The Pitch

This week we talk about the many reasons to replay a game, including some psychological ones, and why you should give yourself permission to take a warm bath in the familiar. We also read your responses to May's games: The Beginner's Guide, Teardown, and Max Payne 3.

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Who's ready for some trash? There's a television that summons zombies. Wait, not exactly zombies. The Video Dead, who have their own rules for some reason. There's a horny boy named Jeff who's trying his best to get everyone killed, a Texan Van Helsing, and literal spit-takes for days. This straight to video schlock is charming and unpredictable, and the fact that we enjoyed it means there's probably a gas leak somewhere in the house.

This week we read your thoughts on season six of the Venture Bros., talk about the extra features on the DVD, and offer up our final summation on the show's attempt to reboot itself in New York.

Special thanks to Joshua Jarett for our cover art, Gwen May for our theme song, and Brayton Cameron for being our announcer.

Everything To Guppy is a weekly comedy/gaming podcast that releases four 15-minute episodes in a single hour-long chunk every Tuesday for reasons that seemed good at the time. Gary Butterfield (Watch Out For Fireballs) and William Hughes (The A.V. Club) attempt to analyze every single item, boss, character, and concept in the rogue-lite video game The Binding Of Isaac. They manage to pull it off only slightly less than 50 percent of the time.

The kids are going to have to learn about FUB and his obscure war at some point. That's why we're covering Loaded, a bonkers shooter that has all the charm of seven Twisted Metal games rammed together. We also talk about the Miracle of Uncles.

The Weeping Peninsula is rich with foreshadowing of major players and themes to come, and our first exposure to many mysteries about what forces tangle with the Golden Order. We head into the northern forests and westward, talking about the Demihuman Forest Ruins, the Wandering Mausoleum, the Tower of Return, and so much more.

Next week we take our chomp at Stormveil Castle and finally get some revenge on that terrible Margit.

On this episode we cover Uncanny X-Men #105-108, the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga. It's a good 'un!

Reminder that you can read along with and ahead of the show by subscribing to Marvel Unlimited (we don't get paid for you doing that, so it's not an ad, it's just a cool service). You can also use Comixology, or buy the trades from your local comic book shop (the preferred method, if we're being honest). Be sure to check with your local library to see if they have them there! You can find one using this site

Music by Gary, podcast art by our friend Wayne

Kole, Ben, Dennis, and David talk about even more Elden Ring, Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion, Dagon, and much more!

• Ben: Elden Ring.
• Dennis: Rainbow Six: Extraction. Gears of War. Donut County.
• David: Destiny 2. Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realm.
• Kole: Spooky’s Jump Scare Mansion. Dagon.

• What’s the worst mistake you’ve made in a game?

• Sony announces initial lineup for revamped PS+.
• Dead by Daylight is getting more Resident Evil content.
• Silent Hill rumors leak, remain dubious.
• Fall Guys is going free to play and getting a map editor.

Poor Max. Poor sad, hyper competent timelord Max.

Our man is in Brazil this time, playing the patsy and killing more people than most video game protagonists do in a lifetime. When Rockstar took over the franchise, fans feared that they would ruin this classic series. They were half right, turns out, as bolting a cover system onto the breach and clear pace of Max Payne has damaged the pacing. So did adding a truly criminal number of cutscenes. There are moments of thrilling action and fun, and a genuinely interesting tale to be found here, but as fans of the first game, we're disappointed. Listen in to hear why! 

3 Ninjas is a film franchise that is a beloved favorite of the post-Goonies pre-Sandlot set, and we didn't even realize they made a game of it. There's not much to talk about here, so we instead fixate on the movies, whether or not kids today share our martial arts fascinations, and how Kole is a very bad uncle.