Our five-year journey has come to an end! This week, we're looking back at Wii Universe with an epic-length retrospective of the series. We're giving our definitive final ranking of all Wii U games, sharing some stats and stories from throughout the show, and generally just trying to fight back the tears. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you once again to our incredible listeners for coming on this goofy little adventure with us for the last five years, and we'll see you again down the line!

This is it! After dozens of games and hundreds of hours of gameplay, we've arrived at the VERY LAST GAME in the Wii U catalog! To celebrate this momentous event, we had to bring in some of our favorite guests for one of the most influential games of the last decade! The entire Vidjagame Apocalypse crew (Matthew Allen, Chris Antista, and Mikel Reparaz) join us to talk LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD. This game dropped day-and-date with the release of the Switch, so the Wii U version tends to be overlooked, but it can't be denied that this game forever changed how we think about ZELDA and reinvented how we approach open-world games. Join us as we dig in to this massive adventure, and be sure to come back next week for our FOUR-HOUR final episode spectacular! 

This week, we're taking a leap of faith with one of the biggest franchises of the last 20 years! Ubisoft's ASSASSIN'S CREED series became a cultural phenomenon when it debuted in 2007, with each subsequent game only getting bigger. We're looking at the two Wii U entries this week: first, we're travelling back to the American Revolution-set ASSASSIN'S CREED III; then, it's all aboard for the golden age of piracy with the swashbuckling ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG! 

The PAPER MARIO series made it's big debut back in the N64 games, and it was one of our highest-rated titles on that entire system. But over the years, the series has lost some of it's luster as it drifted a bit from it's RPG mechanics. PAPER MARIO: COLOR SPLASH may be almost unrecognizable as an RPG, but how does it stand on its own merits? We're digging into that this week, with this colorful, gorgeous-looking adventure!

Crank up your flashlights and keep your cricket bats at the ready, because this week we're travelling to foggy London to take on the zombie apocalypse with Ubisoft's ZOMBIU! This launch game set out to be Ubi's Wii U killer app, and uses the GamePad in some of the most creative ways we've seen so far; do the game's ambitious survival mechanics make it memorable, or is this just one more for the zombie horde?

This week, we've got three of Nintendo's cutest characters in perhaps the most adorable forms they've ever been in! I mean, come on, Kirby is made of clay! Yoshi is made of wool! Toad has a little pith helmet! What more do you need? Lynsey Pennington returns to help us tackle the simple yet charming puzzle adventure CAPTAIN TOAD: TREASURE TRACKER; then, we draw the line for the touch-screen heavy platformer KIRBY AND THE RAINBOW CURSE; and finally, we're unravelling the latest adventure of everyone's favorite green dinosaur with YOSHI'S WOOLLY WORLD!

FIRE EMBLEM. SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI. Two great tastes that taste great together? That's what we're finding out this week as we play the JRPG mash-up TOKYO MIRAGE SESSIONS #FE! This week, we're joined by one of our faves, Vidjagame Apocalypse host Mikel Reparaz, who helps us talk through this ambitious crossover that takes its two fantasy series and blends them with the world of Japanese pop music. Is this destined for superstardom or is it another one-hit wonder?

It's time to hack and slash our way through endless hordes with some historically-sourced heroes, because this week we're playing two games in the WARRIORS series! Koei's action series helped the company graduate from stodgy strategy RPGs to epic action, and the franchise has gone from Three Kingdoms-era China to Nintendo's mythical land of Hyrule. Does the simple formula still hold up, or has the repetitive gameplay worn out it's welcome like we wear out the Y button?

The cheapie movie-tie in genre thrived on the Wii U, but today we're playing our last batch of low-effort platformers based on cartoons! Obviously, our crappy game correspondent Ailish Collins had to return to help us do justice to games based on SMURFS 2, PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, and SNOOPY'S BIG ADVENTURE (based on the 2015 PEANUTS MOVIE). Are these titles about the quality levels you'd expect, or are there some surprises? Find out now!

Pac is Bac, in cartoon form! We're playing PAC-MAN AND THE GHOSTLY ADVENTURES 1 and 2, two games based on the popular Disney XD show that briefly brought Pac-Man to a whole new generation. We're contrasting and comparing both games, plus looking at Pac-Man's brief but lucrative history as a platforming star!

For those who want a little apocalyptic mythology and head-slicing thrown in with their ZELDA, the DARKSIDERS series is here to answer the call! We're playing both Wii U entries in THQ's slick adventure game series, playing as different Horsemen of the Apocalypse as we carve through hordes of demons, angels, and all kinds of creepy-crawlies in between.

Hop into the King of Red Lions and hoist your sails, because this week we're playing one of the most beloved games in one of the most beloved series of all time! LEGEND OF ZELDA: WIND WAKER HD is a completely remastered edition of the 2003 GameCube game, featuring a gorgeous native 1080p transition and some subtle but welcome changes to the overall gameplay. While the original game was derided for it's bold new cartoon art style, it's gone on to enjoy a long life as a fan favorite. We're finding out how well this one has held up over the years, and why it might be one of the best arguments yet to dust off your Wii U.

We've played a few games featuring Sonic in supporting roles, but this week, the Blue Blur is taking the spotlight with two games that showcase multiple sides of his gaming persona! First, we're playing SONIC LOST WORLD, a 2D/3D throwback to the heyday of the character when the only rule was, "Gotta Go Fast!" Then, we're looking at the TV-based adventure SONIC BOOM: RISE OF LYRIC, which holds the ignominious distinction as the lowest-rated and lowest-selling game in the whole series; does it transcend it's reputation or has it been fairly maligned? Find out now!

It's time to strap some guns to your feet and get real sexy, because this week we're playing the wildly over-the-top action epic BAYONETTA series! From the creators of DEVIL MAY CRY, BAYONETTA features a hypersexual heroine, a gleefully nonsensical plot, and some of the best action gameplay around. Thanks to a nice bonus disc included in the Wii U-exclusive BAYONETTA 2, we're playing both games in the series so far, grappling with some of the themes of the series and discussing Nintendo's bizarre decision to adopt Bayonetta as one of their own.

We've got a quadruple-dose of cartoon-based games this week, and like those sexist Happy Meal two-packs, we've got options for boys and options for girls, although really the best option might be neither. First, we're playing two games based on the Cartoon Network action series BEN 10 OMNIVERSE, about a young boy who can transform into 10 different alien warriors. Then, we're enrolling in MONSTER HIGH, two games based on the hit fashion doll-turned-multimedia franchise, starring a clique of fashion-forward monster girls.

The XENOBLADE series has been kicking around in some form or another since the late 90s, but it's only recently that it has ascended to a Nintendo-blessed blockbuster franchise. This week, we're playing the Wii U-exclusive entry in the series, XENOBLADE CHRONICLES X, which takes on more of a spacefaring sci-fi aesthetic with faster combat and big honkin' mechs to drive around. We're digging deep into the origins of the series, and seeing how this one compares to the rest of the highly-acclaimed RPG series.

Sharpen your blades and join us as we play what may be the goriest game on the entire system! NINJA GAIDEN is one of the rare series to innovate the action genre in two completely different eras, on the NES and on the original Xbox, but Ryu Hayabusa's star has dimmed a bit in recent years. Today, we're playing his one and only entry on the Wii U, a remastered and expanded version of NINJA GAIDEN 3 called RAZOR'S EDGE! While NG3 was considered a disappointment, RAZOR'S EDGE tries to reverse the game's fortunes with refined controls, new touch screen abilities, and lots of cost-of-living improvements.

How are we gonna do an episode about a game we already did an episode about? It's easy when it's MARIO KART 8. The biggest game on the Wii U (and on the Switch, for that matter!), there's always something new to discover. But at it's core, MARIO KART is all about getting together with your good buddies and having a race, and we've brought two of our favorites to dodge our shells: Rosie Crow and Lynsey Pennington!

This week, we're putting away childish things... after we're done playing with them, of course, because we're knocking out the last of our toys-to-life games! After the wild success of SKYLANDERS, everyone wanted in on the plastic-figurine-as-game-pieces craze, and these two games are the most prominent rivals to Activision's pioneering series. Firstly, we're playing DISNEY INFINITY, which has the benefit of Disney's massive backlog of Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters to play with. Then, we're playing LEGO DIMENSIONS, which plumbs the multiverse for a wild array of characters and items that you'll actually build in real-life.

It's time for us to cut a rug with Ubisoft's mammoth dancing series JUST DANCE! We're playing through more games than we've ever attempted in one episode, a whopping NINE games in the venerable series that span the entire lifecycle of the Wii U! It's a lot for two clumsy boys to tackle on our own; luckily, we're joined by dancer, teacher, and owner of Evolution Dance Company, Emma Obukowicz, who can give us some context and let us see just how good of a dancing simulator this series is.

It's party time... for the last time. We're playing the last round of generic party games, and we're looking at arguably the high point and the low point of the genre on Wii U. Of course, it's not a proper party without Dan Reese, and he joins us as we sort through some inscrutable minigame collections. First up, it's the bafflingly-titled, hilariously cheap collection FAMILY PARTY 30 GREAT GAMES OBSTACLE ARCADE SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM; then, we're playing the Nintendo-sanctioned version WII PARTY U, featuring much more competent gameplay and the terror that is Party Phil.

Prepare to get splatted, because this week we're playing SPLATOON, the most successful original IP on the Wii U! We're talking all about the history of this squid-filled delight, and how Nintendo brought their own unique spin to the arena shooter genre!

This is it! The very last batch of sports games we will ever play on this show! We're delving into a wide range of sports today, but luckily we've got our old favorite Josiah Coolidge back in the studio to provide his expert insight! We're closing out sports by revisiting the MADDEN franchise with MADDEN NFL 13; then we're hitting the lanes with BRUNSWICK PRO BOWLING; finally, Mario and the gang are facing off for a game of MARIO TENNIS: ULTRA SMASH!

This week, we're looking at game adaptations of a couple of Disney TV favorites! Bad game aficionado Ailish Collins returns to help us play PHINEAS AND FERB: THE QUEST FOR COOL STUFF, based on the hit show about two inventive brothers and their summertime adventures. Then, we're heading back to the 80s with the remastered version of DUCKTALES from WayForward and Capcom. This remake of the classic NES game retains a lot of the music and gameplay from the original, with a vibrant new visual overhaul.

The brothers are back! This week, we're playing two of the premier games for the Wii U: the side scrolling throwback NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U and it's standalone spin-off NEW SUPER LUIGI U! We're gonna dive deep into some of Mario's most successful and beloved games of all time, plus take a look back at that most iconic of times, the Year of Luigi! This episode earns a full Steve-chievement.

This week, we're busting out a couple more minigame collections, with a couple of revitalized classics in the mix. WII SPORTS CLUB is an HD remake of the original pack-in game WII SPORTS, which had the benefit of online play but the detriment of an odd release model. RABBIDS LAND sees the RAYMAN enemies taking the limelight with a MARIO PARTY-style minigame collection that actually makes some pretty clever use of the GamePad!

Can you dig it? This week, we're playing two hit indie games that center all around the moving of dirt! Firstly, we're playing TERRARIA, a 2D MINECRAFT clone that is one of the 10 best-selling games of all time! Then, we're playing STEAMWORLD COLLECTION, a compilation of two games, STEAMWORLD DIG and STEAMWORLD HEIST, that might just become your new small-scale favorites.

We've played a lot of LEGO games on this series, and today we're fitting the final bricks into place! Neal Crow returns to the show to help us talk about a random roundup of LEGO games. First, we're playing the fast and funny cop comedy LEGO CITY UNDERCOVER. Then, we're playing three movie adaptations, one based on Peter Jackson's THE HOBBIT trilogy, another based on STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, and finally we're closing it out in-house with the adaptation of THE LEGO MOVIE!

This week, we're checking back in with the MARIO PARTY series, and making an appearance at an amiibo Festival as well! Corinne Kempen joins us as we play MARIO PARTY 10 and ANIMAL CROSSING: AMIIBO FESTIVAL, two board game-style adaptations of Nintendo characters that take very different approaches to the genre.

This week, we're embracing our inner hackermen as we play Ubisoft's ambitious, expensive spectacle WATCH DOGS. This open-world game lets you take control of the city of Chicago from your smart phone, allowing you to hack everything from ATMs to security cameras to traffic lights. There's an impressive amount of game here, but does this high-profile event game hold up nearly a decade later?

We're back on our fitness grind, and this time we chose NOT to play them on the hottest day of the year! First, we're getting tone with Ubisoft's YOURSHAPE: FITNESS EVOLVED 2013, and then we're touring the globe with ZUMBA FITNESS WORLD PARTY!

This week we're gathering up a few odd little games that don't quite fit in anywhere else, but darn it they'll always have a home with us! First, we're playing the bare-bones arcade port TANK! TANK! TANK!, which promises three times the tanks of the average game. Then, we're playing RUNBOW, a fast-paced, stylish platformer/racer which supports up to nine players for wild local multiplayer. Finally, we're talking about TUMBLESTONE, a small but addictive indie match-3 puzzle game.

The MONSTER HUNTER games are some of the most popular in the world, but the learning curve can be intimidating for new players. Luckily, we've brought in a ringer to help us explain the many working pieces of hunting monsters! Garrit Manker from the Co-Hops podcast comes by to help us parse through the complex and beautiful world of Capcom's multiplayer RPG, in all it's bone-busting, cat-befriending, egg-waddling splendor!

This week we're witnessing an iconic team-up that took an event as big as the Olympics to manifest! Mario and Sonic set their differences aside long enough to share billing in the MARIO & SONIC series, taking them to various Olympic games to compete in mini-game versions of real-life Olympic events. This time, we're talking about the games for the 2014 winter event in Sochi, Russia, and the 2016 summer games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Does this series go for the gold or is it stuck with the shameful, shameful bronze?

We're saluting those about to rock this week with GUITAR HERO LIVE! GUITAR HERO was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon that spurred most everyone to drop money on colorful plastic guitars, but a glut of sequels and imitators overwhelmed the market. LIVE is Activision's attempt to revitalize the series, with a new play style, a live stage show aesthetic, and an ambitious streaming service for new songs. We break down the new style of play and decide if this new spin on a classic formula is worth your time!

We're assembling heroes this week in every sense of the word! This week, we're closing the loop on both BATMAN and MORTAL KOMBAT by playing some games that highlight the best of both. First, the NetherRealm-developed fighting game INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, where DC heroes and villains throw down in a MK-esque battle royale! Then, we're checking back in with the LEGO series for two of the Caped Crusader's best selling titles, LEGO BATMAN 2 and 3!

We're revisiting a couple of classic game shows this week! It's been a while since we played JEOPARDY and WHEEL OF FORTUNE on the Nintendo 64; how have the games changed in the interim? Ailish Collins returns to help us spin that wheel and question those answers! And she may have underestimated Steve's propensity for trivia...

This week we're cracking into one of the biggest series of all time, the unstoppable juggernaut that is Activision's CALL OF DUTY! The series has been dominating sales charts and online bandwidth for years, but for those of us who tune in and out of the series, is there still anything to recommend from the earlier generation? We'll find out this week as we play CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II and it's sequel, CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS!

We'd planned to make this an all-Dreamworks episode, but just because the Penguins couldn't make it, that's no reason to stop the party! Ailish Collins joins us this week as we make a hard pivot from animation adaptations to misbegotten party games! We played THE CROODS: PREHISTORIC PARTY, a minigame collection based on the hit movie; we follow it up with GAME PARTY CHAMPIONS, the latest in a series of shovelware compilations! The games may break, but the party never stops here at Wii Universe!

We're travelling to magical, anime-inspired worlds this week! Firstly, we're taking flight with RODEA: THE SKY SOLDIER, the oft-delayed action game from the creator of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG! Then, we're looking at SHANTAE: 1/2 GENIE HERO, a breakthrough Kickstarter success that finally gave the plucky, hair-whipping heroine her first proper hit!  

Get ready to experience the brutality of nature... in the most adorable possible way, of course. This week, we're playing PIKMIN 3, which for a long time was considered THE reason to own a Wii U! This third chapter in Shigeru Miyamoto's strategy/action hybrid adds three new astronauts, two new varieties of Pikmin, and tons of new abilities, locations, and secrets to find. So get up off your Dapper Blobs and help us take out some bulborbs!

This week we're trying out the toys-to-life genre for the first time with the series that started it all, SKYLANDERS! Activision's groundbreaking series lets you scan real-life figurines into the action with a special portal; luckily, friend of the show Neal Crow has a wide variety of figures for us to try out! This week, we're talking about all 5 games that appear on the Wii U, including GIANTS, SWAP-FORCE, TRAP TEAM, SUPERCHARGERS, and IMAGINATORS!

Warm up those pipes, because this week we're talking about some singing games! We played two games with different approaches to karaoke that come bundled with their own hefty plastic mics! Lynsey Pennington comes by to help us warble our way through the odd, party-centric SING PARTY and the TV show adaptation THE VOICE: I WANT YOU!

This week, vehicles have eyes and all rules are out the window! We're playing three games that take place in the Disney/Pixar CARS universe. Firstly, we're taking to the skies with PLANES and PLANES: FIRE AND RESCUE, two games based on the surprise hit spin-off films. Then, we're playing CARS 3: DRIVEN TO WIN, a high-octane racing game featuring everyone's favorite metal shells full of meat!

One of Nintendo's biggest franchises is back, and while the name may be clunky, the thrills are real. We played SUPER SMASH BROS. FOR WII U, the game that expanded the series onto multiple platforms and made the series a sort of living Hall of Fame museum! We dig deep on the features and gameplay, mess with the ridiculous number of control options, and see if we can make a convincing argument for this game over ULTIMATE.

This week, we're playing the console versions of the games that defined early mobile gaming! First, we're diving into the bird-flinging phenomenon with ANGRY BIRDS TRILOGY, containing the original smash-hit ANGRY BIRDS, it's follow-up ANGRY BIRDS SEASONS, and the movie tie-in ANGRY BIRDS RIO. Then we're taking the irate avians to outer space with ANGRY BIRDS: STAR WARS!

We were prepared to bring you some MADDEN football action in time for the Super Bowl, but our game disc had different plans, so we've pulled the ultimate audible. Instead of high-impact gridiron action, we're going down to the farm with the goofy sim FUNKY BARN! While we're going in with zero preparation and no research, we try to capture the essence nonetheless.

Racing games were a dime a dozen on the Nintendo 64, but they're a rare treat on the Wii U, and this week we're playing three of them! Firstly, we're playing the AAA racing adventure NEED FOR SPEED: MOST WANTED; then, it's all about family as we saddle up with FAST & FURIOUS: SHOWDOWN; finally, we're breaking out the interlocking orange tracks to play the multi-vehicle stunt racer HOT WHEELS: WORLD'S BEST DRIVER!

This week, we're checking back in with the Kongs for the first time since DONKEY KONG 64! While that game was a fun but bloated exercise in excess, TROPICAL FREEZE is lean and mean, a tough, 2-D platformer that brings the DKC series back to it's roots.

Haven't heard of LEGEND OF KAY? Don't worry, you're not alone, but if it's earning an anniversary edition 10 years after it's original release, it must be good, right? Right? This German import blends Zelda-style exploration with kung-fu and platforming, starring a hot-tempered young cat who needs to save the world from an army of invading gorillas and rats. Find out if this HD upgrade of a PS2 game is worth discovering or better left in the vault.

One of the very last games to get a physical release on the Wii U, the hit indie AXIOM VERGE had a long, strange trip to hitting the console. This week, our old friend Aaron George stops by to help us decide if this Metroidvania was worth the wait. We're charting the history of the game's one-man production, talking about the cool indie publisher Limited Run, and figuring out why it took almost 5 years for the goodie-laden Multiverse Edition to come out.

We're sneaking into the new year with TOM CLANCY'S SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST, the final entry in Ubisoft's acclaimed stealth series. We're checking back in with Sam Fisher and company after a long time away from the series, and a lot's changed, but the same low-light stealth antics still shine through.

Wonder-eyes, Red! This week, we're playing THE WONDERFUL 101, a weirdo cult artifact and one of the Wii U's most notable exclusive releases! PlatinumGames' hyperactive action game puts you in control of up to 100 masked superheroes who can join together into elaborate shapes to help fight an alien invasion! It's all super creative, but is it any fun? 

Happy holidays to everyone! We'll be taking a slight break through the end of the year but Wii Universe will be back January 1! 

This week we don the cowl and cape to take on two of Batman's best adventures, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY and BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS! The ARKHAM games are some of the best action-adventure games ever, but how well do these sprawling, cinematic adventures translate to the Wii U? 

To hear a break down of the full ARKHAM series, as well as every other BATMAN game, check out our other show, Ultra 64 DD, at patreon.com/ultra64pod! 

It's the return of MEGA MAN... sort of. MIGHTY NO. 9, from former Capcom legend Keiji Inafune, apes the style and gameplay of the Blue Bomber almost exactly, but something has gone missing during the game's famously tortured production. This week we're charting the game's early Kickstarter success and long road to release, and seeing if this game and it's army of child robots lives down to it's reputation.

What hath WII SPORTS wrought? Well, ESPN SPORTS CONNECTION for one thing! This week, we're playing Ubisoft's attempt at the casual-gaming phenomenon, featuring six different minigames with GamePad control! Join us for all your favorites: tennis! Golf! Soccer! Football! Baseball!... Kart racing?

One of the best-selling ZELDA games of all time makes the leap to the Wii U with a stellar visual upgrade, but do the clearer visuals cast the game's flaws into relief? That's what we're discussing this week, as we're joined by our old friend Zack Strong to discuss LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS HD! The game offers some of the coolest dungeons and items in the series' history, but does the languid pace and some confusing backtracking weigh the game down?

We had a slight interruption in our planned game this week; luckily, the ever-reliable Rayman has stepped in to pick up the slack! We played RAYMAN LEGENDS, the sequel to the hit 2011 reboot RAYMAN ORIGINS! This slick, funny 2D platformer was designed to be a Wii U exclusive before going multiplatform, so this version boasts some features you won't find anywhere else, so bring your friends and ram-a-lam!

If you're going to steal, you might as well steal from the best, and this week we've got two games who attempt to bite MARIO KART's style. Local kart-racing enthusiast Lynsey Pennington is back to help us play the SEGA-themed SONIC AND ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED, followed by HELLO KITTY KRUISERS, which brings beloved Sanrio characters to the blacktop.

Just in time for Halloween, we're diving back into the world of RESIDENT EVIL for the one and only series entry on the Wii U! We played RESIDENT EVIL: REVELATIONS, an HD upgrade of a handheld game that still manages to be visually dazzling and super goopy! Local zombie expert Lynsey Pennington joins us to discuss how this game differs from it's console counterparts.

We've got a double-dose of the old webhead this week! We played two games loosely based on the 2012 Andrew Garfield AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movies. The movies were little-loved, but the games provide the early DNA for the webslinger's future adventures. The question is, is there a reason to go back to these one's when Insomniac's game has perfected the formula? Or are these titles AMAZING on their own?

Ever wonder what it would be like to play DONKEY KONG as Link? Or battle the tree in KIRBY'S ADVENTURE while being attacked by Boos? Then this re-re-remix is for you! NES REMIX PACK combines two downloadable games, NES REMIX 1 and 2, into one easily digestible package, with bite-sized challenges from dozens of original NES titles, including special cross-over levels combining two or more games in new and weird ways. The game is like a mainline rush of classic NES nostalgia, but does it hold up to our keen scrutiny?

This week, we try to find out if life in plastic really is fantastic as we play two games based on Barbie! We played the minigame collection BARBIE DREAMHOUSE PARTY and the weird pet-rescue simulator BARBIE AND HER SISTERS: PUPPY RESCUE, and we're joined by two of our favorite ladies, Lynsey Pennington and Kathi Ciskowski, to help us parse through the long and complicated social history of Barbie and the rare video game series marketed almost solely to girls.

Augment your ears, because this week we're heading into the future for DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION, Square Enix's epic reboot of the classic shooter. The series has always put an emphasis on choice, using branching paths to tell its story, but does that equate to a fun game? Plus: we have lots of opinions about N64 on Switch and the new Mario movie!

Roll out and transform, because this week, it's TRANSFORMERS: Redemption? The last time we played a game featuring the iconic robots in disguise, it wound up being one of the 5 worst games on the Nintendo 64, so the series has a lot to make up for. Luckily, neither of these made us sick at all! We played TRANSFORMERS PRIME, a high-octane beat-em-up based on a TV show, and RISE OF THE DARK SPARK, a slick third-person shooter than blends mythology from the games and the movies.

Who's got big balls? WIPEOUT does, apparently! This week, we're playing two games based on the summer game show sensation, and we're tagging in our friend Delaney Saul to help us manage the madness! We played WIPEOUT 3, which attempts to capture the obstacle course goofiness of the show in a simple platformer, and WIPEOUT: CREATE & CRASH, which lets you customize your own courses!

Hop in your Arwing and join us as we take on Fox McCloud and company's big Wii U adventures, STAR FOX ZERO and STAR FOX GUARD! The former is STAR FOX as you remember it, with lots of aerial combat and barrel-rolling action, but upgraded with beautiful graphics and some new vehicles to cause carnage with. GUARD takes the series into untested territory with an odd tower-defense style game! 

If you want to hear more STAR FOX, be sure to check out patreon.com/ultra64pod, where we're doing a complete deep dive on the series! 

We're covering a ton of ground this week; we're discussing nothing less than the biggest game of all time, and we've rarely been more out of our depth! MINECRAFT is a sensation unlike anything else in gaming history, but our intrepid hosts have almost no experience with the block-busting blockbuster, so we've tagged in an actual 9-year-old to help us get our bearings. Plus, we're looking at the Telltale Games adventure MINECRAFT: STORY MODE, a star-studded interactive movie set in the MINECRAFT universe! It's gonna be a fun one, y'all!

We're playing through another trio of games based on Dreamworks Animation films, and after the disaster of TURBO, we're on our guard. This time around, we're playing the DIABLO-like brawler RISE OF THE GUARDIANS, the dragon-flying sim HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, and the furry SMASH BROS. clone KUNG FU PANDA: SHOWDOWN OF LEGENDARY LEGENDS! Do these three score higher than the racing snail? Find out now!

We're taking aim at sniper games this time around with the cult favorite SNIPER ELITE V2, the game that finally lets you shoot Adolf Hitler in the junk. We take a look at sniping as a genre, look at the surprising success of the subgenre, and question whether realistic bullet physics are fun or just cool in theory.

This week, we're playing the one and only basketball game on the Wii U, NBA 2K13! Josiah Coolidge is back on hand to help us play through this Jay-Z-produced sports spectacular, with it's all-star roster, it's heavy product placement, and it's surprisingly overqualified soundtrack!

It's one of our most requested episodes! This week, we're covering DEVIL'S THIRD, the infamous flop from famed NINJA GAIDEN developer Tomonobu Itagaki! We're joined once again by Vidjagame Apocalypse host Mikel Reparaz as we dig into the game's exceptionally rocky development period, talk about the now-defunct online mode, and find out if this game really lives down to it's reputation.

This week, we're playing one of the Wii U's biggest homegrown hits, the innovative and intuitive game-building game SUPER MARIO MAKER! Friend of the pod Aaron George returns to help us cover the fascinating world of homemade MARIO stages, from the simplest platforming stages to multi-level epics requiring pinpoint precision.

This week, we're talking about one of the most unlikely comeback stories in gaming history! The original GREAT GIANA SISTERS was released in 1987 and immediately pulled from shelves for being way too similar to SUPER MARIO BROTHERS; 25 years later, the series returned with the Kickstarter-funded GIANA SISTERS: TWISTED DREAMS, a gorgeous and decidedly non-Mario platformer!

Assemble! This week we're talking about The Avengers, that tiny little superhero team that went from comic book obscurity to world-conquering media franchise! We're joined this week by JR Ralls, host of Talking Terrific Television, as we dig into three title featuring Earth's mightiest heroes. First, the very strange Kinect port AVENGERS: BATTLE FOR EARTH, and then we're getting blocky with two LEGO games, MARVEL SUPER HEROES and MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS! Excelsior!

Come on, grab your friends, because this week we're playing two games based on the charming and influential animated series ADVENTURE TIME! Join Steve the Dog and Woody the Human as we play the hack-and-slash throwback EXPLORE THE DUNGEON BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW, and the point and click adventure game FINN & JAKE INVESTIGATIONS!

This week, the Sweaty Boyz are playing are playing a fitness game... on the hottest day in our state's history! What perfect timing! We're busting out the old Balance Board to play WII FIT U, the follow-up to one of Nintendo's biggest hits of all time! We put the game through it's paces and try out it's nerdy new Fit Meter pedometer while trying not to pass out from the heat! It's a fun one this week y'all.

We're hitting the great outdoors from the safety and comfort of our couches this week! We're talking about RAPALA PRO BASS FISHING, the one and only dedicated fishing game on the Wii U! We're also revisiting two games from our so-called "lost episode," CABELA'S DANGEROUS HUNTS 2013 and CABELA'S BIG GAME HUNTER: PRO HUNTS; have these games aged any better in the interim? Have we developed a taste for outdoor sportsmanship? Find out now!

Waaaaaaah! Nintendo's resident bad boy takes a crack at his own NINTENDOLAND-style minigame collection that could only exist on the Wii U! Superfan Neal Crow is back on hand to talk us through the game's 16 minigames. We also look back on the history of Wario and his ascension to Nintendo's arbiter of weirdness, from his days of platforming immortality (literally) to the gonzo WARIOWARE games!

Zounds! This week, we're packing up our rucksacks and heading out on a fantasy adventure with THE BOOK OF UNWRITTEN TALES 2, a charming sleeper hit that tries to breathe new life into the point-and-click adventure genre. This one casts you as four unlikely heroes trying to unite a fractured kingdom in a tongue-in-cheek adventure. Combine this episode with you podcast player and then use it on your ears!

It takes two to make a thing go right... but does that holy truth apply to EPIC MICKEY 2: THE POWER OF TWO? We're about to find out! This week, we're joined by Chris Antista from the LASER TIME network, who lends his considerable animation expertise as we analyze the unrealized potential of the EPIC MICKEY series! We look back at the history of some of Disney's forgotten characters, plus learn which famous sportscaster was once traded for the rights to a cartoon rabbit!

This week, we're covering one of the most talked about, and often divisive, games of the last 20 years, the epic trilogy capper MASS EFFECT 3! The rest of the trilogy isn't present on the Wii U, and it can be a lot to jump in on the last chapter of an established series; luckily, MASS EFFECT superfan Katie Bray is on hand to help us dissect the game's rich universe, epic story, memorable characters, and surprisingly solid combat! But does the experience stand on it's own, and does the Wii U version keep up with it's console big brothers?

Open up your magic notebook and enter "Wii U Podcast," because this week we're talking about the charming open-ended puzzle adventure SCRIBBLENAUTS! The series drew a lot of attention for it's innovative gameplay, but has the premise aged well? We'll find out by diving in to the open-world adventure UNLIMITED and the wacky DC-comic branded crossover UNMASKED!

Put up your dukes, because it's time to see who is the real King of the Iron Fist! This week, we're talkin' TEKKEN, with the long-awaited sequel TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT 2 and the absolutely wild Pokémon crossover, POKKEN TOURNAMENT! We're digging in to the incredibly deep roster of TTT2, encompassing the entire history of the TEKKEN franchise, before unleashing the madness that is a full-on Pokémon fighting game.

Are you ready kids? Because this week we're talking SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: PLANKTON'S ROBOTIC REVENGE, a RATCHET & CLANK-clone starring everyone's favorite porifera. We look into the history of the ridiculously popular character, have a snicker at some unfortunate naming conventions, and push ourselves to the absolutely brink of breaking.

This week, we're talking about one of the Wii U's biggest signature hits, but luckily we've got an amazing guest to talk it through with us! Jordan Morris, host of "Jordan Jesse Go" and creator of "Bubble," joins us this week to talk about the effortlessly fun four-player madness. We're talking cat suits, checking in with Captain Toad, and taking the fight to Meowser. 

BUBBLE, Jordan's graphic novel based on his podcast, is coming out July 13! Pre-order here or from your local bookstore! https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250245557

This week, we're getting sweaty and undead-y with THE WALKING DEAD: SURVIVAL INSTINCT, based on the AMC TV show! The game casts you as breakout character Daryl Dixon, and tries to blend first-person shooting with survival sim elements, so you'll be tampering your zombie-killing with resource gathering and trading. And let me tell you, it sure is a game.

This week, we're dipping our toes into the world of DreamWorks Animation with TURBO: SUPER STUNT SQUAD! Based on the 2013 movie starring Ryan Reynolds and Paul Giamatti, TURBO is the story of a snail who wants to race in the Indy 500, so naturally there's a racing game based on this premise, right? RIGHT?! You might be surprised.

We're back on the pitch for maybe the last time, and man, a whole lot has changed since the Nintendo 64. We played FIFA 13, the only and only association football game on the Wii U, and we're digging in to the treasure trove of modes and features that this modern soccer title has to offer. We're talking realistic animations, extensive management options, complex player physics, and so much more; is it all a little too much for the casual player or can non-sportos like us find something to like here?

This week, we're discussing LEGO JURASSIC WORLD, the first of our many LEGO games on this show, and it's the best opportunity we've had yet to talk about Jurassic Park! We look at the history of the franchise, look back on the magical year when it was all dinosaurs all the time, and see how this one stacks up to the other LEGO adventures! Was it worth waiting 65 million years, or is it one big pile of shit? Find out now!

We've done our deep dives on games from Bond's heyday, but this week we're looking at the game that may have finally jumped the shark! We played 007 LEGENDS, a FPS that pays tributes to the history of James Bond by letting you play as Daniel Craig's Bond across six different eras of the character. Does Activision's shooter kill the franchise, or is there a secret gem to be found here? 

And if you want to hear us talk more Bond (like, all of it), head over to Patreon.com/ultra64pod to listen to our ongoing series about the games of James Bond! 

Dig it, baby: this week, we're talking about indie darling SHOVEL KNIGHT from Yacht Club Games! This humble, spade-bearing hero helped launch a second wave of indie-gaming hits, and has become the unofficial mascot of the indie scene in the process! We talk about the game's inception as a Kickstarter-funded project, the multiple expansions and spin-offs, and dig deep into the influences that went into making this charming action platformer.

We're back, baby! New day, new system: we're moving on from the Nintendo 64 and heading out into the untamed wilderness that is the Wii U! For this inaugural episode of Wii Universe, we're taking an in-depth look at the system itself, the rise and fall of the system that was supposed to be heir apparent to the Wii but wound up being one of Nintendo's biggest flops. Then, we're buying a season pass to NINTENDO LAND, the pack-in tech demo/party game that pays loving homage to Nintendo throughout the years!

We've got another bonus episode, courtesy of our Superstar-tier Patreon supporters Elliot Jay O'Neill and BT Calloway, and we're finally answering the question that has plagued gamers for years now: GOLF?? 

We're playing Triband's goofy, addictive mobile game WHAT THE GOLF, the surprising killer app from the newly-launched Apple Arcade! We dig in to the fast-paced golfing antics and take a look at the history of mobile gaming!