It seems inevitable that utopian societies just fall off into the ocean or

something. All the time. Seriously, it's a real problem that one would

think utopias would learn to deal with. Anyway, journey to a land that is

less than ideal and wade your way through a horde of monster in order to

get to the real reason you visit strange lands: the charming locals!

You know what's puzzling about Pokémon? When they start shooting a bunch of

blocks and playing Tetris instead of using a flamethrower and body slam.

Dive into the exciting world of the Puzzle League, where Ash, for some

reason, got an invitation to compete. Also Team Rocket, I guess. Choose

from the diverse cast of all the gym leaders that appeared in the anime,

and enjoy as the spout the same line over and over again.

Who's that racing round at the speed of sound? A certain blue animal? 

That's right, it's Captain Falcon in the Blue Falcon! Join us in the year

23xx and hop on some ridiculous future tracks.  Choose from 30 different

racers, who apparently have distinct abilities and strap in. Crank up the

volume and start racing at ridiculous speeds to some sweet tunes.

Nobody knows the ins and outs of enchantment quite like Alex Kidd.  I

believe this to be the case, anyway, since he's obviously cursed.  Join us

as the haphazard hero fumbles through what will hopefully be the last

installment of his series that we look at.  Venture forth into the land of

inexplicably animated car-monsters and bizarrely lackluster level design;

together we'll tackle the real question in the Alex Kidd universe: why did

so many of these get made?

Ever wonder what ancient tanuki got up to?  Apparently, the answer is "hang

out with adorable priestesses and learn shinto demon banishing

techniques".  Also, destroy a lot of paper in pursuit of those two

hobbies.  Thankfully, this game is true enough to its cutesy aesthetic that

things never get to rocky, so you could probably be nomming some pocky

while you're playing.  Also, something about Becky.

Ever wonder what ancient tanuki got up to?  Apparently, the answer is "hang out with adorable priestesses and learn shinto demon banishing techniques".  Also, destroy a lot of paper in pursuit of those two hobbies.  Thankfully, this game is true enough to its cutesy aesthetic that things never get to rocky, so you could probably be nomming some pocky while you're playing.  Also, something about Becky. Banishing download! Show Notes (01:00) Yes, the optimal tabletop setting exists. It does require some digging to find the good ones, though. (05:30) A far cry from fishing. Not quite as amusing as Zach's strategy of just ramming them with a boat. (08:15) Zach's Xayah game. (20:30) That game Tyler was trying to talk about. (26:00) Some amusing internals, and also getting to the game. (35:00) Pocky and Rankings with Becky! Next time on Last Time, Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle! It's finally over at [email protected],  [email protected],  [email protected],  or [email protected].  You can also go to the show page at plus.google.com/+LastTimeOnVideogames or comment on the site at www.lasttimeonvideogames.com.  Also, you can follow our tweets @LTOVG.

Bomberman's been called upon to perform his yearly firearms training. 

Little does he know, the plot of Star Wars is happening right above, and

he's about to get dragged into it.  I'm not sure if he's more Luke or Han

in this story, but either way, it's a lot less interesting to watch.  Flail

about large, static-angle environs while you attempt to bomb your way to

victory.  Just watch out for Bomberman's oldest and most recognizable foe:

weird clown spring things?

It's the spook-spook-spookiest time of the year!

Join us on a quest through a madhouse, full of things that go splat!  Don

the mask of the season, and pick up your preferred weapon (a large stick),

and wade through the hordes of seasonal enemies.  Featuring such terrors

as... spiky turtles, chained up zombies, and leech... things.  Festive!

Sometimes, you just need to kick back and let the turnips grow. 

Specifically, when you have no other crops or animals, and have really

exhausted all the stuff to do around town.  There's always the bar, though,

not to mention a pile of fun townsfolk to hang out with.  Look into your

heart... become the legendary philanderer farmer you were meant to be!

There are certainly worse tales to be based on a circus environment.  This game has no tragic backstories to speak of, but there are some evil clowns.  The more we've talked about this game, the more tenuous connections we've made to Batman.  At any rate, follow a competent circus performer as he performs... in the circus.  I suppose there's also the part where he fights off hordes of evil clowns while an audience watches, but, really, that's just the price of admission.