So Many Bits

After an extended break, Bill and Cliff reach the halfway point of Earthbound!

Metal Gear Solid V, Super Mario Maker... Undertale? That's right, this indy darling is weird, funny, sincerely charming, and maybe the best game released in 2015. Bill and Cliff cannot shut up about it, so they're sharing the love with you.

Guest host Di Billick (Dandy Boy, Unlikely Company) helps Bill recap the Final Fantasy series, sharing their first memories of the games, as well as a few of their favorite strange moments.

This week, Bill is joined by Kate Hardiman, Bilal Dardai, and Trevor Dawkins to discuss The Neocade, a video game fundraiser for the Neo-Futurists coming up on Thursday November 12th. Along with showings from Bit Bash and the Video Game Art Gallery, they are producing a video game themed edition of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind titled Game Positive. The 3 talk to Bill about their personal game interests, the event, and the growing cultural weight of video games.

Metal... Gear? Yes, the stealth action / adventure game is serious, but the story and action usually turn into camp. Michael Delaney joins Bill this week to see how these nanomachines are made.

From humble beginnings Penny Arcade has gone from a webcomic to a multimedia force, including their own webseries, podcasts, video games, and a convention series that draws hundreds of thousands of fans annually. Their work makes games you've never played funny, varying from crude, juvenile humor to tender stories about parenthood. Bill and Cliff pick a few of their favorite strips, plus a bonus section of favorite Simpsons episodes to follow up on last week.

The Simpsons has been around seemingly forever, but they remain one of the few sitcoms to have incorporated video games into their storylines. Check out some of the many, many references made over the years, plus a little bonus discussion of The Simpsons numerous video game releases.

This week, we discuss Jackbox Party Pack and other "template games" that require user input. If this goes well, our next episode will be about Marky Mark's Make My Music Video.

Stephen Hanthorn joins us this week to help discuss the Ratchet and Clank franchise. With both a movie and a remake of the original game coming in early 2016, Cliff and Stephen (with a little help from Bill) reflect on their favorite moments.

Pete Byrne and Dan Schiffmacher guest host this week to help Bill discuss games they’re looking forward to this holiday season. Coming in the extended cut of this episode, deleted discussion of Pete making dinner.