Episodes
-
Spider-Man Web of Shadows with Matt Turner (Pikaslash Plays)
Read transcript Today’s forecast for Manhattan: scattered goo, strong winds of questionable decision-making, and a one hundred percent chance that Spider-Man’s week gets worse. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is what happens when your friendly neighborhood hero wanders into the moodiest chapter of his...
-
Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer with Gary Jones (Divergent Comics)
Read transcript I get it, movie tie ins are hard. You’ve got a development timeline dictated by by an unobservable force. Expectations that are already lower than a kid who gets all of their candy stolen before they get a chance to eat any of it. The only thing you can do sometimes is get your...
-
The Incredible Hulk (2008) with Russell Moran (Kaiju ComiCast)
Read transcript Bruce Banner has the worst anger management plan in recorded history. Step one: don’t get angry. There is no step two, because the world is full of slow Wi-Fi, hold music, and a military that answers “please stop chasing me” by chasing him harder. It always ends the same way: one...
-
DC Universe Online with David Gallaher
Read transcript Congratulations! You’ve been hired by the Justice League. Your title is “Hero,” your qualifications are “showed up,” and your first assignment is standing in Metropolis next to Superman while a stranger in a very small cape asks you where the good loot is. Welcome to DC Universe...
-
X-Men Origins Wolverine with Grant Stoye
Read transcript Wolverine is the best there is at what he does, and what he does is get stabbed, shot, and set on fire before shrugging it off and asking where the nearest bar is. His healing factor makes him the only character in comics who can have a terrible day, a worse day, and a…
more -
Garfield a Tail of Two Kitties with Chris Maynard (Following Films)
Read transcript Garfield has spent decades perfecting one skill: refusing to leave the couch. So of course Hollywood sent him to England, handed him a royal lookalike, and made him the most reluctant cat in the history of the monarchy. Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is a movie about mistaken...
-
Digimon World 3 with Chels Eichholz (The Q Division, Across the Whoniverse)
Read transcript By the time Digimon World 3 rolled around in 2002, a franchise that started as an egg-shaped virtual pet and spun off into a manga and an anime around the same time had picked up enough separate games and separate continuities that keeping any of it straight had apparently stopped...
-
Link to the Past with Josh Garvey
Read transcript Most podcast guests call in from a spare bedroom, a closet lined with winter coats, or a parked car outside a grocery store. Josh Garvey is joining us from the middle of a black hole. On the bright side, the room tone is fantastic. Nothing echoes when nothing, light included, is...
-
Hellboy The Science of Evil with George Marston (Spawnography)
Read transcript Every generation needs a reminder that games-based-on-movies-based-on-comics are their own strange little ecosystem, and Hellboy: The Science of Evil is a proud, slightly confused citizen of it. It doesn’t adapt either del Toro movie directly. Instead it just borrows the general...
-
Marvel Trading Card Game with Gen Moonen (“Fun” & Games)
Read transcript >Let’s just say it up front: turning a trading card game into a video game is a magic trick where the “trading” and the “card” both quietly slip out the back door, leaving you with a menu that goes “ding” when you win. And Marvel decided this was worth doing not once, but on two...
-
Yu-Gi-Oh World Championship with William Morgan (The Geek Gauntlet Podcast)
Read transcript Every kid who ever begged a parent for money to hit GameStop on release day understands the Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship series in their bones: it’s the same card game, sold back to you once a year, wearing a slightly fancier hat each time. Konami ran this bit from 2003 to 2006…
more -
Garfield and His 9 Lives with Derek B Gayle (Gimmicks, Walloping Websnappers, Lee Carvallo’s Podding Challenge, Skreeonk!, Falling with Style)
Back in 1988, CBS gave us Garfield: His 9 Lives, an anthology special where our favorite lasagna enthusiast got to be a caveman, a pampered Egyptian god-cat, and an honest-to-goodness astronaut fending off an interstellar war fleet. Ambitious! Mythic, even! Then in 2006, Lucky Jump Games and The...
-
TMNT with Jeremy Powers (Zenspath Entertainment Network)
Read transcript Let’s talk about the year 2007, when Ubisoft looked at Konami’s TMNT license, going up for grabs after three straight beat-em-ups, and said “yeah, we’ll take it,” the video game equivalent of adopting somebody else’s very large, very established pet. They tied the whole thing to...
-
Naruto Path of the Ninja with Merrilee O'neil (Fear Coded)
Read transcript By the mid-2000s, Naruto had pulled off something most manga-to-anime properties never manage: it wasn’t just popular, it was everywhere, spinning off a small army of video games across nearly every system with a screen, like Naruto himself used Shadow Clone Jutsu on the entire...
-
Spider-Man 3 with Harry Steele (Games On Film)
Read transcript Let’s talk about Spider-Man 3, the movie where Sam Raimi looked at “menacing single antagonist” and said no thank you, I would like three, please, and also I would like Peter Parker to dance down the street like he’s auditioning for a jazz-hands cult. It’s a movie that tried to do...
-
Yu-Gi-Oh Nightmare Troubadour with The Gaming Anthropologist
Read transcript Video game licensing runs on a very simple equation: if a popular franchise exists, and a handheld system exists, someone will eventually put a game together and slap on a release date. That’s probably the story behind Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubadour, with Konami treating the whole...
-
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 Mutant Nightmare with Pierce Lydon (Spawnography)
Read transcript By 2005, Konami had made three TMNT beat-em-ups based on the 2003 animated series, which is the kind of commitment usually reserved for tax filings or long-term relationships. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare landed that November on GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and…
more -
Flash Gordon Defenders of the Earth with Ryan Estrada
Read transcript In 1986, King Features looked at its stable of unrelated newspaper strip heroes and decided the responsible thing to do was throw them all in a blender. Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician, and the Phantom. A spaceman, a stage hypnotist, and a guy who lives in a skull-shaped cave...
-
Garfield’s Nightmare & Scary Scavenger Hunt With Dee Parson (Supr Dee)
Garfield has spent I don’t want to think about how long being terrified for our entertainment, and somehow this is only the second time we’ve noticed. Today we’re looking at two occasions Jim Davis’s laziest creation got shoved into a horror plot he absolutely did not sign up for: Garfield’s...
-
Superman Returns with Adam Williamson
Read transcript Superman Returns came out in 2006 and asked audiences a very sincere question: what if Superman, but sad? Brandon Routh brooded his way across the big screen, lifting improbable objects and pining for Lois Lane, and somewhere in a boardroom, someone decided this emotionally…
more -
The Multipath Adventures of Superman with Chris Baker (SuperHero.VG)
Read transcript Somewhere out there is a piece of Superman history that almost nobody remembers exists. Not because it was bad. Not because it flopped. It just… vanished off the internet one day, like it got caught in a Phantom Zone projector aimed at a server farm. That’s the story of The...
-
Justice League Chronicles with Doug Adamson (The Monitor Tapes)
Read transcript Look, at some point you have to respect the audacity of putting the entire Justice League on a Game Boy Advance cartridge. Not one hero. Not two heroes doing a buddy-cop thing. The whole league. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the works. All crammed onto a handheld that also had…
more -
Justice League Heroes The Flash with Merrilee O’Neil (Fear Coded)
Read transcript The year was 2006. The Game Boy Advance was winding down, the Justice League animated series had wrapped up, and someone at WayForward Technologies looked at a tiny handheld screen and said, “You know what this needs? The Flash. Running very fast. On a cartridge the size of a...
-
Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 with Russell Moran (Kaiju ComicCast)
Read transcript At some point in the early 2000s, someone looked at the Dragon Ball Z manga and anime, a story full of screaming men who power up for entire episodes, hair that defies physics, and villains who monologue long enough for the protagonist to reach a new power level, and said, “Yes....
-
Galactic Wrestling Featuring Ultimate Muscle with Josh “Anoriand” Fagundes
Read transcript If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if professional wrestling, superhero nonsense, and a generous helping of “did they really just do that?” collided in a PS2-era video game, congratulations you’ve found your people. This episode dives headfirst into Galactic Wrestling...
-
Justice League Heroes with Gavin Mevius (The Q Division, The Mixed Reviews)
Read transcript Somewhere in the mid-2000s, a group of developers looked at the Justice League and said, “What if we made a game where all your favorite heroes team up… and then we just kinda vibed with that idea instead of sticking to any specific comic storyline?” Which kind of works actually...
-
Lupin III Treasure of the Sorcerer King with Robbie Sherman (Conversations with Robbie Sherman)
Buckle up for a PS2 heist where Lupin III swaps manga mischief for blocky stealth antics in Treasure of the Sorcerer King, that 2004 gem channeling Monkey Punch’s rogue into disguises-gone-wrong and treasure hunts that test more patience than finesse. Joining the vault-cracking crew this time is...
-
Over the Hedge with Doug Fink (Walloping Websnappers, Novel Gaming, Falling with Style, Skreeonk)
Read transcript Sometimes a game says it’s based on a comic. Sometimes a movie says it’s based on a comic. And sometimes a game says it’s based on that movie that says it’s based on a comic, and suddenly we’re three layers deep in adaptation lasagna. This week, we’re cracking open Over the Hedge...
-
The Uncanny X-Men with Adam Williamson and Miles Stokes (Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men)
Read transcript There are games that make you feel like a superhero, and then there are games that make you feel like you forgot to read the instructions, lost the instructions, and maybe the instructions never existed in the first place. Uncanny X-Men on the NES proudly lives in that second...
-
Sailor Moon Another Story with Cass Proffitt (Distant Echoes)
Read transcript Some magical girl stories are content with sparkly transformations and heartfelt speeches. This is not one of those stories. This time on Play Comics we’re warping through the glitter-strewn chaos of Sailor Moon: Another Story, the Super Famicom RPG that took the 90s manga and…
more -
Bartman Meets Radioactive Man with Tommy Proffit (Lee Carvallo’s Podding Challenge, Distant Echoes)
Springfield’s favorite menace trades his skateboard for spandex in Bartman Meets Radioactive Man, and somehow the result ended up on both the NES and Game Gear. Whether it’s justice or just pure mayhem, this is one crossover nobody asked for but we’re glad to have anyway. But Chris can’t do this...
-
Dante's Inferno with Adam Williamson
Read transcript They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but in this case, it’s paved with quick‑time events and awkward platforming. Step back into 2010, when grim determination, button mashing, and a suspicious amount of artistic license gave us Dante’s Inferno on the PS3 and…
more -
The Darkness with Sarah of Mars
Read transcript Look, We’ve seen a lot of comic-based video games in my time, but when a mafia hitman gets murder powers from an eldritch shadow monster so he can take vengeance on, well, everybody, you know we’ve entered elite storytelling territory. The Darkness isn’t here to make you feel good...
-
Catwoman (2004) with Billy (Commandercast)
Read transcript This time on Play Comics, we’re sneaking into the glittery, CGI-filled vault of early-2000s tie-in games and asking the question nobody demanded an answer to: “What if Catwoman, but make it even more 2004?” Between the leather, the eyeliner, and the wall-running, we’re checking…
more -
Constantine (2005) with Merrilee O'Neil (Fear Coded)
Read transcript Some licensed games take you to fantastical worlds filled with wonder and adventure. This is not one of those games. This time on Play Comics we’re trudging through the smoke-filled, demon-splattered streets of Constantine (2005), the tie-in that asked, “What if we took Keanu...
-
Robotech the Macross Saga with DC Dave (The Monitor Tapes)
Read transcript If you’ve ever dreamed of piloting a transforming jet while sorting through a love triangle and dodging alien laser fire, then without knowing it you’ve been living in the Robotech: The Macross Saga timeline. Chris dusts off his Game Boy Advance for this one, only to find that the...
-
Yu-Gi-Oh Destiny Board Traveler & World Championship Tournament 2004 with David (Anime Field Guide)
Read transcript Some duels are fought with cards. Some are fought with dice. And then some… are fought with the Game Boy Advance’s eternal struggle against decent menu navigation. This week on Play Comics, we’re shuffling up and drawing into Yu-Gi-Oh! Destiny Board Traveler and World Championship...
-
Lucky Luke (1996) with Dr. Queso de la Muerte
Read transcript Lucky Luke might be the fastest gun in the West, but nobody warned him about being jammed into a tiny Game Boy cartridge where his biggest foes are stiff platforming and whatever that enemy AI is trying to do. This episode of Play Comics moseys into the dusty frontier where…
more -
One Piece Grand Battle with Janine Juliette (D'ohmance Dawn)
Read transcript Set sail, button-mashers, because this time Play Comics is diving face-first into One Piece: Grand Battle! that PS2 and GameCube special where early Water 7-era drama gets smooshed into a chaos-filled arena and told to play nice. Expect stretchy punches, loud special attacks, and...
-
Marvel Ultimate Alliance with Perry Constantine (Superhero Cinephiles, Japan on Film)
Read transcript This week on play comics we ask ourselves what happens if you you can’t decide what you want to make a game about. Should you just give up? Should you really dig into your soul and decide what you’re super passionate about? Should you look and see if there’s any other related…
more -
Popeye Rush for Spinach with Ryan Estrada
Read transcript 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,...
-
Lucky Luke (1998) with Insane Ian
Read transcript Have you ever wanted to live the cowboy life while staying comfortably parked on your couch with a controller in hand? Well dust off that old PS1 and join us on a tumbleweed-tossed adventure into Lucky Luke, the 1998 game that lassos the comic’s wild west flair and corrals it into...
-
Robotech Invasion with Greg Sewart (Player One Podcast)
Read transcript Strap in for the mecha of your dreams, or nightmares, because this week on Play Comics we’re transforming, exploding, and fighting our way through the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Robotech: Invasion, the PS2 and Xbox shooter that said, “You know what would make the Invid…
more -
Fantastic 4 Flame On with Scott Niswander (NerdSync, It's (Probably) Not Aliens)
Read transcript Picture this: it’s the early 2000s, the first Fantastic Four film is about to hit theaters, and someone at a video game developer says, “You know what would be the perfect way to capitalize on this intellectual property? A side-scrolling action game on the Game Boy Advance where...
-
Snoopy vs The Red Baron with Phil Theobald (Player One Podcast)
Read transcript Attention, ace pilots and Peanuts enthusiasts! Buckle up your aviator goggles and prepare for some canine combat as Play Comics takes a nostalgic dive into Snoopy vs. The Red Baron, the PS2 and PSP action extravaganza where Charles M. Schulz’s beloved dog finally got his chance to...
-
X-Men the Official Game with Alex Zalben (Comic Book Club)
Read transcript Listen up, mutation enthusiasts and multi-platform adventurers, because this week on Play Comics we’re strapping on our Kevlar suits and diving straight into the bewildering, beast-infested, cross-console chaos of X-Men: The Official Game! We’re talking about the 2006 game that...
-
Men in Black II Alien Escape with Doug Fink (Walloping Websnappers, Novel Gaming, Falling with Style, Skreeonk)
Read transcript Attention, galaxy defenders and neuralyzer-dodging citizens! This week on Play Comics, we’re suiting up to tackle Men in Black II: Alien Escape, a title that hit the PS2 and GameCube with all the grace of a cockroach climbing out of a dumpster. We are looking at a game that saw…
more -
Naruto Ultimate Ninja with Cory Byrd (Byrds Eye View Comics)
Read transcript Grab your custom jutsu hand seals and prepare to feel a crushing sense of inadequacy when comparing your reaction time to a ninja’s because we’re diving shadow clone deep into the first Naruto Ultimate Ninja game on PlayStation 2! This week we’re channeling our inner shinobi to...
-
Rogue Trooper with Steve Morris (Shelfdust)
Read transcript 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…
more -
Spider-Man Battle for New York with Jarett Tyree (Has to Do With Spider-Man, I Think)
Read transcript Welcome, web-slinging console warriors and handheld hop-scotchers! Prepare your cartridges and grab your controllers, because this week on Play Comics we’re diving into the gloriously chaotic streets of New York with Spider-Man: Battle for New York, the 2005/2006 portable…
more