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Explore every episode of the podcast The Insert Credit Show

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TitlePub. DateDuration
Ep. 353 - Selfish Survival, with Holly Nielsen26 Aug 202401:07:00

Historian, writer, and narrative designer Holly Nielsen joins Alex and Brandon to cover 19th century party games, Ayn Rand’s The Bachelorette, and David Attenborough narrating Monster Hunter. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Brandon Sheffield and Holly Nielsen. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

SHOW NOTES:

Question 1: Based on the state of play in the 19th century, which modern video games would past audiences enjoy the most? (03:03)

Question 2: Y’all seen the news lately? (07:20)

Question 3: What were the most successful video games of the 16 and 32 bit eras to come from countries that didn’t dominate the market? (17:30)

Question 4: Adapt Atlas Shrugged into a video game. (21:57)

Brandon’s Snake Break (29:06)

Question 5: Gaagaagiins asks, other than Saturn Bomberman, what are some ways in which multiplayer games keep eliminated players involved? (30:24)

Question 6: What episode would you pitch for that Amazon Secret Level show? (38:39)

Question 7: What is the selecting a thermostat temperature to reflect your priorities in comfort, cost, and environmental impact of video games? (44:58)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Job Interview (50:32)

Recommendations and Outro (57:49):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 352 - Poster's Delight19 Aug 202400:59:01

Insert Credit reunites to contemplate The Perfect Jump, share earnest pitches for the Bioshock movie, and witness the long-awaited (and possibly last ever) Violence Island Tournament of Champions. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

View this episode on YouTube

SHOW NOTES:

Question 1: Why do we see floatiness in games as a bad thing? (02:04)

Question 2: Design a brand new status effect that has never been in a game. (07:45)

Question 3: What cost-saving measures would you recommend for the Bioshock film? (13:51)

Insert Credit Quick Break: Capitalism Is The Constraint by Optimal Monopoly (20:12)

Brandon’s Snake Break: (21:34)

Question 4: Rice_9 asks, what is your favorite video game magazine cover? (24:39)

Question 5: What is a sokoban? (35:36)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Violence Island Tournament of Champions (37:17)

Recommendations and Outro (49:55):

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by Capitalism Is The Constraint by Optimal Monopoly, and patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 343 - The Invention of Teabagging, with Esper Quinn17 Jun 202401:03:36

Editor Esper Quinn hosts the best panel in video games looking at the legacy of Halo, reactions to Summer Game Fest, and the origins of rude crouching. Hosted by Esper Quinn, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Let’s talk about Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Showcase (06:50)
  2. What’s your personal experience with the Halo franchise, and how has it impacted video games? (18:48)
  3. What game, ultimately, was the Halo Killer? (23:28) Insert Credit Quick Break: The Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s production of Titanic, June 21-30th (28:51)
  4. Alex Jaffe asks: I need to play the first 3 hours of Demonschool right now. What should I do? (30:07)
  5. Is dual wielding just a gimmick, or does it actually have interesting gameplay ramifications? (32:19)
  6. What are the warning signs when developing a colorful companion character that they might be annoying? (37:36)
  7. Do you think you could be friends with Master Chief in real life? (44:43)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Halo Fragrances (50:12)

Recommendations and Outro (54:20)

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Byblos yogurt, Grand Bakery bagels

Frank: The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by The Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center’s production of Titanic, June 21-30th, and patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 263 - Extractula the Dracula, with Esper Quinn28 Nov 202201:40:44

Editor Esper Quinn joins the table to give thanks for a feast of listener submitted questions. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Esper Quinn. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Max asks: What is the most fun or interesting scoring mechanic in a shooting game? (10:59)
  2. Malcove asks: How would you reintroduce vampires to modern video games? (14:44)
  3. A Most Handsome Boy asks: Thoughts on a good steam? (16:56)
  4. ColdPie asks: what type of tourism opportunities would you take advantage of if you were visiting the Republic of Gamers? (20:37)
  5. BreadyToDie asks: Have you ever played the sequel of a game before playing the original? (22:53)
  6. Pannekoeken asks: What happened to rhythm games? (26:32)
  7. Dilson asks: Which cooking games aren’t boring? (33:56)
  8. Ripley Rose proposes an Improv Zone – Sonic’s Dad Got Arrested (38:19)
  9. Gaagaagiins asks: When has a video game adaptation been objectively better than the source material? (43:33)
  10. Anonymous asks: What singleplayer game should have gotten a competitive multiplayer mode? (48:49)
  11. Ross Hamrick asks: Which arcade racing game has the best manual transmission? (52:01)
  12. Cole asks: are Japanese video game scores better for a reason? (56:32)
  13. Kiko B asks: Which two video game franchises would be improved by swapping protagonists? (01:04:28)
  14. Terrace asks: What was the Secret of Evermore?(01:06:52)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Crumbling Zero asks to Rank the Metacritic Top 10 (01:07:50)

Recommendations and Outro (01:32:22)

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:
Frank: Nutritional yeast
Brandon: Duma
Tim: Nothing so mundane as a grocery store
Esper: Princess Tutu

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 262 - Phantastic, with Gita Jackson21 Nov 202201:34:09

Journalist Gita Jackson joins the full panel to decide how much video games should cost, share research tips, and reveal Barbies in the garbies. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Gita Jackson. Featuring Harper Jay, Azurelore Korrigan, and Vincent Diamante, with writing by Mark Cerny. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. From Andrés Velasco y Coll: Has there been a speedrun that particularly impressed you? Or, how would you ruin Sony Computer Entertainment? (06:16)
  2. Now that every issue of Nintendo Power is uploaded to the Internet Archive, what should we do with it? (13:09)
  3. What should it cost to buy a video game? (19:46)
  4. What can we say about the legacy of Rieko Kodama? (34:39)
  5. Insert Credit contributors share memories of Rieko Kodama (48:31)
  6. Kiko asks: is it ever worthwhile to play all the way through a game you hate? (01:02:15)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Localization Station (01:11:55)

Recommendations and Outro (01:18:25)

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations: Frank: Follow Gita on twitter, Mad Men
Gita: Interview with the Vampire
Tim: Mad Men
Brandon: Star Trek: Lower Decks, Morbid Saint

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 261 - Clown Insanity, with Andrés Velasco y Coll and Fūnk-é Joseph14 Nov 202201:05:15

EVO tournament organizer Andrés Velasco y Coll and PC Gamer editor Fūnk-é Joseph join Frank and Jaffe for the new Sonic game, predatory publisher tactics, and Nickelodeon’s Fortnite. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Andrés Velasco y Coll, and Fūnk-é Joseph. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Are 3D Sonic games a failed experiment? (04:17)
  2. How do games best emulate being able to fly? (10:03)
  3. What precautions should developers take to avoid being taken advantage of by publishers? (14:11)
  4. How do you curate a video game zine? (18:37)
  5. The Adaptation Game: Turn a video game into a daytime game show (24:00)
  6. Bearcabin asks: What kinds of developers would video game magazines end up being? (29:44)
  7. Are there any good video game ads? (35:45)
  8. What is more difficult to do in video games than in real life? (42:32)
  9. What is the Avatar: The Way of Water of video games? (46:56)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Major Arcana (54:52)

Recommendations and Outro (59:48)

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Check out the SimCopter 64 article on GameHistory.org

Andrés: Tampa Never Sleeps for some the best North American KOF fighters

Fūnk-é: Making Comics, Fūnk-é Joseph

Jaffe: Alan Moore’s Writing for Comics

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 260 - Banjo-Kazoomer07 Nov 202201:20:21

The full panel reunites to determine what a video game is, how to do RPG dungeon music right, and Bob Oldfather. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Why did Embracer Group acquire Square Enix Montreal, change its name to Onoma, and then immediately shut it down? (05:25)
  2. What kind of video game items do you never want to use again? (08:09)
  3. When you’re playing an RPG and you complete an enemy encounter, should the overworld or dungeon theme start over from the beginning, pick up where it left off, or just play through the encounter itself? (15:15)
  4. NASCAR racer Ross Chastain pulled off a risky wall-riding maneuver this week setting a lap record, claiming that he learned the move from playing NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube. How is it that video games are changing the way sports are played in real life? (21:04)
  5. Is this particular dartboard a video game console? (30:02)
  6. Violence Island (39:17)

LIGHTNING ROUND: From Yeso: Guess the game based on its Metacritic review (01:06:38)

Recommendations and Outro (01:13:31)

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Five Fingers for Marseilles (2017)

Frank: Bookmans Entertainment Exchange if you’re in Tuscon or Phoenix

Jaffe: Vote! And tell your friends to subscribe to the new Apple Podcasts feed

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 259 - Specdracular 2022, with Christa Lee31 Oct 202201:24:49

Game music composer and console restoration expert Christa Lee joins this year’s monster hunting party, taking on evils like foreshadowing, deceptively powerful industry figures, and ranking the Silent Hill series. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Christa Lee. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this year:

  1. What do we think of all the Silent Hill stuff that got announced? (03:35)
  2. What games best use technological constraints to their advantage? (09:59)
  3. When does a game seem perfect for you, but still doesn’t work? (15:58)
  4. What’s the right way to do foreshadowing in a video game? (23:09)
  5. The Fightening Return of Questions Deemed Too Stupid for the Dirtbag (29:36)
  6. What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in a video game? (39:50)
  7. Should video games even have unwinnable scenarios? (46:05)
  8. Who are the most surprisingly powerful people in the video game industry? (53:06)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Ranking the Silent Hill series (01:00:39)

Recommendations and Outro (01:12:32)

Visit the forums to see the final ranking of the Silent Hill series!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Tim: Have already put a “Skip Intro” on Star Trek: The Next Generation if you’re someone who has the ability to make that happen inside Paramount+ by the time this episode airs

Brandon: Virtuosic Hair Metal Band T-Ride, buy from CastleMania if you’re gonna buy any of these rereleases coming up

Christa: Insmouse no Yakata, get your VirtualBoy ribbons fixed at SoundRetro.co, Furuhata Ninzaburō, Mikey and Nicky (1976)

Jaffe: Wishlist Demonschool and Hyper Gunsport on Steam, Welcome to the Fantasy Zone

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 258 - Tapey Toppies24 Oct 202201:24:40

The panel reunites in total to cover the death of the Stadia, if it’s ever okay to make a 30 FPS game, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Questions this week:

  1. Find any long lost NES games lately, Frank? (06:18)
  2. What do we have to say about the passing of the Stadia? (13:15)
  3. Which video game franchise took the greatest number of releases to start getting interesting? (19:01)
  4. When can a current game justify a 30 FPS frame rate? (25:03)
  5. Jaffe Guesses the Golden Age of Konami – Round 5 (36:21)
  6. Spencer’s Gifts asks: What is the best non-interactive work of video game media? (41:54)
  7. Is there a video game you think would have been more successful if it was released later? (47:43)
  8. What is the Aqua Teen Hunger Force of video games? (52:16)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (59:18)

Check out the forums to Colossus scream about this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Reservation Dogs, play Control in German

Tim: Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, put a “Skip Intro” on Star Trek: The Next Generation if you’re someone who has the ability to make that happen inside Paramount+

Frank: Check out the weird rough draft of the HD restoration that introduces each episode of The Next Generation on Pluto TV’s Star Trek channel

Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 257 - Building the Sandwich While You're Eating It, with Chris Plante17 Oct 202201:40:51

EIC of Polygon and co-host of The Besties Chris Plante fills in for Frank on topics like the Cyberpunk anime, Anthem, and a Republican poet’s paradise.

Questions this week:

  1. How can game companies draw attention back to their titles after a botched release? (07:07)
  2. How do you make collecting treasure in a game feel significant? (14:14)
  3. What would you put in The Orange Box 2? (20:12)
  4. How would you quantify an experience point? (26:07)
  5. Design a game based on a White House press conference. (32:59)
  6. From PAX 2022: An interview with Starbucks Workers United organizer (37:59)
  7. MoxBagel re-asks: What’s the ideal video game to play over dinner? (41:11)
  8. Has a plot hole in a game’s story ever ruined the game for you? (48:37)
  9. What is the Avengers: Endgame of video games? (58:14)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design – Panic! At The Disco songs (01:05:38)

Recommendations and Outro (01:18:57)

If you look behind this episode’s waterfall you’ll find people discussing it in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Jaffe: Watch One Piece

Brandon: hold the up and down buttons to control those barrels in the Carnival Zone in Sonic 3, don’t watch Austin Powers, don’t watch any of the Bill & Ted movies, Mom and Dad Save the World (1992)

Tim: Check out Star Trek: Discovery if you want to see David Cronenberg be weird and Michelle Yeoh be weird

Chris: Subscribe to Shudder or The Criterion Channel

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Chris Plante. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 256 - Top 20 Arcade Edition10 Oct 202202:25:18

The full panel reassembles to create an Insert Credit approved ranked list of twenty arcade games. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Nominees in Order of Discussion:

  • Asteroids Deluxe (21:30)
  • The Irritating Stick (26:10)
  • Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart’s Super Off Road (30:16)
  • Alien Vs. Predator (34:28)
  • X-Men (40:15)
  • Capcom Vs. SNK 2 Millionaire Fighting 2001 (44:43)
  • The Outfoxies (50:33)
  • NBA Jam: Tournament Edition (01:02:25)
  • Groove Coaster (01:08:24)
  • F-Zero AX (01:15:51)
  • Frogger (01:26:25)
  • Typing of the Dead (01:30:10)
  • Tapper (01:39:32)
  • Azumanga Puzzle Daioh (01:42:23)
  • Prop Cycle (01:47:39)
  • Dog Patch (01:57:29)
  • Darius (02:02:04)
  • Ibara Kuro: Black Label (02:07:28)
  • G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (02:10:33)
  • Outrun (02:14:31)

View the finalized ranked list in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 255 - It's Boss Time Now, with John Learned03 Oct 202201:15:43

Game annotater and journalist John Learned joins the panel to cover dead babies, doing a Batman, and Mr. Bones and me.

Questions this week:

  1. What’d you think of Return to Monkey Island, Frank? (04:57)
  2. What have been the most significant improvements to the Metroidvania format since Symphony of the Night? (11:30)
  3. How many fighters should be in a fighting game? (16:53)
  4. What’s the best use of a musical instrument in a non-music based video game? (21:53)
  5. What job in the video game industry are you not qualified for, but could do an okay job at anyway? (27:14)
  6. Spencer’s Gifts asks: Are lost memories a compelling story device? (35:27)
  7. Violence Island Season 2 (41:37)
  8. Other than an achievement or trophy, what’s the best way to reward a player for 100% completion in a video game? (58:00)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Pull Quotes (01:03:30)

Recommendations and Outro (01:08:19)

Return to the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Buy stuff from Japan right now since the exchange rate is so good, Cypher (2002),

Frank: Beavis and Butt-Head

John: Breaking Bad

Jaffe: Send proof of new or upgrading Patreon membership to personally choose an obscure video game reference to open a future episode with! Wishlist Demonschool on Steam by Necrosoft. Check out our sister show, The Video Game History Hour. Enjoy the new action button reviews boku no natsuyasumi. Subscribe to Annotated Games by John Learned.

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, and John Learned. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 254 - From Tokyo with Brandon Sheffield, Part II26 Sep 202202:28:13

Brandon continues his time in Japan for the Tokyo Game Show by covering hidden shrines at Sega HQ with Lotte May and Yumiko Miyabe, Rez development with Mark Macdonald, Kaiju bars with Jun Shimizu, Tokyo Game Show games with Andrew Kiya, the Japanese language with Cheryl Ng, and video game purchases with Paul O’Leary McCann.

Discuss part II of this episode in the forums!

Hosted by Brandon Sheffield, with Lotte May, Yumiko Miyabe, Mark MacDonald, Jun Shimizu, Andrew Kiya, Cheryl Ng, and Paul O’Leary McCann. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 342 - Asynchronicity 3, with Kate Willaert11 Jun 202400:50:22

Video game historian “Critical Kate” Willaert joins a panel scattered across time to cover lost and ignored media, Blobby’s Bloop Boy, and ladies roaming the street with whips. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, and Kate Willaert. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. What kinds of video game history seem to interest you and nobody else? (02:15)
  2. What are some of the most surprising video game firsts? (11:10)
  3. Which console has the most good games that the least people have played? (16:56)
  4. Has anyone discovered an unreleased video game that was actually fun to play? (21:11) Insert Credit Quick Break: Amazing Grace available now on Steam, and Demonschool demo available during Steam NextFest (25:31)
  5. SpencerGifts asks: What is the best video game sequence that is no fun? (28:12)
  6. Is there a video game experience you missed out on you wish you could have had? (31:42)
  7. When shouldn’t you have a pause button? (34:37)
  8. What can we learn about women if our only reference point is video games from the 1980’s? (37:23)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Re-Design - Commercial Failures (40:15)

Recommendations and Outro (44:14)

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Consider Spyro the Dragon

Brandon: Scavengers Reign, Demonschool demo available during Steam NextFest

Kate: Why Backstory and Lore Make Bad Story Trailers, A Critical Hit!

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by Amazing Grace available now on Steam and patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 253 - From Tokyo with Brandon Sheffield, Part I19 Sep 202201:48:29

Full moon, hot cars, cool games, good records. Brandon Sheffield is in Japan for Tokyo Game Show 2022, and has lots to share from the trip, including a Nintendo HQ visit, Maidreamin’, highway driving and street racing spots with Chibi-Tech, and record store finds with Kenan Alpay.

Discuss this episode in the forums!

Hosted by Brandon Sheffield, with Chibi-Tech and Kenan Alpay. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 252 - Quora Spectaskular 2, with Ash Parrish and Chris Kohler12 Sep 202200:57:55

The reunited Ash Parrish and Chris Kohler, both formerly of Kotaku Splitscreen, join Frank Cifaldi and Alex Jaffe in answering the top video game questions on Quora.

Questions this week:

  1. Is there any reason to choose a female character in video games? (03:18)
  2. Why does everyone speak English in the Fallout video game series? (06:04)
  3. Playing Skyrim as a vampire, is it worth it? (06:56)
  4. Why is Magnus Carlsen hinting at not playing world championships anymore while at the peak of his power? (09:20)
  5. What’s the hardest video game ever made? (11:31)
  6. How can I permanently end my son’s gaming? (14:45)
  7. What are some good free game engines? (21:16)
  8. In a 4X game, do you play tall or wide? (22:45)
  9. What game has the environment that blew your mind? (24:27)
  10. Where do you scale the Game Sonic? (27:58)
  11. If you’re making a game and a company wants to buy it from you, how much should you sell it for? (32:41)
  12. Will the era of console exclusive games ever end? (38:28)
  13. Why is it when I play Minecraft with 1660Ti I barely reach 60fps? (39:28)
  14. My son is playing Elden Ring and it’s full of demonic imagery. What should I do? (40:28)
  15. What are the least known game genres? (42:34)
  16. Are there any games that can actually earn Paypal money?(45:42)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Overwatch League Team Slogans (46:37)

Recommendations and Outro (50:35)

Any questions? Ask them in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: The Video Game History Hour

Ash: BPM: Bullets Per Minute

Chris: Immortality

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish and Chris Kohler. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 251 - Bye Forever PAX 2022, with Brandon Sheffield05 Sep 202200:34:09

Brandon Sheffield reports from the Demonschool booth at PAX 2022, where he shares stories direct from Ian Adams, Frank Howley and our own Frank Cifaldi.

  1. Demonschool Booth Worries (00:14)
  2. A PAX-ish Anecdote, with Ian Adams (02:12)
  3. Day 1 Wrap-Up (03:19)
  4. Hotel Experience (05:06)
  5. Orange County in Newcastle upon Tyne (06:42)
  6. Day 2 and Adventure Game Panel, with Frank Cifaldi (08:53)
  7. Seattle Is Just San Francisco 2 (23:38)
  8. The Last of Us 2 Whiskey Event, with Frank Howley (26:16)
  9. Wrap Up (30:05)

Hosted by Brandon Sheffield, with Ian Adams, Frank Howley and Frank Cifaldi. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 250 - Getcha Self a Hot Dog, with Liz Ryerson29 Aug 202201:19:01

Insert Credit Fringe Games Correspondent Liz Ryerson returns to the panel to cover being a tool user, the year of peak stupidity in video games, and crystals of fun syrup.

Questions this week:

  1. If you had a free day at the world’s most complete arcade, how would you spend a thousand quarters? (02:27)
  2. Is Gamescom the new E3? (07:59)
  3. What is the Snyder Cut of game conferences? (13:19)
  4. Recommend a video game soundtrack for Alex Jaffe’s dad’s commute (18:57)
  5. Improv Zone: Game Director YouTube Channels (23:49)
  6. Mr. Heck asks: what makes successful video games similar, and what makes video game failures unique? (39:24)
  7. What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever seen in a video game? (47:59)
  8. How would you put the sound of a black hole into a video game? (52:47)
  9. What kind of games and areas of game culture do we not talk about enough on Insert Credit? (56:30)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Episode Title Throwbacks (01:01:41)

Recommendations and Outro (01:11:06)

Two hundred and fifty? That’s a lot of episodes you could discuss in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Wash your car from top to bottom, watch the Comanche dub of Prey (2022), Winter Beast (1992)

Frank: If you like to channel surf old games, don’t forget to play the popular good stuff too

Liz: Death’s Dynamic Shroud, Season of the Witch (1972), Kitschfork

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, and Liz Ryerson. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Not 250 - Violence Island Exhibition and Waiting for Timbot22 Aug 202200:33:10

Here’s something different! Episode Not 250 brings you a few of the Who Would Win In A Fight matches from forums.insertcredit.com and delivers swift judgment from Alex Jaffe. Stick around for conversation from Alex, Frank, and Brandon on subjects like Judaism in the Bay Area, Batman: The Animated Series, cultural aesthetic adoption over the decades, and more.

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 249 - Space Jerks on Monkey Island15 Aug 202200:54:36

Our beloved panel of experts discusses podcasts on Stadia, Chimp Chent, and Breath of the Gliald.

Questions this week:

  1. From Ash Parrish: If a game development studio was run like a busy kitchen, what would employees shout while running around? (01:18)
  2. How do developers make money from subscription services like GamePass? (06:12)
  3. Which former game development collaborators would you most like to see team up again? (10:52)
  4. What are the false impressions we get about war from war video games? (17:57)
  5. What’s the plot of Super Monkey Ball? (22:36)
  6. Gaagaagiins asks: Rank the following – dash, roll, slide, glide, hover, fly and jump. (27:22)
  7. How do you get past video game burnout? (37:11)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name a new Guilty Gear character (41:25)

Recommendations and Outro (44:03)

Legally, the government can’t stop you from discussing this episode in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Tim: Don’t go outside if you live in New York

Brandon: The Cannibal Man (1972), you can eat squash leaves and stems, research the correct order to watch The Prisoner

Frank: New Beavis and Butt-Head series is pretty good

Jaffe: The Sandman

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 248 - Insert Credit Flavored Questions that are too stupid for the Dirtbag, with Ash Parrish08 Aug 202201:06:54

Insert Credit Hornt Correspondent Ash Parrish rejoins the panel to answer questions members of the Insert Credit forums deemed too stupid even to submit to the dirtbag.

Questions this week:

  1. BluntForceMama asks: What is your mom’s favorite TV show, and how would you adapt it into a video game your dad would want to play? (02:06)
  2. Gaagaagiins asks: Is Capcom just Sega without the Sega-ness? (07:09)
  3. beets asks: If you were going to make a table from video game hardware, which would you choose? (10:03)
  4. yeso asks: can Yoko Taro see out of that thing? (12:41)
  5. King Tub asks: when I’m rewarded with gold for fighting a monster, what’s it doing with that gold? (15:13)
  6. Is Superman just seeing everybody’s dicks all the time? (18:03)
  7. Gaagaagiins asks: Design a Fromsoft Onimusha game with a Jean Reno-level celebrity appearance and setting (20:44)
  8. antillese asks: If muddy brown is the color of Xbox 360 games, what is the video game color of other consoles? (22:12)
  9. The Fragrance of Dark Coffee asks: What isn’t the Jingle All The Way of video games? (26:19)
  10. dylanfills asks: Is the Phoenix Wright series copaganda? (30:15)
  11. Anna asks: If every video game character escaped the virtual world and attacked their creators, which developers could beat their creations? (35:22)
  12. TokuCowboy asks: What does the CD mean in Sonic CD? (40:56)
  13. HelloMrKearns asks: What is the Mitsuoka Le-Seyde of video games? (41:28)
  14. dylanfills asks: is Doomguy a bottom? (47:48)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Arcade of Our Own (51:16)

Recommendations and Outro (01:03:22)

Discuss this episode in the forums or ask questions of your own!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Wishlist Hyper Gunsport and Demonschool on Steam

Ash: Endling: Extinction Is Forever, Escape Academy

Frank: Try unsalted nuts, send Frank the Doom comic

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield, and Ash Parrish. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 247 - The Criterion Collection of Video Games02 Aug 202201:12:56

The panel convenes to assess the Oofya, share controversial Klonoa opinions, and choose the first five video games to be given the Criterion Collection treatment.

Questions this week:

  1. What difficulty mode do you start games on? (00:42)
  2. How do you remedy the tone of Grand Theft Auto while maintaining crass irreverence? (05:53)
  3. How do you create urgency in a video game without an explicit timer? (16:35)
  4. What should Roblox replace its iconic “oof” noise with? (20:31)
  5. Jaffe Guesses the Golden Age of Konami – Round 4 (28:37)
  6. Tom asks: If the Criterion Collection were to release video games, what might the first five titles be, and what would the ideal special features be for each of them? (30:04)

LIGHTNING ROUND: The Inaugural Criterion Collection of Video Games (01:01:33)

Share your picks for games 6 and onward in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Tim: The Criterion Channel

Frank: Get some good sleep and poop on the regular

Brandon: If you drink wine buy a wine aerator, and if you live in the Bay Area buy Alvarrado Street bread

Jaffe: The Bear on FX

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 246 - Those Who Trod Upon Rodents, with Paul Tamayo25 Jul 202201:18:00

Producer, critic and podcaster Paul Tamayo joins the panel to cover when you should pee your pants, Mario’s political affiliations, the coveted 7/11 video games, and Guantanamo Nights Zone.

Questions this week:

  1. Which real world racing event has the most interesting game mechanics? (06:54)
  2. What are the best implementations of alien technology in video games? (14:05)
  3. Could you design a game about New York City that doesn’t involve driving? (19:55)
  4. What would be the best city to drive around in a video game? (27:48)
    Spencer asks: Why did so many companies throw their hat in the console ring during the fifth generation? (35:28)
  5. Was PaRappa the Rapper good, or do we just remember it because it has a rapping dog? (42:56)
  6. What are your video game spending habits like? (48:04)
  7. Within the game’s fiction, why do video game villains design their bases as platforming puzzles? (56:01)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As - Grand Theft Auto Online (01:01:01)

Recommendations and Outro (01:09:05)

Kick! Punch! Discuss this episode in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Paul: RRR (2022)

Tim: Learn Chinese, it’s important

Brandon: Do not leave your dog in East Oakland unless you want Brandon to take care of it, GRRL, the current season of The Bachelorette if you liked Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Paul Tamayo. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 245 - Romancing the Three Kingdoms18 Jul 202201:14:49

Even Hollywood Florida can’t keep Alex Jaffe from asking the panel about Nobunaga’s Position, The Zorro Theorem, and Jonk Bonk.

Questions this week:

  1. What’s up with that Vice article about Embracer Group making a game archive? (04:47)
  2. What are your favorite kinds of puzzles in video games? (12:34)
  3. How would you design a new spinoff of Koei’s Romance of the Three Kingdom’s series? (19:28)
  4. When does a game need a remake? (23:16)
  5. Which four video games would you buy for each of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? (28:57)
  6. Le Fish asks: What would the title, plot, and promotional tagline of a Bonk movie be? (34:43)
  7. Is it always more exciting to play offense than defense? (41:02)
  8. Do you have any recurring intrusive video game memories? (43:35)
  9. What is The Orville of video games? (47:44)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Famicom Feud – Spike Video Game Awards Celebrity Hosts (53:05)

Recommendations and Outro (01:09:26)

Share your recurring intrusive video game memories in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Tim: Smoke weed every day

Frank: Be by yourself for a little bit

Brandon: The City of the Dead (1960) specifically for Venetia Stevenson’s performance

Jaffe: John Adams

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 341 - Nixon Babies03 Jun 202401:07:41

Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield cover the best of Sunsoft’s Looney Tunes games, soundtracks for emotions and driving, and 256-bit consoles. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Brandon asks: When do you feel like a video game was made for you? (06:19)
  2. Should we rank the Sunsoft Looney Tunes games? (13:21)
  3. What are the most common lies told in the video game industry? (NOTE: This segment contains MAJOR spoilers for Avengers: Endgame (2019)) (16:28)
  4. What are the best video game tracks to listen to after a breakup? (22:46)
  5. Magnanimous asks: If you could double any number in video games, what would it be? (28:46)
  6. What do you look for while the credits are rolling on a video game? (34:50)
  7. What is the memorizing all state capitals of video games? (41:10)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design - Kentucky Derby Winners (49:19)

Recommendations and Outro (57:24)

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, Ufouria: The Saga 2, open Moon Crystal on your MiSTer and turn on cheats for infinite lives

Brandon: Crow Country, We Never Stop

Tim: Interview with the Vampire, the best show on television

Jaffe: the first season of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 244 - Double-Sized Dirtbag Delve, with Andrés Velasco y Coll11 Jul 202201:28:53

EVO Head Tournament Organizer Andrés Velasco y Coll fills in as host for a number of listener submitted questions, covering Italian David Cage, Stardon’t Valley, and how to get a job in the video game industry.

Questions this week:

  1. Anders asks: How do you get into the video game industry? (07:35)
  2. AOL Netscape asks: What series or franchise has a spinoff game arguably better than its predecessor? (23:32)
  3. Ross Hamrick asks: How would you remake Jackie Chan Stuntmaster? (29:52)
  4. Horizontal Hold asks: Which Nintendo IP would Sega make a good entry of? (37:08)
  5. Mox Bagel asks: Which game director would make the best physical version of their game? (44:24)
  6. Dilson asks: What are the best crouching animations? (54:40)
  7. The Fragrance of Dark Coffee asks: What is the oldest game you’d still recommend today? (59:48)
  8. Spencer asks: Which games have the best third act? (01:09:18)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design – Popular Podcasts (01:15:51)

Recommendations and Outro (01:22:32)

Delve into the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Listen to some other show if you want recommendations, GDQ 2022 Mario Kaizo relay race

Brandon: Space Is the Place (1974), Void Pyramid, Xoo: Xeno Xafari

Andres: Dimension 20’s Starstruck Odyssey

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Andres Velasco y Coll, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 243 - Alunderstanding Laryngoscopy, with Doc Burford04 Jul 202200:57:01

Adios Director Doc Burford joins the panel to cover pulse oximeters, what Michael Bay understood about West Side Story, and the RP Walk Button.

Questions this week:

  1. At what point in playing a game do you feel justified picking up a guide? (06:05)
  2. If all video games are fantasy fulfillment, which games serve the most niche interest? (11:18)
  3. Design a game for the Nintendo Wii Vitality Sensor accessory. (17:14)
  4. Jaffe Guesses the Golden Age of Konami – Round 3 (24:20)
  5. Daisopop asks: What’s better? default running with a walk button or default walking with a run button? (25:31)
  6. Is Niantic a one-hit wonder? (31:58)
  7. Who is the Baz Luhrmann of video games? (37:59)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (43:11)

Recommendations and Outro (49:36)

Toggle your run/walk button and get over to the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: The Video Game History Foundation

Brandon: Mad God (2021) East Bay Wilds, wishlist Demonschool on Steam please

Doc: pick up Adios on Switch, Xbox, PC, whatever

Jaffe: Adios on Switch, Xbox, PC, whatever

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Doc Burford. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 242 - Famous Characters in Funny Situations, with Mathew Kumar27 Jun 202201:22:23

Game design lead for Future Club Mathew Kumar joins the panel to cover piles of graphics cards, Dall E, and customer service at the dream factory.

Questions this week:

  1. What makes a video game “obscure?” (06:27)
  2. Brandon Sheffield re-asks: What is a game you didn’t like until you played it? (14:52)
  3. Imagine you’re streaming through a glitch where half your viewers get audio but no visuals, and half get visuals but no audio. What game could you play that both audiences would enjoy the most? (21:00)
  4. Design a new mode for Minesweeper (27:59)
  5. Dirtbag Seth asks: What responsibilities does a King of Fighters have to their subjects? (34:27)
  6. What will AI-generated video games be like? (37:31)
  7. Does fast travel mean traversing a game’s world isn’t interesting? (44:39)
  8. Which video game feels the most Scottish? (51:48)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Famicom Feud - Top 8 Video Game movies on Rotten Tomatoes (56:36)

Recommendations and Outro (01:13:47)

Check out that AI forum game and lots more in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: If you know any retired or semi-retired game developers in the midwest, let Frank know

Brandon: Tool Assisted Speedrun of Pac-Man World for PSX, mikeyeldey: the album for Sega Genesis, set up a nice time for yourself

Tim: Say thank you for things in your life

Mathew: Ignore Big Luhrman, Mickey Reece’s Alien (2017)

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and Mathew Kumar. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 241 - Octoplath Traveler, with Allegra Frank20 Jun 202201:07:45

Deputy editor of The Daily Beast Allegra Frank joins the panel to cover Kirby adults, Pokemon Gonlyfans, and whether or not demons are cool.

Questions this week:

  1. Does adapting a story focused on choice into another medium cheapen player agency? (04:58)
  2. Where does the Kirby franchise go from here? (13:19)
  3. What’s happened with Pokemon Go in the last six years since anyone played it? (20:13)
  4. Which video game character would you pick to guest host Saturday Night Live? (26:58)
  5. Are demons cool? (32:02)
  6. Kyle asks: Which famous writer would be best at writing a video game walkthrough? (41:36)
  7. Tim asks: who cares? (48:42)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As: Dragon Age Inquisition (49:35)

Recommendation & Outro (01:00:44)

Pokemon Go to the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: F For Fake (1973), Desiccation’s Cold Dead Earth,

Tim: This lunchtime photograph, Don’t call yourself a flexitarian

Allegra: Freeze then thaw your tofu

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Allegra Frank. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 240 - Get On The Centaur, with The Night Sky Prince13 Jun 202201:18:34

Final Fantasy and JRPG streamer The Night Sky Prince pals around with the panel for an RPG-focused episode covering wily game mavens, Bush doing 9/11, and the Lynchian madness of Kingdom Hearts.

Questions this week:

  1. Brandon Sheffield asks: What is the “Play it again, Sam” of video games? (05:46)
  2. What would make Final Fantasy XVI not just the best game in the series, but a game that even Frank and Brandon would want to play immediately? (12:44)
  3. What are some RPG mechanics from a bygone age you’d like to see make a comeback? (20:54)
  4. Rename Creative Business Units 1 through 4 (26:24)
  5. MoxBagel asks: If Chunsoft continued to make all eleven main Dragon Quests, how would they be different? (37:21)
  6. Is the practice of grinding a fundamental flaw in RPGs, or can it be additive to the experience? (43:38)
  7. What are the qualities of a party member you’ll always keep in your party? (50:44)
  8. Establish a canon of worthy 2D successors to Final Fantasies IV-VI (56:32)

LIGHTNING ROUND: RPGeography (01:03:07)

Recommendations & Outro (01:09:29)

Use Discussion on the forums! It’s super effective!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Wishlist Necrosoft’s new game Demonschool on Steam, check out the website

Frank: Our Flag Means Death

Tim: Buy a nice pair of shoes

The Night Sky Prince: The Night Sky Prince on Youtube, Twitch and Twitter

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and The Night Sky Prince. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 239 - Panzer Dragoose06 Jun 202201:13:33

The panel reveals which console has quietly become the second Dreamcast, their honest feelings on how Sonic Frontiers is looking so far, which game Tim started 24 times before finishing, and much more.

HEADS UP! During Question 6, beginning at 45:51, Tim starts telling a story that contains some pretty horrifying dental trauma. If you don’t want to hear bad things happening to teeth, please skip to 49:37.

Questions this week:

  1. Is a tech demo a video game? (02:36)
  2. Are we getting a new Space Harrier? (13:41)
  3. What are the best fonts and typefaces in video games? (20:22)
  4. Design eight characters for a Street Fighter spinoff where each character is based on a U.S. state (26:31)
  5. Mono asks: What’s the saddest sound you’ve ever heard in a video game? (35:06)
  6. Do you or does someone you know have video game superstitions? (41:27)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (52:39)

Recommendations and Outro (58:15)

Fly away to the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: George & Jonathan - The Best Music, Citizen Sleeper, please wishlist Hyper Gunsport on Steam, watch the PC Gaming Show on Sunday June 12 at 12:30p/3:30e to see Necrosoft’s new video game announcement

Tim: Figure out what Tim is recommending yourself, I guess. Sounds like he likes HBO shows.

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 238 - Jackson Backcracker, Cowboy Chiropractor30 May 202201:36:16

Questions this week:

  1. Tim Rogers asks: What’s it like going to a chiropractor? (05:08)
  2. What’s the Metal Gear Solid 2-style subversion Death Stranding 2 will have? (13:23)
  3. What would it take to get you to buy alternate costume DLC? (19:56)
  4. What would we do if we bought EA? (25:56)
  5. Jaffe Guesses The Golden Age of Konami – Attempt 2 (32:02)
  6. Anonymous asks: Design a mascot for the ESRB (32:26)
  7. What is the Porco Rosso of video games? (37:37)
  8. Violence Island – Shadowban Championship (42:41)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As – Minecraft (01:19:16)

Recommendations & Outro (01:27:02)

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: City of Blood by Akvan

Frank: George Carlin’s American Dream

Tim: Severance

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 237 - Everything Everywah, with Maddy Thorson23 May 202201:07:50

Developer of TowerFall and Celeste Maddy Thorson joins the panel to cover the Treasure of Sierra Madrock, Nephew Tokens, and if double jumps are really necessary.

Questions this week:

  1. Topher Florence asks: Cast a Super Mario Bros. Movie using the actors from the 1999 film The Matrix. There are no other restrictions. (06:51)
  2. How can a game’s soundtrack encourage gameplay? (13:45)
  3. Why did MicroKingBlizzardActivision show off that diversity chart like they were proud of it? (19:33)
  4. How much of Nintendo can the Saudi Prince of Arabia own before it’s no longer ethical to buy Switch games? (27:05)
  5. Should video games abolish the double jump? (30:42)
  6. Reg asks: What is the best video game manual you have read? (37:50)
  7. How do you implement accessibility options in a game where its difficulty is the point? (43:34)
  8. Do video game release dates mean anything anymore? (48:25)
  9. Will 3D platforming ever be better than 2D platforming? (54:16)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As – Super Mario Maker 2 (01:00:03)

Recommendations & Outro (01:03:39)

Dash to the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Find and play the Titanic platformer made by Dragon Co.

Tim: Don’t play Wolverine: Adamantium Rage (or do)

Maddy: V Rising

Brandon: Don’t add Amazon Prime Movies to your list at the end of the month, Lacroix Despheres

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and Maddy Thorson. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 236 - Yggdraskill Tree, with Topher Florence16 May 202201:24:47

Media Crossover Expert Topher “Docfuture” Florence sits with the panel to cover fetchy texture and Bare Nuckle. Ash Parrish shares thoughts on the Halo TV series in “Master Chief Does the Covenant.”

Questions this week:

  1. Can video games do anything interesting with the multiverse trend? (07:21)
  2. What are your predictions for Kingdom Hearts 4? (14:01)
  3. Why do games give you equipment and features later that would have made it more fun from the start? (19:30)
  4. Design a game based on the winter biathalon of cross country skiing and rifle shooting that doesn’t take place in an athletic competition. (25:34)
  5. How would you design a convention experience for Mario Party games? (31:05)
  6. Dirtbag Kiko B asks: What’s an example of a fetch quest you sincerely enjoyed? (42:09)
  7. What are the greatest challenges in video game animation today? (48:14)
  8. What distinctions would you make between the numbers 1 through 4 on a 10-point game rating scale? (53:47)
  9. What is the CW’S Riverdale of video games? (01:05:45)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Skin It To Win It (01:11:52)

Recommendations and Outro (01:18:10)

In some timeline, in some universe, you’re already discussing this episode in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Truth Seekers

Topher: Three Busy Debras

Tim: Euphoria

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and Topher Florence. “Master Chief Does the Convenant” by Ash Parrish. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 235 - Unchardita, with Vincent Diamante09 May 202201:00:34

Insert Credit Co-founder and legendary game composer Vincent Diamante joins the panel to cover Fighters Megamix romance, Russian Adventure, and the top 5 Sonic games that aren’t the immediately great ones.

Questions this week:

  1. Kris Graft asks: Which two fighters from Fighters Megamix would make the best or worst romantic couple? (05:17)
  2. Now that we have a little distance, what features of the PS4/Xbox One era will feel retro someday? (09:45)
  3. On what occasions have you restarted a game from the beginning before finishing it? (15:02)
  4. What is “immersion” in video games? (19:54)
  5. Design an “In This House We Do Disney” piece of wall art for gamers (25:16)
  6. Dirtbag Salvatore Romano asks: Excluding 1, 2, 3, & Knuckles and Mania, what are the top 5 Sonic the Hedgehog games? (30:36)
  7. Which video game series took the greatest number of entries to start getting good? (36:16)
  8. What is the best logo design in video games? (41:38)
  9. Is Nintendo evil? (46:31)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Acronymizer (50:33)

Recommendations and Outro (56:30)

Immerse yourself in this episode by discussing it in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Vincent: Scritti Politti

Brandon: Halloween (1978)

Frank: Dan Slott’s Spider-Man run

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield and Vincent Diamante. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 340 - Dog Eyeballs27 May 202400:55:32

The leading minds in video games confer on past visual design choices, how bad minigames happen, and the Shenmue MMO, ShenMMO. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Brandon, can you defend this Game Developer Magazine cover? (08:03)
  2. Why do bad minigames happen? (16:39)
  3. What have you closed the door on in video games, both recreationally and professionally? (21:50)
  4. If you had to wear the same video game t-shirt every day and get complimented on it or you’d die, what would it be? (27:30) Insert Credit Quick Break: Legendary Puns (35:18)
  5. Chopemon asks: What video game “booms” have their been? (37:36)
  6. What is the getting to the bus stop at the exact same time as your bus of video games? (44:04)

LIGHTNING ROUND: GameFAQ&As - Minecraft (49:26)

Recommendations and Outro (51:47)

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Spin-Clean Record Washers, wire folder racks to dry records, Crow Country

Frank: Once you’ve done the second thing in Animal Well you can youtube the rest, support video game preservation by buying a Thou Art Dead shirt

Jaffe: 52 Pickup

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by Legendary Puns, and patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 234 - Come Play, My Laggardly Sort, with Kris Graft02 May 202201:29:41

The Tarnished Kris Graft takes his spot on the panel to cover bloodwritten OSHA violations, snipers, and syphilitic electrocution revival.

Questions this week:

  1. Andrés Velasco y Coll asks: When did Konami go bad? (07:39)
  2. Kris Graft, what did you do to get fired from Game Developer? (14:28)
  3. Which NPCs deserve a promotion to playable characters? (21:13)
  4. Do negative status effects make a game more interesting, or just annoying? (27:34)
  5. Improv Zone: Elden Ring Political Debate (33:20)
  6. Dirtbag Gaagaagiins asks: What are some games that would be improved by the removal of their headline feature? (38:55)
  7. Violence Island (47:50)

LIGHTNING ROUND: This or That (01:05:22)

Recommendations and Outro (01:20:31)

Come discuss the episode, my laggardly reader, in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Smithereens (1982), tonyhax, Jun Chikuma’s The Midas Touch

Tim: Don’t shave with an electric razor

Kris: Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), older The Simpsons episodes, Dark

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and Kris Graft. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 233 - Pod of Casters, an ICS SNK KOF Roundtable25 Apr 202201:57:19

Cool, cute, and Iori Yagami! Insert Credit Fighting Game Correspondent Patrick Miller hosts Brandon Sheffield, EVO Head Tournament Organizer Andrés “nothingxs” Velasco y Coll and classic Insert Credit writer Azurelore Korrigan to cover the King of Fighters, the fall of SNK, and Insert Credit’s history with both.

Questions this week:

  1. What brought this panel together? (02:11)
  2. What are your fighting game credentials? (10:55)
  3. How has SNK’s purchase by a murderous dictator impacted your relationship with the company and King of Fighters series? (18:24)
  4. What would an in-person Insert Credit event be like? (28:43)
  5. If you disappeared for twenty years, what alias would you return as? (34:49)
  6. Why do you play KOF? (41:26)
  7. How will Kyo and Iori’s long term relationship unfold? (51:32)
  8. Do you think this iteration of SNK is the most successful since the 90’s? (58:39)
  9. In a better world, what classic SNK series would you like to come back? (01:07:14)
  10. Which game in the series sound design has stuck with you the most? (01:13:03)
  11. What is the best outfit in KOF history? (01:20:56)
  12. What are your favorite King of Fighters spinoffs and minigames? (01:26:44)
  13. Who is the King of Fighters? (01:31:53)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Bio Logical (01:37:37)

Recommendations and Outro (01:46:56)

Ready? Go! to the forums to discuss this episode!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Casa Sanchez Picoso Chips

Azurelore: Far Away Times

Andrés: DNOpls, Patrick Miller’s patreon

Pat: Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Millennium

Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 232 - The Insert Credit 232nd Episode Spectacular18 Apr 202201:02:17

After defeat at the hands of scheduling conflicts, Esper steps in to deliver a few of the best Insert Credit Show moments since October 2020.

Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 231 - The Insert Credit Substitute Teacher Study Hall, with Ash Parrish11 Apr 202200:59:00

While Alex Jaffe is under the weather, Tim Rogers is stepping in to perform something vaguely resembling hosting duties. Ash Parrish joins the panel to relay Activision news, Sonic 2 The Movie thoughts, and spreadsheet olympics.

Questions this week:

  1. Did y’all see the news? (19:17)
  2. Let’s talk about video game movies. (27:09)
  3. What are some list episodes you guys wanna do? (35:17)
  4. What do we have to say about Street Fighter II sound effects? (46:21)

Recommendations and Outro (49:27)

If you want, you can discuss this episode in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: The Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin, specifically The Tombs of Atuan, watch a Jimmy Wang Yu movie

Ash: Do not read Halo: Ghosts of Onyx

Frank: John Swartzwelder’s The Time Machine Did It

Hosted by Tim Rogers, with Frank Cifaldi, Brandon Sheffield and Ash Parrish. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 230 - This Podcast Is My Penance04 Apr 202201:16:36

The panel reassembles once more to Game Now!, share the best soundtrack for walking your dog, and groan over a couple real Jaffeisms.

Questions this week:

  1. Previously on Insert Credit 138: What is the best way to announce a video game release delay? (02:11)
  2. Will the new PS Plus program be worthy of investment? (07:16)
  3. What are the best player health management systems in video games? (13:28)
  4. How important is background art to a video game? (19:43)
  5. Custom Soundtrack: Half-Life 2 (26:53)
  6. Anonymous asks: when was the last time Konami did anything interesting? (33:51)
  7. What are the biggest missed opportunities for lawsuits in video game history? (39:59)
  8. What’s something modern video game designers have forgotten how to do? (45:41)
  9. Brandon Sheffield asks: What are some good action games that aren’t too hard? (51:31)

LIGHTNING ROUND: A Synthesthetic Experiment (01:01:58)

Go ahead and bark about this one in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Wurm: Journey to the Center of the Earth if you’re Brandon Sheffield, go pirate old games instead of buying them you fools

Brandon: 2002 (2001) if you like stuff that’s stupid

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 229 - Bye Forever GDC 2022, with Liz Ryerson and Brandon Sheffield28 Mar 202200:58:00

Insert Credit covers GDC 2022 with Liz Ryerson reporting direct from the expo hall on a quest to achieve corporate heaven, while Brandon Sheffield gets quick hits from some prominent attendees and reflects on GDC itself.

Chapters:

  1. Heaven or Corporate Hell: The GDC 2022 Expo Hall, by Liz Ryerson (00:47)
  2. GDC 2022 Reports by Brandon Sheffield: standing in front of a mural (14:32)
  3. hotel report and lumbar pillow (16:34)
  4. fomo (18:47)
  5. Why Is the Whole Idea of Todd Howard Funny? An Investigation, by Kris Graft (21:23)
  6. hodd toward (23:15)
  7. bbc interview about the ukraine bundle (23:49)
  8. piloting through shit, with Rami Ismail (24:35)
  9. an anecdote about gdcs past, with Vincent Diamante (25:51)
  10. unfortunately configured pizza, with Tyriq Plummer (27:47)
  11. wearing a fuck nfts shirt in business meetings, with Xalavier Nelson Jr. (29:02)
  12. a story about discovering punk bands, with Chris Charla (31:56)
  13. flaccid exchanges and ambient jazz (33:07)
  14. san francisco and oakland are different places in america (34:57)
  15. america is a whole country that has san francisco and oakland in it (36:08)
  16. masking (36:48)
  17. an event conspiring (37:49)
  18. something to say, with Anita Sarkeesian (38:31)
  19. something interesting about anthropology, with Trent Kusters (38:53)
  20. the best pancakes in los angeles, with Teddy Dief (40:57)
  21. what lyft drivers know about stem cells, with Scott Jon Siegel (42:33)
  22. Mental Health, by Nick Suttner (43:53)
  23. international news (45:51)
  24. crashing a crypto party, with Frank Cifaldi and Kelsey Lewin (46:39)
  25. a little more to say, with Frank Cifaldi and Kelsey Lewin (52:29)
  26. bye forever (55:13)

Share GDC memories in the forums!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, Liz Ryerson and Brandon Sheffield reporting. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 228 - Should I Drink This?21 Mar 202201:13:25

The heroes known as Insert Credit return to do battle with Two Point Eight-A video games, Vectourmaun, and giving yousa unna bongo.

Questions this week:

  1. If you could play a video game with any three people, living or dead, who would they be, and what would the game be? (01:47)
  2. What is the best way for video games to represent aging? (05:28)
  3. What’s the stupidest argument you’ve ever been part of over a video game? (11:37)
  4. How much does it cost to make a video game? (14:39)
  5. The Adaptation Game: Adapt the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) handbook into a video game. (21:26)
  6. Dirtbag Anonymous asks: I recently had a job interview where I was asked ‘If your personality was a video game, what game would it be and why?’ How the hell was I supposed to answer this? (28:27)
  7. How effective can an adaptation of a video game be if considering only the lore of a series and not the gameplay? (35:17)
  8. How can you tell a game was made in Europe? (41:03)
  9. What is the seizing in your leg after you wake up that indicates you’re about to experience a horribly painful leg cramp over the next 30 seconds of video games? (46:20)

LIGHTNING ROUND: The Time is Right (53:08)

Recommendations and Outro (01:01:41)

Should you discuss this episode in the forums? I mean I think it would be pretty cool personally, yeah

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: My Kung Fu Sweetheart (2006)

Tim: You Love To See It featuring Tim Rogers, the F1 TV app

Frank: Sam & Max: Save the World

Jaffe: Watch Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983) if you’re Frank

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 227 - Door Bustin' Gun Totin' Flea Men14 Mar 202200:40:16

In an eternal battle against time constraints, the panel speedruns tricky topics like shader bananas, unusually serious discussion of bullying, and Badstlevanias.

Questions this week:

  1. Is there anything we want to talk about from the recent Sony State of Play event? (02:13)
  2. How do you use video games to raise $3.5 million for Ukraine in three days? (08:37)
  3. When do you feel like a game was made specifically for you? (13:53)
  4. How can we stop Quantic Dream’s Star Wars game from being finished? (18:52)
  5. Violence Island (26:12)

Outro (38:34)

Quick! If you don’t discuss this episode in the forums it might get away!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations: Bundle for Ukraine

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 226 - That's-a So Nice!07 Mar 202201:00:01

The panel returns complete to confront dudekillers, money laundering, and quick-a time events.

Questions this week:

  1. On what occasion do you lie in video games? (03:40)
  2. What is your most treasured video game possession? (08:23)
  3. Which video game talent would you most like to have? (13:11)
  4. What is your favorite video game occupation? (18:27)
  5. Which video game words or phrases do you most overuse? (22:20)
  6. Where in a video game would you most like to live? (28:54)
  7. Who are your favorite video game writers? (32:54)
  8. What is it that you most dislike in video games? (36:52)
  9. What is your greatest regret in video games? (41:10)
  10. What do you consider the greatest achievement in video games? (45:41)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Dirtbag Lightning Round (49:42)

Recommendations and Outro (56:07)

Discuss-a this episode in-a the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Please check out the Bundle for Ukraine on itch.io

Frank: Please check out the Bundle for Ukraine on itch.io

Tim: Please check out the Bundle for Ukraine on itch.io, think about the words you use

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 225 - Even More Games of the Year 202127 Feb 202200:40:29

It’s not over yet! Listen to Tim and Brandon mention honorables from last year that didn’t make it on the Insert Credit Top 21 of 2021 list. Plus the essay “isle o tims” by Brandon Sheffield, exploring Balan Wonderworld as a capitalism allegory.

Games Discussed:

Halo Infinite (01:47)
R-Type Final 2 (02:57)
Voice of the Cards (03:45)
The Good Life (04:05)
Inscryption (04:59)
Metroid Dread (05:30)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (06:31)
Far Cry 6 (07:26)
Guilty Gear: Strive (09:29)
Back 4 Blood (10:14)
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (11:19)
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (12:24)
Forza Horizon 5 (12:55)
Solar Ash (17:02)
Age of Empires IV (18:50)
No More Heroes 3 (19:19)
Umurangi Generation: Special Edition (20:01)
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond (20:51)
Final Fantasy VII: Remake – Intergrade (22:29)
Castlevania: Advance Collection (22:58)
Overboard (23:26)
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (24:23)
Deathloop (26:33)
Unpacking (26:59)
Evil Tonight (28:35)
Eastward (29:57)
Paradise Killer (31:28)

“isle o tims” by Brandon Sheffield (36:04)

Hello it’s me, brandon sheffield.

Two weeks ago, during our best games of 2021 podcast, I made an offhand remark about Balan Wonderworld, a game in which you have an economy based on small creatures called tims, which you literally throw onto the gears of capitalism. I figured I’d expand on what I meant by that.

Tims are little creatures that hatch from eggs, and live on the isle o’ tims, which is your hub world. They have distinguishing markings like stripes or different cute ears and stuff like that, but functionally they all want to do the same two things: eat, and procreate. The other thing they can be compelled to do is work, which is what they spend most of their time doing.

At the start of the game, the only real structure in the island is a Conan the Barbarian-like turnstyle that has the appearance of a gear. next to that is a long black signboard that flips and makes a big clacking sound as numbers go up. To make that number go up faster, you can pick up your tims and toss them into this turnstyle, which eventually makes them push it. So that’s what I meant by throwing them onto the gears of capitalism.

As your number goes up – and by the way it’s not clear what this number represents, but let’s say it’s money – more structures unlock. The sole function of most of these structures is to enable more tims to do more work. There are little elevators that take them up into simple rube goldberg machines, which drop them through a series of gates and slides, before depositing them back on the ground to start the process over again. Some tims are never released into the world, they simply exist underground, turning a giant wheel. The floor is transparent so that you can watch them work.

All of this is work simply for the sake of work, because the only thing that is created out of this constant grind is a number that goes up, and then an occasional structural addition that theoretically enables more work to be done. But the apparatus itself is inefficiently designed. Tims get regularly jammed up at elevators. Two of them will try to enter a slide at the same time and be stuck for a while, causing a massive traffic jam behind them. There are regularly a dozen tims, piled on top of each other, stacked two or three high, bouncing up and down on an elevator to try to get to work, but unable to do so.

Of course, after a while there is more than one elevator. There are two, and then three. But the tims never take the second or third route – the first is easiest to slide into, so almost every tim takes that path. The number doesn’t seem to go up much faster when tims take the other two paths either, so why should they bother?

I also mentioned that tims want to eat, but I didn’t tell you that what you feed them is gems. You feed them one kind of money in order to make a different kind of money. Gems are something I can collect for free in game stages, and which Balan themselves will double if I complete their minigame.

Once you feed the tims enough to grow large, there are unique kinds of apparatus these rich tims can use to generate money, but they never want to do it. They’re full now and they don’t want to work. They just want to procreate, which happens when you throw a medium-sized tim at a large one. They instantly create an egg, which hatches a tim that’s too small to work. Feed them a few gems and they will become a worker and join the grind.

The structure you’re building is the somewhat ominously-named Clock of Happiness. The name of this structure, whose purpose is never revealed by the way, keeps coming to mind as I see these little guys toiling away to make my numbers go up. There’s a special platform that I can use to view the operation from all angles. It allows me to keep tabs on all my workers and is accessibly only by me. Even with all that I still don’t exactly understand what it is I’m forcing them to work so hard to construct.

But I have found myself, as the defacto boss of this operation, staring at the jammed up elevators, looking at my non-spinning turnstyle, surrounded by tims peeping at me for gems that I don’t have, and thinking “get back to work!” I toss them into the gears and they start it up again.

This game may not be an intentional allegory to capitalism but it’s an effective one anyway. This system definitely came from somewhere deep inside of somebody. The game is cynical about work, bosses, and the worker, all by turns. It’s no wonder Yuji Naka quit after making it.

Discuss this episode in the forums!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 339 - How to Like Video Games20 May 202401:22:00

Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield develop a new video game show, up our Tallarico quota, and return to Violence Island. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

  1. Let’s try to develop the first episode of Frank’s show with recipes for playing video games (05:30)
  2. When have you fallen out of love with a video game you once liked all the way through playing the first time? (18:05)
  3. What will the eight episode season one arc be for Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Tomb Raider? (24:43)
  4. Luis asks: Was Tetris inevitable? (31:17)
  5. Rank these actions from best to worst: sliding, spinning, flipping. (39:10)
  6. What is the guy outside of an airport pretending he’s an Uber driver of video games? (43:00)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Violence Island (51:39)

Recommendations and Outro (01:09:10)

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Read Only Memories: Neurodiver, Animal Well, Crow Country, Conan the Barbarian (1982) soundtrack

Frank: info@gamehistory.org if you have a bunch of old video game magazines you don’t want anymore, or buy “Mystery Box” Vintage Video Game Magazines

Tim: Connor O’Malley - Stand Up Solutions

This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you.

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Ep. 224 - Video Game History Pope21 Feb 202201:04:02

In which our heroes (and you!) are absolved of the sin of piracy by the highest authority in game history, and Ice the Goose reveals arcane knowledge of anthropology.

Questions this week:

  1. What the hell is wrong with Nintendo? (02:32)
  2. What games with a setting contemporary to release have best aged into being period pieces? (13:32)
  3. What’s your favorite kind of environment in video games? (18:36)
  4. Other than canceled, what do you predict Netflix’s Bioshock movie will be like? (24:19)
  5. Jerry BreadyToDie asks: When is autosaving better than manually saving, and vice versa? (33:12)
  6. How do you balance player progression with game difficulty? (38:37)
  7. Review Super Mario Bros. 2 in six minutes. (44:07)
  8. Write the first sentence and the last sentence of a text book about video games. (53:31)

Recommendations and Outro (55:45)

If you discuss this episode in the forums, who knows what could happen!

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Frank: Resident Evil 4 HD

Brandon: Green Frontier

Tim: Don’t buy crypto

Jaffe: Dog Days of Summer

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Tim Rogers and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 223 - Game of the Year 202114 Feb 202203:00:07

In which our heroes recount a few of the best video games released in 2021, the most interesting video games released in 2021, and the video games they actually played in 2021.

Nominees in Order of Discussion (Unranked)

Discuss this episode in the forums before you spoil yourself with the final list below!

THE INSERT CREDIT TOP 21 OF 2021:
  1. F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch
  2. Shin Megami Tensei V
  3. Dungeon Encounters
  4. Balan Wonderworld
  5. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
  6. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
  7. Hitman 3
  8. Psychonauts 2
  9. Lost Judgment
  10. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
  11. Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
  12. Fuga: Melodies of Steel
  13. Loop Hero
  14. Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection
  15. Final Fantasy I-V Pixel Remaster
  16. Dodgeball Academia
  17. Scarlet Nexus
  18. Cruis’n Blast
  19. Call of Duty: Vanguard
  20. Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
  21. Mass Effect Legendary Edition

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Frank Cifaldi and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

Ep. 222 - Quakearoni, with Kelsey Lewin06 Feb 202200:56:53

Video Game History Foundation Co-Director Kelsey Lewin joins Brandon, Tim and Alex in exploring duality, Caroque, and Spider-Man Root Canaling Pregnant Elsa.

Questions this week:

  1. Which video game series really got it right on the second try? (02:38)
  2. What was the state of video games during the second console generation? (08:05)
  3. What are the keys to a great co-op video game experience? (13:27)
  4. What would be the easiest game to adapt into a movie on a limited budget? (20:30)
  5. Design a fourth Frogger 2. (23:36)
  6. Dirtbag Evoline Theory: What is the impact of the Five Nights At Freddy’s franchise on the games industry? (30:48)
  7. Violence Island (36:26)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Intellivision or ColecoVision? (46:47)

Recommendations and Outro (53:45)

Everyone else is discussing this episode in the forums, why aren’t you?

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Brandon: Cancel Spotify Pro

Tim: Download 4K Video Downloader, download Insert Credit Show every week from YouTube to feel more like a pirate

Kelsey: Liquid I.V.

Esper: my personal advice is to download all Insert Credit Show episodes from the archive.org page, the canonical “source” files, to feel cool.

Support on Patreon

Subscribe: RSS, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more!

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and Kelsey Lewin. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.

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