"What's up, Doc?" meets "How do you do, fellow kids?"

From April 2-6, Warner Bros. is running a special event in their free-to-play mobile RPG Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem featuring a chubby variant of Bugs Bunny, now officially called "Big Chungus." This version of Bugs first appeared in a 1941 animated short called Wabbit Twouble, though he was not any sort of chungus in a formal capacity until now. Sweet children and sad adults hooked on the title might assume that this new fat rabbit is just another ??wacky original concept. But anyone who farted around gaming Twitter for the past few years is likely aware that Big Chungus started with a meme in 2018. 

Or did he?

They say that explaining a joke is the best way to kill it. That goes triple for "random internet humor" that thrives off the appearance of coming out of nowh??ere and meaning nothing. 

Friends, nothin?g is random. Everything has meaning, and everythi?ng comes from somewhere. Even Chungus. Especially Chungus. 

No one knows exactly who was the first person to say the word "chungus." It could have been a caveman. It could have been your dad. It could have been the famous Meatloaf, mispronouncing his own stage name in Vietnamese ;in a weak, sweaty attempt to sound cultured. When it comes to social media though??, this off-hand tweet from 2010 is often cited as the oldest chungus utterance. 

there is a chungus among us

— sheelgetshyphy (@sheelgetshyphy) June 29, 2010

It doesn't seem to mean anything though, and no offense to @Sheelgetskyphy, but the tweet didn't gain that much traction until 8 or 9 years later when chungus had already blown up and gotten itself everywhere. The place where chungus really started to spread was right here on Destructoid. In 2012, reviews editor James Stephanie Sterling told a story of Chicken Chungus on Podtoid, Dtoid's official podcast.

Jim Steph's new chungus wasn't in reference to Sheel's tweet. This chungus wasn't among us at all. It was an organic, indepen?dent expression of ironic horniness, fascination with the bodily functions, and affectionate disgust with flesh in general. Over the next nine years, Jim Stephanie would regularly talk on podcasts about packing my chungus full of worms, running a train on my chungus, or any number of other sexual and/or horrific acts involving what, I thought, were probably my private parts. This continues to this day. Like? Jim Stephanie themselves, chungus is many things at once, and it has captured the imagination of thousands. 

And so, "chungus" became a sort of a catch-all catchphrase for fans of Podtoid and multiple other podcasts Jim Steph starred on. Like so many internet things, those who understood it felt like they were par??t of a mainstream-unfriendly inside joke, and in that way, found a special sense of community through it. Also like many internet inside jokes, the persistence of time eventually led it to bubble up to the masses, though there were still a few steps of chungus ahead before it would get there. 

One of the major steps was the video below, created by Podtoid fan Blockbird in 2013.&nbs??p;

The audio came from the podcast, but setting it to visuals from The Dark Knight Rises was all Blockbird's idea. The video did fairly well on YouTube, but it wasn't until 2018 when the video was embedded on Facebook, uncredited, by a page called The Deepest Part of the Internet, that it really took off. I'm not ??going to embed the video here, but last I checked, it got about ten million views, and features Jim St??????????????????????????ephanie exclaiming "I am the Chungus" at least once. Here is their tweet from 2018 reporting on the situation. 

Also shout out to "The deepest part of the Internet" for sharing the Bane/Scatman clip on Facebook without credit, mention of a source, or any links to?? actual content makers.

We all appreciate the hard non-work you're doing.

— James Stephanie Sterling (@JimSterling) March 28, 2018

So while we had wondered for years if little chungus-like ideas like Rick and Morty's Plumbus were either chungus-influenced or directly chungus related, this was the first time we knew for certa??in that chungus had been taken and delivered by foreign hands to a larger, chungus-hungry audience. It was a little strange, but we figured it was just a brief, hot flash in the chungus pan. Then, in December of that year, we saw chungus blow up in ways we never could have predicted. 

In December of 2018,  GameStop store manager Justin Laufer posted a story on Facebook about a customer who came to the store asking to buy a game for their child called Big Chungus for the PS4. This was in reference to fake box art that a Reddit user named GaryTheTaco (who has since been banned from the site) had created as a joke. From there, the meme spread like wildfire, leading to songs, fan fiction, and God knows what else, event?ually leading Warner Bros. to take it ??and make it "real."

Big Chungus fans unite. Your hero has arrived. pic.twitter.com/aJ8ZGshUjF

— Looney Tunes World of Mayhem (@LooneyTunesWoM) April 3, 2021

But why did this happen? Why did this nonsense word become something a bi?llion-dollar corporation ?would co-opt and cash in on?

It's anyone's guess, but if I were?? to take a stab at it, I'd say it has to do with a certain tension that was in the air at that time, and it's a tension that lingers today. The rules are constantly being upended. Every day you're online, you may discover some strange new interest, new fetish, or new subculture that you may or may not want to be a part of. In the days before high-speed internet; TV, movies, and radio we?re largely in control of what we considered "normal." There was a certain standard of beauty that we all thought we were supposed to adhere to (thin, clean, human).

Us to anyone who said this meme died 3 years ago.

Coming soon to @LooneyTunesWOM!
Prepare for #bigchungus 👉 //t.co/vxXFxSK7a2 pic.twitter.com/Zi2dbFnEDA

— Looney Tunes World of Mayhem (@LooneyTunesWoM) March 31, 2021

No?w, in 2021, objective standards of b?eauty are fractured at best, obliterated at worst. Every day, people openly explain online that they are most attracted to fat men, or women with dragon tails, or video game characters with no gender at all, and they do so without shame, leading them to inevitably find others that share their feelings. This is what chungus was on Podtoid, and this is what the half-sarcastic adoration of a chunky cartoon rabbit was playing off of whether people knew it or not. Older generations may feel left behind by the abandonment of a universally agreed-upon standard for beauty and normalcy. They may want to try to keep up, to ask to buy some fresh chungus at the local GameStop in order to connect with their child, hence the joke, and why it resonated with so many people. 

And now, you can actually buy some real chungus. Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem isn't sold in stores, but you ca??n bet that more than a few parents booted up this game this weekend with their kids in or??der to "See what all the fuss was about" regarding "that picture of a fat rabbit that makes my son laugh every time they see it". Big Chungus is now just another "normal" thing, a crowd-pleasing icon that plays it safe. The underlying tickle that made Big Chungus, and all other chunguses (chungii?) pop with surreal charm has been flattened.

Chungus is dead. Long live Chungus. 

The post Chungus: A brief oral history appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 470

Well, here we are. Two and a half years ago, I got the crazy idea to bring back Podtoid after Steven Hansen left us to go join the Red Army. It would be a lot of work and I wasn't even sure it would be good or not. But I got Chris Moyse, Dan Roemer, and Occams to sign on, helping me revive the show nearly two years ago to the day. The fir??st show wasn't so hot, but we got better, added Charlotte to the cast, and figured out a way to create some truly wonderful episodes in the weeks and months that followed.

As much as I've enjoyed the past two years, all good things must come to an end and today, this version of Podtoid takes its last bow before exiting stage right. On the show, the whole crew is here to look back at the great things from 2020 and some of the not-so-great things as well. We talk games, movies, books, and more as we say goodbye to this godforsaken year. Also, Moyse's Simpsons knowledge is put t?o the test with a trivia quiz. All that and more on Podtoid Episode ?470.

You can download this episode and all the rest on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. Most of our episodes are also available on YouTube as well as here on Destructoid.

We say it in the show, but thank you to every ??listener who gave us ??a chance these past two years. I hope in the nearly 100 episodes we did, we were able to bring a smile to your face.

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Podtoid 469

It is the first ne?w episode of Podtoid for the month, and throughout 2020, that has meant opening the mailbag and answering your questions. In the past, we've got a handful of in??teresting inquiries, enough to make the Goddamn Mail a featured segment in the back-half of the show.

But this week, the community came throu?gh with so many great questions that we had to super-size this episode of Podtoid to answer as many as we could. Want to know our thoughts on games from 2020, what we'll do when COVID is over, licensed titles, and more? Then sit back and chillax all cool with Podtoid Episode 469.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always download the show on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post It’s the Podtoid Mailbag Extravaganza appeared first on Destructoid.

The year that lasted a century

Back in January, December 2020 felt like a lifetime away. Today, January seems like it was eons ago. Twenty-twenty was the year where time truly became a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. Hours felt like days, days felt like weeks, and something that happened just a few weeks prior felt like a lifetime ago. I mean, the election was less than a month ago. Doesn't it feel l?ike that took place back in August?

What a weird year this has been, and while we can't blame it all on COVID, it certainly played its par??t in making these 366 days we'll never forget. It upended the lives of people around the world, forced businesses to offer work-from-home solutions, and pointed out who you should unfriend on Facebook. I know we have some frontline workers who frequent Destructoid, so to them, I just want to say thank you and sorry for having to deal with the troglodytes of our society.

I honestly don't know how I'll expla?in the year that is 2020 to my kids. Where do you start? All the canceled movies? All the delayed games? All the people arguing that crunch "is no?t that bad because they're getting paid?" Remember the awfulness that was the never-ending Summer of E3? Or how about watching Microsoft and Sony see who'd blink first in showing off their next-gen consoles? Or Ubisoft and all the shit that went down there this year?

I can't wait to say good riddance to bad rubbish?, though I know the clock striking midnight on December 31 won't magically make everything better. Twenty twenty-one is going to be just as much a hassle of a year as this one but without the unfortunate sight of Rudy Giuliani's hair melting onto his face. I'm happy to mostly be through this year, and happy to have one more shot at answering your questions for the Podtoid team. Chris, Charlotte, Dan, Occams, and I are all on this week, so please leave your questions below. And remember, the more creative the question, the more likely it is we'll ask it on air.

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Podtoid 468

With so many popular video game franchises staying true to course, it's refreshing to see when a publisher lets a developer go wild with their ideas. The Yakuza series is long known for its brawler gameplay, but in Like a Dragon, it shifts things up with an RPG formula that really ?works wel??l for the series.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. Chris, CJ, Dan and Occams gather around the proverbial fire to talk Yakuza, Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War, the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, the Game Award nominations, and IOI's 007 game. All that, plus a comed?y of errors for one street racer, on Po?dtoid Episode 468.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Yakuza: Like a Dragon proves big franchises shouldn’t be afraid of taking big risks appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 466

We're on the cusp of a new generation of consoles, and Ubisoft has three(!) massive open-world games coming over the span o?f just a few weeks. And while the environments the developers there create just keep getting better, the same can't be said about the faces of the people who populate these places.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Chris, Dan, and Charlotte come together to talk Watch Dogs: Legion, Bugsnax, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope, PS5 storage space, and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. All that, plus adorable White House dogs, o??n Podtoid Episode 466.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Yo, what’s up with the faces in Watch Dogs: Legion? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 465

There are many great autumn traditions we celebrate in this country. Pumpkin-spiced everything, Thanksgiving, radio stations playing Christmas music way too damn early, but my favorite tradition is taking time to watch the newest "Treehouse of Horror" episode on The Simpsons. Are they are good??? as they used to be? Nah, but they're still usually better than the rest of the season.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Chris, Occams, and Charlotte talk TV, No More Heroes, Duolingo, Silent Hill, and Cruel Jaws. All that, plus we answer some listener ques??tions?, on Podtoid Episode 465.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Podtoid starts November by re?membering its favorite Treehouse of Horror episodes appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 464

We're just weeks away from a new console generation and with it will come more beautifully imagined and realized worlds that will only be possible with better hardware. But as we've seen over the past few years, our current consoles are still powering some of the most jaw-dropping titles ever created. The PlayStation 4 in particular has been killing it with gorgeous games like The Last of Us: Part II, God of War, and Ghost of Tsushima, the latt?er of which just might be the most beautiful game found on the hardware.

That's just one of the topics of conversation for this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Chris, and Charlotte are on hand to talk open-world games, Just Dance, Street Fighter V, stupid ads in sports games, and measuring consoles in cats. Al??l that, plus a hug?e announcement about a streaming deal, on Podtoid Episode 464.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Podtoid asks: Is? Ghost of?? Tsushima the most beautiful game on the PS4? appeared first on Destructoid.

Tough career turn from Man of Steel to Man of Hallmark

Seriously, look how big his head is there. That thing is huge. Is this a bad photoshop, or is his head four feet closer to the camera than the rest of his body? Sorry, this has been the only thing on my mind since yesterday when I bought that Legend of Zelda NES cartridge ornament from Hallmark and saw this movie being advertised on the page. As much as I fantasize? about Brandon Routh as a hot fireman -- and I do -- he always has a normal-size head in th?ose fantasies.

Of course, Mr. Brain & Nerve Tonic up there is starring in just one of the many Christmas movies the Hallmark Channel has already begun shotgunning into its viewers' faces. If you're super into these movies like my parents, this is the best time of year because it finally gives you something to watch that probably won't have any commercials telling you to vote, which you know deep down are just commercials telling you to vote for Joe Biden. But if you're like me, you're just in it for the pictures of the dead-eyed white people on the promo page. There's even going to be a gay couple in one of the movies this year, but sadly, there are no pictures up for it yet, robbing us of the opportunity to see the lifeless expression of One Tree Hill's Robert Buckley.

What does any of this have to do with getting some questions for the Podtoid crew? Nothing really. I just love making fun of this shit. But if you have some q??uestions for us, we'd love to see them in the comments below. The more creative the question, the more likely it is we'll ask it on the show.

The post Podtoid wants your questions and also some help figuring out what’s up with Brandon Routh’s head here appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 463

It's no secret that Marvel's Avengers isn't in the best of places right now. Yes, it sold big in September, enough to top Super Mario 3D All-Stars as the month's top title on the NPD charts, but it's struggling, and with new consoles and several massive titles on the horizon, things are not going to get easier for Crystal Dynamics. But just because it's down now doesn't mean it's out. As we've seen with No Man's Sky, developers can p?ull their games back from the brink.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Charlotte, Occams, and Dan chat about Marvel's Avengers, Ring Fit Adventure, Dragon Quest Tact, and Spooky Encounters. All tha??t, plus you shouldn't rap about real cri??mes you're committing, on Podtoid Episode 463.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Can Marvel’s Avengers pull a No Man’s Sky and totally redeem itself? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 462

Fighting game rosters are always fascinating to me. For an industry where fans are? always demanding "new, new, new," it's the one genre where old is good. Old characters, old stages, people just want to see everything they're already familiar with plus a couple of new additions to separate the new entry from the old one.

Not every character can be in every entry, and as we've seen in the past with multiple fighting games, those missing favorites can cause an uproar amongst the fanbase. And with social media, that uproar is louder and more annoying than ever.?? But I get it. Milenna is a great kharacter with a great backstory and mouth so big it makes Steven Tyle??r's lips look like Betty Boop's. 

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Dan, Charlotte, and Chris come together to talk John Rambo, FIFA 21, Watch Dogs 2, the Monster Hunter movie, Resident Evil reboot, beaches full of drugs, and ho??me baking. All that, plus Michelle Rodriguez's pleather pants, on Podtoid Episode 462.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Now that Mileena is in, which Mortal Kombat cha??racter will fans badger Ed Boon about ne??xt? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 461

October is here and that can only mean one thing: terrible novelty songs on the radio. There are several Halloween songs out there, but obviously, the most well-known is "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett. But is the song "Monster Mash" about a song called "Monst??er Mash" or a dance called "Monster Mash?" Or is it both? Or does it not matter because this is the type of argument you should only have if you're high?

That's one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Chris, Dan, and Occams come together to talk Genshin Impact, Super Mario 35, Inframan, granny getaway drivers, and Mafia: Definitive Edition. All that, plus we answer your listene??r questions, on Podtoi??d Episode 461.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Podtoid kicks off October with Super Mario 35, the Monster Mash, and the beautiful ??Gens??hin Impact appeared first on Destructoid.

What do you want to know?

Fall is finally here and the Podtoid crew is ready for the cooler weather to come and settle in. They're a??lso ready to answer more of your questions on next week's show. What do you want to know as we head into the haunting season? Ask away in the comments. Trust me when I say we feed off your questions. We can't li??ve without them. I can't live without them. Daddy needs his medicine so ask us something below so he can ride those question rails.

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Podtoid 460

While Podtoid is and will always be a podcast about gaming, sometimes the crew just likes to chat about movies. And when it's only Chris, Occams, and CJ on the show, you can be sure those movies will be from the '80s. On this week's show, the boys talk about the rise and fall of Cannon Films, horror flicks, Spellbreak, and the big Bethesda purchase. All that, plus pumpkin spice flavors where they don't belong, on Podtoid E?pisode 460.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Podtoid asks which fil??m is wors?e: Superman IV, Over the Top, or Masters of the Universe? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 459

A few years ago, I was visiting my brother's family when my oldest nephew invited me to play a game of Madden. "Oh," I thought, "your father and I used to play this all the time." So I joined him?? for a game of football only to have him shut his PS4 off less than two quarters in as he had trounced me well enough to invoke the mercy rule. It turns out, when I don't play sports games, I co??mpletely forget how they work.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Occams, Dan, and Charlotte talk forgetting games, WWE Battlegrounds, Final Fantasy X, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, and the PlayStation 5 date and price reveal. All that, plus even the trees are out to get you in Australia, on Pod??toid Episode 459.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Have you ever forgotten how to play a video game? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 458

I would be lying if I said I haven't spent a good part of 2020 reminiscing about the better days of the past. Every week of this goddamn year has been too much, so why shouldn't I get lost thinking about the past and all the fun games of my youth. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was one of the defining titles of teen years and with the recently released 1 + 2, it's taken me straight back to those weekends of Hot ?P?ockets and Sunny-D.

That's just one of the topics we're covering on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Chris, Occams, and Charlotte are on hand to talk about skateboarding memories, Oxenfree, Super Punch Patrol, the Xbox Series? S, and Microsoft's lack of significant launch titles. All that, pl??us just because you play a doctor in movies doesn't mean you are one, on Podtoid Episode 458.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 is the exact trip down memory lane we needed in 2020 appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 457

September has arrived, and in any other year, this would be the kick-off to a monster release schedule rolling into the holiday season. But in the year of COVID, so much is still up in the air. We don't know the re??lease dates or prices for the next-gen systems, we don't know if Nintendo has a? trick up its sleeve for November, we don't even know if the games we're looking forward to over the next 12 weeks will be hit with a last-minute delay.

But we do know there is still so much to talk about with the industry, and on this episode of Podtoid, CJ, Chris, Dan, and Charlotte get to chatting about Marvel's Avengers, Moon, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and speaking German.?? All that, plus we answer your ?questions, on Podtoid Episode 457.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Podtoid talks Marvel’s Avengers, Moon, and why we’re not digging the idea of limited-time Mario games appeared first on Destructoid.

Never was a cloudy day

It is Labor Day Weekend here in the United States, but because more than half the cast of Podtoid doesn't live in this here country, we recording an all-new episode this weekend. And as it's the first show of the month, we're looking to get som?e listener questions. The crew has had a week off, so we're champing at the bit to answer those questions you've been dying to ask us while also ignoring those of you who keep writing variations of "Marry, Screw, Kill."

Remember, the more creative the question,?? the more likely it is to get asked on the show. And we're good sports, so if you want to ??make fun of our legendary love of cashews, have at it!

The post ??Say do you remember? (Ba de ya) Asking Podtoid questions in September appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 456

DC FanDome was quite the fun showcase of all things DC Comics despite being just a glorified Zoom call. There were a lot of great trailers for upcoming movies, some exciting comic book news, and the reveals of what will hopefully be two awesome games. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League may have the pedigree behind it with its developer but Gotham Knights ?;is giving something I've wanted for a very long time: a massive action-adventure game where I can play as my main squeeze Batgirl.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. Charlotte, Chris, Dan, CJ, and Occams are here to talk superhero games, The Batman, delicious snowfall, Bury Me, My Love, 13 Sentinels, and Fast & Furious: Crossroads. All that, plus CJ fails basic high school Spanish, i??n Podtoid Epis?ode 456.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

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The post I can’t wait to play as Batgirl in Gotham Knights appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 455

I imagine one of the most entertaining parts of building an epic video game is building up the world players will be exploring. There are many different ways to do this, and in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you can find a lot of information about the inhabitants of this world the old-fashioned way: in a book. You can find out about the histor??y of the land, as well as some saucier little details you might not expect.

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. Charlotte, Dan, Occams, and CJ talk Skyrim, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, IKEA furniture, Epic's lawsuits, Galaxy of Terror, and the Xbox Series X launch. All that, plus you shouldn't point? a gun at your dic??k, on Podtoid Episode 455.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

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Podtoid 454

Years of rumors about what Rocksteady was working on came to an end last week with the reveal it was working on a Suicide Squad title. With the David Ayer film tainting the property for many people who'd never heard of it before, can Rocksteady be the studio to repair their image? If the Arkham series is any indication, yes they are.

That's just one of the topics covered on this episode of Podtoid. Occams, Charlotte, Dan, Chris, and CJ are on hand to talk Rocksteady, Fall Guys, how it's too damn hot, Lego NES, Street Fighter V, and more. All that, plus you need to stop feeding your friends to bears, on Podtoid Episode 454??.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

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Podtoid 453

There's no getting around it: Grounded is a hit. More than a million people have downloaded the game that is definitely-not-but-totally-is Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and according to Podtoid's Dan Roemer, it's one da?mn-fine survival game.

That's just one of the topics covered on this episode of Podtoid. Charlotte, Occams, CJ, Dan, and Chris break down why we need more playable spiders in games, dangerous toys for kids, Atelier Ryza, The Thing, Thing, and the Rambo film saga??. All that, plus we answer listener questions, on Podtoid Epi??sode 453.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

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Ask away and improve our show

I don't know where you all stand on this whole "Should we even have E3 anymore?" debate, but after getting through the last two months, I'm more than ready to welcome back a week of hell in Downtown LA. It has been an exhausting couple of months, and now that it's August, the Podtoid team is looking ?to kick back and relax a bit.

Help us start the month off right by asking us a question in the comments below. The more creative and original the question, the more likely it is to?? be asked on air. 

The post Podtoid has all the right answers,? but do you have the right questions? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 452

The big story of the weekend has been the massive dump of assets and source codes for a decade's worth of Nintendo games. Where some companies are a bit too carefree with how they store their history, Nintendo doesn't appear to throw anything out. We've seen strange early versions of Yoshi, never-before-seen Zelda enemies, and the source codes to some of the greatest games on the SNES just dumped on the internet. It's fascinating, but could leaks like this and the gargantuan The Last of Us: Part II ?leak from a few months ago have a negative ripple effect for the people who work in and around the gaming industry?

That's just one of the topics discussed on this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Charlotte, and Occams are on hand to talk asset leaks, Ghost of Tsushima, Void Terrarium, Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, and our favorite titles from last week's Xbox Games Showcase. All that, plus the idea that games starring women don??'t sell is bullshit, on Podtoid Episode 452.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

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Podtoid 451

I'm going to go ahead and say we've all put up with a lot this summer. The copious number of gaming streams we've had to tune into has just been exhausting. Not on that, but we're on the precipice of a new console generation, yet very little we've seen over the past two months truly looks next-gen. And nowhere was that more t??rue than the Ubisoft Forward presentation.

It's bad enough there were only four games in the show, forcing everyone to tune in later this year for the next batch of announcements, but you couldn't even give us some of that sweet, sweet Beyond Good & Evil 2 footage you know we want?

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. On the show, Occams, Charlotte, Chris, and CJ talk Ubisoft, Knights & Bikes, Warhammer, theme park screams, and the d?ifficulty facing Microsoft with its Xbox naming conventions. All that, plus CJ has had it with free-to-play mobile RPGs, on? Podtoid Episode 451.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Ubisoft Forward had Podtoid asking one question: Where’s Beyond Good & Evil 2? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 450

It's easy to be dismissive of the Grand Theft Auto franchise because it's the biggest fish in the pond and has been for quite some time. And as we prepare to take our adventures in San Andreas to the next generation, let's not forget one of the reasons why these games, particularly GTAV, are as beloved as ?they are: the stories they tell are actually quite goo??d.

That's one of the topics CJ, Charlotte, Occams, and Chris cover on this episode of Podtoid. In addition to GTA, the crew recounts their favorite movie shootouts, the appeal of British sitcoms, Riki-Oh, next-gen game pricing, and movie musicals. All that, plus mac and cheese dispensers, on Podtoid Episode 450.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post The writers of GTA don’t get enough credit for the stories they tell appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 449

Thank the heavens June is almost over. This month has been a whirlwind of emotions,? though it probably isn't helping that some of the Podtoid team are diving into more morose experiences than the others.

In this episode, CJ, Dan, Charlotte, and Chris talk Deadly Premonition, Danganronpa, Cyberpunk 2077, Top of the Pops circa-1989, and the ridiculous ways virtual reality renders our movements. All that, plus Charlotte details two great games you own if you bought the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, on Podtoid Episode 449.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Podtoid get?s deathly serious with Deadly Premonition and Dang?anronpa appeared first on Destructoid.

What do you want to know?

Twenty-twenty has felt as?? though it's lasted 17 years, and yet we st??ill have six more months of this nightmare ahead of us. I am not looking forward to what the back half of this year has in store for us, but one thing I am looking forward to is answering your Podtoid questions.

Hearing from the community has been an absolute bright sp??ot for the Podtoid team this week, and as it's the first new show of the month, we're reaching out to you once mor??e looking for your questions. If you have something you want to know from us, ask us in the comments below. The more creative the question, the more likely we'll answer it on air.

The post Start the second half of this hell year by ?giving us ??your Podtoid questions appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 448

Pokémon Sword & Shield are still of the t??wo most divisive games to release over the past year. A lot of what it did right it did very right, such as new Pokémon designs and the scale of the adventure players were sent on. But everything it did wrong still hasn't improved, even with multiple updates and paid DLC.

That's just one of the topics of conversation on tap in this episode of Podtoid. CJ, Dan, Charlotte, Chris, and Occams sound off on Pokémon, point-and-click adventure games, kangaroo people, SpongeBob SquarePants, bad demos, and more. All that, plus sex dolls in s?oap operas, on Podtoid Episode 448.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post Are Pokemon Max Raid Battles worse?? today than they were at launch? appeared first on Destructoid.

Podtoid 447

There were many highlights during the PlayStation Future of Gaming presentation last week, but two of the games that really stuck out to the Podtoid crew were Resident Evil Village and Bugsnax. And while the two games couldn't be more different, when you think about it, isn't the idea of foods that are actually bugs far more frightening than any stupid werewolf we'll fight in the next RE game?

That's just one of the topics on this episode of Podtoid. The team comes together to look back at their favorite announcements from the showcase, the trailers that didn't do anything for them, and what Xbox will need to do with its upcoming show. All that plus Command & Conquer and glory holes are both making a comeback on Podtoid ?Episode 447.

If you don't have time to listen now, you can always subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, Podbean, and Spotify. You can also check us out on YouTube.

To find past episodes of Podtoid, click here.

The post In another timeli?ne, Bugsnax is actually a horror game appeared first on Destructoid.