Caitlin and Alan aren’t angry they are just disappointed. Some games not only fail to live up to expectations but they throw us completely out of the experience. Sometimes that is because they are a lazy cash grab but more often the gameplay is beyond us!

Caitlin and Alan ride around in our favorite video game vehicles. Fast travel is out and vehicles are in. Especially airships in the Final Fantasy series. But horses, chocobos, and tanks have a place in our hearts too!

Caitlin and Alan get into what it means for a character to be a video game protagonist. Does a Silent Protagonist just lift up the villain as cool? A main character who is relatable can have a stale personality, but anything else might turn people off. Is there a balance?

Caitlin and Alan discuss Kingdom Hearts 1. We both bought this game when it launched on PS2 in 2002. The magic of the game seems too big to fit into an elevator pitch, but the lore claims that is where it all started. Pretend and play are central to what makes the universe of Kingdom Hearts work, but so is design. This is the masterpiece that launched the franchise that continues to keep pulling in fans.

Caitlin and Alan talk about the end of the PlayStation physical discs for games. Things have been leading to this point for a while- however… that doesn’t mean that we are happy about it. And that things might be more unsafe for consumers and preservation of the Art. No to mention the AI of it all.

Caitlin and Alan talk about controllers. Is it best if you never think about the controller, or if the controller is the main draw? When games give us so many ways to customize do we lose the simplicity of controls? Custom controllers were all the rage in the early 2000s but Nintendo has never stopped trying to find new configurations.

Caitlin and Alan talk about listening to audiobooks and podcast while you play video games. The problem with hobbies is the need for human hands. You can only hold so many things. But in an Open World game you can hold the space to listen to an audiobook and play the game.

Caitlin and Alan get philosophical about if games always have conflict. To be a game there needs to be a failure-state. Maybe a win. Maybe an ending. Maybe even a story. Does the tension of avoiding failure create a conflict that drives us to play? What about causing problems? As, say… a goose?

Caitlin and Alan get to the end of all things. What makes for a great video game ending? Tying together the gameplay and the story is a great place to start. No loose ends- and don’t let the sequel undo it!

Caitlin and Alan discuss our favorite, and least favorite, video game characters. Who is the most interesting Final Fantasy character of all time? The best written character in any Bioware game? We have the answers.

Caitlin and Alan come back from our break and we played a lot of games! We dipped into our backlogs but also went back to our old familiar favorites! Dark Souls, Kingdom Hearts, Persona- you know the good stuff. Did you know that magic materia messes up Cloud’s stats in original Final Fantasy 7? There are SO MANY games coming this year- just not this Summer…

Caitlin and Alan want to eat videogame foods. Even if they look like Christmas Tree lights! Garbage Pizza! Comfort Stars! And of course… Pancakes! With the Season 2 finale we announce the games we will ask each other to play!

Caitlin and Alan say the word “puzzle” so much it becomes meaningless. Puzzles that secretly tell a story are where it is at for us. Most puzzles in games are filler but a few made us see the world differently. Bot just the game world, but the one we live in too.

Caitlin and Alan talk about video game weapons! We talk about famous Japanese blacksmiths, cursed swords with eyeballs, and Keys that are Swords.

Caitlin and Alan highlight women in video games. Women were always part of video games so we learn a little history and feature our favorite women characters.

Caitlin and Alan debate what is the essence of Role-Playing-Games? If everything could be called a role-playing game, then is there really any such thing as an RPG? We talk about the math behind the fights, character creation, and storytelling.

Caitlin and Alan talk about Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. It’s the only game in the series Caitlin has played, and she reveals how she got into it. It has been a long time since we played the game but we have a lot of memories. We love singing songs in the ships, living Kassandra’s story, and visiting Atlantis.

Caitlin and Alan talk about the difference between beating a game and getting all the trophies. Is trophy chasing its own reward? Or is it only fun when the achievements happen naturally. We talk about the first games we remember getting trophies for and some of our favorites. And of course- the ones we hate.

Caitlin and Alan talk about their favorite influences from gaming culture. The podcasters, YouTubers, and shows that have inspired us. YouTube Lore People are the best gaming channels. We value creators who have a different perspective than we do. Gaming culture is full of smart, funny, and charismatic voices- and also inferior voices like ours!

Caitlin and Alan talk about the first time they played Final Fantasy X. Is this the Final Fantasy “for the girls?” It has the best love story in any Final Fantasy. We try to not talk about Final Fantasy X-2… too much. We talk about the game-mechanics, the music, the story, and why this game is the stealth capstone to the series up to that point.