Gaming Street Irregulars

Konami threw their hat into the survival horror genre in 1999 with the first Silent Hill game on the original Playstation. When it became a huge hit, they quickly greenlit a sequel for the then new Playstation 2. Now Krissi guides a reluctant James through the dense psychological terror of a little town in Maine where average people must face their darkest fears. 

The blue blur marked Sega's most effective attempt to become a major player in the console space, and for a few years in the 1990s the first entries in the series made the Genesis (or Mega Drive) a close competitor to Nintendo's home systems. James and Krissi are joined by KrunchyLex to chat about the hugely successful and highly influential first two games in the series. You don't gotta go fast to tune in, just so long as you do check this podcast out!

Today we reflect on, amongst many others, Jakks Pacific's plug and play controller devices, the NES Classic, the myriad releases from the not always reliable AtGames, and much more. Come join us!

Casual gaming is a... contentious subject at times, shall we say. A lot of hardcore gamers deride the people who play them, and far too many of them are mired in microtransactions coupled with other sneaky tricks. But there are some legitimate gems amidst the dross out there, and Krissi is going to share what she believes to be the cream of the crop while she and James get both get annoyed at EA and Konami for their ill effects on aspects of this business. Yes, again. We promise we'll try not to go off on that tangent too much after this episode.

Justin Toner pinch hits for Krissi Harding while she continues to sort out her internet matters, and he discusses Koei's long running spin-off of a game series based on a novel based on actual history. With intense hack and slash action and voice acting that's often straight out of a badly dubbed martial arts movie, Dynasty Warriors may be an acquired taste here in the West, but it's one that just keeps coming back for more, like so many waves of soldiers for you to mow down.

With Krissi in the process of moving, James goes solo for a quick review of a tower defense game he's spent over 160 hours playing. Plus a couple other things!

Check out Flamecraft on Kickstarter: http://kck.st/3fPxD5c

Eating a ghost in Pac-Man. Picking up a treasure in the Legend of Zelda. The smack of a fist in Street Fighter II. These sounds (which don't actually appear in the episode, but plenty more do!) have meaning attached to them, whether implied or informed by experience. James and Krissi look at some that work great, and some that don't, and have a grand old time doing it.

Can't get the whole gang together? Waiting for a delayed dungeon master? Don't pull out your cell phones, pull out a deck of cards and enjoy some of these games! Krissi shows James the ropes of a variety of standard 52 card deck games and regales us with stories of her youth playing these with friends and family. Come join us!

One of the most stylish arcade games, well, ever, gets the GSI treatment, which means lots of tangents, lots of awkward laughter, and lots of your hosts' making goofs of themselves! And joining them are the equally willing to be goofy Pembroke W Korgi, Kurricane Kitten and Dobbilicious! It's a dream team of Irregulars talking about one of the most visible ninjas in gaming, both figuratively and literally!

James brings on one of his longest friendships, Justin Toner, for the second turn with him and Krissi picking the brains of our favorite guests from previous episodes. Find out what foul fate befell his early Atari systems! Discover the arcade game he spent $5 trying to defeat in college! Enjoy a relaxed conversation about our favorite pastime!