Game & Watch with Aaron & James

“I went to sleepaway camp so long ago that it was the Stone Age. No, but seriously, it wasn't the Stone Age... it was the Ice Age! No, really, it was the Stone Age.” Join Aaron and James this week on a trip back in time to a fictionalized 1981 summer camp romp! Director David Wain, numerous members of The State, and MANY other funny people combine talents to pull off what might the one of the funn...

“Many monarchs have come and gone. One drowned in poison, another succumbed to flame. Still another slumbers in a realm of ice. Not one of them stood here, as you do now. You, conqueror of adversities. Give us your answer.” Aaron and James are joined again by a special guest to wrap up their discussion of an underappreciated entry in the Dark Souls series. This week, they explore the world and lor...

"Bearer of the curse…Seek souls. Larger, more powerful souls. Seek the King, that is the only way. Lest this land swallow you whole… As it has so many others." For this momentous episode, Aaron and James are far from crestfallen as they are joined by a very special returning guest to discuss an entry in one of their all-time favorite video game series. A divisive game, it is not without its detrac...

“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. And they’re very beautiful.” This week, Aaron and James pay tribute to the late director, David Lynch. Listen as they discuss the man himself, his artistry, their ex...

With the year coming to a close, Aaron and James reflect once more on the games they played in 2024. As usual, they'll surprise you (and each other) with some of their picks. Hopefully some of your favorites made their lists!

“One man's toxic sludge is another man's potpourri.” It’s the holiday season, and we’ve got a special present for all of our listeners! Join Aaron, James, and a surprise returning guest to discuss this controversial adaption of a holiday classic. Do the comedic style of Jim Carrey and the magic of Dr. Seuss work together? Or should Ron Howard get a lump of coal for his directorial efforts? Listen...

"Can I ask you something, Kittridge? If you're dealing with a man who has crushed, shot, stabbed, and detonated five members of his own IMF team, how devastated do you think you're gonna make him by hauling Mom and Uncle Donald down to the county courthouse?" Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to listen to Aaron and James discuss the finer points of this 1996 action spy film. Does Br...

Lately, it seems like every other game announcement is a remake or remaster of an old favorite. But what’s the difference? And what games deserve a second chance at life? That’s what Aaron and James will debate in this episode! Each has their own ideas about the muddled differentiation between remakes, remasters, ports, and reboots, and each has a list of six games that deserve the treatment. Ther...

Thought Spooky Season was over? Surprise! And the surprises don’t stop there. This week, Aaron leads James through a horror-themed mystery segment guaranteed to shock and provoke some divisive reactions, to say the least! James then takes the wheel and gives his thoughts on some of the MANY horror films he digested this October. May Spooky Season live in our hearts all year long!

“If that were in text, I would emphasize it and heart it!” The V/H/S film franchise is not without its bad dialogue, but Aaron and James are pleased to report that it has an above-average blend of good ideas and horror elements, including this exterrestrial-themed entry. This week, join your hosts as they continue spooky season by discussing the franchise as a whole before diving into the latest o...

“All you have to do is accept her f**king gift!!! The 7th entry in this legendary survival horror franchise is quite the gift! This week, Aaron and James gush over the game’s terrifying sights, creepy sounds, and downright macabre Baker family. But do the changes in gameplay hold up to the series’ standards? Does the storytelling? Why is Chris Redfield here? So many questions, so little time! Come...

“I told you before, I didn't want you to read this crap! I never saw such rotten crap in my life!” Only some of the crap’s rotten in this famed 1982 horror-comedy anthology film written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero. But what’s crap and what’s genuinely frightening are what Aaron and James will be discussing this week! These five tales beg such questions as: Why does Stephen Kin...

"A thousand years ago, everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, they knew the Earth was flat. Fifteen minutes ago, you knew we humans were alone on it. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow." This week, Aaron and James, noisy crickets in hand, tackle yet another wonderful 90s film. Joined by a very special returning guest, your hosts talk about every single thin...

“Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?” This week, Aaron and James board a bus armed with a bomb set to explode if they say anything negative about this 90s classic thrill ride. Join them as they discuss action hero Keanu, the absolute joy that is Sandra Bullock, and a su...

“We-a won’t be happy until de Island-a Open champ-a plays-a Mario!” Grab your tennis rackets and Game Boy link cables, and join Aaron and James for an exploration of a true gem in an underappreciated genre: the sports RPG! Lend an ear as they discuss a story mode strangely devoid of Mario characters, why a fully grown, seemingly middle-aged man would be attending a children’s tennis academy, and m...

“No one understands the lonely perfection of my dreams. I found perfection here. I've created it. A perfect organism.” This week, Aaron and James explore a later entry in the Alien series. Despite a great cast and strong direction from Ridley Scott, this is a strangely divisive film, and your hosts have set out to find out why. Join them as they discuss the tropes of the series, make inevitable co...

This week, Aaron and James each select two infamous box office bombs and try to defend them. They explore what made those movies fail, what might have prevented the losses from happening in the first place, and why those movies are better than their gross suggests. Listen in and see what they picked!

Grab your holy water, knife, and, uh, cross (are we sure it isn’t a boomerang?) because it’s time to kill Dracula! This week, Aaron and James finally tackle an entry in the beloved Castlevania series. This being a Castlevania game, you know you can count on James doing quite a bit of gushing. But while that might be the reason to tune in, discovering Aaron’s takes on the game and genre is the reas...

"Are you still saying your prayers? Our prayers protect us from the devil." Nothing can protect Aaron and James from a spirited discussion about the newest film from director Osgood Perkins. The target of much buzz and effective marketing, this horror thriller features Nicholas Cage (going for it, as usual), Maika Monroe, and some really great atmosphere. But does the film adequately explain why b...

The entire Game & Watch draft crew is back this week to draft their favorite video game franchises! Now, if you're wondering how to define what constitutes a video game franchise ... well, so are we! The crew has a rollicking good time talking about their picks and there is no shortage of surprises along the way. This draft was far from predictable, and is not one to be missed!

"I didn't choose the Skux life, the Skux life chose me." This week, Aaron and James head out into the bush with a very special returning guest to talk about a delightfully funny Taika Waititi film. Is Sam Neill criminally underrated? Is Rachel House one of the greatest comedic actors alive? Is majestical a word? Listen in as the trifecta answers these questions, contemplates endless ideas for Paul...

“I wish Freddy Krueger would come, and chop off your head, and it would roll in the street, and a truck would squish it, and the blood would splatter everywhere, and everyone would watch it!” Remember Misery? Or The Joker? What if you put those films in a blender, tossed in a dash of cliched noir dialogue, a dead maid, and John Travolta? Better yet --what if Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit fame directed...

"Face me, Shulk! Successor of Zanza! I'll crush the Bionis, and spread its ashes across the world! Then I'll turn the Monado into dust. Only then will there be peace!" Sometimes a game comes along that sinks its hooks in and just won’t let go. Sometimes that game is an 80+ hour JRPG touching upon age-old themes like the futility of revenge, what it means to be human, and being a sexy anime teen wh...

“You have to believe me, this was a stupid decision, but I did it with the best intentions.” Here's a quiz: Is that quote from one of the characters, or the director of this movie? Armed with their convenient raptor larynxes, Aaron and James attempt to rescue this third entry in the Jurassic Park series from itself. The hosts also dare to ask the tough questions that no one else will. For example:...

We're drafting yet again! Join Aaron, James, and three returning guests from the Game & Watch draft crew as they select games from the year all five of them made the transition from high school to college. In 2007, there were single player experiences aplenty, but there was also no shortage of multiplayer madness. This was also the year that launched some major franchises that changed storytelling...