This week on The Free Cheese, grab a Beam Cola and head to class. What happens when you repurpose a city sandbox engine for one of the world's most popular video games and use it to build a school campus? Rockstar sought to find out in 2006 with Bully and we spend this week adding it to The List. We go deep on its story, side missions, class struct…

This week on The Free Cheese, super brother. We add one of the Dreamcast's most interesting innovations to The List this week with Smilebit's Jet Grind Radio. We discuss how different the gameplay feels in comparison to games before and after and reflect on the iconic soundtrack and style introduced 24 years ago.…

This week on The Free Cheese, it's all part of the journey. The second half of our Tetris Effect: Connected discussion picks up with a focus on the single player mode that made the game so special in 2018. We recant our memories of playing it for the first time and share what it feels like to revisit Journey Mode all these years after. We also expl…

This week on The Free Cheese, thank you Player570. You have earned 100 points. We revisit a game we both left unfinished and follow up last year's addition of Year Walk to The List. This time, we're spinning our mobile devices in circles and listening closely to the sounds between the lines in Device 6.…

This week on The Free Cheese, bury me with my treasure. We spend some time with a puzzle game that never found much attention in North America, playing the re-release of its Sega Saturn port from the arcade. Join us as we work through the best strategies and tactics for clearing the game and setting new high scores in Cleopatra Fortune!…

This week on The Free Cheese, give me your garbage and I’ll send it right back! What do you do when your fighting game is the most popular game in the genre? You make a puzzle game spinoff. We play and rank Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, while providing some tips that helped us to become incredibly intermediate level players!…

This week on The Free Cheese, we’re sliding into P Tier. In celebration of EVO 2024 and fighting games, we’re spending an episode talking about Salty Bet. The online betting casino based on the MUGEN fighting game engine has been around for over a decade and still shines as an example of using a live streaming platform in a unique manner. We discus…

This week on The Free Cheese, which weapon will you choose? SoulCalibur II joined the scene with some new friends when it hit consoles, bringing exclusive characters to each version of the game. We discuss the general gameplay and experience of its fighting system, then go deeper into Weapon Master and the secret characters you unlock.…

This week on The Free Cheese, to the mountain top. Our evaluation of Pokémon's second generation continues in this episode as we return to Kanto and complete the second half of the games. We discuss the balance in difficulty across the next set of gyms and share our experience taking on the game's final boss. Then, we assess how it fares in compari…

This week on The Free Cheese, they're probably dead by now. We bring Digimon expert Marc back to the podcast to discuss its history and future, share our collective histories with the franchise, and what makes it stand out against its contemporaries. We each acquired a Digivice ahead of recording and spent some time training our virtual pets. In th…

This week on The Free Cheese, you wanna get nuts? It's the 35th anniversary of Batman and we're celebrating by playing the Sunsoft video game adaptation. We discuss the impact of Tim Burton's 1989 film, our history with Batman, and of course we rank Batman: The Video Game on The List.

This week on The Free Cheese, we like our new, old consoles. As we reach the 50% mark of the year and this season, we reflect on the games we’ve played so far. We discuss our disappointments in some and surprises in others. We talk a bit about what 2024 has brought us, both in new titles as well as new experiences for us. Finally, we discuss the pu…

This week on The Free Cheese, DualShock controller required. We play, review, and rank one of Sony’s early first-party efforts to see how it stands against The List. We discuss the unique gameplay of Ape Escape and how the right stick combat works with each gadget you acquire.

This week on The Free Cheese, we try to set the high score for car flips. A Sega classic joins The List this week while we take an intense, leisurely drive across several countries. We dissect the gameplay of Out Run, how it has held up for almost forty years, and share our tips for success (or more realistically, how to avoid our mistakes).…

This week on The Free Cheese, grab your Xbox and 15 friends, we're having a party. Our three-part series on Halo: Combat Evolved continues with a focused conversation on the competitive multiplayer of the game. We discuss our history with Halo multiplayer, how it influenced other titles, and try to uncover what makes it special. As a bonus, we add …

This week on The Free Cheese, we charge by the bomb. We took a trip to a local arcade and share the experience of the modern arcade. We reflect on the arcades of yore and the games that used to draw us to them. Finally, we look ahead at what is to come of arcades and what we hope the future holds.

This week on The Free Cheese, six more weeks of Syphon Filter. The final entry in the Syphon Filter series becomes the first to join The List. We recap our understanding of the series’ plot, highlight some of the differences introduced in this game, and discuss how it fares against the PSP library at its time of release.…

This week on The Free Cheese, we can’t leave without our buddy Superfly. After reviewing and ranking Quake and Quake II over the last two seasons of the podcast, we follow it up John Romero’s Daikatana. Wielding the titular weapon (as briefly as possible), we travel through time and fight the power before it ends us all.…

This week on The Free Cheese, no fair, she drew more guns than me. We return to the launch of the PSP to check out how Konami diverted the Metal Gear Solid games and created something more suited for portability. Metal Gear Acid joins The List this week once we get over the fact that we move by cards, shoot by cards, and do everything else by cards…

This week on The Free Cheese, we have obtained the metatron ore. It's time we take on the role of Leo Stenbuck and climb into Jehuty. If that makes any sense to you, you already know how much fun we had this week. If not, come learn about Zone of the Enders with us. We discuss our time with the first game in the series, how it's connected to other …

This week on The Free Cheese, I’m yours forever. We’re revisiting our Game of the Game of the Year, only this time we’re together. Our fourth and final Wii Sports Killer for Season 12 enters the conversation as we discuss the new additions to Tetris Effect Connected, breakdown its individual modes, and reminisce on other games that made us feel som…

This week on The Free Cheese, the road is rainbow. We play Super Mario Kart in this episode and discuss how it started not only the kart racing genre but also opened the world up to crossovers. We compare the first entry to our favorites and talk about where it sits in the history of SNES games.

This week on The Free Cheese, is he on fire? Our first baseball game makes The List with MLB Slugfest 20-04. Just in time for the start of the season, we check out how the alternative to modern simulation baseball games holds up.

This week on The Free Cheese, you can't hack this boss. We finally check in with a game we've talked about for years to see how Starbreeze's Syndicate reimagines the classic strategy game. Can Brian Cox and Rosario Dawson save the story? Does Detective Vision™ enhance every game? Let's find out and rank Syndicate on The List!…

This week on The Free Cheese, did you think that the book was better? We point and click our way through Harlan Ellison's I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, exploring each of the game's characters and stumbling our way into different endings. We discuss the central themes in the game, some of the surprises we found, and explore how the game feels …

This week on The Free Cheese, you have to get more of them. Our two panel members play through Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version. We visit Johto in this episode and discuss our third of four Wii Sports Killers. While only the second in the core series, the pair of games were originally intended to be the final games in the series and …

This week on The Free Cheese, time is a key to creation and a vessel for destruction! What happens when Atlus translates its Megami Tensei series into something to compete with other monster collecting RPGs on Game Boy Advance? The DemiKids are born! We take a look at the first and only DemiKids games to release in North America. We explore where t…

This week on The Free Cheese, play some games, dork! We join the WarioWare corporation five seconds at a time, punching, mashing, picking, and jumping all the way to the top. In this episode, we break down the essence of what makes WarioWare so intriguing and easy to learn. We look at how the game is able to satisfy each element of playing a video …

This week on The Free Cheese, everything is upside down. We revisit what we consider the title synonymous with Sony's original vision for the PlayStation Vita just in time for the platform's twelfth anniversary. While Gravity Rush would later receive a port to PlayStation 4 and a sequel on the platform, its beginnings on Vita are definitive. We dis…

This week on The Free Cheese, three sentences in three languages! Our second Wii Sports Killer™ is introduced this week in Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Nintendo Wii. We discuss its role as one of the Wii's best titles in the library, some of our favorite levels in the game, and how Yoshi adds to 3D Mario.…

This week on The Free Cheese, who will rule the world? First, we do some homework. Then, we try to take over the globe. Civilization VI marks our first 4X entry on The List and gives us the opportunity to learn from our mistakes as we play. We share our tips for getting started in a Civilization game and stories about some of the victories and loss…

This week on The Free Cheese, are your thighs sore? Nintendo continued its series of fitness video games with Ring Fit Adventure, creating a full role-playing game that happens to use your body as the controller. In this episode, we set goals for 2024 with Ring Fit Adventure, discuss the broad gameplay and scope of the game, and share the impact th…

This week on The Free Cheese, we are back in Greek mythology! Our first MSX game joins The List with Konami's Knightmare. We take control of the hero Popolon and battle through 8 stages, one line at a time. Knightmare transforms a traditional arcade shooter into an epic adventure but where does it lie within Konami's legacy?…

This week on The Free Cheese, infinite spiders! We add our first game to The List for Season 12, another of Compile's catalogue. The Guardian Legend combines top-down shooting with top-down exploration. We discuss how the blend of genres works to create something new and where this game ultimately falls in the history of the NES' library.…

This week on The Free Cheese, how do I become the demon? We begin our journey through Season 12 and toward potentially dethroning Wii Sports from its high perch above The List. Bungie's Halo: Combat Evolved takes the spotlight as our first of four games chosen to become the new number one. We cover the campaign, our favorite moments and weapons, an…

This week on The Free Cheese, this ball is crystal clear We begin Season 12 with our annual predictions show. After reviewing last year's predictions and spending one final moment reflecting on 2023, we look forward to 2024 and cast our predictions for the year. We also introduce our first annual round of group questions. We highlight a bit of what…

This week on The Free Cheese, it’s the end of Season 11 - Part Two. As we conclude Season 11 and bring 2023 to its end, we each share our favorite games from the year. We discuss the games we liked the most from the new additions made to The List and close out with a small tease of what to expect in Season 12.…

This week on The Free Cheese, it’s the end of Season 11 - Part One. In the first part of our two-episode finale, we’ll be revisiting The List with new math and a brand new way to rank each game that you can try at home! We’ll also discuss some of the trends in 2023 that we found ourselves noticing and aligning with.…

This week on The Free Cheese, but it's got two screens. We're closing our three-part console ranking series with ten final additions to the list of consoles. At the beginning of this episode's recording, our ranked list of Consoles was: PlayStation 2 Nintendo 3DS PlayStation Xbox 360 Game Boy Advance Sega Dreamcast Xbox Super Nintendo Entertainment…

This week on The Free Cheese, it's cold outside. Our final month of Season 11 begins with a walk through winter. We're talking about Christmas in video games, special holiday events, and games that just generally evoke a winter sensibility.

This week on The Free Cheese, we are taking an adventure through Hyrule. After a month of focus on the latest game in The Legend of Zelda franchise we conclude with a broader conversation around the series as a whole. We find out which character we most resemble, select the best mask in its darkest game, and cast our vote for the most important liv…

This week on The Free Cheese, we conquer with power. Our discussion on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom concludes with a look at the game's story and the direction it sets for the future of the franchise. We reflect on six months with the game and rank it on The List.

This week on The Free Cheese, discovery grants us wisdom. Our discussion on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom continues with a look at the game's crafting system, the return of temples to the franchise, and how combat has changed since Breath of the Wild. We dive deep into the underground and discussion of the game's sense of exploration.…

This week on The Free Cheese, courage guides us forward. We take our first steps into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom by reflecting on its predecessor, Breath of the Wild. Then, we discuss the opening hours of our time with Tears of the Kingdom.

This week on The Free Cheese, congratulations on your mansion! Luigi finds his vacuum in this GameCube launch title as he seeks the whereabouts of his older brother Mario. We suck up ghosts one by one until we find the true horror behind the mansion.

This week on The Free Cheese, trick or treat! We're stacking up the sequel to Costume Quest against The List in this broken age of double Fine references in a single sentence. We'll dress up as werewolves, candy corn, wizards, and dead presidents to bring Halloween back to life.

This week on The Free Cheese, the game where HE comes home! In celebration of its 40th anniversary, we’re adding the killer video game Halloween, based on the film of the same name, to The List. We’ll see how it stacks against the film it’s influenced by and find out why the ESRB turned out to be a necessity.…

This week in The Free Cheese, do you like thrill rides? We reveal the true reason behind our recording of Episode 498 earlier this year and add its remake to The List. We discuss what's changed in Capcom's remake of the game that defined third-person action and look at where the Resident Evil series is going.…

This week on The Free Cheese, bats don't like their picture taken. It's 1989 and Capcom just released the first survival horror video game, paralleling the film of the same name, Sweet Home. The game would later go on to inspire Resident Evil and remains an entertaining first step into the genre. We discuss the game, the film, and rank it on The Li…

This week on The Free Cheese, what did you learn? We chronicle the rough timeline of educational software and share key lessons we’ve learned in video games.