The political season is heating up and the Beat of the Month Crew are getting in on the action! We've got a double dose of political antics this episode with a look at games with a political theme. We play a bit fast and loose with the theme as usual, but we played some Ghost of Tsushima, Super Mario Odyssey, Cult of the Lamb, and a little Disco Elysium (and by a little, I mean a little). We've also got some odds and ends in there like Nintendo World Championship and Mr. Gimmick.

We also fill our ballots and cast our votes for the perfect video game character election featuring the President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, and more - it's a packed episode! And join us next episode for a deep dive on Papers, Please where we keep the political theme going.

For this episode's deep dive we have not one but two games to cover - Not just a single game but not quite a trilogy, it's the duology of Hotline Miami 1 & 2! If you like retro games but want them with more eye gouging, head smashing, and blood splatters, then this is for you. We cover our favorite weapons, levels, and characters (and oh boy are there a lot of characters). We also try to unravel the story of both games, which is more complicated than you would think. The end rounds out as usual with some trivia - 'Hot' 'Line' style.

As is the case with these deep dives, some of us were hotter on this game than others, but we did our best to keep the naysayers in line (yes I just did that). So grab your rooster mask and join us for... actually can you leave the mask? It's a little creepy. But we still hope you join us for this deep dive on Hotline Miami 1 & 2!

With the last of the big USA based gaming magazines coming to an end, we decided it was a perfect time to look back at all the fond memories of not only Game Informer, but of all video game magazines. OK maybe not all (there were a lot!) but we do cover the heavy hitters - Gamepro, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and of course, Nintendo Power.

We also get into some lesser known magazines like Next Generation and Ultra Game Players, as well as some of the magazines centered around walkthroughs like Tips & Tricks or Expert Gamer. Then you've got the console specific magazines that came with demo discs, and more - there is a ton to talk about!

We've got a bookend of trivia for this episode as well - can you name the top 20 SNES games from March 1995? It's not that easy! So get out your reading glasses to read the fine print on that ProTip, and join us for this look back on video game magazines. We'll miss you Game Informer!