi...

This episode Dave and Nick put on their black turtle neck sweaters, grab their silenced pistols, and their face-changing super gadgets as they are taking on the role of Ethan Hunt, the point man of IMF. They have to track down a list of undercover spies before it gets into the wrong person's hands. With more twists and turns than a broken Spirograph will this be a mission they can complete? ...

One does not just simply walk into Mordor, One takes the entire Lord of the Rings Story and turn it into Legos! This week Nick and Dave take on the iconic roles of the Fellowship of the Rings through the discovery of the Ring at the Shire, the ass-clenching Battle at Helms Deep, and the emotive destruction of the Ring in Mt Doom, but all this with wacky Lego-like antics. Will Dave ever leave the S...

Time for a vacation! In this episode, Nick and Dave fly to the sun-soaked vista of Delfino Isle where they take on the role of everyone's favorite plumber Mario. But instead of enjoying himself with his companions a mysterious doppelganger gets our mustachioed friend framed for crimes he didn't commit. We now face hundreds of hours cleaning everything with ... a squirt gun. Will Nick be driven mad...

It's Back to School this week for Nick and Dave but this time as renegade teens Misako and Kyoko. Instead of having to deal with High School Politics and Exams, they have to save their dreamy boyfriends from mysterious kidnappers. But this isn't normal suburbia. Everyone is trying to stop them from the Principal and his Students to the mall clerks and Security Guards, and even the infamous Yakuza....

In this episode, Nick and Dave camo-suit up, wrap a bandana around their heads, and grab their closest cardboard box. They are on their way to Costa Rica while taking on the legendary role of "Big Boss", aka Snake, tasked with stopping a mysterious army from making Costa Rica a scapegoat for nuclear holocaust. Will Dave manage to follow who all the characters are? And will Nick ever be able to fin...

This episode Nick and Dave have to sharpen their pencils and grab their backpacks because they are headed back to school! This time to Hermelin High, Japan, where playing a parlor game called Persona gets them caught up in a hotpot of the betrayal, manipulation and high-jinxs of teenage life. Does the the first Persona game hit home as well as its sucessors? Or does it get lost in translation? Sup...

This time Nick and Dave take on the role of the most bodacious of the Four Horsemen, Fury. An unbridled mage with an addhorrent dislike of humans and rules, who needs to track down the Seven Deadly Sins and extinguish their lives. Will Darksiders 3 be THQ Nordic's return to form? Or will it be the final swansong of a respected franchise? Support the show at patreon.com/criticalarcade or criticalar...