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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.
Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.
Show Notes
This is part one - of four - of a conversation with author and video game historian Steven L Kent, and is a collaboration between ourselves and Zoom Platform. Whilst this is an audio episode, it was originally recorded as a pair of video interviews. What we've done is cut the two video interviews into four parts and will be releasing them as audio episodes. But if you'd rather watch the first two parts as a video you'll find it here.
Part One of Four
In his own words, Steven describes his books as
My books are called "The Ultimate History of Video Games".
A Sense of Discovery
Jay mentioned that the sense of discovery related to technology may be lost on the younger generations via a story about when he and Squidge got their first NES:
It's December 26th, 19-mumble-mumble, and we've gotten up early... Dad walks in with a present under his arm, and it's a NES.The "someone" was Jay's appearance on the Gamerhood Podcast, where he talked about being a gamer and a father.
Video Game Commercials
When discussing Crash Bandicoot, Steven brings up a fantastic commercial for Crash Bandicoot which was filmed in the parking lot of the Nintendo US headquarters. Here is that commercial.
Which lead us on to the "Michael" commercial for PS3.
299
No discussion on video game history would be complete without a discussion on "the price heard" around the world. Which you can find here.
And for those who don't know, there is a very long story behind the crowd reaction here. Essentially, the story is that Sega had just announced their Saturn (only a few hours earlier), which was a surprise to most of the retailers who were in attendance (because Sega hadn't told them that it was being announced). Sega also announced it with a $399 price tag.
As such, Sony's entire announcement of the PlayStation was simply
299
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.
What have you been playing recently? Do you agree with the anonymous review that Chief read during this episode? What would you take with you to the Thunder Plains?
Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, leave a comment on the show notes or try our brand new contact page.
Links
Here are some links to some of the things we discussed in this 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
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.
Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.
Content Warning
There is talk of tea bagging in this episode, due to the mode in Splitgate called "tea bag confirmed."
Please listen responsibly
Show Notes
Definitely no burps in this episode's intro, but there was a mystery sound - get in touch, if you know what it was - and we waste almost no time in preparing you all for the Recent Games section with our guest Lord Nerdy Cephalopod - aka Brian - so here we go...
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 games 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.
I love to hear what everyone's been playing, and whether they would recommend it.Lord Nerdy Cephalopod's Recent Games
Which is one of the best FPS games of the year in our opinions - even though Squidge hasn't played it yet
Because who doesn't like exploring Viking daily life and mythology.
Odin will be proud of us!Squidge's Recent Games
Because of course Squidge bought Diablo II again.
Even though Squidge brought this up in the previous episode - here's a link to that - we actually recorded this episode first.
Screw it. I'll just keep hitting it over the headWhich is the same way that Squidge beat the hell house in the Final Fantasy VII remake: bash it until it dies.
Jay's Recent Games
Both of which can be played for 5-10 minutes at a time, or for hours across an afternoon. And they are both hella-fun.
I'm imagining a mod for Splitgate where all the characters are the beans from Fall Guys, running around tea bagging everyoneDreamcast Chat
Talk of Quake III Arena - prompted by our conversation about Splitgate - took us on a minor diversion into Dreamcast territory - which AndrewD will be happy to hear about. And no discussion about Dreamcast would be complete without a discussion on why Seaman never had a karaoke mode:
After that, we have no idea what we actually talked about... seriously, it got very, very silly.
I swear, this is just for comedy. What have we done?!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
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.
What have you been playing recently? Do you agree with the anonymous review that Chief read during this episode? What would you take with you to the Thunder Plains?
Let us know on Twitter, Facebook, leave a comment on the show notes or try our brand new contact page.
Links
Here are some links to some of the things we discussed in this 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
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.
Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.
Content Warning
We start with an immediate (censored) swear, which really sets the tone for this episode:
Stick that sh*t on the calendarPlease listen responsibly
Show Notes
Even though he tried his hardest to stop Squidgey from burping into the microphone, Jay was completely unable to. So we apologise for that.
Casually Meta Podcast
We were joined by CJ of the Casually Meta Podcast - eagle eye'd listeners will have noticed the guest appearance we made on CJ's podcast a few days prior to this one going out - here's a link to that episode. Our appearance on CJ's show was centred almost exclusively around Pokémon - which is also a topic we covered recently on the show, in an episode with The B.
And before we got onto the episode proper, we asked CJ to describe his show to you all:
The premise is that I've been sucked into a virtual world and that I'm aboard a pirate ship called The Casually Meta. And the sea captain, Captain Seven-Sea Savy, uses an inter-dimensional transporter to pop me into different video game worlds and has me take people hostage and bring them aboard to interview them for arbitrary information which hold no actual relevance to the ship itself, but is just about video games.CJ also points out that the captain in his show is an homage to Anne Bonny, a real pirate who struck fear into the Caribbean; and not just because she was a fearless female pirate. And, of source, talk of pirates lead to talking like a pirate, which reminded Jay of this golden oldie from Loading Ready Run.
Also, this happened:
So what you're saying is that Blackbeard was a pro-wrestlerRecent 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 games 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.
CJ's Recent Games
Although the sheer amount of time required to raise the Gigas is currently holding CJ back from playing it - which reminds us of how much real-world time is required in order to get your character trained up for EVE Online.
And CJ has been staying away from that game too, because of the entire Blizzard/Activision - and several other companies - thing
But there are too many hackers involved in that game - plus the Blizzard/Activision stuff
Squidge's Recent Games
And this sparked a conversation about the recent - at the time of recording - news that the first two Kingdom Hearts games are coming to the Nintendo Switch as cloud based games. As in, "you need to be connected to the server where the game is running in order to play the game" based.
... which is bonkers. Especially for a console which is meant to be mobile, with games played on the move.
It was also CLEARLY only OKd because Nintendo wanted to put Sora - the hero from Kingdom Hearts - into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Which was the very last chance we had for a Surprise Waluigi, and we were screwed out it completely.
What they should have done is that they should have said - for that final character reveal - "Hey, it's Rick Astley!" That's what they should have done.Jay's Recent Games
Which is a wonderful mishmash of the best of Halo, Unreal Tournament, and Portal. If that previous sentence is lighting up the gaming pleasure centre of your brain, tell them that Jay of the Waffling Taylors sent you.
Jay had finally gotten around to playing the FF VII remake. He has made it to the plate fall - wasn't that a song by Adele? - rescuing Wedge, and rebuilding Sector VII. But had to take a bit of a break from the feels.
---
We've discussed this title at length on the show already. Here are each of the episodes where Squidge and Lulu have talked about the FFVII remake, in the order that we'd recommend listening to them:
That's almost 6 hours of us talking about the remake so far. And that's before Jay has had a chance to talk about it.
Expect a revisit very soon.
---
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...
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.
Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.
Content Warning
There are a couple of references to reproduction in this episode. The first is at 19:16, when Chief says:
You know, the blue ones who can have sex with anybodyAnd after that, Squidge says the following at 42:52
The bonus of having sex on the back of a unicornPlease listen responsibly.
Show Notes
You can tell that we're back with another episode because it starts with Squidge letting out a really loud burp - sorry listeners -
but that didn't stop Jay from introducing the show and the hosts. This is important because
CHIEF HAS RETURNED
That's right, Chief has returned. The last time Chief was on an episode was WAY back in January of 2020 - on an episode called Agent QTE - And in traditional style, Squidge welcomed Chief back with open arms:
It is nice that you've brought your cannon round. I don't know how you got it through the front door.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 games 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.
I love to hear what everyone's been playing, and whether they would recommend it.Because it had been over a year since Chief's last appearance, we didn't want to know about every game that he'd played recently. Listing them all would take a long time, so we asked him to discuss three or four of the games that he had played most recently.
But before we got to that, we asked Chief whether he'd like to go do the Thunder Plains - without telling him what that meant
This sounds like a pyramid scheme."Just sign your name here, but we wont tell you what you're gonna get"To be fair, he might not be wrong. You'll find out later in the episode...
It's also worth noting that we record these episodes a little in advance - which you're probably aware of any way - in fact, we recorded this episode back on September 24th, 2021.
Chief's Recent Games
This was released just as the world started to change, and Chief wasn't able to talk with us about this release.
---
Fear not, dear listener/reader. We've discussed this title at length on the show already. Here are each of the episodes where Squidge and Lulu have talked about the FFVII remake, in the order that we'd recommend listening to them:
That's almost 6 hours of us talking about the remake so far.
Wow!
---
Shocking almost no one in particular, two of Chief's highlights are real time strategy/tactics games - for a quick 411 on what RTT and RTS games are, check out The Quantum What of What
Two titles title which Chief has only played the beginning of.
And Chief hasn't been using any of the special commands/cheats which are included in the remaster, too.
Final Fantasy X: good; Final Fantasy X-2: not good.Squidge's Recent Games
This contains (among others) Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, and is hella fun to play - especially for MetroidVania fans.
Jay's Recent Games
And that was about it, really. As he said, Jay doesn't get a lot of time to play video games these days.
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?
This time around, both Jay and Squidge all took part in the Thunder Plain Games - as they've never officially done this on the show
...
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.
What have you been playing recently? Do you agree with the anonymous review that Chief read during this episode? What would you take with you to the Thunder Plains?
Let us know on
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.
We wanted to tackle something really, REALLY spoopy for this years Spootober episode. So we tackled the 2006 movie based on the 1999 survival horror classic: Silent Hill. And we couldn't have asked for anyone better to cover this movie with than Lulu. What's with all this ash? What's her name again? Why is Boromir Sharpe in this movie? Do Miranda Rights not exist? Did they just meow at each other!?
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
Due to the nature of the movie we talk about in this episode, we’d recommend that you don’t listen to this one with little ones around.
This film also deals with some pretty terrible things, whilst we don't actually talk about the terrible things, please take this as a trigger and/or content warning for harm befalling children.
We've also left in all the swears, as it's an episode about a horror film.
Please listen responsibly.
Show Notes
We started the episode by heading to Silent Hill in our outfits. Lulu went as the Grim Reaper, Jay as a Necromancer, and Squidge as... well, Squidge.
And finally, after 130 episodes, Jay go the intro right
Hello Squidgey!You'd have thought it wasn't difficult to mess up, but he manages it on almost every episode.
As Jay mentioned, this is Lulu's 16th appearance on the show - check this page for all of her appearances. Surprisingly, not all of them have been about Final Fantasy, too. Although, Lulu was distracted for a moment when thinking about her Hot Trash Daddy and decided that she needed a lobster bib because:
it's easier to just fling it over the balcony thenThoughts Going In
We didn't really discuss our thoughts on the film before tackling it, except to say that Lulu isn't a fan of the sequel.
Nope. Burn itBut we did talk about our backgrounds regarding the games. Jay had played a little of the first one, the gave up; whereas Lulu and Squidge are the experts of the group, having played them all.
There were a lot of references to the video game, as the director (Christophe Gans) is on record as saying that he is a fan of the original PlayStation game and even had members of team Silent Hill on set to oversea certain aspects of the movie. As such, at points it feels like "References: The Movie".
And, of course, Sean Bean survives the movie. Which is one heck of an achievement.
Why was he in the movie, you ask? Because the studio said:
We can't sell a movie with an all female castAnd not only is this bonkers but it's also bonkers - double bonkers, indeed.
The Plot
Here's a 10,000 ft view of the "plot", as we see it:
It's worth reading about Centralia, as it's fascinating.
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About the Fog
So the fog was included in the original game because the 3D models and environments in the original game were so detailed that the drawing distance for the game had to be very close to Harry Mason's character model. The folks over at Team Silent (the developers of the Silent Hill games) decided to hide this by adding a fog effect. This served a dual purpose of making everything look really creepy and hiding the incredibly close drawing distance.
This was also why Harry picks up a broken radio, and uses that to know when the enemies are close by. Otherwise, the player would never know and would end up being ambushed by enemies they didn't know were right there.
---
The plot is that convoluted, in the early stages, that Jay became super confused and forgot a whole section of the movie: the first time Rose walks around in the town, before being arrested. Anyway, back to the plot...
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Lulu mentions something when talking about symbolism:
Watch this space, folks. We're in the process of arranging something with some special guests.
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From the publisher's feed