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Gary and Kole load up Transistor and break their way through it, having a very good time in the process. Transistor is still new enough to be a little controversial. People came to it from Bastion, the previous Supergiant game, and didn't know what to make of its semi-turn-based combat and technical aesthetic. If you can reconfigure your expectations, you'll find a game that allows for an absurd degree of player expression through combat verbs. Also, it's an incredibly touching love story.

Gonna be honest, this is the most we've gushed about a game in a long time.

Huge thanks to Jon C. Bird for executive producing this episode!

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Links:

• Ultimate X-Men Motion Comic Movie Volume 1〈English〉 - YouTube

• Majora's Mask: "Fierce Deity Link Vs All Bosses" - YouTube

• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Trailer #1 - YouTube

We found a filthy notebook full of people's thoughts on the Resident Evil games we covered. Let us peer within.

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Resident Evil month rounds out with a very new, very good game. Something has twisted the Bakers. Ethan Winters just wants to rescue his missing wife, but he's welcomed into the family instead. Resident Evil 7 is a radical departure for the series, moving gameplay to the first person perspective. However, in a lot of ways it's a return to form. Claustrophobic and dreadful, RE7 is the reboot this series desperately needed.

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Undead outbreaks are a family affair in this canonical follow-up to the story of Resident Evil 2. Claire Redfield has declared war on the Umbrella Corporation, but she has also gotten in over her head. Trapped in the twisted world of Alfred Ashford, the scion of one of the founding families of Umbrella, she has to work with her brother to escape and set things right. Problem is, this is a very sloppy Resident Evil game. Listen in to find out how.

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Links:

• Spooky Scary Skeletons - Otamatone Cover - YouTube

• Resident Evil Plot Analysis for GameCube by TWilde - GameFAQs

• Biggoron's Sword | Zeldapedia | FANDOM powered by Wikia

• Mac and Country Mac - It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia - YouTube

• Story of Sarah Kerrigan - Queen Of Blades - YouTube

Resident Evil month begins with a bang, just like Nemesis does.

Capcom was in a weird spot. They were developing several Resident Evil games at the same time, trying to make hay of a popular series while also preparing for the next generation of consoles. From that shuffle came what might be the most mechanically sound classic Resident Evil game. Nemesis is rich with ideas and also kind to the player, introducing a dodge mechanic and ammo crafting to make the game empowering while keeping it challenging. Guys, Nemesis is great.

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Links:

• Clock Tower (1995 video game) - Wikipedia

• Suicide Squad - Wikipedia

• Lights Out (game) - Wikipedia

• Nedroid Picture Diary

• Paracelsus - Wikipedia

Tune your bat radios to our bat frequency to hear your bat thoughts.

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Our discussion of Batman: Arkham Asylum continues (and concludes). Next week, we'll hear your responses to the games we covered during Bat Month!

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Bat month continues with the reinvigoration of the franchise. This episode covers generalities and the first major area.

Batman had languished in mediocrity for almost two decades before Rocksteady brought it back from the brink. Arkham Asylum is remarkable not just for how influential it is, but for how well it works as a Batman simulator. Rocksteady would go on to perfect the formula with Arkham City, but their work began here... with a story about the Joker, his strong clowns, and the inmates running the asylum.

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Links:

• The Batman Episode 3.06: Brawn | Batman Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

• Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth - Wikipedia

• Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate | Batman Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

• Batman Returns (1992) Official Theatrical Trailer HD - YouTube

• Off Camera Secrets | Batman Arkham Asylum - Boundary Break - YouTube

• Demon's Souls Boss: Dragon God - YouTube

• Does C4 smell like Almonds? - explosives resolved | Ask MetaFilter

• Archie Bell & The Drells - Tighten up (1968) - YouTube

• Mad Love | Batman Wiki | FANDOM powered by Wikia

The title seems redundant, but it's better than saying "Batman, the NES game. The one made by SunSoft. For the first movie, kinda."

This might be the hardest game we've done for the show, but we might also have lost track. This is a compact little platformer that is certainly of its era, but it's also a rare great licensed game. Borrowing elements from several other platformers, Ninja Gaiden most noticeably, SunSoft created a challenging and technical Batman game when mediocrity would have sold.

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Links:

• Ninja Baseball Bat Man - Wikipedia

• AGDQ 2016 - The Legend of Zelda Any% (NES, 1986) by Lackattack24 - YouTube

• The Moth | Podcast

• Winchester Cathedral - YouTube

This is the first of our monthly listener response episodes under the new model, gathering your thoughts on the Final Fantasy IV saga.

Up next in September, we have Bat Month. Which means the Batman NES game, and Batman: Arkahm Asylum. October brings us Resident Evil month, featuring Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and Resident Evil 7.

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Links:

• Legends of Localization

• United States of Tara - Wikipedia

• Retronauts Live Episode 49: Final Fantasy IV - Retro Uprising

• Like Final Fantasy IV? Want to play it online with friends? Final Fantasy Remnants. : FinalFantasy

• Space Station 13 - Wikipedia

• (3) Top 10 Longest Speedruns - YouTube

• (3) Final Fantasy IV by nocashnocash in 3:33:05 - Awesome Games Done Quick 2016 - Part 160 - YouTube