This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave dive headfirst into the relentless chaos of Ninja Gaiden 4 — a game that doesn’t just test your reflexes, it punishes your mistakes. This time Ryu is out and Yakumo, a skilled ninja of the Raven Clan, takes the hot seat. Sounds like a Tuesday for a Super Ninja.

Armed with his ever-growing arsenal, new Bloodraven powers, and enough wall-running stamina to make Spider-Man jealous, Yakumo sets out to kill a priestess of the Dark Dragon, but instead, this quickly turns into a mission to escort her to a handful of magic seals in an effort to really kill the Dark Dragon for good this time.

Between the two of them, they discover just how far the series has evolved — faster combat, cinematic flair, and a difficulty curve sharper than Yakumo's blade.

Will Nick finally perfect his ultimate combo, or will his controller meet an untimely end against the coffee table? And can Dave tune out the giggling teen inside his head when a girl is on the screen? Tune in as the guys battle through the beautiful brutality of Ninja Gaiden 4 — a game where only the sharp survive.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick set aside their usual chaos and step into something far more serene — Journey, the meditative, wordless adventure from thatgamecompany. Gone are the guns, gadgets, and dialogue trees. Instead, they don flowing red robes, a magical scarf, and head off into the endless desert toward a distant, glowing mountain that seems to call to them from across time itself.

As they slide gracefully down golden dunes, leap across crumbling ruins, and soar through ancient halls bathed in light, the pair begin to uncover fragments of a fallen civilization — and maybe even a bit about themselves. Along the way, they might encounter another silent traveler: a mysterious figure who could be a friend, a guide, or simply another soul on their own path. No words, no usernames, no voice chat — just connection through movement, music, and the occasional joyful chirp.

But will Dave manage to stay quiet long enough to appreciate the moment, or will he start demanding a jetpack upgrade? And can Nick resist the urge to interpret every glowing mural like he’s on a conspiracy podcast? Join them as they float, sing, and occasionally get lost in the sands of Journey, where the destination may be the mountain, but the real adventure lies in how you get there — and who you share it with.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick jack into the grid and find themselves in the glitchy, time-twisting world of Digimon Story: Time Stranger. What was supposed to be a casual dive into cyberspace quickly spirals into a full-blown temporal disaster when a mysterious program tears through the world, merging past, present, and future into one big, corrupted mess.

Our intrepid hosts are dropped into the shoes of a really bad Secret Agent caught in the middle of this digital apocalypse, armed only with their starter Digimon. Together, they must unravel the story of Chronomon, a Digimon who claims to protect the flow of time itself but who met an untimely end at the hands of the Titans. As they travel through different zones of the Digital World — from the bustling hub town of Iliad to the tranquil underwater vibe of the Abyss — Dave and Nick must battle corrupted Digimon, restore lost memories, and unravel the secret behind the Chronomon before reality resets itself like a crashed emulator.

Will Dave finally learn the difference between “Data”, “Virus” and "Vaccine"? Will Nick ever stop using the phrase “timey-wimey” during serious cutscenes? And most importantly, can the two of them survive long enough to stop a cosmic reboot that threatens both the human and digital realms?

Grab your Digivice, back up your save file, and prepare for paradoxes, plot twists, and more emotional Digivolutions than you can handle — it’s Digimon Story: Time Stranger, and time itself is on the line.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick stumble out of the safety of daylight and into the suffocating terror of Amnesia: Rebirth, Frictional Games’ 2020 return to psychological horror. Set in the vast, sun-scorched deserts of Algeria, this isn’t your average vacation. Taking control of Tasi Trianon, the duo must piece together a shattered memory, survive ancient ruins, and avoid the monstrous creatures lurking just beyond the flicker of their lantern.

But light is a luxury in this nightmare. As the shadows close in, Tasi’s sanity begins to unravel — and so do Dave and Nick’s. Dave desperately clings to his last match while Nick insists that sprinting blindly through the dark is a viable strategy. Between heart-stopping chases, cryptic alien technology, and moral choices that would make even a philosopher sweat, the pair must uncover the truth behind Tasi’s mysterious condition and the haunting events that brought her here.

Can Dave overcome his crippling fear of low-light environments? Will Nick finally learn that looking directly at monsters is a terrible idea? And just how many times can two grown men scream over a baby monitor before it becomes comedy instead of horror?

Join the Critical Arcade crew as they try to keep their wits (and their pants) intact in a journey that proves in Amnesia: Rebirth, fear isn’t just in the dark… it is the dark.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick swap out shotguns and swords for watering cans and fertilizer as they take on the quirky, strategic chaos of Plants vs Zombies. Released in 2009, this tower defense classic turns your backyard into the frontline of the undead apocalypse, where survival depends less on firepower and more on creative landscaping. The duo must carefully balance planting sunflowers for resources while deploying an army of quirky plants—from pea shooters and wall-nuts to potato mines and cherry bombs—all in an effort to keep the relentless zombie horde from breaking through their defenses.

But these aren’t your run-of-the-mill zombies. No, these shambling invaders come equipped with screen doors, buckets, pogo sticks, and even dolphin mounts to make things extra weird. And just when Dave thinks he’s finally got the strategy nailed down, a disco-dancing zombie arrives with a backup crew of backup dancers, throwing the entire plan into disarray.

Between frantic lawn management, resource juggling, and screaming when a Gargantuar shows up uninvited, the question remains: can Nick keep his cool long enough to master the rhythm of the game, or will his entire backyard end up overrun? And will Dave ever stop laughing at the fact that his “ultimate defensive strategy” involves nothing but a solid row of spud Walnuts? Tune in as the guys discover that sometimes, the line between gardening and warfare is just a little too thin… especially when your opponent is already dead.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick step into the desolate, war-torn world of Hell is Us. Set in a country ripped apart by years of civil strife and buried secrets, the game forces them to navigate a landscape where danger comes from both sides of the battlefield: hostile soldiers with guns and terrifying supernatural abominations with… well, whatever those fleshy nightmare appendages are supposed to be. With no map markers, no glowing quest logs, and no convenient “go here” arrows, every direction could lead to either salvation or something that wants to chew their faces off.

In their search for truth, Dave and Nick must wield nothing more than a glowing arsenal that feels straight out of a heavy metal album cover and a drone that somehow manages to be both extremely useful and completely annoying at the same time. As they delve deeper into the ruins of a forgotten society, they’ll uncover the haunting scars of war and the chilling reality of what happens when humanity’s darkest impulses manifest as living horrors.

Will Dave finally learn to stop scaring himself by triggering combat music when nothing’s there? And will Nick ever get over the fact that you can’t just talk your way out of being eaten by a monster?

One thing’s for certain: in Hell is Us, there are no easy answers, no clear paths, and no safety nets. Just two guys, a haunted country, and way too many things lurking in the shadows.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave finally get their hands on Lost Soul Aside, the game that spent longer in development than Dave did in college. They step into the boots of Kaser, a moody anime protagonist with more hair gel than common sense, and his wise-cracking dragon symbiote, Arena, who never misses an opportunity to roast his host. Together, they’ll stylishly hack, slash, and combo their way through enemies faster than Nick can say “Wait, which button dodges again?”

As the particle effects blind Dave mid-fight, Nick tries to piece together the story, which may or may not involve ancient wars, corrupted armies, and at least one villain who looks like they shop exclusively at the “Final Boss Emporium.” Will Nick survive the sensory overload without mistaking his health bar for his Wi-Fi signal? And how many times will Dave compare every over-the-top cutscene to an anime he swears “you just haven’t seen yet, but totally should”?

With Arena’s snark stealing the spotlight and more flashy combos than either host can realistically pull off, Nick and Dave will find out whether Lost Soul Aside is a glorious action RPG masterpiece or just a very expensive excuse to make your console sound like it’s about to take flight.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick lock and load as they stomp into the gritty, blood-soaked battlefields of Gears of War Reloaded. Humanity is on its last legs, cornered and desperate, after the ground splits open and unleashes the monstrous Locust Horde. Enter Marcus Fenix: soldier, survivor, and a man who probably only smiles when he’s chainsawing aliens in half. Alongside his brothers-in-arms—Dom, Cole Train, and Baird—the squad must battle through crumbling cities, abandoned ruins, and underground warrens to try and turn the tide of a seemingly endless war.

But it’s not all just shooting and shouting. Gears of War Reloaded drags Dave and Nick into a world of tight cover mechanics, heart-pounding set pieces, and a story that blends grim determination with just enough over-the-top action movie vibes to keep things fun. Will Dave manage to stay cool under the pressure of endless waves of Locust drones, or will he spend most of the mission hugging cover like it’s his long-lost best friend? Will Nick resist the urge to test out the chainsaw bayonet on literally everything that moves—or doesn’t move? And when the Berserker comes charging through the walls, which one of them is going to scream first?

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave stumble into the fractured, nightmarish depths of Signalis. Released in 2022, this indie survival horror blends the pixelated charm of the PS1 era with a surreal, haunting atmosphere straight out of a fever dream. Players take on the role of Elster, a Replika technician on a desperate search for her missing partner, wandering through abandoned mining facilities, derelict research stations, and corridors that never seem to end where they began. Along the way, Dave and Nick must sift through cryptic notes, grotesque enemies, and puzzles that seem specifically designed to break their sanity.

But it’s not just the monsters they’ll have to face — the game is dripping with layers of psychological horror, cosmic dread, and a story that refuses to hand over easy answers. Will Dave manage to piece together the tangled threads of memory, myth, and mechanical identity without his brain leaking out his ears? Can Nick keep calm when the radio static kicks in and a shambling horror lurches out of the darkness? Or will they both end up lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, muttering about “the moon and the eye” until someone checks in on them?

Expect nervous laughter, questionable survival instincts, and a whole lot of “Wait… what just happened?” as Nick and Dave try to survive not just the monsters of Signalis, but the crushing existential weight of the unknown.

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