Nintendo's place in space shooters, pioneering early 3D, the decline of legacy franchises, and the future of Star Fox... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. community leader and podcaster Dan from RetroLogicGames ! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guests: @RetroLogicGames Links: retrologic.games/retrologic-podcast Dan's Discord - https://t.co/vQBhoASuH7 -Sponsors- BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi patreon.com/BiFrost...
Dec 04, 2021•1 hr 50 min•Season 3Ep. 65
The Raiden reveal, the Metal Gear Solid movie, the Kojima canon and the Konami split, auteurs vs a complete staff, and whether MGS2 was truly prophetic or it merely had its finger on the pulse of rising technology... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. streamer and voice actor from Undetected, @Voxgizer , and designer, modder, MGS historian, and podcaster from the Kojima Frequency, @Nitroid ! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Gues...
Nov 26, 2021•2 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Fan scholarship and visual literature, dream LEGO games, the difference between Batman and Superman, the best tales of the Caped Crusader, DC and Marvel in film, championing whimsy and wonder against a bleak background of hyperrealism... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. superhero, science fiction, and fantasy writer Steve Sellers aka Shadewing . Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @Shadewing Links: https://twitter.com/Comi...
Nov 15, 2021•1 hr 59 min•Season 3Ep. 63
Expectations for the last supper, an appreciation for jazz, the golden age of American animation, subculture wars, and how to sort the difference between difficulty and accessibility... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. musically-minded ABXY Reviews ! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @ABXY_Reviews Links: @ABXY_Reviews - https://twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews Mage Cast podcast - https://magecast.buzzsprout.com/199140/932112-013...
Oct 25, 2021•2 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 62
How Super Metroid almost wound up canceled, the history of Metroid sales, what it's like playing a masterpiece for the first time ever, and the age-old modern controversy of games being too hard... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. story-driven streamer Mystraker! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @mystraker Links: @mystraker - https://twitter.com/mystraker https://www.twitch.tv/mystraker https://discord.com/invite/BD2zNc...
Oct 11, 2021•2 hr 10 min•Season 3Ep. 61
The right fix for the right game, David Crane and his blob, objectivity in subpar design, how we grow as artists practicing our craft, and why real men DO need instructions... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. special guest Ducks In Disguise ! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @ducksindisguise Links: @ducksindisguise - http://twitch.tv/ducksindisguise The Finer Things - http://twitch.tv/davypgh @digitizedent - http://twit...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 3Ep. 60
Censorship and sadistic puzzle design, the nature of comedy overlapping with horror, the distinction between funny and humorous, and a point-and-click graphic adventure that's a true trailblazer in gaming history... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. special guest Bill Tucker of A Gamer Looks At 40 Podcast ! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @BillTuckerTSP Links: https://twitter.com/agamerlooksat40 -Sponsors- BiFrost Bridg...
Sep 13, 2021•2 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 59
The history of the Kunio-kun series, the future of neo beat 'em ups, ye olde arcades, how to combat monotony in the genre, and what makes River City Girls stand out in style... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. special guest Aaron aka @SanityCrypto of It's Virtually A Podcast ! Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord Twitch TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @SanityCrypto Links: meganmcduffee.bandcamp.com wayforward.com/rivercitygirls twitch.tv/itsvirtuallyapodcast twi...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Season 3Ep. 58
Alchemy and Marty McFly, B-movie references and America in RPGs, why 2 player co-op would be a bad idea, and if it's really just a Mana clone or if Evermore is worth another look... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. online video game retailer Gary of joypadlad.com . Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @JoyPadLadShop Links: joypadlad.com Music: "Introduction" & "Flying" composed by Jeremy Soule Support the show...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 51 min•Season 3Ep. 57
Demystifying game development, designing Samus' spaceship the Thrush Eterna, collaborative creativity, Retro Studios' canceled games, and what even happened to Kraid... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. art and creative director James H Dargie. Read more: https://www.the-pixels.com/2017/12/12/metroid-prime/ Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @JHDargie Links: impulsegear.com claviusbase.com Music: "Title Theme" & "Phendrana Dr...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 46 min•Season 3Ep. 56
Theorycrafting, key differences, and Kingdom Hearts, showing the monster too soon, nostalgia as a good thing, and if it's even fair to compare original and remake... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. special guest John (aka Sector 6), content creator, lorist, and theorist. Read more: the-pixels.com/2020/06/23/final-fantasy-vii-remake-2020-ps4 Patreon Join Buzzsprout Join our Discord TeePublic Teespring Novella on Amazon Guest: @Sector_6_ Links: facebook.com/Sector6UK youtube.com/...
Jul 19, 2021•2 hr•Season 3Ep. 55
Get ready for the greebles as Mage Cast sits down with art director James H. Dargie for things that can neither be confirmed nor denied. James is an artist and designer who has worked on titles like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Matrix Reloaded, Metroid Prime, Solaris, and Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. Our discussion centers on that film, the first photorealistic computed animated theatrical movie, and what might've happened to derail its performance at the box office. James also shares his ...
Oct 27, 2020•2 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 54
Grab your favorite bard and travel back in time to where it all started! We're talking Dragon Quest 1 on this episode, featuring special guest musician and writer Russell Gordon. We'll discuss localization woes, Western reception, and Dragon Warrior vs Dragon Quest, the series' two trilogies, proto-RPGs, our first RPGs, NA vs JP cover art, Nintendo Power subscriptions, differences between the versions of DQ1 , grinding vs whittling and the trance-like state of play, where to start with the Drago...
Oct 12, 2020•1 hr 46 min•Season 2Ep. 53
Vagrant Story hates the player but we love you! That's why we here at Mage Cast are making things simpler by tackling just what makes Vagrant Story such a tough nut to crack. Together with my special guest, Cory the Senior Games Editor of Popzara.com , we cover topics like what makes the game so demanding, how to overcome its convoluted systems, its mixture of genres and postgame content, its disrespect for players, Vagrant Story's place in the Final Fantasy world of Ivalice, and what we'd fix i...
Sep 28, 2020•1 hr 41 min•Season 2Ep. 52
It's the most successful game you've never heard of: this episode of MAGE CAST represents our Dungeon Fighter Online podcast! In this rapidly evolving conversation, we discuss combining 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up gameplay with RPG elements, Nexon closing servers, best-selling video game franchises and DFO's very high place on those lists, cultural differences regarding DFO, microtransactions, and competition, why games age, the retro aesthetic and impressionism, how the game has changed over ...
Sep 16, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Season 2Ep. 51
MAGE CAST is starting to show it's age with this, our 50th episode! For the big 5-0, we're diving into the absurdity and genius of the Metal Gear Solid series. This is our MGS4: Guns of the Patriots podcast. Join the Black Humor Mage and myself as we discuss this game's dual world records, its unique format for the time, its relationship with Apple's sense of morality, the infamous Big Boss run, the brilliance and madness of Hideo Kojima, MGS as anime and Death Stranding, weird for weirdness sak...
Sep 02, 2020•2 hr 4 min•Season 2Ep. 50
On this Super Smash Bros Ultimate podcast, it's the biggest crossover event in history... and also Smash Ultimate ! MAGE CAST is back and I'm featuring @DuctapePlays on this very special resurrection episode of the podcast. We're talking sheer numbers to illustrate just how big Super Smash Bros. Ultimate really is, plus more Fire Emblem characters (plz no), the most awkward tournament trophy ever, differences between the Smash games and ranking them to see if Ultimate is truly the ultimate: Braw...
Aug 18, 2020•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Time for a legendary conversation with Patrick from Backlog Odyssey and our subject: Mega Man Legends! We'll also cover your favorite games starring the Blue Bomber and the injection of significant storytelling in the Mega Man universe, the N64 port, the energy drink that kept Legends off of PSN for years, the human tendency to make anything a game, personifying save points, transitioning from 2D to 3D, camera design and infamous tank controls, Legends 2, the canceled sequel, Misadventures of Tr...
Apr 27, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Is it at all fair to call Final Fantasy VIII the black sheep of the series? Either way, Matt aka Berkough joins me this episode and we talk about our personal impressions and the game's general reception, its divisiveness potentially centered around Squall as a character that strongly resonates with some people and strongly not with others, the peculiarities and clout of the Final Fantasy franchise, some fan theories (is Squall Laguna's son?), feeling threatened by Irvine, the experiment that is...
Apr 14, 2020•1 hr 59 min•Season 2Ep. 47
MAGE CAST is back from the dead! On this episode, podcaster and VR pioneer Aaron aka SanityCrypto and I talk Animal Crossing: New Horizons, our new found addiction. We discuss why we were even interested in playing New Horizons in the first place, task-oriented gameplay, Tom Nook for president, Pocket Camp, genre and series context, review bombing and hyperbole, ACNH sales, what the game doesn't tell you, addressing the multiplayer and co-op, the worst, the best, and the missing features, pixel ...
Apr 07, 2020•2 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Two experts meet in St. Canard: Nicole (RedAuxPDX) and Ryan (Retrogamebrews) discuss with me the terror that flaps in the 8-bit night: Darkwing Duck on NES! We'll unpack Darkwing's origins and inspirations, Disney+ and the full 91 episodes, RedAux's cosplay and meeting the creators, 2017 DuckTales and Darkwing, remembering the beloved cartoon, the heart of the show, its characters and villains and our favorite episodes, ranking cartoon theme songs, the TurboGrafx-16 game, the tragically canceled...
Feb 23, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 45
It's time to talk about something that's really old, because old things can be great, too! Pac-Man podcast with the Arcade Mage and the Slipstream Mage. We'll discuss the devs taking a risk with Pac-Man over Rally X, vandalizing "Puck-Man", world records and President Reagan, the killscreen, K.C. Munchkin, how the world of games development has changed, our earliest memories of Pac-Man, ye olde arcades, the infamous Atari 2600 Pac-Man, developers that once struggled to gain recognition and credi...
Feb 18, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Dreams do come true! Time for a Nights Into Dreams podcast feat. Andy aka @ProducerBTW and Aaron aka @SanityCrypto, plus what the guys are up to: standing up to cancer and podcasting in VR. We'll talk about Steven Spielberg, the 3D Controller and the invention of the analog stick, Oneirology, Freud and Jung, collecting for the Sega Saturn, the retro gaming market, imports, not missing ultra-fragile jewel cases, playing Nights then and now, sequels and spin-offs, the game's reception, reviewing t...
Feb 10, 2020•1 hr 33 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Presenting an original conversation from the Bookwarm Games podcast! I was invited to the discussion by Wesley Schantz, host of Bookwarm Games. We'll talk about the core principles of The Well-Red Mage, the value of open discussion and conversation free from ridicule, the necessity of communication to learn from each other, some words on systematic theology, agnosticism, impassibility and aseity, ancient individual rights, loving something to understand it, objectivity and subjectivity together ...
Feb 03, 2020•1 hr 44 min•Season 2Ep. 42
Chiptune and rock musician Russell Gordon and I talk about a MONSTER of a game, HUNTING down the best discussions for a WORLD of fun... it's Capcom's best-selling game of all time! We also mention the development and reception of the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter Tri on Wii and the day the music died when they closed its online servers, the complexity of these games despite their simplistic premise, viewing Monster Hunter World as a boss rush game, being prepared, crossovers, some though...
Jan 26, 2020•1 hr 52 min•Season 2Ep. 41
Can you believe this is our first Pokemon episode ever? This time around, my guest is Cory the senior games editor of Popzara Press and we're talking about Sword and Shield, our first impressions, the game's pacing, version sales, differences, and exclusives, the greatness of the Wild Area, our favorite gym leaders, Pokemon, starters, and types, problems with the story and Pokemon as a utopian society balanced with nature, character development for rivals, formulas and Nintendo, quality-of-life ...
Jan 20, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Welcome to the lost episode of MAGE CAST... All the way from the land where women glow and men plunder comes Patrick Arthur, my special guest for this episode. We'll talk about how VVVVVV took inspiration from the Commodore 64 and how to pronounce the title, as well as discuss limitations from big budgets, the indie scene and trends developing over time, our favorite indies, the problem of discoverability for games, what makes VVVVVV stand out, platforming without jumping, room names, the game's...
Jan 13, 2020•1 hr 31 min•Season 2Ep. 39
MAGE CAST Season 2 is here!! We're putting our worst foot forward with what is considered to be one of the worst games ever made: the Wand of Gamelon, plus there's talk on the Nintendo PlayStation, some of the historical firsts accomplished by Wand of Gamelon, the Philips CD-i and how my guest was nearly talked into buying one instead of a SNES as a kid, why anyone should play Gamelon, games preservation, YouTube and meme culture, what to weigh in reviews and weighing in on reviews, judging a ga...
Jan 06, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Season 2Ep. 38
I hope you came hungry! We'll devour another Super NES JRPG classic in Breath of Fire, this time with Hungry Goriya! We'll talk on Capcom's self-admitted first attempt at a traditional RPG, the passionate fandom of Breath of Fire and the middling experience of playing the first game, first impressions and expectations with vintage gaming, the roots of the BOF series, the first game's lack of refinement and its innovations, playing it blind, BOF's music, comparing versions and contemporaneous JRP...
Dec 05, 2019•1 hr 33 min•Season 1Ep. 37
It's time to return to the musty neon lairs of old with Rich the Deviot to talk about Street Fighter II's insane sales and its popularity in the competitive scene of the arcades then and the internet now, the console wars, arcade ports bringing classics home, the fighting game explosion, steep skill-based difficulty and therefore inaccessibility, our first experiences finding SFII, version differences and re-releases, the EGM April Fool's gag, balancing and simplicity in game design, comparisons...
Nov 27, 2019•2 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 36
