Play Comics

Read transcript Flame on, podcast listeners! This week we’re stretching our way back to 2005 to tackle the Fantastic Four game that somehow managed to land on more consoles than Reed Richards has had scientific breakthroughs. Based on the first Fox movie that made us all question whether Hollywood truly understood what “fantastic” meant, this multi-platform adventure promised to let us clobber our...

Read transcript Welcome back, web-slingers and button-mashers, to another delightfully unhinged episode of Play Comics! This week we’re crawling back to 2002, when flip phones were cutting-edge technology, everyone was still trying to figure out what the heck a “blog” was, and Activision decided the best way to capitalize on Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movie was to let Treyarch loose with a development...

Read transcript Greetings, fellow arcade archaeologists and button-mashing historians! This week on Play Comics, we’re diving headfirst into the delightfully bizarre world of Mazin Saga: Mutant Fighter for the Sega Genesis – that wonderfully weird 1993 hybrid that somehow convinced an entire development team that what the world really needed was a game where you could punch mutant biobeasts in the...

Read transcript Welcome back, intrepid trainers and portable pixel pioneers! This week on Play Comics, we’re diving headfirst into the magical world where handheld gaming meets manga madness with Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen for the Game Boy Advance – those delightful remakes that proved sometimes going back to where it all began is exactly what the Pokédex ordered. Released in 2004, these Kanto...

Welcome back, comic crusaders and digital daredevils! This week on Play Comics, we’re diving into the gloriously chaotic world of Heavy Metal: Geomatrix for the Sega Dreamcast—a game that asks, “What if Heavy Metal magazine became a button-mashing arena brawler with enough explosions to make Michael Bay jealous?” Released by Capcom in 2001 and featuring the wild art of Simon Bisley, this four-play...

Read transcript Hold onto your utility belts and prepare for maximum overdrive, because this week on Play Comics we’re crash-landing straight into the chaotic world of Teen Titans for PS2, Xbox, and GameCube – a game that somehow managed to capture the essence of being a superhero teenager while simultaneously making you question whether saving the world is worth the carpel tunnel. Released in 200...

Read transcript Believe it or not, ninja enthusiasts, this week on Play Comics we’re kunai-diving into the pixelated shinobi wasteland that is Naruto: Ninja Council for the Game Boy Advance – because apparently someone at Tomy thought the best way to honor everyone’s favorite orange-clad ramen addict was to trap him in a handheld prison with combat mechanics more frustrating than trying to explain...

Holy Kryptonian catastrophe, comic crusaders! This week on Play Comics, we’re diving headfirst into the digital dumpster fire that is Superman: Countdown to Apokolips for the Game Boy Advance – because apparently someone thought the best way to honor Superman: The Animated Series was to trap the Man of Steel in a tiny screen prison with graphics that make MS Paint look like the Sistine Chapel. Rel...

Read transcript HULK SMASH… your expectations! This week on Play Comics, we’re going green with rage as we dive into 2005’s The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction – the game that asked the important question: “What if we gave players the power to literally punch a helicopter out of the sky and then use a bus as a baseball bat?” Developed by Radical Entertainment for the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube,...

Strap on your jetpack and set your phasers to “mildly confused,” because this week on Play Comics we’re rocketing straight into the neon-lit chaos of Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday! That’s right—dust off your Sega Genesis and prepare for a wild ride through a universe where the future looks suspiciously like a 1990s living room. Joining us for this cosmic caper is none other than Vasco Pickett...

Read transcript Gather ‘round, Dragon Ball devotees and gluttons for punishment! This week on Play Comics, we’re subjecting ourselves to the digital equivalent of getting hit by Frieza’s Death Beam repeatedly-Dragon Ball Z Taiketsu for the Game Boy Advance. Imagine taking the most explosive anime franchise in history and cramming it into a game with all the fiery intensity of a damp firecracker. S...

Prepare your beam sabers and polish your Zaku helmets-this episode of Play Comics is about to launch straight into the Universal Century! We’re diving headfirst into the PS2 classic Mobile Suit Gundam: Federation vs Zeon, where the only thing more intense than the space battles is trying to pronounce “RX-78-2” three times fast. Joining the fray is none other than Derek Van Dyke from Super Deluxe G...

Read transcript Get ready to tattoo the number XIII on your memory banks (preferably not on your collarbone) as Play Comics dives into the cel-shaded, amnesia-riddled world of XIII – the video game adaptation that brought Jean Van Hamme’s acclaimed French graphic novel series to life on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. This first-person shooter might be the only game where waking up on a beach with comple...

Welcome, Earthlings and Cybertronians alike, to another episode of Play Comics-where the only thing more confusing than the continuity is trying to fold yourself into a PS2 disc case! This time, we’re rolling out (and occasionally transforming) into the wild world of the 2004 Transformers video game. Yes, the one that’s based on Transformers: Armada-even though the box art was too shy to admit it,...

Read transcript Hell hath no fury like a Hellspawn scorned, especially when that Hellspawn is leaping between platforms on your PlayStation 2! This week’s episode of Play Comics dives headfirst into the fiery pits of “Spawn Armageddon,” the video game that attempted to cram the first 99 issues of Todd McFarlane’s demonic anti-hero saga into button-mashing glory on PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. Chains w...

This week on Play Comics, we’re taking you on a high-speed tour through Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, a PS2 classic that’s equal parts thrilling dogfight simulator and love letter to Universal Century lore. From piloting iconic mobile suits to reenacting pivotal battles from the One Year War, this game has everything a Gundam fan could ask for—except ground-based combat (but hey, who ne...

Yo Joe! Or should we say “Yo NES!” because this week on Play Comics, we’re tackling G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero—the video game adaptation of everyone’s favorite cartoon about freedom-loving heroes battling against Cobra’s endless supply of bad ideas. With explosive levels and a cast of characters straight out of your childhood toy box, this game promises big action… but does it deliver? Chris t...

Welcome to another episode of Play Comics, where we volley between the pixelated world of video games and the ink-stained pages of comic strips! This week, we’re serving up a nostalgic slice of handheld gaming with Snoopy Tennis for the Game Boy Color—a game that lets you smash tennis balls as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang while channeling the quirky humor of the Peanuts comic strip. But don...

Attention, space cadets and retro gamers! Prepare to blast off into a pixelated adventure as Play Comics takes on Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom. We’re zooming through the 25th century faster than you can say “bidi-bidi-bidi,” exploring this cosmic classic that graced the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Atari 5200, and Intellivision. Joining us on this retro romp is none other than Andy Larson, one of the...

Greetings, cave dwellers and retro gaming enthusiasts! Prepare to be transported back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth and pixelated graphics were cutting-edge technology. This episode of Play Comics is about to take you on a wild ride through the prehistoric world of BC’s Quest for Tires and its bone-rattling sequel, BC II: Grog’s Revenge. These ColecoVision gems, inspired by Johnny Hart...

Read transcript Prepare for takeoff, fellow gamers! This week on Play Comics, we’re blasting off into the world of Robotech: Battlecry, where you can pilot a Veritech fighter and save the universe while trying not to crash into your own nostalgia! Join us as we follow Jack Archer on his epic quest to defend Earth from those pesky Zentraedi, all while dodging missiles and mastering the art of trans...

Read transcript Attention, digital duelists and pixel-punching prodigies! Prepare to digivolve your eardrums as Play Comics takes a nostalgia-fueled dive into the arena of Digimon Rumble Arena on the PlayStation 1. This episode is more loaded than Agumon after a spicy curry feast! Joining us in this byte-sized battle royale is none other than Derek B Gayle, the podcast polymath behind such hard hi...

Grab your time-traveling bow and arrow, folks! It’s time to dive into the prehistoric playground of Turok: Evolution, the game that asked, “What if we took a beloved comic book series and cranked the dinosaur-blasting action up to 11?” Join us as we explore this Acclaim-produced, multi-console extravaganza that had gamers questioning whether they were playing as a noble warrior or just a really en...

Attention, mutant enthusiasts and digital adventurers! Prepare yourselves for a journey into the pixelated past as we dive headfirst into the treacherous depths of Murderworld. This week, we’re joined by the indomitable Austin Auclair from PatientRock to tackle the notorious X-Men: Madness in Murderworld, a game that’s been haunting players’ nightmares since 1989. Get ready to dust off your DOS di...

Attention, pixel-pushing pals and manga maniacs! Prepare to embark on a thrilling journey through the digital pages of gaming history as we dive into the world of The Mafat Conspiracy, the NES sequel to Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode. This episode of Play Comics is locked and loaded with more action than Duke Togo’s sniper rifle! We’re joined by the legendary Dean Guadagno from  The Video Game Libra...