After seeing more of God of War Ragnarök at Sony's State of Play this week, we felt inspired to look at other series that told their stories across (or were abandoned after) just two games, something that's only really strange because we're so used to everything being trilogies in this industry. Then we'll dig into Steelrising, Freedom Planet 2, the reveals from State of Play, the Nintendo Direct, and Ubisoft Forward, and your personal Lord of the Rings-related stories.

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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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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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Hades II's surprise Early Access launch this week got us thinking about other games that found success with unfinished builds and community enthusiasm, so we invited TL Foster of Welcome to the Thing on to talk about five of them. Then it's on to first impressions of Hades II, as well as Puppet Master: The Game, Microsoft shuttering studios, Helldivers 2 drama, and your favorite beautiful flops. Question of the Week: Do you like playing games early (whether in Early Access or demos), or do you prefer to wait and play after launch? Break song is Incomplete by Bad Religion. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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Great reviews don't always mean great sales, and this week, we invite Phil Keeling of Pixel Lit for a look at five games that were critical darlings, but commercial flops. Then we'll dig into Stellar Blade, Pools, Indika, Another Crab's Treasure, the return of Net Neutrality, and the games you think perfected their series' gameplay. Question of the Week: Tell us about your favorite beautiful flop. What's an amazing game that wasn't the success it should have been? Break song is Danny's Song as performed by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne.

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