Friend Request

[Content Warning: Includes extensive discussion of fictional transphobia and queerphobia.] We’re not always positive on the relationships and characters we discuss on this show, but this week is a different matter altogether. I like to think we err on the side of constructive criticism on this show, never hating for the sake of hate, and […]

It turns out, the Tom Clancy series is pretty badly written! Marvel at the “relationship” of Sam and Sarah Fisher of the Splinter Cell series, a father-daughter duo where the woman’s role is simply to be a carrot on a stick to drive Sam forward. She isn’t treated as valuable in her own right, only […]

You know, in looking for sound clips for this week’s intro, I found out that Kratos spends less time angrily screaming the name of his enemies than I thought. He actually does a lot of stiff, really-pissed-but-handling-it normal talking, which I did NOT remember. Whatever, it’s still a travesty how utterly every God of War […]

A horse is a horse; of course, of course. And no one can talk to a horse, of course. Except, of course, if the name of the horse is Wander’s noble steed Agro. Throughout Shadow of the Colossus, Agro is without friends or allies, set on a seemingly impossible task, and his only friend is […]

I thought about making that “Miles & Dick” instead of “Edgeworth & Gumshoe.” Then I was like “I should REALLY avoid putting ‘Dick’ in the title of an episode. Is he a Richard?” And then I realized even if he was no one calls him that so then no one would know what I was […]

I would feel guiltier about coming back to Persona characters over and over if we didn’t have good conversations every single time. This week on Friend Request, we’re starting off by comparing the protagonists of Persona 4 and Persona 5, Yu Narukami and Akira Kurusu! Then Colin needs to quickly correct verself for their previous […]

It’s a character study this week on Friend Request, as both Jen and Colin brought individual characters! Colin asks us to ponder Varian Wrynn, High King of the Alliance from World of Warcraft, and how he defies Blizzard’s usual indecision and instability in writing. Jen wants to look at the gaming icon Lara Croft, and […]

Sequels are often a progression and development of the strengths of the original, but sometimes part of the predecessor’s appeal can be left behind in the efforts to improve. Such is the case with Destiny 1, where part of the charm of the Guardian and the Ghost as characters and partners simply didn’t make the […]

Even when a character is simple on their face, there may be complexity to be found in their various portrayals. Such is the case with Dante from Devil May Cry, a fairly straightforward cocky devil hunter whose different representations betray different ideas about who the character is. There’s also a lot to be read from […]

I’m glad to say that this week on Friend Request, we have a full on game recommendation. We’re big fans of characters, relationships, and how they interact, and so we’ve got a full-throated recommendation for Blue Reflection from Colin, a recently released JRPG that is obsessed with relationships! Jen brought a more show-standard subject in […]