1Upsmanship

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Latest Episodes:

1Upsmanship: Stray (Feat. Vanessa Guerrero) Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Adam is joined by longtime guest, first time host, Vanessa Guerrero (Twitter: @nessguerrero) to talk about Stray, the 2022 beloved indie cat caper. The conversation gets predictably ‘zurked’ as our feline fans veer off into indie game development cycles, monstrous allergies, and whether they need a face to be loved! But did that cute ginger tabby claw its way into the Celestial Hard Drive? Do our hosts finally grant robots the same emotional significance as humans? Will Adam finally find that crack in the cyberpunk fortress and reunite with Michael who’s just, like, waiting outside for him? Leap on in to find out!

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1Upsmanship: Forspoken Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

Bounding across the barren video game landscape in search of digital treasure and probably our parents, it’s 1upsmanship! This time our boys take on the recently released and largely panned Playstation exclusive Forspoken in a desperate attempt to add their laundry list of gripes to the pile. But things take a turn toward the celestial as Michael and Adam discuss the value of the Hero’s Journey as a story structure in 2023, the value of a game being made for financial considerations, and how the combat is actually sorta awesome when you finally get all your upgrades. Check it out!

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1Upsmanship: Friday the 13th (Feat. David Bell) Feb 27, 2023

Show notes

Bar your doors and hit the floor Shipheads, cause this game’s about to rip off your jaw - in a good way! Joined by fellow maniac David Bell (Gamefully Unemployed), our heroes navigate the pros, cons and sometimes thongs of your favorite camp slasher turned asymmetrical multiplayer murder simulator! It’s a love letter to cinephiles and just a damned good time, in the sense that it’s utterly terrifying and Adam and Dave enjoy donning a hockey mask while they podcast.

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1Upsmanship: Favorite Video Game Companions Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

Mike and Adam take a break from their relentless celestial campaign to discuss their favorite video game companions. But this ain’t no escort mission! Both gamers hold their own as they describe and defend their top ten. Will Mike ever reference a game Adam has played? Will somebody on this podcast finally acknowledge Final Fantasy? Will Adam somehow bring up Destiny again? I mean, yeah probably.

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1Upsmanship: F-Zero (Feat. DJ Danl) Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

Start your engines shipheads, because 1Upsmanship is taking on its first ever racing game and they picked a classic! Co-piloted by special guest co-host DJ Danl, our boys boost past futuristic space gambling plots, Mode 7 graphical innovations, the history of racing games as a genre, and Adam’s dad hogging the controller. But will F-zero pass the great checkered flag in time to win its place on the Celestial Hard Drive? Tune in and find out!

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1Upsmanship: Among Us Feb 06, 2023

Show notes

Your stalwart hosts test the very fabric of their friendship – even moreso than usual! It’s not just an argument about a video game, it’s an argument about arguments. Revel in two lifetimes of regrets as the fellas recount their own sordid histories with social games, plus the phenomenal job InnerSloth did harnessing that sick tension and using it to help us all survive the pandemic and come out the other side just a little more suspicious of our loved ones.

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1Upsmanship: Arcaxer (Feat. Anthony Graceffa and Aaron Lutes) Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

Shipheads, meet Anthony and Aaron, VR devs with a new game to show off and fascinating insights into the unique space in which they work. Arcaxer is VR’s first turn-based RPG. We dive into how they came up with such a wild idea, went about accomplishing it, and the trials and travails of trying to market the thing now that it exists. Visor up and let’s see what the next evolution of gaming looks like (spoilers: it involves running on a treadmill and then vomiting).

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1Upsmanship: Mega Man X (Feat. Seanbaby) Jan 23, 2023

Show notes

Joined by the internet’s own Seanbaby (@Seanbabydotcom) of 1900-Hot-Dogg and Cracked notoriety, the celestial debate continues with a deep dive on everybody’s favorite super fighting robot, Mega Man who slapped on some new gear and a fresh coat of paint in his first big outing on the SNES. Things get heated when our heroes clash over the game’s difficulty, how much this franchise steals from others, and whether getting the Hadoken is Mega Man’s ultimate power upgrade. Listen now to gain all our powers!

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1Upsmanship: Dishonored Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Our heroes zip rooftop to rooftop over the grim streets of Dunwall, discussing all the important questions raised by one of the most creative franchises in recent video game history. How much does this game really owe to Bioshock? Is stealth the only viable approach? Wait, Susan Sarandon is in this? Should every game consider making you lord of rats? Hop aboard, Ship Heads, this one’s a whale of a time!

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1Upsmanship: Celestial Hard Drive Update 2.0 Jan 09, 2023

Show notes

It’s that time of the year again! Michael and Adam decided to kick 2023 off with a bang and discuss the State of the Drive. In this special once-a-year extravaganza they each revisit five hard drive decisions they’d like reconsidered. Things get surprisingly heated as the two friends argue about whether they need to discuss Psychonauts ever again, whether the Hard Drive needs a morality clause, and whether being first or the most fine-tuned is more important for a game’s legacy. Major game franchises get slandered! Fundamental drive assumptions get patched out! It’s a must-download update for all our listeners!

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