Altered Beasts (Game Review)

Hello word nerds Welcome to the ad for my podcast called the dictionary My name is Spencer Parks. I host this podcast. I read the dictionary the words the definitions

etymologies even more I talk about it. I try to explain things I also sometimes try to put in some silly jokes or silly sing-songy things You know it's just a fun way to read the dictionary sometimes I have guests on and I hope that you will turn on this podcast check it out start from the beginning and You know enjoy this what I like to call Edutainment check it out in all the places that you can find podcasts We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you Yeah, what?

We We are not introducing it like that what yeah, I mean that's fair It's really not the time for breaking news, but this is a different episode Mm-hmm we're playing with the format. I like to play with format But this time it's because we're actually listening to the people from the talk from oh Why the social needs what do you mean why?

So we were reading the comments Mm-hmm, that's not good Listen our listeners are lovely you made a comment in the sonic episode So when the Genesis first released it was bundled with the Forgotten came altered beast Excuse me You sure did and I stand by it Doubling down But now we're gonna make a whole episode about the word forgotten because apparently

This is not a forgotten game. Okay. It was a made game. It was made I guess we can welcome to how did this get made it did get made it did get made all about the stories that were made Yep, I'm like see Riley and I'm Daniel Corka Okay, so the internet quickly to hold us that altered beast is not forgotten at all Mm-hmm pretty beloved yeah, which is brand new information to me, but you're the video game expert of the two of us so

Still a very low low bar. Mm-hmm. I don't know that either of us are gamers can someone sub in for me? No, okay, so I thought that we would course correct our whole forgotten comment and we can do a mini episode all about Altered beast little history little gameplay For those of you that were in the same campus us altered beast is a Sega game, which is why it was in our sonic episode Yes came out in

88 as an arcade game. Mm-hmm. I did so well that it came out with the launch of the Sega Genesis at home Well, do you know why it got paired up with there because it did well well It was one of the many arcade games that were there the thing is like it did it did all right It did well here not so hot in Japan, but it did well here Yeah, part of the reason why they chose this game over many different games because the gameplay for it not too great but listen

It's a very specific type of game. I learned so much. Yeah, but the reason why they chose to bring this game as The first game to be bundled with the Sega Genesis is because it showed off the 16-bit graphics That part I did not understand so I did not

But it's a beat-em-up game. I didn't know that was a type of game Yeah, do you know what beat-em-up means like a side-scrower situation like we have with altered beast You're just kind of going through the levels and you're just kind of like just mowing down just opponents

Did you ever play the Simpsons game in the arcade? No, I did not okay. That's a beat-em-up game And I don't know that I've ever outside of going to a Dave and Buster's for somebody's birthday have stepped into an arcade Well, I mean

Moving right past it's a beat-em-up game. It's a very straightforward premise of just like you just but it's only hand-to-hand combat or simple like melee weapons That's what it's a brawler kind of yeah the teenage mutant in Detertles game they did that's a beat-em-up game Do you know there was a die hard?

Yeah, I used to play that in the arcade because I played hockey as a kid. Oh Every ice rink has an arcade in it because you got to keep the kids busy Yeah, and oftentimes they did have the die hard beat-em-up game where like you get to that part where it's like you either have to choose This button or this button and depending on which button you choose you either take out the opponent right away or you don't take out that opponent And then you have to fight them now did it

Emulate the movie at all not even a little bit. Oh, that's so sad. I was so excited They only share the name it was called die harder cade and it was the first texture mapped 3d polygon graphics game

I did not know it was the first one. Yeah, I remember playing that a lot and a lot of us were like Emerizing which button you would have to hit in order to like take out the guy just like kick him over the railing And just like you just kind of move on so that you wouldn't have to fight them I really don't know how you weren't a bigger arcade kid because or like video game kid because apparently there was a Batman

Or turns which I know is also up your alley and then a Scott pilgrim. Yep. There's a Scott pilgrim beat him up

That was made like around the time that the movie was coming out. They just kind of like Cashed in on that attention 2010 to me seems like a very late time to be making arcade games But I know the DVD had come out and there was like a huge ad campaign with that to be like if you like the movie You're gonna love the video game because the movie plays like a video game Oh, cuz you can play at home now never mind

I was thinking of like going to a physical arcade and I was like do the kids still go to the arcades these days I mean we go to the arcade, but now they cater to us and make barcades Yeah, it's cuz there's the dope averages there. Yeah, okay, do you know the first brawler game?

I do know it's Kung Fu master It was known as Spartan X in Japan, but it's like the foundation for all of the brawling games Yeah, you get to play as a Kung Fu master and fight your way through five levels of the devil's temple to rescue your girlfriend From crime boss mr. X. I love it with these games like It's always so simple whenever you want to showcase just like the fighting the graphics like

Something needs to be sacrificed in in most cases. That's gotta be the story So it's like that's what I like about all sort beast though and we'll get to the story of it later It's a dense story compared to what everything else is. Yeah, you know, it's not a brawler game, but I thought it was Sonic no mortal combat not a brawler game. Oh, yeah, we're splitting hairs here because I was like

Oh Mario would be a brawler game right? No, it's a platform game We just switched so many tight it like I learned so much about the inner workings of genre of video game Mm-hmm. Yeah, because you're not fighting NPCs in brawlers like you were fighting in NPC Whereas he's providing an onslaught of them like a wave of enemies as opposed to mortal combat It's just one-on-one. Yeah, supposedly

Ultra Beast was designed by Makato Ishida and this was the very first game he designed. He did. Do you know how he got it?

How he got the game? No, I know where he pulls a lot from but So when he was young he saw his first video game in an arcade and was just like enamored by them just like fascinated and He would write his bike like an hour and a half to go to an arcade if he had money He would try and play these games But most of the time he didn't so he'd just like watch people play these games and just like just fell in love Like he wanted anything to do with video games eventually he did get some money and

A lot of his time was spent to play video games in the very first game that he played like two perfection Was Pac-Man. Oh Yeah, like he prepared his body Before going in because he knew that he'd be sitting there for like an hour and a half to make sure that he was like ready to go and he would play it without any mistakes and he just like kept going over and over and over again To the point where he went to Sega and just asked to be hired by them and they're like well

Do you have any programming experience? Like no, but I can better got the love of the game But I can play games and they hired him on as a

Playtester. That's cool That's a fun job. Yeah, so he was a playtester for a little while and then it came to the point where he was wanting to Make his own game and he pitched it to there where he's like what if instead of when you're fighting instead of getting weaker as you go along It's stronger and then they're like that sounds a great idea We have no teams available to make this move They make this game for you So he just kept festering on it and just kept thinking about it

That's why there's so much inspiration for it. So the cool thing that I found because I Watched a playthrough and was like this seems like a really fun game with a really cool story Mm-hmm And he pulled a lot of inspiration from a lot of different places pulled it from the Howling Joe Dante's Howling the 1981 yeah Joe Dante and then from thriller Michael Jackson's thriller Mm-hmm where he turns into a bug-eyed monster so what screams

1980s horror more than ancient Greece altered beast set an ancient Greece Like you said he wanted the characters to get stronger and when he thought about that He was like what's stronger than ancient Greece? What's sure sure sure? But I find that really fascinating because send Churians Hail from ancient Rome

I mean the internet wasn't around at that time right totally fair again. I'm not mad at any of the story He also pulled a lot of inspiration from Ray Harryhausen who was a British animator and stop motion creator Yeah, Jason and the Argonauts Yeah 1963 Jason the Argonauts 1958 7th voyage of Sinbad 1981 clash of Titans Mm-hmm well that was kind of a team inspiration so Originally with like the main character turning into a

Whatever beast it was the team who was inspired by the Ray Harryhausen movies So like they were the ones who like really put in the Ancient Rome part of it were Utita he put an emphasis on just making sure that these men could transform into a beast and making sure that that was correct He wanted it to be really flashy though and fun and very eye catching Also pulling in those horror themes sounds like he wanted a sense of like a jump scare to it He didn't love the original concept

So then he wound up working with a sketch artist and the lead game designer quid and it's like what it yeah I mean Which is going to happen But it worked out for the best I mean he quip because he was on it for like a full month of just doing it and for UGW to be like no And be like well you can figure it out yourself then But listen he had an idea in mind and hiring a sketch artist and getting it to work that way It's a very loved game now so I guess all the right decisions were made

Do you know what the term is for a man transforming into a beast Anamorph it's a Therian trope I thought it was anamorph like the book I read as a child sure Where the teenager goes into a cheetah I can't repeat what words you just said Sir No Therian Thrope Therian Thrope Therian D H E R I A M T H R O P E Therian Thrope Therian Thrope Therop Therop Therop Okay so in the game you can punch, kick and jump But they had more plans for a pressure sensitive button

They fell through I don't what is that I need what does that mean So what they were trying to do is Depending on how hard you push the button was how powerful your punch or kick was Oh that is cool And they just couldn't figure out that technology Because deadlines Part of it was deadlines part of it was just the technology wasn't there In an order for you so they would have to like redesign a like arcade game itself Right where for most of these arcade games it's just

The hardware is all there and they just need to like slot in the game Right And then just go design the shelf I'm sure someone made that button after the fact though They have it now the trigger buttons that we have on video games Like sometimes those have a pressure sensitive That's why I'm such a terrible I don't know I'm just I'm a button smasher I am I'll admit it I don't understand mechanics But because that button never got made at least in time for the game

Each hit was like I think that's why players got bored Yeah But like he overall really liked how the game came out And people really liked the initial play Yeah did you get the quote he said when you like watched So he said I was so thrilled when I saw not only the players But the people around the players uniformly surprised At the video arcade Hmm that's nice So the plot is my favorite part And you get to rise from your grave Rise from your grave Kazooz resurrects you as a romance Wait Kazooz

Zooz Zooz Kazooz Kazooz Oh I see what you said there Because Zeus Uh-huh But Kazooz Kazooz Zeus God of Greek mythology John Goodman Yes I was gonna say what's his name from Ted Lasso Brett Goldstein Isn't he Zeus? Oh no he's not He's Hercules He's Hercules Zeus is gladiator He's in laymiz I yeah there you go And I'm Chopper Anyway Zeus resurrects you the player as a roman centurion To save his daughter Athena Who has been captured by the ruler of the underworld?

Neff Hmm Athena is a damsel She is in big time distress So you have to play through five levels And you'll come face to face with undead creatures Lusely based on Greek mythology I love it Yeah I actually am super here for this game Yeah We're watching her right now Yeah Really excited to play Okay so level one You play in a graveyard as a werewolf Makes total sense Yard *laughs* Level two you play in a cave as a dragon Still sort of makes sense Level three You're in an underground cavern

Which is not just a cave But with skulls As a werebear Yeah Yeah And then four were in the netherworld I guess we're going deeper underground This is Dante's inferno We just couldn't even Oh shit it is All of the levels There's only so much memory you can put on those games I was surprised that it was only five levels Okay so now we're in the netherworld fortress As a were tiger *laughs* And then level five Here in the netherworld Sanctum As a goldware wolf I love it Yeah

In the original arcade game In the credits Did you see this?

There was like this revelation That the whole game is actually just a film production It's just a play And they like have beers and have fun How of all of the video game movies Like films that we've gotten How has no one made an altered beast film Because like I really like the breaking of it And being like that So I'll just to set We are in a werewolf renaissance right now That's also what I'm saying Yeah Robert Adgers Scrap All of your ideas No no, not for our tutu We are wolf

Or however he spelled it How did he spell it?

Oh I don't know No werewolf W-E-R W-E-L Wherewolf Werewolf Oh is this is next Well we are in like a werewolf renaissance Yes we are This is brand new Breaking information to me Robert Adgers is basically doing his own monster universe I'm not mad You have so much already designed for you So many more creatures Like why limit ourselves to just the wolf We're tiger amazing We've only seen a were tiger in Tekken 3 Like Why not just keep going with it My brain is exploding

Because you know they recreated Ultra Beast in 2005 I do for the PlayStation 2 We throw out ancient grease We lose Athena and the Centurion Well do you know how that came to be?

No So it was Makado Uchida He rose in the ranks when he worked at Sega Yeah I mean I can see why He went from game tester developer And he just like kept going He started in Japan And in 95 Switched over to Sega for America And then he helped found the Chinese branch So there is Sega of China That he is now the CEO of And when the first games that he put out Was a new Ultra Beast for the PlayStation 2 But going back to his word Is Sega made the PlayStation 2?

Sega did not make the PlayStation 2 Sega They are now just a software Or just like a game development company Good for him I'm just thinking about that kid That couldn't afford to play Now being like a CEO And being like you know my game Bringing it back Yes Okay but I wanted them to bring it back I like the storyline of the original Especially because when you think about Pac-Man And arcade games I think of very basic Not in depth storyline And Ultra Beast sort of does have one

But we lose it all We lose the ancient craze we lose Athena We lose the Centurion But we keep the idea of Anamorphs Yeah because like I said The Ray Harryhausen influence was really the team And ironically it was the same team Who came back to help make the game To make the 2005 version His soul focus was character grow stronger Character turns into a beast Like that was his the main thing that he wanted Yeah but now we have to modernize it With Luke Custer Who was in a helicopter crash

Has no memory Oh yeah Yeah And can turn into a werewolf at first The reason he can turn into a werewolf Is that he's a genome cyborg Yeah You know With an artificially altered microchip That's the chip that turns him into a werewolf This seems scientifically plausible No notes As you play through the game You collect more microchips You just kind of eat them and just Do you know what like we lost were bears And you know what we got instead A m-man And then a Geruda

Which I'm sure I'm saying incorrectly Which is a Hindu deity It's like an eagle-like sunbird A when to go A Minotaur And a dragon We lost all our were creatures So that game The 2005 version Video gamer said The name will probably attract a number of fans Of the original game They may get the most out of what is an average title For those who do not base their purchase on nostalgia Look elsewhere Yeah Cause there's no were bears Yeah Well here's another reason why Where bears

Why this became a forgettable game The 2005 or the Just in general Okay Ultra Beast had originally come out And it was bundled with sygidinsus And it was only bundled with it for like the first two years Do you know why it got replaced by Sonic?

I do not Let's hear Cause it wasn't family friendly They were worried about the like undead And the magic elements not doing well here Specifically the Bible will Like we did Yeah And No magic for you just a talking hedgehog Yeah And also on top of that The way that sygidinacis was initially marketed Was to be like We are like the true video games So there was one of like You must have these to play the syga And it's like these two steel balls Like in In their advertising

So like they really like machoed it up That makes sense for that to happen And when they see that Nintendo is just outselling them And they just have like a little plumber guy who's just like so happy It's much more family fun And it's like we got it we got it We got it Family Remedy Yeah For the children So it got like switched out And there's like kind of this this heartbreaking Cloth that I got from Uchida where he said When I heard that Altered Beast would be bundled

With all these sygidinacis packages in North America I had no idea what to expect It was only bundled in North America I was working in Japan And I heard it was there I said That's terrific I can't wait to see it But we never saw the bundle in Japan I had to go to the US about three years later And I heard about it So I said This time I'll definitely go to a store But I couldn't find it anywhere There was nothing but Sonic the Hedgehog Bundle available So I was never able to see it

It's my only regret about the game It's really sad Yeah Because the 2005 game also never made it here Nope It was only available in the UK and Japan Yeah That's another reason why it was forgettable for us us being in the States We had no idea that this game came out Mm-hmm If you went to an arcade It was still in arcades Which is how it sort of kept its relevance Yeah Now they tried to And a lot of the reason why a lot of these games Do have relevance where I people remember them

Is because there are sequels that come out Sometimes they're sort of packaging They tried their best To like Spread This game on many different platforms There was a lot of different platforms that it went on to So they also made it for the Mega Drive Hey there listeners Editor Dan here I meant to say Master System Not Mega Drive I realized Mega Drive was the UK version of the Sega Genesis Master System is what I meant to say I'm so sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry Stop yelling at your pod catcher

The Mega Drive was the console that was before the Sega Genesis And the Mega Drive was an 8-bit system Got it Genesis is a 16-bit So they had to extremely downgrade it Yeah and with all of the settings and the character Like a lot happens in Altered Beast I feel like sort of making that downgrade a little Doesn't play as well It did not And the gameplay was also slower Just because it was just so much going on That breaks my brain Because I'm like you would think that 8-bit Would be faster

But I guess You are trying to put the graphics to its maximum Yeah So much for it that's taking there They did make it for the PC There was a PC CD-ROM game That also came with like an added animation Oh Yeah it was kind of a weird animation that had like this white face That kind of looked like the drama face That is the playthrough version that I saw Yep So that's probably why Because it was probably easiest to Yeah To record that There was the version that they made for the Famicom

Excuse me? What is that? The Family Computer So this is before the NES You're saying a lot of words that are going right over my head So there was the Nintendo Entertainment System the NES Ah now I'm on board Before it was known as the NES It was known as the Famicom And it was only available in Japan Got it Yeah So the Well I think they No I think I'm wrong about that I think they brought it over to the US It wasn't doing well They renamed it And then it did well after that But yeah

They made it available for the Famicom But that was also like a downgrade from like the system bit to an 8 bit There was another version for the Amstad Which is another type of PC What? Is this pre us growing up or was this all happening while we were growing up?

I mean I guess we were growing up but we were like 80-bitty Right Just a few other areas that it was available It was available for the Atari The Commodore 64 The ZX Spectrum And the MSX Which I don't expect you to know any of it I know Atari I actually think I've heard of Commodore 64 too But the other two Yeah So they made it all available for that And then you've probably I don't know if you've ever had a Tiger game before It's a handheld game

But they can only program it to only play one game And they made an Ultra-Beast Tiger game version of that What? Tiger games remind me of hit clips Oh I did have a Tiger game Yeah see Yeah I bet you can guess which one I am Was it a Disney Princess?

It was Was it for the little more made- It was Oh I forgot about these Guess what you're getting for Christmas So they really tried to make this game like widely available On like different platforms Just like get people to know about it And there are some hardcore fans That are out there that really love this game In fact there is a musician out there His name is Matthew Sweet Okay Much bigger in the UK He's the Robbie Williams Oscar Smith I don't know Matthew Sweet he loved this game

So much that he had the arcade He pulled the Chandler Machine Yeah In his house Like he owned one of those arcade machines And he named one of his albums After the game Like he named his album Altered Beast What? Yeah Although I think the album cover is like a dinosaur So I mean Altered what's his name?

Matthew Sweet Oh it is It's two dinosaur Interesting Before the 2005 version There was a kind of an unofficial sequel Two Altered Beasts That was called Altered Beasts Gardening of the Realms Great title Much better than Altered Beasts This was made for the Game Boy Advance Is that the hand-pulled thing?

Yes I was not allowed to play video games This was not my choice I sound like I lived in the woods growing up You were an Amish girl Just churning butter Michigan's closer to us This came about because the company THQ they obtained the rights to Altered Beasts It's so many names And they tasked the development company 3d6 games to make the game And this is without Macato? Yeah this is without Uchitas Input?

Yeah with those input he wasn't really part of it So a lot of it the development for this game was Just trying to mimic what the game used to be And just kind of like expanding on that So they made levels for it They introduced different beasts to it But like it was very similar Although the gameplay was just kind of Lacking It still like blows my mind that it's only five levels In my head pack man is like a hundred I mean that's a lot easier to make

Because you're basically a similar course the whole time This is a very dense story To keep making more and more levels of Five seemed so small to me There is something that is there That I've really believe that you can make something great out of Oh a hundred percent I am on board for the movie The new reboot of the game Josh Holloway He's a centrient The final thing that I just want to say about this is like I want to play It is not the best game that is out there

But it does have its place in video game history Turning butter girl things It sounds pretty great And for many of the early adopters of the Sega Genesis This game has a lot in nostalgia The images of a man turning into a different beast That's pretty hard to forget There's also just the sayings Like I know that there's like the rise from your grave But there's something else Welcome to your doom But this is all to say that We needed altered beast to learn how to walk

So that Sonic the Hedgehog could run I'm gonna make a lot of people angry I am more invested in altered beast than I am in Sonic But the lore of Sonic The lore I don't get me wrong I love the whole fighter jets and the jacket I love the lore of Sonic I think they're doing a great job with the films I'm even down to watch Jim Carrey dance But there is something about altered beast That I am now like you are the underdog And I am rooting for your re-comubments All because you said forgotten

And we posted it on the internet I'm really glad that this happened Yeah Like this was a part of the zeitgeist that I just never knew And now I wanna play We're gonna play But first ads Sega Sega So I hit enter Now your playing I command you to rise from your grave Yep, and that's where that sound cue comes in Which for some reason we are not able to hear but Oh it's actually probably going through the monitor There you go Just kicked the zombies in the walls Huh? Oh Oh, oh no did I die?

Nope, nope You just got knocked down a peg Okay This is how I'm like Bacha Bacha Now there is that pre-head of duck that is behind you That you'll eventually have to take care of Really? Yeah It's gonna come back and like nippy in the heels Okay Oh Where's the kick? Bunch Bunch What's A-new?

A is punch A is E Okay Should be Buttons matchbox A Come here, come here, come here, come here Come here Yeah Oh You wanna get that power up Come here, come here Yeah Wee Oh, I got too confident Uh oh Oh, no Kicking is fun Oh god There's so many creatures Okay, you want to avoid the sparky sparks I, oh okay And there you go, you were getting stronger But your head stays the same size You got a juggle, a juggle Get it Oh, you're transforming into a Oh, that's sick Oh, come here You're rink

I would never have thought that I had to work behind Man, unless you told me to do it But you're still there Oh, I know Am I still, I get to stay as a werewolf You tell the end of a level, yeah Because you have to click three, right? Or are you just like Now you want to avoid the, uh, the Palpatine Lightning How do you There Oh, okay, now go Oh, yes, excuse me Now it's gonna keep throwing his head at you Oh, just like, just keep attacking Oh Oh Oh my god, how do you attack him?

He's like, oh, I died He's a little further What are you doing? You three All right, you're done Okay Is that still only level one? Oh dear god All right, because I'm only a werewolf I had to be a Couldn't even get to a werebear Hmm But Rise from your grave Do you? Is my head just... I'll get these guys Kick it again (Laughs) Yeah, yeah, oh, wow

I can give you a hug, can I? Yeah That's my favorite one, the guy who's hitting his head I kick you I kick you, sir Oh no, there Oh, he's a power up Give me, give me Yeah, oh my god, the head really does stay the same Okay, I gotta I'm gonna punch this guy, punch, punch, punch, punch Down, down, punch, punch For 19 or 18 That's a little dull, yeah What, you can throw something?

The punch is, you throw like a ball Oh (Laughs) I guess, I'm not sure how I did that I'm also learning how to play this game Did you ever play this game? No, I did not I did not No, I got the Sega bundle Sorry, the Sonic bundle How different your life would have been You got the altered beast bundle instead Yeah, then I would be in the comments to me Like, how dare you (Laughs) I feel feel pretty vindicated Yeah, that guy's hard So we can- Is that the big boss at the end of that level?

Oh, just that level So we can agree that this was pretty hard to play It's very hard to play, but I am really into it There was a playthrough I'm sure that if I spent more time with it and actually try to like figure out the actual controls I could do much better at it But for the sake of time I want to find a playthrough and we just kind of like, scrub through that I also rescind every comment I said about five levels not being a loss (Laughs) Because I really thought that the levels

were going to be shorter and easier So good on you for doing five because one felt challenging and I'm sure back in the day in an arcade it might have been different Because would you have a joystick or would you still have just buttons to move forward and back You would have a joystick and we would have had the controls on our right hand Oh, that's also what Yeah, so because this was online so like it was swapped for us and even with the Siga controller it was set up in the same way

where the D-pad was on the left side and then the ABC buttons were on the right side (Applause) We're going through the playthrough right here This must be a slightly even more updated version than what we'll... Whoa! This might have been the PC version Yeah, I was going to say because it's a little crisper or maybe where we playing the 8-bit and this is the 16-bit No, you would have known if we played the 8-bit We did not But I think the one that we played might have been...

Whoa, excuse me sir Yeah, I think this is the CD-ROM version But look at it, he's going through and avoiding all the throne heads which... what a move to like...

Attack, just throw your head at someone It reminds me of Power Rangers Ooh, an animation here So the playthrough that I watched the sound is really great the cutscene kind of thing Apparently that is Athena being in peril But each one is her being more and more in peril Yeah So now we're in the underground "Bell and Snicks" "Snicks?" "Snicks" "Snakes" Oh, this is the arcade version Oh cool Okay, this is cool Okay, so we're turning into a twag and you can fly around You got a little like

You got your own lighting Mm-hmm There's Voldemort He transformed into A... A...

Obibically accurate Angel That's a... A crucifixion Hey, crucifixions weren't reserved only for Jesus I know Didn't say they were I just got caught off guard Get your power up, pal There it is, yeah A turtle A turtle An evil turtle Oh, there he is powering up Get him back and get that turtle The head stain, the same size, is really funny It is very much a choice I mean, it makes sense My body keeps growing We're bad Oh, does it turn into stone?

Or is it just like Oh, I don't Oh, it looks like it just kind of... Yeah Kind of a Medusa In fact, neat All right, now to take out Palpatine Oh! Oh, he's up against a dragon So we're going under Fast and Furious rules We're at first you're A villain and then you become an ally But this is the opposite We're... Right Although, are we the baddies?

I mean, we're kind of invading this area And like, taking out all the people who live there We're rescuing the dams on this grass There's like a really good line of megas And... Herculate Aren't you a damsel in distress? I'm a damsel! I'm in distress! I can handle this Have a nice day!

But when I was reading about Athena I was like, oh, this just reminds me of Herculates Look at what she does with a pose Okay, power down Onto the next level Well, level Orayano Three or four I think this is four Yeah, we're about halfway through the video This is gotta be four So then, wouldn't that be three?

We're halfway through in their spine Well, he turned into a Or wolf We're wolf We're driving A were bear So this must be four Whoa, look at all the fangs Oh, zombies are back These are my favorite I love them so much It looks like they're using their heads, like puppets Yes Heck a chow Oh, and... Yes! Where did I go? I... Okay Is this one your favorite? I love checking three when I was growing up I don't know what that is Let me see if I can find the character I...

Forget his name Because I always played Eddie Gordo I can't not see Anna Morph Do you remember that when we were kids? Yeah, I had a bunch of their books Especially the cutscenes Oh, oh, oh, he killed Pagelpateen And now we have a crock A floating fire breathing crock Good aisle Pokemon And you can crouch on this level Oh, I gotta run So it wasn't a tiger It was a jag wire So it was the...

What a mistake I know, so it was The body of a human Face or head of a jag wire Oh, but I can see Or you were pulling that, bro Yep Big cat Big cat Like did he turn into a bird? I'm not gonna play that game Ooh, we got...

Mr. Tumnus Yeah Evil Tumnus I was gonna say the actor's name I can forget the actor's name McAvoy McAvoy And a fish Ooh A bubbly fish Oh, so you can avoid the fish completely You cannot avoid the mentar Oh, now that I've seen this, though I understand Pulling the mentar A unicorn And into The golden werewolf This seems anticlimactic (laughs) After seeing all the really cool transformations I'm sure they went through all of the other transformations Be like, these are all really cool

He's like, and we got one more And they're like, come on He's like, all right, I'll make it easy on you guys Just take the skin from the first level In fact, we're gonna make the color a lot easier Yeah, it is all one shade of gold Whoever is playing this is doing a great job It hasn't even lost a life Good on Ah, rock steady That's he was up against (laughs) All the coloring went into the rhino Mm-hmm I do love what's happening in the foreground here That's kind of a Pompeii situation

Yeah, you're supposed to be deep into the underworld now So that makes sense I also see why they were like Maybe this wouldn't do so well in the US in the 80s Oh, there's a girl Oh, they're reunited, see? It's a love story But I don't see why it wouldn't, like, we're recently coming off of the I don't know, the Satanic panic of the 80s Not the Satanic panic, but Teen Wolf It's not the wolf-- oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, cut! Beer!

Team Shnoby, I do need to say that, so Shnoby is a game before this And actually the team who developed Shnoby went on to develop Ultra Beast And they actually put in some like, Shnoby Easter eggs into the game too Apparently there's also an Alex the Kid Easter eggs Yes, there is because the head developer of Alex Kid went on to lead the team as well That's amazing Yeah I like it, I like it a lot Thanks, and I-- It's fun, yay Thank you, Internet

I have no notes, I think that's a pretty great game I guess like, Chucky Cheese was also a thing when we were kids And I don't know, I never got really pumped about any of the games that were in there I want to see this in David Buster's case too I liked it Yeah, it was a lot of fun Now someone make it a movie How did this not get me?

I'm glad that the Internet has enlightened me on this game It is a very important game It is I can-- We stand corrected I understand the Flood of comedy The opposition of like, how dare you I get it, I understand, I apologize I stand corrected Happily corrected Yeah, I mean, I'm glad I looked into this game, it was a lot of fun Yeah, I really have enjoyed getting feedback on things And then running with it Yeah Should we jump to our recommendations in the week? Let's do it

What's yours? I always go first The movie "Flo" It got nominated for best animated film It is about a cat who lives in a post-apocalyptic world We're not really sure, but there are no humans that are around in it And there is a great flood that like, displaces many different animals And this house cat is just trying to navigate through the world Making new friends, making new animal friends And it's really cute, it's really well done, really well animated I will say that if you are a cat owner

Hmm I've seen videos where they watch it with their cats And their cat will like, look up at the screen And just like, be enamored by it But there is a little bit of a warning There are some distressing cat noises in there I know, I'm done It'll make you feel uneasy Is it like Guardians of the Galaxy 3?

Like bad? Because I'm out I don't think it's that bad But there are some moments where If you do own a cat and you hear those noises It might hit you a little hard But I will assure you, I think I can do this It's just like, does the dog die at the end? The cat does not die, dot com So yes, those sounds are distressing And apparently the noises of that cat is the director's cat Did he put out a statement that his cat was not harmed in the making of that movie?

I'm sure they did But they used a lot of real animal noises for the film But overall, it's an incredible movie Nice I guess I'm still doing a blind recommendation Because I'm going through the best picture I just gotta say options, contenders I tend to do that every year, it's nice Because there's always like your big blockbusters That you wind up, everybody sort of sees But there's always three or four that are thrown in that are lesser known Those are the ones I get really excited to see

So next on my list is Nickel Boys Oh yeah Yeah, it's directed and written by Ramell Ross I know nothing about it I stayed pretty blind when I'm running through them But that was one on the list That was like everybody sort of like if you say "Dunem" part 2 You know what it is Or if you say "Wikid" you know what it is At this point if you say "Emily Perez" you know what it is Yeah Left on my list is Nickel Boys I'm still here, the brutalist A complete unknown enanora

I've got some words to do in a couple weeks Oscars be what they will I do think there are other films that are not the mega blockbusters that are totally worth our time So I think Nickel Boys is a one-way-should-watch It's pretty scored pretty high Sounds pretty good I want to do another blind recommendation But if you are in the Los Angeles area If you are next to a "Lebly Theater" They will do a special screening for all of the Oscar nominated short films Oh right, you love this

I highly recommend doing it I did it once before and it was amazing Because most of the time when you are watching the Oscars And they do the nominations for the short films And most of the time just like the audience Just like eyes are glazed over They are just like I haven't seen any of these But the "Lebly Theater" they do something really awesome Where they compile all of those short films And you get to watch them in just one long sitting And it is amazing to see these short films

Yeah, that's a really good blind record I could be wrong but I think they separate it between animated short films and live action short films Right, otherwise you're just like Doesn't feel so short anymore But yes, if you are near a "Lebly Theater" If you are in Los Angeles And knowing the demographics from All right, let us tell you you might just be Most likely next to a "Lebly Theater" But yes, if you are near a "Lebly Theater" Please look up the showtimes Support those smaller theaters

Don't As much as we love our A-list Yes, but Just support the "Lebly Theater" Yes, and that's it Yeah, those are recommendations Thank you internet for telling us that we were wrong And should play all three days And that's our showtimes for this week Yes, it is And that's gonna do it for our show If you would like to support the podcast The best way to do so is to join our Patreon That is in the show notes You can also purchase merch on our red bubble page

If you cannot afford that, which I completely understand Time to talk Yes, there are other ways that you can support the show You can follow us on our social media We are on Blue Sky at HDT and GM And we are on TikTok and Instagram At how did this not get made Also, rate and review the show That helps us out tremendously Especially with the Almighty Algorithm Helps bring us to the top And tell your friends Tell your family Tell your fellow film nerds about this Or altered beast nerds

Cause you guys are out there And we're one too Yes, tell them about the show Tell them you enjoy it It really helps us out Go see a movie Go play a video game Go touch grass Goodbye Bye [Music]