Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors

Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors

By The Waffling TaylorsTechnologyLeisureVideo Games
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Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors episodes

  • Requiem for a Jill Sandwich with Nomad

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


    We invited Nomad, from the Retro Wildlands podcast, to discuss the Resident Evil series and its many replay values. Nomad shares personal stories of his own experiences with the franchise, as well as proposing a unique solution to make the game even more thrilling. Join Nomad, Jay, and Squidge as they explore the thrilling world of Resident Evil and discover its hidden secrets.

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


    Content Warning

    We talk about Resident Evil a lot in this episode, from the first game to the most recent one. As such, and because these are horror games, this episode is not meant for the ears of the innocent.

    Please listen responsibly.

    Show Notes

    As Squidge says in our new intro:

    From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games and beyond. We are kicking off the new year and the new season of Waffling Taylors retro and beyond with a bang. Because why not?
    Today we are joined by Nomad from the Retro Wildlands podcast. We've teased him in from the Wildlands to talk about Resident Evil. So when you're ready, strap yourselves in for our episode on the Resident Evil franchise named Resident Evil Requiem for a Jill Sandwich.
    - Squidge

    I mean, that says it all really. And, believe it or not, Squidge came up with that off the cuff. He's pretty good at words and that, is our Squidge.

    But just what is the Retro Wildlands Podcast? Well, in Nomad's own words:

    My podcast is about the games that I have discovered or rediscovered while roaming the gaming wildlands. That sounds good, that's my catchphrase.
    But really what it is, is I'm a 38 year old guy who loves video games, and I've grown up playing games most of my young adolescent life and well into adulthood. My episodes are around games specifically, and what I try to do is I have my episodes around a couple of different parts. They're one part review, they're one part game overview, they're one part my experiences and personal memories, and they're one part nostalgia. Mix all that together and that's my show. Basically my goal is if you've played a game before that I'm talking about, I hope you end my episode with a bunch of nostalgia and all them tingly feelings that you get. And if you've never played the game before, hopefully it's a nice introduction into what the game is and maybe something you may want to play. And if not, maybe you just listen to me talk for an hour, and I killed a little bit of your time.
    - Nomad

    Because the guys were talking nostalgia and Resident Evil, Squidge brought up his Resident Evil 2 specific controller - we first mentioned this controller back in episode 7: Sega Wrist - It's called the BIOHAZARD dedicated controller, and you can find out more about this controller over on the Resident Evil fandom wikia page for it.

    Resident Evil (1996) & Resident Evil 2 (1998)

    Squidge wanted to start the discussion with Nomad by talking about the first episode of his podcast - one which just so happened to cover the first Resident Evil game. In fact, he wanted to know why Nomad started with Resident Evil:

    So Resident Evil is where it all started for me as a gamer.
    Now, that's not to say that's the very first game I ever played. I've been playing games since, more or less. The Cradle, the Nintendo at my grandmother's house, the Super Nintendo that my parents got a couple of years after that. So I've had games. But it was Resident Evil that solidified my passion for video games.
    - Nomad

    Nomad then shares a story from the first episode of his podcast about how he first experienced Resident Evil. We're going to leave the story out of the show notes, as there's already two different sources for it (Nomad's show, and this episode).


    The effect that the Resident Evil series has had on popular culture cannot be understated, but also worth noting is the tension that the original brought to the table - if you're willing to set the goofy voice acting to one side that is:

    And the tension in that game was so thick and we had no idea what to expect.
    I mean, Resident Evil is everywhere now. And most people, I would think, that are semi familiar with the series kind of know what it's all about. But the very first time we played it, we didn't know why zombies were in this mansion. We didn't know why these dogs were running around. What is really going on here? And that mystery really drove us and we bonded over it.
    And that whole experience, once we were done with it and put it away for something else, that's what I knew. I want more of these experiences in my life. And Resident Evil was by far the biggest catalyst for me.
    - Nomad

    On the back of this, both Squidge and Jay share their stories on how they discovered Resident Evil, and Jay mentions the many different branching pathways through Jill's scenario. And the guys agree that there are quite a few different ways to achieve certain story points. With just one example being:

    ...off the very top of the staircase, a side room, you come across a long corridor that's full of blood and someone's injured and has been through there. And you come across Forest, I think his name was, another member of the Stars team.
    Now, depending on when you decide to go up there, Barry may actually be up there and you have a conversation with him and he gives Jill the bazooka. But depending on what you do, he may not actually be up there sometimes.
    And the little things like that, that influence the story, little decisions that you're making that you don't even realize that you're making, really enhance that experience.
    - Nomad

    Most Memorable Games

    Since this is a discussion about Resident Evil as a whole, Jay wanted to ask Nomad:

    Out of the different games that this series has to offer, what would you say is your most memorable game to play?
    - Jay

    And Nomad brought up an often-forgotten title in the series: Resident Evil Outbreak (and it's sequel File #2). This title had a great twist on the Resident Evil formula, as it was multiplayer. The set up was the same (albeit with different characters): get out of the city, avoiding zombies and felling monsters, all the while solving puzzles. Unfortunately, it was released in the UK too late for Squidge or Jay to have played it online, but all three of the folks in this episode had played it, back in the day.

    You're playing everyday survivors that are in Raccoon City and you're put in I think the first game had five and the second had four scenarios where you're given an objective, "get to this point", "evacuate from here", "find this thing", some sort of scenario. And it recreates th...
    1 hr 25 min
  • Pastel Colours and Spandex - GTA Vice City with Chief

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


    We hope that you've had your recommended daily amount of pastel colours, spandex, and cocaine as we dove deep into the only game which has ever gone full-80s: Grand Theft Audio Vice City. Chief joined us for a long talk about our collective memories of this amazing title, what the heck Rockstar were thinking when they released Table Tennis, and just how 80's we all are.

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


    Content Warning

    We're discussing the 80s spoof-a-thon, and Scarface rip-off pastiche Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in this episode. As such we talk about a lot of rather NSFW topics.

    Please listen responsibly.

    Show Notes

    This episode saw the Wafflers tackle the fantastically stupid GTA: Vice City - one of the first 3D, open world, crime-a-thons from acclaimed developers Rockstar. It wasn't the first, but was a lot of people's firsts - the earlier title GTA 3 was the first from Rockstar, and it set the stage for later titles in the series, and competitor titles like Saints Row.

    Anyway, Jay and Squidge were joined by Chief in this episode - and it was recorded on the same day as his previous appearance on the show: Spirits Within; Plot Without. Chief wanted to start the conversation by bringing up "Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis" (aka "Table Tennis"):

    It was bonkers, completely out of left-field.
    - Chief

    And he's not wrong, because there wasn't even a table tennis competition or global event happening at the time. They just released it, seemingly randomly.

    And the big topic of the day that we recorded - back in September of 2022 - was that someone had hacked into Rockstar's systems and leaked a bunch of early GTA 6 stuff.

    this is Jay: please don't do this. Us developers don't want our early builds of stuff to see the light of day otherwise, we'd release them. Please remember to be nice to people, especially developers.

    But before they could do that, the system that they use to record episodes completely crapped out

    Jay: and it was after that day that we started using our Discord server to record episodes

    Grand Theft Auto Vice City

    We all need to put on our pastel coloured suits, [and] get a pile of cardboard boxes and prepare to drive into them. Because we are going to be talking about Scarface meets Miami Vice - or as we all know it Grand Theft Auto Vice City
    - Jay

    But they couldn't seem to get away from just how bonkers it was for Rockstar to have released a Table Tennis game, randomly between several entries in all of their extremely violent, very silly, crime-a-thons. It would be as bonkers as if:

    Nintendo releases Diddy Kong Does The Accounts
    - Squidge

    This brought us to the topics of Nintendogs, societal pressure from parents in Japan, and what some young, Japanese couples get up to during bank holidays - or BONK holidays. Amiright?

    I mean, that hasn't helped at all.
    What Miyamoto has done is he's clocked into other people's misery, and sold them a copy of Nintendogs. Which hasn't helped the problem, and has just made it worse, AND he's charged them £45 for it.
    - Chief


    Attempt Number 2

    Since there are a lot of people who have neither played Grand Theft Auto, nor GTA Vice City specifically, Jay wanted to challenge both Squidge and Chief to come up with a 30 second long (or less) elevator pitch for Vice City. Squidge went first:

    Do you wanna play a game where you can race around, jump over things, shoot people, and apparently there's a story that's set in the '80s?
    You need to play the story, you can just drive around, running people over and shooting things.
    - Squidge

    Then Chief came in with:

    Don't bother, just play Table Tennis.
    It's reliving the '80s, isn't it? Great soundtrack. You drive around in '80s, like, Miami and Florida. It's fun, yeah. And you drive around and it's cool. '80s soundtrack.
    It's a lot of fun. There's a good story there as well, despite what Squidge said. I mean, it's just nicked off Scarface like, but yeah. A lot of fun. A lot of fun.
    '80s!
    - Chief

    But who won the elevator pitch battle? You decide! Let us both know either on Twitter or on our Discord server.

    And afterwards, Squidge was able to reduce his elevator pitch down to:

    Vice City is a soundtrack with a game built around it.
    - Squidge

    And finally, Jay had a shot at it (but without the timer):

    So GTA Vice City.
    It's a game set in 1986. You play as Tommy Vercetti, who is essentially Scarface, and you're running through a whole series of situations that are very similar to episodes of Miami Vice.
    And it has an absolute BANGER of a soundtrack - I hate to have said that word after all of that; I'm getting the finger from Chief, but not the naughty one, the other one: the naughty finger.
    - Jay

    And it's a real shame that they had to drop most of the licensed songs in the soundtrack for the "remasters" - the less said about them, the better - due to the rights being way more expensive now.


    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 listened to the Tokyo Game Life podcast? Did you catch Mono's episode on TGS yet? What did you think to it? Have you ever been to Japan? Are you excited for Sonic Frontiers, or will it continue the 3D Sonic games legacies of not being very good?

    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
    • Rockstar owner issues takedowns after Grand Theft Auto VI leak
    • Sony patent wants to make advertising more interactive
    ...
    1 hr 15 min
  • Sonic TuesMonth - Episode Two, Part Two

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

    The 30th anniversary of Sonic 2day - the worldwide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive - is upon us this month, and we asked a few friends to talk about their memories of the landmark title. This week, we talk about favourite and least favourite music, just how tough the original Sonic games are, and ways to celebrate the 30th anniversary.

    psst. this is the first in a series of four episodes on Sonic 2's 30th anniversary. Be sure to check this page to see the other episodes in the series when they drop.

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

    Show Notes

    To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sonic 2sday - Tuesday November 24th, 1992 - aka the worldwide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis - we wanted to create a very special episode of the podcast, and it ended up being so long that we split it into four. And this is part three of that series of special episodes; with part one having released last week

    • part one
    • part two
    • part three

    We wanted to create an episode which would have us interviewing some amazing people that we know from the podcasting and video content community, and we wanted to talk with them about their memories of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Genesis/ Mega Drive; and reach out, we did.

    As you can see from our players section - psst. if you're not reading these show notes on the website, then you're missing out - we reached out to some amazing folks. In fact, we got so much content that we've had to split this special episode into two separate episodes, each with two parts. In this episode we talked with:

    • Gamer Jason (aka one of the hosts of What's Wrong With Wolfie?)
    • White Mage
    • Nezzalonius

    Assisting us with this episode was Russell, an artificial intelligence that Jay may or may not have sunk several years of his life into creating, for the specific purpose of making everyone's lives easier. Russell took hosting duties for this episode - you'll see why as we work our way through the series.

    Full Show Notes

    All the details on the questions we asked, the format we took, and the answers that our amazing guests gave can be found in the full show notes, we definitely check them out here.

    Do you remember the first time that you played Sonic 2? Was it on Sonic 2sday? Have you checked out all of the content that our guests create? You totally should. 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
    • GamerJason's Links:
      • Twitter
      • What's Wrong With Wolfie?
    • White Mage's links:
      • Trich Comics
    • Nezzalonius' links
      • Twitter
    • Sonic 2sday

    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/jayandjaym

    ★ Support this podcast ★
    1 hr 4 min
  • Sonic TuesMonth - Episode Two, Part One

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

    The 30th anniversary of Sonic 2day is upon us this month, and we asked a few friends to talk about their memories of the landmark title. This week, we talked with GamerJason, White Mage, and Nezzalonius about what comes to mind when they think about Sonic 2, whether Sonic Team have a trademark on the Casino Levels, and slipping and sliding everywhere.

    psst. this is the first in a series of four episodes on Sonic 2's 30th anniversary. Be sure to check this page to see the other episodes in the series when they drop.

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

    Show Notes

    To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sonic 2sday - Tuesday November 24th, 1992 - aka the worldwide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis - we wanted to create a very special episode of the podcast, and it ended up being so long that we split it into four. And this is part three of that series of special episodes; with part one having released last week

    • part one
    • part two

    We wanted to create an episode which would have us interviewing some amazing people that we know from the podcasting and video content community, and we wanted to talk with them about their memories of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Genesis/ Mega Drive; and reach out, we did.

    As you can see from our players section - psst. if you're not reading these show notes on the website, then you're missing out - we reached out to some amazing folks. In fact, we got so much content that we've had to split this special episode into two separate episodes, each with two parts. In this episode we talked with:

    • Gamer Jason (aka one of the hosts of What's Wrong With Wolfie?)
    • White Mage
    • Nezzalonius

    Assisting us with this episode was Russell, an artificial intelligence that Jay may or may not have sunk several years of his life into creating, for the specific purpose of making everyone's lives easier. Russell took hosting duties for this episode - you'll see why as we work our way through the series.

    Full Show Notes

    All the details on the questions we asked, the format we took, and the answers that our amazing guests gave can be found in the full show notes, we definitely check them out here.

    Do you remember the first time that you played Sonic 2? Was it on Sonic 2sday? Have you checked out all of the content that our guests create? You totally should. 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
    • GamerJason's Links:
      • Twitter
      • What's Wrong With Wolfie?
    • White Mage's links:
      • Trich Comics
    • Nezzalonius' links
      • Twitter
    • Sonic 2sday

    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/jayandjaym

    ★ Support this podcast ★
    50 min
  • Sonic TuesMonth - Episode One, Part Two

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

    The 30th anniversary of Sonic 2day - the worldwide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive - is upon us this month, and we asked G to the Next Level, Franny, Alyxa, MVG, and JonnyG to choose their favourite and least favourite Sonic 2 music, whether it was their first Sonic game, singed furry animals and how Sonic's eco-warrior vibe was dropped, multiple endings, and PS3 era game design

    psst. this is the second in a series of four episodes on Sonic 2's 30th anniversary. Be sure to check this page to see the other episodes in the series when they drop.

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

    Show Notes

    To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sonic 2sday - Tuesday November 24th, 1992 - aka the worldwide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis - we wanted to create a very special episode of the podcast, and it ended up being so long that we split it into four. And this is part two of that series of special episodes; with part one having released last week - here's a link to part one.


    We wanted to create an episode which would have us interviewing some amazing people that we know from the podcasting and video content community, and wanted to talk with them about their memories of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Genesis/ Mega Drive; and reach out, we did.


    As you can see from our players section of the fuller show notes - psst. if you're not reading these show notes on the website, then you're missing out - we reached out to some amazing folks. In fact, we go so much content that we've had to split this special episode into two separate episodes, each with two parts. In this episode we talked with:

    • G to the Next Level
    • Franny
    • Alyxa
    • Mad Viking God
    • JonnyG

    Assisting us with this episode was Russell, an artificial intelligence that Jay may or may not have sunk several years of his life into creating, for the specific purpose of making everyone's lives easier. Russell took hosting duties for this episode - you'll see why as we work our way through the series.

    Full Show Notes

    All the details on the questions we asked, the format we took, and the answers that our amazing guests gave can be found in the full show notes, we definitely check them out here.

    Do you remember the first time that you played Sonic 2? Was it on Sonic 2sday? Have you checked out all of the content that our guests create? You totally should. 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
    • G to the Next Level's Links:
      • Twitter
      • YouTube
      • Twitch
      • Pillar
    • Franny's links:
      • Druids of Doom Podcast
    • Alyxa's Links:
      • Weebly
      • Twitter
      • Twitch
      • YouTube
    • Mad Viking God's Links:
      • Twitch
      • GitHub
    • JohhnyG's links:
      • The Monster's Playbook podcast
      • The Monter's Playbook on Twitter
      • The Monter's Playbook on Instagram
    • Sonic 2sday
    • InsaneInTheMusic
      • Sonic 2: Aquatic Ruin Zone Jazz Arrangement || insaneintherainmusic

    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/jayandjaym

    ★ Support this podcast ★
    1 hr 10 min
  • Sonic TuesMonth - Episode One, Part One

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

    The 30th anniversary of Sonic 2day - the worldwide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis/Mega Drive - is upon us this month, and we asked G to the Next Level, Franny, Alyxa, MVG, and JonnyG about what their first thoughts of Sonic 2 are and their least favourite zones in the game. We also talk about the Dreamcast and just how amaze-bonkers Comix Zone was.

    psst. this is the first in a series of four episodes on Sonic 2's 30th anniversary. Be sure to check this page to see the other episodes in the series when they drop.

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

    Show Notes

    To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sonic 2sday - Tuesday November 24th, 1992 - aka the world wide release of Sonic 2 on the Genesis - we wanted to create a very special episode of the podcast. We wanted to create an episode which would have us interviewing some amazing people from the podcasting community that we knew, and wanted to talk with them about their memories of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Genesis/ Mega Drive; and reach out, we did.

    As you can see from our players section of the fuller show notes - psst. if you're not reading these show notes on the website, then you're missing out - we reached out to some amazing folks. In fact, we go so much content that we've had to split this special episode into two separate episodes, each with two parts. In this episode we talked with:

    • G to the Next Level
    • Franny
    • Alyxa
    • Mad Viking God
    • JonnyG

    Assisting us with this episode was Russell, an artificial intelligence that Jay may or may not have sunk several years of his life into creating, for the specific purpose of making everyone's lives easier. Russell took hosting duties for this episode - you'll see why as we work our way through the series.

    Full Show Notes

    All the details on the questions we asked, the format we took, and the answers that our amazing guests gave can be found in the full show notes, we definitely check them out here.

    Do you remember the first time that you played Sonic 2? Was it on Sonic 2sday? Have you checked out all of the content that our guests create? You totally should. 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
    • G to the Next Level's Links:
      • Twitter
      • YouTube
      • Twitch
      • Pillar
    • Franny's links:
      • Druids of Doom Podcast
    • Alyxa's Links:
      • Weebly
      • Twitter
      • Twitch
      • YouTube
    • Mad Viking God's Links:
      • Twitch
      • GitHub
    • JohhnyG's links:
      • The Monster's Playbook podcast
      • The Monter's Playbook on Twitter
      • The Monter's Playbook on Instagram
    • Sonic 2sday
    • Classic Sega Game "Comix Zone" to Get Movie Adaptation

    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/jayandjaym

    ★ Support this podcast ★
    55 min
  • Doom - I'm So Manly That I Kiss My Gun

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

    Gammy legs, getting older, men in rubber suits, first-person shooter sections, Semper-Fi, testosteroni (and whether that should be a pizza topping), and guns that make the uwu face. Obviously, this means that we talked about the 2005 movie Doom for our 2022 Spooptober episode.

    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 both our Spootober episode and an episode which covers the 2005 action horror movie Doom, this episode contains discussions of things, and words, which are not safe for work or the ears of the innocent.


    Please listen responsibly.


    Show Notes

    Spooptober is upon us once again. This year we wanted to tackle a spoopy video game movie for our Waffling Taylors Goes To The Movies series. But what to choose, what to choose? We've already covered The House of the Dead, and the first two Resident Evil movies - psst. there are three links there for the Resident Evil movies, because our exploration of the second movie took that long that we split it into two parts - because of that, we decided to cover the 2005 action horror movie version of Doom!

    As with our House of the Dead episode - do check that out, if you want to hear the boys talking smack about an Uwe Boll movie - we decided to change up the format of our "goes to the movies" episodes. Instead of working through the plot, we decided that it would be much more fun to focus on a handful of scenes from the movie. This serves the double purpose of:

    • Simplifying our episodes, and getting to the gags quicker
    • Not having to discuss the plot - the one thing we're not here for

    Basic Info on the Movie

    Jay dropped some key facts on this movie before we could get to our discussion on it:

    This is a movie that was released in 2005.
    It had a budget of 60-70 million dollars, but only took 58 million dollars at the box office. So it was kind of a flop, but not as much as Final Fantasy: The Sprits Within.
    Although it's based on Doom, I feel like it's more based on Doom 3 due to the design of the BFG and the dark corridors.
    - Jay

    Initial Thoughts

    Squidge started the conversation off with a very relevant question:

    But why did they make Doom into a stealth movie?
    - Squidge

    And he's not wrong, a large part of the first hour of the movie is mostly the Marines stalking about in the darkness.

    This is just Doom, but set in the Red Dwarf universe
    - Squidge

    ... another thing that everyone agreed with, too.

    Then Jay dropped the ultimate piece of trivia for this movie:

    Apparently, Rosamund Pike turned down the role of Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to be in this movie
    - Jay

    Was that a misstep? Well, Lulu thought so:

    Fool! She would have been fantastic as Rita Skeeter
    - Lulu

    And the big twist - if you want to call it that - that "The Rock" didn't play the good guy in the movie was a breath of fresh air.

    They actually hint at it early on in the movie, too. So if you're not just turning your brain off and watching along, there are hints to pick up on.
    - Lulu

    And thank goodness that ol' Rocky Maivia had started taking acting lessons after this movie, otherwise he may not have made it in Hollywood.

    He was doing a lot of "smell the fart acting", too
    - Lulu

    Then again, there are a lot of bad actors who are incredibly highly paid by Hollywood.

    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
    • Doom
    • Red Dwarf
    • Rita Skeeter
    • Doom Annihilation is Doomed (A Rant)
    • Big Fat Tacos - Ruby Weapon's theme misheard lyrics

    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

    1 hr 51 min
  • Spirits Within; Plot Without

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

    From mocap to Resident Evil, and from the passing of a family member to a financial loss of $105 million. This week we talk about the commercial failure (and reason why Square-Enix games where Playstation 2 exclusives for a long time) Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

    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


    Please listen responsibly.


    Show Notes

    In this "Goes to the Movies" episode, we wanted to tackle a movie which isn't necessarily based on an actual game, per se - but keep a look out for Jay's interpretation, very soon - so we tackled Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

    As with our House of the Dead episode - do check that out, if you want to hear the boys talking smack about an Uwe Boll movie - we decided to change up the format of our "goes to the movies" episodes. Instead of working through the plot, we decided that it would be much more fun to focus on a handful of scenes from the movie. This serves the double purpose of:

    • Simplifying our episodes, and getting to the gags quicker
    • Not having to discuss the plot which this movie doesn't have

    Just before we started recording though, Chief uttered the following famous last words:

    I'm a pro at this now, I've done that many episodes that I could probably do this myself.
    - Chief

    With that said, we jumped to jump straight into a description of this movie...

    Basic Info on the Movie

    Jay dropped some key facts on this movie before we could get to our discussion on it:

    This is a movie that was released in 2001
    ... it is THE reason why a whole bunch of Square-Enix games that came out after that were PlayStation exclusives for a long time
    ... it is known as the 4th biggest box-office bombs of all time
    ... it cost (in 2022 dollars) $190 MILLION to make, and almost drove Square out of business... and only ever made $85 million back, which is less than half of it's budget.
    - Jay

    Interestingly, the story that this movie was based on - the script was originally called Gaia - was written during the final few days of working on Final Fantasy VII, and was written by Hironobu Sakaguchi shortly after his mother passed away. It was then re-written by Al Reinert (co-writer of Apollo 13) & Jeff Vintar (writer of I, Robot), and was combined with three years of RnD in Hawaii to create the final movie.

    It's also important to remember that the fallout of this movie lead to the merger between Square and Enix almost being canned. Both companies were in pretty dire straits - even with the rousing success of both Final Fantasy VII and VIII - and Sony had to step in to buy a (reported) 20% stake in Square to keep the merger alive (as Enix wanted to pull out). And this is why a large number of Square-Enix games of the early 2000s were Playstation exclusives.

    Just think about that for a second: The Spirits Within was that expensive and that much of a flop that it undid all of the profits from both Final Fantasy VII and VIII.

    Initial Thoughts

    Each of the boys agreed that the movie is beautiful to look at, especially for it's time.

    I don't think I'd willingly go back and watch it again, though.
    - Chief

    Before we got into the movie proper, Jay asked:

    With 0 being the worst and 10 being the best, how would you rate this film as a film? Imagine that it's an IGN score though: it doesn't mean anything
    - Jay
    • Chief: 5
    • Squidge: Numberwang (or a 7)
    • Jay: unrated

    Chief had this to say about his score:

    What I mean is it's a middling film. The plot is serviceable, if a little uninteresting and uninspired. It makes sense, and the animation is good... but one thing I will say about the sound, though. You know when they're firing the weapons? It always feels under-powered.
    - Chief

    Squidge had this to say about his score:

    I've seen some good CGI movies, and I've seen some $h!t. And so many years later, it holds up... some of the best parts of the movie are Steve Buschemi... the pacing is way too fast, then way too slow.
    - Squidge

    And the boys all agree that the movie would have made a great limited series or a game. In fact, they all agree that it plays out very much like a video game.

    You could probably make [this into] a tactical shooter, survival horror game.
    - Jay

    Had Netflix been a streaming service back in the tail end of the 90s - rather than just a DVD rental service - they would have bitten Sakaguchi's hand off to make it.

    It's just done too quick, isn't it? There's good stuff in there, but it's so rushed over that by the time you get to it, you think "ugh, well I've seen that now."
    - Chief

    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 Final Fantasy games? Have you seen this movie before? If so, what did you think to it? Would you fling it into a tree? If not, are you likely to watch it now?

    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
    • Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

    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 ...

    1 hr 25 min
  • Living the Tokyo Game Life with Mono

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


    Jay was joined by Mono of the Tokyo Game Life podcast, and they nerded out about Japan, Japanese culture, and video games. Along the way, they discuss the live action, immersive experiences that Japanese companies create. Mono talks about being "Turtled out" and what it was like at this year's TGS - Tokyo Game Show

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


    Show Notes

    Unfortunately Squidge couldn't appear in this episode, as he was feeling super under the weather. But by the time it came round to editing this episode, he was feeling much better.

    Feel better soon, Squidgey!
    - Jay

    Mono of the Tokyo Game Life podcast joined Jay, to talk about all things Tokyo and video gaming... including a few tidbits about Tokyo Game Show.

    Before they could get around to talking about video games though, Jay started talking about his trips to Japan - you can listen to some of his audio diaries from his most recent trip here - which lead to Mono and Jay talking about some of their favourite memories of Kyushu - the southernmost of the big islands which make up Japan - including when Jay was in a crowd of people playing this Space Invaders Groovy Invades Canal City.

    Mono describes his show as:

    A Tokyo based video game podcast focussing on Nintendo and gaming culture in Japan's capital... it's also like a slice of life of Tokyo.
    Yeah, it's just a place where I celebrate Japan, Japanese gaming, and also Nintendo.
    - Mono

    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.

    Mono's Recent Games

    • Splatoon 3
    • And a bunch at TGS; some of which were:
      • Sonic Frontiers
      • Super Bomberman R 2
      • Atelier Ryza
      • ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni
      • Wanted: Dead
      • RUINSMAGUS

    Be sure to check out Mono's podcast for his coverage of (and advice for attending) Tokyo Game Show. Here's a link directly to his TGS 2022 episode.

    Jay's Recent Games

    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection


    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 listened to the Tokyo Game Life podcast? Did you catch Mono's episode on TGS yet? What did you think to it? Have you ever been to Japan? Are you excited for Sonic Frontiers, or will it continue the 3D Sonic games legacies of not being very good?

    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
    • Kyushu at WikiPedia
    • Tokyo Game Life
      • on Twitter
      • on the web
    • Mono's TGS 2022 episode

    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

    ★ Support this podcast ★
    1 hr 14 min
  • Couching the Capes With Anthony

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

    This episode sees Anthony of the Capes on the Couch podcast join us. We talk about his show (which you should definitely listen to), ‘previously on’ mode, RPGs and forgetting what to do, the recent TMNT releases, reaching level 99 too soon, airborne controllers, and profanity generators.

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

    Content Warning

    We talk with Anthony about his podcast (which deals with exploring the mental health aspect of comic book characters), and as such need to bring up mental health points. We can't say whether anything in the episode will offend, but what we will ask is that you listen responsibly.

    But also that you look after yourself and, if you can, someone else too. Please consider getting help if you need it.


    Show Notes

    Anthony of the Capes on the Couch podcast joined us, and we wanted to take a few moments to discuss both his podcast and mental health. Mental health is something which is important to both Jay and Squidge, and they take it very seriously.

    If you need help, please go get it. There's no shame or stigma attached to it.

    Anthony describes the show as:

    Capes on the Couch is a podcast that my best friend, my brother, and I have been co-hosting now for four and half years. He is a board certified psychiatrist, and I am a comic book aficionado. And each episode, we take a look at a particular character, a group of characters, or sometimes a theme; and we examine their mental health issues, any concerns that they have, what's going on in their life that might cause them strife or distress... and what would the treatment of the real-world analogue look like
    ...
    We do it to destigmatize a lot of the discussions around mental health, because there's this big bugaboo about if you're feeling sick then you go to the doctor; if your leg is broken then you go to the doctor; but if you're feeling depressed or you're hearing voices in your head, or if you are going through something in your life and you go to see a therapist, "oh we don't talk about that. Shh. Don't tell anybody about that." And it's just as valid and necessary.
    - Anthony

    Which, you'll agree, is an amazing setup for a podcast. And a very, _very_ important topic to discuss. And it's such an important point that Jay and Squidge wanted to explore it for a big enough portion of the episode.

    Along the way, Jay talked about the wonderfully creepy world of deep fakes. He brings up a fantastic video by Corridor Crew where they took all of the appearances of their lawyer on their podcast, fed them into Descrypt - to build up a machine learning model of his voice - then used GPT3 to write a script for a speech, and had Descrypt create the audio for the speech. Effectively, they had a set of machine learning tools generate a full speech, and delivery it to the rest of the company.

    It's wonderfully dystopian.

    And the reason that Jay brought this up because, looking at his podchaser profile Squidge has edited almost two weeks of continual content with Jay's voice in it.

    NO NEED TO WORRY JAY, I HAVE ALREADY DEEP FAKED YOUR VOICE
    MWA
    HA
    HA
    HA!
    - Russel

    Recent Games

    After almost 40 minutes of discussion on comic books, superheroes, and mental health

    If you need help, please go get it. There's no shame or stigma attached to it

    Anthony brought us back on topic, and with the Recent Games segment.

    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.

    Anthony's Recent Games

    • Super Mario Odyssey
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
    • Asphalt 9: Legends

    And when discussing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, both Anthony and Jay talked about a "Parent mode" or "Previously on... mode"

    where it just gives you like a 60 seconds of, "here's getting you back up to speed; here are the characters, the story, and how they're all interacting; here's your current objective, where you're going, and where you came from."
    - Jay

    Sponsor Message

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    Hugo Rashaad

    Fighting monsters isn't the safest thing. I'm Hugo Rashaad.

    Agent Whitaker

    Can I get verbal confirmation that none of you will say anything about what you saw today? Agent Lonnie Whitaker reporting in from the Eastey Agency.

    Raven Eugenia

    it's really weird, and bizarre, and a whole lot of feeling stuff that I did not want to get into it. So I kind of booked it out of there. I'm Raven Eugenia.

    Damien Edgecrest

    I just wanted to be friends because that's what everyone else was doing? My name is Damien Edgecrest.

    Felicity Starnbrook

    Clearly talking to the tree is not a normal thing that people can do. I'm Felicity Starnbrook.


    If you'd like to join our heroes as we play Monster of the Week, then check out The Storyteller Squad, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

    Let's have an adventure.

    Squidge's Recent Games

    • The Outer Worlds
    • SD Gundam Battle Alliance

    Jay's Recent Games

    • PowerWash Simulator
    • Vampire Survivor
    • Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver


    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 listened to Capes on the Couch? Which was your favourite episode? Is TMNT Shredder's Revenge REALLY that good? (pro tip: yes, yes it is) Would you like a "Previously On..." mode for long running games? Have any of your games gone airborne? And why do you think to the story about Squidge's player character in ESPN NFL 2K5?

    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<...
    1 hr 32 min

About Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors

From the publisher's feed

A fun and silly discussion about video games (both retro and contemporary), video game movies, and pretty much anything related to video games. It is hosted by brothers Jay and Squidge (who may or may not be a cartoon wolf), and featuring the best guests around - including some real video game development legends.