Ben brings on Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio and Oli Welsh to sum up the first half of 2026 in gaming and preview the remainder of the year. First, they discuss the odd dynamic of dire industry news coinciding with a glut of great games. Then, they each share their top 10 games of the first half of the year, and break down the differences and similarities among their respective lists. Finally, they assess the up-in-the-air race for Game of the Year, how the timing and rollout of 'Grand Theft Auto VI' could affect its fortunes, the late-summer pileup of pre-'GTA' releases, and their biggest questions about the upcoming calendar.

Intro (0:00)
Industry news  (3:00)
Game of the Year picks (16:53)
Outro (1:28:20)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Giovanni Colantonio and Oli Welsh
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they have a special pod for you today! They’re giving you their immediate reactions to the official ‘Dune: Part 3’ trailer and assess what may come from this epic conclusion of the saga.

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben brings on Sean Fennessey, host of The Big Picture and champion of physical media, to discuss Sony's announcement that it's ending production of physical discs for new PlayStation games in 2028. They get into what led to this point; the ramifications for consumers, developers, and publishers; and how the decline of physical media affects cinephiles and gamers alike. Then Matt James joins Ben to analyze Microsoft's Xbox layoff news; review the new 'Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag' remake, 'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced'; and pick their all-time top five pirate games.

Intro (0:00)
Sony's big announcement (4:42)

'Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced' review (58:56)

Outro (1:57:30)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Sean Fennessey and Matt James
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they’re so in! They give you all of their thoughts on ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3, diving into the politics of Westeros as it stands, the pressures Rhaenyra is dealing with from every direction, and the reveal of Team Black’s newest opponent on the game board.

(0:00) Intro

(13:49) Spoilers ahead

(15:33) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 3 reactions

(1:13:02) ‘Supergirl’ roundup

(1:24:32) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and they’re ready to talk all things ‘X-Men ’97’! They dive into how Season 2 of the highly anticipated show has started off and discuss what we might expect from the rest of it.

(0:00) Intro

(5:04) Spoilers ahead

(7:05) ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 premiere reactions

(1:03:48) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris, Devon Baroldi, Jacob Cornett, and Jamie Yukich

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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It’s an animated TV spree! Ben brings on Jomi Adeniran, Steve Ahlman, and Daniel Chin to talk about several animated shows that premiered or concluded in June, including ‘My Adventures With Superman,’ ‘The Legend of Vox Machina,’ ‘Adventure Time: Side Quests,’ and ‘Among Us.’ They break down DC’s animation expansion, preview a bunch of Batman shows, and compare and contrast DC and Marvel’s animated efforts. Also, Jomi tees off on and crashes out about Season 2 of Netflix’s live-action ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender.’ Then, Charles Holmes joins for an anime segment featuring Season 1 of the fantasy series ‘Witch Hat Atelier,’ and Ben closes with a few non-nerd-culture recommendations.

(00:00) Intro
(02:35) Jomi, Daniel, and Steve join
(17:49) 'Joker: Laugh Riot'
(21:38) 'Batman: Knightfall'
(32:09) 'X-Men 97'
(35:24) 'Legend of Vox Machina'
(41:21) 'Among Us'
(44:26) 'Adventure Time: Side Quests'
(53:03) Netflix's 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'
(65:48) Charles joins for 'Witch Hat Atelier'
(01:35:00) Ben's final recs

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Jomi Adeniran, Steve Ahlman, Daniel Chin, and Charles Holmes
Senior Producer: Steve Ahlman

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and they’re returning to the Red Keep! They give you all of their thoughts on ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2 and go over where all of our main players stand by the end of it.

(0:00) Intro

(7:34) Spoilers ahead

(9:52) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3, Episode 2 reactions

(58:33) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and ready to dive into the DCU. They discuss their reactions to DC’s newest film: ‘Supergirl.’

(0:00) Intro

(12:50) Spoilers ahead

(14:24) Instant reactions to ‘Supergirl’

(1:17:36) ‘Supergirl’ Midnight Meter

(1:19:13) Outro

(1:20:14) Post credits

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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Ben, Matt James, Steve Ahlman, and Rob Mahoney plug in their trident controllers for a four-player, 30th-anniversary celebration of a classic console from their youth, the Nintendo 64. First, in Patch Notes, they play a guessing game about what 'Grand Theft Auto VI' will cost as preorders begin, discuss whether the price is wrong for Valve's Steam Machine, and react to reports about upcoming Xbox layoffs and studio closures. Then they play "Mash or Pass?" with Nintendo's Switch 2 ‘Star Fox' remake and ‘The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales,' and they share what they want and expect from the upcoming ‘Ocarina of Time' remake. Finally, they assess the N64's legacy and draft their favorite N64 games across several genres.

Intro (0:00)
Patch Notes (5:00)
Mash or Pass?: 'Star Fox’ (27:23)
Mash or Pass?: 'The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales’ (35:26)
'Ocarina of Time' remake predictions (38:41)
N64 Draft (47:48)
Outro (2:07:13)

Host: Ben Lindbergh
Guests: Matt James, Steve Ahlman, and Rob Mahoney
Producer: Devon Renaldo
Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back and they’re returning to Westeros! They give you all of their thoughts on the long-awaited Season 3 premiere and get into the pluck we’re already seeing this season.

(0:00) Intro

(8:01) Spoilers ahead

(11:21) ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 premiere reactions

(1:20:49) Outro

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

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The Boys are back, and so is Peter Parker! They give their takes on the newest ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ trailer and speculate on who we might be seeing from the larger MCU come late July.

(0:00) Intro

(19:51) Trailer Midnight Meter

Hosts: Van Lathan, Charles Holmes, Jomi Adeniran, and Steve Ahlman

Producers: Aleya Zenieris and Devon Baroldi

Additional Production Support: Arjuna Ramgopowell

New 2k+ doorbells, coming to your front door

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