Maximum Utcast

Currently, Currently Playing is joined by Matt who's been playing games from Weather Factory, notably in the form of Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours, both of which are incomprehensible to Daniel. Matt tries his best to explain rule discovery puzzle crafting card games with their emergent and dynamic gameplay. You simply must see the game in action to get a grasp of what is going on, so check out the YouTube video below the timecodes for a good primer on this game.
0:00:00 - Welcome to the Show, Matt!
0:03:45 - What Are You Playing? Weather Factory Games (Cultist Simulator and Book of Hours)
0:27:10 - Top 3 Non-Weather Factory Games
0:34:14 - Wrap Up/Plugs
Fantastic Worlds Playthrough of Cultist Simulator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYdrCoV3Ld4&list=PL_qgdz3rdfah8ikJubdMCSCG6vte2ZUix
Cultist Simulator Guide (shorter explainer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0ixDdITIyI
Follow Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Daniel's music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2qI9Ghayv5Xnki1fKWm5jv?si=-WKPPMfqQx6lS7na4T1lpQ

On this jam packed episode of Maximum Utcast we're digging into the kusoge Ganso Saiyūki: Super Monkey Daibōken, a Famicom game based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West that is sometimes known as the ultimate crappy game. Along the way we discover secret vaginas and penises that have infiltrated games for dozens of years. Later, Jonathan talks with Matt Kap (Castle in the Darkness 2, Astalon: Tears of the Earth), developer of Lovish about his love of little blue knights. We get a little extra information about Jonathan's experiences with Love Eternal (SPOILER WARNING!) and in the post-show, Daniel practices some vocal warmups.
0:00:00 - Air Bud Returns
0:09:24 - The Clairvoyance of Rutherford B. Hayes
0:10:45 - Kusoge - Ganso Saiyūki: Super Monkey Daibōken
0:25:17 - Vagina Today, Vagina Tomorrow
0:29:14 - All is Full of Lovish with Matt Kap
1:01:30 - Special Thanks, Jonathan Holmes
1:08:04 - A Quick Love Eternal Update
1:11:10 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
1:19:23 - Vagina
1:21:04 - Vocal Warmup

LABS Website: http://www.mattkap.net/labs/
Matt Kap on Twitter:  https://x.com/MattKap1
Zoey on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adzuken.bsky.social
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
The podcast’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Written articles at: https://maxutmost.com/
Support Zoey’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/adzuken
Support the Patreon to get episodes a few days early and also read the Maximum Utcomic! https://patreon.com/ttwav

Jonathan and Ryan recount the highlights of the recent Pokemon Presents which marked the 30th anniversary of the series, including the announcement of the newest mainline games, Pokemon Winds and Pokemon Waves. Are they about how the wind makes the waves, or is there more to them? Only time will tell! Elsewhere, Jonathan gives his thoughts on Resident Evil 9 and indie games Lovish and Love Eternal, before the pair try to solve the riddle of a family having to share one video game console.

0:00:00 - Tag Team, Back Again
0:01:12 - The Introduction is Continuing
0:02:02 - The Rotom Report
0:04:53 - Pokemon Turned 30
0:06:16 - That's What Dads Are For
0:07:38 - The New Pokemon Starters
0:08:54 - Resident Evil 9: Familiar Yet Fresh
0:16:34 - Hungry For McPixel 3
0:19:50 - The Two Loves
0:22:39 - Competing Over the Switch 2
0:26:22 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Last Second Virtual Boy Review

The Utcast Gang gets serious about the business of love on today's episode where we learn to stop worrying and love eternally. There's some shake ups happening at Microsoft, we re-discover the Wii U through the lens of NapNok Games, and revisit our old pals Bimmy and Jimmy Lee. Later, Jonathan talks with Toby Alden of brlka about their new game Love Eternal and the indie games that inspired it. Was there a secret connection to No One Can Stop Mr. Domino! in there? And will Jonathan ever find out what love is? Perhaps we'll finally learn that Love conquers us all.
0:00:00 - Blood Work
0:05:47 - Greasy Brown Chicken Slab
0:07:43 - Videogames, What's Happenin'?
0:15:36 - A Deep Dive into NapNok Games
0:22:24 - What is Love? with Toby Alden of Love Eternal
1:06:57 - Entering Our Bimmy Era
1:11:43 - Love Eternal Impressions
1:22:27 - Lovin' Lovish
1:29:24 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
1:37:39 - Bumpie's Sex Party
1:39:41 - Donkey Kong of VomitingFollow Toby Alden of brlka: https://bsky.app/profile/brlka.com
Get Love Eternal on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3010610/LOVE_ETERNAL/
Zoey on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adzuken.bsky.social
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
The podcast’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Written articles at: https://maxutmost.com/
Support Zoey’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/adzuken
Support the Patreon to get episodes a few days early and also read the Maximum Utcomic! https://patreon.com/ttwav

Zach from Axiom Games LLC and Old Man Gaming stops by to chat about being a TTRPG designer and video game reviewer among the many other hats he wears as a dad with a full time job who still makes time for having fun with family and friends both locally and online. After getting introduced to his sprawling work in the TTRPG space we talk about both his love of wrestling games and of 4X games like Endless Space 2. Then, since he's covered so many games on his YouTube channel, we talked about his top 3 games of last year.
0:00:00 - Welcome to the show, Zach!
0:23:00 - What Are You Playing? Endless Space 2
0:39:27 - Top 3 Games of Last Year
0:47:48 - Wrap Up/Plugs
Old Man Gaming YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oldmangaming1061
Axiom Games Publishing: https://axiom-games-llc.itch.io/
Axiom Games Wrestling TTRPG Publications: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/21843/axiom-games-llc
Axiom Games on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/omg-axiomgamesllc.bsky.social
Follow Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social

It took 15 episodes but we finally know how to make the perfect podcast! We're abiding by the rules, correcting our past mistakes, and disclosing any potential conflicts of interest which means no one can say we're doing it wrong! Jonathan talked with game developer Talha Kaya of Talha & Jack Co. about their new game ABIDE which brings a unique art style to the first person horror game experience. Elsewhere, Zoey corrects her prior error regarding the continuity of the Castlevania series by doing a deep dive on the original game's Japanese manual. We get a few updates from what games Jonathan and Zoey are playing (Beastieball and the Pragmata demo) plus we learn that disclosures can be like farts.

0:00:00 - The Mike Haggar Brainwashing Session
0:03:12 - The MMMMMMAXIMUM Utcast!
0:05:18 - Corrections and Reflections in Castlevania
0:11:33 - Relatable Content
0:15:06 - Settling Into the Uncanny Valley in ABIDE by Talha and Jack Co.
0:55:51 - The Ethical Curmudgeon
1:01:48 - It's Like Farts
1:03:44 - Beastieball
1:07:00 - Pragmata Demo
1:09:50 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!

You can support the ABIDE Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/637042083/abide/creator
You can also learn more about Talha & Jack Co. at their website: https://talhaandjack.co/
Follow Talha Kaya on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/taloketo.bsky.social
Follow Jack King on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/king-spooner.bsky.social
Zoey on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adzuken.bsky.social
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
The podcast’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Written articles at: https://maxutmost.com/
Support Zoey’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/adzuken
Support the Patreon to get episodes a few days early and also read the Maximum Utcomic! https://patreon.com/ttwav

On this mildly belated episode of Talking to My Boy about Videogames, Jonathan and Ryan discuss the virtues of keeping your cool while trying to snap pictures of Pokemon. From there, they dig into the subtleties of Italian Brainrot and what it means for kids to like it. A scattershot approach is taken in the back third of the episode where they cover Yakuza Kiwami 3, Resident Evil, Sonic Racing, Cat2048, Reanimal, and Romeo is a Dead Man.
0:00:00 - The Noise Thing
0:01:05 - Emotional Scales
0:01:56 - Serious Feelings about Pokemon Snap
0:07:43 - One Man's Descent Into One Piece
0:09:22 - To Reanimal or Not To Reanimal
0:12:04 - Freddy's Not Famous
0:13:35 - "Italian Brainrot" in Roblox Explained...Sort Of
0:20:06 - Come Not Between the Ryu and His Wrath
0:22:13 - The King of Cat2048
0:23:22 - Doing the Same Things in Different Spaces
0:24:36 - Any Gmaes You Lookin' Forward to?
0:27:01 - Rating the Quality of Sony Consoles
0:28:15 - Wisely and Slow, They Stumble that Run Fast
0:29:00 - We Did Alright!

We're keeping warm this winter by talking about videogames so pour a cup of cocoa and hear a bunch of thoughts on strategies for staying alive! Zoey also gives us another Duke Nukem Report, this time about "Land of the Babes", the blocky Duke Nukem game for PS1 from the far flung future year of 2000! Sarah Carapace comes back to finish up her chat about "Lost Records: Bloom and Rage" when viewed through the lens of riot grrrl and grunge music. And then we spend a moment talking about Anchorman for some reason.
0:00:00 - Yak Bak Bullshit
0:07:57 - Deep Frying is the Great Equalizer
0:12:13 - Power Up, Don't Die (Strategy for Life)
0:15:39 - What is it About That Castlevania?
0:27:38 - Duke Nukem Report: Land of the Babes
0:47:12 - Riot Grrrl vs. Grunge with Sarah Carapace
1:20:47 - Jonathan Wanted to Talk About Anchorman For Some Reason
1:22:17 - European Rock Bands
1:23:42 - The Lesbian Aspect
1:26:44 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
1:33:20 - Laser TitSarah Carapace on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahcarapace.bsky.social
Zoey on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adzuken.bsky.social
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
The podcast’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Written articles at: https://maxutmost.com/
Support Zoey’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/adzuken
Support the Patreon to get episodes a few days early and also read the Maximum Utcomic! https://patreon.com/ttwav

This month's Currently Playing sees Daniel joined in his home studio by Kelsey Powers, a film and TV producer who has worked on Fear the Walking Dead as well as several projects for her production company Cosmic Frozen Pizza like 2024's award winning short film "Picture Car." Daniel and Kelsey talk quite a bit about Mario Kart World and how it compares to prior entries in the series, along with getting into some discussions of the role gaming can have for people with ADHD and autism, plus the predatory aspects of a lot of modern games. There's also some chat about Dungeons and Dragons in there. Where did they find the time?!

0:00:00 - Welcome to the Show, Kelsey!
0:12:38 - What Are You Playing? Mario Kart World
0:41:16 - Top 3 Items in Mario Kart
0:46:14 - Wrap Up/Plugs
Check out Kelsey's film production company at https://cosmicfrozenpizza.com/
Find Cosmic Frozen Pizza on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cosmicfrozenpizza
Find Kelsey on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/k_a_pow
Follow Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social 2 Attachments  •  Scanned by Gmail

Maximum Utcast returns to talk about everyone's favorite character Mike Haggar! Then Zoey and Jonathan share their game of the year picks for 2025 before diving into the deep end of point and click adventure games with illustrator Sarah Carapace. After the show wraps we have a few extra bonus features as always so stay tuned for some of the least hinged content this show has ever put out!
0:00:00 - I Dream of Mike Haggar
0:07:19 - Sponsorship Opportunities Available
0:12:18 - A Few Games of the Year for 2025
0:25:32 - Lost in the Adventure of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage with Sarah Carapace
1:01:20 - A Classy Sexual Awakening
1:07:03 - I'm Still Talking
1:08:21 - Wrap/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
1:19:19 - You Might As Well Just Goof Around
1:22:49 - Aversion to Psychological Manipulation
1:25:19 - Media Mail
1:27:56 - We're In the Asshole
Sarah Carapace on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahcarapace.bsky.social
Zoey on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adzuken.bsky.social
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
The podcast’s Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Written articles at: https://maxutmost.com/
Support Zoey’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/adzuken
Support the Patreon to get episodes a few days early and also read the Maximum Utcomic! https://patreon.com/ttwav