Show Notes
The rage, the desperation, the cries of "Why, God, why did you do this to my beautiful boy?" This week's episode is all about gaming heartbreak.
Hundreds of thousands of hours of gaming time are lost every year to power cuts, faulty chips and malevolent cousins. We all know that pain. Was it all for nothing? Well, this week, the Boys, in the safe space of the shed, share stories of anguish from their gaming lives.
But first, we catch up with what they've been playing. Sarah's commanding a horde of minions, Pierre's old habits have come back to haunt him and Glenn's trying his absolute hardest to stick to the beat.
This is our 52nd episode: a whole year of Button Boys. And what a year it’s been. From pubic maintenance and mayor gorillas to sewer assassins, incredible guests and amazing contributions, we’ve loved every minute of it.
We couldn’t have done it without you, so thank you, and here’s to the next 52!
To follow along with the Button Boys outside the podcast:
BUTTON BOYS LIVE!
If you can't get enough Button Boys content, head over to Patreon, where you can find our weekly Hidden Cache bonus episode featuring more gripes, game recommendations and our Hitman: World of Assassination playthrough, and Player 4, where we interview a different comedian every month about their gaming lives.
Follow along with the Button Boys on Instagram or TikTok for highlights, behind-the-scenes content and future podcast announcements.
Games Mentioned in this week's episode:
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
Balatro
Terra Invicta
Tinykin
Age of Empires II
Pikmin
Rhythm Paradise Groove
Gitaroo Man
PaRappa the Rapper
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Spyro the Dragon
Pokémon Red
Red Dead Redemption 2
Pro Evolution Soccer 3
Dark Souls
Elden Ring
Dark Souls II
Dark Souls III
LittleBigPlanet
Half-Life 2
Marathon
Helldivers 2
Concord
Hell Let Loose
Call of Duty: Warzone
LEGO The Lord of the Rings
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Tekken 3
P.T.
Planescape: Torment
Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Button Boys
We've all had one of those days: just missing the bus, stepping in a deep puddle, pissing ourselves a little bit. But none of us have had the kinds of days that gaming protagonists routinely face. From severed limbs to shipwrecks, we subject our digital avatars to the worst possible experiences.
Much like side streets, side arms, side tables, side dishes and sidemen, can provoke surprisingly strong feelings. This week we're going off the beaten track, ignoring the main objective and tackling the good, the bad and the ugly of secondary storylines. We've got drunken foolery, farting pigs and complete letdowns. But enough about the hosts, on with the podcast!
This week the Boys try to settle the debate raging across the country: which historical or futuristic period makes the best setting for a game? From early symbolic thought through to space travel across the outer reaches of the universe, gaming covers every era, but which one suits it best?
This week's topic is all about the maggot in the apple, the flaw in the diamond, the suspicious stain on the clean-smelling underwear. That's right, it's the parts of otherwise great games that we hate. Disgusting sound effects, tedious intros, impossible tasks and unfamiliar mechanics have all weaselled their way in to the Boys' all-time favourites.
If you missed out on the first ever Button Boys LIVE, don't worry, we remembered to record it! This week, the Boys had to pitch their worst-ever game ideas to an audience at Leicester Square Theatre. After a few minor technical hitches, Sarah came straight out of the gates with an avian-themed game for the gerontophiles among us, Pierre set out his vision for a drone-controlled dating sim and Glenn's idea... well, I think you need to hear it for yourself.