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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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick dust off their PS1 nostalgia goggles and dive headfirst into the wonderfully weird and rhythmically chaotic world of PaRappa the Rapper. Released in 1996, this cult classic rhythm game has players rapping their way through everything from martial arts lessons to cake-baking catastrophes—all in the name of love. Our hero, PaRappa, may be made of paper, but his heart is all in, and so are our hosts... kind of.

Join Dave and Nick as they try to help PaRappa win the affections of the sunflower-haired Sunny Funny by proving he can drive, cook, and hold his own in a freestyle battle with a moose in a bathroom line. (Yes, really.) Along the way, they’ll meet an unforgettable cast of characters including the wise and aggressive Chop Chop Master Onion, the laid-back moose, Instructor Mooselini, and the hilariously unhinged Master Baker Cheap Cheap.

But not everything goes smoothly. Dave struggles to stay on beat and ends up rapping like a confused metronome, while Nick becomes dangerously obsessed with the flea market level and refuses to stop quoting it at every opportunity. Can they both “kick, punch” their way into the coveted "Cool" rating, or will they end up hopelessly stuck in “Awful” territory, forever doomed to repeat verses with zero swag?

From its infectious soundtrack to its bold, cut-out animation style, PaRappa the Rapper is a quirky reminder of a time when video games were allowed to be unapologetically weird—and our hosts wouldn’t have it any other way. So grab your beanie, warm up your vocal cords, and remember: you gotta believe!

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave don their finest velvet cloaks, pack an unreasonable number of throwing axes, and descend into the shadowy halls of Dracula’s castle in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Released in 1997, this genre-defining Metroidvania dropped players into a haunting, labyrinthine fortress as Alucard—Dracula’s half-human, half-vampire son who’s way too cool to run and instead dramatically glides everywhere he goes.

As they explore the eerie corridors of the castle, they’ll face off against possessed suits of armor, bone dragons, cursed books, and whatever the hell a Scylla Wyrm is. Armed with swords, spells, and a voice performance that can only be described as “nobly confused,” Dave and Nick will attempt to piece together the bizarre plot, unlock secret passageways, and probably argue about whether the inverted castle is brilliant game design or the work of a sadist.

Will Nick finally admit he’s completely lost without a walkthrough? Can Dave go five minutes without turning into a wolf by accident? And what exactly is a man, anyway—just a miserable little pile of secrets, or something more?

Tune in as the boys dive fang-first into one of gaming’s most stylish, spooky, and iconic adventures. Just don’t forget to bring a library card—this castle has a lot of reading.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Dave and Nick slip into their cyber-sneakers, juice up their Boost Packs, and plunge headfirst into the gravity-defying, tag-spraying, rhythm-blasting world of Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. Set in the vibrant, cel-shaded sprawl of New Amsterdam, this spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio throws our duo into a chaotic turf war between graffiti crews, corrupt cops, and one seriously shady megacorp. With style as their weapon and music as their heartbeat, they’ll race across rooftops, grind rails, and wall-run their way through rival territory — all while trying to uncover the truth behind the mysterious events surrounding the death of Red’s original head… yes, actual head.

As they recruit new crew members, tag over enemy graffiti, and unlock secret parts of the city, the stakes start to rise — not just in the game, but in their ability to remember which button does what.

Will Nick finally land that combo after 27 failed attempts? Can Dave figure out how to manual without launching himself into traffic?

Strap in, turn the volume way up, and join the boys as they bring the funk, defy the law of gravity (and common sense), and ride the rails of rebellion in this high-octane, paint-splattered journey through one of the most stylish games in recent times.

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This week on Critical Arcade, Nick and Dave reunite with their favorite melancholic porter in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Hideo Kojima’s latest delivery of mind-bending narrative, cinematic excess, and very, very complicated backpacks. The world is still broken, the skies are still crying, and now—somehow—the ocean is even weirder. Sam Porter Bridges is back, but this time he’s not just delivering packages. He’s confronting haunting truths from his past, unraveling mysterious threads about Higgs’ return, and leading a new crew on a mission that may determine the fate of both the living and the dead.

As they trek through deserts of bone, cities of light, and beaches that stretch into other dimensions, the boys grapple with questions like: Why is everyone bleeding from the eyes? And is it possible to cry this much and still have fun?

So load up your cargo, chug a can of Timefall Porter, and tune in as Dave and Nick attempt to decipher Death Stranding 2—one haunting song, terrifying handprint, and existential whale at a time. This isn’t just a sequel. It’s a vibe.

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