Vidjagame Apocalypse

Where would RPG heroes be without the faithful merchants who keep them supplied with magic swords and healing potions? Dead in a ditch, that's where. This week, we grab Tyler Nagata for a look at five games that flip the script by making you a shopkeeper in someone else's heroic journey, after which we'll tunnel into Minecraft Dungeons and Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, get excited for Silent Hill's...

This week, Vidjagame Apocalypse welcomes PNB's TL Foster for a good, long look at five times pro athletes starred in videogames that were more about punching monsters than playing sports. Then it's on to swimmer-munching shark nirvana in Maneater , excitement over Paper Mario: The Origami King , and the Schwarzenegger movies you thought were overdue for game adaptations.

This week's news of Arnold Schwarzenegger's return as Dutch Schaefer in Predator: Hunting Grounds has us just a little excited, so we roped in PNB's Kayla Zumbaum for a look at five of the best games ever to let you step into the Governator's shoes. We then wallow in a little more nostalgia with Pixel Ripped 1995 , look to the future with Xbox Series X and PS5 news, and hear about the un-adapted S...

Hang on, this episode isn't about Candy Crush. With Mother's Day imminent, we decided to flip genders on the concept of "dad games" - in which a father has to protect or rescue a child - and focus on moms doing the same thing (which turned out to be surprisingly rare in videogames). Then it's on to Streets of Rage 4, Mortal Kombat 11's Aftermath expansion, and the games you took a year or more to...

We've now officially done as many numbered episodes of this show as there are days in a (non-leap) year, so this week, we're looking at five games whose stories and gameplay are affected by changing seasons over (at least) an in-game year. Then it's onward to the reveal of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, impressions of XCOM Chimera Squad and Gears Tactics, and the games that made you give one of your f...

In this age of games arriving rapidly from Japan, it's easy to forget that localization used to take a long time - sometimes years. This week, Micah Seff of Perfect World joins us to take a look at games that took a decade or more to reach Western shores, after which we'll touch on Trials of Mana, Animal Crossing smashing sales records, and whether you prefer remakes or remasters.

Megacorporations have been popular villains lately, what with being behind the events of three (or four, depending on your feelings toward Tom Nook) major games in as many weeks. So with help from TL Foster of PNB, let's take a look at five of the most diabolical conglomerates to ever cackle maniacally at your insignificant rebellions, after which we'll dive headfirst into Final Fantasy VII Remake...

Sometimes, the first few minutes of a game are so memorable that they overshadow everything that comes after them, standing out as the first thing you remember about the game for years afterward. This week, we grab TL Foster for a rundown of five of our favorite opening sequences ever, after which we'll touch on Final Fantasy VII Remake, get deep into the Resident Evil 3 remake, and hear about the...

Remakes and remasters aren't just a modern-gaming phenomenon - far from it. They've been part of gaming since at least the '80s, and this week, we grab John Brandon of Square Roots to look back at five of our favorite remakes from the 16- and 32-bit eras. Then we'll dig into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, Panzer Dragoon Remake, Resident Evil 3, news of Mario and Nier remasters...

This week's VGA pays tribute to the world's embattled health-care professionals the only way we know how: By talking about five games that let you play as one, with help from Leif Johnson of MacWorld. Then it's onward to Doom Eternal, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Half-Life: Alyx, and who you're siding with in the next-gen console wars.

Half the world is on lockdown right now, and the only way through this mess is to band together... by staying separate. But sometimes there's power in isolation, and we're here to help you through it with five games that used themes of solitude and loneliness to tell unforgettable stories. Then we'll look at the recently unveiled details on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, spend some time on Nioh...

Between the third season of the Netflix show and the mobile release of Symphony of the Night, it's a good time to be a Castlevania fan – so to celebrate, we grabbed friend of the show Greg Moore for a look back at five of the best Castlevanias whose stars weren't whip-wielding Belmonts. Then it's time to dive into Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Call of Duty: Warzone, the most shocking E3 announcem...

Super Tuesday left seemingly everyone angry about politics, so let's dedicate this week's show to the only politicians everyone can agree on: the absolute shithouse ones that pop up as major villains in videogames. With Alex Faciane - of Super Beard Bros, Chilluminati, and now Wunderling - on board, we lay into five soullessly ambitious lawmakers, after which we'll jump into the Final Fantasy VII...

This week's release of One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows was precisely the shoddy excuse we needed to make like SNL's "J-Pop America Fun Time Now!" and geek out over anime, as we discuss 5 games you might not have known were made by anime creators. It was a topic too big for Matty and Chris to cover alone, so we enlisted the help of two very special guests this week: TL Foster of the PNB podcast...

Platinum Games is a studio known for extreme action and distinctive gameplay, so with Bayonetta and Vanquish out again as 10th Anniversary editions, let's take a look at some of the most unique gameplay hooks they've come up with, with help from Cicero Holmes of Rivals of Waterdeep. Then we'll briefly talk Maneater with Tripwire Interactive CEO John Gibson, get excited for Double Dragon & Kunio-Ku...

Today is Valentine's Day, so let's take a look at some of gaming's most iconic couples, with help from Larry Charles of Striking Distance Studios. We then take a close look at Dreams, Geoff Keighley's departure from E3, and your favorite Black videogame heroes.

In honor of Black History Month, TL Foster joins us this week for a celebration of five of our favorite Black videogame heroes, all of whom took the spotlight in their own games and helped redefine what their franchises could be. Then it's on to a look at The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, a quick dip into GeForce Now, and your dark horse games of the decade.

It's finally time to reveal our picks for the greatest games of the past 10 years! And because we chose the list purely based on our personal preferences, dismissing silly ideas like "importance" or "cultural impact," we invited USGamer Editor in Chief Kat Bailey to lend some authenticity (and skepticism) to the proceedings before taking a look at your favorite games of the past 10 years.

Our march through the greatest games of the past 10 years continues this week, as Greg Moore rejoins us to run through five of Chris' personal picks ahead of next week's top 10. Then it's on to a look at Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Horizon: Zero Dawn PC rumors, and what E3 still means to you.

Our ongoing series on the greatest games of the 2010s continues! After covering five of Mikel's picks last week, this week's show focuses on five of Matt's nominees, with Jorge Albor of Experience Points along for the ride. Then it's on to Sony skipping E3, the Epic Games Store's success, and the games you're most looking forward to this year.

This isn't just our first show of the new year - it's our first show of a new decade! With that in mind, let's jump on the 2010s nostalgiawagon and count down our top 25 games of the previous decade, five games at a time. With TL Foster along to pass judgment, join us as we embark on a multi-episode series of Top 5s personally selected by each host (starting with Mikel's picks this week), eventual...

It's time for our seventh annual end-of-year show, in which we invite a rotating panel of guests to help us count down our top 10 games of the year! This year's show clocks in at just under 4 hours(!), and features appearances from Chris "Cbake" Baker, Carolyn Petit, Greg Moore, Steve Guntli, TL Foster, Leif Johnson, Kayla Zumbaum, and Jorge Albor! Join us, why don't you? Here's a quick cheat shee...

Who says 2D's dead? The year-end cavalcade continues as we take a look at five of our favorite retro-styled games to arrive this year, with help from Steve Guntli and Woody Ciskowski of Ultra 64! Then it's on to Wattam, news from the Game Awards, a new Xbox, and your favorite new characters of 2019.

2019 has been a great year for new and original games, and it's introduced a ton of new characters to the gaming canon. This week, Leif Johnson of MacWorld.com joins us to talk about five (OK, six [OK, seven]) new characters whose antics this year left us wanting to see more. Then it's on to MechWarrior 5, SuperMash, Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play (we'll talk about the Game Awards next wee...

PlayStation turned 25 this week! To celebrate, we invited PNB Podcast's TL Foster and Kayla Zumbaum to join us for a dive into the past and a look at five much-loved PSOne exclusives that never made the jump to later generations. Then we'll take a quick look at Phoenix Point, get wistful about the return of Toys 'R' Us, and hear about the games you crowdfunded and loved.