The panel reviews Mr. Bones, a Sega Saturn classic featuring frustrating design choices, a certain comedy level, and skeletism.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: How did we get here? (03:57)

2: What are the good versions of the ideas presented in this game? (27:20)

3: Brenton Woodrow asks, which Saturn or Dreamcast game that never had a sequel is best suited for a sequel in 2021? (37:02)

4: If not Mr. Bones, what’s the best skeleton in a video game? (42:04)

5: Let’s talk about this game’s comedy level (44:46)

6: What can we learn about the blues from this video game? (51:07)

7: Do you like Mr. Bones? (56:43)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design - Mr. Organs (01:02:31)

Credit Report (01:08:16)

Recommendations and Outro (01:13:08):

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Our heroes convene to discuss the Sega Game Gear, the most satisfying punch in video games, and sports MMOs.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: What kinds of video games do you think we’ll never see again? (07:27)

2: What’s the most satisfying punch you can throw in a video game? (12:15)

3: Which Game Gear games are most faithful to their source material? (17:07)

4: The Adaptation Game - Betty Boop (21:50)

5: littleboat asks, what is the word of the year in videogames? (27:42)

6: Are there sports MMOs where everybody is one player? (35:38)

7: Has making a video game gotten harder or easier over time? (39:42)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As - Baldur’s Gate III (45:15)

Recommendations and Outro (52:52):

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This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by selib. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to [email protected], and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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Frank, Ash, and Brandon spend the end of the year clearing out the Question Hole, finding brainslop, Tommy Tallarico’s new alias Sammy Salazar, and the death of Sonic the Hedgehog. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: MarkJ asks, what’s the most inappropriate time and place for a video game merchant to set up shop? (04:02)

2: Call Me By Your Name asks, which game would you play until eternity ends? (7:30)

3: David asks, what would it take to make a consistently funny game? (10:36)

4: Ryan asks, if you could be the best in the world at one video game what would it be? (12:37)

5: NVB asks, how would you bring back text adventure games? (13:56)

6: Gallander asks, do you have any game or experience that makes you reflect on how things that once were won’t ever be again, or makes you too sad? (14:58)

7: Horizontal Hold asks, what video game soundtrack is most analogous in its sound as it is to its gameplay? (16:56)

8: Billy asks, what modern non-arcade games would be improved if only available in arcades? (18:25)

9: Corey asks, what is the next phenomenon that will be predicted by a Hideo Kojima game? (19:18)

10: SvenserSblant asks, how has working in the game industry impacted your ability to enjoy games? (22:20)

11: Gaagaagiins asks, what would be the for a cool run? (23:58)

12: MDS asks, if you knew better in the past, what game or console would you have been super into? (27:20)

Online Multiplayer: Two Game Blister Pack Pairing (30:36)

13: FLCL Forever asks, If Sega had nigh-unlimited money, what could they have done to save the Saturn? (32:47)

14: Chin asks, what do you think of violence in video games? (39:31)

15: Dan Cantou asks is licensed crap inherently worse than original crap? (41:39)

16: Malcove asks, how do we make a Studio Ghibli game? (44:37)

17: Chopemon asks, what setting would you design for a Resident Evil-style one location video game? (45:52)

18: Devilsblush asks, who is your favorite developer of video games you aren’t interested in playing? (48:35)

19: TapeVulture asks, how can we describe Yuji Naka’s legacy? (49:39)

20: Dilson asks, how could loading screens be made better? (52:43)

21: Eric Hamilton Schneider asks, if you discovered a door into a video game world, what would would you be most happy is real? (54:17)

22: Garrett asks, how can or should pinball continue its evolution? (57:23)

23: BreadyToDie asks, which games do time travel the best? (01:00:01)

24: Katon asks, do you think Terry Basio could make a Donkey Konga game work? (01:02:06)

25: Spencer asks, do a majority of game players have an unhealthy relationship with games? (01:03:08)

Recommendations and Outro (01:04:24):

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This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by selib. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to [email protected], and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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DigitalFoundry’s John Linneman returns for what is seemingly becoming an annual event: sitting with Brandon Sheffield to discuss games purchased while in Japan. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman..

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SHOW NOTES:

1: Brandon’s F1 Triple Battle, F1 Circus Special: Pole to Win, and F1 Circus ’92

2: John’s Ridge Racer V demo and Japanese Ridge Racer 6

3: Brandon’s Out Live: Be Eliminate Yesterday

4: John’s Tengai Makyō: Daiyon no Mokushiroku - The Apocalypse IV

5: Brandon’s Knight Rider Special

6: John’s Virtua Fighter for PC

7: Brandon’s Volfied

8: John’s Namco History Vol. 4

9: Brandon’s Koudelka and Clock Tower II demos

10: John’s Hungry Ghosts

11: Brandon’s RayForce soundtrack

12: John’s Goemon: Shin Sedai Shūmei!

13: Brandon’s Anearth Fantasy Stories: The First Volume

14: John’s Gunparade Orchestra

15: Brandon’s Cardcaptor Sakura: Clow Card Magic

16: John’s Virtual Boy Wario Land

17: Brandon’s Macross VF-X2

18: Brandon’s The Note

19: Brandon’s Laplace no Ma

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Insert Credit Fighting Game Correspondent, author, and cannabis connoisseur Patrick Miller joins the panel to answer questions Jaffe wrote while stoned, and play another round of Smokey Bong Bluntry.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Patrick Miller. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

0: How does smoking weed or other drugs affect playing video games? (07:05)

1: Are video games art? (13:16)

2: Apart from military or law enforcement, what are the most suitable professions for a video game character to have?(14:39)

3: How do you sell Densha de Go to Americans? (20:45)

4: Take a title of a Western Video Game, pretend it’s a Japanese Video Game, and then localize the title for a western audience. (24:06)

The Insert Credit Quick Break: Videolamer.com (31:32)

5: Moshworld asks, design a Yakuza side story about weed (32:54)

6: Has a game company or game series ever had more than just one good logo design? (38:19)

7: Who are the Phineas and Ferb of video games? (44:21)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Smokey Bong Bluntry - Hard Mode No Zeldas (49:43)

Recommendations and Outro (54:56):

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Guest host Esper Quinn asks Frank, Ash, and Brandon about Xbox’s Black Friday failure, The Game Awards, and creative uses for soy sauce. Hosted by Esper Quinn, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: Vanessa B asks, what is the most ridiculous fighting game outfit you’ve seen and what about it irks your nerves? (04:51)

2: You guys see the Nex Cube outsold the Xbox on Black Friday? (09:29)

3: If you ran a video game history foundation, what would you do with an unreleased NES game? (18:30)

4: Given that we record this show on the Thursday before it’s released, recap what happened at The Game Awards (23:46)

5: Yeso asks, if video games had a currency, who would be on the $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 bills? (30:05)

6: What age should a person play their first video game? (37:27)

7: What is the soy sauce of video games? (41:04)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design - Even More Magic the Gathering Cards (45:39)

Recommendations and Outro (52:47):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by selib. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to [email protected], and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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Crystal Dynamics and GDQ Community Manager Vanessa B joins Ash and Brandon to talk about Horses discourse, engaging with game communities, and Juri’s feet. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Vanessa B. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: What’s the best community in speedrunning? (04:57)

2: How does a community manager keep the fanbase of a series engaged between release cycles? (13:23)

3: Here in 2025, how do you explain the significance of Lara Croft? (20:54)

4: What is Gex like in real life? (30:17)

5: spencergifs asks, how would one make a video game that had the fewest amount of players while generating the largest amount of discourse and content? (37:07)

6: Are there specific racial stereotypes within the video game industry and community that we have to contend with? (43:29)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Synestheatre (50:05)

Recommendations and Outro (01:10:21):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by selib. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to [email protected], and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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At Tokyo Game Show 2025, Necrosoft’s Brandon Sheffield (Demonschool, Hyper Gunsport) interviews Lizardcube’s Ben Fiquet (Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Streets of Rage 4) on animation, working with larger studios, and the right amount of exploration in action games. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Insert Credit Gaiden is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

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Frank, Ash, and Brandon hang out and talk about Steam’s censorship, friendslop, and the Never Gonna Give You Up of video games.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

1: How, if at all, should video game distribution services be screening submissions of video games? (05:15)

2: Where is the line between inspiration and plagarism? (11:40)

3: What are the best video game tiles? (16:43)

4: What is the newest kind of video game? (22:36)

A Statement from Frank Cifaldi (30:01)

5: Esper Quinn asks, who is the best game developer in literature? (32:33)

6: Should every roleplaying game have romance options? (39:56)

7: What is the Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up of video games? (45:44)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Jaffe didn’t come up with a name for this one but he’s asking the panel to name games from a specific year and they’re knocked out if they can’t (54:12)

Recommendations and Outro (01:19:29):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by selib. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to [email protected], and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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A game historian, a game journalist, and a game developer discuss Half-Life 3, The Game Awards, and mpreg.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

1: What happens at an independent game development studio immediately after they release the game they’ve been working on for years? (13:18)

2: What are the best possible conditions under which to play a video game for review purposes? (16:22)

3: What can we say about Rebecca Heineman? (22:28)

4: What video game would have the best lipstick and nail polish line? (31:13)

5: Low Guppy asks, if you could take the assets of any videogame and make a completely different game with them, which game would you use and what would you make? (36:59)

6: BreadyToDie asks, how hard should a game push a player to play a certain way? (39:08)

7: What effect does The Game Awards actually have on video games? (43:47)

8: How are they going to one-up the Gravity Gun? (49:22)

LIGHTNING ROUND: One Sentence Review but it kind of also becomes Name Design halfway through (54:52)

Recommendations and Outro (01:00:57):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

This week’s horrible buzzer was sent in by selib. Thanks! To submit your own horrible buzzer, send an original recording no longer than two seconds in mp3 or wav format to [email protected], and maybe we’ll use it on the show!

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