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MageCast X — Games & Hobbies
MageCast X

Co-hosted by the Well-Red Mage and CriterionX, MageCast X is a rebranded podcast feat. fantastic guests and analytical discussion of video games, their intrinsic qualities and extrinsic contexts. One game at a time! Learn more at The-Pixels.com.

Latest Episodes:

#096 - "Did You Know That SMB2 Is..." (Doki Doki Panic) Oct 02, 2023

If Nintendo was right in keeping Lost Levels away from the NES, the unpredictable rise of speedrunning, what your favorite Mario character says about you, and questioning the truth of the familiar claim that SMB2 is "just" a reskin... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MageCast X feat. the Well-Red Mage, CriterionX, and special guest Joe Bourrie.

The cast of mages is back, so please enjoy early access!

Guest links:

Music: "Title theme of The Lost Levels" & "Overworld" by Koji Kondo

Support the show

#095 - "No Japanese Required" (Famicom) Sep 18, 2023

Your favorite imports you've never played and why they didn't come to the West in the first place, the differences between translation and localization, and why the Famicom isn't merely the "Japanese version of the NES"... this is MageCast X feat. the Well-Red Mage, CriterionX, and special guest Joe Bourrie.

The cast of mages is back, so please enjoy early access!

Guest links:

Music: "Cocoron - Stage 2 Theme" by Takashi Tateishi, Yoshiji Yokoyama & "Arumana no Kiseki - Stages 1, 4, & 6" by Kinuyo Yamashita

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#094 - "Welcome Back, Raven" (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon) Sep 04, 2023

Catching up with a content creator from the Aloha State, finding an analogy for Hawaiian history in Armored Core, breaking down the assemblage of an AC, and how to interact with a game's difficulty positively... this is MageCast X feat. the Well-Red Mage, CriterionX, and special guest Mekel Kasanova.

Guest links:

Music: "Main Theme" & "Contact With You ~ BALTEUS Theme" by Kota Hoshino, Takashi Onodera

Support the show

#092 - "A Colossal Return" (Shadow of the Colossus) Jul 24, 2023

Nostalgia vs new experiences, improving upon a masterpiece, facing the colossi of grief, methods for dealing with loss, and asking if the hero is the hero of his own story... I'm the Well-Red Mage with CriterionX and this is MageCast X!

Music: "Prologue" & "Revived Power" by Kow Otani

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#091 - "New Game Plus" (MageCast X remake) Jul 24, 2023

Introducing MageCast X, the newly rebranded podcast! Meet returning host Moses aka the Well-Red Mage and Jared aka CriterionX as we start this new journey once again. Yes, the Cast of the Mage is back with more episodes, more guests, and more in-depth discussion on the way. Hear about how this project came to fruition and what the future holds for MageCast X. Thanks for listening and don't miss our GIVEAWAY!

Music: "Landscape" by Yoshino Aoki, "The Opened Way" by Kow Otani

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#090 - "Tears of the Dragon" (Breath of Fire II) Sep 13, 2022

Where to start with the Breath of Fire series, Katt vs Nina, populating township, the immense suffering and sadness of the dragon tears, and the formative experience of Capcom's darkly religious 16-bit classic... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Patrick Kulikowski!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@PatrickKul
Links:

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "The Destined Child", "No One Knows", "Our Journey" by Yuko Takehara

Support the show

#089 - "Back to Loc Lac" (Monster Hunter Tri) Sep 05, 2022

The innovations of Monster Hunter on the Wii, the challenge of underwater combat, restoring what was lost when the online servers went down, and the importance of game preservation... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. InusualZ from MH3SP!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
discord.gg/R7rSRVEXhc
Links:
github.com/sepalani/MH3SP
forum.wii-homebrew.com/index.php/Thread/60432-Monster-Hunter-Tri-private-server-progress/
Gamelogica Twitter community

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Monster Hunter 3(Tri)" by Yuko Komiyama & "The Great Desert Post, Loc Lac" by Tadayoshi Makino

Support the show

#088 - "The Textual Revolution" (King's Quest) Aug 29, 2022

The key differences between adventure and role-playing games, tinkering with the Adventure Game Interactive engine, existing in a game world vs trying to beat it as quickly as possible, and how to make classic adventure games cool again... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. John Roo of The Retro Room!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@TheRetroRoomRoo
Links:
theretroroomgames.com
adventure games vs RPGs
facebook.com/groups/gamelogica
Gamelogica Twitter community

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Greensleeves" & "Introduction" by Sierra

Support the show

#087 - "Jurassic World of Warcraft" (Total War: Warhammer II) Aug 09, 2022

Tabletop wargaming in the 90s, the difference between strategy and tactics, macromanaging and micromanaging for the uninitiated, and how to rise up lights in Australia... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. @KhaylAdam!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@KhaylAdam
Links:
podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/long-live-play/id1570229780
the-pixels.com/2022/01/24/total-war-warhammer-ii-2017-pc
the-pixels.com/2022/03/14/total-war-warhammer-iii-2022-pc
facebook.com/groups/gamelogica
Gamelogica Twitter community

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "A Storm of Magic" & "The First Defenders" directed by Richard Beddow

Support the show

#086 - "Wanna Take You For A Ride" (Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes) Jul 26, 2022

American, Japanese, and Australian arcades, #FreeMvC2, the best characters not in the game, the death of 2D AAA animation, and why more fighters need a color edit mode... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. David Giltinan!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@DaGiltyMan
Links:
instagram.com/dagiltyman
davidsaysthat.com
store.steampowered.com/app/2024390/Mato_Anomalies
kickstarter.com/projects/pcengineanthology/game-boy-and-virtual-boy-anthology
facebook.com/groups/gamelogica
Gamelogica Twitter community

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Circus" & "Clock Tower" by Tetsuya Shibata, Mitsuhiko Takano

Support the show

#085 - "Channel-6 Player Melee in Manhattan" (TMNT: Shredder's Revenge) Jul 18, 2022

The lasting appeal of the TMNT, the original voice cast for the 4 shell-heads, the turtles as personality archetypes, and how to nail retro authenticity without being tempted to subvert expectations... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Kevin Decristofano from the Ninja Turtle Nerds Podcast!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@TMNTNerds
Links:
The Ninja Turtle Nerds on Anchor
The Ninja Turtle Nerds on Spotify
The Ninja Turtle Nerds on Apple
instagram.com/tmntnerds
TMNTNerds@Gmail.com
facebook.com/groups/gamelogica
Gamelogica Twitter community
twitter.com/Sric360/status/1547579166949683201

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Jaw-Breaking News!" by Tee Lopes, "We Ain't Came to Lose" by Raekwon, Ghostface Killah

Support the show

#084 - "Simon SNEZ" (Super Castlevania IV) Jul 05, 2022

The dark lord of censorship and the puritanical cultural movement fueling it, what makes a game a horror game, fake Castlevania titles, the future of Castlevania, and so much delicious Mode 7... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Roger from Gamerheads and Pure Nintendo!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10
Joypad Lad giveaway: joypadlad.com/pages/giveaway

Guests:
@NintendRog
Links:
@GamerheadsPod
gamerheadspodcast.com
purenintendo.com
twitter.com/theWellRedMage/status/1542876690979880960
facebook.com/groups/gamelogica

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
Kosmic Dust - @KosmicDustSupps
kosmicdust.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Theme of Simon Belmont" & "Bloody Tears" by Masanori Adachi, Taro Kudo

Support the show

#083 - "An Introvert's Guide to Geology, Dating, and Horticulture" (Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town) Jun 26, 2022

The idealized work of video games contrasted with the manual labor of real life, the value and practicality of play, the very first farm sim, and how casual is not a dirty word ... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. JR Sommerfeldt of Indierabbitree!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10
Joypad Lad giveaway: joypadlad.com/pages/giveaway

Guests:
@sommerfeldt_r
Links:
twitch.tv/indierabbitree
facebook.com/jrsommerfeldt
ko-fi.com/indierabbittreecreations

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
Kosmic Dust - @KosmicDustSupps
kosmicdust.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Title theme" & "Mineral Town theme" by Ai Yamashita.

Support the show

#082 - "You're Gonna Need A Bigger Podcast" (Jaws) Jun 13, 2022

A randomized single-screen permadeath shmup roguelike with a stalker enemy, top-down overworld, and RPG elements, speedrunning and shark week, fishing games and horror movies, and the odd surprise of an LJN game that's better than the movie it's based on... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. 8-bit Steve!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10
Joypad Lad giveaway: joypadlad.com/pages/giveaway

Guests:
@EightBitSteve
Links:
8bitsteve.com

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
Kosmic Dust - @KosmicDustSupps
kosmicdust.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Theme from 'Jaws'" by John Williams. "Underwater theme" by Shinichi Sakamoto.

Support the show

#081 - "Hayao Miyazaki's Legend of Zelda" (Crystalis) May 31, 2022

Oppenheimer, the Cold War, the Bomb, and Crystalis, a hidden gem or cult classic? Plus learning to forgive the negative qualities of retro games chalked up to their contextual limitations while holding them accountable for bad design decisions... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Steve aka RetroDeathRow!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@RetroDeathRow
Links:
the-pixels.com/2016/08/16/crystalis
twitch.tv/theretrodeathrow
youtube.com/retrodeathrow
retrodeathrow.com
thegoodpavemint.com
tiktok.com/@retrodeathrow

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
Kosmic Dust - @KosmicDustSupps
kosmicdust.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "World Map" & "Mt. Sabre" by Yoko Osaka.

Support the show

#080 - "Do the Mario" (Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix) May 23, 2022

How Dance Dance Revolution lived and died on home consoles, how classical music actually fits the Marioverse, and how to think of rhythm games as timing-based games if you're not so musically inclined... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Yemmy the Ferret and Ryan Craig aka mathman1024!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@YemmyTheFerret
@mathman1024
Links:
Ferret64
Film Freakz
Fubar Ferret
@backlog_busters
@AreYaWinningPod
Are Ya Winning Pod
youtube.com/user/mathman1024

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
Kosmic Dust - @KosmicDustSupps
kosmicdust.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Here We Go!", "Pipe Pop", "Bowser's Castle" by U1-Asami and Koji Kondo.

Support the show

#079 - "Finger Prince" (Elden Ring) May 16, 2022

Navigating the swamps of difficulty discussion, inspirations behind FromSoft's latest going all the way back to the NES, two very different approaches to designing an open world, and the benefit of letting a new game experience sit and relax like a good steak... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Gary and Kole from Duckfeed and Bonfireside Chat!
Joypad Lad promo code: RED10

Guests:
@GaryBuh
@KoleRoss
Links:
bonfireside.chat
duckfeed.tv
patreon.com/duckfeedtv

-Sponsors-
Joypad Lad - @JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com
Kosmic Dust - @KosmicDustSupps
kosmicdust.com
BiFrost Bridge Studios - @StudiosBi
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Main Theme" & "Roundtable Hold" by FromSoftware

Support the show

#078 - "Super Mario's Second Family" (The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening) May 02, 2022

We are the music makers but are you the dreamer or merely part of someone else's dream...? I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Chris Osborne of Play Comics podcast!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@playcomicscast
playcomics.com
Links:
the-pixels.com/2016/04/14/links-awakening
the-pixels.com/2019/11/08/links-awakening-switch

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "The Storm", "Title Screen", "Sword Search on Koholint Island" by Kazumi Totaka, Minako Hamano, Kozue Ishikawa, Ryo Nagamatsu

Support the show

#077 - "A Lynx to the Past" (Radical Dreamers) Apr 25, 2022

A chronological interpretation of the Chrono series in earnest pursuit of Magus and Schala, a deep dive into the lore of Cross and Trigger, and how the direct cause and effect of Radical Dreamers still remains relevant to the series today... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. ChronoKatie!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@ChronoKatie
Links:
twitch.tv/chronokatie
youtube.com/channel/UCNSjOZDrzsQHebGFHzeYwMA

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Day of Summer" & "Frozen Flame" by Yasunori Mitsuda

Support the show

#076 - "Ted Sephiroth" (Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin) Apr 11, 2022

Nomura's Big Reveal, a Final Fantasy multiverse, how to hijack a creative project with bad marketing, how to love an experience whilst acknowledging its flaws, and *sigh* Anakin Skywalker... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Julian from Nerds Without Pants podcast!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@julian_titus
Links:
@NWPcast
pixlbit.com

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Main Theme" by Naoshi Mizuta, Nobuo Uematsu, Ryo Yamazaki, Hidenori Iwasaki, Masashi Hamauzu, Yoshitaka Suzuki, Yoko Shimomura & "My Way" by Frank Sinatra

Support the show

#075 - "Abzulutely not a Swimulator" (Abzu) Mar 28, 2022

What is a game? What is play? Join me as we explore these questions, discovering the myths of Abzu, the identity of the Diver, walking simulators and environmental storytelling, plus the Hawaiian state fish... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST fear. Bill Tucker of A Gamer Looks At 40 podcast!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@agamerlooksat40
Links:
linktr.ee/agamerlooksat40

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "To Know, Water" & "Then Were Created The Gods In The Midst Of Heaven" by Austin Wintory

Support the show

#074 - "Games On Consoles Deader Than Uncle Ben" (Spider-Man) Mar 22, 2022

The uniqueness of Spider-Man as a character, the difficulty adapting him to games, the Uncle Ben storytelling trope, an overview of more Spidey games than you can shake a web cartridge at, choosing between Tobey, Andrew, and Tom, and what IS retro anyway...? I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. voice actor @Voxgizer!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@Voxgizer
Links:
twitter.com/Voxgizer
youtube.com/channel/UCfNtPxW--bjikNzHxEBQFsQ
twitter.com/merlino_games
the-pixels.com/2022/02/16/what-is-retro
the-pixels.com/2022/03/16/spider-man-venom-maximum-carnage-1994-snes

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Maximum Carnage Opening" by Green Jelly & "Spider-Man: The Animated Series Intro Theme" by Joe Perry, Shuki Levy.

Support the show

#073 - "Hell March Madness" (Command & Conquer: Red Alert) Mar 07, 2022

War as entertainment, time travel in video games, winking at the camera, love for the underappreciated RTS genre, and the lost or maybe not so lost art of the FMV... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. John aka Sector 6!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@Sector_6_
Links:
youtube.com/c/Sector6UK
twitch.tv/Sector_6_
cncnz.com/features/freeware-classic-command-conquer-games/

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Hell March" & "Brain Freeze" by Frank Klepacki

Support the show

#072 - "The Divine Absurdity" (Final Fantasy VI) Feb 21, 2022

The cinematic language of 16-bit RPGs, the lost art of character development, Nobuo Uematsu's favorite works, and why Jaws doesn't need a backstory... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. actor, filmmaker, martial artist, streamer, and cosplayer Philip Hartshorn!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@philipharts
Links:
linktr.ee/philiphartshorn

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Omen" & "Celes's theme" by Nobuo Uematsu

Support the show

#071 - "Cry Me To The Moon" (Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) Feb 14, 2022

The illusion of simplicity and Shigeru Miyamoto fighting the fat cats, the Super FX2 chip, the bookends of the SNES, creating an emotional connection between characters that do not speak, and the perfect utility of the worst sound effect in the world... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. streamer of nuance, Criterion27!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@Criterion27
Links:
twitch.tv/criterion27
the-pixels.com/2017/11/17/chrono-trigger

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Flower Garden" & "Athletic" by Koji Kondo

Support the show

#070 - "The Fateful Eight" (Octopath Traveler) Feb 07, 2022

Pixel art style vs substance and those iconic HD-2D visuals, nostalgia as an economy, the strongest and weakest vignettes in Octopath, and a whole lot of perspectives on the prerequisites for enjoying grinding in RPGs... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. Ryan from Games with Coffee and Cory from Popzara!
Promo code: RED10

Guests:
@GameswCoffee
@pz_coryg
Links:
gameswithcoffee.com
twitch.tv/gameswithcoffee
popzara.com

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Octopath Traveler -Main Theme-" & "Battle I" by Yasunori Nishiki

Support the show

#069 - "Mageality, Flawless Podcast" (Mortal Kombat) Jan 31, 2022

It's time for a bit of the old ultraviolence: we're talking Mortal Kombat vs Street Fighter, the necessity of the ESRB, politicians blaming video games for everything since 1992, and that amazing song from the movie... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. winner of Best Gaming Podcast from the Moscow International Film Festival, Vladimir from Heroes of Gaming Podcast!
Promo code: RED10

Guests: @HeroesofG
Links:
heroesofgamingpodcast.com
buzzsprout.com/1559084
buzzsprout.com/1559084/7527052-round-one-fight-co-creator-of-mortal-kombat-and-martial-arts-master-master-daniel-pesina
instagram.com/heroesofgamingpodcast
tiktok.com/@heroesofgamingpodcast
twitch.tv/heroes_of_gaming_podcast
patreon.com/heroesofgamingpodcast

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Techno Syndrome (Mortal Kombat)" by The Immortals & "Control (Juno Reactor Instrumental)" by Traci Lords

Support the show

#068 - “For England, Mage” (GoldenEye 007) Jan 25, 2022

What's aged worse: GoldenEye 007 for N64 or James Bond himself? What does it even mean to age well? Plus, soundtrack, slapfights, and screen peeking... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. @RetroLogicGames, @ABXY_Reviews, and @SanityCrypto! It's a 4-player free-for-all podcast!
Promo code: RED10

Guests: @RetroLogicGames, @ABXY_Reviews, @SanityCrypto

-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Main Title" & "Facility" by Grant Kirkhope, Graeme Norgate, original theme by Monty Norman.

Support the show

#067 - “Tim Burton’s A Bug’s Life” (Hollow Knight) Jan 17, 2022

The unfettered creativity of secondary sources of funding, the inspirations of yesteryear on the world of Hallownest, how things remain special when they remain rare, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth in Hell... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. writer and editor David Krane from @AllSourceGaming!

Guests: @8bit_Spazzy

Links: source-gaming.com
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Dirtmouth" & "Nightmare King" by Christopher Larkin

Support the show

#066 - "The Return of the Queen" (Metroid Dread) Jan 03, 2022

The controversy surrounding Metroid Dread, difficulty vs accessibility, challenge vs fairness, the trustworthiness of reviews vs first impressions, and why slapping an easy mode on everything doesn't solve everything... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. Bill Tucker of A Gamer Looks At 40!

Guests: @agamerlooksat40

Links: buzzsprout.com/1426576
the-pixels.com/2021/11/17/metroid-dread-2021-switch
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Title theme" & "The Theme of Samus Aran" by Kenji Yamamoto, Sayako Doi, Soshi Abe

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#065 - "The Quick Brown Fox Jets Over La Fuzzy Chimp, Dawg" (StarFox) Dec 04, 2021

Nintendo's place in space shooters, pioneering early 3D, the decline of legacy franchises, and the future of Star Fox... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. community leader and podcaster Dan from RetroLogicGames!

Guests: @RetroLogicGames

Links:
retrologic.games/retrologic-podcast
Dan's Discord - https://t.co/vQBhoASuH7
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Corneria" & "Fortuna" by Hajime Hirasawa

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#064 - "2001: A Snakes' Odyssey" (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Nov 26, 2021

The Raiden reveal, the Metal Gear Solid movie, the Kojima canon and the Konami split, auteurs vs a complete staff, and whether MGS2 was truly prophetic or it merely had its finger on the pulse of rising technology... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. streamer and voice actor from Undetected, @Voxgizer, and designer, modder, MGS historian, and podcaster from the Kojima Frequency, @Nitroid!

Guests: @voxgizer & @nitroid

Links:
twitch.tv/voxgizer
stealthactionrevival.com
twitter.com/KojimaFreq
youtube.com/KojiProNetwork
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - twitter.com/StudiosBi
patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
kickstarter.com/projects/bifrostbridgestudios/gaias-seed-a-thrilling-new-graphic-novel
Joypad Lad - twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
joypadlad.com

Music: "Main Title" & "Can't Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Harry Gregson-Williams, Carla White, Rika Muranaka

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#063 - "Everything is Gotham" (Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham) Nov 15, 2021

Fan scholarship and visual literature, dream LEGO games, the difference between Batman and Superman, the best tales of the Caped Crusader, DC and Marvel in film, championing whimsy and wonder against a bleak background of hyperrealism... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. superhero, science fiction, and fantasy writer Steve Sellers aka Shadewing.

Guest: @Shadewing

Links:
https://twitter.com/ComicsOmen
https://twitter.com/RevelationComic
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/guardians-of-elayim-1--3#/
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - https://twitter.com/StudiosBi
https://www.patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
https://linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
Joypad Lad - https://twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
https://joypadlad.com/

Music: "Batman theme" by Danny Elfman, "60s Batcave" by Rob Westwood

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#062 - "Two heads, one cup" (Cuphead) Oct 25, 2021

Expectations for the last supper, an appreciation for jazz, the golden age of American animation, subculture wars, and how to sort the difference between difficulty and accessibility... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. musically-minded ABXY Reviews!

Guest: @ABXY_Reviews

Links:
@ABXY_Reviews - https://twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews
Mage Cast podcast - https://magecast.buzzsprout.com/199140/932112-013-sweet-as-mango-grim-fandango-remastered
@thepixelsdotcom - https://www.the-pixels.com/2017/11/29/cuphead/
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - https://twitter.com/StudiosBi
https://www.patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
https://linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
Joypad Lad - https://twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
https://joypadlad.com/

Music: "Introduction" & "Inkwell Isle Three" composed by Kris Maddigan

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#061 - "Space Only A Mother Could Love" (Super Metroid) Oct 11, 2021

How Super Metroid almost wound up canceled, the history of Metroid sales, what it's like playing a masterpiece for the first time ever, and the age-old modern controversy of games being too hard... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. story-driven streamer Mystraker!

Guest: @mystraker

Links:
@mystraker - https://twitter.com/mystraker
https://www.twitch.tv/mystraker
https://discord.com/invite/BD2zNcKN
Mage Cast podcast - https://magecast.buzzsprout.com/199140/8958366-056-metaforce-metroid-prime
@thepixelsdotcom - https://www.the-pixels.com/2016/04/09/super-metroid/
https://www.the-pixels.com/2016/04/12/interpreting-super-metroid-through-the-lens-of-motherhood/
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - https://twitter.com/StudiosBi
https://www.patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
https://linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
Joypad Lad - https://twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
https://joypadlad.com/

Music: "Theme of Super Metroid", "Brinstar Overgrown", "Maridia Rocky Underwater", & "Opening" composed by Kenji Yamamoto, Minako Hamano

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#060 - "Now You're Playing With Even More Power" (Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!) Sep 28, 2021

The right fix for the right game, David Crane and his blob, objectivity in subpar design, how we grow as artists practicing our craft, and why real men DO need instructions... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. special guest Ducks In Disguise!

Guest: @ducksindisguise

Links:
@ducksindisguise - http://twitch.tv/ducksindisguise
The Finer Things - http://twitch.tv/davypgh
@digitizedent - http://twitch.tv/digitizedent
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios - https://twitter.com/StudiosBi
https://www.patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
https://linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios
Joypad Lad - https://twitter.com/JoypadLadShop
https://joypadlad.com/

Music: "Intro theme" & "Home Improvement theme" composed by Dan Foliart, Jim Wallace, Steve Melillo

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#059 - "Microwaved Hamsters" (Maniac Mansion) Sep 13, 2021

Censorship and sadistic puzzle design, the nature of comedy overlapping with horror, the distinction between funny and humorous, and a point-and-click graphic adventure that's a true trailblazer in gaming history... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is MAGE CAST feat. special guest Bill Tucker of A Gamer Looks At 40 Podcast!

Guest: @BillTuckerTSP

Links: https://twitter.com/agamerlooksat40
-Sponsors-
BiFrost Bridge Studios: https://twitter.com/StudiosBi
https://www.patreon.com/BiFrostBridgeStudios
https://linktr.ee/BiFrostBridgeStudios

Music: "Intro", "Edison Family / Tentacle theme", & "Dave's theme" composed by George "The Fat Man" Sanger and David Hayes, translated into chiptune by David Warhol

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#058 - "Mean Girls" (River City Girls) Sep 01, 2021

The history of the Kunio-kun series, the future of neo beat 'em ups, ye olde arcades, how to combat monotony in the genre, and what makes River City Girls stand out in style... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. special guest Aaron aka @SanityCrypto of It's Virtually A Podcast!

Guest: @SanityCrypto

Links: meganmcduffee.bandcamp.com
wayforward.com/rivercitygirls
twitch.tv/itsvirtuallyapodcast
twitter.com/ItsVRAPodcast

Music: "Relentless" & "Lunch Money" composed by Megan McDuffee

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#057 - "Quoth the Raven" (Secret of Evermore) Aug 18, 2021

Alchemy and Marty McFly, B-movie references and America in RPGs, why 2 player co-op would be a bad idea, and if it's really just a Mana clone or if Evermore is worth another look... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. online video game retailer Gary of joypadlad.com.

Guest: @JoyPadLadShop

Links: joypadlad.com

Music: "Introduction" & "Flying" composed by Jeremy Soule

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#056 - "Metaforce" (Metroid Prime) Aug 01, 2021

Demystifying game development, designing Samus' spaceship the Thrush Eterna, collaborative creativity, Retro Studios' canceled games, and what even happened to Kraid... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. art and creative director James H Dargie.
Read more:
https://www.the-pixels.com/2017/12/12/metroid-prime/

Guest: @JHDargie

Links: impulsegear.com
claviusbase.com
Music: "Title Theme" & "Phendrana Drifts Depths" composed by Kenji Yamamoto & Kouichi Kyuma

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#055 - "Reunion" (Final Fantasy VII Remake) Jul 19, 2021

Theorycrafting, key differences, and Kingdom Hearts, showing the monster too soon, nostalgia as a good thing, and if it's even fair to compare original and remake... I'm the Well-Red Mage and this is Mage Cast feat. special guest John (aka Sector 6), content creator, lorist, and theorist.
Read more:
the-pixels.com/2020/06/23/final-fantasy-vii-remake-2020-ps4

Guest: @Sector_6_

Links: facebook.com/Sector6UK
youtube.com/c/Sector6UK
Music: "Reunion" & "Main Theme of FFVII - Sector 7 Undercity" composed by Masashi Hamauzu, Mitsuto Suzuki, Nobuo Uematsu

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#054 - “Highway to the Phantom Zone” (Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within) Oct 27, 2020

Get ready for the greebles as Mage Cast sits down with art director James H. Dargie for things that can neither be confirmed nor denied. James is an artist and designer who has worked on titles like Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, Matrix Reloaded, Metroid Prime, Solaris, and Final Fantasy The Spirits Within. Our discussion centers on that film, the first photorealistic computed animated theatrical movie, and what might've happened to derail its performance at the box office. James also shares his memories of being a part of various other studios as well as working under Hironobu Sakaguchi, plus we talk marketing woes, anecdotes about the Grey Project, the hidden chocobo in Spirits Within, art serving the game design, Aki's ambitions as a digital actress, content that didn't make the final cut, how to handle feedback and criticism, the Spirits Within SEIKO wristwatch, and more designer insights!

Guest: https://twitter.com/JHDargie
https://www.claviusbase.com/
https://www.firstcontactent.com/

Links: https://www.amazon.com/Final-Fantasy-Spirits-Original-Soundtrack/dp/B00005Q41K
Music: "The Spirits Within" & "A Child Recalled" composed by Elliot Goldenthal

Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/thewellredmage)

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#053 - "I say Warrior, you say Quest" (Dragon Quest 1) Oct 12, 2020

Grab your favorite bard and travel back in time to where it all started! We're talking Dragon Quest 1 on this episode, featuring special guest musician and writer Russell Gordon. We'll discuss localization woes, Western reception, and Dragon Warrior vs Dragon Quest, the series' two trilogies, proto-RPGs, our first RPGs, NA vs JP cover art, Nintendo Power subscriptions, differences between the versions of DQ1, grinding vs whittling and the trance-like state of play, where to start with the Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest 1 as a fairy tale and not an engaging drama or epic, story vs plot and the player's experiences creating the narrative in real time, dungeon crawling, the game's single character, and how you don't even have to save the princess!

Guest: https://soundcloud.com/shredrussell-1
youtube.com/RussellGHello
twitter.com/rus_gordon

Links: http://thewellredmage.com/2019/12/11/dragon-quest-nintendo-switch-review-2019/
https://thewellredmage.com/2017/09/06/dragon-warrior-1989-dragon-quest-1993/
Music: "Overture March" & "Tantegel Castle" composed by Koichi Sugiyama

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#052 - "Respect for Faerie Tales" (Vagrant Story) Sep 27, 2020

Vagrant Story hates the player but we love you! That's why we here at Mage Cast are making things simpler by tackling just what makes Vagrant Story such a tough nut to crack. Together with my special guest, Cory the Senior Games Editor of Popzara.com, we cover topics like what makes the game so demanding, how to overcome its convoluted systems, its mixture of genres and postgame content, its disrespect for players, Vagrant Story's place in the Final Fantasy world of Ivalice, and what we'd fix in a potential remake (U and I both know we'd fix the UI!).

Guest: https://www.popzara.com/

Links: https://thewellredmage.com/2017/09/09/vagrant-story/
Music: "Opening Movie", "Snowfly Forest", & "Valendia Knights of the Peace Headquarters - Duke Bardorba's Manor" composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto

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#051 - "DFO vs the World" (Dungeon Fighter Online) Sep 15, 2020

It's the most successful game you've never heard of: this episode of MAGE CAST represents our Dungeon Fighter Online podcast! In this rapidly evolving conversation, we discuss combining 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up gameplay with RPG elements, Nexon closing servers, best-selling video game franchises and DFO's very high place on those lists, cultural differences regarding DFO, microtransactions, and competition, why games age, the retro aesthetic and impressionism, how the game has changed over the years, its real mess of a story, Eastern vs Western sensibilities in regards to religious symbolism, true player agency, emergent gameplay and roleplay, the game's classes and subclasses, the endgame and the sheer insane stats in this game (in the trillions), the future of DFO, Project BBQ, a console version, and regional markets.
Patreon
Join our Discord
TeePublic
Teespring
Guest: @sommerfeldt_r

Links: https://www.dfoneople.com/
https://www.twitch.tv/jrsommerfeldt
https://www.christcenteredgamer.com/component/authorlist/author/38:jcsomme83
https://kithandkingaming.buzzsprout.com/
Music: "Dungeon Fighter Theme Song" & "Wind of You [Instrumental ver.]" by Neople

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#050 - "Kiss Me, I'm Old" (Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots) Sep 02, 2020

MAGE CAST is starting to show it's age with this, our 50th episode! For the big 5-0, we're diving into the absurdity and genius of the Metal Gear Solid series. This is our MGS4: Guns of the Patriots podcast. Join the Black Humor Mage and myself as we discuss this game's dual world records, its unique format for the time, its relationship with Apple's sense of morality, the infamous Big Boss run, the brilliance and madness of Hideo Kojima, MGS as anime and Death Stranding, weird for weirdness sake, who's on Ocelot's Mt. Rushmore, mature themes in an immature presentation, series context and ranking the Solid games, Twin Snakes and Raiden, a word on exclusivity and popularity, tying up loose ends and heavy exposition or over-explanation, MGS4 as a game vs a movie, why Big Boss is crazy, our favorite and least favorite characters, and what makes the stealth of MGS4 special. Spoilers: we hate Johnny.
Patreon
TeePublic
Teespring
Guest: @BlackHumorMage
Links: https://thespinoff.co.nz/games/19-02-2018/a-definitive-list-of-all-the-weird-shit-that-happens-in-the-metal-gear-series/
Music: "Love Theme" by Nobuko Toda, Hideo Kojima, Jackie Presti & "Old Snake" by Harry Gregson-Williams

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#049 - "Final Smash: The Spirits Within" (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) Aug 18, 2020

On this Super Smash Bros Ultimate podcast, it's the biggest crossover event in history... and also Smash Ultimate! MAGE CAST is back and I'm featuring @DuctapePlays on this very special resurrection episode of the podcast. We're talking sheer numbers to illustrate just how big Super Smash Bros. Ultimate really is, plus more Fire Emblem characters (plz no), the most awkward tournament trophy ever, differences between the Smash games and ranking them to see if Ultimate is truly the ultimate: Brawl's floatiness, Smash 64's wonkiness, Melee's eloquent movement, and the perfect Smash game. The wonderful accessibility of the Smash series as fighting games, stickers, trophies, and spirits, the creative spirit battles, the World of Light, remembering Subspace Emissary, and we spend a hearty amount of time talking characters: the main roster and our mains, the DLC characters, Fighter Pass Vol. 2, and obscure picks. Rest in peace, Luigi.

Links:

Patreon
Teespring
TeePublic Merch
Guest: @DuctapePlays
Music: "Lifelight" (instrumental version) & "Main Theme" (no lyrics version)

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#048 - "The Man, The Mega, The Legends" (Mega Man Legends) Apr 27, 2020

Time for a legendary conversation with Patrick from Backlog Odyssey and our subject: Mega Man Legends! We'll also cover your favorite games starring the Blue Bomber and the injection of significant storytelling in the Mega Man universe, the N64 port, the energy drink that kept Legends off of PSN for years, the human tendency to make anything a game, personifying save points, transitioning from 2D to 3D, camera design and infamous tank controls, Legends 2, the canceled sequel, Misadventures of Tron Bonne, a colorful cast of characters, the best version of Roll (?), weapons, bosses, collateral damage, and hope for a Legends Legacy Collection.
Links:

Patreon
Ko-fi
Merch
Guest: @BacklogOdyssey
Music: "The Flutter" by Makoto Tomozawa & "'Little' Fugue in G minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach (arr. by Makoto Tomozawa)

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#047 - "The Lion, the Witch, and the War School" (Final Fantasy VIII) Apr 14, 2020

Is it at all fair to call Final Fantasy VIII the black sheep of the series? Either way, Matt aka Berkough joins me this episode and we talk about our personal impressions and the game's general reception, its divisiveness potentially centered around Squall as a character that strongly resonates with some people and strongly not with others, the peculiarities and clout of the Final Fantasy franchise, some fan theories (is Squall Laguna's son?), feeling threatened by Irvine, the experiment that is the draw system and a word on Triple Triad, a bit about VIII's sales, a bit about the remastered and PC versions, a bit about FFVII Remake... okay actually a lot about FFVII and VI and IX, even X and Tactics, as the context for VIII. This is a spoilers podcast.
Links:
https://storymode.buzzsprout.com/
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
https://ko-fi.com/thewellredmage
Merch https://www.teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: https://twitter.com/berkough / @berkough
Music: "Liberi Fatali" & "The Man with the Machine Gun" by Nobuo Uematsu

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#046 - "I Did It All For Tom Nook Inc." (Animal Crossing: New Horizons) Apr 06, 2020

MAGE CAST is back from the dead! On this episode, podcaster and VR pioneer Aaron aka SanityCrypto and I talk Animal Crossing: New Horizons, our new found addiction. We discuss why we were even interested in playing New Horizons in the first place, task-oriented gameplay, Tom Nook for president, Pocket Camp, genre and series context, review bombing and hyperbole, ACNH sales, what the game doesn't tell you, addressing the multiplayer and co-op, the worst, the best, and the missing features, pixel art: the real endgame, how to "evict" villagers, time-traveling, and farming monsters.
Links:

Patreon
Ko-fi
Merch
Guest: @SanityCrypto
Music: "Welcome Horizons" & "Island Tour (Day - Rain)" composed by Yasuaki Iwata, Yumi Takahashi, Shinobu Nagata, Sayako Doi, Masato Ohashi

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#045 - "The Duck Knight Returns" (Darkwing Duck) Feb 23, 2020

Two experts meet in St. Canard: Nicole (RedAuxPDX) and Ryan (Retrogamebrews) discuss with me the terror that flaps in the 8-bit night: Darkwing Duck on NES! We'll unpack Darkwing's origins and inspirations, Disney+ and the full 91 episodes, RedAux's cosplay and meeting the creators, 2017 DuckTales and Darkwing, remembering the beloved cartoon, the heart of the show, its characters and villains and our favorite episodes, ranking cartoon theme songs, the TurboGrafx-16 game, the tragically canceled sequel, the mobile game, Capcom and Mega Man, the hanging mechanic, late NES games, licensed games and their many woes, and the Disney afternoon multiverse.
Links:

Patreon
Merch
Guests: @RedAuxPDX and @Retrogamebrews
Music: "Darkwing Duck theme song" original lyrics by Steve Nelson and Thomas Sharp; "Title theme" by Yasuaki Fujita

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#044 - "Pie Chart" (Pac-Man) Feb 17, 2020

It's time to talk about something that's really old, because old things can be great, too! Pac-Man podcast with the Arcade Mage and the Slipstream Mage. We'll discuss the devs taking a risk with Pac-Man over Rally X, vandalizing "Puck-Man", world records and President Reagan, the killscreen, K.C. Munchkin, how the world of games development has changed, our earliest memories of Pac-Man, ye olde arcades, the infamous Atari 2600 Pac-Man, developers that once struggled to gain recognition and credit for their games, being inspired by pizza, the twin cherries strategy, purchasing arcade cabinets today, deterministic artificial intelligent and the ghosts, Pac-Man's firsts, Pac-Man at amusement parks, Pac-Man merch, Pac-Man spin-offs, Pac-Man pasta!! Everything Pac-Man, plus Ms. Pac-Man, Professor Pac-Man, and Baby Pac-Man, too. Oh and appealing to stereotypes vs inclusivity.
Links:

https://thewellredmage.com/2017/02/01/pac-man/
https://thewellredmage.com/2020/01/17/psikyo-shooting-stars-alpha-2020-switch/
https://thewellredmage.com/2020/02/06/dawn-of-man-review-2020-ps4/
http://www.arcadecastle.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6jnXEB5JT4VD3EOybG5LFA

Patreon
Merch
Guests: @TheArcadeCastle and @JTorto40
Music: "Pac-Man" by Dancing Bros. and "Pac-Man Fever (Club Version)" by Buckner & Garcia

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#043 - "Cirque du Soleil" (Nights Into Dreams) Feb 10, 2020

Dreams do come true! Time for a Nights Into Dreams podcast feat. Andy aka @ProducerBTW and Aaron aka @SanityCrypto, plus what the guys are up to: standing up to cancer and podcasting in VR. We'll talk about Steven Spielberg, the 3D Controller and the invention of the analog stick, Oneirology, Freud and Jung, collecting for the Sega Saturn, the retro gaming market, imports, not missing ultra-fragile jewel cases, playing Nights then and now, sequels and spin-offs, the game's reception, reviewing things from the perspective of modernity or contemporaneous eras, struggling to define Nights Into Dreams, being threatened by walking, the appearance of S-Rankings, over-designing background texture, similarities between Sonic and Nights, a bit about Jung and shadow archetype, the vibe of the 90s and the quality in this OST, revisiting old IPs, expectations, and some of y'alls insane dreams.
Links:

Patreon
Merch
Guests: @ProducerBTW and @SanityCrypto
Music: "NiGHTS" and "Dreams Dreams (Instrumental)" composed by Naofumi Hataya, Tomoko Sasaki, Fumie Kumatani

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#042 - "The Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" (Xenogears) Feb 03, 2020

Presenting an original conversation from the Bookwarm Games podcast! I was invited to the discussion by Wesley Schantz, host of Bookwarm Games. We'll talk about the core principles of The Well-Red Mage, the value of open discussion and conversation free from ridicule, the necessity of communication to learn from each other, some words on systematic theology, agnosticism, impassibility and aseity, ancient individual rights, loving something to understand it, objectivity and subjectivity together in appreciation of video games, context for "best game ever" statements, the relationship between personal favorites and qualities in an object, the evolution of standards in art, the development of Xenogears and Yasunori Mitsuda, suffering artists and the definition of the word "art", the phrases "work of art" and "art form", Final Fantasy VII's rich mythological texture and how it might've introduced a lot of people to theological ideas, schools of thought on theology portrayed in fiction exemplified by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, how video games handle religious ideas, critically and negatively or not, the difference between doing things "under the title of" and "in the spirit of", popular culture's simplifications vs reading the original material, questions about theodicy, the numinous, biogenesis, and manuscript studies being raised in video games, remakes vs remasters, and stories that take their time.
Links:

https://newschoolnotes.blogspot.com/2019/05/bookwarm-games-xenogears.html

Featuring Bookwarm Games podcast and its host Wesley Schantz
Music: "Light from the Netherworld" & "The Beginnng and the End"
Composed by Yasunori Mitsuda

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#041 - "Monsters Inc." (Monster Hunter World) Jan 26, 2020

Chiptune and rock musician Russell Gordon and I talk about a MONSTER of a game, HUNTING down the best discussions for a WORLD of fun... it's Capcom's best-selling game of all time! We also mention the development and reception of the Monster Hunter series, Monster Hunter Tri on Wii and the day the music died when they closed its online servers, the complexity of these games despite their simplistic premise, viewing Monster Hunter World as a boss rush game, being prepared, crossovers, some thoughts on subscription services as paywalls for online multiplayer, World's design decision to merge single-player and multiplayer gameplay, the awesome absurdity of the weapons, blending comedy and cartoonishness with realism, real-life hunting and how it's not at all like Monster Hunter, poop lovin' Deviljho, being disappointed by Zorah Magdaros, missing Lagiacrus, nostalgia for Jhen Mohran, a word on Iceborne and its scale, the endgame grind, and addressing the question of "animal cruelty" in Monster Hunter World.
Links:

Guest: @rus_gordon

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#040 - "Galarian Omissions" (Pokemon Sword/Shield) Jan 20, 2020

Can you believe this is our first Pokemon episode ever? This time around, my guest is Cory the senior games editor of Popzara Press and we're talking about Sword and Shield, our first impressions, the game's pacing, version sales, differences, and exclusives, the greatness of the Wild Area, our favorite gym leaders, Pokemon, starters, and types, problems with the story and Pokemon as a utopian society balanced with nature, character development for rivals, formulas and Nintendo, quality-of-life changes, saying goodbye to HMs, fan outrage and "Dexit", missing Pokemon in Sword and Shield and whether it even matters, the boycott, thoughts on gigantamax and dynamax, aesthetic differences between Pokemon and Digimon, the accessibility of the series for all ages, and how that's a great thing and part of the global phenomenon that is Pokemon.
Links:
https://thewellredmage.com/2019/11/19/demo-disk-pokemon-sword-and-shield/
https://thewellredmage.com/2017/09/09/vagrant-story/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: https://www.popzara.com/

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#039 - "This Is The Sound A Hovercraft Makes" (VVVVVV) Jan 12, 2020

Welcome to the lost episode of MAGE CAST... All the way from the land where women glow and men plunder comes Patrick Arthur, my special guest for this episode. We'll talk about how VVVVVV took inspiration from the Commodore 64 and how to pronounce the title, as well as discuss limitations from big budgets, the indie scene and trends developing over time, our favorite indies, the problem of discoverability for games, what makes VVVVVV stand out, platforming without jumping, room names, the game's challenges, accessibility vs difficulty and how to avoid ad hominem when talking about tough games, the beauty of a simple premise, learning your colors and the sad elephant.
Links:
thewellredmage.com/2017/11/25/vvvvvv/
thewellredmage.com/2018/09/02/asking-big-questions-011-is-game-quality-improving/
thewellredmage.com/category/magipedia
normalhappenings.com/
rspodcast.net/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: @retpodcast

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#038 - "The Retchin' of Zelda" (Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon) Jan 05, 2020

MAGE CAST Season 2 is here!! We're putting our worst foot forward with what is considered to be one of the worst games ever made: the Wand of Gamelon, plus there's talk on the Nintendo PlayStation, some of the historical firsts accomplished by Wand of Gamelon, the Philips CD-i and how my guest was nearly talked into buying one instead of a SNES as a kid, why anyone should play Gamelon, games preservation, YouTube and meme culture, what to weigh in reviews and weighing in on reviews, judging a game by modern or vintage standards, objectivity in graphics, reviews at launch and allowing criticism time to function, what the game is about, its vices and virtues, and the evolution of a beloved franchise.
Links:
thewellredmage.com
thesixthaxis.com/2020/01/02/nintendo-playstation-rare-sale-console-snes-auction-2020/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: @TeacherBloke85

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#037 - "First Stage Halitosis" (Breath of Fire) Dec 05, 2019

I hope you came hungry! We'll devour another Super NES JRPG classic in Breath of Fire, this time with Hungry Goriya! We'll talk on Capcom's self-admitted first attempt at a traditional RPG, the passionate fandom of Breath of Fire and the middling experience of playing the first game, first impressions and expectations with vintage gaming, the roots of the BOF series, the first game's lack of refinement and its innovations, playing it blind, BOF's music, comparing versions and contemporaneous JRPGs, purely stats based RPGs and review scores, BOF's biggest emotional beats and the difference between drama vs melodrama, relating to characters, localization woes, "cause" and party members, our favorite and least favorite playable characters, villains and Capcom cameos, an overview of BOF's premise and a small word on how the games in the series connect, thematic elements, pros and cons, inventory management and hilarious abbreviations, and the future of the series.
Links:
thewellredmage.com/2017/03/20/breath-of-fire/
youtube.com/c/hungrygoriya
hungrygoriya.wordpress.com
twitch.tv/hungrygoriya
breathoffire.neoseeker.com/wiki/Chronology_of_the_Breath_of_Fire_Series
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: @hungrygoriya

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#036 - "Super Turbo Hyper Ultra HD Challenger Remix Edition II" (Street Fighter II) Nov 26, 2019

It's time to return to the musty neon lairs of old with Rich the Deviot to talk about Street Fighter II's insane sales and its popularity in the competitive scene of the arcades then and the internet now, the console wars, arcade ports bringing classics home, the fighting game explosion, steep skill-based difficulty and therefore inaccessibility, our first experiences finding SFII, version differences and re-releases, the EGM April Fool's gag, balancing and simplicity in game design, comparisons with Mortal Kombat, SFII's massive influence on fighting games, updated editions vs DLC as release philosophies, favorite mains, movies, and music, controllers, endings, adaptations to film and animation, and the oddities of the first Street Fighter.
Links:
thewellredmage.com/
commaeightcommaone.wordpress.com/about/
twitter.com/shinbojack
youtube.com/channel/UCKUGzrE6_IA6CDGbEdutnnQ/featured
youtube.com/user/Miles923
twitch.tv/therenesance
youtube.com/user/Dongled
youtube.com/user/RussLyman
youtube.com/user/BestSpuds
Support: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: @TheDeviot

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#035 - "Star-dews and Star-don'ts" (Stardew Valley) Nov 21, 2019

Let's get back to nature with Matt from Normal Happenings on this Stardew Valley podcast episode, where we talk about our favorite eligible characters, the game's caricatures and stereotypes, marriage, specific games not being for everyone, glamorizing and idealizing real-life work, the relatable premise of this story, actual farming, connection to nature, making big life decisions, simplicity and escapism, why Stardew Valley is addicting, why we keep playing it and the value it offers, Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Farming Simulator, and infamous Farmville, the "X-Factor", the Community Center vs Joja Mart, end game goals, how Stardew improves upon the Harvest Moon formula, the soundtrack and its greatest achievements, seasons, landscapes, pets, and other pleasantries about different ways to play the game.
Links:
thewellredmage.com
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: @normalhappening

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#034 - "Sakaguchi's Last Stand" (Final Fantasy) Nov 11, 2019

On this Final Fantasy podcast, @AncientLitDude and I discuss what is arguably the most important game to The Well-Red Mage as a concept. Final Fantasy (One) unfolds its depths to us with talk on job classes, early proto-RPGs and learning to read, the speedrunner and randomizer communities, FF series context and overview, the sticky point of grinding, the development of Final Fantasy and the legendary status of its title, Uematsu's body of work, comparing Uematsu and Mitsuda, the premise and story of the game, role-playing with blank avatars, telling a tale without character development, precedent in classic and ancient text, the Warriors of Light compared to later heroes and heroines in the franchise, silent protagonists, Final Fantasy as both science fiction and high fantasy, the Hero's Journey, the value of myth and beliefs in light of rationality, learning unity without unanimity in civil conversation on controversial subjects, a word on science vs scientism, the ancient idea of 4 elements, battles, bugs, and the best that we could do with audience questions.
Links:
* thewellredmage.com/2018/02/16/final-fantasy-1987/
* webcitation.org/60hMl5q2z?url=http://www.develop-online.net/news/28960/Sakaguchi-discusses-the-development-of-Final-Fantasy
* wired.com/2009/07/final-fantasy/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Merch: teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
Guest: @AncientLitDude

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#033 - "Yars Truly" (Yars' Revenge) Nov 03, 2019

It's time to hop in a modded Dolorian back to the golden age of video games and talk about the Atari 2600 and Yars' Revenge. My guest, Atari enthusiast CJ aka CardiacDrop and I discuss 2600 cover art, dispensing with ageism, games that used to come with manuals, comic books, guidebooks, maps, and extras, bringing your own imagination to the game, "few rules and a tremendous play space" in design, the difference between action and adventure, the objective of an endless game, the story of the vengeance of Yars for Razak IV against the infamous Qotile, Howard Scott Warshaw and his Easter Egg, how Yars' Revenge got its name, playing Yars' at launch, the strength of retro games that were forced to design within specific limitations, E.T. infamy, the North American Video Game Crash, the VCS, the fate and future of Atari, the matter of exclusives, and why you should still play 2600 games for yourself.
Links:
thewellredmage.com/
atariage.com/comics/comic_page.php?MagazineID=48&CurrentPage=1
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @CardiacDrop

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#032 - "This Game Is Out Of This World!" (Another World) Oct 28, 2019

Time to discuss the science of scary with my guest Mike from The Controller Throwers and the game Another World. We break down this title as horror and look at the premise of the unfortunate tale of Lester Knight Chaykin, not being an action hero, development by Eric Chahi and old indies, why the name was changed to "Out of this World", the science of cover art design, Mike finding his long lost cart after decades, why some love the game and why some hate it, the many ways to die and death animations, similar contemporary games, rotoscoping, Max Fleischer and Don Bluth, lacking gaminess, early cinematic and atmospheric storytelling, the question of a boundary between film and game, exposition vs pacing a narrative, re-releases, Heart of the Alien and Heart of Darkness, the idea of needing sequels, influential games and what Another World has inspired, experiencing as playing vs watching, oversaturation, and the definition of a classic.
Links:
medium.com/@thaisweiller/games-are-not-art-9a7e540e4bf1
twitch.tv/tcthrowers
thewellredmage.wordpress.com/2016/03/06/another-world/
thewellredmage.com/2018/10/23/another-world-20th-anniversary-edition-2018-switch/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @TCThrowers

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#031 - "A Miserable Little Podcast Of Secrets" (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) Oct 21, 2019

Sing with us the bittersweet Symphony of the Night on this Castlevania episode starring SanityCrypto and Aros Elric. We discuss video game voice acting, both then and now, voice actors and union rights, character impressions, 2D platforming in the 3D era, enjoying the criticism of the things we enjoy, blemishes and flaws giving things beauty, memes and their purpose, familiarity vs popularity and intrinsic quality, the soundtrack and classical music, religious imagery and architecture, putting the -vania in Metroidvania, playing as Alucard, literature and classic art, our favorite bosses, Symphony's new artwork style, Bloodstained and modern Metroidvanias, monsters from other mythologies, the Inverted Castle, our favorite Castlevania games, the Netflix Castlevania series and issues with television entertainment, and our favorite chairs (???).
Links:
teepublic.com/stores/thewellredmage?ref_id=10322
extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=45204
thecoinboys.com/
twitter.com/theWellRedMage/status/1173809719170854912
thewellredmage.com/2019/07/25/castlevania-anniversary-collection-2019-pc/
thewellredmage.com/2016/10/31/castlevania-symphony-of-the-night/
thewellredmage.com/2019/10/19/sponsor-a-monster-a-halloween-collab-coming-to-get-you/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: @SanityCrypto
@ArosElric

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#030 - "Explain It To Me Like I'm Forza" (Forza Horizon 4) Oct 16, 2019

It's time to put the Slipstream Mage in the driver's seat and talk about Forza Horizon 4! We're discussing juggling multiple games and forgetting where you've left off, how to pronounce "Forza" and what the word means in Italian, the TWRM GOTY Forza vs Journey controversy, the appeal of racing games, immersion, the sense of speed, and wish fulfillment, the importance of finely tuned mechanics, controls, and physics for racing game quality, the question of transferrable skills between real driving and game driving, differences between the Forza Horizon games and their settings, the open-world racing game structure, arcade and simulation gameplay, comparing Forza Horizon with other racing franchises, mixing Forza and Crazy Taxi, what Forza could learn from its peers, innovation and the future of the franchise, multiplayer woes, skill-based rankings, a sportsmanship grade, the Regalia and flying cars, and why you should try Forza for yourself: spoilers, it's about freedom.
Links: https://thewellredmage.com/author/jtorto/
https://thewellredmage.com/2019/07/22/twrmgoty2012-nominees-and-voting/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @JTorto40

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#029 - "I, Error" (Zelda II: The Adventure of Link) Oct 08, 2019

The eyes of Ganon are everywhere and we're going to talk about The Adventure of Link anyway! Featuring Ryan from Gameswithcoffee and Katy aka Absolutekaty, we talk about bragging rights and the first time we played Zelda II, and how that affected our perspective on the game, no shame and save states, why Zelda II is Ryan and Katy's favorite, the enjoyable action of the combat, the most unique traits in the game and what caught on in the rest of the series, some tawdry tart, the Peter Pan origins of Dark Link, the worst Zelda (by popular vote), a word for people wanting to play Zelda II for the first time, fair and unfair game design, Zelda II's difficulty difference from other NES hard games, patience and RPG elements, fan expectations and criticism, The Battle of Olympus and Faxanadu, what we would fix in Zelda II, and the abuse of the term "black sheep".
Website: thewellredmage.com/2019/09/07/zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link-1987-nes/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: @AbsoluteKaty @GameswCoffee

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#028 - "Perpendicular Perspectives" (Chrono Cross) Sep 30, 2019

The epic conclusion of our Chrono mini-series is finally here, featuring Gareth from 16-Bit Dad Blog and a discussion on Chrono Cross, which is NOT a sequel to Chrono Trigger (according to its developers). Together, we unpack such ideas as how to set yourself up for disappointment in a follow-up game, comparisons with Trigger and the effects of meddling with the timeline, the handling of time and dimensions, eras and worlds, a new layer of strategy and tactics required to master this battle system, what happened to the cast of the previous game, the unresolved but retconned tale of Magus/Guile, tendencies toward backloading and frontloading exposition, Cross's handling and dismissal of central themes and message, less straightforward storytelling and tonal shifts, differences in development between Trigger and Cross, the pros and cons of such a large cast of recruitable characters, our favorite characters and settings, elements and summons, and a word on the difference between preference and intrinsic quality, psychology, favoritism, definitive reality, our senses, a theory on function, purpose, and intent, and how civilization cultivates critical methodology for analyzing merits and flaws in works of art and entertainment.
Website: thewellredmage.com
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @16bitdadblog

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#027 - "It's About Time" (Chrono Trigger, pt.3) Sep 22, 2019

The 3rd and final episode in our Chrono Trigger podcast trilogy features Chris the Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage, and this time around we discuss the announcement of the new Philosophiraga show, the beauty of convenience for the consumer, playing Chrono Trigger on mobile iOS, Chris finishing the game for the first time just recently. First impressions, expectations, and recent overall thoughts combat dismissing opinions on the basis of nostalgia, plus talk on gaming as a newer form of entertainment and what that means for discourse about it, the phrase "it hasn't aged well", developing a standard of criticism and discussion for gaming, how to avoid disregarding groups and start looking at people individually, the theme of consequences to your actions in time travel, the importance of ideals over substance in this story, postulating why the Entity can't be the player, the equality of significance between visuals AND mechanics, the utility of graphics and sparing use of 3D elements, the techs, double techs, and triple techs, our favorite boss battles, balanced and streamlined game design, the beauty of ATB and the development of action RPGs, the value of leanness in storytelling, and the etymology and morality of nostalgia.
Website: thewellredmage.com/2017/11/17/chrono-trigger/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @overthinkery

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#026 - "Trigger Warning" (Chrono Trigger, pt.2) Sep 09, 2019

Our 2nd Chrono Trigger episode commences with Ryan from RetroGameBrews! It's time to talk storyline, the balanced seamlessness of Chrono Trigger and the lack of "the grind", the importance of player choice, rehashing the premise of the game, what we would do if we discovered an apocalyptic alien, primeval Twitch, if Chrono Trigger is really the GOAT, the most emotional scenes for us, time travel as both a story theme and a gameplay mechanic, the value of the NPC, the Chrono series as a whole, a word on Radical Dreamers and the beautiful world of Chrono Cross, the broken dreams of Chrono Resurrection and Chrono Break, the question of another Chrono game and whether we even want to see a sequel or remaster/remake, character etymology and making sense of their elemental affinities, the Entity mystery, why video games open with sleeping characters, schools of thought on what evil is, the sundry endings and New Game Plus.
Website: thewellredmage.com/2017/11/17/chrono-trigger/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @Retrogamebrews

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#025 - "Corridors of Rhyme" (Chrono Trigger, pt.1) Aug 19, 2019

It is time to talk about the best: Chrono Trigger, in this first episode in a CT trilogy! The ABXY Mage I and discuss the re-launch of Side Quests podcast and a new focus on video game music, the happenin' 1990s, questioning if accurate criticism is possible near launch, my first mancave, "Just let me get to the first save point!", what Chrono Trigger IS and what makes it so special, "time" as a theme in both narrative and game design, multiple endings, the necessity for stories to breathe, seamlessness and polish, the Dream Team, the unprecedented length of tracks in this soundtrack, our favorite music from Chrono Trigger, Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda's experience composing his first soundtrack, his list of works, his failing health, the mystery of "the Entity", music inspired by dreams, the scope of the soundtrack with its various time period themes, Gato karaoke, the Guardia justice system, singing along with the soundtrack, and of course, the matter of objective quality. We also take your questions!
Website: thewellredmage.com/2017/11/17/chrono-trigger/
Patreon: patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @ABXY_Reviews

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#024 - "Boom! Tetris For You" (NES Tetris) Jul 29, 2019

Zdrastvooyte! In this episode, I'm focusing on NES Tetris with streamer and competition host Retro Game Brews aka the Beer Mage and Tetris champion Mega Retro Man asking what Tetris is, describing Tetris in one word, the puzzle that changes with your skill level, the comforting, relaxing nature of fitting the tetrominoes together, why Tetris isn't an anachronism by now and what makes the game so appealing, the dopamine response and addiction to its gameplay, the pure balance of challenge with simplicity, kinder game design in modern Tetris, wading into the cultural discussion of games being too hard with the idea of practice, the hardest thing about playing Tetris (according to a pro competitor), DAS and the kill screen, having to think on your feet, the fascinating history of Tetris, the rare Tengen Tetris cart, comparing some different versions and how to ruin Tetris, tackling the question of whether Tetris is the perfect game or not, irreducible complexity, the World Championships, visiting the Soviet Union, and Tetris as an analogy for life.

Website: https://thewellredmage.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: @Retrogamebrews and @MegaRetroMan

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#023 - "Casual Discourse on Somniloquy" (Shadow Hearts) Jul 15, 2019

This episode we dive headfirst into the horrors of a cult classic: Shadow Hearts, discussing how to win a game of hangman, our take on Lovecraft's works and Lovecraftian themes present in Shadow Hearts, purple prose and classic literature, anti-anthropocentrism and cosmic horror, the technical word for fear of dolls (never use it, please), what the greatest scene in video game history is (hint: it involves a train), voice acting performances and how to measure their quality, actors treating their lines like they're in toy commercials, the distinction between loving something for what it is and critiquing a performance, good vs bad dialogue, the unique difficulties which translation presents in attempting to preserve original intent, the context of horror RPGs, favorite characters and their motivations, the harmony of ideas in the Shadow Hearts soundtrack plus Yasunori Mitsuda (!), sensible nostalgia for the 90s and what that decade accomplished in games vs crappy things that can be abolished to history books, the Judgment Ring and mechanical innovations in Shadow Hearts, and finally, why this game didn't do so great upon release.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com
Patreon: https://patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: @ArosElric and @TeacherBloke85

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#022 - "R3turnJ0k3r" (DC Universe Online) Jul 01, 2019

It's time to get dark and gritty talking about DC Universe Online with fellow DC Comics fan, the Black Humor Mage!

In this episode we'll discuss the game that I played at the cusp of fatherhood, the superpowers of the game, swearing off MMOs, turning the Skype camera on accidentally when you have no clothes on, what to do when your wife becomes a pregnant narcoleptic, the endless pastime of the endless grind, video games as a former addiction and the bottomless pit of character creation, great voice acting and crap voice acting (plus impressions, unfortunately!), resisting guild tyranny, saving evidence on your phone, thoughts on a sequel, voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, dealing with roleplayers, Prof. Zoom and the worst person I've ever met online. Also, a bonus question at the end!
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/03/05/dc-universe-online/
Patreon: https://patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: @blackhumormage

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#021 - "Midichlorians" (Parasite Eve) Jun 11, 2019

I got to chat with my dad, the 16-bit one (@16bitdadblog), about Parasite Eve! We get into the differences in horror between the West and East and how Parasite Eve blends the two, how the story connects to the incident in Japan in the novel, and where the film, manga, and sequels figure in, theorizing why the game never came to Europe, combining survival and RPG elements, the weapons upgrading system and how to blow your hands off with a rocket-launcher-handgun, horrible, horrible body horror and John Carpenter's The Thing, mitochondria and real science, thoughts on remakes and remasters, the importance of preserving tonality, what Madonna has to do with this game, and the chances of P.E. popping up at E3. It's "ekshepshtional".
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/
Guest: @16bitdadblog

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#020 - "Super Poemcast Special!" May 25, 2019

For our 20th episode special, we the mages are here to share 17 original poems of all shapes and sizes and styles, each one based on a single game of our choice from the 1000 Games list! The 1000 Games collab may be over now, but there's no reason we can't keep milking it. Enjoy this chill Mage Cast entry, a pantheon of poets for your peaceful perusal. Let us know which one was your favorite!
Guests:
The ABXY Mage - EarthBound (@ABXY_Reviews)
The Purple Prose Mage - Driver (@AlexSigsworth)
The Thunder Mage - Super Metroid (@BillTuckerTSP)
The Arcade Mage - Ms. Pac-Man (@TheArcadeCastle)
The Badly Backlogged Mage - Pong (@MrBacklog)
The Hyperactive Coffee Mage - Persona 3 Portable (@GameswCoffee)
The Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage - Shadow of the Colossus (@overthinkery1)
The Mail Order Ninja Mage - Breath of the Wild (@mailorderninja)
The New Age Retro Mage - Mega Man 2 (@chrisbg99)
The Slipstream Mage - Titanfall 2 (@JTorto40)
The Valiant Vision Mage - Xenoblade Chronicles (@Lodestar_Valor)
The Regional Exclusive Mage - Resident Evil 4 (@TeacherBloke85)
The Bizzaro Mage - Persona 5 (@winstolf)
The One-Winged Mage - Link's Awakening (@GConsolers)
The Teal Time Mage - Suikoden III (@ArosElric)
The Blue Moon Mage - Hollow Knight (@wrytersview)
and The Well-Red Mage - Chrono Trigger (@theWellRedMage)

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#019 - "A Mist Opportunity" (Final Fantasy IX) May 05, 2019

SPOILERS, y'all. The last of the PlayStation One Final Fantasy games, I sat down to talk Final Fantasy IX with my own real laifu waifu! There are two kinds of people in this world: Vivi and Kuja. Hear us discuss this game's major themes, its placement in the context of the PS1 numerical trilogy, its wonderful treatment of miniature stories for its non-playable characters, our favorite musical tracks, the in-game places where we'd most want to live, the notorious evil that was PlayOnline.com, making sense of Necron, the brevity of life, passing on your memories, how to make living life valuable, death as a natural part of life, you could say this podcast is about... the melodies of life.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/09/07/final-fantasy-ix/
Patreon: https://patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: https://twitter.com/OutMage

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#018 - "Clever Girl" (Horizon Zero Dawn) Apr 23, 2019

We're looking toward the Horizon for a new Dawn with Zero regrets! Episode "Clever Girl" wrestles with options and an over-abundance of choice, conceptual science fiction and mystery driving a story, Asimov's Foundation novels, the difficulty of maintaining narrative pace in open-world games full of side quests, meaningless vs meaningful missions, other PS4 exclusives and ranking Horizon Zero Dawn, inventory management *yawn* and how to minimize it, whether games will get too big or not, unitaskers vs multitaskers in in-game tools, that sweet weasel meat, Aloy as other than a player avatar, feminism and the matriarchs, if Aloy is a Mary Sue and her development through the game, ideas and wishes for a sequel, ways to ramp up the tension when wandering the wilds, smashing together HZD and BotW into a single game, machine designs, and why Ted Faro is a jerk.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2018/09/05/horizon-zero-dawn-complete-edition/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests:
https://twitter.com/ProtoAvi
https://twitter.com/BillTuckerTSP

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#017 - "Go The Way of the Dinosaur Land - Yosh in the Shell, or: How I Learned to Love the Star Road Warrior" (Super Mario World) Apr 04, 2019

I can show you a Super Mario World, shining, shimmering, splendid. In this detour into Dinosaur Land, featuring the inscrutable ABXY Mage and the ineffable Blue Moon Mage, we dig deep into this SNES launch title, its official story out of the original instruction booklet, our first time playing the game, challenge and incentivization, the benefits of competition in the industry (the Console Wars), whether Super Mario is really for children or not, why Mario is so enduring and the history of the character as the history of video games, the consistency of Mario's tonality, the underestimated significance of fun-factor, if Mario risks becoming an anachronism, the issue of timelessness and the question of immutable properties in games, methods to investigate game quality while circumnavigating nostalgia, innovations in Super Mario World, the origins of the names of the Koopalings, Tanuki anatomy, and all the best secrets!
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/03/31/super-mario-world/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests:
https://twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews
https://twitter.com/wrytersview

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#016 - "Cowabunga Chronology" (TMNT IV: Turtles In Time) Mar 19, 2019

Pizza time! Hey, dudes, check out to our biggest episode ever in terms of guest presence, featuring the Beer Mage, the ABXY Mage, and the Hyperactive Coffee Mage. Listen as we chat about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time and go on about psychoanalyzing Twitter, which of us is Leo, Don, Raph, and dying on the hill of Michelangelo, the game's pros and cons, its expression of the differences between the turtles, how to get the most points for a high score, our favorite villains and time periods, voice acting in the original 1987 cartoon (Liquid Snake?!), nostalgia-talk about the 80's, what kind of game we would make if we could create our own TMNT game, finally laying the Turtle Van to rest, Teenage Mutant "Hero" Turtles, and asking how much a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle weighs.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/09/24/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-iv-turtles-in-time/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: https://twitter.com/Retrogamebrews
https://twitter.com/GameswCoffee
https://twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews

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#015 - "Original Sin" (Final Fantasy X) Feb 24, 2019

February is the month of love so for this episode, I brought on as a guest my very own real-lifu waifu, Blythe the White Out Mage! We talked on a game that impacted the both of us: Final Fantasy X, its firsts and lasts, its uniquely South Pacific influences, its characters, their themes and their development, coping with pain, overcoming prejudice, free spirits vs responsibility, voice acting in its infancy and the troubles of English localization, storytelling band-aids, outsider archetypes, falsifying religious concepts and the triumph of reason, and… voice impressions! We also take listener questions, address the sequel, FFX-2, briefly, and figure out exactly what Tidus really is.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/02/23/final-fantasy-x/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: https://twitter.com/OutMage

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#014 - "Keyblade Runner" (Kingdom Hearts) Feb 04, 2019

When you walk away you don’t hear me say pleeeeease listen to this episode! Featuring the verbose Chris of Overthinker Y (aka the Sometimes Vaguely Philosophical Mage), we dig deep into the labyrinth that is Kingdom Hearts, trying to untangle the maze that is the KH series while focusing on the first game. We also discuss the problems of online communication, Squaresoft and Square Enix, how Disney repelled or pulled us in, game rental stores, the similarities and differences between “heart” and “soul”, KH’s fusion of Western and Eastern philosophy, our favorite Disney worlds and films, the incredible compositions by Shimomura, and exactly why you need subtitles for Donald Duck.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: https://twitter.com/overthinkery1
Cited articles:
https://overthinkeryblog.com/2019/01/24/kingdom-hearts-is-light-the-under-the-radar-humanist-tale-part-one-humanism/
https://normalhappenings.com/2018/11/21/kingdom-hearts-the-game-that-defines-overthinkery/

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#013 - "Sweet As Mango" (Grim Fandango Remastered) Jan 23, 2019

Hear us dance this Grim Fandango featuring Brent Mead the ABXY Mage and myself, the stuffy nose mage, talking this game's unique combination of influences, its concept of the afterlife, its interesting visual design, whether games as art is really the same thing as music as art, the difference between artistic and art form, the nature of jazz, death puns, championing memorable NPCs, personality world building vs exposition, our personal histories with adventure games, floppy disks, how adventure games lost their footing in the internet age and how to keep puzzles challenging, and that satisfying feeling of accomplishment when you complete one, the state of humor in games, and the false need for relief in the form of comedy.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/10/10/grim-fandango-remastered/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: https://twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews

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#012 - "Great Apespectations" (Donkey Kong Country) Jan 07, 2019

Ape puns coagulate in this Donkey Kong Country episode, featuring the dudes at The Pixel Meditations podcast! We discuss how to help games be accepted as an art form, showing people that there’s something to learn from video games, DKC’s quality of physics and weight, its sense of rhythm, the immediacy of its two player co-op, the variations between Donkey and Diddy, its place as the first title in the SNES trilogy, those dreaded mine cart levels, the Cranky Kong Run, and that great, great David Wise music, as well as which game most people prefer out of the original trio.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2018/03/10/donkey-kong-country/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: https://twitter.com/pixelmeditation
https://thepixelmeditations.podbean.com/

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#011 - "!" (Metal Gear Solid) Dec 21, 2018

Gravelly voices abound in this Metal Gear Solid episode on the origins of TWRM and the pun name, the PS1 Classic, a Metal Gear franchise overview, what’s canon and what’s not, the unique pitfalls of cinematic storytelling, stealth as a genre vs a mechanic, messing with people after getting optical camouflage, our favorite scenes and characters in MGS1, the importance of ESRB ratings as a parent, the embarrassing story of "the music room", Solid Snake’s ethics of killing and justification of murder, sympathetic villains and the legacy of a father, auteur theory, the growing chasm between critics and fans, Batman vs Solid Snake, and recording myself watching a trailer for the first time.
Website: https://thewellredmage.com/2016/03/02/metal-gear-solid/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: twitter.com/BlackHumorMage

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#010 - "The King of Second Fiddles" Dec 08, 2018

It's the MAGE CAST 10th episode mini-anniversary special featuring my biological anti-twin and second banana, Nathaniel Norton! Listen with rapture to the most melodious musical episode ever as we sing and belt our way through a Night on Bald Mountain, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Sim City 2000, Storm Eagle, Monument Valley, Armored Core, Alabama Shakes, Olomana, and... a new MAGE CAST theme song??? Things get a little weird and laughter abounds, but hopefully this decennial makes you chortle at least once. Hey, 'tis the season to spend with family, right? Mahalo~
Website: thewellredmage.com
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: Nate Dog

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#009 - "See You, Space Cowgirl..." (Cosmic Star Heroine) Dec 07, 2018

Co-founders Red and Timely sit down to chat about Cosmic Star Heroine, buzzwords in the gaming industry, true substance to retro throwback games, doing more than pandering, consciousness toward length and lean game design, old versus modern JRPGs, the shift away from strategy to button mashing, sincerity and genuineness in indie games evoking the classics, the place for traditional good vs evil storytelling, pure virtue characters and archetypes, the non-necessity of cynicism, the GOTY picks for 2018, and where we were in the golden age of the 90's.

And... announcing a launch date for MAGE CAST: Side Quests!

Website: thewellredmage.com/2018/08/18/cosm…ne-2018-switch/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: twitter.com/ProtoAvi

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#008 - "Breath Of Fresh Air" (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) Nov 22, 2018

So a red mage, a ninja, and a coffee guru walk into a podcast... On this episode, a tri-force of mages discuss The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, its place within the context of the franchise, both its 2017 GOTY and controversial status, its unprecedented focus on the princess, its treatment of the open world structure, the place of fans in defining a series by expectations, demanding ingenuity and lateral thinking from the player, weapon durability and survival mechanics, talk of a sequel, and Zelda's legs.

It's not what you think.

Website: thewellredmage.com/2017/03/26/the-…th-of-the-wild/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: homebuttongaming.wordpress.com/
gameswithcoffee.com/

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#007 - "It's A Madhouse!" (Batman: Arkham Asylum) Nov 22, 2018

I am the night! This time, I got to sit down this time with the comics experts at Opinioneering to chat about Batman: Arkham Asylum. Our conversation turned to the literary and animated influences behind the game, Batman's humanity and vulnerabilities, the enduring versatility of the Dark Knight across media, remembering who the World’s Greatest Detective really is, the value in the focus of smaller games, Asylum as more than a cash-in or an adaptation of some movie, an exploration of the Bat as an inspiration, Batman vs the Punisher methodologies, how to become a Batman fan, heroism as doing the hard things, and the sad untold tale of bald Batman, plus, future Rocksteady DC video games (Superman?!)!

Website: thewellredmage.com/2016/03/24/batm…-arkham-asylum/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: twitter.com/opinioneering

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#006 - "Do Reploids Dream of Electric Guitar?" (Mega Man X) Nov 22, 2018

What ever happened to the Blue Bomber? In this episode, I chat about Mega Man X with Ryan from Retro Game Brews Podcast and Brent aka the ABXY Mage and we unpack our thoughts on the chronology of X and the classic Mega Man series, the distinguishing features of the X series, which robots get free will, literal verticality in level design, what kind of voice Mega Man should have, and our appreciation for the incredible soundtrack (I also make my guests sing their favorite songs from this game!). Also, listen for a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT from the ABXY Mage!
Website: thewellredmage.com/2016/08/14/mega-man-x/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: twitter.com/Retrogamebrews
twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews

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#005 - "What Nintendidn't" (Sonic the Hedgehog) Nov 22, 2018

Traveling back in time at high speeds to the first Sonic the Hedgehog game, Matthew from Normal Happenings and myself talk the blue blur's concept, design, and execution, Sonic's development history and future, Project Defeat Mario, the epic console wars, Sonic Tuesday, and Sega's legacy. This is our first episode ever to feature a 1 vs 1 discussion from two very different perspectives. Do sparks fly? Idk, but Tails does. Too bad he's not in this game.
Website: thewellredmage.com/2017/05/20/sonic-the-hedgehog/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guest: normalhappenings.com/

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#004 - "Fuzzy Pickles" (EarthBound) Nov 22, 2018

In this EarthBound episode, I jumped last minute in front of the mic with Ryan the Hyperactive Coffee Mage and Brent the ABXY Mage to talk about a real SNES cult classic. Our discussion circulated around the idyllic vision of America, the death of innocence, the lost art of memorable NPCs, disturbing 16bit imagery, the meaning of the series title "Mother", successful video game humor, and lots of Poo.
Website: thewellredmage.com/2018/03/05/eart…gs-mother-1989/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage
Guests: gameswithcoffee.com/
twitter.com/ABXY_Reviews

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#003 - "Perfect Organism" (Alien: Isolation) Nov 22, 2018

In this episode, the founding members of TWRM shiver in fear before Alien: Isolation by Creative Assembly and Sega, discussing the game in the context of the Alien film franchise and other Alien video games, the addictiveness of horror, the value of good lighting, AI that's smarter than you, lo-fi tech, and just why the Xenomorph is so terrifying (hint: pregnancy and childbirth).
Read more: thewellredmage.com/2016/05/12/alien-isolation/
Patreon: www.patreon.com/thewellredmage

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#002 - "The Zodiac Killer" (Final Fantasy Tactics) Nov 16, 2018

In this episode you can enjoy our Final Fantasy Tactics talk with the Timely Mage and Nick-the-Employee-of-the-Month, wherein we discuss the Final Fantasy series and Tactics' uniqueness, Final Fantasy spin-offs, archaeology and the nature of truth, grounded dark pseudo-history, job classes, the Dead Sea Scrolls, themes of equality and corruption (there's a surprising amount of realism here), and how the heck you are supposed to pronounce "Beoulve", anyway.
Read more:
www.the-pixels.com/2016/03/20/final-fantasy-tactics

Guests: @ProtoAvi & Nick-the-employee-of-the-month

Links: N/A
Music: "Bland Logo~Title Back" & "Player Creation" composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto & Masaharu Iwata

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#001 - "Sand People" (Journey) Nov 16, 2018

In this primal episode, the founding members of thewellredmage.com discuss Journey by thatgamecompany, the meaning of minimalism and the risk of superficiality, spirituality and video games, the journey(s) of life and Journey as a mirror, the human need for friendship, and Journey's place in the gaming industry!
Read more:
the-pixels.com/2016/02/22/journey

Guests: @ProtoAvi & the Black Humor Mage

Links: thatgamecompany.com
Music: "Nascence" & "Apotheosis" composed by Austin Wintory

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