Watch Out For Fireballs!

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross take a gamble on Fallout: New Vegas.

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross take a gamble on Fallout: New Vegas. Talking about Fallout 3 this previous winter really put a fire in us... Though we were underwhelmed by the Capital Wasteland in the moment, all roads led back to pining for the Mojave. So here we are, talking about Fallout: New Vegas, a triumph of video game writing and design, where player choice is emphasized and rewarded. This first episode of a monthlong series hits on the main questlines of New Vegas, with an emphasis on the Yes Man and NCR lines, although we address all of the ways the story can resolve. Next week, we'll talk about the side quests. LINKS OF NOTE: Playable Van Buren (www.moddb.com/games/van-buren/do…an-buren-tech-demo) JE Sawyer Mod (fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Forum:Josh_Sawyer's_Mod) Distro (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_distribution) Santa (futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Robot_Santa_Claus) Wayne The Skeleton King (www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPcYsBB9CTQ) Fallout Lore (www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvqm_pPD-…Nbt103xp0PkkUCoPU) David Koechner

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross take Oregon Trail and Typing of the Dead to school (for show and tell). Edutainment is, inherently, kind of lame. We can all smell a "message" coming a mile away. But the best examples can make you forget you're learning, and stand up as great games in their own right. So we've taken a ubiquitous classic of edutainment, Oregon Trail, and paired it with Typing of the Dead, a relic of Sega's weirdest days. And it turns out that sometimes, learning can be fun. LINKS OF NOTE: Chex Quest (duckfeed.tv/abjectsuffering/53) Birthday Sex (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYMxOzxKYYo) Birthday Checks (www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDHrtX66epM) Institute of Play Article (www.instituteofplay.org/2014/11/decon…oregon-trail/) Dumb Dumbs (www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbRZKrvAZ7U)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time and Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara. LINKS OF NOTE: One example of old Unreal Portal guns (www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYgdg1YZx3s) Guardian Heroes (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp37p7Gr_bs) Lodos War (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YiyBat61I4) Odin Sphere (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvU6Y8hjpVc) Enoch 18:14 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzDv8sYX4j0)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross rumble through Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time and Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara. Brawlers have a reputation for being simplistic and exploitative. They're a game design born of economic opportunity, engineered to accumulate quarters with frequency. But divorced from that, there are examples of brawlers with surprising depth and ingenuity. Turtles and Mystara are both great examples of the form, chosen by our community of Patreon backers. LINKS OF NOTE: Gelatinous Cube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4tmzwrdTmY) Mystara Megafaq (www.gamefaqs.com/arcade/563201-du…stara/faqs/11489) Battletoads First Boss (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHgVR0Ykkcc) This shirt I got (www.amazon.com/Actually-Thirties…irt/dp/B0179U84FG) Demon Stone (www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nKkPA4KKGg) Our meatballs are eggs (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1YTuSzZxdA) Stone Protectors (www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=ch…tone%20protectors) Flatliners (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCm_NMU6Phw) Wounded Knee (en.wikip

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. LINKS OF NOTE: None

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross charge through Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. Warcraft III is probably one of the most influential games of all time. There's a lot that came before it, but Blizzard's first 3D real time strategy game came at just the right time to lay the foundation for most of today's competitive multiplayer scene. While we're not much for competition, the single player campaigns of Reign of Chaos do a ton of interesting stuff. Join us as we talk about our first real RTS (we're trying to forget Sacrifice). LINKS OF NOTE: Elephants without trunks or ears (funsubstance.com/fun/51849/elepha…ears-and-trunks/) Strong Bad (www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail.html) Anakin Skywalker is a character some people take seriously. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnwkE4trA48) Muppets all gathered up (www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpRap-zHZHY&nohtml5=False) Imzadi (www.youtube.com/watch?v=836hXACVsD0&nohtml5=False) Hidden Frozen Throne Level that's tower defense (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tkyjymRdws)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Portal and Portal 2. LINKS OF NOTE: Another Cold Morning (comicvine.gamespot.com/transmetropol…g/4000-44857/) Portal 2 Mods (twinfinite.net/2015/02/portal-2-mods-you-need/) Portal Stories (store.steampowered.com/app/317400/) Freaks and Geeks (www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJAGxAeV7YU&nohtml5=False) Paris Syndrome (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross open up a door to the elemental plane of praise for Portal and Portal 2. Last year, with Super Metroid at episode 100, we decided to try doing a "perfect" game once a year. Portal and Portal 2 are both obvious choices for such high praise. They still feel recent, but almost a decade after Portal hit the scene in The Orange Box we're still feeling the effects of its sheer economy of play, and utter wit in storytelling. And no matter what anyone tells you, Portal 2 is a worthy heir. LINKS OF NOTE: Narbacular Drop (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acs3NLXWphQ&nohtml5=False) Ellen Mclain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZFS6rCQUBs&nohtml5=False) It's my Life (http://duckfeed.tv/tdb/its-my-life-by-jon-bon-jovi) Fuck You (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc0mxOXbWIU&nohtml5=False) Bill Cosby Bukowski (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j89zSzq_dQY&nohtml5=False) Pwease No Steppy (http://40.media.tumblr.com/a21acd8cbeb8ad223c8b8ef3e883b569/tumblr_o0ft85RGOB1t2jeblo1_1280.jpg) Toki Tori 2 (

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Silent Hill 3. LINKS OF NOTE: Project Scissors (www.kickstarter.com/projects/playis…issors-nightcry)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross ooze affection for Silent Hill 3. A teenage girl is in trouble. The world is warping around her, and strange people are saying that she's destined to birth Paradise. That's the setup to Silent Hill 3, one of the scariest and most upsetting games in existence. The story has problems, but for atmosphere and dread it has almost no rival. If you haven't played the original Silent Hill, don't worry: We go out of our way to provide all of the context you need to understand what's going on here. Enjoy! LINKS OF NOTE: Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b4iOhWswYM) Circumcision nonsense (storify.com/jasperrolls/the-sil…on-meltdown-of-2015) Subway scene. Couldn't find unaltered version (vimeo.com/117515059) Ghost Stations (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_station) The gates are open. This is the last time this will appear in show notes. Drink it up. (www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEBkKYJdFq0) Session 9 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsxkRNvEbhM) Suicide House... (comedybangbang.wikia.com

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Interactive Fiction. LINKS OF NOTE: MUD (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUD)

gary butterfield and kole ross, interactive fiction_ Two men speak into microphones about interactive fiction, also known as text adventures. They cover the basics of the medium, a brief history and discuss four games in-depth: "Planetfall", "A Mind Forever Voyaging", "Slouching Towards Bedlam", and "The King of Shreds and Patches." LINKS OF NOTE: The Special Special Special (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb5E1vx961o) Get Lamp (www.youtube.com/watch?v=o15itQ_EhRo) 11/22/63 (112263book.com/) The Descent (www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZj0Q9rq9E) Parsley (www.memento-mori.com/parsely/) Cruelty Scale (www.ifwiki.org/index.php/Cruelty_scale) Yeats Second Coming (www.potw.org/archive/potw351.html) Zork (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToEllOW2r1Y) Gateway (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_(video_game)) 80 Days (www.inklestudios.com/80days/) Planetfall (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetfall) A Mind Forever Voyaging (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Mind_Forever_Voyaging) Slouching Towards Bedlam (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slouching_Towards_Bedlam) King o

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. LINKS OF NOTE: Dunder Mifflin Chatroom (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Out_(The_Office)) Onimusha (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sueu7x2lAUE) Information Society (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPuXvpkOLmM)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross excoriate Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. This episode isn't for the faint of heart... What started out as a well-intentioned desire to talk about a beloved action-adventure game turned into a hit piece against an entire era and genre of games. But we cite our sources, and go to great pains to remind you: Just because we don't like this game doesn't mean we don't like you. LINKS OF NOTE: Chamber (marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Jonothon_St…smore_(Earth-616)) Boyhood (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0oX0xiwOv8) Project Milo (www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPIbGnBQcJY) That Neogaf post (www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=488564) Very Bad Things (www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsAm2UvcKI4) Mazikeen (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazikeen_(comics)) Red Dawn (www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_I4WgBfETc) Shadows of the Empire Hoth (www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzMH9G3WSEs) The Timekeeper (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muhJtqQIy4) Tom Halverford's Company (www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYeup5zrZbs) Quantum Conundrum (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg97ZE

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Sanitarium. LINKS OF NOTE: The Perfect Drug (www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSLqeZzTU8I) Tiny Wings (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky65XZXLcLU)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross commit to talking about Sanitarium. You wake up with no face, no memories, and no name. You're surrounded by people banging their heads against walls, talking about mechanical bugs and Aztec prophecies. Diagnosis? Crazy. This horror-themed adventure game is an odd duck because it's played from a bird's-eye perspective... but does it ever quite get off the ground? LINKS OF NOTE: Uninvited Ghost (https://youtu.be/EahhprgkB7g?t=444) 0451 (http://www.hitselfdestruct.com/2008/07/0451.html) Dogma Golgothan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HIXxgyjCt0) Casmir Polaski Day (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxMYqsvgX8c) Ravenloft Carnival (http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/DrawingRoom/Ravenloft_Products/1st_2nd_Edition/Carnival.html) Temple of Osiris (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm9FzqLqcj8) Sanitarium Postmortem (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131706/postmortem_dreamforges_sanitarium.php) Owl Creek Bridge (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Occurrence_at_Owl_Creek_Bridge) Planet

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Mega Man Legends. LINKS OF NOTE: Broad City (imagesmtv-a.akamaihd.net/uri/mgid:fil…21182807.gif)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross respectfully disagree about Mega Man Legends. It's the first fully 3D Mega Man game, but it doesn't take a lot of cues from the series that preceded it. You spend most of your time dungeon crawling, but the interesting stuff happens when you're just kickin' it in the city. It rests firmly in the "awkward teenage years" of the PSX. It's Mega Man Legends. LINKS OF NOTE: Tron Bonne (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhy9U2TMzwo) Red Ash (kotaku.com/the-red-ash-kicksta…disaster-1721094852) MML3 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_Legends_3) Megabustin' makes me feel good (www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdyU_gW6WE) Puckerface from The Godhand (berserk.wikia.com/wiki/Conrad) [Water in Flint](* Megabustin' makes me feel good (www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tdyU_gW6WE) Puckerface from The Godhand (berserk.wikia.com/wiki/Conrad)) Ignignokt (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mooninites) Guantanamo Bay as run by "Skull Face," Nicola and Bart (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4XY26P4z_E)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Fallout 3. LINKS OF NOTE: Gabagool (www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fmz5XdGq4) Environmental Storytelling (www.somethingawful.com/news/fallout-…ing-skeleton/) Davide's Game (davideafiandra.itch.io/linedash) Tale of Two Wastelands (taleoftwowastelands.com/)