Gaming in the AM

Before Square and Nintendo signed the divorce papers, they gave us one last RPG so us kids wouldn't feel like it was our fault. Time codes: 0:00 - Nintendo and Square Team Up 1:00 - Super Mario RPG - The Basics 3:48 - Setting & Characters 8:21 - World Traversal & Item Management 11:45 - Mario-fying

*I know it just got a re-release, shut up. Time codes: 0:00 - What the Heck is a Satellaview? 2:33 - Game Basics 5:40 - Random Battles: Not Actually All That Random 7:39 - Chrono Trigger Meets Resident Evil 9:36 - Masato Kato's Writing Style 11:36 - Problematic Kid & Weird Title 13:28 - New Game Plu

Did Mega Man X3 feel a bit... off to anyone else? Well, that's probably because it was secretly outsourced. Time codes: 0:00 - The Basics 2:02 - Weapons & Upgrades 6:49 - Good Ideas, Bad Execution 9:36 - Enemies & Level Design 14:18 - Backtracking & the Weirdly Easy Bosses 17:15 - Music & Sound Desi

My co-writer joins me as I discuss the deceptively advanced SNES platformer that was Yoshi's Island. Time codes: 0:00 - Our History with Yoshi's Island 1:14 - Why the Game Was Made 2:24 - Story and Game Basics 5:55 - Gameplay Flow 8:55 - Power-Ups 10:19 - Transformers: Dinos in Disguise 12:57 - Subt

Yeah, Bass is pretty cool I guess, but did we really Mega Man 7? Time codes: 0:00 - The State of Mega Man on SNES 0:57 - Story and Game Structure 4:51 - Mega Man's Extended Arsenal 6:38 - Auto's Shop 7:34 - Robot Master Weapons 9:33 - The Final Boss 10:44 - Versus Mode and Other Easter Eggs 11:41 -

My thesis on why Chrono Trigger is, in fact, a perfect work. Time codes: 0:00 - Introduction 1:30 - Development 2:33 - Game Basics 6:24 - The New Standard? 8:09 - How Chrono Trigger Teaches the Player 13:08 - Chrono Trigger's Perfect Pacing 18:28 - Time Travel! 21:27 - The Characters 24:55 - The Mus

Is Mega Man X2 the X series' equivalent to Mega Man 2? Join me as I figure that out. Time codes: 0:00 - From X to X2 1:41 - Stages, Bosses, and Their Gimmicks 4:16 - The X-Hunters (and Zero's Not Dead) 8:27 - The Soundtrack 9:31 - X's Arsenal 12:58 - Conclusion Endcard Artwork by OcaRockaRina (Twitt

Graphics have always been a selling point for games, but Donkey Kong's long-overdue return brought it to a whole new level. Time codes: 0:00 - Donkey Kong in the '80s 1:48 - A Brief History of Rare Limited 3:22 - Donkey Kong Country 7:26 - Music & Levels 9:55 - Secrets Galore! Yay? 12:36 - Graphics

The Lion King was one hell of a movie, but was it also a decent video game? Time codes: 0:00 - Disney Before the 90s 2:40 - Disney in Video Games 4:51 - The Lion King 6:10 - The Different Versions 6:51 - Game Basics 9:29 - Difficulty 13:26 - Final Thoughts Endcard Artwork by OcaRockaRina (Twitter) S

Insert Danny DeVito gif here. Time codes: 0:00 - What is EarthBound/Mother 2? 1:40 - Gameplay Basics 3:26 - Setting & Tone 6:08 - Graphics, Interface & Difficulty 10:13 - Item Management 12:06 - Minor Criticisms 14:23 - Reception & Legacy 16:46 - Final Thoughts & Conclusion Endcard Artwork by OcaRoc

Final Fantasy VI stands out as a wonderful testament to the strength of the human spirit. And it's a pretty good RPG, too. Special Extended Patreon-Exclusive Edition! Time codes: 0:00 - Improvements Since FFV 3:48 - Characters in Battle 7:38 - Espers & Magicite 10:14 - Characters in the Story 12:54

Even 30 years later, Super Metroid still holds up as the gold standard of its genre. Time codes: 0:00 - Intro 1:12 - Atmosphere 3:31 - Learn by Doing 5:27 - Samus' Loadout 7:27 - Clever Game Design 9:08 - Kenji Yamamoto (Not That One) 11:17 - Combat & Bosses 12:29 - Storytelling & Climax 15:21 - Con

On the franchise's sixth anniversary, a new Mega Man spin-off would breathe new life into a series that had been spinning its wheels for years. Time codes: 0:00 - Mega Man 6 4:03 - Mega Man X 4:51 - Story 7:23 - Gameplay Basics 9:00 - Control Scheme, Equipment & Bosses 12:54 - Levels & Player Choice

Does the SNES' seminal action-RPG hold up through a modern lens? Time codes: 0:00 - Introduction 1:27 - Staff 2:38 - Gameplay Basics 5:20 - U.I. and Controls 7:53 - Pacing 8:50 - Why the Battles Didn't Click With Me 11:40 - Difficulty Balance & Bosses 16:12 - Development Issues 17:58 - Localization

Two "5s" released two days apart in 1992. One represented a franchise stuck spinning its wheels, while the other is a contender for the best entry of its series. Time codes: 0:00 - Mega Man 5 Review 6:25 - Final Fantasy V 9:04 - Why the Job System Slaps 15:20 - Superbosses (Omega & Shinryu) 16:52 -

Square's efforts to woo American gamers ended up as boring at best, insulting at worst. Where did they go wrong? Time codes: 0:00 - Square in the Early '90s 1:51 - Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest 6:48 - Baby's First RPG 10:43 - The Soundtrack 11:43 - Final Thoughts End Card Artwork by OcaRockaRina (Twit

The SNES Zelda entry defined the franchise, as well as countless childhoods. Bonus quickie review: Mega Man 4! Time codes: 0:00 - Introducing BigBadBeetleborg 0:41 - Introduction to Link to the Past 2:24 - Plot Synopsis 3:54 - Gameplay Basics & What's New 6:11 - Dual Worlds 9:09 - The Dungeons 17:27

Square's first 16-bit foray was the blueprint for story-driven games to come, and introduced possibly Final Fantasy's most iconic gameplay mechanic. Time codes: 0:00 - Development 2:15 - Basics 5:59 - The ATB System 8:46 - Soundtrack 11:51 - Gameplay Criticisms 16:38 - Why the Story Works 21:42 - Cu

We play one more Mega Man game before moving on to the exciting 16-bit generation. Props to my co-writer for the majority of the script on this one. Time codes: 0:00 - Mega Man 3 12:06 - F-Zero 21:00 - Super Mario World "Mega Man 2" "Mega Man 3" (c) 1988, 1990 Capcom "Super Mario Bros. 3" "F-Zero" "