What is an "Adult Game"? Tanya and Jonathan answer the question with a discussion of Valve's new Steam Deck console and the problems with porn-shaming. New guest Doc Tots talks about how her monogamous relationship with Tetris, old friend Gretchen breaks down the good and bad of Genshin Impact, and Nutaku blogger Bella fights through the stigma of sex games. 

Twitter Handle for guests (and their spouses) this episode

TornadoBones (Doc Tot's Partner): @TornadoBones
Kristin (Gretchen's Partner): @knitsyo
Bella: @vhsvvitch

Genshin Impact, Sex Games, Steam Deck and Tetris

Tanya and Jonathan talk about a realistic Katamari game, Tenacious D's new video, and review the Playdate console and it's killer app, Crankin's Time Travel Adventure. Guests Blairbears talks about being a vtuber charity streamer racoon woman, and Say Mistage from Phoenix Online gushes with love for LucasArts Games and Zak McKracken. 

0:00:00 - The Try It Liquid Diet
0:03:43 - Check Out the Video Versions of Our Interviews!
0:05:22 - Does Abstration Enhance or Diminish Emersion?
0:08:25 - BlairBears Interview: "VTuber for Charity"
0:30:38 - What's Jack Black Up To?
0:32:26 - Jonathan's Review of the Mario Movie
0:33:37 - Tenacious D's New Music Video
0:36:52 - Say Mistage Interview: "Talkin' Zak McKracken & LucasArts"
1:03:25 - Product Review: The Playdate
1:10:02 - The Hannibal Minute
1:12:27 - Game Review: Crankin's Time Travel Adventure
1:13:39 - Jonathan's New Nickname
1:14:10 - Wrap Up/Plugs
1:17:49 - Crank

Our guest interviews on YouTube:
BlairBears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxmzgdlzQSM
Say Mistage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpvPhHnCpik

Our guests on Twitter:
BlairBears: @Blairbears65
Say Mistage: @sayomgwtf #LucasArtsMonth

Crankin': The Song by Daniel: https://soundcloud.com/d-booth-sanford/crank-feat-jonathan-tanya

Support the show on Patreon! : www.patreon.com/ttwav

Jack Black and Zak McKracken's Playdate with BlairBears

Tanya and Jonathan talk about what it takes to keep true to your core while expanding your audience, using Dectective Pikachu, Pokemon Go, and Molly Mooon's Excuse Me, Sir as examples of Do's and Don'ts. Guest Melissa chats about the pros and cons of a Zelda live action movie, and Christina tells all about the joys and pains of being one of the best pixel artists in the world, currently working on Minecraft. 



0:00:00 - Trigger Warning
0:00:21 - A New Life Situation
0:04:14 - The Two Types of People
0:05:33 - Adapting Zelda to the Big Screen w/ Melissa
0:33:31 - Disgusting Pokemon in "Detective Pikachu"
0:35:00 - A Teen Grown Up Goth without Pokemon
0:39:53 - Being your Genuine Self within the Games Indsutry w/ Christina
1:11:28 - Molly Moon's "Excuse Me Sir"
1:16:41 - Wrap Up/Plugs
1:20:59 - Lacy Doily Milk Suits

Christina's interview on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEb4-OfHddA


Our Guests on Twitter:
Melissa: https://twitter.com/FGD135
Christina: https://twitter.com/Castpixel


Jonathan's Guest Spot on Fun and "Games" Sidequest Podcast Talking about Zak McKracken:
https://funandgames.libsyn.com/side-quests-episode-266-zak-mckracken-and-the-alien-mindbenders-with-jonathan-holmes


Support the show here!
https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

Excuse Me Sir, Zelda Movie Minecraft Transphobia?

Tanya and Jonathan talk about how you can't ever change someone's opinion about videogames, why Mother 3 will never be officially localized, and Xbox's multi-platform strategy. Guests Kyra and Secret Sarah talk about working in the games industry as an developer and a translator, respectively.

Timecodes for this episode!

0:00:00 - Live from the Shit Room
0:05:02 - Cracking the Family Code w/ Videogames?
0:09:19 - Game Development w/ Kyra
0:40:27 - You Thinkin' About Shigesato Itoi?
0:45:04 - Secrets of the World of Translation with Secret Sarah
1:15:11 - Xbox's Multiplatform Plans
1:16:17 - AAA Games Are Sort of On the Outs
1:18:11 - Wrap Up/Plugs
1:20:36 - Thank You Patrons!
1:21:31 - The Bush

Our guests "on the web"!

Kyra: https://linktr.ee/ky_is_here
Secret Sarah: https://twitter.com/QueenAwk

Please support the show on Patreon!

https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

Mother 3, Unicorn Overlord, and Localization Dynamic Range

Tanya and Jonathan talk about games as art vs. product and the hubub about Steller Blade. Elly explains how Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has integrated into her grieving process, and Haley and K.K. gab about Price of Flight, their post-apocalyptic tactics game show about birds. 

0:00:00 - Ned Flanders with the Dead Eyes
0:05:24 - Still Cool?
0:09:43 - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Grief with Elly
0:40:52 - Stellar Blade - Silly Toy or Developer Expression?
0:45:28 - "Price of Flight" with Haley and KK
1:14:43 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thank You Patrons
1:18:24 - Analingus (The Ass Eating)

Price of Flight official site! https://birdsportlovers.neocities.org/
Elly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OaklandKao

Support the show on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

Steller Blade, Price of Flight and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Tanya and Jonathan talk about the concept of parenting as a "situational disability", Jonathan and Sons upcoming appearance in a Shovel Knight video, and the promise of Mortal Kombat characters making it to Street Fighter. Guests Lyn and Cherry Bombrs chat about making the Fighting Game Community more queer-friendly with Lapin Labs, and self-shipping Travis Touchdown, respectively.  

Show notes:
0:00:00 - Forgot About It
0:02:44 - A Bald Beige Guardian Angel
0:03:29 - I'm In Love with Sonya Blade
0:04:39 - Are Kids a Situational Disability?
0:09:19 - Analysis of Representation in the Fighting Game Community with Lyn
0:43:37 - Could Jonathan Be a Part of the Video Game Community?
0:44:24 - More Fighting Game Crossovers Are a Good Thing
0:47:59 - Cherry Bombrs' Self-ship with Travis Touchdown
1:19:25 - Loving Characters Means Love of Creators
1:20:33 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thank You Patrons!
1:24:47 - I'm Pooped Out

Check out Lyn's games here:
https://langstonian.itch.io/apotheosys
Join the Lapin Labs Discord here: https://discord.com/invite/jcYbX4TmVv
Check Cherry Bombrs here: https://cherrybombrs.carrd.co/


Support the show here!
https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

Self-shipping Travis and making EVO more queer

On the pilot episode of Talking to My Boy About Videogames, Jonathan sits down with the esteemed games reviewer Ryan to get his thoughts on retro gaming consoles and older games in the Pokemon, Kirby, Metroid, Katamari, and de Blob series. Elsewhere these two titans of games media discuss the new Marvel vs. Capcom collection, Shovel Knight, Super Smash Bros, Megaman, Power Rangers - Rita's Rewind, and so much more. The rapid fire review format will keep you on the edge of your seat! Also, make sure you don't feed Niko pineapple.

0:00:00 - Sorry Viewers
0:01:47 - Topic Number 1: I Really Like the Wii
0:04:19 - Thoughts on de Blob
0:06:37 - Swearing and Fighting
0:08:24 - de Blob Review
0:10:00 - 3DS/DSi Review
0:10:32 - Kirby Planet Robobot Review
0:12:50 - Pokemon Rapid Fire Reviews
0:16:22 - Don't Feed Niko Pineapple
0:17:53 - Marvel vs. Capcom Collection Anticipation
0:19:30 - Technical Difficulties
0:19:52 - Original Character, Do Not Steal
0:20:31 - Refocusing! Megaman!
0:21:37 - New Topic! Shovel Knight!
0:23:14 - Sometimes I Just Put in a Team of Miis
0:23:40 - For Fun or For Glory?
0:26:23 - We Will Definitely Go On a Junk Hunt
0:26:41 - Fighting For Glory?
0:28:20 - Loop Upon Trees, We Are the Bees!
0:28:46 - What is Ryan Interested In?
0:30:12 - Metroid: Zero Mission
0:31:58 - Switch 2 Predictions?
0:33:25 - To Be Continued!
0:34:16 - New Power Rangers Game? Rita's Rewind
0:34:41 - Not Squishy Enough
0:35:06 - Ryan's Grand Hypothetical Question
0:35:26 - Jonathan's Comic
0:36:52 - Ryan's Katamari Idea
0:39:46 - Turning the Tables on the Humans
0:44:31 - To Be Continued...Again!

Talking To My Boy About Videogames - Ep 1 - You Gotta Introduce Yourself

This month on Yeah! Jonathan, Tanya, and Daniel discuss the landmark success of the game Crazy Taxi both in the arcades and on the Dreamcast and how the inclusion of music by a plucky punk rock band known as the Offspring would help cement the game's legacy as a major hit for Sega, long outliving the arcade and the console that spawned it. We also take wild divergences into talking about Seaman, Shenmue, MTV's Road Rules Season 5: The Northern Trail, 2024 Politics, and the Beatles.

0:00:00 - A Comic Book Announcement
0:00:33 - WWJD: The World Wide Jonathan Division
0:02:16 - You've Got a Heartache
0:03:10 - A Finger on the Pulse of Coolness
0:11:25 - Jonathan's Longstanding, Unpopular Opinion
0:14:14 - When Does Something Turn from Popular to Unpopular?
0:23:40 - Sega's Weird Trajectory
0:27:23 - The Road Rules Connection
0:33:05 - The Music Makes the Game
0:34:10 - Crazy Taxi News?
0:37:12 - Wrap Up/See Ya Next Time!

Watch a special bonus with Jonathan and The Offspring here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBAbEDatsOI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBAbEDatsOI

Yeah! - 02 - Crazy Taxi - All I Want

This spooky month on Talking to Women about Videogames, Jonathan and Tanya talk about yokai and Austin Powers. There's a bit of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom chat and some discussion of the final Splatoon 3 Splatfest. Jonathan chats with new guest Charlotte about having empathy and ignoring the arbitrary rules in gaming spaces. Returning guest Zoey Handley also runs through a number of recent games like Dead Rising Deluxe, Resident Evil Revelations, Rocky Horror Show Video Game, Keep Driving, and more. Tanya also shares about losing her father and the emotions connected to wanting to still maintain a routine in spite of that.

Show Notes:
0:00:00 - Turbo Granny
0:02:43 - A Wet Episode
0:03:12 - Not Worrying About the Rules with Charlotte
0:29:03 - Austin Powers 4: Suck That Shaggis
0:31:16 - Leaning Hard Into the Horror Trash with Zoey Handley
1:02:23 - Apology for Loss
1:05:02 - Why Is Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom The Way It Is?
1:08:19 - The Final Splatfest
1:09:52 - Joe Krueger, Brother of Freddy
1:10:31 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
1:14:06 - Oh No!

Our guests on Twitter- 

Charlotte: https://twitter.com/UniversalApathy
Zoey:https://twitter.com/adzuken

Support the show here! https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

TtWaV 102 - Horror Games are Trash, Austin Powers Sucks & Empathy Rules!

Jonathan talks to Elly about the history of the Castlevania series as its explored through the Vampire Survivors "Ode to Castlevania" update. From there he chats with Indie Alpaca about their interest in the game YIIK and it's latest I.V update that totally changes the game!

0:00:00 - Give Me That Filet-O-Fish
0:02:30 - Always and Forever, Mildly Anxious
0:04:38 - Sucking Up Your Free Time in Castlevania and Vampire Survivors with Elly
0:35:10 - Perfect Tommy
0:35:47 - Analyzing YIIK I.V with Indie Alpaca
1:24:54 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
1:29:11 - Sick Vampire

Interview with Indie Alpaca on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpPZWd3GPjc

Elly's on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/oaklandkao.bsky.social

Follow Indie Alpaca on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/indiealpa.ca

Check out Indie Alpaca on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/indiealpaca

Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social

Jonathan's on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social

Daniel's latest album of songs from the show on Bandcamp: https://thesanford.bandcamp.com/album/talking-to-women-about-videogames-songs-from-the-podcast-2024

Daniel's latest album of songs from the show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/30D63h3cYXxYuIpuyw92Gb?si=5cioyqhsQQ2YFlsNmzJbWA

Support the show here! https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

TTWAV Ep 104 - YIIK-Y Fish, Castlevania Survivors, And Perfect Tommy

On this Thrilling! episode of Yeah! we talk about the song "Thrilling! Is This Love?" from Rhythm Heaven/Rhythm Tengoku's Fan Club level where a singer apprehensively sings a love song to a group of monkeys. We get into how the Rhythm Heaven series never really found its roots in America despite having a J-Pop powerhouse producer at the helm and the 1-2 punch of marketing prowess from Beyoncé and Jonathan Holmes. Will Rhythm Heaven ever return? Find out on this Thrilling! new episode of Yeah!

0:00:00 - Happy Birthday, Mr. Jonathan
0:01:57 - Where is Jonathan's Mind?
0:03:16 - Thrilling! Is This Love?
0:05:45 - The Challenge of Localization
0:06:48 - The Psychology of "Yeah"
0:08:06 - Jonathan Loves Rhythm Heaven
0:11:18 - The Beyoncé Factor
0:12:07 - What the Heck is Going on in This Level?
0:15:05 - Nitpicking the Monkeys Because You Love Them
0:16:12 - Daniel is Bad at Rhythm Games
0:19:26 - The Popularity of "Thrilling! Is This Love?"
0:21:57 - The Tanya Take
0:23:56 - The J-Pop Influence
0:29:05 - What Was Going On With That Live Concert?
0:31:36 - Why Didn't Rhythm Heaven Do Better in America?
0:34:43 - Next Time on Yeah!?

Yeah! - 05 - Rhythm Heaven - Thrilling Is This Love (Fan Club)

This month Jonathan talks extensively with Lyn about the Fire Emblem series in an overview of how the plucky, weird series has such staying power in spite of not being exactly what is hot with the kids because of genocide in a turn based strategy game with anime characters. Elsewhere, Jonathan and Tanya talk about the "sequel to Minecraft" and the "sequel to the Switch," plus we get Tanya's vision for the future of videogames.


0:00:00 - Those Words, So Many, Together
0:02:12 - No Joke Content
0:03:26 - It's Just Minecraft Again
0:07:44 - An Overview of the Fire Emblem Series with Lyn
0:44:57 - The Era of Childhood is Over
0:46:24 - Will the Switch 2 Have It All?
0:52:30 - Tanya's Vision for the Future of Videogames
0:53:46 - Wrapup/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
0:58:25 - Talking About Elena

Follow Lyn on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lyn-aka-blpry.bsky.social
Follow Girls do Nasty Combos on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/girlsdonastycombos.bsky.social
Check out the game I NEED to Leave on itch.io: https://rhana63.itch.io/i-need-to-leave
Follow Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
Follow this podcast on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Follow our editor Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

TTWAV Ep 105 - Minecraft 2 (or Not!) Switch 2 (maybe!) & The Fire Emblem Series (definitely!)

This month on Currently Playing, Dr. Adam stops by to chat with Daniel about an academic take on the Kingdom Hearts series. The chat veers all over the place, landing on Adam's recently completed run of Yakuza Kiwami before switching up to talk about how both of them are kind of scaredy cats when it comes to horror games such as Signalis. At the Backlog section, we get a recap of last month's challenge, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, and Adam challenges Daniel to finally pick up Bastion from Supergiant Games.

0:00:00 - Welcome to the show, Dr. Adam!
0:02:51 - Capturing Blurry Moments (Kingdom Hearts series)
0:23:23 - Boy I Wish I Was Into This (Yakuza Kiwami)
0:32:00 - Do You Play Horror Games? (Signalis)
0:38:56 - Who Has the Time to Play Videogames?
0:43:09 - Backlog Recap - Insane Twisted Shadow Planet
0:47:12 - Backlog Challenge - Bastion
0:51:59 - Wrap Up/Plugs

You can email Dr. Adam at aknight [at] ndm [dot] edu for his in-depth write up about Kingdom Hearts.

Currently Playing - 06 - Kingdom Hearts, Yakuza Kiwami, And Signalis With Dr Adam

This week on Yeah! we tag in Declan to chat about the PS1 game Spice World that let you remix the music of the Spice Girls, create dance routines, and set off the big show...all very poorly! It was an early attempt at a PaRappa-like that was critically panned with a clunky art style and not much in the way of gameplay.

0:00:00 - Yo!
0:01:23 - All Spice
0:06:24 - The Scariest Spice
0:09:32 - What was Spice World?
0:16:14 - Enter the Spice World
0:21:24 - Little to No Game in this Game
0:26:12 - The Pepsi Connection
0:29:53 - Could Spice World Be Remade Today?
0:32:34 - Next Time On Yeah?

Support the show here!

https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

Yeah! - 07 - Spice World - Say You'll Be There And Move Over

On a very sleepy February episode of Talking to Women about Videogames, Jonathan and Tanya get political! Casey Explosion shows up to guide us through her top 12 games of 2024 (hint: go watch her video at the link below!) Finally, Jonathan introduces us to the newest T shaped world of Keita Takahashi in the game "to a T".

0:00:00 - Knoctober
0:03:08 - "Pepper Grinder," the New Tongue Twiser
0:04:21 - "Spirit Swap - Lofi Beats to Match-3 To" is the Anti-Musk
0:08:12 - Recapping Casey Explosion's Top 12 Games of 2024
0:45:19 - Being a T(een) in "to a T"
0:50:56 - We Tried! Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
0:56:37 - Huge Booty Bouncin'

Follow Casey Explosion on Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/caseyexplosion.bsky.social
Watch Casey's Top 12 Games of 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRnUDEKURRI
Watch the video version of Casey talking to Jonathan: https://youtu.be/z7ISJJmjsds
Follow Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Check out Pepper Grinder: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/pepper-grinder-switch/
Check out Spirit Swap Lofi Beats to Match-3 To: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592170/Spirit_Swap_Lofi_Beats_to_Match3_To/
Check out to a T on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1875320/to_a_T/

TTWAV Ep 106 - Casey Explodes 2024 And Spirit Swap Fits To A T

Yeah! - 08 - Vitamin Connection - DJ Dog-Bone with Special Guest James Montagna of WayForward.mp3
On this extra special video version of the Yeah! Podcast, Jonathan and a DJ Dog-Bone impersonator welcome game director James Montagna of WayForward to talk about his game Vitamin Connection. From their previous chat 12 years ago, Jonathan and James chat about everything from "Adventure Time - Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!" to newer projects like "Yars Rising" and "Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp," while still making plenty of time to talk about "Vitamin Connection" on its 5 year anniversary. James gets into his love of old rhythm games like PaRappa the Rapper and Spice World and how that connects into the couch co-op play style of "Vitamin Connection."

Watch the old interview on Sup, Holmes? with James from 12 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FApIhhky1Y

James Montanga on Twitter: https://x.com/jamespopstar
James Montanga Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jpop.bsky.social
WayForward on Twitter: https://x.com/WayForward
WayForward on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/wayforward.bsky.social
Jonathan on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tronknotts.bsky.social
Talking to Women about Videogames on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social

0:00:00 - Greetings James Montagna!
0:01:18 - Catching up with James 12 Years Later
0:02:31 - "DJ Dog-Bone (feat. Yung Wan)0" by Tommy Pedrini
0:04:31 - The Unique Flavor of James Montagna
0:06:20 - The Creative Connection Between Jonathan and Vitamin Connection
0:07:28 - Where Did the Idea for Vitamin Connection Come From?
0:11:57 - The Characters of Vitamin Connection
0:13:40 - The Music of Vitamin Connection is Monumental
0:17:04 - Can You Play Vitamin Connection Single Player?
0:18:43 - How the Vitamins Connect to Advance Wars
0:21:59 - What Would a Vitamin Connection 2 Look Like?
0:25:32 - Influences of Vitamin Connection
0:26:09 - James Montagna Meets the Spice Girls?
0:30:36 - James Montagna Can Predict the Future
0:33:25 - James's Most Recent Game
0:35:00 - Find James and WayForward on Social Media

Yeah! - 08 - Vitamin Connection - DJ Dog-Bone - With Special Guest James Montagna Of WayForward

We get a comprehensive crash course on the genre of battle royale games on this month's Currently Playing, covering PUBG, Fortnite, COD: Warzone, and more before learning that Alex's favorite of the bunch is Apex Legends for its interesting settings and memorable characters. Alex enjoys playing these games for their community aspects and he shares his passion for gaming with his young daughter. In the backlog section, Daniel reveals his thoughts of Bastion and he gets challenged to play the Stanley Parable.

0:00:00 - Welcome to the Show, Alex!
0:01:05 - What Even Are Battle Royale Games?
0:04:04 - History of Battle Royales
0:07:27 - Key Features of Every Battle Royale Game
0:10:46 - The Biggest Battle Royale Games of 2025
0:16:41 - Innovations from the Battle Royale Space?
0:17:50 - Criticisms of the Genre
0:26:38 - Gaming with Kids
0:30:04 - What Are You Playing? - A Battle Royale Buffet
0:41:43 - Backlog Recap - Bastion
0:48:51 - Backlog Challenge - The Stanley Parable
0:55:04 - Wrap Up/Plugs?

Follow Alex on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alejandroapollo.bsky.social
Follow Alex on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_apolllo/
Follow the show on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Follow Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Check out our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ttwav

Currently Playing - 07 - Battle Royale Buffet (Apex Legends, Et Al) With Alex Apollo

Talking to My Boy About Videogames - 07 - Pokemon Presents Plus Ryan's Review Roundup.mp3
In the wake of the recent Pokemon Presents video, Jonathan and Ryan run through most of the highlights of the video including the new game Pokemon Legends Z-A, the new cards, and Pokemon Champions for Switch and Phones. Later, Ryan gives his reviews of several games such as Kero Blaster, Boxboy & Boxgirl, Terminator 2D, and Poppy's Playtime. There's also tons of cat chat.

0:00:00 - Feeling Miserable Suddenly
0:01:58 - Pokemon Presents Pokemon Day
0:04:43 - Pokemon Champions for Switch and Phones
0:05:07 - Puggymin Cards
0:06:08 - Starting a Cat Podcast?
0:06:59 - Little Kitty, Big City
0:07:19 - Poppy's Playtime
0:10:31 - Jonathan's Urban Legends
0:13:02 - Ryan's Review of Terminator 2 (Film)
0:15:05 - An Important Thought
0:16:15 - The Next Topic
0:16:31 - Big Kitty, Little City, By Way of Balatro, By Way of Poker
0:17:55 - Shovel Knight's Joustus
0:18:59 - The Shovel Knight Concert that Almost Was
0:19:36 - Back to Pokemon Legends Z-A
0:21:30 - Giving the People What They Want
0:23:02 - Back to Pokemon Legends Z-A Again
0:25:35 - Ryan's Review Roundup (Kero Blaster, Box Boy & Box Girl, Terminator 2D, Poppy's Playtime)
0:29:35 - That's Just Like Your Opinion, Man
0:32:28 - See Ya Next Time!

Talking to My Boy About Videogames - 07 - Pokemon Presents Plus Ryan's Review Roundup

This month on Talking to Women about Videogames, Tanya is gone and has been replaced by a man! Jonathan pontificates on the nature of what it means to be human and how people can connect in a world overrun by AI, and then he gets into the weeds on that topic with an extremely long segment with guest Aysha Farah, games writer and narrative designer behind the upcoming queer sci-fi visual novel The Sky Left Us.

0:00:00 - A Place on the Internet for Guys to Talk about Videogames
0:03:07 - I Know I Know Aysha Farah
0:04:51 - Tanya is Missing!
0:05:25 - AI-loy
0:06:41 - Can We Be Human and Connect? with Aysha Farah
1:16:14 - Secret Future Switch 2 Knowledge?
1:17:40 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!

Follow Aysha Farah on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ayshaufarah.bsky.social
Check out Aysha's website: https://www.ayshaufarah.com/
Check out the next issue of Nintendo Force magazine: https://www.patreon.com/nintendoforce
Read Jonathan's thoughts on the miserable state of the videogame industry on Maximum Utmost: https://maxutmost.com/the-video-game-industry-is-miserable-but-some-people-are-trying-to-make-it-fun-again/
Tune in for Jonathan on the Red Tunic podcast: https://www.theredtunicpodcast.com/
Listen to the Twin Peaks/David Lynch Show produced and scored by Daniel, "Fix Your Heart or Die": https://open.spotify.com/show/5stt5kNgqOKhlPs4jh7UoU?si=8302e004b6b8435c
Check out those original tunes inspired by the moody nature of Twin Peaks by Daniel over here: https://thesanford.bandcamp.com/album/fix-your-heart-or-die-songs-from-the-podcast

TTWAV Ep 107 - Connecting with Humans in an World Overrun by AI

This month on Currently Playing, Daniel chats with an old friend named Glen who happens to be a well respected evolutionary biologist but also is a lifelong fan of videogames. Glen has been obsessively playing Vampire Survivors lately and though he really loves the game, he also wishes it didn't keep crashing on his phone. Later in the show, Daniel recaps his experience with playing the Stanley Parable, before Glen challenges Daniel to play Streets of Rage 4. At the end of the show, in lieu of a standard plug, Glen makes a reasoned and well-informed plea to the public to educate themselves about the role of politics in science.

0:00:00 - Welcome to the show, Dr. Glen Hood!
0:04:00 - What Are You Playing? Vampire Survivors
0:30:15 - Backlog Recap - The Stanley Parable
0:36:15 - Backlog Challenge - Streets of Rage 4
0:41:04 - Wrap Up/Plugs/A Few Very Important Messages from Your Friendly Scientist

Follow the Talking to Women about Videogames on Bluesky at: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Follow Daniel on Bluesky at: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social
Check out the Fix Your Heart or Die podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5stt5kNgqOKhlPs4jh7UoU?si=dbc0ed6d83554ec0
And on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FixYourHeartPod/posts
And take a listen to some of the new moody atmospheric music from Daniel for the Fix Your Heart or Die Podcast at: https://thesanford.bandcamp.com/album/fix-your-heart-or-die-songs-from-the-podcast

Currently Playing - 08 - Vampire Survivors with Dr Glen Hood

Yeah! is back and bigger than ever, covering the band that was just too big to fail, Metallica! The Sandman has entered the chat as we talk about the Metallica game that never was ("Damage, Inc.") and discover in real time the Metallica game that actually was ("Vid Grid"). Are they the bad boys of metal or just the dreamy dudes of metalli-pop? We'll get to the bottom of this!

0:00:00 - On the Seat of Their Pants
0:03:44 - Jonathan: Metallica Hipster
0:10:31 - The Metalica Game That Never Was
0:17:16 - Doggin' On the Black Album
0:19:46 - Too Big to Fail?
0:21:17 - What Type of Metallica Game Would You Play?
0:23:06 - Enter Vid Grid
0:29:48 - The Aerosmith Bass Player
0:33:53 - It's No Silent Lucidity

See the unreleased Metallica videogame "Damage, Inc." first hand here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVNzRs2mNh8

Yeah! - 09 - Damage, Inc - Enter Sandman


On this sticky episode, Jonathan and Ryan extensively cover the latest news in Minecraft before talking more Shovel Knight and Poppy's Playtime and deeper cuts like Retro City Rampage and Shakedown Hawaii. Jonathan explains some of the dangers of gambling in videogames and that practicing a skill in the right ways is the only way to get better. Ryan has a few shocking revelations and Jonathan predicts doom for the next generation.

0:00:00 - Getting Down to Business
0:01:43 - The New Things in Minecraft
0:07:48 - Learning How to Tell a Good Story
0:11:23 - Back on to the Minecraft
0:12:46 - Playing Jacks in the Back Alley
0:16:24 - Dad, I Shouldn't Tell You This...
0:17:06 - The Kids are Doomed
0:17:45 - Starting A-L-L space O-V-E-R in Shovel Knight Dig
0:20:00 - Retro City Rampage featuring Jonathan Off Road Rules
0:21:03 - Drifting into the Switch 2
0:22:09 - What's Going On in Poppy's Playtime Chapter 2?
0:26:32 - How'd He Get So Good?!?
0:30:50 - What Did Ryan Like in Shakedown Hawaii?
0:32:13 - Grand Thest Danno is a Spanish Soap Opera about Twins
0:35:16 - I Don't Think There's Been Too Many New Videogames
0:37:33 - Is the Next Generation Doomed?
0:39:03 - Do You Need a Nappy Poo?

Back the show here for phsyical comics and bonuses- https://www.patreon.com/ttwav


Talking to My Boy About Videogames - 08 - The Kids Are Doomed

Jonathan and Tanya are back to talk about what nostalgia for current events might look like in the future. They cover the current tough times including the Switch 2's price (along with the USA's tariff affecting the price) before switching it up to talk about nostalgia for 2009. While they're there, Sarah Carapace stops by to talk about the Bionic Commando reboot that never really launched. Back in the current day, Jonathan notes how cranky game developers can get when they get older and blows up Tanya's spot regarding her enjoyment of the game Royal Match.

0:00:00 - Emo Comes A-Callin'
0:02:45 - Nostalgia For Now Because It's Only Getting Worse
0:06:10 - Switch Too Expensive
0:07:25 - Things Were "Fine" in 2009
0:08:59 - What Happened with Bionic Commando (2009)? w/ Sarah Carapace
0:47:10 - The Butt-cist Insult and Subsequent Apology Tour
0:48:47 - Time Makes Cranky Old Men of Us All
0:50:05 - What From This Time Will You Be Nostalgic For Later?
0:53:49 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!
0:59:08 - Butts Be Poppin': https://soundcloud.com/d-booth-sanford/butts-be-poppin

Follow Sarah Carapace on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sarahcarapace.bsky.social
Check out the Kickstarter for Violet Core: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sarahcarapace/violet-core
Check out Nintendo Force Magazine: https://www.nintendoforcemagazine.com/
Check out the Gamebound Generations Magazine: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wearegamebound/generations-winter-2024-premium-video-game-magazine/
Jonathan and Tanya will be a PAX East if you wanna hang out and read Nintendo Force Magazine! And Jonathan will be at Momocon.
Check out Fix Your Heart or Die, the podcast that says everything is Twin Peaks, on your favorite podcast platform!

TTWAV Ep 108 - Switch 2 Thousand Nine Was Fine, Bionic Commando Nostolgia a Crime

Currently Playing - 09 - Black Myth Wukong with Marcy
Currently Playing returns with a first ever live in person recording! Daniel talks to his friend Marcy (musician, teacher, world traveler) about the game Black Myth: Wukong which is based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West. We take a deep dive into the origins of the company behind the game, Game Science, and their connection to the story and Chinese culture before discussing some of the finer details of the gameplay and the challenging Soulslike subgenre. Since Marcy was able to record in person he joined Daniel for playing Streets of Rage 4 which made the classic "couch co-op" game feel more alive, and then Marcy challenged Daniel to play Transistor. We end the show a little unconventionally as well by playing some of Marcy's unreleased music as background and then the also unreleased single Monsters.

0:00:00 - Welcome to the Show, Marcy!
0:07:44 - What Are You Playing? Black Myth: Wukong
0:50:34 - Backlog Recap - Streets of Rage 4
0:58:15 - Backlog Challenge - Transistor
1:14:06 - Wrap Up/Plugs
1:17:03 - Monsters

Currently Playing - 09 - Black Myth Wukong with Marcy

On this hard rockin', non-stoppin', monster stompin' episode of Yeah! (greatest podcast in the world, 2 months running) we're talking all about Rob Zombie and his song "Superbeast" that was featured on at least 2 videogames! Rob Zombie was on top of the world in 1998 when Twisted Metal 3 released...they even let him sort of be the boss of the soundtrack for the game! He then got tapped again in 2009 to appear on the soundtrack for Brütal Legend alongside Ozzy Osbourne. We get into the weirdness of Mr. Zombie (or is it Mr. Cummings?) and his roots in a sleepy Massachusetts town that coincidentally used to be the home of both Jonathan and Tanya. It's an endless thrill ride of Zombie-infused delights designed to tickle your ears and dazzle your mind.

0:00:00 - Haverhill Locals Only
0:03:48 - Inside the Twisted Mind of Rob Zombie
0:08:02 - What Was Happening with that Twisted Metal 3 Soundtrack?
0:11:06 - Adventures in CD-ROM
0:13:00 - Brütal Legend Starring Jack Black
0:14:47 - Rob Zombie's Living on Schlock
0:17:38 - The Locals' Guide to Haverhill, Massachusetts
0:19:37 - The Haverhill to Hollywood Pipeline to Fame
0:23:50 - Rob Zombie, Mario's Cousin Twice Removed
0:25:15 - Massachampshire
0:27:05 - Why Isn't Jonathan on the Notable Figures of Haverhill List?
0:31:12 - The Latest Update on Kaiju Big Battel
0:33:54 - I'm All Out of Thoughts and Feelings

Yeah! - 10 - Twisted Metal 3 + Brütal Legend - Superbeast

On this very busy day, Jonathan and Ryan record the show while also playing Castle Crashers. Jonathan shares some of his early life experiences growing up with videogames as a retreat from his real life and Ryan says that real life is better than Minecraft. A few different videogame genres are discussed before landing on the small number of genres that all games can be classified as. The SD card also ran out of space early so this episode is unfortunately cut a little bit short.

0:00:00 - Very Busy Guys
0:01:32 - Playing Castle Crashers As We Speak
0:03:37 - The "Normal Kind of Videogame"
0:05:47 - The Fatal Flaw of Castle Crashers
0:07:24 - The Super Meat Boy Crossover Nexus
0:08:06 - The Many Modes of Minecraft
0:09:28 - Minecraft is Almost More Than a Game
0:11:13 - Videogames are a Great Place to Hide Out From the Real World
0:12:54 - Which is Better, Minecraft or Real Life?
0:14:07 - The Art of Castle Crasher vs. The Art of Minecraft
0:16:43 - The Two Videogame Genres
0:19:40 - "Soulsvania"
0:22:42 - But What About Smash Bros?

Talking to My Boy About Videogames - 09 - Crashing Down Genre Barriers

TTWAV Ep 109 - The PAX-Gex 2 For 1 Power Episode

We're talking about Metaphor: ReFantazio on this month's Currently Playing with guest Shy Fox of the Fix Your Heart or Die Podcast. Fox has been exploring connections between the work of David Lynch and other media for the last few months on his podcast and while Metaphor doesn't really fit that mold, we're happy to chat about it here. Daniel is completely unfamiliar with the Persona/SMT format of this game so we get into the details of how these games work for complete newbies and discover that perhaps Metaphor: ReFantazio is a great place to start if you've always been curious but daunted by the Atlus formula. Later the pair discuss their thoughts on Transistor and Fox challenges Daniel to play Sword of Vermilion on the Sega Genesis.

0:00:00 - Welcome to the Show, Shy Fox!
0:09:40 - What Are You Playing? - Metaphor: ReFantazio
0:42:38 - Backlog Recap - Transistor
0:48:23 - Backlog Challenge - Sword of Vermilion
0:52:02 - Wrap Up/Plugs

Check out Fix Your Heart or Die Podcast on Spotify, featuring Jonathan Off Road Rules: https://open.spotify.com/show/5stt5kNgqOKhlPs4jh7UoU
Check out Fix Your Heart or Die Podcast Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/c/FixYourHeartPod/posts
Follow Fix Your Heart or Die on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/fixyourheartpod.bsky.social
Listen to the Fix Your Heart or Die Podcast Original Soundtrack by Daniel (we didn't mention it on the show but the soundtrack will add more songs as the podcast evolves, and it will eventually come to Spotify): https://thesanford.bandcamp.com/album/fix-your-heart-or-die-songs-from-the-podcast
Donate to the Crips for Esims for Gaza bundle here: https://itch.io/b/2965/crips-for-esims-for-gaza-bundle
Follow the podcast feed on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ttwav.bsky.social
Follow Daniel on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/douibyorthst.bsky.social

Currently Playing - 10 - Metaphor ReFantazio with Shy Fox

After an exciting visit to PAX, Jonathan and Ryan talk about some of the cool stuff they saw and people they met before switching things up to discuss some of Ryan's game ideas. We learn about Kaiju Big Battel, Pac-Man Museum, "Kirby and the Robot", and Hershey chocolate.

0:00:00 - An Existential Crisis
0:03:56 - Ryan Crashed PAX
0:06:27 - A Better Life for Nico
0:08:02 - Snubbed at the Playground
0:08:41 - Donkey Kong's Dirty Bananas
0:17:03 - Ryan's Review of Lankybox
0:18:41 - Castle Crashers + Huggy Wuggy = A New Game
0:19:14 - Ryan's Budding Career as a Game Creator
0:21:28 - Pac-Man Museum
0:22:17 - Kids Don't Know about Kaiju Big Battel and Indie Games from the 2010s
0:24:20 - "Kirby and the Robot"
0:26:48 - Pac to Smack
0:27:58 - We've Been Talking For a While
0:29:12 - What Did Ryan Learn?
0:30:38 - Wrap Up/My Arm Is Person

Talking to My Boy About Videogames - 10 - Donkey Kong's Dirty Bananas

Yeah! - 11 - Black Sabbath - Fairies Wear Boots

We're talking about the Switch 2 and the trailer for the latest game from Suda51, "Romeo is a Dead Man" shown off on this week's Sony State of Play on this white hot, electric episode of Talking to Women about Videogames. Or is it a "Talking to My Boy about Videogames" stealth episode? You'll have to listen to find out! Even baby Charles makes a guest appearance so you never know who will show up next!

0:00:00 - It's All Happening
0:01:30 - Worlds Collide
0:02:21 - Mario Kart World, What's Going On?
0:05:26 - All Over the Place
0:07:04 - Jonathan's Switch 2 Thoughts
0:09:03 - What About the Switch 2's Size?
0:11:06 - "Romeo is a Dead Man" Blows Suda51 Fans' Minds w/ Cherry Bombrs and Bbbbbeatle
0:48:17 - Another Mario Kart World Update
0:49:20 - Stop All the Downloadin'!
0:50:59 - Wrap Up/Plugs/Thanks Patrons!

Video of Ryan and Jonathan unboxing the Switch 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuSbHKtY8tA
Video of Beatle, Cherry and Jonathan with footage of Romeo is a Dead Man - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdCaOqxxHMM&t=6s

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