With Danielle at PAX and Rob buried under a mountain of work, Danielle goes it alone and presents another short mailbag episode. But never fear! There's talk of Alien 3, sentimental memories with loved ones, and sports anime aplenty, enough to hold us all over for another week. Keep the PAX.

Discussed: Alien, Alien 3, Prometheus, 7th Guest, Yowamushi Pedal, Hajime No Ippo

It's an all-sci-fi extravaganza this weekend, as your hosts ponder the curious hype of No Man's Sky, the smaller scale of corporate space exploration depression sim Corpse of Discovery, and the beautiful weirdness of The Order: 1886. And enjoy a massive Alien-loving discussion of Aliens, the second-greatest movie in one of cinema's darkest and most beloved series. I'm ready, man, check it out!

Discussed: No Man's Sky, Corpse of Discovery, Mass Effect, Elite: Dangerous, The Order: 1886, Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien: Resurrection, Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters (2016)

It's a detail-oriented weekend for your hosts, who spent this episode delving into the mysteries of the Whorfian hypothesis, their gaming compulsions, and the beauty and flaws of The Magicians. On that note, don't play racing sims without getting a note from your doctor.

Discussed: F1 2016, Splendor, Seven Wonders, Cities: Skylines, SimCity, Boom Blox, Poly Bridge, The Caine Mutiny (novel), The Magicians

This weekend, it's a topical blend of No Man's Sky, the challenges of historically and racially conscious art, and bike anime! So, another typical episode with your weekenders-in-chief. Danielle is enamored by the dizzying scale of No Man's Sky, while Rob prefers the grit of an old favorite—Elite: Dangerous. Then, Rob brushes up on the best of Star Wars as Danielle gets an education in cycling. And anime.

Discussed: No Man's Sky, Elite: Dangerous, Mass Effect, Hamilton, Beyonce's "Formation" (music video), Dizzee Rascal's "I Don't Need a Reason" (music video), Jason Bourne, Yowamushi Pedal!, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back

This weekend, we take a trip to our favorite game worlds: places we want to go back to, places that opened our eyes, places that might have been "better" than the games they supported. Elsewhere, Danielle reads about a radical future and Rob goes back to Arrow. Plus: how is Mass Effect like Bernie and Hillary?

Discussed: Psychonauts,The Napoleon of Notting Hill, Anodyne, Donkey Kong Country series, Grim Fandango, BioShock, Studs Terkel's The Good War, Mass Effect series, the games of Kitty Horrorshow, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Last Express, Crazy Taxi, Deus Ex, The Darkness, The Gabriel Knight series, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Civilization series, Free! (anime series), Arrow, 2312 (novel)

With the release of Blendo Games' Quadrilateral Cowboy, the Weekenders are once again enamored with all things hacking. Danielle expounds upon the virtues of heist-by-deck, while Rob ponders the power fantasy of becoming a god among machines. Elsewhere, they grapple with diversity and historical accuracy, Rob takes a peek back at Entourage, and Danielle devours season three of BoJack Horseman. Holywoo!

Discussed: Quadrilateral Cowboy, Deus Ex, System Shock, BioShock, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy, Mr. Robot, BoJack Horseman, Entourage

This weekend, Danielle and Rob ponder what it is to be a "finished" game in 2016. What hath Early Access (and its ilk on other platforms) wrought for the world of games? Are strategy games particularly well suited to this new world, or are they... just for boys? Elsewhere, Rob is enjoying the beauty and subtle brutality of Tour De France, while Danielle, a reviews editor, enjoys a show about reviews.

Discussed: Endless Legend, Stellaris, Sunless Sea, Don't Starve, The Tour De France, Review

The weekenders discuss the rarest and most magical of gaming experiences - when a game that looks like generic garbage surprises you in the best way. Elsewhere, the Weekenders ponder the mysteries of Pokemon Go, Rob reads about time travelers and jerks in the 1940s, and Danielle listens to bedtime stories about messed-up mermaids.

Discussed: Crush Your Enemies, Infested Planet, Gray Goo, A Boy and His Blob, Candy Box, A Dark Room, Dropsy, Her Story, Pokemon Go, Weapons of Choice (Axis of Time #1), Myths and Legends Podcast

Rob returns from a major cross-country move with stories of his Zombi adventures, surviving the apocalypse on the mean, dead-infested streets of London from his new home on the west coast. Danielle recounts her own move last year, and the comfort that her little virtual buddies brought her in Animal Crossing. And both Weekenders are hooked on new TV series. It's back to the home routine for Idle Weekend!

Discussed: Zombi, ZombiU, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Killing Time at Lightspeed, Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, Occupied, UnReal

This weekend, Rob takes a quick break to do a tiny errand - that is, move across a continent - and Danielle opens up the mailbag. It's a quickie, but don't worry - Rob will be back next week!

Discussed: Fallout: New Vegas, Dropsy, The Magic Circle, The People vs. OJ Simpson

2016 is half over, so the Weekenders have chosen to review their favorite games (and non-The Americans TV series!) of the year so far. You know, so we don't forget about them in December. Elsewhere, they contend with movies depicting sad-but-true historic events of the 90s and remember that The Expanse is really, really good TV.

Discussed: Warhammer: Total War, Hearts of Iron 4, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Uncharted 4, XCOM 2, The Witness, Wit.Nes, Superhot, Doom, Overwatch, Dark Souls III, Hyper Light Drifter, Throne of the Crescent Moon, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson, Foxcatcher, The Expanse

It's the big E3 show, with a roundup of the games that looked the most interesting at this year's massive industry trade show. But it's also a sober week, as we spend much of our mailbag time pondering the industry's reaction to the Orlando tragedy. It's two Big Topics for the price of one this weekend.

Dishonored 2, Prey, Xbox One S, Project Scorpion, Project Neo, Recore, Playstation VR, God of War, Farpoint, Gwent, Battlefront: An X-Wing Mission, Grow Up, Sea of Thieves, South Park: Fractured But Whole, Death Stranding, We Happy Few, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1, Steep, Watch Dogs 2, For Honor, Forza Horizon 3, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, The Last Guardian, Detroit: Become Human, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Resident Evil 7, Warcraft (film), Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir

With the PlayStation Neo and Xbox Scorpion potentially (probably) getting their big stat reveals next week at E3, the Weekenders ponder the brave and/or very annoying future of console iteration. Elsewhere on the cast, Danielle has a giant philosophical brainfart and Rob ponders the real meaning of the best BioShock movie: Snowpiercer.

Discussed: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Diablo 3, Doom, Hearts of Iron IV, Snowpiercer, The Three Body Problem

This episode, the Weekenders discuss a favorite topic: the push and pull between tight, well-constructed scenarios and wide-open rulesets. How open is an open-world game, after all, and how open should it be? Elsewhere, we discuss sexy characters, comedy that takes on mental illness with sensitivity, and the very strange sci-fi/action/romance of The Adjustment Bureau.

Discussed: Hearts of Iron IV, The Witcher 3, Far Cry 2, Far Cry 4, The Adjustment Bureau, Justified, Super Hyper Cube, Lady Dynamite, The Maria Bamford Show

The Weekenders break with their usual format to discuss the sort of thing most gaming podcasts do: what they've been playing. Rob charts the waters of Uncharted 3 in preparation for A Thief's End, Danielle dives into Overwatch fandom, and everyone is enamored with The Witcher 3 all over again. And spy TV shows. It must be Idle Weekend!

Discussed: Uncharted 3, Uncharted 4, Overwatch, The Witcher 3, Person of Interest, The Lives of Others, Game of Thrones