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This week on Play Comics, we’re taking you on a high-speed tour through Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, a PS2 classic that’s equal parts thrilling dogfight simulator and love letter to Universal Century lore. From piloting iconic mobile suits to reenacting pivotal battles from the One Year War, this game has everything a Gundam fan could ask for—except ground-based combat (but hey, who needs dirt when you’ve got asteroids?).

Joining us for this cosmic adventure is George from Shortbox Summary, who brings his signature wit and deep knowledge of pop culture to the discussion. Together, we’ll explore what makes Encounters in Space stand out among Gundam games, share our favorite moments from its sprawling story modes, and maybe even speculate about Zeon’s questionable interior design choices. Strap in—it’s going to be a bumpy ride through the stars!Continue Reading

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Yo Joe! Or should we say “Yo NES!” because this week on Play Comics, we’re tackling G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero—the video game adaptation of everyone’s favorite cartoon about freedom-loving heroes battling against Cobra’s endless supply of bad ideas. With explosive levels and a cast of characters straight out of your childhood toy box, this game promises big action… but does it deliver?

Chris teams up with SerpyMatt, an internet personality who probably knows more about G.I. Joe lore than Cobra Commander knows about losing battles. Together, they’ll uncover what makes this game tick—from its ambitious level design to its occasional moments of “Wait… what just happened?” Is it a victory for retro gaming or just another casualty in the war against bad licensed games? Tune in and find out!
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Welcome to another episode of Play Comics, where we volley between the pixelated world of video games and the ink-stained pages of comic strips! This week, we’re serving up a nostalgic slice of handheld gaming with Snoopy Tennis for the Game Boy Color—a game that lets you smash tennis balls as Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the gang while channeling the quirky humor of the Peanuts comic strip. But don’t let Snoopy’s “World Famous Tennis Player” persona fool you; his skills might be as questionable as his geography knowledge (Wimbledon in Kansas City, anyone?).

Joining us on this court-side adventure is Bill Pepper, host of It’s a Podcast, Charlie Brown and Atari Bytes. Bill brings his expertise in all things Peanuts and retro gaming to help us dissect whether Snoopy’s racket-wielding antics are a grand slam or just another double fault. Expect witty banter, deep dives into Snoopy’s many alter egos, and maybe even some tales about Crybaby Boobie or Molly Volley from the comic strip lore.

So grab your sweatbands, dodge those bugs mistaking the tennis court for a highway, and prepare for an episode that’s more fun than Snoopy getting tangled in the net. Game on!Continue Reading

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Attention, space cadets and retro gamers! Prepare to blast off into a pixelated adventure as Play Comics takes on Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom. We’re zooming through the 25th century faster than you can say “bidi-bidi-bidi,” exploring this cosmic classic that graced the Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Atari 5200, and Intellivision.

Joining us on this retro romp is none other than Andy Larson, one of the amazing hosts of The Last Comic Shop podcast. Together, we’ll navigate through space battles, questionable physics, and more bleeps and bloops than you can shake a joystick at.

So strap in, adjust your antenna, and get ready to explore whether this game does justice to the Buck Rogers comics and serialized adventures. Will it be a direct hit or a galactic miss? Tune in to find out if Buck’s digital escapades are as timeless as his 500-year nap!Continue Reading

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Greetings, cave dwellers and retro gaming enthusiasts! Prepare to be transported back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth and pixelated graphics were cutting-edge technology. This episode of Play Comics is about to take you on a wild ride through the prehistoric world of BC’s Quest for Tires and its bone-rattling sequel, BC II: Grog’s Revenge. These ColecoVision gems, inspired by Johnny Hart’s iconic newspaper strip BC, will have you pedaling your stone-wheeled unicycle faster than a Brontosaurus can say “Bronto-burger!”

But wait, don’t touch that dial (or scroll away from that podcast app)! We’ve got a special guest joining us on this Paleolithic adventure. It’s none other than DC Dave from The Monitor Tapes, who’s temporarily abandoned his own era to help us navigate through these Stone Age sidescrollers. Will we uncover the secrets of fire? Invent the wheel? Or just end up with calluses from furiously mashing those ColecoVision controller buttons?

From dodging lava pits to outsmarting saber-toothed tigers, we’ll explore every crevice and cave of these classic games. We might even answer burning questions like: “How does one steer a unicycle with square wheels?” and “Is collecting clams really the best use of a caveman’s time?” So grab your club, don your finest animal print, and join us for an episode that’s guaranteed to rock your world more than the invention of sliced mammoth!Continue Reading

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Prepare for takeoff, fellow gamers! This week on Play Comics, we’re blasting off into the world of Robotech: Battlecry, where you can pilot a Veritech fighter and save the universe while trying not to crash into your own nostalgia! Join us as we follow Jack Archer on his epic quest to defend Earth from those pesky Zentraedi, all while dodging missiles and mastering the art of transforming from jet to robot (and back again) without losing our lunch.

Joining the mission is none other than SP Rupert from The Gonna Geek Show, Legends of S.H.I.E.L.D. d Better Podcasting, and Artie’s Attic, bringing his signature wit and insight to help us navigate the skies of nostalgia and questionable early-2000s graphics. Will we earn our medals, or will the Zentraedi laugh us out of orbit? Tune in to find out! Or don’t, it’s not like you’re going to start an intergalactic space war or anything……..Continue Reading

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Attention, digital duelists and pixel-punching prodigies! Prepare to digivolve your eardrums as Play Comics takes a nostalgia-fueled dive into the arena of Digimon Rumble Arena on the PlayStation 1. This episode is more loaded than Agumon after a spicy curry feast!

Joining us in this byte-sized battle royale is none other than Derek B Gayle, the podcast polymath behind such hard hitting podcasts on the Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective such as Gimmicks, Walloping Websnappers, Lee Carvallo’s Podding Challenge, Skreeonk!, Falling with Style, and probably a few more shows he’s cooked up while you were reading this sentence. Together, we’ll explore how this fighting game adaptation captured the essence of the Digimon anime faster than you can say “Prodigious!”

So grab your Digivice, dust off that PS1 memory card, and get ready to rumble through this electrifying episode. Will Digimon Rumble Arena prove to be the champion of anime game adaptations, or will it get sent back to the Digital World? Tune in to find out – it’s time to digi-modify your podcast playlist!Continue Reading

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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!Continue Reading

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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!Continue Reading

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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!Continue Reading

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Hold onto your enchanted joysticks, pixel pilgrims! This week’s Play Comics episode is diving headfirst into the glorious chaos of SpellCaster—the Sega Master System gem that’s part Buddhist demon-hunting simulator, part side-scrolling magic blaster, and 100% “why is there a cybernetic samurai in medieval Japan?” energy.

Joining us in this dimension-hopping debacle is none other than SegaMasterTim, the human encyclopedia of 8-bit obscurities, here to help untangle a game so bizarre it makes Twin Peaks look like a PBS documentary.

Based on the Kujaku Ō manga (Peacock King for us non-manga scholars), SpellCaster serves up more genre mashups than a Sega CD compilation disc. Spoiler alert: There’s a first-person adventure segment where you’ll TAKE SWORD, TALK TO GHOST, and question every life choice that led you here.

Strap in for hot takes, FM synth jams, and Tim’s valiant attempt to explain why Sega thought “Let’s make Mystic Defender next!” was a logical sequel pitch. No sacred temples were harmed in the making of this podcast…probably.Continue Reading

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Attention, pixel pugilists and manga maniacs! Prepare to have your mind blown faster than you can say “Omae wa mou shindeiru” because Play Comics is about to unleash a Genesis gem that’ll make your thumbs twitch with nostalgia. We’re diving headfirst into the post-apocalyptic world of Last Battle, a game that’s more thinly veiled than a sumo wrestler in a tutu when it comes to its connection to Fist of the North Star.

Joining us on this journey through radioactive wastelands and questionable localization choices is none other than Chris Brown, animator extraordinaire and head of education at a cartoon museum. With his encyclopedic knowledge of all things animated, Chris will help us separate the wheat from the chaff, or in this case, the Kenshiro from the Aarzak.

So grab your favorite energy-restoring meat, practice your best “ATATATATATA!” battle cry, and get ready to press start on an episode that’s sure to leave you seeing pressure points. It’s time to explore a game where the only thing more explosive than the gameplay is the spontaneous combustion of your enemies!Continue Reading

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Krillin’ it softly, podcast lovers! It’s time to dust off your Game Boy Advance and charge up your Ki for an episode so epic, it’ll make Frieza cry for his momma! We’re diving into The Legacy of Goku 1 & 2, where pixels meet power levels and button mashing meets “But I haven’t even reached my final form!”

But wait, what’s that? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the legendary Troytle Power from TroytlePower Presents: The Power Play-Throughs Podcast, with TroytlePower and Too Young For This Trek, swooping in like Goku on a Flying Nimbus! He’s flying solo today, leaving his Too Young for this Trek co-pilots behind – probably stuck in a time chamber or something.

Get ready to laugh harder than Buu at a pie-eating contest as we dissect these Dragon Ball-inspired handheld adventures. Will Troytle’s power level be high enough to handle our intense scrutiny? Or will he need to fuse with the nearest inanimate object to survive our witty banter? Tune in to find out in this episode that’s more unpredictable than Vegeta’s mood swings!

So grab your favorite dragon radar, set your scouter to “fun,” and prepare for a podcast experience that’s more satisfying than finding all seven Dragon Balls. It’s Play Comics time, and we’re about to go full Kaio-ken on these Game Boy Advance classics!Continue Reading

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Snikt! Bub, it’s time to sharpen those adamantium claws and dive into the convoluted world of X2: Wolverine’s Revenge! This week on Play Comics we’re slashing our way through a game that’s as confusing as Wolverine’s own backstory.

Join us as we unravel the mysteries of this peculiar title that’s supposedly based on X2: X-Men United but seems to have more in common with a fever dream induced by too much Canadian beer. We’ll explore how this hack-and-slash adventure managed to claw its way onto the GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and even the tiny screen of the Game Boy Advance.

Joining us on this wild ride is none other than Matt Storm from the “Fun” and Games podcast. Together we’ll dissect this game faster than Wolverine’s healing factor, examining everything from Mark Hamill’s gravelly voice work to the inexplicable absence of Hugh Jackman’s luscious locks.

So grab your favorite yellow spandex, pour yourself a glass of maple syrup, and get ready to rage! This episode is about to go berserker!Continue Reading

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Cyborgs, circuits, and controller-smashing chaos converge in this week’s electrifying Play Comics episode! Grab your pixel blasters and prepare for a digital demolition as we dive deep into the most metal crossover of the 90s: Robocop vs Terminator!

Our special guest Ryan Placchetti from the Don’t Wreck Yourself podcast joins us to dissect this multi-platform mayhem that blasted its way across the Super Nintendo, Genesis, Master System, Game Boy, and Game Gear. We’ll explore the Dark Horse comic mini-series that spawned this epic robotic rumble, breaking down the circuits and carnage that made gamers and comic fans lose their mechanical minds!Continue Reading

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Greetings, adventurers and digital dungeon crawlers! Prepare to embark on a journey that’s part pixels, part dragons, and all awesome. This episode of Play Comics is about to take you on a wild ride through the fantastical realm of Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice on the Sega Dreamcast.

Hold onto your controller, because we’re joined by the legendary Chase Keyes from SNEScapades. Together, we’ll navigate this action RPG faster than you can say “roll for initiative.” Whether you’re a longtime fan of the Record of Lodoss War franchise or just here for the Dreamcast nostalgia, this episode promises more twists and turns than a minotaur’s maze.

So grab your favorite beverage, put on your +5 headphones of listening, and get ready to level up your podcast experience. It’s time to press start on this Lodoss-tastic adventure!Continue Reading

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Dive into the depths of gaming nostalgia with this week’s episode of Play Comics, where we’re making waves with “Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis”! Grab your tridents and prepare for a splash of humor as we explore this Xbox and GameCube gem that’s more waterlogged than a sponge in a tsunami.

Our special guest, Anne Brennaman from The Comics Collective podcast, joins us to help navigate the choppy waters of this aquatic adventure. Together, we’ll uncover how the game drew inspiration from Peter David’s legendary run on Aquaman Vol 5, proving that even the King of Atlantis can’t escape the siren call of ’90s comic book glory.

So, put on your best scale-mail armor and get ready to plumb the depths of this fishy tale. Will it be a pearl of gaming wisdom or just another barnacle on the hull of superhero game history? Tune in to find out – and remember, friends don’t let friends play underwater without a buddy system!Continue Reading

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Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a super-powered episode of Play Comics that’ll have you faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive! This week, we’re diving into the pixelated world of “Superman: The Man of Steel” for Xbox, a game that’s more connected to the comics than Lois Lane is to trouble.

Joining us on this Kryptonian adventure is none other than Doc Issues from Capes on the Couch, here to analyze whether this entry in Superman’s mixed bag of gaming endeavors is a heroic triumph or a Kryptonite-level disaster. We’ll explore how this game draws inspiration from the contemporary Superman comics, with a special focus on the “Superman: Y2K” storyline that turned Metropolis into a futuristic wonderland faster than you can say “Great Caesar’s ghost!”

So grab your cape, adjust your glasses, and get ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound as we uncover whether this Xbox title is truly worthy of the Man of Steel’s iconic ‘S’ shield. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… another episode of Play Comics!Continue Reading

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A few people have asked me how the tech upgrades are going, so here’s a quick explanation. And some other stuff including what episodes are having their recording times messed up because of this crap.

The most important thing though, probably 2 to 3 weeks out on a real return.Continue Reading

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My computer decided that it didn’t want to work anymore. I’m hoping it’s the motherboard. But no matter what, I have parts on the way and will get this computer fixed. Or totally rebuilt. At what point does it become a whole new machine? Who knows? I don’t, but I’m over here freaking out a little bit.

I give much better explanations in the audio here so check that out because I can’t remember what I said at this point.Continue Reading

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Lace up your cleats and dust off your NES cartridges because this week’s Play Comics is kicking off with a real goal-scorer! We’re diving headfirst into the pixelated pitch of Tecmo Cup Soccer Game, the NES classic that’s more RPG than FIFA. Join us as we explore this 8-bit reimagining of the beloved Captain Tsubasa manga, where special moves are more powerful than Pelé’s right foot and every match is a turn-based tactical showdown.

And who’s that coming onto the pitch? Oh sweet we’re joined by the incomparable Luke Herr from D’OhMance Dawn, who’s here to add some romantic flair to our soccer shenanigans. Will Luke score a hat-trick of puns? Can our host avoid getting a red card for excessive enthusiasm? And just how many soccer metaphors can we cram into one episode? Tune in to find out!

So grab your controller, warm up those thumbs, and get ready to shout “GOOOOOAAAAAL!” at your podcast app. It’s time to see if Tecmo Cup Soccer Game lives up to its manga roots or if it’s just playing offside with our nostalgia. Let’s kick off this episode!Continue Reading