Watch Out for Fireballs!

Our discussion of Breath of the Wild continues as we talk about the main quest of the game, and its side quests. Special thanks again to John Hurst for being a guest on this episode, and for his continued support.

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Links:

• Cleric Beast | Bloodborne Wiki

• The Truth about the Blight Ganons - Theorizing - Zelda Universe Forums

It reinvented the series, breathing fresh new life into a stale formula. Listen in as we talk about the mechanics and generalities of the game, because there are plenty of them. Special thanks to special guest John Hurst for his support on Patreon, and for finally getting us to play this game.

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Links:

• Pet Sematary - Trailer - YouTube

• Functional fixedness - Wikipedia

• Breath of the Wild - Not Enough Zelda - YouTube

• Zelda Breath of the Wild - 5 Advanced Combat Tips - YouTube

• Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions Trailer - YouTube

• Jdhurst (@Jdhurst) | Twitter

• Vain Link (@VainLink) | Twitter

Let's make a deal. Just meet me at the crossroads. Following through on our promise to cover all of the Witcher 3 content, this episode brings the best game expansion we've ever played. A routine Witcher contract drags Geralt into the middle of a conflict between two terrible people. On one side, you've got Olgierd von Everec, a noble-turned brigand who can never die. On the other, Gaunter O'Dimm, a vastly powerful being who grants wishes at a price.

Seriously, go and play this. The writing is astonishing, and it explores some ethical space that's just not seen in games.

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We said we wouldn't do any more split episodes under the new format for the show that began last year, but we didn't anticipate Ikaruga. Shoot 'em up games are an arcade mainstay that have developed an intense and passionate cult, and Ikaruga is one of the most revered entries in the genre. But it's also incredibly hostile and doesn't teach you how to play it.

Faced with the possibility of coming into the episode bewildered about the shmup genre, we added Jamestown onto the docket... it's a more modern take on the bullet hell portion of the genre, and it has a much more gentle learning curve. The good part is that playing both deepened our appreciation and understanding for both games, so it's all good in the end.

Huge thanks to everyone who voted in our poll!

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Links:

• TASBot plays Ikaruga by Maximum score by keylie in 21:29 - Summer Games Done Quick 2015 - Part 153 - YouTube

• shmuplations.com

• Flash Tub: Marble Madness: The Movie [HD] - YouTube

• Cuphead E3 2017 Trailer (1080p) - YouTube

• Battletoads Level 3: Turbo Tunnel (NES) - YouTube

• 100 Bullets - Wikipedia

Mech month was a lot of fun, and you turned out in force to share your thoughts about these games.

Next month we're covering Ikaruga, Jamestown, The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, and the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

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Will you learn to love a weapon? No, no you won't. However, you will love the way Titanfall 2 feels to play. The way it handles shooting and movement is something to behold. Though the story leaves a lot to be desired, the game's standout levels and breezy pace made this a perfect conclusion to Mech Month.

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Links:

• Exosquad Opening - YouTube

• Titanfall 2 by An Angry Albino in 1:35:33 - SGDQ2017 - Part 129 - YouTube

• Characters Voice Comparison - "Optimus Prime" - YouTube

• Money City Maniacs - YouTube

• Democracy 3 Trailer - YouTube

• PunkBuster - Wikipedia

Before Souls, FromSoft made Armored Core. And this is our first real exposure to it... and it turns out it's very good. Despite outward appearances, there's a good deal of variety in the Armored Core series, with For Answer being the fastest and most action-oriented among them. But it retains that important element of mecha customization that lets you tailor your character to the situation and your play preferences. Listen in, and see if this forgotten game is for you.

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Links:

• Armored Core: For Answer Mission Chart for Xbox 360 by Stahn_D_Aileron - GameFAQs

• Fan outrage kills Marvel's deal to promote real-world arms-dealers in Avengers comics / Boing Boing

• Here's how to get out of the pit everytime. - E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial Message Board for Atari 2600 - GameFAQs

Let's take it way back to the earliest days of 3D platforming. It's everyone's favorite failed mascot: Robbit! (Pronunciation yet to be determined). The story of Jumping Flash! is kind of sad, because it nailed so much about how to make a platformer feel good... then just kind of went away. It's an evolutionary dead end that lives as a footnote about the PlayStation, and little more. But you shouldn't ignore it.

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We read your responses about our three games from January, and discuss the new FromSoft announcements and how they effect our plans.

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It's good to be bad. I'm pretty sure that's the tagline from something, but I don't want to look it up. This week we take a look at Bullfrog's evil overlord simulator Dungeon Keeper. It occupies a nebulous place somewhere between an RTS and a simulation, and kind of suffers for that. But its theming is pitch perfect, and it gets tons of points for creativity. Listen in to find out more.

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Links:

• Black & White PC game Trailer - YouTube

• Starcraft 2 Trailer HD - YouTube

• Tecmo's Deception: Invitation to Darkness (PS1) Trailer - YouTube

• Streets of SimCity (Windows) Trailer (1997) - YouTube