It's So Bad

Luke and Mike take on an indie top down fuck'em up game, Hotline Miami. Inspired by the original Grand Theft Auto games as well as the 8-bit Metal Gear games, the original Hotline Miami game was one of the first Devolver Digital published games and ushered in a new wave of indie games. We talk about everything from the aesthetic and the music (including original work by Perturbator, M.O.O.N. and more) to the gameplay, the story and more.

Rick and Mike discuss the classic Nintendo gem Metroid on this episode. We discuss everything from the game's development and creation by Gunpei Yokoi to Hip Tanaka's ethereal atmospheric soundtrack.  We also discuss the game contemporaries in the Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. and Kid Icarus not to mention the games which its influenced including Terraria, Shadow Complex, Steamworld Dig, Symphony of the Night AND LITERALLY EVERY OTHER INDIE GAME.  Join us as we add another game to the List of Games.

Nintendo with the help of Rare take a stab at making a licensed property-based FPS game for the N64. We tackle the game that introduced four player couch-based deathmatches to the mass market. We also discuss: The first year of the N64, our history with Bond movies, how bad License to Kill is, how incredible multiplayer was for the time and where it fits in our list of games.

Jim and Jessica join Mike to discuss the 1992 classic arcade fighting game Mortal Kombat.  We discuss our personal histories with the franchise, the original video game and its impact on the larger game landscape.  This podcast has everything Mortal Kombat ranging from the 1993 violence in video games congressional hearings to the Mortal Kombat Live Tour and WMAC Masters.  Join us as we add another game to our list.

Chris and Mike do battle as Alex and Ryan (Kunio and Rikki) against the evil gangs (rival high schools) of River City in this classic beat'em up.  River City Ransom, first released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1989, provided exciting action and introduced RPG elements in a fighting games.  Considered to be one of the best NES games, this cult classic has influenced many modern games and continues to endure even today.  On this episode, we talk about the game and it to our All Time Best List.

Matt and Rick stop by to place the Legend of Zelda on our ever expanding list of the best games of all time.  Our meandering conversation touches on the history of the Zelda franchise and the historical significance of the first game in the series.  We also play listen to some old commercials and discuss if the game still holds up today.  Find out where the game landed on our top games list in this episode!

Rick joins Mike to discuss the state of the Nintendo Switch library.  It's been a year and a few months since release how has the libary shaped up?  Has it met expectations?  What are some of the gems currently released or coming soon?  We talk about the past, current and future state of the library as of today.  Everything from the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey to Blossom Tales and Kamiko.

Steve, Ankur and Matt join Mike to discuss the 2017 Run and Gun instant classic Cuphead.  This game originally on XBox One and the PC helped change the game with its hand drawn art, innovative boss design and beautiful aesthetics.  As part of our Playing the Best series, we discuss where this game fits in the overall It's So Bad Best list and it's impact into the future.  Join us as another game is added to the list.

On this episode, Mike is joined by Chris and Dan to discuss the N64 classic WWF No Mercy.  The goods, the bads and how this game shaped our childhood/friendship.  There's a healthy dose of talking about the game and random nonesense because this podcast is really bad.

Steve and Tim join Mike to discuss the phenomenon known as battle royale games.  We talk about our hours playing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and Fortnite Battle Royale.  Everything from the gameplay to the brief history of the genre and the future.  Join us @Now.