Ep.492 – SAG Episode 492: It’s A Tolerable Life

What the heck is Incredible Crisis?

Show Notes

It’s time for this month's entry in the Alphabet Soup-er Series! The letter I was the subject this time around, and Kris decided to go with the PlayStation cult classic Incredible Crisis. It’s a deeply bizarre game about a Japanese businessman who runs away from modern art, gives a stranger a massage on a ferris wheel, answers trivia questions in an ambulance, and way more that’s even more bizarre than that. There’s no doubt its concept is sound, but is the game actually any fun to play? In Week Old News, the guys discuss the surprise announcement that Atari wants to actually focus on what they’re good at, and how Digital Eclipse is dropping 12 more free games into their already incredibly impressive Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection. There’s a fancy new port of NES Metroid to the Super Nintendo, and similar treatment was given to Kid Icarus by one of our listeners! (Great job, Rumbleminze!) And speaking of homebrew-style work, someone has finally fan-translated the Samurai Shodown RPG that neither Dan or Kris even knew existed, and Level 5’s November showcase announces some beefy delays. At the top of the show, Kris talks about his upcoming dental surgery, which will surely be a good time for all parties involved. He also got a new dog from Dan who he’s deathly allergic to (sorry again for all the coughing, but there’s less this week! Dan is displeased with the state of digital media, especially in the wake of PlayStation’s announcement that a ton of their old TV content will be forcibly removed from peoples systems, and a whole lot more!

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Ep.491 – SAG Episode 491: Stone Age Starter Kit - Xbox One

If you had $100 to start a physical Xbox One collection, which games should you get?

Show Notes

That’s it, folks. The final Stone Age Starter Kit is done. After years of asking the question, we finally ask it for the last time. If you had $100 to start a physical Xbox One collection, which games should you get? Of course, ending on Xbox One maybe wasn’t the best idea because neither Dan nor Kris have extensive knowledge on the console and its library, but they tried their best, gosh darn it! Even though Kri still can’t stop coughing.Apologies for that. Regardless, the Xbox One has an interesting game library, and a number of physical releases that made for an interesting conversation. Or at least we hope so. At the top of the show, Dan and Kris talk a bit about their Thanksgiving holidays, and their Black Friday shopping experiences, or lack thereof. There weren’t a lot of deep discounts out in the world this year, and nobody seemed interested in getting trampled for a good price on a new TV. They also discussed some hate mail they got recently, because nothing brightens up one’s day quite like a stranger on the internet letting you know how much they hate you. (Seriously, the term “woke Battletoads” was used.) Also, Super Mario RPG is great. Enjoy!

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Ep.490 – SAG Episode 490: They Made One

One of the better 10 20 30 40s we’ve had all year

Show Notes

November is nearly behind us, and that meanest it’s time for Dan and Kris to tackle the November 10 20 30 40, when they talk about notable game releases from 10, 20, 30, and 40 years ago. And what a month this was, especially 20 years ago with some absolutely massive titles like Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, Beyond Good & Evil, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Counter Strike, and more. How did the other decades hold up? What is the true significance of Clay Fighter? What is the worst version of Cliffhanger? Why is Chuck Norris on Atari 2600? Let’s find out together! At the top of the show, things moved along rather briskly as Dan didn’t have much time for games this week. Kris finished Super Mario Bros. Wonder, though he had some choice words for the game’s final hidden level, and he finally picked up Super MarioRPG, which is a gosh dang delight. In Week Old News, the guys talked about the recent layoffs at Embracer Group, a limited edition Bluey themed Xbox One, the Retro Tink 4K’s high price, and the failings of The Game Awards. Kris also coughed a lot. Sorry about that. He’s still sick.

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Ep.489 – SAG Episode 489: Cookies are for Closers

Who should star in the upcoming Zelda movie?

Show Notes

There’s a live-action Zelda movie in the works, and you know that means. The Stone Age Casting Gall is back! Dan and Kris (well, mostly Dan) comb through Hollywood’s finest to determine who should play the various characters that could be portrayed on the big screen in this frankly ill-advised upcoming Zelda movie. Is Liam Neeson Middle Eastern? Should Gannondorf be a buff, CGI dude? Let’s discuss! We’re also introducing a brand new segment to the show called Week Old News! Going forward, we intend to spend some time covering a handful of notable gaming news topics, but since we record a week in advance, the news will be at least a week old before it gets to you. This week, we talk about Nintendo’s recent financial reports, the announcement of the announcement for Grand Theft Auto 6, the completely unsurprising crunch involved in Call of Duty’s latest release, and more! All set to the Wii New Channel’s catchy music. Enjoy! At the top of the show, Kris set out to replace a kitchen faucet and wound up with a $350 plumbing bill. Pipes shouldn’t disintegrate when you touch them! Plus, Air Twister’s confusing existence (especially its soundtrack), Dan’s PAD-iversary is absurd, Kris falls asleep at the wheel in Horizon Chase 2 (through no fault of the game, he’s just tired), and a whole lot more!

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Ep.488 – SAG Episode 488: You’re Not a Dog Dumpster

The Alphabet Soup-er Series returns with A Hat in Time

Show Notes

After taking a month off to give the game enough proper attention, the Alphabet Soup-er Series has returned with Dan’s pick for the letter H, A Hat in Time. Because we don’t count the “A” in that title. Or at least Dan doesn’t. Anyway, if you;’re unfamiliar, the Alphabet Soup-er Series is where Dan and Kris take turns each month choosing a game to play that starts with a different letter of the alphabet, preferably a game that one or both of them haven’t played before. Dan’s been a fan of this game for years, and thinks Kris would be too if he spent time playing it. So now that he has, what did he think? Did the game’s charm win him over, or did his distaste for 3D collectathon platformers get the better of him?

At the top of the show, Dan spent even more time with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and continues to be frustrated with Marvel Snap. They’re doing some scuzzy stuff with their cards lately, and Dan is having none of it. Kris got a review code for Colored Effects, a new game from Flynn’s Arcade that's actually quite good. Horizon Chase 2 was also finally updated, Super Mario Bros. Wonder continues to be a non-stop delight, Arkanoid is a disappointment at $3, and a whole lot more!

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Ep.487 – SAG Episode 487: Stone Age Starter Kit: PlayStation 4

If you had $100 to start a physical PS4 collection, which games should you get?

Show Notes

The Starter Kits are almost over! With the PlayStation 4, we’ve made it to the penultimate chapter in our multi-year Starter Kit escapade. So once again, we pose the question, if you had just $100 to start a physical PlayStation 4 collection, which games should you get? Assuming you had whatever peripherals required to okay said games, based on Price Charting North American listings. IS this the best way to actually start a PS4 collection? Absolutely not! But it makes for a fun conversation. PS4 was a weird category because which games will our heroes choose? Which classics will fall by the wayside? Let’s find out!

At the top of the show, Dan spent some more time with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and well, it certainly is a Star Wars game! He also has a lot of words to say about the current state of Marvel Snap and its various workings compared to the love of his life, PAD. Kris, on the other hand, had very little gaming time this week, and has dedicated what little he had to both A Hat in Time for next week’s show, and the ever wonderful Super Mario Bros. Wonder. What did they spend the rest of their time talking about? Listen on!

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Ep.486 – SAG Episode 486: More Droids Should Have Beards

Episode Tagline - A great 20 and 40, with a bland 10 and 30.

Show Notes

As the month of October draws to a close, so must Dan and Kris dive into this month's 10 20 30 40 with enthusiastic aplomb. Each month, they look back at notable game releases from 10, 20, 30, and 40 years ago, and while there were some nasty technical difficulties preventing them from efficiently dong to (Thanks to Metacritic changing the way their site works), they still managed to pull it off! This time around, the 10 and 30 were fairly mundane, but the 20 and 40 were quite stellar with some fantastic Atari 2600 arcade port like Dig Dug and Joust, and the PS2/Xbox/GameCube generation seeing some killer classics like Jak II, Viewtiful Joe, and Crimson Skies.

At the top of the show, Kris tells the story of how he went to New York city to see The State live on stage, and how a stranger with a jump drive made his day. Dan didn't do much gaming thanks to a visit from his in-laws, but did get to catch up on some fantastic TV, and finally get some time in with Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. But the big story was the release of Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Kris spent some time with the game and it's every bit as magical as he thought it would be. Is it the best Mario game since the Super NES? Only time will tell. enjoy!

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Ep.485 – SAG Episode 485: Ranking Every Mortal Kombat Kharacter Part 2

Who is the ultimate winner of Mortal Kombat?

Show Notes

The spooky season is still upon us, and to celebrate, Dan and Kris have kompleted their attempt at ranking every Mortal Kombat Kharacter! This time around, they’re starting with Mortal Kombat 4 and working their way back to the original arcade release, and this is where things get really interesting because this is where the truly iconic characters begin. Does Raiden have a cooler hat than Kung Lao? Is Scorpion’s catchphrase cooler than Sub-Zero’s iconic fatality? Just how many points does Quan Chi’s leg rip earn him? Let’s find out!

At the top of the show, Dan and Kris finish off their Sea of Stars spoiler talks by discussing the true ending and post-game content in detail. There’s also some talk about the current status of video game discourse, with some folks out there getting unnecessarily nasty about some changes happening, particularly in the world of Mario. Plus, Intellivision Amico games release without the all-important Intellivision Amico, Super Mario Wonder demo impressions, the overwhelming delight of The Making of Karateka, Dan’s father in law comes to town, Kris gets sucked into his Virtual Boy, and more!

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Ep.484 – SAG Episode 484: Ranking Every Mortal Kombat Kharacter Part 1

There are a LOT of Mortal Kombat Characters, err kharacaters

Show Notes

The spooky season is upon us, and to celebrate, Dan and Kris have kompiled a list of every Mortal Kombat kharacter! Why? To rank them, of course! In part 1 of this 2-part ranking extravaganza, they’ll be dissecting every playable fighter working backwards from Mortal Kombat 11 back to Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. And boy, are there some stinkers on the rosters of these games. But how exactly does one rank a joke character like Mokap? How will the Game Boy Advance-exclusive Sareena fare? IS there any character dumber than Kobra? Let’s find out.

At the top of the show, Dan and Kris finally dive into Sea of Stars spoiler territory, discussing all the things they love about the game, and all the things they don’t. There be major spoilers ahead, so have that fast forward button handy if you want to avoid learning about what happens in the game. Dan also tells a harrowing story about his recent trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles that’s so completely insane it has to be heard to be believed. Enjoy!

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Ep.483 – SAG Episode 483: Wii U Starter Kit

If you had 100 to start a Wii U collection, what games would you get?

Show Notes

Dan and Kris bring you the Nintendo Wii U Starter Kit! If you had $100 to start a physical Wii U collection, which games should you get? The Wii U is an interesting system because while some of its games have become fairly expensive already, many of its best titles are still shockingly affordable. But with many of those games also existing on Switch, often times in even better form, are they still worth playing on Wii U? Will Dan actually put a Mario platformer on his list? Will Kris manage to get his favorite game of all time in the budget? Let’s find out!

At the top of the show, Dan and Kris go over some preliminary non-spoilery Sea of Stars talk. Dan has completed the game, but Kris isn’t quite there yet. Expect a spoilercast next week! After that though, they get into a rather in-depth discussion about a couple of nasty things happening in the world of video games. Specifically how Atooi has been handling their Chicken Wiggle/Hatch Tales Kickstarter campaign, and their differing opinions on what the company should be doing for their investors/backers. Buckle up, this is a long one!