A Gamer Looks At 40 – Details, episodes & analysis

Six months ago, The Well Red Mage asked me if Chrono Trigger is a Final Fantasy. From that innocent question grew a six month quest to mine the patience of my guests and test the temperance of my listening audience. On this episode, I ask a bunch of people if this episode should exist and through those questions, learn about the connective tissue between these two games.

STARRING (all handles from Twitter)
 
Chrono Katie (@ChronoKatie)
Julian Titus (@julian_titus) of The Stage Select Podcast (@StageSelectPod)
Mekel Kasanova (@MekelKasanova)
Mike Albertin of Games My Mom Found (@mom_found)
Moses aka @TheWellRedMage
Ryan aka @GameswCoffee
Ryan Lindsay of KISS 105.3 in Ottawa (@THERyanLindsay) 
Tim Knowles of The Leetist 
Trevor and Jeff of New Dad Gaming Podcast (@NewDadGaming)

My Website: agamerlooksat40.com
My Discord: https://discord.com/invite/SdaE4atGjC
My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My TikTok: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D  

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Whew! After two long months of scouring Final Fantasy 6, we've reached the final episode. On this culminating edition, a wide variety of my FF6 friends share random thoughts, stories, and opinions that didn't make it into the main episodes. An Emperor Gesthal's banquet of content, if you will. Enjoy this last foray into the game!

STARRING (all handles from Twitter)
 
Aiden Moher (@adribbleofink)
Chrono Katie (@ChronoKatie)
Greg Sewart of the Player One Podcast and Generation 16 (@sewart) 
Julian Titus (@julian_titus) of The Stage Select Podcast (@StageSelectPod)
The Lets Play Princess (@TheLPPrincess) 
Mekel Kasanova (@MekelKasanova)
Mike of the Distorted Illuminations YouTube channel (@MadMonarch_DI) 
@Mustin
Nate McLellan (@natedoescomedy79 on TikTok)
Ryan aka @GameswCoffee
Ryan Lindsay of KISS 105.3 in Ottawa (@THERyanLindsay) 
Seth Sturgill (@twodollarhero) from @allnpodcast
Tim Knowles of The Leetist 
Trey of the NintenDomain Podcast (@Ninten_Domain) 
Xerxex
Yurik (@YurikArkady on TikTok)

SONG COVERS 

Kefka's Theme - Final Fantasy VI - Mandolin and Guitar Cover (Feat. Chalmers Croft) by Tommy Norris - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5d8-cZu0go

Epitaph (Final Fantasy VI) | Classical Guitar Cover by John Oeth Guitar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gltRvu-Zd8U

My Website: agamerlooksat40.com
My Discord: https://discord.com/invite/SdaE4atGjC
My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My TikTok: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D  

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When I asked Justin Hamm of The Stage Select Podcast which game he would like to do for Tales From the Bargain Bin, he immediately responded, "NBA All Star Challenge on the SNES". Almost too quickly.

Turns out, Justin was trying to exorcise some 16-bit demons 'cause this is - whew - this is a game. Join Justin and I as we play "Guess the Team", bemoan the dunk button and spend an hour working through trauma, one feature at a time.

STARRING: Justin Hamm of the The Stage Select Podcast (@TheStageSelect on Twitter)

My Website: agamerlooksat40.com
My Discord: https://discord.com/invite/SdaE4atGjC
My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My TikTok: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D  

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The name's 40. A Gamer Looks at 40.

When Goldeneye 007 shadow dropped into the hands of N64 players in the winter of 1997, few thought it would be more than a movie tie-in title. Thanks to revolutionary physics, a tight relationship to the source material and a multiplayer mode the likes of which console players had never seen, it became the 3rd best selling game on the console. 

But ask anyone who's played it today, and they'll usually say the same thing - Goldeneye 007 kinda stinks. The visuals are ugly, single stick shooters are a relic of the past for a reason, and playing 4 player on a tiny quarter of the screen isn't terribly fun. 

So the question becomes - which is it? Is Goldeneye 007 an outdated artifact or a misunderstood gem? Can we stay nostalgic for a game with glaring flaws or is the title fine as is. No emotional ret-con necessary. Join myself and a gaggle of awesome people as we dive into the memories, the stories and the realities of Goldeneye 007.

Starring (all handles on Twitter):

Bobby Tucker
Greg Sewart of the Player One Podcast (@sewart, @p1podcast)
Mike Albertin of Games My Mom Found (@mom_found)
Dan of Retrologic Podcast (@retrologicgames)
Andrew Craig
Trevor and Jeff from the New Dad Gaming Podcast (@newdadgaming)
Andy from the Cafe, BTW podcast and Twitch stream (@LoveRetroBTW)
Raji aka SuperNin10Bros on Twitch (@supernin10bros)

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

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What do you get when you mix a circus clown's preferred method of transportation with a 16 bit videogame console? Uniracers, the super fast, super fun, and super strange SNES title that is exactly as advertised - sentient unicycles racing at lightning speed along colorful 2D tracks. Join  Dan of Retrologic Podcast as we discuss the game, his memories, evil Pixar lawyers, late 90's Cher, games as investible commodities, and the word mondo. Lots and lots of mondo.

Be sure to follow Dan on Twitter at @RetroLogicGames. Follow me on any and all of the following platforms:

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

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An AMA so nice, we recorded it twice - in two days, that is. Join Joey, Bobby, and myself for another round of Q&A fueled by the fine listeners of this audio podcast thing. Thanks again for participating! 

Starring:

Mike from Games My Mom Found (@mom_found)
Nancy Tucker-Datrio
Eric Highland
Michelle Corio
Derek Tagliarino
Heather Aspergren
Ben Bazzrea
@wrytersview

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

Support the show

In honor of the podcast's 40th episode, I asked friends, listeners and family to submit questions and boy did they. Listen to Joe Corio, my brother Bobby and I answer questions, have some laughs, and chat about utter nonsense in this sprawling milestone special.

NOTE: Due to the massive 2.5 hour length, I decided to break the AMA into two episodes. If you submitted a question and didn't get an answer, it should been addressed in Part 2. Thanks!

Answering questions from (all handles from Twitter):

Indie Rabbitree (@sommerfeldt_r)
@thewellredmage
@knightfall247
@cipherxzero
@gameswcoffee
@WizardofZardoz
@teacherbloke85
@info_sprinkles
Mark Wilson via Facebook
Mike of @mom_found

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

Support the show

From spinning in circles to soaring through the sky, Mario 64 offered gamers untold control and freedom. It's endured through the years, enjoyed new life in remasters and still considered by many to be a Top 5 N64 game ever made.

But who did the game impact, and more importantly, what are the stories behind the accolades. Beyond the graphics, the sound, and the unprecedented control, we explore the tales of the people who played it as kids and still love it as adults. 

Starring (all handles are on Twitter):

Andrew Craig
Bobby Tucker
Greg Sewart (@sewart)  of Player One Podcast (@p1podcast)
Julian (@julian_titus) of the Nerds Without Pants Podcast (@NWPcast)
Raji aka @supernin10bros on Twitter and Twitch
Blue (@wryterzview) of the Gamer's Week Podcast.
Dan of the RetroLogic Podcast (@RetroLogicGames)
Trevor and Jeff of the New Dad Gaming Podcast (@newdadgaming)
Andy of CafeBTW podcast and Twitch show (@LoveRetroBTW)

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

Support the show

Come on down to South Park, and meet a crappy game.

In the late 90's, South Park was a cultural phenomenon. Annoying kids like me lived off Cartman impersonations, "You Killed Kenny" t-shirts were everywhere, and parents were horrified by this crew of foul mouthed children. And like anything good and awesome, we needed a videogame. 

Enter South Park: The Game. A port of the 1998 N64 game of the same name and design, the 1999 PS1 version took a barely average 1st person "shooter" and thrust into the hands of unsuspecting hands of early South Park fans. The result is a nearly unplayable mess made more frustrating by a sprinkling of good ideas and flavor. Does this game stay on our shelf or does it get chucked into the bin? Join me and ducksindisguise as we spend a half hour reminiscing about the game, the show, and impact it continues to have on popular culture. 

Starring @ducksindiguise on Twitter, Twitch, and wherever you ingest awesome stuff.

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

Support the show

How do you follow one of the most popular consoles ever made? If you're Nintendo, take every risk and break every convention. While my memories of the Nintendo 64 are mostly rosy, this 64 bit workhorse brings just as much ire to retro game fans as it does excitement. The controller is strange, the visuals less than crisp, and the games came on carts. But for many of my guests, the N64 brings good memories of traversing 3D space for the first time and playing multiplayer games with friends. On this episode, we look at both sides of the N64 coin and attempt to find the truth therein. 

Starring (all handles are on Twitter):

Ryan (@retrogamebrews) of the Gamer's Week Podcast (@GamersWeekPC)
Blue (@wryterzview) of the Gamer's Week Podcast.
Greg Sewart (@sewart)  of Player One Podcast (@p1podcast)
Julian (@julian_titus) of the Nerds Without Pants Podcast (@NWPcast)
Raji aka @supernin10bros on Twitter and Twitch
Dan of the RetroLogic Podcast (@RetroLogicGames)
Mike Albertin of the Games My Mom Found Podcast (@momfound)
Adam of the Retro Gaming Bygones Podcast (@RBygones) and the Commodore Chronicles (@C64Chronicles)
Bobby Tucker 

My Twitter: @agamerlooksat40
My Facebook: facebook.com/agamerlooksat40
My Insta: @agamerlooksat40
My Patreon: patreon.com/agamerlooksat40
My Email: agamerlooksat40@gmail.com
My Phone Number: Ehhhhh, not gonna happen. :-D

Support the show