Scanline Talks: Recent Episodes
Scanline Talks
Mahjong is a niche favorite around these parts. It's hardly universal amongst our crew, but those of us that like it have some serious affection for the old hand-making tile game. But that's talking about riichi mahjong- the Japanese variant of the game. We have a hesitant, ignorant respect for Chinese mahjong, the original. But American mahjong? Yeah... not much respect for that. But surely a Hallmark movie is our avenue to learning to love America's favorite pasttime*. Join Kyrie, Six, and then our honored guests FlannelKat (@flannel.live on bsky, twitch.tv/flannelkat on Twitch) and Fen (@fenic.moe on bsky, and Fate/moon archive on Abnormal Mapping) for a story of life, love, and mahjong.
*surely it's not even in the top 100
Gundam is back in theaters, and so are we! The long-awaited sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway is here after five years. The Sorcery of Nymph Circe has no less the emphasis on tense conversations and politics than its predecessor, but how does it this time? I will say "not quite the same," but I'm gonna make you listen to the show if you want to hear if that's a good or bad thing.
Previously exclusive to the Scanline Media Patrons, our friend Boo ran into some financial issues and needs your help! Please check her on @boocanan.bsky.social for more information. In the mean time, enjoy a gargantuan deep dive into the Fate/stay Night Remaster! Click the link for the Patreon and a look at the host's character tier lists.
Fate/stay night is one of the most significant visual novels around: with three lengthy routes and an unforgettable cast of characters, what started as adult entertainment blossomed into an unstoppable cultural behemoth. A game this significant called for a significant shake-up in the way Novel Not New approaches things, so we brought out the big guns: with our special guest and Fate aficionado boocanan, we spent six whole months recording one big mega-podcast! Please enjoy.
Opening Segment Hollow Knight SpikeOut Tengoku Struggle Strayside Wanderstop On Your Tail HASTE: Broken Worlds
Timestamps: 0:00:00 - Content Warning 0:00:16 - Intro 0:26:56 - Fate 2:02:52 - Unlimited Blade Works 3:30:08 - Heaven's Feel 4:41:44 - Questions 5:30:48 - Outro
Here we are- Game of the Year. The big finale. We've had quite enough preamble- let's get to it.
The Nominees Are:
Aotenjo: Infinite Handsof the Devil (Episodes I + II)Dragon Quest I + II HD-2D RemakeDynasty Warriors: OriginsFantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals TimeFields of MistriaThe Friends of Ringo IshikawaThe Hundred Line: Last Defense AcademyHyrule Warriors: Age of ImprisonmentThe Legend of Sword & FairyPinfeatherRise of the RoninSkate StorySonic x Shadow GenerationsStory of Seasons: Grand BazaarUltimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: Community EditionUnbeatableVirtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O -World Stage-
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
With multiple anime and manga podcasts, it's clear we love this medium a lot. And in 2025 we saw so many cool things. In this penultimate category, we celebrate our favorite anime and manga of the year.
The Nominees Are:
Apocalypse HotelThe Apothecary DairiesCity the AnimationDaemons of the Shadow RealmGosickKnight in One FrameMedalistRed Ranger IsekaiSuper Dragon Ball HeroesThey Were ElevenUmamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New EraA Wild Last Boss Appeared!Witch WatchThe Wonderful World of Puss 'n' Boots
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2025 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
Time concerns (that proved a bit unnecessary) forced us to compress Minor Character and Major character into one pod, so Minor Character gets a little "one winner no runners up" before the main event!
The Best Minor Character Nominees Are:
Emma Rockford (of the Devil)Serra (of the Devil)Shiho Kubota (Futari wa Pretty Cure)Darumi Amemiya (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy)Kyoshika Magadori (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy)Yugamu Omokage (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy)Capricorn Undead/"Party Boy John Lennon" (Kamen Rider Blade)Ryoka "Mittens" Miketa (Medalist)Treble (Unbeatable)
The Best Major Character Nominees Are:
Yachiyo (Apocalypse Hotel)JC Denton (Deus Ex)Morgan (of the Devil)Peronel (Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake)Ringo Ishikawa (The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa)Takumi Sumino (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy)Kazuma Kenzaki/Kamen Rider Blade (Kamen Rider Blade)Lin Yueru (The Legend of Sword & Fairy)Inori Yuitsuka (Medalist)Senichi "Sen" Enari (Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger)Jungle Pocket (Umamusume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era)Beat (Unbeatable)Quaver (Unbeatable)Nico Wakatsuki (Witch Watch)
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
In contrast to Emergent Moment, you don't have to do anything special to experience these. These scripted moments are part of the media below that everyone can see, but that doesn't make them any less special. These moments made us laugh, tear up, and reflect in 2025, and we want to share them with you. Note: Since some of our naming of the moments themselves could be considered a spoiler, listed below are all the works we discuss during the pod.
The Nominees Are:
Apocalypse HotelCITY the Animationof the DevilThe Friends of Ringo IshikawaHeavy Metal L-GAIMThe Hundred Line: Last Defense AcademyMedalistStory of Seasons: The Grand BazaarSuper Robot Wars YThey Were ElevenUmamusume: Pretty Derby - Beginning of a New EraUnbeatableWitch WatchWith You In The Rain
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2025 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
The phrasing on this category was tricky. What is an Emergent Moment? Basically, it's to distinguish from a Narrative Moment- our category tomorrow. Rather than scripted, hand-tailored moments, these are moments that occur, or occurred, naturally as a result of the way things have been set up- either in a game or in the world.
The Nominees Are:
Baby's First Death Trap (Android: Netrunner)Tile Hog (Aotenjo: Infinite Hands)Virtua Fighter 5 Grand Finals (Combo Breaker 2025)Your First Monorail-only Delivery (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)Sit Back and Let the Points Roll In (Demonic Mahjong)Reading a book (The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa)Perfecting a Wave (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy)"I Don't Play This Game." (Combo Breaker 2025)Switch Games Feeling Playable Again (Switch 2)Ten Heads In A Row (Unfair Flips)Picross Fever (Picross)Accidentally Eracing Yourself (Shadow of Memories)Infinite Chaos Control (Shadow the Hedgehog)
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky. That's last year's art, we'll have new art for this year soon, so please look forward to that!
We used to call this category "That's My Jam" which is a long forgotten in-joke from our personal Discord server, but unfortunately it was just a little out of step of the way we name these categories now. But rest assured, these songs are JAMS. We had lots of music to choose from this year and it was harder for some to narrow it down.
The Nominees Are:
"BIRDBRAIN" w/ OK Glass Feat Kasane Teto by Jaime Paige"Bow and Arrow" by Kenshi Yonezu (Medalist)"EMPTYLANDS" by Blood Cultures (Skate Story)"The Girl on a Space Colony" by Yoshimasa Terui (Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX)"KOERU" by Alexandros (Umamusume Cinderella Gray)"L-GAIM: Time for L-Gaim" by Kyohei Tsutsumi (Heavy Metal L-Gaim)"Loner" by peak divide (Unbeatable)"Waiting" by peak divide (Unbeatable)"Maximum Kizuna Kaizer Explodes" by Akira Kushida (The Red Ranger Becomes an Adventurer in Another World)"Scarlet Draw" by Lena Raine (of the Devil)"Zero Summary" by Lena Raine (of the Devil)"Skirt" by AIKO (Apocalypse Hotel)Theme of Lu Bu DW Origins Mix (Dynasty Warriors Origins)"Universe Mission Theme Song" by DRAGON SOUL (Super Dragon Ball Heroes)"Watch Me!" by Yoasobi (Witch Watch)
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2025 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
There are bad surprises in this world. A lot of them. We are not celebrating those! They don't get their own category, at least this year. Let's talk GOOD surprises.
The Nominees Are:
Apocalypse Hotelof the DevilDonkey Kong BananzaHigh School Musical 2Hollow Knight SilksongKasane to SubaruMagical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 2nd A'sMini HealerReborn to Master the Blade: From Hero-King to Extraordinary SquireThe Red Ranger Becomes An Adventurer in Another WorldSonic x Shadow GenerationsThey Were ElevenUmamusume: Beginning of a New EraA Wild Last Boss Appeared!Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2025 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
We may have had to combine Best Action Toolkit and Best Fighting Toolkit this year out of time concerns, but that just means a staggering roster of characters that are fun and interesting to play. Behold!
The Nominees Are:
Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Bananza)Largo (Dota 2)Yammy Yugi (Dragon Ball FighterZ)Ziluan (Dynasty Warriors: Origins)Revenant (Elden Ring Nightreign)Meg (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Sandalphon (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Wilnas (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Sister Blades, Lim and Oros (Hades II)Hornet (Hollow Knight: Silksong)King Rauru (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment)Skyraider (Mecha Break)Priest (Mini Healer)Starting Pitcher (MLB The Show 25)Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden 2 Black)Pawmot (Pokémon Unite)Mai (Street Fighter 6)Clea (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: Community Edition)Juri (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: Community Edition)Nero (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: Community Edition)Robbie Reyes (Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3: Community Edition)
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2025 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
Systems are such a special part of games. Sets of rules and features that turn into engines to produce unique outcomes as they crash together. And the mechanics that make up these systems can stand out as truly remarkable. Here are our favorites from the last year.
The Nominees Are:
Weather (Death Stranding 2: On the Beach)Highroller (of the Devil)Media Literacy Quizzes (of the Devil)Smashing Everything (Donkey Kong Bananza)Duels (Dynasty Warriors: Origins)Voltage / Last Resort (The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy)Team Up Specials (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment)Live Combat (Pokémon Legends Z-A)Weapon Schools (Rise of the Ronin)Back-to-basics Skating (Skate Story)The Grand Bazaar (Story of Seasons: The Grand Bazaar)Reloading Rules (Suit for Hire)
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2025 is Lay back by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from GOMA on Bluesky.
In honor of the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, we have a real treat. Originally for the $5 Patrons, we have unlocked one of our longest and most in depth episodes of Novel Not New, and it's available just in time for the spooky season. We hope you enjoy.
Ahhh, Majora's Mask. A real odd duck in the Zelda series. There are weirder ones, sure: that Tingle DS game is pretty strange. In its own mundane way, Link's Crossbow Training is quite bizarre. But those are mere spinoffs. Majora's Mask adopts its own weird persona while managing to be a full Zelda game. The first Zelda led by Eiji Aonuma. The one that was gonna be for the 64DD. And for my money, one of the best. Let's see what lies behind the mask.
Click here when indicated if you want to watch the 100% No Major Glitches World Record speedrun alongside this podcast for some reason!
This Month's Games!The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
This Month's Guest!Kyrie Page (@kyrie.scanlinemedia.com)
Next Month's Game!Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Next Month's Guest!Allen Ibrahim (@chatzpod.bsky.social)
Opening SegmentVoid StrangerMobile Suit Gundam U.C. EngageDisgaea 7: Vows of the VirtuelessFate/Samurai Remnant
EPISODES COVERED: Futari wa PreCure 5-6, Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger 5-6, Kamen Rider Blade 5-6
Pretty Cure has a new villain for us. Dekaranger has things to say about capitalism's hunger for oil. Blade has decided to just acknowledge what's going on, and not insult our intelligence. All-in-all, a solid week here on Sunday Henshin Time, where three lineups of transforming heroes face the problems of the week, and rise above. Mostly. Garren does get his butt kicked pretty often.
The incredible artwork for Sunday Henshin Time was provided by Cas!
To start out, SHT is going up on the Scanline Talks feed, but now it has its own! Here's a link!
Our intro music is Scene47 蒼空 ～aoi～ by Kaneko Kazuki, with gratitude.
EPISODES COVERED: Futari wa Precure 3-4, Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger 3-4, Kamen Rider Blade 3-4
Big explosive openings are out of the way, now is time to settle into some grooves. Futari wa is out here building the train while it's already on the tracks, but that's where they like to be. Dekaranger is trying to expand it's characters and setting, and Blade is diving right into some impressively escalated stakes. What will these shows morph into? Something colorful, I am certain.
The incredible artwork for Sunday Henshin Time was provided by Cas!
To start out, SHT is going up on the Scanline Talks feed, but now it has its own! Here's a link!
Our intro music is Scene47 蒼空 ～aoi～ by Kaneko Kazuki, with gratitude.
EPISODES COVERED: Futari wa Precure 1-2, Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger 1-2, Kamen Rider Blade 1-2
Here comes a new story. Or three, to be more precise. With our Journey to the Worst in the bag, Kyrie and I leave Dragon Ball behind for the moment, and head to new territory. But what could we possibly cover where we'd have that same magic combination of undercovered work that we can act as experts about, and that we're very passionate about? It's a short list, I think. But you know? Pretty Cure, Super Sentai, and Kamen Rider? Yeah, I think that makes the cut.
We're starting Sunday Henshin Time with the first two episodes of Futari wa Pretty Cure, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, and Kamen Rider Blade. And we're riding this baby all the way. I suspect we'll die before we fully catch up XD but enjoy the ride until then!
The incredible artwork for Sunday Henshin Time was provided by Cas!
To start out, SHT is going up on the Scanline Talks feed, but now it has its own! Here's a link!
Our intro music is Scene47 蒼空 ～aoi～ by Kaneko Kazuki, with gratitude.
Here we are, folks. Game of the Year- the capper to the Gimmick Awards. We've said a lot over the course of this month, so no big preamble: I'll let the conversation speak for itself.
The Nominees Are:1000xRESISTChants of SennaarChildren of the SunCrow CountryDragon Quest III HD-2DDragon's Dogma 2Dungeons of HinterbergEmio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective ClubGranblue Fantasy Versus: RisingHelldivers 2I Am Your BeastKerbal Space Program 2Lorelei and the Laser EyesMetaphor: ReFantazioMouthwashingPrince of Persia: The Lost CrownReverse Collapse: Code Name BakeryRiven (2024)The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomUFO 50Unicorn Overlord
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
Games. Turns out, you tend to play them. In years past, we have often tried to talk about the elegance of particular systems and mechanics before, but we never had a category exclusive to that. Debuting this year, we wanted to award our favorite mechanics from 2024.
The Nominees Are:
Mind Chess (Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit)Learning Languages (Chants of Sennaar)Bullet Guidance (Children of the Sun)Lane Rails (Deadlock)Memories (Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake)Pawns (Dragons Dogma 2)Bravery Points (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Stratagems (Helldivers 2)Bond (Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom)Team Up (Marvel Rivals)The Car (Pacific Drive)The Starry Expanse (Riven [2024])Fast Talk (Star Wars Outlaws)Possession (Slitterhead)Rewind (Tetrachroma)Guard Thrust (Under Night In-Birth II [Sys:Celes])Tactics (Unicorn Overlord)Special Training Plan (Zenless Zone Zero)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
Sometimes, a singular moment shines through and is so bright, you can't help but take notice. This may be the last year this category takes the form it does, so let's send it off with some of our favorite moments from games and anime.
Please note, this podcast will spoil many moments from all the games and anime we list, so if you wanna go in without knowing, you may wanna steer clear of this pod. But regardless, here are the nominees!
The Nominees Are:Propaganda Theater (1000xRESIST)Eustace Steps Up (Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit)Tearful Reunion (BanG Dream: It's My GO!!!!!)Arriving in the Warriors Floor (Chants of Sennaar)Feint Kamehameha (Dragon Ball GT)Goku Going Super Saiyan 4 (Dragon Ball GT)You Dropped Your Crown (Dragon Quest III HD-2D)Get Out of the Car (Emio: The Smiling Man - Famicom Detective Club)Nier Denied (EVO 2024)Shikikan Reunites with Kalin(a) (Girls Frontline 2)Spot Dodging a Raging Blow (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Hectic Extraction (Helldivers 2)Debugged Consoles (Lorelei and the Laser Eyes)Sleeping by the door (The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today)"I Lived, Bitch" (Metaphor: ReFantazio)Collapsing Bridge (Riven [2024])Peanut Butter's Home Run (Summer Games Done Quick 2024)A Quiet Commitment (Unicorn Overlord)Primm Saves the World (Unicorn Overlord)Suo Teaches Humility (Wind Breaker)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
You know, despite our ambitions of being a gaming coverage site, we talk about a lot of anime. Our most frequent and consistent shows are about anime and manga, so of course we had to dedicate a category to it. In one of our more prestigious awards, we discuss our favorite anime and manga of the year from 2024.
The Nominees Are:BanG Dream: It's MyGO!!!!!! (Anime)Delicious in Dungeon (Anime)Dragon Ball (Manga)Dragon Ball GT (Anime)The Elusive Samurai (Anime)Heterogenia Linguistico (Manga)Martian Successor Nadesico (Anime)Our Dreams At Dusk (Manga)Overman King Gainer (Anime)Ranma 1/2 (2024) (Anime)Turn A Gundam (Anime)Wind Breaker (Anime)Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (Manga)Yotsuba& (Manga)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
...And here are the Instrumental songs, which is to say, the ones that aren't lyrically focused- the human voice is still allowed as an instrument!
The Nominees Are:Objection! 2011 (Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit)Pit of Peril (Astro Bot)Maybe Everything Will Be Ok… (Crow Country)Go Home, Little Stamp aka Bow Wow Wow (Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth)Pride [Beatrix's Theme] - Granblue Fantasy Versus: RisingExtraction Suite - Helldivers 2Zero's Theme (Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite and Beyond)Captain America's Theme (Marvel Vs Capcom Infinite and Beyond)Warriors in Arms (Metaphor: ReFantazio)Main Theme (Mouthwashing)Gehn's Theme (Riven (2024))The Youkai Trail Trio* (Touhou Mystia's Izakaya)Calm Before Tomorrow's Storm (Touhou Mystia's Izakaya)Fighting Off The Powerful (Unicorn Overlord)Heir to the Dragon Lords (Unicorn Overlord)Roger that (Zenless Zone Zero)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
*A Hushed Night Begins/In High Spirits/Come One, Come All
Music is a weird category for us, or rather pair of categories thanks to it being split in twain. We aren't music crits, and we don't cover the music industry or its releases. Instead, we discuss music via its presence in other things we cover- games and anime. Anime openings and closings, themes in games, that sort of thing. We'll leave the record industry to the experts.
The Nominees Are:Haruhikage by MyGO!!!!!! (BanG Dream: It's MyGO!!!!!!)Hitoshizuku by MyGO!!!!!! (BanG Dream: It's MyGO!!!!!!)seisyun complex by kessoku band (Bocchi the Rock!)Otonoke by Creepy Nuts (Dandadan)Jaka Jaan by Zedd feat. C&K (Dragon Ball Daima)Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku by Field of View (Dragon Ball GT)Plan A by dish// (The Elusive Samurai)VERSUSIA [Versusia's Theme] by Tsutomu Narita (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Welcome to the PARADE! [Vikala's Theme] (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Radiant Dawn [Queen Dizzy's Theme] by AISHA (Guilty Gear -Strive-)Symphony [A.B.A.'s Theme] by Naoki Hashimoto (Guilty Gear -Strive-)King Gainer Over! by Yoshiki Fukuyama (Overman King Gainer)It's Going Down Now by (Persona 3 Reload)Iinazukkyun by ano (Ranma 1/2 2024)Beneath the Purple Cherry Blossoms Once Again by 二色幽紫蝶 (Touhou Mystia's Izakaya)Turn A Turn by Hideki Saijo (Turn A Gundam)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky. Hironobu Kageyama
2024 was full of surprises. Not all of them good! 2024 was a rough year, y'all. But sometimes surprises can be wonderful, and in this category we explore the things that caught us off guard in a good way. All sorts of things can be involved in this category, be it patches, games, DLC, or in one case, an entire restructuring of games distribution.
These are the Best Surprises of 2024.
The Nominees Are:Castlevania: Dominus CollectionCeleste 64Dragon Ball FighterZ Patch 1.38Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective ClubThe Jackbox Survey ScrambleKiller Instinct 10th Anniversary UpdateKinki Spiritual Affairs BureauMarvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade ClassicsSteam Family Sharing UpdateTerry Bogard in Street Fighter 6TetrachromaUFO 50Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O.Webfishing
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
From Best Character, two phantoms were born. The spotlight-haver and the supporting act shouldn't be fighting with each other. It's not right. But I'll let the supporting acts brawl amongst themselves, that's just entertainment.
The Nominees Are:Eustace Winner (Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosector's Gambit)Larry Butz (Ace Attorney Movie)The Para Para Brothers (Dragon Ball GT)Genba (The Elusive Samurai)Tsubasa Fukuyama (Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club)Nemesis (Hades II)Maria Campanella (The House in Fata Morgana)Byron (I Am Your Beast)Eislein Burchelli Meijal Hulkenberg (Metaphor: ReFantazio)Lacey (Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: The Teal Mask)Straight Cougar (s-CRY-ed)Nix (Star Wars Outlaws)Profi (Stella of the End)Knights of the Rose (Unicorn Overlord)Hayato Suō (Windbreaker)Billy (Zenless Zone Zero)Lucy (Zenless Zone Zero)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky. The rules summary music for this category is City of Reason by Alkemie from Pentiment, whose character Andreas won Best Game Character in the Gimmick Awards 2022.
This was a category separation we felt very good about when it occurred to us: why are we having leading characters going up against background characters? Why don't we separate this into Best Major Character and Best Side Character, so it's not "this character is cool but they aren't very important to the plot so they're cut?" I like this much better, and I hope y'all do too.
The Nominees Are:Bang Bang Fire (1000xRESIST)Anon Chihaya (BanG Dream: It's MyGO!!!!!!)Tomori Takamatsu (BanG Dream: It's MyGO!!!!!!)Mara Forest (Crow Country)Baby (Dragon Ball GT)Lord Tokiyuki (The Elusive Samurai)Shikikan (Girls Frontline 2)Michel (The House in Fata Morgana)Morgana (The House in Fata Morgana)Jeeves (Jeeves and Wooster)Saku Fukuzawa (The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today)Yukichi (The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today)Heismay Noctule (Metaphor: ReFantazio)Alain (Unicorn Overlord)Belle/Rin (Zenless Zone Zero)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky. The rules summary music for this category is flanged drum by rj lake from EL PASO, ELSEWHERE, whose main character James Savage won our Best Character category in the Gimmick Awards 2023.
"Action Toolkit" is the best phrasing we could come up with, but it's like... you know when you play a game, and you push buttons, and it feels good? Yeah. That. A nice wall jump, a cool counter, a great set of tools that come together to form a playstyle and concept that feel good and engage your brain. Not everything on here is an action game. It does kinda exclude turn-based games, however.
The Nominees Are:Madeline (Celeste 64)Globule (Decline's Drops)Kez (Dota 2)Thief (Dragon's Dogma 2)Witch's Staff (Hades 2)Doctor Strange (Marvel Rivals)Jeff the Land Shark (Marvel Rivals)Luna Snow (Marvel Rivals)Peni Parker (Marvel Rivals)Engage Gundam Booster (Mobile Suit Gundam: Battle Operation 2)Yi (Nine Sols)Pepper (Pepper Grinder)Darkrai (Pokemon Unite)Ho-Oh (Pokemon Unite)Psyduck (Pokemon Unite)Sargon (Prince of Persia The Lost Crown)Night Owl (Slitterhead)Burnice White (Zenless Zone Zero)Miyabi Hoshimi (Zenless Zone Zero)Tsukishiro Yanagi (Zenless Zone Zero
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky. The rules summary music for this category is Pizza Deluxe! from Pizza Tower, whose main playable character Peppino won our Best Action Toolkit category in the Gimmick Awards 2023.
It would be wonderful if all that was necessary to make a great work of art was a good idea. Unfortunately, this isn't so, and the road to making an idea into real art is full of pitfalls, and chances for things to go astray. Or perhaps not astray- perhaps these artists made exactly what they meant to, and it's on us for seeing a different, better possibility in them.
Whatever the case, these are good ideas gone wrong. These are the Most Misguided of 2024.
The Nominees Are:Dragon Ball GTDragon Ball PROJECT:MultiFinal Fantasy VII RebirthFinal Fantasy XIV: DawntrailJackbox Naughty PackLong Gone DaysMarvel RivalsThe McRibMobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for VengeancePalworldPrincess Peach: Showtime!Rabbit & SteelSolo LevelingTactical Breach WizardsTekken 8Tetris Forever
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky. The rules summary music for this category is Faith to Face from AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative, our Biggest Disappointment "winner" from the Gimmick Awards 2022.
We're starting the Gimmick Awards with one of our most passionate, intensely discussed categories every year: Best Fighting Toolkit. We love fighting games around here, and we love to talk about character designs and movesets. God bless Jen, who is very patient with Kyrie and I every year in this category.
The Nominees Are:Monk (DNF Duel)Nen Master (DNF Duel)DIO (Dragon Ball FighterZ)Mr. Satan (Dragon Ball Sparking Zero)2B (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Beatrix (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Versusia (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Vikala (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)A.B.A (Guilty Gear Strive)Queen Dizzy (Guilty Gear Strive)Slayer (Guilty Gear Strive)Asura (Modded Marvel 3)Cyclops (Modded Marvel 3)DMC5 Vergil (Modded Marvel 3)Hinata (Modded Marvel 3)Akuma (Street Fighter 6)Ed (Street Fighter 6)Terry Bogard (Street Fighter 6)Reina (Tekken 8)Tsurugi (Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes)Kaguya (Under Night In-Birth II Sys:Celes)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2024 is Afternoon After the Rain by Kazuki Kaneko, and our art is a commission from Sarracenian on Bluesky.
This is the latest sampler for Novel Not New, our patron-only show! Want more like this? For just $5/month over at patreon.com/scanlinemedia, you can get access to monthly episodes of the show, as well as over 50 backlog episodes. All sorts of different games, a wild variety of guests, a bounty of tones and atmospheres. All yours: so check it out!
After months of internal discussion, we finally sat down to play the visual novel deckbuilder epic Library of Ruina. This tale of just the one City begins as it is simply the worst of times, with a society divided by class but united by the common language of systemic and personal violence. Into this mix we insert the Library: a supernatural place where a iron-hearted woman invites guests to their deaths, turning them into books to enrich her knowledge and draw her ever closer to her goal of becoming human.
This is simply our starting point- because oh baby, beLIEVE me we are off to the races from here. If we didn't have an expert joining us in the form of kb, I shudder to think how lost we'd be.
Our Guest!kb
This Month's Game!Library of Ruina
Next Month's Game!Private Eye Dol
Opening SegmentParanormasight: The Seven Mysteries of HonjoMisericorde: Volume OneDepersonalizationVolcano PrincessStar Wars: Jedi SurvivorThat Which Gave ChaseThe Decagon House Murders
And yet? The Netflix Gundam is still gonna be better than the Legendary Gundam. ...Ah, I really dug myself a hole with this one. I am not talking about the ZGMF-X666S Legend Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny. Nor am I talking about the machine known as "The Legendary Gundam" from a Mobile Suit Gundam AGE spinoff. I am talking about the live action Gundam movie that the movie publisher Legendary is supposedly working on.
That movie, will be bad. Requiem for Vengeance, is also bad. But I bet that movie will be worse.
And so we come to the close, at least for now. Six expansions in one go?! Yeah... there isn't much to say about most of them, from a lore perspective. Our journey heads to Panda monks, to time-travelling orcs, to legendary weapons, to breaking those magical weapons or Tinker Bell will die, to hell and back, and then to... dragons. What a long, strange journey it's been. And will continue to be going forward, I suspect.
The Scanline Media Discord can be found here!
Our journey into WoW Lore continues! With Vanilla behind us, Six and Allen guide Jen on to the early expansions: The Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King, and Cataclysm. Six forget Cataclysm existed until the middle of the recording? Yes! Does it mess things up? ...No not really! Jen cracks the riddle of The Premise of Every WoW Plot, and we can all go home. Buuuut, we're not going to. We'll see you next ep with more Lore.
The Scanline Media Discord can be found here!
The latest expansion to World of Warcraft, titled The War Within, is getting rave reviews with critics and fans alike. And yet, in some ways there has never been a worse time to start WoW. Certainly, the game is the most confusing and newbie-unfriendly it's been in ages. They won't even tell you the story of the game, and they actively try to stop you from playing it! We can't imagine what on earth they're thinking. But we can try to help.
Join Six, Allen, and Jen as we unpack the story of World of Warcraft, and its lore.
At Otakon 2024, I spoke with Justin Leach, Katrina Minett, and Christophe Ferreira of Qubic Pictures. We spoke about work in animation and production, perspectives, and bumping into the language barrier.
At Otakon 2024, I sat down with Akihiko Orikasa and Kensuke Yamamoto of Studio Orange. We spoke about the uniqueness, challanges, and misconceptions of 3D anime.
At Otakon 2024, I had the opportunity to speak with Uki Satake. We spoke about her role in crafting anime openings, interest in voice acting, and how to best take care of one's voice.
Well, we always knew this was possible... last week was a disappointing downbeat, with a series of pretty rough episodes. We all knew GT had its reputation as "the worst" for a reason, and with episodes 9 through 12, it... wait. Wait no, this is AWESOME! I mean, you know, ups and downs, but the Para Para Brothers are ALL TIME characters! This RULES!
The beat definitely has us with this batch of GT episodes, as we mark 75% of the way through the Black Star Dragon Balls Saga. Can the show keep this pace up? I guess we're going to be asking that for the entire run of GT... maybe we should just enjoy the highlights while they're here. And they're definitely here.
Thank you so much to @Merik_MERIMO for our awesome new podcast art!
It's not all sunshine and rainbows for our viewing. Quite early in, in spite of some refreshing episodes, we have hit our first bump in the road. Pan, Goku, and Trunks fight their way out of Imecka and land in a planet of giants, then deal with marriage obsessed catfishes. We are keeping the faith, but it will be seen if we are rewarded for it.
Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise is one of the most beloved in the world. Three great shows, a lot of video games of varying quality but with a huge fanbase all the same, and... then a black sheep. Even in a series where the missteps are treasured, there is one thing the community rejects: Dragon Ball GT. Aired immediately after the end of Z, GT was made by the animation team for the anime, without Toriyama there to write the scripts. In a sense, you could think of it as a whole anime as filler. Or perhaps it's better to think of it as the filler seizing the reins of its own destiny.
Either way, it's the WORST. Just a terrible show, with no redeeming qualities. Or... so Kyrie and Six have been told. But after a certain point, an excess of condemnation backfires. What really is GT? Can it actually be that bad?
The hell with it. Let's watch the whole thing.
For the time being, this will be on the Scanline Talks podcast feed, but once everything is established, we'll fully give it its own feed. We're working on podcast art too!
The unknown journey ends, and reveals that there wasn't much mystery there at all, really. Jen, Kyrie, and Six slump in their chairs and marvel at how hard this game has flopped, and to what degree it's poisoned what came before, for them. Is Rufus the hero of this game? Do you ever see a dog and decide it must mean you're in a different dimension? Why is Zack on the cover of this game when literally nothing he does matters even slightly? We have answers to some of these, and some we don't. What we know is, we're done.
And thank god for that.
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
The penultimate episode is here, and things just keep turning for the worse for our hosts. We deal with some very contrived plots, ponder over the nature of meta-narratives and it's failings, and gripe about the side missions. It's almost over, so it can't get much worse... right?
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
After a slight upturn in quality at Gongaga, Chapter 10 breaks everyone's spirits as the gang makes their way into Cosmo Canyon. It also happens to be the most racist chapter in the whole game! Fun!!
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
We tackle only one chapter in this episode, but boy is it a DOOZY. We travel to Gongaga, encounter too many bosses, and Tifa finds herself in the belly of the whale. Not like metaphorically like in the Hero's Journey, like a big damn whale monster. This chapter is weird.
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
Our podcasters finally arrive in chapter 6. Jen and Six call for some time off for some fun in the sun. Kyrie disapproves, but is outvoted. A lot of minigames later, a boss fight happens. Chapter 7 happens. Our podcasters arrive in chapter 8. Jen and Six call for some time fun in the Gold Saucer. Kyrie disapproves, but is outvoted. A lot of minigames later, a bo-
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
After defeating a giant snake, the gang finds themselves deep in some mines, spilling out into the Junon area. We face off with some Turks, explore the world, and get into one big confusing parade. This game is certainly making... choices.
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
Six and Kyrie are back to settle it. One number was never enough, so we have come back to scour the Dragonball Xenoverse 2 cast to try and stump the mighty dragon Shenron. Things get a little silly.
Recorded in honor of Akira Toriyama's 69th birthday.
One of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the year, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth cast a long shadow over the release schedule. Not only that, but our coverage plans, too: with press getting early copies, dropping reviews day-and-date with the launch, what merit was there to us crunching and rushing to release a podcast about it a week later (and making ourselves miserable in the process)? But we definitely wanted to cover it! So what was the solution?
Well, you're looking at it: a seven-part in-depth discussion of the game as we play through it, far more granular than a single spoilercast could hope to be, capturing the ups and downs as we fall in and out of love with this game. Where we're end on it, we still don't know. Just like we still don't know Sephiroth. Join us.
A huge thank you to Jackson (@headfallsoff) for helping us with a chapter breakdown for this series, and giving us clear stopping points!
Six took some time to go to the movies! Attending the LA Premiere, Six was able to see the US release of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom! Kyrie and Six hash it out about what is, all told, a pretty strange and fascinating movie. We talk about cool robots, bad wars, and the experience of attending the premiere.
This was supported by our patrons over on the Scanline Media Patreon! Be sure to check that out to support our work!
Take a breath, y'all! Dragon's Dogma 2 released a few hours ago, so we're good! No more big video game releases for 2024, we can all go home! And hey, while you're at home, chillin, why don't you listen to what we've been up to? Kyrie has been digging Vanillaware's latest, the strategy RPG Unicorn Overlord. Jen has answered the siren call of prestige TV with Shogun. Six has been nostalgizing with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot after the loss of Akira Toriyama. And though nobody here has touched Skull & Bones, we've still been getting way into pi- hmm maybe I shouldn't finish that joke! But old games sure are cool!
In chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, Overworld Day by Mitsuhiro Kaneda from Unicorn Overlord, the opening credits music from Shogun composed by Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Nick Chuba, The Adventure Begins! by Yasushi Asada, Noriko Murakami, Keisuke Ito, and Eisei Kudo from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, a medley I mixed of the Gameboy, GBA, GameCube, PS1, PS2, PSP, and Sega Saturn console bootup music, and finally the Wii U console bootup music to close the episode.
You can find us on Cohost and Twitter at @jen-and-aster and @jbu3 for Jen respectively, @KyriePage and @KyrieAPage for Kyrie respectively, and @sixdettmar for Six on both.
It all comes down to this: Best Game. Game of the Year. Call it what you like. We play a lot of games, and every year we make ourselves pick an overall winner. And people keep telling me 2023 was an incredible year for games, so surely this is gonna be a really hard list to cut down!
The Nominees Are:The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomParanormasight: The Seven Mysteries of HonjoStreet Fighter 6Star Wars: Jedi SurvivorPizza TowerLunacidMaster Detective Archives: Rain CodeWildfrostArmored Core VIThe Making of KaratekaEl Paso, ElsewhereAlan Wake IIVoid StrangerPokemon UniteSuper Mario RPGGravity Circuit
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @yonsoncb on Twitter!
When Scanline Media started, we wanted to focus on games. But over the years, from doing weekly anime podcasts and where our general interests as a site went, anime and manga became so much of our coverage. Here are the anime and manga that stood out to us as some of the best of the year.
The Nominees Are:GunbusterTenchi UniverseTrigunRecord of Lodoss WarFrieren: Beyond Journey's End (manga)TeppuVinland SagaOshi no KoSpace Adventure CobraScott Pilgrim Takes OffPlutoHikaru no Go
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @yonsoncb on Twitter!
In our longest category, we decided to let 2023 sing it's heart out. These tracks, be them anime OP or standalone songs, struck a chord with us.
The Nominees Are:Iron Lotus (Library of Ruina)Anger's Remorse (Alan Wake II)Yoton Yo (Alan Wake II)Dark Ocean Summoning (Alan Wake II)This Road (Alan Wake II)Herald of Darkness (Alan Wake II)Togenkyo Alien (Gintama)Mukanjyo (Vinland Saga)Paradox (Vinland Saga)Idol (Oshi no Ko)Mephisto (Oshi no Ko)You Won't See Me Coming (Gankutsuou)Active Heart (Gunbuster)Toppo wo nerae! ~FLY HIGH~ (Gunbuster)Zenryoku King (Ohsama Sentai KingOhger)Try and Fight! (Ohsama Sentai KingOhger)The Circle [Bedman? Theme] (Guilty Gear Strive)Just Lean [Johnny Theme] (Guilty Gear Strive)RAIN CODE (Master Detective Archives: Rain Code)I Will Remember You (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)bloom (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @yonsoncb on Twitter!
Instrumental tracks have often gotten the short end of the stick in our Gimmick Awards, and it's high time we changed that. These tracks backed some unforgettable moments or created an unmistakable atmosphere in 2023, and the following stood out to us.
The Nominees Are:H.T. (Trigun)It's Pizza Time! (Pizza Tower)Theme of Kai (Gravity Circuit)Mystery Labyrinth (Master Detective Archives: Rain Code)The Storyteller (Paranormasight)Stand Your Ground (Final Fantasy XV)Hammerhead Theme (Final Fantasy XV)And My Name's Booster (Super Mario RPG)Fight Against Culex (Super Mario RPG)Yet Another Winter Again (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)God Only Knows (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)Rocky Planet Descent (Kerbal Space Program 2)Jool Atmosphere (Kerbal Space Program 2)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @yonsoncb on Twitter!
Every year, we fight over fighting games. We're enthusiastic about the genre (that's an understatement) and it's a delight to see the new ideas and spins on characters that surface as new games and DLC release. Sometimes, it's the little things that make all the difference: a few tweaks to a classic character to reinvent them. Sometimes it's an entirely new concept. Let's talk about the candidates for Best Fighting Game Toolkit this year.
The Nominees Are:Suisei Hoshimachi (Idol Showdown)Juri (Street Fighter 6)Jamie (Street Fighter 6)Marisa (Street Fighter 6)Ryu (Street Fighter 6)Brawler (DNF Duel)Spectre (DNF Duel)Hinako Shijo (KoF XV)Anila (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Siegfried (Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising)Asuka R# (Guilty Gear Strive)Bedman? (Guilty Gear Strive)Johnny (Guilty Gear Strive)Kimberly (Street Fighter 6)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Most fictional writing runs on characters, and it is to these characters that fandoms attach themselves. It's these personalities, and often their visual designs as well, that people find so magnetic. Well, we're not looking for the most magnetic person here: some of these folks are not exactly easy to stan! That's fine. We're here for broken people. We just wanna pick the character we find the most compelling.
The Nominees Are:Xiao (Library of Ruina)Luke (Street Fighter 6)Halara Nightmare (Rain Code)Temenos Mistral (Octopath Traveler 2)Ayre (Armored Core 6)V.IV Rusty (Armored Core 6)Karlach (Baldur's Gate 3)James Savage (El Paso, Elsewhere)Noriko Takaya (Gunbuster)Jung Freud (Gunbuster)Jeramie Brasieri (Ohsama Sentai KingOhger)Rita Kaniska (Ohsama Sentai KingOhger)Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End)Saga Anderson (Alan Wake II)The Koskela Brothers (Alan Wake II)Alex Casey (Alan Wake II)Askeladd (Vinland Saga)Saber (Fate/Samurai Remnant)Peche Montagne (Mobile Suit Gundam UC Engage)Female Fanatic Zealot (Warhammer 40,000: Darktide)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
I am open to other perspectives, but a lot of the love of games to me is down to how it feels to hit a button. When the jump feels bad, the game is bad. When the jump feels good, the game is good. That's oversimplifying, intentionally. But so many games ARE just a collection of button presses, and how good they feel to hit. Platformers, action games, shooters, MOBAs, all of these are represented on our nominees. Whose buttons feel the best to hit? Let's decide that.
The Nominees Are:Peppino (Pizza Tower)Chai (Hi-Fi Rush)Kai (Gravity Circuit)Spark (Spark the Electric Jester 3)Blaster Stance (Star Wars: Jedi Survivor)Wild Dancer (Like a Dragon: Ishin)Sybil (Pseudoregalia)Xeku Zwei (Gundam Battle Operation 2)GM [Gatherroad Type] (Gundam Battle Operation 2)Alex [CA] (Gundam Battle Operation 2)Sisquiede (Gundam Battle Operation 2)MSN-04FF Sazabi (Gundam Battle Operation 2)Woundwort (Gundam Battle Operation 2)Mega Mewtwo X (Pokemon Unite)Mario Mario (Mario Wonder)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @yonsoncb on Twitter!
While we have catagories for entire games and shows, it's important to hightlight the moments too. Sometimes the entire work isn't a winner, but that's what can make a moment more remarkable. These moments from games, shows, and real life stood out in 2023.
The Nominees Are:"We Sing" (Alan Wake II)The volume slider/"Always remember me" (Paranormasight)Battle an Unruly Princess (Void Stranger)Drive Rush Countering (Street Fighter 6)AngryBird Winning EVO (Street Fighter 6)Drunk History (Like a Dragon: Ishin)Yotan Yo (the movie) (Alan Wake II)The Dam, Take 2 (Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon)Being the Problem (STONKS-9800: Stock Market Simulator)Aranea Drops In (Final Fantasy XV)Sailing the Coast (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)Proper Shield Surfing (Modded Breath of the Wild)First Sortie (Gunbuster)The Final Campsite (Final Fantasy XV)Aqua Decides to Try (Oshi no Ko)Karaoke Success (Disco Elysium)Finding the Bullet (Disco Elysium)Exploring the Depths (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @yonsoncb on Twitter!
I don't mean to shock anyone, but I, Six, am a bit of a jaded exhausted 30-something. Depending on who you are, you might consider that a redundant descriptor. Regardless, a lot of my experience these days is seeing a game or anime release, and knowing pretty quickly whether or not I will care. And, frankly, usually being right! Not that this is an achievement, a lot of us feel this way. The media landscape is just more predictable than it once was.
This makes surprises all the more meaningful. Sometimes you're ambushed by something cool you've never heard of before. Sometimes you think you know what you're in for, and you are wildly wrong. Whatever the case, we have to cherish the moments our expectations are pleasantly defied. We don't get as many as we used to.
The Nominees Are:Street Fighter 6The Murder of Sonic The HedgehogCall of the NightHi-Fi RushParanormasight: The Seven Mysteries of HonjoDisgaea 7F1 23Lies Of PScott Pilgrim Takes OffYggdra UnionWild HeartsOshi no KoSuika Game
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
2023 was... listen. We're here to celebrate. To have fun. But it wasn't a great year, all in all. There was a lot of dark shit. And when talking about it, even in a fun "year end podcast" situation, it's easy to get grim and depressed about everything. It's not that that's wrong. It's worth dwelling on the world's ills.
But the Gimmick Awards aren't about that, and we didn't want to have a bunch of downer awards. We don't do Worst Game for a reason. So as part of an effort to change the vibe around the (metaphorical) office, we decided to do the Community Effort award- a celebration of all the cool stuff fandoms did in 2023.
The Nominees Are:Steam Deck users go above & beyondBoku no Natsuyasumi 2 translationKurohyou translationsPalette SwapThe Off Season 2 - LEGALIZE MUTE CITYFan Wikis telling Fandom to shove itPPSSPP making games better than the PSPBoukenger perfectly preservedGiant Bomb Premium: Now on Internet ArchivePokeclickerCoH HomecomingDustloop Site Overhaul
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2023 is Ippai by kamatamago, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Ok. So we know what characters we're looking for from the gacha. We know what characters we can't get from the gacha. And we know about some truly spectacular dresses, though that's not particularly helpful. There's nothing left but to roll the gacha. Again. And again. And again. ...Hey Kyrie did we want to set like a MAX, or-
This is the latest in the "Numbers" podcast series, where we use math to joke about fighting games.
Granblue Fantasy hits its tenth anniversary this year. For the mega-popular gacha game, what better celebration than a bunch of other products to hook in those who aren't into the gacha? This has inspired Granblue the Animation, the action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink, and yes, Granblue Fantasy Versus, and its sequel Rising. As you might expect, these games shine a spotlight on some of the most popular characters in the game, selling you on their appeal.
But, speaking of selling... what if someone were to pick up Granblue today and try to get all the characters included in their copy of Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising? Would it be expensive? Would it even be possible? Well, let's find out. ...Right now? No no no no. This is going to take a whole podcast just to set up all the specifics of the QUESTION. On Part 2 we'll answer it. Or... try to. Let's just say there were some challenges in the process.
This is the latest in the "Numbers" podcast series, where we use math to joke about fighting games.
Scott Pilgrim, huh? I dunno what anyone sees in this guy. Regardless this new Netflix anime follows a new story in the Scott Pilgrim series, commenting on the series impact on culture, reflections on the characters, and a lot of video game and anime references. We bring on Jackie of Ultimate Despair Reprise to gush about this new anime. Spoilers ahead, we watched the whole series for this episode!
Editor's Note: This was supposed to be a request episode (which we will still do!) but some life stuff came up. We hope you enjoy this episode in it's stead. We also accidentally call this Oops All Anime, but hey. You know the drill.
As the holiday season ramps up, we here at Scanline are prepared for a yearly ritual: playing all the games that we feel like we should have an opinion on before we record the Gimmick Awards, our yearly Game of the Year (and more than game) awards. That makes this the last stop of us just chatting normal games before we dizzy ourselves with our obligations as critics. To that end, Jen has been mourning the loss of a rival in F1 2023, Six has been moddingMetal Gears on Steam Deck, and Kyrie wanted to see what's so remade about the Super Mario RPG Remake. Plus, we've all got thoughts on the 25th Anniversary Update for Half-Life.
In chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, The 23 Enigma by Ian & Ethan Livingstone featuring Julie Seechuk from F1 23, the Steam Deck startup sound, Nuclear by Mike Oldfield from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Calling to the Night by Natasha Farrow with lyrics by Nobuko Toda, composed by Akihiro Honda, and arranged by Norihiko Hibino from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, In The Garden by Yoko Shimamura from Super Mario RPG Remake, Hazardous Environments by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life, and then a reprise of 8bit23 by Koichi Morita.
You can find us on Cohost and Twitter at @jen-and-aster and @jbu3 for Jen respectively, @KyriePage and @KyrieAPage for Kyrie respectively, and @sixdettmar for Six on both.
The Nintendo 64, PlayStation 1, and Saturn were a pivotal moments for video games. 3D video games had arrived in full force, and the industry has never turned back. But Jennifer, Kyrie, and Six turned back the clock to dive into nearly 50 games that defined the generation, and we decided to sort the best of the best.
Fighting game tournaments are great, and a LOT of work to run. Shoutouts to the tournament organizers, the streamers, the casters, and more that make these tournaments run. But think about this for a moment: if a King of Fighters XV tournament is hard to run, how difficult is it in-universe to get these lunatics with magic powers and demonic possession and GUN ARMS to not only play nice to run a fighting tournament, but also to actually make it a good experience to watch? Seed it for good matches, build around TV primetime, and more?
Probably really easy, right? So Kyrie and Six are gonna just do it.
This is the latest in the "Numbers" podcast series, where we use math to joke about fighting games.
Around here, Bethesda's games are pretty divisive. We can all agree they're deeply flawed games, but to what extent their unique charms prevail against those weaknesses varies person to person. Jen still holds some affection for Skyrim, Six can't stand it, and neither have anything but disdain for Fallout 4. So what's the vibe with Starfield, their latest and most ambitious work? It's... charming. Though neither Jen nor Six has spent a ton of time yet- both around a dozen hours at time of recording- there's enough to want to get together and talk about the experience. And why not have mics on while we're at it.
You can find our hosts on various socials: on Twitter, Jen is @jbu3 and Six is @sixdettmar. On Cohost, Jen is @jen-and-aster, and Six is once again @sixdettmar.
Life moves pretty fast. Despite that, we all found times for a few games that we weren't playing for other podcasts this month, and time enough to sit down to talk about them. This year has seen Jen finally coming to appreciate baseball, and by extension baseball video games in MLB The Show 23. Kyrie has fallen for familiar comforts under friendly names by plugging her friends into Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth. And Six has been playing Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker and frowning at it... and reading the announcement for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, and SCREAMING at it.
In chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, The Real Thing from MLB The Show 19 by Cook Classics featuring Outasight, Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders, The Handed Down Name from Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth by Yuzo Koshiro, Prelude - Tales from Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker by Masayoshi Soken, and then a reprise of 8bit23 by Koichi Morita.
You can find us on Twitter at @jbu3 for Jen, @KyrieAPage for Kyrie, and @sixdettmar for Six.
They really did get our trust back only to throw it away, huh? After a messy first cours, G-Witch came back strong with the first three episodes of cours 2, and our early check-in was quite positive. It continued strong for a while, but of course, the same production troubles were bubbling beneath the surface, and that strong start began to collapse under the weight of all its problems. Now we come to you to talk about a show that just... didn't do it.
It's Not E3! Barring some stupid revival, it will never be E3 again! And yet game companies are still rushing to show us the Reason for the Season. Summer Games Fest, Future Games Show, PC Gaming Show, Wholesome Direct, Ubisoft Forward, Xbox Games Showcase, PlayStation Showcase, the list goes on... and on... and what does it all mean? Jen, Kyrie and Six sat down to talk about the announcements, the trailers, and the temperature of the industry in the middle of 2023.
SPOILER WARNING for early- to mid-game of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Six years have passed since the release of Breath of the Wild. Six years, then, since our podcast about Breath of the Wild, which was the first time we had Kyrie on a pod. And hey, also, my name is Six! Dang, this is starting to feel pretty important. I guess we should podcast about Tears of the Kingdom, the sequel to Breath of the Wild, huh? It's a game jam-packed with stuff, bordering on Assassin's Creed levels of content- though I'd never accuse it of that level of clumsy implementation. I wouldn't say it was ZERO clumsy, though....
I have never much liked theaters, even from a young age. So it takes a lot to get me to go see a movie in theater. Adding extra hurdles like it being a limited release, during a pandemic, only makes it less likely. But when it finally hit home streaming, I, Allen, and Harri were eager to check out the Kaguya-sama: Love Is War movie, The First Kiss That Never Ends. Well, I think Harri was mostly eager to talk about it, since it's all stuff he's already read in the anime. But we appreciate him for that.
At the end of the last cour, Allen and I (Six) talked about whether we wanted to come back and cover the second cour episode by episode, like we did the first. Our conclusion was "probably not, but who knows?" Now that we're decently into it, we're here to say... no. Definitely not. But, we felt the need to make that official, and we might as well discuss the first three eps while we're here, right? Because they're definitely interesting.
You know with all the podcasts we put out, it's amazing we find time to do much else. But luckily we find time to relax occasionally. Six took some time with Resident Evil 4 Remake while on travel, finding the experience a little lacking. Meanwhile Jennifer paddled her raft to the middle of a spooky lake, finding herself charmed by the world Dredge thrust her into. Lastly, Kyrie continues her revisit through Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters and finds lots to love despite a messy release of a beloved series.
Editor's Note: This episode got lost in the shuffle, and we recorded this one about three weeks ago. Please enjoy, regardless.
In chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, the Save Room Theme from Resident Evil 4 Remake by Kota Suzuki, the Main Theme from Dredge by David Mason, Fight It Out!! from Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters by Masatoshi Ono, and then a reprise of 8bit23 by Koichi Morita.
You can find us on Twitter at @jbu3 for Jen, @KyrieAPage for Kyrie, and @sixdettmar for Six.
Belts, as you know, are the most important meal of the day. You get up every morning, and say, "I love my pants, but I just wish I had control over how tight they were!" This is because you are naive, innocent of the world. Guilty Gear is here to tell you, belts for pants? Sure, I guess. But what about belts for gloves. For sleeves! For tightening around the base of your arm to make your bicep look bigger? Daisuke Ishiwatari has a belt affinity, and it spread through all of his designs. And so we ask ourselves: just how many belts ARE there in Guilty Gear Strive?
Let's count.
It's a new season of Racing Line, and the gang is back at it with our look at the latest season of Drive to Survive! Allen, Rose, and Danny hash it out- trying their best to keep it together through Louis Hamilton's Discord rants, Gunther's vacation in North Carolina, and the future of F1.
You can find Allen at Chatz: A Television Podcast with coverage of great television, Rose at the The Safe Room at the Abnormal Mapping Network, and Danny over on Skrimmage, his sports Mastodon server!Album art provided by Jackie Platinum over on Twitter, who can also be heard on Ultimate Despair Reprise on this very network!
You'd think after everything, we'd be free of games by now. But no- games returned, despite everything. Jen takes point with Metroid Prime Remastered, which finally got her to spend more time with the certified all-timer. Then Six explains their befuddlement at the strange tone and choices of Like a Dragon Ishin!, where historical fiction meets... weird ideas of treating people. Finally, Kyrie's wrist has been steadily improving, and she's been celebrating by playing a classic with Six- Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3.
In chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, the File Select Theme from Metroid Prime by Kenji Yamamoto and Kouichi Kyuma, Collisions of Our Souls from Like a Dragon Ishin! by Chihiro Aoki and Hidenori Shoji, the Character Select Theme from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 by Hideyuki Fukasawa, a track whose name I couldn't find from Reigns Three Kingdoms by Roc Chen, and then a reprise of 8bit23 by Koichi Morita.
You can find us on Twitter at @jbu3 for Jen, @KyrieAPage for Kyrie, and @sixdettmar for Six.
It all comes down to this. No more left, it's time we declared Scanline Media's Game of the Year!
The Nominees Are:DrainusElden RingGran Turismo 7ImmortalityKirby and the Forgotten LandsLive A LivePentimentPokèmon Legends: ArceusPotionomicsSignalisSplatoon 3Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy OriginThe QuarryTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's RevengeTouhou Mystia's IzakayaWitch on the Holy Night
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Critters. Monsters. Creatures. Little guys. Whatever you call them, games employ wonderful artists to imagine what sort of beings might reside in their worlds. This one's for all the friends out there. Join Jen, Kyrie, Six, and guest Allen as we find out the Best Creature of 2022.
The Nominees Are:Kleavor (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)Hisuian Typhlosion (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)Hisuian Zoroark (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)Huisian Goodra (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)Hisuian Decidueye (Pokemon Legends: Arceus)Sprigatito (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Nacli (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Miraidon (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Ceruledge (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Farigiraf (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Paldean Wooper (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Tinkaton (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)Frye's Eel Deal (Splatoon 3)Shiver's Master Mega (Splatoon 3)Lichdragon Fortissax (Elden Ring)Living Jar (Elden Ring)Jellyfish (Elden Ring)Malzeno (MH:R - SB)Regal Ancestor Spirit (Elden Ring)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
There's always the moments, right? The ones you tell your friends about, the ones you clip, the ones you tweet about. The ones you tweet AROUND because they're too cool to spoil. Every year generates a lot of them, and 2022 was no exception. It's nice to sit around and celebrate things. But in any meeting of minds, there must be a loser.
The Nominees Are:Quelling Noble Pokémon (Pokèmon Legends: Arceus)The Walk Into Exile (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)Nailing a combo recipe from the Combo Maker (GGST)Razzo Sends A Message @ CEO 2022 (GGST)Prison Breakout Flashback (The Quarry)Pros Shattering the Score Ceiling with Rolling (NES Tetris)Ending The Mammalian Plot (Splatoon 3)Haggling To Maximum Profits (Potionamics)MOUTHFUL MODE (Kirby and The Forgotten Lands)Act 2 to Act 3 Transition (Pentiment)Font Reveal (Pentiment)AmSa Brings Down The Big House (SSBM)Batman says ACAB (Batman: Arkham Origins)Kicksy Land, the Kingdom of Flat Snark (Witch on the Holy Night)Alice Goes Penguin Mode (Witch on the Holy Night)The Ageless Run (Sifu)Shoot The Table (Lifeline)Microwaving A Fork (Call of Duty Modern Warfare II)Reaching the Tide Pool (Spelunky 2)The Level 83 Trial (FFXIV Endwalker)Cracking It Open (Immortality)"You see…? You forgot…." (Stranger of Paradise)Go Faster/6-10 Race Platinum (Neon White)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
You've heard the Best Anime Character (or you should have, go listen!), and so you probably guessed from that name that there's a Best Game Character. Well guess what- you're right. And we're gonna decide who wins it right now.
The Nominees Are:Iron Fist Alexander (Elden Ring)Livingway (Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker)Shez/Arval (Fire Emblem Three Hopes)Bridget (Guilty Gear Strive)Testament (Guilty Gear Strive)Roomerang Host (Jackbox Party Pack 9)Sundown Kid (Live A Live)Andreas (Pentiment)Magdalene (Pentiment)Cyllene (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)Quinn (Potionomics)Deep Cut (Splatoon 3)Jack (Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin)Tewi Inaba (Touhou Mystia's Izakaya)Alice Kuonji (Witch on the Holy Night)Lost Robin Rondo (Witch on the Holy Night)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Time brings wisdom and perspective. Or, that's the theory anyway. My Game of the Year for 2012 was Tokyo Jungle. At the time, I was writing for a site called Press X or Die. Jen wrote for that site too, and while the articles part of that site died years ago, its forums at least are still kicking. (She didn't write a GotY for 2012, though her 2011 was Dead Space 2). And you know, it was only months later that Jen and I were like "we're leaving to make something for ourselves." That's how Scanline started.
We've done a lot of growing since then, as people, as critics, as entertainers. And I guess what I'm saying is, if Tokyo Jungle wins again I probably failed to confront my past self honestly =P
The Nominees Are:Analogue: A Hate StoryAsura's WrathDishonoredGravity RushJourneyLong Live the QueenMark of the NinjaMcPixelPersona 4 ArenaSkullgirlsSleeping DogsSonic and All Stars Racing TransformedSpelunky HDThirty Flights of LovingTokyo JungleXCOM: Enemy UnknownXenoblade ChroniclesZombiiU
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
We still think of ourselves as game critics first and foremost here. That's weird, isn't it? We cover anime every week without fail. We've got more than 300 episodes of anime coverage! And yet, the passion that started this site still defines us, if only two ourselves. It has been a gradual process of accepting that we're anime critics, too. And that's important to who we are.
Let's talk about the best anime we saw this year.
The Nominees Are:Bubblegum CrisisCyberpunk EdgerunnersDarkstalkers OVAGunsmith CatsKomi Can't CommunicateMy Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow RocksMSG: VictoryODDTAXIRed HoodRedlineSpy x FamilySuper Dimension Fortress MacrossTen: Teno-dori no KaidanjiWitch Hat AtelierYa Boy Kongming!Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
One of the big projects of 2022 was giving Iris In Audio more love and attention. This has been Kyrie's push to be sure- she's writing up the Winners post for this category, too! For me (Six), it honestly still doesn't come as naturally. Film has never been an important thing to me. I have some movies I like, as does anyone, but I never invested time or effort in the medium. Coming to it later in life, I feel a bit gun-shy. It isn't easy to learn the language of film crit in real time on a podcast. But I couldn't have better friends to do it with.
Now let's listen to a podcast where I tell them the movies they like suck.
The Nominees Are:Death Note (2017)Kaiji: The Ultimate GamblerLe SamouraïNorth by NorthwestOne Cut of the DeadRomeo + JulietThiefThe Unbearable Weight of Massive TalentTo Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Anime has tunes too, you know! I don't know why I'm saying this accusatorily- I'm sure YOU knew that. It's us who had to change the category this year because we realized all the things we were leaving out of That's My Jam. And a jam these are indeed. Let's talk anime music.
The Nominees Are:BAD CANDY (Girls Frontline)Chikichiki Banban (Ya Boy Kongming!)Kibun Jōjō ↑↑ (Ya Boy Kongming!)Daten (Call of the Night)Fukkatsu no Ideon (Space Runaway Ideon)I Really Wanna Stay At Your House (Cyberpunk Edgerunners)Konya wa Hurricane (Bubblegum Crisis)Mixed Nuts (Spy x Family)Souvenir (Spy x Family)Rainbow Rocks (My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks)Sassouto Hashiru Tonegawa-Kun (Middle Management Blues Tonegawa)Shukufuku (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury)Super Driver (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)Ugoku Ugoku (Girl's Last Tour)Venus Line (Birdie Wing)
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
The rhythm is going to get you. It's only a matter of time. We had some serious bops in 2022, but which is the boppiest? Jen, Kyrie and I (Six) are here to tell you what makes music good. Boy, I hardly feel qualified to do this.
The Nominees Are:Mirror of the World (Baiken's Theme) - Guilty Gear StriveLike A Weed, Naturally, As A Matter Of Course (Testament's Theme) - Guilty Gear StriveThe Town Inside Me (Brisket's Theme) - GGSTAnarchy Rainbow (Splatfest Main Theme) - Splatoon 3Till Depth Do Us Part - Splatoon 3Calimari Inkantation 3MIX - Splatoon 3Miracle Works (Ktisis Hyperboreia) - Final Fantasy XIV: EndwalkerCarrots of Happiness (Smileton) - Final Fantasy XIV: EndwalkerThe Nautilus Knoweth (Old Sharlayan Night) - Final Fantasy XIV: EndwalkerRoomerang Final Round - Jackbox Party Pack 9Megalomania - Live A LiveGO! GO! BURIKI-DAIOH! - Live A LiveShenlin Park - Freedom Planet 2Battle! vs Origin Palkia/Dialga - Pokémon Legends: ArceusDetermination -STAGE 1- - DrainusGreat Cat's Villiage R (NecoArc's Theme) - Melty Blood Type LuminaLinking (Character Select Theme) - DNF DuelBrawl of Hendon Myre (Tavern Theme) - DNF DuelImmortal Imperium - Warhammer 40,000: Darktide
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
We watch a lot of anime, every year. At the time of this writing, we've covered 280 anime so far in Oops All Anime's history. Naturally we've also watched a lot of anime on our own time. Add all that together, and we have some THOUGHTS. We also have a huge database to compare new anime characters against. But, y'know? Sometimes a good tsundere just works. Let's decide the Best Anime Character of 2022.
The Nominees Are:Anya Forger (Spy x Family)Cucuruz Doan (Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island)Gamma 1+2 (Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero)Pan (Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero)Inari Fushimi (Inari Kon Kon)Kongming (Ya Boy Kongming!)Miorine Rembran (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury)Suletta Mercury (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury)Nazuna Nanakusa (Call of the Night)Priscilla Asagiri (Bubblegum Crisis)Rebecca (Cyberpunk Edgerunners)Sorawo Kamikoshi (Otherside Picnic)Sunset Shimmer (My Little Pony: Equestria Girls)Wolf Bete (Miss Kuroitsu From the Monster Development Department)
"Six, this list is chaotic, how did you even organize this?" Well it's alphabetical by character name except when two characters are from the same show/movie, in that case they jump the line. It's also alphabetical by first name because some characters only have one name. Deal with it (sunglasses)
Coming up next, we have my (Six's) personal Game of the Year list hitting Tuesday, then That's Our Jam as our next podcast on Wednesday. But oh, what's this? There are TWO music podcasts this year? Well, I guess Friday will be fun too, won't it.
Here's our write-up for the winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Stop the presses- we got one wrong. This is unprecedented, but we have to change a category's winner. We wouldn't go back because we played more and felt differently, or because we rolled the arguments around in our heads and decided we made the wrong call. No, we're going back because a friend pointed out that in the Biggest Disappointment category, we were arguing based on incorrect information. And that doesn't feel quite fair. So here we are.
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
One of our traditions over here at the Gimmick Awards is this category, in its various incarnations. The name might confuse, but it's a straightforward idea: in any variety of action game, moves and tools are given to specific characters. Which character has the most interesting and fun overall toolset? When this category started, our focus was purely on fighting games, but over the years we've broadened it to character action games, shooters, MOBAs, and more. And with so many of these being live service games, a lot of effort is made to lovingly add new friends to their respective game's roster, with an associated movelist.
The Nominees Are:Pale Rider (Gundam Evolution)Sazabi (Gundam Evolution)Unicorn (Gundam Evolution)Dozle Zaku (Gundam Evolution)Omega Rugal (The King of Fighters XV)Athena (The King of Fighters XV)Shez (Fire Emblem: Three Hopes)NecoArc (Melty Blood Type Lumina)Edmund Dantes, the Count of Monte Cristo (Melty Blood Type Lumina)Lab Coat 21 (Dragon Ball FighterZ)Baiken (Guilty Gear Strive)Testament (Guilty Gear Strive)Bridget (Guilty Gear Strive)Sin Kiske (Guilty Gear Strive)Splatana (Splatoon 3)Tri-Stringer (Splatoon 3)Striker (DNF Duel)Inquisitor (DNF Duel)Hitman (DNF Duel)Schuzrum Galluss (Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2)The Three RX-0s (Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2)
That's it for this week! We'll see you next week with more Gimmick Awards, starting Monday!
Here's the write-up for our winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Games are really hard to make. Simply getting one out the door is always an achievement, something to be proud of. And these awards started as a celebration purely of games, though they've elevated to being one of more types of media. But we can't be all smiles. Sometimes choices are made with games that are just... disappointing, you know? We get our hopes up, and seeing them be destroyed stings. And so despite everything, we need to talk about the Biggest Disappointment of 2022.
The Nominees Are:AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA InitiativeBayonetta 3/Babylon's FallThe Callisto ProtocolCrossfireXDanganronpa SDNF DuelGundam EvolutionJJBA All Star Battle RMarvel SnapMobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation 2 PC BetaPokèmon Scarlet/VioletShenmue 3Shadows of Rose DLCSQEX/SEGA Blockchain InitiativesWordleWorld of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Classic
Our last award for the week is Friday, with Best Movelist- a category celebrating the sets of options various action games give their characters. It's a little hard to describe, but it's one of our favorites to record every year. After that, we'll be back next Monday for another week of Awards!
Here's the write-up for our winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
Welcome to the start of Scanline Media's game of the year celebration, our Gimmick Awards 2022! Over the course of four weeks, we'll be publishing thirteen categories, each its own podcast and paired write-up on the site for winners.
We're opening the year on a staple- Best Surprise! At the ripe old age of 33, I am harder to surprise than I used to be, but the delight of the unexpected still hits you sometimes. Please enjoy Jen, Kyrie, and Six (that's me) debating and deciding the Best Surprise of 2022.
The Nominees Are:Anno: MutationemThe Centennial Case: A Shijima StoryChained EchoesChrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers EditionDNF DuelDrainusFire Emblem Warriors: Three HopesGran Turismo 7Live A LiveNeed for Speed UnboundPentimentPokèmon Legends: ArceusPotionomicsSignalisStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy OriginTouhou Mystia's Izakaya
Coming up on Wednesday, we'll be doing the dark mirror of Best Surprise- Biggest Disappointment. It's our only negative category, because making games is hard as hell, and it's not fun to just dunk on people and their efforts... but some things are just too much to bear, and we have to vent in Award format. Please look forward to the discussion!
Don't forget to check out the write-up for our winners!
Our intro and outro music for the Gimmick Awards 2022 is Street Food by FASSounds, and our art is a commission from @inkopolis on Twitter.
And that's a season (nee cours)! After 12 episodes, The Witch from Mercury is going on break until the next season, and so are we... if we come back at all? Join Allen and Six as we talk about the season as it's been, and how 12 turns a lot of that on its head, for good or for ill. Though, I don't need to be too coy- as you will discover quickly, we're mostly of the opinion "for ill."
The second-to-last episode of the cours! Shaddiq holds his breath, Suletta catches her breath, Vim curses under his breath, and Delling doesn't waste his breath. Step aside, Type-Moon, there are TWO witches on this holy night. And is that an Aerial upgrade I spy? Damn, gang- this episode's good, so was the last, and I think the next will be great as well. I'm just hoping the break between cours doesn't kill this momentum.
We're all hustling and bustling as the year winds down, but you KNOW we're never too busy for you! Sit down with us as we talk games- Jen says the Callisto Protocol is as much Punch-Out!! as it is Dead Space, Six has come around on Spelunky 2 after initial crushing disappointment, and Kyrie has sold out... her potion stock in Potionomics.
In chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, The Callisto Protocol Main Theme by Finishing Move Inc. (Brian Trifon and Brian Lee White), Dwelling by Eirik Suhrke from Spelunky 2, the Potionomics Main Theme by Greg Nicolett, and then a reprise of 8bit23 by Koichi Morita.
You can find us on Twitter at @jbu3 for Jen, @KyrieAPage for Kyrie, and @sixdettmar for Six.
Oh boy, we sure are winding up for a mid-season, end-of-cours finale. Can you feel it? Schemes, misunderstandings, unfortunate coincidences… and into all of it, we're gonna toss a few new witches and their gundams and see what happens. I uh… I have a guess. I think it's gonna end badly for our pals.
On this episode, a turning point, as Allen listens with polite bemusement as Six lays out a theory as to what exactly is going on in this show. We get our first team duel, we see the triumph of the GUND format over the technology that almost killed it, and Miorine has already forgotten she's trying to start a medical company. Three episodes left, gang. It's about to start poppin', for real. And Six's theory will be put to the test right quick.
G-Witch. Listen. Listen listen listen. You gotta stop writing checks. Do you HAVE a bank account? These are going to bounce! No one can cash these! Settle down, build a foundation, follow through. THEN write checks. But stop touching a dozen interesting issues with no commitment to truly engaging with them, and a clumsy handling of what little you try! Please. I'm begging you.
It's time for a talkie episode. I like talkie episodes, Allen is less a fan, but either way, the thing about talkie eps is, you have to talk a lot. And G-Witch? Not great at the talking. So, here we are, an episode that's a blessing and a curse, but might free the show from the Curse of Gundam, in more ways than one. Even if it's sloppy, if this fixes the trap they built for themselves in the plot, I'm all for it.
They put out another Call of Duty. Its politics suck. Some things never change. But they might be worse in this one than you think... and yet, the campaign is also probably more interesting than you think? They made another Modern Warfare, and they couldn't decide if they wanted it to be a tribute to MW2 or a pointed note about everything wrong with that game. It's a mess, and it's (sigh) really fun.
You can find Six on Twitter at @sixdettmar. You cannot find Harri. He's unknowable. The intro and outro music are the Main Menu and Ending Credits from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II by Sarah Schachner.
Refresh Rate returns with another episode of Jen, Kyrie and Six recounting standout media and experiences from the past month. After bouncing off Sonic Frontiers hard, Six has fallen into Freedom Planet and its sequel, finding there what they couldn't in the series that inspired it. Jen is braving the season of death in Harvestella, and finding there's less harvesting than you'd expect given the name? And Kyrie is here to report back from a year where she finally felt safe returning to conventions, and the experience of doing so as press for the first time.
This link is a folder of images we reference during the pod, in chronological order.
Also in chronological order, our music is 8bit23 by Koichi Morita, the Freedom Planet Main Theme by Woofle and Strife from Freedom Planet, Those Who Resist Destiny from Harvestella by Go Shiina, Saria's Song from Ocarina of Time by Gamer of the Winds (@GameroftheWinds) and Mary of the Maryland Accordion Club (Facebook) live at Otakon 2022, and then a reprise of 8bit23 by Koichi Morita.
You can find us on Twitter at @jbu3 for Jen, @KyrieAPage for Kyrie, and @sixdettmar for Six.
A twist in the Elan Saga! Allen and Six are hanging with Lilique the Homie this week as we unravel the mystery of Why Are You Like This Starring Elan Ceres. It turns out... we now know why he's like this. To be fair, it was pretty clear from the start, it was just hard confirmation. Wonder what the next draft will be like....
Both sides are claiming victory this episode, as Allen declares that clearly, the events of this ep prove that Elan is a villain, while Six declares that obviously, the events of this episode prove that Elan is a good guy. At the very least we’re in agreement that this was a really good episode. Also […]
Another week, another false cliffhanger instantly resolved. We’re fully in School Drama mode this ep, as we deal with tests, retakes, bullying, and… sci fi bigotry? Oh boy. At least there’s a goat! Goats rule. You can find Allen on @chatzpod and Six at @sixdettmar on Twitter.
And with this third episode, it finally feels like we have a sense of what the rhythm and structure of…
I know this is just weeb hours right now, but Suisei no Majou has really good mouthfeel. So does The…
We’re back with another month in media! Kyrie’s keeping it current, and, dare I say, fresh, with Splatoon 3! Six…
After three years, Allen and Six are back for more in depth Gundam crit! The launch of Mobile Suit Gundam:…
It’s Gaming Season again! That’s why there’s a heat wave, you see. At least in California. Where today is Friday!…
After twenty-eight years, one of the most influential JRPGs of all time finally has an official English release. With seven…
Kyrie’s interview series from Otakon 2022 continues! She got a chance to speak with composers Kaoru Wada and Yuki Hayashi!…
This is the start of Kyrie’s interview series based on the people she got a chance to speak with at…
With Kyrie still away, we turn to friend and capital G Gamer Lotte to fill in our third chair! that’s…
Welcome to the renamed Playlist Podcast! That name? Not very good. This one? Better. And what better way to inaugurate…
"War is never truly extinguished. Even the smallest ember can erupt into an unstoppable blaze."
It’s another month, and we’re back to talk about more of what we’ve been playing lately! Jen is indulging in…
CONTENT WARNING: Non-graphic but emotionally charged discussion of fictional violence, abuse between partners, sexual abuse, and familial abuse, as well…
March is behind us, and thus, the really busy season of game releases also relents. It’s that end of fiscal…
Do you like… my car? Forza Horizon 5 left Jen and Six feeling surprisingly lukewarm, and most of the time…
It’s time for the new monthly Playlist Podcast! I mean, the podcast isn’t new. It’s just that we’re doing it…
Here we are: Best Game, aka Game of the Year. You know what this one’s about. Let’s get into it.…
Whether touching, hilarious, sick af or what have you, games have always been good at creating moments you just have…
Is this where I make a “ya like jazz” joke? That’s Our Jam is our music category, and we want…
Remasters. Remakes. Whatever you want to call them, they are here to stay. The PS3/360 generation poked its foot in…
If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will…
You could also call this Best Old Game, if you hated being pithy and also wanted to insult these games.…
The difference between Chinese and Japanese, aka “Riichi” mahjong, is the concept of the Yaku. Basically, it’s a bunch of…
There are a lot of bad things about the way technology has allowed games to be changed. Gacha mechanics. Live…
We’re pretty heavily invested in good writing in games around here. This also leads to a love of a well-written…
Even when a Gundam show is bad, you often get good model kits out of it. That’s the blessing of…
This is the longest list of nominees for any category, and there’s a reason for that. Around here, we love…
As much as we love surprises, it can swing very hard the other way. Sometimes you are all primed to…
Who doesn’t love a good surprise? It’s nice to look forward to games, and have them come out and be…
When you start streaming, you quickly learn that there is a difference between a game that’s good and a game…
The Nominees Are:Mario Party SuperstarsJackbox Party Pack 8Melty Blood Type LuminaHell Let LooseMahjong SoulPuyo Puyo Tetris 2Mario Golf: Super RushPokemon…
Welcome to Scanline Media’s 2021 Gimmick Awards! We’re starting off with a favorite of ours. We’re paid anime critics (every…
Now we bring things to a close. The curtains fall on the first single player Gundam game in years, with…
Jen and Six both have caught the fae fever! In the wake of Volume 1 of the episodic Mobile Suit…
After nearly two decades, Metroid Dread has arrived. Once little more than a rumor and an easter egg in a…
This is all Marth’s fault. Smash used to be a good, wholesome game of classic Nintendo characters. Now it’s all,…
A lot of text has been typed about how many Gokus are in Dragon Ball FighterZ. It’s a lot, of…
CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of a fictional incestual relationship, non-graphic purely the relationship. Also we spoil Twelve Minutes. The Playlist podcast…
Just because it’s a relatively quiet period doesn’t mean there aren’t new releases to talk about! Jen, Kyrie, and Six…
Experts of the Taroverse, assemble! Six was originally booked to host this podcast, but as discussions proceeded in the buildup…
Sony has announced it has 25 new IP in development! This after they killed off their single most creative studio…
Like a lot of Switch gamers, Jen, Kyrie, and Six have found themselves engrossed in the latest release from the…
We decided to watch some Gaim! May the Fruits be with you as we delve into Urobuchi’s try at tokusatsu.…
It’s been a while since we just talked about what we’ve been playing: let’s do that! Jen and Six talk…
With the first episode of That’s a ShenMood, we claimed we’d play through the Shenmue series and talk about it…
It all comes down to this… Game of the Year. We’ve played a lot of games, we have all sorts…
Fun fact, this award category takes its name from a channel on our Discord devoted to the discussion of music,…
Writing is essential to our enjoyment of games around here. Hell, there are games we think are BAD GAMES that…
We got waaaay more than our yearly dose of Yikes in gaming’s 2020. And that’s putting it lightly, honestly: some…
You can’t do game awards without talking about the individual moments that blew your mind. Jen, Kyrie, and Six assemble…
2020 was really the coming out party for Virtual Youtubers, or “Vtubers.” Obviously thanks to characters like Super Sonico and…
Three Kingdoms was definitely the book of the year around these parts. Hell, we had a whole podcast about it!…
Shoutouts to the add-ons. Base games are good, but with these games, additions made them even better. Jen, Kyrie, and…
This category is not what it seems. This isn’t about 2011-2020. This is about the decade of 2020. Because oh…
It’s time for one of the classic categories: Best Anime! Of all the anime we watched on Oops All Anime…
What is Best Discovery? Well, sometimes there are games you have expectations for, and they’re defied. But sometimes there are…
Day Two of our Gimmick Awards opens with a special guest! Allen joins Jen, Kyrie, and Six to talk about…
A new name for an old category, our last Gimmick Award for Monday is Backlog Star! What games from previous…
Our Gimmick Awards roll on with another new category for this year. Gone is Best New Fighting Game Character. Introducing……
The Gimmick Awards 2020 are upon us! Scanline Media’s multi-category awards discussion begins. Join Jen, Kyrie, and Six as we…
Oh no, we kinda start having to think about Game of the Year stuff! Kyrie’s played Ikenfell, and that might…
As the end of 2020 finally, finally, FINALLY seems possible, Six, Jen, and Kyrie assemble to talk about what they’ve…
We’re attempting the ULTIMATE skateboarding trick: getting a veteran Tony Hawk player and a series newcomer into the same room,…
Seeking a respite from a relentless year, Six and Jen retreated into the world of farming games. A newcomer to…
Sucker Punch, a studio that is at least in our circles infamous (ha!) for bad representation and thoughtless portrayals of…
We’ve decided to give a formal name to this recurring Snackline Media feature where we talk about the best of…
Six and Jen return with some gaming updates! Desperados 3, Terraria, Dishonored 2, and more! Join us!
The internet’s favorite queer toku podcast (unverified claim) returns! Returners from episode 01 Six and Crass are joined by Abnormal…
E3 has been canceled. We all know this. And even if it hadn’t been, it would have been a disaster.…
We’re still here, we’re still queer, neither Jen nor I drink beer! I can’t say I’ve ever asked Kyrie. What…
They done did it now. The Final Fantasy VII Remake is actually out. They finished it. And then, subsequently, we…
What is the BEST SANDWICH? Six, Jen, and Nick sat down with a long list, and a little ways into…
Hope y’all are doing well in this hellish modern wasteland! Us? Oh, we’re gettin by. We’ve been playing a bunch…
it’s cuz you be strugglin in that database. Over the last handful of months, Six was converted to the gospel…
A new campaign begins, but we can’t leave space behind. This is our episode zero for Starsung Distance, a campaign…
Welcome to That’s a ShenMood! Throughout 2020, the Scanline crew is going through the Shenmue games, and assembling to talk…
Here it is: the final award category of the 2019 Gimmick Awards. What game will take home the title of…
For all we celebrate the new releases of 2019, it’s just as important to look at the games that weren’t…
It’s kind of obvious to say that interactivity is what makes games special. No shit, right? That interactivity leads to…
Here at Scanline Media, there isn’t much we enjoy more than some good writing. As such, we always make it…
We watch a lot of anime around here at Scanline Media. A lot of it, we watch for Oops All…
You know what we love? Buildin shit. It’s cool to make things! If you disagree, uh… I mean I won’t…
The 2019 Gimmick Awards continue! Here at Scanline Media, we’re all about fighting games, so every year we try to…
Welcome to the 2019 Gimmick Awards! It’s time to talk the year that was 2019, in games and anime. Jen…
I continue to regret naming this feature “Game of the Generation” as we continue to discuss one system at a…
The video game season is in full effect, and we’re ready to give thanks for its bounty. Kyrie is counter-programming…
When it comes to fighting games, the shoto character type is the glue that holds them together. A flexible, easily…
This year has seen quite a few games framed around investigations. Among them are Judgment, AI: The Somnium Files, and…
With the release of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep and Destiny: First Light, the pendulum of Bungie’s sci fi magic shooter has…
Yeah, I know the Nintendo DS isn’t a generation unto itself >.< What can I do? The feature has historically…
The chain of bad gacha games in 2019 continues! On this episode, it’s Pokemon Masters, the latest collaboration between DeNA…
The Playlist podcast returns once again, with a new cohost! Six, Jen, and Kyrie assemble to talk what they’ve been…
Yakuza 7’s been announced, and it’s a turn-based RPG. Judgment is out, and might be getting a sequel, so now…
We’ve officially cast aside the unofficial name: now it’s just the GachaPod. Allen was right, that other name isn’t a…
Members of the Best House, assemble! Six is joined by fellow Black Eagle Ryan to revel in Edelgard’s victory, and…
You know that there are two semesters in a school year, don’tcha? So naturally, that means Six of the Eagles,…
The Playlist of recent games returns! Six and Jen have sampled of gaming’s bounty, and bring back fresh reports from…
The school bell’s ringing! Six of the Black Eagles, Jen of the Blue Lions, and Kyrie of the Golden Deer…
Well, here we go again, eh? Before you go too much further, please understand the conceit of this episode: while…
When Scanline was first starting out, Jen and I did regular articles where we talked about the media we’d been…
So you’re thinkin you’re in the market for an indie game. Maybe a horror one, but not like a horror…
Are robots people? Christ. What a boring question. What are you, David Cage? Let’s ask more interesting questions. You like…
It’s always valuable to sit down with game developers and hear their perspective on the industry, how it’s changing, and…
After much consideration, Six and Jen sit down to hash out their thoughts on the latest From Software release, Sekiro:…
Our journey to whittle down the roster of pocket monsters continues, and Six and Allen find their resolve tested. Six’s…
It’s time to put the world of Pokemon in its place. Six and Allen are here with a new podcast,…
And so the Gimmick Awards draw to a close. We’re ready to look to 2019, and face its new challenges…
It’s time for our last Gimmick Awards category. It’s easy to focus on the core gameplay and mechanics of a…
Our Gimmick Awards for 2018 continue with the big question on everyone’s mind: what about them tunes, though? Allen, star…
We’ve talked about 2018’s most disappointing game, but the games industry is more than just the games that make it…
Sometimes, it’s not enough to just look at the present, or even what’s on the horizon. Sometimes you need to…
Here at Scanline Media, we’re big fans of fighting games. As it turns out, our feelings on them are so…
Nick joins Jen and Six for a discussion of the Most Disappointing Games of 2018 in this episode of the…
The 2018 Gimmick Awards continue, and for our first year ever, we’re talking about more than just games! Oops All…
The 2018 Gimmick Awards have begun! We kicked off with Ryan and Allen’s year in music, and now we’re here…
Our Game of the Year podcasts for 2018, the Gimmick Awards, begin now! We’re opening with a guest podcast by…
Six and Jen have played a lot of Red Dead Redemption. 1, 2, and online. And frankly? They can’t play…
The title up there says this is The GachaPod. Listen… that’s not the real name. That’s the name we can…
Welcome back to Ill-Gotten Games: I’m sorry that we had to have you back. It’s not that we’re not glad…
CW: Spoilers! Can he swing From a web Yes he can Press R2 For a long time now, folks have…
Much like our last podcast was a roundabout discussion of RWBY Volume 1, this episode is a roundabout sort of…
Let’s go back to the beginning of the fairy tale. Neither Olivia nor Six are new to RWBY, the western…
You can’t leave a job half-finished. Six and Olivia are back to finish the caper with episodes 3, 4 and…
The title up there says this is The GachaPod. Listen… that’s not the real name. That’s the name we can…
It’s time for another Oops All Anime Sampler! The show has trucked on with weekly episodes and a ton of…
As much as we love video games, the business practices around them can be repugnant. The ugly nature of capitalism…
Crime doesn’t pay… unless you accept bitcoin. A new era means a new adventure for the world’s greatest thief, Lupin…
Oops All Anime is getting into FRANCHISING! Introducing Oops All Anime Gaiden, the spinoff show starring Joy Zircon and Six…
The sampler of anime discussion continues! This is the second of two podcasts covering Recovery of an MMO Junkie, an…
Hello out there all you free souls, clamoring for adventure! You know what’s the greatest adventure of all? Anime. …Wow, can…
Jen’s finally gotten around to Yakuza Zero right as Colin digs into Yakuza Kiwami, so the two sit down with…
The name may invoke a forest full of fear, but young adult anxiety is the true terror here! Jen and…
Jen and Colin teamed up with special guest Andy to discuss The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild! Sharkboys,…
It all comes down to this! After three days of side awards, Jen and Colin sit down to decide the…
Day three of our GotY podcasts is the last of our Gimmick Awards, and this time Colin and Jen are…
Our 2016 Gimmick Awards continue as Colin and Jen roll into day 2! Today’s categories are Best Hitman Level, Crime…
Our 2016 Game of the Year podcasts begin with our Gimmick Awards! In this first of three parts, we give…
Big releases scatter the months of 2016, and we’re running out of time to play them all before game of…
The Investigation Team digs deeper into Persona 4! On part 2 of our podcast on the PS2/Vita JRPG, Colin and…
A new podcast feed dawns, and with it, the launch of our new podcast! Welcome to Investigation Team, where Colin…
This podcast comes in three flavors: Bond, Bourne, or Bauer. If you got that joke, congratulations, and I’m sorry. Colin’s…
On this episode of Scanline Status, we celebrate the anniversary of the Dreamcast, and discuss the legacy it left for…
Sorry. Forgot to knock. Ben has been checking back in with 2010’s hottest Bond game, Goldeneye Reloaded, while Colin’s been a…
The world of Azeroth never left you- you left it. And you were right to leave, and it’s sorry, but…
Come in, try a nice puzzle. We’ve seen some movies, we’ve played some games, we’ve got thoughts about eSports. The…
You know what my favorite thing about Pokemon Go is? The number of my friends who have come back to…
Ben and Colin have finished Zero Time Dilemma, and have a podcast of thoughts for you! Crashing the party is…
With E3 in the rear view mirror, Ben, Colin, and Johnny get together to discuss their thoughts on the show,…
Johnny and Colin are both veterans of many years of MMORPGs, with vastly divergent taste in the genre between them.…
Welcome to our new semi-regular podcast about what’s been going on in games and the world beyond! Johnny, Ben, and…
We keep it real in these streets. Capcom’s biggest fighting game has been back for a few months now, and…
We’ve only got one Harvest Moon fan on the regular staff here, so to discuss this one, we had to…
Since I do the titles and descriptions for our podcasts, I can use them however I want. HEY. Bring Baby…
The Overwatch stress test beta has passed us by- and for once, Colin and Ben have gotten into a Blizzard…
It has been several years since The Walking Dead: Season One made its big splash in the industry, and pushed…
Terrible ideas, ho! Colin’s been a deeply casual wrestling fan for some time, and Johnny’s been a deeply skeptical eyebrow-raiser.…
This time, Johnny and Colin have actually seen some of the same shows. Lupin the 3rd Part4, GATE, Durarara… ra…
We took two massive lists, and whittled them down… and now those two lists combine, and we finally make them…
The debate rolls on- what is the best game of the sixth generation of consoles? PS2 and Dreamcast have been…
Some would say that the Playstation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Dreamcast generation was the best console generation ever. I am…
The debut project from Thekla, Inc. and second independent effort from Jonathan Blow, nobody’s been able to shut up about…
This is it- the big one. Game of the Year. Johnny, Ben, and Colin sit down to figure out the…
This is it- the big one. Game of the Year. Johnny, Ben, and Colin sit down to figure out the…
The Scanline Media 2015 Game of the Year show begins with our Gimmick Awards! Johnny, Ben, and Colin join forces…
The Scanline Media 2015 Game of the Year show begins with our Gimmick Awards! Johnny, Ben, and Colin join forces…
Why. Why did we do this. For some ungodly reason, Johnny and I decided we should record a podcast talking…
All throughout our Game of the Generation 360/PS3/Wii podcast, one question kept nagging at us- what about the handhelds? And…
We were both eagerly anticipating the release of Galak-Z- I on PS4, and Johnny on PC. Now that we’ve both…
Our Game of the Generation discussion rages on, and eventually concludes. From our original sixty-six, we do, eventually, manage to…
The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii are all wrapped and done. Sure, a few triple A games will still…
Generally, reviews are handled by one person around here, and they get up a written review. For the cyberpunk adventure…
When Johnny sat down to interview me about Destiny: The Taken King, I figured it would go about thirty minutes,…
Text But In Words is our on-and-off debate podcast. For our third episode we’re discussing the free-to-play PC fighting game…
Text But In Words is our on-and-off debate podcast. In this episode, Johnny and I discuss crafting games like Minecraft,…
Text But In Words is our new on-and-off debate and discussion podcast. This time, we’re tackling the Batman: Arkham series…