Episode #73 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty North American Release Date - November 13, 2001

**Game Talk starts around 18:40**

I have no idea where Metal Gear Solid 2 sits in the history books of gaming. Is a Playstation 2 classic? Forgotten gem? Is it the worst game in the Metal Gear series? The best? Overrated? Underrated? If you look it up online, you'll find every single one of these opinion floating around. 

What do I think? You'll have to listen to the show to find out. Nice try. 

I associate this game almost as much as any other with the PS2. It was one of the first games I remember buying for the second Sony console, and man oh man was I excited to get my hands on it. After playing (and quite enjoying) the original Metal Gear Solid, I couldn't wait to play more. The hype was real, but what was one of the most anticipated games of all-time became one of the most controversial once it got released into the wild. People would debate the creative decisions Kojima and friends made for years to come. 

What couldn't be debated was the games sales numbers. MGS 2 ended up selling over 7 MILLION copies. We got Metal Gear Solid V recently, and the Metal Gear games have sold a combined 49 million units. So the Metal Gear series is alive and well. But there are gamers out there that abandoned the series at this title. Was I one of them? Was my guest Bradley McCue? Did we like Raiden? What about Snake?

Does this game suck?? No, it doesn't. But do we like it? Have a listen and find out. 

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Episode #62 - Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 North American Release Date - January 11, 2005

**Game Talk starts at 10:25**

Now, I don't throw around the word "masterpiece" very often. But this game? This game is a masterpiece. 

It's freaking Resident Evil 4. Practically a lock to show up on any respectable 'greatest games of all-time' list. Originally released as an "exclusive" for the criminally underrated Nintendo Gamecube, it's been ported to everything over the last fourteen years. Literally everything. There's probably a SNES version of this game now. And that's ok. This game is incredible, and it should be ported to everything so everyone gets a chance to play it. 

I remember playing through it for the first time on my Gamecube. I had never really gotten into a Resident Evil game up to this point. This one dropped, and the reviews were insane. People were calling it the greatest game ever made. I thought that seemed a little extreme, but I was looking for something beside Mario sports games to play on my 'Cube, so I gave it a chance. When I reached that first village, and realized I had complete control over how I tackled all these creepy hillbilly people that wanted to kill me, I was hooked. 

The atmosphere in this game is INSANE!! The music isn't great on this week's episode, because there isn't any. Capcom did a phenomenal job of setting the mood and making you constantly pay attention to your surroundings. The way that creepy little tune kicks in whenever bad guys are approaching was genius, too. It never gets old. 

The graphics have held up, too. I just played the Switch port of this game a couple months ago, and I'm happy to report Resident Evil 4 still looks great. It has a very dark, almost foggy aesthetic to it, and it really adds to the tension and feel of the game. I never found myself trying to figure out what I could and couldn't interact with, which I find can be an issue with some more realistic looking titles. 

I only really have two minor issues with RE4. The controls (Wii version aside, apparently), take a little getting used to. And the story can be tough to follow. But the controls felt fine after a couple hours of play, and the story doesn't really matter. You have to save the President's daughter, and that's good enough for me. 

This game is the bee's knees. My guest Patrick thinks so, too. We'll tell you why over the next hour or so. Enjoy!

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Episode #57 - The Simpsons: Hit & Run

The Simpsons: Hit & Run North American Release Date - September 16th, 2003

Yep, it's another Simpsons game. At least this is the good one!

The Simpsons: Hit & Run is pretty universally considered the best video game adaption of The Simpsons. Sure, you could make an argument for The Simpsons Game that came out on the PS3 and Xbox 360 or the original arcade game. And they're both pretty solid, too. But at the end of the day, Hit & Run is the GOAT.

I won't lie, I haven't played this game in fifteen years. When we started covering Simpons game on the show, this was the one people were looking for. I had to do a little homework this time around and refresh my memory, and it actually turned out to be pretty fun. I'm a MASSIVE old-school Simpsons fan, and I'd forgotten just what an incredible love letter this game is to nerds like me. 

They packed an insane amount of Simpsons references and easter eggs into this game. Much like The Stick of Truth did for South Park, Hit & Run finally gave us a chance to explore the cartoon community of Springfield that we've all loved for so many years. Everywhere you go, there's another nod to something from one of the glory seasons of the show. The voice acting is on point and the story is actually pretty entertaining (much better than anything they've put on TV in years). And frankly, even if this game had kept up with the trend of Simpsons games having terrible controls, all the little extras they squeezed in for die-hard fans would have made it a contender for the best Simpsons game ever. 

But in addition to being funny, they FINALLY broke The Simpsons/broken control curse! This game is actually fun to play. It isn't perfect, and near the end is gets frustratingly difficult, but it's a good time. It's almost like they "right clicked" a Grand Theft Auto game and "saved as" a Simpsons title. And that's not a bad thing. This game is a good time. Ripping around Springfield causing mayhem is a fucking blast. 

It hurts my heart that The Simpsons have had so many awful video games. Growing up a huge fan, I played almost all of them. They were my Mom's default go to games for Christmas presents, and it was pretty rough as a kid. Luckily, the suffering ended in 2003 with the release of The Simpsons: Hit & Run. So good. 

My buddy Mark McCue feels the same way! He's back, and we're talking about our favourite Springfield experience on this week's episode. Enjoy!

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Episode #55 - Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance North American Release Date - October 24, 2006

Look at me, being all topical and professional and stuff. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 3 comes out this Friday, so I thought it would be a perfect time to dedicate an episode to one of my favourite games of the last couple generations; the original Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. 

This game was a follow-up to the two (kick-ass) X-Men Legends games. Taking the initial formula and expanding on it to include characters from all walks of Marvel life, as opposed to just Professor X's team of misfits (and The Brotherhood, Legends 2 SPOILER!), Ultimate Alliance gave the player the opportunity to build a team of their favourite Marvel superheroes, and just run around beating up bad guys for fifteen hours. It was perfect!

Obviously, the main hook to the game is the roster. Being able to build a team of four heroes from the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Elektra, Thing, blah blah blah, was awesome. Being able to switch your team out regularly added a ton of replay to the game, and kept it from getting stale. The combat stayed fresh and fun thanks in large part to the fact that each of the heroes felt and controlled unique. Wolverine was an absolute button mashing tank, whereas Iron Man was better served staying in the sky blasting away at enemies from a distance. Anytime you'd start getting bored, you could just pick a different group of heroes and freshen the (admittedly somewhat repetitive) combat up.

Another giant hook to these games is the multi-player. Being able to run through levels with up to 3 of your buds was awesome. I have great memories of playing this game (and it's sequel) with my nephew for hours at a time. Single player did the job just fine, but it was definitely better with friends.

These games also contain RPG elements. As you use heroes, you'd gain experience points that you could use to level up their specific abilities as you saw fit. I loved pumping all of Iron Man's XP into his various lasers and weapons, and he really did feel stronger as the game went on. I think the game could have survived without this aspect, but it wouldn't be nearly as beloved as it is today without giving players the ability to "tinker under the hood" of their favourite Marvel characters with such detail.

If you haven't figured it out by now, I love me some Ultimate Alliance. So does my buddy Tyler. We'll tell you all about it on this week's episode of the show. Enjoy!

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Episode #40 - WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain

WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain North American Release Date - October 27, 2003

It's WrestleMania week! This is like the Stanley Cup Finals/World Series/Super Bowl for wrestling fans, so I figured it was the right time to jump back into the world of wrasslin' video games. We've already covered the iconic WWF: No Mercy, and it's dimwitted cousin WWF Attitude. This week, we leaping forward to the Playstation 2 and another of the most beloved wrestling games of all-time; WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain...

Featuring the cover athlete BROOOOOCCKKKK.....LESSSSSSNAAAAARRRRRR! (That's for you current WWE fans)

I won't lie, my heart belongs to the Nintendo 64 when it comes to wrestling games. Not just No Mercy, either. All the THQ games from that system (going back as far as WCW World Tour), stole countless hours from my childhood. They may not have had the deepest career modes of all-time, but the controls were perfect, and the multiplayer was legendary. I loved those games. I bought the first couple SmackDown! titles when they released on the original PlayStation, but they didn't hook me in the same way. Once the SmackDown series made it's leap to the PlayStation 2, it really hit it's stride. Shut Your Mouth was pretty good, but Here Comes the Pain is - in my opinion - the definitive title of the PS2, the SmackDown series, and early 2000's pro wrestling.

It really played a big role in shifting the wrestling video game genre toward a more simulation style game, being able to work on specific body parts during a match and seeing the damage that has been done to each leg, arm, etc. It pumped steroids into the THQ grapple engine everyone knew and loved.  It really took the gameplay to the next level, and aside from the obvious graphical enhancements, I remember this feeling like the first game that was taking full advantage of a more powerful console (the PS2 as opposed to the original PlayStation). 

I love the career mode in this game, too. I like the tight menu, no walking around. You pick what you want to do between matches, and it happens. Its the KISS method - Keep It Simple, Stupid. It also introduced the Elimination Chamber to video games, and I found that as fun as I did ladder matches when they were first introduced back in WWF No Mercy. It was the first time bra and panties matches were playable too, but, yeah...

It has a great roster, plucked from a great time in pro wrestling. Tight controls, great graphics, fun career mode, Here Comes The Pain checks all the right boxes. I haven't played it in a long time, but doing a little homework for this episode brought back a lot of great memories. This is unquestionably one of the crown jewels of the wrestling video game library, and my buddy Andre joined me this week to help explain why. 

Enjoy the podcast, and enjoy WrestleMania, fellow nerds. It's still real to me dammit.

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Episode #30 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City North American Release Date - October 29, 2002 (PlayStation 2)

Does anyone else hear the chorus to I Ran (So Far Away) and instantly think of Vice City? Oh, all of you? At least it isn't just me then....

Everyone played Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. I know there had been the original top-down style GTA games, and GTA 3 had been out for a little while, but this seemed like the one that really kick-started the Grand Theft Auto phenomenon. I know personally, this one the first one I played. I never actually finished the story, but I'd spend hours just driving around causing chaos and running away from the police. I'd never played a game like this before, it felt so....real (for lack of a better word).

The soundtrack for this game is absolutely iconic. Just driving around listening to the radio was so much fun. The amount of time Rockstar spent on the radio DJ's conversations was incredible for the time. As someone that would usually turn the sound off on my video games and listen to a CD instead (fuck I'm old), this game really grabbed my attention from an audio perspective. It was so good. 

I'm sure kids that grew up on GTA V would take one look at Vice City and laugh, but for us old folks, this game was the cat's ass. I've been looking forward to uploading this episode for a while, because I know every gamer from my generation remembers ripping around, seeing if they could max out their stars and still get away from the cops. This game was like playing a movie. It's unquestionably one of the most iconic games of it's generation, and I had a great time chatting about it with my buddy Andre. I hope you guys have as much fun with this episode as we did.

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