Daydreamcast

The Thing Video Game

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:30:49 +0000

Murph's been acting a little funny since coming back from Antarctica (and not haha funny). Brogan decides to test his humanity by talking about The Thing video game from 2002. Yes, there is a game based on The Thing and it's the official sequel to the film as sanctioned by Gamer™ John Carpenter himself. Also being put under the microscope is the 2nd season of the Fallout TV show, Hades 2, and the introduction of the Tomb Raider Minute!

TIMESTAMPS

00:41 - Is Murph a The Thing?

Watcha Playin'

01:33 - Fallout Season 2(2025)

12:04 - Hades 2 (2025)

16:12 - Resident Evil 9: Requiem (2025)

22:51 - The Tomb Raider Minute: Tomb Raider 1 (1996)

Variety Minute

36:18 - The Thing Film (1982)

Game of the Week

55:15 - The Thing Game (2002)

1:20:03 - Plugs & Farewells

Mario Land 2 and the Top 6 Games of 2025

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:30:29 +0000

Brogan is contacted by a mysterious entity originating from the South Pole. Murph is back and he wants to talk about Mario's second handheld adventure Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. This charming platformer doesn't have many elements that stuck with the Mario franchise, but the most enduring is the introduction of Mario's evil doppleganger, Wario! How does the gassy game dev tycoon come across in his first outing?

In lieu of a Variety Minute or Watcha Playin', Brogan and Murph discuss their Top 3 favorite games of 2025.

TIMESTAMPS

00:30 - Murph is Back!

TOP GAMES OF 2025

8:46 - Murph's #3

11:28 - Brogan's #3

15:35 - Murph's #2

20:45 - Brogan's #2

27:48 - Murph's #1

36:55 - Honorable Mentions

45:18 - Brogan's #1

Games of the Week

55:05 - Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (1992)

1:20:05 - Plugs & Farewells?

Metroid Prime (with Stephen)

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:20:53 +0000

Here we talk Resident Evil 9, Mewgenics, and the fascinating third dimension.

Time stamps to come

Silent Hill 4: The Room (with Stephen)

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:34:50 +0000

Timestamps to come

Mega Man X4 with TJ Denzer

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 19:21:01 +0000

A new season means new challenges! Murph is off to a remote corner of the world researching new forms of podcasting and astral projection, Shacknews's TJ Denzer has joined the fray to talk to Bro about a variety of topics. Mostly? Mega Man.

Time stamps to come.

The Stanley Parable

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 04:34:44 +0000

Timestamps to come

Portal 1+2 Double Feature

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 04:12:58 +0000

It's time to portal and chortle with the Daydreamcast as we look at the iconic duology of Portals 1 and 2. Both games set the internet on fire with their space-bending puzzles and lolrandom humor that formed the bedrock of 2010s meme culture and indie game design, eventually entering the hallowed halls of those "Greatest Games of All Time" lists.

But which Portal portals superior? Is there something Murph would like us to know about Portal 2? Tune in an drop out with this double-caked up episode of the Daydreamcast!

1:15 - Murph caught COVID at PAX

Watcha Playin'

03:50 - Silksong (2025)

12:25 - Firmament (2023)

24:00 -Riven Remake (2024)

Variety Minute

42:50 - Narrative Puzzle Games

Games of the Week

57:20 - Portal (2007)

1:16:00 - Portal 2 (2011)

1:48:30 - Plugs & Farewells

F.E.A.R (With Will Borger and Thomas Wilde)

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:59:24 +0000

Brogan has been splattered into red paste on the wall and Murph doesn't know what to do about that so he calls in the Scream Team of Will and Thomas for the annual Halloween episode. This year we're leaving behind the tank controls and fixed cameras for visceral gunplay and bullet time as we look at F.E.A.R. A meticulous FPS left behind in the seventh generation that treads the line between John Woo action and Japanese-style horror.

0:33 - The Scream Team Returns! (Minus Brogan)

Watcha Playin

2:20 - Ninja Gaiden 4 (2025)

14:30 - Painkiller (2025)

26:16 - Voices of the Void 0.8 Update (2025)

35:45 - Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection (2025)

Variety Minute

50:15 - What Will Next Year's Halloween Game Be?

Game of the Week

1:08:00 - F.E.A.R (2005)

2:01:58 - Plugs and Farewells

Double Feature: Diablo 1 and Symphony of the Night (with Brendan Hesse)

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 02:31:51 +0000

Halloween season on the Daydreamcast kicks off with a late night double feature of occult action titles.The Crawling Man Brendan Hesse returns to talk about Diablo 1 and Symphony of the Night. Two games about battling the forces of hell with a arsenal of magic weapons are integral to the history of Video Games. While SotN went on to name an entire genre, Diablo 1 became largely overshadowed by it's successor. Do either of these titles deserve these legacies? Or are the nomenclatures and colloquialisms of gamer culture the scariest things of all??

0:21 - Brendan's back and he's never read Goosebumps

Watcha Playin'

01:42 - Final Fantasy Tactics - Ivalice Chronicles

27:30 - Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac (2025)

39:30 - OFF (2025)

45:30 - Baby Steps (2025)

55:45 - House of Necrosis (2025)

Games of the Week

1:10:55 - Diablo (1997)

1:45:30 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)

2:42:15 - Plugs and Farewells

Return of the Obra Dinn

Wed, 22 Oct 2025 02:40:48 +0000

Watcha Playin'

01:48 - Everdeep Aurora (2025)

06:33 - Many Night a Whisper (2025)

15:33 - Castle Crashers: Painter Boss Paradise (2025)

19:41 - The Myst Minute: Myst (2020)

Variety Minute

31:00 - Detective Games

Games of the Week

55:15 - Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

1:24:24 - Plugs and Farewells

Hylics

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 23:58:03 +0000

Today we're gonna get *weird*. Murph and Bro cover an obscure punk rock RPG Maker game called Hylics. This sonic tale of gibberish captures the mind with it's riffs on JRPG mechanics, stop-motion animation, and ethereal soundtrack. Bro and Murph survey it's wastelands to decode a method in it's madness, perhaps even losing themselves to it's zonked-out vibes.

Watcha Playin'

01:56 - Hyper Chess (2025)

06:45 - The Eternal Cylinder (2022)

13:44 - TMNT: Shredder's Revenge-Radical Reptiles DLC (2024)

21:00 - Project Silverfish (2025)

30:36 - Metal Garden (2025)

35:42 - The Myst Minute: realMyst: Masterpiece Edition (2014) & Obduction (2016)

Variety Minute

54:10 - "Weird" Games

Games of the Week

1:12:21 - Hylics (2015)

1:42:45 - Plugs and Farewells

Batman Arkham Asylum

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 01:27:02 +0000

It's time to feel like podcasters talking about Arkham Asylum.

Bro and Murph suit up to talk about one of the landmark games for licensed titles. The game that gave us years of Batman glazing. The game that invented the shorthands "Arkham Combat" and "Detective Vision." The game that makes you something something Batman. Does this comic book caper hold up, or do we need to memory-hole it like Three Jokers?

Watcha Playin'

01:55 - Sulfur (2024)

11:08 - Decade (2025)

20:02 - Two Point Museum (2025)

30:39 - Sagat in SF6 (2025)

Variety Minute

44:23 - Modern Metroidvanias

Games of the Week

1:01:35 - Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009)

1:44:33 - Plugs and Farewells

Super Paper Mario (with David Punch)

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 23:00:03 +0000

WHOOOO It's time for the GAUNTLET! DDC episodes are about to lay it on you thick! David joins us to discuss games (or lack thereof), Murph lays out the final numerical Myst Minute, and Brogan reminds Murph of his terrible Paper Mario takes.

Intro

1:00 - David is back on the Pod and wants recommendations

Watcha Playin'

04:50 - UFO 50 (2024)

14:01 - Hole (2024)

21:3.8 - Dead By Daylight: FNAF DLC (2025)

33:00 - Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound (2025)

41:29 - The Myst Minute: Myst V: End of Ages (2005)

Variety Minute

1:03:20 - Intentional Frustration in Games

Games of the Week

1:22:50 - Super Paper Mario (2007)

1:58:54 - Plugs and Farewells

The Legend of Zelda vs Adventure of Link (with Brendan Hesse and HPRshredder)

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 05:08:53 +0000

It's dangerous to go alone, so Murph and Brogan call in Brendan and HPRshredder for a retro head-to-head! 1986 introduced the world to a green tunic boy named Link and his quest for Princess Zelda, and 1987 introduced us to that exact same duo but this time from a side-scrolling perspective! Which reigns supreme: The Original Article, or the Radical Reinvention?

Intro

1:01 - Welcome HPRshredder to the Pod!

Watcha Playin'

04:57 - The Switch 2

8:30 - Mario Kart World (2025)

15:25 - Wind Waker on Switch Online (2002)

24:15 - Street Fighter II: Super Turbo (1994)

29:31 - Ao Oni: Horror of the Blueberry Onsen (2025)

40:54 - The Binding of Isaac: Repentance (2021)

49:20 - Dark Souls Remastered (2018)

58:16 - Metro Gravity (2025)

1:02:18 - The Myst Minute: Myst IV: Revelations (2004)

Games of the Week

1:25:50 - The Legend of Zelda (1986)

1:50:00 - Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)

2:28:10 - Plugs and Farewells

Burnout 3 Takedown

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 00:54:12 +0000

It's a soft reboot! Not really, we're just experimenting with intros. It's just the boys today, Murph and Bro. We shoot the breeze about Doom The Dark Ages, the new media outlet named Skybox, and Murph's Myst minute. Then, we talk about the crazy week of non-E3 shows (that have already happened but did not happen at the time of recording, so laugh at us for bad predictions).

timestamps to come.

Sonic Adventure (with Joe Richards)

Mon, 12 May 2025 23:35:03 +0000

Two DDC episodes in one day! Joe joins Bro and Murph to discuss Sonic the Hedgehog!

Intro

0:33 - Welcome Joe Richards to the Pod!

Watcha Playin'

05:01 - Clair Obscura: Expedition 33 (2025)

13:48 - Haste: Broken Worlds (2025)

23:05 - Xenoblade Chronicles: X Remastered (2025)

31:34 - Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves (2025)

43:01 - Monster Prom: Monster Con (2025)

53:10 - Lost Records: Bloom and Rage (2025)

1:02:30 - The Myst Minute: Myst III: Exile (2001)

The Variety Minute

1:13:50 - The Sonic the Hedgehog Franchise

Game of the Week

1:33:36 - Sonic Adventure (1998)

2:23:40 - Plugs and Farewells

Halo 3 (with Will Borger and Abram Buehner)

Mon, 12 May 2025 23:29:18 +0000

HALOOOOO 3! Will and Abram join us to analyze this absolute banger of a first person shooter.

Watcha Playin'

02:19 - The Talos Principal: Reawakened (2025)

12:53 - Blue Prince (2025)

28:00 - Gnomes (2025)

25:24 - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Remake (2024)

47:58 - Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (2025)

1:03:10 - Look Outside (2025)

1:08:31 - The Myst Minute: Riven (1997); Myst Novels

Game of the Week

1:15:32 - Halo 3 (2007)

2:23:05 - Plugs and Farewells

Check out Will's new venture SKYBOX: https://skyboxcritics.com/2025/05/01/welcome-to-skybox/

Check out Abram's periodical: https://www.lostincult.co.uk/

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (with Jarrett Green)

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 01:28:42 +0000

It is time for a masochistic masterpiece. A game of controversy and friction, freelancer Jarrett Green has joined us to cover one of the most interesting RPGs of the PS2 era.

Murph talks his Myst minute, which mysteriously has no Myst games. Instead he talks about piss and drowned gods. Jarrett has played and reviewed the recent Assassin's Creed game, and Bro has been obsessed with a golden idol and some sicko itch.io dungeon crawler.

00:33 - Introducing Jarrett Green to the Pod!

Watcha Playin'

03:30 - Assassin's Creed: Shadows (2025)

13:31 - Rise of the Golden Idol (2024)

17:35 - Age of Mythology: The Immortal Pillars (2025)

25:24 - No-Skin (2025)

30:10 - The Myst Minute: Pyst (1996); Drowned God (1996)

The Variety Minute

49:00 - New Game+ and Replay Mechanics

Game of the Week

1:06:09 - Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (2002)

1:41:24 - Plugs and Farewells

Link to Jarrett's zine:

https://jarrettgreen.gumroad.com/l/gevpl

Wolfenstein: The New Colossus (with Charlie Wacholz)

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 03:59:51 +0000

Episode 2 of season 5 takes a dark turn. We're in a parallel timeline where the nazis have conquered the globe. Charlie Walcholz is our only hope.

We talk about Pikmin, Bro talks about a visual novel he's been playing, and Murph talks about the Myst minute. The variety minute is platform fighters because Charlie is preeeeetttyyyyy good at them.

Then we talk about Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. An ambitious, complex beast.

00:32 - Introducing Charlie Wacholz to the Pod!

Watcha Playin'

06:03 - Pikmin 1 (2001)

09:18 - Techno Banter (2025)

15:27 - Stories from Sol: Gun Dog (2025)

19:00 - The Myst Minute: Myst (1993) Cosmic Osmo and the Worlds Beyond the Mackerel (1993), Spelunx and the Caves of Mr. Seudo (1993), The Manhole: Masterpiece Edition (1995)

The Variety Minute

33:00 - Platform Fighters

Game of the Week

58:39 - Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017)

1:44:58 - Plugs and Farewells

Signalis (with Timo/Laugh)

Sat, 08 Feb 2025 18:55:15 +0000

SEASON 5!

Murph and Bro hang out with Timo to discuss one of the best modern horror games of the last ten years: Signalis.

Timo also talks Rust, Murph explores the Cyan catalog and Myst likes as his new retrospective series. Bro also covers Infinite Onslaught, an experimental new game that we will soon hear more about.

00:35 - Editor Brogan with a Message from the future

01:20 - Season 5 Premier with Timo Reinecke!

Watcha Playin'

02:26 - Rust (2018)

05:24 - Infinite Onslaught Pre-Release Impressions (Key Provided by Developer)

08:28 - Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (2014)

12:45 - Webfishing (2024)

18:59 - Guilty Gear Strive (2021)

27:16 - Tyrants Realm (2025)

33:06 - The Myst Minute: The Manhole (1988), Cosmic Osmo (1989), Spelunx (1991), The Manhole: New & Enhanced (1990)

The Variety Minute

45:18- PS1 Graphics and Low-Poly Indie Games

Game of the Week

1:00:56 - Signalis (2022)

1:54:22 - Plugs and Farewells

Dragonball Z Budokai 2 (With David Punch!)

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 03:53:19 +0000

ROCK THE DRAGON!

It's the last Daydreamcast of this year, and Bro & Murph have assembled the dragonballs to wish for a banger to end on. David Punch returns to talk about his year of reliving Dragonball across the manga and anime, and also to talk about Budokai 2. A title often overshadowed by it's sequel, and sequel series, Budokai 2 has a unique place in the annals of Dragonball history as the first game to do a campaign of Radditz to Buu, as well as unique What-If characters not seen anywhere else.

Also in dragon news, Murph gives a farewell to the Yakuza Minute as he gives thoughts on Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

0:31 - David's Back (to talk about Dragonball)!

9:31 - Dragonball Z: Sparking Zero! (2024)

22:52 - Mouthwashing (2024) (Spoiler-Free Discussion)

32:50 - Clocktower: Rewound (2024)

37:37 - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Remake (2024)

46:45 - Metal Slug Tactics (2024)

54:23 - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024)

Variety Minute

1:28:19 - Dragonball Games

Game of the Week

1:56:36 - Dragonball Z: Budokai 2

2:29:07 - Plugs and Farewells

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (with Thomas Wilde and Will Borger)

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 05:39:59 +0000

Fulfilling a promise set in stone eons ago (it was last year in the Crimson Butterflies episode) Thomas Wilde and Will Borger return to talk about Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. This cult hit on the gamecube was the sophmore follow-up from the team that created Blood Omen (ignore that half the switched studios to make Soul Reaver), Eternal Darkness was the first M-Rated game published directly by Nintendo. It's a mind-bending, globe-trotting, time-bending tale of eldritch horror never since attempted. Is there a reason such horrors were left buried?

Also this episode might as well be considered a double-feature about Silent Hill 2.

00:32 - The Scream Team Reunites

Watcha Playin'

02:04 - Golden Wiiklies October League

08:03 - Fear the Spotlight (2024)

18:23 - Straftat (2024)

23:16 - The Bridge Curse 2: Extraction (2024)

30:18 - Signalis (2022)

Variety Minute

40:14 - The Great Silent Hill 2 Debate

Game of the Week

1:18:35 - Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (2002)

2:04:40 - Plugs and Farewells

Five Nights At Freddy's Trilogy (with Froo)

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 23:05:00 +0000

On this prelude to All Hallow's Eve, Bro and Murph have a bad idea and decide to talk about FNAF on the internet. Specifically the trilogy of Five Nights at Freddy's 1,2, & 3.. To help them in this endeavor they recruit the Champion of Bad Ideas, Froo from This Podcast is a Bad Idea. Deep lore is shared (not about the games, but the guests) and a dissection of Freddy's appeal is attempted.

00:57 - Froo is Here!

05:20 - What kind of Gamer is Froo?

Watcha Playin

07:39 - Cookie Clicker (2013)

09:14 - Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom (2024)

15:05 - Crow Country (2024)

20:40 - Dead Rising: Deluxe Remake (2024)

25:00 - Townscaper (2021)

29:00 - Epic Mickey: Rebrushed (2024)

32:16 - Astro Bot (2024)

34:57 - Roblox: Dress to Impress (2024)

42:34 - Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023)

Variety Minute

51:35 - Video Game Merchandise

Game of the Week

1:15:58 - Five Nights At Freddy's (2014)

1:30:10 - Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (2014)

1:40:20 - Five Nights at Freddy's 3 (2015)

1:52:24 - FNAF Bonus Talk

2:10:00 - Plugs and Farewells

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (With Brendan Hesse)

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:36:06 +0000

Normally we have a Castlevania episode for October, but this year Bro and Murph wanted to give host to a very different kind of vampire, one that wavers much further from already thin line between living and dead that his kind walk. Legacy of Kain expert Brendan Hesse is summoned to talk about Soul Reaver, the immediate sequel to Blood Omen (there's also a Blood Omen 2, but don't worry about that). This cult classic of the Dreamcast is known for it's gothic mood and superb writing, but can all that sustain the number of sliding block puzzles you must do?

This episode the typical variety minute has been eschewed for extended discussion of current fighting games and how our hosts have progressed with them.

0:33 - Brendan is Back!

Watcha Playin'

2:55 - Warhammer 40K BattleSector (2021)

20:45 - UFO 50 (2024)

28:24 - The Plucky Squire (2024)

36:56 - Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (2024)

1:06:33 - Like a Dragon: Ishin! (2023)

Variety Minute: Fighting Game Shop Talk

1:30:00 - Marvel vs Capcom Collection (2024)

1:46:02 - Terry in Street Fighter 6

1:52:35 - Guilty Gear Strive (2021)

2:12:00 - Tekken 8 (2024)

Game of the Week

2:16:00 - Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)

3:14:22 - Plugs and Farewells

Sly 2: Band of Thieves (with AesirAesthetics)

Thu, 26 Sep 2024 04:01:31 +0000

The gang is back together! This time Aesir has come back for the gang to discuss old school platforms and the legacy of the Sly Cooper trilogy. Where did the thievius raccoonus peak?

0:35 - Aesir is back!

5:20 - Shadow of the Erdtree (2024)

30:05 - Castlevania Dominus Collection (2024)

34:37 - Age of Mythology: Retold (2024)

45:15 - Fear & Hunger 2: Termina (2022)

50:08 - Voices of the Void ver. 0.8 (2024)

59:58 - Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023)

1:08:15 - Variety Minute: Platformers of the PS2

1:39:52 - Game of the Week: Sly 2: Band of Thieves (2004)

2:13:00 - Plugs and Farewells

DayCrawlBanterCast: Post-PAX 2024 Special

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:00:00 +0000

It's time for the second episode of the world famous DayCrawlBanterCast. Murph, Brendan (The Crawl), Tucker, and Abram (Backlog Banter) assemble to give takes and take names from PAX West 2024. Come for the first impressions of Echoes of Wisdom, stay for the ten minute ass tangent.

Super Metroid

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 04:59:07 +0000

It's time for another banger. It's banger season. Murph, Bro, and freelancer/IGN writer Brian Barnett team up to dissect some pretty amazing games.

00:35 introducing Brian Barnett

13:00 Hatsune Miku Logic S

16:45 World of Goo 2

22:45 World of Goo 2 spoilers

24:35 End of Spoilers

28:00 Doom 1+2 Remaster

32:00 2XKO

48:00 Eastward

54:30 Frog Monster

1:02:30 Balatro

1:16:35 Lost Judgment

Variety Minute

1:30:00 Variety Minute: Metroid Games

Game of the Week

2:09:00 Super Metroid

Street Fighter 3 vs Garou: DDC Moment 42

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 03:38:55 +0000

LETS GET IT ON NOW.

Freelance writer Will Borger and IGN video producer Ronny Berryer join Bro and Murph in a fight-centric episode to discuss EVO and determine the best fighting game: Garou or Street Fighter 3: Third Strike?

There is no whatcha playin', only blood.

0:00 - Intros and EVO

Variety Minute

16:00 Fighting Game Mains

Games of the Week

36:30 - Street Fighter 3: Third Strike

1:02:45 - Garou: Mark of the Wolves

Star Wars Battlefront II (the good one)

Wed, 26 Jun 2024 03:52:35 +0000

WHAT A WILD RIDE! Murph and Bro are back in space to talk about Star Wars Battlefront II.We talk about a lot of other stuff too though. There was a Steam Nextfest. Murph played the first Yakuza RPG. We also talked about Devil Spire, Nightmare Kart, Fallen Aces, and Skald!

Our game of the week is an interesting one because if you grew up in a specific era, this was a ubiquitous crowd pleaser. Murph wonders who HASN'T played this game.

Whatcha Playin

Devil Spire 1:15

Nightmare Kart 4:45

Fallen Aces 11:00

Skald 16:45

Yakuza: Like A Dragon 20:30

Variety Minute

Steam Nextfest demos 37:00

Game of the Week

Star Wars Battlefront II 1:39:00

FALLOUT Double Feature (Fallout 1 and Fallout 2)

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 05:38:02 +0000

Podcasting Never Changes.

Bro and Murph find themselves in a double-stuffed wasteland as they tackle the original Fallout games from Interplay and Black Isle. The wastes are full of atomic terrors, so they recruit STACKonteur Stephen to help them out. Do these legendary games hold up to modern sensibilities, and did you know there is a car in Fallout 2?

On the way we'll go over some releases raging from the hellish to the multiversal. Take your radaway and hunker down friends, this is a long one.

Whatcha-Playin

1:38 - Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga (2024)

9:55 - Hades (2018)

14:38 - Slay the Minotaur (2024)

25:09 - Guilty Gear: Strive Slayer Update

28:35 - Street Fighter 6 Akuma Update

38:00 Multiversus (2024)

51:04 - Dragon's Dogma II (2024)

1:02:49 - Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door Remake (2024)

1:10:36 - Little Kitty, Big City (2024)

Variety Minute

1:16:34 - Dialogue Options in Video Games

Games of the Week

1:36:03 - Fallout 1 (1997)

2:10:30 - Fallout 2 (1998)

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand (With David Punch!)

Tue, 21 May 2024 01:50:36 +0000

In our cosmic journey in the space between spaces we've came across a luminous being. It's David Punch from the Twin Geeks network! We all missed him, and now it's time to catch up on all the games he's played. Mainly, Balatro and Boktai.

Murph and Bro talk Animal Well, while Bro talks Crow Country. Murph carries a gunbrella, ella, ella, ey, ey, ey.

The variety minute is physical gimmicks or mechanics in gaming, a lot of it is about controllers or add ons but there's some pretty interesting gems in there.

Whatcha-Playin

2:20 - Balatro

17:00 - Gunbrella

23:25 - Crow Country

36:00 - Animal Well

Variety Minute

45:30 - Real life gimmicks and mechanics in gaming

Game of the Week

1:14:00 - Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand!

Tetris Effect vs. Pac-Man Championship Edition Deluxe (W/ Abram Buehner)

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 20:40:00 +0000

Bro joins Murph and Abram (from Backlog Banter and Lost in Cult) in the space between spaces, in our first ever head to head episode! Two games enter the game of the week, one game leaves.

We are talking Sker Ritual, Devil May Cry 3, Buckshot Roulette,Murph FINALLY plays the next Yakuza game: Judgment. We go over the Itch.io Palestinian Relief Bundle because we support Palestine's right to exist, and we put two of the best games ever made head to head: Tetris Effect and Pac-Man Championship Edition Deluxe! It's a hell of an episode, a must listen!

Oh, and Abram finally brings a positive voice to the Dragon's Dogma 2 discourse!

Whatcha Playin'

5:00 Devil May Cry 1 and 3

11:00 Buckshot Roulette

15:35 Sker Ritual

18:50 Judgment

31:15 Dragon's Dogma 2

Variety Minute

50:30 Itch.io Palestinian Relief Bundle

Games of the Week

1:12:00 Tetris Effect vs. Pac-Man Championship Edition

Harvester: A Thirst for Blood

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 00:22:30 +0000

Bro seems to have awaken in a bind. He has amnesia and doesn't remember that he hosts a podcast with his suspicious co-host Murph.

In this episode, they talk about a whole bunch of stuff, like playing poker and playing Lily. Also, Murph plays Dragon's Dogma 2 and isn't sure how to feel about it.

Our game of the week is Harvester, a controversial point and click adventure that Murph loves. Check out this wild ride with us.

whatcha playin

1:30 - Balatro (2024)

9:00 - Tekken 8 (2024)

15:00 - Crypt Stalker (2020)

20:30 - Dragon's Dogma 2 (2024)

Variety Minute

36:00 - Controversial Video Games

Game of the Week

1:01:00 - Harvester (1996)

Paper Mario: Timed Button Podcast (W/ Tucker Hazell)

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 04:07:57 +0000

Tucker from the Backlog Banter has joined us for another podcast brawl! This time we talk about Dragon's Dogma 2, that Princess Peach game, Bro plays Pizza Tower again and Boltgun!

Most importantly, we cover Mario in his most paperrific form. Paper Mario 64! It's one Bro's favorite games and Tucker and Murph weigh in with their opinions. Does it match the fabled Thousand Year Door? What about Super Mario RPG? There's only one way to find out.

Whatcha Playin

2:15 Dragon's Dogma 2 (2024)

10:45 Boltgun (2024)

15:30 Five Nights at Freddy's (2014)

24:30 Guilty Gear Strive ABA and Pizza Tower Noise updates

32:25 Princess Peach: Showtime! (2024)

Variety Minute

43:15 Mario Spin-Off Titles

Game of the Week

1:07:25 Paper Mario (2000)

Devil May Cry 3: a Devil May Laugh.

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 04:53:35 +0000

NOW WE ARE MOTIVATED! Bro misses Murph as Murph has disappeared. Bro finds a Laugh/Timo Reinecke, wandering the wastes as a Ronin.

We talk about Star Wars Dark Forces, Metal Gear Solid Collection, Mario vs Donkey Kong, Slave Zero X, Akira Toriyama's contribution to culture and primarily gaming, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (again).

The game of the week is Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. It's a sick experience full of stylish combos and deep delicious analysis.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro with Laugh (and some visual novel recommendations)

4:00 Metal Gear Solid Collection (2023)

9:30 Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2024 remake)

16:45 Star Wars: Dark Forces (2024 rerelease)

22:00 Slave Zero X (2024)

25:30 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024)

Variety Minute

33:00 A small look at Akira Toriyama's contribution to gaming and his work

Game of the Week

47:45 Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (2005)

Dark Souls 2: And Some Final Fantasy Too (W/ Brendan Hesse)

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 19:12:27 +0000

WHAT AN EPISODE! Brendan Hesse from the Crawl, a series regular, returns to talk a whole bunch of stuff with Murph and Bro.

We talk about Shiren 6, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Arzette, Void Stranger, and Lysfanga! Then we ask ourselves the essential question: what was the first sin of gaming? The answer may surprise you!

After that we talk about a game Bro always loves to yap on about, Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin. The real question is, does Murph like the game?

Time stamps

0:30 Brendan is back!!!!

1:50 Shiren 6 (2024)

15:00 Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore (2024)

20:30 Yeah! You Want "Those Games," Right? So Here You Go! Now, Let's See You Clear Them! (2023)

26:30 Ed in Street Fighter 6

31:00 Lysfanga (2024)

36:00 Void Stranger (2023)

42:10 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024)

Variety Minute

1:13:40 The Original Sin of Gaming

Game of the Week

1:35:30 Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin (2015)

Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise: A Very Long Yakuza Minute

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 03:55:30 +0000

You are already read,

just kidding this is the new season of the Daydreamcast. Bro and Murph catch up with a LOT of games. It's completely action packed!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin

2:20 - Astalon Tears of the Earth

6:30 - Desperados 3

14:00 - The Finals

19:45 - Sephonie

26:30 - Persona 3 Reload

36:00 - Tekken 8

Variety Minute

47:00 - Steam Next Fest Demos

Game of the Week

1:31:30 - Fist of the North Star Lost Paradise (2018)

Quackshot: Blast From the Past (With Pavlos!)

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 07:21:52 +0000

Pavlos is back! Murph and Bro team up with the OG Daydreamcast host to cover all things DUCK. We talk about Pavlos's reformation, and a bunch of other games such as Rainworld and Lies of P

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin'

8:00 Octopath Traveller (2021)

15:00 Rainworld (2017)

27:35 Dead By Daylight (2015) Chucky's DLC

33:00 Great Ace Attorney 2 (2018)

49:30 Lies of P (2023)

Variety Minute

1:14:00 Disney Games (Mostly Donald Games)

Game of the Week

1:31:00 Quackshot (1991Z)

Fatal Frame 2 Crimson Butterfly: Always Together (w/ Will Borger and Thomas Wilde)

Tue, 31 Oct 2023 13:30:00 +0000

Thomas Wilde and Will Borger join Murph and Bro for a spooktacular adventure! Thomas talks spidey, Will talks Tekken, Murph talks Mario Wonder, and Bro talks about everything in between! The variety minute is PS2 generation horror games, and the game of the week is one of the scariest games ever made!

A link to Will Borger's current Tekken 8 work:

https://www.ign.com/articles/tekken-8s-built-in-teaching-tools-are-legitimately-awesome-ign-first

A link to Thomas's Fatal Frame content and sources within:

https://articles.retroware.com/2021/10/27/butterfly-effects-the-history-of-fatal-frame/

Time stamps

Whatcha Playin

4:30 Spider-Man 2 (2023)

18:30 Tekken 8 Preview (2024)

32:10 Super Mario Brothers Wonder (2023)

Variety Minute

44:30 PS2 era horror games

Game of the Week

1:17:30 Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly (2003)

Castlevania Rondo of Blood: A Nocturnal Delight (w/ Lucas White)

Thu, 19 Oct 2023 06:24:38 +0000

It's October, and that's Castlevania month now! We join writer Lucas White to analyze a whole bunch of games. We're talking cyberpunk (again), Jackbox, Dragon Quest 2, and a whole bunch of others. Then we do something different for the variety minute and cover the Castlevania timeline. We top it all off with an analysis of Rondo of Blood. Join us for the wild ride.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Introduction

4:30 Dragon Quest 2 (1987)

11:00 Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)

19:00 Alan Wake (2010)

26:45 Jackbox Party Pack 10 (2023)

37:15 Omega Quintet (2015)

Variety Minute

49:30 The Castlevania timeline

Game of the Week

1:14:30 Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

The Riven Episode: The Sequel to the Myst Episode

Sat, 07 Oct 2023 03:42:36 +0000

We have returned, with a sequel to the banger episode of Myst from last season. Will we have the same affection and praise for Riven, or is this a more complex entry than we've bargained for?

Bro talks about Ghost at Dawn, Guilty Gear Strive, and Armored Core. Murph talks Yakuzas (plural!) and En Garde!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin'

1:30 Ghost at Dawn (2023)

8:00 Guilty Gear Strive (2021)

15:15 En Garde! (2023)

21:00 Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon (2023)

28:00 Yakuza Minute (6 and Black Panther)

Variety Minute

46:00 Dream remakes and remasters

Game of the Week

1:16:00 Riven: The Sequel to Myst

PAX West 2023 (With Friends!)

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Murph returns from the lands to the north (Seattle) with tales of a wonderous gallery of games and developers (PAX West 2023). There he ran into some other like-minded friends. Brendan from The Crawl and Tucker & Abram from THE Backlog Banter. Together these 4 gamers with opinions share tales from the showfloor and impressions on the various demos they were exposed to.

(If you want additional PAX coverage from Murph, you can read his article here)

Dark Souls: Triumph and Torment (w/ Calvin Kemph)

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 21:45:26 +0000

The unthinkable has happened: Bro has been able to make a dark souls episode. Largely in part to Cal just having played the game, we get a fresh perspective on the Fromsoft classic. We also go through other kinds of dungeons in the meantime, we talk about Quake 2 and Doom's 2016 rebootquel. Bro also finds the time to talk about Bombrush Cyberfunk, which is a jammin' good time.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin

1:00 Doom (2016)

9:30 Bramble (2023)

13:45 Resident Evil 2 and 3 remakes (2019) (2020)

20:30 Bombrush Cyberfunk (2023)

26:30 Quake 2 (1997)

Variety Minute

33:00 Fromsoftware Games

Game of the Week

45:10 Dark Souls (2011)

Dark Messiah: The Power of a Kick Button

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 01:47:18 +0000

We got a craaaazy episode for you today. Murph and Bro team up to cover all sorts of smaller titles and company buyouts. Murph complains about Zelda, Bro talks about System Shock, everything is aligned for engaging systems and fun titles.

Oh and Murph goes Pikmin CRAZY.

Time Stamps

Whatcha Playin'

1:10 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)

19:00 - System Shock Remake (2023)

26:30 - Pokemon: Infinite Fusions (2023)

35:20 - Slipstream: Blue Hour Update (2023 for the update)

39:45 - Pikmin 4 (2023)

Variety Minute

54:25 Video Game Company Buyouts and Acquisitions

Game of the Week

1:21:00 Dark Messiah: Might and Magic

No More Heroes: The Coolest, Ugliest, Lamest Side of the Capitalist Grind

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 03:41:48 +0000

The time has come, and so have we. In one of the tightest episodes, we hit a platonic ideal of an episode at almost a flat hour. Murph and Bro tackle some indie sleepers and hits, and then tackle the Wii classic No More Heroes. Will we fall in love with the game or be frustrated? Is it possible to be both?

Time stamps:

Whatcha Playin'

1:30 Dreamwild (2022)

5:00 Raji: An Ancient Epic (2020)

8:30 Inscryption (2021)

13:00 Re:CALL (2023)

19:00 Street Fighter 6 (2023)

Variety Minute

26:20 Jerk Protagonists in Gaming

Game of the Week

42:00 No More Heroes (2008)

Ao Oni: Old School Internet Horror

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 02:46:44 +0000

Taking a break from long video games and playing a little short horror title, Murph and Bro explore the complex worlds of rabbit fighting, street fighting, and cthulu dungeon exploring. First we talk Eldritch, then Overgrowth, then Street Fighter 6.

Murph reminisces over horror RPG maker games he used to watch Markiplier play, and then we talk about Ao Oni.

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playin'

Eldritch (2013) 1:45

Overgrowth (2017) 6:00

Street Fighter 6 (2023) 11:00

Variety Minute

RPG Maker Games 29:00

Game of the Week

Ao Oni (2008) 43:00

Brutal Legend: Heavy Metal Thunder (w/ Brendan Hesse)

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 20:13:01 +0000

ROCK AND ROLL! Brendan discusses visions of the future, Murph talks about the best Yakuza game yet, and Brogan schpiels about Tears of the Kingdom with the others for like an hour.

Then, we cover famous licensed needledrops in games, then we cover our game of the week: Brutal Legend. Double Fine, Tim Schafer, Jack Black. The list goes on, but this is one epic tour. Be sure to tear down that shitty merch booth on your way out.

Link's Awakening: Life is but a Dream (w/ Will Borger)

Mon, 08 May 2023 22:30:00 +0000

Bro and Murph team up with journalist and freelancer Will Borger to discuss a whole bunch of stuff. Murph talks about Titanfall 2 and No Straight Roads, while Will talks about Strayed Lights and discovering Metroid Prime for the first time in 2023. Bro talks about Cassette Beasts, then we all dissect Zelda handhelds and their game design differences to the console Zelda outings.

Then, we venture to Koholint Island to wake the Windfish.

Time Stamps:

3:00 - Metroid Prime Remastered (2023)

16:00 - Titanfall 2 (2016)

28:30 - Cassette Beasts (2023)

33:00 - No Straight Roads (2020)

36:30 - Strayed Lights (2023)

Variety Minute

45:00 - Zelda handheld titles

Game of the Week

1:00:00 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993)

OOPS All Cutscenes: Super Mario Bros, and Detective Pikachu

Tue, 02 May 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Cal Murph and Bro talk about the 1993 film Super Mario Bros, and the 2016 film Detective Pikachu. Which one is the best? The answer may surprise you. Or it won't.

DDC Special: Summer Game Hype Fest (w/ Brendan Hesse)

Mon, 01 May 2023 20:20:00 +0000

Brendan, Murph and Bro team up to go over the summer game schedule, it's STACKED bruh.

Dead Space (2008): Putting the Horror in Action-Horror

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:00:00 +0000

Murph returns just as it's terror time again. Our hosts trade out the Satellite of Dreams for the USG Ishimura to talk about the original Dead Space from 2008. Can a game like this hold up when it has no limbs with which to hold?

Brogan also talks about some hot indies he found at PAX East, and Murph adds a new game to his Resident Evil Tierlist.

MOTHER 3 Special

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 01:07:51 +0000

This is an additional THREE HOURS to cover the final game in Shigesato Itoi's MOTHER trilogy. That's right, we have 3 hours of discussion dedicated to MOTHER 3 and Lucas and Boney and the gang. No real time stamps but a huge disclaimer.

In general there is a lot of sensitive material in this game. MOTHER 3 is a complex title written by an auteur in a specific time period. There are spoilers, there are violent things that happen and death surrounds the game.

At roughly the 51 minute mark we will go into the subject of a particular race within the game. It's a controversial subject, there's a disclaimer within the episode, but we call them by their name within the game then discuss their portrayal for better and worse. Trigger warnings are possible for the Romani peoples or any of our trans or lgbtq fans. We love and support anyone's gender identity and do not support harmful stereotypes.

MOTHER 1+2: A Psychic Odyssey (w/ David Punch)

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 03:00:00 +0000

Can you read our minds? Bro and David tackle the entire MOTHER trilogy, but this episode only covers MOTHER 1 and MOTHER 2. Before that though, we tackle games David has played: Blanc and Fire Emblem: Engage. We then look at the legacy of Earthbound's subversive nature onto newer titles in the variety minute. Then, we finally tackle both games.

Oh, and Bro teases a PAX trip that already happened cause this episode came late. Oh well.

Whatcha Playin'

3:00 Fire Emblem Engage (2023)

15:00 Blanc (2023)

Variety Minute

27:00 Games influenced by the MOTHER series

Games of the Week

36:00 MOTHER 1 (1989)

1:24:55 MOTHER 2 (1995)

Telling Lies: Sam Barlow's FMV Ambitions Dissected (w/ Tucker from BLB)

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 11:40:55 +0000

(ep. 54)

Tucker from the Backlog Banter joins Bro in discussing a bunch of different games! We talk Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Resident Evil series, and Pizza Tower. Then we discuss the role of acting in video games and iconic performances, then we discuss the game of the week. Telling Lies is another FMV game by Sam Barlow, examining the lies of David and the women in his life whom suffer because of them.

Timestamps:

0:00 Tucker's introduction

Whatcha Playin'

10:45 Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)

15:00 Last of Us Parts I and II (2022) (2020)

24:00 Resident Evil franchise discussion (again, for the billionth time)

42:30 Pizza Tower (2023)

Variety Minute

45:10 Acting Performances in Gaming

Game of the Week

1:12:00 Telling Lies (2020)

Jet Set Radio: The Most Sega Game? (w/ Calvin Kemph)

Thu, 09 Mar 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Daydreamcast Ep. 53 Murph couldn't make it but Cal and Bro team up to talk about all things colorful! Bro talks about Chained Echoes and Jojo's All Star Battle R, Cal talks about Persona 4 and Hi-Fi Rush. Then we talk about the game of the week: Jet Set Radio! Join us on our journey into counter culture and vandalism in the name of art.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin'

1:00 The term "JRPG" and Chained Echoes (2022)

12:00 Persona 4 Golden (2008)

18:30 Jojo's All Star Battle R (2022)

24:00 Hi-Fi Rush (2023)

Variety Minute

30:00 Cel shaded games

Game of the Week

37:00 Jet Set Radio (2000)

OOPS! All Cutscenes: Mortal Kombat + Silent Hill

Tue, 14 Feb 2023 14:35:17 +0000

We have a special little spin-off of the Daydreamcast! When the video games get boring, Murph Bro and movie expert Cal unwind with video game movies! This week look at the two essential titles everybody praises: Mortal Kombat and Silent Hill.

Ep. 52 King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1992)

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 17:00:00 +0000

Bro and Murph go on an adventure! Come sail away with us as we play King's Quest VI! Murph talks about Anatomy, Akane, and Teardown! Bro complains about Devil May Cry 4, and then they talk about true endings and King's Quest VI. A classic Sierra adventure game that may be the best of the series. Presentation, story, and puzzles all tie together in a nice, forgiving bow. Let's have some fun, I know Jollo did.

Time stamps:

0:00 When did Daydreamcast jump the shark?

2:00 Anatomy (2016)

8:30 Akane (2018)

15:00 Devil May Cry 4 (2008)

26:30 Teardown (2022)

Variety Minute

33:00 True endings

Game of the Week

50:15 King's Quest VI (1992)

Ep. 51 Super Mario Sunshine (2002)

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 17:45:00 +0000

Season 4? The season of summer! Murph and Bro kick the season off right by going on a vacation to the tropical island of Isle Delphino. We talk about Gundam Evolution, Bro goes back to the nineties with Crash Bandicoot 4. Murph goes Gaga over Exo One, and then laments the issues with Adios. Murph and Bro talk about the giant hype machines of Cyberpunk 2077 and Deathloop.

Then we get down to business: Mario. On the Gamecube. Murph talks about what he loves about Gamecube era Mario and then we dissect our game of the week: Super Mario Sunshine. Does the FLUDD help the game or is it a shallow gimmick? We'll find those answers and more, dear listener.

Timestamps:

1:40 Gundam Evolution (2022)

7:00 Exo One (2022)

12:45 Crash 4: It's About Time (2020)

16:45 Adios (2021)

21:00 Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)

31:20 Deathloop (2021)

Variety Minute

41:25 Gamecube Mario Games

Game of the Week

55:15 Super Mario Sunshine (2002)

Ep. 50: Vagrant Story (w/ Bredan Hesse and Oliver)

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 13:00:00 +0000

Number fifty? Where does the time go? Bro seems MIA, but Murph cobbled together a rag-tag team of Brendan Hesse, and Oliver (Yep)! Oliver talks about games he hasn't finished, such as Bayonetta 3 and Live A Live. Brendan talks about Gundam Evolution and Crisis Core Reunion (and we get some juicy JRPG final fantasy kingdom hearts bullshit lore.) Murph talks about Wavetale and Yakuza 0 (a game Yep also didn't finish.) and then they talk about the game of the week: Vagrant Story! A creative masterpiece that feels dynamic and impressive, even with all of its warts.

And there's a surprise guest at the very end, I wonder who it could be?

Whatcha Playin'

3:00 - Bayonetta 3 (2022)

6:30 - Gundam Evolution (2022)

14:00 - Wavetale (2022)

21:25 - Live A Live (2022)

29:45 - Crisis Core Reunion (2022)

41:30 - Yakuza 0 (2017)

Variety Minute

54:30 - JRPGs of the Playstation

Game of the Week

1:30:00 - Vagrant Story (2001)

2022 Year in Review

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 23:10:54 +0000

A special for the ages! Murph and Bro talk about their top ten games they've played for the first time in 2022 (so not necessarily released in 2022) and they rank season 4's game of the week picks (with some exceptions. We'll play Vagrant Story, we promise.)

The top ten discussion is basically the first hour, the game of the week discussions are the second hour.

Ep. 49 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 23:38:05 +0000

This episode is a nice little breather for Murph and Bro. Just us, no guests. We also play a beloved classic for the two. Murph pretty much only played Yakuza 5, but Bro has played a bunch of stuff. Shallow phone games, old games he's already played but slightly upgraded, and brand new games based aesthetically on very very old art styles. We follow all of that up with the Playstation 2 platformer: Jak and Daxter! A """perfect""" platformer, but we examine what makes it work and the flaws that do exist.

Whatcha Playin'

1:00- Marvel Snap (2022)

6:00 - Persona 5 (2020)

12:45 - Pentiment (2022)

21:30 -Yakuza 5 (2012)

Variety Minute

4:45- Gaming Duos

Game of the Week

48:00- Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001)

Ep. 48 Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi (w/ Jack Davenport)

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 13:00:00 +0000

A short time ago, in a podcast right on your rss feed...

Bro and Murph team up with the music meister himself: Jack! Jack's music mastery means little when we talk about everything but that! We talk about Jack's recent interest in JRPGs and Dragon Quest XI. Bro talks about The Last Hero of Nostalgaia (its second appearance in whatcha playin), Murph plays the Undying and Crusader Kings 3. We take a refresher on licensed fighting games before tackling the final boss of the episode.

Our game of the week is a Star Wars fighting game with a reputation as ugly as its being. We spend just as much time talking about the expanded universe and other Star Wars missteps almost as much as we talk about the game itself. This episode is very silly, but then again, aren't they all?

Timestamps:

0:00 Jack introduction

Whatcha Playin'

7:00 Dragon Quest XI (2017)

13:30 Last Hero of Nostalgaia (2022)

20:00 The Undying (2022)

26:30 Signalis (2022)

35:00 Crusader Kings 3 (2020)

40:00 Metroid Prime (2002)

Variety Minute

43:00 Licensed Fighting Games

Game of the Week

1:00:00 Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi (1997)

Ep. 47: Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse (w/ Illusory Wall)

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0000

It's a halloween special. BoooooOOOOooooOOOO!

Murph and Bro are greeted on this dark and stormy halloween night with a friendly face: Illusory Wall! The youtube superstar has taken time off from his busy schedule explaining how poise works in Fromsoft games to talk to us about sound design in video games, Castlevania 3, and of course: the best Halloween candy!

Illusory Wall talks about Stray, Murph talks about the new Jackbox Party Pack, and Bro talks about Scorn! Eventually all of our unique playable characters team up to talk about vampires in games and the beloved game Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse.

Thank you to Jack for the new theme song, also we are all very interested in Illusory Wall's Boo! game and demand all the information we can on it.

The Castlevania 3 hybrid mix was by Kirby Pufocia and can be visited here:

https://kirbypufocia.bandcamp.com/album/cviii-no-densetsu-or-whatever

Illusory Wall's channel can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/illusorywall

Timestamps:

0:00 (NEW THEME SONG! Spooky edition!)

0:30 Introduction with Illusory Wall

12:00 Stray (2022)

19:00 Jackbox Party Pack 9 (2022)

29:00 The Last Hero of Nostalgaia (2022)

34:00 Scorn (2022)

41:00 Faith Trilogy (2022)

Variety Minute:

47:00 Vampires in games

Game of the Week:

1:02:00 Castlevania 3: Dracula's Curse (1990)

Ep. 46 A Link to the Past (w/ Vaughn from Spoiling Things)

Sat, 22 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Back to the past, back to the past, A LINK to the past! Bro and Murph team up with I'm Thinking of Spoiling Things host Vaughn to go over this retro classic for the Super Nintendo. Murph's played some children's games, Vaughn plays Deathloop and Trombone Champ, while Bro is upset at the newest first person shooter: Overwatch! Wow, it really is like the old days. For the Variety Minute we talk SNESquels, but the main event is the blow out knock out drag out fight. Does A Link to the Past not hold up to time? Only one way to find out.

Timestamps:

00:45 Vaughn introduction

Whatcha Playin'

7:00 Deathloop (2021)

13:30 Overwatch 2 (2022)

19:15 Unicorn Tails (2020)

24:30 Trombone Champ (2022)

29:45 Sizeable (2021)

Variety Minute

36:25 SNESquels

Game of the Week

51:00 A Link to the Past (1992)

Ep. 45 Ico (w/ Theomeny)

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 12:00:00 +0000

And put your little hand in mine...

In this episode of the Daydreamcast: Murph, Bro, and special guest Theomeny tilt windmills and escape the evil shadow fortress by playing ICO! The critically acclaimed masterpiece, but is it all that it's cracked up to be? (Probably.)

We also look at Déraciné, a VR effort by fromsoftware, Murph talks about his new steam deck and playing old games on it. Bro talks about The Outbound Ghost, and then Murph descends with two indie titles about office work and biking (two great tastes that taste great together).

Timestamps:

0:00 Stadia Memorial (rest in peace)

7:00 Theomeny's essay writing

16:15 Murph's Steam deck

25:30 The Outbound Ghost (2022)

31:45 Déraciné (2018)

45:00 Going Under (2020)

50:45 Multiversus (2022)

55:00 The Descenders (2019)

Variety Minute:

1:00:00 Escort Missions

Game of the Week:

1:10:00 ICO (2001)

Ep. 44 Doki Doki Literature Club (2017)

Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode talks about Doki Doki Literature Club, which has multiple violent and traumatic instances and possibly triggering content. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode, we try to fall in love with our waifus. Murph and Bro are playing Doki Doki Literature Club! We also discuss things like Murph's PAX experience, Dread Delusion, Gloomwood, Yakuza 4, and Splatoon 3. The variety minute is a whole bunch of fun, where we dissect romance elements in non dating sim games. What makes a game romance work?

Our game of the week is something that involves a heavy dose of spoilers, so be sure to listen in and join the fun.

OH, and after the game discussion we bring some poems to class. Be sure to listen for that!

Timestamps:

0:00 Murph's back

Whatcha Playin'

3:30 Dread Delusion (2022)

10:00 Splatoon 3 (2022)

19:00 Gloomwood (2022)

29:00 Yakuza 4 (2009)

Variety Minute

40:30 Romance elements in games.

Game of the Week

59:00 Doki Doki Literature Club (2017)

1:41:30 Poetry show and tell

Ep. 43 Mega Man Legends (w/ Brendan Hesse)

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

In this episode Brogan and Brendan venture into parts unknown!

Because Murph was at PAX for so long Brogan recorded another ep with another guest! This time, it's gaming journalist and freelancer Brendan Hesse. In this episode Brendan gives his personal experience and views regarding gaming, RPGs, and most specifically: what he's playing. Xenoblade Chronicles 3, No Man's Sky, and Soul Hackers 2. After, we look into how games transitioned into the third dimension and discuss some essential franchises. Topping it all off, we look at Mega Man Legends for the Sony Playstation!

Whatcha Playin'

20:45 Soul Hackers 2 (2022)

30:15 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022)

39:00 No Man's Sky (2016)

Variety Minute

43:30 Video Game Franchises jumping to 3D

Game of the Week

1:29:30 Mega Man Legends (1997)

Ep.42 Skullmonkeys (w/ Mac from Critically Optimistic)

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Mac from Critically Optimistic joins the brawl!

With Murph gone at PAX, Bro and Mac explore the experiences of being a dad and being thirty and fishing games and anything else they can come up with. They talk Fortnite and Enter the Gungeon, but mainly they just shoot the shit. The Variety Minute is a nice little audio treat as we listen to a bunch of different songs that make us laugh and the game of the week is Skullmonkeys!

0:00 Mac Introduction

Variety Minute

33:00 Comedic songs

Game of the Week

58:30 Skullmonkeys (1998)

Ep. 41 American Mcgee's Alice (2000)

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Do you ever wonder about Wonderland? American Mcgee did, and the result was a defining game of the year Y2K, American Mcgee's Alice. Join Bro and Murph as they peel back the layers of eyeliner and Jack Skellington tees to see what lies beneath this cult classic title.

On the way down the rabbit hole we have impressions on recent releases Neon White, Rollerdrome, and TMNT: Shredder's Revenge.

Also in the Variety Minute Murph dredges up his film degree to walk us through a discussion in Auteur Theory and how it might apply to video games. yes, Kojima will be mentioned.

Time Stamps:

Watcha Playin’

1:35 TMNT: Shredder's Revenge (2022)

12:03 Rollerdrome (2022)

20:22 Neon White (2022)

30:05 Salt & Sanctuary (2016)

43:29 Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course (2022)

51:32 Wildermyth (2021)

Variety Minute

1:01:04 Auteur Theory in Games

Game of the Week

1:20:17 American Mcgee's Alice (2000)

1:44:44 Plugs

Ep 40: The Quarry (2022)

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000

It's terror time again on the Daydreamcast as Murph recruits David and Froo to talk about the follow up to Until Dawn from Suppermassive: The Quarry. Will our distinctly millenial hosts enjoy this distinctly gen-z summer camp slasher? And just how much Ted Raimi simping can one podcast contain?

Also on the activity list is a dissection of Cuphead's Delicious Last Course (2022) from David, a bit of Unpacking from Froo, and Murph gushing about what may be his new favorite puzzle game, Return of the Obra Dinn.

Then in the Variety Minute we will finally answer that age old question: Are video games cinema?

Time Stamps:

Watcha Playin'

2:15 Grim Fandango (1998)

10:16 Cuphead: Delicious Last Course (2022)

24:28 The Henry Stickmin Collection (2020)

28:53 Arcade Spirits (2019)

38:42 Unpacking (2021)

47:56 TIMEframe (2015)

56:44 Return of the Obra Dinn (2018)

Variety Minute

1:04:50 Cinematic Games and Video Game Cutscenes

Game of the Week

1:26:39 The Quarry (2022) Spoiler-Free Discussion

1:46:21 Spoiler Discussion

2:25:10 Murph's 1-Degree Separation Plugging Challenge

Ep. 39: Myst (1992)

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Join us as we go through pages and experience new ages on the Daydreamcast! Murph and Bro team up to discuss all sorts of things! Blood Omen, Umurangi Generations, Final Station, and we even meet some Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! Before we eventually talk about remakes and remasters and different versions of video games, and our topic of the week: Myst! Don't worry, you won't be wandering around for hours wondering what to do. Here's a tip: click the play button!

Time Stamps:

1. Blood Omen Discussion: Bro Edition 2:00

2. Nightmare of Decay (2022) 6:00

3. Final Station (2016) 11:00

4. Ravenfield (2017) 16:40

5. Umurangi Generations (2020) 20:00

6. Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble (2006) 25:30

Variety Minute

Remakes and Remasters 31:40

Game of the Week

Myst (1992) 54:10

Ep. 38: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996)

Tue, 28 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000

The realm of Nosgoth has been invaded by the dark forces of the Daydreamcast! Bro couldn't make it (of course I know him, he is me) but Murph and Calvin team up to discuss E3's legacy, the new shows that have filled in to replace it, and then they follow up by talking about Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. A game with a unique tie to E3 and a very curious developer background, nothing is a more fitting way to spend this episode than to go to a random shackled person on the wall and drain their life force!

Timestamps:

1:45 Cal buys an Xbox

19:45 Yakuza 3

31:00 Summer Special

1:10:00 E3 Post-Mortem

Game of the Week:

1:19:00 Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

Ep. 37: Bioshock 2 (2010)

Tue, 07 Jun 2022 12:00:00 +0000

We go deep sea diving in this new episode of the Daydreamcast! Teaming up with Youtube star AesirAesthetics, Murph and Bro tackle all sorts of topics like game development, Spiritfarer,Pac-man, and our game of the week: Bioshock 2! Is a man not entitled to the sweat of this podcast? And sweat we do, Bioshock 2 is a special title that both refines the gameplay and makes a more personal story out of the more allegorical effort of the original title.

Oh, and we talk about the State of Play. Yipee.

Timestamps

0:00 Aesir introduction and Snail!

Whatcha Playin'

13:40 Spiritfarer (2020)

19:30 Songs of Conquest (2022)

24:30 Sony's State of Play conference (2022)

49:30 Pac-Man Museum + (2022)

Variety Minute

55:00 Cities in Video Games

1:09:35 Bioshock 2 (2010)

Ep. 36: War of the Monsters (2003)

Thu, 19 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Kaiju and content creators clash! The only podcast that's a complete knockout! Our normal hosts (Bro and Murph) take their corners and Stephen joins the fray! Stephen is our kaiju expert, ranking monsters with his buddy Calvin on another cast. We talk about a collection of indie games, such as Spelunky 2, Norco, Citizen Sleeper, Say No! More, and Spellcaster University. Murph goes into his Yakuza minute, which will expand into many minutes as his franchise ambitions unfold. Then our Kaiju Minute explores how they reflect in different games, and maybe in some unexpected ways. Then we all clash with our game of the week. Murph is sentimental about it, but can modern sensibilities make this towering giant come crashing down? Only one way to find out!

Huge thanks to Jack Davenport and Ryanparius, Jack has done our intro and Ryan has done our variety minute segue.

Time stamps:

Whatcha Playin'

2:20 Citizen Sleeper (2022)

11:20 The Amazing American Circus (2021)

20:10 Spelunky 2 (2020)

28:30 Spellcaster University (2021)

38:00 Norco (2022)

46:50 Say No! More (2021)

50:15 Yakuza Minute

Variety Minute

54:00 Kaiju Games

Game of the Week

1:09:05 War of the Monsters! (2003)

Ep 35: Harvest Moon (1997)

Tue, 03 May 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Well dear listeners, we've decided to settle things down and go a little more relaxed and quiet this episode. Murph and Bro discuss some indie games they've played, Murph particularly discusses The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, and then he explores the first entry in his new retrospective: Yakuza. While less crazy and refined than its successors, it still delivers a solid foundation for a franchise. Then, we discuss farming in video games. All two of them (just kidding). After all is said and done, we play the SNES title Harvest Moon and discuss the ins and outs of turnip farming.

Time stamps:

Whatcha Playin'

0:15 Dagon (2021)

2:35 Blue Flamingo (2014)

6:00 Pawnbarian (2021)

9:30 Hrot (2021)

14:45 Vampire Survivors (2022)

17:50 Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (2022)

24:45 Yakuza (2006)

Variety Minute

33:40 Farming in games

Game of the Week

50:05 Harvest Moon (1997)

Ep. 34: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (w/ David Punch)

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Gotta Catch 'em All! Only, we aren't catching them all. Instead, we're rescuing some after like fifty flights of stairs. Join Bro, Murph, and David from the Twin Geeks show as we dissect the rogue-like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: DX. Before that, we talk about the new Kirby game, and whether it sucks or blows. Then, we put a cap on Resident Evil as a franchise and Murph announces his next game franchise exploration. For the Variety Minute, we go for the ambitious topic of Pokemon spin-offs. Wish us luck!

Timestamps:

0:00 Welcoming David back to the show

Whatcha Playin'

3:10 Kirby and the Forgotten Land (2022)

14:40 Resident Evil Village (2021), and the Resident Evil retrospective

37:00 Lunacid (2022) and Tunic (2022)

Variety Minute

42:00 Pokemon Spin-offs

Topic of the week

1:10:00 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team (2005) /Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: DX (2020)

Ep. 33: World of Goo (2008)

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Talk about a sticky situation! This episode of the Daydreamcast Bro and Murph explore the icky sticky ooey gooey wiiware title World of Goo! We also talk about Resident Evil 3's remake, Elden Ring (again), and we analyze how goo functions in video games. Gooigi will reveal the truthigi. Murph then gushes about World of Goo's 10/10 aesthetic and mechanics. This goo structure builder and physics simulator made a huge splash in indie games, but how does it play today?

Whatcha Playin'

Resident Evil 3 Remake (0:00)

Elden Ring (11:30)

Variety Minute

Goo Games (31:45)

Game of the Week

World of Goo (41:30)

Episode 32: Dino Crisis (1999)

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000

We seem to have a crisis of dinosaurs! Journey with us as we basically talk about three things: Elden Ring, dinosaur games, and Dino Crisis. Elden Ring takes about half the podcast and if you still stuck around for the rest of the cast, thank you. You're very loyal and we love you. Dino Crisis is an action oriented dinosaur version of Resident Evil, also directed by Shinji Mikami. In this cast we explore its strengths and weaknesses and compare and contrast to that beloved franchise. What's better: survival horror, or panic horror? Let's find out.

Whatcha Playin'

Elden Ring (0:00)

Variety Minute (Retbrospective)

Dinosaur Titles (36:30)

Game of the Week

Dino Crisis (51:00)

Episode 31: Half-Life Double Feature

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 13:00:00 +0000

The Daydreamcast is seeing double with a two-feature show! In this episode Bro and Murph anticipate Elden Ring's impending release, talk about AER, Grand-Theft Auto San Andreas, and Hero's Hour! Murph has played some obscure indies and Bro played an old game. What a shock! After, we try to escape the top-secret Black Mesa facility as Gordon Freeman. Has the game aged well enough? Can we forgive the mistakes it's made in the name of innovation or is it just impossible to have fun? After, we also examine its sequel: Half-Life 2. Where we talk about how it goes above and beyond the original title's goals and what makes the game special. We also wonder if it's just a tad overrated. Now time for the ultimate moral choice in games: Pick up that podcast!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin’

0:00 Countdown to Elden Ring

1:00 Hero's Hour (2022)

5:00 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

10:45 Aer Memories of Old (2017)

19:45 Variety Minute (Retbrospective): Silent Protagonists

Games of the Week

36:15 Half-Life 1 (1998)

1:07:15 Half-Life 2 (2004)

Episode 30: Epic Mickey (2010)

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0000

The Daydreamcast makes a triumphant return after a hiatus! Pavlos has had to retire from co-hosting duties due to a busy schedule, but Murph has filled in as the permanent co-host. Bro and Murph start by talking about Sekiro, then Bro shares his experiences with Death's Door, while Murph complains about the Resident Evil 2 remake! Then we try out a new segment where we explore gaming oddities, starting with the wii controller and peripherals. Then, we talk about the 2010 video game Epic Mickey. Certainly a game with a complex history, we explore how much of the game is exciting and how much of the game is a mediocre platformer. The only thing more exciting than the house of mouse is the house of the Daydreamcast!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playin'

0:00 Pavlos's absence and our lamentation

1:30 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)

8:30 Death's Door (2021)

12:00 Resident Evil 2 Remake (2019)

The Variety Minute

25:00 The wiimote and accessories

Topic of the Week

41:00 Epic Mickey (2010)

Ep. 29: Metroid Fusion (2002)

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 21:02:49 +0000

David brings Pavlos and Bro back from the brink of extinction to talk about the things that matter most: Metroid and monkey balls. David tells us the virtues of playing the original Super Monkey Ball in a game bar. He packages this with his own pro gamer strats and insights into the world of speed-eating-while-taking-turns-playing-video-games. It's a niche sport, but it'll catch on. We talk about other stuff, too, eventually. Like Banana Mania, the Castlevania Advanced Collection, and the new Nintendo Switch Online plan. All are revived old things, but some we like more than others! David tries to create a theme for the cast with further Metroid discussions on Prime and Dread, but all this turns out to be a ruse to host Pavlos's intervention. Pavlos explains that he doesn't have an addiction to Final Fantasy XIV as the recorded days of playtime start to stack up! Eventually we move on to our game of the week: Metroid Fusion. The 2002 GBA title may differ from its franchise's legacy, but it turns out to be what makes the game great in the first place. As Samus faces off against the new X parasite, the new, more linear structure might actually help the game's narrative and put it above most genre peers in this department. We also examine the flaws, as is our wont, and, of course, meditate on the idea of elegance. Samus may be more like a tank than a dancer... or something. At the end (and the beginning), we address the certain and uncertain aspects of the podcast's future. Make no mistake! We will determine the game of the year for 1986. Our very lives depend on it. (Okay, they don't.) (They do, though.)

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 David's report from the game bar

17:59 Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (2021)

26:26 Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack

50:09 Castlevania Advance Collection (2021)

59:20 Metroid & Friends: Dread (2021), Return of Samus (1991), Hollow Knight (2017)

01:23:53 Final Fantasy XIV (2010)

Featured Game

01:30:34 Metroid Fusion

Ep. 28: Fez (2012)

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 22:19:21 +0000

Summer vacation is over and your favourite podcast returns with a nice sun tan to discuss all manners of video gaming! Joined by our friend Stephen from sister podcast Ranking the Monsters we tackle most, hell, every new release you could possibly care about, from Psychonauts 2 to WarioWare: Get It Together!, from (urgh) Twelve Minutes to that Skyward Sword re-release, from yet another Pokémon spin-off to yet another disappointing Mario sports title. Youtube extraordinaire Brogan continues his journey through From Software's catalogue from before they became known for only one thing, Pavlos brings up a tower defence game (probably the very first for the show, period), while our guest is up to all sorts of shenanigans with the King of the Universe. Or so we've heard, we don't like to pry. Our game of the week is the indie darling Fez, initially an XBLA exclusive, it has since made its way onto most platforms, including the eShop this year. A puzzle platformer with a uniquely realised perspective-shifting twist, Fez is a two-faced bag of wonders, one part the thing everyone thought it would be, one part Mastermind, hiding a whole game-behind-the-game that will put your code-breaking abilities to the test. While it kept all of the internet busy in 2012, we not only reminisce but discuss the merits of the game as they still persist today, with favourable results. If life seemed a little flat to you up to this point, this week's show will add a whole new dimension to your exi-- we're just happy to be back, okay?

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Our guest Stephen's history with video games

09:40 Katamari Damacy Reroll (2018)

17:04 Psychonauts 2 (2021)

27:30 Mario Golf: Super Rush (2021)

49:10 Pokémon Unite (2021)

55:30 Kingdom Rush (2014)

56:25 Shadow Tower (1998)

01:02:12 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (2021)

01:12:50 Resident Evil 5 (2009)

01:20:58 WarioWare: Get It Together! (2021)

01:25:13 Twelve Minutes (2021)

Featured Game

01:37:22 Fez

Ep. 27: Neo Turf Masters (1996)

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 23:35:52 +0000

After a long sabbatical, we are back to tee off with a new edition of the most leisurely gaming podcast around. We tackle everything exciting that happened at the Electronic Three (who are more the Electronic Six or Seven at this point) and hit you with all the talk you never knew you wanted on the off-beat rhythm game Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe and a remaster of what could be considered the former incarnation of the B game (a concept alien to the present landscape), Destroy All Humans. Pavlos also kicks off a new series entirely dedicated to verbally demolishing Resident Evil 6 as he slowly crawls his way through it, regardless of how easy a target it might be. After this sand trap of a game, we move on to greener pastures with our game of the week, Neo Turf Masters, a delightfully dynamic and breezy golf game for the arcades and the Neo Geo. The special click system of the game as well as its idiosyncratic mix of cartoonish and realistic graphical elements, and, most importantly, its invigorating sounds make the game another essential entry in the SNK lineage of care-free and flat-out cool arcade sports delights.

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 The most belated E3 coverage in the biz

40:55 Dedede's Drum Dash Deluxe (2014)

48:27 Destroy All Humans (2020)

53:33 Resident Evil 6ucks (2012) Part 1

Featured Game

01:06:00 Neo Turf Masters

Ep. 26: Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983)

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 23:42:33 +0000

We got a murder mystery on our hands at the Daydreamcast this week! But first, some familiar topics: We return to one of the earliest subjects of the show, tackling the recent Overwatch 2 announcements. Brogan continues to wade through the King's Field(s). Pavlos follows in the footsteps of a recent guest, however, with a differing conclusion on whether it is, in fact, time to d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-duel (answer: it is not). We have the hot scoop on the new entry in the Resident Evil series, so tune in to find out how tall that lady really is, and stay for our game of the week, a truly influential early adventure game and genre-defining visual novel for Japanese computers and, later on, the Nintendo Famicom, called Portopia Serial Murder Case. After making our top 10 of 1985 in last year's Game of the Year deliberations, we hereby supplement the deep dive. The maturity of themes and competence of the procedural narrative is striking in this early effort by Chunsoft and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii, with the pre-formulated courses of action at your disposal being in equal parts intriguing and amusing due to their idiosyncratic, pre-codified nature. Designed as a game of branching paths, with a clearly defined modern day setting, and omitting the possibility of a Game Over, Portopia Serial Murder Case captured the imagination of many future game developers and has been readily playable in English for a while thanks to fan efforts. If you want to know more, you'll have to beat it out of us!

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Overwatch 2 (2021)

12:05 Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution! (2019)

27:10 Resident Evil 8 (2021)

36:21 King's Field III (1996) and Bro's ongoing From adventures

Featured Game

41:55 Portopia Serial Murder Case

Ep. 25: Spore (2008)

Wed, 19 May 2021 00:45:08 +0000

On this very late '00s edition of the Daydreamcast, our friend Murph returns to talk to us about the world of video games. We get a status update on his Assassin's Creed playthrough which, thankfully, is in its twilight years. We revisit the contentious and topical subject of roguelikes/-lites with more Hades talk, and even get some Yu-Gi-Oh discussion in. If that's not enough 2000s energy for you, Brogan adds two period-relevant platformers from opposite ends of the qualitative spectrum to the mix with Little Big Planet and Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. You can tell it's a strange episode when Pavlos is the one to report on the new hotness with New Pokémon Snap, a worthy sequel to the original that gets a lot of things right and a couple wrong as the photography conceit is unthawed again, at last, for another spin-off that is much better than whatever is going on in the ailing main series. Our game of the week highlights genre hybrid and species simulator Spore and its troubled history and subsequently skewed trajectory as moderately disappointing but still interesting footnote in video game history. Thankfully, Murph was a Sporehead from day zero so besides our usual rundown of the game's somewhat simplistic but conceptually ambitious mechanics, including its five gameplay stages and the creating tools, we kick back and listen to our buddy tell stories from the days of Spore yore, the pre-release excitement, notes from the cutting room floor, as well as the community hijinx on the Sporum. It all culminates in the ballad of the Hugmonster, a tale of trust, betrayal, and pedophiliac forum mascots like no other. We also reminisce about old internet forums because it really just was that kind of episode.

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Assassin's Creed Valhalla (2020)

09:30 Hades (2020) and genre brethren

17:46 Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution! (2019)

32:11 New Pokémon Snap (2021)

44:17 Little Big Planet (2008)

47:38 Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (2008)

Featured Game

51:29 Spore

Ep. 24: Knuckles' Chaotix (1994)

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 01:56:05 +0000

The prodigal co-host returns, and with him a whole slew of relatively questionable video games! After we're done covering the topics everyone has been talking about – some Crash Bandicoot runner, a sleazy '90s FMV game, and Tekken 6's cooperative campaign –, we turn our attention to less trodden paths. That's right, we break new ground with revolutionary talk on From Software as well as a little game series we have affectionately dubbed Super Mario. Brogan spearheads both as he reports from his research into From's history by exploring their early years with the King's Field series and then proceeds to beat his co-host to the punch on finally breaching the matter of 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Pavlos, meanwhile, got sidetracked by Risk of Rain 2, an exciting sequel to 2013's indie roguelike hit and an all-around multiplayer delight. The game of the week is one near and dear to our heart, warts and all. Knuckles' Chaotix is an experimental co-op focused Sonic spin-off for Sega's Mega Drive add-on, the 32X, and a pretty successful first outing for a relatively inexperienced (not-Sonic Team) team that mostly just fails in one major way: the level design. As we are happy to break down, most other aspects are top notch, particulary the stylish art and animation as well as the evocative soundtrack, or at least fun in an interesting way, like the central conceit of the tether mechanic that lets you zoom around the (sadly, mostly empty) levels in exhilarating fashion. And then there's the mystery of Charmy's surname. A comparison of Chaotix to Knuckles' blue rival's adventure from the year before, Sonic CD, becomes the subject of much debate and, dare we say, elicits a hot take or two along the way. As we table this contended subject for another day, we bid our Chaotix friends farewell and hope that they return one day. Jet Set Radio x Vector, Sega, think about it.

Time Stamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Crash Bandicoot: On The Run (2021)

05:40 Tender Loving Care (1998)

10:16 Tekken 6 (2007)

17:46 King's Field (1994) and King's Field II (1995)

27:21 Risk of Rain 2 (2019)

36:00 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021)

Featured Game

52:01 Knuckles' Chaotix

Ep. 23: Donkey Kong Country (1994)

Thu, 08 Apr 2021 02:57:44 +0000

After Brogan's resurrection, Pavlos was put on ice for whenever the world may need him again. This episode consists of Brogan and guest star David Punch picking up the pieces of the podcast. That's right: it's the second bananas on their own podcast! David has been reliving early internet meme culture with a nuzlocke run of Pokémon Platinum. Remember Lost? Wow. Brogan has been playing Ghosts 'N Goblins: Resurrection and the two examine what men are in the shadows of their own failures. Then, there's a Zelda block in which David talks about The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Brogan discusses The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Largely, it's Brogan trying to justify a mediocre difficulty mode that you have to pay money for. It's okay when Nintendo does it. Finally, there's the game of the week: Donkey Kong Country! Back when reboots chose radical over gritty, Donkey Kong Country revolutionized everything and nothing at the same time. There are beautifully dated graphics, inventive but imprecise platforming, and a bunch of monkeys that we love but never really think about. It's all a barrel of fun until you accidentally press the button a second too late and Donkey Kong is sent flying into his doom. Don't fear, dear listeners: the editing and comedic stylings of Bro won't last long. Pavlos is sure to hear this hack job and thaw out of ice just to bring this podcast back to a rightful standard of quality.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Chaos.

Whatcha Playin

3:00 Pokémon Platinum (2009) Nuzlocke Run

7:30 Ghosts 'N Goblins: Resurrection (2021)

12:30 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006)

18:00 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

Featured Game

23:45 Donkey Kong Country

Ep. 22: Mega Man V (1994)

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:00:34 +0000

Everyone's favourite Alabama man returns for this brand-new episode of the Daydreamcast! We catch up with what Brogan managed to play before nature cut off his power, including the hefty narrative experience Disco Elysium and the disappointingly slight Resident Evil 3 remake. Pavlos postpones Mario talk for another week to discuss his time with the stylish if a little lacking Annapurna visual novel If Found... and divulge his research into the true next-gen console coming later this year, the hilariously misguided Intellivision Amico. If you thrive on yearning for an illusive phantasma you like to hallmark as The Good Old Days, an arcadian place in time when video games "were still fun", and if on top of that you like to pretend that children have an active interest in playing those games with their parents, then the Amico is just the thing for you: an expensive bow to put on that awkwardly wrapped package of self-lies. Luckily, no pretension or backwardness is needed to recognise our game of the week as a fun time, Capcom's fifth Mega Man outing on the Game Boy. As the first on the platform to not recycle bosses from its big brother counterparts on the NES, Mega Man V pits the Super Fighting Robot against an alien menace that is definitely not in cahoots with the previously once-and-for-all defeated Dr. Wily († for realsies). A full-fledged addition to the series, we break down why it's deserving of anyone's time, throwing out fun original robot masters, a shop system, and some banging tunes at a steady pace – you know, like Mega Man do. The game also introduces a robot cat named Tango. You cannot pet it. This information brought to you by The Tender Gamer.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Rocket League (2015), the state of the football game, and birds

10:20 Disco Elysium (2019)

21:22 Resident Evil 3 remake (2020)

29:20 If Found... (2020)

42:10 Intellivision Amico

Featured Game

56:18 Mega Man V

Ep. 21: Splatoon 2 (2017)

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 23:20:28 +0000

We welcome you back to the Brogan Memorial Podcast, the video game podcast made in tribute to former co-host Brogan before they took away his power, presumably to stop him from podcasting specifically.. we're just kidding, we're just kidding! Pavlos finds himself in a Zoom call with Calvin and David, both returning guests and, more importantly, not wearing any clothes while we recorded the episode. Unsurprisingly, David deems it the occasion to come out of the closet, confessing his feelings for emotionless robots and anthropomorphic bats as he airs his carnal lust for Rouge the Bat and Rosalina live on-air. Our collective therapy session continues as we discuss our new addiction, Rocket League, and birds. We love birds here, especially ones that provide a lot of points and good card effects in the digital version of the acclaimed board game Wingspan. Meanwhile, Calvin gushes about some game called Super Mario Galaxy which has zero birds in it. Given the highly irregular circumstances this week, we actually tend to a piece of current events, discussing some highlights from the recent Nintendo Direct. And even more unusual is our game of the week, the household favourite that is Splatoon 2. A handful of nitpicks aside which we hope to see addressed in the recently announced sequel, we explore our deep-running love for this highly creative and innovative third-person painting/shooting hybrid, an ink-redible blend of turf control, flexible loadout strategising, splatting, painting, swimming, DJing, stealth, and just capital F Freshness that permeates the entire post-apocalyptic world of inklings and octolings. Our discussion of the intricate mechanics and style is rounded out by examining its various distinct modes, the community, and the future of Splatting. And now, an assortment of Splatoon film titles: Kid Now, Squid Then (Hong Sang-Soo), Three Colours: Neon Green (Kieślowski), Barton Ink (Coens), Splatfesten (Vinterberg).

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Rocket League (2015)

12:30 Wingspan (2020)

21:12 Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

30:31 Nintendo Direct

Featured Game

58:48 Splatoon 2

Ep. 20: Run Saber (1993)

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 03:03:31 +0000

The Daydreamcast spin jumps back into the action, and it's all about the devil in the details this week. We touch on throwback games, particularly action side-scrollers, old and new, and decide they are only critisable in the nitty-gritty, in the quality of the tried-and-tested individual components. While Pavlos is too busy recounting his time working for The Man, Brogan serves up fresh-from-the-oven impressions of Cyber Shadow, a new Ninja Gaiden-like published by Yacht Club Games, and pontificates on how it fares against previous efforts in the space, namely The Messenger from two years ago. For our game of the week, we discuss an inconspicuous Strider knock-off, Run Saber, only to put it back into the very bottom shelf it came out of. Indeed, this curious release barely passes the bar of 'fine', choosing to settle instead on 'severely lacking in all areas', and we break down the many ways it falls short. As such, Run Saber can be regarded as a useful critical exercise and one that exemplifies our core thesis of the week: value can be judged from practice, appearances can be deceptive, all are not hunters that blow the horn, fair face may hide a foul heart, and an online thesaurus is a heck of a thing.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Splatoon 2 (2017)

12:43 Modern throwback games: Cyber Shadow (2021), The Messenger (2018) et al.

30:29 Deep Rock Galactic (2020)

Featured Game

44:22 Run Saber

Ep. 19: Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 06:05:26 +0000

It's a jumbo-sized kick-off to the new year, and to the second season of your favourite video game podcast, with topics aplenty! Our usual cross-generational grab bag this time includes 2009's Brütal Legend, an action-adventure that's actually an RTS, and no one's favourite Bond game, From Russia With Love, a shooter that's actually a horror game as it turns out! Pavlos shares tales of playing multiplayer games on the Switch with non-gaming-affine friends and recounts the wonders to be gleaned from seeing gaming literacy develop, a process all of us have undergone and that has faded from our memories. And is that the sound of a relatively recent new video game being discussed I hear? Why, yes, as if one game of the week wasn't enough, we collectively and extensively sing the praises of Paradise Killer, a highly original detective game set in a shiny Vaporwave nightmare setting that you should check out, nenorocito! But that does not replace our actual spotlight title for the episode, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, a game both old and new at the same time. A landmark title for tactical RPGs on the Famicom, the first in Intelligent Systems' now long-running series, the twice-remade debut never saw a Western release until last year. It benefits from various quality-of-life improvements which mostly speed up the the gameplay and provide rollback options – a welcome addition to a sometimes obtuse and often challenging experience –, giving everyone an opportunity to investigate the roots of a beloved Nintendo series. We break down its systems and many innovations therein, but also highlight the equally numerous shortcomings that stick out, particularly with later iterations in mind. Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light harkens back to a simpler time; a period of peace, it takes place in the pre-waifu era just before the evil wizard Anime broke free from his prison and laid waste to the lands, consuming everything in his path. No trace of that here, and that's real justice served.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 James Bond 007: From Russia With Love (2005)

10:47 GOTY 1985 addendum

16:53 Multiplayer games on Switch, the beauty of NES Ice Hockey (1988), and Gaming Literacy

36:20 Brütal Legend (2009)

43:04 Paradise Killer (2019)

Featured Game

01:12:30 Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light

Ep. 18: Game of the Year 1985

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 21:36:09 +0000

As the end of the year draws near, the Daydreamcast assembles one last time for an unusual season one finale. Joined by friend of the show Calvin, and true to our style, we sit down to scientifically determine the best game of the year 1985. In this longest show, yet, you get to hear the entire process, raw and uncut. We consider almost 40 games released in the year that marked the launch of the NES, its launch titles facing some tough competition with computer platforms and the arcades in full bloom – at least outside of the US which was still recovering from the industry crash of 1983. Giving every game its due, we arduously whittle things down to a ranked top 10 after much deliberation. As we wish you and your families all the best for the new year, we hope you enjoy one last serve of drama, betrayal, and heartbreak from us. A celebration of video games past, present, and.. well, mostly past. Only past, in fact. See you next year!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 The Great Video Game/Videogame Debate

02:16 Game of the Year 1985

Ep. 17: Mirror's Edge (2008)

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 20:39:05 +0000

We wax philosophical at the Daydreamcast this week, touching on the state of modern game design, the trend of serialisation, the practice of modding, what really constitutes a video game, the ethics of stealing eggs out of monster brothels, and the severely phallic nature of Tetris – that's right, all the questions that have been keeping you up at night. Brogan gets caught playing a Star Wars game with Jedi: Fallen Order but talks his way out of it by calling it a Sekiro-like. Meanwhile, Pavlos sings the praises of the best Pokémon game since Pokémon was good, Capcom's genre experiment Monster Hunter Stories. The meat of the episode is dedicated to 2008's Mirror's Edge: We give a detailed breakdown of its striking aesthetical achievements, its Lola rennt-inspired runner/parcours-style gameplay, and the numerous contradictions within the – undoubtedly creative – design proposal it puts forward. Indicative of a lot of bigger indie games today, Mirror's Edge represents a brief period in time where Electronic Arts mysteriously defied their pecuniary-minded nature and funded several original projects; a lot of them, like Skate or Dead Space, still revered creative successes. We contrast this late '00s period in the company's history with the dumpster fire state they choose to be in today. For the love of Sonic, won't someone hose them down already?

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Xbox Game Pass and Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)

09:05 Monster Hunter Stories (2016)

15:50 Tetris Effect (2018)

20:00 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

37:10 Mirror's Edge

Ep. 16: Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards (1987)

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 01:16:09 +0000

The Daydreamcast is looking to score this week, and we got a guest to help us succeed! Our friend Murph joins us to discuss everything we usually don't (like Assassin's Creed) and everything we usually do (like Kingdom Hearts and Pikmin). Meanwhile, Brogan clamours for the return of pet games as we reminisce about Nintendogs and lament what has come to replace them, as the animals gave way to the animes. The trio shows no mercy in its hot takes, sinking beloved classics and entire genres with ease. Our game of the week follows a loveable(?) loser in Larry Laffer, a mildly skeevy to downright sad little man, depending on the version you play, looking to get laid before dawn. This humourist adventure game from Sierra On-Line, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, impresses based on the company's trademark liberty of choice and exploratory openness which, compared to predecessors like King's Quest, is reined in here through relatively logical and straight-forward progression and puzzle design. The question of balance in design and writing guides us not only through the deep-dive into the game itself but alsoits remakes and the text adventure it is based on. We guarantee no one else has talked about Leisure Suit Larry for almost an hour in the entire month of November, so please drop us a 'magna cum laude' review on your podcast service of choice.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Murph's joke

01:26 Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) and the series as a whole

17:10 Murph introduces himself; Kingdom Hearts series (reprise)

29:48 Pikmin 3 Deluxe (2020)

33:50 Pet games: a lost genre?

39:49 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

59:25 Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards

Ep. 15: Thief: The Dark Project (1998)

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 01:50:03 +0000

Happy Halloween from your friends at the Daydreamcast! Timely as ever, despite our one week break, we indulge in seasonal musings as we explore the philosophy of modern horror games, the horrors of being a completionist, as well as the most horrific creature known to man: the Pac-Man reimagining from Pac-Man & his Ghostly Adventures. We refuse to move on, however, before tackling the real reason for the season: more F2P gacha games! Please pray for Brogan's recuperation, but not until listening to our deep dive on the daddy of modern stealth games, Thief: The Dark Project. Thief focuses on providing the player with a toolset within a rule set and going: "Your move", pioneering emergent gameplay and many more staples of the stealth genre we take for granted now. Complete with a dense atmosphere, an amalgamation of medieval and steampunk, and that Y2K edge™, the game warrants (and rewards) thorough re-examination. Halloween Vile wishes you and your family blessed holidays.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Pac's Scary Halloween (2016)

06:30 Five Nights at Freddy's (2014) and the modern horror game

19:40 Downwell (2015), a completionist's lament

26:24 Looney Tunes: World of Mayhem (2018), Rockman X DiVE (2020)

35:15 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

45:11 Thief: The Dark Project

Ep. 14: Donkey Kong 3 (1984)

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:14:51 +0000

The Daydreamcast is buggin'! The anime has taken over the show, leaving Brogan beyond salvation, as we talk about the gacha craze that has swept the nation (and its name is Genshin Impact) and Kingdom Hearts, of all things. Meanwhile, Pavlos finally delivers his thoughts on the Meiji era Ace Attorney spin-off which never made it out of Japan. Thankfully, we have the palate cleansers at the ready with two hot-as-heck-for-realsies-this-time hot takes straight from hell, definitively rewriting the general consensus on two beloved platformer series. A little less revisionist is our take on the game of the week, Donkey Kong 3, the ugly duckling of the original arcade trilogy. While we're down with Stanley the Bugman (formerly known as The Fumigator) and shooting things with pesticide, we acknowledge the epigonal nature of the game and its lack of variety. A podcast episode full of lessons, just like the following: whatever you do in life, always go for the Full Melon Run.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Genshin Impact (2020) and other gacha games

10:39 The Great Ace Attorney: The Adventure of Ryūnosuke Naruhodō (2015)

27:00 Kingdom Hearts series

37:23 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

47:37 Donkey Kong 3

Ep. 13: Clock Tower (1995)

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 02:07:25 +0000

There may be an imposter on board but this podcast ain't it! The Daydreamcast returns to talk about the newest hotness of two years ago, Among Us, a game of love and betrayal, of murder and hats. We proceed to usher in the spookiest time of the year as we wrestle with the horrors of bad ports and delisted games on GOG, 3DS, and elsewhere, before we turn our attention to horror video games. Silent Hill gets the hot take treatment, and the 1995 cult classic Clock Tower the game of the week treatment. A marriage of survival horror and point-and-click adventure, this Argento homage by Human Entertainment features a dense atmosphere and actual narrative variability within a fully realised mansion setting, capitalising on the two scariest things in the world: the sensation of being chased, and giant scissors. Aggrieved mums are also in there somewhere, so buckle up, Jennifer Connelly!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Among Us (2018)

25:45 Konami's GOG dump and the (mis-)treatment of legacy titles

28:40 Pavlos' 3DS shenanigans, part deux

22:27 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

51:23 Clock Tower

Ep. 12: The World Ends With You (2007)

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 23:22:54 +0000

In our most jam-packed episode, yet, we are joined by RPG and anime savant David from the Twin Geekscast to talk all of the talk, every last drop of the talk, about The World Ends With You, the inventive and expressive Nintendo DS rpg gem single-handedly developed by Tetsuya Nomura and no one else. But not before Pavlos is back on his puzzle game/Pokémon spin-off bullshit again and Brogan hands in his report on turkey mounts in Spelunky 2 fresh off the presses. The Hot Takes are the hottest they've ever been, featuring outrageous claims about Zelda, Metroid, and a third thing! Lastly, we are happy to announce we have been acquired by Microsoft for 7.5 billion dollars. This podcast is now available for free via Xbox Game Pass and we'll be introducing support for the Zune family of devices soon. 7.5 BILLION dollars.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 7.5 billion dollars

01:24 Pokémon Picross (1999) & other spin-offs

11:25 Spelunky 2 (2020)

16:17 Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003)

22:27 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

42:17 The World Ends With You

Ep. 11: Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land (2002)

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 01:14:51 +0000

Late, but not too late, the Daydreamcast is here to light up your night. We get into the controversial announcements for the 35th anniversary of everyone's favourite Italian entrepreneur in a segment we like to call 'Nintendo: Who Knows?' before we break down the catalogue of New Blood Interactive's throwback FPS games in a segment affectionately dubbed "Doom and Quake-Likes: Brogan Knows!". Once again, we leave the verdict on the hotness of our takes in the hands of our listeners as we try to bring the heat to Smash Bros. and water levels in platformers. Our game of the week is the GBA remake of the 1993 NES platformer, Kirby's Adventure, which we discuss with unprecedented depth. That's right, we talk about frame lag, sprite size, and even critique the menus! We also talk about normal things for all the listeners not called Sakurai.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Super Mario 35th anniversary announcements

14:18 New Blood Interactive games (Gloomwood, Dusk, Amid Evil, Ultrakill)

18:30 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

29:48 Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

Ep. 10: Panzer Dragoon (1995)

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 01:18:47 +0000

The Daydreamcast bounces back this week as we take on the new gaming sensation, Fall Guys, and personally say "hello" to the fellow kids. We certainly don't stop there, though, as Pavlos recounts doing inappropriate things to his 3DS inbetween watching what is widely known as the 'beautiful game'. Meanwhile, Brogan sticks with what he does best: talking about Hylics. We launch a new segment about takes so hot your ears might get burned from listening! Equally heated is our discussion on this week's main feature, the 1995 rail shooter Panzer Dragoon, mainly because the game is hot tras--, a flawed if not original experience. We meditate on its successes, its many limitations, and the differences between the original version and its 2020 remake. If you have come for answers on what the heck happens in that opening cutscene, move right along!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout (2020)

08:11 Pavlos' 3DS shenanigans

13:49 Hylics 2 (2020)

19:15 Reigns: Kings & Queens (2018)

26:40 Hot Take Central (also known as The Hot Take Minute)

Featured Game

40:06 Panzer Dragoon

Ep. 9: Balloon Kid (1990)

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 02:43:25 +0000

The Daydreamcast returns with all the fighting game talk you never would have expected! We fight pesky connections as we learn about the netcode saviour called 'rollback' and fight the power as we condemn their modern DLC practices. We mash on the buttons and smash on the Dolphin, and despite how it sounds, we consider neither dirty. Right at the heart of it, an epic full of twist and turns, a ballad about the cruel irony of Kickstarter. Finally, we lift off with our game of the week, the often overlooked Game Boy gem Balloon Kid. A natural and creative iteration on and evolution of the Balloon Fight formula, it represents the best in early bite-sized handheld gaming with its charm and thrills. And remember: it might blow up but it won't go "pop!".

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

00:00 Street Fighter V (2016) and the problem with modern fighting games

14:00 Battle Princess Madelyn (2018) or A tale of Kickstarter

33:25 Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) on Dolphin

38:07 itch.io Minute: Secret Little Haven (2018); Lyne (2014)

Featured Game

46:14 Balloon Kid

Ep. 8: Phantasy Star (1987)

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 04:28:30 +0000

A wild Daydreamcast draws near! It's a full-on role-playing extravaganza this week as Brogan returns and with him the hard-hitting game talk. We delve into Mario's most recent stationery adventure, the trippy world of Hylics, the regular deluge of HyLeaks out of Nintendo's Google Drive, the masochistic pleasure of Japanese captchas, and a damning account of the PS4's retro emulation. For our game of the week we focus on Phantasy Star, Sega's flagship RPG on the Master System, as we pit it against its contemporaries, discuss its many ambitions, and the various ways to engage with it today. Before you listen, please look up the sprite of Werebat. We have contacted his agent to get him to guest on a future episode.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020)

16:41 Hylics (2015)

23:28 Nintendo Leaks

34:04 Brogan's Sobering PS2-on-PS4 Experience

37:39 itch.io Minute: Nuclear Throne (2015); Anodyne (2013)

Featured Game

44:45 Phantasy Star

Ep. 7: Windjammers (1994)

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 02:36:57 +0000

In this week's Daydreamcast, we revisit and get visited by old favourites of the show. Calvin('s wallet) steps up to deliver the hot-from-the-oven take on the sequel to Deadly Premonition, Alligator Skating 2020. We vent our frustrations on the vices of gaming media before shifting gears and sharing much warmer thoughts on the overwhelming nature of Forza Horizon 4 , the sadomasochistic qualities of Ludo and other tabletop classics in Clubhouse Games, as well as further recommendations from the itch.io bundle. Finally, we tip our proverbial hats to the pulsating arcade classic Windjammers, a household favourite competitive disc-throwing delight that, over 35 years later, is getting a sequel for a reason. We hope this episode isn't a "MISS!" and we humbly give it "FIVE POINTS!".

P.S.: We played a 12-game match directly after the show and you already know who won.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing In Disguise (2020)

14:03 The Paper Mario Fallacy

20:11 Forza Horizon 4 (2018)

29:20 Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (2020)

37:39 itch.io Minute: Heavy Bullets (2014); Starseed Pilgrim (2013)

Featured Game

42:07 Windjammers (1994)

Ep. 6: Dead Rising (2006)

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 06:16:12 +0000

In this week's only seemingly light Daydreamcast, we talk nightmares. The nightmare of Pyramid Head selling out, for one. The nightmare that is working retail in a consumerist society. And, lastly, the nightmare that is the concerning lack of Covid safety measures in Pokémon cafés around the country. As the main course, we serve a goofy-yet-earnest nightmare in Dead Rising, a creative and ambitious early Xbox 360 game which stands at the crossroads that is mid-00s game design. We focus on the various systems of the game, its design philosophy and unique approach to an open (yet defined) world, and trace back the steps the series would go on to take. Also, we forget to mention how Carlito looks like a scrapped Tekken character, so there!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 The Great Pokémon Café Mix (2020) Soliloquy

07:44 Dead By Daylight (2016)

14:19 itch.io Minute: Beglitched (2016); Night of the Consumers (2012)

Featured Game

25:22 Dead Rising

Ep. 5: Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (2001)

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:19:06 +0000

In this tangent-filled episode of the Daydreamcast, we talk shop on competitive digital board games, the recent Sony PS5 presser, the Paper Mario series, and the wonderful treasure trove that is the recent itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality. We barely have time to mourn Animal Crossing Minute (2020–2020) as we dive right into Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, our feature title. A GBA launch game and the template (based on a previous template!) for the numerous portable entries going forward, we honour it with an in-depth discussion of the game's systems, and try to understand its place in the long-running, household favourite Konami series.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (2020)

06:08 itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality; Death and Taxes (2020); The Real Texas (2012)

15:08 PS5 Reveal & Games

30:15 Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (2019); Paper Mario series

Featured Game

39:01 Castlevania: Circle of the Moon

Ep. 4: Sam & Max Hit The Road (1993)

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 22:52:39 +0000

In this new tittilating episode of the Daydreamcast, we present our first guest, Calvin Kemph, editor-in-chief of some film site called Twin Geeks and actual former gaming journalist for many years. Things quickly turn raunchy as we reflect on the properties of anthropomorphic goo, the many forms of S&M, and the questionable importance of undergarments in making new friends. Our main game of the week leads us down the rabbit hole of '90s adventure game goodness. Coming from our game of the week, the wacky detective/noir spoof Sam & Max Hit The Road, we talk about our history with adventure games, re-open the age-old argument on Sierra vs. LucasArts, and give credit to the Scummiest of Virtual Machines. Also, SHARK MONTH!

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Pantsu Hunter: Back to the '90s (2019)

4:35 Panel de Pon (1995)

8:29 Calvin's History As Gaming Professional

11:53 Luigi's Mansion 3 (2019)

20:48 Deadly Premonition (2010)

28:09 Pavlos' Animal Crossing Minute

Featured Game

31:08 Sam & Max Hit The Road

Ep. 3: Pikmin (2001)

Tue, 19 May 2020 14:02:53 +0000

In the new episode of the vanguard Daydreamcast, we take up a new quarantine hobby: gardening of a... special kind! Join us as we discuss the seemingly harmless but immensely fun Pikmin, Nintendo's original take on a real-time strategy game. We discuss both the Gamecube and the Wii version in detail, focusing on the game's striking aesthetic, its not-so-daunting time limit, and the value of the almighty Blue Pikmin. Other insights of the episode: Nintendo listens to our podcast, Bloodborne is good (finally someone has figured this out!), and M2 is the supreme caretaker of The Old Games.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Panel de Pon (1995) and others coming to Switch SNES VC

3:16 Bloodborne (2015)

8:33 Pavlos' Animal Crossing Minute

17:33 Retro Compilations (Mega Man, Castlevania) aka M2 vs. the rest of the world

Featured Game

28:50 Pikmin

Ep. 2: Batman (1990)

Mon, 04 May 2020 17:44:28 +0000

Ever listen to a podcast in the pale moonlight? Well, you should try – and what better opportunity than with a new sizzling episode of the only video game podcast around! This week, Brogan thought it was 2013 and bought a PS4, Pavlos breaks down laziness in the work place and the difference between music and rhythm games, and both of them discuss games based on comic books. Fittingly, Sunsoft's Batman, a short and tough sidescroller on the NES, gets the game-of-the-week treatment, providing our hosts with ample opportunity to talk about The Bat, The Burton, and, of course, The Old Games.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 PS4 Experience & Bloodborne (2015)

5:18 Thumper (2016): Music vs. Rhythm games

15:19 ToeJam & Earl: Back to the Groove (2019)

22:10 Pavlos' Animal Crossing Minute

28:09 Spider-Man (2018)

Featured Game

31:42 Batman

Ep. 1: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (2007)

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 12:50:00 +0000

In the first 'for real this time' episode of the Daydreamcast, our hosts discuss the possible pinnacle of walking simulators, Riot's new hero shooter Valorant, the revolutionary addition of NPCs into Fallout 76, and, of course, the meta of Windjammers. But nothing beats the thrill of non-stop brain-twisters and loveably overbearing British accents provided by this week's featured game, Level-5's debut for their long-running puzzle game series, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Thankfully, every puzzle has an answer. Except the ones where you have to imagine dice in your head, jesus.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 What Remains of Edith Finch? (2017)

7:00 Valorant (2020) Beta

10:50 Overwatch (2015)

15:33 Hollow Knight (2017)

22:34 Pavlos' Animal Crossing Minute

26:44 Fallout 76 (2018)

30:22 Windjammers (1994)

Featured Game

40:25 Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Ep. 0: Minit (2018)

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 13:00:00 +0000

In this inaugural episode of the Daydreamcast, The Twin Geeks’ new gaming-focused podcast, our hosts talk about the grab bag of games they spent time with this week, including the game of the week, the indie game Minit. A short and simple Zelda-like on the surface, Minit relies strongly on puzzles involving its main mechanic, a time loop that is set off every 60 seconds. Our hosts discuss the characteristics of the game’s structure as well as the company Minit keeps with other games (and films like Groundhog Day, 1993) that are built on a similar chronological premise.

Disclaimer: As this episode served as a technical test, the audio quality is uneven in spots. Naturally, future episodes will not feature these issues.

Timestamps:

Whatcha Playing

0:00 Pokémon spin-offs: Puzzle Challenge & League (2000) & Pinball (1999)

8:05 Doom Eternal (2020) & Doom 64 (1997)

14:30 Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)

29:18 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019)

Featured Game

34:37 Minit (2018)