That Guy's a Maniac

We look back on the year 1990. Forget to talk about video games. Next week maybe. 

This episode explores the role of narcotics, medicines and other forms of drugs in video games. A 2018 study highlighted that many video games portrayed drugs in a positive light both those fictitious and based on real world recreational drugs. The maniacs really get into the weeds on this one and talk about the long association between video games and drugs both on and off the screen. 

Get your Quiz heads on as we battle to the death (not really) throwing questions at each other to find out who is the biggest Maniac of them all

Get your Quiz heads on as we battle to the death (not really) throwing questions at each other to find out who is the biggest Maniac of them all

In order to celebrate spooky February, we’re talking all things dead, alive and dead again in video games. Hear it first here: the Buffy Reboot. Is Silent Hill Man dead? Shadowman. Other games. The snowman. Father Christmas. Jack Skellington. Did you know all the protagonists in Final Fantasy VII and VIII were named after something? What is the Empress’ name?

Shops, items, stores, auction houses, capitalism ho! We’re talking video game shops. The weird tropey unreal staple in many video games. What are our favourite shops? Are there games where you work in a shop? Yes. Yes there are. Shoppu. 

We finish the fight! Listen to this podcast to remember to the type effectiveness of Dark, Fairy and Steel type moves in the Pokemon game. Riche and Cunzy are STUNNED by learning that electric type is _________ and that __________ has never been water. Worst of all ___________ never went in the ________! Can you believe it?

New Game Plus what does it mean to you? This week the maniacs talk all about new game plus.Where did the term come from? What was the first game you could New Game Plus in. Other ‘exciting’ things like the order of events poorly remembered in such games as Tales of Vesperia, Final Fantasy XIII and Resident Evil 2. 

It is the much anticipated fourth and penultimate part of our quick and easy reference guide to pokemon move type effectivenessses. This week we take down the trio of Rock, Ghost and Dragon types. Why is roadrunner a lie? Why can’t gengar punch your Dad? Why is Fairy immune to Dragon? All this and less covered here readers. Bookmark for the next time you’re at a tournament.

It’s the end of the gaming year and the beginning of a new gaming year! The maniacs look back to their video game resolutions from 2023 and make new ones for 2025. Did Richie download Suicide Squad Death to the Justice League? Did Cunzy1 1 go all in for Tomb Raider loot boxes? What is zero dawn? Did we finally get our hands on GPS-action-RPG Kingdom Hearts mobile? Read on to find out.

It's an XMAS SPECIAL! We do poems and songs for you!

Its really just a whataya playing, we talked about, Diablo 4, Endless Ocean Luminous, Ghostwire Tokyo.

We talk about some of the games we have picked up and are “re”playing whether it's a remaster, remake or just a new one (or emulated in some way). We chat Donkey Kong, Detroit: Become Human, Katamari, two of the Daniel Mullins Games Inscyption and Pony Island , Pokemon GO! and Mario Kart. Keep an ear out for Richie's Scottish newscaster impression

This week the maniacs examine Hiroki Azuma’s thesis on Japan’s Database Animals and think about the aspects of ‘character’ brought out in character and collecting based videogames? Does catering to these atomised aspects lead to character obsessions? How does Moe (萌え) influence modern Western game design?

It’s the halfway point in our mnemonic special. A foolproof way of remembering all the super effective, not very effective and immunity interactions between Pokemon types. This week we talk about how flying type is a buffed normal, why nobody likes gengar, why mosquitos hate Pride and how Forretress resists Professor X. Of course I mean, we cover ground, flying, psychic and bug types. 

Season 5 is the “RE” Season - today we have RE:Volution. We chat the publisher Revolution Games, games that feature the uprising/revolution narrative, but also fumble our way around chatting games that have some kind of spinny element. You said you want a Revolution, we all wanna change the world!

Bump in the night! Ooooh a skellington with a spiderweb pumpkin. Scary stuff. This week the maniacs talk about video game fears IN THE REAL WORLD. Find out what fears grips the maniacs in the wee hours. Where is it not safe to save? 

This week the maniacs continue their tirade of coming up with foolproof ways to remember all the type match ups from Pokémon. This weeks contenders are Ice, fighting and Poison types… and these ones have a lot of unpacking to do.

This week the maniacs have a hot shot Character, Item, Level and then revel, in coming up with foolproof ways to remember all the type match ups from Pokémon. Is your Dad normal type? Familiarise yourself with the elemental triangle (and grass). And does thinking about bugs filled with dry grass really help? Listen to find out all this and morelull. 

One of the four elemental forces (arguably the worst one), this week we’re talking wind in video games. What is wind? We discuss wind as a force, farting in games, games where you play as the wind and a lot of talk about Pilotwings which may or may not have wind in it actually. Oh! We didn’t talk about Windwaker. I’ve only just remembered. Damn.