Videogame Generations

ARCHIVE 1 (07/12/2014 to 02/04/2015)

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02/04/2015 - "Episode 30: The Frame Wait"

This week, we talk about the free games line-up for Playstation Plus for this month. Then it's listener feedback and more, followed by updates on what we've been playing. It was a light week for Addie, with mobile games Trivia Crack and Jump to occupy her time (iOS).

I finished Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4), so I'm able to give my final thoughts on that. I also played episode 1 of Life is Strange, a game from Dontnot that I've been looking forward to based on how much I liked their game Remember Me from a couple years ago. This is very different — more like a Telltale adventure game. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. I also give opening thoughts on Dying Light, another zombie-filled open world from Techland, the developer of Dead Island and Call of Juarez.

With just one answer to last week's three listener feedback questions, we've added another. What do you consider the most underrated game console ever, and why? As for this week's episode title: in part of my solo game discussion, when discussing frame rates, it sure sounds like I messed up somehow and said "wait" instead of "rate" — which actually makes a lot of sense, in context.

As mentioned in the podcast:

February's Playstation Plus free game lineup at the Playstation Blog

Episode 30 is also available as an MP3 here.

01/28/2015 - "Episode 29: It's The Hard Knock Life"

This week, we talk about the Xbox Games With Gold line-up for February. Then, it's a big bag of email in which several listeners ask really great questions. We want to open it up to discussion, so let us know if you have comments about or answers for any of these:

1. What's your stance on using emulation to play retro games?

2. Is there a gaming accomplishment that really challenged you?

3. What do you think about the growing trend of episodic gaming?

We also answer one listener's request for PSP game recommendations, although many of my own choices are rated M games which I probably should have mentioned at the time, in case the listener is younger or just looking for E or T rated games (sorry).

In our "what we're playing" update, Addie talks about her progress in Broken Age (Act 1 on PC), I talk about Heath's renewed interest in playing Lego Batman 2 (Xbox 360 - I helped on a few levels), and then I give an update on my progress in Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4). The show wraps up with a new quiz (games from developers or publishers that are no longer in business), and more shenanigans from Addie as we try to wrap up the show.

As mentioned in the podcast:

The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon explained

Episode 29 is also available as an MP3 here.

01/21/2015 - "Episode 28: Charlie Brown and Lucy"

The bulk of this episode is listener email and a quiz, but somewhere in the middle, we talk about what we've been playing. Addie made it to chapter 3 in Portal 2 (PC) and I'm about 62 hours into Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4).

Listeners weigh in with their thoughts on the potential success or failure of "Steam-Boxes" and "Android Consoles" -- plus what games they're looking forward to playing this year. As for the quiz, we test your ability to link game developers (or writers, designers, and producers) to the games they're known for. After finding out her score, Addie has vowed to get revenge on me with a new quiz of her own.

As mentioned in the podcast:

The Peanuts Football Joke explained
The GamersVantage Podcast website

Episode 28 is also available as an MP3 here.

01/14/2015 - "Episode 27: Looking Ahead at 2015"

2015 is just getting started, so on this episode, we look ahead to the games we're excited for. Plus, we make a few predictions about what might happen in the world of video games this year.

Bill returns for the third time as a guest, filling us in on hardware trends and new happenings in the world of gadgets and electronics, as revelead during CES. Also, he explains why Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is a worthy entry in the series. Addie shares her excitement about playing Alice: Madness Returns, a rated "M" game that she might not should be playing at all, but we'll see how it goes. I give my closing thoughts on Sunset Overdrive, and then talk a bit about Dragon Age: Inquisition (which I may still be playing for weeks to come; it's huge).

We're still interested in hearing from listeners about what you're looking forward to in 2015, and even your own gaming predictions. Write in and let us know (or to talk about anything, really; we read emails every episode).

And yes, there was no episode last week, due to illness.

Episode 27 is also available as an MP3 here.

12/31/2014 - "Episode 26: Looking Back at 2014"

Our farewell to 2014 wraps up with a look back at the games we enjoyed this year, including countdown lists of our favorites. We also read and discuss listener feedback, the free games offered in January for Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus subscribers, and all that we've been playing during our holiday vacations.

I finished Far Cry 4 (PS4), Nightshade (NES), and Maniac Mansion (NES). I also talk quite a bit about Sunset Overdrive (Xbox One), which I recently started playing. We made progress in Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (PS4) too. Heath -- he's six and not often on the show -- made it through the co-op campaign in Portal 2 with me. We've been playing off and on for several weeks, and he helped solve a few puzzles I had forgotten from when I played the co-op with Bill a couple years ago.

As always, you can write to us at podcast@vggpodcast.com. We want to know what you're looking forward to gaming-wise in 2015, or even what has you a little worried. But even if you don't have an answer, feel free to write in. We love including listener feedback on the show.

As mentioned in the podcast:

Apps at the Amazon App Store
Nightshade (NES) screenshots at Moby Games
Maniac Mansion (NES) screenshots at Moby Games
English translations for Famicom games at romhacking.net

Episode 26 is also available as an MP3 here.

12/24/2014 - "Episode 25: Christmas 2014"

Our holiday episode ends with a trio of Christmas songs, karaoke-style by Addie. But before that, it's business as usual as we discuss the games we've played since the last episode. I finished Ultima 6 (SNES on Retron 5), and an awesome NES game called Clash at Demonhead (which, thanks to a faulty ROM load in the Retron 5, crashed on me near the end). Then, a little more Far Cry 4 (which I've almost finished), and my opening thoughts on another NES game, Nightshade. Addie and I started Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (PS4), but we're still very early in.

No listener feedback for the second week in a row, but hopefully this week's question will get a few good replies. What was your favorite game of 2014? Let us know! Email podcast@vggpodcast.com. We also have a new quiz this week, although between Addie being tired and not really knowing this year's release dates, it was kind of an... interesting one. Also, since this week's episode was a bit short, I include two Clash at Demonhead tunes before Addie's Christmas karaoke.

As mentioned in the podcast:

Clash at Demonhead screenshots at Moby Games
Clash at Demonhead gameplay on YouTube
Clash at Demonhead at Wikipedia

Release dates for the games of 2014

Episode 25 is also available as an MP3 here.

12/17/2014 - "Episode 24: That Game Is Abysmal"

The year is coming to a close soon, so "game of the year" buzz is everywhere. We'll save our own favorites for later, but in case you missed it (like we did), we go over several of the nominees and winners of the 2014 Game Awards (which was held in Las Vegas earlier this month). Listener email is non-existent this week, although a Question of the Week from a listener (from last episode) was held back to include this time. First, we want to hear your picks for what kind of game is best suited to a mobile/tablet touch interface; or, if you prefer, what particular game have you played and found to work great on a mobile touch device?

A second Question of the Week, though, is a repeat. If you'd like to share your PlayStation or Xbox Live or Steam or Nintendo ID with other listeners, let us know what it is, what it means, and how you came up with it.

In game talk, we give updates on what we've been playing. Addie made more progress in LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4) and Heath finished it, I'm told! Addie talks about her plans for world-deconstruction in MineCraft. Then I talk about more Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS), Ultima VI (SNES on Retron5), and Far Cry 4 (PS4). Plus, I played through an interesting action platformer called Big Nose the Caveman (NES on Retron5), so I talk a bit about that. It was an interesting non-licensed game from Camerica/Codemasters, and a couple MIDI arrangements of its music is included to end the episode.

My favorite bit, though, is a quiz that Addie came up with. She tests my knowledge of release dates on a dozen random games she found in my collection. She did all the research herself, making me a very proud dad. Too bad I wasn't able to ace the quiz, but I did okay.

As mentioned in the podcast:

2014 Game Award winners

Big Nose the Caveman at Wikipedia
Big Nose the Caveman at MobyGames

Episode 24 is also available as an MP3 here.

12/10/2014 - "Episode 23: Timer, Pistachios, and Games"

We have plenty on the agenda for today's episode, which includes a lengthy off-topic segment, a little news, some discussion about certain bits of said news, and heaps of listener feedback. We also talk a little about the value of collectible video games when those games are eventually released digitally (ex: Suikoden II).

Game talk covers a big variety, although much of this is a pre-recorded monologue so that Addie's parts aren't interrupted during the main show. These include Broken Sword 5 (Vita), NES Remix Pack (Wii U), Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Wii U), Final Fantasy X and X-2 HD Remaster (PS3), Gravity Guy (iOS), Hanging With Friends (iOS), Chariot (Xbox One), Far Cry 4 (PS4), Secret Ponchos (PS4), and Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS).

We also brainstorm a little about upcoming episodes; especially what we might do for a holiday episode this month. All of this and more, in one of our longer episodes this week. Enjoy!

As mentioned in the podcast:

Jasmine (from Broken Sword 5) on YouTube

Time for Timer on Wikipedia
Timer's Cheese PSA on YouTube

Family Guy (Bird) on YouTube
Family Guy (Timer) on YouTube
Family Guy (Mommy) on YouTube

Episode 23 is also available as an MP3 here.

12/03/2014 - "Episode 22: Argh Is For Criticism"

It's another rushed episode after Addie gets home from rehearsal, but we manage to get through several games and topics, including this week's listener feedback. One listener wants to know how you got your gamer tag, and what it means, so that's our Question of the Week.

I give my final thoughts on Assassin's Creed: Unity (for real this time -- and mostly about its multiplayer), and an update on my progress in Final Fantasy X (I'm very near the end now). I talk a little more about Broken Sword 5 (the Vita version, which I transferred over to Playstation TV). Plus, I have a few initial thoughts on Far Cry 4 (PS4), which is the next big game I'm playing. Addie and I share our thoughts on the first two levels in The Simpsons Game (Xbox 360), plus she fills me in about Plants vs. Zombies 2. A little more about LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4) and Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) round out this week's game chat.

In future episodes, I'll be able to talk more about the Xbox One, now that recent price drops and holiday sales have made it impossible to pass. I have a few initial thoughts on Microsoft's console now that it's hooked up and running, but I haven't really used it much yet.

As mentioned in the podcast:

The Nerd With Kids Podcast

Episode 22 is also available as an MP3 here.

11/26/2014 - "Episode 21: Floatier Than Mario"

It's Thanksgiving week (here in the United States, anyway), and we're thankful to have reached our 21st episode. We spend a bit of time on off-topic stuff to start the show (movies, TV, and more). Then it's news, which includes a rumor that ZombiU 2 might actually be coming to the Wii U next year. The free game line-ups for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Games with Gold (December) were announced after recording, but that's included as a sort-of insert to the show.

Two super-long listener emails answer recent Questions of the Week, which includes our choice for this week's new questions: What's your favorite recurring song or theme in a game, and what music makes you think of a particular game even if it's not actually related (ex: music you were listening to while playing something)?

In our "What We're Playing" segment, we talk about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4 version), and for me, my near-final thoughts on Assassin's Creed: Unity (which I finished, but may play a bit more just to collect more trophies). The show wraps up with another quiz for Addie (and listeners who want to play along). This time, she must guess whether certain character names are actually from a real game, or just something I made up.

As mentioned in the podcast:

December free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
December free games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.

Andy Samberg Threw It On The Ground

Episode 21 is also available as an MP3 here.

11/19/2014 - "Episode 20: Little Unity Inferno"

We speed through most topics this week due to time constraints, but we do talk some on the meaning behind Little Inferno (WiiU). Some spoilers there, so skip ahead at that part if you don't want to hear. I also give an update on my adventures in the realm of Brittania (in other words, more on Ultima VI: The False Prophet), and a lengthy, detailed monologue about Assassin's Creed: Unity... how it plays and what it's about, but no real story spoilers or anything. We wrap it up with a question about a question. Give us your ideas for things you would like us to ask our listeners. Fun and unusual topics are probably best!

Episode 20 is also available as an MP3 here.

11/12/2014 - "Episode 19: Addie Interviews Jason Scott"

Our feature segment this week is an interview with Jason Scott of the Internet Arcade, which is something we talked about in last week's episode. Addie asks the tough questions, like "what's your favorite color," but before that, we hear about how this project came into existence, what they're hoping to accomplish, plus extra insight into some of Jason's other projects. He hasn't been interviewed about the Internet Arcade before now, so you're getting an exclusive here!

Listeners write in to answer our recent Questions of the Week, and at one point, we both get confused on whether the short tune Addie keeps humming is really from Super Mario Bros. I think it all comes down to a single note: higher, and it's Mario; lower, and it's something else.

Addie has been playing the demo version of an iPhone game called Geometry Dash. I finished The Evil Within (at almost thirty hours clocked), and I played more Ultima VI (SNES via Retron5) and a little more Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS).

To wrap up the episode, we talk about our favorite coin-op arcade games, and invite listeners to write in with your favorites. The outro music this week comes from Wizards & Warriors II (NES), which is sort of random, but was at least mentioned once in this episode.

As mentioned in the podcast:

Follow Jason Scott on Twitter
Jason runs TextFiles.com and is a part of Archive.org
Arcade games in your browser at the Internet Arcade

Final Fantasy VII - One Winged Angel at YouTube
Metroid title music at YouTube

Magix MIDI Studio Generation 6 came from Magix.com
Moby Games has more info and screenshots of Ultima VI: The False Prophet

Episode 19 is also available as an MP3 here.

11/05/2014 - "Episode 18: If You Don't, You're Just... What?"

In this episode, I list off the line-up of free November games for Xbox Gold and PlayStation Plus subscribers, and then we read listener emails that answer our prior weeks' questions. Addie talks about the games she's playing (more Costume Quest 2, but also several little games from KetchApp on iOS) and I once again pre-recorded mine so that Addie wouldn't have to sit through twenty minutes of me-time (The Evil Within on PS4, a bit more Final Fantasy X, and Ultima VI: The False Prophet for SNES via the Retron5).

Our big topic of the week is the Internet Arcade, where you can play classic arcade games, for free, in your web browser. We stumble our way through a few of those. Then, almost forgetting it entirely, we come up with an on-the-spot Question of the Week for listeners. What's your favorite video game music? It's a topic we've talked about on prior episodes, but we haven't yet heard from our listeners.

As mentioned in the podcast:

iOS Game Apps from KetchApp
Free Games for November for Xbox
Free Games for November for PlayStation
Wikipedia page for Ultima VI: The False Prophet
Arcade games in your browser at the Internet Arcade

Episode 18 is also available as an MP3 here.

10/29/2014 - "Episode 17: Candy Corn Takes a Raincheck"

It's almost Halloween, so today's episode explores a few spooky topics. Addie tries to guess whether several games on my hand-picked list are horror-themed or not, based soley on the title. But before that, we talk about the games we're playing. That's Costume Quest 2 (PS4) for Addie and Bayonetta 2 (WiiU) for me. I also talk briefly about The Evil Within (PS4) and Final Fantasy X (PS3), both of which I made a little more progress in since the last episode. With listener email and a little news too, this episode comes in right about an hour long. Oh, and this week's question for our listeners is a simple one. What are your favorite scary games?

As mentioned in the podcast:

Kids React to the GameBoy on YouTube

Amazon.com product page for Nyko Pro Commander WiiU Controller
Amazon.com product page for Nintendo WiiU Pro Controller
Amazon.com product page for Bayonetta 2

Episode 17 is also available as an MP3 here.

10/22/2014 - "Episode 16: Never Ever Ever Bump Into the Walls"

It's a big, big episode today, with Bill (from Episode 12) sitting in with us again to talk games and stuff. More listeners answer prior weeks' questions in our listener feedback segment, and Bill has a few answers of his own. For what I've been playing since the last episode, I once again use pre-recorded segments to keep the main recording at a reasonable length since, as always, it's a school night for Addie -- and for Bill's daughter Natalie, who joins us briefly to talk about scary movies and video games. My monologue includes my final thoughts on Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4) and 8 Eyes (NES on Retron5), as well as my opening thoughts on The Evil Within (PS4), PlayStation TV (a "Vita" for your TV), and KillZone: Liberation (a PSP game I started playing on PSTV).

A third pre-recorded segment features Heath, Addie's younger brother. He talks with me about Portal 2 (Xbox 360), Gauntlet and Gauntlet II (NES on Retron5), Pix the Cat (PS4), and of course, Minecraft (PS4). He does a great job of confusing me about which topic we're actually discussing, although maybe he's just messing with me on purpose. Also, Natalie sits in with us to talk about movies (Frankenstein, Hotel Transylvania, and Ghostbusters) and games (Disney Universe, mostly). She decides to skip out on the next topic (educational kids' games), but Bill, Addie and I have suggestions on quality educational games for any listeners out there with younger children.

A discussion between Bill and me on Borderlands 2 morphs into a comparison between the Borderlands series, Dead Island, and RAGE. In fact, we spend quite a bit of time talking about RAGE, even though neither of us played it recently.

We have two listener questions of the week, so if you have an opinion on either or both of these things, please please write in and let us know your thoughts (we're podcast@VideoGameGenerations.com). This week, we want to know what game blew your mind when you first played it, because it seemed so revolutionary and new; one that opened your mind to a kind of gaming experience you didn't even know was possible. We also want to hear about your favorite mini-games from a full-sized game: card games, board games, or other unique mini-games, such as the card games found in Ni no Kuni or RAGE.

This episode ends with sections of three MIDI arrangements from NES games featured this week: 8 Eyes, Friday the 13th and Gauntlet. This episode's title has a double meaning (Heath's advice for Pix the Cat, but also a tie-in for the latest episode of Doctor Who), and as a bonus, here are a few other titles I didn't pick:

Rubber Bandy Bracelet Things
A Shooter With Upgrades
Everyone Loves the Marshmallow Man
Scratch & Sniff Adventure Game
The Perfect Amount of Scary
The Legend of Scarlett's Booty

As mentioned in the podcast:

Wikipedia page for Friday the 13th (NES)
Wikipedia page for Gauntlet (NES)
Wikipedia page for Gauntlet II (NES)

Episode 16 is also available as an MP3 here.

10/15/2014 - "Episode 15: Whacking at the Heartless"

We're a day late, but here's Episode 15!

After a little off-topic TV talk, we read and respond to listener feedback, which includes a few fun answers to last week's questions for our listeners. I give some recommendations for horror-themed Wii on-rails shooters, and then it's a pre-recorded bit where I talk about what I've been playing: Time Lord (NES), Little Nemo: The Dream Master (NES), 8 Eyes (NES), and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PS4). Somewhere in there, Addie and I confuse each other as to the plot and characters in Kingdom Hearts.

After that, we introduce a new segment where Addie takes a game-related quiz. This one tests her judgment in figuring out which game in several pairs takes longer to beat. Then, we talk about video game nostalgia, and why kids don't really have an attachment to vintage games. Our Question of the Week for listeners has an upside and a downside: Which game genres do you prefer, and which do you avoid?

This week's outro music is a vgmusic.com MIDI arrangement of Chapter 1 from Little Nemo: The Dream Master.

As mentioned in the podcast:

NES MIDI music at VGMusic.com
Game length stats at HowLongToBeat.com
Wikipedia page for Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Wikipedia page for 8 Eyes

Episode 15 is also available as an MP3 here.

10/08/2014 - "Episode 14: The Answer Is No Answer"

In this episode, we list off this month's Playstation Plus free games, and then I launch into a rant about Amazon. We read listener feedback too, during which we discuss possible changes to our format in the effort to balance podcasting with Addie's school life. We still haven't made any solid decisions there.

Then we talk about the games we've been playing. Addie and Heath played more Minecraft (PS4) in split-screen co-op mode. They both played a little puzzle game called Blok Drop U (WiiU), which I got for free from @IndieGamerChick on Twitter. I introduced Addie to her very first NES game, Sky Kid, which we played for only a few minutes in two-player mode, and her very first Gameboy Advance game, Super Mario World (a re-release of the SNES classic), although we played on the Retron5 (her idea) and only for a couple levels. I give some opening thoughts on Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, which I haven't played much but have enjoyed so far. Then it's NES nostalgia with the Retron5. In the past week, I played through Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight and Fester's Quest, and I started playing Time Lord and Little Nemo: The Dream Master.

We have two questions of the week, so please feel free to email your answers and opinions so we can revisit these topics on future episodes. First, what do you think about using cheats and cheat codes in games? Second, what are your favorite non-traditional weapons used in a game? I talked a little about three games where you use the main character's own hair to fight enemies (Shantae, Bayonetta, Kabuki: Quantum Fighter), and Addie's answer was the shovel used by Shovel Knight.

Near the end, we decide to do a spur-of-the-moment lookup of the release date for Costume Quest 2 (looks like it's out now on Steam, and coming to PS4 on Halloween). There's a bit more in this episode, but you'll just have to listen. We hope you enjoy it!

As mentioned in the podcast:

Nintendo's page for Blok Drop U
Wikipedia page for Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight
Wikipedia page for Fester's Quest
Wikipedia page for Time Lord (NES)

Episode 14 is also available as an MP3 here.

10/01/2014 - "Episode 13: The Steven Mafat Conspiracy"

Last week was our longest episode yet, and this week is our shortest, due to a late start for recording. So it's a bit rushed, but -- hopefully -- we'll be more prepared for next week. In addition to a few side topics, the main talk is about NES games played on the Retron5 (Legacy of the Wizard, Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode, and The Mafat Conspiracy). I also spend a little while remembering the Castlevania series and explaining the premise to Addie, which inspired me to include some Castlevania music (MIDI versions) at the end of the episode, rather than my usual home-brewed stuff (which is nearly gone now unless I start repeating tunes from earlier episodes). I also talk a little bit about the role of the VGA (Video Game Authority?) in game collecting (hint: I'm not really a fan of that).

As mentioned in the podcast:

Website for the GamersVantage Podcast
Wikipedia page for Golgo 13 - The Mafat Conspiracy
Wikipedia page for Golgo 13 - Top Secret Episode

Episode 13 is also available as an MP3 here.

09/24/2014 - "Episode 12: Not Nearly Enough Addie"

It's a longer-than-usual episode when my friend Bill sits in to talk about games (with an emphasis on PC gaming). Games discussed include Rogue Legacy, the Fallout series, Nintendoland, Payday 2, Spelunky, and FTL (Faster Than Light). Other topics include Darkadia (a website to help manage and share your game inventory), the Oculus Rift, bad game endings, and the RetroN5. Future episodes may dig a little deeper into the back catalog of NES, SNES, Genesis, and GameBoy games, now that I have a great way to play them again.

Addie is suspiciously quiet for much of this episode; the unfortunate side effect of Bill and I talking about games she has no interest in. Hopefully she'll be more talkative and interested next week. As for last week's listener topic, no replies meant no additional discussion, and we were so wrapped up in general game chat that we didn't have a new Question of the Week for Episode 12.

As mentioned in the podcast:

Inventory your games online at Darkadia.com
Free game give-aways on Twitter from @IndieGamerChick
Historical romance novelist Theresa Romain (available here on amazon.com)
HDMI console for GameBoy/GBA, SNES, NES, Genesis, Famicom, the RetroN5

Episode 12 is also available as an MP3 here.

09/17/2014 - "Episode 11: There Is No Spork"

Our off-topic intro segment delves into the latest episode of Doctor Who, "Listen", which we discuss a little more than usual this week (but as un-spoilery as we can). News is brief as usual, centering mostly on Microsoft's purchase of Minecraft developer Mojang. I read off a 30-day Playstation Plus code which can be redeemed by a Playstation owner (Vita, PS3, or PS4) who isn't already a Plus subscriber, and then we get into this week's email. Several listeners offer great answers to some of our recent Questions of the Week.

Games discussed this week include Fallout 3's expansion Operation: Anchorage, an XBOX Live Indie Game (XBLIG) called 2D World Creator, Rogue Legacy on PS4 and Vita, and of course, Destiny. Addie played some of an iPhone game called Watercolors (from Adonis Software), which looks to be a unique and colorful puzzler.

In general gaming topics, I talk about my top three original NES sports games, and then I launch into a lengthy explanation of what "interactive fiction" is (because I hope to play and talk about the 2014 IFComp entries next month). Our Question of the Week invites listeners to explain why Twitch game streaming and YouTube gameplay videos have become a thing. I don't quite get it.

As mentioned in the podcast:

Wikipedia page for Super Spike V'Ball
Wikipedia page for Tecmo Bowl
Wikipedia page for Blades of Steel

Hallowmoor is playable in your browser
Tales of the Traveling Swordsman can be downloaded
Let's All Ruin Dad's Morning* is a .NET executable
A Trick-or-Treat Adventure is playable in your browser
Lunatix: The Insanity Circle is a DOS game found here

* Note that the firewall in Windows 8 seems to think Let's All Ruin Dad's Morning is unsafe. It isn't, but to run it, you might need to override or ignore that warning. I attempted to submit a "false positive" report to Microsoft, but only received errors.

If you're at all interested in interactive fiction, get ready for a wealth of free games due out at the beginning of October in the annual interactive fiction competition (IFCOMP). Vote, or just play for fun.

Interactive Fiction Competition is here
Interactive Fiction Forum is here
Interactive Fiction Database is here

Episode 11 is also available as an MP3 here.

09/10/2014 - "Episode 10: Daddy Dinosaur"

Classic NES games are up for discussion again, as serveral listeners answer last week's question of the week. Then, we have much to talk about regarding the games we've played since last time, which include Sports Friends (PS4), Minecraft (PS4), Metrico (Vita), Final Fantasy X (PS3) and a little more Broken Sword 5 (Vita). I give my closing thoughts after finishing Phantom Dust (XBOX) and Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS). We wrap up the segment with me again expressing how much I enjoy Fallout 3 (XBOX 360), which I've returned to for its many expansions.

Under-appreciated, underrated games have been on my mind, so I give a short list of a few really great games that many others either dislike or don't feel strongly about one way or the other. Our first question of the week is what games do you love, yet seemingly everybody else hates? If you don't have any, we have a second question. How wrapped up are you in getting achievements or trophies in games? Not at all? A little? Take it or leave it? Totally obsessed?

Our brief discussion about Minecraft was before we saw the Minecraft-Microsoft rumor, so bear that in mind. Also, the Ducktales theme song has a video featuring ducks, not sung by ducks, which makes much more sense.

As mentioned in the podcast:

DuckTales featuring real ducks
Phantom Dust sequel Rev3 Interview
Teens React to Nintendo (NES) on YouTube

Fake Geek Girls Podcast Website
Fake Geek Girls on iTunes
Fake Geek Girls on Facebook

Episode 10 is also available as an MP3 here.

09/03/2014 - "Episode 9: Favorite NES Fantasy Games"

Episode 9 is a bit on the shorter side this week, at just forty minutes long. Addie had her 9th birthday since the last episode, so we talk some about her mystery-themed party. After a bit more off-topic talk, we do "time travel" -- the segment where we revist topics from a prior episode or correct the mistakes we made -- and with so much forgetfulness last week, there's a fair bit to talk about. For news, we keep it short and simple as usual; we talk about the "New 3DS" announced by Nintendo.

Then we go through the list of free games (with PlayStation Plus or Xbox Gold) available for September, and we read more listener email (a big thank-you to everybody who wrote in). One listener puts me to shame with her level of support for various Kickstarter projects, in an answer to last week's Question of the Week.

Addie talks briefly about the games she's playing on PC, although it was a busy week for her with birthday activities and school taking up most of her time. My focus is on Phantom Dust (XBOX) and the new Profession Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS). I give a few recommendations for fantasy action/adventure games I enjoyed many years ago on the NES, and pose a new Question of the Week -- what are your favorite NES games (of any type or genre) or NES game recommendations?

We have no 15 Minutes of Game segment this week. It wasn't possible to coordinate a time to record it this week. Also, I'm trying to get Addie interested in maybe doing that part as a video -- at least to get video of the TV screen while we play. This segment may or may not be back next week, but I'm worried that an audio-only "Let's Play" isn't really all that interesting.

As mentioned in the podcast:

iTunes page for The Young Gamers Podcast

Kickstarter page for Adventures of Pip
Kickstarter page for Boss Monster

Wikipedia page for Rygar
Wikipedia page for Faxanadu
Wikipedia page for The Battle of Olympus
Wikipedia page for Ironsword - Wizards & Warriors II
Wikipedia page for Legacy of the Wizard

Episode 9 is also available as an MP3 here.

08/27/2014 - "Episode 8: Actual, Like, Party Party Party"

We start, as always, with a "Get to Know the Hosts" off-topic segment, this time focusing on the top three "fun" things we did this summer. We read more listener email, which includes two answers to last week's question of the week, and a new question that brings back memories of old, now-vintage home computers.

In the "What We Played" segment, Addie gives her final thoughts on Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes, and her opening thoughts on Double Fine's Broken Age. All of us played a little Castle Crashers this week, so we talk some about what kind of game it is, and whether or not it's actually appropriate for kids. I wrap up my thoughts on Murdered: Soul Suspect (spoiler: I liked it quite a bit, despite a negative opinion from reviewers in general). I tried an old XBOX 360 hovercar racing game called Fatal Inertia, and I talk a little more about Kid Icarus: Uprising and Broken Sword 5. I recently started playing Phantom Dust (from the original XBOX), so I give my opening thoughts on that, and to wrap up the segment, I talk about the "playable teaser" for Silent Hills -- a free PS4 download called P.T. It's incredibly scary but well worth a play (for adults only).

For our 15 Minutes of Game, we played the XBOX 360 multiplayer party game Hail to the Chimp, and that audio is a separate bonus MP3. In this episode's latter segments, I talk about handheld gaming, the evolution of game design (and how easy we have it these days), and a lengthy discussion about Kickstarter (which is our topic of the week -- email us your thoughts about Kickstarter to include in our next episode).

As mentioned in the podcast:

The comic book Lumberjanes
15 Minutes of Hail to the Chimp (XBOX 360): ep8_15mins.mp3

Not long after recording this episode, Red Thread Games sent out an announcement that their Dreamfall Chapters music competition was cancelled. That's a shame. It would have been fun.

Episode 8 is also available as an MP3 here.

08/20/2014 - "Episode 7: It's the Flashback Dance"

This week we read more listener email and talk about ways to help make sure kids play (and watch) age-appropriate games. Addie hasn't had time to play much since the last episode, but she talks a little about Portal, Portal 2, and Shadow of the Colossus (which are games she played some previously). I give my final thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) after finishing it recently, and my opening thoughts on Murdered: Soul Suspect (PS4) -- which I've already almost finished. Then Hadleigh fills us in on Tomodachi Life (3DS) as only a 6-year-old can.

We also talk a little about IGN's reading of a 1982 book titled simply "Video Games." Then, with "Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney" mere days away from release, I talk briefly about the history of both of these puzzle/adventure games (DS and 3DS) leading up to this brand new mash-up. We also pose a new question of the week: if you're starting out with just one of the new-gen consoles, which one, and what influenced your decision?

We don't have a "15 Minutes of Game" segment this week, but we hope to bring it back again in episode 8, next week. Anyway, we hope you enjoy this week's episode!

As mentioned in the podcast:

Video Games: The Audio Book at IGN
The Flashback Dance: .MOV video

Episode 7 is also available as an MP3 here.

08/13/2014 - "Episode 6: Strider Makes Me Want Metroid"

This week, Addie talks more about Octodad (PS4) after recently beating it. I give a few more thoughts on Strider (PS4 version) since I beat that too. Other games discussed include Skyward Sword (yes, again -- I'm still playing it), Dance Dance Revolution Universe, Final Fantasy X HD Remake, The Secret of Monkey Island, and Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Our game of the week, Hohokum (PS4 version) gets the 15-minute treatment, and you can find that extra segment as a separate MP3 at our site or in the podcast feed this week. We talk about a few other off-topic things that interest us (the ads I used to find in old comic books, the Doctor Who role-playing game, and a movie Addie recently watched for the first time). More listener email, a new question of the week about game-breaking bugs, and our Riddle of the Week are returning segments to round out the episode.

Note: Next week, episode 7 will probably be a day late, posting later on Thursday rather than Wednesday, because Addie won't be available to record it with me until Wednesday night.

As mentioned in the podcast:
15 Minutes of Hohokum (PS4): ep6_15mins.mp3

Episode 6 is also available as an MP3 here.

08/06/2014 - "Episode 5: Guardians of the Videogames"

Some highlights of this episode include more Zelda: Skyward Sword talk, the character/leveling system in Final Fantasy X, recommendations for good RPG's of the past couple of years (Xenoblade Chronicles, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Persona 4 Golden), videogame music compilations from the London Philharmonic, my opinion on the pricing of Playstation games in the Playstation Now beta, games we're looking forward to this fall (for Addie, that's LittleBigPlanet 3, but for me, there are too many must-play titles just around the corner). I talk for a while about the free games available this month with "premium" subscription services (XBox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus), including Dishonored, Road Not Taken and Fez. For three other topics in particular, we invite responses from our listeners, including your thoughts on the recent documentary "Video Games: The Movie." Early in the show, we read more listener email, and Addie presents another Riddle of the Week. Our 15 Minutes of Game segment returns, but this time we have a separate MP3 which records our moment-by-moment commentary as we play the PS3 game Folklore.

As mentioned in the podcast:

Overclocked Remix: www.ocremix.org
15 Minutes of Folklore (PS3): ep5_15mins.mp3

Episode 5 is also available as an MP3 here.

07/30/2014 - "Episode 4: Email Galore (and Games)"

In this week's episode, Addie talks about Tearaway and Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and I give my thoughts so far on Kid Icarus: Uprising and the Strider remake. Our game of the week is the new iOS adventure Revolution 60 (from developer Giant Spacekat/Brianna Wu). In our first-ever "15 Minutes of Game" segment, we give our thoughts on the first fifteen minutes of PS4's Towerfall: Ascension. I talk about a few of my favorite Xbox Live Indie games (XBLIG), including the Decay series, the two Platformance games, DLC Quest, and Magicians & Looters. Addie's younger siblings (twins) talk briefly about the games they've been playing (hint: one of them is Minecraft). But before all of this, we read an abundance of great feedback and encouragement we've received from our listeners in email. This makes for a longer-than-usual episode, and we hope you enjoy it!

Episode 4 is also available as an MP3 here.

07/23/2014 - "Episode 3: Adventures and More"

Today, we talk about Disney Infinity, LittleBigPlanet, Little Inferno, the Destiny beta, Papo & Yo, and Persona 4 Golden. But that's not all. As usual, we talk briefly about a variety of other games and marginally on-topic subjects like books about virtual reality (Ready Player One and Rainbow's End), and two interactive fiction competitions. We're joined later by Tracy for a short discussion on PC adventure games Kaptain Brawe and Edna & Harvey: Harvey's New Eyes. Four Destiny beta codes are given out (two for XBox 360 and two for PlayStation 4 -- if you're not in the beta yet, grab one of these before July 27th), and we talk a little about what it means to "spoil" videogames.

As mentioned in the podcast:

The Interactive Fiction IntroComp: IntroComp Site
The Interactive Fiction Competition: www.ifcomp.org

Episode 3 is also available as an MP3 here.

07/15/2014 - "Episode 2: Double Fine Stacking Quest Legend"

In our second episode, now on our usual day, we discuss the upcoming season of Doctor Who, the ESRB, and things we got wrong last time. Then we get on-topic with talk about various Double Fine games, Portal, Quantum Conundrum, Puppeteer, and others. Music in videogames is the topic of the week. And for some lucky listener, I read off a Destiny beta code just waiting to be claimed. Enjoy!

Episode 2 is also available as an MP3 here... and now on iTunes!

07/12/2014 - "Episode 1: Okay, Let's Try This!"

Our very first episode is now available for download. We recorded for about an hour yesterday, but after cropping out dozens of long silences, stammers of "uhm" (mostly from me -- I didn't realize how much I do that), and a four-minute segment where we talked about the media's perception of cause-and-affect dealing with violence in videogames (because it was just too heavy a topic to start out with), we're down to an episode that's roughly 50 minutes. In the future, we'll record a little longer, because we're aiming for episodes that are an hour to an hour and a half in length.

In this episode, we introduce the show and ourselves. Then we talk about a few games we've played or are playing, as well as why we're gamers and how we got started. We ramble, and the topic jumps wildly from game to game, but we'll do better as we get more experienced. We'll have specific segments, and we'll focus on better discussions of specific games. Our interests range from older classics to new releases for consoles, mobile, and maybe even PC.

In this episode, you'll hear about games suitable for older players (like Watch_Dogs, Red Dead Redemption, and Wolfenstien: The New Order) and for players of any age (like Retro/Grade, Puppeteer, What's The Phrase, Shovel Knight, and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two). So please join us on this podcasting adventure!

Episode 1 is available as an MP3 here. With luck, we'll get it up as an iTunes podcast soon too.