Episodes
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
In the late 2000s rhythm games were everywhere. Spurred on by the Guitar Hero & Rock Band craze it seems that nearly all games had a plastic instrument or two awkwardly propped up in their cupboards or surrounding their gaming setups.
While this craze is long dead, alongside Guitar Hero and a much-diminished Rock Band, rhythm games still exist in a variety of forms. In this genre-specific episode, Brendan and Zach are joined by plastic instrument enthusiast Rickie to discuss all things rhythm.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Rickie - @FuzzySelenium
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
What’s a Pikmin? A Series Overview
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Shigeru Miyamoto's favourite oddly shaped leaf creatures are once again back in Pikmin 4, release in July 2023. But what exactly is a 'Pikmin' and why has the franchise continued over the past two decades? What makes it a unique and compelling experience that attracts a small but seemingly growing fanbase?
As Brendan is a Pikmin neophyte, joining the regular crew this episode is Josh from Nintenvania, whose passion for Pikmin rivals that of Zach. Starting with the first game released in 2001, the trajectory of the series is discussed, culminating in a discussion of all things Pikmin 4.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Josh - @ Nintenvania
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Alt F4: To Save Scum or Not to Save Scum
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
Tuesday Sep 12, 2023
With the popularity of Baldur's Gate 3, the topic of 'save scumming', resetting a game to get an optimal outcome and whether its the 'right thing to do' has come to the forefront.
Thus Zach and Brendan dive into an in-depth discussion about save scumming, describing the different dynamics and situations in which it appears in gaming, and whether they themselves are save scummers.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Preserving the Games We Play: Discussing How 87% of pre-2010 Games are Unplayable
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Last month in July 2023, the Video Game History Foundation released a report that suggests 87% of games released pre-2010 in the US are unplayable.
Thus, Brendan dons his history hat and alongside his Zach, dives into discussing whether this matters, what are the dynamics at play relating to making games available to play for future generations and ultimately what are the respective roles of industry and non-industry actors in this environment.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Should We Judge Games Based On Other Games?: The Baldur’s Gate 3 Debate
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
Tuesday Aug 15, 2023
And we are back after an almost 6 month unplanned hiatus! Please let us know if we have been missed!
On this episode, Zach and Brendan join the discussion that was kicked off just prior to the release of Baldur's Gate 3 - is it 'fair' to judge other RPGs/CRPGs to Baldur's Gate 3 given the resources and status of Larian Studios, the developer and publisher of the game? Based on a series of tweets by indie dev Xalavier Nelson Jr the subsequent conversation received much attention in the gaming media. Thus, the indominable duo as always dive in headfirst to give their thoughts on the topic.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Recollections of 2022
Monday Feb 20, 2023
Monday Feb 20, 2023
On this episode, Zach and Brendan are joined by friend of the show Drew Agnew from the House of Mario to discuss the year that was 2022. Tune in to hear the trio's experiences with gaming over the past year, their gaming highlights, why Vladimir Putin is a fan of Shantae and what they are looking forward to in 2023.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Drew - @iDrewby
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Get Ready to Rumble! VGM Battle Themes
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
Wednesday Jan 18, 2023
As has become a yearly tradition for Blowing Cartridges, special guest and friend of the show John Dewis once again joins Zach & Brendan to once again discuss video game music.
On this episode, the trio have drawn from the hallowed vaults of video game music their favourite battle music tracks from 2022 and beyond. So tune in to find out what they believe makes a good battle track, why all their picks aren't from turn based JRPGs/RPGs and what their three track picks are.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
John - @AuraPaladin Luke's 3DS Youtube Special
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Music Played:
Viola Battle Theme: Gh()st - composed by Naofumi Harada, performed by Mikaila Delgado - Bayonetta 3 (2022)
Fight or Flight - composed by Machine Girl - Neon White (2022) - NME Article on soundtrack
Keves Battle - composed by Kenji Hiramatsu - Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022)
Blinded by Light - Composed by Ryo Yamazaki - Final Fantasy XIII (2009)
Rude Buster - Composed by Toby Fox - Deltarune: Chapter 1 (2018)
Galleons - Composed by Duane Decker - Rise of Nations (2003)
Normal Duel - Composed by Ichirō Shimakura - Pokemon: Trading Card Game (1998)
Play the Hero (Chipp Zanuff's Theme) - Composed by Daisuke Ishiwatari - Guilty Gear Strive
True Mirror - Composed by Motoi Sakuraba - Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (2003)
Eternity: - Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, Lyrics by Hironobu Sakaguchi, Vocals by Ian Gillan - Blue Dragon (2006)
Battle Theme - Composed by Yoshito Sekigawa, Shoh Murakami, Yoshiaki Kimura, Hiroki Morishita, Fumihiro Isobe - Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020)
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Nintendo 3DS Retrospective: 11 Years on
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
Wednesday Dec 21, 2022
11 Years ago, in March 2011 the Nintendo 3DS was launched. After selling over 75 million consoles, 11 years later the 3DS is no longer found in stores, and the console's online store, the Nintendo eShop will be taken offline on March 27, 2023.
On this episode, Brendan and Zach are joined by friend of the show Luke to discuss their respective thoughts and experiences with the 3DS. Topics discuss include Nintendo's announcement of the system, the consoles key features, and favourite games together with eShop exclusives that they suggest people should check out before the eShop is closed forever.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Luke - @adeeelnv Luke's 3DS Youtube Special
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Like a Phoenix: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Couch Co-op Gaming
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Remember fond memories of pushing your older brother off a couch as he was about to beat you for the fifteenth time on Rainbow Road on the N64? Recall forcing your friends to use the third-party controller of dubious quality when they came over to play games with you?
Joined by Josh from the Podcast Nintenvania, this episode revolves around co-operative gaming, specifically that of local, 'couch' multiplayer experiences that is arguably currently enjoying a resurgance after a 'dark age' in the late 2000s/early 2010s.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Josh - @nintenvania
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Indie and AAA - Living Together in Harmony?
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
Sunday Oct 30, 2022
In the context of PAX Aus 2022 and the commentary surrounding the limited presence of major publishers on the show floor, Zach and Brendan take a dive to discuss the growing commercial role indie games have in the current gaming landscape.
Particularly focusing on the realm of consoles, the discussion focuses on the strengths of indie games, why they aren't going anywhere and ultimately the synergy in the relationship they hold with 'AAA' games.
Have any comments? Feel free to drop us a line via twitter @blowcartpod or email at blowingcartridge@gmail.com
Brendan - @Tamazoid
Zach - @Eggerino
Intro music - '8 Bit Ditty' by FoolBoyMedia
Outro - 'Video Game Land' by FoolBoyMedia