This week is our third annual Halloween Special that’s actually our second annual Halloween Special (if you know you know) and in the spirit of spooky time the topic is Video Game Franchises We’d Raise from the Dead! We’ve each compiled a few such franchises that haven’t seen new entries in quite some time for us to discuss today!

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This week we’re looking broadly at indie, AA, and AAA games and doing a bit of a compare and contrast, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each one, where our preferences tend to lie, and more!

Indie games, typically defined by their smaller independent development teams and lower budgets, have seen a significant boost in popularity over the last decade by providing smaller, often more unique experiences compared to their AA or AAA counterparts.

AA games typically fall a bit short of AAA in scope and scale, as well as budget, and have seemingly nearly gone away over the last decade as large publishers put all their eggs into their big budget AAA offerings. However, with recent shifts in the industry post-pandemic, these types of games are starting to work their way back as publishers realize AAA development is getting too costly to be sustained.

And AAA games are the big blockbuster experiences with massive budgets and development teams and frequently push the boundaries of technology available while playing it safe from an overall game design standard.

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

In this episode we are judging gaming handhelds by their covers and ranking them purely based on their looks! Using this highly scientific method of quality assessment, we will be creating an official TOGP tierlist for over 30 of gaming’s most beloved (and maybe a little obscure) portable devices. From the original Gameboy all the way up to the Steam Deck, we’ve got our work cut out for us!

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This week we’re diving into the first ever massively-multiplayer online game made specifically for consoles - That One Game: Phantasy Star Online! Originally released near the tail end of the year 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast, PSO took advantage of the Dreamcast’s online functionality to allow up to four players to team up and take on a variety of missions together. The game’s story tasks players with investigating the catastrophe that befell Pioneer 1, the previous expedition sent to the planet Ragol with hopes of colonization. Throughout the story the player would discover notes left behind by a character by the name of Red Ring Rico, a Pioneer 2 resident that seemingly vanished upon reaching Ragol’s surface. Through these notes something sinister is discovered regarding the true nature of the planet and Pioneer 1’s misfortune. Players were also able to create their own characters from one 12 different different classes, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Upon release PSO was met with critical acclaim. It would later see ports to Xbox, Gamecube, as well as PC, and even today, years after its official servers went offline, there remains a strong fan community keeping the game alive via the Ephinea private servers.

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This episode is all about Edutainment games, or games with an educational twist! Mostly computer games, but sometimes making their ways to console, these games sought to present educational topics in a fun way in an effort to alleviate the stigma often felt by parents toward video games being a waste of time for their kids. Their educational nature also made them popular among schools looking to introduce new, creative ways to teach. We’ll be discussing some of our personal favorites from growing up, as well as our thoughts on the genre as a whole!

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This is part 2 of Colin's discussion with Jazzy about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for the Playstation 5. This episode is FULL SPOILERS! So if you haven't finished the game and don't want things spoiled for you, come back once you've beaten it!

In this episode we give a rundown of all fourteen chapters of the game's story and discuss some of our favorite parts along the way!

Miss part 1? Find it here!
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1958951/15136179-togp-side-quest-final-fantasy-vii-rebirth-review-pt-1-spoiler-free-ft-jazzy

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This week we're taking you all the way back to year 1 of the show, with episode 11 and revisiting the topic from that episode, the Boss Fights that Wrecked Us!

Not to be confused with favorite boss fights, which was the episode we did LAST year, these are the fights that beat you down, crushed you, DESTROYED YOUR SOUL. Maybe you eventually overcame that challenge. Maybe you didn't. Either way we’ve rounded up a few more fights that gave US a particularly difficult time and we’re looking forward to sharing them!

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This week we’re discussing a level design trope in video games that many would rather didn’t exist - Water levels! These levels either take place underwater with some kind of swimming mechanic, or at minimum feature water as a central theme or mechanic. They often include changes to player mobility - especially in the underwater examples - which doesn’t always go over well amongst players, as a lot of times movement speed through the level is hindered. We’ll be discussing the design trope as a whole, specific cases that we dislike the most, and MAYBE even offering some examples of where it’s done well.

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

In this episode we’re discussing the first release in a beloved, classic Playstation franchise - Sly Cooper and the Thievius Racoonus! Released on September 23 of 2002, Sly Cooper blended stealth with action platforming with a cell-shaded graphical style and followed Sly and his two partners Bentley the turtle and Murray the hippo in their quest to liberate the titular Thievius Racoonus - a fabled book, and also a family heirloom of Sly’s that chronicled all of the thieving skills of his ancestors - from the evil group the Fiendish Five.

Each of the game’s five worlds revolves around one of the Fiendish Five and features a selection of levels that range from traditional platforming to other activities like racing or piloting a variety of other vehicles. Spread throughout the levels are also a series of collectibles like the traditional coins which grant an extra life for every 100 collected, or “clues” which are represented by glass bottles scattered throughout each level, and once all are found grant Sly the ability to open a vault found somewhere in that level to receive a single page torn from the Thievius Racoonus, granting him a new ability.

Watch Lucas conquer the One Chip Challenge!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20HQmNtpP6s

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89

This week we introduce a new style of episode, the Music Box! In these episodes we will discuss the music of video games based on specific topics. And to kick things off, we’re talking about Opening Level themes, or the “Level 1” theme, to be a little more precise. Not to be confused with the game’s Opening Theme, the “Level 1” theme is often the first track you hear upon gaining control of your character in a game. We’ve each picked a selection of favorites to discuss today!

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That One Gaming Podcast website
https://thatonegamingpodcast.buzzsprout.com

Join the official TOGP Discord!
https://discord.gg/JsaQ2xu7kU


Find all our links...in the trees!
Colin:
https://linktr.ee/DeliciousMorsels

Lucas:
https://www.linktr.ee/karn_evil_999

Neal:
https://linktr.ee/vmk89