Tori and Noah reluctantly watched the Game Awards and have their thoughts about the show, abuses in the industry and, uh, Sonic the Hedgehog.

Further reading:

https://www.polygon.com/22380535/quantic-dream-lawsuit-toxic-workplace-harassment-racism-sexism-france-court-david-cage

https://www.fanbyte.com/news/report-goddamnit-it-looks-like-quantic-dream-is-making-a-star-wars-game/

https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/9/22826714/sonic-the-hedgehog-2-movie-trailer-the-game-awards

https://maximumfun.org/episodes/triple-click/whats-the-deal-with-the-game-awards/

Intro/outro music is Burn Tap by GEIST, podcast art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics.

Want to get in touch with the show to ask us questions or share your dream Smash Bros. characters? Email us at [email protected].

CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of sexual harassment and assault. [13:30-21:25]

Noah and Tori kick off this episode by talking about a game neither of them have played and then talk about some of the video games industry’s worst ails with a repeated refrain: “It sucks.”

They talk XBOX, Skyrim, awful working conditions at Activision/Blizzard and… Donkey Kong?

Further reading:

https://www.polygon.com/22785788/bobby-kotick-resign-activision-blizzard-controversy-allegations

https://www.polygon.com/22786117/activision-blizzard-walk-out-bobby-kotick-resignation-demands

https://kotaku.com/lets-meet-the-board-members-supporting-besieged-activis-1848079283

https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/exclusive-seth-rogen-donkey-kong.html

Noah takes Tori down a Smash Bros rabbit hole, exploring the epic highs and  lows of Smash Bros speculation, leaks and rumors from 1999 to about a month ago. Tori learns more about the Super Mario RPG character Geno than she has ever wanted to.

Things referenced:

https://www.reddit.com/r/pokeleaks

https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_leaks

https://sourcegaming.info/2016/04/29/duflupdate/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwyzZFOAU3M&list=PL3boxNKcToc1o1FpkHxl_LRC2JXMCIPa9

https://itch.io/b/520/bundle-for-racial-justice-and-equality

https://copychaser.itch.io/speeddatingforghosts (Also available on Switch)

https://kinmoku.itch.io/one-night-stand (Also available on Switch)

Intro/outro music is Burn Tap by GEIST, podcast art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics.

Want to get in touch with the show to ask us questions or share your dream Smash Bros. characters? Email us at [email protected].

Tori and Noah come back from a week away from the show to discuss Animal Crossing updates, the sorry state of Nintendo's emulators, some gaming rumors and what we're playing. 

Things referenced: 

This tweet about Zelda and this rumor.

Our logo was designed by Kai Sorenson at Wisp Graphics. Our music is Burn Tap by GEIST.

Want to hit our line? Send questions, comments and concerns to [email protected].

Tori and Noah use Sora's addition to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as an excuse to talk about Kingdom Hearts ad nauseum. 

Things referenced: 

Slight spoilers for: Kingdom Hearts (just like, as a franchise), The Haunted Island: a Frog Detective Game and Eastward.

Our logo was designed by Kai Sorenson at Wisp Graphics. Our music is Burn Tap by GEIST.

Want to hit our line? Send questions, comments and concerns to [email protected].

Tori and Noah discuss their favorite (and the most frustrating) announcements from the latest slate of Nintendo commercials. 

Our logo was designed by Kai Sorenson at Wisp Graphics. Our music is Burn Tap by GEIST.

Want to hit our line? Send questions, comments and concerns to [email protected].

Tori and Noah introduce the show with their top three favorite games of all time. 

*Slight spoilers for Final Fantasy VII (Remake and the original) and Earthbound. 

Our logo was designed by Kai Sorenson at Wisp Graphics. Our music is Burn Tap by GEIST.

Want to hit our line? Send questions, comments and concerns to [email protected].

Press START is a brand new gaming podcast brought to you by Tori Dominguez (@tori_as_always on Twitter) and Noah Hertz (@noah_hurts on Twitter), two Gen Z journalists. Press START will feature gaming news, interviews and deep dives into everything from brand new games to our childhood favorites. 

Our logo was designed by Kai Sorenson at Wisp Graphics. Our music is Burn Tap by GEIST.

Want to hit our line? Send questions, comments and concerns to [email protected].