Press START

This week we're joined by the incomparable (especially so considering there aren't that many people posting oboe VGM covers online) Abbytheoboist. You've probably seen her on social media, just scrolling and then, BANG, some of the nicest sounding oboe you've ever heard. We talk about her history with video games, the video game soundtracks that speak to her and the Final Fantasy workout playlist she pumps iron to.

You can find Abby on social media just about everywhere, including Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Twitch as @abbytheoboist.

OTHER THINGS MENTIONED:

Abby's rendition of the Final Fantasy 6 opera (complete with outfit changes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Sx_UHVmAw

The band Mega Mango: https://www.megamangoband.com/

The band Pool Kids (we love you Pool Kids): https://www.poolkidsband.com/

The band sports.: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4pyn62fo9bN7qCT9nBM6c6?si=1y1diZAHST2yRd67YglgUA&nd=1&dlsi=b58f733c59674a02

The band Stars Hollow: https://starshollowia.bandcamp.com/album/i-want-to-live-my-life

Streamer atwentysomethingloser on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/atwentysomethingloser

Streamer Hasanabi on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabi

The This American Life bit about Final Fantasy 7: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/679/transcript 

Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us your Final Fantasy hot takes at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

What's up, gamers! We've got a special treat in the feed this week: it's Video Game Podtimism! This is last week's episode of Video Game Podtimism featuring Noah and Tori from this show. Give it a listen and if you enjoy it (which, like, why wouldn't you?) subscribe to VGP on whatever platform you're on now and visit their website, podtimism.com. We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled stuff!

Damn, pre-Thanksgiving was supposed to be a relaxing time of year when Americans mentally and physically prepare to gorge themselves. Instead we heard they're making a Zelda movie. What a time to be alive.

THINGS MENTIONED:

Shigeru Miyamoto's Twitter announcement heard 'round the world:

https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/1722011980129779795?s=20

Variety on one man's journey to direct a Zelda movie:

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/wes-ball-directing-zelda-movie-23-years-after-tweet-1235783773/

A 12-hour YouTube essay on the history of video games:

https://youtu.be/OAo8qdcvhlM

Video Game Podtimism featuring Noah and Tori!!:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iLBNNwBYRuaEe0HBpOg4f?si=DalZlkctRXSdrwt_PE7xuw

Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠

Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠

Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about who you want to direct the Zelda movie at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

It's been months in the making... We finally beat Final Fantasy X and oh boy do we have a lot of thoughts about this uneven, kinda out-there game. We make it pretty clear once the big spoilers start getting thrown around, but be aware that there are some names and location names thrown out early on that could, if you're really worried about that kind of stuff, be considered a spoiler.

THING(S) MENTIONED:

Final Fantasy X-3 is sorta already written, but...:

https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/07/14/a-final-fantasy-x-3-story-is-already-written-but-final-fantasy-7-remake-is-the-main

Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠

Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our typical cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (this week they were courtesy of Square Enix and we don't own ANY OF IT) and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about what we should play next at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show :)

2023 has been an incredible year for game releases so far, but it's been a pretty miserable year for the people who make games and the people who write about them. We're talking games layoffs this week as well as news about a series we love and, uh, Aaron Sorkin.

THINGS MENTIONED:

The Verge on the latest gaming world layoffs at Bungie:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/30/23938990/bungie-sony-layoffs-delays-destiny-final-shape-marathon

Aidan Moher's blog on 2023 in gaming:

https://astrolabe.aidanmoher.com/p/astrolabe-35-is-2023-the-best-year

Further reading on 2023 gaming layoffs from No Escape:

https://noescapevg.com/it-hasnt-been-a-good-year-for-games/

Robin Bea from Inverse's preview of the new Avatar game:

https://www.inverse.com/gaming/avatar-frontiers-of-pandora-gameplay-preview

The Verge: Deltarune news, baby!

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/31/23940643/deltarune-chapter-3-release-schedule-toby-fox

DavidSocial.com

Janet Garcia's funny tweet:

https://twitter.com/Gameonysus/status/1720219348110025077

Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠

Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠

Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about your favorite 2023 gaming release at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

This week we're joined by award-winning games and comics writer Nadia Shammas. Listen in for a conversation about the intersection of identity and writing, Nadia's experience navigating the writing world as a Palestinian-American, how cool Marvel vs. Capcom is and much more. Nadia's writing credits span mediums, from independent comics (Squire, Where Black Stars Rise), to licensed comics (Ms. Marvel, Batman, etc.) to games (Thirsty Suitors).

You can find Nadia online at their website (www.nadiashammas.com), on Instagram (@nadiashammas) and on Twitter (@Nadia_Shammas_)

Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠

Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠

Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠. and you can email us about your favorite sexy fighting game character at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

What would a video game podcast be without hosts who have strong opinions about GameStop? Tori and Nathaniel share some of their GameStop horror stories and talk about what they're playing — spoiler: Mario Wonder — in this week's episode.

THINGS MENTIONED:

The Verge on Bandcamp's layoffs:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/16/23919551/bandcamp-layoffs-epic-songtradr

YouTuber Orbalology on buying games from GameStop:

https://youtu.be/GOnNljlf6Q8

Nathaniel Bandy visits a GameStop in every U.S. state:

https://youtu.be/r43-AxpR6JI

YouTuber EmpLemon on a very special episode of The Simpsons:

https://youtu.be/Tq-qU_GCCLI

Noah's on Twitter: ⁠noah_hurts⁠

Tori's on Twitter: ⁠tori_as_always⁠

Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠nathanbased⁠

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠@press-startpod⁠. and you can email us about your social media preferences at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

We've been doing our silly, earnest little show for two years now, and to help us celebrate that (and also talk about gaming news from a week when Tori and Noah were busy focusing on non-gaming news) we're joined by podcaster extraordinaire AJ Fillari.

You can follow AJ online:

Ko-Fi

Twitter

Bluesky

Or any other social media platform where they have you find an account with the handle "ajfillari."

THINGS MENTIONED:

Willa Rowe's review of Assassin's Creed Mirage for Inverse:

https://www.inverse.com/gaming/assassins-creed-mirage-review-pc

Eurogamer on James Corden's fun little visit to Activision HQ:

https://www.eurogamer.net/activision-hired-james-corden-to-host-employee-meeting-with-bobby-kotick

IGN's comparisons of the various PS5s:

https://www.ign.com/articles/see-how-the-ps5-slim-compares-side-by-side-with-the-launch-version-and-xbox

PUREXBOX: Disney's betting app is on the way!!:

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/10/disney-reportedly-encouraging-its-ceo-to-look-at-acquiring-a-company-like-ea

Paul Tassi from Forbes on the rumor that Disney wants to buy EA:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/10/11/disney-buying-ea-would-be-a-disaster-for-everyone/?sh=1da212a0297a

Noah's on Twitter: noah_hurts

Tori's on Twitter: tori_as_always

Nathaniel's on Twitter: nathanbased

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠GEIST⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠@Press_StartPod⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠ and on bluesky @press-startpod. and you can email us about your social media preferences at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

People love it when video game podcast hosts talk about stuff that's not video games, right? Of course we talk about video game news — like the latest death knell for the 3DS and Animal Crossing LEGOs — but there's lots of stuff in here about public radio, social media and more. Give a listen :)

THINGS MENTIONED:

Paul Tassi at Forbes on the downfall of Marvel's Avengers:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2023/09/18/marvels-avengers-is-days-away-from-being-deleted-from-storefronts-forever/?sh=44332cd3779c

Polygon's latest on Switch 2:

https://www.polygon.com/nintendo/23899504/nintendo-switch-2-release-date-power-name-games

Who's Afraid of Ayesha Roscoe from Lexicon Valley:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1AizzBpusYA6p8r7Gyp1Yc

Noah's on Twitter: noah_hurts

Tori's on Twitter: tori_as_always

Nathaniel's on Twitter: nathanbased

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠GEIST⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠@Press_StartPod⁠  and on tumblr at ⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠ and you can email us about your social media preferences at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.

We came so close to just talking about Star Wars for 90 minutes, but instead it just comes up a few times while we discuss Nintendo's successor console and other news.

THINGS MENTIONED:

Polygon on the Epic Games layoffs:

https://www.polygon.com/23894267/epic-games-fortnite-unreal-engine-layoffs-2023

PC World on Unity walking back some of its shitty decisions:

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2081112/unity-walks-back-new-engine-pricing-after-protests.html

Kotaku: EA moves on without FIFA:

https://kotaku.com/fifa-soccer-ea-games-sports-fc-franchise-pro-evolution-1848905860

DownieLive on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/DownieLive/videos

Lily Alexandre's latest video on 2010s pop feminism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmnsK74khNw

Noah's on Twitter: noah_hurts

Tori's on Twitter: tori_as_always

Nathaniel's on Twitter: nathanbased

Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠GEIST⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠@Press_StartPod⁠  and on tumblr at ⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠ and you can email us about what you want to see on Switch 2 or whether you understand DLSS at [email protected]. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show.