X-Men Madness in Murderworld! With Austin Auclair (PatientRock)

02/17/25 • 40 min

1 Listener

Attention, mutant enthusiasts and digital adventurers! Prepare yourselves for a journey into the pixelated past as we dive headfirst into the treacherous depths of Murderworld. This week, we’re joined by the indomitable Austin Auclair from PatientRock to tackle the notorious X-Men: Madness in Murderworld, a game that’s been haunting players’ nightmares since 1989.

Get ready to dust off your DOS disks, fire up your Amigas, and polish those Commodore 64s as we explore this side-scrolling saga that pits our favorite mutants against the diabolical duo of Magneto and Arcade. Will we uncover the secrets of the demagnetizer? Can we navigate the labyrinthine levels without losing our sanity? And most importantly, will we finally beat this infamously challenging game after decades of collective frustration?

Tune in as we dissect the good, the bad, and the downright maddening aspects of this classic X-Men adventure. With Austin’s expertise and our unwavering determination, we might just crack the code and rescue Professor X from his digital prison. So grab your favorite mutant power-boosting snack and join us for an episode that’s sure to be more electrifying than Storm’s lightning bolts and sharper than Wolverine’s claws!

Learn such things as:

An X-Men game where you probably don’t want to enter combat? Really?
Having to do certain levels and puzzle with certain characters is stupid and I don’t have a question here, I just want to make sure that you know I feel that way.
How do you feel knowing that when this game came out, it was legitimately the best X-Men game ever?
And so much more!

You can find Austin on BlueSky @patientrock.bsky.social and of course at his website PatientRock. Specifically here’s that original Revenge series post and the X-Men Madness in Murderworld FAQ/walkthrough.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Escape the Mojoverse and Tales from the Backlog for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who probably won’t murder me if he ever reads these bits at the end of the show notes......

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

Read transcript

Learn such things as:

An X-Men game where you probably don’t want to enter combat? Really?
Having to do certain levels and puzzle with certain characters is stupid and I don’t have a question here, I just want to make sure that you know I feel that way.
How do you feel knowing that when this game came out, it was legitimately the best X-Men game ever?
And so much more!

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Escape the Mojoverse and Tales from the Backlog for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who probably won’t murder me if he ever reads these bits at the end of the show notes......

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

Read transcript

Previous Episode

The Mafat Conspiracy with Dean Guadagno (The Video Game Library)

Attention, pixel-pushing pals and manga maniacs! Prepare to embark on a thrilling journey through the digital pages of gaming history as we dive into the world of The Mafat Conspiracy, the NES sequel to Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode. This episode of Play Comics is locked and loaded with more action than Duke Togo’s sniper rifle!

We’re joined by the legendary Dean Guadagno from The Video Game Library, who’s here to help us unravel the mysteries of this 8-bit espionage extravaganza. Get ready to dodge bullets, navigate 3D mazes, and race Ferraris as we explore how the world’s deadliest assassin made his mark on Nintendo’s beloved console.

So grab your favorite controller, adjust your scope, and get ready to infiltrate the Mafat Revolutionary Group’s hideout. It’s time to discover if The Mafat Conspiracy lives up to its manga roots or if it’s just another case of pixel propaganda. Let’s dive in, agents!

Learn such things as:

How much adult leaning content can slip onto an NES cart?
What if you just can’t decide on a genre for your game?
Is it a feature or a bug that this game doesn’t have anything explicitly about Golgo 13 in the title?
And so much more!

You can find Dean on BlueSky @thevideogamelibrary.org, Instagram @thevideogamelibrary_, The Video Game Library, and their Discord server.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Apathetic Enthusiasm and The Last Comic Shop for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who has read this entire manga and is screaming at me across the void for not getting him on the show.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

Read transcript

Next Episode

Turok Evolution with Frank Martin

Grab your time-traveling bow and arrow, folks! It’s time to dive into the prehistoric playground of Turok: Evolution, the game that asked, “What if we took a beloved comic book series and cranked the dinosaur-blasting action up to 11?” Join us as we explore this Acclaim-produced, multi-console extravaganza that had gamers questioning whether they were playing as a noble warrior or just a really enthusiastic paleontologist with anger issues.

This episode features the talented Frank Martin, comic writer extraordinaire and master of crowdfunded creativity. He’ll help us navigate the treacherous terrain between comic panels and pixelated landscapes, all while dodging raptors and questioning the logic of futuristic weapons in a world where “cutting edge” usually refers to a particularly sharp rock.

So strap on your loincloth, polish your plasma rifle, and get ready to explore a game that’s part Jurassic Park, part quantum physics experiment gone wrong. Will Turok: Evolution stand the test of time, or will it go extinct faster than you can say “Cease and desist, dinosaur!”? Tune in to find out!

Learn such things as:

Is it cheating if you’re making the game alongside the comics?
Is it cheating if you rebooted the comics to be nothing like the comics were when the came out all those years ago?
Is it cheating if you’re just making Goldeneye in the early 2000s but with dinosaurs?
And so much more!

You can find Frank on most social media platforms using the handle @FrankTheWriter and FrankTheWriter.com.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky.

A big thanks to Not If I Reboot You First and Behold! for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who doesn’t have a favorite dinosaur because they’re all so cool.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

Read transcript