Abnormal Mapping

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Abnormal Mapping 36: Framed Sep 25, 2015

Show notes

A dark night in the bright city. Jackson dashes down an alleyway, a shadow looming behind them. They clutches the attache case close to they chest as they squeeze past a dumpster and into a space that would generously be described as snug for even the overfed cats that dine on the garbage nearby. Em’s close behind, reaching into the tiny space up to their elbow to reach after Jackson, unable to go any further. Growling, they climb up the dumpster, leaping onto the lowest rungs of the fire escape as they use the window to get into the hallway of the building Jackson is squeezing past. As they leap down the steps two at a time, they don’t see the slender cane extend between the bars of the railing until it’s too late, and their’s sprawled out on the cold tile floor of the foyer of the building.

Destiny emerges from behind the stairs, nudging Em’s arm aside with her cane as she steps outside, just to see Jackson emerge from the alleyway and stop to look behind him for pursuit. It’s a distraction they can ill afford. They don’t even feel the needle slip under their skin, they just feels himself sag against the wall as Destiny steps up beside them and removes the case from their now flaccid hands. “Thanks,” she says. “It’s game over for you, though.”

She turns to walk away, Jackson gasping trying to yell after her, their knees buckling as they falls back into the alleyway, and both of them disappear back into the bustle of the city.

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

This Month’s Game Club: Framed

October’s Game Club: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Games Discussed: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Tomorrow Never Dies, Morning Mario Returns!, Civilization V, Three Beers Deep, our conversation with Lana Polansky, Framed, Hideo Kojima’s tweet, Angry Birds, Boom Blox, Doctor Who, Grim Fandango

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin
Framed Soundtrack by Adrian Moore
The Fragrance of Dark Coffee by Noriyuki Iwadare
Kapp’n’s Song by Shohei Tsuchiya

Abnormal Mapping 35: Paper Mario Aug 28, 2015

Show notes

Legends tell of a man, a quiet man, a man who jumps and a man who spins, a man who one day—this day—must rise and save us all. But that man was not available, and so it falls upon this paper plumber to embark upon a journey to the stars to save a princess oft and once more kidnapped. The Mappers embark upon this man’s journey through a twisted land of pun-laden characters and self-aware deconstruction, and arrive finally at the end of their quest with only the corpses of penguins to show for it*.

(*No penguins were harmed in the making of this podcast.)

As a companion piece to this episode, Em produced an zine for Paper Mario, featuring cool and cute paintings and sketches of the characters and the world of this month’s game! You can (and totally should, it’s really good!) pick it up at either itch.io or gumroad.

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

This Month’s Game Club: Paper Mario

September’s Game Club: Framed

Games Discussed: Papa’s Donuteria, Racially Diverse Kitchen 3, Metal Gear Solid, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Roger Ebert’s Great Movies, Player 2, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, The Minesweeper Wall, Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, Iwata Asks for Paper Mario Sticker Star, Upon Reflection, Retro Game Challenge, NES Remix, Shovel Knight, Attack of the Friday Monsters, Yakuza 3, Gone Home, Her Story

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Attack of the Koopa Bros. by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi Senda
March Ahead by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi Senda
Nice To Meet You by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi Senda
Detective Mario by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi Senda

Abnormal Mapping 34: I Don't Give ADAF Aug 21, 2015

Show notes

A few weeks back, Jackson participated in a panel for the Alternative Digital Arts Festival, run by Zolani Stewart, Austin Howe and Solon Scott. The folks behind ADAF have kindly given us permission to post the panel in our podcast feed for your enjoyment, if you missed it at the time!

It’s a panel on Games & Mental Illnesss, featuring Heather Alexandra, Zeiya Speed and Austin Howe. We discuss representation of Mental Illness, how our own experiences with Mental Illness inform our readings of games, and the responsibilities of portraying Mental Illness narratives for an audience. In addition to the panel, Em, Jackson and Destiny got together a few days later to record a short cast with follow up points and extra discussion.

It all comes together to form a really interesting 2 hour package of great discussion about games, Mental Illness, and the intersection of the two. Please enjoy!

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

August’s Game Club: Paper Mario

Games Discussed: Final Fantasy VIII, Depression Quest, Actual Sunlight, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Hellblade, Kane & Lynch 2, Her Story, Silent Hill, The Static Speaks My Name, Cart Life

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Theme of Laura by Akira Yamaoka
Eternity by Nobuo Uematsu

Abnormal Mapping 33: Her Story Jul 24, 2015

Show notes

For the description please visit thebestgame.club

Abnormal Mapping 32: Final Fantasy VIII, Part Two Jul 10, 2015

Show notes

whenever we cast our pods
on the net, on our own
whenever we say our words
wishing they would be heard

we saw you smiling at us three
talking about final fantasy
so click the play button in the corner
of this tiny little bar

It is a glorious day, a day of celebration, of reflection, of escape. The Mappers sit together, Final Fantasy VIII behind them, fading away, knowing that they are free. They had been on a journey together, a journey through time and love and a needlessly labyrinthine battle system. And now, here on the other side, they know that they’ve forged in fire a part of themselves that they shall never lose.

But that is not all that today is. Today shall go down in history, remembered by all for at least the next week and a half. For today is… The Day The Batman Died.

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

July’s Game Club: Her Story

Games Discussed: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 2 HD, NiER, Neko Atsume, Tamagotchi, Final Fantasy VIII, Austin’s Article on FF8 fan theories, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Persona 4 and 3, Batman: Arkham Knight

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Fisherman’s Horizon by Nobuo Uematsu
The Oath byNobuo Uematsu
Maybe I’m a Lion byNobuo Uematsu
Eyes on Me byNobuo Uematsu
Batman Theme by Neal Hefti

Abnormal Mapping 31: Tony Hawk's Project 8 Jun 26, 2015

Show notes

The Mappers celebrate the heat of summer with hot jams, hotter skating, and the blazing addition of a third host! The three of them get down to business with a long talk about the sun-drenched streets of sizzling pavement and blasting AC, cars in traffic and the endless parade of city construction. It’s open season on open worlds, a question of what open worlds mean for the formal structure of video games and level design. Then, we skitch behind a stunt car and grind our way through through the … well, the grind of the eighth endeavor of Mr. Anthony “Tony Hawk” Hawke, Esq., also known as Project 8. Friendships are tested, hands are contorted, and we come through the other side with a rousing defensive of youth and play by one of our number, who can never not ollie. He said see you later boy. He wasn’t good enough for us. But he deigns to take us on this Junetime adventure, as we grumble our way through this expansive romp.

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

NOTE: Jackson and Matthew clarified some of the points in this podcast in addendum article, which you can read here.

This Month’s Game Club: Tony Hawk’s Project 8

Next Month: Final Fantasy VIII: Part 2

Games Discussed: A New Host Appears, VaniaMania Returns with Castlevania 2, Jackson’s PS4 Adventure, Grand Theft Auto 4, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed 2, World of Warcraft, Sleeping Dogs, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Red Dead Redemption, Yakuza 3, Saints Row the Third, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Burnout Paradise, Spider-Man 2, Batman: Arkhams Asylum and City, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, this Errant Signal video, skate 2, Crazy Taxi, Goldeneye.

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Punk Rock Girl by The Dead Milkmen
If You Must by Del The Funky Homosapien
All My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Less Than Jake
Superman by Goldfinger

Abnormal Mapping 30: Splatoon Jun 12, 2015

Show notes

A silent choice rode the winds that day, its currents bearing only two words, of which only one could remain. “Squid,” it said, “or Kid?” Em snapped awake in sweats, knowing only one thing. This choice would not consume them, this choice would not win. And with one press of the enter key, they recruited their friend into their cause. They drove to their shops, and plugged in their Wii Us, and strove for a third option that they knew did not exist. They would be neither Squid nor Kid, and yet they would be both at the same time.

Em’s article about Mario 2 and Jackson’s endeavors is up and you can read it here!

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

Things Discussed: Darth Vader comic, Match 3 Podcast, The Giant Beastcast, Austin Walker hired at Giant Bomb, Less Than Jake, Linkin Park, Blink 182, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Morning Mario, our episode on Link to the Past, the ending of Zardoz, POTUS in bicycle accident, Mambo No. 5, The Magic Number, One is the Loneliest Number, Just the Two of Us, Splatoon, Amiibo, WWE Pay Per Views, Halo, Fire Emblem, PT, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Pre-Rendered Backgrounds, Asura’s Wrath, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur 2, Crazy Taxi, The Offspring.

June’s Game Club Game: Tony Hawk’s Project 8

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Final Boss (Squid Sisters Ver.) by Toru Minegishi, Shiho Fujii
Splatoon Commercial Music by Unknown

Abnormal Mapping 29: Attack of the Friday Monsters May 29, 2015

Show notes

We’re joined by our erstwhile third chair for an adventure in the sun-drenched days of a childhood none of us can remember, tearing around 70s Japan with our friends, our backpack fresh and our faces fresher as we make new friends and go on adventures with Attack of the Friday Monsters. There’s more in this episode, but I promise you none of it has anything to do with video games. I’d apologize, but I’m pretty sure 2/3 of our podcast members like it that way.

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

Things Discussed: Super Mario Bros 2., New Super Mario Bros 2., Spelunky, The Binding Of Issac, Scroll VG Issue 10, John Cena’s Giant Hands, Soulja Boy’s flag planted in game crit, Retronauts’ prog rock episode

This Month’s Game Club Game: Attack of the Friday Monsters: A Tokyo Tale

Next Month: Tony Hawk’s Project 8

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Character Select from SMB2 by Koji Kondo
Toll of Small Happiness by Hideki Sakamoto
Attack of the Friday Monsters Main Theme by Hideki Sakamoto

Abnormal Mapping 28: The King And W May 08, 2015

Show notes

It’s a very special Abnormal Mapping as we transform the podcast set into a late night studio and invite two of gaming’s most infamous bad boys for a nice sit down chat. The King of the Koopas takes center stage to talk his new book, the geopolitics of the mushroom kingdom, and his complex family life that keeps even a democratically elected monarch on his toes. Then, surprise guest Wario offers us the dirt on Nintendo’s business practices, a new way to look at the history of small games, and what exactly the #evilgames movement entails. It’s the first Abnormal Mapping panel show, and we hope that you enjoy these intimate looks at the lives of the villains we take for granted.

#evilgames

Thanks to Michaela Joffe, who set up these interviews for us. Our mic’s wouldn’t be singed by turtle fire without his contributions.

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

Next Game Club: Attack of the Friday Monsters!!

Music This Episode
Saturday Night Live Theme 1985-1994 by Howard Shore
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Wario Dance Company by Naoko Mitome, Masanobu Matsunaga, Yasuhisa Baba
Gamecube Boot Music by Toru Minegishi
Ignorance is Bliss by Jellyfish

Abnormal Mapping 27: Final Fantasy VIII, Part One Apr 24, 2015

Show notes

Em stood by the grave, and looked upon the headstone. Time had withered the slate, there was no name left to mark a life long since lived. And all the people seemed to pass on by, catching the bus, going to work, eating chips and going to bed. He didn’t understand how they could walk here without hearing the warning, those deafening screams of the forgotten, keeping him awake night after night after night. One day he would be screaming too.

“No,” they whispered to themself, turning away. He couldn’t change his fate, but he could tear down heaven and hell to punish those who chose it. Who were Gods to sign his death sentence, to force upon him an existence never requested, and all too soon, steal it away? No longer could this cycle continue. The Gods would fall to their hand, and for one brilliant, shining moment, as the pain of existence blinked away, there would be silence.

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

This Month’s RPG Explorer’s Club: Final Fantasy VIII

Next Month’s Game Club: Attack of the Friday Monsters!!

Games Discussed: Final Fantasy VIII, Pokemon Shuffle, Star Wars, Super Mario Bros

Music This Episode
Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod
Ami by Nobuo Uematsu
Shuffle & Boogie by Nobuo Uematsu
Fragments of Memories by Nobuo Uematsu
Man With A Machine Gun by Nobuo Uematsu

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