The three finest minds in video games plumb the depths of our listener-submitted Question Hole, dredging up all manner of holiday cheer, the Floridafication of America, and the return of Seaman. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

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  Barbara Walters
  


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  20/20
  

1: Tradegood asks, what is the best video game to play on a first date? (03:04 )

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  New Super Mario Bros.
  


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  Overwatch League
  


• 
  Love Letter
  

2: Kiko B asks, aside from jumping and running, what are the most important verbs in a platform game? Are there any that don’t get the attention they deserve? (06:28 )

3: Breadytodie asks, which is the better racing game series: Initial D or Wangan Midnight? (07:34 )

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  Initial D series
  


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  Wangan Midnight series
  


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  Motohiro Kawashima
  


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  Yuzo Koshiro
  


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  Densha de Go! series
  

4: Goonbag asks, what’s the most shame you have ever experienced playing a video game? (08:48 )

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  Duke Nukem Forever
  


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  Call of Duty series
  

5: Hobart Painsborough asks, why do so many games lie to the player when they say “press any button to continue” when in reality “any button” does not, in fact, allow you to continue? (11:23 )

6: A small rabite asks, is the Mana series the most mismanaged Square-Enix franchise? (12:43 )

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  Mana series
  


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  Final Fantasy series
  


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  Ehrgeiz: God Bless the Ring
  


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  Parasite Eve series
  

7: LeFish asks, who is the coolest videogame character whose design is family friendly or specifically aimed towards kids? (13:27 )

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  Sonic the Hedgehog
  

8: Tom Arrow asks, I recently noticed while playing the Dreamcast that a bunch of these games feature an arcade-style race against the clock mechanic. What was the deal with that? (13:43 )

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  Sega Dreamcast
  


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  Eighteen Wheeler: American Pro Trucker
  


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  Crazy Taxi
  


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  Hydro Thunder
  


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  Jet Set Radio
  


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  Sega Rally series
  


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  Tony Hawk Pro Skater
  


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  Sega Saturn
  


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  Virtua Fighter series
  

9: Connrrr asks, can playing a video game be a form of puppeteering? (15:48 )

10: Michael from Cyprus asks, it was Alain Badiou I think that said “ Most people resort to the certainty of misery than the misery of uncertainty.“ What two Video Games ultimately answer to the two paths? (16:27 )

• 
  Alain Badiou
  


• 
  Harvestella
  

11: LowGuppy asks, what video game most needs a sequel subtitled “On the Beach?” (17:55 )

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  Dragon Age series
  


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  Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball
  


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  Death Stranding
  


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  Greendog: The Beached Surfer Dude!
  


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  Normy’s Beach Babe-O-Rama
  


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  WildStorm
  

12: Spencergifs asks, what is the best video game that is not played with a controller, mouse and keyboard, or arcade stick (19:19 )

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  Before Your Eyes
  


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  Groove Coaster
  


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  Taiko Drum Master series
  


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  Arkanoid
  


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  Tempest 2000
  


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  Pong
  


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  It Ain’t Over Till The Fat Neighbor Sings
  

13: Rice_9 asks, when looking at a new game online, do you watch the video, read the copy, or look at screenshots first? (21:39 )

14: Why Why asks, how do you make destructible items fun to destroy? (22:01 )

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  Iron Soldier
  


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  Earth Defense Force series
  


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  Age of Empires series
  

15: Psinuxie asks, what are some later games that figured out design fundamentals? (23:29 )

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  Super Mario Bros.
  


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  Resident Evil 4
  


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  Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde
  


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  Alien: Resurrection
  


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  Quake
  


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  Duke Nukem 3D
  


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  Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
  


• 
  GoldenEye 007
  


• 
  Batman: The Video Game
  


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  Street Fighter series
  


• 
  PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
  


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  Fortnite
  


• 
  Batsugun
  


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  DonPachi
  


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  Minecraft
  


• 
  Black & White
  

16: Dustin asks, what was a favorite multi-disc game for you? (26:36 )

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  Final Fantasy VII
  


• 
  Final Fantasy VIII
  


• 
  Koudelka
  


• 
  Lost Odyssey
  


• 
  Blue Dragon
  


• 
  Shenmue
  


• 
  Grandia
  


• 
  Metal Gear Solid
  


• 
  Devil May Cry 2
  

17: BluntForceMama asks, is GTA 6 late to the party regarding Florida culture? (29:18 )

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  Grand Theft Auto VI
  


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  <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flor