Still Loading Podcast

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
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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!
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Check out Tommy's Book!
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-History-of-Handheld-Game-Consoles-Hardback/p/52025<...

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 fa...

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!

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A little late but it's here! I'm joined by Bill from the Gaming and Collecting podcast, 3DO Experience and Geek Addicts to talk about the Sucker Punch Productions game InFamous! This was supposed to come out last month as it was a patron voted topic but due to Punch of Nazi month I pushed it back a bit. Anyway, InFamous rules and it was joy to replay though sadly it is very hard to find a way to play it in 2025 as it is currently stuck on the PS3 and has not been remade as of the time this...

More Mario is never a bad thing. Dexter Morrill jumps back on the show to break down episode 7 of the Super Mario Bros. Super Show! In this episode we discuss the intricacies of the tax system in the mushroom kingdom, Mario being rude to a foreign exchange student, King Koopa turning into a giant and much more!

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Shout-out Song: Please Select Player (From "Super Mario Bros. 2")
Artist: Qumu
Album: N/A
https://qumu.lnk.to/PleaseSelectPlayer

End Song: Overworld (From "Super...

The finale of Punch a Nazi month is here! Helping close out this series are two friends of the show, Diamond Feit from Retronauts and Chris Baines from the YouTube channel Rewind Arcade!

We dive into the classic NES Bionic Commando! We talk about the game's history, talk about the mechanics of arm swinging, the sheer amount of violence in this game and much more.

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We started off Punch a N*zi month by taking on Mecha Hitler and now we are continuing the series with some resistance. I'm joined by Dave Pietrangelo from the Remember 64 podcast to talk about the second installment in the Medal of Honor series, Medal of Honor: Underground. This game approached WW2 from a different direction than the first game. Instead of an American soldier you play as Manon Batiste, a french resistance fighter. Dave and I break down Manon's journey as she avenges her brothers death and helps liberate her home country.

This game means a...

Punch a N*zi month is here! Helping me kick (punch) it off I am joined by Ashton Ruby from the Retro Hangover Podcast and author Aidan Moher to talk about the granddaddy of boomer shooters, Wolfenstein 3D! We talk about how this game set the course for an entire genre of games, how so much of gaming history has traveled in and out of it's orbit and of course, we punch some goddam n*zis.

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Check out Ashton on Retro Hangover Podcast!
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The Mario Super Show is back! Mario Month may have ended but that doesn't mean we are done talking Mario. Dexter Morrill returns to help me dissect episode 6 of the Super Mario Bros Super Show. We learn about orphan mushrooms, that Koopa is named after a few of the months and lions with a sophisticated pallet.

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Shout-out Song: Daisy Circuit (Mario Kart Wii)
Artist: Helynt
Album: Mario & Chill 2
https://gamechops.com/mario-and-chill-2/

End Song: Pinna Park Beach
Artist: Hyper Potions<...

There are game's that have cult followings that while I understand why they do, the game just doesnt hit for me. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver falls squarely into the "This was probably good back in the day" camp for me. I see it's merits as a game from 1999 but man is it hard to play now. Joining me on this episode, from the Gaming Memories Podcast, is Kade Call, to help balance out my frustration with the game. We talk about the game's world building, story, mechanics and the logisitcs of remakes.

I'd also like to...

Another Mario Month comes to a close. Helping me round out Mario Month this year is Bill from the Gaming and Collecting Podcast to discuss the second game in the Mario & Luigi series, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time. This game is a prime example of a sequel, meaning it's the most sequel I've ever seen a sequel sequel. What did any of that mean? It's a sequel in good and bad ways. Bill and I dissect what works and what doesn't, where we would have liked to see more changed and where maybe they could have changed less. This...

Practicing origami once was not enough for Mario Month this year! I am joined by Try from My Life in Gaming and Jared from the Play Along Podcast to talk about Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. In this giant episode of the podcast we discuss why this game may be one of the darkest Mario games? We talk about how the game updated the Paper Mario formula and we also touch on the last legacy the game has had in the years since it released.
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We also learn about boat and... unboat...

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We are gonna have a fine time on this super episode of a podcast. In this episode I am joined by Andre from the Fine Time podcast and Aaron from the SuperPod Saga podcast to talk about Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga!

This game was not what I expected at all, both in good ways and bad ways (but mostly good). It was by far one of the bigger swings I've seen for a Nintendo franchise and it took Mario in some really interesting directions. I really enjoyed getting to chat with Andre and Aaron about this game...

Looks like it's time to dust off my origami skills because this week's episode is all about Paper Mario, specifically the first Paper Mario game for the N64. Joining me to make some paper airplanes are returning friends to the show Nerdbomber and Techtic from the Online Warriors Podcast. For all of us, this was our first experience with the Paper Mario series and we had a great time getting to discuss this game. We talk about the history of the game's development, our perceptions of the game going into playing it for the first time, how it holds...

MARIO MONTH IS BACK! This year's theme is all RPGs! For the next 5 weeks I will be diving into a different Mario RPG game and of course I had to start off the the original Mario RPG game, Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars.

Joining me to explore Mario's first foray into the RPG genre are friends of the show Matt Storm from Fun and Games Podcast and Eric Gess from the Unlockables Podcast. We discuss this game's legacy, how it setup Mario for future RPG games, why Booster absolutely rules and of course...

Portal is a triumph of a game and many a note has been written on it's huge success.

Ok enough of that. We are here this week to talk about Portal! The legendary first person puzzle game from Valve. I'm joined by returning guest to the show Andrew Kinsey from The EXP Point but we are ALSO joined by Pilisa Mackey, another EXP Point member and it is their first time on the show! We talk about how we all got into Portal, how the game teaches you to think in Portals, some history surrounding the game...

16 bit JRPGs are a bit of a nostalgia spot for me. I would actually classify it as more of misplaced nostalgia in that I didn't play a lot of them growing up but playing them now makes me feel nostalgic anyway. This week on the show I was lucky enough to get a review copy of a recently released indie game that takes inspiration from the 16 bit JRPG style.

I'm joined by Sam AKA Storm Beagle to talk about Beloved Rapture, an RPG made in the style of a 16 bit JRPG. He discuss what this game does...

Zelda two months in a row!? Dexter and I are joined by actor and filmmaker Chris Carpenter to talk about episode 6 of the Legend of Zelda cartoon, That Sinking Feeling. We learn about how the Mario Bros have a pet clog.... named clog. We also learn that magnets work very differently than we expect and that Zelda is DTF when a cupid statue is present.

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Shout-out Song: Dark World
Artist: Mikel
Album: Zelda...

Strategy guides were a huge part of many a gamers' childhood. I read my strategy guide for Final Fantasy VIII so much that the spine started falling apart. These books felt like we were getting a peak behind the scenes of how the game's inner workings actually functioned. To help us peak further behind that curtain, I am joined this week by David Cassady.

David worked at Brady Games and Prima Games during their heyday and wrote some of our favorite strategy guides. Guides such as Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII, Kingdom Hearts 2, Metroid Prime and...

The Last Guardian has been on my backlog list for quite a while and never got around to it until now. I'm joined by friend of the show Dave Jackson from Tales From the Backlog to discuss the third game in this makeshift trilogy from Fumita Ueda. Ueda has a very different approach to game design compared to the rest of the industry and Dave and I had a great time being able to break this one down. We discuss how this game doesn't respect your time and why that's a good thing in this instance, why Trico is...

Some games burn brightly and flame out. Others have a long tail where people are consistently discovering it years after it launched. Everquest is one of those odd cases where both of those outcomes are true.

Joining me today is author and tech journalist Matt Smith to talk about his recently released book from Boss Fight Books all about Everquest. We talk about why he chose to write about Everquest, what about the game captivated him back in the day and presently, Everquest's place in game history and how it could have possibly been saved from the...

You know... I am not a fan of this Zelda cartoon. And just when I think Link can't get more problematic he finds a way. We are of course talking about episode 5 of the Legend of Zelda Cartoon, "Sing for the Unicorn". I am, as always, joined by my co-host with the mo-host Dexter Morrill to break it down. We talk about Link being more creepy than before, how Gannon likes to name various things, the opposite of the evil jar and much more!

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Kicking off 2025 I am joined by my good friend Gabe Swarr to talk about a series of indie games he has made called the Bub-O games! The newest game in the series, Bub-O Burst, just came out so I wanted to have Gabe on to talk about his charming puzzle/action series! We are also joined by the composer for Bub-O Burst, a chiptune music legend, Seth Sternberger of 8 Bit Weapon!

We talk about the all of the games in the Bub-O series, what it was like to shift gears to a slightly different genre for this...

It is the end of another year and, as is tradition over here on the Still Loading Podcast, I am joined by my good pal TJ from Tapes of Trepidation and The Hodder Show. We talk about our top 10 most popular episodes of the year, what our goals are for next year and more! It's always a blast looking back on the year and seeing what all has happened. A HUGE thank you to all you wonderful listeners who have stuck along for the ride and made it a great year. I cannot thank you all enough.

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The Mario Super Show is back with episode 5 and let me tell you this one is anything but tame. Dexter Morrill joins me to dive into the episode  as usual and boy howdy does it go places. This episode features the fastest mouth in the south, Mark Twang, a goomba carrying a plate-o-chicken and much more!

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Shout-out Song: Good Egg Galaxy
Artist: Helynt
Album: Super Lofi World
https://gamechops.com/super-lofi-world/

End Song: Manta Ray's Reward (Super Mario 64 (D...

The Commodore 64 is one of those systems that feels simultaneously ubiquitous and also unknown. It was the best selling home computer in the 80's and is loved the world over by a large group of passionate fans. But outside of that group it feels largely forgotten in the annals of gaming history. This episode is a small step in correcting that.

I'm joined by game design professor and author Jesper Juul to talk about his recently released book "Too Much Fun: The Five Lives of the Commodore 64", which is a book that aims to shed more light...

The finale of the World of Warcraft series is here! Joining me to discuss the second expansion of the game are two wonderful returning guests! First is Ryan Kern of the newly formed Pixel Resistance Podcast (Follow on BlueSky HERE). Second is tech journalist, YouTube and author Matt Smith! We gather to talk all about The Wrath of the Lich King, how it was kind of the last hurrah for "Classic WoW" and how Blizzard learned various lessons from the previous iterations of the game and how it propelled the game (for better or worse) into it's next phase...

The World of Warcraft followed up it's wildly successful launch with an equally successful and important decision. They released an expansion.

Joining me to talk about the first expansion in WoW's long history is friend of the show Mick Arcade! We talk about our thoughts on the new races added, the new zones, flying and much more. Make sure you come back next week for the finale in my 3 part World of Warcraft series in honor of it's 20th anniversary!

Follow Mick on Twitter!
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Shout-out Song: The Burning...

World of Warcraft is 20 years old! It's hard to believe Blizzard's wildly successful MMO has been around for that long but here we are. In this first episode of a 3 part celebration of World of Warcraft, I am joined by friends of the show Jamie and Tristan! Tristan is the one who got me into WoW so I am so happy to have him back on the show after a long time and Jamie is one of the biggest WoW fans I know. We discuss some of the history surrounding the game, our favorite memories, which zone we liked...

The 3rd pillar is officially 20 years old now! That's hard for me to stomach personally. I still feel like the system can't be that old but here we are. Joining me not to talk about feeling old but to celebrate all things Nintendo DS is author Aidan Moher and podcaster Bill Barber of the Gaming & Collecting Podcast. We had a wonderful conversation talking about the history of the console, it's legacy overall and also how much we wish game devs would try new ideas out like they did on the DS. Come celebrate 20 years of the DS with us!<...

Magic Ensues! This week the co-host with the mo-host Dexter Morrill returns to talk about the 4th episode of the Legend of Zelda cartoon. This was arguably the best episode of the show so far and that's not saying much cause so far the Zelda cartoon as been tough for us to watch. But never the less we talk about how magic ensues, wall witches, Gibdas and more!

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Shout-out Song: Overworld
Artist: Dj Cutman
Album: Triforce of Bass
https://gamechops.com/triforce-of-bass/

It's a surprise BONUS episode! Over on my patreon for the last 2 years I've been doing a James Bond movie podcast called Still Bonding. All 25 Bond films have been covered and discussed in depth on there and I figured the best way to wrap the whole thing up was to do an "official" Bond movie ranking episode. Joining me to rank all 25 James Bond films are friends of the show Mel (birb.jamesbirb on Instagram) and Chris (britishbondaddict on Instagram). It took us nearly 4 hours to rank all of the films and this entire episode is not only out...

From one patron poll to another! This week's episode was also voted for by my patrons for one of my quaterly patreon polls. This past quarter's theme was all boomer shooters. There were a lot of great games that could have won too, including the original Doom. But Warhammer 40000 Boltgun beat out the rest and joining me in all its space marine glory is friend of the show Ryan Kern. We talk about how the boomer shooter genre feels like it's been making a comeback, how this game shows off it's retro aesthetic and which weapons are arguably the...

To wrap up the first ever backlog month I am joined by friend of the show Mick Arcade to talk about Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII! This game brought out some varying emotions in me. At some points I really enjoyed my time with the game and was happy it got chosen. And then at other points I was frustrated beyond belief with how the story unfolds. But with this mix of feelings is it still worth playing Dirge of Cerberus in 2024? Is this really the most Nomura-ass game you will ever play? You will have to listen...

Another hole in my backlog is filled! Well sort of. I'm joined by my original cohost with the mohost Justin to talk about the Sega classic ToeJam & Earl! This game was the only game I was not able to beat for backlog month. What was it about this game that made me not be able to finish it? It ended up being tough for me to answer but Justin and I break down a lot of the facets of this iconic game and what we felt ultimately still holds up and doesnt hold up all these years later.

Episode 2 of Backlog Month features vampires, werewolves and mysterious organization! This week Phil Morgan from the Deleted Saves Podcast returns to the show to talk about the Order 1886. We take a look at why this game didn't review well, why it holds up better than you think it would and much more! Please note this was recorded WAY before the news of Ready at Dawn at closed down. This makes this episode a little bittersweet.

Check out Deleted Saves!
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The first episode of the first backlog month is here! Four random games were chosen by my wonderful patrons and the first one being covered is Donkey Kong Country! Helping me discuss all of the blast barrels, aquatic ambience and golden bananas are returning friends of the show Dave Pietrangelo and Jiggylookback from Remember 64!

This was my first time playing through the game in it's entirety. Does it hold up? How did I feel experiencing it for the first time all these years later? Listen and find out!

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Back to back interview episodes? This week I am joined by author Daryl Baxter to talk about his recently released book "50 years of Boss Fights"! One of my favorite parts of games is the boss fight so having a whole book celebrating that? I was all in. I had a wonderful conversation with Daryl about why he chose to write the book, his infleunces and his favorite boss fights!

Follow Daryl on Twitter!
https://twitter.com/darylbaxter

Buy 50 Years of Boss Fights!
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/50-Years-of-Boss-Fights-Hardback/p/50605

Shout-out Song...

One of the things I need to more on the show is interview indie game devs and this week's episode is my first attempt in a long while to do that. I'm joined by Australian game designer Sam Leitch to talk about his upcoming game Wren's Resurgence. Sam was incredibly kind and asked for feedback on his demo during the recording! It was a really fun experience for me to get a small peak behind the curtain of indie game development and I hope you all enjoy it as well!

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