This month (July) we took a look at Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch as a last look at one of our favorite series that we ultimately liked a lot better on the SNES.

The conversation is mostly a continuation of a previous episode, and a bit of a rehash, considering our opinion of the “modern” Donkey Kong Country games hasn’t changed all that much in light of the latest entry (check out the DKC Returns cast here to catch up on that if you like). But we did give it a shot!

Things to enjoy here were strong production values in art design and sound and the kind of rube goldberg aspect of the stages which move and transform around you — which could be quite cinematic and interesting as it happens. Interestingly, the rube goldberg aspect is also non-interactive, which could make it less appealing over time, and the game’s mechanics, how it feels to move around the levels and use the characters were where we had the most issues. A button for acceleration (or “run”) locked to a roll was an interesting choice, which had us stumbling in places that seemed unfair, as well as occasionally rolling off to die when the “bang on the drums” move was intended instead. The level design seemed to halt any sense of momentum in certain (strange) places as well, which we didn’t really understand.

We’d like to hear from those of you that strongly disagree with our view of the modern DKC games, in particular if you have also grown up with the Rare games on SNES. We seem to be stuck in the past on this one (and is that nostalgia talking or legitimate)? Feel free to drop in your consideration of Retro Studios’ offers as well as your memories of playing Donkey Kong Country in the comments.

Also check out the liner notes here for our usual lineup of music, speedrunning, and other interesting links or commentary happening around each game we play.

And next month (August) is Marvel’s Midnight Suns. We expect to have a lot to say about Firaxis’ take on a Superheroic cardbattler/social sim.

This month we went to hell — and back — to talk about Diablo II Resurrected. We discuss the history of the ARPG/looter genre, make comparisons to modern games that couldn’t have done it without Blizzard’s contributions to the genre, all while diving into systems and what makes Diablo II so incredible more than 15 years after its release.

Check out the liner notes for the usual suspects of speedrunning, build guides (in this case), where to go or start if you want to get into the genre, and the tunes.

This month (in May) we took a look at Resident Evil 2 Remake. The first in the line of modern remakes of the older games (including 3, and later on 4), this game transposes the original overhead/isometric perspective of the 1998 original game for the over-the-shoulder more modern perspective and control scheme that was originally adopted in RE4.

We talk about the origins of the series and where RE2: Remake fits, as well as the puzzle-box component and its limitations and strengths as a piece of fiction, or a kind of escape-room conceit that RE2: Remake allows and how it hints at the wilder (and weirder) world in which this police station and events of the game are possible. We also talk about scarcity and how an older-style game like RE2: Remake, even with respect for modern sensibilities in some ways, is still limited by the design of its time.

Check out the liner notes here, for the standard assortment of extras and further reading/watching/listening.

This month coming up (June) is Diablo II: Resurrection so watch out for that one. (Hopefully processed and posted sooner than RE2: Remake. Sorry about that!)

In April we went through Fire Emblem: Awakening. As a 3DS game on an “officially” dead platform (one getting lots of headlines for preservation efforts made by the community to get it back online recently), as well as the game acknowledged widely to be the first in the “modern” Fire Emblem era and a last chance for Fire Emblem in the west (if not successful we may not have gotten more games here), this one is very interesting.

We talk about how to play this game given that the 3DS isn’t so easy to find on the secondhand market anymore (for a reasonable price), the game’s team-up mechanics as a one-off of sorts, but a very interesting way to expand the possibility space, as well as the multiplicity of abilities that each character can use, weapons, and the general expansion of this as a builder RPG (where you have a great deal of influence on how your party is specced and what they can do). Toben also contextualizes this game in the wider series in terms of accessibility and incfluence, a eugenics/tactics inheritance sim, as well as a kind of spaghetti-against-the-wall experiment to see where things might go (and it turns out have gone in some ways). Also we talk about its much more anime-influenced direction in storytelling.

Check out the liner notes here for links to some of what I’ve mentioned here, as well as our standard fare in music, speedrunning, and learning more about the games and contexts of play we talk about.

Catch you next month with our discussion of Resident Evil 2 (remake), which is a bit of a tonal and genre shift relative to Fire Emblem (to put it mildly).

This month (March) was Unicorn Overlord. Turn-based (in the way it plays out on screen), but a kind of real-time strategy style in terms of how your units act on their own (after you set their behavior and kit them out), this one was an interesting grab bag of RPG influences blended into a surprisingly appealing slurry (visuals of that process aside). UO owes in part its mechanical flavor, approach to narrative, and UI design to Ogre Battle and Fire Emblem, as well as other popular and less popular RPGs across the canon (like the Sega Saturn’s Dragonforce series). Visually, however, its all Vanillaware (the developer), which is in our opinion a bold thing to behold. Toben appreciated the attention given to animation, as even small movements of characters during cut scenes or idle animation are given more detail than in other similar style games.

We thought it was a bit strange that enemies don’t scale with the player’s level or access to equipment, but were otherwise impressed by the way UO’s many systems overlap and play off of each other — looking forward to more.

There’s also an update to Chocobo Hot and Cold (the mini game) for those Final Fantasy IX super fans just waiting for that mantle to be taken up.

Check out the liner notes for a closer look at aspects of the UO’s design and visuals, as well as our usual flavor of hyperlink.

Coming up in April is Fire Emblem: Awakening.

We will have things to say (THINGS!).

On this month’s podcast (February) and backlog foray we shovel our way through Harvest Moon. Its legacy is of the farm simulator that planted the pixel-art seeds of farm management and buying the affections of others with gifts in the hearts of many a 90’s gamer. In particular, those seeds blossomed and inspired a rush of modern farm sims, not least of which is Eric Barone’s Stardew Valley, which shares a number of deliberate similarities to Harvest Moon. In our opinion improving on nearly all aspects of its inspiration (except oddly enough in the area of character animation).

In its time and in summary Harvest Moon is a farming RPG that looks a bit like SNES games you may already know. Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy, and maybe even the Ys series and others, seem to have inspired HM’s designers. And in the end, in light of advancements its inheritors have made to the HM bones — farming and management loops, inventory system, and expansive levels of interaction with NPCs — it’s the aesthetic of HM (1997) that endures or stands strongest against its more expansive and modern counterparts.

Check out the liner notes for backround on the wild publishing history of HM as a franchise, as well as music and speedrunning as per usual for us.

And then stay tuned for a podcast on Unicorn Overlord, which is a rare first-month (new game) pick up for us, in keeping with our clear fascination with turnbased strategy games.

This month (January) was Camp Santo’s Firewatch an indie darling from 2016, arriving last on Nintendo Switch in 2018. You are Henry, a man fleeing a sense of fatalism and helplessness related to your wife’s deteroriating medical condition to go to the Wyoming wilderness and watch out for fires. In the process, through the unfolding mysteries of the area you’re responsible for and your relationship with the dispatcher, Deliliah, you find out some things about yourself. The game is beautiful and cinematically framed and paced (each day has meaningful events, less of the mundane), with the intrigue and mystery ratcheting up as the days go on. The player has control over Henry’s dialogue, including choosing to be silent in some cases, or to continue the conversation by pointing out random features of the wilderness in front of you.

On the cast we talk about the relationship between Henry and Delilah, nostalgia for the radio, the sort of narrative purpose of the ‘other’ events, the game’s relationship with red herrings and tension, as well as the sort of magic trick (and work) of crafting a meaningful story around all that walking and talking. For more context on this aspect, as well as music and art, check out our liner notes.

Camp Santo, acquired by Valve in 2018, was working on a new game at least for a while, but this was put on hold in 2019 in favour of other projects happening at Valve.

Check out our podcast at the end of this month (February) on Harvest Moon for the SNES/Super Famicom.

This podcast, our last of 2024, was about The Banner Saga Trilogy. In the spirit of our enduring preference for turn-based strategy games, we compared this one to Fire Emblem when it seemed like a good idea or was relevant, but Banner Saga is so much its own mix of genres and influences that it wasn’t always useful to compare across the other things we’ve played. Check out the liner notes, with further information and cool links, as usual, here.

The thread of our conversation, after a while, seemed to settle in on the ways in which there is a lot happening to ground Banner Saga in a consistent and consistently stylized world. The caravan or banner clan management aspects, often interspersed with branching narrative decisions, create a mundanity and a pace that feels different and contrasts against the just-over-there possibility of unending battle (represented by frequent turnbased battles). The trudging along and bleakness of the scenarios the game pits you against, with frequent caravan decisions resulting in disaster or loss, set a bleak tone for this world and your place in it. The interplay and eventual perspectival switchs between the cosmic mythological level and the human (or Varl/Horse Friend) level of politics creates a feeling of a wider lived-in world than the perspectives of the characters shown directly to the player.

And nevermind the art and music (which we didn’t even touch on), being incredibly well-realized and deployed, while evoking possible visual influences (like Sleeping Beauty or Don Bluth’s animation), and just being satisfying to see happen (that bow animation though).

We highly recommend people check out the The Banner Saga Trilogy if you’re at all interested in Norse mythology, branching narratives, or even as a first turnbased strategy RPG. It’s well worth the (relatively short but well-paced) journey.

Next month, January 2024, is Firewatch! If you’re new, hello!

And if you’re a subscriber than thank you for listening in 2023!

Cheers,

Alex and Toben

This month (November) was Guardian Heroes on the Sega Saturn and Xbox 360 (XBLA). You can catch this one on the Xbox Series X/S using backward compatibility if you wanted to pick up an high definition (or higher definition) copy today. Otherwise, consider emulation a viable option.

The conversation this time centered on the interesting connections that Treasure makes with Guardian Heroes to other genres of game (including, surprisingly, the branching narrative paths of Banner Saga). Part fighting game, sidescrolling brawler, arcade/home hybrid, and something of a dead or dying breed (what with arcade-first “big budget” games being unheard of now), Guardian Heroes is a super interesting almost-relic of a time-gone-by. There’s a lot to appreciate if you’re willing to put in the time. And surprising depth if you have more time than we did to experience all the characters, endings, and possible builds.

We also lay out the coming year of Super Combo Cast and reflect a bit on where we’ve been and where we’re going.

Check out the liner notes here for more information and interesting links.

Our season finale coming up (December) is all about The Banner Saga. Look for that soon!

This (last) month’s game Shining Force II podcast had us reflecting on the handheld gaming experience in the 90’s, emulation, and Sega’s possible version of the turn-based strategy game genre if the legacy of Shining Force II had extended in more directions (or Sega had continued making hardware, perhaps). It was fun to imagine what that future could have been. Check out our liner notes with the usual links and extras here.

And later on, this month, we have Guardian Heroes on either the Sega Saturn or XBLA (Xbox 360). This one was a weird beat-em up RPG hybrid, that almost, but not quite, sets the player into a rogue-like progression system (more on this later).