Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff

Welcome to the first episode of KHAOS--Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff--the newest show on the Super Nerd Pals Network! 

I'm Zak Lyons, podcast host and resident Kingdom Hearts fanatic. Each episode a new guest will join me to discuss Kingdom Hearts (and a topic of their choosing).

First up is my good friend Nikolai Nelson of Watermelon Banzai and Heavy Blog is Heavy. Nikolai is here to discuss the pros and cons of video game remakes and remasters, and I'm here to remind him of all the times Kingdom Hearts has been remade, re-released, and remastered. 

You can expect to hear a new episode of KHAOS every other Wednesday on the Super Nerd Pals Network. Thanks for listening, and may your heart be your guiding key!
---
You can find Nikolai on Twitter (@WTRMLNBanzai) or on his website www.WatermelonBanzai.com.

###

KHAOS 1: Kingdom Hearts and the Grandfather's Axe Paradox

With this week's episode of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff, I can say for the only time that our total number of episodes has officially DOUBLED. I know! Crazy, right? It's kind of a big deal for all of us.

This week I'm joined by fellow podcast host Joe Cammisa, of the SML Podcast. Joe and I go way back, as we co-founded the long-dormant gaming website Save/Continue, where he began SML back in 2013. He's gone through several platform changes and even more co-hosts since then, but he's kept on with the show through it all, and is creeping up on 400 episodes in total! A goal to aspire to, for sure.

Since he's been in the podcasting game for several years, and I'm just getting into it myself, he decided his topic would be podcasts! We talk about his show, and I also elaborate on what KHAOS actually is, so if you're still confused as to what this show is all about, episode 2 is the perfect place to start. We also debate about who in the Kingdom Hearts universe we think would be the best podcast host, and that's a good time all on its own.

Make sure to subscribe to Super Nerd Pals so you can get new episodes of both SNP and KHAOS, in weekly rotation. That means next Wednesday you'll get SNP 145, with KHAOS 3 dropping on June 6! Thanks for listening, and may your heart be your guiding key.
-
You can find both Joe and the SML Podcast on Twitter (@joecamnet and @theSMLpodcast respectively), as well as on YouTube and Twitch.

KHAOScast

KHAOS 2: Kingdom Hearts and Podcasts

KHAOS 3: Kingdom Hearts and Interactive Storytelling

Episode 3 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff is here! Well technically it's been recorded since late March, but now it's finally time to air it to the world.

My guest this time is my friend Kyle V. Hiller (never forget the V!), author the YA novel The Recital, with upcoming projects Lucca from Yesterday and Project Anjou expected in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 respectively.

Kyle is a lapsed Kingdom Hearts fan who's keen to get back into the series, and his topic is the idea of video games being respected as literature. Together we take a look at the convoluted and drawn-out story of the series, and compare it to other drawn-out crossover stories in media like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, Kyle does his best to list off all of the various Kingdom Hearts titles in order of story chronology, and he fares pretty well!

You can get more information on Kyle's books at his website, www.kylevhiller.com, or follow him on Twitter and Instagram; his username for both is @KyleLiterally.

KHAOS 3: Kingdom Hearts and Interactive Storytelling

What's this? An episode of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff airing on a Friday instead of Wednesday? And before two weeks have passed?? "What is this madness???," I hear you asking yourself.

Rest assured, there has been no schedule change. Episode 4 is still coming out next Wednesday as planned. This is just a special episode of KHAOS that we've recorded for E3, as there was no way we'd pass up the opportunity to gush about the THREE new Kingdom Hearts III trailers that dropped during the event, plus something about a release date.

My long-time friend and fellow Kingdom Hearts enthusiast (to put it lightly) Katherine Bullard joins me for the chat as we break down each of the new trailers and pick them apart, commenting on our favorite or less-than-favorite moments. Not only that, but we also discuss the Square Enix E3 2018 Showcase and all it had (and didn't have) to offer.

Katherine doesn't really have an online presence, so there's nowhere to follow her, but you can still follow me, your Kingdom Hearts connoisseur, on Twitter, @zacharyplyons, where I've been going mildly crazy over all the new updates for several days now. Thanks for listening!

KHAOS 3.5 HD E3 2018 ReMIX

Welcome to episode 4 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff! While airing *after* the E3 special, canonically this episode takes place nearly three months ago when we recorded it. I know, it might be a tad confusing, but it would hardly be a show about Kingdom Hearts otherwise.

This week I'm joined by my friend Amanda Sinning, whose topic is the idea of innocence, particularly in Japanese video games and pop culture. We delve into Sora's character and examine his maturity and growth (or lack thereof), and speculate on how he might continue to grow in the future.

Amanda has no major online presence, but if you've got a question for her or would like to get in touch, you can hit me up on Twitter, @zacharyplyons, and I'd be happy to pass your message along.

Thanks for listening, and may your heart be your guiding key!

KHAOS 4: Kingdom Hearts and Innocence

Episode 5 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff marks the first time a Super Nerd Pals host guests on MY show, instead of the other way around. SNP co-founder and fellow Kingdom Hearts aficionado Andy Carasquillo joins me this week, equipped with the topic of Xehanort. We talk about his plans, his motivations, his Organizations, his keyblade, and all of his different forms throughout the Kingdom Hearts series. We get sidetracked here and there, but it always comes back around to the big bad himself.

Note: I forgot to mention to Andy before recording that I want to keep KHAOS rated PG, so I had to censor a handful of his colorful comments. Don't worry though, I made them more fun!

Another note: I mention this in the show too, but we recorded before E3 and even the KH3 Premiere Event, so there's a bit of outdated information that we discuss. Rest assured that we're both up-to-date with the latest and greatest!

You can find Andy on Twitter, @SweetJusticeOne, and on the Super Nerd Pals podcast, right here on this website, where you're reading this!

KHAOS 5: Kingdom Hearts and Xehanort(s)

At the end of the day my goal with Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff is to convince more people to play Kingdom Hearts, and in episode 6 I talk to my first official convert: my cousin Robert.

He's been listening to the show since it started in May and has since picked up a copy of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX, and it readying himself to kick things off at the very beginning, so I give him some tips and pointers to start his journey.

Somewhere in the conversation he decides that since I have convinced him to play Kingdom Hearts, he wants to talk me into playing *his* favorite game - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Does he convince me? WHO KNOWS. Well, I know. And you can too, by listening to this episode!

Robert doesn't have an online presence to follow, but he'll be back in the future as he completes each game for the first time, to give us his thoughts and impressions. Man, I wish I could play these games for the first time again.

KHAOS 6: Kingdom Hearts and Skyrim

In episode 7 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff I am joined by Norwegian video games journalist Espen Jansen, an avid KH fan who brings the broad topic of Disney to the plate. We discuss a variety of mini-topics such as our favorite Disney worlds and characters throughout the series and worlds and characters we'd like to see in Kingdom Hearts III (or future entries), culminating in a chat about Disney's waxing and waning importance in the series.

You can read Espen's works (if you're able to read Norwegian, that is) over at gamer.no, and you can follow him on Twitter, @EspenJanz.

KHAOS also has a Twitter of its own now, @KHAOScast!

KHAOS 7: Kingdom Hearts and the Wonderful World of Disney

Kingdom Hearts II by Disney and Square Enix is a video game originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2005.

Kingdom Hearts II by Alexa Ray Corriea is a book originally released in both paperback and e-book formats in 2017.

Both are excellent.

Alexa's book takes an in-depth look at the stellar game; the characters, the themes, the lessons to be learned, and a whole lot more. Unfortunately she's not my guest this week; in fact, I don't have a guest at all! So instead I shake things up by doing a kind of solo book club where I break down and analyze the book Kingdom Hearts II, which breaks down and analyzes the game Kingdom Hearts II. Fun, right?

I reviewed the book previously, on episode 120 of Super Nerd Pals. You can find that episode here: https://soundcloud.com/supernerdpals/snp-120-1198-xehanort-radio
You can also find (and purchase!) Alexa's book at Boss Fight Books, right here: https://bossfightbooks.com/products/kingdom-hearts-ii-by-alexa-ray-corriea

KHAOS 8: The Kingdom Hearts Book Club

Episode 9 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff brings forth my first guest who is completely new and unknown to me prior to recording! Liam Frady, also known as Byte Mapper, is a synthwave musician who wanted to come on to chat about Square's Golden Age of video games - from the 90s to the early 2000s.

You can find Liam's music at bytemapper.bandcamp.com, where he has just released a new EP, as well as on Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, and Deezer! Just search for ByteMapper on any of those platforms and you'll find his smooth grooves. He's also on Twitter, @bytemappermusic.

KHAOS 9:  Kingdom Hearts and Square's Golden Age

Hooray! KHAOS has reached double digits! In episode 10 I am joined by Sharon Coone, editor-in-chief at Blitz eSports, and a former editor of my own from back in my days of video games journalism. She's only played one Kingdom Hearts game before, and based on that wants to talk about our favorite bad boy frenemy, Riku!
----
You can find Sharon on Twitter, @Sharoogala, and Blitz eSports at www.blitzesports.com.

KHAOS 10: Kingdom Hearts and Riku, the True Protagonist

A new major trailer dropped for Kingdom Hearts III this week, which means it's a special off-week episode of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff! For episode 11 of KHAOS I am joined for the second time by my KH kin, Katherine Bullard! After joining me for the E3 special earlier this year, she's back to help me break down the latest Kingdom Hearts III trailer from Tokyo Game Show. We both share our live reactions as we watch the trailer for the first time at the episode's start, then follow that with a lot of excitement and speculation. We also commentate on the gorgeous box art for Kingdom Hearts III which was just revealed and is simply *Italian finger kiss*.

If you want to watch the trailer alongside our reactions to fully appreciate it, you can find it at the link below. We begin watching around the 2:47 mark of this episode.

KINGDOM HEARTS III – TGS Big Hero 6 Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNzxgjIRXWk

KHAOS 11: Kingdom Hearts and Live Reactions

In episode 12 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff, I chat with another member of the Nerd Pals Network family, Chris Samson! He's a co-host on both Super Nerd Pals and Left for Dread. Even with all that he's found the time to come on my show to talk about his love for electronic dance music in light of the news that Skrillex will be collaborating with Utada Hikaru for Kingdom Hearts III's main theme song. Not satisfied with just a single topic, Chris also delves into his deep love for tabletop RPG gaming. I share my recent first experience with D&D, and he tells me all about another podcast he listens to called Interstitial, where the players take on the roles of keyblade wielders in their own fantasy world. It's a long, entertaining ride, so come have a listen!

You can find Everglow's Kingdom Hearts Timeline project on YouTube, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eRniOT6_5c&list=PLhcSrKyqhfh5USKgcHjwTjeVbngw7Y0pr

The Interstitial Kickstarter, which has ended but has the details of the game for those interested, is at this link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1564627018/interstitial-our-hearts-intertwined-an-rpg-of-frie/updates

You can find Chris on Twitter at @kyoninjaforhire, myself at @zacharyplyons, and Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff at @KHAOScast.

KHAOS 12: Kingdom Hearts & EDM & D&D

No, I didn't make another episode numbering mistake like last time - this is really and truly episode 14. My guest for episode 13 had to postpone last-minute, so instead of finding a new guest for episode 13, I just delayed the whole thing! And yet somehow the episode numbering here is still easier to follow than Kingdom Hearts numbering conventions.

Anyway, in episode 14 I'm joined by my friend Vicki, whose total experience with the franchise is limited to watching a friend play the first game for about half an hour back in 2002. She owns an Xbox One and enjoys a good FPS like Call of Duty, and wants me to convince her why she should have a go at Kingdom Hearts. It's a really fun chat where she asks most of the questions instead of myself, which was a great change of pace for me! I hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed recording it.

And next time, we'll be back with episode 13!

KHAOS 14: Kingdom Hearts and Persuading a Newcomer

he SNP crew are all a bit tied up this week, so this week we've got a special fill-in episode of KHAOS! Previously we postponed episode 13 at the last minute and posted episode 14 in its place, so now we are delighted to share the belated 13th episode, featuring special guest Fatima Sabir, or Aquaberry of KH13 fame. Fatima and I do a deep dive into both major mysterious organizations throughout the Kingdom Hearts series - Organization XIII, helmed by Xemnas in Kingdom Hearts II, and Master Xehanort's "True Organization" that will be taking point in Kingdom Hearts III. Have a listen, and go check out kh13.com to keep up with all the latest and greatest in Kingdom Hearts news and reporting!

KHAOS 13: Kingdom Hearts and the Organizations

We're back on track! After a screwy couple of months for scheduling, things should be back to normal now. So we're here with episode 15 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff, with my guest Andrea Shearon. She's a fairly regular fan of the series who shares some sweet stories of how the Kingdom Hearts games have helped her bond with friends and family over the years. It's a lovely chat filled with touching anecdotes and warm, fuzzy memories. Have a listen, why don't you!

KHAOS 15: Kingdom Hearts and Heartwarming Nostalgia

I've convinced yet another friend to try playing through the Kingdom Hearts series! My buddy Colin recently picked up The Story So Far collection for PS4 and is pretty delightfully surprised by the first few hours of Kingdom Hearts. We spend over an hour (!) discussing their first few hours with the game, several of our favorite Disney films and worlds, how the Disney movies have influenced us, and plenty of things they have to look forward to as they progress through the games.

You can find Colin over at Heavy Blog is Heavy! http://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/

KHAOS 16: Kingdom Hearts and Impressive First Impressions

Sorry about the unexpected break over the holidays! It's a new year, and we're back in business. The wait for Kingdom Hearts III is nearly over, so my friend Kyle Prahl from PlayStation Universe joins me to discuss the good and bad that pertains to hype culture. We also talk about just how excited we are for Kingdom Hearts III, and what leading up to it has made us more or less hyped.

You can find Kyle on Twitter at @BetterCallPrahl, and KHAOS at @KHAOScast.

KHAOS 17: Kingdom Hearts and the Hype Machine

On episode 18 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff, my loving and lovely wife joins me to discuss how, as 30-somethings with a family and jobs, we find the time to play games amid so many other important obligations. We give some tips and suggestions for others looking to make more time for gaming, especially in light of Kingdom Hearts III's recent launch!

KHAOS 18: Kingdom Hearts and Game Time Management

Episode 19 of Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff drops as Kingdom Hearts III has been in our hands for just over two weeks. I don't think that's quite long enough to do a deep dive into a big spoilery chat (especially since I haven't even finished the game myself!), so instead I'm joined by two KHAOS veterans who carefully tiptoe around major spoilers with me to talk about the game in broader strokes, spoiler-free. We discuss the game's voice acting, graphics, mini-games, our current favorite and least favorite worlds, and more.

But man, episode 20? HOO BOY. All bets are off, and we'll be going into ALL the nitty-gritty of the story. Consider this an appetizer for next week's main course!

KHAOS 19: Kingdom Hearts III and Spoiler-Free Impressions

Join Andy, Ryan, and Chris every other week for SUPER NERD PALS - your bi-weekly podcast for topics in games, comics, anime, and all things nerdy! Then on off-weeks join Zak and his guest of the week on Kingdom Hearts and Other Stuff!