"It will only cost you your life, and you got that for free!"

A notable cult classic, an idiosyncratic game, a commercial failure and a fan favourite. Landing at a formative time for the JRPG genre in the west, EarthBound (Mother 2: G?gu no Gyakush? / Giygas Strikes Back) loomed very large over the gaming landscape sliding between Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, two of SquareSoft's biggest hitters from a relatively unknown studio.

Join host Rich with Jon, Leah and guest Eddie Inzauto of the Smashing Bricks Podcast as we get to the bottom of this beloved title, from its peculiar launch, divisive marketing campaign, and underwhelming sales to what has become a darling title for Nintendo and SNES fans.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_679.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Sunrise and Onett theme by Keiichi Suzuki/Hirokazu Tanaka2. Good Friends Bad Friends by Keiichi Suzuki/Hirokazu Tanaka

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

I'll kick yer sorry arse so hard you'll kiss the moons!

Time jumping, legendary dragons, and an arsenal of playable characters. Join Brian, Chris Worthington, Leah and Rich as they dissect Chrono Cross, the much discussed sequel/follow-up to legendary JRPG Chrono Trigger. Does it provide a satisfying next chapter or are the Chrono Trigger sized shoes too large to fill?

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_677.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Magical Dreamers by Yasunori Mitsuda2. Burning Orphanage by Yasunori Mitsuda

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT).

“What friendly little guys!”

Pikmin skipped a full generation as Miyamoto and co. bided their time before unleashing the third instalment on the Wii U in 2013. Another seven years after that a few more people actually got to play the game as it arrived on the rather more successful Switch. Leon, Chris O'Regan and Darren - along with community contributors - once again round up the little creatures, consider this game's changes and refinements (across the two versions), as well as indulge in a little speculation about the 'science' that lead to their existence. Darwin or Dandori awards all around?

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_676.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Alph's Landing Site by Asuka Hayazaki/Atsuko Asahi/Hajime Wakai2. Mini Boss Battle by Asuka Hayazaki/Atsuko Asahi/Hajime Wakai

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

"Not really the kind of person you wanna hang out with, right?”

Caprine capers with Sybil in rittzler's love-letter to the fifth generation of games that popularised third-person character action in three dimensions. Leon, Brian, Ryan and Sean - along with community contributors - get figuratively and literally lost in the dreamlike world of Pseudoregalia. Can the game's celebrated flexible character control and versatile locomotion help our panel find their way through this largely unguided adventure?

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_675.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. 10 Delirious Acting (Twilight Theater) by potatoTeto2. 11 Paramnesiac (Boss Theme B) by still crisp

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

“Drop it!”

So how could a 40-year-old film about a dystopia in which capitalism has run amok and the overreach and militarisation of the police combined with fears of increased automation and the dangers of artificial intelligence possibly be relevant today LOL? Leon and Dan (who selected this one - the best-selling home computer game of the 1980s - for the show) plod and blast through the many versions of Ocean and Data East's side-scrolling interpretation of the 1987 violent, dystopian movie classic.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_674.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:1. RoboCop (OST Arcade) - Suggestion (Title) by Hiroaki Yoshida/Hitomi Komatsu/Hiroyuki/Basil Poledouris (original score)2. RoboCop Gameboy Title Theme by Jonathan Dunn

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

"Put away your irons and wedges."

Put away your irons and wedges. Ryan, Chris O'Regan, James and Jesse talk Mighty Coconut's Walkabout Mini Golf, both in VR and on iOS. From the depths of Atlantis to the heights of the Seagull Stacks, the minigolf adventure extends through licensed properties, mythical realms, and cozy cottages.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_673.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Welcome Island by Chris Reyman2. Upside Town by Chris Reyman

edited by Ryan ZhaoYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

“Primary Objective: Exterminate all Metroid organisms on Planet SR388.”

Hot on the space boots of our - oh - 2021 podcast on the original (and official) Game Boy Metroid II: Return of Samus, we take a rare look at an unauthorised fan project: Another Metroid Prime 2 Remake, or, AM2R. Leon, Brian, Leah and Rich - along with correspondents from the listenership - brave the dark web and dodgy torrent sites to bring you this Nintendo's lawyers-defying show.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_672.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Intro by Milton Guasti/Esteban Criado/Verneri Viljanen2. Final Corridor by Milton Guasti/Esteban Criado/Verneri Viljanen

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

“BATTLE…OVER. NOW…SLEEP…”

Our Darren rightfully and righteously nominated the venerable Bomberman (also known by several other names) series for inclusion in our 2025 roster. Blasting off as a single-player only affair way back in 1983, this Hudson franchise saw no fewer than 80, mostly local multiplayer focused, entries released over the subsequent 40 years. So it's high time (High-10?) that Leon, Darren himself, Karl and Michiel - along with contributors from the Cane and Rinse Patreon and forum - gave the little dude (and multiplayer pals) his dues.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_671.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Battle Mode (Saturn Bomberman) by Jun Chikuma2. Master Mode: Boss (Saturn Bomberman) by Jun Chikuma

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

"Didactically speaking, seminal evidence seems to explicate the fact that your repudiation of entropy supports my theory of space-time synthesis. Of this, I am irrefutably confident." 

In 1989, the vision of Shigesato Itoi brought about the creation of Mother, a subversion and a pastiche of the incredibly popular Dragon Quest series, and birthed the Mother trilogy containing the cult classic Earthbound. Rich, Jon and Leah discuss the creator of the series and the impact Mother had on the gaming landscape of Japan, and the near 20 years that passed before the game made it’s way to western markets.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_670.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Pollyanna (I Believe In You) by Keiichi Suzuki/Hirokazu Tanaka2. The End by Keiichi Suzuki/Hirokazu Tanaka

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

“We got a letter from Mr. Owsaki. He asks "How do I get rid of these nasty roaches?" Easy, just burn your house down.”

Perhaps the archetypal 'cult classic', SEGA Smilebit's Jet Set Radio (aka Jet Grind Radio) made a splash when it landed on Dreamcast in the year 2000. Quarter of a century on, Leon, Dan, Michiel and Tony - along with contributions from the Cane and Rinse listeners - get inline to rattle on about the game's striking visual aesthetic, iconic music and, also, yes, the gameplay. This podcast also touches upon the GBA version, the official 'sequel' and some of JSR's spiritual successors.

http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_669.mp3

 

Music featured in this issue:

1. Moody's Shuffle by Hideki Naganuma2. Rock It On by Hideki Naganuma

edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 

Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum