We need to deal with the goblin problem.
Well hi there! Friend of the Show John Gholson returns to Nerds Without Pants for a meaty discussion about side quests that hearkens back to the old days of NWP. It’s weird to think about this podcast having “old days”, but when you’ve been doing it for a decade it’s bound to happen. We also talk about SO MANY GAMES (And Baldur’s Gate 3, natch).
The 25th anniversary of a victory fanfare for the PlayStation.
“And now, the most anticipated epic adventure of the year will never come to a theater near you. Final Fantasy VII.” And so began my interest in RPGs. That commercial blew my 12-year-old mind back in 1997. Besides the impressive animations shown (which we would later learn were only cut-scenes), I was intrigued at seeing that we somehow jumped from Final Fantasy III on the Super NES to now VII on the PlayStation. “What manner of sorcery is this?”, I wondered.
Heroes of Might and Magicite
As a late bloomer to RPGs, I was mostly ignorant of the Final Fantasy series until 1997, when that commercial for Final Fantasy VII caught my attention in all its epic CG glory. But it would be another two years before I finally saw a demo of the game in action, which sparked my love for RPGs. The point is that I missed out on Final Fantasy VI (originally titled Final Fantasy III in the US) when it was released in 1994. Fortunately, the Super NES Classic Edition's release several years back allowed the opportunity to play Square’s magnum opus of the 16-bit series. And boy, was it worth the wait.
Final Fantasy gets a job.
When Final Fantasy VII appeared in the late 90s, my initial reaction was that of shock at the significant gulf in sequels for the US. It was a harsh reality to learn that, of the three mainline Final Fantasy releases we received, Japan had double that number by the start of the PlayStation era. As time marched on, Square (now Square Enix) eventually released the sequels we had missed. Meanwhile, I’ve been playing a nearly 30-year-long game of catch-up since 1997. A particular blind spot for me was Final Fantasy III- the last one to be developed for the Famicom. However, after finally getting around to playing it, I now have a new appreciation for this long-running series.
You'll never guess how Justin spent 100 hours...
Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! Hiatus is behind us, and we’ve revealed our favorite games of last year. Now, it’s time to catch up and see just what we got up to during the break. This episode covers a lot, while baring it all!
The “Golden Age” started here.
Today marks the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy IV. Originally released on July 19, 1991, it was a momentous event due in no small part to the fact that this was the first in the series to debut on the Super Famicom. It was released to critical acclaim, and once again several months later when it came to the US on the Super Nintendo as Final Fantasy II (since we missed the first two sequels on the NES). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to play it until a decade later, when it was re-released as part of Final Fantasy Chronicles. And although I was late experiencing my first 16-bit RPG, it was undoubtedly worth the wait.
Sinister Geometry
The original PlayStation console opened new doors of innovation in game development. Its hardware capabilities gave designers greater freedom to present fresh experiences from well-established genres. And in some cases, it would attract outsiders that previously had no background in game development at all. Such was the case with Masahiko Sato- known for his brilliant TV commercials produced in Japan (and a bevy of other talents). Though not a game designer by trade, he created Intelligent Qube- a new type of block puzzle game to challenge curious minds.
Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...
It’s the final regular-format episode of Nerds Without Pants for 2020, and we go out with a bang. A massive bang! A four-hour bang! Um…wait. Anyway, this is a very special listener AMA show, and we talk about a ton of games before pitting two beloved 16-bit RPGs against each other in a steel cage match. Enjoy!
I think I'm starting to break. Send help.
Welcome to another all-Consumption Junction edition of Nerds Without Pants, which means that Justin has once again punished himself by playing a terrible game for your pleasure. But before that we are joined by former cohost Angelo for a quarantine catch up. And so very many games.
Not so final after all.
Final Fantasy is the stuff of legend. No, seriously-- it is. Just ask any enthusiast about the origins of the series. Watch as their eyes gleam while recounting the story of how it all began. Legend has it that a long time ago (1987) in the land of Japan, a fledgling company known as Square (now Square Enix) wasn’t doing so well financially. Despite earlier releases like Rad Racer and 3-D World Runner, their games weren’t selling well enough to pull them out of the slump. It seemed as if all was lost. Wanting to go out with a bang, Square chose to develop a role-playing game. They called it Final Fantasy (*cue epic music*).
