Old Game Plus

We continue on to the first "real" dungeon, Tsuta Ruins, its boss, and some of the surrounding area and quests.

We're back from our break and starting a new game!  We briefly review some thoughts on 2017 games, then jump into Okami with a short segment of the game.  This segment goes through the long introductory cutscene and tutorial sequence, through the end of the Hana Valley tutorial dungeon.

With all other matters taken of, Melissa goes to challenge the Black Omen and Lavos. We discuss the closing fights of the game, the ending, and step back for some thoughts on Chrono Trigger as a whole.   We hope you enjoyed this Chrono Trigger interlude.  Usual episodes will be returning shortly, where we'll begin our discussion of Okami!

We discuss all 6 of the side quests presented by Gaspar at the Fated Hour: The Sun Stone, the ghost of Cyrus, the Rainbow Shell, the origin of machines, Ozzie’s Fort, and saving the forest. The quests provide a lot of opportunity to discuss the game’s story as a whole, including significant story closure for various party members, musing on the meaning of the adventure as a whole, and catharsis for lingering feelings about the Trial.

Major story revelations unfold in a segment that includes the Blackbird escape, the confrontation with Magus at North Cape, and the quest to take the Chrono Trigger to Death Peak to undo what had been done at Ocean Palace.

As expected, the initial arrival at Zeal, even though it’s mostly a few minutes of talking to NPCs and looking around, has a huge amount to unpack. We carry on through being exiled from Zeal, going to Keeper’s Done in 2300 AD to find a way back to the past, and end with the dramatic scene that takes place at Ocean Palace.

Even though this segment has only Magus’s castle and Tyrano Lair, there is a lot to discuss. We revisit the personalities of Frog and Ayla, learn about the overall structure of the game, and witness the arrival of Lavos. Jay can’t resist building up the upcoming segment a bit.

A segment covering a lot of material including the arrival at Medina Village, Heckran Cave, the war in 600 AD, reuniting with Frog, and a visit to 65,000,000 BC. Along the way we discuss the combat mechanics, and what we’ve learned about the personalities of Frog and Ayla.

The prison escape, the Future, and the End of Time. In particular, we stop for a while on Melissa's reactions to powerful moments in Arris Dome, when the reality of what the future holds is revealed, and in the Factory, upon witnessing the persecution of Robo.

While we're on break, going back to a previous series Jay and Melissa did before the three of us started this podcast.  It's a discussion of Melissa's first playthrough of Chrono Trigger, in similar style to everything we've been doing on OG+.   We plan to post one episode of Chrono Trigger each week until the show resumes as usual in January.  These episodes were originally recorded and posted in May through July 2016.

The end of the story takes us through Bowser's Keep and the Factory, with interspersed discussion about our thoughts on the game as a whole. Our next episode is not in two weeks as usual--we are going on break for the holidays and will return in January with the start of the next game!

Bean Valley, the political intrigue of Nimbus Land, and the memorable music and boss fights of Barrel Volcano. In the next episode in two weeks, we are planning to have finished the game!

The Sunken Ship, the truth about Seaside Town, and the expedition through Land's End.  Also, weird physics, Group Hugs, and the importance of blocking in this game. In the next episode in two weeks, we're currently planning to play through the sixth star. Image Gallery for this episode.

The bizarre backdrop of Booster Tower, the elaborate wedding destination Marrymore, and the enigmatic Star Hill. Next episode in two weeks, as always. Planning to play until the arrival at Monstro Town. Image gallery from this episode Links: Undertalk: like this show, but about Undertale! On Mario quitting his day job? The familiar meta-narrative in Kingdom Battle. An iconic scene from Pulp Fiction (very R Rated)

We continue on to acquire the second and third stars, and see Forest Maze, Pipe Vault, Yo'ster Isle, and Moleville.  Also some discussion of the game's basic camera and control scheme, and what makes a good minigame. Image gallery from this episode Some discussions about the common dimetric projection for games like this.  Also a visible example in Mario RPG--if you look at the bright edge of the carpet, you can clearly the 2:1 slope of the pixelated line.

The first discussion of Mario RPG takes us through the Mushroom Kingdom and first star, the story developments at Tadpole Pond, and the game's history and style. Image gallery from this episode Links: One recount of the falling out between Nintendo and Square, that took place shortly after this game Mario RPG was a few months before Mario Kart 64, which is when Toadstool began consistently being called Peach in English The Super Mario Bros. Super Show

The second half of Portal--the "story" level Chapter 19.  Conclusions on the overall character of GlaDOS, the game's writing, and its overall impact. In two weeks, we will begin our game next game!  Find out at the end of the episode, or check back here or on our twitter shortly.   Links: Old Man Murray's "Crate Review System" The interesting can't-unsee take on GlaDOS's character design (via) One thing we'd forgotten in our discussion on the ending. The ending we saw and commented on (Chell is dragged back into the facility by a Party Escort Associate) was retcon made during the runup to Portal 2. Original ending Revised ending The writers thought that the Portal meme on the internet would be the metal hoop that rolls into the frame in the ending, not The Cake is a Lie.

Where Portal came from, how the "tutorial" levels (a large part of the game) are a masterclass in teaching the player how to think with portals, and the subtle writing that makes the game so memorable. In two weeks, we will conclude our discussion of Portal and announce the next game!

The conclusion of our discussion about A Link to the Past covers Turtle Rock, Ganon's Tower, and our overall thoughts on the game. Image Gallery for this episode.   The next episode will be in two weeks, and will begin our discussion of Portal.  As the game is short, we will all have played through the whole thing, but our discussion in the first episode will primarily cover everything before Chapter 19. A reminder that you can always follow us for updates on our twitter.

We discuss the item designs in Link to the Past, the overworld navigation post-Titan's Mitt, and three Dark World dungeons: Thieves' Town, Ice Palace, and Misery Mire. The next episode will be in two weeks, and will cover the remainder of the game. Image Gallery for this episode. Interview where Miyamoto discusses his excitement about the "bottle system." Map of the Ice Palace.   Finally, for those who have not already seen on our twitter, we announced our next game! Portal is currently available on Steam for only $0.99, if you grab it before Wednesday!  No reason not to grab it now, and join us in playing it as soon as we're done with Link to the Past.