PixlBit

Hold on to your Butz.

There are several similarities between Final Fantasy V and its younger sibling, Final Fantasy III. Chiefly of which, both games stayed exclusively in Japan well after the series moved on to the PlayStation in the mid-90s. For a time, Square Enix (formally SquareSoft) was uncertain if western audiences would grasp the deeper gameplay mechanics that drove character growth. But after the global success of Final Fantasy VII, they decided it was time to start bridging the gap in sequels in the US lineup. As a result, Final Fantasy V was the first to be released as part of the Final Fantasy Anthology compilation on the PlayStation in 1999.

Read more »

Yeah, I'm checked out.

Hey folks, welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! Julian is on vacation, so these show notes are gonna be super basic. Xavier Kreiger joins us again to talk about our favorite summons in video games, and lots of other things. Also, Justin got a soundboard. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Read more »

A slam dunk on the NES.

With the 2022 NBA Finals set to conclude this week (possibly tonight), now is as good a time as any to look back at Double Dribble- Konami’s take on professional basketball initially released in 1986. Like many of their arcade hits arcades, the game was forever immortalized when it was ported to the NES a year later. With its accessible gameplay mechanics and realistic presentation, Double Dribble quickly became known as one of the best sports experiences on the home console.

Read more »

Japanese military high school, or Japanese murder high school. Choose!

Welcome to the return of Stage Select on Nerds Without Pants! After the dust has settled on the Video Game Cage Match Championship Tournament it’s time to get back to the old show format with a new focus on our lovely listeners. To that end we are joined by long time listener, first time guest Xavier Kreiger to talk about all sorts of dumb stuff. Let’s go!

Read more »

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.

Read more »