This week on The Free Cheese, t h i s w e e k o n T h e F r e e C h e e s e.

What do you get when the team who made Bayonetta didn't know they would make Bayonetta and still worked at Capcom and wanted to make a 2D beat 'em up? Viewtiful Joe 2! But before that, they had to make Viewtiful Joe so we could talk about and rank it this week.

This week on The Free Cheese, get your Expansion Pak ready.

We're here to shoot mines and save aliens and we're all out—Oh, I guess we've got everything we need. Perfect Dark is the product of experimentation on tested ideas from the talent that redefined first-person shooters on the Nintendo 64. Does it exceed its predecessor or remain in obscurity?

This week on The Free Cheese, we're going down.

Our first mobile game makes the list this week as we explore the roguelike Downwell. Strap on your gunboots and jump in as we try to build the highest combo and make the best upgrade selections we can.

Episode Timestamps

06:50 - Downwell

49:35 - What games have you liked more than their inspiration?

59:05 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, can I be your memory?

How much damage can we create? It's time for Burnout 3: Takedown and a return to arcade racing, the likes we have not seen in quite some time. We also discuss the era of video game rentals and those games we never owned but loved renting.

Episode Timestamps

07:01 - Burnout 3: Takedown

47:11 - What games felt unobtainable to own but you loved renting? Why?

56:25- The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, it's got Bob Burnquist.

The (probably) first skateboarding game for PlayStation 2 is here and we're going for gold. We also figure out what games defined the PS2 era and beyond. Where are we at now? Tune in to find out!

This week on The Free Cheese, it's all in your head dude.

We're journeying midway through the first decade of the new millennium to revisit a game lost to time. In addition to a stellar special features section, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy brings together superpowers and third-person shooting like no one else.

06:04 - Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy

31:58 - What other games are lost to time?

43:28 - Demo Disc

55:51 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, why do you have so many controllers in your lap?

It's more than just a week to talk about Rez Infinite, we talk about all of Mizuguchi's games and reflect on the impact they've had on us, the industry, and the future of video games. We also finally figure out how to pronounce "Lumines."

Episode Timestamps

06:23 - Rez Infinite

01:07:00 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, where did Kane come from?

Can a wrestling game from more than twenty years ago still be great? Yes. We're playing and ranking WWF No Mercy this week as we also figure out which names are those of professional wrestlers and those of horses. We also find out who of us deleted the save data from rental cartridges.

This week on The Free Cheese, and I’m all outta Gatorade. 

We play and rank Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, discussing its legacy and breaking down some of our favorite details. We reach the end of the bracket and declare Video Games’ Greatest Sidekick and share our favorite Game Over screens.

Episode Timestamps

10:47 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

49:41 - Lightning Round

01:02:55 - Who Would Win in a Fight?

01:21:33 - What’s the Best Game Over Screen?

01:31:15 - Patched

01:45:42 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, banana on the floor.

We're playing and ranking a classic PC Engine title that just recently came to Nintendo Switch. We also imagine how to revive the Valis series today, carry forward our bracket of sidekick showdowns, and spend other people's money.

Episode Timestamps

7:07 - Valis III

36:40 - How would you revive Valis today?

46:54 - Who Would Win in a Fight?

01:07:23 - PC Engine Game or Sailor Moon Episode?

01:18:40 - Shopping for Somebody Else

01:29:09 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, rejected jokers will always lose. 

Our month-long bracket elimination continues as we uncover the greatest sidekick in video game history. The Trivia Dungeon awaits our adventurers with some topical questions as we discuss and rank The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and rank it among the rest of this season's games so far.

Episode Timestamps

8:00 - The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

37:27 - The Legend of Zelda Franchise Celebration

56:41 - Who Would Win in a Fight?

01:14:55 - Trivia Dungeon

01:30:10 - Demo Disc

01:39:48 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, we take The JNCO test. 

Let’s explore one of Insomniac’s non-PlayStation exclusives this week and rank Sunset Overdrive on The List. We also kick off the start of a month-long bracket to decide the best sidekick in video game history.

Episode Timestamps

05:02 - Sunset Overdrive

26:48 - Many Years Ago Today

46:47 - Who Would Win in a Fight?

01:14:36 - Roundtable Question

01:21:12 A Proper Sequel

01:26:29 The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, oooooooo.

They really don't make them like they used to back in the PS2 era. We save the world with our dog and our friends using the power of music. We then build the sequel to Gitaroo Man that never happened and discuss games that change key right before the ending.

Episode Timestamps

7:07 - Gitaroo Man

28:11 - A Proper Sequel

36:40 - Shopping for Somebody Else

01:02:40 - Roundtable Question

01:11:35 - Trivia Dungeon

01:31:52 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, a revolution.

Our game this week launched the Nintendo Wii and truly became a household name. We talk about Wii Sports and its legacy, our own memories of the game, and how it holds up today. Additionally, on the tenth anniversary of the PlayStation Vita, we look back at our highlights with the game, discuss its entrance into the marketplace, and where it stands against the 3DS.

Episode Timestamps

4:44 - Wii Sports

29:38 - PSN Recommendations

48:48 - Many Years Ago Today

01:11:20 - This or That?

01:19:32 - A Game By Its Trophy

01:38:13 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, Blinx, go deep!

How well do you know your arcade hardware by name? What were the launch prices of consoles entering the market? If you know these, you might survive this week's Trivia Dungeon. We also build a football team from Nintendo and Sega characters and review ESPN NFL Football from Sega.

Episode Timestamps

03:36 - ESPN NFL Football

27:06 - Who Would Win in a Fight? Super Bowl Edition®

50:38 - Trivia Dungeon

01:05:32 - Demo Disc

01:17:14 - Lightning Round

01:31:21 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, building the Twisted Metal soundtrack.

Extreme sports used to be the center of everyone's attention and it seemed like there was no shortage of video games to coincide with every major sport. With those days sadly long gone, we revisit SSX Tricky and see how it holds up twenty years later. We also figure out which video games need new mascots and help them to find the face of the franchise.

Episode Timestamps

05:02 - SSX Tricky

24:16 - Patched

33:38 - Many Years Ago Today

48:07 - Snowboard Trick or Hot Sauce?

59:40 - Who's that Pikachu?

01:16:49 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, water bed body.

The journey through the Trivia Dungeon reveals more mysteries and asks more questions of our adventurers. We create new Demo Discs to give away with qualifying purchases. Finally, we discuss Valve's 2011 Portal 2 and find out where it ranks among the rest of the games from this season.

Episode Timestamps

05:12 - Portal 2

26:43 - A Proper Sequel

39:14 - Demo Disc

55:17 - Trivia Dungeon

01:11:19 - What video game needs a Mother 3 Handbook?

01:21:55 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, final boss only on Genesis!

Season 10 continues with a journey into the world of demonic pinball. We play Compile's classic virtual pinball title, Devil's Crush, read through some headlines from ten years ago to see how they hold up today, and build the ultimate crossover game. More inside!

Episode Timestamps

06:09 - Devil's Crush

26:47 - Many Years Ago Today

51:14 - What three companies would you combine for the next Project X Zone?

01:05:00 - Shopping for Somebody Else

01:24:05 - A Game By Its Trophy

01:52:02 - The Ranking

This week on The Free Cheese, good morning!

We begin Season 10 with a discussion and ranking of one of the first major exclusive titles from SEGA on the Nintendo GameCube. We also discuss what a perfect sequel would be, take a stroll through the Trivia Dungeon, and cast our dream actors to bring this game to the silver screen.

06:28 - Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg

30:17 - Trivia Dungeon

47:42 - A Proper Sequel

01:05:34 - Fantasy Cast

01:12:51 - If Nintendo contracted remakes of NES Black Box games, who would make them and what would they be?

This week on The Free Cheese, what’s the Game of the Year?

We have decided to change up our regular end of the year show to fit our style a bit better. The three of us have never been able to play the same games each year. We miss out on a lot of releases in a single year because we play games from so many different platforms and eras. With this in mind, we opted to look back through 2021 and talk about some of the games we played that made an impact on us. In some cases, these games introduced us to new genres or took us back to something that we had long forgotten.

To follow along with our list or read write-ups about some of the games, check out the 2021 - Year in Review post.

This week on The Free Cheese, future's bright man.

Let's commence 2022 with a recap of last year's predictions and a look ahead to the next twelve months. We also share stories of trivial aspects of video games that turned us off. Finally, we each share our personal idea of what 2022 will mean for our gaming habits.