Jack is joined by streamer and all around swell guy Kazuma Hashimoto to talk about the remastered version of Final Fantasy XII, giving the game a much needed second look! It's a lot of talk about imperialism and occupation through the more digestible lens of a JRPG. In Part II, Jack and Kazuma cover the narrative beats of the game, going deep into spoiler territory on a quest to discover the themes and secrets it holds. 

Please check out Kazuma's streams and follow his presence on social media: @JusticeKazzy_ 

Outro music: Final Fantasy XII 'Dream of Salikawood' by RebeccaETripp (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03570)  

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

In the first of this two part series, Jack is joined by streamer and all around swell guy Kazuma Hashimoto to talk about the remastered version of Final Fantasy XII, giving the game a much needed second look! It's a lot of talk about imperialism and occupation through the more digestible lens of a JRPG. Part II will be coming next week!

Please check out Kazuma's streams and follow his presence on social media: @JusticeKazzy_ 

Outro music: Final Fantasy IV 'Edward Penelo's Waltz' by  Chimpzilla  (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03082)   

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This week Jack interviews Tanya DePass from I Need Diverse Games. Tanya works as a consultant helping companies improve the way black and brown people are depicted in pop culture. She was kind enough to allow me to publish the full interview with her after talking with her for a piece on Extra Life (which is still in the works). The full conversation was really interesting and it was wonderful having her on to get her perspective. 

Give her a follow on social media: @cypheroftyr 

Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Princess Ruto' by  Smooth4Lyfe  (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03919)  

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

After a difficult January filled with computer failures and massive data losses, everyone's favorite podcast about which games are best returns with this excellent episode featuring special guest, freelance writer, artist, producer, and streamer Jared Schuh! This week we talk about the massive success and shortcomings of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which is already a couple years old already, wow we feel old). 

Please check out and follow Jared's work over on Twitter: @Quesobros!

Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 'The Champion of Hyrule' by RoeTaKa (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03706) 

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This is it! The end of 2019 episode! We brought friend of the show Marcus on to talk about his top three games of the year in celebration of some of the best gaming moments we had throughout the year. 

This was a really long episode that ran about 2 hours, so patrons will be getting access to an amusing look back at the decade as well as Marcus and Jack's honorable mentions from 2019!  In fact, that's available right now!

 Outro music: .hack//Infection - Part 1 'Stockings by the Fire' by Ryan Davis Music (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04017)

Frostpunk released in April of 2018. The game received many nominations for its innovative use of building mechanics to provoke players into questioning their role in creating a disturbing nightmare society out of necessity. The game was created by the fine folks at 11 Bit Studios, the developers behind This War of Mine, a contemplative look at how war affects those who find themselves caught between the bullets. 

Join us as we dive into Frostpunk and examine, in a somewhat rambling way, what it has to say about the rise of eco-fascism, both within its fantastical apocalypse and the impending one of our own design in the real world. 

Outro music: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 'Such Sweet Sorrow' by djpretzel (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04008)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This week, we talk with Tiny of TinyMakesThings about the fascinating culture of keyboard enthusiasts and artisans. 

We are shifting the release schedule. From now on, episodes will be available for Patreon patrons a week before they make their way out to the general audience. 

Be sure to follow Tiny's work on via her handle TinyMakesThings on most social media platforms, commission her on TinyMakesThings.com, or watch her streams on Twitch channel where she goes by Tiny. 

Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Lullaby for a World' by Emunator and Flexstyle (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04006)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

As time marches on, many people remember the BioWare/Star Wars classic Knights of the Old Republic fondly. It stands out to them as the quintessential RPG experience and a bar by which all subsequent RPGs find themselves judged. Less frequently, however, do people consider Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the technically flawed, but narratively richer younger sibling. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment under some of the tightest time constraints RPG developers have ever experienced, Obsidian was tasked with delivering a sequel to one of the greatest RPGs of all-time with only a year of development time. Were they able to succeed?

Joining us this week is prolific game critic and Escapist columnist Elijah Beahm. In addition to his gaming and writing talents, Elijah happens to be one of the most knowledgeable figures on the Star Wars universe that you could hope to find. We talk about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order before launching into a prolonged discussion about the trials and tribulations of KotOR II. We also have a spoiler discussion of Respawn's Fallen Order that you can listen to if you become a patron over on patreon.com/bestgamesperiod! 

Be sure to follow Elijah's work and Star Wars ranting over on @UnabridgedGamer. 

Outro music: Star Fox 'Crosswind' by B-laze (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03992)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn.

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

2010 was the heyday for free games released online and powered by Flash. Titles like Meat Boy grew in the wild frontiers of Newgrounds and other websites that catered to those looking to play games in their web browsers. Into the mix stepped Uruguayan studio Ironhide Games. The company had found success with a few minor titles, but their latest game, Kingdom Rush, achieved a rare level of success. With more than 300 million plays under its belt, the developers created a version for the then new iPad. This portable version found massive acclaim and propelled the creation of a mobile version for iPhones and eventually Android. It became one of the most popular games in the world for a window of time. Within innovative gameplay and incredibly solid execution, it remains one of the best tower defense games of all time, arguably the best of them all. 

Outro music: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge 'Cozy Campfire' by Yffisch (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03974)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

The gaming world has been clamoring for a new Animal Crossing for years now. With one approaching on the horizon, we figured it was a perfect time to take a look at the mobile game Nintendo introduced back in 2017. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp puts players in the role of a campsite manager and arms them with the tools to make it the best gosh darn campsite ever. With activities like bug catching, fishing, and making animal friends, it seems relatively similar to other offerings in the series - but some say it just might be one of the best games of all-time. 

To get to the bottom of why this game resonated with so many and to discuss why it might be one of the all-time greats, we brought on Aiden Strawhun! Aiden writes for IGN and their work has appeared on Kotaku and Gamespot. They also serve as the Advocacy Director of Women in Games, an organization that works to help women find and create more inclusive places in the game industry. You can follow Aiden over on Twitter: @AStraww.  

Outro music: FTL: Faster Than Light 'An Open Galaxy' by Sir_NutS (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03963)

You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod
Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod

Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! 

Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod