MageCast X

Latest Episodes:

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

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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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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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