Watch Out for Fireballs!

Latest Episodes:

State of Live Shows Mar 24, 2020

Show notes

Hey everyone, we've got some announcements. You can listen to the audio for full details, but it boils down to: the Midwest Gaming Classic in Milwaukee has been canceled, the Portland Retro Games Expo has been canceled, and we cannot in good conscience plan and execute a Duckfest with the global pandemic being what it is.

We will not be doing any live events this year, and this really, really bums us out.

To ameliorate this, we will be holding a virtual Duckfest sometime in June, and also putting out a Switcheroo Bundle a few months after that.

We apologize for any disappointment this might bring, and we hope you are staying save and sane under these trying circumstances.

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270 Preview: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time Mar 19, 2020

Show notes

There are really two Ocarina of Times. The one that came out in 1998 that's undeniably groundbreaking and an aesthetic triumph, and the one that you can play in 2020 that has a lot of ups and downs. We give this sacred cow an honest evaluation in this episode.

Note, this is the preview version of this episode. To hear the whole thing, join us on Patreon!

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Adaptation Decay 24: Carmen Sandiego (Quarantine Pack) Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

Note: You're stuck indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic, so we're unlocking some of our favorite premium content from 2019 so you have more stuff to entertain yourself with. Take care and be safe.

Double Trouble has stolen another fuckin' quarry.

In this episode, we look at the very good game show and the very bland cartoon based on the hottie amazon known as Carmen Sandiego.

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Exquisite Suffering 74: Dilbert's Desktop Games (Quarantine Pack) Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

I'll come clean with you. If you know who Scott Adams is, and you know our general outlook on things, you can probably guess where this episode goes. And if you're not down for that, the first portion of the episode is for you. We talk about the Dilberito.

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Unfilmable 4: From Beyond (Quarantine Pack) Mar 17, 2020

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Let's get ready to horny! Stuart Gordon looked at a seven page Lovecraft story about seeing extradimensional beings, and said "I can make a movie out of that." The result is From Beyond, where overactive pineal glands enable shapeshifting and confer BDSM fascinations. It needs to be seen to be believed.

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WOFF! 227: Bioshock Infinite (Quarantine Pack) Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

Let the circle be broken, because we don't like Bioshock Infinite. The full episode is four hours of us trying our best to point out the many ways it falls short as a game, and as a conveyor of ideas.

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269: Axiom Verge Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

Metroidvanias are pretty common, but games that aim to ape the original Metroid are few and far between. Axiom Verge is a 2015 indie game with a distinct glitchy NES aesthetic and some pretty great powerups. It also has some problems with its combat and main character. You can't take away the beauty of those sprite designs or that music, however.

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268: Valdis Story Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

Kole and Gary go deep into the Abyss on Valdis Story, a kickstarter character action/metroidvania hybrid. It's got ups, it's got downs, and we discuss em all. Thank you to Terra Parker for sponsoring this episode!

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Dispatch: Hours to Dollars Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

This week's episode is a Dispatch, where we answer your questions and talk about your requested topic... namely, is it harmful to consider a game's value solely as a function of its length versus its cost?

Additionally, we read your responses to February's games, and announce April's titles!

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267 Preview: XCOM: Enemy Unknown Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

This month's premium Watch Out for Fireballs! is about XCOM: Enemy Unknown (and the Enemy Within expansion). This game is a masterpiece, and we take our time dining on the systems and the way they interlock. The aliens have made contact, and they do not come in peace. So it's time to mount the defensive and take the fight to their doorstep. The structure of this episode is a little strange, we admit, but we hope you're here to hear us geek out over tactics and such.

This is the first portion of a premium episode. [You can hear the rest by backing us on Patreon.](

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