Defunct Games
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  • CLASSIC MAGAZINES
    • REVIEW CREW
      A show recapping what critics thought back
      when classic games first came out!
    • NEXT GENERATION'S BEST & WORST
      From the worst 1-star reviews to the best
      5-stars can offer, this is Next Generation!
    • NINTENDO POWER (ARCHIVE)
      Experience a variety of shows looking at the
      often baffling history of Nintendo Power!
      • NINTENDO POWER BEST & WORST
        We're counting down Nintendo Power's best
        and worst game reviews, from 1989 – 1995!
      • NINTENDO POWER UNCOVERED
        Cyril attempts to review the cover art for every
        issue of Nintendo Power (and fails miserably)!
    • MAGAZINE RETROSPECTIVE
      We're looking at the absolutely true history of
      some of the most iconic game magazines ever!
    • SUPER PLAY'S TOP 600
      The longest and most ambitious Super NES
      countdown on the internet!
    • THEY SAID WHAT?
      Debunking predictions and gossip found
      in classic video game magazines!
    • NEXT GENERATION UNCOVERED
      Cyril is back in this spin-off series, featuring the
      cover critic review the art of Next Generation!
    • HARDCORE GAMER MAGAZING (PDF ISSUES)
      Download all 36 issues of Hardcore Gamer
      Magazine and relive the fun in PDF form!
  • REVIEW ARCHIVE
    • SONY PLAYSTATION
      • SONY PLAYSTATION 5
      • SONY PLAYSTATION 4
      • SONY PLAYSTATION 3
      • SONY PLAYSTATION 2
      • SONY PLAYSTATION
    • SONY HANDHELDS
      • SONY PLAYSTATION VITA
      • SONY PLAYSTATION PORTABLE
    • NINTENDO CONSOLES
      • NINTENDO SWITCH
      • NINTENDO WII
      • NINTENDO GAMECUBE
      • NINTENDO 64DD
      • SUPER NINTENDO
      • NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
    • NINTENDO HANDHELDS
      • NINTENDO 3DO
      • NINTENDO DS
      • GAME BOY ADVANCE
      • VIRTUAL BOY
      • GAME BOY & GAME BOY COLOR
    • MICROSOFT XBOX
      • XBOX ONE
      • XBOX 360
      • XBOX
    • SEGA CONSOLES
      • SEGA DREAMCAST
      • SEGA SATURN
      • SEGA GENESIS
      • SEGA MASTER SYSTEM
    • SEGA HANDHELDS & ADD-ONS
      • SEGA 32X
      • SEGA CD
      • SEGA GAME GEAR
    • ATARI CONSOLES
      • ATARI JAGUAR
      • ATARI LYNX
      • ATARI 800
      • ATARI 2600
    • SNK CONSOLES
      • SNK NEO GEO
      • SNK NEO GEO POCKET
    • NEC/TTI CONSOLES
      • TURBOGRAFX-16 & TURBODUO
      • SUPERGRAFX
    • OTHER CONSOLES
      • 3DO MULTIPLAYER
      • PHILIPS CD-i
      • AMIGA CD32
    • COMPUTER (Reviews)
  • GAMESHARK & BOOK
    • INTRODUCING THE CHEAT CODE COMPENDIUM
      Todd Hays (GameShark) and Defunct Games are
      Writing a book. Check out the full details!
    • PRE-ORDER THE CHEAT CODE COMPENDIUM
      Now is your chance to back our brand
      new book and get your physical copy!
    • GAMESHARK PRINT ADVERTISING ARCHIVE
      A complete breakdown of GameShark's
      print advertising frmo 1996 - 2002!
  • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY
    • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY RANKS
      From Mario to Sonic to Street Fighter, EGM
      ranks classic game franchises and consoles!
    • ELECTRONIC GAMING MONTHLY BEST & WORST
      Counting down EGM’s best and worst reviews
      going year by year, from 1989 – 2009!
    • ELECTRONIC GAMING BEST & WORST AWARDS
      11-part video series chronicling the ups and
      downs of EGM’s Best & Worst Awards!
  • GAME HISTORY
    • GAME OVER: STORY BREAKDOWNS
      Long-running series breaking down game
      stories and analyzing their endings!
    • A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAMING w/ [NAME HERE]
      Real history presented in a fun and pithy
      format from a variety of game historians!
    • THE BLACK SHEEP
      A series looking back at the black sheep
      entries in popular game franchises!
    • INSTANT EXPERT
      Everything you could possibly want to know
      about a wide variety of gaming topics!
    • FREEZE FRAME
      When something familiar happens in the games
      industry, we're there to take a picture!
    • I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER
      Learn real video game history through a series
      of number-themed episodes, starting at zero!
    • GREAT MOMENTS IN BAD ACTING
      A joyous celebration of some of gaming's
      absolute worst voice acting!
  • POPULAR SERIES
    • DG NEWS w/ LORNE RISELEY
      Newsman Lorne Riseley hosts a regular
      series looking at the hottest gaming news!
    • REVIEW REWIND
      Cyril replays a game he reviewed 10+ years
      ago to see if he got it right or wrong!
    • ON-RUNNING FEUDS
      Defunct Games' longest-running show, with
      editorials, observations and other fun oddities!
    • DEFUNCT GAMES QUIZ (ARCHIVE)
      From online quizzes to game shows, we're
      putting your video game knowledge to the test!
      • QUIZ: ONLINE PASS
        Take a weekly quiz to see how well you know
        the news and current gaming events!
      • QUIZ: KNOW THE GAME
        One-on-one quiz show where contestants
        find out if they actually know classic games!
      • QUIZ: THE LEADERBOARD
        Can you guess the game based on the classic
        review? Find out with The Leaderboard!
    • DEFUNCT GAMES VS.
      Cyril and the Defunct Games staff isn't afraid
      to choose their favorite games and more!
    • CYRIL READS WORLDS OF POWER
      Defunct Games recreates classic game
      novelizations through the audio book format!
  • COMEDY
    • GAME EXPECTANCY
      How long will your favorite hero live? We crunch
      the numbers in this series about dying!
    • VIDEO GAME ADVICE
      Famous game characters answer real personal
      advice questions with a humorous slant!
    • FAKE GAMES: GUERILLA SCRAPBOOK
      A long-running series about fake games and
      the people who love them (covers included)!
    • WORST GAME EVER
      A contest that attempts to create the worst
      video game ever made, complete with covers!
    • LEVEL 1 STORIES
      Literature based on the first stages of some
      of your favorite classic video games!
    • THE COVER CRITIC
      One of Defunct Games' earliest shows, Cover
      Critic digs up some of the worst box art ever!
    • COMMERCIAL BREAK
      Take a trip through some of the best and
      worst video game advertisements of all time!
    • COMIC BOOK MODS
      You've never seen comics like this before.
      A curious mix of rewritten video game comics!
  • FULL ARCHIVE
Ep. 194: Atari Is Using Me to Attack Jeff Minter and TxK
Ep. 193: Time Paradox: The Curious Case of The Goldbergs
Ep. 192: 1,500 Words About the Future of Defunct Games
Ep. 191: X-COM Is Not the Best Game Ever (Anymore)
Ep. 190: The Real Reason I Can't Spell Ys
Ep. 189: The Case Against the Case Against DmC
Ep. 188: The Case of the Disappearing GungHo Games
Ep. 187: The Numbers Behind This Week's 200th Ep!
Ep. 186: Is Dan Howdle Against Game Preservation?
Ep. 185: Hey Sony, What Happened to the PS Vita?
Ep. 184: Is MonkeyPaw Games Stealing My Material?
Ep. 183: The Virtual Console Goes Global
Ep. 182: Resident Evil Will Never Be Scary Again
Ep. 181: Operation Rainfall Buys Into the Fantasy
Ep. 180: Metal Gear Solid 3D Is Doomed
Ep. 179: Urban Champion Is the Last Straw
Ep. 178: Game Bully: Attack of The Redner Group
Ep. 177: The Square Enix Rehabilitation Tour
Ep. 176: Who Let the Dojo Out?
Ep. 175: Take a Stand Against Mario's Anniversary
Ep. 174: The Thing About Dragon's Lair Trilogy ...
Ep. 173: The Virtual Console is a Terrible Friend
Ep. 172: We're Pretty Sure Your Game Is a Flop
Ep. 171: I Already Miss Phantom Dust
Ep. 170: Things I Learned From Bad Magazine Art
Ep. 169: Can You Defend Super Mario Advance?
Ep. 168: GamePro Has Serious Control Issues
Ep. 167: Is Nintendo's Virtual Console Broken?
Ep. 166: GamePro's Big Pink Sticker Conundrum
Ep. 165: Microsoft's Three-Party Disharmony
Ep. 164: The Greatest, Most Fantastic Game Ever
Ep. 163: From Soul Calibur to Soulcalibur
Ep. 162: Was the Gizmondo Ahead of Its Time?
Ep. 161: The Unsinkable Grand Theft Auto?
Ep. 160: Tetris - Always the Bridesmaid
Ep. 159: The Year Street Fighter Wasn't Released
Ep. 158: Game Consoles and the Big Red Button
Ep. 157: Why Baby Pals Should Have Been Rated M
Ep. 156: Renaming Sonic's Ultimate Collection
Ep. 155: Guitar Hero World Tour is Not For Babies
Ep. 154: Quantum of Missed Opportunities
Ep. 153: Hey Real Life, Quit Doing My Job!
Ep. 152: Top 5 Overlooked Prequels: Prequel Edition
Ep. 151: A Fine Line Between Remake and Reboot
Ep. 150: Why Nobody Remembers Summer Sports
Ep. 149: Phil Doesn't Want to be 'Alone in the Dark'
Ep. 148: What's Wrong With My Grand Theft Auto?
Ep. 147: Looking for Games in the Muslim World
Ep. 146: The Glass House 'Variety' Lives In
Ep. 145: The High Price of Digital Distribution
Ep. 144: Your Xbox Isn't Going to Turn You Gay
Ep. 143: How To Translate a Fake Review
Ep. 142: Is Harmonix the New Wal-Mart?
Ep. 141: Soulcalibur Legends' Complex Problem
Ep. 140: Don't Take Me Down to Paradise City
Ep. 139: Fan Service Just Had The Best Year Ever
Ep. 138: Are We No Better Than Jack Thompson?
Ep. 137: The Great Microsoft Anniversary Snub
Ep. 136: Are the Rats Fleeing Microsoft?
Ep. 135: Nintendo Doesn't Care About Chibi-Robos
Ep. 134: Someone Has Got to Stop BioShock
Ep. 133: Is This Schwag Bag Worth It? Part 2
Ep. 132: Nothing Sadder Than an Old Hipster
Ep. 131: Game Theory's Flawed PSP Theory
Ep. 130: The Road to Damascus Leads to Gaming
Ep. 129: The Great Virtual Console Crash of 07
Ep. 128: McDonald's > Burger King
Ep. 127: Why Are My Next Gen Games from 2004?
Ep. 126: The Untimely Death of Shadowrun
Ep. 125: Devil May Cry Fans Are Idiots
Ep. 124: Gamecock is No Laughing Matter
Ep. 123: No Face Huggers in This Alien Syndrome
Ep. 122: And the Real Winner Is ... ?
Ep. 121: Trust Me, You Don't Want GoldenEye 007
Ep. 120: Designing a Better Virtual Console
Ep. 119: A Wii Too Many Licensed Games
Ep. 118: Street Fighter's Forgotten Birthday
Ep. 117: A Hostile Place for Cheaters
Ep. 116: When the Gangs of London Keep it Clean
Ep. 115: An Open Letter to Final Fantasy VII
Ep. 114: Is Our Industry Broken Beyond Repair?
Ep. 113: Is This Schwag Bag Worth It?
Ep. 112: Avoid this Adventure at Any Cost
Ep. 111: Nobody Left to Defend the PSP Ports
Ep. 110: One Hardcore Gamer's Redux
Ep. 109: Entourage - Sponsored By Electronic Arts
Ep. 108: Hey BPM, You Don't Belong Here!
Ep. 107: And That's Why CNN Hates Us
Ep. 106: GamePro's Lowest Moment - Mario Mix
Ep. 105: EA Isn't the Only One that Needs a New IP!
Ep. 104: It's Just About Time for a Regime Change
Ep. 103: Smash Your Head on the Indie Rock
Ep. 102: A Video Game Trilogy Too Far?
Ep. 101: Death and the Voice Actor
Ep. 100: 100 Feuds Later
Ep. 99: In Defense of the Epic Adventure Game
Ep. 98: Crowning a New Low for Resident Evil
Ep. 97: GamePro's Letter Writing Campaign
Ep. 96: Game Companies Eye Their Paper Moon
Ep. 95: The Final Battle Over Issue 200
Ep. 94: What Ever Happened to Jumping Flash?
Ep. 93: Everybody Hates Maki
Ep. 92: GamePro's Almost Perfect Game of the Year
Ep. 91: The Life & Times of an Adventurous EA
Ep. 90: Buy This Game Again: Special Edition
Ep. 89: The Great Game [Movie] Crash of 2006
Ep. 88: Wait, Steve Carell Doesn't Really Play Games?
Ep. 87: Game Critics Ignore Their Call of Duty
Ep. 86: Video Games Just Say "Yes" to Drugs
Ep. 85: Porting Your Compatibility Problems
Ep. 84: Introducing Our Own Morgan Freeman
Ep. 83: The Commercialization of Neo
Ep. 82: The Incredible Shrinking Instruction Manual
Ep. 81: Hey GamePro, Leave San Andreas Alone
Ep. 80: What Has EA Done to Our Super Heroes?
Ep. 79: A Fight over Gamers First Amendment Rights
Ep. 78: Tiger Doesn't Want You to Buy the Gizmondo!
Ep. 77: When Game Consoles Attack
Ep. 75: Redefining Nintendo's DS
Ep. 74: Video Games Catch Falling Stars
Ep. 73: A Hasty Escape From G-Phoria
Ep. 72: Is Your Neighborhood Best Buy a Hypocrite?
Ep. 71: Entertainment Weekly - E3 in 274 Words
Ep. 70: Putting Your Trust in the Blender
Ep. 69: Hot Coffee, Cold Shower
Ep. 68: Leaving the Light Gun Where it Belongs
Ep. 67: Hard News from an Opinionated Source
Ep. 66: Greek Mythology According to Koei
Ep. 65: How Not to Spell Gizmondo
Ep. 64: Remaking Peter Jackson
Ep. 63: The Forgettable Game.com
Ep. 62: Is Nintendo Controlled by George Lucas?
Ep. 61: A Reservation About Future Reservations
Ep. 60: Is Nintendo Out of Touch with Gamers?
Ep. 59: Shadow of the Booth Babes
Ep. 58: Leaving Los Angeles
Ep. 57: Square-Enix Circles Around their Loyalties
Ep. 56: Gizmondo Proves to be Advertiser Friendly
Ep. 55: A Yearly Reminder about Annual Sequels
Ep. 54: The Final Word on Movie Endings?
Ep. 53: A Puzzler of a Problem for EGM
Ep. 52: GamePro Meets the MSX for the First Time
Ep. 51: The Game That Rewrote History
Ep. 50: GamePro's Old Age is Catching Up to Them
Ep. 49: How the DVD Killed the UMD
Ep. 48: Shortcomings of the Emerging Plot
Ep. 47: Get Your Hands off the Music
Ep. 46: This is an Article for People Who Like to Have Fun
Ep. 45: From the Maker of 'House of the Dead'
Ep. 44: Giancarlo Just Admit It
Ep. 43: Someone Has Got to Stop Michael Madsen
Ep. 42: EGM Love/Hate Relationship with Alien vs. Predator
Ep. 41: The Code that Broke your Genesis!
Ep. 40: When Street Fighter II Met EGM
Ep. 39: Is Death by Degrees Doomed?
Ep. 38: Microsoft Halts the Presses
Ep. 37: The Anniversary Collection that Wasn't
Ep. 36: Another Feud with No Fucking Ending
Ep. 35: The People vs. Defunct Games
Ep. 34: How to Get Ahead in Business
Ep. 33: From X-Box to Xbox
Ep. 32: The Alleged Corruption of Sony
Ep. 31: SSX Goes All the Way Up to Eleven!
Ep. 30: A Case to be Made for Night Trap!
Ep. 29: An Adult Conversation about Nintendo?
Ep. 28: Gamers Guide to Summer Concerts
Ep. 27: The Great Lemonade Stand-Off
Ep. 26: Nintendo's Department of Redundancy Department
Ep. 25: Nintendo - Pan & Scan vs. Widescreen
Ep. 24: Is This Wolf Blitzer's Long Lost Sister?
Ep. 23: Pulse vs. the Pulse
Ep. 22: Emeril vs. Bam! Entertainment
Ep. 21: Square's Problem with Final Fantasy III
Ep. 20: Your Way or My Way of the Samurai?
Ep. 19: NBA Jam vs. Sonic Youth
Ep. 18: Sega vs. UbiSoft: Fight of the Slogans!
Ep. 17: The Battle for Shrek!
Ep. 16: Sonic CD vs. Die Hard Game Fan
Ep. 15: Kirby on the Television
Ep. 14: Boondocks vs. Grand Theft Auto III
Ep. 13: Mr. Big's Other Career
Ep. 12: Heavy D's New Tattoo
Ep. 11: No Point in Two Goro's
Ep. 10: When one Rampage Isn't Enough
Ep. 9: A New King of the Monsters
Ep. 8: Columbine Parents vs. the Game Industry!
Ep. 7: Mario & Sonic - Different, but Similar
Ep. 6: Keeping Your Rare Portables Straight!
Ep. 5: The Great RPG Wars!
Ep. 4: Sega and Namco's Big Adventure
Ep. 3: Ryo or Kyo - Who is the The King of Fighters?
Ep. 2: Will the Real Raiden Please Stand Up
Ep. 1: To Wage a 64-Bit Coup!
On Running Feuds
On Running Feuds
March 20, 2015
Atari Is Using Me to Attack Jeff Minter and TxK
Atari Is Using Me to Attack Jeff Minter and TxK
This is the true story of the time Atari decided to use my name to smear Jeff Minter, the creator of Tempest. Although it's hard to believe, one of my reviews got wrapped up in a controversy that has [...]
[full description]
On Running Feuds
July 10, 2014
Time Paradox: The Curious Case of The Goldbergs
Time Paradox: The Curious Case of The Goldbergs
If you're like me, you've been binge-watching TV shows you missed during the regular season. This led me to The Goldbergs, ABC's family comedy set in the 1980s. But instead of enjoying the simple [...]
[full description]
On Running Feuds
September 28, 2013
1,500 Words About the Future of Defunct Games
1,500 Words About the Future of Defunct Games
No pictures or jokes, just one very long letter to the readers of Defunct Games. In this article, Cyril Lachel opens up about the problems with the site (including technical problems), the future and [...]
[full description]
On Running Feuds
August 02, 2013
X-COM Is Not the Best Game Ever (Anymore)
X-COM Is Not the Best Game Ever (Anymore)
On Running Feuds (Ep. 191) - What is the best game of all time? I used to be so confident in my answer, but 2012's release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown has left me feeling lost. What is going on with me? [...]
[full description]
On Running Feuds
July 30, 2013
The Real Reason I Can't Spell Ys
The Real Reason I Can't Spell Ys
On Running Feuds (Ep. 190) - For whatever reason, I've never been very good at spelling the word "Ys". Yes, I know it's only two letters, but there's something about the simple spelling that messes [...]
[full description]
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