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Grab your canned vegetables and your questionable licensed tie-ins, because this week on Play Comics we’re diving headfirst into Popeye: Rush for Spinach on the Game Boy Advance—the game that looked at a classic comic strip about a gruff sailor punching his problems and said, “Actually, what if everyone just… ran a lot instead?” This is a world where the Sea Hag steals the global spinach supply, the solution is apparently time-traveling track meets, and Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, and Wimpy all agree that the best way to settle things is to sprint through history like someone off-screen yelled “last one there buys lunch.”

Helping us untangle this leafy green disaster is the wonderful Ryan Estrada from the comic-making side of the internet, a man who knows exactly what it looks like when characters escape the page and do something absolutely no one asked them to do. Ryan’s here to help figure out how a comic icon who started life in newspaper strips, got famous selling spinach, and spent decades punching sea monsters somehow wound up in a handheld racing game that feels like it was brainstormed during a very strange lunch break.

So power up that tiny GBA screen, flex those forearms, and get ready for an episode that’s equal parts comic history lesson, adaptation autopsy, and incredulous laughter at the phrase “Popeye racing game.”Continue Reading

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Lock your squad into formation, charge your bolters, and prepare your genetically-enhanced blue skin for a parade of panzer-busting action because this week on Play Comics we’re putting boots to dirt in the grim, industrial wastelands of Rogue Trooper, the 2005 third-person shooter that took Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons’s iconic tale of a genetically engineered super-soldier and transformed it into a cover-based combat experience that somehow managed to capture the grit, the fury, and the desperate isolation of being a lone warrior against overwhelming odds. Originally deployed across PS2, Xbox, and Wii, Rogue’s had more platform changes than a soldier has armor repairs, eventually landing a remaster invasion on PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, proving that some grimdark British sci-fi concepts just refuse to stay buried in the trenches.

Speaking of refusing to stay down, we’re genuinely thrilled to have Steve Morris from Shelfdust joining us for this deep dive. When he’s not busy operating as the marketing manager for 2000 AD itself, essentially being the guy who decides which corner of Judge Dredd’s dystopia gets the spotlight treatment, he’s the critical voice behind one of comics fandom’s most thoughtful, hilarious, and incisive podcast ecosystems. Steve brings both the insider knowledge of how 2000 AD operates AND the fan’s perspective that makes him the perfect guide through this particular adaptation’s journey from glossy magazine pages to console warfare.

Together, we’ll investigate whether this hyper-violent squad-based adventure managed to capture what makes Rogue Trooper such an enduring character, a soldier stripped of everything but his wits, his weapons, and three AI companions implanted directly into his equipment. Does the game understand the existential dread of being created solely as a weapon? Can it convey the isolation that defines the character while also providing the kind of multiplayer mayhem that defines the era? And perhaps most importantly: does this game explain why blue skin became the ultimate badge of being expendable in the far future?

Grab your tactical visor, synchronize your biometric links, and prepare for an episode that’s more explosive than a Rogue Trooper ambush and considerably more thoughtful than you’d expect from a game about murdering aliens on a lifeless planet.Continue Reading

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Dust off your cowabunga collection and prepare your fists for some serious turtle-powered mayhem, because this week on Play Comics we’re diving shell-first into TMNT: Mutant Melee, the 2005 arena-based fighting bonanza that took the 2003 animated series and asked the most important question: what if we just got all the turtles, their friends, AND their enemies into one room and let them beat the absolute snot out of each other? Developed by Konami for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PC, this isn’t your typical one-on-one fighter—it’s more like if Smash Bros and Power Stone had a shell-covered baby and that baby knew all of Splinter’s teachings.

Joining us for this body-slamming brawl is the incomparable Tommy Proffitt from Distant Echoes and Lee Carvallo’s Podding Challenge, a podcast wizard who understands the intricate art of dissecting character-based chaos and canon coherence like few others can. Plus being able to bring his signature blend of gaming nostalgia and comedic precision to help us determine if this colorful chaos simulator managed to capture the spirit of its source material or if it swung its nunchucks at empty air.

Together, we’ll navigate the treacherous waters of Last Man Standing mode, contemplate why anyone thought having 22 playable characters was a good idea, and investigate whether the game’s holiday-themed cosmetics (seriously—set the date to December 25th and watch the turtles rock Santa hats) are feature or bug.Continue Reading

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Welcome, mechanical marvels and atomic adventurers! This week on Play Comics, we’re firing up our reactor cores and diving headfirst into the absolutely electrifying world of Astro Boy Omega Factor for the Game Boy Advance – because apparently someone at Banpresto looked at Osamu Tezuka’s groundbreaking manga and thought, “You know what this 1950s icon needs? A portable fighting game experience where he punches evil robots directly in their non-existent feelings.”

Released in 2003, this 2D brawler took the mighty atom himself and somehow convinced an entire development team that what fans REALLY wanted was the chance to mash buttons while watching our favorite nuclear-powered pint-sized hero exchange haymakers with increasingly ridiculous mechanical adversaries. Sure, the original manga was about philosophical questions of robot rights and what it means to be human, but why dwell on existential dread when you could just… punch things?

Joining us for this high-voltage episode is Hamish Steele from Super Mario Moment – a man who knows a thing or two about platform and fighting game mechanics, though probably with significantly fewer isotope-based superpowers than Astro Boy packs. Together, we’ll explore whether this GBA adaptation captured the essence of Tezuka’s revolutionary creation or if it just left us feeling like we’d been on the receiving end of one of Astro Boy’s arm cannons.

So charge up your atomic energy reserves, practice your most devastating uppercut, and prepare for an episode that’s absolutely radiating with gaming chaos. Will this manga adaptation prove to be a shining beacon of handheld excellence, or will it fizzle out faster than Astro’s battery in a poorly designed dungeon? Time to find out if this portable pugilist belongs in the Hall of Mighty Adaptations or the scrapheap of forgotten GBA obscurities!Continue Reading

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Holy hybridized heroes and gamma-powered game adaptations, comic crusaders! This week on Play Comics, we’re diving beak-first into the pixelated pandemonium that is Disney’s PK: Out of the Shadows for PS2 and GameCube – because apparently someone thought the best way to honor The New Papernick Adventures (or The Duck Avenger for us North American folks) was to trap Donald Duck’s superheroic alter ego in a 3D action-adventure that makes even the most patient gamers quack under pressure.

Released in 2002 by Ubisoft Casablanca, this cel-shaded space opera promised to let players wield PK’s X-Transformer gadgetry while battling the dastardly Evronians in their quest for galactic domination. What it actually delivered was a gaming experience that had all the depth of a Duckburg puddle and combat mechanics so repetitive that even One, PK’s AI companion, probably wished he could compute his way out of this digital disaster.

Joining us for this intergalactic expedition into mediocrity is Esh Johansen from the YouTube channel Fiction Addiction – a man who’s already subjected himself to this very game and lived to tell the tale with his signature blend of wit and existential gaming dread. Together, we’ll explore how this comic book adaptation managed to take one of Disney Italy’s most innovative sci-fi superhero series and transform it into a linear platformer that makes rescuing scientists feel like actual work.

So grab your cape and prepare for an episode that’s infinitely more entertaining than grinding through the same alien duck enemies for hours on end – which, let’s be honest, isn’t exactly setting the bar at Ducklair Tower heights. Will this Evronians-versus-earthlings adventure redeem itself through sheer nostalgic charm, or will it vanish into the shadows faster than Donald’s secret identity? Tune in to discover if this galactic game deserves a place in the Hall of Heroes… or should be banished to the Phantom Zone alongside Superman’s worst enemies!Continue Reading

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Welcome, Earthlings and Cybertronians alike, to another episode of Play Comics-where the only thing more confusing than the continuity is trying to fold yourself into a PS2 disc case! This time, we’re rolling out (and occasionally transforming) into the wild world of the 2004 Transformers video game. Yes, the one that’s based on Transformers: Armada-even though the box art was too shy to admit it, and the plot zigzags harder than a Mini-Con on a caffeine rush.

Joining us for this electrifying adventure is none other than Charles Shelton from the TransMissions Podcast Network, a man who knows more about Autobots, Decepticons, and questionable voice acting than Unicron knows about planetary snacking. Together, we’ll dodge Decepticlones, collect Mini-Cons like they’re Pokémon, and ponder why Optimus Prime never just took a vacation in the Amazon (hint: robot allergies).

So buckle up, hit that triangle button to transform, and prepare for a journey through nostalgia, PS2 graphics, and more robot drama than a Cybertronian soap opera. Let’s see if we can save the universe-or at least get through the jungle level without rage-quitting.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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Cowabunga dudes! Grab your nunchucks and order a pizza because we’re diving shell-first into the radical world of the 2003 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game! This gnarly beat ’em up brought the heroes in a half-shell to GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PS2, and Xbox faster than you can say “Turtle Power!”

Join us as we team up with Isaac Fisher from Definitive Film to dissect this game like Donatello dissects a circuit board. Isaac’s currently knee-deep in mutagen, working on a bodacious documentary called TMNT: Evolution, Mutation, & Reboot chronicling 40 years of TMNT history with the rest of the team at Definitive Film. So strap in, because this episode is gonna be more action-packed than a showdown with the Shredder in a pizza parlor!Continue Reading

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REFIRE TIME! We’ve looked at the Ninja Turtles before. We’ve had a few episodes about them even. But let’s be real, the podcast was in its infancy and I didn’t really know what I was doing with the show yet. So how can we remedy that?

Well Anthony Sytko has an idea. How about we get him specifically on the show to take a look at the Cowabunga Collection? I hope you think that’s a good idea because I already recorded it. Listen in as we take a look at the Cowabunga Collection as a whole and try to figure out just what makes this one so perfect.Continue Reading

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I realize with this one that I’m a sucker for finding creators on Twitter and reading their stuff because of our interactions over there. I’m a simple guy, if someone asks people to read their thing then I’ll probably read it. I guess this doesn’t really have anything to do with anything except that I feel like part of me writing these reviews is letting you know why I read something.

So Rich Douek sent me over a copy, I read it, I loved it. It became the first thing that someone working at my local comic shop recommended to me. Let’s just say it was a good move all around.Continue Reading

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No, you’re eyes aren’t deceiving you. Although there might be something more than meets the eye about another Transformers game based on Beast Wars that came out not too long before the subject of the last regular episode. The Maximals and Predacons are at it again, or something like that since time gets screwed up all over the place here.

Listen in as Jeremy Dennis from TransMissions joins the show to help us take a look at Beast Wars Transformers for the PS1 and we we try to figure a lot of things out. Continue Reading

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Transformers isn’t a new thing. They’d been around since the 1980s. They’d had games come out in Japan. They’d had games come out on computers in America. But somewhere this is the first console game they got over here. Why? This makes no sense?

Josh Garvey from the internet (ooooooh) comes by the show to take a look at Beast Wars Transmetals and to help catch me up on Transformers things since watching the cartoons is pretty much all I’ve ever done with them.Continue Reading

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A common ghost story I hear is that the spirit can’t pass on because of unfinished business. Which is insane because we all have that, but we’ll roll with it. Imagine if instead you came back in a corporeal form to get revenge on the people who had done you wrong. Oh yeah, and you’re basically immortal until the job is done?

Justin Williams from SuperTangent comes by to look at that exact situation in The Crow City of Angels. And no, you didn’t miss an episode for the first movie tie in game since they never made one of those.Continue Reading

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Pretty much everyone dreams of flying. And of not getting on the wrong side of gangsters and Nazis. But mostly of flying. So imagine how cool it would be if a jetpack just fell into your lap! Or rather the seat of your airplane. Oh who care, YOU’VE GOT A JET PACK!

Listen in as Derek Graziano from Rolling Misadventures comes by the show to take a look at The Rocketeer and a pair of games that really couldn’t have been much more different if they’d tried.Continue Reading

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Comics in the 90s were special. Big muscles, pouches, weird body proportions that just don’t work with real world physics. Spy adventures that crossed international borders like it’s nothing. Oh yeah, can’t forget about boobs and butts. Listen in as Chris Sims comes on the show to talk about Danger Girl. Which we swear is worth readying we promise. Just don’t bring it to school. And if you do anyway it’s not our fault.Continue Reading