Super Deformed Gamescast is a news and entertainment collective based around nerd culture. We believe in honest but thoughtful analysis and commentary, and we champion both inclusiveness and mental/emotional well-being. It’s not always poetry, and we don’t always agree, but we always keep it real.
CJ and John discuss the latest entry in the long-running Dragon Quest franchise. Can Dragon Quest Treasures keep up the series' trend of excellent spinoffs? This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a review code provided to us by Square Enix. Thank you to Square Enix for the opportunity to review this game.
The crew assembles for a chill weekly podcast where we talk about the sheer number of games that have released in the last few couple months. It's so much. Please give us a break (we won't get one).
Jeff is joined by John and Britt to give his impressions on the remaster of Square's prequel story to Final Fantasy VII - the PSP classic "Crisis Core", featuring Zack Fair. The crew talks about how the game holds up, the remaster improvements, and overall thoughts (spoiler-free, of course) on the narrative. This game was reviewed on Playstation 5 using a review code from Square Enix. Thank you to Square Enix for the opportunity to review the game. Make sure to like and subscribe if you enjoyed the track! Support SDGC on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/officialSDGC Follow SDGC on these platforms! Twitter - twitter.com/officialSDGC Twitch - twitch.tv/officialsdgc Soundcloud - soundcloud.com/officialsdgc Spotify - open.spotify.com/show/6TEFfCqJ7aHUVIk8eGnzES
We made a topic list for this show. We really did. We were gonna talk about Panda Global using Nintendo to shut down competition, crunch at FromSoft, maybe bs about the Mario movie. We mostly did that. John forced us to talk about FF16 I think. I barely remember. Please don't call the cops.
John and Derek discuss the first of the upcoming series of Front Mission Remakes. Is this the shot in the arm the Front Mission series needs for a comeback? Thanks to Forever Entertainment for providing us a review code.
Britt and Jeff have been playing Harvestella, Square Enix's new farming dungeon-crawling life-simulator RPG. Can this game offer something fresh and new to fans of farming-sim games? This game was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a review copy provided by Square Enix. Thanks to Square Enix for the opportunity to review this title.
Composer Mick Gordon, famous for his work on the DOOM and Wolfenstein franchises, comes forward with detailed allegations of mistreatment by Bethesda while working on DOOM Eternal. Plus, we take community grab bag questions.
A legendary SRPG, Tactics Ogre has a long and storied history spanning multiple console generations. And now at long last, the definitive version of a classic is now available on modern consoles for a whole new audience. Join John and our good friend Josh Fagundes as they tell you why Tactics Ogre Reborn stands the test of time and holds it's own as one of the greats. Thanks to Square Enix for the review code!
Our post-charity-drive episode, which was mostly focused on new game reveals and trailers that occurred during our short break. We also spend a lot of time just reminiscing about our get-together. It's a low-impact, feel-good episode. Apologies for the late upload, it's Derek's fault due to who they are as a person.
No show this week due to the Extra Large Charity Drive, so in its place we have an SDGC crossover episode of Castle Bravo (originally recorded and released earlier this year). SDGC host Derek and moderator Charlotte are joined by fellow SDGC host Justin to talk about one of the most highly regarded Godzilla films of all time: Mothra vs Godzilla (not to be confused with Godzilla vs Mothra, a completely different movie made 30 years later). The themes and comedic, family-friendly tone of the original Mothra film blend with Godzilla's larger-scale destruction and monster smackdowns to finally find the sweet spot that would define Godzilla for decades to come.
In a week relatively light on news, we're joined by friend of the show and overall ray of sunshine Veerender Jubbal to talk about what we've been playing, what we're looking forward to over the next few months, and answer some community questions from Discord and Twitter.
Derek had the opportunity to try Scorn as both a pre-release gameplay preview and as a final release. They explain to Justin where new players should set their expectations. Scorn was reviewed on PC using a review code provided by Kepler Interactive.
It's an unfocused show this week, but no we don't get to just talk about Need For Speed Unbound. Overwatch 2 has a messy and confusing launch, and the Super Mario Bros movie reveal leaves us in a fancasting round robin.
John and Derek discuss the latest game in the cult favorite Valkyrie Profile franchise, the action-RPG spinoff Valkyrie Elysium. It's not anything like what people might have expected. This game was reviewed on Playstation 5 using a review code provided by Square Enix.
Our main subject this week is the very unexpected and completely unforeseen shuttering of Google Stadia. We promise that there's only the necessary amount of sarcasm for this week.
We discuss the hacking of Rockstar and leaking of information/assets from Grand Theft Auto 6, as well as the messy ethical space of leaking information. There's a big difference between journalists exposing bad business practices and leaking assets for blackmail. (Apologies for the very late upload, I've been sick ~Derek)
Derek and John got early access to Square Enix's new strategy RPG The DioField Chronicle, and we break down where it succeeds and where it stumbles. Thanks to Square Enix for providing us with our review codes. The DioField Chronicle was reviewed on both PC and Nintendo Switch.
We're joined by regular friend Josh aka Anoriand to talk about an overwhelming week of game reveals, from huge announcements for the future of Assassin's Creed to a Nintendo Direct and a State of Play. We don't even have time to talk about what we've been playing recently!
We know a big thing happened. It happened the day of the podcast. We're not talking about it. You know what we ARE talking about? Sony's Jim Ryan playing crybully over Microsoft's proposed terms to keep Call of Duty multiplatform after they acquire Activision Blizzard.
Long-time friend of the show Anthony Agnello returns to talk about Gamescom's opening night presentation, how Geoff Keighley's format is wearing thin, and the difficulty for smaller devs to get attention in a world where the biggest publishers suck up all of the oxygen.
Derek and CJ break down our time with and opinions on the newly released Shin Chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation - The Endless Seven Day Journey. It's a mouthful of a title for something we're fondly dubbing "the anti-game". For the sake of transparency, not only were review codes provided by the publisher, but two SDGC members played a part in the game's western release: Matthew Finneman was responsible for marketing the game in the west, and Derek Van Dyke provided voice over work for one trailer.
Stories of harassment and discrimination put Nintendo of America in the spotlight for a story we're getting awful experienced at telling. If we sound tired of talking about it, we are, but imagine how the workers feel.
On this week's show Derek gives us the rundown on the latest incarnation of the Evo fighting tournament, and the crew muses on the mostly bad buzz around Unity.
We're joined this week by streaming giant Gothalion for a show packed with topics and tomfoolery. From toxicity in fan communities, to surprisingly good news out of Rockstar Games, to even more surprising gaming hardware price increases, it definitely wasn't a slow news week. No "What We've Been Playing" segment this week, unfortunately. Apologies to those of you who prefer the filler.
John and Derek come together to spread the good word of SNES era JRPGs, and spoiler alert: Live A Live is a pretty unique one. Does Square's latest HD2D RPG soar or fall flat? You already know what John thinks.
With little on the way, multiple upcoming titles cancelled, and fan-favorite series nowhere to be found, we talk about the rough state Ubisoft's in and our expectations for the near future. Derek here, I'm not apologizing for that pun in the title.
Almost the entire SDGC gang shows up for a much needed chill and good news episode. Naughty Dog figures out how not to crunch, and Nintendo's Japanese arm stands up for queer folks. We're not used to being happy with the decisions of large corporations, but we'll take it.
We're joined this week by gaming PR legend Stephanie Tinsley as we hash out the good, the bad, and the ugly around the news that E3 will be returning next year. Also there's a story about a pirate movie.
It's a slim team this week as Derek, John, and Jeff go over the recent Nintendo partner mini-direct. If you can read the title, you have a head start on our basic thoughts.
We had an Xbox showcase, we had a Capcom showcase, we had a Final Fantasy showcase, we had a second Capcom showcase at the same time as the Final Fantasy showcase. This was a wild week, and we go over our highlights.
Britt, Finn, CJ and Justin are here to give you the scoop on what they thought of the exciting revival of arcade beat em ups - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredders Revenge.
This week's show is dedicated to discussing the latest edition of Summer Games Fest (Keigh3?), with a few big topics including Street Fighter 6, The Callisto Protocol, and The Last of Us Part 1 remake.
The title says it all, folks. After an extremely packed and satisfying 30 minute State of Play presentation, the crew is joined by friend of the show Cam Hawkins to talk about the biggest bombshells and give some love to the smaller ones.
We're joined by friend and frequent guest Cam Hawkins to talk about Jim Ryan's stupid fucking e-mail, FIFA splitting ways from Electronic Arts, and especially to spitball about what we think may and may not be hitting in the back half of the year.
Derek has played Eiyuden Chronicle Rising, the prequel/spinoff to hotly anticipated Kickstarter success story (and Suikoden spiritual successor) Eiyuden Chronicle: The Hundred Heroes. Is this town-building action/rpg/sidescroller worth your time? John would love to know even though he's buying it anyway. Thanks to 505 Games for providing us with a review code and enabling timely production of content.
We're joined by MatronEdea to talk about Square Enix selling off most of their western studios and IP for what seems like pocket change, and talk about our favorite "comfort food games". Plus, Derek comes back for round 2 to defend history's most prolific serial killer for some reason.
Our main topic this episode was Sony's recent announcement of a "Preservation Team", combined with recent job postings for a new head of PC strategy. Plus, Finn talks about some of the best and brightest from PAX East 2022.
We're joined by friends Amanda Farough and Anoriand (the ORIGINAL gamedad, he has the YouTube link to prove it) to talk about a complaint alleging union busting activity by Nintendo, which has opened the floodgates for contractors to share their bad experiences working for the American branch of the company. It's not a uniquely Nintendo problem, with this sort of alleged treatment being common through the tech industry and anti-union activity in general being the norm for the American workforce.
We regret to inform you that Activision Blizzard keeps happening. With accusations that California governor Gavin Newsom is interfering with California's case against Activision Blizzard, where does this leave us exhausted folks trying to navigate the situation? For fun, we also spend a bit of time talking about last year's increasingly-prophetic Nvidia leak.
Bro! Our Stranger of Paradise review discussion is here bro! Bro, John and CJ do like a million fist-bumps on their quest to talk about Chaos bro! Bro please listen to this and give us a follow bro! CHAOS!
Chrono Cross was already recognized as one of the best JRPGs ever, but how does the remaster hold up twenty-two years later? Britt talks with John about her first impressions!
We're joined by two friends this week as we break down the reveal of Playstation's "Spartacus" program (a set of changes to the Playstation Plus service). Plus, Sam Maggs and the crediting problem within game development.
Gaming companies are reacting to the invasion of Ukraine, and their responses help tell us a lot about what feels genuine and what feels lazy (or, at best, well-intentioned but useless). What do we actually want from these companies when major current events have the world's attention?
There's no live show this week, so in the meantime check out this new show from SDGC's own Derek Van Dyke and community manager Charlotte Landale that examines the history and politics of the Godzilla franchise. This episode and the rest of Season One can be found on Castle Bravo's own podcast feed, which can probably be found on whatever feed you listen to SDGC on! anchor.fm/castlebravo twitter.com/CastleBravoPod
We break down the best announcements of Playstation's recent, Japanese-dev-oriented State of Play stream. Spoiler alert, anime fans are eating good. Also, John reports back on multiple recently released (and soon to be released) Square Enix published projects.
Look we talk about a couple things this episode but inevitably this is a big ol' episode mostly about Elden Ring. Fated to be one of the most consequential releases of the generation before it was even out, everybody has a take now that it's in their hands.
With the release of the final Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, John and Finn sit down and mull over how the project as a whole has turned out, and where things might go from here.
One of the year's most anticipated games is already upon us. Does Elden Ring stumble or soar? Will this game break through to people who have bounced off of From's earlier games, or is it just red meat for the crowd? John has been playing the game nonstop for the past week, and Derek and Finn have questions. Thanks to Bandai Namco for providing us with a review code in order to cover the game.
This week we discuss the mystery Capcom countdown and what it could be leading up to, and discuss the wide-reaching consequences of Nintendo shutting down old eShop stores and what can be done in the face of losing digital games.
Finn and John join up to discuss the merits of Techland's new zombie parkour open world sequel Dying Light 2. How did Finn enjoy the game? Did it stack up against the original? Finn gushes about all of those and more in our official SDGC review.
We're joined by friend of the show (and original Gamedad) Josh aka Anoriand to talk about this week's Nintendo Direct, and the roughly seven thousand JRPGs that will be dominating out backlogs for years to come.