The Frogsnacks Podcast!

The boys bring up wacky gaming references in advertisements, such as Tecmo Bowl during NFL games and Arby's baffling Kingdom Hearts reference, then Frog goes into the Crunchy Roll merger and how it is beneficial for everyone. The discussion rounds out with a bit of a fiasco surrounding the new steam review policy, and then the guys come up with a terrible t-shirt design for the podcast. 

The boys make a run down of all the content announced and reiterated during the latest all-3DS Nintendo Direct. Also mentioned is the brand new Mario iOS announcement and the PS4 Pro, which Frog and Snacks believe is the latest bullet point in favor of the emerging "Gaming Middle Class".

The boys go over a partnership with Blizzard and Facebook, in an apparent attempt by Blizz to reach out to the masses, not by simple over-inundation via ESPN or some other such avenue, but by reaching out to the possibly uninitiated friends of current users, attempting to spread the good word via smaller degrees of separation. Next up on the chopping block is some drama in the FGC regarding the skyrocketing cult of personality and celebrity among the top players, specifically in the Smash scene, and how a possible Meritocracy can be avoided. 

The guys go over a few stories about Pokemon and the Japanese Olympics Mario reference, but ultimately talk about how stealth is and should be used properly in video games, notably The Last of Us, MGS, Payday 2, and XCOM. Emphasis is placed on the consideration of the developer over whether stealth should simply be a combat choice, or to create a "strongly punitive disincentive" as Frog puts it, to engage in face to face combat. 

The boys come back with an analysis of the initial reactions to No Man's Sky after one of the illest hype cycles in recent memory, but go on to talk about how the can be a good thing for Hello Games and all involved. After a quick aside about gaming ringtones, Frog and Snacks then try to figure out whether Final Fantasy XV will rectify some of the sins the series has committed in the past 15 years, whether or not FF is even still relevant, and what it could do to stand up to present day AAA titles. 

The guys talk about how games like Abzu place emphasis on aesthetic and imagery rather than narrative, and creation as opposed to destruction Next up is the very unique hype cycle of No Man's Sky, and how a certain early release copy is throwing it all out of whack. Frog drops the word "pernicious" during the episode - a word Snacks had to look up. 

The boys give updates on a few of the newer titles that have come out this summer, including I Am Setsuna and Monster Hunter Generations, then try to sort through the tumultuous release of Battleborn, after having played it and its goliath competition: Overwatch. Frog then goes into what could be the best edition of Tea Leaves with Frog yet, as the guys go into the recent NX leaked information. 

In this episode, the guys go over a brief oral history of their preferences in battle. Notably, the team summarizes how WASD became default for PC movement, and how different personal histories can influence physical preferences. Snacks reveals that he is not ashamed of the fact that he plays inverted, and Frog goes over his odd configs as well. The guys then do an EVO 2016 de-brief. 

The guys talk about the ridiculous popularity of the Pokemon GO craze including how the social lubricancy and low barrier for play even at higher levels is making the game a country-wide phenomenon. The boys talk about how the game could possibly change social ideas about video games, at least within the 18-35 demo, and how much of a financial boon this has been for Nintendo.

The guys run through some banter and end up talking about the admittedly sparse genre of "mini-game games". Fusion Frenzy, Incredible Crisis, and Parappa the Rapper all get brought up, but the team spends most of their time explaining why Wario Ware is the best of the bunch. Rhythm Heaven gets serious props in the process, and Snacks goes on a Crash Bandicoot tangent.