Opening Stage VGH

Dean and Meredith are once again joined by co-host of The Skyhook Podcast, Chicago's own Chris Pennant to discuss the life of Yasunori Mitsuda and the composition of one of the most influential game soundtracks ever, Chrono Trigger. Dean and Chris reminisce about their college improv team, and Dean explains why he's probably the only adult over 30 that still enjoys Dragon Ball Z to an extent.

Interested in learning more about Chris? Check out The Skyhook Podcast here: https://theskyhook.podbean.com/

Dean & Meredith are joined by video game enthusiast Brian Zinda to discuss the prototypical meme, All Your Base Are Belong To Us. We have another dramatic reading and discuss Elon Musk in the sky, forbidden childhood things, and Dean's volleyball career, in comparison to a secret character in X-Men: Children of the Atom.

Dean and Meredith are joined by Chicago voice actor and Chad the Birdcast's own Josh Zagoren to discuss American sitcom Home Improvement and its not-necessarily-needed video game adaptation, Power Tool Pursuit! Josh gets a great excuse to dig out his Nintendo Power collection while reminiscing about 90's haircare with Meredith, and everyone brings their A-game to a dramatic reading of the game's moving dialogue.

Want to hear more from Josh? Check out the Chad the Birdcast! https://open.spotify.com/show/1QsZKtaJP0V9rgZbkR1Iw9?si=4c72401a5f494157

Dean and Meredith are once again joined by their good friend Justin Verstraete to discuss the legendary match between Daigo and Justin Wong at EVO 2004. We discuss the basic structure of fighting games, Daigo's superhuman reflexes, and the day Justin and Meredith met.

Check out the match for yourself! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzS96auqau0

Just in time for Halloween, Dean and Meredith are once again joined by Dean's older brother, Gene, to discuss the horror movie/video game combo Sweet Home, as well as its spiritual successor, Resident Evil. Meredith languishes in the weak setup of a ghost story, while Dean and Gene reminisce about horrible voice acting and their father's superhuman timing.

*Small tech note- Gene's recording device went in and out during this recording. Is it haunted? Maybe. We tried to edit most of it out, but it's still a little crunchy in some spots, so thanks in advance. 

Dean and Meredith are joined by big boy movie fiend Justin Verstraete to discuss big-budget 1995 flop Waterworld and its subsequent video game adaptations. We recount memories, both beloved and cringeworthy, while sampling Dean Evans' superior Super Nintendo soundtrack.

Dean and Meredith are joined by Chicago martial artist Charles Parrott to discuss the creation of grotesque arcade smash-hit Mortal Kombat, its impact on the industry, and the resulting legislative hearings which resulted in the creation of the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Dean and Charles bond about being baby-sat by mall arcades and choosing who to hang out with based on what video games they had, while Meredith is disappointed when she sees a half-human, half-dragon with four arms.

Editor's Note: Towards the end of the episode, Dean mentions that Jurassic Park was responsible for the PG-13 movie rating. This is incorrect. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is responsible for the PG-13 rating, while Jurassic Park is responsible for the inclusion of digital sound in movie theaters. The editorial staff (Dean) regrets this error but finds it interesting that both Temple of Doom and Mortal Kombat involve pulling out hearts.

Dean and Meredith are joined by Rachel Cason, a Zelda enthusiast with a special place for a certain 35-year-old fairy man cartographer. Together, they discuss "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" and it's subsequent spin-off, "Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland" for the Nintendo DS.

Dean and Meredith are joined by Nashville-based author Melissa Collings to discuss the life of Socks the Cat and the video game that almost was. Dean makes the same bad joke twice, Meredith and Melissa get entranced with a completely different cat, and we all stick it to Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN). Stick around after the episode for a Marvel-esque look behind the scenes!

*Small note: Dean forgot to put the theme song in. Sorry! Won't happen again!

Dean & Meredith are joined by Chicago's own Chris Pennant to discuss the beginning of EA Sports and unravel the mysteries of the Madden Curse. 

Please note that there are some audio blips here and there, mainly in the beginning with the intro song. Apologies, and we'll figure out how to get around that in the future.