Nintendo finally shuttered the 3DS (and Wii U) eShop this week, on the 12th anniversary of the landmark handheld's North American release, so this week we're paying tribute to it with a look at five of the best digital-only exclusives to have disappeared along with the storefront. Then we'll get into Resident Evil 4 Remake, Tchia, Have A Nice Death, new developments in the Microsoft-Activision-Sony saga, and the actors you think lend gravitas to any role.

Farewell, 3DS eShop - Vidjagame Apocalypse 517

Last week, the world lost an iconic and unique talent with the passing of Lance Reddick, an actor who - in addition to a number of film and TV roles - lent his voice and face to a handful of videogame characters. This week, we pay tribute by looking at five of them, after which TL Foster of  Welcome to the Thing and  Live From the Pool House joins us to talk about WWE 2K23, Resident Evil 4 Remake, more drama around Microsoft, Sony, Call of Duty, and Redfall, and your favorite games that started in Early Access.

Chronicles of Reddick - Vidjagame Apocalypse 516

John Cena is the cover athlete for this week's launch of WWE 2K23, and his silly catchphrase is enough of a reason to invite Ryan Harig of Zanzeezee podcast to talk about five games that give players cool invisibility powers. Then we'll talk about Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, Valheim and Anno 1800 launching on consoles, Nintendo's justification for Tears of the Kingdom's $70 price tag, and your favorite "forgotten" games from long-running franchises.

Can't See Me - Vidjagame Apocalypse 515

Sometimes, wrapping a trilogy leaves developers without a clear path forward - and sometimes, their follow-ups are weird outliers that are quickly forgotten once the series either fades away or finds its footing again. A certain 10-year anniversary this week sent us down a rabbit hole of these games, and once we're done talking about them we'll get deeper into Wo Long, explore Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, talk about Capcom Spotlight, and hear about the games you'd improve by adding pro-wrestling moves.

Four-Gotten Four-Quels - Vidjagame Apocalypse 514

Wrestling and videogames have been closely intertwined since the early days - and this week, Jarrett Green of IGN and Welcome to the Thing joins us to talk about five non-wrestling games that nevertheless let you crush your enemies with piledrivers and powerbombs. Then we'll scratch the surface of Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, chat about the validity and/or offensiveness of "JRPG" as a term, and look at the franchises you'd like to see recast their characters in new roles. 

Wrestling Outside the Ring - Vidjagame Apocalypse 513

Now that Super Nintendo World is bringing videogame aesthetics to Universal Studios, we're marking the occasion by inviting Emmett Watkins Jr. for a chat about five games set entirely in theme parks  — specifically the kind that characters are usually struggling to leave. Then we'll get into Like A Dragon: Ishin and Atomic Heart, Blumhouse getting into games, more about the Microsoft-Activision merger saga, and your personal stories of UFO encounters.

Trapped In A Theme Park - Vidjagame Apocalypse 512

UFOs have been in the news a lot lately, and while they're most likely of the non-extraterrestrial variety, it seemed like a good time to grab Mike Williams of Fanbyte for a chat about five games themed around UFOs and alien abductions. Then we'll dig into Wanted: Dead, Wild Hearts, Blanc, Game Pass cannibalizing game sales, and the real and fictional places you'd like to see re-created in open worlds.

Alien Abductions - Vidjagame Apocalypse 511

Open-world games, at their best, can be detailed portals to places we've always wanted to visit, whether real or fictitious - and this week, Anthony Abatte joins us for a look at five sandbox games that offer prime opportunities for virtual tourism. Then we'll talk about THAT game, plus Pizza Tower, news from this week's Nintendo Direct, and your favorite pieces of "idle" music.

Adapted Open Worlds - Vidjagame Apocalypse 510

Last week, the games industry defied licensing issues and rivalries to bring back GoldenEye 007 - and its banger pause-menu music, which inspired us to grab TL Foster for a quick Top 5 about our favorite pieces of music that play when we don't. Then we'll dig into the Dead Space remake, Hi-Fi Rush, Valiant Hearts: Coming Home, Inkulinati, and the game dialogue you enjoy listening to most.

Music That Gives Us Pause - Vidjagame Apocalypse 509

January is traditionally the dumping ground for movies that studios don't expect to do well, so before it's over, let's grab Chris Baker for a look at five movies that got game adaptations in spite of being obscure, deeply weird, and/or outright commercial flops. After that, we'll rocket straight into Forspoken and Fire Emblem Engage, The Avengers game sunsetting, a new episode of The Last of Us TV show, and the creators you'd like to see return to the games industry.

THAT Movie Got A Game!? - Vidjagame Apocalypse 508

There's a lot of overlap between the videogame and animation industries, but it's always a big deal when a big name in 2D cel animation decides to apply their talents to something interactive. This week, we'll look at five standout collaborations between game developers and old-school animators, after which we'll touch on Colossal Cave, Persona 3 and 4 coming to Game Pass, the demise of Stadia, and the games you'd like to see "enhanced" by voiceovers and/or FMV.

Games From Old-School Animators - Vidjagame Apocalypse 507

The Sega CD (or Mega-CD) turned 32(!) last month, and it remains the home not just of questionable FMV games and music-video makers, but of some of the best and weirdest versions of 16-bit games that were popular on other consoles at the time. Along with Greg Moore, we'll delve into five ancient games that got unforgettably "upgraded" with speech and FMV cutscenes, after which we'll talk about Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider, Borderlands movie news, the alleged end of PS5 shortages, and the upcoming games you're most looking forward to this year.

Enhanced for Sega CD - Vidjagame Apocalypse 506

As a new year dawns, it's time to look ahead to the next 12 months (with help from Anthony "BruceWayneBrady" Abatte) and the five games we're most excited for. Will any surprise you? Probably not! But they'll be fun to talk about anyway. Then it's on to a few games we missed last year, including Sports Story, River City Girls 2, and Choo-Choo Charles, after which we'll talk about whether there's more story to be wrung from The Last of Us and your personal GOTYs of 2022.

2023's Most Anticipated Games - Vidjagame Apocalypse 505

The clock's running out on 2022, so let's cap it off with part 2 of our GOTY show, with our Top 5 Games of 2022 and a roster of guests including Brendan Hesse of The Crawl, Kat Bailey of IGN and Axe of the Blood God, Tony Wilson of Framework, and Wii Universe's Steve Guntli and Woody Ciskowski! Which games claimed our top honors this year? Jump in and find out!

Our Top 10 Games of 2022 (Part 2) - Vidjagame Apocalypse 504

As another year draws to a close, it's time to look back on the past 12 months and pick our top 10 games of the year, with help from special guests including Alex Faciane, Kat Bailey, TL Foster, Chris Baker, Anthony Abatte, and Tony Wilson. Following last year's precedent, we're splitting the top 10 into two manageable chunks. Check out our picks for 10 through 6 this week, and stay tuned for next week, when we'll tackle 5 through 1!

Our Top 10 Games of 2022 (Part 1) - Vidjagame Apocalypse 503

2022 is almost over, but wait! There’s still DLC to talk about! So let’s grab Brendan Hesse for a look at five of our favorite pieces of DLC to launch this year, after which we’ll get into the Game Awards, High on Life, Crisis Core: FFVII Reunion, Lil Gator Game, God of War going live-action, and your favorite remasters/remakes of 2022.

2022's Best DLC - Vidjagame Apocalypse 502

This year has seen some excellent revivals of old games on new hardware, so let's kick off awards season a little early and take a look at our five favorite remasters and remakes of 2022, after which we'll get into The Callisto Protocol, Marvel's Midnight Suns, Need for Speed Unbound, Microsoft's acquisition moves, and movie games that stuck out in your head as ignoring the movies' plots.

2022's Best Remakes and Remasters - Vidjagame Apocalypse 501

Against all odds, we've somehow made it to 500 episodes, so we're celebrating by inviting a Secret Mystery Guest and digging into the five videogame franchises we've talked about the most over the past 499 episodes. Then we'll break format and talk about 10 games that have NEVER been in our Top 5s, plus a couple of brief cameos by other Secret Mystery Guests! 

Games We Still Won't Shut Up About - Vidjagame Apocalypse 500

Some games based on movies try to faithfully adapt the events of the film; others invent new scenes to pad out their runtime. And a select few throw the script in the garbage and invent their own version of events, and it's that last category that Chris Baker joins us this week to discuss. Then we'll talk more about Pokémon Scarlet and Violet; get into Gungrave GORE, The Devil in Me, and Evil West; and take a last-minute look at Black Friday game deals and the Nintendo franchises you think are due for an overhaul.

Classic Movie Games (That Ignored the Movie) - Vidjagame Apocalypse 499

With this week marking the 10-year anniversary of the Wii U's release, TL Foster joins us for a look at five of the coolest games that still haven't made the jump to Switch. Then we'll dig into Pentiment, Tactics Ogre: Reborn, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, check out The Game Awards 2022 GOTY nominations, and hear you talk about old stuff you're not nostalgic for (but still love hearing about anyway).

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