Archive for 2021
Video Game Purists Ep 66: Celebrity Miis
This week kicks off with Trees getting an Xbox Series X! Turns out the All Access program he always wanted to use was finally available a whopping 8 months later and seems to be a relatively rare find on top of that. Then it’s on to Memorial Day weekends and listener mail before delving into games. Trees has been playing MiiTopia and Car Mechanic Simulator (PS4) while Fred dove deep into Mass Effect Legendary Edition on top of VR titles Psychonauts and the Rhombus of Ruin and The Inpatient.
Video Game Purists Ep 65: Disappointed
This week Trees makes another trek to the casino while Fred is dealing with furniture and odd balls at the grocery store. On the gaming front, Trees continues with Mass Effect Legendary Edition and a bunch of Dead Cells (including DLC), but the hot topics are MiiTopia arriving and the joy of Snowrunners. Fred is still enchanted by Spider-Man Remastered (although he had played the original version on PS4), not quite feeling Disco Elysium: Final Cut, and being gutted by the state of PS VR’s port of Vader Immortal (all 3 eps).
Video Game Purists Ep 64: Is There A Rogue?
This week we have some politically discussions about social politics and inappropriate media. On the gaming front Trees is continuing with his Dead Cells crusade, even branching out to Void Bastards, but also re-living one of his favorite titles with Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Fred is giving up on Moss, giving his final impressions on Resident Evil Village, and enjoying the incredibly enhanced Spider-Man Remastered.
RetroActive Episode 2: Half-Life (1998)
For the second episode of RetroActive, we decided to tackle something light: Half-Life. Quite possibly one of the biggest and most influential first-person shooters ever released, Valve not only used the franchise to evolve the genre, but the sequel is also how they made the service Steam a household name. Jamalais (yes, Jam!) returns to discuss this powerhouse title. Also on this episode: hardware guide to the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and the real deal on framerate analysis. All songs featured in this episode are from the official Half-Life soundtrack.
0:00 – Intro – Closing Theme
0:54 – Editorial: Toxic Behavior
5:52 – Klaxton Beat
6:50 – Hardware: Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
32:10 – Diabolical Adrenaline Guitar
33:10 – Half-Life (1998) Discussion with Guest Jamalais
2:03:03 – Traveling Through Limbo
2:04:03 – Framerate Analysis and Next Episode
2:15:14 – Valve Theme
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Video Game Purists Ep 63: “Short” Show
This week has to be a bit shorter due to Fred’s schedule, but nothing is trimmed and we still get in about 2 hours. After plenty of home drama last week Trees has a more relaxed week prepping for summer while Fred is just playing with retro setups. On the games front Trees is getting back into runs on Dead Cells and completed TellTale’s Guardians of the Galaxy title. Fred gave MIitopia a try as well as dove into VR with Rez Infinite and Moss. The big game for him is, of course, Resident Evil Village, which he adores.
Video Game Purists Ep 62: Gutter Rebels
This week opens with some talk of upcoming releases. Yes, there are games starting to come out! Then Trees is having more home improvement fun while Fred is back to outdoor theaters and animated series. On the games front, both Trees and Fred are having a blast with Rayman Legends. Trees jumped on game pass to get back into Rory McIlroy’s PGA 14 and is watching all kinds of Mii insanity on Switch with Miitomo. Fred is on his 3rd round of Resident Evil Village demos and also played the E3 demo of the unreleased Dreamcast title Castlevania: Resurrection.
RetroActive Episode 1: Ys III
Introducing my new retro podcast on the culture behind games of the past: RetroActive. Each episode we delve into a main topic (often a specific game) and dig into its place in history. There are also smaller sections covering all kinds of topics in the world of retro. Think of this as the audio form of a mid 90s gaming magazine.
This first episode features guest Chase from Learned from Gaming who joins to examine Ys III: Wanderer’s From Ys. Despite being the third game in the series, it was the first to get a widespread North American release despite being a somewhat dated action RPG for the time. In addition Fred discusses what RetroActive is all about, retro gaming hardware options, and how best to handle PSN’s uncertain future on PS3 and Vita.
Video Game Purists Episode 61: SMH
This week Trees is in the gutter while Fred is playing musical theaters trying to see Mortal Kombat. There is a relatively spoiler free discussion, but we also warn you if you want to avoid the 15 or so minutes it’s discussed. Then it’s onto the games front where Trees describes the beautiful and fun worlds of Yoshi’s Crafted World and Rayman Legends. The conversation shifts due to a listener question to the state of Sony’s first party titles, including the cancellation of Days Gone 2 and the remake of The Last of Us. It all wraps with Fred having a blast in VR and struggling to find the fun in Watch Dogs 2.
Video Game Purists Ep 60: Wet Treated Wood
This week Trees is rebuilding his back stairs and attempting to replace his cell phone while Fred is complaining about snow and attempting to soft mod his PS3. In gaming Trees played the GameStop trade-in game as well as enjoying The Flame and the Flood. Fred tried the Resident Evil Village “Village Demo” on PS5, continues to love Astrobot, and is frustrated with games that have solid gameplay loops but disconnects in progress.
Video Game Purists Episode 59: Virtually Stunning
This week Fred and Trees return after a week off and it’s time to get down to business. Discussions begin with an update on Trees’ household, new and old furniture, and Godzilla v. Kong. We have a listener mail on HDR and how it works on both PC monitors and TVs, then it’s on to games. Trees has started Paper Mario: The Origami King, enjoyed classic shmups with the Vasara Collection, and tried to be king of the hill with Pac-Man 99. His big passion has been turning into a teenage girl and scouring the land for resources in Atelier Rorona (which also lends to our closing music). Fred has finally wrapped Days Gone with near 100 percent completion and about 45-50 hours of work, but his true love this week has been VR. Thanks to a lent PS VR from Trees, he’s been flying through a catalog of the top titles of the platform, all of which were obtained from PS+ or freebies from Sony.
Gaming History 101 