The recent release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps got us reminiscing about games where you get to team up with friends and create your own fantastic foursome. Whether it's huddling around an arcade cabinet, sharing a couch, or meeting up online, it doesn't take a brainiac like Reed Richards to know that some games are just more fantastic with friends, and the VGA Boyz are here to list our favorite four-player games.  After that, we talk more Donkey Kong Bananza, sneak in a little Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, break down this week's news, and more!  Question of the Week: What's your favorite four-player gaming experience? Break song is "We Ain't Came to Lose" by Raekwon and Ghostface Killa Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.  

The VGA crew is going bananas for Donkey Kong Bananza, and we wanted to celebrate the best Donkey Kong game in years with a top 5 retrospective taking you through the various eras of games starring Nintendo's big, lovable ape.  After that, we dig deep and leave no fossil unturned as we talk all things Donkey Kong Bananza, cover this week's news, and more!  Question of the Week: What's your favorite Donkey Kong memory or experience? Break song is "Banana Man" by Tally Hall.  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

  The recent Donkey Kong redesign featured in Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza got us thinking about other video game character redesigns. When companies decide it's time for a character to get a new outfit, haircut, or entirely new look, you can always count on people having strong opinions, and we're no exception as we list our favorite game character redesigns of all time.  After that, we talk about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, more EA Sports College Football 26, some Nintendo news, and Uno, for some reason.  Question of the Week: What's your least favorite character redesign, games or otherwise?  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

James Gunn's Superman flick just hit theaters, so the VGA Boyz grabbed not one but TWO super guests who happen to be comic book experts for this week's show. SUPERHEROdotVG's Chris Baker and DC's own Randy Ma join us this week to hash out the best video games featuring the Man of Steel.  Then it's on to way more sports talk than we're used to as TL breaks down the new EA Sports College Football 26, we discuss the state of the Forza franchise, and more! Question of the Week: What comic book character needs better or more representation in video games? Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.  

This weekend America celebrates its Independence Day, so we're paying tribute to our beloved homeland with a show about one of the most American things we can think of: GUNS! Specifically light gun games. We're joined by arcade expert Pastblaster of the Podouken podcast to discuss those glorious games of yore where the only thing standing between polite society and murderous clowns, invading aliens, or generic 80s bad guys was you, a plastic firearm, and a fistful of quarters.  Then we talk about the new Raidou remaster, break down Mecha Break, string you along with more Death Stranding talk, get changed by The Alters, parse out the week's news, and more. Question of the Week: What's your favorite "gimmick" arcade game?  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

With Matt away, and left to their own devices, Chris and T.L. decided to do a bit of a looser episode. The Florida Boyz are joined by Tony Wilson from Framework, as they talk about games where the heroes are inspired by heroes from previous games in the franchise.  After that, the guys talk a little about Death Stranding 2, the Capcom Showcase, and much more! Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We can't put our Nintendo Switch 2 systems down or get Mario Kart World out of our heads, so while doing laps around the tracks, the VGA boys started thinking about our top kart racing items from across the genre. Guest Jarrett Green joins us to list our favorites, from the most useful, to the wacky and weird, and everything in between.  Then we jump through a portal to discuss Splitgate 2, the Gex Trilogy collection, Tron Catalyst, FBC Firebreak, this week's news, and so much more.  Question of the Week: What's the most memorable game you've played on a new game system?  Break song is "Go Kart Racing" by Garfunkel and Oates.  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

It's June, which used to mean E3 time, but now just means there are still a ton of huge announcements and places to see new games in Los Angeles, just not at the convention center or E3 itself. And that is why we are calling this our BIG NOT E3 2025 EPISODE! Oh, did we mention there was also the launch of a little thing called the Nintendo Switch 2? Special guest JR Ralls joins us to talk about our impressions of Nintendo's new system and its launch lineup, all the big announcements from State of Play, Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Games Showcase, and more.  Question of the Week: What's the weirdest way you've ever acquired a new game system? Break song is "Switch" by Will Smith.  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The big Nintendo Switch 2 launch is already here, and guest Emmet Watkins Jr. and the VGA Boyz are celebrating the occasion by listing off the top Nintendo system launches of all time. Then we team up to discuss more Elden Ring Nightreign, some Symphonia, Xbox handheld news, and more.  Question of the Week: What's your favorite game system launch of all time and why?    Break song is "Playing with Power (TJ Perkins Entrance Theme)" by WWE Music.  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Look, it's a short holiday week, so can you blame the VGA Boyz for taking things easy and a bit too literally by celebrating Memorial Day week with a top 5 about... memories? Join us as we look back and... er, remember... our favorite memory sequences and flashbacks in videogames. Then it's on to some Elden Ring Nightrein talk, some Elden Ring movie talk, and more.  Question of the Week: What's a piece of pop culture that had you hooked at first before quickly falling off? Break song is "Memory (from the Musical Cats)" as performed by TRAGEDY.  Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Mikel's gone, but the show must go on -- with an all-new third chair and maybe just a tad more soundboard! TL Foster joins Matt and Chris on a more permanent basis, and this all-new VGA triumvirate reboots the show with a very appropriate Top 5: Modern Reboots. Then we duke it out over the Capcom Fighting Collection 2, rip and tear into more DOOM: The Dark Ages, wax nostalgic about Retro Classics on Game Pass, and break down the latest videogame news.  Question of the Week: Tell us one of the game ideas Hideo Kojima has hidden away on his USB drive.  Break song is "Boot to the Head" by The Frantics. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Mikel's farewell show kicks off with our most spoileriffic Top 5 EVER, focusing on games where the hero's death is an unavoidable part of the story - will you tough it out, or skip around with the spoiler-dodging timestamps we throw out before even speaking each entry's name? Once that's done, we'll get into more Doom: The Dark Ages, Revenge of the Savage Planet, Rift Riff, game-industry price-hike forecasts, and your favorite memories of Mikel's 12-year tenure on VGA. Question of the Week: With the show under new direction going forward, what would you like to see from VGA in the future? Break song is Price of Freedom -I Want to See You Smile- by The Death March and Brothers by Paul Williams. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Inspired by "100 men vs. a gorilla" memes, this week's show sees Tony Wilson of Framework joining us for a Top 5 about games that put the might of an entire swarm at your disposal! We'll also get into Doom: The Dark Ages, Skin Deep, the new GTA 6 trailer, Xbox raising console and game prices, and "antiquated" styles of games that you'd like to see make a comeback. Question of the Week: Following this week's announcement, do you have a favorite memory of Mikel's 12 years as a host of VGA? Break song is Ai no Uta by Strawberry Flower. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We've been to the "play as a villain" well a bunch of times, but this week's theatrical release of Thunderbolts inspired TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing to join us for a look at games that let you play as whole teams of characters who don't typically play well with others. We'll also get into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a smattering of Switch and Switch 2 news, Epic's court win against Apple, and your views on remakes and remasters. Question of the Week: Is there an “antiquated” style of gameplay (e.g. turn-based RPGs) that you think should return? Break song is E.G.G.M.A.N. by Paul Shortino. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The long-rumored Oblivion remaster was revealed and released on the same day this week, inspiring us to invite merritt k and Anthony Abatte for a chat about five other games that surprise-released on the same day they were revealed. Then we'll get into The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (of course), Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Nintendo maybe not having inventory to fulfill My Nintendo Store preorder requests, and your experiences with companion apps. Question of the Week: What are your thoughts on game remakes and remasters? Do you like playing them? Do you finish them? Is the past better left in the past? Break song is Instant Pleasure as performed by Rufus Wainwright. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Jay and Silent Bob recently arrived in Call of Duty as premium operator skins, but it's hardly the first time actors associated with Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films have starred in games. Dave Rudden joins us this week to talk about five of 'em, after which we'll talk more about Blue Prince, the Minecraft movie, Switch 2 letting Zelda players repair their weapons with a mobile app, and the most money you've ever spent on a console at launch. Question of the Week: Do you have fond memories of any "companion-app" gaming experience? Should these still be a thing? Break song is Clerks by Love Among Freaks. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

This is a big week for strange and cryptic games, and TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins to celebrate the release of South of Midnight with a look at five games that explore the supernatural and seamy sides of the American South. We'll also delve into Blue Prince and Promise Mascot Agency, complain about tariffs, speculate about Donkey Kong Bananza, and hear your thoughts about the Switch 2 reveal. Question of the Week: What’s the most you have ever spent for a console at launch (via bundles, secondary market, etc)? Break song is You've Got to Walk by Ben Babbitt and the Bedquilt Ramblers. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

In this era of multiplatform releases and more-or-less standardized hardware, it can be easy to forget that great games didn't always stay great once they'd made their way to different consoles and computers. In fact, ports that were rushed, incomplete, or just plain lousy used to be common, and this week, we'll look at five of the most infamously bad ones. Then we'll talk about Atomfall, InZoi, and - of course! - the Switch 2 reveal, plus your views on dressing characters for aesthetics vs. stats. Question of the Week: What are your thoughts on Switch 2? Did it live up to your expectations? Are you excited? Disappointed? Let us know.  Break song is Rocket Man as performed by William Shatner. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Plenty of games let you change your character's clothes, but in how many does it really matter, from a gameplay standpoint? At least five, which we'll talk about this week with model/stylist/game brand strategist and former journo Aiden Strawhun, who also knows how to talk about Atelier Yumia: The Alchemist of Memories & the Envisioned Land way better than the rest of us. We'll also get into The First Berserker: Khazan, new announcements for Monster Hunter Wilds, the return of Game Informer, and the game names you've habitually mispronounced. Question of the Week: Do you dress your game characters purely for power and stats, or more for aesthetics?  Break song is Cover Girl by RuPaul. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Assassin's Creed Shadows is out, and we've got IGN's reviewer - friend of the show Jarrett Green - on to talk about Ubi's massive open-world shinobi-and-samurai adventure in feudal Japan! But first, we'll use this as an opportunity to talk about five other games made by western developers, but set in Japan. Once all that's done, we'll talk about the internet's reaction to Karl Urban's Johnny Cage, the SNES mysteriously getting faster with age, and your long-standing gaming regrets. Question of the Week: Inspired by the Suikoden remaster, what's a game name you've habitually mispronounced, either by mistake or (for comedy's sake) on purpose? Were you ever embarrassingly corrected? Tell us about it. Break song is We're the River City Girls by Megan McDuffee. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.