Happy (American) Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend! This week, we invite Anthony "BruceWayneBrady" Abatte on to talk about action games with chef protagonists, after which we'll get into Super Mario RPG Remake, Small Saga, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, a roundup of Black Friday game deals, and the games that defined the PS4/Xbox One generation for you.

Question of the Week: Do you have a favorite game soundtrack? Like, one you’ll actually sit and listen to? Tell us about it.

Break song is Too Many Cooks by Shawn Coleman and Michael Kohler.

PS4 turned 10 this week, and Xbox One is about to do the same in a few days, so we devoted this week's Top 5 to the games that - for us - defined the console generation that spanned 2013-2020. Then we'll dig into The Game Awards nominations, Assassin's Creed Nexus VR, Backpack Hero, Remnant 2: The Awakened King, and your picks for the Triforce of actors who should play Link, Ganon, and Zelda.

Question of the Week: What game most defines the PS4 and/or Xbox One for you, and why?

The announcement of a live-action Zelda movie inspired us to return to the ever-giving well of videogame movie and TV adaptations - specifically five that don't have a whole lot to do with their source material. We'll then explore Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Spirittea, hcelebrate the long-overdue official announcement of Grand Theft Auto VI, and hear about the Spider-Verse characters you think deserve their own games.

Question of the Week: Which triforce of actors would you cast as Link, Zelda, and Ganon?

Break song is Maniac Mansion by Jane Siberry and Lou Natale.

Alan Wake 2 is out, and because both it and Spider-Man 2 feature two heroes you can swap between, we decided to dedicate this week's top 5 to dynamic duos you can switch out on a whim. Then we'll dig deeper into Alan Wake 2 (of course!), the Five Nights at Freddy's film, Jusant, Thirsty Suitors, Call of Duty Modern Warfare III's campaign, Atari buying Digital Eclipse, and your go-to games for spooky season.

Question of the Week: Which Spider-Verse character needs a spinoff game?

Break song is Friday Night from Yakuza 0.

As another Spooptober nears its end, we close things out with five games that will drive you mad, MAD... like, as a gameplay mechanic, with sanity meters and in-game hallucinations. Then we'll dig into the past week's bumper crop of new releases, including Mario Wonder, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and Slay the Princess; look at the reveals from Xbox's Partner Preview, and the otherwise benign games that scared you as a kid.

Question of the Week: Do you have a go-to game or series you like to play during spooky season?

Break song is Frontier Psychiatrist by The Avalanches.

We're still in the middle of spooky season, but with Mario Wonder and Sonic Superstars filling this week with color and cheer, we combined cute with creepy and got a top 5 about some of the biggest scares that Mario ever dragged us through. Then we'll get into Wizard With A Gun, Hellboy Web of Wyrd, Skull Island: The Rise of Kong, Best Buy phasing out physical media, and the real-world places you love to see in games.

QOTW: What seemingly benign videogame used to scare you as a kid?

We enter our second week of Spooptober™ with a look at how the happy haunts of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion have been portrayed in five different games — one of which turns 20 in a few days. Then we'll marvel at Forza Motorsport and the Robocop: Rogue City demo, scratch our heads at the PS5's strange new modular makeover. and hear about the abandoned game servers you've haunted in the past.

QOTW: Obviously, Matt and Chris geek out about Disney park appearances in games. What real-world location do you geek out about when it appears in a game?

Another spooky season is upon us, and this one arrives alongside a new Castlevania series! To mark the occasion, we've invited Mike Williams back on to revisit five of the worst-reviewed Castlevania games to see whether they really deserve their bad reputations. Then we'll get into Assassin's Creed Mirage, The Lamplighters League, the "official" pronunciation of Cait Sith, and the times you switched console allegiances.

QOTW: Have you ever “haunted” an old game server well past its prime? Tell us why and what it was like!

The one-two punch of Cyberpunk 2077 rolling out version 2.0 and Phantom Liberty inspired us to grab Brendan "The Crawl" Hesse for a look at five games that managed to win back hearts and minds after especially rocky launches. Then we'll dive into Resident Evil 4 Remake's Separate Ways DLC, Phantom Liberty, and El Paso, Elsewhere before talking about Jim Ryan leaving PlayStation and your favorite Mortal Kombat Fatalities.

QOTW: How many times have you switched allegiances and changed your primary gaming platform?

Mortal Kombat 1 hit this week, so we're starting this week's show with a look at five games that sought to recapture its blood-spraying, digitized-actor magic back in the '90s. Joining us are Steve Guntli and Woody Ciskowski, formerly of Wii Universe and Ultra 64, and presently (in Steve's case) of CinemArcade and Puppet Masters / Castle Freaks. Then we'll dig into MK1 and LIes of P, talk about some of the big stories from the Xbox leak, and hear about your favorite racing games.

QOTW: What's your favorite Mortal Kombat fatality?