PODCAST

Hot Button

Chronicling strange and interesting stories in the world of video games.

games & hobbies video games

All Episodes

02:11:54

Episode 82: You’ve Gotta Be Jivin’ Me! - History of...

Hot Button ·

2021/06/01

It’s controversy time! This week we’re back in the Senate room with the second and final part of our series on Night Trap. Find out how a team of fun-loving film makers and game designers accidentally helped in leading us to the most important formation in the entire medium’s history!

01:37:50

Episode 81: You’ve Gotta Be Jivin’ Me! - History of...

Hot Button ·

2021/05/21

The parents are gone so what’s the first thing you think of? Party! On part 1 of our series on the infamous Night Trap, we take you through a time when Hasbro helped kick off the beginning of full motion video games! Everything from the on-set film shoot by their dedicated crew to the sudden cancellation of the console that almost ended it all. It’s a campy adventure filled with stumbling vampires, guns that shoot sparks, and rockin’ 80s power ballads!

02:42:29

Episode 80: The History of G4 - Hot Button Gamer's Guide

Hot Button ·

2021/05/03

At last! Our triumphant return! Listen in as we run through the trials and tribulations of that time when television and video games attempted to join hands in glorious partnership. These are the salad days, hard downfall, and eventual re-reckoning into the modern age with what was/is G4 Tech TV.

01:24:42

Episode 79: Microtransactions #4

Hot Button ·

2021/01/04

And we’re back to ring in the new year with a lost episode of Microtransactions! This week it’s all about scams, conspiracies, and miscommunications, as we venture into the weird world of 3 controversies that likely flew under your gaming radar.

02:07:44

Episode 78: Hot Button Year-Two Edition

Hot Button ·

2020/11/23

It’s our second anniversary so that means it's time for another recap! We cover not only the episodes from our second (and first) year, but also the insane 12 months that was 2020. Hear all about our switch to a bi-weekly schedule, the adjustment to remote recording, and our delayed plans for additional content. All this along our usual updates, fixes, jokes and discussion about past content. Also there may even be some hints at the future of Hot Button too! Join us, along with our producer Jason,

02:10:14

Episode 77: We’ve Got A Console For You - The Launch...

Hot Button ·

2020/11/09

With the launch of the Xbox Series X and S on the horizon, it’s time we took a look back at the story surrounding Microsoft's previous generation machine, the Xbox One. The tumultuous reveal, it’s shaky launch, the new Kinect sensor, GamePass, the One X, Project xCloud, and everything else in between. Listen in on the conclusion to our trilogy on the family of consoles that started all the way back at episode 6! Note: This episode was recorded before major details were revealed, including price and

36:15

Episode 76: Porto And Her Beloved Ghast -...

Hot Button ·

2020/10/26

As promised, we are back for a trip around the digital campfire with the tale of Killswitch. A supposed video game made in limited quantities by the Karvina Corporation in 1989, except now it’s time for us to take a crack at its many curious mysteries. Could the file actually delete itself upon death or completion? Was it indeed made by a cult? Did the 5,000 unites produced exist? And did copy of it really sell at auction for a staggering $733,000? All this and more as our Creepypasta investigation

38:23

Episode 75: 40.24248, -121.4434 - Investigating Pale...

Hot Button ·

2020/10/19

In the electronic age, urban legends like Polybius have fallen by the wayside, but that doesn't mean we can't find another spooky story to tell. Enter creepypastas! Join us around the digital campfire as we tell the tale of Pale Luna, an old text-based adventure game lost to time. Afterwards we go an internet investigation into the validity of the tale. Is it fact or is it fiction?

57:48

Episode 74: Xinnie the Pooh - The Story of Devotion

Hot Button ·

2020/10/11

What happens when Disney’s pantsless honey-loving teddy bear makes it into a Taiwanese psychological horror game? A lot actually! On our second episode of Hot Button’s 2020 Halloween special, we dig into just what the hell happened last year with cult-favorite Steam darling Devotion and why it continues to be banned from sale across the world.

01:07:35

Episode 73: The Story of The Story of Kamikuishiki...

Hot Button ·

2020/10/05

Hot Button’s 2020 Halloween special begins today! In our first entry, we take a look at a lesser documented Japanese PC strategy title that shares quite a disturbing connection to a murderous cult. A group also known for it’s recruitment of young people interested in pop culture as well as it’s horrific coordinated attacks on the public. How does a video game come into play in all this? You’ll just have get into the spooky season with us and find out!

01:12:36

Episode 72: Lights! Action! Acclaim! - The History of...

Hot Button ·

2020/09/21

Ever wonder what happened to some of the old third-party publishers of yesteryear? This week we look into a heavy hitter as we pour one out for Acclaim Entertainment! Find out how running a company based around arcade ports and licensing The Simpsons, Batman, Cool Spot, and many more can only last for so long. Especially when combined with a bunch of questionable business practices and a whole lot of crazy PR stunts.

59:46

Episode 71: Rules of N-Gagement - History of the...

Hot Button ·

2020/09/07

Modern smartphones have really streamlined quite a bit for us here in 2020, so it can be easy to forget what it was like back in the early 2000s when your pockets had to be loaded up with multiple different electronics to get through the day. Cell phone, MP3 player, game console. It was time for one device to finally come along and unite them all! This week we discuss Nokia’s short venture into the world of handheld gaming and side-talk about one of the industry’s most notorious failures, the

01:02:40

Episode 70: Eat, Prey, Love - The Development of Prey

Hot Button ·

2020/08/24

We already covered one 3D Realms game stuck in development hell, why not a second one? That's right! We're talking about Prey! Find out how a game that started as simply a "dark sci-fi themed title with a focus on alien abduction", turned into a cult hit shooter in just a decade of development. Also learn how it's planned sequel went from Mirror's Edge to System Shock in the same amount of time.

01:30:10

Episode 69: It Came From The 3rd Dimension -...

Hot Button ·

2020/08/10

Oculus...Vive...Index...Boy? What happens when a veteran Nintendo engineer with a passion for re-purposing cheap tech gets swept up in the 90s VR craze? Join us as we discuss Nintendo's foray into the world of "virtual reality" for better or worse... OK fine, much worse.

02:10:28

Episode 68: Criminal Actions Per Minute - Starcraft...

Hot Button ·

2020/07/27

And we are back again with part II of more StarCraft crimes, featuring guest Chris Neuteboom! Except now it’s time to explore the corruption found behind some of the top competing players in Blizzard’s most anticipated sequel ever. Does that mean more high-profile arrests? You betcha!

02:12:29

Episode 67: Criminal Actions Per Minute - Starcraft...

Hot Button ·

2020/07/13

Guest Chris Neuteboom is back on the podcast this week as we run through the early beginnings of e-sports as well as the various scandals exposed in both the Starcraft and Starcraft II professional scenes. It’s a tangled web of match-fixing, broadcasting disputes, blackmail, Korean politics, and lawsuits, all culminating in one of gaming’s most expensive controversies yet!

01:23:15

Episode 66: Microtransactions #3

Hot Button ·

2020/06/28

Microtransactions is back! And we’re here with another batch of hot stories for everyone this week as we talk about the wholesomeness of a solitary MMO player, the hilarious and blatant thievery of a long-lost PC game pulled from shelves, and the wild world of the crookedness behind EA’s FIFA pro scene.

01:17:25

Episode 65: Kicking Ass, Taking Names, and Making...

Hot Button ·

2020/06/15

It’s that time of year once again! E3 time! But unfortunately we can't run you through all of the news from E3 2020 as we did before. And that’s because E3 2020 isn't happening. So instead, we are going to go all the way back to 1995 and tell you the story of the very first E3 ever. Where it came from, who started it, and of course who else they pissed off along the way. Join us for this fascinating story of how one of the world’s largest trade shows was created, concluding with a nice 25-year walk

01:31:02

Episode 64: Forever's a Long Time, Bitch - The...

Hot Button ·

2020/05/25

Video games take a long time to make these days. Most take about 2 to 3 years, others can take the better part of a decade. But only one game can hold the Guinness World Record for the longest development cycle ever. And that title is Duke Nukem Forever! On this episode, we follow ol’ Duke and his creator George Broussard on their famous and often hilarious 15 year journey to make the highly anticipated follow-up to 1997's Duke Nukem 3D. Hail to the King, Baby!

01:45:57

Episode 63: Millions to Billions - The History of...

Hot Button ·

2020/05/11

We continue on today with part 2 in our multi-episode history of the Valve Corporation! After the release their first game Half-Life went so well, they figured "How hard can outdoing ourselves be?" Well, 5 years, millions of dollars, one huge security breach, and a few lawsuits later, they would come to regret asking that question. It's time for more Valve crunch, and for Gabe to let off a little steam.

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