Hey, it's time to get good.
Welcome to a jam-packed edition of Nerds Without Pants! Things go off the rails…well, almost immediately, because we are joined once again by Mike Fallek of the Hackthought Podcast. Since last episode was full of E3 Hype™ we decided to just get together and catch up in an entirely Consumption Junction-focused show. Enjoy!
The RPG that wasn’t afraid to get weird.
Remember that silly old trope in teen movies where the nerdy “plain Jane” character magically becomes super attractive just by removing her glasses? It was a bit like that with EarthBound- an RPG that was largely ignored when released on the Super NES in its twilight years. Nintendo’s ill-conceived ad campaign telling the player that “this game stinks” didn’t do it any favors either. The game’s overtly humorous kid-friendly facade was unusual for its time and quickly written off as ugly and boring by all but the most accepting of RPG fans. But thanks to the positive praise in gaming forums years later, it picked up steam and eventually became lauded as one of the best on the Super NES. Much like the bespectacled character in every 90s teen comedy, it was as if EarthBound removed its glasses. Nothing was different about it- just our perception of what was already there.
It's NWP AMA Round 2!
Welcome to one of the beefiest episodes of Nerds Without Pants this year, and there were only two of us on this episode! Must be all the E3 hype. Or maybe it was your AWESOME questions for our second AMA edition of Stage Select. It might have even been a hellacious Video Game Cage Match! Regardless of the reasoning, please enjoy this super-sized edition of NWP!
Or: Waiting for Kijek
Welcome to a shadow drop! Yes, friends, this is a special edition of Nerds Without Pants hitting a few days before episode 154 releases. Because we love you. And Julian is an editing masochist. Anyway, enjoy this meandering talk between Julian and Justin before the show as they wait for Patrick to show up.
The game needs no introduction; but this review does, however.
As it so happened, the Game Boy was the perfect present, as my older brother found out when he graduated from middle school. After the party was over and everyone had gone home, mom and dad came downstairs with a just one more wrapped present. I still remember my brother opening the box and joyfully exclaiming “It’s a Game Boy”! Since Tetris came packaged with it, we wasted no time playing that Russian puzzle game for years to come. It was the perfect game to complement the perfect present.
Seriously, Justin needs that eye procedure...
Welcome to another stellar edition of Nerds Without Pants! Gonna be some abridged show notes this week, as typing this is literally causing Julian physical pain, so let’s hop right in!
The original Geometry Wars
My earliest memory of Qix began sometime in the mid-90s when I saw it listed in a Funcoland price sheet (remember those?) and thought it was pronounced “quicks”. As a kid, I thought it was a rule that all words spelled with a “Q” had to be pronounced with the qu inflection. But years of expanded vocabulary eventually proved me wrong. In short, the game’s title is pronounced “kicks”- because I suppose the developer Taito wanted you to get your kicks playing Qix. See what they did there?
Would you miss them? Would you?
Welcome to an…interesting episode of Nerds Without Pants. It’s Justin’s first time in the hot seat, as he’s on Stage Select and Video Game Cage Match duty. Things get a little spicy! Also, we announce our third winner of the Great Game Giveaway and kick off the next contest, and get into it with Nier: Automata. Give it a listen, will ya?
Money tight? Why not play an amazing game from yesteryear for cheap?
Hello all, April is over. Now we move on from the showers into May. May doesn't seem to be brimming with exciting new titles this month. Rage 2 is probably the highlight. While the original was fairly mixed, maybe this new entry can boost the series. We also have the new kart racer, Team Sonic Racing. I know we have all been waiting for this. While May be a bit light in 2019, it has historically hit some grand slams this generation. Let's take a look.
We design a Final Fantasy game. How hard could it be?
Welcome to a creative edition of Nerds Without Pants! Patrick is out battling Thanos this week, but Julian and new third chair Justin get together and think up a concept for Final Fantasy XVI, along with our lovely listeners. The result is…a pretty cool game, actually! Also, Mortal Kombat 11 gets a Brutality, and Bloodborne takes on The Witcher 3 in Video Game Cage Match. Enjoy!
