Brain Lords: Video Games of the Mind

Happy one year anniversary Brainlords! On this very special episode, we actually PLAYED Brainlords. What does a scrappy little Zelda-like by Enix say in 2026 and what have we learned from the past year of podcasting? We discuss our favorite episodes and our biggest mistakes as we reflect on the state of video games criticism in 2026. Thanks for sticking with us or even just being a part of our first year!   Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com  Kyle - Cute Monster Props   Jorge - JMV   THINGS DISCUSSED  https://monkeyball-online.pages.dev/  Super Monkey Ball 2, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, What even is Brainlord (1993)?! (0:06:39)  Brainlord, Magic the Gathering,  Soul Blazer, Ys, Irem, The Legend of Zelda, Diablo, ActRaiser, Robotrek, Secret of Mana What were your favorite moments and episodes from year one? (0:27:28) Final Fantasy, Yuyu Hakusho, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door What was your biggest lesson from year one? (0:40:30) Game Ratings: Brainlords Episodes (0:50:25) Hollow Knight: Silksong, Gundam Hathaway, The Locked Tomb: Gideon The Ninth, Protomen: Act III, Mina the Hollower, What is the voice of Brainlords? (1:00:02) Gundam Witch from Mercury, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Watchdogs, Despelote, Blippo+,  What do you think games analysis should be striving for in 2026? () O.D., The Verge, 404 Media, Jason Schreier, Aftermath, Remap Radio, PC Gamer Space Marine 2, Warhammer Space Marine, Final Fantasy II What is your Brainlords Mission Statement? (1:13:24) Deltarune, Andrew Gold, Big Butt Bobby,  The Question Zone (1:37:15) Dear Brainlords,  In your episode, "What Even Is an Indie Game Anyways?" you highlighted the indie title, "Big Butt Bobby," which sparked some important questions in my mind. Who has the best booty in video games? Whose butt was the greatest missed opportunity? Are there any video game character designers who you admire for their dashing derriere designs? Sincerely, TrueInky Boogerman, Resident Evil: Village, Bayonetta, Stellar Blade, NieR: Automata, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Baby Steps, Ape Escape, Overwatch, Ninja Gaiden (2004), Dragon’s Crown, Metaphor: Refantazio, Anarchy Reigns Rec Room (1:53:14) Brainlord (not actually that cheap, sorry y’all!), Haha You Clowns, Cross Code, Tombstone (1993), Master and Commander, True Grit, No Country for Old Men

Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com  Kyle - Cute Monster Props   Jorge - JMV Depending on who or when you ask, indie seems to be a genre, a scene, a vibe and a controversy generator for the game awards. Why can't we seem to find any common ground on a term that seemingly just means independently produced? In today's episode, we discuss the different qualifiers (and disqualifiers) for anything from one person twine games to teams of 33-400 people with a roughly $10million budget. Y'know, the little guys.  THINGS DISCUSSED  MAGfest, The Protoment Act III, King’s Field, Katamari Damacy, Super Monkey Ball, Sim City, Paper Larva Artist, Magic The Gathering, Tunic, Awesome Games Done Quick 2026, XBLA, Cave Story, Yume Nikki, Braid, Castle Crashers, Braid: Critical Theory on the Joy of Ludic Expression - A Soulja Boy Review, Jonathan Blow provides his thoughts on women, Super Meat Boy, Bastion, Fez, Sword And Sworcery, Planet Coaster, Humble Indie Bundle (back when it was good), Aquaria Is it an indie game if they don't have a publisher? (0:25:02) Devolver Digital, Blumhouse Games, Outersloth, Aggrocrab, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Undertale, Big Mode, Animal Well, Star of Providence, Double Fine, Psych Odyssey,   Is it an indie if they don’t have a big budget? (0:37:49) Shovel Knight, Stardew Valley, Dwarf Fortress, World of Goo, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Deltarune, Laika Studios, Dave the Diver, Nexxon,  Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Mirror’s Edge, Despelote, Owlboy, FF7 Remake   Game Ratings: Game Awards Indie Game of the Year Winners (0:57:33) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Gone Home, Sea of Stars, Chrono Trigger, MGSV, Chrono Cross,  The Messenger, Limbo, Mario Party 1, Trials HD, Ms. Splosion Man, Journey, Disco Elysium Is it indie if they don’t have a CEO? (1:26:17) Sandfall Interactive, Remedy Games, Larian Studios,Supergiant Games Is it indie if a small number of people worked on it? (1:45:08) JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Our Valued Customers, Clair Obscur barred from Indie awards due to undisclosed AI usage, House House, Untitled Goose Game, Big Walk, Peak, Big Butt Bobby, Rayman Origins, Rayman 64 Closing Thoughts and Question Zone (1:59:04) Beeb says - A game primarily funded either through the developers themselves or individuals who believe in their dream, e.g. working for free in their spare time, from previous game revenue, or from crowdfunding. It should not involve investments from other corporations or individuals expecting a return of greater value. Critically, an independent studio does not have a publisher who isn't also themselves.   Mewd says - An indie game can be divided into categories of scale, none of which has an agreed upon term at present. I think the maximum threshold for an indie game will be a title started and developed without initial support from a major publisher and visibly has a more restricted budget than major triple A releases. On the lower end, an indie game is a borderline hobby game produced by a team that could fit in a motel room and is often characterized by strong artistic vision and experimentation aided by the small team size and relative lack of corporate oversight. These are more in the category of an art house indie game or passion project. Ultimately, indie is a spectrum and a game feels MORE indie if it has a strong authorial voice, compensates for fewer development resources with innovation, and is less visibly under the direction of dominant publishers and marketing trends.   Andrew Bluett says - It's tough to pin down today when the term is so diluted and access to easy-to-use tools is the most open it's ever been, but an indie game to me is one which is made by a small studio or team with little to no financial backing from another party. Indie publishers complicate this and blur the line, but there's the matter of scale to consider with this. Is Demonschool an indie game despite being funded and published by Ysbryd Games? Based on the publisher's output of smaller titles with modest costs, you can easily say "yes". What about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which runs on UE5, is much larger in scope than what one would think of with independent games, but was still funded by Pacific Drive and Sifu publisher Kepler Interactive? Technically "yes". But as the number of publishers shrinks year over year and funding for independent projects becomes more scarce, the definition blurs further. Maybe the term "indie game" should be redefined to consider the financial logistics of development and distribution less than the the level of creative control that developers have over the project. Games like Dave the Diver throw a wrench into this line of thinking as well, but these are the pitfalls of trying to define a term which has been misunderstood and at times pigeonholed into reflecting particular styles or aesthetics rather than simple realities of how a work came to be, and even then the complications don't end. tl;dr fuck man if it wasn't made by Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, EA, or Ubisoft, call it whatever you want Whot says - When I think indie, I think that anybody could make that game if they had the skills rather than if they had the money. If you have the money to access stuff like mo-cap or a bunch of external contractors, it's hard to call that indie anymore. Games like Expedition 33 or even Dispatch, I feel are something in between AAA and indie. They deserve all the love and recognition of course, but I dunno, it's kinda hard to draw the line of whether to really call them indie games imo. But then there's a game like Date Everything where it's got a horde of AAA voice actors but leans more on the indie side in terms of the rest of their dev team. Again, I think we just really need a term for something between AAA and indie. AA? A? AssistantTurtlemover says - An Indie Game is a game made made independently from a traditional publisher that could intervene financially, creatively or technically in the process of the creation of the game The Rec Room (2:15:02) Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Final Fantasy X, Shadow Hearts, Legend of Dragoon, Lost Odyssey, Andrew Bluett’s FFX Retrospective, Lonely Magic - Rebecca Sugar, Steven Universe is really really good yall - it turns out all the “Filler” episodes have setups and payoffs for worldbuilding and emotional beats IMAGINE THAT, Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, Captain Harlock, Fantasian, Blue Dragon, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, Troll 2 4K Restoration, Best Worst Movie

This week on Brain Lords, sequels, remakes, and spiritual successors sure love to add more, but then why do we keep playing the original? We discuss the all too common additions that make their ways into flashy new games and when features like crafting, open worlds, and skill trees took an already perfect game and made it a little worse.  Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV THINGS DISCUSSED  Homestar Runner, Stinkoman 20X6, Brotato, Super Smash Bros Games made worse by more loot and crafting (0:08:57) Dragon Quest XI, The Last of Us, Resident Evil 2, Transformers Devastation, Bayonetta, Breath of the Wild, Nioh 2, Dark Souls Games made worse by more skill trees (0:35:10) Borderlands 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, Back 4 Blood, Left 4 Dead,  Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Super Mario Odyssey,  Game Ratings: Games with Romance Mechanics (0:52:40) Baldurs Gate 3, Hades, Unicorn Overlord, Little Goodie Two Shoes, Fire Emblem Awakening, Advance Wars, Tokimeki Memorial,  Games made worse by open worlds (1:14:21) Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Mirrors Edge 2, Mirror’s Edge, Mario Kart World, Forza Horizon, Burnout Paradise, Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Shadow of the Colossus, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Banjo Kazooie Games made worse in the remake (1:37:48) AM2R, Samus Returns, Super Mario RPG (Remake), The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Resident Evil 4 REmake, You Don’t Hate Remasters Enough - Whitelight, Demon’s Souls, Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, NieR Replicant, Metal Gear Solid Delta Closing Thoughts (1:58:07) The Question Zone (2:07:29) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Megaman ZX, Megaman Zero, Elden Ring, ActRaiser Renaissance,     Pizza Tim asks: You have enough loose change for one last arcade game of the night, what are you picking and why? Gunblade New York, Jurassic Park Arcade, Time Crisis 3, Bubble Bobble, SVC Chaos, Metal Slug The Eggmanosphere asks: When artistic vision is lost in the process of modernization, how do you explain to others that remakes aren't necessarily better than the original, especially when they see the remake as better by virtue of being on a current gen platform?   Final Fantasy 7, Chrono Trigger   The Rec Room (2:18:41)   Slay the Spire, Balatro, Minus the Bear, The Far Side, Baby Steps 

Here it is, our 2025 games of the year…..oh crap we forgot to play any video games! This year join Kyle, Jorge, and special guest Esper Quinn (wahoo!) as your esteemed judges presenting their picks for Backlog games of the year. With so many good games, why did these must-plays just barely miss the mark for us? Enjoy such awards as “Best Game That Got Overhyped for Me and Now I’m Pushing Back on Principal”. In this extra long extravaganza we also share our actual games of the year and even a christmas skit full of humor just for the gamers (tm). Happy holidays y’all!    Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com  Kyle - Cute Monster Props   Jorge - JMV Special Guest - Esper Quinn THINGS DISCUSSED  Puzzled Artist (warning: thick ladies), Sonic Adventure 2, Megaman Battle Network, Klanoa: Door to Phantomile, Blue Prince Best Game That Was Too Rich for my Blood (0:11:40) Donkey Kong Bananza, Donkey Konga, Donkey Kong Tropical Beat, Pokemon ZA, James Turner - Character Artist for Sword and Shield    Best Multiplayer Game I Can’t Seem to Find a Group for(0:33:41) Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros, Tekken, FBC: Firebreak, Control 2, Alan Wake, NieR: Automata, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Elden Ring: Nightrein, Dark Souls   Best Indie I Ought to Get Around to (0:49:55) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Ball x Pit, Vampire Survivors, Balatro, Quartet, Quintet, Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, Despelote, Consume Me, Pokemon Snap, Baby Steps, 1000xResist, Horses, Molleindustria   Best Game I Clearly Want to Play but Imma Let This Cook a Little Longer (1:05:09) Isopod, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Cid Meier’s Civilization 7, Hades 2, Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, Stardew Valley,    Game Ratings: Games we DID play in 2025 (1:20:44) To a T, Promise Mascot Agency, Paradise Killer, Candy Rangers, Sin and Punishment, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure, Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Marvel Rivals, Look Outside, The Magical Realms of Tír na nÓg: Escape from Necron 7 – Revenge of Cuchulainn: The Official Game of the Movie – Chapter 2 of the Hoopz Barkley SaGa, Demon School, Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy X, The Best Game That’s Too Big for me to Get Through As A Person Working Full Time (2:02:51) Silent Hill F, Sekiro, Paper Mario, Earthbound, Slitterhead, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Noita, Death Stranding 2 Best Game that Came Out in December What Were You Guys Thinking I am Far Busy for That (2:13:39) Corgi Space, Spin Rhythm, Sockpop Collective, UFO 50, Gruun, Unbeatable, Angeline Era  Best Game That Got Overhyped for Me and Now I’m Pushing Back on Principal (2:26:21) Umamusame: Pretty Derby (a game that is on Jorge’s Backlog and therefor means he really really wants to play it and just can’t seem to be a goo-goo baby), Love Live, Mahjong Fight Club  The Wrap Up (2:55:30) Final Fantasy Tactics Remake, South of Midnight, Deltarune Ch 3+4, Absolum, Lies of P, Keeper, Ena Dream BBQ, Metal Gear Solid Delta, Mina the Hollower, Ghosts of Yotei, Tokyo Extreme Racer The Question Zone (3:01:12) A Less Cute and More Monstrous Kyle asks - Do you think that being Microsoft-published actually hurts games being nominated and winning awards? For example, Troy Baker gave a hell of a performance with the handicap of also keeping up an impressive Harrison Ford impression. People aren't really talking about it even if he's been nominated for a few awards. Some of this may be due to the release timing, but I've seen similar reactions to other Microsoft owned games and Epic Games Store paid exclusives. Microsoft BDS Boycott, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus Also, Hades II is my game of the year. Screw anyone saying Early Access disqualifies it. Bowl of Lentils asks - Have you ever returned to a game in your backlog and it ended up becoming one of your all-time favorite games? For me that was Valkyria Chronicles on the PS3. Only played an hour or two and then dropped it for years. But when I finally got back to it, I ended up absolutely loving it and playing the rest of the series. Demon’s Souls, Culdcept Saga got kin assigned luigi by clients - at what point would an indie studio no longer be considered "indie" enough for the indie award categories its luigi but i had more to say - do you think with how the push for games to be showcased during TGA is exacerbated because E3 died tragically from disease, and should E3 or something similar be brought back Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Tomb Raider The Rec Room (3:20:01) UFO 50, TMNT 4K Restoration Trillogy,  Stop!! Hibari Kun!, Blippo+, Buying Ramune in twist off bottles. The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic, Magic the Gathering Pauper format, Nirvana The Band The Show The Movie, Insert Credit, 52 Pickup, DC Action News, Topic Lords, Esper Quinn!

This week on Brainlords we talk about our fascination with emulations from another nation. That's right, fan translations! Special guest Bowl of Lentils walks us through their work on the Sakura Wars 1&2 translation while we round robin our favorite games we could have never played without the fans doing it themselves. We talk the good the bad and the ugly, everything from selfless collaborations to petty disputes for clout in this Super Duper High School Level Episode.   Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com  Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special Guest - Bowl of Lentils THINGS DISCUSSED  Detective Instinct: Farewell My Beloved, Arcturus: The Curse and Loss of Divinity, Falcom (Developer), Genealogy of the Holy War, Private Idol, Clock Tower, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Bowl of Lentils Game 1: Sakura Wars 1 & 2 (0:10:07) Translation lead by: NoahSteam, Sakura Wars Series, Mizzurna Falls,  Jorge’s Game 1: Mother 3 (0:27:53) Translation lead by Jeffman Chewy and Tomato, Mother 3, The Earthbound Anthology, Mother To Earth: The Untold Story of Earth Bound, Earthbound USA, Earthbound, Mother 1, Hobonichi Mother Merch, Kyle’s Game 1: Cave Story (0:47:22) Translation by Aeon Genisis, Dokutsu Monogatari, Yume Nikki, Jay is Games, Kero Blaster, Umihara Kawase, Blade Strangers, Daisuke Amaya Furry Art Game Ratings: Video Game Dubs (0:58:52)  Metal Gear Solid Master Collection, Lunar Silver Star Story Complete, The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, Star Fox Command, Final Fantasy X, Megaman X4, Devil May Cry, Yakuza Like A Dragon, Yakuza 1, Yakuza Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth, Black Myth Wukong, Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Brave Fencer Musashi, Kid Ikarus: Uprising Lentil’s Game 2: Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind (1:28:10) Translation Lead by Bongo, Demiforce, Tomato, Famicom Detective Club, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tales of Fantasia, Ace Attourney Jorge’s Game 2: Princess Crown (1:37:56) Translation Lead by CyberWarriorX and SamIAm, Princess Crown, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom, Dungeons and Dragons Shadows Over Mystara, Odin’s Sphere, Policenauts Kyle’s Game 2: Danganronpa (1:53:26) Translation done by Project Zetsubo, Danganronpa Screenshot LP, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havok, Siren, Virtues Last Reward, The House of Fata Morgana,  The Question Zone (2:09:17) What is the most formative game to you that was not in english when you played it? -LocalizerThunk   Fire Emlem: Mystery of the Emblem, SeGaGaGa, Moon Remix RPG   Are there any fan translations you are looking forward to? -Jerry Boy 3 Namco x Capcom, Project X Zone, Ex Troopers, Mado Monogatari: Fia and the Wondrous Academy, Puyo Puyo, Pokémon Trading Card Game 2: The Invasion of Team GR!, Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3, Moonlight Syndrome, Otoirisou video by Dungeon Chill, Click Medic, Shadow Tower Abyss The Rec Room (2:22:51) The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, Metaphor Refantazio, Angels Egg, Wordless, Consume Me. Bowl of Lentils History of Chunsoft Sound Novels

This week on Brainlords special guest Bobvids helps us on Part Two of our P.T. series discussing the current era of liminal spaces in games. Even Baby Steps and 1000xResist have looping hallways, so are the lessons learned from this ludonarrative only limited to scares? We discuss our hopes for the future of spooky games in this raucous conclusion to our horror retrospective.    Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special guest - BobVids THINGS DISCUSSED  Lasagna Cat, The Spiritual Successor to Simpson’s Hit and Run, Item Label - Papupi, Silent Hill 2, Devotion, Outer Wilds, Outer Worlds, Undertale, Higurashi: When They Cry, Look Back, Crow Country Despite being a non-existent game, how has PT influenced gaming since its release? (0:17:27) P.T., Amnesia: Dark Descent, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Baby Steps, MiSide, The Blair Witch Project, Nexpo, Chilling Scares, Lethal Company, R.E.P.O, Phasmophobia, Allison Road,  What is the difference between a game influenced by PT and a game influenced by Amnesia? (0:33:57) Alien Isolation, Deltarune, Glittermitten Grove, Frog Fractions 2,   How has the influence of PT become a positive and when/how does it become a negative? (0:44:52) Dreams, PT Trailer, Earthbound, Layers of Fear, Devotion, Silent Hill F, Silent Hill 1, 1000 X Resist, The Stanley Parable,  Game Ratings: Human characters in Silent Hill (1:16:21) Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, Silent Hill 3, Silent Hill 4, Silent Hill: Homecoming Why do Liminal Spaces work so well in video games? (1:33:39) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Bullet Storm, Call of Duty, Shenmu, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, MyHouse.WAD, Doom, House of Leaves,  What do we hope for the future of horror games post PT? (1:46:49) The Question Zone (1:56:19) Bober Da Bober asks Do you think if you play PT in reverse it would be called TP, and climbing out of the drain of creativity symbolizes Kojima's time with Konami? The Witness, The Looker Gryphoneer, the Universally Beloved Online Icon asks Imagine Jovial Bob himself called you and offered to put you in charge of developing a video game adaptation of any of his properties. What would you pick to adapt and how would you adapt it?   The Park, Fatal Frame, MADiSON,    Dial (The Dude) asks isn't it a bit funny how Resident Evil re-invented itself in a P.T.-like fashion with the original demo for Resident Evil 7, and then the final game was *anything* but that anyways, I personally think it'd be really funny if Norman Reedus played Ethan Winters   Resident Evil: Village, Hereditary   LiminalLongJohnSilvers asks What is the cardinal sin of horror games who attempt to capture that PT and/or liminal aesthetic The Rec Room (2:14:30) Split Fiction, Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, Frankenstein: An Anatomy Lesson, Good Boy, Bring Her Back, Talk 2 Me, Stray Children, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Super Mario RPG, Eraserhead, Poltergeist, Cave Crave VR

This week on Brain Lords we Present: Talking. In this Podcastable Teaser we bring on guest Super Bunnyhop to Parse the Terror still seen in P.T. For a game that doesn’t technically exist, Silent Hills completely reshaped the Playable Trauma of modern horror games. But was that always the case or does this Polished Take on Amnesia exist beyond its creators and controversy? Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special guest - Super Bunnyhop THINGS DISCUSSED  The Nintendo DS, Resident Evil Deadly Silence, Shin Megami Tensei Devil Summoner, Guilty Gear Dust Strikers, Advanced Wars Dual Strike, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. So what's the deal with PT anyways? (0:10:11) P.T. aka Playable Teaser aka Silent Hills aka Silent Hillz: Boyz in da Hood, Extra Credits: Dark Souls 2,  What about PT’s controversy is worth preserving? (0:25:54) Metal Gear Solid V, Penumbra series, Amnesia: The Dark Descent Is PT really the trailblazer that we think it is? (0:34:04) Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid Delta, Slender: The Eight Pages, Resident Evil 7, Takeshi’s Challenge, Space Invaders, Dark Souls,  Game Ratings: Games That Break the 4th Wall (0:46:28) Inscryption, Hypnospace Outlaw, Death Stranding, Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, Loom, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Gex, Doki Doki Literature Club Does PT have merit in a vacuum? (1:09:43) Is PT still alive in other games? (1:19:24) O.D., Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Closing Thoughts (1:33:55)  PT Unreal The Question Zone (1:42:44) while many horror games (especially silent hill) delve into thematically dark/taboo subjects, how obvious should these subjects be? should they be more abstract and left up to interpretation or do you think abstraction as whole can be too much and leave the viewer wondering what the fuck they just played - Eddie's phtoshopped eyebrows Wouldn't it have been funny if Silent Hills came out and it was actually just not a good game? #morbiussweep -MorbiusFan69 Does anyone actually know how to reach the ending of PT? I’ve tried multiple times and can never pass the final puzzle. -The Wine Ghost As a native Georgian, what are you favorite hiking spots? Also what do you think P.T. would have looked like as a full game? -Rata Güera Rosemary’s Baby, The VVitch, Halloween, The Educated Imagination - Northrop Frye The Rec Room (1:56:56) Twin Peaks, Custom Robo, Fear and Hunger, Darkest Dungeon, Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc, Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐), King of the Hill Season 14

This week on Brainlords we have a Halloween episode about drowning, being hunted, the dark, and the undead, all the hallmarks of our favorite…children’s platformers? Special guest Shannon Strucci scares us silly with stories of Spyro and Sonic being just as spooky as Silent Hill! How scary can a game be before it’s considered horror and why do so many games from our childhood leave us so traumatized? Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special guest - Shannon Strucci THINGS DISCUSSED  Shamurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy, Michiko y Hatchin, Carol and Tuesday, Deadly Premonition The Scariest Non-Horror Games with Shannon Strucci (0:06:50) Fear of WATER (0:15:35) Subnautica, Half Life, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, Mario 64, Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4, Metroid, Kingdom Hearts, Star Wars Shadows of the Empire, The Legend of Zelda Windwaker, Ecco the Dolphin, UFO50, Dredge, Banjo Kazooie,   Fear of the DARK (0:30:31) Vermis, Dragon Quest, Breath of Fire 2, Breath of Fire 4, Metaphor Refantazio, Half Life 2, Undertale, Super Metroid, Minecraft, The Stanley Parable,   Fear of the DEAD (0:47:14) Super Mario World, Psychonauts, Illusion of Gaia, Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, Darkstalkers, OFF, Blanksword, Baldur’s Gate 3, Spyro the Dragon Game Ratings: Unkillable or Pursuer Style Enemies (1:11:22) Bubble Bobble, Silent Hill 2, Super Bomberman R, Mouthwashing, Metroid Fusion, Metroid Dread, Zone of the Enders, Resident Evil 2 REmake, Resident Evil 7, Final Fantasy 8, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario Bros 2 (Doki Doki Panic) Fear of the UNCANNY (1:32:23) The Exit 8, Okami, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, Sherlock Holmes Nemesis, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Metal Gear Solid, Blue Prince, Gorogoa, Gone Home, Donkey Kong Country, Resident Evil, Baby Bullet, Tomba, Heart of Darkness, Another World,  Fear of BEING HUNTED (1:54:07) The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Megaman Legends, Turok, Jurassic Park (SNES), R-Type, Life Force, Ape Escape,  Closing Thoughts (2:08:50) A Hat in Time The Question Zone (2:14:04) Cryptmaster miski spooky edition says: ecco the dolphin is one of the most lonely, claustrophobic, haunting games I've ever played. it's underwater sonic but all the time because you're a mammal that needs to breathe. Oh and it's based on the beliefs of a scientist who slowly poisoned their brain chemistry and ruined their career forever from doing way way too many psychedelics in an isolation chamber and thought he could teach dolphins to speak and they could tell him about aliens? oh god. oh no. DevilDiceSurprise asks: what video game monster awoke "something" in you lmao Resident Evil Village The Rec Room (2:25:24) Umigari, It Takes A War, GO VOTE, Vote for leftists that will actually regulate power companies, Fatum Betula, Welcome to Elderfield, Godhusk, Absolum, Dragon’s Crown, The Boys, Invincible 

On the eve of the release of Pokemon ZA, fresh off a major leak, the Brianlords ask the question: does Game Freak deserve it? Your ire, your pity, and alllll of your sorrow, this company was once a shining example of an early Japanese indie and is now burning out its staff on an endless stream of Pokemon. We talk about the non-Pokemon Gamefreak games, the company’s history, and what it means to have a highly polished action game in the works. Plus a bonus mailbag sharing your Pokemon memories! What does Game Freak Deserve Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV THINGS DISCUSSED  Victory Gundam What does Game Freak Deserve? Fields of Mistria, The Last of Us Your history with Pokemon (0:7:02) Pokemon Red and Blue, Mendel Palace, Quinty, Drill Dozer, Pulseman, Jerry Boy, Tembo the Badass Elephant, Harmonknight, Pocket Card Jockey, Pokemon Black and White 2  What is the current state of Game Freak (0:17:39) Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon ZA, Pokemon Snap, Beast of Reincarnation How has Game Freak handled the Pokemon franchise? (0:29:59) Pokemon Green, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Let’s Go Eevee, Let’s Go Pikachu, I EXPOSED What’s Really Going On At Game Freak,  Pokemon Timeline Hints and 7 Other Details about Sword and Shield, Music Credit: Alex Heflin - Cinnabar Island, Shin Megami Tensei V Can Game Freak exist outside of Pokemon (0:57:15) Little Town Hero, UFO50, Pac Man, Smart Ball, Magical Taruruto-kun, Yoshi, Bushi Seiryūden: Futari no Yūsha, Click Medic, Giga Wrecker,  Umamusame: Pretty Derby, Lies of P, Yokai Watch Game Ratings: Non-Pokemon Game Freak games (1:09:22) Rocket Slime Adventure Has Game Freak earned good faith or does it deserve hate? (1:22:03) Pokemon Concierge, Pokemon Trading Card Game, Pokemon Pinball, Fire Emblem Engage The jury’s verdict on Pokemon (The Question Zone) (1:43:49) Palworld The Rec Room (2:05:03) Candy Rangers, Magi Nation, Beastieball, Cassette Beasts, Animorphs (GBC), Robomon, Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Godfathers, Paprika, Psychonauts

This week on Brainlords we complain about the price of games nowadays. But then why did the games of yesteryear feel like a better deal despite being $80 well before Mario Kart 8? Is there anything you can do to appreciate an artform that seems so designed to take most of your paycheck? And yet somehow indie games should honestly cost more! Find out why as we release this episode for the same price as some of the best video games ever, free! Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV THINGS DISCUSSED Hollow Knight: Silksong, Battle Angel Alita, Metropolis, Milk Inside a Bag of Milk Inside a Bag of Milk, Milk Outside a Bag of Milk Outside a Bag of Milk,  Is Gaming a Financial Burden? (0:08:40) Star Fox 64, Breath of Fire New games and consoles are too expensive (0:12:33)  NBA 2K21, Mario Kart World, GTA6, Outer Worlds 2, Borderlands 4,  Nintendo Virtual Boy, Switch 2, Pokemon ZA, Pokemon, Donkey Kong Bananza Emerald Rush, Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion, Bowser’s Fury, Helldivers 2, Split Fiction, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Lies of P, Space Marine 2,   Old Games and consoles were too expensive (0:33:59) Street Fighter II, God of War, Astro Bot Game Ratings: Video Game Collectors Editions (0:47:47) Unicorn Overlord, Horizon Zero Dawn, Blaster Master Zero, Super Mario Galaxy, Catherine, Odin’s Sphere, Bayonetta 3, Sonic Mania, Death Stranding, Culdcept Revolt, MGSV,  The Best Games are Free (1:08:03) Kyle’s List of Amazing Free Games and Mods : Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, Doom the Roguelike, Nethack, Spelunky, Cave Story, Knytt, Untitled Story, N+, Super Meat Boy, Commander Keen, Space Funeral, Oregon Trail, Off, Barkley Shut Up and Jam Gaiden, Yume Nikki, Cave Story, Lisa the First, Doki Doki Literature Club, IB horror Museum, One Shot, Battle For Wesnoth, Samarost 1, GTA 1&2, Frog Fractions, MUGEN, Spooky’s House of Jumpscares, The Stanley Parable, AM2R, Beetle Ninja, Lunacid Tears of the Moon, Dweller’s Empty Path, Franken, Myhouse.wad, The Forgotten City, Black Mesa UFO50, Metal Gear Solid: Delta, Warframe, Infinity Nikki, Overwatch 2, Newer Super Mario Bros Wii, Steamworld Dig, Fall Guys, Flesh Blood and Concrete, SWOLLEN TO BURSTING UNTIL I AM DISAPPEARING ON PURPOSE   Indie Games Are Too Cheap (1:26:42)   How much money do Steam Games make?, Hollow Knight, Crystal Story: Dawn of Dusk, Peak, Shovel Knight, Stardew Valley, PLEASE SAVE HORNET ALL SHE NEEDS IS THE NUMBERS ON YOUR CREDIT CARD, Judero, Look Outside, Peak   The Question Zone (1:43:49)   With the rising cost of mainstream games and consoles, will we see a new renaissance of indies or will everyone just move on to free to play games? -Oracle of WageTheft    Borderlands 4  Are there repercussions of having a generation of kids whose comfort games are all free to play games or games as a service or are we simply old man yelling at cloud (gaming)? - Slime A Lime  Roblox Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com The Rec Room (1:53:35) Putting Italian Sausage on your grilled cheese, using mayo instead of butter on your grilled cheese, Steamworld Dig, Steamworld Dig 2, Diablo 2, An Untitled Story, Football: 17776, Gunbuster. Urusei Yatsura: Only You 

This week on Brainlords we look back on the 8 years we’ve had the Nintendo Switch to determine what we'll be looking back on even later! We take a ~nostalgic~ tour through the final days of the WiiU, getting the console in its early years, the peak years of its greatest hits, playing during the pandemic, and the twilight years that preceded the Switch 2. Are these just rose (and blue) tinted glasses or was there truly something special about the first merger of Nintendo’s handheld and console hardware that truly can’t be replicated again? Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV THINGS DISCUSSED DearS, OFF Remember the early days of the Switch? (0:08:24) The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild, NBA 2K, Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2,  Super Bomberman R, Waku Waku 7, Blaster Master Zero, Golf Story, Fast RMX, Puyo Puyo Tetris Remember the prime years of the Switch? (0:24:16) Metroid Prime Remastered, Metroid Dread, Mario Tennis Aces, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Pokken Tournament, Mario 3D World, Mario Bros U, Hyrule Warriors, Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, Celeste, Gris, Shovel Knight, The Missing: JJ Macfield and the Island of Memories, Deltarune, Yooka-Laylee, Hollow Knight, Super Mario Odyssey, The Flipgrip, Downwell, Gunbird, Sengoku Blade, Donkey Kong Arcade, Super Smash Bros Ultimate Game Ratings: Smash Bros Ultimate DLC Trailers (0:54:42)  Banjo Kazooie, Kingdom Hearts, Persona 5,  Minecraft, Final Fantasy 7,   Remember the Switch during the Pandemic? (1:11:06) Shin Megami Tensei V, Animal Crossing New Horizons, The DragonCon Marriott carpet, Ring Fit Adventure, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, Octo Expansion, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity,  Paper Mario: The Origami King, Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda, Mario 3D All Stars, Bowser’s Fury, Metroid Dread, Cruis’n Blast Remember the final years of the Switch? (1:25:09) Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Demon Throttle, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Megaman X, Deadly Premonition 2, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3, Bayonetta 3, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Princess Peach: Showtime!, Mario and Luigi: Brothership, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Stardew Valley The Question Zone and Switch Memories (1:36:47) Pokemon Scarlet What do different types of lore do to your enjoyment of a game? For example, well done in game lore with a fleshed out world? Or game lore pertaining to the making of the game, or why something is the way it is in the game because of an experience or idea that someone got from their personal life and made it into a game mechanic or story beat? Or perhaps other types of lore I am not thinking of? Who knows? - Mariochief Signalis, Dark Souls, ActRaiser 2 Do you think there's a chance for DEEP LORE that isn't horror/tragedy-adjacent to be impactful? Does it need at least a veneer of maturity to catch on or be impactful, or can it be satisfying to uncover if it isn't super dark? - irwegwert Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, Donkey Kong Country What Switch games in your backlog do you want to play the most? - MyBodyisBready Live A Live, Luigi's Mansion 3, Gal Metal Who are the people you most associate with the Switch? - Mamamiyamoto Legend of Mana, Theatrythm Final Fantasy, Chocobo GP  The Rec Room (1:55:01) Labyrinth of the Demon King, Mario Paint, Mario Paint, Sonic Expo 

This week on Brainlords we celebrate the final moments before Silksong can no longer be delayed. Jorge doesn’t get what the deal is with Silkposting while Kyle is removing the clown makeup as we speak. We go over the humble origins of Hollow Knight to discuss if it really is that good (yes) and how we got here with eight years of hype and memes. How has the Metroidvania genre fared since then and what do we do now that Silksong, a game made with the opposite of crunch is finally out? THINGS DISCUSSED Baulder’s Gate 3, Undertale Explain the Silksong Hype for me (0:05:38) Hollow Knight, Silksong Is Hollow Knight good? (0:07:35)  The Wanderer’s Journal - Fangamer, Megaman X, Ducktales (NES) I don’t get Silksong Hype (0:31:43) RALSIE PLUSH ONLY $36 BUY NOW!!!, Folding Ideas presents: Silkposting, Despelote, Mother 3, Mother 64, Marvel’s Deadpool VR, Game Ratings: Indie Metroidvanias (0:58:33) Chasm, Metroid Dread, Dandara, Momodora: Reverie Under the Moonlight,  Momodora: Moonlit Farewell, Axium Verge, Metroid, Super Metroid, Castlevania, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Cave Story, Yume Nikki Hey MetroidVanias, you doin’ alright? (1:14:31) Iconoclasts, Metroid Fusion, La Mulana 2, The Messenger, Monster Boy and The Cursed Kingdom, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Haiku the Robot, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Megaman Zero, Megaman ZX, Blasphemous 2, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Crowsworn, Nine Sols, Earthbound, Lisa: The Painful RPG, Shadow Labrynth, Tunic, Batman:  Arkham Asylum, Metroid Prime 4, NieR: Automata, Stellar Blade, Black Myth: Wukong So what now? Post Silksong Jokes and the Jason Schrier Interview (1:27:39) Why Silksong Took Seven Years to Make, Dark Souls, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Deltarune Closing Thoughts (1:38:52) The Question Zone (1:41:29)  Why are Souls games fans so illiterate? Jokes aside, are there fandoms out there you think have lost the ability to interpret games on their own without relying on interpretations of the story by big name YouTubers? I think the Souls fans definitely rely too heavily on YouTube videos to tell them what to think -Meowtroid    Final Fantasy 7   What is your personal Silksong, as in is there a piece of media that you personally feel has gone through the same silent period that Silksong has? - Untitled Zangoose   Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash, Iron-Blooded Orphans, The Witch from Mercury, Gundam Build Fighters, Barkley Shut Up and Jam Gaiden, Mother 3    can you think of any works that are "anti-lore"? (i.e. works that seem to reject or rebuff a database-style approach) or is the fandom simply too powerful and capable of turning anything into a wiki? - isyourguy   13 Sentinels Aegis Rim, Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Odyssey, Lies of P,     The Rec Room (1:56:58)   Megalopolis, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, Gundam Unicorn, Gundam: The Origin, City: The Animation, New Panty and Stocking, Pop Team Epic, Azumanga Diaoh, Odin’s Sphere, Demonschool, Into the Breach, Fangamer Pinverse, OFF,    

This Week on Brainlords, special guest Voidburger takes us on a scenic tour through Silent Hill. Some game theories seem to have a life of their own but what happens when that becomes the death of your enjoyment? Jorge discusses being secretly dead the whole time while Kyle explains why Pokémon is actually dark and twisted. Will this episode be a dream all along or a nightmare of fan theories?! Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special Guest - Voidburger THINGS DISCUSSED Earthbound, Undertale, Deltarune, Super Mario RPG, SQUALL IS DEAD THEORY  (0:06:17) Final Fantasy 8, Abnormal Mapping Podcast, The Rugrats, The Sixth Sense DARK POKEMON THEORIES (0:29:30) Pokemon Series, Digimon, Thomas the Tank Engine, Piglet’s Big Game, Choo-Choo Charles, FLCL SILENT HILL LORE (0:43:46)   Silent Hill 2, Until Dawn Game Ratings: Games that are secretly dark (1:10:55) Omori, Doki Doki Literature Club, Majora’s Mask, Psychonauts, Psychonauts 2, Final Fantasy IX, Illusion of Gaia, Deltarune, The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening  WHO IS THE ROARING KNIGHT?! - DELTARUNE THEORIES (1:26:01) Alan Wake 2, Remedy Games, Half-Life, Anodyne, They Stanley Parable THE QUESTION ZONE (1:50:00) how  do you feel about creators changing plots based on theories (either liking the theory more than what they had planned, or changing it to "one up" the audience when people realize whats going to happen)  -chewing on the bars of my cage like a dog Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth,  Avatar the Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra Which game do you think has the most unnecessary or inconsequential lore? And which game do you think was enhanced the most by the theories and deep lore surrounding it? -Old Man Splimbo Five Nights at Freddy’s, The Legend of Zelda series, Donkey Kong Bananza, Willy’s Wonderland, Drakengaurd, NieR Automata, NieR Replicant what makes creepypasta and secret lore theories so compelling to kids? -Old Fart Do you think fandoms have done more harm than good in media spaces these days and contribute to eroding media literacy overall? Something I've come to resent them for is not allowing something to remain unexplained for example is a big part of why I find myself unable to connect with fan communities now a days. -Old millenial who yells at clouds.  What do you think of the “you shouldn’t put much more effort into it than the writers did” rule for video game theories?  -Pikachu was a dream the whole time Megaman X Do you have a general guideline of when setting and world building details move from "adding to the experience" into "The Lore™"? Like when does "oh this item has the same symbol that one character had on their jacket" turn into "I have shut the game down and rolled out my chalkboard" for you?  -Pedantic in Peoria Feelings on plot twists that are figured out by fans before a games release such as "Venom Snake is really the Doctor" or "FF7 Remake is actually a sequel to FF7" because something in the lore gave it away immediately. -Edwardo the Terrible Metal Gear Solid V, Metal Gear Solid Grounds Zeroes For years I've hated the Zelda timeline, because it poisons any discussion of the series with speculation about contradictory, inconsequential details that don't matter. Are there any fan theories that you dislike because the Discourse is annoying? -Enemy of Time Earthbound,  Closing thoughts and Rec Room (2:07:10) Outer Wilds, Voidburger - The Virgin Maw vs The Chad Pyramidhead, Voidburger- Video Essay about Adventure Games and the Gay 90s, Mouthwashing, Games Done Quick

This week on Brainlords we’re upping the difficulty to Legendary! Why do we keep coming back to the only medium that you might not even be good enough to experience? We share our histories with Gamer Rage (tm) and discuss some games that are better for having all the hardest parts in the beginning in order to conclude which game is *perfectly* difficult. Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV    THINGS DISCUSSED Death Stranding 2 How do you balance difficulty and frustration in games? (0:11:35)  Halo: Combat Evolved, Control, Doom, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, Devil May Cry,  Bayonetta What games have the ideal difficulty curve? (0:22:57) DMC3, Stranger of Paradise, Armored Core Series, Zone of the Enders, Gatcha Force, Custom Robo,  Silent Hill series, Resident Evil series, Star Fox 64,   Should games have personalized difficulty options? (0:40:27)  Celeste, Claire Obscure: Expedition 33, Doom: The Dark Ages, Dark Souls series, Lies of P, Sekiro  Do you rage at games? (0:54:29) Deltarune Ch3 Game Ratings: Secret Bosses (1:04:10) Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy VII, Bloodborne, Kingdom Hearts 1&2   What is the ideal reward for difficulty? (1:22:02) Deltarune Ch1, FZero GX, Paper Mario, Anarchy Reigns What is a Perfectly difficult game? (1:34:08) Muramasa Demon Blade, Yoshi’s Island, Tunic The Question Zone (1:54:28) What are your favorite easy games? - I’m Too Young to Diane Kirby Superstar, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Felix the Cat (NES) What is the gaming achievement you are most proud of? - SwordOfKings128 PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds The Rec Room (2:02:10)   Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, Animal Crossing: New Horizons,  Lucah: Born of a Dream, Death of a Wish, Friendship ft Tim Robinson, Summer Wars, Wolf Children

  This week on Brainlords we are living in a Nightmare…Bart’s Nightmare! Or is it Buster’s Bad Dream? We discuss the wonderful world of Licensed games, advertisement games, and video game product placements to ask the question: Are they even art? Kyle compares a good Disney game that has nothing to do with its license to a bad Simpsons game that gave him an emotional response. Jorge discusses how to find validation as a working class artist when you don’t get to choose what you work on. The one thing we can agree on? The amazing taste of Nissin Cup Noodles. *smiles at camera*   Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV   THINGS DISCUSSED: Zbots, Slitterhead, 20XX, 30XX, Is a Licensed Game only art if it's good? (0:10:58) Goof Troop (SNES), The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey & Minnie, Bart’s Nightmare, Virtual Bart, Shaq Fu, Wayne’s World SNES, Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!  Is there artistry in *really* nailing a license? (0:32:26) Dragon Ball FighterZ, Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale, One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, My Hero One's Justice, Jump Super Stars, Jump Ultimate Stars, Jump Force, Cool Spot, Pepsiman Can product placement say anything meaningful that isn’t goofy by proxy? (0:49:15) Darkened Skye, The Sims, Death Stranding, Alan Wake, FFXV, Monkey Ball, SNK Allstar Game Ratings: Overrated, underrated, and accurately rated Tiny Toons Adventures Games (1:08:10) Buster Busts Loose, Tiny Toons (NES), McKids, Buster’s Bad Dream, Dizzy’s Candy Quest, Wacky Sports Challenge, Acme All-Stars, Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Summer Vacation BONUS QUESTION: Why are Tiny Toons Adventure games so good and Looney Toons Games so bad? (1:17:46) Speedy Gonzales: Los Gatos Banditos, Sylvester and Tweety Breakfast on the Run, Infogrames, Bug’s Crazy Castle What role do celebrities play in making better or worse art? (1:21:09) The Last of Us, Death Stranding 2, Onimusha 3, City of the Wolves,  What’s it like working on a license? (1:27:44) NoClip Burger King Games documentary,  Robocop Rogue City, CalorieMate LIQUID FOR GAME CREATORS The Question Zone: GET READY (1:44:32) Are we headed towards the age of Fortnitification of all games - Number One Heehomie Fortnite, Mortal Kombat, Smite What game world would you like to immigrate to? Yes you will have to immigrate to that game’s government system. - True Inky Megaman Battle Network, Donkey Kong Country 1-3, Tropical Freeze  Why was the Era of Capcom/Konami Disney tie-in games so good and how would you describe the current era of licensed games. -Steamboat William Aladdin (SNES, Little Mermaid (NES), Ducktales (NES), Batman Arkham Games, Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, Redfall, The Walking Dead (Telltale), Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Star Wars Rogue Squadron, Transformers Devastation, Legend of Korra (PlatinumGames) The Rec Room (1:59:58) TMNT Splintered Fate, TMNT Tactical Takedown, Shredder’s Revenge, The Protomen: Act 1, Megaman 5, Yo Noid 2, Nubby’s Number Factory, Simpsons Summer of 4ft2 Original Airdate VHS rip, Ultimate Love Songs collection

This week on Brainlords, we discuss our favorite genre of music, SOUNDTRACK: VIDEO GAME. Kyle and Jorge each pick their OSTs of the year from 2015 to 2024 and guess each other's lists for some friendly competition. Is game music less memorable than the squarewaves of yesteryear or are we actually in a golden age? Spoiler warning: Extremely mild spoilers for Death Stranding 2, Undertale, Deltarune, and Signs of the Sojourner. (Mostly just minor moments and describing the context around interesting songs.) Questions, Comments, Suggestions? CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV   THINGS DISCUSSED: Death Stranding 2, Super Mario Bros, 10 Years 10 Soundtracks - What makes video game music more effective than music in other mediums? (0:04:15)  2015 (0:15:06) Axiom Verge, Splatoon, Undertale, FF Brave Exvius 2016 (0:25:54) Redout, Aram Shahbazians, Orientalism: Desert Level Music vs Actual Middle-Eastern Music, Hyper Light Drifter, Death’s Door, Va11 Hall-A, FFXV 2017 (0:34:59) Sonic Mania, Nier Automata, Nier Replicant, Stellar Blade, Pyre, Breath of the Wild, Rivals of Aether,  2018 (0:43:03) Into the Breach, Celeste, Lena Rain, Xenoblade, The Tetris Effect, Deltarune, Radiant Historia 2019 (0:50:47) Sayonara Wild Hearts, Disco Elysium, 13 Sentinels, Hypnospace Outlaw Game Ratings - Overrated, underrated, and accurately rated licensed tracks in a video game. (1:00:35) Lollipop Chainsaw, Gears of War, FFXV, MGSV, Rock and Roll Racing, Saints Row 3 2020 (1:10:10) FFVII Reamake, 13 Sentinels, Paper Mario: Origami King, Signs of the Sojourner, Sakuna of Rice and Ruin, 2021 (1:20:03) Shin Megami Tensei V, Inscription, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Bravely Default 2, Cult of the Lamb 2022 (1:28:56) Neon White, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, TMNT Shredder's Revenge, Tunic, Live Alive 2023 (1:36:01) Alan Wake 2, Gravity Circuit, Octopath Traveler 2, Lies of P, Air Twister, Pizza Tower 2024 (1:43:46) 1000 x Resist, Unicorn Overlord, Nine Sols, Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble, Another Crabs Treasure What’s changed about video game music in the past 10 years? (1:53:02) What are we listening to in 2025? (1:57:47) Clair Obscure, Deltarune Ch3+4, Cave Story The Rec Room (2:04:48) To a T, 30XX, Rewatching Andor, Having very little trust and patience for the people selling you a house.

Just like FFX, our *Final* Final Fantasy Episode gets a sequel! Special guest Andrew Bluett fresh off writing a retrospective of FFIX helps keep us final-factual. How would we look back on each of the Final Fantasy games if 7, 8, 9, 10, and 10-2 were the last games in the series? Would Square just have turned into the FFVII machine? And is VIII really that much of a black sheep? Hear our hot takes on Blitzball as this triad triples down on our favorite minigames and more.  CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special Guest: Andrew Bluett THINGS DISUCSSED All the ding-dang FF games, just all of them. What if each Final Fantasy was the FINAL Final Fantasy? (7 through 10-2) (0:05:53) Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Majuular Andrew’s History with the Final Fantasy Series (0:11:54) Kingdom Hearts Series, GTA5, Californication, Bojack Horseman,  Final Fantasy 7 (0:21:01) Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children, Dirge of Cerberus,  Final Fantasy 8 (0:39:03)  Lost Odyssey Game Ratings: Most overrated, underrated, and accurately rated Final Fantasy minigames (1:01:33)  Pyre, Chocobo Racing, Chocobo Racing GP Final Fantasy 9 (1:18:54) Hathaways Flash, The Dark Crystal, Jollibee, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Final Fantasy 10 (1:43:01) Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Trigun, The Big O Final Fantasy 10-2 (1:59:41) The Question Zone (2:14:27) When it comes to Chocobos, are you team "wark" or team "kweh" -Oceanity   Let's say there was no Final Fantasy, what game would then be THE flag hip Square title? -Ultimecia_did_nothing_wrong Okay I was clowning around with my last question, but with the flash of popularity that OtoWakka had making the X/X-2 HD a best seller on steam in Japan, what other themes or character relations of other Final Fantasy games do you think would bring in new audiences? -Wee Baby Jaso Who would you pick out the lesser known, or even least loved party members to be in the roster of the next Dissidia? - BouncerGOTY2k DBZ Budokai 3 The Rec Room (2:31:51) Fun Factor, Who is Your Doctor?, Escape From Vault Disney, Stranger of Paradise, Deltarune Chapter 3&4, Actually learn from FF7 and being active in your local politics. Be safe y’all.

What if it really was the FINAL Fantasy? This week we ask the question, what would the legacy of each FF game be if it was the last game in the series? In this part 1 episode we go over the history of each of the pixel games up through VI. Would FFII be given a fair shot if it only got compared to FFI? We discover that FFIV may be the Citizen Kane of RPGs, and talk about FFV as the Mother 3 of FF games (I assure you this makes sense). Is FFVII just an enhanced version of FFVI? These Spoony Bards tell all in a theoretical retrospective of some Freakin’ Fantastic games. CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV   THINGS DISCUSSED: Hotel Barcelona, Deadly Premonition, The Missing, Shadows of the Damned, Liberation Maiden, Mario RPG, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger,  What if each Final Fantasy was the FINAL Final Fantasy? (0:07:04)  Final Fantasy (like all of them. Every single one.) Magic the Gathering, Dragon Warrior What is your history with FF games? (0:13:56) Breath of Fire, Illusion of Gaia,   FFI (0:24:33) Seiken Densetsu, The Bouncer FFII (0:35:08) Dragon Quest 2, Aliens, Wizardy, Ultima, Nasir Gebelli FFIII (0:44:01) Game Ratings: The most overrated, underrated, and accurately rated Battle Music of the FF Pixel Era. (0:56:39) FFIV (1:09:41) Jeremy Parish FF2 Review, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest,  Namingway Romhack FFV (1:27:40) RPGE FFV Fan Translation, Mother 3,  Legend of the Crystals FFVI (1:37:46) Claire Obscure What is the legacy of the Pixel Final Fantasies? (1:55:10) The Question Zone (1:57:17) Would you want any of these titles to be remade in the scale and scope of FF7 Remake, if so how would this change the nature of the game in essence? - Mogabubu Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Using Elements from previous Final Fantasy games, what would your perfect Final Fantasy be? For example, the combat of Remake in the world of Ivalace starring Vivi -Final Fantasy Mystic Chex Quest Bravely Default Which of these game would you consider the best starting point for people interested in starting Final Fantasy -Tina Raisin Branford  What is the best FF to start with if you are intimidated at everyone’s answers to that question? -Ultros and Typhon The Rec Room (2:16:04) The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, The Rehearsal, Claire Obscure: Expedition 33, Metaphor ReFantazio, Formless Star 

This week special guest George Weidman, aka Super Bunnyhop, helps us figure out our love hate relationship with Hideo Kojima. Do we sabotage our own enjoyment with hype cycles and marketing jargon? Jorge reveals some misinformation about the English translation of Nawa, a story that inspired Death Stranding. Kyle recounts The Postman, a story that definitely didn't inspire Death Stranding (despite the authors claims). And George argues that the Hideo Kojima's character names really aren't that bad, especially Machine Gun Kid. Will we fall prey to the same hype for Death Stranding 2 or will we all just turn into Sticks?   CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Special Guest: Super Bunnyhop!   THINGS DISCUSSED: Japan, Mystica Ninja Starring Goemon, Dragon Quest, Earthbound, Kirby Café, Megazone 23, 13 Sentinals Was Death Stranding worth the hype? (00:06:32) Death Stranding, Alan Wake 2, Papers Please, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid What exactly is a strand game? (00:25:10) Ancestors: Mankind’s Odyssey, Dark Souls, Ducktales, Breath of the Wild, Control, Destiny, Deadly Premonition,  What’s the deal with the whole rope and stick thing? (00:38:58) Nawa - Kobo Abe, The Man Who Turned into a Stick - Kobo Abe, Stick - Kobo Abe, Metal Gear Solid 3 What are the best and worst parts of Hideo Kojima as an Auteur? (0:57:14) MGSV, MG Rising: Revengeance, Megalopolis, MGS3 Is Death Stranding a reflection of the politics of a disenfranchised Japanese westaboo? (1:06:01)  The Postman Was Hideo Kojima inspired by The Postman or did he just rip it off? (1:16:09) Fallout New Vegas GAME RATINGS: Most underrated, overrated, and accurately rated Hideo Kojima character name? (1:25:04) What do we think the A24 adaptation should actually adapt and what should Death Stranding 2 be about? (1:34:17) Dune, Pig Question Zone (1:45:09) Does Heartmant have any measures to prevent his death during resuscitation? Have you heard the comparison to The Postman? Is Timothee Chalamet in DS2? What’s the deal with the heavy Neon Genisis Evangelion references in Death Stranding? What was really going on with Mama and Lockne? The last few hours of the game really bludgeon you with overemphasis of its themes. Considering the infamous Russian taunt thread, was Kojipro justified in assuming people wouldn’t understand its story? Rec Room (1:56:07) Jambalaya, Judero, The Postman, Waterworld, 1000xResist, Look Outside, 84 Hashi  

On today’s episode of Brainlords we explain why games might be better if they were a little “worse”! Jorge gives a history lesson on The Flow State while Kyle explains how it recently became synonymous with the addiction loop of a slot machine. Is fun the only emotion gameplay should strive for or should we want a bit more friction in an interactive art form?   CONTACT US: brainlordspod@gmail.com Kyle - Cute Monster Props Jorge - JMV Edited by Kyle   THINGS DISCUSSED: Should games be fun? (0:04:04) Super Mario World What does friction mean? (0:06:39) Dragon’s Dogma 2, Signalis, Bravely Default What are some instances of a game that had friction that you didn’t like? (0:16:20) Stephanie Sterling, Breath of the Wild, Twilight Princess, Animal Crossing Wild World, Street Fighter 6, Blazeblue, FF1 Anniversary PSP What is the Flow State? (0:24:09) Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow in Games (2007) - Jenova Chen, Journey, Flow, Sky: Children of the Light, Tears of the Kingdom, Addiction by Design - Natasha D. Schull, Simon’s Quest, Diablo 1, Diablo 2, Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne How do we tell the difference between deliberate design choices and bad controls? (0:43:20) Pathologic, Pathologic 2, Deadly Premonition, Windwaker, Darkest Dungeon, Pseudoregalia, Disco Elysium, Silent Hill 2, Devil May Cry, Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy IX, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Game Ratings: What is the most overrated, underrated, and accurately rated game with Tank Controls? (1:09:31) Shadows of the Empire, Resident Evil 1, RE: Remake (Gamecube), Parasite Eve, World of Tanks, Tomb Raider, God Hand, Katamari Damacy Games as theater - Should games be Dramatic or Epic? (1:15:51) Lisa The Painful RPG, Undertale, 1000xResist, Look Back (NOTE: we said Your Name but we meant Look Back), Doom, Doom (2016), Astro Bot, Flinthook Should the goal of a remake be to eliminate friction? (1:03:17) Link’s Awakening Remake, Ocarina of Time, Nightdive Studios, System Shock 1 What are some more concrete examples of a remake that took away some friction and lost something? (1:37:11) Super Mario RPG Remake, Silent Hill 2 Remake, RE: 4 Remake Closing Thoughts (1:47:17) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island The Question Zone (1:53:35) What is the best objectively bad game? - Francis York Morgan Altered Beast, Harvester, Evil Zone, Dwarf Fortress. What is the point of preserving a game after it gets remade? - True Doom Murderhead Monkey Island, Smash Bros Melee, Mario 64, Metal Gear Solid Delta, MGS3/Subsistence/3DS, Metroid Prime Trilogy, Wizardry The Rec Room (2:05:59) Magical Puzzle Popils, Dragon Crystal, Playing Games randomly for the Steam Nextfest, Angeline Era, Severance Season 2, Hydlide, Ys, Nativshark.