Abnormal Mapping

Latest Episodes:

Abnormal Mapping 45: Final Fantasy IV Mar 25, 2016

Show notes

Welcome to another fantastic edition in the internet’s favourite Tella fan club podcast. This month, we’re counting down our top ten Tella moments, and we’re asking our audience the million dollar question: what would you do… with that much MP? Tella all your friends, and rate comment and subscribe!

EDITORS NOTE: we are not fans of Tella or his Moon Dwelling Counterpart and never shall be. The host responsible for implying such a thing has been reprimanded appropriately and regrets their words and deeds. Please enjoy this Tella-free discussion of Final Fantasy IV. Thank you.

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

Things Discussed: Ben Kuchera’s boob controller, booby Vita ad, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Jackson’s thoughts on Season 2 of The Walking Dead, 10000000, Hatsune Miku Project Mirai DX, David Letterman Miku, Wossy, Final Fantasy IV, Legends of Localization breakdown of FF4 script differences, Final Fantasy IV’s two different logos, M’s Final Fantasy XIII breakdown via LP

This Month’s Game Club: Final Fantasy IV

Next Month’s Game Club: Lili: Child of Geos

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin McLeod
Main Theme of Final Fantasy IV by Nobuo Uematsu
Theme of Love by Nobuo Uematsu
Battle with the Four Fiends by Nobuo Uematsu

Abnormal Mapping 44: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Mar 11, 2016

Show notes

Emerging from the wreckage of the Big Shell, Jackson travels through time to meet Cameron Kunzelman in the depths of the russian jungle, on a secret mission to stop a tank which can go really fast. In this third entry into the Metal Gear podcasts, Cameron and Jackson drill into the big questions: who does Snake kiss? Is it possible to make an anti-war War Game? And is Metal Gear even that ridiculous at all?

This is a fantastic episode and I hope you can take the time to give it a listen! Big, big thanks to Cameron for stopping by, you can find their writing at This Cage Is Worms, Paste and Twitter, their games here or on Steam, and a variety of Youtube fun stuff, well, on Youtube.

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

Things discussed: Metals Gear 1-5, Shigeru Miyamoto, Final Fantasy VII, Leigh Alexander on MGSV

Music This Episode
Snake Eater by Norihiko Hibino & Cynthia Harrell
Fanfare (FFVII) by Nobuo Uematsu
Way To Fall by Starsailor

Abnormal Mapping 43: Ninja Gaiden Black Feb 26, 2016

Show notes

do you know the nunchuck man
the nunchuck man, the nunchuck man
do you know the nunchuck man
who lives on ninja lane

Atop a transmission tower, a lone ninja stands and surveys his land. Once, he was a brutal man, a member of the Dragon Lineage who to whom death was second nature and who felt incomplete without a sword clasped in his hand. But with age, the man sought destruction no more, and looked to the future to build. One night, he met Isabelle, who gave him new purpose and – at last – a twinge of hope. For many long years he served as mayor of a beautiful town, and was wanting for nothing more and nothing left. Now, the town is in flames, and Isabelle in ashes. He feels the heat below boil his blood within, and clasps his sword for the last time. Once thought long dead, now vengeful blood runs through the veins of Young Ninja, Ryu Hayabusa…

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

Earlier this week, Jackson wrote an article for ZAM on Autism and The Witness! Check it out here.

Things Discussed: Animals Crossing, M’s farewell to their Animal Crossing: New Leaf town, what we wanted to be when we grew up, Ninja Gaiden Black, Buying Mature Games as Children, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Link to the Past, Buying an Xbox, Tony Hawk, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden II, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil, Bloodborne, Destiny, Dead or Alive The Movie, Screened, Beyond the Black Rainbow: The Metal Gear Solid V of Movies, Maybe?

This Month’s Game Club: Ninja Gaiden Black

Next Month’s Game Club: Final Fantasy IV

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin McLeod
Kapp’n’s Song by Shohei Tsuchiya
Airship by Ryo Koike, Wakana Hara
Moat of Zarkhan by Ryo Koike, Wakana Hara
Busy Earnin’ by Jungle

Abnormal Mapping 42: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Feb 15, 2016

Show notes

After conquering the base of Shadow Moses, Jackson continued on to Big Shell, accompanied this time by none other than the fantastic Heather Alexandra! This episode is an in-depth critical discussion on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, where we talk about (among other things) the game’s commentary on player and player character agency, the societal implications of The Patriots, and the varying quality of the members of that poor Emmerich Family.

I’m incredibly proud of this discussion, so if you’re at all interested in critical discussions on Metal Gear then you should definitely have a listen, I think it’s an intresting conversation about a really dense game. This episode couldn’t have been made without special guest Heather Alexandra, whose writing can be found on her website and you should also follow her on twitter!

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here+.

Things discussed: Metals Gear 1-5, Driving Off The Map, Metal Gear Rising

Music This Episode
Metal Gear Solid Main Theme by TAPPY & Harry Gregson-Williams
Fortune by Norihiko Hibino
Can’t Say Goodbye To Yesterday by Rika Muranaka, Carla White

Minimap: The Witness Feb 05, 2016

Show notes

In what will hopefully become a semi-regular fixture of short, impomptu podcasts, Em and Jackson sit down to have a chat about The Witness. There aren’t any spoilers for solutions here, and instead we get into our feelings on the cultural context of the game and its creator. Let us know if you enjoy the episode, and we’ll bring you some more when circumstances align!

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

Games Discussed
Braid, Not Myst, The Witness

Music Used
Blown Away by Kevin McLeod

Abnormal Mapping 41: Expand Jan 29, 2016

Show notes

The Mappers begin the new year with a new podcast about a new video game! There’s no such thing as too much new, as we delve deep into new characters, new shapes, and new possiblities with some new artwork and some new laughs. We also induct new things into the reading list. New. New new new. Please enjoy this new podcast, and maybe let friends (new ones, but old ones too I guess) know, so that they can be new listeners in this new era.

Meatloaf, Pure Pool, The Witcher, Animal Crossing, Shaven Wookie, Destiny, Mass Effect, Beyond: Two Souls, City of Heroes, Star Trek Online, The Sims, Saints Row, Miis, GTA IV, Sleeping Dogs, I am Become Rihanna, the Destroyer of Worlds, The Natural, Expand, When Two Best Friends Make Video Games, CS Go 1.7 Beta, games for children, the “Tears in the Rain” Blade Runner speech, Minecraft LPs, the car story from the Beastcast

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

Reading List Inductees:
Psychology of Video Games
Friends at the Table
Monster Factory

This Month’s Game Club Game: Expand

Next Month’s Game Club Game: Ninja Gaiden Black

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Mii Channel by Kazumi Totaka
Closure by Christopher Larkin
Slide by Etch Music
Busy Earnin’ by Jungle

Abnormal Mapping 40: Metal Gear Solid Jan 22, 2016

Show notes

With the completion of the Metal Gear diaries, Jackson is finally free from this franchise for the rest of time… or so they thought. Instead, they’ve pulled back in to a series of mid-month podcasts here on Abnormal Mapping where he talks to different guests about the various games in the series to highlight and explore multiple perspectives. For the first one, he’s joined by Corey Milne, an Irish Games Critic who wants nothing more than to hear Liquid Snake, with all the vocal might he can muster, utter the magic word: B R O T H E R

Corey’s writing can be found on his website and you can also follow him on twitter!

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

Things discussed: Metals Gear 1-4, Driving Off The Map, Spec Ops The Line

Music This Episode
The Best is Yet To Come by Rika Muranaka & Aoife Ní Fhearraigh
Encounter by TAPPY
Metal Gear Solid Theme by TAPPY

Abnormal Mapping 39: Earthbound Dec 30, 2015

Show notes

It’s the end of the year, and the Mappers have arrived a little late and a little weary to talk about the year that is now past and the year that lies ahead. 2015 was a mess of a year, like years often are, and in grand tradition we echew game of the year lists to bring you some memories, some japes, and some feelings. What lies ahead for the podcast? Within are the answers. Then, we turn to the games of yesteryear, for a deep conversation about one of the most highly regarded RPGs of all time, GameFAQs and Starman.net’s own … EarthBound.

A big thank you to friend of the show Tracie Mauk for providing the voice of the photographer in this episode.

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

This Month’s Game Club: EarthBound

Next Month’s Game Club: Expand

Things discussed: 2015 Spreadsheet, The Metal Gear Articles, Metals Gear, Zelda, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Final Fantasy VII, Ninja Gaiden Black, Yakuza 3, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, The Crew, Alphabear, Neko Atsume, Binding of Issac: Rebirth, Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate, Bloodborne, Etrian Odyssey, The Walking Dead: Season 2, Crusader Kings 2, EarthBound, the EarthBound guide

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Photographer’s Theme by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka
Your Name Please by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka
The Sky Runner by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka
Runaway Five Left the Building by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka
Onett Theme by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka

Abnormal Mapping 38: Beeswing Nov 27, 2015

Show notes

No jokes today, but our second annual Thanksgiving spectacular as we talk about what we’re thankful for and the stories we tell ourselves both in video games and not. That’s followed up by one of our most intimate game club games yet, and a promise for memories to come with next month’s classic game club to round out the year. Hope everyone had a good holiday, if you’re in the part of the world that celebrates it!

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

This Month’s Game Club: Beeswing

Next Month’s Game Club: EarthBound

Things discussed: Fallout, Bloodborne, Monster Factory, Mickey Mouse in the Castle of Illusion, The Sims, Twitch Plays Pokemon, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, Mario Lore, Final Fantasy VIII, Assassins’ Creed, Metal Gear Solid 2, Dino Crisis 3, Beeswing, Slacker, Abnormal Mapping continues their efforts to stop the sun, Bend it Like Beckham

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Beeswing Main Title by Jack King-Spooner*
Beeswing Music Box theme by Jack King-Spooner*
Hell to Up by Silverley Allen
TV Song by Jack King-Spooner*

*names and composer presumed given lack of information

Abnormal Mapping 37: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Oct 30, 2015

Show notes

The Mappers take to the Halloween skies of a cursed night long long ago in a castle far far away to discuss the Greatest Video Game Ever Made … Super Bombad Racing.

Items Discussed: Going to GAME in 2015; Bloodborne; Errant Signal’s “Peak Star Wars“; Star Wars in video games (Battlefront 2015 and 2003, Shadows of the Empire, Lego, etc); Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; Leigh Alexander’s writing on SotN; Eva Problem’s “your asshole dad’s castle is back again“; Mike Joffe’s writing on SotN; Vania Mania; Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow; Destiny’s Pokemon Team: Espurr, Eevee, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, Snorlax; Matthew’s Pokemon Team: Wobbuffet, Arcanine, Breloom, Probopass, Victini, Kiefi; Metroid Prime; Donkey Kong Country; Mario 64; Mystical Ninja starring Goemon; Catherine; Star Wars books; Stephen King

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.

This Month’s Game Club: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Next Month’s Game Club: Beeswing

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Dance of Gold by Michiru Yamane
Wood Carving Partita by Michiru Yamane
Rainbow Cemetery by Michiru Yamane
I Am The Wind by Michiru Yamane (feat. Cynthia Harrel)

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