Last Time on Video Games!: 2015

Friday, December 25, 2015

Yule

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Last Rant on Video Games: Woomy! [Splatoon]

If you've somehow not heard about Splatoon, despite listening to this podcast, then you should at least go check it out. It's surprisingly fun and has remarkably deep gameplay for a title intended for children. If you haven't been following, I play quite a bit and really enjoy the game, not to mention kicking around the subreddit. If you've come to read my praise of the game, though, you'll be a bit disappointed.

An idea occurred to me a couple days ago, largely influenced by one of the more enlightening episodes of Extra Credits. I've posted it a couple times because I think it's a really important concept, but I'll quickly break it down for the benefit of the video disinclined.

Basically, the idea is that many games have first order optimal (FOO) strategies. These are options available to the player that have a high result to skill ratio. Saying this another way, they're things you can do that are really easy, but make you feel like you're doing something useful. A well-designed game will usually have at least one of these readily apparent to the player, and then other strategies that require more skill, but yield higher benefit. The problem is when the higher level techniques require much more skill than mastering them yields. This will cause many players to abandon attempting to learn the next level strategies and, therefore, to never progress through the game.

A great example of a FOO strat that's relevant to this discussion is grenade launchers in CoD. While I hesitate to praise the series much (it's a lot of fun, but the constant churn has staled it a lot), I think these are great. They allow low skill players to feel engaged against higher skilled players because of the instant kill, but, due to low ammo capacity and low fire rate, are clearly not the best option available. New players feel like they're participating and, hopefully, don't drop out of the community in the face of others using more effective strategies.

Splatoon doesn't have the problem of an overpowered FOO, however. This was a problem that, until yesterday, I didn't even realize existed. I then played a couple matches with Zach and Ed; my suspicions were confirmed. Splatoon lacks a clear FOO strat, and, to my knowledge, one at all. Some weapons are agreed to be worse, but the "better" weapons all have pretty balanced traits.

Additionally, there's the motion control scheme which feels super awkward to veteran gamers. It certainly took me a long time to get used to it, but I agree with the majority of the community that it's the superior control scheme. There's the novel movement mechanic to master. There are tactical tricks at ledges, and a lot of maps to learn. All of this equates to a pretty large learning curve to climb to compete with moderately skilled players.

What I'm leading up to with this is that, while a fun game, and while ranked matches do a pretty good job sifting you to players of roughly your skill level, you must reach level 10 before you can play in ranked matches. A year ago, this didn't matter, since everyone was new. Playing with Zach yesterday, though, made me really wish that unranked matches at least tried to create level-balanced lobbies. He was constantly being destroyed (maybe not actually constantly; he did pretty well in a few matches) by people that have a year of experience on him. Compared to other newbies, he was dominating. The overall effect, though, seemed to instill a feeling of disenfranchisment because there was no clear way to compete with people who have had so much time to work on their game.

Now, I fear, we might be causing new players to leave the game simply because they can't keep up. Especially with the holidays and a potential flood of new players, we're likely to see a huge number of people pick up a new game, only to put it right back down for something else. This problem is generally applicable to competitive games (it was a large factor in me never really getting into SF IV), but Splatoon is supposed to be kid friendly, and I weep for their poor lost souls.

So, for the sake of the community, try to go easy on new players, and avoid driving them away from a great game.

Or, do as Reddit suggests, and initiate a trial by fire. ^_^

Episode 129: Metal Slug Solid [Metal Slug]

Join us on the most festive of activities this winter solstice as we storm an enemy base and rescue POWs! "That's not festive" you say? Well, nothing says winter holidays to us like blazing through a jungle. Get ready to tank!

Our download has better guns.

Show Notes

(01:20) Why, Krampus?

(03:00) Mandela Effect. It's not how physics works, kids.

(04:30) Chimps have good memories and generally outperform humans at abstract logic/pure math games.

(12:00) SKELL! Just learned that's also slang for a homeless person, so... yeah. Anywho, Zach talks about Xenoblade.

(24:30) Geremy talks about some of the improvements made in ORAS.

(27:30) Otakon? Metal Sluuuuuug. It looks good, there's nice hit feedback, and it's got a good sense of humor. Double plus fun.

(29:00) Correction about "Ninja Spirits". No idea what that was. It should be Samurai Shodown , which rocks.

(38:15) Ranked!

(46:00) Geremy got us Persona 3. I'm super excited!

Next time on Last Time, Blades of Steel!

Trick shots for free!

Geremy@lasttimeonvideogames.com,
Tyler@lasttimeonvideogames.com,
Zach@lasttimeonvideogames.com,
or LTOVG@lasttimeonvideogames.com.
You can also go to the show page at plus.google.com/+LastTimeOnVideogames or comment on the site at www.lasttimeonvideogames.com.
Also, you can follow our tweets @LTOVG.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Episode 128: A Long Time Ago On the XBox [Knights of the Old Republic]

Journey back to a galaxy far, far away, and even further back in time than normal. Here, we can find the Jedi derping about as usual, and the Sith (who are apparently a whole species) just stepping in to muck things up. Will our plucky hero and their band of misfits be able to stop the impending Sith invasion? At least the lightsaber noises are cool.

You can craft a purple download here.

Next time on Last Time, Metal Slug!

Disucss whether this game is Contra with us at

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Episode 127: Gudo Gamu- GO! [Gley Lancer]

We're back from a long hiatus to save our collective father with a prototype spaceship! Despite having no pilot's training, we're sure we're up to the task, especially with all these options... for shooting things! Hopefully none of us become too distracted with the scenery on the way. Onward, Red Tridenter!

Scatter Download!

Show Notes

(02:00) Last Time on Sitcoms.

(07:00) Cloudbuilt! It's super fun and crazy hard to get high ranks on a lot of missions. No mistakes!

(08:30) Poor Raticate. Still haven't finished Undertale, so here's this.

(15:30) Zach played Overwatch, which sounds great.

(16:15) COD: BlOps3: Revenge of the Mannequins.

(23:00) Zach's initial thoughts about Splatoon. Turf can have the WORST matchmaking.

(27:10) Zach, Kevin (who has yet to be on an episode), and Tyler played some 7 Days to Die. And by play, we mean experienced some of the best server problems ever.

(30:00) Geremy's making some Gundams.

(34:00) More MGS V. There have been some complaints of tonal dissonance.

(38:30) Gley Lancer, GO! It looks pretty great.

(39:45) Separating the background from the foreground is a problem on some levels, most prominently the first. Choosing your control scheme is mostly just novelty; you'll find your favorite (Search) and just always use it.

(47:00) Ranking!

Next time on Last Time, KOTOR!

*Lightsaber noise*

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Temporary Hiatus

Due to the fact that some combination of us has been sick for the last month, we haven't recorded for a while. Given events next week, we're not likely to record for a couple of weeks, so we probably won't have a new episode out until December. Sorry, folks!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Episode 126: They Don't Make Axes Like They Used To [Golden Axe]

An arcade classic and early port for the Genesis, Golden Axe is considered one of the best games on the system. Hack, slash, toss potions of ultimate(-ish) power, and ride some cool lizards! Also, you can play as the sexy... dwarf! Man, that beard. Cross the hazardous landscapes of giant animals' backs with us!

You need 4 potions to use the full download.

Show Notes

(03:30) Alex shares her thoughts on New Leaf. Kapp'n's great! Too bad you are forced to rule these rubes.

(13:30) We did GO Bank! Finally!

(14:30) People really whined about Crimefest this year, but a surprising number of people enjoyed it.

(18:30) Silly translations.

(22:00) Geremy talking about MGS V online.

(25:30) Deadlock. Hint: we don't think the Genesis wins.

(26:40) Diving into Golden Axe. We start with potions.

(28:00) Standard beat 'em up problems: enemy hitboxes are wonky (both hitting you and being hit), mobility is limited, gameplay is colorful but mechanically shallow.

(35:00) Running the ladder.

Next time on Last Time, Gley Lancer!

Spray lasers!

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Now with more pockets!

Alex made this in reference to something Zach said a couple episodes ago. It's highly amusing.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Episode 125: Hallowhip [Super Castlevania IV]

Such potential for spooky, but so much was wasted. Who wants to be a badass Dracula hunter when you could be a cowering horror movie star? I'm seeing a lot of hands... Well, I suppose you're in luck, because we've got a Belmont with whip in hand to go fight some monsters!

Download in all 8 directions!

Show Notes

(02:30) History! A quick note, though: Napoleon was exiled to Elba, not Sardinia.

(02:45) Some back and forth on Neptunia.

(07:00) Coin Crypt! It's a Rogue-like with coins! And surprisingly few crypts! Ignore the story trailer, though - they completely miss their opportunity to showcase the awesome music.

(13:00) MGS V continues to be great, even if it has some tonal dissonance.

(18:45) Talking about the difficulty curve and mechanics that help (or don't) reinforce it in Castlevania IV. Specifically, whipping any direction makes the subweapons much less useful and physics-defying jump arcs make the platformer much easier.

(25:00) The worst room in the game. Too many peanuts.

(32:45) Where does this game fall on our list?

Next time on Last Time, Golden Axe! Not a structurally sound axe material.

Rise from your gra... wait... what?

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Episode 124: Rister, Reister, Scheister, Meister? shrug [Ristar]

If Sonic's Sega's answer to Mario, then clearly Ristar is their answer to Kirby. Obviously, because they both involve stars. Give your arms a good stretch as we go traversing across a star system to combat... some evil. Also, some spinny pod things that aren't really a threat, but are apparently minions. Shake it out!

The download's ju~ust out of reach.

Show Notes

(01:00) I propose the Doctor is psychic type.

(06:30) Zach talks about Hyperdimension Neptunia: Re birth 1.

(08:30) Geremy's take on MGS V makes it sound fun.

(23:00) Now you, too, can be in on Tyler's joke.

(23:20) Poor Ristar...

(24:00) Why, Knuckles?!

(24:30) Ristar has cool climbing mechanics! Too bad that's it. Boring enemies, awkward hitboxes, confusing boss fights, and stale mechanics make this one pretty forgettable. So much so, all of us forgot what game we were supposed to play!

(41:00) Slotting this into our list.

Next time on Last Time, Super Castlevania 4!

We're running out of whip jokes!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Episode 123: Snowbroding [1080° Snowboarding]

Sick tricks pick up the chicks, brodawg! Even if that's not your preference; if that's the case, avoid doing tricks, I guess? Get ready for intense downhill racing, oddly specific landing timing, and a mechanic that really makes more sense in F-Zero than it does here. I suppose breaking your leg would usually end a snowboard race, though. At any rate, this game lives fondly in the memories of people who had N64s as kids, so let's see how it holds up!

Indie noseload!

Show Notes

(02:30) Alex and Tyler did an escape room. It was fun!

(18:00) JRPG combat mechanic tweaks.

(22:00) Battletech Kickstarter!

(25:00) Geremy's thoughts on Persona 3's last segment.

(30:00) 1080 degrees of spinning! Also, you can die n' stuff while snowboard which kinda sucks.

(37:00) This game's hook is tricks. They're surprisingly lame.

(41:00) Some analysis of this game's impact and final thoughts.

(44:00) Ranking this game!

Next time on Last Time, Ristar!

Lanky ain't got nothing on this.

Friday, October 9, 2015

Episode 122: Use The Force, Zach [R-Type]

Gear up and get ready for a journey into the heart of space... monsters. Grab your force and fly through hordes of monsters with us as we tackle an arcade classic and see just how far our endurance will take us. Pew pew!

You can attach our download in the rear.

Show Notes

(04:00) Doctor Doom is great and Tyler's on Dorkly too much.

(08:30) New fan theory: Splatoon is Valhalla.

(11:45) Zeus got around.

(18:00) General discussion of the awesome mechanics of Pokemon X/Y.

(24:30) The "Super" Show.

(30:00) R-Type!

(41:30) Ranked! Pokemon TCG, Super C, and... This week's game!

Next time on Last Time, 1080° Snowboarding, featuring Alex!

Double colorless at

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Episode 121: Shoot to Kill! [Super C]

Bill, your country (and planet) needs you! Go kill a bunch of clones with a ridiculously adaptable gun so that you can shoot the aliens threatening out planet! Also, take this other guy with you, I guess? It'll be fun, we swear!

Scattershot downloads!

Show Notes

(01:15) We're not quite Type 1.

(02:30) Gratuitous spoiler editing. For horror!

(04:00) Smiting is fun. Too bad Guan Yu isn't there.

(11:00) Ghosts are cool, especially if they're wolves.

(20:20) Super C! It's fun! The overhead segments are kinda lame, though.

(35:00) Rank is the best weapon. This week: Donkey Kong Country, Mystic Quest, and Castlevania: The Adventure.

Next time on Last Time, R-Type!

Lasers out the ass at

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Endorsement Time

Howdy all Last Time followers! I'm not putting this as a jump. A new kickstarter kicked off and if you enjoy great games put this one on the backer list.

You can thank me later.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Episode 120: 3 Damage For 1 Red [Pokemon Trading Card Game]

A beloved favorite of all the hosts, how does this week's game hold up? More importantly, how good were the mechanics of the original Pokemon TCG? Follow us through gym battles and meetings with deformed monstrosities while we attempt to become Pokemon (TCG) champion!

I discard 2 energies to retreat Weedle and send in Download!

Show Notes

(01:25) Tool Time with Tyler. Also, Splatoon is more awesome than it was!

(12:00) Zach's Heroes of the Storm tales! Speaking of MOBAs, he might have some videos of his shenanigans on League soon.

(16:40) Geremy lauds Persona 3. It's great!

(25:30) We tackle the actual game! Thankfully, the current rules are much more convoluted than they used to be. Our critique basically comes down to excessively simple mechanics and a limited card pool.

(39:45) Conversation about PTCG digivolve into rankings! Erinaceomorph digivolve to Sonic for the Master System! That one digivolve into Sonic 2 for the Master System, I guess? Star Wars digi-unevolve to Super Empire Strikes Back!

Next time on Last Time, Super C!

Pew, Bill, Pew.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Episode 119: This Game is So Bad We Didn't Even Mention Dracula [Castlevania: The Adventure]

You know what was awesome about Castlevania? Precision movement, perfectly sized platforms, methodical and premeditated advancement, and a satisfyingly effective attack coupled with special weapons suited for a variety of situations. You know what this game has? None of that. Also, falling platforms and endlessly spawning bats over them. Also, no color. The music's still pretty good, though!

Our downloading isn't well suited to its challenges.

Show Notes

(29:45) Whippin' out them rankings. Baseball (BG), StarTropics, and Alien Storm get lashed at.

Next time on Last Time, Pokemon Trading Card Game!

Double colorless at

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Episode 118: Dumb Quest For Babies [Final Fantasy Mystic Quest]

The most mystic thing about this game might be how you manage to carry 40 sets of armor and weapons on you without collapsing. Link does that all the time, though, so I guess it's fine. Join us to do the most absolutely generic questing because crystals n' stuff. Also, some archfiends or something? *yawn* I'm gonna go throw bombs at the skeleton.

Press 'L' or 'R' to cycle through our downloads.

Show Notes

(43:00) Ranked up! Age of Empires 2, Halo, and Alleyway today.

Next time on Last Time, Castlevania: The Advenure!

Whip out a whip joke at

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Episode 118 Delayed

Due to a wild Wyoming attack, we were unable to record last week. We also ran out of backup episodes, so no new episode this week.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Episode 117: Monkey! [Donkey Kong Country]

Seriously, coconuts hurt. This game, however, guns for fire them even if some vultures may huck them. Maybe that's where D.K. got the idea? At any rate, we're going into no country for old monkeys... mostly because they can't stand the music. Tag team it up with us as we explore the bizarrely segmented island of banana hoarders' dreams!

K. Rool stole our download hoard!

Show Notes

(10:30) VULKRAISER is a lot like Voltron, but not. 99 Spirits isn't the game Tyler thought it was.

(13:30) Wanna shoot and collect stuff Mega Man style? Mercenary Kings is great!

(16:30) Apparently Star Citizen is stalling.

(20:00) I wonder who "F" was...

(28:00) A Rare history

(32:30) Going over DKC's strengths and general mechanics.

(46:00) Promotions! Sim City 2000 is now level 3. Donkey Kong became a Grand Lord. The Mario Bros. are now a hydra, though I have no idea what item is necessary for that.

Next time on Last Time, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest!

Swords and axes and bombs and claws!

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Episode 116: This Deal Gets Worse All the Time [Super Empire Strikes Back]

I prefer the Imperial Waltz to the march, but I don't think anyone's going to be dancing to this game's tune. Now featuring voice clips of questionable quality, Luke returns to... spin jump a lot. Also, Hoth is a festering death pit, which makes sense. Why else would the Rebellion have settled there?

Down or down-not. There is no upload.

Show Notes

(02:45) Deadpool's trailer for his trailer is better than the actual trailer.

(05:00) Dr. McNinja is going away. Sad to see such sweet character design go away. In summary, go read Atomic Robo.

(18:00) Boss fights in Doom 3.

(25:00) Unicorns are real! Also psychos.

(37:30) Tauntauns of fun! This game is riddled with just atrocious level and enemy design.

(53:00) Ti-ti-ti-titenic!

(54:30) Rank this! Everyone's going to be angry at our ranking of Half-Life. No one, however, will be disappointed with our placement of Fighting Street. That's alright, though, since everyone can get angry about Monkey Island.

Next time on Last Time, Donkey Kong Country!

When bananas are stolen, someone's going to die at

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Episode 115: Double Sonic, No Ice Cream [Sonic 1 and 2 Master System]

Probably the worst entry to the Sonic franchise thus far is our topic this week, along with its much better "sequel". Join us on a 90s-tastic adventure as we attempt to discern whether the Master System could actually host Sonic games. Also, some other stuff. Tagline drop!

Tails pirated our download.

Show Notes

(01:00) Showing that we're definitely kids of the 90s by namedropping all the shows. So many, in fact, that I have to write a second sentence about it.

(04:00) Clearly blue is greater than gold. Speaking of which, much death, such battle. Wow.

(21:30) Tibia! It's (was) a game!

(30:30) Foreshadowing...

(33:00) Sonic time! The first one is a poor port of the first game!

(35:00) Sonic 2 is actually not terrible!

(43:00) Gotta go rankings! Crazy Taxi is crazy. Snoozing away is Kirby's Dreamland. Mortal Kombat finishes things off.

Next time on Last Time, Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back!

Our tauntauns are Luke-warm at

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Running Rankings!

Here we've compiled a list of all the games in relative enjoyment/goodness to each other and links to the episodes we've talked about them on.

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Episode 114: Escargot Around Every Corner [Alien Storm]

Fight some ugly nosed noble-tier aliens with us this week by... pistol whipping them! No need to waste ammo, kids. You'd really think a game with a Tesla Cannon would be cooler. Because EVO, we talk hit a bunch of fighting games before hitting those aliens, and we wander around mechs for a bit. In the end, we finally upset our ranking list a fair bit.

Like a bolt of alien lightning, our download shocks straight to the hard drive.

Show Notes

(03:00) Zero's last match at EVO this year.

(05:45) Woshige FTL.

(08:15) They Bleed Pixels! If you like really hard platformers, this is one for you. Also, eldritch horrors are adorable.

(12:00) Luffy can't be a thief; he's too busy punching things.

(17:15) Geremy's reactions to Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes.

(24:55) Some sort of aliens. It's like 3 mediocre games got smashed together! Arguable the best portion is a side scrolling shooter, which you only get to do once as far as we could tell.

(33:40) Starting the rankings this week with Fire Emblem, followed by Xanac. Bringing up the rear (but also really not) is Chrono Trigger!

Next time on Last Time, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Master System!

Ugly nosed trash monsters man the contacts at

Thursday, July 30, 2015

No New Episode Today

We've been unfortunately busy the past couple of weeks, causing us to run out of episodes to post. If we don't manage to record a new one this week, I'll have a bonus episode up next week, so anyone in dire need will at least have something to listen to.

Happy gaming!

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Episode 113: Let's Go on Vacation! [StarTropics]

Follow us on a magical seafaring adventure! Sadly, it's not Wind Waker. Mike, hero of Americola, has come to rescue his uncle based on information from a weird pack-in letter that came with the game! Using his mighty weapon, he will conquer the undead - for some reason? - and save his uncle from aliens!

Use the download to beat your enemies like a yo-yo, yo!

Show Notes

(01:10) Mega Man, shootin' lemons.

(01:30) Kira "Jesus" Yamato.

(12:00) Bad strategy: the game!

(18:00) I was going to post something about Allenby, but here's the Burning Finger Speech instead.

(20:45) Crazy Dishonored shenanigans.

(21:40) The StarTropics overview. No game is an island?

(29:45) Mike is a robot! Jumping and general maneuvering.

(34:30) The bullshit ghost village dungeon and its relation to IWBTG. We further discuss some resource problems this game has. At least you can save the game.

(40:00) The negative feedback yo-yo. Enemies are actually pretty good, though.

(43:00) Rankings, yo-yo. Finishing first, Super Mario Kart. Taking the silver is Star Wars: Dark Forces. A solid bronze: Star Soldier.

Next time on Last Time, Alien Storm!

Ugly nosed trash monsters man the contacts at

Friday, July 17, 2015

Episode 112: Wasting Time With A Brick [Alleyway and Baseball (GB)]

Like the games this week themselves, discussion about them is fairly brief. Instead, we talk about epic boss battles, Fire Emblem, and (gasp) League. There's plenty of amusement to be had regardless, so join us on a magical adventure of whimsy! And grayscale.

New game: Baseball, but you have to break through the blocks at the end of the park to actually score a homerun.

Show Notes

(05:30) Sacred Stone(r)s!

(18:00) Boss fights‽

(28:00) Baseball. It feels like we've talked about this before.

(30:00) Alleyway may be a Breakout clone, but it's better than the original. It lacks good music during the levels, though.

(39:45) Something's... rank in here. Maybe some Fallout from dinner? I... can't work Mario Tennis into a sentence, but it might be smelly. Ending the list this week is Bonk's Adventure.

Next time on Last Time, StarTropics! Yo, yo!

Mike! Your uncle is being held at

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Episode 111: Murder Golf [Halo: Combat Evolved]

Fight the Covenant and defend Earth! Well, all life in the galaxy, really. At any rate, we've got a wide arsenal and a lot of aliens to shoot. Also, a lot of other not-marine cyborgs, which is arguably more fun. Pewpew!

Sticky or bouncy, our download still explodes.

Show Notes

(00:50) The U.S. military does, in fact, have a giant death pit stadium and a summoner.

(05:55) ZeRo's FG challenge!

(08:00) Tyler makes the mistake of asking Zach how DW8: Empires works.

(13:30) We dive right into Halo. Turns out we have a LOT to say about this game.

(17:45) Recharging health and 2 weapon combat: Halo started a trend, wethinks.

(21:30) Halo's got a variety of weapons, all of which feel like they have a role.

(29:00) Enemy parade!

(43:00) Vehicles and general locomotion.

(46:30) Single player campaign. The scope isn't super great, but it's a solid shooter the whole way through with a more than decent excuse plot. It culminates really well!

Next time on Last Time, Totally Not Breakout (Alleway) and Baseball (not that one) for the Game Boy!

Monochrome is in at

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Episode 110: I Hope I Look That Good in My Castle Age [Age Of Empires 2]

Experience with us the sublime joy of collecting massive amounts of resources so you can turn them into units and spread them across the country to find your opponent's last piece of wall. Somehow, that counts as a stronghold. Imagine the king of a great nation huddling in a ruined tower while the Mongol horde descends upon him. Also, a lot of farming. And building walls. So, a lot like most of history. Strategy!

Mongols and Vikings and Downloads, oh my!

Show Notes

(02:30) Analogue: A Hate Story sounds fun. Salt is definitely amusing if you want more pirates in your Minecraft.

(02:45) Awesome enough to get its own timestamp note: Towerfall! This War of Mine is interesting, but gets boring fairly quickly.

(04:00) A brief discussion of the horrible anchors that are online ranking systems.

(11:00) Apparently the city in AoT doesn't have a name; it's just "the Walls". The various districts do have names, though.

(12:45) Remember, kids, don't be a publicized criminal or you might spontaneously die of a heart attack.

(14:30) Dino D-Day just looks amazeballs.

(16:30) The Golden Grin is definitely not free.

(17:15) Zach's newest pastime: Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires.

(20:00) Batpires!

(26:30) RTS fun times!

(28:30) A quick critique of AoE2's lack of civilization differentiation. It's there, but it's subtle.

(30:30) This game's 4 resource system. We discuss the optimal number for a bit, but 0 is a valid options, so it's probably personal preference.

(36:00) While it doesn't look bad, lack of visual distinction between ages can be a problem. What's the difference between these two ranged units?

(38:00) Win conditions and their relative ease.

(46:45) Rankings? Have some! Nobunaga's Ambition, Baseball, and King's Knight all get slotted on the list.

Next time on Last Time: Chief? CHEEEIIIF!
It's Halo. Let the flame wars begin.

Pistol OP.

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Episode 109: In the Days Before the Mushroom Kingdom [Donkey Kong and Mario Bros.]

A POW block would have been extremely useful in dealing with the ENDLESS BARREL RAMPAGE of one Donkey Kong senior. Additionally, death hammers would have been useful in clearing out Brooklyn's sewers once the brothers Mario found that homicidal turtles and crabs had infested. I'm surprised there were no rats, though... They eventually got Mouser, so that almost counts. Join us on a trip back to some of the red-hatted plumber's first games!

This download really hit the turtle on the head.

Show Notes

(02:00) Robert gives that a.. Big No!

(05:40) All aboard the Kingdom Hearts hype train!

(09:00) Fire Emblem time!

(30:00) Hearthstone Adventures! I might play that game if it existed.

(30:30) Infinite Crisis is dying on August 14th, 2015.

(34:30) Everyone's favorite carpenter, Mario! Also, his gorilla nemesis, Donkey Kong, not to be confused with other giant gorillas. Thanks, John Kirby!

(40:00) The Donkey Kong world record is insane. As in, indicative of a mental disorder on the part of the holder.

(42:45) Plumbing never had so many turtles!

(46:30) The POW block and our problems with it as a "powerup" in this game.

(49:00) This Mech Warrior "cabinet" looks awesome.

(50:00) Ranking time! The Return of Samus is up first, followed by Link's Alarm Clock.

Next time on Last Time, Joan of Arc's diary! Also, Age of Empires 2.

HOW DO YOU TURN THIS ON

Episode 108: KFC Double Denver [Sim City 2000]

Apparently crowd funded games are on our minds this week, but so are a lot of things. Maybe we should have had better planning? Zoning, perhaps? See what I did? Anyway, we're building cities and exploiting the not-quite-human intelligence of their occupants to make tons of money!

Our download is more effective than Godzilla.

Show Notes

(01:45) Everypony thinks Mad Max is so shine.

(08:00) Sploon! Turns out it's pretty fun.

(10:30) Cross Code is looking good. Also, fancy shoes, but that's mostly unrelated.

(27:00) SimAnt was sweet.

(27:30) SimCity 2000! Zoooones! There are definitely optimal strategies.

(34:00) How this game lacks extra goals that make other open ended games more engaging.

(41:30) GoG Galaxy and Geremy's initial thoughts.

(42:00) Wanna rank? Super Mario Daisy! Greyscale Mega Men! Last (and least) Sonic Chaos.

Next time on Last Time, it's a double with Donkey Kong and Mario Bros.!

Stop! It's hammer time!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Episode 107: I'm Gonna Be Viscount of the Pirates [The Secret of Monkey Island]

We talk a lot about books this week, which might be appropriate given that the game is loosely based on Treasure Island. Loosely. They both have pirates! Also, a lot of Attack on Titan shows up, which, sadly, lacks pirates.

This download? I don't see anything special about it.

Show Notes

(02:20) Smash puny titans!

(03:20) Ever want to ride a coaster where you're eaten by a giant homunculus? Now you can! The 3DS game is sadly not the flash game.

(07:00) Blackjack gets screwed over a lot.

(09:00) I have no thumbs and I must game.

(20:00) We played the Splatoon Test Fire. It's fun!

(30:00) It's a secret to monkeys! It's also mildly convoluted.

(44:00) Poor Mac.

(44:30) Rankings! Kick off with Legend of Kage. Boom boom Galaga. Blocks of Asteroids!

Next time on Last Time, it's super city trouble with Sim City 2000!

Gohdzirra!

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Episode 106: Maximum Appreciation [Fighting Street]

Show us your fighting spirit! This week we discuss a game that hasn't yet been cloned by its original creators in an independent development effort, now with 20% fewer shoryukens!

QCF, QCF, download!

Show Notes

(03:15) Should really be the Nappa Force.

(06:45) Geremy gives his (apparently uncommon) problems on Chroma Squad.

(17:45) Yooka-Laylee!

(20:00) Konami woes.

(28:30) Quicksilver, the first anthology of the Baroque Cycle, is pretty sweet.

(31:30) Fighting Street! Such game!

(42:30) Rankings, brodawg! Renegade for life provides the Ignition Factor to engage in some Elevator Action.

Next time on Last Time, The Secret of Monkey Island! I don't see anything strange about it.

More grog at

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