We all make snap judgments from time to time, and sometimes those quick decisions take us in the wrong direction.  On this week's podcast, we're discussing games that we immediately dismissed for one reason or another and then later tried only to discover that they are actually fantastic.  Would you believe that we initially passed on such classics as Mega Man, BioShock, and Sly Cooper?  There's plenty more where those came from in this supersized episode. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

Stand back!  This week on the podcast we have assorted tales of interest about our recent hardware adventures.  Blake's MacBook that he uses for recording his half of the podcast unexpectedly died the day before we recorded this episode, so we're playing fast and loose with no editing this week.  Listen to how Blake upgraded his pinball table to contain over two-hundred additional tables, thrill as I more than double the internal storage of my Sony PlayStation 5 with a new Samsung 980 Pro hard drive, and marvel at Blake's new Steam Deck.  We're coming alive with seventy minutes of discussion. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

Developer Naughty Dog considers the Uncharted series to be over, but that's not stopping eagle-eyed fans from spotting what they think is a new Uncharted sequel in a recent Sony PlayStation 5 advertisement.  The ad features looks at a number of previously announced games and includes one that nobody recognizes.  Ethan Gach at Kotaku has the round-up.

In between vignettes for announced games like Spider-Man 2 is a brief clip of a woman carrying a torch through a cave, and fans think it might be pointing to a new Uncharted game starring Nathan Drake’s daughter, Cassie.

A post over at the PlayStation Blog even says that the new PS5 ad “hints at the breadth of extraordinary experiences” available on the console, and goes out of its way to dare players to see if they can “spot all the game references.” The woman in the cave, who at one point can be seen blowing dust off a mysterious artifact, appears to be the only part of the commercial that doesn’t correspond to a currently announced or released PlayStation exclusive.

With Uncharted recently becoming a successful film after years in development hell (and with a sequel on the way), there's definite money left on the table if everyone involved is truly finished with the series.  Naughty Dog is focused on their darling The Last of Us (a game so beloved by the studio that they've made the first game in the series three times already), but who's to say that Sony wouldn't hand the Drake keys to another proven studio?  I'm absolutely interested in more Uncharted, so I say bring it on.

By the way, the Kotaku article's URL is https://kotaku.com/uncharted-5-cassie-drake-naughty-dog-ps5-release-date-1850049001 which crams so much search engine optimization clickbait into itself (this game may not be Uncharted 5, it may not star Cassie Drake, it may not be made by Naughty Dog, and there's certainly no release date for it) that if they managed to work "free download" and "naked" into the link, Google would never need to refer anyone to any other web page ever again.  We're all desperate for traffic here, but let's be better than that.

As we do every January, it's time to take a look back at our picks for Game of the Year.  2022 brought us a number of fantastic titles that we're still raving about including Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Stray, Sonic Origins, and many more.  Which game will take the coveted slot of our number one pick?  Join us for a supersized two hour discussion and find out!  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

New year, new news recap!  The end of 2022 means it's time for us to look back on the biggest video gaming news of the year and put it all in context one last time.  We have everything from Embracer embracing everyone to Sony relaunching PlayStation Plus with new tiers to FIFA and Electronic Arts parting ways and much, much more.  Join us for a supersized episode.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

As the holiday season is upon us and people are planning to spend time with family, we thought it was the perfect time to recommend video games perfect for some family multiplayer fun time.  Gather the kids, your siblings, your parents, and everyone in your circle who enjoys controllers to spend some time with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Kirby's Dream Buffet, and many more.  Join us! Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

There's lots to do in the open zones of the Starfall Islands in Sonic Frontiers, and since I spent thirty hours last week seeing it all and earning the platinum trophy, it seems only right to spend this episode of the podcast discussing the game.  Before we get into that though, Blake Grundman regales us with tales of his recent European tour and we take a suggestion from the audience and give The Pinball Wizard for PC, iOS, and Nintendo Switch a spin. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

Sony and Insomniac Studios are marking the twentieth anniversary of the Ratchet & Clank franchise with streaming re-releases of the Ratchet titles for the PlayStation 3 for PlayStation Plus Premium members and an article of remembrances from Insomniac staff.  Oh, and some free DLC nostalgia armor for last year's Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart.  Seems kind of lackluster, but it's poor fate that led to a landmark anniversary year falling just a year after the most recent game in the series released.  Maybe something larger will happen for the twenty-fifth anniversary.  Anyways, here's Insomniac President Ted Price remembering when he knew they had something big cooking with these characters.

"I remember a bunch of us crowded around an old CRT TV watching our first test cinematic. It was the ad for Al’s Roboshack where Captain Qwark (voiced by the great Jim Ward) states in his typically snarky tone “There’s nothing worse than staring down a Blargian Snagglebest…from the inside”. Even though I knew the script by heart, after watching the scene I laughed out loud. The lines, the delivery, the animation, the subtle social commentary – everything fit. To me, that ended up being the scene that set the comedic tone for the entire franchise.”

I came to the PS2 Ratchet titles late enough that I picked up all three used from GameStop after I bought my console and was immediately taken in by the strongly-written characters and explosive humor.  I've come back for more ever since.  If you've somehow missed out on these games, you absolutely have to try them.  While the PS2 trilogy (plus one, Deadlocked) was remade for the PS3, I'm surprised that the PS3 Future trilogy (also plus one, Into the Nexus) was not remade for PS4 or now PS5.  Still, there is that twenty-fifth anniversary coming up and I suppose it's never too late...

Following on from our last episode where we discussed the closing of Google Stadia, this week's episode follows on from that theme with a discussion of games and modes you cannot play anymore because support for them has been terminated by their publisher.  Spend an hour with us in gaming's graveyard. Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 

Nintendo and Sony both knocked us out last week with new announcements including the return of Goldeneye 007 for the Switch's online service, a new God of War: Ragnarok trailer for the PlayStation 5, Kirby's Return to Dream Land getting new life as a Deluxe remastering, PSVR2 information, and a long-awaited title drop for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.  Join us as we discuss all of this news and more.  Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, Amazon Music Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.