Hot Button

Episode 86: The Development of Rogue F*cking Warrior

What happens when you mix a Navy Seal, Mickey Rourke, and Bethesda together? Apparently a pretty downright terrible first-person-shooter. This week we dig into the notorious Rogue Warrior, based on Dick Marcinko's "autobiography" of the same name! An unintentional comedy of broken mechanics and laughably poor writing, all wrapped up in an anti-communist package that only Reagan himself wouldn’t find excessive.

Episode 85: The Little Engine That Could - History of Unity

We’ve told you where Unreal came from, now it’s time we give the same treatment to Unity! A free cross-platform game engine that we almost guarantee that you’ve had experience with, regardless of where you play or what genres you like. Today we look at its development history as well as its uses and impact on the greater industry and beyond.

Hot Button Movie Commentary: The King of Kong - A Fistful of Quarters

It’s the second ever Hot Button commentary track! Once you finished listening to our series on Twin Galaxies and Billy Mitchell, you can now take a trip to 2007 and join us in a watch of the very film that brought them both back into the limelight brighter than ever before.

Episode 84: Can’t Ditch the Mitch! - The Story of Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies Part 2

It’s investigation time in the studio, because we’re back with part 2 of our series on the careers of several of the classic arcade scene’s most famous record holders… and therefor scandals. Everything from Dragster to Pac-Man to Donkey Kong. The race to the top of the scoreboard knows no bounds! So come find out the truth behind Billy Mitchell, as well as his hot sauce. Spoiler: It’s delicious.

Episode 83: Can’t Ditch the Mitch! - The Story of Billy Mitchell and Twin Galaxies Part 1

So who has what it takes to be the ultimate Donkey Kong master? On part 1 of our new series, we take you through the origins of classic arcade’s biggest leap into the realm of tournaments and organized gaming world records ever. Along with the early years of its most controversial competitor.

Hot Button E3 2021 Special

The Electronic Entertainment Expo has returned! And so has our bonus episode! On today’s recap, we run through each of the conferences, good and bad, as well as discuss all the fun announcements from this past week that’ll help us game our way into the next year and beyond! 

Timestamps: 

Summer Games Fest - 0:06:10, Wholesome Direct - 0:31:30, Ubisoft - 0:33:17, Devolver - 1:09:25, Gearbox - 1:18:12, Koch Media - 1:20:20, Microsoft & Bethesda - 1:23:28, Square Enix - 2:03:05, Back 4 Blood - 2:22:06, PC Gaming Show & Future Games Show - 2:22:43, Take Two/Intellivision/Verizon/Mythical/Indie Showcawse - 2:30:47, Limited Run - 2:34:51, Capcom - 2:39:26, Nintendo - 2:43:57, Bandai Namco - 3:06:05, Wrap Up - 03:08:49

Episode 82: You’ve Gotta Be Jivin’ Me! - History of Night Trap Part 2

It’s controversy time! This week we’re back in the Senate room with the second and final part of our series on Night Trap. Find out how a team of fun-loving film makers and game designers accidentally helped in leading us to the most important formation in the entire medium’s history!

Episode 81: You’ve Gotta Be Jivin’ Me! - History of Night Trap Part 1

The parents are gone so what’s the first thing you think of? Party! On part 1 of our series on the infamous Night Trap, we take you through a time when Hasbro helped kick off the beginning of full motion video games! Everything from the on-set film shoot by their dedicated crew to the sudden cancellation of the console that almost ended it all. It’s a campy adventure filled with stumbling vampires, guns that shoot sparks, and rockin’ 80s power ballads!

Episode 80: The History of G4 - Hot Button Gamer's Guide

At last! Our triumphant return! Listen in as we run through the trials and tribulations of that time when television and video games attempted to join hands in glorious partnership. These are the salad days, hard downfall, and eventual re-reckoning into the modern age with what was/is G4 Tech TV.

Episode 79: Microtransactions #4

And we’re back to ring in the new year with a lost episode of Microtransactions! This week it’s all about scams, conspiracies, and miscommunications, as we venture into the weird world of 3 controversies that likely flew under your gaming radar.

Episode 78: Hot Button Year-Two Edition

It’s our second anniversary so that means it's time for another recap! We cover not only the episodes from our second (and first) year, but also the insane 12 months that was 2020. Hear all about our switch to a bi-weekly schedule, the adjustment to remote recording, and our delayed plans for additional content. All this along our usual updates, fixes, jokes and discussion about past content. Also there may even be some hints at the future of Hot Button too! Join us, along with our producer Jason, in celebrating the past year as much as we could without getting too bleak!

Episode 77: We’ve Got A Console For You - The Launch and Times of the Xbox One

With the launch of the Xbox Series X and S on the horizon, it’s time we took a look back at the story surrounding Microsoft's previous generation machine, the Xbox One. The tumultuous reveal, it’s shaky launch, the new Kinect sensor, GamePass, the One X, Project xCloud, and everything else in between. Listen in on the conclusion to our trilogy on the family of consoles that started all the way back at episode 6!

Note: This episode was recorded before major details were revealed, including price and release date. Tune in to our year-two anniversary to hear our thoughts on the Xbox Series X|S reveal as well as our first impressions on the console.