This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave finally get their hands on Lost Soul Aside, the game that spent longer in development than Dave did in college. They step into the boots of Kaser, a moody anime protagonist with more hair gel than common sense, and his wise-cracking dragon symbiote, Arena, who never misses an opportunity to roast his host. Together, they’ll stylishly hack, slash, and combo their way through enemies faster than Nick can say “Wait, which button dodges again?”

As the particle effects blind Dave mid-fight, Nick tries to piece together the story, which may or may not involve ancient wars, corrupted armies, and at least one villain who looks like they shop exclusively at the “Final Boss Emporium.” Will Nick survive the sensory overload without mistaking his health bar for his Wi-Fi signal? And how many times will Dave compare every over-the-top cutscene to an anime he swears “you just haven’t seen yet, but totally should”?

With Arena’s snark stealing the spotlight and more flashy combos than either host can realistically pull off, Nick and Dave will find out whether Lost Soul Aside is a glorious action RPG masterpiece or just a very expensive excuse to make your console sound like it’s about to take flight.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick lock and load as they stomp into the gritty, blood-soaked battlefields of Gears of War Reloaded. Humanity is on its last legs, cornered and desperate, after the ground splits open and unleashes the monstrous Locust Horde. Enter Marcus Fenix: soldier, survivor, and a man who probably only smiles when he’s chainsawing aliens in half. Alongside his brothers-in-arms—Dom, Cole Train, and Baird—the squad must battle through crumbling cities, abandoned ruins, and underground warrens to try and turn the tide of a seemingly endless war.

But it’s not all just shooting and shouting. Gears of War Reloaded drags Dave and Nick into a world of tight cover mechanics, heart-pounding set pieces, and a story that blends grim determination with just enough over-the-top action movie vibes to keep things fun. Will Dave manage to stay cool under the pressure of endless waves of Locust drones, or will he spend most of the mission hugging cover like it’s his long-lost best friend? Will Nick resist the urge to test out the chainsaw bayonet on literally everything that moves—or doesn’t move? And when the Berserker comes charging through the walls, which one of them is going to scream first?

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave stumble into the fractured, nightmarish depths of Signalis. Released in 2022, this indie survival horror blends the pixelated charm of the PS1 era with a surreal, haunting atmosphere straight out of a fever dream. Players take on the role of Elster, a Replika technician on a desperate search for her missing partner, wandering through abandoned mining facilities, derelict research stations, and corridors that never seem to end where they began. Along the way, Dave and Nick must sift through cryptic notes, grotesque enemies, and puzzles that seem specifically designed to break their sanity.

But it’s not just the monsters they’ll have to face — the game is dripping with layers of psychological horror, cosmic dread, and a story that refuses to hand over easy answers. Will Dave manage to piece together the tangled threads of memory, myth, and mechanical identity without his brain leaking out his ears? Can Nick keep calm when the radio static kicks in and a shambling horror lurches out of the darkness? Or will they both end up lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, muttering about “the moon and the eye” until someone checks in on them?

Expect nervous laughter, questionable survival instincts, and a whole lot of “Wait… what just happened?” as Nick and Dave try to survive not just the monsters of Signalis, but the crushing existential weight of the unknown.

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