PPR 135

’all remember that scene from Grosse Pointe Blank where the Convenience store Clerk plays an Arcade port of Doom II throughout the film despite the fact that there is no such thing as a Doom II Arcade—isn’t it weird just how bad Hollywood is with Video games?

Like forget Video Game Adaptions for a second, when was the last time you saw an accurate depiction of a Video Game in a TV Show or Movie where it didn’t have the wrong controller or music used, or the character playing it swaying back and forth like a palm tree smacked with a dab of Ecstasy? It’s pretty hard right—why is that? The medium of Video Games is over forty years old and yet contemporary media still seems to have a flimsy grasp on even the most basic of elements to one of the most popular forms of entertainment, and we here to discuss why that is, and whether or not this shit has gotten any better in current media.

Before we has all that out though, we also get into our impressions of the latest PlayStation State of Play Direct, and our thoughts on the conclusion of Epic’s Legal Suit against Apple. Get ready to lounge with George, Ed, Andrew, and Sean as they get into the weird history of Video Game representation in TV Programs and Film in Episode 135 of Press Pause Radio! Also, before any of you get on your high horse to tell us we’re being a bunch of “Gatekeepy-Nerds” to record on such a topic, ask yourself one question: When’s the last time you saw a character read a book upside down in a TV Programs and Film without it being some intentional plot point?

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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House Show: CM Punk Return, All Out Predictions and NWA Weekend

M Punk made his long awaited return to wrestling recently, and the build up to AEW All Out could not be more anticipated. There has also been plenty of wrestling lately, such as the NWA Empower event and a major title change at NWA 73. George and Toast discuss this plus the new wrestling drama Heels on Starz, going to an indie show for the first time in years and our predictions for this Sunday's PPV event. Thanks for checking us out and stay tuned to see if we get any predictions right, and who may show up at All Out.

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QCF: Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX

here are so many forgotten classics that somehow still get overlooked after all of this time, and are honestly just ripe for the remake treatment. I mean, sure there are a few classic titles that undoubtedly deserve a new coat of paint, but personally, I get all the more excited over the obscure games with sleeper followings that get chosen for an HD resurrection.

SEGA’s abandoned Simian Martial-Artist, Alex Kidd, is one such prime candidate, as the forgotten mascot has only managed the occasional cameo or two over the past thirty years, and has only now been granted the opportunity to be relevant again with a remake of his very first outing, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. Now the Master System exclusive wasn’t a mechanical marvel by any means, exuding just enough charm to offset its finicky physics and platforming flaws—making the concept of a remake that could improve upon its issues all the more exciting.

In some unfortunate twist of fate, however, the folks behind the remake, Merge Games and Jankenteam, have somehow produced a version of the game that’s genetically inferior to the 1986 original—and I couldn’t have been more disappointed in my experience with it as a result.

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PPR 134

021 is a good reminder that even if you’re welcomed to the JAM that you don’t have to go and SLAM, especially when it’s something that’s more of a diluted paste of tacky cameos than a Jam. Getting to the topic at hand, This week covers the biggest news stories of late, and man oh MAN is the current scene of the Games Industry is one that’s ripe for a reckoning, and rightfully so. The reveal of the State of California’s lawsuit against Activision-Blizzard that was two years in the making reveals a litany of gruesome details regarding the Corporation’s toxic “frat-boy” culture, and we do our best discuss the situation while also doing our best to highlight all of the voices of the Women and POC who need to be heard at this time.

We also share our impressions of Valve’s new hardware, the Steam Deck, which may just be the closest thing to a “Nintendo Switch Pro” we’re going to get. We also get into what’s been in our Consoles, which includes Gameboy Interface, Metroid Fusion, Marvel’s Avenger’s, Pokémon Unite, Cotton Reboot, Blaster Master Zero 1-3, Dariusburst Another Chronicle, Sakuna of Rice and Ruin, Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX, BioMutant, The Xbox Series X, and so much more.

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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QCF: BioMutant

he last decade of gaming has been a veritable smorgasbord of titles to choose from, with a steadily growing hustle of developers working hard to release their big AAA software, and players scrambling to play them. An unfortunate side-effect of that never-ending hamster wheel of cycle is that with so many options, some games are just doomed to be overlooked, and sometimes at no fault of their own either.

Which brings us to Experiment 101’s debut release, BioMutant; a quirky Open-World Action-Adventure title that tries to do way too many things at once in hopes of appealing to a broader base of players. The premise of its Post-Apocalyptic Kung Fu critter tale is certainly one of the more unique games of its kind, sure, but unfortunately, the exotic blend of Fallout meets Planet of the Apes meets Enter the Dragon makes for a bloated melting pot that fails to deliver a consistent flavor in its own right.

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House Show: All Elite MDK

o it's been awhile since we recorded, anything crazy happen while we were gone? I'm checking my notes here and it seems that The Forbidden Door has splintered, shattered and was used for a table spot. Yeah so wrestling is crazy nowadays and Toast is here with Georgie to discuss the recent events of AEW Fyter Fest Nights One and Two, as well as Money In The Bank and live shows returning. And of course we get hyped for Nick Gage and his scheduled matchup with Chris Jericho and the impact it will have on deathmatch wrestling and independent wrestling in general. Hope you check it out and stay tuned for more episodes!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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QCF: Within The Blade

fter first loading up Within The Blade on my Switch I was not sure what I was getting myself into. The title formally known on PC as Pixel Shinobi from indie developer Ametist Studio has a reputation for being a difficult but deep stealth action platformer with RPG elements since its initial release in 2019. My initial playing brought back some memories of playing fast paced indie platformers such as Super Meat Boy and Shovel Knight, with a Souls style combat and timing all wrapped in a ninja world and story. Now with time and experience to better form an opinion, I can say this game is hard, but fun to play and even with some lack of polish dulling its blade does not take away the overall feel and accomplishments it provides.

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QCF: Blaster Master Zero 1 & 2 Collector's Edition

ith Blaster Master Zero 3 currently available for preorder on Limited Run Games for both Switch and Playstation 4, and what appears to be the kind of quality we found in the Blaster Master 1 & 2 Collectors Edition being put into the trilogy's conclusion, you know we're going to be on it, 100%.

And that's weird to say, since we hadn't played neither Blaster Master Zero 1 nor 2 through to completion. Unlike the NES Original, which was finally conquered in Bullet Heaven #302 after a period of over 25 years, Blaster Master Zero has always been more approachable generally speaking, so it was finally time to hunker down and marathon both, back to back.

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