MageCast X

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Patreon

Merch

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

Show notes

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:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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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