Girl Mode

Willa visited her hometown this week, and somehow it made us both nostalgic. After playing Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Sea of Stars, we're talking about retro throwbacks — games that intentionally evoke their old-school influences. We cover what makes this sub-genre so popular, the different ways nostalgia can be deployed, and cats wearing mech suits. Timestamps (00:20) A whole bunch of bullshit (07:1...

Love is in the air this week as we're still playing Baldur's Gate 3, a game about getting down with your problematic favs and I guess saving the world or whatever if there's time left over. After sharing our thoughts on BG3's romance and why it's maybe been a little overblown, we talk about what does and doesn't work in game romance generally. Surprising no one, we end by recommending some indie g...

[Baldur's Gate 3 Act 1 spoilers from 3:20 to 53:25] We're actually in sync with the rest of the world this week, meaning we've done nothing but play Baldur's Gate 3. We cover our favorite encounters so far, who we're smooching, thoughts on why BG3 would be better untethered from D&D, and of course our take on THAT video. Timestamps (00:20) Kafka check-in (03:20) Karlach Appreciation Society (5...

On today's episode, we run down the good, bad, and incredibly problematic news from the recent FFXIV Fan Fest. After speculating about Dawntrail's new jobs and thirsting over hypothetical future bunny girls, we turn our attention to what's quickly become the year's biggest RPG. We still haven't played much of Baldur's Gate 3, but we did both get to make hot trans tieflings in its character creator...

We're talking about NEWS this week, because coming up with topics is HARD. Overwatch League may be over, Star Wars Outlaws may be a cooking sim, GTA 6 may finally be coming out, and AI definitely has no place in journalism. Then we have an extended segment on what we've been watching this week, including Robin's new favorite anime and the two — excuse me, three — biggest movies of the summer. Time...

In this issue, Willa emerges from a cocoon at the bottom of Jamaica Bay with more stories of mutants, homosexuals, and homosexual mutants. It's the second part of our sporadic series on X-Men history, in which Willa covers roughly 40 percent of what she planned to and Robin occasionally knows what's going on. From sexy space wives to scratched corneas, we've got it all this week! If you haven't he...

Robin has been upgraded from unemployed to underemployed, so we spend this week talking about jobs. Specifically, job sims. What games belong in this extremely broad genre and do we like any of them? Why do people want to do free digital labor when they don't have to? Is Willa a time-traveling assassin? You'll find the answers to these questions and more in this week's episode. (02:05) So, what is...

To get back into the swing after our week off, we're playing the hits this time by griping about games media and getting excited for indies. First up, Final Fantasy XVI inspires us to talk about the deeply frustrating state of video game reviews and why scores are the least important part of them. Then we move to sunnier territory by running down our favorite parts of the Annapurna Interactive Sho...

Robin has finally played the Final Fantasy 16 demo, so we're back yet again to share our heretical opinions on Square Enix's next guaranteed 10/10 game. Then we turn to a topic that's much less harmful to chocobos, with Willa's trip to play Tribeca's official game selections in-person. We cut things short this week after Robin's computer goes on strike, a decision which we of course fully support,...

Summer game showcase season is in full swing, and may god have mercy on our souls. This week, we talk through the best and worst of Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs, and too many other shows to list. From fluid herding gameplay to Willa declaring war on Atlus, we cover a lot of ground this time. Timestamps (00:30) It's the most insufferable time of the year (11:30) Citizen Sleeper 2 GOTY 2024 and...

Pride is here and we're celebrating by continuing to be gay. What starts as a fun conversation about queer characters ends up as a lament of mainstream queer representation and why it's so important for developers to do better. (0:30) Happy Pride from two exhausted lesbians (3:50) No cops at Pride (even in Overwatch) (12:30) Return to the Homoverse (20:00) A long rambling conversation about our fr...

Somehow, not-E3 season is already upon us and Sony is first out of the gate to set the bar low. We run through a bunch of games we mostly can't tell apart before Robin falls into a fugue state and rambles about Dragon's Dogma 2 for a while. After Willa shares what she's been reading and watching this week, Robin gives a TotK check-in that's still pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. It's the e...

It's normie week on Girl Mode, with Willa and Robin actually talking about AAA games for once. First, we discuss our time so far with Tears of the Kingdom, a good game with some big issues worth pointing out. Then Willa dives into her preview of Final Fantasy XVI, a game that's so just dark and gritty dude, and what it means for the series as a whole. We round out the week with video essays, board...

While the rest of the world is building dick robots with everyone's favorite genderfluid elf, Willa and Robin spend this week gushing over the incredible demos at this year's Ludonarracon. Listen for our uncharacteristically positive takes on this year's upcoming narrative games, many of which still have demos available! To end the episode, Willa recommends her current horny fanfic obsession and R...

Willa and Robin are on their best behavior this week on account of a very special guest stopping by. The great Jess Reyes is here to tell us all about Honkai Star Rail, from her favorite team comp to how to pronounce names that we stubbornly refuse to get right. Tune in to hear about our favorite anime girls and maybe you'll even pick up some of Jess' absurd gacha luck. You can follow Jess on Twit...

Robin kicks off this episode by ambushing Willa with a Pollyannaish take on the collapse of democracy before we move into our less optimistic feelings about the state of games journalism (stop me if you've heard this one before). The news of Waypoint's imminent closure has us in a dour mood that can only be salved by the beautiful murder machines in the new trailer for Armored Core IV, which we wa...

We're speedrunning a few new releases and announcements this episode, starting with the most important (read: gay) news of the week. Then we leave WLW corner to talk about another Nintendo indie showcase that has people continuing to be weird about Silksong, and discuss Unrecord, a cop game that promises it has nothing to say but still looks down on you for not respecting it. We end with Willa's l...

This week, we explore the lives of our ancestors: the various imps, demons, and mutants of the X-Men! Listen in as Willa bravely explains Omega-level mutants, trans allegories, and homosexuals with cool swords while Robin slowly breaks her spirit with incessant questions. We'll be back to being mean about video games next week; part two of this sporadic series will appear when you least expect it....

It's Episode 25, a fact that Robin refuses to celebrate with Willa for no clear reason. We didn't play any of the same things this week, so we meander through Willa's take on the Mario movie (it's fine), describe some tweets to each other (they're cute), and defend the honor of visual novels from lame-ass jokes (they're annoying). Then Kratos discourse continues to ruin Willa's life but neon compu...

[Spoilers abound for Life After Magic and Citizen Sleeper!] This week, Willa and Robin take their final trip to Erlin's Eye, with the last episode of our 2022 GOTY Citizen Sleeper. We chart the very different paths we took to find community in the ruins of capitalism and get predictably choked up about it. But first, we both played another game we can't stop talking about: the magical girl visual...

In this special bonus episode, Willa and Robin sit down with the multi-talented and extremely busy Rue Dickey to discuss the TTRPGs for Trans Rights in Florida bundle. The 500-game bundle has raised $234,000 so far for trans charities and is available until April 7 ! Listen in as we discuss the realities of fundraising, why tabletop games are so darn gay, what YOU can do to help queer people aroun...

Previews for Arkane's capitalism simulator Redfall are out, hinting at a game with lots of good ideas built on a shaky foundation. Tune in to see if a few killer pull quotes are enough to get us on board. Then we reject the very concept of timeliness to talk about Nier Automata, a game that Robin finally finished despite being a little baby who doesn't like when games are hard. We praise what may...

This week we fought demons, braved network connectivity issues, and thirsted over Lilith in the Diablo IV beta. Tune in for our takes on the good and bad in the beta and the gastronomically inadvisable way we got there. Then one of the best-reviewed games of 2005 2023 leads us into our own considerably less positive feelings on gaming's ongoing obsession with remakes, and what it might be costing...

There's a lot on our plates this week, so of course we start by talking about how hot 40-year-old Jill Valentine would be if Capcom weren't terrified of the idea of women aging. Then it's on to the Resident Evil 4 demo, Paradox Interactive's recent showcase and strategy games in general, and Willa's take on Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. We end the show with Twice and a giant block...

This week, we're talking VR: when it works and (mostly) doesn't, why it still hasn't caught on, and what would actually make us abandon our feeble bodies for the virtual realm. Robin talks about a digital mouse that made her cry, Willa hosts another installment of Horny Vampire Corner, and as usual, we end the episode by deciding everything would be better if we were in charge. Timestamps: (00:30)...