Phantasy Star IV | E2: Genesis Mystique [Contemporary Reception & Legacy]

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Update: 2025-11-17

Description

On the second episode of our Phantasy Star IV background info, we're watching commercials in Japanese, realizing "cels" and "panels" are not interchangeable, looking at print ads, riding for Rick, revealing the dark phallus, appreciating the work of Boris Vallejo, speaking perfect french, traveling beyond history, citing The Cutting Room Floor, pacifying fans, filling batchin' samples, sleeping walking with thumbs, declaring Earthworm Jim "The Skyrim of Platformers," leaking prototypes, reading from zines, glitching level 99, pounding burger and cola, completing Phantasy Star, bailing on Phantasy Star II, and yearning to explore the alternate timeline. I wonder what the people will see in the final days?

Check out the FunFactor Podcast for more fun stuff from Aidan and Ty.

Ty Schalter (FiveThirtyEight, VICE) and Aidan Moher (Vulture, WIRED) review what rocked and what sucked about the classic video game magazines that inspired them to become journalists, authors, and critics--and what they can tell us about today's digital media and games.

00:00:00 Intro
00:03:05 Promotional Media
00:11:40 Merchandise
00:14:02 Game Box
00:21:24 Game Manual
00:23:29 Cut Content
00:27:30 Fan Fiction
00:28:52 Contemporary Reviews (featuring FunFactor)
01:04:37 Modern Reviews
01:11:02 MODS
01:14:03 Memories
01:26:08 Expectations
01:31:04 Counts
01:34:06 Real Net
01:39:03 Outro