The Game Awards found some exciting new ways to be disappointing this year, but Fumito Ueda also announced a game so who can really be that mad? We talk through this year’s “awards show” then catch up with our mutual obsession, a game about fishing and wearing dresses.

Timestamps

(00:30) You do not have to hand it to Geoff

(1:01:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Infinity Nikki, Reverse 1999, Caves of Qud)

Mentioned this week

The Game Awards for Games Who Can't Afford the Game Awards

Next week we’ll be discussing 1000xResist and Lovely Lady RPG!

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Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Here are some links that can help you get started:

Lots of resources from Critical Distance

Find local mutual aid groups

Get free masks and Covid-19 tests

Huge spreadsheets of mutual aid, justice orgs, and more

Prisonculture shares a lot of good resources on Bluesky

How to Change Your Legal Name and Gender 101

LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory

Let us know what we should add to this list!

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We watched the PC Gaming Show as an amuse-bouche for The Game Awards, and found a few games to pique our interest plus one to pique our anger. Then we talk through a handful of games we’re either having fun with or anticipate doing so, and end by announcing our plans for the rest of the year, including what games we'll be discussing at length in the final episode of 2024!

Timestamps

(01:00) The ups and downs of the PC Gaming Show

(26:10) Toem 2 & Prisma sure look cool

(30:50) Dungeon crawling in Dungeon Antiqua 

(37:20) Having fun being nice in Infinity Nikki

(46:20) Getting down to business (and announcing our annual game swap selections)

(58:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Sakura Quest, Girls Band Cry)

Mentioned this week

Is it Wizardry? Is it Final Fantasy? No! It's Dungeon Antiqua

Khara, Sunrise Animate Gundam GQuuuuuuX TV Series

1000xResist

Lovely Lady RPG

Finding the You Inside in Psychroma - dotzip

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Music 

Street Food by FASSounds

Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Here are some links that can help you get started:

Lots of resources from Critical Distance

Find local mutual aid groups

Get free masks and Covid-19 tests

Huge spreadsheets of mutual aid, justice orgs, and more

Prisonculture shares a lot of good resources on Bluesky

How to Change Your Legal Name and Gender 101

LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory

Let us know what we should add to this list!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re both sleepy from cooking and/or eating big meals this week, so we’re meandering through a discussion of Fantasian Neo Dimension, Sony’s latest bad idea, and Ewan McGregor’s penis.

Timestamps

(00:40) Willa’s gonna tell you a little bit about Thanksgiving

(05:15) Fantasian Neo Dimension and Final Fantasy chat

(22:55) Arcane Season 2 (is bad)

(32:50) The PS5P

(38:30) Slitterhead minute

(41:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. The Golden Compass, Velvet Goldmine, Stonetop)

Mentioned this week

Japanese RPGs are thriving this decade, so why isn't Final Fantasy?

Listen to Mel Stone

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Street Food by FASSounds

Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Here are some links that can help you get started:

Lots of resources from Critical Distance

Find local mutual aid groups

Get free masks and Covid-19 tests

Huge spreadsheets of mutual aid, justice orgs, and more

Prisonculture shares a lot of good resources on Bluesky

How to Change Your Legal Name and Gender 101

LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory

Let us know what we should add to this list!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we’re mainly talking about Final Fantasy XIV Mobile and The Game Awards. Guess which one we get really riled up about.

Timestamps

(01:50) FF14 Mobile 

(22:20) An incredibly cynical look at The Game Awards

(52:40) The Indie Game Awards seem cool-ish

(57:30) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Threshold, Sudden Death, Neurokino Retrograde, Wicked)

Mentioned this week

Liz Ryerson on The Indie Game Awards

Threshold

Sudden Death

Neurokino Retrograde

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Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Here are some links that can help you get started:

Lots of resources from Critical Distance

Find local mutual aid groups

Get free masks and Covid-19 tests

Huge spreadsheets of mutual aid, justice orgs, and more

Prisonculture shares a lot of good resources on Bluesky

How to Change Your Legal Name and Gender 101

LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory

Let us know what we should add to this list!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we’re doing Game Awards discourse, playing a couple new and not-so-new games, and showing preferential treatment toward one listener with a return to our email pile.

Timestamps

(01:15) Who handles the fire in your relationship?

(4:40) It’s Game Awards discourse season!

(23:00) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is fine

(27:10) Dragon Quest 3 (but not the one you’re thinking of)

(35:50) Sorry We’re Closed looks better than it feels

(42:35) Reading Ashley’s email

(1:05:30) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Look Back, riding bikes, generic fantasy)

Mentioned this week

Stunning Anime Look Back Appreciates the Work of Art

Willa’s blog

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Music 

Street Food by FASSounds

Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Here are some links that can help you get started:

Lots of resources from Critical Distance

Find local mutual aid groups

Get free masks and Covid-19 tests

Huge spreadsheets of mutual aid, justice orgs, and more

Prisonculture shares a lot of good resources on Bluesky

How to Change Your Legal Name and Gender 101

LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory

Let us know what we should add to this list!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen. We’re not doing great and we suspect you’re not either. After a brief chat about the election and Willa’s recent layoff, we dive into Mouthwashing, an emotionally challenging game that made us both feel like shit and is undoubtedly one of the year’s best. 

If you’re looking for something positive to do with your energy after you’ve processed the results of the election, check the end of the shownotes for some hopefully helpful links.

Timestamps

(00:30) What a week it’s been (derogatory)

(01:20) Hey please take care of each other, things are pretty fucked

(07:45) The second annual layoff spectacular

(11:05) Cheering ourselves up with Mouthwashing, the saddest game ever made

(25:20) Mouthwashing spoilers begin [CW: mentions of sexual assault, suicide, alcoholism]

(55:20) Spoilers for Silent Hill 2 and Signalis, somehow

(1:04:00) The Mouthwashing scene that gave Robin a mental breakdown

(1:11:30) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Dungeon Inn, Witching Stone, Arcane season 2)

Mentioned this week

Ten Free Ebooks for Getting Free

This post from Rowan Zeoli

Some help changing your name and gender marker

Willa’s blog

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Music 

Street Food by FASSounds

Things are bad right now, but you can help make them better. Here are some links that can help you get started:

Lots of resources from Critical Distance

Find local mutual aid groups

Get free masks and Covid-19 tests

Huge spreadsheets of mutual aid, justice orgs, and more

Prisonculture shares a lot of good resources on Bluesky

How to Change Your Legal Name and Gender 101

LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory

Let us know what we should add to this list!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our second anniversary AND our 100th episode, a scheduling feat you wouldn’t believe was on purpose even if we tried to convince you it was. We take the time to answer some questions sent in by listeners over the past year, touching on our favorite games and inspirations, some podcasting inside baseball, and of course, the Mets.

Thanks for listening!!

Timestamps

(03:45) First gaming loves and breaking our parents’ rules

(11:55) The Girl Mode canon

(18:50) Sports games and comics

(26:20) Our critical inspirations

(32:50) X-Men by Girl Mode Studios

(36:45) Fixing the video game timeline

(44:00) Finding our podcasting voice/underdiscussed games/the Mets as RPG protagonists

(56:10) Thanks for listening!

(59:25) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Dragon Age: The Veilguard, The Vampire Lovers, Late Night with the Devil)

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We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

Gaza Funds

eSims for Gaza

Medical Aid for Palestinians

Palestine Red Crescent Society

Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Demand a ceasefire from your representatives

Game Assist's "Gamers for Palestine" resource packet

Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

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With her parasocial World Series hopes dashed, Willa has returned to the podcast to talk shit about Overwatch and the U.S. Copyright Office and listen to Robin yap about Dragon Age and Webfishing. 

Timestamps

(02:00) The final Mets update

(07:50) Overwatch 2 wants to be Overwatch 1 (and it should)

(13:35) All our homies hate the Entertainment Software Association

(22:45) Dragon Age: The Veilguard is pretty alright

(40:10) Dragon Age spoilers begin

(55:15) Webfishing is the best game in the world

(58:15) Masahiro Sakurai’s video game school is closed

(1:02:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. a whole bunch of vampire movies and The VVitch)

Mentioned this week

Fulfilling Our Promise in Signalis w/ Girl Mode

Can an online library of classic video games ever be legal?

What's New in Game History!

Steam’s Strange New Online Fishing Game Is Like Animal Crossing’s Evil Twin

Webfishing is the ultimate yapping game

Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games: Finale Special

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We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

Gaza Funds

eSims for Gaza

Medical Aid for Palestinians

Palestine Red Crescent Society

Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Demand a ceasefire from your representatives

Game Assist's "Gamers for Palestine" resource packet

Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

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Willa has taken a vow of silence in honor of her beloved Mets, so this week Robin is joined by writer, editor, and podcaster Rachel Watts! Our giggly, tangent-filled conversation covers our favorite demos from the most recent Steam Next Fest, with lots of recommendations for promising upcoming indie games. 

Timestamps

(00:30) Hello Rachel Watts!

(03:45) Citizen Sleeper 2

(08:15) *computer voice* Wormhole

(14:25) Great God Grove

(21:20) 30 Birds

(27:20) Scarlet Deer Inn

(34:15) Proverbs

(38:20) Keep Driving

(45:50) Touch Type Tale

(50:55) Sorry We're Closed

(56:50) Mainframes 

(59:50) Is This Game Trying to Kill Me?

(1:08:00) Trip 

(1:13:30) Spilled!

(1:18:05) What else have Rachel and Robin been up to? (feat. touching grass and Barbarian)

Mentioned this week

Rick Lane’s Demo Disc

Rachel and Robin’s demo lists

Follow Rachel on Twitter and Bluesky

Listen to Indieventure

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We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

Gaza Funds

eSims for Gaza

Medical Aid for Palestinians

Palestine Red Crescent Society

Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Demand a ceasefire from your representatives

Game Assist's "Gamers for Palestine" resource packet

Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

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We got to play one of our mutual most anticipated games of the year this week and were apparently the only people not won over by its big sad wolf. We also talk about how fucking good Citizen Sleeper still is, and cover a new tabletop-inspired tactics game that’s very fun but maybe a little misguided.

Timestamps

(1:00) Let’s continue going Mets 

(5:20) Neva didn’t make us cry, it just make us bored

(25:00) Neva spoilers begin

(31:25) Neva spoilers end

(39:30) I can't believe Citizen Sleeper 2 is good

(1:00:30) Sunderfolk is fun, but who is it for?

(1:29:10) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Joker: Folie à deux, Birds of Prey, Rings of Power, As We Descend)

Mentioned this week

Robin on Neva and Sunderfolk

Willa on Neva and Sunderfolk

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Street Food by FASSounds

We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

Gaza Funds

eSims for Gaza

Medical Aid for Palestinians

Palestine Red Crescent Society

Palestine Children's Relief Fund

Demand a ceasefire from your representatives

Game Assist's "Gamers for Palestine" resource packet

Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.