Y2Gamers

This week, we recount our separate visits to Japan earlier this year to attend 2 incredible events: Nick goes to the Hololive SUPER EXPO 2026 to gush out at his favorite virtual idols and Ming is transported to anime heaven at the Evangelion:30+; anniversary event! What amazing otaku loot await them? What hijinks does Nick's travel buddies get into? And what legendary celebrities will they me...

This week on Y2Gamers, we travel to the bloody streets of Hong Kong's underworld with action legends Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung in John Woo's epic Hard Boiled - his magnum opus before moving to America!    And yes, there will be babies! :D So what are you waiting for? Time to squeeze those triggers and press that 'Play' button!

This week, we fly deep into the Bacterian Empire and face the insane challenge that await us in the original arcade version of Gradius 3!  For those who grew up playing Gradius 3 on the SNES and have fond memories of it like I did, this certainly AIN'T IT! Prepare to experience some of the most difficult shooting levels ever to reach into your pocket and dissolve quarters by the truckload.  W...

Universal Century 0079... A lone BonusLizard sits down in front of his television and after decades of otaku fandom, finally embarks on a journey to the front lines of the epic One Year War in Mobile Suite Gundam...for the first time ever.  Join us as we take a closer look at Japan's biggest anime franchises that has endured the test of time for nearly 50 years -- filling our man-child lives...

This week on Y2Gamers, we return to the chaos that the Borg is reigning down on the Alpha Quadrant, but more specifically, everyone’s favorite first officer - William T. Riker. Join us as we recap the action and drama-packed episode of Best of Both Worlds Part 2, revisit some of the Nexf Gen classic games of the time, and share many many laughs at Warp Speed! So what are you waiting for? Time to h...

Captain's Log: November 19, 2025. After an extended shore-leave, the Y2Gamers crew has embarked on another fascinating mission: to explore a seminal moment in Star Trek history - the ambitious Best of Both Worlds from the Next Generation!  Join us on the bridge of the Enterprise as we re-live some of the most challenging moments facing Picard's crew as they confront the Trek universe&apo...

This week on Y2Gamers, we take a hit from Shredder's de-mutation ray-gun and crawl back into our shells to play two 90's uber-classics: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES).  Being arguable the centerpiece of many of your arcade and living room gaming experiences growing up, we put these two versions head-to-head and see which o...

For our very last episode of 2024, we are bringing you a very special conversation about the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series...a category-defining show that remains as powerful today as was almost 30 years ago.  In this very special edition, we discuss how NGE TV has impacted us over the last 3 decades and how our impression of the show, as well as our understanding of its themes continue to tra...

Just in time for Halloween, we travel this week into deep space, revisiting the terror on LV-426 in James Cameron's epic horror-action film: Aliens. Undoubtedly one of the most memorable blockbusters of the 80's, the film is full of iconic moments and quotes that live on nearly 40 decades later! Today, we take you through many of those classic moments, while providing some fun behind-the...

This week on Y2Gamers, Nick and I punch, kick, and piledrive our way through the rough, crime-filled streets of Metro City in Capcom's Final Fight. For the game that was intended to be Street Fighter's direct sequel, Capcom pulled out all the stops to ultimately craft a masterpiece that would literally define a new category of arcade brawlers for generations to come.  Join us as we explo...

Welcome to part two of Nick’s Tokyo adventures. After beating the Tokyo Marathon, Nick hung around for an additional week checking out all the geekiest delights Japan had to offer. From maid caffès to retro gaming arcades, we get into the nitty gritty details of how the holiest of destinations for Otaku culture has changed since Nick last set foot in Japan over 25 years ago! So settle in for anoth...

Welcome to a special Summer episode of Y2Gamers!  We've got an extra-special episode this week: my exclusive interview with Nick after he returned from running the Tokyo Marathon! Yes, Otaku can be athletic too! Join us as Nick shares his excitement of racing down the streets of Tokyo, how he prepped to win, and the sheer emotion of crossing that finish line! And of course, there's also...

Hot on the heels of the premiere of X-Men '97, we " Time Flip!" back to the very beginnings of the X-Men Animated Series - the two-parter "Night of the Sentinels!" Giant robots, wheelchairs, and the stabby-stab-stabs of adamantium claws! This episode has everything a prepubescent kid of the time could want in a Saturday morning cartoon! Learn about the show's difficul...

For those of you lucky to be around back in the beginning of the 90's, you know that you were in for one of the most exciting decades in Geek History! Today, we remember our favorite movies and games of that blockbuster year including: - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie - Robocop 2 - Home Alone - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game - Super Mario Bros. 3 So without further ado...

For our first episode of 2024, we time capsule ourselves into the 22nd century world of Reploids and Mavericks to replay through one of gaming's biggest triumphs: Mega Man X. Join us as we explore every nook and cranny of the incredibly animated and interactive stages as we pursue the ultimate evil : the diabolical Sigma! Which weapons will we choose to defeat him? What new discoveries will w...

This week, we swing into one of the all-time greatest comic book film adaptations: Sam Raimi’s 2004 Spider-Man 2! Combining Raimi’s masterful grasp of horror elements, zany comic-booky fun, and of course Alfred Molina’s bang-on interpretation of Doc-Ock, Spider-Man 2 kept us on our toes and continues to entertain even 2 decades later.  Join us on our rewatch as we revisit this pre-MCU world of Tob...

This week, we revisit a truly epic entry into the history of anime: the Princess Mononoke! What was once supposed to be Miyazaki's final film before his retirement (yeah, right!), Princess Mononoke has proven itself to be a classic that continues to ring true relevance to our world today. Join us as we relive our first experience watching it for the first time in theaters in '99 and then...

This week, we follow the drum rolls deep into the forests of mayhem in our Super Vehicle-001: the Metal Slug! A classic by any measure, this superbly animated run-n'-gunner of the 90's quickly became one of the key pillars of SNK's arcade experience. In this episode, we take a special look at what made this game so memorable for us, exploring our favorite (and not-so-favorite) game...

This week, we rewind return ourselves into the 1990s video store to explore the before and after of anime's biggest moment: the jump into disc-based media. From early fansub culture to taking a look at how anime went mainstream in America, this week's show is sure to bring back a big hit of nostalgia for all of us.  If you'd like to support us, please like our show and hit the Follo...

This week, we thwip-thwip-thwip our way through Sam Raimi's hallmark 2002 film: Spider-Man, a movie that in many ways reshaped the landscape of superhero movies for decades to come! Join us on our re-watch analysis as we revisit classic scenes, discuss curious directorial choices, as well as make a some sticky webby jokes that amuse mostly ourselves! It's time to discover the hero inside...

This week on Y2Gamers, we  visit a fiercely competitive time in the 90's arcade scene between industry giants Namco and Sega! Specifically, taking a closer look at one of the categories that these two giants helped make famous: the light gun shooter - featuring Namco's Time Crisis and Sega's The House of the Dead. We take you 6ft. under to revive our fondest memories of those titles...

We conclude our 2-Part Street Fighter 6 extravaganza this week by diving deep into the depths of SF6's bold new game mechanics. Nick, our resident fighting game sensei, takes us to school with his impressions on gameplay and what it takes to win. We follow things up by sharing our thoughts on the ambitious new World Tour mode as well as things we wish Capcom will add in future DLCs. Get your...

SF6 is Amazing (for now, at least)! It's the game that Nick and I have been waiting for as fighting game fans for a long, long time...ever since the last titan of the franchise: SFIII: Third Strike molded our hands to that infamous Sega Dreamcast controller. :P    But why was it a wait? Why did SF IV and V not quite hit the spot for us and so many other genre and franchise fans out there? Bef...

We take the path of the World Warrior this week and explore the granddaddy of the fighting game genre: Street Fighter II. While cross-firing Hadoukens (aka fire balls), we explore the very beginnings of the franchise from the inception of the messy-but-necessary Street Fighter (or Fighting Street), to SFII and all of its Turbo-Championship-Special-Rainbow-Dash-Plus-Hyper Fighty variations that mad...

Marvelous! We've made it to our 10th episode! Thanks to everyone who's listened to us so far! If you haven't subscribed yet, now is the time! This week, we revisit the birth of an uncanny age of Marvel gaming: the Marvel v Capcom Universe.  With the powerful advancement of the CPS-II arcade system, Capcom brought our favorite comic book and cartoon characters to life like none of us...