Beat of the Month: Video Game Podcast

We're a week out from Thanksgiving and soon we'll all be enjoying a feast of turkey with all the fixin's. Since our ancestors filled their Thanskgiving table the old fashioned way via hunting and fishing, we decided to have an episode focused on those topics as well - in a digital format of course. Well maybe not entirely digitally since some of the crew does have background with the outdoor arts.

For the rest of us, we settle in and talk about games such as Dave the Diver, Dredge, Cabela's Survival; Shadows of Katmai - and more! We also throw in a dash of semi-related games like Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and completely unrelated stuff such as Lies of P and Time Crisis 4. As usual we wrap things up with trivia - can you guess what system had 11 bass fishing games on it? So grab your rod and reel and join us for this episode on hunting and fishing games!

What if you could only pick one game for each console - one game that would most represent that console? Would you pick the best game for the system? Would you pick a launch title that set the stage for the console? Would you choose a late release that showcased what the system was capable of? Would your decisions change if these games would be put in a box for aliens to open up 2000 years from now?

Well if you're wondering why I'm asking all these questions, it's because that's what this episode is all about! We run through all the major consoles and decide as a group on one game per system that we feel tells the story of that console best. Some systems lend themselves naturally to one game, but others are a bit tricky. So grab your headphones and some Snicker's Ice Cream Bars™, and join us on this journey to fill up our gaming time capsule!

The spooky season is here! We've done scary games, monster games, zombie games, ghost games, and this time we're focusing on a common aspect from most of those games - blood! First we get the bloody juices flowing with a little blood trivia and talking about the bloodiest games we've ever played.

Then we get into the meat of the discussion with bloody games we played so far to celebrate October. We've got discussion on Bloodborne (right there in the title!), the bloodiest Final Fantasy game with FFXVI, and...Mr. Mosquito? That last one wasn't what I had in mind, but hey - blood is blood! Grab some gauze, bring your band-aids, and join us - for some Bloody Beats!

Hot on the heels of our last episode where we declared the ultimate video game president, we've got another politically themed show - a deep look at the game Papers, Please! It's one of the most unique games that we've covered with a demand for attention to detail, quick decision making, and deep moral decisions. Oh, and do you remember those Spot the Difference games from when you were a kid? Did you like those? Then you'll love this!

As most deep dives we spoil a lot of what this game has to offer, so if it begins to sounds interesting I recommend giving it a shot - it's $5 on mobile! Or you can also buy the physical Playstation Vita version for 20x that, if you so choose... So, grab your passport and your bribe money, and prepare to get detained at some point during this deep dive of Papers, Please!

The political season is heating up and the Beat of the Month Crew are getting in on the action! We've got a double dose of political antics this episode with a look at games with a political theme. We play a bit fast and loose with the theme as usual, but we played some Ghost of Tsushima, Super Mario Odyssey, Cult of the Lamb, and a little Disco Elysium (and by a little, I mean a little). We've also got some odds and ends in there like Nintendo World Championship and Mr. Gimmick.

We also fill our ballots and cast our votes for the perfect video game character election featuring the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and more - it's a packed episode! And join us next episode for a deep dive on Papers, Please where we keep the political theme going.

For this episode's deep dive we have not one but two games to cover - Not just a single game but not quite a trilogy, it's the duology of Hotline Miami 1 & 2! If you like retro games but want them with more eye gouging, head smashing, and blood splatters, then this is for you. We cover our favorite weapons, levels, and characters (and oh boy are there a lot of characters). We also try to unravel the story of both games, which is more complicated than you would think. The end rounds out as usual with some trivia - 'Hot' 'Line' style.

As is the case with these deep dives, some of us were hotter on this game than others, but we did our best to keep the naysayers in line (yes I just did that). So grab your rooster mask and join us for... actually can you leave the mask? It's a little creepy. But we still hope you join us for this deep dive on Hotline Miami 1 & 2!

With the last of the big USA based gaming magazines coming to an end, we decided it was a perfect time to look back at all the fond memories of not only Game Informer, but of all video game magazines. OK maybe not all (there were a lot!) but we do cover the heavy hitters - Gamepro, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and of course, Nintendo Power.

We also get into some lesser known magazines like Next Generation and Ultra Game Players, as well as some of the magazines centered around walkthroughs like Tips & Tricks or Expert Gamer. Then you've got the console specific magazines that came with demo discs, and more - there is a ton to talk about!

We've got a bookend of trivia for this episode as well - can you name the top 20 SNES games from March 1995? It's not that easy! So get out your reading glasses to read the fine print on that ProTip, and join us for this look back on video game magazines. We'll miss you Game Informer!

It's the middle of summer and we've seen a lot of games announced, so The Beats Crew decided to take some time away from talking about games we've played, and focus on some games we want to play! We talk about Summer Games Fest as well as the latest State of Play, Xbox Showcase, and Nintendo Direct. From there - it's anything goes. We talk about getting sad from finishing a game, a gaming delivery gone wrong, some Muff focused trivia - and more! So turn the lights down, think about your favorite cosplayer (a Muff trivia question by the way...) and join us for a slightly unstructured episode!