Hardcore Gaming 101

Latest Episodes:

Marble It Up! Ultra (and You Have to Burn the Rope!) Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a spiritual successor to the beloved Marble Blast series. Then stick around for You Have to Burn the Rope, an incredibly scathing critique of the video game medium!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be GUNPEY DS — the DS iteration of a cowboy-themed Wonderswan puzzle game! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Check out what games we've already ranked on the Big Damn List, then nominate a game of your own via five-star review on Apple Podcasts! Take a screenshot and show it to us on our Discord server! Intro music by NORM.

2025 © Hardcore Gaming 101, all rights reserved. No portion of this or any other Hardcore Gaming 101 ("HG101") content/data shall be included, referenced, or otherwise used in any model, resource, or collection of data.

RoboCop: Rogue City (and Anthology of the Killer!) Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank the RoboCop game that is more than worth buying for a dollar. Then stick around for Anthology of the Killer, a comedy-horror with a genuine sense of heart!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED — a crossover kart racer that is also a crossover plane racer, and a crossover boat racer! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Contra: Shattered Soldier (and Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style!) Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank the Contra that pulls off being (relatively) serious and gritty. Then stick around for Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style, a hip-hop fighting game made from the remnants of a cancelled ultraviolent title!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be STIMULATION CLICKER — a game that revels in overwhelming the player! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (and Stranglehold!) Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG CONCLUDES!! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a well-regarded Final Fantasy VII spinoff. Then stick around for Stranglehold, a video game that attempts to be a sequel to a popular John Woo film!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be QUESTER/METRO QUESTER — a post-apocalyptic dungeon-crawler set in a world created by Kazushi Hagiwara! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Sakura Wars (and Melty Blood: Type Lumina!) Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG ENDURES!! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank the Saturn's premiere mecha strategy/cute girl romancing experience. Then stick around for Melty Blood: Type Lumina - a fighting game based off the visual novel series that introduced Neco-Arc to the world!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be JACKAL (NES) — the definitive conversion of Konami's jeep-and-gun shooter! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Dark Cloud (and Bubsy 3D!) Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG CARRIES ON!! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Level 5's early Playstation 2 hit. Then stick around for Bubsy 3D - it's not like you have any other choice, is it?

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be DO NOT FEED THE MONKEYS — a game that revolves all around the lurid pursuit of spying on people! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Suikoden (and 140!) Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG PROCEEDS!! Join the HG101 gang and returning special guest Sara Leen/Saralene as they discuss and rank Konami's RPG with more playable characters than a Fire Emblem game. Then stick around for 140 - a colorfully artistic, grooving platformer!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be PLANET PUNCH — a flash game that dares to ask "You know how annoying the sun is in Mario 3? Well what if you could beat it up?" Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure (and maimai!) Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG BEGINS!! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Nippon Ichi's RPG bursting with charming musical numbers. Then stick around for maimai, Sega's rhythm touch screen arcade hit that they swear is not a washing machine!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be MOONRING — Fluttermind's neon-infused love letter to classic roguelikes! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Scott Pilgrim (and The Darkness!) Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank a River City Ransom-inspired beat-em-up based on a popular Canadian comic series. Then stick around for The Darkness, a first-person shooter with more lightbulb shooting than Metal Gear Solid 2!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be VIRTUOSO — a third-person shooter for the 3DO featuring a bodaciously rocking interpretation of virtual reality! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.

Caves of Qud (and BurgerTime!) Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Freehold Games' traditional yet ambitious roguelike. Then stick around for BurgerTime, an arcade game all about health code violations!

This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be MURDER DOG IV: TRIAL OF THE MURDER DOG — a game that is exactly as murder-filled as its title would suggest! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more!

Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope.