Play Comics

Attention, mutant enthusiasts and digital adventurers! Prepare yourselves for a journey into the pixelated past as we dive headfirst into the treacherous depths of Murderworld. This week, we’re joined by the indomitable Austin Auclair from PatientRock to tackle the notorious X-Men: Madness in Murderworld, a game that’s been haunting players’ nightmares since 1989.

Get ready to dust off your DOS disks, fire up your Amigas, and polish those Commodore 64s as we explore this side-scrolling saga that pits our favorite mutants against the diabolical duo of Magneto and Arcade. Will we uncover the secrets of the demagnetizer? Can we navigate the labyrinthine levels without losing our sanity? And most importantly, will we finally beat this infamously challenging game after decades of collective frustration?

Tune in as we dissect the good, the bad, and the downright maddening aspects of this classic X-Men adventure. With Austin’s expertise and our unwavering determination, we might just crack the code and rescue Professor X from his digital prison. So grab your favorite mutant power-boosting snack and join us for an episode that’s sure to be more electrifying than Storm’s lightning bolts and sharper than Wolverine’s claws!

Learn such things as:

An X-Men game where you probably don’t want to enter combat? Really?
Having to do certain levels and puzzle with certain characters is stupid and I don’t have a question here, I just want to make sure that you know I feel that way.
How do you feel knowing that when this game came out, it was legitimately the best X-Men game ever?
And so much more!

You can find Austin on BlueSky @patientrock.bsky.social and of course at his website PatientRock. Specifically here’s that original Revenge series post and the X-Men Madness in Murderworld FAQ/walkthrough.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Escape the Mojoverse and Tales from the Backlog for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who probably won’t murder me if he ever reads these bits at the end of the show notes……

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Attention, pixel-pushing pals and manga maniacs! Prepare to embark on a thrilling journey through the digital pages of gaming history as we dive into the world of The Mafat Conspiracy, the NES sequel to Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode. This episode of Play Comics is locked and loaded with more action than Duke Togo’s sniper rifle!

We’re joined by the legendary Dean Guadagno from  The Video Game Library, who’s here to help us unravel the mysteries of this 8-bit espionage extravaganza. Get ready to dodge bullets, navigate 3D mazes, and race Ferraris as we explore how the world’s deadliest assassin made his mark on Nintendo’s beloved console.

So grab your favorite controller, adjust your scope, and get ready to infiltrate the Mafat Revolutionary Group’s hideout. It’s time to discover if The Mafat Conspiracy lives up to its manga roots or if it’s just another case of pixel propaganda. Let’s dive in, agents!

Learn such things as:

How much adult leaning content can slip onto an NES cart?
What if you just can’t decide on a genre for your game?
Is it a feature or a bug that this game doesn’t have anything explicitly about Golgo 13 in the title?
And so much more!

You can find Dean on BlueSky @thevideogamelibrary.org, Instagram @thevideogamelibrary_, The Video Game Library, and their Discord server.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Apathetic Enthusiasm and The Last Comic Shop for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who has read this entire manga and is screaming at me across the void for not getting him on the show.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Hold onto your enchanted joysticks, pixel pilgrims! This week’s Play Comics episode is diving headfirst into the glorious chaos of SpellCaster—the Sega Master System gem that’s part Buddhist demon-hunting simulator, part side-scrolling magic blaster, and 100% “why is there a cybernetic samurai in medieval Japan?” energy.

Joining us in this dimension-hopping debacle is none other than SegaMasterTim, the human encyclopedia of 8-bit obscurities, here to help untangle a game so bizarre it makes Twin Peaks look like a PBS documentary.

Based on the Kujaku Ō manga (Peacock King for us non-manga scholars), SpellCaster serves up more genre mashups than a Sega CD compilation disc. Spoiler alert: There’s a first-person adventure segment where you’ll TAKE SWORD, TALK TO GHOST, and question every life choice that led you here.

Strap in for hot takes, FM synth jams, and Tim’s valiant attempt to explain why Sega thought “Let’s make Mystic Defender next!” was a logical sequel pitch. No sacred temples were harmed in the making of this podcast…probably.

Learn such things as:

Is spaghetti the most magical of pasta shapes?
Does anyone over here understand the plot at all?
Can peacocks even use magic?
And so much more!

You can find SegaMasterTime on Instagram @segamastertim or by looking for SegaMasterTim wherever you hang out on the social medias.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Ninjas and Bots and The Glitterjaw Queer Podcase Collective for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who got a headache from just trying to understand the manga plot here.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Attention, pixel pugilists and manga maniacs! Prepare to have your mind blown faster than you can say “Omae wa mou shindeiru” because Play Comics is about to unleash a Genesis gem that’ll make your thumbs twitch with nostalgia. We’re diving headfirst into the post-apocalyptic world of Last Battle, a game that’s more thinly veiled than a sumo wrestler in a tutu when it comes to its connection to Fist of the North Star.

Joining us on this journey through radioactive wastelands and questionable localization choices is none other than Chris Brown, animator extraordinaire and head of education at a cartoon museum. With his encyclopedic knowledge of all things animated, Chris will help us separate the wheat from the chaff, or in this case, the Kenshiro from the Aarzak.

So grab your favorite energy-restoring meat, practice your best “ATATATATATA!” battle cry, and get ready to press start on an episode that’s sure to leave you seeing pressure points. It’s time to explore a game where the only thing more explosive than the gameplay is the spontaneous combustion of your enemies!

Learn such things as:

Why can’t we just get the game to actually show what property it’s based on?
Should launch titles get a free pass at all?
Why didn’t we get an 80s action movie version of Fist of the North Star?
And so much more!

You can Chris on Instagram @chance_second, BlueSky @chancesecond, and of course his website Story of Chance.

If you want to see why I’m acting like Twitter doesn’t exist anymore, there’s a video for that.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Escape the Mojoverse and The Monitor Tapes for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who is now worried about destroying the equipment with super powerful pokes.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Krillin’ it softly, podcast lovers! It’s time to dust off your Game Boy Advance and charge up your Ki for an episode so epic, it’ll make Frieza cry for his momma! We’re diving into The Legacy of Goku 1 & 2, where pixels meet power levels and button mashing meets “But I haven’t even reached my final form!”

But wait, what’s that? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the legendary Troytle Power from TroytlePower Presents: The Power Play-Throughs Podcast, with TroytlePower and Too Young For This Trek, swooping in like Goku on a Flying Nimbus! He’s flying solo today, leaving his Too Young for this Trek co-pilots behind – probably stuck in a time chamber or something.

Get ready to laugh harder than Buu at a pie-eating contest as we dissect these Dragon Ball-inspired handheld adventures. Will Troytle’s power level be high enough to handle our intense scrutiny? Or will he need to fuse with the nearest inanimate object to survive our witty banter? Tune in to find out in this episode that’s more unpredictable than Vegeta’s mood swings!

So grab your favorite dragon radar, set your scouter to “fun,” and prepare for a podcast experience that’s more satisfying than finding all seven Dragon Balls. It’s Play Comics time, and we’re about to go full Kaio-ken on these Game Boy Advance classics!

Learn such things as:

Do I really have to watch Dragon Ball at this point?
Why are snakes are the worst enemies?
How can two related games be so different?
And so much more!

You can Troy on most social media platforms as TroytlePower (like BlueSky), Geek to Geek Media for some of his written work, the podcast network he’s part of We Can Make This Work (Probably) where you can find TroytlePower Presents: The Power Play-Throughs Podcast, with TroytlePower and Too Young For This Trek. And don’t forget about Podcasters Assemble and Super Switch Club, two other shows on the network that are just fun.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to The Monitor Tapes and The Wheel Weaves for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who’s favorite DragonBall character is one of the turtles.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Snikt! Bub, it’s time to sharpen those adamantium claws and dive into the convoluted world of X2: Wolverine’s Revenge! This week on Play Comics we’re slashing our way through a game that’s as confusing as Wolverine’s own backstory.

Join us as we unravel the mysteries of this peculiar title that’s supposedly based on X2: X-Men United but seems to have more in common with a fever dream induced by too much Canadian beer. We’ll explore how this hack-and-slash adventure managed to claw its way onto the GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and even the tiny screen of the Game Boy Advance.

Joining us on this wild ride is none other than Matt Storm from the “Fun” and Games podcast. Together we’ll dissect this game faster than Wolverine’s healing factor, examining everything from Mark Hamill’s gravelly voice work to the inexplicable absence of Hugh Jackman’s luscious locks.

So grab your favorite yellow spandex, pour yourself a glass of maple syrup, and get ready to rage! This episode is about to go berserker!

Learn such things as:

Is it a feature or a bug when a game isn’t really based on a movie?
Gameplay wise, how can you properly handle a character with a healing factor?
Have Wolverine fans gotten enough stuff thrown their way yet?
And so much more!

You can find Matt @dj_stormageddon on Twitter, Instagram, and Twitch, @djstormageddon on BlueSky, and to check out all of the shows they do check out DJStormageddon.com for “Fun” and Games (for looks at video games), Reignite (for a deep look at a video game series which started in the mass Effect universe and is now in the Dragon Age universe), or Screen Snark (which has ended but when I checked you could still grab episodes).

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Capes on the Couch and 253 Mathilde for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who makes pulled pork mostly so they can use those claw shredders we talk about in the episode.<iframe style="display: none;" src="about:blank"></iframe>

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

Cyborgs, circuits, and controller-smashing chaos converge in this week’s electrifying Play Comics episode! Grab your pixel blasters and prepare for a digital demolition as we dive deep into the most metal crossover of the 90s: Robocop vs Terminator!

Our special guest Ryan Placchetti from the Don’t Wreck Yourself podcast joins us to dissect this multi-platform mayhem that blasted its way across the Super Nintendo, Genesis, Master System, Game Boy, and Game Gear. We’ll explore the Dark Horse comic mini-series that spawned this epic robotic rumble, breaking down the circuits and carnage that made gamers and comic fans lose their mechanical minds!

Learn such things as:

Are Robocop or Terminator ever going to stop being relevant?
Is this a bigger take on the capitalist nature of society or the true nature of police policy?
Is it a feature or a bug when you have essentially different games with the same name coming out like this?
And so much more!

You can find Ryan and the Don’t Wreck Yourself podcast on BlueSky @wreckyourpod and of course over at Don’t Wreck Yourself.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to The Last Comic Shop and Review It Yourself for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who has not proven to me that they’re not a robot yet.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Greetings, adventurers and digital dungeon crawlers! Prepare to embark on a journey that’s part pixels, part dragons, and all awesome. This episode of Play Comics is about to take you on a wild ride through the fantastical realm of Record of Lodoss War: Advent of Cardice on the Sega Dreamcast.

Hold onto your controller, because we’re joined by the legendary Chase Keyes from SNEScapades. Together, we’ll navigate this action RPG faster than you can say “roll for initiative.” Whether you’re a longtime fan of the Record of Lodoss War franchise or just here for the Dreamcast nostalgia, this episode promises more twists and turns than a minotaur’s maze.

So grab your favorite beverage, put on your +5 headphones of listening, and get ready to level up your podcast experience. It’s time to press start on this Lodoss-tastic adventure!

&lt;img alt="" src="https://playcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/script.gif" /&gt;&lt;img alt="" src="https://playcomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/script-1.gif" /&gt;Learn such things as:

How can a tabletop session turn into a giant franchise?
When will I get a good RPG that isn’t a dungeon crawler?
Wait a second, comics have inconsistencies? When did that kind of thing start?
And so much more!

You can find Chase on BlueSky @snescapades and of course over at SNEScapades.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Shonen Flop and Fish Nerds for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who couldn’t find the OVAs either. Which makes me feel a lot better.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Dive into the depths of gaming nostalgia with this week’s episode of Play Comics, where we’re making waves with “Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis”! Grab your tridents and prepare for a splash of humor as we explore this Xbox and GameCube gem that’s more waterlogged than a sponge in a tsunami.

Our special guest, Anne Brennaman from The Comics Collective podcast, joins us to help navigate the choppy waters of this aquatic adventure. Together, we’ll uncover how the game drew inspiration from Peter David’s legendary run on Aquaman Vol 5, proving that even the King of Atlantis can’t escape the siren call of ’90s comic book glory.

So, put on your best scale-mail armor and get ready to plumb the depths of this fishy tale. Will it be a pearl of gaming wisdom or just another barnacle on the hull of superhero game history? Tune in to find out – and remember, friends don’t let friends play underwater without a buddy system!

Learn such things as:

Does Aquaman deserve all of the ridicule he gets from everyone?
How much harder is it to swim with 1 arm?
How are swimming and flying both just a pain in the ass to make work in a game?
And so much more!

You can Anne on BlueSky @annecomics.bsky.social, Twitter @AnneComics, and of course as part of The Comics Collective.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Bottom of the Stream and Condrey Omnibus from Legacy Comix for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who still doesn’t want to swim in the ocean no matter how good of friends you can make with the fish in there.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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Ladies and gentlemen, brace yourselves for a super-powered episode of Play Comics that’ll have you faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive! This week, we’re diving into the pixelated world of “Superman: The Man of Steel” for Xbox, a game that’s more connected to the comics than Lois Lane is to trouble.

Joining us on this Kryptonian adventure is none other than Doc Issues from Capes on the Couch, here to analyze whether this entry in Superman’s mixed bag of gaming endeavors is a heroic triumph or a Kryptonite-level disaster. We’ll explore how this game draws inspiration from the contemporary Superman comics, with a special focus on the “Superman: Y2K” storyline that turned Metropolis into a futuristic wonderland faster than you can say “Great Caesar’s ghost!”

So grab your cape, adjust your glasses, and get ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound as we uncover whether this Xbox title is truly worthy of the Man of Steel’s iconic ‘S’ shield. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… another episode of Play Comics!

Learn such things as:

Does anyone really need to be told who Superman is anymore?
Does Chris shortcut explaining games by saying bad ones are just going through the levels punching things?
Is anyone even trying anymore with Superman games?
And so much more!

You can find Doc on Capes on the Couch which as a show can be found on Twitter @CapesOnTheCouch even if it is mostly Anthony running that account. And don’t forget, you can always go listen to Capes on the Couch, which you should definitely go do after you listen to this.

If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you’re interested in.

If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store.

Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix.

You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicscaston Twitter and in the Play Comics Podcast Fan Groupon Facebook.

A big thanks to Last Sons of Krypton and the First Wave Teaser brought to us by Invader Comics for the promos today.

Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who are doing everything they can, holding on to what they are, pretending they’re a superman.

Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics

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