You Like the Worst Stuff

Nintendo and Sony both dropped video presentations... and Microsoft dropped a bunch of court documents? Here's what caught our eye from both upcoming game releases and upcoming embarrassed texts from Phil Spencer. Also in this episode...

– THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH: Haygood has a good sports day.

– ONE MORE THING: How much are AAA iPhone games gonna cost?

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Unity, Hooky, and a free Xbox movie code!

We celebrate FIVE HUNDRED EPISODES with a quick look at what we were talking about in 2013 and 2018. So you're bound to hear some names that you have not heard in a decade, like "Disney Infinity," "Xbox One" and "Comedy Central." Also in this episode...

– KEEP IT FREEZY: Haygood has a new fridge.

– TODDIOUS: Fourhman slags off Starfield.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Tears of the Kingdom, Mortal Kombat, Taylor Tomlinson!

The Final Fantasy series dates back to 1987, but it's still going strong with the release of Final Fantasy XVI earlier this summer. We take a stroll through NPR's Top 10 Final Fantasy Games list and give our own Top 3 picks, reminiscing about the characters, stories, and (of course) music we love along the way. Hit us up on social and tell us YOUR series favorites!

Also in this lovefest:

– Super Mario Bros. + Wario Land + Celeste?

– Goodbye Volcano High!

– Revisiting classic Pikmin games.

– AND a free game code!

Project Q is now PlayStation Portal, and this week we devote more time trying to figure out a use case for it than Sony did. Also in this episode...

– WAHOO SALUTE: Nintendo announces an unexpected departure.

– REPAIR COMPLETE: Fourhman's Switch is back.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Forbidden West, Barbie, The Flash!

This week in Worsts, get Joe Haygood's fresh-off-the-season impressions of Twisted Metal! Did he hate it (pedestrian) or did he love it (embarrassing)? Also in this episode...

– BUT WHAT AM I: Paul Reubens, already greatly missed.

– SNORLAXXED: Pokémon Sleep, the Everything App.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Barbie, Oxenfree II, Peacock!

The Hero's Journey is over for Tony, as credits roll on Tears of the Kingdom! Let's get into how the game ends, how the game should have ended, and do we even want the game to end! Also in this episode...

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Disney Animated, X!

It's the hippest new social media site around, Threadz! With a Z! Maybe even two Z's! This week, your Worst pals talk about the Twitter mass exodus, as everybody bailed out in favor of Bluesky and Threads and probably a couple of others. Also in this episode...

– BASE 60: Haygood learns about Sumerian number tables.

– BASED AND SEXY: Uh oh, somebody rolled credits on Tears of the Kingdom.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Gizmodo, San Junipero, Victory City!

You're not gonna believe this, but Nintendo remembered about E3! On this week's show, we pick out some faves from Nintendo's show, and pick up the ball from the Microsoft and Ubisoft shows. Will Haygood and Fourhman ever agree again on Assassin's Creed? Also in this episode...

– WHAT T-SHIRT WAS HE WEARING: Phil Spencer in court.

– WAS IT SHEER: Our Tears of the Kingdom spoiler talk continues after the show ends!

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Spider-verse, Wayne Newton, air quality!

So how much would you pay for a robotic chess set? This week, we check in on a very cool Kickstarter. And our ongoing Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom spoiler talk continues at the very end of the show.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

E3 season is here in full force, and this week Tony and Joe go over four separate shows: Summer Games Fest, Day of the Devs, Devolver Digital, and Wholesome Games Direct! What caught our eye(s), and what trends did we spot? Also in this episode...

– STILL LINKY: Our Tears of the Kingdom spoiler talk continues after the show ends!

– STILL JANKY: SGF really dropped the ball.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Before Your Eyes, Barkless Doctrine!

This week, we're trying to figure out just what went wrong with Disney's bold experiment in vacationing, the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser! It seemed too big to fail, and then it seemed too big to succeed. And we're happy to go full spoiler-town on Tears of the Kingdom! We held it for the end of the episode if you want to avoid it (there is plenty of warning), but if you want a full update on where Tony and Joe are in Hyrule, stick around... and let us know what weirdo discoveries you've made! Also in this episode...

– AI HATE SNAKES: Harrison Ford defends de-aging.

– BA-NA-NA: Katamari preorders sold out?

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Horizon, Avatar, Man City!

We're finally cryin' and Hyrulin'! This week Kat, Tony and Joe discuss the new Legend of Zelda. It's a little spoilery (Joe has finished the Rito zone's Wind Temple) but we're here with our first weekend impressions. What we like, what we don't like, and where we think the game is going. Also in this episode...

– PLAT KAT: Kat reveals her first two PlayStation Platinums!

– OLD HAT: Who is on Switch and *not* playing Tears of the Kingdom?

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Peridot, Super Mario Movie!

Somebody get Phil Spencer a back rub. This week, we look at one of the roughest (and most transparent) interviews of the entire Xbox brand. What happened to Redfall? What's the rest of Xbox's 2023 look like? Should you just buy a $2000 PC for Starfield? Also in this episode...

– NO SWITCH: Midnight Suns regrets the error.

– YES SWITCH: Haygood's joy-cons are fixed!

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Disney World, Tears of the Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy!

This is not a great moment for the written word. A looming writer strike is poised to, well, strike Hollywood. VICE is shutting down Waypoint, a gaming outlet that stressed journalistic integrity over fanboy fawning. IDW announced massive layoffs and a questionable choice as their new CEO. And all this as the grim specter of AI threatens to replace human writers - hell, VentureBeat is already using it to help write and edit articles. Tony and Haygood discuss the present and future of authentic, human creative output!

Also in this episode:

- ON THE HORIZON: Tony might eventually need a PS5 after all.

– ON THE COMPANY DIME: Haygood and the missus take a romantic getaway.

– ON THE STEAM: a free game code!

Wahoo! Tony has his Mario movie review for you! Spoilers happen at around 22 minutes in, but statistically speaking you have already seen this film so it should not matter. (Mario discussion ends around the 30 mark.) Also in this episode...

– WHAT YEAR IS THIS: Fourhman is reading game previews that sound 20 years old.

– WHAT YEAR IS THIS (PART 2): There's more Star Wars movies coming.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: HBO Max, Rocksteady, Kingdom Hearts!

Tony and Joe are here this week to mourn E3 again. AGAIN! We're actually pretty tired of this. Also in this episode...

– FUSION, HA: Getting a lot of Breath of the Wild vibes from Tears of the Kingdom.

– B: Tony returns his Playdate.

– AND FOR YOU: a free GOG code!

– PLUS: Tetris movie, Horizon Forbidden West, Fire Emblem Engage!

Joe, Kat, Tony and Joe go over the entire Mario x Lush line, with a hands-on user review of some of the smelliest plumber products around! Did Lush accidentally reveal Coca-Cola's secret formula? Also in this episode...

– NEW FEATURE: We guess on how much GoChess will cost.

– OLD CREATURE: Tony returns to Dreamland.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: GDC, The Last of Us, Cocaine Bear!

Would you spend $20,000 on Wii U and 3DS games? We doubt it. This week, Joe and Joe look over the latest YouTuber stab at vitality... but it's for a good cause right? Also in this episode...

This week, we're trying to figure out just what Funko plans to do with all of that unsold Pop inventory. Maybe they should open a store at E3. Speaking of E3, how's it looking over there at the LA Convention Center? Could the absence of big-name brands be a good thing? Also in this episode...

– IT'SA SHOES: We're not impressed by Mario's boots, come on.

– CRANK TO LISTEN: Tony talks about the PlayDate's new storefront.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Gudetama, Stadia, Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

Do you have PSVR2 FOMO? Or do you have $600? In this week's show, we're hands-on with some initial reactions to Sony's latest platform. Also in this episode...

– BEAR AND WHAT NOW: Kat spoils a little bit of the epilogue to Bear & Breakfast.

– YOU'RE HIS ONLY HOPE: Fourhman goes to New York to help Batman and friends at Spyscape.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: That '90s Show, Pokémon Presents, Switch turns 6.

We're scrolling through the latest Nintendo Direct in search of potential eShop voucher bait! Will Metroid Prime make Tony a Samus-believer? Do any of the Game Boy games inspire Kat? How many times do we intend to purchase another Katamari remaster? Also in this episode...

– PHILLY CHOKE: How 'bout them birds?

– NEW YORK NOPE: StreetPass can't even work in The Big Pizza Pie.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Richard Belzer, Dragon Prince, Jimmy Carter.

Kat, Joe and Tony return for another podcast complaining/laughing about video game review scores! And no, we're not talking about THAT game. We're talking about THAT IGN editorial. Also in this episode...

– PLEASE TOUCH: Joe finds a cool new puzzle game.

– PLEASE HOLD: Kat applauds accessibility options.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: DC's new plan, working Joy Cons, and Switch Vouchers!

We're going over the latest Xbox Direct... and wondering if it's already too late to get into Hi-Fi Rush? Also in this episode...

– ANOTHER GAME DOWN: Haygood finishes Bugsnax.

– OF COURSE MY HORSE: Tony is back in the Card Jockey saddle.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Hitman Freelancer, Till, Omno!

How about some hot-off-the-viewing-schedule talk about The Last of Us on HBO? Fourhman made time for it right away, and thinks the Freakers and Rick's relationship with Carl were lovingly adapted. Also in this episode...

– PLANE FLIGHT: Kat wants to book a trip to Super Nintendo World.

– PLAIN FIGHT: Witcher Content vs Cyberpunk Content.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Marionetta, Velma, and THE LAST OF US THE BEST STORY IN VIDEO GAMING!!!!!!!!

We're entering a new year in the best way possible, with some solid indie game recommendations! Tony, Kat and Joe go through some last-chance purchases from 2022 that got us through the dreary final weeks of December. (You had our excellent 2022 holiday podcast to enjoy, so you likely had a very nice time as well.) Also in this episode...

– CAN HE DO IT? Haygood declares he will finish 50 games in 2023.

– CAN THEY DO IT? Everybody else has a different resolution in mind...

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Bootie Mashup, Bear & Breakfast, River City Girls 2!

Your Worst Pals get their act(ing) together for another end-of-year holiday spectacular! Joe Haygood, slammed out of his gourd on bad ramen, must find the true meaning of Christmas or whatever... but can even his streamer-trained skills survive being dropped into a holiday meet-cute?

We're here to end this year! Joe, Joe and Tony roll through an extravagant list of bests and worsts for 2022 (and Kat participates via mind control). Including:

– UNYEAHS OF THE YEAR: Warner Discovery, we can't quit you soon enough.

– YEAHS OF THE YEAR: Playdate? More like Playmarriage!

– GAMES OF THE YEAR: No, none of us played Elden Ring.

– MOST ANTICIPATED CULTURAL PRODUCTS TO CONSUME IN 2023: Here's what we're looking forward to next year, and we peeked back into our choices for 2022 to see if any of them actually happened/were cool.

– AND WAIT FOR IT: a free Steam code!

The results are in, the votes are tallied, and the Game Awards again barely cared who won! This week, we look over the winners and the bigger winners: the commercials. And congrats to Milf Hunter for winning a Steam Deck! Also in this episode...

– HOT TUNES: River City Girls is back in our earholes.

– HURT FEELS: Fourhman ditches Tony at this year's Nintendo Mall Tour.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Turing Test, Call of Duty, Biomutant!

Vote along with your Worst Pals, LIVE, as we suffer through another year of Game Awards nominations! How many of the honored games did we actually play? How many of the content creators have we actually heard of? How many more years can we go without any Xbox exclusives? Also in this episode...

– DOUBLE TIME: Kat discovers two games with the same mechanic.

– TROUBLED MIND: Haygood missed this episode AGAIN????

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Gotham Knights, Wednesday, Bob McGrath!

It's another Black Fridaycast, where you find out what games we saved $2 on! Plus we take a look at some of our favorite quotes from Microsoft's "we suck" legal defense in their Activision purchase. Also in this episode:

– FEET ON THE GROUND: Tony is a Sonic Frontiers guy now.

– REACHING FOR THE STARS: Haygood has a gamerscore milestone in sight.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Gotham Knights, Portal Companion Collection, Let's Sing ABBA!

We're thinkin' about Mastodon this week, so we dived into the Worst dumpster bin to find a clip from the first (and last) time we mentioned Mastodon, from back in April of 2017! Tony's giving it a try. Also in this episode:

– PUN TIME: How about the Indie World Showcase?

– DONE TIME: Haygood is playing Deadly Premonition?

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Kevin Conroy, Card of Darkness, Triviaverse!

We've got a new Witcher and a new Twitter, and we're not sure what to think of either. And hot news from PlayStation land, the PSVR2 price is UP and PS+ subscribers are DOWN! Also in this episode:

– HE SERVED: Leslie Jordan, thanks for everything.

– DESERVED: Haygood finally gets punished for his litany of gaming misdeeds.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Gotham Knights, The Beatles, The Tomorrow Children!

G4, we barely knew ye. Intentionally. Again. Also in this episode:

– PEW PEW: The Bayonetta situation, yikes!

– WHO KNEW: Haygood says Saints Row ain't working.

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Rings of Power, B-52s, art!

Mario has a brand new voice that you've heard everywhere else, and it might be the Worst. Also in this episode:

– ASTERISKS: How does PlayStation Stars work, anyway?

– MORE ASTERISKS: Stadia RIP

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Until Dawn, Pennyworth, Try Guys!

This week’s Worst will take you back into Night City, where Cyberpunk 2077 is enjoying an unexpected renaissance! Looks like the game finally came out!

Also in this episode:

– KATCHUP: Kat gets us up to speed on what she’s been playing.

– MISTURDS: Tony and Fourhman had a meet-up!

– AND FOR YOU: a free Steam code!

– PLUS: Iron Man, Surface vs the NFL, Sly Cooper!