Franchise Festival

Christian, Hamilton, and Spencer explore the development, gameplay, monsters, and story of Capcom’s Resident Evil (1996). The Franchise Festival crew also surveys a selection of earlier genre titles and later console ports, confirming the historical significance of Shinji Mikami’s survival horror debut. Tank controls and an idiosyncratic save system provoke strong reactions from your hosts.

Selected Sources

• Alex Aniel – Itchy, Tasty: An Unofficial History of Resident Evil
• Scott Butterworth (GameSpot) – Resident Evil Creator Shinji Mikami Reflects on the Series’ Roots
• Lina Emerald – YouTube Playlist – Resident Evil 1 OST

Chris, Jasmine, Hamilton, and Spencer survey nearly thirty years of The Legend of Zelda spiritual successors, including Crusader of Centy, Blossom Tales, Okami, Genshin Impact and more. Then they each share their ‘Top 3’ titles in Nintendo’s long-running action-adventure franchise before bidding a fond farewell to Season 1 and looking ahead to Season 2: Resident Evil.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

Selected Sources:

• Gaming Historian – Crusader of Centy: Sega’s Zelda Clone on Genesis
• BBC America – The Curious Case of Dennis the Menace

The Franchise Festival crew explores the development, gameplay, and plot of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020). Chris, Jasmine, and Spencer discuss their favorite characters and speculate on why this game falls short of its 2014 predecessor.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

Selected Sources:

• Famitsu via Nintendo Everything – Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity devs on how the game came to be, Nintendo wanting it to be a new experience, more

The Franchise Festival crew discusses the story, sidequests, and cut content of Breath of the Wild in the second of two episodes on Nintendo’s legendary 2017 release. Chris and Jasmine share their love of Kass while Hamilton and Spencer debate the merits of an easy final boss. The curious etymological roots of the Sheikah are uncovered through a look at their original Japanese names.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

Selected Sources:

• Nintendo
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – The Beginning
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Story and Characters
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Open-Air Concept
• Game Maker’s Toolkit
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Dungeon Design | Boss Keys
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – An Open World Adventure

The Franchise Festival crew discusses the development, gameplay, and enemies of Breath of the Wild in the first of two episodes on Nintendo’s legendary 2017 release. Chris, Jasmine, Spencer, and Hamilton discover that they have very different opinions on silent protagonists and weapon durability. The surprising connection between Miis and Hylians is revealed.

Follow the show on Twitter using the handle @franchise_fest, check out our official website for more video game history resources, and be sure to email us at [email protected] to let us know what you think.

Selected Sources:

• Game Developers Conference – Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Nintendo
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – The Beginning
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Story and Characters
  • The Making of Breath of the Wild – Open-Air Concept
• Game Maker’s Toolkit
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Dungeon Design | Boss Keys
  • Game Maker’s Toolkit – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – An Open World Adventure
• Eurogamer – The big Zelda: Breath of the Wild Interview
• Alice – Breath of the Wild NPC Modder (Twitter)