Music is a vital component of the video game experience. It can provide the perfect sonic backdrop for a moving scene, compel us to drive at over 100 MPH, or decapitate the undead. If you’re a true gaming nerd, you have your favorite melodies memorized–but wouldn’t it be nice to hear them audibly when you aren’t tied to a controller? Here are four streaming video game music sites that will make love to your ear.

Most of us know by now that Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’s a good-natured parody of ’80s silliness. But… the ’80s were 30 years ago. Think about that, as grody and un-cool as that sounds! There are people walking around going about their totally bogus everyday lives who don’t know what makes the ’80s so ’80s! Even though most of today’s culture is just recycled stuff from the ’80s! Hello, Transformers and G.I. Joe!

To help alleviate the cultural disconnect, here are some of the shout-outs and familiar tropes Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon exhumes from the ’80s, the decade that never dies, that you ’90s and ’00s babies may not recognize. Put on your acid jeans and turn up the Wang Chung. Things are about to get radical. Radical to the MAX.

PC gaming is often associated with pricey rigs designed to make current-gen games like Bioshock Infinite, Tomb Raider, and Borderlands 2 sparkle with seemingly next-gen polish. Although the personal computer has the capability to push polygons at incredible levels, not all titles demand that amount of power. 2D games immediately come to mind.

2D games — both sprite based and polygonal titles that move on a simple X/Y axis — typically demand far less horsepower than the latest AAA big budget title and are usually priced accordingly. Instead of sprawling, epic affairs, these simpler games often rely on challenge, pattern recognition, and charming graphics to stand out from the pack. We’re focusing on modern 2D games — those created in the high-definition era — that we’ve reviewed or with which we’ve had extensive hands-on time. This X-List will change and expand over time as we play more HD 2D PC game.

Predator, an undeniable ’80s action classic, has endured as a fan favorite due to its heaping doses of machismo, incredibly memorable one-liners and quotes, and a stealthy, murderous alien who collects skulls from fallen warriors. The flick’s video game adaptations have been awful, but it receives some interactive redemption in Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.

Ubisoft’s standalone side-story takes place in the far off future of 2007 as seen through a decidedly ’80s lense. As a result, many of Blood Dragon’s beats crib elements from the muscles-and-guns catalog — Predator, in particular. In fact, Predator receives a lot of love, especially in Blood Dragon’s early moments.

Injustice: Gods Among Us launched recently (check out our review here) to a hungry crowd of gamers who gobbled up the DC Comics fighter like Iron Man to whiskey. NetherRealm Studio announced that the game would feature 24 hard-hitters as well as some post-launch DLC characters, the number of them rumored to be between 8 and 10.

There are dozens of these Injustice DLC lists on the various lands of the interwebs, so I’m not going to list the most obvious (and probable) characters that will more than likely receive the DLC treatment, including Lobo (who happens to be already announced), Martian Manhunter, Swamp Thing, Firestorm, Huntress, Starfire (GO TITANS), Jason Todd, Zatanna or Jonah Hex (who has the potential to be AMAZING in it). But until then…

I’m going digging deep into my comic-brain-compendium for these characters. Here’s who I think would totally rock in Injustice:

The Turbo Grafx-16 may have belly-flopped onto American shores and died a swift death, but it found smash success overseas under the name PC Engine. A quirky name for sure–it was from the era of video game consoles that masqueraded as 8-bit home computers—but its library is one that is remarkably strong and patently Japanese. It excelled at the 2D shooter; only the SEGA Saturn managed to host shmups of such quality and number. In fact, I could have very easily made this list strictly about shooters.

Instead, I decided to pluck representatives from different genres to showcases what this lil’ semi-16-bit system can do. From hop-and-bop mascot action to hardcore one-on-one brawling, here are the best PC Engine games that serve as a marvelous introduction to the system’s varied, and quirky, video game catalog.

Easter is the time of year when gamers try to break the world record for Most Peeps Crammed in Your Mouth. Easter is also the time of year when Christians thank Jesus for dying a horrible death to keep them out of Hell. To honor both traditions, we present six video game characters who sacrificed their lives for the greater good. Reflect on their nobility as you stuff your face.

Like the rest of the gaming world, the 2D-X crew can’t wait for the release of Epic Mickey. The upcoming Disney Interactive Studios title reminds us of all the good things Disney games used to represent–straightforward controls, creative platforming elements, quality music, excellent graphics, and most of all fun. To celebrate Disney’s return to quality video gaming, we’re taking a look back at the top 10 2D Disney video games.

Video game music may have started life as simple bleeps and bloops, but as arcade uprights and home consoles gained more audio muscle, the basic sounds evolved into complex compositions. Optical gaming media generated much buzz in the late ’80 with the introduction of the PC Engine CD/Turbo Grafx CD and SEGA/Mega CD attachments — and rightfully so. CDs packed far more storage capacity than any cartridge, which allowed developers to create richer musical tapestries.

President’s Day Weekend is upon us, and every flag-waving, apple pie-eating American is either showing respect to our land’s greatest leaders, or laid up on the sofa downing Ben & Jerry’s while watching Jersey Shore.

Regardless of your weekend plans, we think it’s high time to reflect on some of the more interesting political figures that have played major roles in the video game universe. Ranging from ragtag fighters to bad ass street brawlers, this roundup – no, shrine – to the greatest leaders of men is one that can not be overlooked in this time of remembrance.