With Amazon debuting the absurdly expensive Rings of Power series last week, we decided it was as good a time as any to chat about five of the best Lord of the Rings games, with special guest Anthony Abatte. Then it's on to Splatoon 3, Disney Dreamlight Valley, and Immortality, Sony and Microsoft beefing over Call of Duty, and the classic games you'd like to see gathered up in lavish, detail-filled collections.

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Videogame-industry veterans Mikel Reparaz and Anne Lewis rally their colleagues for weekly discussions about games, the industry, and the circus of egos and information that surrounds it all.

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  This week, we delve into news from Summer Game Fest, Xbox Games Showcase, and Ubisoft Forward — but not before inviting Chris Baker on to talk about five "lesser" ports of A-list games that suddenly became the only versions after the "real" games got canceled. We'll also take a look at Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Selaco, and the pop-culture icons you think still need defining games. Question of the Week: Have you ever had a chance to experience a piece of "lost" media (canceled games, unreleased movies, etc.)? Tell us about it. Break song is Good Enough for Now by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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 The incredible Godzilla Minus One is now on Netflix, so Anthony Abatte joins us to talk... not about Godzilla games (which range from "pretty good" to "abysmal"), but about Godzilla and other cultural icons who have videogames, but not ones that really capture their essence the way, say, Arkham does for Batman. Then we'll touch on Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the Yakuza live-action series news, announcements from last week's State of Play, and your favorite videogame-trope-inspiring movies. Question of the Week: What’s a pop-culture icon you think is overdue for a definitive game?  Break song is The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny by Lemon Demon. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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 The release of Furiosa over the weekend got us all fixated on Mad Max again, so we're starting off this week's show with a look at five desert-drivin', raider-fightin', wasteland-survivin' games that owe their existence to George Miller's legendary film franchise. Then we'll get into The Rogue Prince of Persia, MultiVersus' official launch, the Just Cause movie announcement, and the digital games you wish you'd bought physically (or vice versa). Question of the Week: What is your favorite movie that has inspired videogame tropes?  Break song is Bitchin' Camaro by The Dead Milkmen. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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 Senua's Saga: Hellblade II is out this week, and new guest Trone L. Dowd reviewed it for Inverse — but first, we'll talk about five other games where you're hounded (and often guided) by voices in your head. We'll also get into XDefiant, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, Arctic Eggs, Ghost of Tsushima on PC, Jason Voorhees coming back in multiple ways, and your favorite underutilized and too-often-ignored game features. Question of the Week: Have you ever bought a game physically that you wished you had bought digitally (or vice versa)? Break song is Voices in My Head by Denis Leary. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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 There's a whole bunch of new releases to talk about this week, including surprise hits Animal Well and Crow Country, but first we've got a Top 5 debate about features that - despite being inarguably awesome - don't seem find their way into very many games. Then we'll get into Little Kitty, Big City, Dread Delusion, Mullet Mad Jack, and the Assassin's Creed Shadows reveal, as well as some of your feelings about playing games early vs. waiting for launch.  Question of the Week: What's a gameplay feature or mechanic you love, but that doesn't appear in nearly enough games? Break song is Instruments of Destruction by N.R.G. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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