James, did Dr. Metts impliment the RFN space diaper rule, or did you take direct inspiration from Lisa Nowack?


Don't worry, we're very supportive of your chosen lifestyle

Yarrr! Where do I sign up for the diapers again?
Music: Anokoroe from Sin & Punishment 2

Glad to hear that guillaume is enjoying Zip Lash. I finished it the other day and really liked it

Okay, time for some real comments on the show, because I have a lot to talk about with you guys' selection on New Business.

Legend of Legacy I suppose misses one or two things i couldn't STAND with it's SaGa ilk in relly not having a story there, as a big turn-off was that all 8 characters they'd let you play as in Romancing SaGa all have different stormy mechanisms you have to follow in the same world but without direction, so you could end up exploring dungeons that aren't meant for your current character and just run into a dead end with no reward other than the RNG-generated stat boosts you got. at the same time, even this was detrimental though, as SaGa usually includes a bullshit invisible count of the number of enemies you've fought, and will just scale everything in the world if you've hit X number of battles.

i had more than one playthrough of SaGa frontier end because of these sudden and drastic difficulty bumps that can happen rather suddenly and without warning.

Honestly, it's par for the course. it's why they only let you buy HP800 in SaGa 1 and hide the weapon you need to beat the final boss in a random chest; these are games meant to make you feel out of your league at all times.



There has been some REAL hostility towards Sonic around these podcasts lately. We got a dose of TYP bagging on it in Radio trivia, and now Greg visiting the gold standard for western developed sonic and bagging on the several gotcha moments that the games tend to have. I... tend to agree, actually... and yet I still eat these games up. Why?

because the physics model is if nothing else a consistent one, and sonic games are probably some of the most rewarding when it comes to level memorization, to both look at and dare I say, play! the Multi-tiered level design (Yes, Greg, it was in SOnic 1, just not in the more platforming-centric zones like Marble or labyrinth zone) give these games a shitfuckton of replay value as you not only optimize your way through your favorite route and commit it to muscle memory, but also you can take the time to become proficient with other routes and such.

Enemies are important because they give another utility to curling other than picking up speed down a slope or such. curling is a more immediate defense than jumping into foes, and that's something that i don't think I initially understood when I first started playing Sonic games. they also tie into speedruns and memorizing where enemies are so you can bounce on them to keep your speed and height going.

That still doesn't excuse special stages. While Super Sonic is a wonderful reward for your troubles (unlockable god-modes in games for regular gameplay are awesome to me), special stages are often blind memorization, no matter what sonic game you're looking at, either because of the conditions to even get into a special stage, or the special stage itself. I think the only decently designed ones might be the ones in Sonic CD or maybe the redisign of the sonic 1 special stages found in S4E1

I have a request to make. If at all possible when it lands in November, Greg... Please Give Freedom Planet a try. I think you'll like it, as it's more more a platformer with diverse characters and it doesn't do that thing where it just throws you into spikes or enemies.


I want to apologise that I couldn't aprticipate in retroactive, but I just really was not feeling it. :C

Great show. The Retroactive was excellent. It makes me really want to get the game.

Sonic 2 is definitely one of the highest points in the series, even if I have a preference towards the original.  That said, I cannot express enough how much I hated the chaos emerald minigames in this particular Sonic game.  Sonic solo is the only way you can achieve this, because Gui is correct that the AI controlled tails has a delay, which means for every dodge you have to make a split second move away from, Tails gets hit and loses the rings you need, setting up an almost guaranteed loss in the harder levels. 


Rocket League is probably my personal 2015 game of the year.  It's a silly variation on a soccer game that has a lot of fun floatiness and the excitement over getting a clutch win with some friends online is some of the most fun I've had in a game for a while.  Also one of the few games I've gotten a platinum trophy in, and am considering buying the DLC since I got it for free* off PS+.

I've played one level of Chibi Robo, and find it pretty bland so far.  It seems like a good game to play while sitting on the couch with jeopardy on the background, but I don't know how much I will enjoy it beyond that.  That said, not every game needs to be more than that, but I can see why they packaged in the amiibo for $40.

I honestly had way more fun with it than I expected. Your mileage may vary, but I was totally invested. Did go back and take my co-hosts learnings on drop shots and lobs to put Peach into the ground.