The Joy of Gaming Podcast

The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast - Episode ThirtyThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Early-Game Impressions On this episode of The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast, we are traveling to Post-Upheaval Hyrule to explore the surface, the sky and the unfathomable depths of what is quite possibly the most anticipated game release in recent memory. Because after 6 years of waiting, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited to discuss our early-game impressions in this episode.  We start our discussion relatively spoiler-free, by looking at all of the new features of TOTK, including the completely reworked new arsenal of abilities - Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend and Recall - and the three expansive biomes, including the reworked surface, as well as the brand new sky islands and the underground depths. Then we head into full spoilers, including the story beats and characters we’ve encountered, some important tips and tricks, and the weapons, abilities, shrines, temples and quests we’ve each experienced thus far.  Also on this episode: we cover the latest physical game releases - including some new announcements from Limited Run Games and Super Rare Games - and all of the latest games coming to Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus between now and the end of May. Run of Show: 00:01 - Podcast Primer01:13 - Intro and “What’re you buying?” 18:59 - Brandon’s Physical Games Corner (Limited Run Games, Super Rare Games)34:34 - Rich’s Digital Picks (Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus)52:04 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Early-Game Impressions Spoiler-Free Impressions Initial thoughts (and how far are we, what have we done so far) What’s the same, what’s different? Major New Mechanics (Ultrahand, Ascend, Fuse, Recall) New Biomes (Surface, Sky, Depths) --SPOILERS START AT 1:34:35-- Story impressions so far Quests and Strategies Final Thoughts

The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast - Episode Twenty-NineThe Top 10 Best Games for the Nintendo GameCube On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, we continue our journey to select “The Top 10 Best Games (for Every Console)”. This time, we’re celebrating the Nintendo GameCube - a misunderstood masterpiece of a console that was once derided as a huge misstep for Nintendo, but has now become one of the most beloved and popular consoles to collect for (with sky-high software prices to prove it).  And while the console itself had a fun and childlike vibe - classically sporting a purple color scheme, a cute handle on the back, and tiny little mini-DVDs to house its games - very few consoles can boast such a concise, impressive library of true classics. From Luigi’s Mansion and Super Mario Sunshine, to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Resident Evil 4, Metroid Prime, Pikmin and so many more - the GameCube either birthed or reinvented some of the world’s greatest franchises, and these days its finally getting its due.  Our job for this episode is to create the Ultimate Top 10 list of Nintendo GameCube Games that we’d recommend - to gamers both new and old - who want to experience the absolute best that the console has to offer. So if you haven’t experienced the GameCube for yourself, we’re here to recommend the 10 best places to start. And if you are already well-versed, join us for this wonderful trip down memory lane.  Run of Show:00:10 - Introduction  How do we choose the Top 10? 02:44 - The History of the Nintendo GameCube History of the GameCube (Project Dolphin!) The GameCube Controller (and the WaveBird!) Notable GameCube Peripherals (Donkey Kong Bongos! GameBoy Player!) Our Histories with the GameCube  36:09 - The Best GameCube Games: #6-101:05:08 - The Best GameCube Games: #1-51:37:58 - Honorable Mentions and Final Thoughts

The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast - Episode Twenty-EightXbox’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week - Redfall Impressions, Phil Spencer Interview, CMA Blocks Acquisition & More On this episode of The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast, we discuss the biggest news story in gaming: Xbox’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. From the semi-disastrous release of Redfall on Game Pass and PC, to the CMA’s blocking of the Activision/Blizzard/King acquisition, to Phil “Cranky Phil” Spencer’s surprisingly candid interview on KindaFunny about the future of the Xbox brand - this is a week that the game industry will be talking about for many years to come. We look back on this past week from a variety of angles, analyzing some of Phil Spencer’s most candid and revealing quotes, and even offering our own, unbiased review impressions of Redfall - the game at the center of the firestorm. Spoiler: it may not be quite as bad as you’ve heard. Also on this episode, we discuss our early impressions of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Trinity Trigger, the latest digital releases on Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus, and the most interesting physical games releases and announcements from Limited Run Games, Super Rare, IAm8Bit and PlayAsia. It’s a jam-packed 2.5 hours, and we’re really glad you’re here. Run of Show: 00:01 - Podcast Trailer 01:35 - Intro and “What’re you buying?”  17:02 - Recent Gaming News Release Date Roundup Phil Spencer’s Interview on Kinda Funny CMA Blocks Activision Blizzard Acquisition Sony is Breaking Records with PS5 Sales PixelOpus Studio is Closing The Worst Zelda Game Gets New Life…on GameBoy? 01:22:05 - Brandon’s Physical Games Corner (Limited Run Games, Super Rare Games) 01:32:52  Rich’s Digital Picks (Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus) 01:51:05 - What We’ve Been Playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (Early Impressions) Redfall (Impressions After 10 Hours) Trinity Trigger 02:27:24 - What We’re Playing Next / Outro    

The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast - Episode Twenty-SevenThe Legend of Zelda: Retrospective and Complete Series Chronology (Preparing for Tears of the Kingdom) --- On this episode of The Joy of Gaming Podcast, we are getting ready for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the most complete way we could think of: by looking back and tracing the entire chronology of The Legend of Zelda series. We track the series’ origins on the NES all the way through Breath of the Wild on Switch, discussing each game in release order and also exploring its place in the overall series chronology. So if you have always wondered how the various mainline Zelda titles are connected, this episode has the answers. After all, in 2013, two years after the release of Skyward Sword, Nintendo released the Hyrule Historia, from Dark Horse Books - an epic tome that finally revealed the official order of events for every game in the Zelda franchise. So for our journey, we start with this book, first walking through the three branching paths of the timeline at a high-level before zooming-in to see where each mainline game fits into the overarching narrative.  And once we understand the chronology at a high-level, we travel back to 1986 and the original The Legend of Zelda to begin our complete series retrospective, game-by-game and memory-by-memory. So join us, as we celebrate one of the most storied franchises in all of gaming, and prepare for the next epic chapter in Link and Zelda’s adventures.  Run of Show: 00:00 - Introductions / Our History with the Series 10:39 - Background - The Legend of Zelda Chronology Explained (Hyrule Historia) Legend of the Gods and the Hero of TimeThe Hero is SuccessfulAdult Era / Ganondorf Sealed Child Era / The Sacred Realm Protected The Hero is Defeated  21:58 - The Legend of Zelda - Series Retrospective Mainline Series in Release Order:  The Legend of Zelda (JP - Famicom Disk System - The Hyrule Fantasy: Zelda no Densetsu - 1986; NA & PAL - NES - 1987; Battery save version in Japan - Famicom - 1994) NES Classic Series (Gameboy Advance; JP, NA, PAL - 2004) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (JP - Famicom Disk System - 1987; NA & PAL - NES - 1988) NES Classic Series (Gameboy Advance; JP & NA - 2004; PAL - 2005) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES; JP - 1991; NA & EU - 1992) Gameboy Advance w/ Four Swords (NA - 2002; JP & EU - 2003); Four Swords Re-released on DSiWare (Four Swords Anniversary Ed. - 2011) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Gameboy; JP, NA, EU - 1993) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Gameboy Color; JP & NA - 1998; EU - 1999) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Remake for Switch - 2019) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64 - 1998; iQue Player (CHN) - 2003) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Master Quest (GameCube; JP - 2002; NA, EU & AU - 2003) - Two-Game Bonus Disc! The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS - 2011) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64 - 2000) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS - 2015) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (Gameboy Color - 2001) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube; JP - 2002; NA, EU & AU - 2003) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Wii U - 2013) The Legend of Zelda Collector’s Edition - Promotional Disc (GameCube - 2003) Includes 4 Classic Games! (The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II, Ocarina of Time, and Majora’s Mask) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GameCube; JP & NA - 2004; EU & AU - 2005) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Gameboy Advance; JP & EU - 2004; NA & AU - 2005) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii - Nov. 2006; GameCube - Dec. 2006; Nvidia Shield TV (CHN) - 2017) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (Wii U - 2016) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS - 2007) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS - 2009) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii - 2011) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (Switch - 2021) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between

The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast - Episode Twenty-SixFinal Fantasy XVI State of Play, Nintendo Indie World, Redfall Hype Check, RE4 Remake Final Thoughts On this episode of The (New) Joy of Gaming Podcast, we’re in that “in-between period” - just after Resident Evil 4 Remake, and just before Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Tears of the Kingdom - but there is still a lot of exciting happenings in the gaming world. Case in point: Redfall is launching next week (though the pre-release hype is a bit underwhelming). We also got a brand new Sony State of Play for Final Fantasy XVI, and Nintendo held their latest IndieWorld Showcase which included some cool new info about Oxenfree 2, Blasphemous 2, and many more interesting titles.  And speaking of RE4 Remake, we still have more to say about this incredible GOTY contender, especially the final third of the game set on the Ganados-and-Krauser-infested island. We also talk about some of the other games we’ve been playing, like Super Paper Mario, Paper Mario Color Splash, Syberia, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp, and more. And as always, our bi-weekly segments - Brandon’s Physical Games Corner and Rich’s Digital Picks - are here to keep you up to speed on what’s new and exciting across the industry.  Run of Show: 00:01 - Podcast Trailer 01:35 - Intro and “What’re you buying?” (GameStop’s “Hidden Retro List”) 22:48 - Recent Gaming News Release Date Roundup Nintendo IndieWorld Showcase  Sony Acquires a New AAA Studio Support Ending for Media Molecule’s Dreams Rumored Remakes (Jet Set Radio, Persona 3, Paper Mario: TTYD, more) State of Play: Final Fantasy XVI Impressions Nintendo Reveals where Tears of the Kingdom Will Begin   01:26:11 - Brandon’s Physical Games Corner (Limited Run Games, Super Rare Games) 01:45:56  Rich’s Digital Picks (Xbox Game Pass and PS Plus) 02:04:35 - What We’ve Been Playing Resident Evil 4 Remake (The Island and Final Impressions) Super Paper Mario and Paper Mario: Color Splash Syberia Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp   02:46:28 - What We’re Playing Next / Outro