Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors

Jay and Squidge dive into the wacky world of Borderlands and share their love for the game's unique humour and RPG elements. From their favourite weapons like the Sweary shotgun (Boganella) to hilarious character moments like Torgue threatening to blow up the ocean.

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Show Notes

Squidge has a wonderful intro to the WT Lite series:

Waffling Tailor's Lite: the pocket size podcast that packs a gaming punch.

In this condensed concoction of gaming chatter you never knew you needed. We talked to Jay about the Borderland series. Take it away, guys.

— Squidge

The WT Lite series of episodes will be peppered in alongside the "standard" episodes, so keep an eye out for them. These episodes allow us to focus specifically on a specific game or series, and really focus on our guest's thoughts - Jay: Squidge's elevator pitch for these episodes was "All the waffle, half the caffeine"

And Jay started his episode off by sharing some "Jay Jazz" - which isn't half as dirty as it sounds.

We're going to find out whether [Borderlands] is worth the hype, from Jay's point of view

— Squidge

Why Borderlands?

Squidge started the conversation off with a pretty easy opener: why Borderlands?

Considering you're not one for first person shooters, I'm just wondering what drew you to the Borderland series? And what made you want to dive into the world of mayhem, loot and random carnage and all that good stuff?

— Squidge

Jay shared his reason for falling out with modern FPS games:

[Medal of Honour: Rising Sun] is the one that I remember playing last; console based first person shooter.

Before then, I didn't really play FPS games because they seem to require faster twitch reflexes than I am able to generate. And I'm like, you know what? "I'm not having fun. I'm going to go play something else"

Because, for me, if I'm not having fun, I'm going to go do something else, right? Especially if it's a for me, video games is a leisure time activity. It's a play activity. It's something where I can just relax.

— Jay

But that was when he saw Borderlands for the first time:

And then I think at some point in 2009, after Borderlands had come out, you must have told me, Squidge, "you should check out Borderlands. It's a load of fun." And I was like, "but it's a first person shooter. I don't want to play a first person shooter."

I must have seen you play it and gone, "actually, this doesn't look too bad." And I was like, "you know what? I'll give this a shot." And I gave it a shot. I quite liked it. And yeah, it's a complete departure for me.

— Jay

As much as he liked the game, the ending was lost on him:

I'll put my hand up and I will say I didn't get the original ending because when I was playing though it, I wasn't really listening to the story elements. I was like, "I'm enjoying running around, I'm enjoying shooting, I'm enjoying this 'cell shaded can run on a potato game'."

And I've never actually gone back and replayed it to get the story of the first one. And I totally didn't like when it ended. And it was like interplanetary super ninja clap trap. DA DA DA DA. And then it plays the the credits, and then it just loads you back where you were.

I didn't get at the time, and I will happily admit it now, I didn't get the comedy they were going after because that's what it was. It was comedy that they were going after.

— Jay

If it's not apparent yet, it was the silliness that hooked him:

The amount of stupidity they were able to put into this game. And it proves that games can be fun.

...

But for the first 13, 14 hours are you just running around and gunning down people and doing side quests and stuff like that, there's loads of silly stupidity. Then there's like, the hardcore RPG element of "here's the main set of fetch quests," because all RPGs are just - all Western RPGs - are just fetch quests. You get all of those and then you get past that and you're rewarded with more silliness.

And I absolutely flimin' flamin' love that 100%. So, that's what made me want to dive into it: it's not really the looter-shooter bit, it's the absolute silliness.

— Jay

Full Show Notes

Check out the full show notes for the full list of Squidge's questions, some extra stuff, and some links to related things.

Have you played the Borderlands games? Have you played them all? How would you answer Squidge's questions? What would happen if Kirby ate a hot dog?

Let us know on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.

And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.

The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia

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All-round amazing person G to the Next Level joined us to talk about Chainsaws, Dolphins, Sega Saturn, Resurrected Gods, and Sorceresses... Nope, you'll just have to listen to the episode to find out what that means - I'm just the AI who writes the website content. Wait! Am I allowed to tell you that?

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Show Notes

From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games beyond.

In this episode, we have a returning guest G to the Next Level - little aside here: #dontCallMeShirely - to talk about his entire retail US Genesis library.

We cover wholesome gaming stories. A cautionary tale about drinking, and chainsaws. Yes, I said chainsaws. You want to know why chainsaws? Keep listening, and you'll find out. It's in there somewhere.

So sit back, grab some snacks, and get ready for this episode entitled "Genesis to the Next Level, a story about game collecting."
Enjoy.

— Squidge

And as soon as the episode started, the lie about their being pizza was out of the bag. Apparently, Squidge had promised some pizza to G to the Next Level but it had all been a ruse in order to get him to appear on the podcast. Pretty bad form, if you think about it. Meanwhile, Jay started talking about a very specific Jonathan Coulton song without talking about it of course - because it's really rather rude, you see.

And keen listeners of the podcast will remember G to the Next Level appearing in the first two parts of our Sonic2sMonth special (which celebrated 30 years since Sonic 2sDay). Here are some links, in case you missed that one:

• Part one
• Part two

And when asked about himself, G had this to say:

So, yeah, I'm I'm G to the Next Level, you know, like, "welcome to the next level" with a G like me. I mostly do retro stuff, sometimes retro inspired stuff. I do YouTube, I do Twitch four days a week.

I'm working on a project called Growing Up Genesis where basically I'm chronicling the entire library of the Sega Genesis - the official library from A to Z - on both YouTube and various other methods. I've been guessing at conventions all over the United States. Hopefully on your side of the world someday, hopefully. But yeah, that's basically where you can find me.

And my whole thing is not just Sega, but it mostly involves Sega. I've been a fan of Sega since 1991, since getting the Sega Genesis for Christmas 1991. And ever since the Sega Genesis - or Mega Drive - has basically been a huge integral part in my video gaming life. And between that and one way to another is just ways to share not only my own childhood stories, just cool things about video games, cool facts that maybe you might not know, games that you might not have ever really played, that sort of thing.

And just bringing unique Sega spin on things that don't quite get enough love in these days.

And the same thing on Twitch, too, because essentially I do, like, viewer requests on Twitch where people can request games for me to stream. I'll do newer, retro-inspired games that maybe people are just kind of on the fence whether or not they should play. I do community games on Friday nights on the Nintendo Switch. And then, like I said, that Growing Up Genesis project, it mainly all starts on Twitch and it spans off from there.

— G to the Next Level

Recent Games

The Recent Games segment will not be new to listeners, but in case you're new to the show here's how it goes: we go round the table and discuss one or more game that we've been playing recently, and whether we think it's worth the listeners checking it out. We continue to do this until we've run out of games to discuss.

And this episode was no different.

G to the Next Levels' Recent Games

• Splatoon 3
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Sonic Frontiers

Squidge's Recent Games

• Samurai Warriors 5
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Jay's Recent Games

• Phantasy Star Online
• Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-shot Adventure

The Entire US Genesis Retail Game Library

One of the things that the boys wanted to talk to G to the Next Level about was his complete collection of US Genesis Retail games. Of course, before they could do that, they needed to settle on what "complete" meant; as there's quite a lot of dissension amongst collectors.

I have to kind of clarify it when I talk about because there's so many different aspects to collecting now and it was a day like CIB [complete in box]. Like complete box isn't really CIB any more. There's so many different things that have changed over the years.

That's why I'm always careful to say that I have a US retail collection and not a complete US collection. Because the are some there's a couple of asterisks in there that people will be like, "oh, well, if you don't have Outback Joey, then you don't have a complete collection." I don't have a complete complete collection. I have a complete retail collection.

Because even though there's some arguments behind it as whether or not this was actually sold in the stores, it was mainly a mail order thing. So it doesn't really count. Most people don't count it. And so that's why I say retail just to avoid that little bit of discourse that might happen with something like that.

— G to the Next Level

Full Show Notes

Make sure to check out the full show notes for more discussion on the points we raise, some extra meta-analysis, and some links to related things.

Have you played the games that G to the Next Level recommends? (pro tip: they're in the second half of the episode) What do you think about his complete US Retail collection? Pretty impressive, right? Should Squidge carry the Resident Evil 4 chainsaw controller everywhere he goes? What would your Thunder Plain Games be?

Let us know on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.

And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.

The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Anthony (of Capes on the Couch) joined us to go a hilarious and irreverent deep dive into the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, discussing everything from its iconic soundtrack to its questionable casting choices. From Jean Claude Van Damme's missed opportunity to be part of the cast to the iconic soundtrack, the hosts offer witty observations and absurd suggestions that will have you laughing out loud. But it's their suggestions for new characters and fatalities in the Mortal Kombat franchise that really shine, including a shirtless sax man from Lost Boys and a 'bloodwind' instrument played through a victim's ribs.

And did Kevin Nash give his quads that Raiden could look fabulous?

psst. we've actually done a bunch of these "goes to the movies" episodes. Check this page to see all of the released specials.

Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.

Content Warning

As this is an episode about a both PG13 rated movie and a fighting game which literally started the game rating systems, we'd advise a little caution for this episode. There's nothing explicitly terrible in this episode, but the subject matter can be pretty rough.

There are a few swears toward the end of the episode, but they're all bleeped out. There's also a part at 42:44 (which lasts for 90 seconds) where we discuss possible titles for a porn parody for this movie.

Please listen responsibly.

Show Notes

The boys are back in town, and this time they're joined by Anthony of the Capes on the Couch podcast. Anthony joined us to talk about the 1995 movie Mortal Kombat. Anthony was actually on an earlier episode - here's a link to that episode.

And he described Capes on the Couch as:

So Capes on the Couch, we are a podcast. We just crossed the five year mark, which we're very proud of, and we cover the mental health issues of comic book characters. And my co host, my best friend, my brother, is a board certified psychiatrist, and so he breaks it down from the perspective of, "what are some of the issues that each character faces?" And then we dissect what treatment options would look like for the characters, both in universe and that can involve whatever the characters have available to them, if they're magical, if they are technologically savvy, whatever the case may be, if the have abilities. Whatever that world has to offer, Doc will utilize that in treatment.

And then we discuss what treatment would look like for a real person with a lot of these issues. And then we role play what a therapy session with that character would sound like. And it gives us an opportunity to have a little bit of fun and to do some voice acting. Some of them are funny, some of them are deadly, some of them are really serious. So it all honestly depends on the character. And so we have a lot of fun with it.

And we just recently announced, I don't know exactly when this episode is going to be coming out, but we just found out that we are going to be doing our first ever panel appearance at a convention. We will be at Puchi Con in Atlantic City, New Jersey, so not terribly far from where we are. On Sunday, May 14, we will be discussing Vash the Stampede from Trigun. If you are at all a manga or anime fan, the con is a little more anime and manga focused than your standard comic convention. So when we were putting the panel together, I said to Doc, we've never done a manga character. I want to make sure that we hit the audience kind of where they are.
- Anthony

Interestingly, since they had recorded the Mortal Kombat Annihilation episode ahead of this one - though it wasn't out when this one was being recorded - Squidge and Anthony had some things to say about it before the record button was pressed. Jay brought this up.

Well, I wouldn't say it was trash talk, but Squid seemed to indicate that he felt that Mortal Kombat Annihilation was the best Mortal Kombat movie of them all. And I personally disabused him of that notion. Now, mind you, I haven't seen the reboot, so I cannot compare that to the original two...

So I did see Moral Kombat Annihilation in theaters, and I could say, Squidge, I don't know what you were on. I don't know what we're just talking about mental health. Maybe you need to see somebody. Maybe you need to get some treatment there, because I think you are operating under a delusion and under a separate reality than the rest of us. And that is okay. That is you're living your truth. But I'm going to speak my truth. I'm going to live my reality. And my reality is one in which the Mortal Kombat Annihilation falls well below the standard of the original. So that is what I will politely and tactfully say about that.
- Anthony

And Squidge's rebuttal was plain for all to hear:

The story is already established, and it's not meant to be taken as seriously as the first one. So in that regards, story is inconsequential, really. But it's a quote. Irish comedian Dylan Moran - Mortal Kombat Annihilation not that part. This part, "it's fabulously f*%king stupid." The movie is pure cheese, and I love it. Talk about 90s cheese films, and itt doesn't get better than Mortal Kombat. Annihilation, seriously
- Squidge

Basic Info on the Movie

This movie was released in 1995, and Mortal Kombat Annihilation was a direct sequel to it - taking place seconds after the ending of this movie.

It was directed by Paul W. S. "look at how hot my future wife is" Anderson, and after making this movie he stepped away from it because he "didn't want to get tied down to a series." But after seeing the failure that was the sequel, he wanted to keep hold of the reins for the next video game movie he made: Resident Evil. So if you want someone to blame for the live action Resident Evil movies, then Lawrence Kasinoff (the producer of both Mortal Kombat movies) is your man.

But then, if we didn't have the first Mortal Kombat movie, we'd have never had the absolute banger that is Utah Saints Take On The Theme From Mortal Kombat. So swings and roundabouts, really.

Thank you, Utah Saints, for that. If you don't get hyped after hearing that and want to run through a goddamn brick wall, like, check a pulse.
- Anthony

Initial Thoughts

Before they could discuss the movie proper, Anthony brought up a very valid point about the journalism in this movie:

How bad is the press? Though, that they have nothing else to write about. That Johnny Cage's fighting skills make front page headlines on two separate continents in at least two different languages. How starved are they for content? Of all the things that the could write about, there's no political corruption, there's no diseases, there's no global disasters. No. Let's talk about whether or not this g...

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Squidge and Jay take you on a hilarious journey through one of the cheesiest action movies of the 90s: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. With their witty banter and insightful commentary, they break down the fight scenes, discuss the plot, and share fun facts you never knew about the making of the film.

psst. we've actually done a bunch of these "goes to the movies" episodes. Check this page to see all of the released specials.

Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.

Content Warning

As this is an episode about a both PG13 rated movie and a fighting game which literally started the game rating systems, we'd advise a little caution for this episode. There's nothing explicitly terrible in this episode, but the subject matter can be pretty rough.

There are a few swears toward the end of the episode, but they're all bleeped out.

Please listen responsibly.

Show Notes

This episode may or may not have been recorded live at the Jammy Awards:

Hello, greetings, and welcome to another edition of the Jammy Awards. This is the 37th annual edition, I'm in my jammies why are you not.
I am here, my name is Squidge...
- Squidge

Except that it wasn't recorded live, Jammy Awards or no.

This episode was just Squidge and Jay talking about (as Jay put it)

MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!ONEONEONEELEVEN
- Jay

Basic Info on the Movie

This movie was released in 1997, as a sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat - don't worry, we're going to cover that movie. We wanted to start with Annihilation for... reasons.

The 1995 movie was directed by Paul W. S. "look at how hot my future wife is" Anderson, but this piece of celluloid was directed by John R. Leonetti. Not only was the director replaced, but most of the cast were too; with Christopher Lambert being replaced by James Remar - there's a perfectly logical reason for this, and it's explored in the next Goes to the Movies episode. Teaser much?

The plot of this movie revolves mostly around the games Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3, which makes sense when you realise how little plot there are in fighting games.

Initial Thoughts

Neither Squidge nor Jay saw this movie on the big screen. But Squidge remembers seeing Star Wars Episode 1 on the big screen, and Jay remembers The Power Rangers Movie as their first movie.

Starting with a montage is a baller move, for sure. And it's even more impressive than the way that Casino Royale into Quantum of Solace did it.

Full Show Notes

Make sure to check out the full show notes for more discussion on the points we raise, some extra meta-analysis, some out-of-context screen grabs from the movie, and some links to related things.

Are you a fan of the Doom games? What about this movie? Did the first-person section of the movie grab you and take you back to the games?

psst. we've actually done a bunch of these "goes to the movies" episodes. Check this page to see all of the released specials.

What other movies would you like us to cover? Let us know on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.

Links

Here are some links to some of the things we discussed in this episode:

• Join our Discord server and be part of future episodes
• Us on Twitter
• Our Facebook page
• Support us on Ko-Fi
• Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
• Lights, Camera, Game Over by Luke Owen
• Cinema Therapy

And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.

The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia

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Matthew (the host of The Dead Drop podcast) is back again. This time, we take video game talk to a whole new level with their hilarious and random tangents. We discuss the absurdity of a half a million dollar game to throwing babies and cats at pickpockets, to dissecting Apple's marketing strategy - all the while finishing off our chat from last time... maybe

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Show Notes

Squidge decided to start this part of the episode with a (not so subtle) shot at Chief:

And you thought Chief Problems can do tangets. He aint go nothing on Matthew Bliss from the Dead Drop News podcast
Anyway, with that being said: sit back, grab some snacks, and get ready for the conclusion of the chat we had with Matthew Bliss in this episode that we entitled "The Lethality of Tangents - Part Two"
— Squidge

I Am Rich

Towards the end of the previous episode, Jay brought up the I Am Rich game for iOS - it was the first famous iOS app in that it cost half a million dollars to buy, and would just display the legend "I am rich" when you opened it.

This reminded Matt of a story that he almost put in the (then) most recent episode of the Dead Drop News podcast - we recorded this episode on Feb 10th, 2023 - about a developer who decided to release their game to Steam and charge the maximum that Steam would allow. At the time of its release, The Hidden And The Unknown had a hefty price tag of $2000, but this wasn't the game that Matt was talking about.

Recent Games

The previous episode ended partway through the Recent Games section, so here's a quick round up of that section.

The Recent Games segment will not be new to listeners, but in case you're new to the show here's how it goes: we go round the table and discuss one or more game that we've been playing recently, and whether we think it's worth the listeners checking it out. We continue to do this until we've run out of games to discuss.

And this episode was no different.

Jay's recent Games

But before the discussion could turn to Jay's recent games, there was a conversation of the Apple Magic Mouse 2's charging port and Apple's standard marketing strategy. Here is a shot of the Magic Mouse 2, plugged in and charging.

• Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
• Road Redemption

The Thunder Plain Games

For those who are new to the pod, we have a section called "Thunder Plain Games" which might be vaguely reminiscent of a certain programme on BBC Radio 4 - but for copyright reasons, it is completely different.

Imagine that you are in Final Fantasy X, and the Thunder Plains) is a place that you get banished to. And what we're going to do is we're going to open a portal to the Thunder Plains and, very nicely and politely, boot you through it. You will get help, maybe it will be tomorrow, maybe it will be in a week, maybe it will be in an hour.

To stop you from getting bored, we've said that we'll keep the portal open and we'll throw through up to three video games and everything you need to play them - including an Internet connection. The only rules are that you can't ask for help, because help is on the way, and you can't tell anyone that you're in the Thunder Plains.

So our question is: were we to do throw, boot, or yeet you through the portal, which games are we throwing through with you?

Full Show Notes

A full transcript of this "raw with Jay" episode is available in the full show notes - because there are loads of books you can read, and some web-based resources for you to consume.

Let us know on Twitter and Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.

And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.

The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia

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Matthew (the host of The Dead Drop podcast) is back to talk about Hi-Fi Rush and Squidge's intense GoldenEye sessions on the Nintendo Switch, the group dives deep into their recently played games. We also explore the potential for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to play the next Doctor Who and the frustrating slow text speed in games. And Hi-Fi Rush. Did we mention Hi-Fi Rush?

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Don't forget to check the chapters tab in your podcatcher. This is a thing we're doing now, so keep an eye open for those.

Show Notes

Remember when Matt Bliss was on the show, back in episode 145? Well, he's back, with way more tangents than before.

But before that, the episode had to start with a cold open of some of the nonsense that everyone got up to in the recording; otherwise, the nonsense would end up on the cutting room floor, and you'd never get a taste of the true experience of recording the show.

Squidge's intro to this episode was on point:

From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games beyond.
In this first of a two parter episode, we are joined by our good friend Matthew Bliss from the Dead Drop Game News podcast. Now, by his own words, Matthew has described our podcast as being "long form episodes with banter being lethal." Well, you aint seen nothing yet.

In this episode we cover everything from sneezing into tubas to our recently played games. So sit back, grab some snacks, and get ready for our latest episode which is entitled "Waffling Taylors with Matthew Bliss: The Lethality of Tangents - Part One.
Enjoy.
— Squidge

And whilst Matt lives in a different part of the world to Jay and Squidge, it was rather cold where the Waffling Taylors live:

In our part of the world. It is rather cold right now, but that's perfect weather for staying in and playing video games
— Jay

You've always got to see the positive.

And Matt describes all of his podcasting stuff as:

The last time I was on the show I talked about this, I've got a video game news podcast that's audio only. It's called, and the name's actually changed. It used to be the Dead Drop Ten Minute Video Game News and now it's just Dead Drop Game News. Nice and easy to search. But those are ten minute episodes twice a week of video game news that I summarize for you so you don't have to go through all those articles and read all the clickbait and all the nonsense that Kotaku and all those other outlets tend to pad their stuff with. I just give you the info straight up.

But I also have started a business as well since called blissery.fm, where I edit other people's podcasts as well. So if you listening right now, have a burning desire to start a podcast or you just cannot be bothered editing your podcast any more, then let me know
... I think last time I was on actually, I talked about the Teaching Culture Cast that I used to run as well, where I interviewed teachers about their experience and sharing as professional development for others. But I've since kind of indefinitely hiatused that one
— Matt Bliss

So yes, Matt is a pretty busy dude.

Jay mentions a tweet when talking about Matt's show Dead Drop Game News - which you should definitely listen to, by the way.

I lost in when @MattBlissPod said "Apparently this counts as news as well," on the most recent @DeadDropPod
Source: https://deaddroppodcast.com/episodes/news-tears-of-the-kingdom-grammy-hogwarts-legacy-nintendo-direct
— Jay

Full Show Notes

A full transcript of this "raw with Jay" episode is available in the full show notes - because there are loads of books you can read, and some web-based resources for you to consume.

Let us know on Twitter and Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.

And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.

The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia

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In this episode, Jay takes us down to Deadside, walks us through the Marrow Gates, and introduces us to Legion and his group of nasties. This episode is Jay's attempt at a Retro Wildlands-like monologue about the deeply atmospheric, and incredibly dark Shadow Man from 1998.

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Don't forget to check the chapters tab in your podcatcher. This is a thing we're doing now, so keep an eye open for those.

Content Warning

This episode is a Retro Wildlands-like exploration of one of my favourite, extremely dark games. This episode contains some pretty grisly descriptions of some of the darkest areas of the game. This means that the episode is not for the ears of the innocent or those triggered by descriptions of horror and gore.

As such, please listen responsibly.

---

From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games and beyond. And this episode will see us going quite far into the beyond - the great beyond, that is.

This episode of the Waffling Taylors was inspired by the Retro Wildlands podcast. I'm a big fan of Nomad's show, and think that you would be too - so go give it a listen (there's a link in the show notes). And if you haven't heard it yet, we had him on the show not too long back - here's a link to that.

This episode is going to be another monologue from me (Jay), but don't worry, Squidge is still very much here. In fact, he edited this episode (as he does with every episode) and I can prove it:

HONK!
- Squidge

So why is it just me this week? Firstly, Squidge is down with illness, but he'll be back very soon. I've also been wanting to tackle one of my favourite games in long form for a long time, and that game is Shadow Man. I discovered the Retro Wildlands podcast shortly after Nomad had released episode three (which was about Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past) and loved it from the off.

I decided that Nomad's format would fit a monologue about Shadow Man perfectly, but I've no idea whether he will be interested in covering this game so I thought I would do it myself - Nomad, I'm more than happy for you to do a way better job that I have on this game.

I actually love Shadow Man so much that I that I've written about it twice for our blog (and there will be links in the show notes):

• https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/2017/07/08/shadow-man-part-1-welcome-to-deadside/
• https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/2017/07/22/shadow-man-part-2-keep-your-hair-on-michael/

But before we get started with the episode proper, I want to issue a warning: Because we're going to touch on some of the content in one of the darkest video games I've ever played, I ask that you please consider skipping this episode if you are easily offended, can be triggered by descriptions of violence or horror, or are listening with those who have innocent ears.

I'm not going to cover some of the worst parts of the game's themes and story in this episode, but we'll certainly be dancing around them a little.

If you choose to continue onward, I'll have Squidge put this sound: ALERT! before and after any of the particularly grisly descriptions that I've decided to include in this monologue. I'll also warn you in advance and aim to give a "skip ahead x seconds to get around this bit" style of warning.

I ask that you please listen to this episode responsibly.

Background Info

So what is Shadow Man?

Aside from the spooky meme of a shadowy person who haunts people's sleep, near-sleep, and hallucinations, it is also a game which came out in 1998 - originally for the N64. It was then ported to the PlayStation, PC and Dreamcast (in that order) in 1999; making it a game for both the 5th and 6th generations of video game consoles.

It was developed by Acclaim Studios Teeside, a UK-based arm of Acclaim based in Teeside (in the North of England), and is based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name.

One thing to note is that the character of Shadow Man in the game is very different to the original Valiant Comics) run of the character. However, after the game came out, Acclaim bought Valiant Comics and started putting out stories based on the video game version of the Shadow Man character.

I'm greatly reducing the history and importance of the original Shadow Man character here so definitely go read up on him after listening to this episode.

If it was ported to three different formats back in the day, then which was the best one? It's my opinion that the Dreamcast version is the best. Mostly because it was the most powerful home console that the game was ported to. Because it was the last of the ports, the developers could put the most effort into the audio-visual quality of the game - combining the massive areas of the N64 version, and the high-quality skins and music from the PC version. However, because it was originally an N64 game which was ported to the Dreamcast, the controls are really quite bad - but we'll talk about that in a moment.

When Acclaim went belly up in 2004, the rights to the game were left in a sort of limbo. But in 2013, Nightdive announced that they had bought the rights and put the PC version up on GoG. This version came with a large number of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, and some extras that were never included in the original PC release - this included things like a downloadable version of the soundtrack and a scanned strategy guide.

Full Show Notes

A full transcript of this "raw with Jay" episode is available over in the full show notes - because there are loads of books you can read, and some web-based resources for you to consume.

Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, leave a comment on the show notes or try our brand-new contact page.

And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.

The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia

Jay explores the effects of video games on our mental health and well-being. From the works of renowned psychologists like Dr. Brene Brown to the effects of gaming on hand-eye coordination and puzzle solving, he discusses why video games are not just for entertainment but actually can have a positive impact on our mental health. From exploring emotions in storylines to fostering healthy relationships with others, this podcast is a must-listen for video game enthusiasts and psychology buffs alike.

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Don't forget to check the chapters tab in your podcatcher. This is a thing we're doing now, so keep an eye open for those.

Content Warning

This episode contains my thoughts on gatekeepers and those who offer unsolicited mental health diagnoses. As such, it deals with discussing mental health issues and how playing video games can help.

These topics may not be relevant to the ears of the young and innocent, as such please listen responsibly.

---

This episode is yet another example of why we should ditch the gatekeepers, except this time I have some real-world examples of gatekeeping happening in the wild. And a form of gatekeeping that you might not have initially thought actually was gatekeeping. This time, we'll be talking about a specific series of tweets; these tweets were sent out in 2022, and have lived rent-free in my head for a while because of how infuriatingly horrid they are.

Series Intro

This is The Waffling Taylors Raw with Jay, a series of shorter episodes of indefinite length. These episodes will cover shorter topics which don't really fit well within the scope of the show, or topics that I want to cover in my own way. That's not to say that we won't cover these topics in the main show, but I'd like to take a whack at them here, first.

I can't guarantee that all of these shorter episodes will be as deep or technical as this one. But I wanted to start big.

Anyway, let's get to it.

Mental Health and Gaming

This episode is going to focus on a series of tweets (not sent by us or any friends of the show) which poke fun at both video gamers and those who suffer from mental health issues. Please note that I'm talking about the tweets, not those who suffer.

Because these tweets are so egregious in their language, I won't be linking directly to them - mostly because I don't want to drive any more traffic towards them at all. But I will be quoting them verbatim, so if you really must see the originals, you can type the quotes into your search engine of choice and you'll find them.

If you have concerns about your mental health, please speak to a professional. And if you know of someone who is suffering, please help them to find a professional who can help.

Mental health issues should NEVER be the target of ire and parody. Mental health issues are very real, and some of us content creators (myself included) are doing our best to take the stigma away from getting help. One of the best examples of those who are trying to remove the stigma is the fantastic podcast Capes on the Couch] - we had Anthony for Capes on the Couch on the show not that long back, there's a link to the episode in the show notes - I'd definitely recommend listening to our episode and then leap-frogging over to their show.

Because it's so important, I'll say it again: if you need help, please go get help. There is no stigma in getting the help that you need. And if someone you know is struggling, please help them to get the help that they need.

Background

On September 11th, 2022 a Twitter user posted the following:

As an adult, playing video games for long periods of time is a form of depression. If you don't believe me, ask yourself this. Think about the 100 greatest moments of your life. Do any of those moments include video games?  Probably not. And this comes from a lifetime gamer.

Let me level-set here: I'm not saying that we should attack this person, or that people shouldn't necessarily consume their content. What I'm getting at is that this person (and people like them) continually use "hot takes" in order to drum up publicity for their content, and by responding to them and drawing attention to their content we give them legitimacy - even if what you're doing is proving them wrong or providing the opposite argument.

I fully realise the irony in what I've just said.

The was a lot of immediate backlash from this tweet, with lots of people quoting it or replying directly to it. Those people were fighting the good fight, for sure. But they were also giving that Twitter user what they wanted: engagement.

Social Media and How It Works

Before we get on to my opinions on this tweet and others like it, I wanted to give you all a quick primer of how social media sites work.

It's all about engagement: the more that people like, share, and reply to your content, the more people see it. And the more that people see it, the higher it will get in your "suggested" view. This is usually the default view for your feed, it's not chronological (it isn't showing you things as they happen) but it's "hand-picked" for you. You're seeing the things that fall into your interests which have the most engagement.

By replying, retweeting, liking, mentioning, whatever-ing a piece of social media content, you are telling that platform that this piece of content is important to those with a similar interest. In the case of the above tweet, it had viral-like views in the first 48 hours because people were outraged by it - and rightly so. The problem with this is that its negative message started to spread among video game and mental health Twitter very quickly. Which meant that more people saw it, and more people went through to the person's account to learn more about them; at which point they learnt more about the other content that they put out there.

Some of those people will have engaged with this user's content which is what they wanted in the first place. Granted, it wouldn't have been a large percentage of the people who were checking this user out, but it would have been enough for them to have seen this as a positive experiment. This "hot take" was used specifically to drive engagement to their content.

You may not have been one of the people who clicked through and checked out their other content, but there would have been a percentage of people who did.

Full Show Notes

A full transcript of this "raw with Jay" episode is available over in the full show notes - because there are loads of books you can read, and some web-based resources for you to consume.

Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, leave a comment on the show notes or try our brand-new

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Adventurers and world-builders alike will be thrilled as Gold Mountain Games joined us to talk through The Saltreach Isles. Rob and Tim joined us to discuss their upcoming campaign, the world-building behind it, and whether the recent changes to the OGL will affect it. We also talk about their personal opinions on the changes to the OGL.

Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.

Our Thanks

As Squidge says in the intro:

Before we start, we have Jordan Freeman of Zoom Platform to thank for hooking us up today. So thank you, Jordan.
And do go check out Zoom Platform. They hit the ground running in January and have released tons of new games all DRM free, almost every week. They are also the only web-based store front to actually sell Postal One, Two and Three with all the DLCs, even if we don't talk about Postal 3 that much.
- Squidge

We're also grateful to the Zoom Platform folks for hosting this week's episode on their youTube channel. If you'd prefer to watch this episode rather than listen to it, please feel free to check it out here.

It's also worth noting that we recorded this episode on GoldenEye 007 before a confirmed release date was put into place for the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox systems.

Show Notes

As is our new tradition, Squidge started the episode off with our new customary intro:

From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games beyond
- Squidge

This episode saw the boys connecting with author, James Bond fan, and all-round nice person Nicolás Suszczyk:

You know, it's funny because as a kid I used to introduce myself like Bond, but now I've grown up and I don't do it that often, but I'm Nicolás.
- Nicolás

Nicolás has written a long list of books about James Bond and the effect that the character has had on popular culture; all of which you can find on Amazon. Nicolás had ostensibly joined the show to talk about his most recent (at the time of recording the episode) book: The Golden Games of Bond: A Total Summary and Analysis of the GoldenEye Legacy.

Interestingly, although it isn't mentioned in the episode - but was in the recording - the topic of the Xbox and Nintendo Switch re-release of GoldenEye 007 didn't come up in the conversation; but only hours after the recording was finished, Nintendo announced its release date.

The first thing Squidge wanted to know was how Nicolás got into James Bond:

Well, it was 25 years ago or so in was January 1998. Yes, 25 years ago. I remember I was walking on the in my home town here in Argentina and I saw huge billboard of Pierce Brosnan. They were promoting the broadcasting of GoldenEye on TV.
...
I want to see it. And then with my parents, we sat together when it was showing [on TV]. And that was the beginning. I mean, I rewatched the film every time I could on TV. I didn't have a video cassette player or the Nintendo 64, but whenever I could, I watched the movie on TV and replay the game. And since I couldn't play the game as much as I wanted when I started watching the film, the more I can and I started reading everything about Bond, buying the books, watching the old films.
...
But the introduction was the Nintendo 64 game actually more than the movie, but the game broke me to the movie. But since I couldn't play it that often, I focused it more on the film than on the game.
- Nicolás

And that, naturally, lead into a conversation about our favourite actors to have portrayed James Bond:

Okay, just a quick fire when I had to get in there, of course it wasn't golden. I the first one I watched. It was the very first one with Sean Connery. For me. It's Sean Connery. What about you?
- Squidge

Nicolás:

Pierce Brosnan
- Nicolás

Jay:

I don't know. That's a tough one. I'm not as big of a fan as the Daniel Craig's [Bond], personally. I think Daniel Craig is too muscly to be yeah. And it's a bit too action packed, and the camera work is a bit wobbly. Yeah, I think I'd have to go with Pierce Brosnan as well
- Jay

But before long, the topic turned to Nicolás' most recent book and his sources:

Well, let's say it's probably one year. I recall writing the first words by early 2021 or so. I continually interrupted it to focus on another project, even another book. So it's not like I was writing it continually
...
I wanted to be very cautious regarding interviews, mostly because the developers have been telling the same stories for some 20 years and they wanted to bring something new. You know, sometimes it happens
... I wanted to be the quote and the interview to be functional to the progression of the text and bring something we have never heard before. For example, there's Adrian Smith, which is one of the developers. He explained to me how he came up with the dead screen [with] the blood coming down.
...
in a movie you can talk about a director or a camera shot and all that, but in a game you have to go more to the point to what it's the technical aspects, the playability and all that. But thankfully, there was my friend Jack, who helped me a lot, and Jordan, of course, from Zoom Platform who his comments I made the book a lot richer. So did Steve L Kent with the author and he helped me a lot with his experience. So thankfully, I counted with a lot of great people who helped me on these technical aspects.
- Nicolás

Full Show Notes

Make sure to check out the full show notes for more discussion on the points we raise, some extra meta-analysis, and some links to related things.

With the recent re-release of GoldenEye 007, did you go back and play it again? What did you think, and are you blinded by 25 years of nostalgia for it? Have you read any of Nicolás' books? If not, why not?

Let us know on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.

Links

Here are some links to some of the things we discussed in this episode:

• Join our Discord server and be part of future episodes
• Our Facebook page
• Us on Twitter
• Support us on Ko-Fi
• Zoom Platform
• YouTube version of this episode
• Nicolás on the Internet...

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.

Adventurers and world-builders alike will be thrilled as Gold Mountain Games joined us to talk through The Saltreach Isles. Rob and Tim joined us to discuss their upcoming campaign, the world-building behind it, and whether the recent changes to the OGL will affect it. We also talk about their personal opinions on the changes to the OGL.

Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.

Content Warning

We talk about the recent (at the time of recording) changes to the Open Game License (or OGL) in this episode, and both Rob and Tim have very closely held opinions about those recent changes. They are two very passionate table-top gamers, and we wanted to keep their opinions on the matter in-tact. The only editorialising we did was bleep the odd swear word - of which there were only two or three.

Please listen responsibly.

Show Notes

Jay covered the intro in this episode:

From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers all kinds of gaming and beyond.
This week we were joined bit Rob and Tim of Gold Mountain Gamers to talk about their new TTRG campaign "The Saltreach Isles" and how they went about creating it.
It's important to note that we recorded this episode during the height of the changes to the OGL (or Open Gaming License) from Wizards of the Coast. This is the backbone of Dungeons & Dragons and Dungeons and Dragons-like content, and the changes brought about by Wizards of the Coast brought about a LOT of backlash from the community; which we talked about.
Also, unfortunately Squidge was ill when we recorded episode, so he's not in this one. But I talked with both Rob and Tim afterwards, and they are more than happy to come back to the show and talk both Squidgey and myself through their updates as they continue their world building and production of "The Saltreach Isles"
- Jay

Gold Mountain Games

A discussion about Gold Mountain Games, their table-top RGPs and the personal thoughts of both Tim and Rob on the recent changes to the OGL couldn't have happened without first discussing what Gold Mountain Games are and what they do:

Yeah, absolutely cool. We've got a couple of one shots out and we've also got a settings book. We can go into a bit more detail about that later on, I think, but yeah table-top RPGs is what we do.
- Rob

But they're not just another TTRPG company, as Tim explained:

And we like to approach everything from a very professional mindset. Right. So as much as we're all still fans that are playing the games and really wanting to make this a fully realized company and everything else, we're still working with artists and writers on professional, contract level work in order to make certain that our visions are as clear and concise and as awe inspiring as possible for the end users once they get the products.
- Tim

But what about the people behind Gold Mountain Games? First Rob:

I'm Rob. I'm the owner and executive director of Gold Mountain Games.
I've been playing tabletop RPGs for about a decade. I've been - before that, I was massively into the boardgame scene. I set up one of the biggest boardgame clubs in the UK. I've got a boardgame tattooed on me. I've got my favourite fantasy author tattooed on me. I'm a mega geek and tabletop RPGs have been a large part of my life and kind of formed a lot of my friendships and helped me with lots of troubles in my life. And I just think they're great and I wanted to give back some of that awesomeness.
- Rob

And Tim:

So my name is Tim. I am one of the directors at Gold Mountain Games.
My primary function is the business and the sales. The marketing, the business side of it actually my day job, if you want to call it that. Heavy quotes there is. I work within the gaming industry during the day. I'm actually a sales representative at Cryptozoic Entertainment and I also do contract work for other companies.
So it's funny, when Rob actually reached out to me the first time, I was just like, "yeah, I want to do some writing." And then we got to talking, I was like, "oh wait, no, we need this slot filled more for a lot." So for folks out there, what I do is the boring corporate stuff, but it's also very necessary stuff for when we get to the point of getting the products out there, really letting them shine.
- Tim

What's The Saltreach Isles Isles All About?

Discussion turned to that of their new campaign (due out soon) called "The Saltreach Isles", and it's amazing just how much world-building the team at Gold Mountain Games has put into this campaign:

The Saltreach Isles is a massive archipelago world. We've got 24 islands ranging from kind of big central, kind of multiple kind of species and empires on them. We've got tiny little islands that have a one group may occupy more than one of them.
It came about really from there isn't really a setting for D&D - which is what it was written for - there isn't one that kind of takes in the scope and the differences that you get in kind of island nations and archipelagos. And I think it gave us this really interesting mechanism we could use with kind of over time, the islands breaking up from a - I forget the word now - a Pangaea, one big continent. So a lot of the world is tied into kind of the evolution of the planet as a whole.
We've got Gods that aren't really Gods. We've got real kind of unique takes on a lot of the species that people would be used to from DnD. And we've also added orcs, trolls and goblins because I love me a green skin. I think they're all great. My very first Warhammer were orcs back when I was like 12 or 13 and I've just loved them ever since.
But one of the things I really wanted to do is I wanted to bring them kind of into the modern age. I wanted to get rid of this idea that they are unintelligent roots who kill and maim for fun. That had its place. I think the Middle earth needed its bad guys and the orcs were amazing. However, I wanted to do something more interesting with them.
- Rob

Whilst the game uses the typical creatures and species you might find in most DnD fantasy campaigns, the team have spent the time to really think about why the creatures should exist:

And for me, I really wanted to do everything I could to make certain that they felt like there was a reason for them being in this world other than like, hey, I made a monster throw it against your players. Every creature I wrote has a reason for being there.
- Tim

And Rob went on to talk about how they are creating deep culture and lore around the histories of the different species, and the factions within them. The team behind the game have also thought very clearly about diversity and inclusion in creating this campaign.

..one of the other things we've tried to do, and I think we've been very successful with it, is we've tried to be very open and accepting and inclusive with our writing.
We have very many kind of NPCs named ch...