Still Loading

Indie games are awesome. They try so many different and unique things or have unique spins on classic game design ideas. This week on the show I am joined by Emily Merritt and Kate Hunter from the No Small Games podcast to talk about an indie game that pushes emotional storytelling without dialogue and explores grief in a way I haven't experienced before. We are talking about the game Gris. Gris was developed by Nomada Studios and released in 2018. It explores the stages of grief in a very beatiful and haunting way. Kate, Emily and I talk all about this game's themes, what we loved about it, why it makes us love indie games and so much more. Check out No Small Games here! https://nosmallgames.com/ Follow No Small Games on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/nosmallgames.bsky.social Follow Emily on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social Follow Kate on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/katerblossom.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Gris Pt. 1 Composer: Berlinist Album: Gris Soundtrack https://berli

Here comes Mama Mario! In this month's mini episode Dexter Morrill and I break down episode 9 of the Super Mario Bros Super Show! In one of the more wild episodes of we've seen yet we end up meeting Mario and Luigi's Mom, discussing the logisitics of carb loading, Luigi not understanding what the word "default" means and Fry Guy loan sharks. Follow Dexter on social media! Instagram BlueSky Shout-out Song: Rosalina in the Observatory Artist: Coffee Date Album: Wii Chill https://gamechops.com/wii-chill/ End Song: Birabuto Kingdom Artist: Rymdkraft Album: Smooth McGroove Remixed 3 https://gamechops.com/smooth-mcgroove-remixed-3/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

The Muppets are iconic and it has been long overdue since I discussed them on the podcast. Joining me today to help me talk about a childhood favorite of mine is... my brother Mike as well as Doug Lief from the Nostalgium Arcanum podcast! The game on this episode is Muppet Treasure Island, based on the movie of the same name. Mike, Doug and I break down this game in more detail than probably needed but who cares, this game rules. We talk about the gameplay, production value, green screen use and much more! Check Out Mike's show! https://www.mediatheatre.org/ Follow Nostalgium Arcanum on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/nostalgiumpod.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Treasure Island Composer: Hans Zimmer Album: Muppet Treasure Island Soundtrack https://archive.org/details/MuppetTreasureIsland_201805 End Song: He's a Pirate Composer: Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Album: Muppet Treasure Island Soundtrack https://archive.org/details/MuppetTreasureIsland_201805 Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com

Emulation is a polarizing subject in video games. While I personally feel its not a bad thing there are people who only associate with piracy. So I figured who better to talk about this topic than the founder of one of the earliest emulation websites, Zophar. Zophar founded Zophar's domain back in 1996 as a way to aggregate emulation information and it grew into something much more than that. Zophar and I chatted about how he started Zophar's domain, why he left, his feelings on emulation and much more! Check out Zophar on Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/zophar1 Check out Zophar on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@zophar1 Checkout Zophar's Domain! https://www.zophar.net/ Follow Zophar on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/zophar.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Take some rest and eat some food! Artist: xDeviruchi  Album: 8-bit Fantasy & Adventure Music https://xdeviruchi.itch.io/8-bit-fantasy-adventure-music-pack End Song: He's a Pirate Artist: Jason Bernard arrangement of Klaus Badelt's original piece Album: N/

A huge part of video game history is context. Context surrounding a game's development, context surrounding a game's release, context of the time and place the game was made during. Context informs how we interpret the past. This week on the show I am joined by author and journalist Ross Benes to talk about his book "1999: The Year Low Culutre Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times." We discuss what about the late 90's has informed so much of our present, how that culture affected the games that came out and how the games themselves were part of that percieved "low culture" at the time. There is so much more in his book worth diving into but I felt like this was a good introduction for ya'll to see what Ross has written. Follow Ross on Twitter! https://x.com/RossBenes Check out Ross' Website! https://www.rossbenes.com/ Check out Ross' Book! https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700638574/ Shout-out Song: BLUENOISE! Artist: Protodome Album: BLUESCREEN https://protodome.bandcamp.com/album/bluescreen End S

We delve the depths of Tallon IV on this episode of Still Loading. I'm joined by returning guest to the podcast Chris (aka the British Bond Addict) to talk Metroid Prime. Metroid Prime is a game that has eluded me for a while. I first played it over a decade ago but never got around to beating it even though I made it over 90% through the game. That has been finally corrected and I couldn't be happier I got to experience it.... with a few complaints here and there. Chris and I discuss the music, the world, the story, why he's wrong about the story... I mean we just discuss the story. Anyway. Learn how to morph ball and roll on into this new episode! Follow Chris on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/britishbondaddict/ Shout-out Song: Samus Shuffle Artist: bLiNd Album: Chozo Legacy https://gamechops.com/chozo-legacy/ End Song: Chozo Legacy Artist: bLiNd Album: Chozo Legacy https://gamechops.com/chozo-legacy/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the B

More Zelda cartoons can't be a bad thing right? Joining me is my co-host with the mo-host Dexter Morrill to break down the 8th episode of the Zelda cartoon, Doppleganger. We talk about goth Zelda, Link's Kink's, uncomfortable kisses and Bob Ducca's list of bizarre ailments. As usual, what does that actually mean!? You will have to listen and find out! Follow Dexter on social media! Instagram BlueSky Shout-out Song: Fairy Fountain Artist: Mikel Album: Zelda & Chill https://gamechops.com/zelda-chill-complete/ End Song: Kokiri Forest (Ocarina of Time Remix) Artist: James Landino Album: Smooth McGroove Remixed https://gamechops.com/smooth-mcgroove-remixed/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

I love Nintendo. I still do. This company makes some of my favorite systems and games and has also given me some of my favorite memories. But even with my love of Nintendo its hard to overlook their negatives, even if those negatives are not Nintendo's fault. This week on the show I'm joined by Chris Coplien from Retro Hangover and St1ka from the YouTube channel St1ka to talk about the Nintendo Bump. We discuss how it seems the perception of game history at large is heavily skewed by Nintendo fandom, how that harms game preservation in other areas of gaming and where this bump seems to come from. Follow Retro Hangover on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social Follow St1ka on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/st1ka.bsky.social Check out St1ka on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@st1ka Shout-out Song: Hot Tea & Firmware Updates Artist: Dj CUTMAN Album: Wii U Grooves https://gamechops.com/wii-u-grooves/ End Song: Let's All Go To Nintendo Land! Artist: Dj CUTMAN Album: Wii U Grooves https

Video game history is more than just what is shown on YouTube and in podcasts. Joining me on this episode of Still Loading is Laine Nooney and they are the managing editor of ROMChip. ROMChip is an academic journal of game histories that's focus is to advance the critical work of games studies. In short, they publish peer reviewed articles, interviews and more all about video game history. I had a wonderful conversation with Laine about how ROMChip came to be, what their goal is at ROMChip, why it's important and much more. If you like video game history I HIGHLY recommend you check out this episode and also check out everything Laine and their team are doing over at ROMChip. See the links below to check it out all! Follow Laine on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/lainenooney.bsky.social Check out Laine's website https://www.lainenooney.com/ Follow ROMChip on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/romchip.bsky.social Check out ROMChip's website https://www.romchip.org/index.php/romchip-journal Shout-out Song: Maple

This week we set sail for adventure here on the Still Loading Podcast. Joining me is new friend to the show Supertendo to talk about the originally maligned but now beloved Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Despite being more beloved now, Wind Waker had a very polarizing launch back in 2002 when it came out. This was not the Zelda most fans were looking for at the time, myself included. But a gutsy choice from Nintendo back then has proven it's staying power. Wind Waker is significantly more popular now than it was back when it released and I would like to feel like that is largely because it's intended audience grew up a bit and played the game on it's own merits and not based on their expectation. Supertendo and I discuss all of this on the episode along with how we feel the gameplay holds up, is sailing fun? Which is better the OG or the remake? Is the Triforce quest THAT bad? Listen and find out! Follow Supertendo on Instagram HERE https://www.instagram.com/supertendo_/ Shout-out Song: Wind

You ain't nothin' but a groundhog! This month's cartoon episode is on the Super Mario Bros. Super Show Episode 8, "Love 'em and Leave 'em". Dexter is of course back and we had a lot of discuss on this one. We chat about the observational skills of our intrepid heroes, what hot pepper pistacio ice cream would taste like, why love potions are super problematic and much more! Follow Dexter on social media! Instagram BlueSky Shout-out Song: Fossil Falls Artist: Helynt Album: Mario & Chill 2 https://gamechops.com/mario-and-chill-2/ End Song: Mushroom Bounce Artist: bLiNd Album: NESteryears https://gamechops.com/nesteryears/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

Whip sounds abound in this episode of Still Loading. I'm joined by TroytlePower of Geek to Geek Media and Thrak from the 3DO Experience to go on a rip-roaring adventure of punching some nazis. And no, this is not a continuation of Punch a Nazi month, but it is kind of a spiritual sequel to it. We are talking about Indiana Jones and the Great Circle this week. The three of us chat about our first experiences with the iconic archeologist, how this game surprised us in ways we weren't expecting, bizarre evangelical media and much more! **Please note this episode was recorded before Microsoft's announcement of massive layoffs so it was not brought up in this episode. Follow TroytlePower on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/troytlepower.bsky.social Follow Thrak on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/thrak.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/gandcstudios.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Opening Theme Composers: Michael Z. Land, Peter McConnell and Clint Bajakian Album: Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis Sountrack http

Back in 2020 I did an episode on Final Fantasy X. Five years later there is finally a sequel to that episode where I talk about the sequel to that game! Joining me this week is Rick from Pixel Project Radio to help me change in and out of numerous costumes as we discuss the first ever direct sequel in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy X-2. X-2 expands the world of FFX in many clever ways while also introducing a really unique battle system that I enjoyed a decent amount. Rick and I had a lot of fun dissecting what makes this game unique, how it feels to play it all these years later and ultimately what we both felt was it's downfall. Follow Rick on Bluesky here! https://bsky.app/profile/pixelprojectradio.bsky.socia Shout-out Song: Sight of Spira Artist: Rifti Beats Album: Chocobo & Chill https://gamechops.com/chocobo/ End Song: Yuna (Tropical House Remix) Artist: Will & Tim Album: N/A https://gamechops.com/yuna/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcas

As time goes on the games and the consoles we grew up with have a hard time keeping up with modern technology. Plug in your NES or Sega Genesis into a modern HD TV and it just doesn't feel the way you remember it. You may ask, did my games always look and play like this? The answer no. Well sort of... Returning to the show today is my good friend Try from the YouTube channel My Life in Gaming, and we do a pretty thorough overview of what to do to play your retro game systems and retro games on modern televisions. We talk about video signals, resolutions, upscaling, emulation of all kinds and much more. If you ever wanted to learn about how to get the most out of your old game consoles, use this episode as a jumping off point! Checkout My Life in Gaming on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@mylifeingaming Check out The Backloggery! https://backloggery.com/ Shout-out Song: Dedede’s Theme (from Kirby’s Dream Land) Artist: Karl Brueggemann Album: Micropower https://karlbmusic.bandcamp.com/album/micropower End Song

BONUS EPISODE! For a surprise bonus episode, I sat down to chat with Karl Hörnell to talk about his recently released speculative fiction novel Singularity Minus Twelve. Karl is also a game designer who was fairly prolific on the Commodore 64 back in the 80's along with web based gaming in the later 90's/early 00's. His novel Singularity Minus Twelve tries to imagine our world in the future with how AI may be integrated into our lives. It's also a freakin' fun read where it's like the Dirty Dozen (you know that 1967 movie) meets rogue AI. In this gaming adjacent episode (hence why it's a bonus episode) we discuss how his game development career influenced his writing and the themes he wanted to incorporate into the book and what does being sentient really mean. Find Karl's book here! https://www.amazon.com/Singularity-Minus-Twelve-Karl-H%C3%B6rnell/dp/915310482X Shout-out Song: Silly Venture Artist: Ultrasyd Album: Chipsters EP Remastered https://ultrasyd.bandcamp.com/album/chipsters-ep-remastered End Song:

This month's mini episode involves underworld connections... Specifically of the Triforce variety. Dexter Morrill is back and we take a look at episode 7 of the Legend of Zelda cartoon, Underworld Connections. In this episode one of the Triforce pieces gets broken into 3 parts and Link and Zelda must track them down. We learn that the Triforce can transmit heat and.... wet? to other shards of itself.,Link is a perv as usual, Zelda saves Link's bacon and much more. Will Link and Zelda get back the missing pieces from the underworld of Hyrule!? Listen and find out! In the live action Mario segment we see a young Maurice Lamarche play Inspector Gadget and it's wonderful. Follow Dexter on social media! Instagram BlueSky Shout-out Song: Lost Woods Artist: Mikel Album: Zelda & Chill https://gamechops.com/zelda-chill-complete/ End Song: Hyrule Castle Artist: James Landino Album: Link to the Future https://gamechops.com/link-to-the-future/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-load

In honor of the Magic the Gathering/Final Fantasy crossover I figured I should bump up this year's Final Fantasy Fantasy Draft a bit early! Four more guests enter the draft to try and craft the best Final Fantasy they can. This year we had a few first time guests and a few returning ones! As usual this was a TON of fun to record and some wild choices were made that I'm still laughing at weeks after we recorded. This year's panelists are.... Geoff Moonen from "Fun" and Games Podcast https://bsky.app/profile/geoffmakesnoise.bsky.social https://www.certainpov.com/fun-and-games James Galizio from RPG Site https://bsky.app/profile/theswweet.bsky.social https://bsky.app/profile/rpgsite.net Annalisa (aka Animalisa Keys) https://bsky.app/profile/animalisakeys.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/@AnimalisaKeys Michael Berger from Bits of Time Podcast https://www.instagram.com/bitsoftimemedia/ https://www.youtube.com/@bitsoftimemedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bits-of-time/id1616941089 Make sure you vot

In this episode we explore another broad-ish topic of game history. Last week was FPS games and this week its Handheld gaming! I'm joined by author Tommy Keough to talk about his recently released book from Pen & Sword Books, "The History of Handheld Game Consoles". We chat about why he specifically chose to write about handheld game consoles, his other book about gamertags, where he sees handheld gaming going and more! Checkout Tommy on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/gamertagstories/ Check out Tommy's Book! https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-History-of-Handheld-Game-Consoles-Hardback/p/52025 Shout-out Song: Dedede’s Theme (from Kirby’s Dream Land) Artist: Tudd and General Offensive Album: Smash & Chill https://gamechops.com/smash-and-chill/ End Song: BITGEN07 [Super Mario Land] Artist: Dj Cutman Album: Dj Cutman - Volume I https://gamechops.com/dj-cutman-volume-i/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https:/

Looking at the evolution of a genre is one of my favorite parts of studying game history. I attempted my own version of this with my history of RTS series a few years back but my guest today does a much more thorough look into a different game genre. Joining me on this episode is game developer and author Stuart Maine. Stuart has a new book out from Bitmap books called "Hurt Me Plenty: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 2003–2010" and the title says it all! We had a great time talking about his research process, what challenges he faced writing this book, how his work in games helped in writing this book and much more! Follow Stuart on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/stuartmaine.bsky.social Check out Stuart's book here! https://www.bitmapbooks.com/products/hurt-me-plenty-the-ultimate-guide-to-first-person-shooters-2003-2010?srsltid=AfmBOornk4svCtsZRVTGjYm7IKD_jjBn0x8ncshpivHoHjy4KVyffEQP Check out Stuart's first book in this look into FPS games here! https://www.bitmapbooks.com/products/i-m-too-y

Sometimes a random online acqauintence from over a decade ago suddenly appears again. This week I am joined by a wonderful guest who is just that (for me at least). This week I am joined by voice actor Sean Chiplock to talk about his career, his approach to voice acting and most importantly, the glory days of Xanga. I had a wonderful time chatting with Sean and am really happy with how this episode turned out. Please go check out his work and follow him on social media! Follow Sean on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/sonicmega.bsky.social Check out Sean's Wife' etsy shops! https://www.etsy.com/shop/BatwixCandleCompany https://www.etsy.com/shop/EraFragrances Shout-out Song: Zelda BREATH OF THE WILD ► CG5 Epic Trap Remix Artist: CG5 Album: N/A https://www.toneden.io/gamechops/post/zelda-breath-of-the-wild-cg5-epic-trap-remix-gamechops End Song: The Riddle Artist: GiGi D'Agostino Album: L'Amour Toujours https://www.gigidagostino.com/ Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Supp