Hot Button

Hot Button Movie Commentary: Final Fantasy The Spirits Within

Our third official Hot Button commentary is here! Listen to us watch 2001’s mess of a sci-fi epic, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a film that is TOTALLY based off the popular video game franchise and not at all a bizarre fever dream of CGI and heady writing guaranteed to make your head spin.

So allow us to ease the pain of your viewing experience and be sure to check in again next week when we give you the full story of how this cinematic disaster came to be!

Episode 87: Dead Faction - The History of THQ

This week we dive back into the publisher graveyard and go through the full life of one of gaming’s biggest rises and falls. From Red Faction to Saint’s Row to Darksiders, we cover THQ’s extensive library of releases as well as the various developers behind them. It all seemed as if the B-tier game for them was on lock… or at least it was until their unfortunate demise.

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.