Vidjagame Apocalypse

An "unreliable narrator" can mean that a character is withholding information or deceiving you, or it can, in a very literal sense, mean a narrator who just doesn't have their shit together. Leif Johnson joins us for a look at the latter this week, as we delve into five games that shift and bend to the whims of their narrators' disembodied voices, after which we'll get into Call of Duty: Vanguard, Forza Horizon 5, the promise of double-digit game reveals in this year's Game Awards, and the IP you think deserves its own Smash game.

Delivering a good, solid kick in a game feels great, especially when it sends your enemies flying helplessly into spikes or off cliffs. This week, the regular VGA crew pays tribute to five of the greatest, meatiest kick attacks ever to grace first-person games, after which we'll start to unpack Unpacking, try not to say too much about Inscryption, see Seth Rogen get his own Donkey Kong movie, and hear which games you think deserve Halloween-themed missions.

Halloween is almost here, so Anthony Abatte joins us for a look at five times games set aside a chunk of their (non-seasonal) storylines to celebrate Halloween with themed levels or missions! Then we'll wrap up our final show of Spooptober '21 with Resident Evil 4 VR, Riders Republic, Guardians of the Galaxy, reactions to the Uncharted trailer and PlayStation State of Play, and your favorite in-game animal companions.

Ready to face what lurks in the shadows? No? What if you had... A DOG? Greg Moore rejoins us this week for a look at five horror games that pit you and a canine partner against unspeakable terrors, after which we'll get into The Good Life, be surprised about God of War coming to PC, and look at the settings you'd like to see in more horror games.

Metroid Dread has launched the series in a suspenseful new direction, and given us an excuse to spend this week talking about some of our favorite horror games set in space, with special guest Alex Faciane of Chilluminati and Super Beard Bros! Then it's on to (of course) Metroid Dread, Back 4 Blood, the official announcement of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy, and the childhood toys you think deserve great videogame adaptations.

There's something inherently eerie about an empty or abandoned hotel - especially if it's only been abandoned by the living. With Framework's Tony Wilson on board for our second week of Spooptober '21, let's look at five highly memorable haunted hotels, after which we'll talk Far Cry 6, Metroid Dread, Hot Wheels Unleashed, the Twitch hack, and your dream Mario-movie casting.

Today marks the return of Spooptober, when all of our shows are Halloween-themed for a whole month — but since it's just getting started, let's ease in with guest Greg Moore and five games that let you play as a psychopomp, someone who guides the dead into the afterlife (or, y'know, just punches their ticket, one way or another). Then we'll pivot to ActRaiser Renaissance, Death Stranding Director's Cut, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye, last week's Nintendo Direct (including THAT casting news), and whether you like episodic games better than stories you get all at once.

Grand Theft Auto V just turned eight last week, just months shy of its launch on a third console generation - so let's grab PNB's TL Foster for a look at five other games that just keep coming back, with endless re-releases, remasters, and remakes on new hardware. Then we'll investigate Lost Judgement, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, the fallout from Epic v. Apple, and the game-ds trends you'd like to see more (or less) of.

Deathloop is out this week, and we're excited to talk about it - but first, let's ease in with some a look at five other top-tier time-loop games that came along since we last covered the topic in episode 250. Then it's on to Deathloop, The Artful Escape, WarioWare: Get It Together, last week's PlayStation Showcase, and the game characters you'd want to see kaiju-sized.

Being normal-sized is cool and all, but what if you could - just for a little bit - get really, enormously huge and just stomp all the monsters or whatever who thought they could push you around? This week, Leif Johnson joins us for a look at five games that (temporarily!) grow their heroes to giant size, after which we'll get into FIST: Forged in Shadow Torch, Sonic Colors Ultimate, Lake, chip-supply shortages, and your best camp stories.

With another summer more or less over, this week's show takes a look at five games that used summer camp - a place alternately associated with freedom, fun, or terror, depending on the context - as a backdrop for adventure (or muuuurder)! Then we'll dig into No More Heroes III, Maneater: Truth Quest, Yakuza's creator reportedly leaving Sega, and the games you'd love to see get an expanded director's cut.

This week marks 30 years(!) since the North American launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System - by our measure, one of the best consoles ever. To celebrate, we invited Tony Wilson of Framework back on to talk about five of our favorite characters that debuted on Nintendo's 16-bit monster, after which we shift to Psychonauts 2, Twelve Minutes, Gamescom news, and the game worlds you'd love to take a road trip through.

When it comes to crucibles that test the bonds of friendship or family, few burn hotter than the one where you lock yourselves into a moving vehicle for hours and hours and hours. As summer winds down, we've invited Tony Wilson of Framework for a look at some of the best games built around long road trips, letting us experience the fun and camaraderie of the road without the tedium and frustration (usually). Then it's on to Marvel's Avengers: War for Wakanda, Road 96, Boyfriend Dungeon, and the underrepresented animals that you'd like to see make more game appearances?

This week has seen an unusual surge in rodent-related media, with star turns for rat swarms in both The Suicide Squad and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. So this week, PNB's TL Foster joins us for a look at five games that featured unstoppable gnawing rat hordes, after which we'll jump into Axiom Verge 2, AC Valhalla's rat-infested The Siege of Paris expansion, Nintendo's Indie World Showcase, and your favorite videogame auteurs.

Only a few big-name game developers are generally seen as "auteurs" — creators with authorial control over (and who get most of the credit for) the games they make. Every so often, one of them strikes out on their own with a bold new project that gets a lot of people excited... and then falls flat on launch. This week, Steve Guntli of Ultra 64 and Wii Universe for a look at five such beautiful disasters, after which we'll dig into The Ascent, Here Comes Niko!, Street Fighter V's final character, and your favorite Ghostbusters games.

Neo: The World Ends With You is out this week, giving us the first completely new TWEWY since the DS original, as well as an excuse to revisit Shibuya, one of Tokyo's coolest neighborhoods. Let's celebrate with a look at five other games that let us explore the streets around the Scramble Crossing, after which we'll dig into Death's Door, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, and Bloodroots; get overwhelmed by Microsoft Flight Simulator's Xbox debut; and hear your thoughts about whether Steam Deck is worth grabbing.

With Steam Deck and the OLED Switch vying for preorders last week, now seems like an opportune time to grab Greg Moore for a look back at five handhelds that tried and failed to take on Nintendo, but made us love them just the same. Then we get swept away by Cris Tales, Cotton Reboot, and Death's Door; muse about Netflix entering the game industry; and look at the genres you think Donkey Kong should tackle next.

Donkey Kong, just like the plumber who debuted alongside him in 1981, has expanded far beyond his arcade roots to appear in everything from racers to rhythm games over the years. To celebrate Kong's 40th anniversary, let's take a look at five different genres covered by the ape's impressive oeuvre of games, after which we'll get into Chris' impressions of Zelda: Skyward Sword, scratch our heads over the $1.5 million Mario 64 cart, and hear the historical periods you think Assassin's Creed Infinity should explore.

Wise old men who lurk in caves to dispense advice and magical weapons are a trope as old as time – but as far as games go, their heyday was firmly in the ’80s. So this week, three cave-dwelling old men named Mikel, Chris, and Matt impart the wisdom of bearded 8-bit hermits to young hero Robert Beach, on loan from PNB. Once that’s over, we’ll dive into Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Space Jam: A New Legacy – The Game, Nintendo’s OLED Switch announcement, and your personal games of the (half-)year.

We've passed the midpoint of the year, so with help from Alex Faciane of Chilluminati and Super Beard Bros, it's time to look back at five games that did the most to light up our first six months of 2021. Then we'll dig into Scarlet Nexus, Cruelty Squad, some interesting Sony rumors and acquisitions, and the long-neglected EA properties you hope to see make an overdue comeback.