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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.

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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.

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Money tight? Why not play an amazing game from yesteryear for cheap?

Welcome to March, everyone! February goes by so fast doesnt it? We have a solid battle for this month. March seems to be the place for heavy hitters this gen. Sure, November is always crowded with plenty of great games but this month holds two pure gems. Some would argue the greatest games of this gen and possibly all time. Setting aside the previous years, March doesn't look like it'll disappoint this year either. We get a blast from the past with a new Toe Jam & Earl that looks like it'll satisfy fans of the original. We've also got two very anticipated sequels to Devil May Cry and The Division. Lastly, FromSoftware is releasing their next game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

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This RPG is a real grind. No dragon your feet here.

If there’s one thing I absolutely adore about Dragon Warrior (aka Dragon Quest), it’s how much its subtle charms have influenced each sequel to come after it. There’s just something special about playing the latest game in the series (currently Dragon Quest XI) and still hearing the familiar sound cues of attacking an enemy, taking a hit, or the brief but satisfying victory chime and level-up fanfare. Additionally, the character designs by Akira Toriyama (Dragon Ball creator and illustrator) give a visual continuity throughout each game. Without question, the Dragon Quest series has laid down some deep roots that all started here. But although it's a beloved first entry for nostalgic fans of the series, newcomers might not warm up to certain gameplay elements that would not be refined until much later.

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Not using any music from Nier in this podcast: great joke, or epic troll? You decide!

Welcome to a quick and dirty special edition of Nerds Without Pants! Episode 125 was going long, so this bonus episode contains the true ending to that episode, plus another 40-50 minutes of cutting room floor stuff. We talk mostly about Nier: Automata, but there is plenty of other stuff in there, as well. Hope you enjoy! Send your hate mail for Julian to twitter.

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