We're celebrating episode 50 of the podcast with a collection of outtakes, bloopers, and general mishaps that we've encountered along the way. It should come as no surprise that over the course of recording 49 previous episodes, we've had to cut quite a great deal out of our episodes. We're sharing a lot of that cut content with you now! (And we promise it's not because we haven't recorded something new!)

Join AMKomnenos, Banana, and Legion as they discuss the impact that a game's length can have on the gameplay experience. Is there a universal cutoff for game time that qualifies as too long? Can a game be engaging enough that the actual play time doesn't matter? Does pacing affect how a long a game feels? Is game length more important for specific genres? Is your favorite game too long?

Join AMKomnenos, Banana, and Legion as they dig into a very pervasive concept within the video game community especially in regard to the game review process: comparison being the thief of joy. We discuss the trend within the gaming community to anticipate disappointment in new game releases, and the tendency to fall back on the "this isn't as good as the previous game" criticism. Does this same bias exist in other media? Do we encourage this behavior within the community? Do developers encourage it with their behavior?

Join AMKomnenos, Banana, and Legion as they dive into a major aspect of most of our favorite games: villains! What makes for a great villain? What makes a villain memorable or compelling? How do video games approach villains in a unique way? Is every villain just a hero with a different perspective? We discuss our most memorable and iconic villains and antagonists from the word of gaming (and a few of the ones that fell short).

THIS WILL BE A VERY SPOILER HEAVY EPISODE! Please use the timestamps below to navigate the episode if you want to avoid spoilers. Join AMKomnenos, BananaHammockRepublic, and LegionGrey as we discuss those moments in gaming that had the most significant impact on gamers and the industry over the years. We dig into the moments in games that lingered with us for whatever reason; the moments that managed to have a big emotional impact, the moments that forced us to re-evaluate our understanding of the game (and sometimes the real world), and those moments that just made us say "WTF!"

Join AMKomnenos, BananaHammockRepublic, and LegionGrey as we discuss comfort games and games that just help us relax. Which games makes us feel cozy even if they're not really cozy games? What game mechanics or genres do we find comforting? What aspects of a game really contribute to that comfy, cozy feeling? Are we even comfy with each other?

Join AMKomnenos, BananaHammockRepublic, and LegionGrey as we do our very best to discuss the topic of futurism in video gaming. We dig into sci-fi settings and how they compare to more medieval fantasy, the distant future vs. the near future, and the idea of coziness within a sci-fi environment. We also talk about a lot of irrelevant topics and pick fights with celebrities, so do your best to follow along.

Join AMKomnenos, BananaHammockRepublic, and LegionGrey as we discuss a topic tied intimately to where video gaming really got its start: consoles. We discuss our history with console gaming and the progression of consoles over the years, and maybe even possible futures for consoles as technology continues to improve. We definitely didn't get off topic once, and certainly never lost our cool.

Join AMKomnenos, BananaHammockRepublic, and LegionGrey as we discuss those games that stand out from the crowd for some reason. When is it beneficial to push against the current of mainstream gaming? When is it the wrong call? Are there any games that became more likable just by breaking from the established pattern? Any games that would have benefitted more from conforming? (Having red hair doesn't technically count for this conversation, but yes, all redheads are more appealing simply by being redheads.)

Disclaimer: This episode was recorded before the release of Veilguard, so our guarded optimism has been re-shaped and discussed in other videos.

Join AMKomnenos, BananaHammockRepublic, and LegionGrey as we discuss the latest entry in the Final Fantasy 7 remake effort: Rebirth. Kom gives us some insight into why he enjoys the game, and offers some advice for people considering purchasing the game, now that it's available on PC. Should I start with the remake or the original? Does it matter if I've never played a Final Fantasy game? What is it about FF7: Rebirth that a general gaming fan would appreciate?