PPR Presents The Golden Zonkies: Class of 2015

If 2015 was anything for us, it was the year we all had difficulty with being punctual with our shit—definitely our busiest.

Still, we enjoyed it more than we’ve lead on, and a lot of that had to do with the batch of games that were released last year; we got everything from anticipated blockbusters, to surprise smash hits that we’re STILL talking about.

Which leads us to our annual special from, Press Pause Radio—The Golden Zonkies. We’ve recorded a special mega cast where we give our prestigious mark of excellence, a Golden Zonkey, to the game deserving of recognition towards that respective recognition.

Everything from games to events that saw the light of day in 2015, across fourteen different categories, and we have that very list for you here now. We’ll be plowing through a incredible catalog of choices, debating with one another from beginning to end in this epic podcast, each voicing our vote for the winner of its corresponding category.

The only stipulation in the Golden Zonkies, is that any point, a wild card can be suggested by one of the hosts if majority vote dictates that another nomination is more deserving of the award instead of the choices presently casted.

So without further ado, kick up your feet, and saddle in (because this is a long one) and enjoy the show!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on our Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 143 - DARIUSBURST CS

In episode 31 of Bullet Heaven, we took a look at Darius Twin, a ho-hum console-exclusive side-scroller in the long-running Taito shooting series. With another three games under Taito's belt how does the latest entry in the series, DARIUSBURST CS, hold up? And, by the way... how does one get through over 3000 stages?!

** BECOME A PATRON! https://www.patreon.com/Serraxor **

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Late to The Party: Fallout 3

ack in 2010, everyone here at Press Pause Radio came up with the idea of recording an episode where we would discuss what we all personally felt were the best games to have come out within that past decade. As challenging as that was for us, it was really fun topic for a show, but there was always one piece of feedback that came back at us and our lists every time the that episode is ever brought up; “why didn’t any of you guys include Fallout 3 on that list?”

Well, I don’t think anyone on the show had a terribly remarkable memory playing it during initial reflection, but it turned out that none of us had really played it enough when it came to giving it a fair assessment either.

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QCF: Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon

intendo’s Pokémon property has endured over many years, taking all shapes and sizes beyond the humble role-playing game it once was, but main line of titles not withstanding—one particular spin-off series of Pokémon that really embraced traditional conventions and difficulty curve of the Japanese RPG.

Mystery, Dungeon, or as its most commonly referred to as; the dreaded rogue-like dungeon crawling bastard of a niche RPG sub-genre—something this intimidating doesn’t soundly like it would pair up with a concept like Pokémon very well.

Unsurprisingly, the reality to the success of the concept has been mixed at best over the years. The latest title to grace the series however strives towards an ambitious direction, one that actually takes advantage of the license it’s built around.

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QCF: Halo 5: Guardians

he Halo franchise is nowhere near the fever pitch that it once was, but that hasn’t stopped 343 from attempting to launch a chapter of the lore that’s worthy of the prestige that most hold the Halo dynasty of games in.

Halo 4 yielded a mixed response of sorts from the community at large, but there was a universal consensus on thing, and that was some of the bold changes that the studio took to the series in both gameplay, and narratively.

Halo 5: Guardians is no exception; I would go further as to say that 343 may have finally nailed it with this entry, and may have finally outdone what many consider to be Bungie’s (albeit underrated) Magnum Opus to the franchise that was Halo Reach.

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Bullet Heaven HD, Episode 142 - Steel Strider

n episode 95 of Bullet Heaven HD, we took a look at Gigantic Army, a side-scrolling run-n-gunner from Astro Port and Nyu-Media. Following up its great gameplay, Astro Port's direct Sequel, Steel Strider, is now available on Steam. So how does it stack up?

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QCF: Skylanders: Super Chargers

 don’t make it a habit of comparing video games franchises to movie ones, but in this case, I couldn’t help but feel that the contrast that came to mind was an appropriate one to make—are any of you familiar with the Rocky series? I mean, I would hope you all are, but even if you’re not, there’s one fact about the franchise that’s universally known by the general public; the number of sequels it has, and which ones are the good ones.

It works out when it comes to setting the tone for this review because I think the movies, and their respective role as sequels within the continuity of Rocky help serve as a definitive allegory to the Skylanders series of video games.

The original Rocky is Spyro’s Adventure, and Rocky II is fairly comparable to Giants, Swap-Force is just barely up to par with Rocky III, and Trap Team is the same Magnum Opus for the series that Rocky IV is.

The latest entry to the series that pioneered the Toys-To-Life genre in video games is Super Chargers, Vicarious Visions’ second contribution to the franchise after Swap Force, and much like the aforementioned comparison, it’s a lot like Rocky V.

Super Chargers is an unnecessary sequel that hardly adds anything to the Skylanders formula, only working to show its age, and dwindling sense of appeal instead.

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QCF: Rodea: The Sky Soldier

ere we are. Finally, one of my most anticipated games of the year is finally available. Produced by Yuji Naka of Sonic Team fame, this purported smooth, blended mix of classic Sonic the Hedgehog and NiGHTS: Into Dreams had been in development for something along the lines of five years or so—that's longer than games like The Last of us, and that game was pretty sweet, from what everyone tells me.

But you know what's not sweet at all? Not even a little sugary; not even, like, an artificial sweet-n-low kind of sweet? If you guessed NIS America's Rodea: The Sky Soldier, then you did it, you won. Moreover, the whole ordeal almost breaks my heart.

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