Those Who Fight

Erin and Allen and good friend Josh Hinke return for a spoilerific episode covering their final thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Remake. Conversation delves into the wild changes made, their implications for the series going forward, and the fascinating yet uncertain future for the franchise as a whole. Follow Josh on Twitter: @joshywa9  Outro Theme by Alina Gingertail

We’re joined by good friend and games journo Josh Hinke to take a big, extra-long episode look at the FF7 Remake. Josh provides an FF7 skeptic’s perspective to our normal patter and we talk about our initial impressions of the game’s faithfulness, the gigantic shoes it tries (and frequently succeeds) at filling, and our collective feelings on the franchise as a whole.

Join us for our goodbye to Disc One, and a temporary hiatus as we enter REMAKE WEEKEND. It’s 4/10/2020 and we’re very excited to tear into FF7R, but not before we deal with the most iconic scene in the original game - the events in the forgotten capital of the Ancients. We discuss our doomsday prep for the upcoming video game marathon weekend, how tamales for Easter are way better than ham, and we try to do our best to add some levity to what is, inevitably, a heavy episode. Intro: Listen to the Cries of the Planet, by Kannibal Outro: Aerith's Theme, S Generation arrangement  

Venture into the forest temple with us as Allen and Erin discuss the FF7 cast’s Animal Crossing fursonas, what makes a good villain, yet more Kabbalastic musing, and how we as humans try to explain suffering. Also a stuffed animal makes a noble sacrifice. Intro: Temple of the Ancients, by Super Guitario World Outro: Who Am I?, arrangement by R3 Music Box

Love in the time of Coronavirus - with the news about the real world becoming increasingly upsetting, Allen and Erin retreat to 1997 to revisit Gold Saucer. We talk about the need for us to stay sane and reach out to our friends and neighbors, and the importance of mutual aid in these Weird Times but don’t worry, it’s just a ten minute intro and then straight into the Saucer shenanigans. In Game Land we’re on about the abundance of fancy lads in this game, Erin’s favorite book, and the difficulty of being a bisexual forced to make a decision. Intro: Cait Sith’s Theme, jazz arrangement by michtopich Outro: Words Drowned by Fireworks, arranged by Patti Rudisill

The FFVIIR demo dropped and we dropped everything to play it, including recording the next episode about Gold Saucer. Minigames be damned, we’re here to talk about the dripping honeycomb that is the delicious Remake demo. Hang out with Erin and Allen while we spend an hour talking the demo, politics, the coronavirus cancelling GDC (and maybe E3!), and what the difference in game design is between “evolutionary” and “revolutionary”. If you want to go into FFVIIR unspoiled, feel free to skip this one and pick us up again in Chapter 16! Intro: Bombing Mission, Distant Worlds version Outro: Don of the Slums, Random and Lost Perception

Our next few chapters finds us cleaning up the last sips of content here near the end of disc one, starting with our ninja friend Yuffie’s hometown of Wutai. As part of our SIDEQUEST EPISODES we talk about why “Magma Diver” is the worst Evangelion episode, how Erin is basically Roman from Party Down, and the tantalizing fantasy of a Platinum Games/Suda 51 collaboration adaptation of the classic 90’s cyberpunk novel Snow Crash. Also uh, Wutai. Intro: Cid’s Theme, cover by Andre Kane Outro: Wutai, cover by Andre Kane

The INSANE new trailer for the FF7 Remake just dropped and we’re amped despite ourselves. Allen and Erin take a big chunk of time to talk about what overpriced version of this damn thing we’re buying, one of the new characters debuted in the trailer, whether or not Advent Children sucks (which we’ve previously promised not to do), how much of a jerk we’re letting Cid be, space travel disasters, Dunkaroos, and Erin also lets you in on her favorite materia combination, which is some lowdown dirty-dirty. Intro: Those Who Fight Further, The Black Mages version Outro: Oppressed People, cover by Dylan Barone

Allen and Erin make their way to Cloud’s hometown of Nibelheim for the first(???) time as we talk player agency, the murkiness of memory, and Norse mythology. Allen is several glasses of wine in and thus is in the perfect headspace for being confused and finding a Hot Topic shift manager straight chillin' in a coffin in Shinra Mansion’s basement. Intro: Anxious Heart, lo-fi chill version by Kannibal Outro: The Nightmare Begins, piano/orchestrated version by Lucas King

Hosts Allen and Erin spend the day in Cosmo Canyon, learning about planet science and the nature of the Lifestream - the metaphysical heart of Final Fantasy VII. Erin gives us a very brief introduction to the heretical teachings of Gnosticism and how it relates to many of our favorite pop culture artifacts, we kill a whole-ass boss with just a Phoenix Down, and we get decidedly serious talking about the unique pains of losing a parent. Intro: Cosmo Canyon, acoustic guitar version by Daisuke Minamizawa Outro: Great Warrior, piano cover by TPR

Episode ten of our multipart journey through the world of Final Fantasy VII takes us down the garbage chute into Corel Prison, where we will start unraveling some further connections FF7 has to Kabbalistic Judaism beyond even the naming conventions. We’ll also talk about the second part of Barret’s backstory, and take the side trek to Gongaga, where we’ll discover that Aerith really is just the coolest, nicest person on this bitch of an earth. Intro: Desert Wasteland, prog rock cover by BlackearacheXD Outro: Cosmo Canyon, jazz cover by The Consouls

In our ninth episode we take a short break in the resort town of Costa Del Sol, talk about how disturbingly fast the housing market turn-around is for the dead President’s vacation house and try to bumblingly parse whatever the NPC Johnny’s deal is. In a classic FF7 move we move immediately to abject poverty in the ruined mining town of Corel, find out a bit about Barret’s background, make a sort of obscure American Dad reference, and have a very depressing side discussion about what growing up poor does to you emotionally. Intro: Costa Del Sol, four-piece band arrangement by moonbowmusicmovie Outro: Mark of a Traitor, re-arranged by Beyond Midgar

“The coolest shinobi are puking in corners, that’s how you get your ninja powers.” We’re back after a fairly protracted break involving a real actual wildfire, evacuations, and a bout of the flu. In this episode we apologize profusely, protect Fort Condor, talk yet again about nuclear reactors and mankind’s very temporary dominion over nature, reminisce about paid video game tip lines, perform CPR, take part in a very fascist waste of time and resources in Junon, and get seasick on the cargo ship heading to Costa Del Sol. Intro: Rufus’s Welcoming Ceremony, acoustic guitar cover by Edigar Monteiro Outro: J-E-N-O-V-A, cover by moonbowmusicmovie

Our 7th episode digests the second half of the very large plot-burger that is the Nibelheim flashback, where we learn who or what the Ancients are and why the human species is lazy and terrible. Allen and Erin also discuss Northern California’s minor crisis of the week: a planned rolling blackout by our local power company in the height of wildfire season. Speaking of fire, whoops Nibelheim is on fire. Intro: "On That Day 5 Years Ago" orchestral arrangement by Pontus Hultgren Outro: “Dear to the Heart” remix by Jordan Chin

In our first episode outside of the dark metropolis of Midgar, Allen and Erin regroup with the party in Kalm, a quaint little town with some different perspectives on the impact Shinra has had on the world. We talk about the role of The Big Sword(TM) in Japanese pop culture and its deep historical roots, some thoughts on the “multicultural” aspirations of this entry in the Final Fantasy series, and the generational nature of the conflicts at play in the story. We also get majorly bummed out at 16-year-old Cloud in our first big flashback cutscene, and discover that Sephiroth is just Dennis from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Join us for the boss fight hell that is the end of Shinra headquarters in this, the fifth episode of Those Who Fight - a podcast about the divisive late 90’s blockbuster that was, and is, Final Fantasy VII. Allen and Erin discuss the new FF7R Tokyo Game Show footage and meeting Rufus Shinra, who isn’t a boring fascist like his dad - he’s like, a COOL fascist with a pet panther and a helicopter that might be a robot? We were confused on that one. We also get into the deep lore of Carl’s Jr burgers, talk about how video game graphics age gracefully, steal a motorcycle, and say goodbye for now to the city of Midgar. Intro: “Trail of Blood” strings version by Patti Rudisill Outro: “Crazy Motorcycle” metal cover by Vincent Moretto

Join us for episode 4 of a longform replay of Final Fantasy VII, where two nerds with fuzzy memories re-examine what may have been the most important video game of the 90's. Contained herein: A floor-by-floor rundown of Shinra Headquarters, Allen's tale of working at a call center where his time in the bathroom was monitored, some conjecture on whether or not Amazon has secret police and/or forces their employees to recycle their urine, and Erin pitches "midgr", a hip new hookup app for Shinra employees! Shinra Employee Perks: Daily toilet paper allowance Chairs (for earners) Subsidized pens Air (for earners) Unrestricted inter-office phone calls Picked over meeting muffins (by the printer) Two way stairs A mostly pest-free environment Free passes to already free events Bikram Filing Take your mistress to work day Emergency exits (For senior personnel only) Intro music: Barrett's Theme/MF Doom's "Air", remixed by teamteamwork Outro music: "S h i n r a" by Lzls

Join us for episode 3 of THOSE WHO FIGHT, an in-depth investigation into the oddball cultural artifact that is Final Fantasy VII, as our hosts Allen and Erin venture into the dank, sticky, sweaty immorality of Wall Market. Things gets Real Queer up in here. Did you know the title of the Wall Market theme is “Oppressed People”? Dang, it’s almost like this game is *~POLITICAL~*. As we’ve mentioned many times of the show, please check out the Wall Market special episode of Let's Mosey, a “slow translation” of FF7 by Tim Rogers with Kotaku for way more detail on the deeper intricacies of this surprisingly dense section of the game! Intro music: "Oppressed People" remaster by sschafi1 Outro music: "Oppressed People" jazz cover by The Consouls

In the second episode of our deep dive "book club" replay of Final Fantasy VII, Erin and Allen set off for Reactor 5 with AVALANCHE, fall through a church roof, discuss nuclear power, Vaseline, some mildly racist translation issues, and determine once and for all that memory cards are nothing to be nostalgic about. Follow us on Twitter @kaophyre and @kenjisalk to tell us how to pronounce "Aeris", check out or game dev projects, or just stay updated on the show. Intro music: "Anxious Heart" remake by Osiris Music Outro music: "Anxious Heart" acoustic guitar cover by Sam Griffin

In the inaugural episode of Those Who Fight, Erin and Allen (Nathan if you're nasty) begin their quest to revisit Final Fantasy VII - one of the most important digital works of the past two decades. Join us for a chapter by chapter reflection on the weird, touching, goofy, emotional Sakaguchi story of identity, rebellion, and how capitalism will really be the end of us if we don't choose to fight. Follow us on Twitter @kaophyre and @kenjisalk and let us know what you think. We thank you for taking this journey with us!