Mikel's away this week, so Matt and Chris (with accompanying soundboard) invited the Welcome to the Thing crew to break format a bit with a top 5 that doesn't focus so much on games, but rather game distribution services, technologies, and platforms old and new -- the cable companies of games, if you will. After that, we talk about Civilization VII, more Rift of the Necrodancer, and break down all the big news from this week's State of Play. It's a fun one, we promise! (Did we mention Chris is manning the soundboard this week?)

Question of the Week: What obscure or impossible-to-play game do you want to be playable on modern platforms?

Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Hero-ing can be a thankless business (apart from all the improbable material rewards for rescuing hapless villagers or whatever), so it's uplifting when games try to show you've made a difference by bringing back all the friends you've made and people you've helped to support you in the final hour. TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing joins us to talk about five of our favorite such moments, after which we'll get into Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Rift of the NecroDancer, Sniper Elite: Resistance, news from the Capcom Spotlight, and the times you've gone full "dark side" in games.

Question of the Week: What's your least favorite gaming trend that wore out its welcome quickly?

Break song is MGMT - Kids But It's September By Earth, Wind & Fire by William Maranci Mashups. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Sometimes it's really empowering to embody a pissed-off rage junkie, the kind of human chainsaw who can charge wildly into every confrontation and savagely batter everything in their path. This week, Jesse Cox joins us for a look at five games that let you do exactly that. Then we'll get our hands bloody with Ninja Gaiden II Black and Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap, discover Shady Part of Me, Virtua Fighter 5 REVO, and Eternal Strands, and talk about GTA 6 news, the Microsoft Developer Direct, and your favorite videogame prequels.

Question of the Week: Have you ever enjoyed going full "dark side" in a game, whether because of a linear story, moral choices, or just free-form sadism (a la Sims)? Tell us about it.

Break song is Berserker by Love Among Freaks. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

Last week's release of Dynasty Warriors Origins inspired us to spend this episode looking at five of the best games to bear one of the industry's most-overused words in their titles (Origins, of course). Then we'll get into Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, reactions to the Switch 2 reveal, Marvel Snap getting temporarily swallowed by the TikTok ban, and the earliest games you remember adding to your backlog.

Question of the Week: What's your favorite prequel and/or origin-story game?

Break song is Black Betty/Castle Rock (as performed in Rayman Legends). Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

The announcements at CES (and their heavy push toward AI) this week inspired us to resurrect the debate-format Top 5 to decide what the five most important technical innovations in gaming are. Did we get it right? Probably not, but you can tell us what we missed. Then we'll get into Sony's freshly announced slate of game adaptations, alleged Nintendo leaks, and the games you're most looking forward to in 2025.

Question of the Week: What do you think is the most important innovation in gaming?

Break song is Push a Little Button by Ninette. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

We're a quarter of the way into the 21st century, and kicking off a new year of shows the way we always do: with a look ahead to the five announced games we're looking forward to the most. Then we'll get into January's PS+ games, how Riot measures Arcane's success, and your personal Games of the Year for 2024.

Question of the Week: What upcoming game are you most looking forward to in 2025?

Break song is Love is a Long Road by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

It's time for our last show of 2024 - and the end of our Games of Year countdown! This week, we'll get into our top 5 favorites with a roster of guests including Trone Dowd, Steve Guntli, Brendan Hesse, Kevin Erhard and Phil Keeling of Pixel Lit, Emmett Watkins, Jorge Albor, and TL Foster! Did your favorite game(s) make the cut? Listen and find out!

Question of the Week: What's your personal Game of the Year for 2024?

Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

There's a lot of chat this week, so here's a quick timestamp cheat sheet if you'd like to skip ahead to unveil each entry:

0:02:32: #5 with Trone Dowd and Steve Guntli

0:30:16: #4 with Brendan Hesse

0:45:12: #3 with Kevin Erhard and Phil Keeling

1:11:03: #2 with Emmett Watkins and Jorge Albor

1:28:47: #1 with TL Foster and Brendan Hesse