Show Notes
This time in A Theater Near You, Paul was unfortunately out sick, so Sean and Kris were joined by Karen from This week’s Episode to talk about some of their favorite Christmas movies.
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E3 is officially dead, so Dan and Kris have set aside some time to eulogize the once great Electronic Entertainment Expo. Looking back on fond memories of its most exciting moments, remembering what it used to be, and lamenting its failure to evolve with the times, resulting in the overwhelming mess of live streams it has become. In Week-Old News, they learn that people have been huffing Steam Deck fumes for some reason, Death Stranding is being turned into a movie that hopefully stars Norman Reedus as the baby, and some lost Sonic 2 content is finally found. There was also a lengthy discussion about the whole Completionist situation, which is as sad as it is disturbing. At the top of the show, Dan has more adventures in dog care, while Kris struggles to make it through the endless pestilence that refuses to stop ravaging his household. Super Mario RPG on Switch continues to be a delight, Dan’s luck in Marvel Snap continues to be terrible, Suika Game continues to be addictive, and other things continue to be other things as well. Enjoy!
As is tradition around this time of year, Dan and Kris have gathered around the digital Yule Log to compile their 2024 Holiday Gift Guides. What sort of things should you buy the gamers in your life? Just how cool is an electric mop? How far has keyring technology progressed? Find out now!
In Week Old News, of course the big deal is the GTA 6 trailer, and its early leak which was just plain awful all around. And then lots, and I mean LOTS of time is spent discussing The Game Awards, how suspect and poorly thought out the awards themselves are, and the various trailers that made the event worth watching in the first place.
At the top of the show, Kris dives into the world of Suika Game, the new fruit matching game that seems to be sweeping the globe. It’s rather addictive. Also, he got Berzerk Recharged. Is it any good? Yes! But how good? Listen to find out! Meanwhile, Dan has an enormous pregnant dog in his house, and terrible luck with Marvel Snap, to an almost comedic degree. Enjoy!
On this week’s episode of This Week’s Episode, Angie’s in charge and she makes us watch Good Omens. Kris gets involved with The Morning Show, Karen tells us about her visit to the Doctor, Evan watches John Goodman square off with some giant monsters and Angie RAVES about Blue Eye Samurai. All this and so much more!
Show Notes
For Matt’s pick, he tries to educate Kris on just why Nirvana is a well loved as they are, and he does so without playing the hits.
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This month, we watch a strange anti-drug PSA with Bugs Bunny talking about weed and Alf threatening murder on Garfield.
It’s time for this month's entry in the Alphabet Soup-er Series! The letter I was the subject this time around, and Kris decided to go with the PlayStation cult classic Incredible Crisis. It’s a deeply bizarre game about a Japanese businessman who runs away from modern art, gives a stranger a massage on a ferris wheel, answers trivia questions in an ambulance, and way more that’s even more bizarre than that. There’s no doubt its concept is sound, but is the game actually any fun to play? In Week Old News, the guys discuss the surprise announcement that Atari wants to actually focus on what they’re good at, and how Digital Eclipse is dropping 12 more free games into their already incredibly impressive Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection. There’s a fancy new port of NES Metroid to the Super Nintendo, and similar treatment was given to Kid Icarus by one of our listeners! (Great job, Rumbleminze!) And speaking of homebrew-style work, someone has finally fan-translated the Samurai Shodown RPG that neither Dan or Kris even knew existed, and Level 5’s November showcase announces some beefy delays. At the top of the show, Kris talks about his upcoming dental surgery, which will surely be a good time for all parties involved. He also got a new dog from Dan who he’s deathly allergic to (sorry again for all the coughing, but there’s less this week! Dan is displeased with the state of digital media, especially in the wake of PlayStation’s announcement that a ton of their old TV content will be forcibly removed from peoples systems, and a whole lot more!
We review the next 3 appearances of Brainiac in Superman: The Animated Series from the 1990s. First, Brainiac kidnaps Lex Luthor and forces him to build him a new body, and Lex's bodyguard and Superman must team up to find him. Next, Brainiac kidnaps Bruce Wayne and force him to build him a new body...but also a spaceship. And finally, Brainiac travels in time to kill a young Superman instead of trying to kidnap someone.
What was Brainiac's goals? Did they change each episode, or did they get more into focus with each appearance? Did 5 episodes of Brainiac change any of the host's opinions on how much they now like him, or did each episode lead to more judgements on his plans and opinions on his usefulness as a villain?
That’s it, folks. The final Stone Age Starter Kit is done. After years of asking the question, we finally ask it for the last time. If you had $100 to start a physical Xbox One collection, which games should you get? Of course, ending on Xbox One maybe wasn’t the best idea because neither Dan nor Kris have extensive knowledge on the console and its library, but they tried their best, gosh darn it! Even though Kri still can’t stop coughing.Apologies for that. Regardless, the Xbox One has an interesting game library, and a number of physical releases that made for an interesting conversation. Or at least we hope so. At the top of the show, Dan and Kris talk a bit about their Thanksgiving holidays, and their Black Friday shopping experiences, or lack thereof. There weren’t a lot of deep discounts out in the world this year, and nobody seemed interested in getting trampled for a good price on a new TV. They also discussed some hate mail they got recently, because nothing brightens up one’s day quite like a stranger on the internet letting you know how much they hate you. (Seriously, the term “woke Battletoads” was used.) Also, Super Mario RPG is great. Enjoy!
November is nearly behind us, and that meanest it’s time for Dan and Kris to tackle the November 10 20 30 40, when they talk about notable game releases from 10, 20, 30, and 40 years ago. And what a month this was, especially 20 years ago with some absolutely massive titles like Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Beyond Good & Evil, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Counter Strike, and more. How did the other decades hold up? What is the true significance of Clay Fighter? What is the worst version of Cliffhanger? Why is Chuck Norris on Atari 2600? Let’s find out together! At the top of the show, things moved along rather briskly as Dan didn’t have much time for games this week. Kris finished Super Mario Bros. Wonder, though he had some choice words for the game’s final hidden level, and he finally picked up Super MarioRPG, which is a gosh dang delight. In Week Old News, the guys talked about the recent layoffs at Embracer Group, a limited edition Bluey themed Xbox One, the Retro Tink 4K’s high price, and the failings of The Game Awards. Kris also coughed a lot. Sorry about that. He’s still sick.