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The headlines have been all about SEGA this week, including Netflix's new Sonic Prime animated series, voice actor departures, and internal restructuring. We discuss buyout rumors (along with who we think should be doing the buying).

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We also have game announcements (like EA's big return to college football games and Hironobu Sakaguchi's new Apple Arcade-exclusive, Fantasian). Then there's the news, such as Google's odd decision to shutter its first party developers for Stadia, troubling reports of Amazon Game Studio's "bro culture," Nintendo toys now in Burger King kids' meals, and the 20 year-old using his GameStop stock earnings to donate Nintendo Switch Lite consoles to a children's hospital.

Finally, we look back at Street Fighter II on the game's 30th anniversary.

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Music: "Gumption" by Russell Gordon at https://soundcloud.com/shredrussell-1
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Ryebread is off this week, so in his place, we're rolling out the red carpet for Andy of Stand Up To Cancer and the "Cafe, BTW" podcast. This year marks many significant anniversaries for a slew of games, so we're looking at 10 titles that turn 20 in 2021.

Before that, of course, we've got game announcements (like Capcom's Resident Evil Village Showcase and their course correction on the Resident Evil 4 remake). Then it's on to the headlines, and there's much drama to be had. Microsoft doubled the price of its XBox Live Gold service... only to walk back the decision hours later after their customers raged. Konami underwent some internal restructuring, which scared everyone into thinking the legendary company was done making games (spoiler: they say that's not the case). GameStop's crazy, Reddit-fueled stock surge has caught the attention of President Biden's White House. And Plex decides to get into gaming with a subscription service for Atari games.

Finally, we look back at Final Fantasy VII on the game's 24th anniversary.

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It's been... one of those weeks. While recording this episode, we experienced a technical difficulty perfect storm, but through it all, Story Mode prevails! Feel free to laugh at our misery.

Let's get down to business (bonus points if you're singing Mulan right now). This week, we're covering the good, the bad, and the Klunk of upcoming movie adaptations of video games. But before that, we've gotta talk game announcements (like New Pokémon Snap & Axiom Verge's randomizer). Then it's news time! We're discussing the mega expensive rare Blastoise card that sold for... more money than we'll ever have, Tekken's surprising Guinness World Record, and the fighting game community's new code of conduct for addressing harassment & abuse.

Finally, we wrap up this train wreck with a look back at Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch on the game's 8th anniversary.

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The Nintendo Switch has been in the spotlight all week, so we're rounding up all the biggest Switch headlines, like the new "Mario Red & Blue" Switch console and the rumored Switch Pro.

But before that, we've got to cover game announcements, and what a week it was for Lucasfilm fans! New titles have been teased for both Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Other news is more somber as we remember Jonas Neubauer, the seven-time Classic Tetris World Champion who passed away suddenly last week. We're also discussing how Ghost of Tsushima fans crowdfunded repairs to a real-life Japanese shrine, the upcoming English translation of Nintendo great Satoru Iwata's book "Ask Iwata," and the huge year that gaming Twitter had in 2020.

Finally, we finish up the show with a discussion on Zelda II: The Adventure of Link on the game's 34th anniversary.

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We reached episode 50!! The big Five-Oh! Let's celebrate by debating which video game soundtracks are the GOAT. But first, as always, we've got game announcements (like Nintendo's purchase of Next Level Games & the end of Minecraft Earth).

Next, we're on to the week's biggest - or should we say weirdest - headlines, like the man who was arrested for forging popsicle sticks to win a Pokemon card. Or the time Microsoft tried to buy Nintendo. We also discuss YouTube's record year and wonder about a future in which people would rather watch video games than play them.

Finally, we wrap up the show with a look back at Resident Evil 4 on the game's 16th anniversary.

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Happy 2021 from all of us at Story Mode! But before we give 2020 a kiss goodbye (and a kick out the door), we're revisiting the biggest news stories that defined the year -- the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the video game industry, the release of the PlayStation 5 & XBox Series X, and Cyberpunk 2077's drama-filled year.

Before that, however, we've got game announcements (like free Crash Team Racing and Maneater), as well as the week's biggest headlines. We're discussing the lost Game Boy add-on called the Work Boy, the Japanese Mario Kart company Mari Mobility's no good, awful, very bad year, the strange Nintendo/Kanye West collaboration that never was, and Nintendo's rollout of special Starlight Switch gaming stations into children's hospitals.

Finally, we wrap up this first show of the new year with a look back at Mega Man 2 on the game's 32nd anniversary. And yes, there's more singing.

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Get ready for a MARATHON of a podcast! We decided to celebrate the holidays by doing our very first Ask Me Anything episode, and so many people submitted questions that this episode is double our normal run time!

What video game franchise would Blue kill off without hesitation?

What's Red's pick for the most underrated video game of all time?

What are Ryan's favorite toppings to put on rye bread?

The answers are all here! A big THANK YOU to everyone who submitted a question. We hope you have a very happy holiday wherever you are!

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Music: "Gumption" by Russell Gordon at https://soundcloud.com/shredrussell-1; "We Wish You A Merry Christmas by the United States Marine Band at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/United_States_Marine_Band 
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The 2020 Game Awards have come and gone, and we now know our Game of the Year -- the title goes to Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II! But while some are celebrating the win, others are asking tough questions, such as whether a game that was created under crunch conditions and a reportedly toxic work environment should really be rewarded with Game of the Year accolades.

But before we did into that meaty topic, we've got to cover game announcements (like SNK's new Neo Geo console and the hit indie Among Us finally coming to Nintendo Switch), as well as the week's headlines. Cyberpunk 2077 drama hits an apex as Sony yanks it from the PlayStation Store over performance issues, while the UK government calls for legal action against scalpers, and we scratch our heads over CD Projekt Red's convoluted developer bonus system.

Finally, we wrap up the show with a look back at Mega Man X on the game's 27th anniversary. And yes, there's singing.

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Get your popcorn ready because Cyberpunk 2077 releases this week to nearly a decade's worth of anticipation. Maybe that's why the game seems to be experiencing almost a decade's worth of drama in just a few days, including death threats, seizure triggers, and accusations of transphobia. We break down the headlines around the biggest title of 2020.

Game announcements come first, however, such as a fancy collector's edition for Hyper Light Drifter and the newly announced release window for Halo Infinite. Then it's on to headlines, like even more Billy Mitchell lawsuit news, Oscar Isaac's starring role in the Metal Gear Solid movie adaptation, Neil Druckman's promotion to co-president of Naughty Dog, and Nintendo's feud with the #FreeMelee movement involving both Smash Bros Melee and Splatoon 2 fans.

Finally, we end the show with a look back at DOOM on the game's 27th anniversary.

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Story Mode is two-thirds of the way back this week! Red is absent (he's off networking at a mage convention), but in his place, we have the ever popular @DonniegRetro to help us talk about the collision between sneaker culture and the scalpers creating scarcity for gamers looking to buy a PlayStation 5 or XBox Series X.

But we also can't forget game announcements (such as the remastered classic SaGa Frontier and the upcoming sequel to The World Ends with You). Then it's time for news headlines, including developer SNK's sale to Mohammed bin Salman (the controversial crown prince of Saudi Arabia), a look at the soon-to-open Super Nintendo World theme park, Sony's bans on PS5 players who sell access to their PS Plus Collection, and Cyberpunk 2077's anti-DMCA streaming feature.

Finally, we wrap up the show with a look back at the first Ninja Gaiden on NES in honor of the game's 32nd anniversary.

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