Key Items

Today we decide to get uncomfortable and brutal, as we discuss bullying, toxic positivity and why it is a consistent factor in the nerd community. Get in here nerd! It's time for some KeyItems!

We finally return!!! We choose ULTRA VIOLENCE as we tell why your favorite game series isn't in our top 10! Get in here, ya nerd! Time for some Key Items.

RAGE! We take a moment to talk about the troubling thoughts behind banning books and the implications of such actions

Join the cast to discuss a VERY indie movie series. I doubt anyone has heard of it and that it will ever make big waves in media. Probably will die out in a year or two. Only to get a weak resurgence among younger generations. We decide to examine the somewhat unfocused narratives within the current Star Wars releases.

Part 1 of our Zelda 3 part series. Where we do our best at an in-depth discussion focused around the Zelda franchise. This episodes focus? POWER!!!

Today we decide to take it easy for the new year and discuss how we and nerd media may need to understand our expectations for the many releases coming in 2022

Join us as we discuss and debate the MCU and Spiderman No Way Home.

I'm gonna be real with yall, this is a silly episode. Just come in and enjoy as we speak utter nonsense about The Game Awards 2021.

After our extended stay in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, we return! Stronger and weirder than ever. Enjoy this chill and laid back episode of the new Key Items Podcast!!!

Well, let the pain begin! Today's episode is a heated debate over who's old school anime songs shall reign supreme. This elimination bracket created some salty folks (my apologies in advance) and some not so salty folks, but the genuine tragedy is when the best song recklessly dies in a fire. So who shall win? Will it be the classic “Rock the Dragon” or will the underdog “Understar”, “Rise” to the top?

On today's episode we discuss a bit more about the ideas surrounding remakes, remasters and spiritual successors.

Have you ever tried to achieve something grand and missed by a hair? Ever wanted to usurp your older siblings' accomplishments? Did you ever want to tell the story of time compression surrounded by several teens, a dog, memory loss, splendid music, the most handsome guy in the room and jean shorts? Well. Final Fantasy VIII will rock your freakin' world.

Okay…hear me out. This episode is mostly about squares. I'm not joking. Wait don't leave! Come on, sit down. And let me introduce you to an important function in gaming. The square.

There you are. Staring up at a 9ft tall demon. He is huge. Rippling muscles and fists that can crater the stadium. You, a 5'8ft middle schooler, with a poor attitude and a worse finger, can feel your spirit energy is low. You got shot left of Spirit Gun and you're not sure if it will do the trick. Then a Toonami commercial comes on and every pre-teen in the western hemisphere freaks. That is but a taste of the glorious fights from Yu Yu Hakusho and we aim to test the mettle of each one. Join us for another fun filled shonen battle tournament as we find out which is the best fight from Yu Yu Hakusho!

Today we do something that literally everyone has done once in the nerd community. We talk about Final Fantasy VII. Easily one of the most influential video games of the 90s and arguably one of the most important video games of all time. So what could we about the game that others haven't? Well, stay tuned because this episode we explore the game for not only its positives but its legacy and the negative points of the franchise. Join us as today we talk about Final Fantasy VII.

The plunder down under. The best of the chest. The pillage of the village. We all know it. We all want it. It's loot! Video games have been delivering us its mighty bounty for years. Whether they are purple broadswords or broccoli daggers. Gamers like the stuff. But does loot carry a more nefarious gift or does it create a gentle soul who wants to share it with all? Find out one of many answers in this episode as we explore loot in video games.

We have all seen it before. The nerdy Peter Parker rushing off for another “bathroom emergency”. To find that rapscallion Spiderman swinging about. Sometimes the nervous Clark Kent goes missing at the best time for a photo of a building falling to the streets, right as Superman arrives to catch it! This week we discuss secret identities and try to figure out if they are still relevant or needed in the current comic climate.

Easily one of the most recognized names in the JRPG community is Final Fantasy VI. From the colorful and vibrant characters. To the unique vignette set pieces throughout the story. To the fact that you can suplex a damn train! You want to know more right? Well, join us in this episode as we discuss Final Fantasy VI.

It's no secret that D&D is one of the fastest-growing mediums in the gaming world currently. Everyone and their literal mothers are playing. While this comes with a multitude and positives and negatives. There is no denying that for a lot of people, it will be their first time tossing a d20 down and hoping for anything other than a 1. Well, we take this episode to sit down and discuss all of our first times playing D&D and the impact it has had on us. So come and join us as we discuss our first times playing Dungeons and Dragons!

This episode we talk about Final Fantasy V. James also rants about one of the worst shows he has scene in a long time.

Can great works of art still be appreciated, if the artist is problematic? A difficult question to be sure of but one that affects us all. This episode we sit down and have a rather serious discussion on whether art can be separated from its problematic creators.

Chakra, Chidori, and Choji all walk into a bar. And they bring with them our next line of shonen battles. In this episode, we tackle Naruto battles and it is a big one! Will the epic fight between Naruto and Sasuke reign supreme or will the underdog fight of Lee and Gaara show us that the underdog can still prevail. Come join us with a fun and highly debatable tournament for the Shonen Fight Preliminary! Round 2!

We finally tackle our Final Fantasy for the month (in the next month)!! In this episode, we examine the rather popular Final Fantasy IV and how it helped start the cinematic trend in Final Fantasy games.

We see the power-up every episode. Their signature attacks ring across playgrounds and in the hearts of all. Shonen protagonists are without debate, the driving force of most shonen manga. But are they somewhat simplistic in narrative focus? And if so, is that always a bad thing? Well, come join us for this week's episode as we tackle the simplicity behind shonen protagonists.

We all can remember which games we started with. Be it the blue blur, the jumping plumber, the pocket monster, or somewhere in between, we all can remember that first moment in gaming for ourselves. But what would be the best one for you to present to a friend or loved one? What game would you recommend as someone’s first introduction to gaming? Well, we hope to answer that question in the week's episode!!!

This week we take a moment to examine the interesting and elusive game of Final Fantasy III.

Alright. Let’s do this! Time to start up our first tournament for the year. In this preliminary round, we tackle the best fights in the Dragon Ball franchise, to see which two will move on to the Shonen Fight Tournament. Will Cell finally get his get victory? Or will the classic Goku vs Vegeta standoff keep its nostalgic crown? Well, power-up your ki and add some garlic to your gun, because we are tackling the best fights in Dragon Ball!!!

One of the juggernauts of the 90’s gaming world. The N64 (or Nintendo 64) needs no introduction. Being Nintendo’s first real leap into 3-D graphics and being Sony’s both competitor and accidental progenitor. We dive into what made it sell so well, how it shot itself in the foot at times, and also the game that made it all work. So come join us for our 64th episode (oh yes we did), as we discuss the N64!!!

We tackle another Final Fantasy game this month. This time around it is Final Fantasy II. A strange and somewhat forgot Final Fantasy. Is it due to the change in the gaming scene? Or simply it was just not received as well by the general gaming populace? We hope to examine Final Fantasy II and shed some light on this edition to crystal empire.

The debate has echoed in the halls of nerd conventions for decades. Which is truly better? Marvel or DC? And is it an answer that simply be measured? For some, sure. But for us. We like to think a little harder. Dig a little deeper. So please join us and our guest. For one of the best Key Items episodes to date. As we discuss, Marvel vs DC.

With all the streaming services given to us today, we tend to take for granted the sheer accessibility of it at our figure tips. New anime is easily obtained and viewed in a comfortable fashion and with relative ease and speed. However, there was a dark time. A time where anime could only be obtained via VHS and LaserDisc. But we young kiddos of the 90’s and early 2000’s had hope. The AMV. So come explore the ancient ways of the AMV with two old one at the helm.

The land of JRPGs is vast and deep. With hundreds of titles out there to choose from, it would be no surprise if you missed a few here and there. However, one franchise stands out among them all. Final Fantasy. One of original JRPGs and possibly one of the most well known of all time. Today, we take a look at a forefather of the turn-based JRPG and just how impactful this game was to video games.

Every gamer has experienced it at one point or another. Gatekeeping. An ugly shadow that surrounds gaming even to this day. But what is at the core of gatekeeping and why does it persist? We tackle questions like this and speak about how gamers interact with gatekeeping. So join us for a thought provoking episode on gatekeeping!

Hark! Upon the wind I do hear! The sound of potato flutes comes near! A kid and his wand. Brings coastal winds to a pond. And your wolf puppy, howls in your ear. Join us this episode to talk about the musical instruments in Zelda games and their narrative/mechanical importance!

Gamers around the world are very familiar with the concept of item degradation. Love it or hate it, degradation is video games is common place and does not seem to be going anywhere. But is it really a momentous mishap? Or rather a conundrum to be concurred? So, join us for this discussion, in the first episode of the Key Items Podcast in 2021! https://www.patreon.com/keyitemspodcast

Come and cozy up with us at the hearth this winter holiday season. This episode is all about the gifts we found from being gamers and how they impacted our lives. Stay safe and happy holidays!!

And the winner is...

Do the cloths really make the person? We decide to tackle that question today by taking a look a few unit designs in video games and what they reflect about each character. So come join us in this episode as we explore character design!

Time to, "GET GUD!" While taking it...easy. This episode we decide to sit back, relax and examine why lesser difficulty in games is not only good but sometimes better. So try not to try hard in this rant filled and silly episode!

Today we keep it light and simple for the holidays. James bombards the podcast with silly nerd filled questions, as we get a little weird with our responses.

Kling-Klang and snicker-snack. Pick your favorites because they are back! Part 6 of our Sword Master Tournament is back on! Join us as we move our winners to the next round! Outro Song: Nujabes ft. MINMI - Shiki No Uta (Levox Remix)

We are back!! And with a big episode to boot! In this episode, our round table of guests talk about levels in games that inspired fear or anxiety for them. This one of our best episodes yet. So get cozy and enjoy!!

Sometimes we find ourselves attracted to some dark stuff. Be it ethereal squid men in the sky or little spirals that haunt our very being. Whatever gets your goose bumping (heh), we try to cover it in this episode of Key Items.

We know anime can bring the epic fights. The slow-mo power blast and the last minute power ups. But is fear outside of it’s domain? That is the question we hope to look at today on Key Items. Come join us this episode as we take a look at how fear is displayed in anime and manga. Outro Song: Saturday Night of the Living Dead by Calabrese

Boo! Did we get you? Yea…we are so scary. Welcome to our spooooky house on the hill and prepare for a month of the frights! We will be giving our episodes in “spook-o-vison” for the best fear inducing episodes for October. This episode we decide to tackle the most hospitable horror game, in Resident Evil! Outro Music: Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett Voice Over: Resident Evil 2 (Remake) Intro

We finally close our our preliminaries battles for the greatest of sword warriors!!. Things get heated as we see who really should move the next round! Loot Box UK Submission Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/loot-boxes-in-video-games-call-for-evidence Outro Song: O2Jam OST - Weakness Heart

Welcome to our Master Class series! In this mini series we plan to discuss the different aspects found in some of the most iconic classes in fantasy. From warriors to wizards, we will be doing our best to tackle the depths of these classes. So sharpen your blades and bang your shields because we are starting off with: The Fighter!

Who doesn’t like a good story? No? Perhaps you enjoy being able to interact with that story? Make choices of your own. Or maybe you just enjoy a broad expansive world to traverse. All of these are valid reasons to play a video game and this episode we sit back and examine linear, branching, and open world video games.

Welcome to our first live audience episode of Key Items! This week is another exciting edition to our Sword Master Tournament. And this is a hilarious two-part episode! So join us for another eventful episode!

Welcome to our first live audience episode of Key Items! This week is another exciting edition to our Sword Master Tournament. And this is a hilarious two-part episode! So join us for another eventful episode!

“Two things remain irretrievable: time and a first impression.” At least, that is how the saying goes. And so in this episode the Key Items decide to take a look at how some famous narratives make lasting impressions for us. We also take a look at some that don’t seem to handle it as well. So come join us as we take a look at first impressions in nerd media. Outro Song: O2Jam OST - Weakness Heart