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After a bit of a hiatus, we are back and chatting perhaps one of the nerdiest inventions in a long time...Magic The Gathering. A pastime SO nerdy, it was intended to be played between DnD Sessions. Joining me to discuss all things about this magical card game are T Scott Ross, Pete Navis, and Bill Nielsen (of So Many Bits). We review the history of Magic The Gathering, and it's interactions with DnD. We chat about how the game has changed over the years, and it's growth in popularity. More importantly, we touch on the competitive nature of the game...and it's strange stock and trade business. It's been described as "The Greatest form of Strategy Competition after Chess." Listen and see if that's true!
Just a quick update, So Many Bits will return1
Due to a technical hiccup we're skipping a week of So Many Bits, but I wanted to offer some real quick tips for gaming on the cheap, so give a quick listen. Be back next Monday for a new interview!
Chris Bashen has been a guest on So Many Bits several times to talk about video games, but did you know he makes them too? He's the guy behind the (digital) guy: he's been The Joker, Firestorm Shang Tsung, and more as a motion-capture actor with Netherrealm! We took a very cool look at the behind the scenes of the cutscenes in some of the past decade's most cinematically ambitious games.The Amazing World of Gumball had their own ambitious take on Final Fantasy VII, and Brandon Shockney and Bill talk about it in this episode's Screenwatching!Screenwatching: The Amazing World of Gumball (1:55)Interview: Chris Bashen (25:05)Bill's Magic Minute (59:16)
200! 200 episodes of So Many Bits, and to celebrate we have two returning guests. Harris Foster of Finji is back to the show to discuss the expanding landscape for indy games, what makes a game "Finji", and the subculture of the gamer performance arts! Meanwhile, my original co-host Cliff Murphy chats with me about the surreal horror of Black Mirror in Screenwatching. It's just like Super Mario Bros.! Screenwatching: Black Mirror (4:21) Interview: Harris Foster (38:50) Bill's Magic Minute (1:24:47)
Tom Sharpe of Gossamer Games is this week's guest on So Many Bits! His team's game Sole has progressed from classwork at Drexel University to a full-fledged release and he's here with the trials and tribulations! Plus, Luis Badillo tackles perhaps our most ambitious Screenwatching to date, the Second Life themed episode of CSI: NY! Screenwatching: CSI: NY (1:10) Interview: Tom Sharpe (37:55) Bill's Magic Minute (1:08:50)
Fellow Chicagoan William Chyr is on this week's So Many Bits to discuss his team's game Manifold Garden. We talk about solo development, streaming progress on Twitch, and the shared metamorphoses of our given names! Brandon Shockney also helps out Screenwatching Regular Show for the first time! Screenwatching: Regular Show (2:15) Interview: William Chyr (19:00) Bill's Magic Minute (43:05)
For the third year in a row we're doing a special PAX East edition of So Many Bits! This time, there are simply too many interviews for one episode so we've split it into two! Check out this week for half - plus some of the more interesting moments of my own trip - then check back next week for the rest! Morten (What the Golf?) - 5:23 Jacqueline Joy (Star Renegades) - 9:09 Thomas Huang (Subscribe My Adventure) - 12:47 Ian (Dungeon Munchies) - 16:50 Kyle Seeley (Emily is Away) - 22:19 Laurent Mercure (Aftercharge) - 30:34 Mark Laframboise (A Fold Apart) - 35:35
Derrick Fields is my guest on this week's So Many Bits to talk about Waking Oni's Onsen Master. We get into building an alpha version and the focus on Japanese culture in the game. Plus, Dan Schiffmacher is on so we can both watch The Sopranos for the first time on Screenwatching! Screenwatching: The Sopranos (3:18) Interview: Derrick Fields (14:00) Bill's Magic Minute (37:06)
Indie scene veteran Ryan Wiemeyer is this week's guest on So Many Bits! We cover his newest game Max Gentlemen Sexy Business!, the popularity of dating sims, and how to navigate the rough waters of Kickstarter; meanwhile, we keep the interjection train rolling with Freakazoid! on Screenwatching courtesy of guest Chris Arneson! Screenwatching: Freakazoid! (1:55) Interview: Ryan Wiemeyer (15:42) Bill's Magic Minute (40:08)
Gabriel Santos is this week's guest on So Many Bits! We discuss Stone Story RPG, a beautiful upcoming game animated entirely in the style of ASCII art. We also cover modern classic Gravity Falls with Shelby Mongan in our Screenwatching segment, the underrated Asura's Wrath, and Bill's Magic Minute! Screenwatching: Gravity Falls (1:20) Interview: Gabriel Santos (26:58) Games Played (47:55)
NOP Host Chris Bashen recently relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles...but before leaving, he recorded a series of nerdy topics with some of his best guests and friends...... Bill Nielsen (of So Many Bits) joins me on the mic to chat about Capcom's visual novel adventure...Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. I've never played this series, so its a chance for me to learn about dramatic Japanese laws, investigations, and prosecutions all carried out by defense attorney Phoenix Wright. Bill guides me on our discussion, as we talk about which game in the series is the best, where newcomers should start, and if the games are worth more than one play though. By the end of it, I certainly have...no objections. Give us a listen! Music Selections from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney OST composed by Masakazu Sugimori, owned by Capcom and is included under fair use protection.
The team at Liquid Bit Games is on So Many Bits this week to talk Killer Queen Black! Mike Chorak, Matt Tesch, and Adam Walters chat about their sequel to a popular arcade game coming to consoles for the first time. Brandon Shockney is also here to chat about recent smash hit Spiderman and take another look at the TV series Community during Screenwatching! Screenwatching: Community (00:48) Interview: Liquid Bit Games (22:26) Games Played (57:31)
Oscar Brittain, developer of the upcoming Desert Child, is on this week's So Many Bits. Who is the best Australian character in video games? What PS1 title had a big role in development? Plus Brandon Shockney of At the Trailers helps discuss The Office on Screenwatching, and Bill gives his thoughts on Dead Cells! 00:40: Screenwatching (The Office) 13:17: Desert Child Oscar Brittain Interview 51:53: Games Played
Chris Wade of Luckshot Games is my guest for this week's So Many Bits! His recent release Sausage Sports Club is out on Nintendo Switch and Steam, and we discuss his design process along with his experience making games. Shelby Mongan is also here to chat Degrassi: Next Class in our Screenwatching segment, and of course we talk about the games we've played!
Luis Badillo is back on So Many Bits to help nail down what makes a game niche. How do people find them, and howdo they stay "small"? That plus games played, Bill's Magic Minute, and more!
Back in action, Melissa Patterson brings the hot goss to this week's So Many Bits. We're talking arcade game high scores, how Nintendo succeeds in spite of itself, and some of the best games to play right now.
Di Billick has returned to So Many Bits, so we're going to be talking Final Fantasy! Final Fantasy XV DLC, a Cup Noodles side quest in XV, Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition... we're covering it all!
At last! 2017 is dead, and the So Many Bits crew can reflect on their favorite games they played this year. In order you can hear: 0:43 - Brandon Shockney 6:10 - Melissa Patterson 7:45 - Luis Badillo 11:50 - Di Billick 14:46 - Dan Schiffmacher 21:13 - Bill Nielsen Thanks for listening and we're looking forward to 2018!
On this week's So Many Bits, Melissa Patterson covers some unique new independent titles that came out of PlayStation Experience 2017! Plus, discussion of Life is Strange: Before the Storm and Xenoblade Chronicles 2!
It's getting cold but the So Many Bits episodes are heating up! Dan Schiffmacher is here to talk Switch games and the 2017 edition of The Game Awards!
A little bit of a heavier episode of So Many Bits this week, as Di Billick discusses the presence of child abuse in Detroit: Become Human while Bill tackles the topic of harassment in the Magic: the Gathering community. In lighter news, they also review the recent releases Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Cuphead, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus!
Luis Badillo returns to So Many Bits to revisit the modern classic Meta Gear Solid V, the SNES Classic, Gamecube games on the Switch, and the demise of NeoGAF! And make sure to check Sat 11/4 for Extra Life on Twitch!
Di Billick is on this week's So Many Bits to catch up on some brand new releases, while we also delve into unfamiliar topics such as Markiplier and Mario's nipples...
If you're curious about one of the surprise hit games of this year, this week's episode of So Many Bits has you covered! Melissa Patterson and Bill cover the story, their favorite characters, moving moments, and whether existence is merely pain.
We are lucky to have Tom Eastman of Trinket Studios on for this week's So Many Bits. He and his team are finishing up Battle Chef Brigade: hear about Tom's background as a game developer, the game's creation, and check it out this holiday season!
Brandon Shockney returns to So Many Bits to discuss the shrinking innovation in the video game industry, along with the newest Persona spinoffs and the games we're playing!
So Many Bits welcomes Jon Pernisek to the show for the first time! We discuss new internet darling Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator, 3DS games, and the somewhat sad history of movies based on video games!
We're proud to have Surena Marie on So Many Bits for the very first time! We discuss, Zelda, Pokemon, and the current challenges in making indy games!
Bill Nielsen (host of the So Many Bits podcast) may wind up taking home the prize for Best Childhood Catchphrase. It's honest to God adorable and I would never spoil it here, you'll just have to exercise some patience and hear it for yourself! Bill joined us to watch and analyze "Dateless in San Francisco", in which Danny frets over a Valentine's Day date with Claire (who we never actually seen onscreen, in a clear display of cutting production costs); Aunt Becky frets over the dimming ember that is her love life; Stephanie tries to woo a straight up WEIRD looking dude; and Michelle, having seen all of this heteronormative bullshit on clear display, uses it to justify her obsession with Teddy. It's some of the most White People Bullshit we've ever seen from this show, and that's certainly saying something. Also: Could the Fonz win in a thumb war with Uncle J? And why is Joey still allowing himself to be the subject of unwanted sexual advances? Does he like it? Does he need it? Are we blaming the victim here? Who knows! All we know is that this podcast. Is. Fabulous. XOXO
A special holiday episode of So Many Bits this week, with stories from Christmases past featuring Brandon Shockney (@beeshock), Di Billick (@dibillick), and Pete Byrne!
So Many Bits welcomes back Brandon Shockney (@Beeshock) is on this week to discuss Sonic latest quick game, while Bill wants to talk about people playing games quickly. Hopefully they can find a middle ground...
Brandon Shockney is back on So Many Bits to help Bill talk their shared love of the Phoenix Wright games! No objections here.
Melissa Patterson joins Bill this week on So Many Bits, and no man, woman, or Metroid is safe!
It's the So Many Bits office party, and Bill and Cliff get together to discuss hors d'oeuvres, as well as some new years resolutions.