Every person who plays video games has had a moment when their jaw drops, their eyes widen and they find themselves dribbling onto their laps the sheer effort of comprehending the paradigmatic shift in front of them. Ok, maybe not every person. Still, this episode is dedicated to those moments: the times when you just couldn’t believe what a leap forward games had taken; the times when you realised the future was now. From achingly beautiful vistas and hyper-realistic mechanics to dense world-building and the bits where your character, unprompted, scratches their bum, the Boys cover it all. But before all that, Glenn tells a tale of utter humiliation and we catch up with what everyone’s been playing this week. Sarah's had a slight change of heart since last episode's theatrical hatchet job, Pierre's finally on board with Bond, and Glenn, of course, has found an indie game where he can do two jobs at once. To follow along with the Button Boys outside the podcast: ⁠Pierre's Edinburgh Show ⁠Glenn's Edinburgh Show ⁠Sarah's Edinburgh Show ⁠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: The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Horizon Zero Dawn Perky Little Things Anime Feet Boys: The Charm Finder Quest 007 First Light Kingdom Come: Deliverance Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Princess Peach: Showtime! Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Venba Grave Seasons Stardew Valley Marvel’s Spider-Man Assassin’s Creed Spider-Man 2 (2004) Kingdom Hearts Assassin’s Creed Mirage Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto: Vice City MotorStorm Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Metal Gear Solid The Last of Us SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Starfield Bubsy Crash Bandicoot Spyro Final Fantasy IX The Sims The Sims 2 GoldenEye 007 Mass Effect Mass Effect 2 Uncharted: The Lost Legacy Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune Tomb Raider TimeSplitters 2 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect Killzone Call of Duty Shadow of Rome Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unzip your wallets and loosen your coin pouches because this episode's all about the most filthy of lucre: money. From septims to souls, in-game currency has been integral to countless RPGs, platformers and Glenn's favourite shopkeeper games. But how do you spend yours? When does it work, and when does money lose all meaning? Why does Glenn like being poor so much? And what's the vendor doing with all my cheese? But before all that, the Boys catch up on what they've been playing this week. Glenn's wardrobe malfunction ruins a finale while Sarah's been longing for more skateboarding but has ended up at the theatre with a not-so-progressive Peach. To follow along with the Button Boys outside the podcast: ⁠Pierre's Edinburgh Show ⁠Glenn's Edinburgh Show ⁠Sarah's Edinburgh Show ⁠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: Late Shift Resident Evil 5 Resident Evil 4 OlliOlli World Princess Peach: Showtime! The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Super Mario Bros. Wonder Dark Souls The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Cyberpunk 2077 Horizon Zero Dawn Dredge Hollow Knight Bloodborne Age of Empires Crusader Kings III Rome: Total War Red Dead Redemption 2 Grand Theft Auto VI Atomfall Forge of Empires Master of Command Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Disco Elysium Zero Parades: For Dead Spies Balatro EVE Online Two Point Hospital Two Point Campus Grand Theft Auto IV Dreams in the Witch House Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's episode is all about bosses, from the good ones to the bad ones to the really, really old ones. The Boys recount the most annoying boss mechanics, challenging fights and memorable final encounters. Before they get too bossy, though, the Boys catch up on what they've been playing this week. While Pierre has been enjoying competing online in an old favourite, Sarah and Glenn have been surviving two different types of zombie apocalypse: one tense and thrilling, the other deeply problematic. 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: Chess.com Wordle Deadly Days Bloons Death Road to Canada The Last of Us Resident Evil Requiem Resident Evil 5 Resident Evil 4 Donkey Kong Bananza Dark Souls Resident Evil 3: Nemesis Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Alan Wake Pragmata Split Fiction It Takes Two Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater Bloodborne Streets of Rage Golden Axe God of War Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

There is never, ever enough time to game. This week's episode dares to dream of a world in which we have nothing to do: no obligations, no commuting, no structure. Basically, 2020. If the world were to shut down again, what are the games that you'd finally love to play? Is there an epic RPG you just can't see yourself completing, or an open-world multiplayer game that requires too much commitment? If time were no object, how would you spend it (assuming it's video game-related)? But before those big questions, the Boys catch up on what they've been playing. Pierre's taken counsel on a dungeon crawler, Sarah finds themselves in a power struggle in Downing Street and Glenn's getting scarily interactive with his TV. 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: Baldur's Gate RuneScape Castlevania Shattered Pixel Dungeon Dark Souls Baldur's Gate III Cyberpunk 2077 Observation Chrono Trigger Unhinged 007: First Light Until Dawn The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sherlock Purr Stardew Valley Minecraft No. 10: Full Confidence Frostpunk 2 Terra Invicta Sea of Thieves Animal Crossing RV There Yet? Baby Steps Chained Together Fortnite Civilization V Counter-Strike Final Fantasy VII Call of Duty: Warzone Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week's episode, the Boys scrape up the fetid sludge from the bottom of the barrel to see what absolute slop they can find. From clones to cash grabs, smut to even smuttier smut, they've braved the worst so you don't have to. But, much like their mudlarking counterparts, they've managed to find a few glistening trinkets amongst the detritus. Elsewhere, the new Patreon Age of Empires playalong has begun, with one of the Boys being left out in the cold. Pierre's been going deep simulation on his favourite WWII game, Glenn's experienced the worst day in Australia that you can imagine and Sarah's been suffering from a bout of morality caused by our future Player 4 guest, Alasdair Beckett-King. 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: Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Factorio Hell Let Loose 007: First Light The Drifter The Secret of Monkey Island Grim Fandango Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars Inside Deer & Boy LIMBO Little Nightmares Planet of Lana Lake Life is Strange The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Alien Invasion: RPG Idle Space Temple Run Subway Surfers Mafia City BALL x PIT Anime Feet Boys: The Charm Finder Quest The Last of Touch Good Girls: Seduction Starts With a Smile Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! PowerWash Simulator Sherlock Purr Comedy Quest Perky Little Things The Case of the Golden Idol Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cast your minds back to the start of the year, in the dank, dark depths of winter, when our intrepid hosts, full of hope and joy, set out their stalls with their most hotly anticipated games of the year and risked it all to be crowned Best Boy 2026. Fast forward to late June: sweltering heat, the world in a state of turmoil, the perfect time to check in on how they're getting on. What are their scores so far? Any delays? Has Novellie's Curse struck again? The Boys will have a chance to change course by swapping out a game, but will they waver? But before that, we catch up with Pierre's honeymoon in the Land of the Rising Sun, Sarah's gnarly experience with game customisation and Glenn's HD-2D adventures. To follow along with the Button Boys outside the podcast: BUTTON BOYS LIVE Pierre - ⁠You Sit There, I'll Stand Here⁠ 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 Age of Empires II Tourney, 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: OlliOlli World Cuphead The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Octopath Traveler Devil May Cry 007: First Light Mewgenics Grave Seasons Marvel’s Wolverine Panzer Strike Hell Let Loose: Vietnam My Arms Are Longer Now Book Smugglers Resident Evil Requiem Esoteric Ebb Grand Theft Auto VI Tides of Tomorrow Blitzkrieg Command & Conquer Steel Division Zero Parades: For Dead Spies MOUSE: P.I. For Hire Kingmakers Scarlet Deer Inn Mixtape Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Grand Theft Auto III Grand Theft Auto IV Grand Theft Auto V Red Dead Redemption Red Dead Redemption 2 Half-Life 2 Silent Hill: Townfall Onimusha: Way of the Sword Marvel’s Spider-Man The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Pierre off in Japan and Sarah still salty about their recent loss over on Patreon, we decided to dedicate a whole episode to The Last of Us games. And who better to join us than the award-winning journalist, author, host of My Perfect Console and friend of the show, Simon 'Podcast' Parkin. Simon edited the recently announced Look for the Light: The Last of Us Anthology, which contains interviews, essays and critical dispatches. While putting it together he caught up with Neil Druckmann himself to reflect on the making of the games and their cultural impact. We'll also catch up with what they've been playing, with World Cup mashups, addictive dice games and real-life robberies, and Simon reveals his dream podcast guest (excluding the Button Boys of course). My Perfect Console If you're interested in what the Boys are up to, below are some links to find out more: Pierre - ⁠You Sit There, I'll Stand Here⁠ 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: Slice & Dice MARVEL SNAP Clash Royale Slay the Spire 7a0 33 Immortals Spiritfarer Jotun Bastion Helldivers Hades Pokémon GO 007: First Light The Last of Us Age of Empires II Mixtape Dark Souls Bloodborne Jax and Daxter Manhunt Medal of Honor Boom Blox Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NEWS FLASH! Button Boys is going LIVE. September 15th, Leicester Square, 7pm. Tickets go on sale 15th June with a pre-sale for our Patreon members. Head over to Patreon to find out more information and follow the link below to book. The pale horseman approaches this week and beckons to you with his skeletal finger to come follow him to the Great Beyond, where you'll find this episode of Button Boys playing on loop. If you haven't guessed already, this week it's all about death in games, from the shocking to the humiliating and everything in between. The Boys share their frustrations, their tears and their most embarrassing untimely demises. While Pierre's been keeping his beefed-up fingers crossed for an Age of Empires win, Sarah, Glenn and Producer Ben have dived headfirst into the glitz and glamour of the gaming industry at the press night for the latest James Bond game, 007: First Light. They got their fill of casinos, canapés and casual outies. But were they left shaken or stirred? Tune in to find out. If you're interested in what the Boys are up to, below are some links to find out more: Button Boys LIVE Pierre - ⁠You Sit There, I'll Stand Here⁠ 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: Below the Crown Duskers Pac-Man Among Us LIMBO Inside Call of the Elder Gods Call of the Sea Firewatch Tekken 8 Street Fighter VI Mortal Kombat XI Planet of Lana God of War Borderlands Super Mario Bros. Wonder It Takes Two Sniper Elite 3 Max Payne Hell Let Loose Call of Duty: Warzone Dead Space 2 Dark Souls Sekiro Fallout 4 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Dark Souls III Red Dead Redemption 2 The Walking Dead Disco Elysium The Last of Us Part II Tetris Dr. Mario Terra Invicta Age of Empires Command & Conquer Super Meat Boy A Plague Tale: Requiem Medal of Honor: Allied Assault Frostpunk Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Sonic the Hedgehog Alien: Isolation REANIMAL Little Nightmares III Cronos: The New Dawn Abe's Oddysee Until Dawn Directive 8020 Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week's topic, as kindly suggested by BirdsNest on the Discord, is the vacuous, time-wasting, mind-numbing empty-calorie games that we just can't get enough of. As always, we catch up with what the Boys have been up to. Pierre's headed into training against the hard-as-nails CPU in a quarter-of-a-century old game, and Glenn, Sarah and Producer Ben have been off to a very swanky event for a little sneak peek (and sausages). If you're interested in what the Boys are up to, below are some links to find out more: Pierre - ⁠You Sit There, I'll Stand Here⁠ 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: Age of Empires 2 Resident Evil 2 007 First Light Counter-Strike Dark Souls III Cronos: The New Dawn Silent Hill 2 Dark Souls Vampire Crawlers Watchdogs: Legion Dorfromantik Nine Kings Paperclips Vampire Survivors Cossacks Candy Crush TimeSplitters 2 Red Dead Redemption Tetris Disco Elysium Mixtape Organic Engine Produced and edited by Ben Drayton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices