Here at Beat of the Month we vote on a theme of the month each and every month (hence the title of the show) and then we play games on that theme. For this month the votes were tallied and the winner was...Dickcember. What exactly is Dickcember do you ask? Well that's a great question since even the people who voted for it don't know!

What I do know, is we played games such as Sonic X Shadow Generations, Cyberpunk, The Grinch that stole Christmas, Alan Wake 2 - and more! We also talked a bit about The Game Awards to kick things off since we recorded shortly after the show aired.

Join us next episode for our own award show where we talk about all the games we played in 2024 as well as our most memorable gaming moments, our year in review stats, and a special segment where we rank the past Game Award winners. We look forward to another year of great themes in 2025!

It's back to back bangers here at Beat of the Month with another deep dive for a highly successful game of 2024 - this time taking a look at Balatro! With an average playtime for each of our crew exceeding 50 hours, we take a look at what keeps bringing us back to play more of this poker themed rougelike. From jokers that radically change the way you play every game, leveling up your hands with planet cards, altering your deck with tarot cards, boss blinds that apply restrictions - there's a ton to talk about.

We also recap an in-person poker night we had where the stakes were big and the trash talk was bigger. Who of the Beats crew came out on top? As usual, we round things out with some card based trivia - will you ace the questions or end up a joker? So roll up your sleeves, grab your sunglasses, and join us - for this deep dive on Balatro!

Sony's 30th anniversary celebrations are underway and what better game to have an episode about than Astro Bot - a love letter to all of Sony's franchises! We dive into all the things that make the new Astro Bot game great - the cameos, the levels, the bosses, and more. We also discuss whether or not Astro will cement himself in Sony's legacy as well with a Game of the Year award.

In addition to the latest game in the series, we also talk a bit about the earlier games in the franchise. Most are likely familiar with the PS5 pack-in game Astro's Playroom, but did you know there was a Playstation VR exclusive game before that? And did you know that there was another VR exclusive mini-game compilation before that? And did you know there was something even before that??? The little robot's legacy ran deeper than we realized! So grab your headphones and your jet pack, booster...hover...thing - and join us, on this Astro Bot Deep Space Dive!