So Many Bits

Back home now, Shelby Mongan joins me on this episode to get into the video game portions of my trip. What games did I play on the 25 hours of airline travel? What was Akihabara like? Did I pick up any interesting swag? That plus some tips for planning your own trip to Japan right here!

I was very privileged to take a one week vacation to Japan recently and am back to share some stories from my travels! This week in Part 1 I'll run down the various sights I saw, while next week we'll get into some travel tips and the games I played!

Bit Bash was bigger and better than ever this year, and Luis Badillo and I tell you about the event straight from MSI in Chicago! Many of these games can't be experienced anywhere else so listen here for our impressions!

The games we've been playing! Overwatch, Borderlands 2, Persona Q2, and more!

Dogs. Puppers. Bork Factories. Everyone* loves them, and their care is critical work often handled through shelters across the US and beyond. Little Rock Games is working on a game that goes into the challenges of such an operation right now, and Olivia Dunlap joins me this week to chat about To the Rescue! We also crown the greatest fictional dog of all time after rigorous scientific analysis.

Plus, Chris Arneson helps me tackle a classic Simpsons episode during Screenwatching!

Screenwatching: The Simpsons (1:10)

Interview: Olivia Dunlap (27:12)

Bill's Magic Minute (1:02:55)

*Cats are not part of everyone

This week Shelby gave me my regular dose of Overwatch news plus we got in deep on a recent release! Games played: Borderlands 2 - Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary DLC, Overwatch, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Aarne Hunziker a.k.a. Meka Skull is my guest on this week's podcast! Aarne's upcoming game Cyber Shadow is inspired by his passion for 8-bit games, and we talk about the process from animation to zdifficulty!

Shelby Mongan also stops by for the Screenwatching mouthful The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya episode The Day of Sagittarius!

Screenwatching: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (5:25)

Interview: Aarne Hunziker / Meka Skull (34:10)

Bill's Magic Minute (49:22)

Cliff Murphy joins me once again to talk about a few games that have been taking up quite a bit of his time! Games played: Slay the Spire, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Starbound, Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time, Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus.

200! 200 episodes of So Many Bits, and to celebrate we have two returning guests. Harris Foster of Finji returns to the show to discuss the expanding landscape for indy games such as their title Overland, what makes a game like Wilmot's Warehouse "Finji", and the subculture of the gamer performance arts!

Meanwhile, my original co-host Cliff Murphy is back to chat about the surreal horror of Black Mirror in Screenwatching. It's just like Super Mario Bros.!

Screenwatching: Black Mirror (4:21)

Interview: Harris Foster (38:50)

Bill's Magic Minute (1:24:47)

Brandon Shockney returns on this week's episode to talk about the games we've been playing! Games played: Cuphead, Arms, Final Fantasy VII, Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty.