Dunkey's publishing games, Konami's actually making games and we're playing them, too. There's other gaming news, too, plus some updates on what we're playing and consuming. THINGS MENTIONED: Videogamedunkey’s video about his new publishing house, BigMode . This article about Ted Woolsey’s weird translation choice in Final Fantasy IV . Let’s Mosey, a slow translation of FFVII from Tim Rogers . Jimmy Fallon is coming to Fortnite for some reason, from The Gamer. A Polygon article about the weird, ...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 41
Boy, there sure were a bunch of game announcements last week. It was also a pretty shitty week for games media, too. We're tackling all of that and discussing our favorite sparkling water brands. THINGS MENTIONED: This Kotaku article about Queen Lizzy's adoration for the Wii . Vice on Keffals battle to take down Kiwi Farms . This Waypoint article about SNES emulation juggernaut Near . Kotaku on G4 layoffs . And here's Kotaku on the layoffs at Fanbyte, too . No Escape in response to the Fan...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 40
Noah and Tori are joined this week by indie game developer Lucy Blundell. Blundell's first game, One Night Stand, is a certified indie game gem, and their next game, VIDEOVERSE, is on its way out in the coming months. We talk One Night Stand, her next game, and what inspires her. There's also a good bit of talk about our favorite Pokemon games, what makes Final Fantasy VII so special and why we love games we've never even played. You can find Lucy Blundell on: Twitter: @GamesByKinmok...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 39
Tori finally finished Neon Genesis Evangelion and that is admittedly what most of this episode is about. We talk about games, too, of course, like some of the announcements out of Gamescom and how Sony wants some people to pay even more for PlayStation 5s because of *gestures at everything*. THINGS MENTIONED: This Polygon article about Wyrdsong . This Rock Paper Shotgun article about Lies of P, the Pinnochio Bloodborne-like . This Flandrew video about the Phantom Menace game . This IGN art...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 38
It's been a big week for intellectual properties and the mega-corporations that own them! It's been a pretty OK week for gamers, too, I guess. Come for the gaming news, stay for Tori's Neon Genesis Evangelion opinions. Speaking of, SPOILERS FOR NEON GENESIS EVANGELION FROM 43:50 to 55:35. (The worst of the spoilers are in the first five minutes, but hardcore spoiler avoiders should skip the entire Evangelion chunk.) THINGS MENTIONED: These articles from Kotaku about ongoing harassmen...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 37
Tori and Noah are joined this week by Cori and Nia from COMMNTD for a fun conversation about games we love, K-Dramas and lots more. THINGS MENTIONED: Noah Samson on YouTube . FD Signifier on YouTube . Khadija Mbowe on YouTube . Shrine of Cards on itch.io . You can listen to COMMNTD wherever you find podcasts and check the show out on Twitter and Tiktok . Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by GEIST and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news an...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 36
We're back from a week off to talk gaming news, a custom car and all the stuff we're playing. Noah talks Star Wars (shocker, I know) and Tori talks weird Animal Crossing clones. There's lots more, too. THINGS MENTIONED: This article from The Verge about how busted KOTOR II was when it launched on Switch . This Bloomberg report about the craziness going on at Aspyr . Pictures of some of the leaked figures for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor . This Polygon article about Hokko Life . The tiktok user...
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 35
The cat game finally released AND there's another union brewing at Activision Blizzard? Well slap my ass and press the meow button 100 times. We're talking about all of that, the dangers of dinner theater, James Cameron's Avatar and more. THINGS MENTIONED: Paul Tassi for Forbes on why Minecraft saying no to NFTs is such a big deal . Folding Ideas on sandbox games and colonialism . This Polygon article about the dangers of gaming outside amid record heats . The Washington Post on Bliz...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 34
Noah and Tori take you deep into their memory cards to explore what makes Persona 3 (both the FES and Portable releases of the game) such a special entry in the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series. Buckle in, grab your tarot deck and get ready for a wild ride full of demons, suicidal teenagers and unforgettable characters. THINGS MENTIONED: This video from YouTuber KBash exploring Persona 3 . This Patreon bonus episode from the Into the Aether podcast about Personas 3, 4 and 5 . Our cool...
Jul 18, 2022•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 33
Are you investing in the new web3 video game console? Then Press START has some swampland in Florida to sell you! Noah's getting over COVID so we kept things short this week. We're making fun of crypto scams, talking about E3's supposed return and lots more. THINGS MENTIONED: The itch.io bundle for abortion rights . Caro Asercion on Twitter and itch . This Destructoid article from earlier this year about how Nintendo was still repairing JoyCon drift for free. Kotaku on the Polium One...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 32
Want to hear three 20-somethings relitigate the decades-old argument of whether games can be art? Well you're in for a treat when Tori and Noah delve into games criticism, art criticism and much, much more with special guest writer Emily Price. Price has a regular column at Unwinnable, and she's written about games for the Washington Post, Paste Magazine and more. It's not all hippy-dippy art crit, though. We're also talking Final Fantasy VII, our brief thoughts on the latest Nintendo Direct and...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 31
Ah, summertime. What better way to weather the oppressive heat than with a cocktail by the pool and some video game time? Noah and Tori reminisce about some of the games they played in bygone summers as well as some games with distinctly summer-y aesthetics. Plus there's some news, some Michael Jackson and some Gundam. CONTENT WARNING FOR BRIEF MENTION OF ABORTION FROM 1:12:00 to 1:13:00 THINGS MENTIONED: This Polygon article about Elden Ring re-imagined as a SNES game . Another Polygon ar...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 30
Tori and Noah spend a good chunk of the show wading through the unbearable amount of game announcements from the past week and a half. We're also celebrating Pride Month with the strange little creature Square Enix is using to raise money for GLAAD. There's other stuff in here too. THINGS MENTIONED: More games than it is literally possible for me to have kept track of. Video Games Chronicle says a Nintendo Direct is nearly upon us . This No Escape article about needing new verbs . How to make th...
Jun 20, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 29
It's an upcoming game news extravaganza this episode. Pokemon news, Sonic news and a PlayStation State of Play. Noah wants to eat Lechonk and Tori's cat game finally gets a release date. Noah tries to sell Tori on Dragon Quest IX. Also, both of our cats make an appearance in this episode because they are loud sometimes. THINGS MENTIONED: New Pokemon trailer . This Kotaku article about how tasty Lechonk looks . Toby Fox Homestuck mpreg Pokemon music . This Nintendo Life article breaking dow...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 28
We're talking unions, Gollum, Garfield and Goku in this episode. Only some of those relate to actual news items, the others are more just us shooting the shit. THINGS MENTIONED: This Vice article about Raven Software's QA team unionizing . This Kotaku article about Reggie Fils-Aimé's comment about unions . This tweet about how unions are good, actually . This Vice article about how game devs are more interested than ever in unions . This GameRant article about how Capcom appears to be teasing Dr...
May 30, 2022•54 min•Ep. 27
Tori and Noah diagnose each other on Blizzard's diversity chart, Tori triumphantly tells her tale of becoming the Elden Lord and Noah's still struggling to get a Victory Royale. Oh, and we talk about how we each own Skyrim multiple times, but who doesn't at this point? THINGS MENTIONED: This Kotaku article explaining Blizzard's diversity chart . This Bloomberg article about Jim Ryan being Relatable and taking a flimsy stance on abortion . This GamesChronicle article about the Star Wars Jed...
May 23, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 26
Lots of labor news in the world of gaming this week, from Nintendo (allegedly) being shitty to Bobby Kotick (allegedly) being shitty (again). Tori and Noah break it all down as well as give updates on Fortnite, recommend some dungeonsynth and, uh, play Fortnite. THINGS MENTIONED: Jack Yarwood’s follow-up article about crunch at Traveler’s Tales . VGC's scoop about 2K LEGO sports games . Kat Bailey’s story at IGN about Nintendo’s culture . This NintendoLink article about the company using prison ...
May 09, 2022•53 min•Ep. 25
Tori and Noah are talking Mario (it's Mario time, after all), Bible games and, as always, labor conditions in the games industry. THINGS MENTIONED: Gary Larson's Cow Tools from the comic The Far Side . This weird, cryptic tweet about the Mario movie from Nintendo . This Gamerant article about Nintendo's alleged union-busting . This Game Developer article about the working conditions at Nintendo EAD . This article in The Verge about 4-day work weeks at companies like Crows Crows Crows . This Game...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 24
Tori and Noah are joined by cozy gamer Jenny Windom, also known as Kimchica. She's a streamer, indie game curator and one part of the worker-owned collective and dev team Soft Not Weak. We talk all things cozy, what it means for a game to be cozy and about her background and experience in games. You can find Jenny on: Tiktok: @Kimchica Twitter: @Kimchica25 YouTube: Kimchica Twitch: Kimchica THINGS MENTIONED: Rami Ismail on Twitter . This article in The Intercept about Amazon's Orwell...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Holy shit, there's a new Kingdom Hearts game coming out. Tori and Noah have a deep conversation about whether they need to catch up on years-worth of lore and, of course, talk about some gaming labor news. THINGS MENTIONED: This Kingdom Hearts IV trailer . This article from The Gamer about a potential Star Wars world in Kingdom Hearts IV . This IGN article with the Final Fantasy Uniqulo leaks . This dot.LA article about the latest Actiblizz labor drama . This Bloomberg article about Gavin ...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 22
Tori and Noah want freelance writers to be paid a livable wage, and they also want to get into point-and-click adventure games. Oh yeah and there's a new LEGO game and Noah is trying to decide whether to buy it or not. LIGHT SPOILERS INSIDE FOR ELDEN RING AND SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 3 THINGS MENTIONED: This article in The Verge about Bloodborne Kart . This PC Gamer article about the new Monkey Island . Norco . Chinatown Detective Agency . Information about the new Playstation Plus subs...
Apr 11, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 21
Tori and Noah are joined by special guest Alanna Okun to talk about the games that inspired Alanna to dive deeper into gaming. We're talking Persona, crafting and, you guessed it, Elden Ring. Noah also tests Alanna and Tori's gaming knowledge with the Real Game vs. Fake Game challenge. THINGS MENTIONED: Vox's The Goods . Into the Aether, a lowkey video game podcast . Alanna's books . Katie Heaney's article in The Cut , Video Games Are a To-Do List You Play . The Asynchronous podcast . SPOI...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 20
Tori and Noah are back from a week off gaming news to talk about some new releases, Elden Ring updates and the no good very bad new Harry Potter game. Come for the brief discussion on Hogwarts Legacy and stay for the recommendations of non-cisgender gamers, writers, etc. to support. THINGS MENTIONED: This Polygon article about the former Hogwarts Legacy designer with the right wing YouTube channel . Ntagonistic on itch.io . Midautumn on Steam . Trans FUCKING Rage Jam on itch.io . Tho...
Mar 27, 2022•59 min•Ep. 19
Tori and Noah only talking about Elden Ring for a little bit in this one, really. There's lots of gaming news, good and bad. Square Enix snapped, and Tori beat Earthbound and she loves her son Ness very much. THINGS MENTIONED: This Polygon article about abuse allegations at Sony . This Polygon article about the Valkyrie series . The incredible podcast Blowback. Season one is all about the Iraq War. The Ukraine Itch bundle . The trans rights itch bundle . The new Square Enix YouTube Channel . The...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 18
Forget gaming news, we're talking Elden Ring, baby. It wouldn't be a conversation about a Souls game without Twitch's own HeyKipp, and we're all pretty much in agreement that, at least so far, Elden Ring is one of the best games we've ever played. Strap in and join us on the Collective Gamer Moment that is Elden Ring. THINGS MENTIONED: GodGamerKate on Twitch . Kanye West in Elden Ring . Samwitch on Twitch . nan_dre on Twitch . The new Pokemon starters . Our cool sounds, a...
Mar 05, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 17
There's some pretty serious shit going on in the world this week, so join Tori and Noah in some frivolous-feeling discussions about some stuff that doesn’t suck. We’re talking Shin Megami Tensei (shocker) news, Pokemon news and about the games we’re loving right now (spoiler: it’s mostly just Earthbound). THINGS REFERENCED: Brandon Sheffield on Twitter . Uppercut's Twitch page and Twitter . The trailer for Soul Hackers 2 . This Polygon article about the upcoming Pokemon Presents stream . This po...
Feb 26, 2022•50 min•Ep. 16
Tori and Noah have good news and bad news about Nintendo, plus there's a lot of Earthbound talk, game preservation talk and some Big If True rumors. THINGS REFERENCED: The sickos meme . The Switch Sports squirrel furry pic . An article about the tweet that shows the comments Nintendo deleted about preservation . Shameless plug of an article Noah wrote about the HD-2D engine . Retro studios’ twitter account banner change . This Megamind meme . Thor High Heels PS3 video Our cool sounds, and ...
Feb 19, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 15
Tori and Noah bring on special guest and certified Pokémon Expert Rae Paoletta to school us about Pokémon Legends: Arceus. We talk all things Pokémon, smoothies and dog photography. THINGS MENTIONED: The pronunciation of Arceus' name . This IGN article about Pupperazzi . This old meme . Some story spoilers for Pokémon Legends: Arceus throughout. Our intro and outro music is Burn Tap by GEIST and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. You can follow the show on Twitter @...
Feb 11, 2022•59 min•Ep. 14
There’s a lot of Donkey Kong talk in this one for some reason. Tori and Noah talk about new game studio announcements, another big-money acquisition and our favorite ape: Donkey Kong. THINGS MENTIONED: This Polygon article about the Playstation Bungie acquisition. This Nintendo Life article about the Donkey Kong rumors DKVINE.com This Nintendo Life article about Gardens Slight spoilers for Xenoblade Chronicles: 22:38 — 23:28 Slight spoilers for The Book of Boba Fett: 47:30 — 49:50 Our...
Feb 05, 2022•53 min•Ep. 13
Tori and Noah talk Star Wars, Final Fantasy VII, their indifference to the Steam Deck and how they're ready to be wowed by the new Pokémon game. THINGS MENTIONED: This article on The Verge about unionization efforts at Activision/Blizzard . Recently leaked footage from the canceled Star Wars 1313 . This announcement about the Jan. 31 Final Fantasy VII Showcase . Info about the Steam Deck if that floats your boat . This Twitter thread from Laura Kate Dale and her complete review...
Jan 29, 2022•55 min•Ep. 12
