The Best Games Period

A game that has been hailed as genius, revolutionary, and utter garbage all at the same time, Deadly Premonition achieved cult classic status the day it launched back in 2010. The Xbox 360 title borrows themes from Twin Peaks, constantly references famous films, and introduces the world to a delightfully twisted community hidden away in rural America where the trail of a serial killer has led FBI agent Francis York Morgan.   Joining Jack this week is Jordan Black from Just Add Monsters! Jordan does some phenomenal work leading the JAM outlet and we encourage you to check out their thought-provoking video essays!   Follow Jordan and their work on Twitter: @Bad_Durandal   Follow Just Add Monsters to keep tabs on the great content coming out: @AddMonsters   Outro music: Super Mario Galaxy 'Galaxy Drifter' by LongBoxOfChocolate (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04100)   You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Kept you waitin', huh? We are back with this episode recorded roughly a day before the protests broke out in Minneapolis and everything became very overwhelming for a while. It has taken a bit to get back on my feet, but we're back with another podcast! This week's episode features Justin Carter (@GigawattConduit), a writer who has bounced around the game industry for quite a while now. This week we talk about one of the tightest first-person shooters to come out in the past decade: Titanfall 2. A phenomenal multiplayer game mixed with a fast and imaginative single-player campaign set in a world torn by war waged with the help of giant robots, Titanfall 2 captured the hearts and minds of many - and birthed the now ubiquitous APEX Legends. Does it hold up? Listen along as Justin and Jack chat to find out!   Follow Justin Carter and his work on Twitter: @GigawattConduit  Outro music: Terranigma 'Brave New World' by jnWake, ilp0, Ivan Hakštok, Trev Wignall, zykO, and Jorito (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04084) Thanks for waiting and I hope we can keep this podcast going for a while longer yet. It's a tough one to put together every week, but I'll do my best for you all.

Friend of the show Marcus Stewart arrives to talk about his favorite party game of all-time: Towerfall. The first 100% Ouya exclusive to be featured on this program, Towerfall was developed by the same team behind the recent incredible platformer Celeste. It was created by Matt Thorson making this the first game headed by a non-binary developer to be featured on this show (at least to our knowledge).   Follow Marcus Stewart and his work on Twitter: @MarcusStewart7 Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening 'A Toadstool Mix...' by Reuben6 and Gamer of the Winds (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04064) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This week Jack is back with another solo episode about the Obsidian Entertainment RPG Tyranny! We delve into what makes Tyranny such a risk in the RPG space and how it embraced allowing players to be evil by denying players an optimal  "good" path. Outro music: Star Fox 2 'The Lost Legend of Lylat' by DS (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04061) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

In 2014, a small band of misfit developers who had previously worked on the game Bulletstorm released an indie game like nothing anyone had seen before. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter takes players on a journey through mystery, murder, and death with a startling amount of nuance and imagination. Join Daniel (@indiejones84) and Jack as they delve into this treat of a game! Outro music: Zombies Ate My Neighbors 'Eighties Ate My Zombies' by Mike Norvak and Fernito (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04051) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Joseph Yaden joins the show this week to talk about Dead Rising, one of the weird, generation defining games that appeared on Xbox 360 courtesy of the creator of Mega Man. It's a great episode and you should follow Joseph on Twitter (@JosephYaden) and try his podcast Active Quest! Outro music: Kyatto Ninden Teyandee "TEYANDEE!" by Black Ace (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04055) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This messy and short episode is an adequate tribute to the messy and short experiment that was Lost Planet: Extreme Condition on the Xbox 360. The game follows Wayne, a man frozen solid for 30 years as he wakes up and becomes an ice pirate and fights giant robots and monsters. The gameplay is amazing and the story is terrible. A classic Capcom game for the ages!  Outro music: Puggsy 'The Last Lucky Planet' by CJthemusicdude (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02473)  You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This week Jack is joined by the wonderful Amanda Farough to talk about the incredibly unique systems and stories of The World Ends with You. This weird JRPG was created by a dream team composed of Kingdom Hearts II alums from Square Enix and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories veterans from handheld developer Jupiter! Let's dive into what makes it one of the best and strangest of all-time.   Be sure to follow Amanda Farough on Twitter: @AmandaFarough Outro music: The World Ends with You 'Calling -GUARDIAN MIX-' by GuardianSoul (https://youtu.be/ySSzUimjKpM)  

This week we tackle Horizon Zero Dawn from Guerrilla Games! We recorded the episode prior to the announcement that the former PlayStation 4 exclusive would be releasing on PC. The illustrious Kyle Gaddo came on the show to talk about how its story about man, machine, and the planet they both live on really reflects a unique outlook on our collective responsibility to the world.  Here is a link to the Medium article by Dia Lacina discussed in the episode. Be sure to follow Kyle Gaddo on Twitter: @kylegaddo Outro music: Skies of Arcadia 'To the Horizon' by Jorito, BardicKnowledge, Bassoonify, Damian Nguyen, DrumUltimA, Earth Kid, Gamer of the Winds, JohnStacy, Keadrin Cain, Lauren the Flute, and Ronin Op F (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03855)   

Remember how a few years ago a pop culture critic decided to do a series of videos about tropes in video games as viewed through a feminist lens? Well, that conversation got really toxic for a long time, and five years later things seem to have cooled off. So, we're taking another look at the Tropes vs. Women in Video Games series by Anita Sarkeesian!   Each episode of this series will zero in on one episode from the TvWiVG videos and try to break down the trope and discuss the specific points Ms. Sarkeesian made in her video essays. The series was always intended to be a starting point for a larger discussion - hopefully you learn some things or find the conversations interesting! Y'all are fantastic and thank you so much for bearing with us as we continue on our podcasting adventure together. You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Jack is joined by streamer and all around swell guy Kazuma Hashimoto to talk about the remastered version of Final Fantasy XII, giving the game a much needed second look! It's a lot of talk about imperialism and occupation through the more digestible lens of a JRPG. In Part II, Jack and Kazuma cover the narrative beats of the game, going deep into spoiler territory on a quest to discover the themes and secrets it holds.  Please check out Kazuma's streams and follow his presence on social media: @JusticeKazzy_  Outro music: Final Fantasy XII 'Dream of Salikawood' by RebeccaETripp (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03570)   You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

In the first of this two part series, Jack is joined by streamer and all around swell guy Kazuma Hashimoto to talk about the remastered version of Final Fantasy XII, giving the game a much needed second look! It's a lot of talk about imperialism and occupation through the more digestible lens of a JRPG. Part II will be coming next week! Please check out Kazuma's streams and follow his presence on social media: @JusticeKazzy_  Outro music: Final Fantasy IV 'Edward Penelo's Waltz' by  Chimpzilla  (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03082)    You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This week Jack interviews Tanya DePass from I Need Diverse Games. Tanya works as a consultant helping companies improve the way black and brown people are depicted in pop culture. She was kind enough to allow me to publish the full interview with her after talking with her for a piece on Extra Life (which is still in the works). The full conversation was really interesting and it was wonderful having her on to get her perspective.  Give her a follow on social media: @cypheroftyr  Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Princess Ruto' by  Smooth4Lyfe  (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03919)   You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

After a difficult January filled with computer failures and massive data losses, everyone's favorite podcast about which games are best returns with this excellent episode featuring special guest, freelance writer, artist, producer, and streamer Jared Schuh! This week we talk about the massive success and shortcomings of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (which is already a couple years old already, wow we feel old).  Please check out and follow Jared's work over on Twitter: @Quesobros! Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 'The Champion of Hyrule' by RoeTaKa (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03706)  You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This is it! The end of 2019 episode! We brought friend of the show Marcus on to talk about his top three games of the year in celebration of some of the best gaming moments we had throughout the year.  This was a really long episode that ran about 2 hours, so patrons will be getting access to an amusing look back at the decade as well as Marcus and Jack's honorable mentions from 2019!  In fact, that's available right now!  Outro music: .hack//Infection - Part 1 'Stockings by the Fire' by Ryan Davis Music (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04017)

Frostpunk released in April of 2018. The game received many nominations for its innovative use of building mechanics to provoke players into questioning their role in creating a disturbing nightmare society out of necessity. The game was created by the fine folks at 11 Bit Studios, the developers behind This War of Mine, a contemplative look at how war affects those who find themselves caught between the bullets.  Join us as we dive into Frostpunk and examine, in a somewhat rambling way, what it has to say about the rise of eco-fascism, both within its fantastical apocalypse and the impending one of our own design in the real world.  Outro music: Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 'Such Sweet Sorrow' by djpretzel (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04008) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

This week, we talk with Tiny of TinyMakesThings about the fascinating culture of keyboard enthusiasts and artisans.  We are shifting the release schedule. From now on, episodes will be available for Patreon patrons a week before they make their way out to the general audience.  Be sure to follow Tiny's work on via her handle TinyMakesThings on most social media platforms, commission her on TinyMakesThings.com, or watch her streams on Twitch channel where she goes by Tiny.  Outro music: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 'Lullaby for a World' by Emunator and Flexstyle (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR04006) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

As time marches on, many people remember the BioWare/Star Wars classic Knights of the Old Republic fondly. It stands out to them as the quintessential RPG experience and a bar by which all subsequent RPGs find themselves judged. Less frequently, however, do people consider Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the technically flawed, but narratively richer younger sibling. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment under some of the tightest time constraints RPG developers have ever experienced, Obsidian was tasked with delivering a sequel to one of the greatest RPGs of all-time with only a year of development time. Were they able to succeed? Joining us this week is prolific game critic and Escapist columnist Elijah Beahm. In addition to his gaming and writing talents, Elijah happens to be one of the most knowledgeable figures on the Star Wars universe that you could hope to find. We talk about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order before launching into a prolonged discussion about the trials and tribulations of KotOR II. We also have a spoiler discussion of Respawn's Fallen Order that you can listen to if you become a patron over on patreon.com/bestgamesperiod!  Be sure to follow Elijah's work and Star Wars ranting over on @UnabridgedGamer.  Outro music: Star Fox 'Crosswind' by B-laze (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03992) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from most major podcasting apps, Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, or Libsyn. Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

2010 was the heyday for free games released online and powered by Flash. Titles like Meat Boy grew in the wild frontiers of Newgrounds and other websites that catered to those looking to play games in their web browsers. Into the mix stepped Uruguayan studio Ironhide Games. The company had found success with a few minor titles, but their latest game, Kingdom Rush, achieved a rare level of success. With more than 300 million plays under its belt, the developers created a version for the then new iPad. This portable version found massive acclaim and propelled the creation of a mobile version for iPhones and eventually Android. It became one of the most popular games in the world for a window of time. Within innovative gameplay and incredibly solid execution, it remains one of the best tower defense games of all time, arguably the best of them all.  Outro music: Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge 'Cozy Campfire' by Yffisch (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03974) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

The gaming world has been clamoring for a new Animal Crossing for years now. With one approaching on the horizon, we figured it was a perfect time to take a look at the mobile game Nintendo introduced back in 2017. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp puts players in the role of a campsite manager and arms them with the tools to make it the best gosh darn campsite ever. With activities like bug catching, fishing, and making animal friends, it seems relatively similar to other offerings in the series - but some say it just might be one of the best games of all-time.  To get to the bottom of why this game resonated with so many and to discuss why it might be one of the all-time greats, we brought on Aiden Strawhun! Aiden writes for IGN and their work has appeared on Kotaku and Gamespot. They also serve as the Advocacy Director of Women in Games, an organization that works to help women find and create more inclusive places in the game industry. You can follow Aiden over on Twitter: @AStraww.   Outro music: FTL: Faster Than Light 'An Open Galaxy' by Sir_NutS (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03963) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!  Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Final Fantasy XIV has experienced one of the greatest resurgences in modern video game history. Faced with a disastrous launch, Square Enix did the unthinkable and destroyed their world in an apocalyptic event designed to reboot their MMO. A Realm Reborn completely revamped the game and corrected its course, setting it on a path to the massive and enduring success Final Fantasy XIV enjoys today. With three core expansions and numerous free patches continually adding or reworking content, it might just be the most thriving MMO on the market. However, does that make it one of the best games of all time?  To help us answer that question, this week we are joined by friend of the show Kazuma Hashimoto (who you should follow on Twitter: @JusticeKazzy_). He's a long-time player of Final Fantasy XIV, has locked down impressive interviews with members of the development team, and released an evolving review of the latest expansion, Shadowbringers for RPG Site.  Outro music: Donkey Kong Country 'OSHA Violation' by Reuben6, Earth Kid, and sleffy (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03971) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games!  Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Tanya DePass, the founder and director of I Need Diverse Games. She was gracious enough to talk at length about diversity, feminism, and the unique intersection those have with tabletop gaming. It's a really fantastic conversation, so I hope you all enjoy hearing all of it! A huge thank you to Tanya - you should all give her a follow on Twitter: @cypheroftyr

The finale of Dragonguard has arrived! Nomsooni, Barphus, and Scratch make choices to determine the fate of their world and their own respective futures. "Shadowlands 1 - Horizon" "Super Power Cool Dude" "Bittersweet" "Dreamer" "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Stepping through a portal to another world, Scratch, Nomsooni, and Barphus have the nature of their existence revealed and have the future of their universe placed into their hands.  "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

In November 2017, Trinket Studios released a unique puzzle-fighting game onto PC and Nintendo Switch. The title, Battle Chef Brigade, had garnered a colossal amount of support following a successful Kickstarter campaign raised over $100,000 in 2014. The game focuses on Mina Han, an up and coming chef who leaves her rural home to make it as a member of the Battle Chef Brigade, an elite group of chefs who battle monsters and use the spoils to make the most delectable dishes in all the land. Battle Chef Brigade currently sits with a spotless rating of 10/10 on Steam and has earned itself a persistent cult following since release.  This week we are joined by game critic and noted Battle Chef Brigade evangelist Caitlin Galiz-Rowe to talk about the wild world of culinary contests. Is Battle Chef Brigade one of the best games of all-time? Outro music: Fantasy Zone 'Opa and Over' by Rexy (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03954) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Follow Caitlin Galiz-Rowe on Twitter: @CGRRRRRRRR Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Fire Emblem Awakening released in North America back in 2013. Intended to be the final swansong of the franchise, it instead found success on a magnitude it the series had never seen before. Critics and players alike praised its new focus on accessibility and the centrality of the support conversations between characters. These changes allowed everyone to experience a much wider swath of Fire Emblem Awakening's content and word of mouth managed to make the turn-based strategy title one of the most popular games for Nintendo's 3DS.  This week we are joined by Julian Rizzo-Smith to talk all things Fire Emblem and figure out if Fire Emblem Awakening is one of the best games of all-time! Outro music: Super Smash Bros. Melee 'Together, We Fly' by PRYZM (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03202) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Follow Julian Rizzo-Smith on Twitter: @GayWeebDisaster  Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

  There's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world. A lot of things we all have to struggle with on a daily basis. Cadence of Hyrule is really great and puts some measure of joy into the world that nothing can take away. It's unabashedly itself. It's good. Anyway, here are some thoughts about the game and the things it makes me think about.  Outro music: Mega Man X 'Red Shifting Drift' by Gario (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03790) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

  Dungeons & Dragons. D&D. The game of adventurers and storytellers alike. This week, we dive into a cursory overview of the game and talk about what makes it so special. This is the first tabletop game we've featured on the show, one that paved the way for other tabletop gaming experiences as well as some of the most beloved video games ever created. We are very excited to finally talk about a game that has meant so much to us. Is Dungeons & Dragons one of the best games of all-time?   Outro music: Bomberman Hero 'Post Hyper Room' by Chris Belair (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03943) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Follow Marcus Stewart on Twitter: @MarcusStewart7 Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Cuphead might just be one of the most memorable games to come out in the last few years. Hitting Xbox One and PC in 2017 four years after being announced and undergoing a difficult development process, the Contra-like side-scrolling shooter captivated audiences with its charming and controversial art style, tight gameplay, and engaging soundtrack. With very few games existing with a comparable aesthetic, Cuphead stuck in the brains of everyone who even briefly experienced it. The game stands with a perfect score on Steam and almost universal acclaim. A couple years after release, is Cuphead one of the best games of all-time?    Joining us to help answer that question this week is none other than friend of the show, voice actor, podcaster, and game critic extraordinaire Marcus Stewart.  Outro music: Kirby's Return to Dream Land 'Cocoa 'n' Cookies' by jdaster64 (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03922) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Follow Marcus Stewart on Twitter: @MarcusStewart7 Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Bandai released Tamagotchi to the world in 1997 where it became one of the biggest crazes of the 90s. The small digital pet raising game was unlike anything anyone had experienced before in the time before mobile gaming had really taken off on anything aside from Nintendo's Game Boy. Since its initial release, Bandai has reworked and improved upon the concept of Tamagotchi for numerous different handheld iterations as well as full video game and feature film adaptations. While many fondly remember the tiny aliens as a 90s nostalgia fever dream, new versions are coming out all the time - in just a few weeks, a color version of tamagotchi will release in an attempt to bring a new generation into the weird world of digital pet-rearing.  Outro music: Puyo Puyo 'I Just Skipped Time Yesterday' by Rexy (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03941) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Supergiant Games' Pyre released in 2017. It presented a bold and exciting new world created by the people behind the brilliant Transistor and indie darling Bastion. The title offered conflict filtered through the lens of sport mixed with religious undertones, the theme of loss, and set in a fantastical imagining of purgatory, where the unworthy vie for the chance to return to the "real" world as reformed  champions. While a fantastic title, we might never get the chance to talk about it on the main show, so here's a shorter (not by much) monologue about how great it is. Outro music: Escape from Monkey Island 'Rum Barrel' by Yffisch (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03921) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

The party hides in the deep woods in an attempt to evade the roving bands of kobolds and soaring wryvern knight searching for them while also making their way to the capital to save it from Fallowfell's onslaught. To complicate matters, the trickster god Erevan Ilesere comes to collect his debt. "Aftermath" "Furious Freak" "Hiding Your Reality" "Super Power Cool Dude" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

The cut discussion segment from Episode 20!  "Furious Freak"  Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Still feeling the effects of Scratch's horrifying transformation, the party encounters the caravan of their archenemy. After a prolonged period of deliberation, they embark on an ambitious plan only to encounter an unexpected and deadly foe. "Furious Freak" "Outfoxing the Fox" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Learn more about Tabletop Appreciation Weekend! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

As E3 2019 draws to a close, Jack Gardner, Naomi Lugo, Zak Wojnar, and Marcus Stewart gather to talk about the best games they've seen during the final day of the show. They are also joined by freelance writer, social media wiz, and game dev-in-training Kevin Slackie to break down the overall feeling of the show this year.  Intro & outro music: Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Spellbound" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

After yet another day spent exploring the E3 show floor and spending time talking with developers, there's a lot to discuss! Jack Gardner, Naomi Lugo, Zak Wojnar, and Marcus Stewart gather to talk about the best games they've seen so far and what might be just around the corner. Another year, another E3! Jack and Naomi are back together again  and are joined by Marcus Stewart and Zak Wojnar. Together, the group has assembled to help parse the massive number of games and experiences brought on by the year's biggest gaming trade show. Intro & outro music: Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Spellbound" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

After a day spent exploring the E3 show floor and spending time talking with developers, there's a lot to discuss! Jack Gardner, Naomi Lugo, Zak Wojnar, and Marcus Stewart gather to talk about the best games they've seen so far and what might be just around the corner. Another year, another E3! Jack and Naomi are back together again  and are joined by Marcus Stewart and Zak Wojnar. Together, the group has assembled to help parse the massive number of games and experiences brought on by the year's biggest gaming trade show. Intro & outro music: Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Spellbound" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Another year, another E3! Jack and Naomi are back together again  and are joined by Marcus Stewart and Zak Wojnar. Together, the group has assembled to help parse the massive number of games and experiences brought on by the year's biggest gaming trade show. The convention center in LA hasn't even opened yet, but the press conferences are all but complete (with the sole exception of Nintendo). We give you the best insight we have into what's been announced and what it might mean.  Intro & outro music: Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Spellbound" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) Licence: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Product placement in games is something that happens more often than one might think. This week we dive into the phenomenon to look past the surface level examples that might come to mind. How exactly are the CIA and Gatorade related with the Yakuza series? You can find out on this special episode of The Best Games Period. Of course, anything even tangentially related to Yakuza means that we need to turn to friend of the show and series expert Kazuma Hashimoto! You should make sure you follow him over on Twitter: @JusticeKazzy_ Outro music: Cool Spot 'Smileyspot' by Mazedude (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01015) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Arriving back in Verne, the party encounters an underground resistance and comes face-to-face with the mastermind behind the town's problems. Following these tense exchanges, they retreat to the forest to ready themselves for battle. Those preparations involve Scratch paying the price for power. "Furious Freak" "Jet Fueled Vixen" "Hyperfun" "Controlled Chaos - no percussion" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Dragon Age has been one of the biggest western RPG franchises to emerge in recent years. Since its debut in Dragon Age: Origins, which we previously covered on this show, the series has continued to grow under BioWare's direction. While there are now three games in the series, Dragon Age 2 has widely been considered the odd duck of the trilogy. With a rushed production resulting in reused environments, many wrote it off at the time as lazy or too repetitive. However, could it actually be one of the best games of all-time? To help answer this question, we turn to Dragon Age expert and all around swell writer/streamer/podcaster Ginny Woo! You should make sure you follow her over on Twitter: @GinnyWoes  Outro music: Demon's Souls 'Epitaph for Boletaria' by RoeTaKa (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03043) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Encountering the Brotherhood of the Laughing Shield for the second time, the party tries to find some common ground with their adversaries in order to secure the items necessary to ensure the defeat of Fallowfell.  Intro and Outro music: "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Following a discussion with the oracle, the party begins a desperate mission to accumulate enough power to defeat the dragon, Fallowfell, whose identity has been revealed. Intro and Outro music: "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Star Citizen has been in development for a long, long time. Despite being worked on since 2012 and raising hundreds of millions of dollars, the space flight sim/MMO remains in an alpha state. With a clear timeline for content updates and an upcoming single-player game that appears to be incredibly interesting, the vision of what Star Citizen could be one day presents a tantalizing vision. There's honestly enough in the story of Star Citizen to do a full episode on it one day, but the current state of the game precludes that potential episode.  Outro music: Tintin: Prisoners of the Sun 'Partons à l'Aventure' by Sir_NutS (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03896) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Graxian proves to be a tenacious foe, smiting the party's dependable bard and possibly the rest of our heroes, too.  Intro and Outro music: "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Launching an ambitious, head-on plan of attack, the party sharges into an enemy base armed with swords, arrows, and a pair of rhinoceroses.  Intro and Outro music: "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Resident. Evil. Shinji Mikami's debut survival horror game that single-handedly invented the entire genre in 1996. Since then, it has been retooled and rereleased numerous times throughout the years, culminating in the release of the 2002 GameCube remake that overhauled the graphics, added new mechanics and enemies along with a few special secrets. That version has stood the test of time so well that an HD version was ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2015.   Is Resident Evil one of the best games of all-time? This week, we are joined by the excellent Kazuma Hashimoto. Be sure to follow him on twitter: @JusticeKazzy_ Outro music: Shadow of the Colossus 'For Her Soul' by RoeTaKa (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03791) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

The Sims 3 from Maxis released in 2009 and slowly proliferated across the console and handheld market in the years that followed. It eventually made its way onto PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, iOS, and Android. Players of The Sims 3 were able to become defacto gods of their own digital worlds, presiding over the daily routines of their digital underlings, building them houses, and steering the courses of their lives. The expansions that released for it added features that came to be seen by players as integral to the overall experience, allowing players to time travel, experience seasonal changes, become werewolves, and more.  Outside of the sheer depth and breadth of control in-game, The Sims 3 would become a testing ground for the rise of the microtransaction economy in games, specifically proving to EA the profitability of this then nontraditional pricing model. Could The Sims 3 be one of the best games of all-time? Outro music: Chrono Cross 'Hold onto the Dream' by prophetik music, Chris ~ Amaterasu, and DragonAvenger (https://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03881) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Slime Rancher is a farming sim/adventure game from indie developer Monomi Park. It released back in 2017 after spending over a year in Steam Early Access. With a colorful and friendly open-world and some subtly intriguing narrative hooks, Slime Rancher thoroughly charmed players. It offers a unique first-person perspective on the farming sim genre with the twist on the genre by making the central commodity the excretions of adorable and voracious slimes.  Could Slime Rancher be one of the best games of all-time? Outro music: Chrono Cross 'If I Could... (Synthwave Mix)' by Jorito and JoyDreamer (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03888) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Our heroes emerge from their cursed state shaken. They stumble forth, hoping that the fell bargain they struck with the mysterious Erevan Llesere would not prove too disastrous.  Intro and Outro music: "Furious Freak" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod

Who is Sam? That's the question at the heart of A Normal Lost Phone a game for PC and mobile devices. Developed by Accidental Queens, A Normal Lost Phone puts players in possession of a phone that they have found on the ground. The game tasks players with using their cyber sleuthing skills to discover who the owner of the phone is and how to get them back their property. The entire thing becomes a literal character study, for better and worse. Could this indie game be one of the best games of all-time? Outro music:Final Fantasy VIII 'Wanderlust' by ZiSotto (http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03864) You can follow the show on Twitter: @BestGamesPeriod Or download the podcast from Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thebestgamesperiod Don't forget to sign up for Extra Life to help sick and injured kids in hospitals around the US and Canada by playing games! Support us on Patreon! - https://www.patreon.com/bestgamesperiod