Still Loading Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

We are sending Diablo back to hell.... again...

Shane Selterre of the Retro Hangover Podcast returns to help me save Sanctuary again as we discuss Diablo 2. Diablo 2 is a very personal game for me. It was one of my earliest PC LAN party gaming experiences and it served as major game for me and a lot of my friends growing up. But what makes Diablo 2 special outside of my personal nostalgia for it? Shane and I discuss all of that in this episode. We look at what changed between the original Diablo and this one. We look at how this game is basically became the template for ARPG games for years. We talk about so much and yet only scratch the surface. Who knows, maybe Shane will be back for us to dive further beyond the surface, further into the depths of Hell.

Check out Retro Hangover Podcast!
https://linktr.ee/retrohangover

Diablo 2 Post Mortem
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/postmortem-blizzard-s-i-diablo-ii-i-

Shout-out Song: Children of Zakarum
Artist: Platonist
Original Composer: Andrea Pessino, Glenn Stafford, Jason Hayes, Matt Uelmen
Album: N/A
https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03794

End Song: Wet Grass Inspired
Artist: AmIEvil
Original Composer: Glenn Stafford, Matt Uelmen
Album: N/A
https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00129

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https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/

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Just because it's November doesn't mean we still can't enjoy the summer. In this episode of Still Loading I am joined by Ray Barnholt from the No More Whoppers podcast (and occasionally Retronauts) and Andrew Kinsey from The EXP Point to talk about the summer of 1975, specifically the summer as seen in the game Boku no Natsuyasumi 2: Umi no Bouken-hen also known as My Summer Vacation 2.

Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 is a game unlike anything else that I've played. I had heard about the game a few years back on Retronauts (which Ray was on and is the one who spoke about it) and was curious about what it was like. But the main problem is that the game was never localized in english, at least officially. And then earlier this year I found out about a fan translation from a Hilltop Works that came out in November of 2023 so I figured it was finally time to dive in.

Ray, Andrew and I break down whats great about this game, why it makes us all feel so nostalgic and overall what we got out of our experiences. Which summer are you nostalgic for?

Find the fan translation from Hilltop here!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/boku-no-2-patch-92070798

Follow Ray on Bluesky!
https://bsky.app/profile/rdbaaa.space

Check out No More Whoppers!
https://linktr.ee/nomorewhoppers

Check out Bipedal Dog!
https://bsky.app/profile/bipedal.dog

Follow The EXP Point on Bluesky!
https://bsky.app/profile/theexppoint.bsky.social

Shout-out Song: BGM #22 (Radio Calisthenics)
Artist: Akiko Ukai
Album: Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 Soundtrack
https://www.zophar.net/music/playstation2-psf2/boku-no-natsuyasumi-2-umi-no-bouken-hen

End Song Song: BGM #24 (A Rainy Day in December)
Artist: Akiko Ukai
Album: Boku no Natsuyasumi 2 Soundtrack
https://www.zophar.net/music/playstation2-psf2/boku-no-natsuyasumi-2-umi-no-bouken-hen

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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

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Celeste is a platformer that I think is a prime example of how games can, and should, be considered art. I'm joined by friend of the show Ryan Kern to discuss the iconic indie platformer Celeste developed by Maddy Makes Games. We talk a lot about the game's themes and how those theme's were reflected in the game's creator's personal journey. Celeste is worth trying, even if you don't like 2D platformers. Check out the episode to find out why.

Follow Ryan on Facebook and YouTube

End Song: First Steps
Artist: Lena Raine
Album: Celeste Original Soundtrack
https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/album/celeste-original-soundtrack

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About a year ago I was joined by Rockman Cosmo and Naoya Shinota to discuss their efforts in preserving Japanese feature phone games. Since so much time had passed I wanted to bring them back on the show to talk about how their efforts are going, the progress they made in a year and what their goals going forward are.

I had a wonderful time catching up with them and I can't thank them enough for setting aside more of their time to share what's been going on in their corner of the preservation community.

Follow Rockman Cosmo on Twitter @RockmanCosmo
Follow Naoya Shinota on Twitter @NaoyaShinota

Check out Rockman's recent article over on Hit Save!
https://hitsave.org/the-state-of-japanese-feature-phone-preservation-in-2023/

End Song: The Prelude
Artist: Rifti Beats
Album: Chocobo & Chill
https://gamechops.com/chocobo/

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Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation!
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2024 is here! And to kick off the new year it is an episode asked for by my Patrons! This week's episode is all about the Final Fantasy VII prequel, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. Joining me to break down all things Zack Fair and his spiky hair is Kolby Moyer from the Switch It Up podcast. Kolby is a gigantic FF7 fan and it was an absolute blast to discuss this game with him. Check out the episode and find just how long Nomura has been on his bullshit.

End Song: Aerith's Theme
Artist: Rifti Beats
Album: Chocobo & Chill
https://gamechops.com/chocobo/

Get Still Loading Podcast merch!
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Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation!
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It's the last episode of 2023 so it is time to reflect on how this past year went! Joining me, as always, to help me reflect is my good friend from the Great White North TJ from the Hodder Show! We discuss what our favorite experiences were this year, which were our most popular episodes released this year and much more!

End Song: Staff Roll
Artist: Helynt
Album: Mario & Chill
https://gamechops.com/mario-and-chill/

CAPTAIN N FINALE SHIRT HERE
https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/53880568-still-loading-captain-n-finale?store_id=565593

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This year's holiday episode has my wife on it! This week on the show my wife and I chatted about the Living Books games! An edutainment series of interactive storybooks originally published by Broderbund. You all may remember I interviewed Mickey W. Mantle on the show a while ago and he was the CTO of Broderbund at the time Living Books was coming out. Well ever since that episode I've been dying to do a proper Living Books episode and joining me to do so is my wonderful wife Courtney!

Courtney has a degree in early childhood education so I thought it would be interesting to hear from her perspective what the Living Books games to well, where they could improve and what she does/doesn't like about them!

I hope you all will enjoy this episode and I hope you find it interesting.

Happy Holidays!

Check out the Zoom Platform store HERE

End Song: Uwa! So Jingle Bells
Artist: Tee Lopes
Album: Video Game Xmas
https://gamechops.com/video-game-xmas-tee-lopes/

CAPTAIN N FINALE SHIRT HERE
https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/53880568-still-loading-captain-n-finale?store_id=565593

Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation!
https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/

Support the Podcast!
https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

With every console generation there are bound to be a few games that slip through the cracks that are fantastic, but very few have heard of them. Joining me on today's episode is the founder of Syncoplay Retro Gaming, Joe Bourrie. Syncoplay is an online store that creates accessories for gaming collectors and enthusiasts. Besides founding Syncoplay, Joe is also currently working on a book called Beyond The NES, which is a book that is focusing on the games on Famicom that did not see a release in North America. It is specifically going to target which of those games can be played by English speaking audiences with little to no knowledge of the Japanese language!

The idea of this book is what let to todays topic, the idea that because a game was never localized into English we tend to overlook instead of giving it a chance. In this episode Joe and I each chose 5 games that we feel do not get the love they deserve. If you have a list of 5 games please share it! I would love to see more overlooked and underloved games finally get their due.

Follow Joe on Twitter & Instagram!

End Song: Hau'oli City
Artist: GlitchxCity feat. Dj CUTMAN
Album: Ultraball
https://gamechops.com/ultraball/

CAPTAIN N FINALE SHIRT HERE
https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/53880568-still-loading-captain-n-finale?store_id=565593

Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation!
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Support the Podcast!
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It is here. After 2.5 years, Dexter Morrill and I have finally watched and discussed EVERY episode of Captain N The Game Master (minus the clip show episode at the end of season 2...)

This has been a long time coming. Dexter and I started this series as a way to help me keep the podcast weekly after my kid was born and it grew into something we could not have expected. This series was an absolute joy. So much so that recording week became known as Captain N week. This would entail watching the same episode multiple times, a few of which were with my daughter and then laughing about it for over an hour with my friend, the co-host with the mo-host, Dexter. And of course with all this Captain N being watched, my kid loves the show now. Go figure.

I of course need to send a sincere thank you to all of you for listening and following along with this series. It has meant the world to Dex and I and we could not be happier with how it turned out.

Be on the look out for the next cartoon series....

Follow Dexter on Twitter and Instagram

End Song: Bouqet
Artist: Snail's House
Album: Ordinary Songs 3
https://0101.bandcamp.com/album/ordinary-songs-3

CAPTAIN N FINALE SHIRT HERE
https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/53880568-still-loading-captain-n-finale?store_id=565593

Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation!
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