Valentine’s Day is one of two things: a corporate-driven exercise in greed and materialism, or a shallow excuse for couples to exchange dishonest platitudes and have underwhelming sex in an effort to follow society’s instructions as to what romance should be.

This week’s Podtoid is the antidote to all that. We actually engage in a lot of legitimate debate (no, seriously — we do) and, up until the end, completely ignore the cultural abortion that is Valentine’s Day.

Destiny 2 Solstice 2025 armor

Head tothe official Podtoid pageand listen enraptured asJim Sterling, Tiff Chow, Aaron Lindeand myself discuss the following:

What’s the deal with Boom Blox:a.k.a. “Action Jenga With Bombs.”

Jesus vs. Nintendo:There’s no “sell your daughter into slavery” minigame inSuper Mario Bros, nor is there a “publicly murder your wife for adultery” bonus round inHalo.

BioWare? More like Bio-Scared, am I right:Should game companies take responsibility for defending themselves? Does gaming need an anti-Jack Thompson?

Hell is Us gameplay reveal

And, of course, reader questions. This week,Lord_Satoriouswins $25 bucks for asking — well, not necessarily thebestquestion, but one that certainly…well, you’ll see. Just listen to the podcast. Satorious, post your email address in the comments after you’ve composed yourself.

[The intro/outro music is “Funkenflug” by Markus Schrodt; image is taken from “L’Amour” by Don Hertzfeldt.]

Black Ops 6 Season 5 Multiplayer Ransack Mode

Tekken Tag Tournament 2: a black and white Jin and Heihachi stand back-to-back.

PEAK Bing Bong plushie

Silent Hill f: a woman’s face covered in blossoming but deadly looking flowers.

Mei NERF gun in OW2

Battlefield 6 vehicles combat

Battlefield 6 aiming RPG at a helicopter

BO7 key art