The Chompcast

Remember the first time that you entered an arcade? You walked in and heard all of the video gaming sounds: guns shooting, characters moving and exasperating, vehicles driving. The flashing lights enticed you to play, overwhelming your auditory senses. You feel something in the air…almost electric. You can’t quite put a finger on it. The scent is a bit pungent, as you smell undeodorized flesh from the multitudes of people jampacked in the building. Shouting occurs at multiple machines as friends watch each other attempt to break high scores set by unknown masters. You hurriedly walk over to the counter, locking eyes with the arcade worker. You dig into your pocket, pull out a $5, and slam it on the counter with excitement. “Can I get tokens, please?” you ask the worker. The worker bends down and grabs a cup full of metal coins from underneath the counter. He hands them to you. You rush off to decide what to spend your coins on first.

This week on the Chompcast, we discuss mini games within games, which prompted us to talk about a whole plethora of games from our past. We discuss this week’s polls that we featured on our media. Next, all four of us finally discuss God of War, which includes multiple spoilers. Lastly, we give a shout out to those who donated to our Patreon monthly campaign. Thank you to each and every listener who continues to support us and give us some of your time out of the day to entertain you. Game on!

You are lying in bed at night contemplating your day. Was it a good day? A bad day? Did you finish everything you set out to do that day? Were there any mistakes that you made? You go over the events in your mind, piecing them together. Something wet drips onto your forehead, and starts to trickle down your nose. You wipe it off swiftly, confused at where it came from. Another drip lands on the top of your head. You look up, as you see a crack in your ceiling. A drop begins to build up in the seam of the crack. You rush to the kitchen to grab a bucket, and bring it back to your bedroom. A few drops have landed on your nice silk pillow case, staining it.

This week on the Chompcast, we discuss the prominence of leaks and what they do to franchises and companies in the gaming world in the wake of the recent leak of Rage 2, Borderlands 3, and other games. We manage to discuss the polls, a little God of War talk, and we have a big announcement for Sword Chomp!

Hoooooooooooly cow, did we have a long podcast this week. Our main topic of the week was open world games. We asked ourselves, “What aspect about open world games suck us in?” and, “What is the evolution for open world gaming?” Josh finally managed to play Far Cry 5, so he and Morgan engage in a lengthy debate. Our poll topics this week were varied and full of conversation, as we discussed the future of Tomb Raider, NBA basketball, fishing, and Childish Gambino’s new video This is America. Our bio break entailed size and fecundity in fish, and its non-linear relationship.

A stone obelisk slams into the earth, causing loose dirt and small rocks to shoot into the air, the force powering the particles into the sky. The obelisk is hoisted back into the air, attached to a metallic, thick chain. A massive hand pulls the chain down, propelling the obelisk back into the ground. The hand continued to slam the obelisk into the ground and pulling it to the sky at a steady 4/4 beat at 40 bpm. Another hand started to rustle the chain vigorously, almost as if playing a tambourine. A pair of hands was slapping its obelisk, almost as if playing the congas. One hand was holding a vine that was attached to the owner’s tooth, while the other hand strummed a note to the same 4/4 beat. Out of nowhere, a troll leapt out of the trees into the clearing, power sliding on its knees across the dirt. It let out a horrendous wail, closing its eyes and singing to the heavens with its right hand offering the cacophony to the Gods. Then, what is politely described as singing, the wailing troll began to croon, a tune that was only known to troll kind.

Kratos and Atreus sat in the bushes observing the trolls attempting to play music. Kratos’ face wore a look of pure disgust. “What the hell are they doing?” he queried to Atreus, unsure of what his eyes were seeing. Atreus had his pants down by his ankles when Kratos looked over. Kratos began to vomit as he witnessed his son watching the trolls out of the corner of his eyes while pulling on his little pecker. Atreus was pulling feverishly as the beat rang out over and over. Kratos was so sickened that the vomit began to project into the clearing, splashing the trolls. The trolls, thinking it rain as they aren’t the most intellectual creatures to exist, opened their mouths and rocked even harder. The singer rubbed the vomitus into his chest pores, gyrating and crooning even more passionately.

The singer let out one final wail. Atreus joined in, finishing himself to completion. Kratos composed himself, wiping his mouth of the bile. He grabbed his axe and lopped his son’s head clean off. He threw the body to the trolls, which immediately began to fight over who was to eat the fresh meat. Kratos punted Atreus’ head as hard as he could, sending it careening over a cliff and into the seas.

This week on the Chompcast, we are still reveling in the glory that is God of War. It also inspired our topic again this week: uses of family in video games. We announced our Patreon going up, the results of the polls, and a Bio Break regarding grey hair and the immune system. Come listen!

BOY, you better come on and listen to this show, as Kratos and Atreus grace the gaming world with their presence. Wow, this game is incredible, so we had to get our boy Rich Meister in on the discussion. He brought along our topic of the week: our first gaming moment. The stories are varied and invigorating. After the God of War and main topic, we discuss our social media polls and a bio break regarding a rediscovered mammal thought 30 years extinct.

Hark ye! Hast thou ever heard the tale of pillage?

Of pillage and plunder? Do well and listen, ye dog

Let me regale a tale so fierce and fabled

Forever etched upon the mind of you, listener

Four sea dogs set sail to capture untold treasures

Like the hawk who clutches its prey in sharp talons

They sought to grasp the riches, riches, riches

They knew not what troubles awaited on perilous waters

O’er yonder, there laid on the bright and vast horizon

O’er yonder, a ship whose crew were caught unawares

O’er yonder, the four set sail, full speed ahead

O’er yonder, gold and gems, their eyes were set to bear

Was it with remorse or lust that they looked to acquire

The wealth of a man’s kingdom within the hull

Wooden, wainscoted, waterborne, a man’s treasury

Emptying his coffers, livelihood forever purloined

Ne’er a thought the pirates across the waters would starve

Scraping for food off the streets, dirtied and worn

Sea dogs becoming stray dogs, begging for table scraps

No, there wasn’t a single thread of remorse

Only a gleam or glimmer had shone in the four’s eyes

Awaiting destiny for too long stirred a lust so unquenched

They blasted the hull of the ship, laying waste and carnage

Blood and water mixed, like it had so many times before

The four had sunk the enemy, had secured the treasure

Their lust and greed had been fulfilled upon this day

Guns shot in the air in triumph, the sound of victory

Suddenly, the sky grew dark, the clouds ominous

The sea stirred; water swirled and raged; the wind

Gusted and blew, tearing the mast straight off the vessel

A whirlpool began to form next to the four

Well, ho! Look there! Something emerged from the deep

White hair, long and straight, sat atop a giant with a beard

A crown of gold garnished the giant’s regal head

A trident, massive and sharp, was held next to the king

Here now was the god of the seas, the fearsome Poseidon

He stared long and hard at the four, pondering

What his response would entail, pondering

He raised his trident, how mighty it looked in the skies

And brought it down, crashing down, killing the four

This week on the Chompcast, we could just not tear ourselves away from Sea of Thieves, as we had yet another adventure. We also managed to talk about mythology in video games, both in setting and influence. We cover an interesting Bio Break regarding the discovery of 30+ new species in a previously-undiscovered area of the ocean. Last, we cover the activity of the social media landscape and a listener email. Hark, ye!

Pitch black.  Cold.  Metallic.  The taste of iron is faint.  The smell of blood in the air.  Breath inhaling and exhaling.  A person sits in a room bound. It can see nothing anywhere, as the room is surrounded in complete darkness.  If someone were to sneak up behind and slit the prisoner’s throat, they would never see it coming.  The taste of blood is fresh, floating in the room, permeating its nostrils.  Suddenly, the prisoner hears a maniacal laugh from a room near him, piercing through the tight walls.  Another deeper, malevolent laugh comes from another location within the ward.  The prisoner wears a wry grin on its face, as it lets out a bloodcurdling laugh of its own, contributing to the cacophony of evil.
Yes, as you may have surmised, this week we discuss villains in video games.  What makes a villain good?  What are some of our favorites?  We spoke of our sea-faring adventures in Sea of Thieves, discussed some listener polls, and held a secret section that Shea and Josh refused to tell the other two hosts.