Ahoy, mateys, and welcome to the GAMEBUOY.ORG video game podcast – your port of call for gaming news and views that maybe aren’t on your radar, but most definitely should be! On this episode, recorded Sunday, August 3, 2025, First Mate Slaggy McWaggy and Captain Spike discuss the changing landscape of bad games!
This episode is part of the Game Buoy Remake Project, a series of themed episodes revisiting previously discussed topics. This week, the Podcast Pirates follow up on Game Buoy Podcast Episode 28 – @#*$ Games (Or: The E.T. Episode), originally published on May 18, 2013.
HOT TOPIC IS THE WAY THAT WE RHYME
– Steam and itch.io have responded to pressure from payment processors, driven by the organization Collective Shout, by delisting and reindexing adult games, respectively.
– Ana Valens wrote two articles for Waypoint investigating Collective Shout.
– Savage Ventures, the owner of VICE, ordered the articles to be taken down due to their controversial content In response, Valens quit Waypoint along with many other writers and managing editor Dwayne Jenkins.
– Aftermath discussed the troubled history of Waypoint during its relaunch over the past year.
– Collective Shout responded to the Steam and itch.io situation, citing “false claims and misinformation” being spread.
– The IGDA responded with their grave concerns about payment processors influencing what can appear on digital storefronts.
– Gamers started a mass calling campaign, with increasing levels of resistance from payment processors.
– GOG launched a giveaway of 13 NSFW as a means of “taking a stand against the quiet erasure of creative works from digital shelves.”
– Capcom Fighting Collection 2 will be getting a free title update on August 7, including characters for Street Fighter Alpha 3 UPPER that had previously only appeared on the PSP port.
– Capcom released a trailer for C. Viper, coming this fall as part of the Street Fighter 6 Year 3 DLC.
– Ken Masters is now available for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves as a guest DLC character.
– Arc System Works released a trailer for Lucy from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a guest DLC character coming to Guilty Gear Strive.
– Arc System Works released a “Beginner’s Guide” video for Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, and registrations are now open for a Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls closed beta on PS5 from September 5-7.
– Sony has formally announced their “Project Defiant” fight stick as the FlexStrike, available in 2026.
– A Dynasty Warriors remastered title and major DLC for Dynasty Warriors: Origins are in development.
– A new Friday the 13th game was teased at San Diego Comic-Con.
– Darksiders IV was announced at THQ Nordic’s 2025 showcase!
– Mario Paint is now available on the Nintendo Switch Online SNES library, including mouse support for Switch 1!
– Nintendo Switch and its accessories have undergone a price increase in the United States, including Nintendo Switch Online controllers as noted by Wario64.
– Nintendo Switch has reached a total of 153.1 million lifetime sales, nearly matching the lifetime sales of the DS.
– Per Nintendo’s Q1 report, 5.82 million Switch 2 consoles were sold, along with 5.63 million copies of Mario Kart World.
– Switch 2 set a first month sales record of 1.5 million in Japan, breaking the record previously set by the GBA.
– Switch 2 is officially the fastest-selling console in United States history, with first month sales numbers now confirmed to be 1.6 million.
– The Switch 2 Pro Controller has approximately a 1 in 3 attach rate.
– The official Nintendo camera’s attach rate is in the “mid single digit” percentage.
– The Pokémon Company made many announcements during their recent Pokémon Presents presentation.
– Nintendo showcased many games during their Partners Direct, with some exclusive games discussed during the Japanese Partners Direct.
– Square Enix has dropped a free Switch 2 performance patch for Dragon Quest III HD-2D, offering a Performance Mode and a Graphics Mode.
– Octopath Traveler 0 will be a Game Key Card on Switch 2, with no upgrade path from Switch 1.
– NIS America has sated that Trails Beyond the Horizon will be a Game Key Card on Switch 2 as it is the “most beneficial option” for the game’s fans.
– Borderlands 4 will run “mostly around 30 fps” on Switch 2, and it will release as a Game Key Card.
RELEASE UPDATES
– The Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4 will release on October 3.
– Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road has been delayed to November 13.
– A closed beta for 2XKO begins on September 9.
– Nicktoons & the Dice of Destiny launches on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC via Steam on September 30.
– Slime Rancher 2 is leaving Early Access and releasing on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and Microsoft Store on September 23.
– BREAK ARTS III has been delayed to an undetermined date.
– Fate/EXTRA Record has been delayed to Spring 2026.
– Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution releases digitally for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam on August 19.
– R-Type Delta: HD Boosted releases on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam on November 20 in Japan.
– AQUAPAZZA: AQUAPLUS Dream Match releases on PC via Steam on September 25.
– Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage launches on October 30 for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC, coming later on Switch 2.
– Physical editions of Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection release on December 12; the Standard Edition coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and Switch 2, and the Deluxe Edition is coming to PS5, Switch, and Switch 2.
– The Switch 2-exclusive western release of Disgaea 7 Complete has been dated for October 10.
– Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution releases for PC via Steam on August 26.
– Hello Kitty Island Adventure will get a digital release for PS5 on August 5 and a physical release on August 29; the “Wheatflower Wonderland” DLC is coming to Switch, PC via Steam, and Apple Arcade on September 18 and “coming soon” to PS5.
– The Elf on the Shelf: Christmas Heroes is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on October 17.
CULTURE CLUB
– Smashing entire levels, skipping layers and transformations, and not collecting a single banana are some of the examples of emergent gameplay seen in the Donkey Kong Bananza community.
– New voice actors have been revealed for Donkey Kong, Peach, Toad NPCs, Toad, and Toadette.
– Mario Kart World‘s Patch 1.2.0 has increased the frequency of “lap type races” in online multiplayer.
– Former Capcom producer Yoshiki Okamoto shared insights to how it was difficult for companies like Capcom to make a profit during the Famicom and Super Famicom eras due to the cost of cartridges.
– An old interview with The Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara resurfaced, in which he discussed how Nintendo of America thought Pokémon looked “too cute” and redesigned Pikachu to look like “a tabby cat with huge breasts.”
– The Final Fantasy Magic: the Gathering set earned $200 million in a single day.
– Final Fantasy XIV producer/director Yoshi-P has discussed how the game is approaching variable difficulty levels for the same content.
– Wolfenstein will be getting a TV adaptation from Amazon MGM Studios.
– Paramount has shut down a Twin Peaks fan game.
– Handy Hockey, a 2010 DSiWare game originally only released in Japan, is now available on the Switch 2 eShop!
– An X-Men vs. Street Fighter player has been helping keep the game alive, including at a side tournament at EVO 2025.
– The “Gundam 45th Anniversary x Hatsune Miku: Energetic Haro Speaker Miku version” is available from Banpresto crane games in Japanese arcades.
– The developers of Persona 5: The Phantom X held a stream to address player concerns, and just made players even more upset.
– NADA HOLDINGS and Dragami Games shared an anti-DEI press release for their upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw reboot.
– An “anonymous complaint” was filed against Stop Killing Games’ founder, Scott Ross, due to allegations that his unpaid time spent volunteering for the cause was equivalent to significant financial contributions if paid the market rate.
– Sony has filed a lawsuit against Tencent for a “slavish clone” of the Horizon series.
– An update for Super Mario Bros. Wonder made the game unplayable offline.
– A World of Warcraft community manager reminded players not to buy gold illegally, then reminded them about the WoW Token.
– A promotional image for a Diablo Immortal x Hearthstone crossover event had telltale signs of generative AI.
– A Chinese artist’s fan art of Ho-Oh appeared to have been plagiarized for Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket.
– GungHo Online is considering a shareholder request to oust CEO Kazuki Morishita.
– Four EA games are being shut down in October.
– Despite over 9,000 layoffs, Microsoft earned $27.2 billion in net income last quarter.
– ZeniMax employees have shared stories of their inhumane treatment in the wake of Microsoft’s mass layoffs.
– Ubisoft reportedly canceled a Star Wars Outlaws sequel.
– Despite losing $200 million on Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, WB Games is recruiting an executive producer for what seems to be a DC-themed live service game.
– Devil May Cry 5 outsold Monster Hunter Wilds in Capcom’s last financial quarter, and their share prices have tumbled.
– Capcom put a $75 digital soundtrack for Monster Hunter Wilds on Steam, and it’s only available in MP3.
– The next BioShock game failed a review by 2K Games executives, and the BioShock remake has reportedly been canceled.
– A LinkedIn post suggests that a Fire Emblem game for Switch 2 is on the way.
– With the Halo Championship series announced to be moving on from Halo Infinite next year, rumors of a new Halo game have more precedence than ever.
This week, First Mate Slaggy McWaggy and Captain Spike talk about the changing landscape of bad games! As part of the Game Buoy Remake Project initiative, they take a look back at Game Buoy Podcast Episode 28 – @#*$ Games (Or: The E.T. Episode), originally published on May 18, 2013. Back in 2013, the Podcast Pirates looked at the history of kusoge (literally “shit games”) and shared their examples of “The (Sorta) Good, The (Really Really) Bad, and The (Just Absolutely) Ugly” of terrible games. The Podcast Pirates follow up on the topic with another three part discussion, looking at various games as case studies for how some notably bad games from the past 12 years ended up the way they did.
In the first part, The (Regrettably) Bad, or “Think U the Shit? (U Not Even the Fart),” the Podcast Pirates discuss some of the most poorly received games since their last episode: Mighty No. 9, Balan Wonderworld, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and the latest failure – the titular MindsEye. Next, in The (Actually) Good, or “I’m Doing Good, I’m On Some New Shit,” First Mate Slaggy McWaggy and Captain Spike discuss games that were poorly received at launch that were revitalized and given a second chance at life (which would not have been possible back in the day): Final Fantasy XIV, No Man’s Sky, and Cyberpunk 2077. Then, in The (Unforgiveably) Ugly, or “Vigilante Shit,” the Podcast Pirates discuss the increasing problem of “eShop slop” – poor excuses for games like Pirate Anime Quest: One Boy’s Journey, A Piece of Island Love that utilize generative AI art and are so bad that they are not even worthy of the term kusoge! As a sidebar, they also talk about Intentionally Bad Games! (aka “And the Desert Bus Award Goes To…”), spotlighting Goat Simulator, Yeah! You Want “Those Games,” Right? So Here You Go! Now, Let’s See You Clear Them!, and Retro Game Master CX Remaster.
The Podcast Pirates wrap up the discussion by reflecting on common themes found in the failures of these games, lessons learned, and the outlook for the future of bad games.
Supplemental Reading:
– FFXIV Interview: Phoenix Down For a Fallen MMO (1UP)
– Cyberpunk 2077 Was Supposed to Be the Biggest Video Game of the Year. What Happened? (The New York Times)
First Mate Slaggy McWaggy has been playing Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Donkey Kong Bananza, Final Fantasy XIV. Captain Spike has been playing Donkey Kong Bananza, Final Fantasy XIV, the demo for The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales, and the Blitz Royale mode in Fortnite.
SOCIAL LINKS QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Hello folks, this week we’re revisiting the topic of bad games! We’ll look at some notable flops from recent years and the factors that led to their failure. What do you feel are the biggest disasters of the past decade or so, and why do you think they failed?
Bonus question: We’ll be looking at some games that have been improved over time, to positive results. Have you played any games that have undergone these changes, and what are your thoughts on the process?
SHOUT OUTS – “FRIENDS OF BUOY”
– The Bobby Blackwolf Show, a weekly internet radio show and podcast discussing the latest news in gaming as well as sometimes reminiscing about gaming’s history
– Video Game Realness, a dose of gaming chit chat among friends
– Nintendo Pow Block, a dive into the week that was in the world of Nintendo
– Sasha’s Retrobytes, “bytes” of vintage gaming including magazine scans and photographs
– Defunct Games, your daily source for modern video game reviews, exciting trivia competitions and old school magazine analysis
– Thomas Game Docs, where each video covers “a different aspect of video game history”
– Orange Lounge Radio, where every gamer has a voice
– Aftermath, an independent, worker-owned website about video games, other media and internet culture
– Game Mechanics, where TTRPG designers “kick tires and run diagnostics on tabletop experiences”
– Craig, Slaggy McWaggy’s robot boyfriend a multi-track voice channel recording bot for Discord
Also, our theme music was done by the late, great Zelda Reorchestrated, which lives on in the form of ZREO: Second Quest!
The post Game Buoy Podcast Episode 180 – @#*$ Games #2 (Or: The MindsEye Episode): Game Buoy Remake Project Episode 7 appeared first on GAME BUOY.
