Old Game Plus

Engineering Deck--radiation tubes, scary robots, the remnants of a fight, a mysterious message, and of course, the Carbo Bays.

Breaking into a new game! The background and history, the various concepts that come up in your first foray into an immersive sim, and our first understanding of the Many.

Finishing Mass Effect, bonus discussion of a bit of Mass Effect 2, and of course, announcing our next game! Also Prisoners' Dilemmas, and consequences for council-killing.

Some side questing, Virmire, and Ilos. Also: when players have to decide who to let die, and when AIs have to decide who to let die.

Main story progress with Liara, Feros, and Noveria. Also, the gig economy for adventurers, and very fast romance.

Back from break and starting a new game! Mass Effect's setup, character creation, and intro mission.   Penny Arcade comic mentioned by Greg

We have done this 100 times? Join us for marveling about that, answering listener questions, and some About The Hosts on various topics we never get around to in normal episodes. Also, real thoughts on our goals with this show, FF7, and game careers. And, announcing both a short break (4-6 weeks) and our next game!

The 5th case added in the Nintendo DS rerelease, Rise From The Ashes, and overall concluding thoughts on Phoenix Wright. Also, balancing games using the player's time, and the Warren Court. Also, announcing our next episode: episode 100 of Old Game Plus! Please send us any questions or topics you'd like to hear about at: Twitter @ogpluscast oldgamepluscast@gmail.com

Cases 3 and 4, including the dramatic finale of initial GBA release. Also Polly vs. Polly, Nancy Grace, and rushing through more real-world lawsplainers.

Delving into a new game, where we try to explain the weird setting and premise, and break down the tutorial and first real chapter. Also, figuring out how to discuss the constant divergences from reality.

Finishing Shoreside Vale, closing thoughts, and the unusual choices during the ending. And of course, announcing our next game!

Staunton Island, with its quests for Kenji, Ray, and Donald Love (before the soft transition to the final act in Shoreside Vale). Also: the best spot for bus murder, and the problem with spanked-up madmen.

Finishing our climb up the ranks of the Mafia, and then the events that take us to meet Asuka at Staunton Island. Also: making Spank, the Kantian ethics sections of the podcast, and the Melbourne Obelisk. Dara O'Briain bit on Grand Theft Auto (starting at 1:30)

We begin a new game with a lot of discussion of the systems and world, and the first few quests. Also: the parking brake, the Godfather, and how there's a lot to unpack here.

Revisiting Metroid Prime, with a chance to discuss the game with developer Zoid Kirsch! We ask him a bunch of things that touch on: basic decisions in moving Metroid to 3D, working with tech limitations of the time, interesting details about elements like the doors and camera, and other topics. And of course, announcing our next game!

Finishing Mario 64! The third floor and final Bowser, and overall thoughts. Also Banjo-Kazooie, speedruns, and epenthesis. And, announcing our next episode!

We're back from winter break! Proceeding right along as usual with the second-floor stages of Mario 64. Also revisiting the topic of its floobly controls.

The basement levels, reaching Bowser 2, and checking out the second floor.

16 more Stars, while revisiting all 4 of the first-floor levels, as well as dips into Lethal Lava Land and Shifting Sand Land, and some cap stages. Also: the Archimedean principle, pilot-induced oscillation, and accounting fraud.   Article on Sierra Entertainment

Delving into a new game! We discuss 8 stars that Melissa obtained in the first two levels, and then the first encounter with Bowser. Also: the center of mass, the velocity vector, and the pickle.

The final rooms of Metroid Prime, and the ending. Also: some discussion of the sequels, and of course, announcing our next game!

The Plasma Beam, the Omega Pirate, and artifact hunting. Also, the overall structure of the world map, and naming things.

We go from the Ice Beam to the X-Ray Visor, which involves a lot of running around the world, through an underwater tunnel, and one intense combat gauntlet in the Phazon Mines. Also some discussions of oddly-paced parts of this game.   Links: It's about to get scalding hot in The Sunchamber

Getting the Wave and Ice Beams and Thermal Visor, and fighting Thardus. Also: reimagining Samus's beams, problematic control setups, and the smell of cordite.

Finishing the first main exploration loop--past Flaahgra, a dip into Phendrana Drifts, and a return to the ship. Also: secrets in 3D vs. 2D games, the way the game teaches you things, and half-pipes.

A new game! The intro/tutorial and arrival at Tallon IV, comparisons to Super Metroid, and observations about the world. Also: games being too long, current events, and Samus being an extremely powerful lady.

Growing our cities bigger and getting into some other game mechanics: transportation, zone layouts, rewards. Also: the Takings Clause, the Laffer Curve, and the urban planning of Canberra. And at the end, announcing our next game!

We begin with SimCity background, and thoughts on what made such a good game out of such a mundane concept. Also a lot of tangents about Cities: Skylines, oil futures, the Big Dig, and how SimCity 2000 relates to current events.   Links: Maxis Business Simulations SimRefinery is rediscovered

We talk briefly about Final Fantasy 7, then head into the Fortress of Regrets. The engaging noncombat sequences, saving your friends, discovering yourself, and what it means to get the good ending. And of course, announcing our next game, starting in two weeks!

The sequence of quests from Curst all the way back to Sigil. Also, what it means to be Lawful Neutral, what it means to be Awful Neutral, and how every game has the weird rushed portion.

The Lower Ward, Clerk's Ward, and the first trip out of Sigil, to Ravel's Maze. Also side quests, the "normal" RPG combat dungeon, and men who are on fire.

Pharod's Quest and the Dead Nations, the Alley of Lingering Sighs, and introduction to the Lower Ward. Also various discussion of whom you can and/or should kill during this segment of the game.

Introduction to a new game! We discuss the world, controls, and initial mysteries of Planescape: Torment, as we get to know our way around the Mortuary and the Hive.

The last 4 normal levels and overall thoughts on the game, as well as a brief look at the secret levels, the multiplayer, cheats, and speedruns. Also, working as an evil corporation scientist, and narrowly avoiding a lecture on the Pythagorean theorem.

Finishing the St. Petersburg arc with Archives through Train. Also, the potential energy of James's watch, the most annoying square in the game, and excessively extolling the virtues of the Nintendo Power strategy guide.   Links: https://archive.org/details/007GoldenEyeNintendoPowerOfficialStrategyGuide/page/n99/mode/2up

Back from our illness-induced break, we revisit Goldeneye with a focus on its middle levels: Silo through Statue Park. Also: random maps in Age of Empires, "Watch? Magnet? Attract?", Sean Bean dies, and statues of Lenin.

We begin with the context for Goldeneye as a relatively unusual game that stands out from its time. Then discussion of the general game mechanics as we work through the first five levels. GDC retrospective by Martin Hollis

Turtle Rock, the Wind Fish, and the end of Link's Awakening! Also: random movies we think of while watching the ending, new additions to Mario Maker, and the occasional return of Bible references.   And of course, announcing our next game, planned to start 3 weeks from now!

The Face Shrine and Eagle's Tower dungeons. Also the Flying Rooster quest, the random appearance of one of Jay's favorite game characters, and Melissa's new favorite dungeon.

Angler's Tunnel and Catfish's Maw, as well the Marin quest and Ghost quest. Also, Link and Marin's understated romance, not playing the Color Dungeon, and of course, more discourse on how the dungeon maps look like things.

The Bottle Grotto and Key Cavern dungeons, as well as their interstitial quests (rescuing BowWow and retrieving the five Golden Leaves).  Also, Jay gives a math lecture, reprising the topic of Link's left-handedness, and the use of dogs in Breath of the Wild.

We visit the Zelda franchise for the second time on this show. Background on its place in Zelda mythology, the arrival at Koholint Island, and the first dungeon. Also, claw games, rupees, and racoons.

In the first hour of this episode, the usual 3 hosts discuss our initial reactions to Tecmo Bowl, and its hybrid nature of football realism and arcade-style fun.  In the second hour, Jay and Melissa are joined by Brad and Nate from Tecmo Bowl vs. RBI, who talk about what they've learned playing this game in competitions for many years.   As a reminder, our next episode will be in three weeks (October 7), where we'll begin The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening!

We visit an old NES/SNES obsession of Melissa's, a puzzle game where you have to move the blocks around manually. Up next: Tecmo Bowl!

The first of our one-shot NES episodes, we discuss both the original game, and some of the changes in the recent remake Blaster Master Zero. Also: game manuals, savegames, and Francium.

The final boss, and closing thoughts on Dark Souls! The story and endings, player challenges, and subsequent games. Also, revisiting old WoW achievements and Final Fantasy 7 spoilers.   Links: The final 15min of Jay's no-death run, including a bit of an AI loop on Gwyn Happyhob's clear of all 3 Souls games with no hits taken

The DLC content, including some of the more memorable boss fights now in the game, an encounter with a dog, the fourth Great Soul, the remaining optional boss, and some miscellaneous mechanics.

The third Great Soul, and the hidden Painted World.   Links: Jay on "Don't Give Up, Skeleton" Our friend Qelric with Souls-inspired art Dark Souls art fan zine

We tackle two of the four endgame branches and recover the great souls of Seath the Scaleless and the Witch of Izalith. Also, scallops, and the Game of Thrones effect.

Two of most memorable levels, Sen's Fortress and Anor Londo, the notorious fight against Ornstein and Smough, and Melissa turning the corner on feeling good at this game.

We spend most of this episode traversing the infamous Blighttown, with its perilous ledges and poison snipers. Also some talk about the approach to learning combat and bosses in this game.   Next episode, in two weeks, should go approximately through the famous boss fight against Ornstein and Smough.   Links: Game director Miyazaki quote about creature design A Basilisk. Note the tiny eyes just above the mouth.