Watch Out For Fireballs!

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Zone of the Enders. LINKS OF NOTE: Radical Dreamers (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Dreamers) Disability girls! (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katawa_Shoujo) Steins Gate (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steins;Gate) Ender's Game (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender%27s_Game) What stories about spoiled kids should be (www.youtube.com/watch?v=imUzDynP6zM) Wet Hot American Summer (www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLlMTn_Jzok) Vic Viper (gradius.wikia.com/wiki/Vic_Viper) To the Moon (www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqkJuSV-23U)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross fly through Zone of the Enders. It's not bad for a game to be simple, or for a game to be slight. It's bad for a game to feel incomplete. That's what we're up against with Zone of the Enders. We went in expecting satisfying, flashy combat, but what we found was a thin veneer of style covering mostly air. This is a game that's most well known for its demo, and that's a strange, historical anomaly. LINKS OF NOTE: Mad TV (www.yourepeat.com/watch/?v=bQ1N3q4Vgkg) Peace Walker (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5Uu1XOEh4) Twin Snakes (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecmLG8j8ISw) Ground Zeroes (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltH1eWxZutE) Amazon sounds awful (www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/techno…rkplace.html?_r=1) Exo Squad (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR7ktkOEeFw) Neo Genesis Evangelion (www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbksWvNv-fU) Eagleheart (www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDL9nPSukAk) Journey to Jaburo (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YJfIRmcg1Y) Firefly scene (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPRlHwwVIug)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. LINKS OF NOTE: Pizza Totino's Boy (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lPX5b9m7ro) Energy Hook (www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9xr1Z6UDEA) Enneagram of Personality (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality) Wizardry 8 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu6g7ivLGKc)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross branch out into Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. 999 is the winner of our Summer Reading poll. Considered by most to be one of the best entries in the Visual Novel(ish) genre, we take a look and see if it holds up to scrutiny. What we find is that 999 is a divisive game, leading to a classic WOFF barnburner. LINKS OF NOTE: Cat's Cradle (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat%27s_Cradle) Ignoramoose (home.comcast.net/~gibell/pegsolitaire/CBTips.html) Ship of Theseus (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus) VLR Trailer (www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYfAk1A2bQo) Deadlocked (www.imdb.com/title/tt0112822/pl…mary?ref_=tt_ov_pl) High Fidelity (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBUOhFs7t2s) The Soggies (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTYZfdDVJu8) The Running Man (www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ceegnWSENQ) 100th Monkey (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundredth_monkey_effect) Face Blindness (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosopagnosia) Ever17 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_17:_The_Out_of_Infinity)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Spider-Man 2. LINKS OF NOTE: Jay-Z is a business (genius.com/17918) Game of Thrones Board Game (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZPbqpelVjs) The Red Balloon (www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2Y1tRBOXfA) Tomb Raider Suicide ITT (www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2W2K8oUplw) Just look at this cool fucking character (torment.wikia.com/wiki/Ignus)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross spin a yarn about Spider-Man 2. What happens when you have one great mechanic, one okay mechanic, and a bunch of other stuff that surrounds them? You get Spider-Man 2, the first superhero game that did a great job of making you feel like a superhero. The swinging is damn near perfect, but does everything else stand up? LINKS OF NOTE: Brown Widow (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrP1_5XuKLI) Billy Dee Two Face (comicbook.com/blog/2013/11/02/bi…or-batman-forever/) Donald Glover as Spider Man (www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/…piderman-we-need/) American Gladiator Assault (www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QjXQnt_7kA) Blank Check (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf-7OvD6oFQ) Man-Wolf (www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Wy5GxnDSw)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to L.A. Noire. LINKS OF NOTE: Toonstruck (www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIIXjulD3_w) How to Get Ahead in Advertising (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJQHdhjQXgg) 3rd Man Sewer Chase (www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMgdpXvMeqo)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross get to the bottom of L.A Noire. It's 1947. The war is over, and changed men are returning to a changed nation. Cole Phelps, a Marine-turned-cop, must face down his own demons while tackling corruption in the system. This is a unique game, and while not everything holds up, the investigation, interrogation, and atmosphere make L.A. Noire a game to remember. LINKS OF NOTE: Madvertising Men Extras (i.imgur.com/DaC2ecM.jpg) Prometheus Unbound (andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/…rometheus.html) Floyd Rose (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Rose) Custer Syndrome (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_disease) I don't know how this is going to help, Cole (img.gawkerassets.com/img/199zcorjof…f/original.gif) Big Lebowski (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNLWbT3W0EQ) Wayne's World 2 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yluZgzkA8MM) The Naked City (www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3WHT4HpsCo) Mediocre! (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX-FMvt83fA)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Demon's Crest. LINKS OF NOTE: Kemco iOS games (www.kemco-games.com/global/games.html)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross blaze through Demon's Crest. The Summer of SNES continues with Demon's Crest, a neglected entry in a neglected series. It takes non-standard platforming mechanics, and spreads them across a non-linear story rich with bosses and evocative gothic imagery. Be sure to grab this one on Virtual Console. LINKS OF NOTE: Maximo (www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQRM6druzG0) Alexia (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYH1O60JZYE) Zeromus (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aJbM2QGsxQ) Monster Manual 3 (www.goddessfantasy.net/Upload/dnd/3e/MM3.pdf) Modulok (www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3nUPYXfm…1534540C6&index=7)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Harvest Moon and SimCity. LINKS OF NOTE: Robert Moses (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moses) Butthead and his son Beavis do America (www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7WoJvEAuPU) Turboteen (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbo_Teen) Hancock (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQQgvhn4jg) Bunnies gotta jump (www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM9YWm6T_hc)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross manage to talk about Harvest Moon and SimCity (the SNES versions of both). This Split EP is dedicated to two SNES games that take it a little bit slow. Both Harvest Moon and SimCity ask the player to make decisions about how to use limited resources like time and money in order to get some kind of return. Sometimes that's a bountiful turnip harvest, and sometimes that's a happy populace. While both series would go on to grow and change, these SNES versions are the simplest distillation of what they are trying to accomplish. LINKS OF NOTE: Growth Hacking (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hacking) Retronauts on Slow Life Games (www.retronauts.com/?p=1066) Bush (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFkTSPjER6o) Harvest Moon for iOS (www.technologytell.com/apple/150687/…-this-winter/) Dog's Life (www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0WsnngckdU) Blood in Chocolate Milk (www.snopes.com/horrors/food/chocmilk.asp) Raid on Bungelin Bay (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeCZaxVP0nk) LGR on Simcity (www.youtube.com/watch?v=O42

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Katamari Damacy. LINKS OF NOTE: AGS (www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/) Whiskey LIbrary (www.multnomahwhiskeylibrary.com/) Crystal Clear Dew (www.mountaindew.com/dewshine/) Dew Mouth (www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/20…g-appalachias-teeth) Earth Defense Force (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BusBMaCg0GQ)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross heap praise on Katamari Damacy. It's simultaneously a singular expression, and one of the most eclectic games we've covered for the show. Katamari Damacy is an extremely simple game with one goal: to instill as much joy in you as possible. And it works. LINKS OF NOTE: Our Place in the Stars (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6d3h-NpS8) Meet Dave (edgeoftheframe.files.wordpress.com/2011/11…st1.jpg) The Clumps (www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS8zi7Dg8TM) Noby Noby Boy (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymw6r-DVMtU) Slither (www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-f8wU6Fpeo) Monkey Shines (www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpG4R3Sjf4Y) Booji Boy (www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ty3RuzQ8xo) Dolls (www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ykP9fQRWKA) He was a bad man (www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuAzvb38PyI) Snail Dick (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molluscum_contagiosum) Pegg V. Geeks (simonpegg.net/2015/05/19/big-mouth-strikes-again/) Judy is your Viet Nam (www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJYZTFKSQ60)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Super Metroid. LINKS OF NOTE: Dragon Age Inquisition (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJqxfkgSUog) Landstalker (www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5hat4xLoVI) Alundra (www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTyDw2OthMo) Metroid Chronology (kotaku.com/the-spectacular-sto…gs-riche-1284029577) Mr. Bucket (www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqd41B-WAFo) Project Ukulele (www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/…t-ukulele.html) Metroid Music (www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrNszpBbpvY)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross gush about Super Metroid in this centennial episode of Watch Out for Fireballs! "Break Glass in Case of Emergency". There's a whole category of game that Gary and I avoid playing for the show. They're in the upper echelon. They're top tier. If we brought them out regularly, everything else would feel like a chore. But sometimes it's a special occasion, and you have to bring out the fine china. And Super Metroid is some fine, fine China. On one hand, it's an expansion and elaboration on the stuff that made Metroid 1 and 2 unique. On the other, it's a foundational text that cemented a whole new genre in place. Listen, as we break the glass and talk about one of the best games of all time. But first, get hyped by watching this trailer, created for us by Allison Baker: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGM20MejGGg LINKS OF NOTE: Bloodstained (www.kickstarter.com/projects/iga/bl…al-of-the-night) Really cool Super Metroid speedrun (www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmfV8IhsHq0) What We Talk About... (en.

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross hide in a corner while Amnesia: The Dark Descent happens. This game won our Spring Survival Horror poll, and for good reason. Frictional mastered the "first person, pursuit-based exploration horror" genre, and created a game that's so scary that a lot of people can't even play it. Listen in, especially if you're one of those people. LINKS OF NOTE: Danse Macabre (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danse_Macabre_%28book%29) Sanity Patent (patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parse…954&RS=PN/6935954) Novint Falcon (www.novint.com/index.php/novintfalcon) Curated list of custom stories. I can't vouch necessarily (www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbjsbYIO6sc) The Nothing (www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrG-lsrXKRM) Dat fountain (www.google.com/search?espv=2&biw…w&ved=0CCIQ1QIoAQ) Road to Damascus (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_…Paul_the_Apostle) SOMA (www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5iRmZPQ3VA) I can't find the right commercial but I didn't dream up Wyler's (www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWQhzqVVZKU) Torture Museum Reviews (www.tri

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross read your responses to Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. LINKS OF NOTE: Michael Kupperman (michaelkupperman.com/) Azure Dreams (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o9KVgt4014) CoD Analysis (www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvN51r1o1Nc) Masters of Doom (www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Crea…ure/dp/0812972155) Anachronox (www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdE2R-j0CI)

Gary Butterfield and Kole Ross delve into Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. If you're judging this game on adorableness, it passes with flying colors. If you're judging it on mechanics, it's the best introduction to Roguelikes you're likely to get. If you're judging it on story... Wait, where's Rafaello? I love him so god damn much. LINKS OF NOTE: Roguelike Radio (http://www.roguelikeradio.com/) Dark Sun (http://darksun.wikia.com/wiki/Dark_Sun_Wiki) Sillicon Valley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyVksFviJVE) Underwater Moonlight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Iysm8QaG8) 3 word phrase (http://www.threewordphrase.com/) Shiren the Wanderer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvnO_mJMpwg)