Vidjagame Apocalypse

Barbie and Oppenheimer turned movie counter-programming into a cultural event, so let's seize on that by inviting Ryan Harig of Zanzeezee Podcast for a look at five dates when two huge and/or weirdly dissonant videogames debuted at the same time. Then we'll get into Exoprimal, My Friendly Neighborhood, Gravity Circuit, more Microsoft/Activision drama and Game Pass news, and the long-lost games you'd love to see re-released.

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?

A new Indiana Jones movie has hit theaters, and that's all the excuse we need to grab Framework's Tony Wilson and devote a show to five of Dr. Jones' best starring roles in videogames. Then we'll talk about Six Days in Fallujah hitting early access, Blumhouse looking to make more videogame adaptations after Five Nights at Freddy's, and the games you're most looking forward to in the next six months.

A fantastic year for games is nearing its end, which means it's time for us to look back at the past 12 months and anoint our top 10 games of the year in a discussion so big, we had to split it into two shows. This week, we're joined by a rotating panel of guests including Tony Wilson, Brendan Hesse, Chris Baker, Steve Guntli, Woody Ciskowski, Jorga Albor, and Johnny Brandon. Check out our picks for 10 through 6 this week, and stay tuned for next week, when we'll kick it off with #5 and count down to our Game of the Year.

There's a lot of chat this week, so here's a quick timestamp cheat sheet if you'd like to skip ahead to unveil each entry:

5:27: #5 with Tony Wilson and Brendan Hesse

26:28: #4 with Chris Baker and Steve Guntli

50:02: #3 with Brendan Hesse and Tony Wilson

1:12:44: #2 with Steve Guntli and Woody Ciskowski

1:32:54: #1 with Johnny Brandon and Jorge Albor

This is a massive week for RPG fans, with Starfield and Baldur's Gate III both hitting consoles - but before we get into that, Chris "cbake" Baker joins us to talk about five games that - despite being licensed from American comics, cartoons, and movies - never saw the light of day in the US! (He also plugs his new book, X-Wings, Lightsabers, and Scorpion Vader, available now on Amazon.) Then we'll dig into the aforementioned RPGs, a smattering of Nintendo news, and the games or series you think should get Digital Eclipse's Gold Master Series treatment.

QOTW: Now that they've done fantasy, post-apocalypse, and sci-fi, what genre would you like to see a Bethesda-style RPG set in?