Video Game Purists

This week, after talking about the controversial Genesis/Mega Drive Top 10 and getting the community lists, Fred and Jam run and jump into the world of Donkey Kong.  An unfortunately misnamed ape, Donkey Kong marked another strong arcade property for Nintendo that with the help of Rare evolved into the popular platforming series that still lives on today.

Of all the mascots that exist in video game history, Nintendo's classic plumber Mario definitely has the most robust and best quality spin-off titles around.  If you're imagining sports games on the Wii, this is not that episode, instead we're discussing the great ways in which Mario was utilized to introduce us to everything from go kart racing to basic paint and music creation programs.

Urban legends are a phenomenon that has always fascinated people with how they offer plausible stories that in the end turn out to be true, false, or inconclusive, but always entertain.  Video games are no exception and with the golden age of gaming pre-dating mass online use there were some great urban legends that came out.  Not that the Internet eliminated urban legends, as the later stories of this episode prove, but regardless of that fact there are crazy urban legends of gaming and some of which are remarkably true.

This week Fred and Jam are tackling the tricky subject of video game piracy.  It's older than you would guess.  In fact, ever since there were video games it appears there were ways to pirate them.  They discuss the history behind piracy, ethical and practical considerations, and all of the best piracy and anti-piracy methods used.

This week Fred and Jam are discussing the Capcom series Ghosts'N Goblins (or Makaimura if you prefer).  Easily one of the most punishing franchises ever created, the boys tackle the trials and tribulations of Sir Arthur on a never ending quest to save his girlfriend.  Along the path he will traverse to various worlds, see terrible beings, and of course battle the many derivatives of the Devil.

This week Fred and Jam are talking about the other 8-bit console that graced the late 1980s, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).  While it was just another console option in Japan (albeit a massively popular one), the NES had a strong presence in Europe and a massive overtaking in the United States.  It wasn't just the games, business practices in the US and overall control over game development assisted in making the NES (and in Japan, Famicom) one of the most influential video game consoles of all time.

This week we are an ensemble cast with Andy from 42 Level One and Agents of Shieldcast as well as Eli from Knuckleballer radio joining to discuss the main PS2 iterations of the Final Fantasy Series: X, X-2, and XII.  As with all our FF eps, it's a broad overview, but the discussion will help you understand what to expect from each iteration and what development changes were made.  With the recent HD remakes of the X titles, you may just be tempted to give these titles a second glance.

This week an America podcast treads where it never should: into the world of British Microcomputers.  Don't worry, we have two Brits, @Jamalais and guest @RetroGameGeeks, to assist us.  We discuss the infamous BBC Micro, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and hint at the MSX and Amiga 500 (stay tuned for additional mini-eps on the last two).  If you grew up in the US and wonder why Europe makes such a big deal over these microcomputers, this is a must listen.

This week Fred is joined by Allen (@tearsofafeather) to discuss the Castlevania franchise.  As a fan of both this show and Castlevania, Allen assisted in talking about the vast adventures of the first six titles for the Belmont clan (Castlevania I-IV along with Rondo of Blood and Bloodlines).  Join us in one of the most technologically advanced and entertaining horror action platformers ever released.