Seasonal Anime Checkup OVA: Recent Episodes
Jared Clemons
A supplemental podcast to the Seasonal Anime Checkup for shows that deserve more time to be talked about or big news in anime.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see if things have gotten better for Mario and our opinion of these movies in the second go around with Illumination.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate 500 episodes of the podcast by taking a look at James Cameron and Bill Paxton’s journey to the wreckage of the Titanic in August and September of 2001 where nothing big will interrupt this scientific endeavor.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss what their various freaks are up to on their islands and why this game has been so addicting.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) team up in this game that’s totally not like any other video game, nope, not at all, to do a little bit of time travel throughout a 1000 years. We discuss the story and how playing it in co-op made this a different experience for us than what most people will probably have.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at what’s coming out in the second half of 2026 and beyond with regards to video games and anime.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the final season of The Bear and how it’s single day approach to the season works tremendously well and is a return to form for the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the infamous Donkey Kong 64 and how it went from critical acclaim to a controversial title.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest Nintendo Direct which featured the return of Xenoblade, Kingdom Hearts, and that Ocarina of Time remake.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss all the announcements that came out of the Summer Game Fest as the video games continue to come out.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the June video game announcement train with Sony’s offering of games. We talk about what showed up and what we thought was fun and what wasn’t.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) play two different games this week as AL tells us about the latest Yoshi game that focuses more on puzzles than platforming, while Jared runs a Japanese convenience store in 1993.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the final mainline console Zelda game they’ve yet to talk about on the pod. Jared played the game for the first time in nearly 20 years and has some new thoughts about the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the 90s and try to build their best mixtape with Mixtape and come away with mixed results.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of live-action Yakuza adaptations with a new take on Yakuza 1 that is handled much better than the previous live-action adaptation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue the otome gauntlet with a game that AL describes as a more beginner friendly otome game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) prepare for AL’s otome gauntlet as we take a look at Temirana and learn about fellows like Josephy and Eric.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the second of three movies for the finale of Nijigasaki as we see what the other half of the gals are up to and how the movie is not at all subtle at some points.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) reach the end of Max’s journey in Life Is Strange with the latest game in the series that also reintroduces Chloe and a plot that’s kind of just there.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally discuss a game that AL has been championing for years and look at why this game is an underrated Mario game and a possibly a sequel to Super Mario World.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have our annual March Madness episode as we pit 64 characters from the Resident Evil series together and see which one is the best of the best.
You can fill out your own bracket right here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17_RjlF7s4se2hPv0vMzSledVb17MHyGCs9QtNxktkTE/edit?usp=sharing
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the Mine story expansion for Yakuza Kiwami 3 and how it felt completely unnecessary.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Resident Evil with the latest entry in the series. We see what’s up with Grace, how trauma has affected Leon, and ponder who Leon’s married to.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the remake of Yakuza 3 and ponder whether it was truly necessary with its many controversial changes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) head to space and see if the Trails series has righted the ship after Daybreak 2 and what it feels like to be finally caught up with the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what Sony had to talk about for an hour with a lot of video game announcements.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at all the announcements from the latest Nintendo Direct partner showcase.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have finally seen all of the Resident Evil CG films as we watched the first movie that was made. We discuss the story, the dated art, and Leon being stanced up for the whole movie.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss another game with fishing included in it that also has a ton of Sanrio characters hanging out on an island. Of course, we also have to talk about the myth, the legend, Big Challenges.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at a variety of video game related movies we’ve seen over the course of the podcast’s lifetime and decide to see which films are the best of the best.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss making choices, being a hero, and how good of a boy Beef is.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the first new console entry in the Katamari series since 2011. AL discusses why the game resonated with her so much and why it was a much-needed bit of respite last year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the new year by taking a look back at an otome game from last year that features spirits, faes, and some very strange alternate endings.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have reached the final episode of the year which means it’s time to take a look back at our favorite games of 2025. We give out our supplemental awards, induct a new game into the SAC HOF, and finally countdown our top ten games of the year.
You can read the text version of this list here and AL’s list here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest entry in the Rascal Does Not Dream series for the holidays. We discuss this second TV season and where we think things potentially could go with the next movie that will air in 2026.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at various video games and anime that will be coming out in 2026 and beyond and give our thoughts on them.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go back to 1960s Japan to see what’s up with the latest entry in the Silent Hill series and AL says “LADY” a lot.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the Trails in the Sky remake to see what’s different with this new version of the game and how Jared thought of his first experience with the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the announcements and new from Sony’s latest State of Play that was focused more on Japanese and Asian games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss one of their most anticipated games of the year with the sequel to PowerWash Simulator and one of their favorite recent co-op games. We discuss the new features, new jobs, new kitties, and what possibly could be in the licensed DLC coming later.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the wild world of season 2 of DanDaDan and some of our favorite moments, the new characters introduced, and teases of what’s to come next.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at Jared’s different forays into various racing games. Some that are a little bit more on the simulation side of things with a lot of mod support and one that is a gacha game about horse girls.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get a little cooperative and reminisce this week as we played through the co-op puzzle platformer Lego Voyager and AL played a bit of Banjo-Tooie and had some new thoughts on the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the various pieces of Resident Evil media they’ve both experienced from games to movies to television shows. With a list of 18 entries, we rank them to see which is the best of the best.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest entry in the live-action adaptation of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series, this time adapting the At a Confessional chapter into a full-length movie. We discuss the new additions to the story and get very mad at the soundtrack that was made entirely with AI.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the announcement of Yakuza Kiwami 3 and everything that Sony announced at their latest State of Play.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see Nintendo weirdly celebrate the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. and also announce some other new games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at Dont Nod’s latest narrative adventure game that lets you go back and forth between 1995 and 2022 with some supernatural elements and being able to record on a camcorder whenever.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest game in the Donkey Kong franchise where you can destroy everything and dress up DK like a gremlin.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss a strange direction for the Dynasty Warriors franchise as it shifted to an open world that really didn’t work, but did have the weirdest horse AI ever seen in a video game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the 2nd and 3rd Rascal Does Not Dream films and talk about the new story development in both films, which film is the better of the two, and the positive traits this series continues to push forward.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into some somniums again as we check out the first spin-off game from AI: The Somnium Files. We talk about the shorter story, how it compares to the two main games, and how this is secretly a Zero Escape game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest Nintendo Direct that looked more at 3rd party games coming to both Switch and Switch 2 rather than 1st party games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Bustafellows to see if one of AL’s top otome games continues to be a good series or if it will tumble like most otome sequels/fan discs have done on her list.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the mystery series Shoshimin, written by the author of Hyouka. We mostly dive into the second season given how recently it came out and discuss the two story arcs that the season encompasses.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what’s up with our old buddy Sam Porter Bridges as we dive into doing a lot of deliveries and building roads in Death Stranding 2. We talk about how the game has improved over its predecessor and why it has a more coherent story than the first game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at what’s coming out in the second half of 2025 and beyond with regards to video games and anime.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get very French to check out one of the highest rated games of the year thus far. We see if the praise is warranted and how wild you can get with making these characters look.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go back to the tumultuous times of the late 1960s in southern America with the third Mafia game that features a different kind of story and one heck of a soundtrack.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome where there’s a dude in a sword and a whole lot of fighting.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the big games announced around the Summer Game Fest festivities to see what’s coming out later this year, 2026, and beyond.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally talk about the game where you power wash after the final DLC was released and why it became a big co-op game for us in the last few years.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what happens as the Daybreak portion of the Trails series continues and why after 12 games, this might be the series’ first miss.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) head to the deep south to see how much this game embraces various mythologies of the area and aspects of Southern Gothic literature.
Microsoft | BDS Movement
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the latest Love Live! game that has the bizarre distinction of being a sequel to a gacha game that is no longer available.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the final season of Mythic Quest and its controversial ending with regards to its story and changing the ending as well. We also talk about the spinoff series Side Quest that was a welcome surprise.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see Dynasty Warriors return to its origins by letting you fight more dudes than ever before and also be pursued by more dudes than ever before in more ways than one.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get back into the otome world with a famous character artist, a found family, and some crimes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out Hazelight’s latest co-op game where we both became authors traversing through each other’s stories, saw some impressive technical aspects, and saw how subtle the story likes to be.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get back on the otome wagon as we see a rarity with multiple protagonists and a whole lot of flower talk.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go over a litany of Nintendo announcements that feature some surprising late console cycle announcements, a bunch of information about the Switch 2, and some less than exciting pricing.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get mad as our annual March Madness tradition returns with a bracket full of playable characters from the Trails games. Who will survive to the end and be seen as the best of the best?
If you’d like to fill out your own bracket, you can do so by clicking this link!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take it back to the year 2000 to see what a Kotaro Uchikoshi game is like before he made the Zero Escape trilogy and the Somnium games. Unsurprisingly, there’s sci-fi and a lot of discussions about Schrödinger’s Cat.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Yakuza/Like A Dragon to see what’s going on with Majima and why he’s become a pirate. We discuss the new gameplay elements, how this game is similar to The Man Who Erased His Name, and where the series will go next.
Apologies for Jared’s audio being a bit funky this week. Hopefully we’ll have that fixed soon.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out what’s up with the latest game from Hironobu Sakaguchi and how the expanded version of the game reunited Sakaguchi and Square Enix for the first time in over twenty years, thanks in large part to a video game called Final Fantasy XIV.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome to see what happens when you get stuck in an amusement park where if you leave you could die.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look at two different Ace Attorney games that have finally been bundled together. AL breaks down both games to see if they’re still worth playing and if the second was worth the wait for it to come out officially in English.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss everything announced at Sony’s first State of Play of the year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) begin the Nijigasaki movie trilogy to see what’s up with the School Idol GPX, new combinations of the girls together, and a new suspicious mom has shown up.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the concept we started last week as this time, we rank AL’s past eight games of the year. There’s only two games that are shared between her list and Jared’s so it’ll be a different set of games this time around.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the past ten years of Seasonal Anime Checkup Game of the Year and see which game is the best game of the past decade.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the television adaptation of the Love Live! School Idol Musical stage play. We discuss where we think some of the differences are as we haven’t seen the stage play, how the series was overall in its six-episode run, and how it’s a prequel to the entire Love Live! series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss another otome from last year that AL got to date dead dudes, really enjoyed, and managed to be pretty high on the Ranking of Otome.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the new year by taking a look at AL’s Game of the Year in Metaphor: ReFantazio. We see what’s up with Atlus’ new JRPG, whether or not it continues the studio’s problematic elements found in previous games, and why it feels like a natural evolution from the Persona series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) end the year by taking a look back at their favorite games of 2024. We go through out supplemental awards, induct a new entry into the Seasonal Anime Checkup Hall of Fame, and countdown our top ten games of the year.
You can read AL’s write up here and my write up here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at some Love Live! holiday episodes with “Melody of the Heart” from Love Live! school idol project and “Awaken the power” from Love Live! Sunshine!!.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at video games and anime that’ll be coming out next year and beyond.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) chit chat about two games they talked about recently. Jared discusses the story mode of the recent WWE 2K game. AL rants about Mario & Luigi: Brothership and why it made her mad.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go mobile with their otome this time as we dive into Tears of Themis and see how this mobile otome stacks up with others in the genre.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Trails for a new story arc in the 11th game of the series. We talk about the new characters, new story, and how we feel about this opening to the Calvard story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Life Is Strange to see what’s up with Max Caulfield as she’s had to navigate the aftermath of the first game and all the trauma associated with that.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) watched through the television adaptation of the first Yakuza game and talk about where things went wrong with it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the final DLC for Alan Wake 2 that sets up what could be happening in Control 2.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) try to keep some youths alive in the original version of the horror game Until Dawn. We had AL doing all the choices so we see how she managed in trying to keep people alive and how this compares to the Dark Pictures games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the latest Legend of Zelda game that finally features Zelda in the main role. We talk about the new style of gameplay, how we did puzzles differently, and just how much fun we had with the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the first SPY x FAMILY film that brings an original story that features a big sub plot about Anya having to poop.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the scariest month of the year by talking about an otome game. We discuss how there’s only 3 guys to date and everyone wants to hook up with everyone.
A code for this game was provided by the publisher.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the latest State of Play from Sony that was surprisingly decent.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the remake of Persona 3 FES’ The Answer expansion with Episode Aigis. We talk about how this is a remake of that for better or for worse, how the fights are still a grind, and why there’s still a good story to be found within.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are still pleasantly surprised that they made a new Famicom Detective Club game. We discuss how this game fares from its predecessors from over 30 years ago and how this is a very rare instance of an M-rated Nintendo game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at nearly 40 years of video game console launch lineups and see which console started off on the best foot.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the latest Nintendo Direct that featured some true surprises and a familiar franchise coming to the Switch.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate 400 episodes of the SAC OVA by watching eight pro wrestling matches curated by Jared. We discuss their historical significance, how they differ from one another, and why they’re all fun to watch.
Matches watched:
Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart WWF WrestleMania 13 3/23/1997
Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Eddie Guerrero © WCW Halloween Havoc 10/26/1997 WCW Crusierweight Championship vs. Mask
Mike Awesome vs Masato Tanaka ECW One Night Stand 6/12/2005
Hiromu Takahashi © vs Dragon Lee NJPW New Beginning in Osaka 2/9/2020 IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship
Daisuke Sekimoto © vs Kota Ibushi DDT Max Bump 2010 5/4/2010 KO-D Openweight Championship
Bryan Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr. AEW Wrestledream 2023 10/1/2023
Aja Kong © vs KAORU GAEA Big Destruction Tag 2 AAAW Championship 2/13/2000
Bayley vs Sasha Banks © NXT Takeover Brooklyn NXT Women’s Championship 8/22/2015
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) after many years finally talk about the final Shadow Hearts game and how its fresh start doesn’t let it live up to its predecessors.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the fan disc for Radiant Tale and how out of all the otome games, it sure is one of them.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) play a Zelda game that AL had yet to play yet in the first try at making a multiplayer Zelda game. We discuss how it came to be, why it worked as somewhat of a test, and where we would re-rank it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look at a variety of things they’ve been poking at recently. We discuss American Truck Simulator, Jared getting a new PC, PS2 emulation, and strange fishing games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the second season of Nijiyon and how it continues the trend of being very silly and including some fun pairings that you don’t often see in the Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the latest expansion from Final Fantasy XIV and see how things come together with a brand-new story that takes inspiration from a popular anime/manga genre.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the second half of the year to see what will be awaiting us and what we’re exciting about.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Cupid Parasite to see what’s up with these boys now and learn about the impact of lobsterification.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the latest Nintendo Direct that saw a new Mario & Luigi, Legend of Zelda, and the return of Metroid Prime 4.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about a good chunk of games that were talked about during the Summer Game Fest, the Xbox Showcase, and Ubisoft as it’s summer and it’s time to announce games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the announcements from Sony’s recent State of Play before we dive into Dragon Ball Z Kakarot and learn how AL feels about the series now that she’s finally experienced it in full.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally get to talk about one of the weirdest and controversial game releases of 2024 in the sequel to School idol festival now that it’s officially shut down. We talk about how the game is compared to its predecessors, how the shutdown caused the game to come out earlier than expected globally, and why it was a failure in many different aspects.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of the live-action adaptation of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan where it is adapting some stories featuring our favorite Italian chef. We talk about how this episode did adapting an episode from Diamond is Unbreakable and a story from the manga, the excellent cinematography, and why this series continues to be fun.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss Peach’s return to the role as a main protagonist for the first time in nearly 20 years. We talk about if this return is able to live up to its predecessor and other recent Mario platformers or if this unfortunately falls flat.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into a GBA JRPG that AL has been wanting Jared to play for a very long time. We discuss its historical significance, how it holds up today, and how it splits its story into two games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome and this time we got some boys from Hell to deal with. Will 2024 continue to be decent for otome or will we see our first dud of the year?
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at a novel that came out a little bit after Final Fantasy VII Remake that provides some backstory for Tifa and Aerith that has some stuff that is brought up again in Rebirth and also has info that is contradicted in Rebirth.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) attempt to believe in the heart of the cards as we take a look at the second Yohane the Parhelion game, but this time, it’s a deck builder. We talk about the game’s story, how the gameplay manages to change through each run, and whether this ends up being better than BLAZE in the DEEPBLUE.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off 2024 otome with a game about making an app. AL walks us through all the boys and whether or not this continues the less than stellar quality of 2023 otome or if things seems to be improving.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the last new original 2D style Zelda game that was released that’s also a quasi-sequel to A Link to the Past. With Jared having finally played it, we dive into the game and what makes it good as a nostalgia piece, but also its own game, how ALTTP randomizer made Jared better at this game, and why we both want a new 2D style Zelda game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) present our annual March Madness episode as this year we put 64 characters from the Love Live! franchise into a bracket and see who comes out on top.
If you’d like to fill out your own bracket to see who you’d pick as the best of the best, you can do so by clicking here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are now ready to talk about the latest entry in the remake of Final Fantasy VII. We discuss all those new mini-games, the new ways they imagine this story, and that ending.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss a decade old otome game where AL learned about ships, time travelling to World War I, and a dude named Ron.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to talk about more Final Fantasy 7, but not that new release quite yet. We discuss the mobile game Ever Crisis that will eventually cover all of Final Fantasy 7 and whether or not we will actually see all of that, the immense grind the game has, and how it is as a gacha game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Persona 3 with the recent remake of the game. While we don’t go over the story again, we discuss how the remake enhanced the game, the new changes added to Reload, and why we hope The Answer gets this treatment as well.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about the latest Nintendo Direct that focused on third party games such as some Xbox games coming to the Switch.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into the lengthy next entry in the Like a Dragon series to see what’s up with Ichiban and all his pals. We talk about the many side activities, the story, and the surprising deuteragonist situation the game takes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome with a side story from the My Next Life as a Villainess series to see if there was a second good otome game to come out in 2023 or if it continues the trend of bad otome from last year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the absurdity of Love Live! School Idol Festival 2’s global release and end of service of announcement in the same breath while providing context on how all of this happened. We also talk about the January Sony State of Play to see what’s coming soon to the PlayStation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Science Adventure games to see what it means to be a hacker and how saving and loading can become an interesting gameplay mechanic.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) do their best to be detectives in the latest game from the team behind Danganronpa. We talk about the wild and intriguing story, how it compares to Danganronpa, and why this being on the Switch lets this game down.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue to clean up games they played in 2023 as AL lets us return to the world of otome in a game that made her absolutely suffer.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what’s going on with the two Spider-Mans with Peter and Miles now teaming up together in third game in the PlayStation series. We discuss the story, whether the gameplay is still good, and of course, Sasuke.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) end 2023 by looking at what they thought were the best video games of the year. We give out some supplemental awards first, induct a new game into the Seasonal Anime Checkup Hall of Fame, and then dive straight into our top ten games of the year.
You can read both our thoughts on our lists with mine here and AL’s here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into our annual holiday episode by taking a look at the Kaguya-sama film, The First Kiss That Never Ends. We talk about the weird and goofy Christmas aspects of the film, how the romantic aspects work incredibly well, and why taking a deep dive into the characters is one of the best things they were able to do.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look ahead to next year to see what all is coming out with regards to the world of video games and anime.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) hope the third time’s the charm with Scott Pilgrim as they dive into the anime “adaptation” of the graphic novel. We discuss our previous feelings on the franchise and what this version does differently and if it finally is the version we’ve been hoping for.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) put their expert caps on to discuss the latest Love Live video game in the metroidvania based off of YOHANE THE PARHELION -SUNSHINE in the MIRROR-. We discuss the game itself, how its rooted in the series’ history of April Fools jokes, and why the price point is not great.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) hang out with this new fellow named Joryu and see what his mission was during the events of Yakuza 7. We also get to talk about the Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth demo that’s included with the game and see what’s going to be new with that game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see AL experience yet another Hideo Kojima game with Metal Gear Solid 2 and Jared playing through the game for her. We discuss the historical implications of the game, how the ending was changed, and what AL ended up thinking about the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally return to the world of Alan Wake to see what’s been going on with this writer. We discuss new protagonist Saga, that musical sequence, if this sequel is able to live up to 13 years of anticipation, and why for now the ending falls a little flat.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the land of otome where AL has to otome her way through more characters than normal and a less than stellar story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) jump into the latest 2D Mario game with Super Mario Wonder. We talk about how this is quite possibly the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World, why everything works so well, and drugs.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) chat about two games Jared recently played. We begin with Starfield and if Bethesda was able to recapture the magic of their previous games. After that we dive into Goodbye Volcano High to see how dinosaurs would handle the end of the world in an age of social media.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue discussing scary games this month as we dive into the season 1 finale of The Dark Pictures Anthology with The Devil in Me. We discuss the historical connections with this game, how it was kind of buggy for us, and how we managed to keep our survivor average basically the same.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of the Resident Evil 4 remake to see what Ada was up to during the story with the Separate Ways DLC.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the live action adaptation of Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe as we check out the film Rohan at the Louvre. We talk about the movie itself, how it differs from the original manga, and why this adaptation continues to be great.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about both the recent Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play that happened this month. We run down all the video games announced and also get a live reaction to the date for Like A Dragon 8.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome where it also is a rhythm game. AL describes why this has become one of her favorite otome games of the year and what could be a top pick overall.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) head to the world of big mechs to see what Jared thought of his first Armored Core game and why he decided to play through it three times in quick succession.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have a conversation about AL’s first full year of being a fishing minigame streamer discussing what’s evolved with the streams, how she feels about the past year, and what’s been most surprising.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go to the CIRCUS to see how AL is gonna date some circus boys where one of them is actually a dragon, because that’s just otome things.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see Jared give AL a break for this week as he dives into three very different games that he’s played through recently in Trek to Yomi, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and A Space for the Unbound.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at how Illumination adapted the Mario series into a feature film and whether or not it was a successful venture or not.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the newest Resident Evil CG film that continues from the story of Vendetta and sees Chris in a Hawaiian shirt.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out the tenth trails game to see how many characters they can fit into one game and how Reverie wraps up both the Crossbell and Erebonia storylines.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) reconvene with the gals from Nijigasaki to see how they show a girl from London around and Shioriko struggles with confidence issues in the first OVA from the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of mainline Final Fantasy with the sixteenth entry. We talk about the characters, the new action gameplay, and why the story feels like it falls off a cliff in the final third of the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look and refresh themselves about what all is coming out in the world of video games and anime for the rest of 2023.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) break down another otome game that features dudes that are also inanimate objects, somehow skirts the lines of a teen rating, and the dangers of syphilis.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) chit chat about the latest Nintendo Direct which featured a surprising SNES remake and a new weird 2D Mario game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss a bunch of games that got unveiled in the last week by talking about the Summer Game Fest, Xbox/Bethesda Showcase, Ubisoft, and Capcom’s presentations.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the DLC’s from Final Fantasy XV after Jared decided to play through the actual game for the first time. We talk about what’s up with the DLCs they released and also the ones they eventually cancelled.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss what Sony had to discuss with an hour’s worth of game trailers and why it felt like a weirdly paced presentation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are finally able to talk about the sequel to Breath of the Wild. We discuss what’s different, what we enjoyed from Tears of the Kingdom, and where we see the Zelda franchise going next.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get together to talk about a Zelda game. No, not that one. We chat about The Minish Cap and how Capcom finally made a good handheld Zelda game and the shocking revelation that this came out after the release of the Nintendo DS in North America.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have to once again say goodbye to a Love Live! mobile game as the shocking announcement of All Stars shutting down in June caught them off guard. We talk about our favorite memories of the game and why we are still mad at people hating on the second season of the story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see how the final chapter of Xenoblade Chronicles 3 wraps up with some returning faces and why AL enjoyed 80% of the DLC before feeling it began to fall off in the final 20%.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the land of otome where we’ve now found a brand new milestone for AL’s Ranking of Otome.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally get to dive into the final chapter of the Crossbell arc of the Trails games. We discuss how bombastic and wild the end of the game gets and how this has made us more excited to play Reverie later this year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Resident Evil 4 with the remake of the game to see what’s changed and what remains the same. We talk about if the remake retains the spirit of the original game, the new gameplay, and how we feel about Resident Evil 4 now as a whole.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the short-form anime spinoff of Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club in Nijiyon and how these short episodes show off the girls’ goofier sides and still maintains being a heartwarming series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally get together to talk about Persona 4 after somehow not doing so for nearly six years. We talk about bits of the story and characterizations, but mostly about how we feel about the game after returning to it after quite a few years since our last playthroughs.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) put a bunch of characters from Kotaro Uchikoshi games into a bracket and see which character stands out above all the rest. We get into some debates and talk about some very good characters in our annual March tradition.
If you’d like to fill out your own bracket and see which character you think is the best, you can do so right here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into the prequel to Final Fantasy VII to see if it’s still worth playing after its recent re-release. We discuss the gameplay, story, and what parts we’d like to see carry over to the new FF7 remake games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the shut down of Love Live! School Idol Festival and the difficulties of preserving digital games in the mobile space.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) travel back to 19th century Japan to see how a Yakuza story could fit into to this time period. We talk about how wild it is this game finally got localized, how historically accurate the game tries to be, and how this stacks up to other games in the franchise.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to a series that has been freshly rebooted to see if starting new with the Saints Row franchise was the right decision or the wrong one. We talk about the story, how it plays, whether it’s still as divisive as it was at launch, and if we think there will be more to come from Saints Row in the future or not.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive back into the world of otome for the week of Valentine’s Day and try to find a protagonist’s father while working on a movie.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out what Nintendo has in store for the rest of the year and beyond with their latest Nintendo Direct and why charging seventy dollars for the next Zelda game is a real crappy situation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Mythic Quest to see how they pulled off doing another season after we thought the series had wrapped up on a good note with season 2 and what we enjoyed from new character pairings.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome with a game AL started playing in 2021, but for reasons didn’t get around to finishing until just recently. We talk about the wild twists and turns, and why it turns out to be a high ranking otome game on AL’s list.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally get to talk about the latest part of JoJo after a year of Netflix’s weird release schedule. We talk about the story, the weird and wacky parts, and where exactly we think it fits compared to the other parts in the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome to find a game that even AL had a hard time finding a lot of positives in.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what happens when Rohan has to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, being in VR, a new character not being designed to his standards, and playing high stakes rock-paper-scissors.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) come together to celebrate the best games of 2022. We go through our various supplemental awards, induct a new game into the Seasonal Anime Checkup Hall of Fame, and go through both of our top ten lists to see which game we thought was number one.
You can read our write ups of our lists with Jared’s here and AL’s here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are here to spread the holiday cheer with their annual holiday episode and what better way to do that, than by talking about the horrors of war. We talk about the six-episode OVA series Gundam 0080 that showcases a different view of the One Year War and Jared also managed to get AL to watch more Gundam.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) begin to wind down the year by taking a look at what video games and anime are going to be coming out in 2023 and beyond.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Resident Evil to finally talk about the latest installment in the series, Village. We discuss why we found this game to be an improvement over 7, our favorite aspects of the game and story, and what we thought of the DLC Shadows of Rose.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what happens when you take Sonic the Hedgehog and put him into the all new open zone genre and add in a mix of screamo into the soundtrack as well.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see Mario get a gun again in the sequel to the surprising Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. We discuss the new improvements found in Sparks of Hope, how it does a lot of good with making the game more accessible for players of all kinds, and why the story left a lot to be desired.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at one of the few Resident Evil games neither had played up until this point in the game that made a stark change to the series formula. We discuss the story, why we were both left feeling disappointed with the game, and why one of the DLCs suddenly turned things around for both of us.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss one of the most critically acclaimed games of the year in 2022 as Jared finally got a chance to play Elden Ring. He talks about the gameplay and what he found enjoyable, how it gave him very similar feelings to Breath of the Wild, and how he can’t tell you a thing about the story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally get to talk about the first game in the Trails Crossbell series after it has finally been released in English officially for the very first time. We discuss the game’s more low-key storytelling, the ways these characters are built up through the course of the game, and how this will all build up into the next game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finish off spooky month by finally getting around to discussing Netflix’s Resident Evil television series. We talk about the first and only season of the show, the few highlights that are to be found, and what on Earth went wrong here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get spooky this week as we take a look at the two Silent Hill and Resident Evil presentations that brought a lot of spooky news. After that, we dive into the third game in The Dark Pictures Anthology, House of Ashes and how they’re able to take the 2003 invasion of Iraq and make it also spooky. Mission Accomplished.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to an otome series that AL has ranked very highly in the past. We discuss how she found this sequel, why it was inferior to the original, and what exactly went wrong.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into the sequel of Persona 5 and why it’s musou-ish and not a Warriors game, the story being basically more Persona 5, and some of the fun moments we found in this game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go over the recent announcement of Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 and implications that has before AL dives into the latest entry into the Monkey Island series and why it’s left her feeling confused.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate their 300th episode by of course, going a bit weird for a milestone episode. We watched some pro wrestling which was somewhat of a first for AL as she got to experience the full gambit of a pro wrestling event with some familiar faces and a whole lot of ow.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see all the new announcements that were dropped at once between the recent Nintendo Direct and the Sony State of Play that aired on the same day.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the recently released Square JRPG that hadn’t been released outside of Japan until now. We discuss its short story narrative approach, the different fighting mechanics compared to other JRPGs of the time, and some of the more frustrating aspects of the ending.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the cinematic universe of Sonic to see how the movie introduces new characters such as Tails and Knuckles, along with having Sonic make a LOT of references, and some interesting soundtrack choices.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the live action world of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan to see the second set of episodes that were released late last year. Two of them are episodes that we’d already discussed when we talked about the anime adaptation, but we give our thoughts on how the two mediums adapt these episodes. The middle episode takes parts from Diamond is Unbreakable and puts them in this universe and makes it successful.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of the Xenoblade Chronicles series as AL dropped over 100 hours to deliver us all the details about the latest release. We discuss the new combat mechanics, the story, and what ties everything together in the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get spooky in August as we discuss Ghostwire: Tokyo. We talk about the story that’s kind of just there, how the combat can be fun and is different, and why it’s pretty much the definition of a “fine” game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) reflect on the latest season of Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars’ story and how it was definitely a case of trying to pump the brakes on all the drama of the first two seasons. We discuss why that might have made it the weakest season thus far, and where the story could go next in the future.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look back through the years and see what we thought the best games were from 2013-2020. We talk about our lists, what we think would get cut out and replaced, and how these have held up through the years.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see AL getting a chance to settle down following a long drive and what better way to do that by talking about a game with some dark and heavy themes. AL discusses Omori and how its dark story comes together with some intriguing gameplay mechanics and why she’s good with getting the one ending she got.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into the weird and wacky world of one of the most popular games in the world. We talk about AL’s experience since she’s not a battle royale game player, why she wanted to play the game, and some of the controversies of this game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) excitedly get together to talk about the latest Kotaro Uchikoshi game and the sequel to AI: The Somnium Files. We discuss the new and wild story, how Uchikoshi flips things around on the player, the wild ending, and the fun references you get throughout.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the episode by talking about the third party focused Nintendo Direct Mini and its wide variety of intriguing announcements. After that, we talk about another Korean drama in Our Beloved Summer and try not to get too focused on certain product placement.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) played through the new retro throwback Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game that was a fun good time. After that, they talk about a bunch of games that are going to potentially come out in the rest of 2022.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) watched a lot of video game announcements over the last week or two and are ready to talk about them. We talk about Sony’s State of Play, the Summer Game Fest, the Xbox/Bethesda Briefing, and Capcom’s presentation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss Mamoru Hosoda’s latest film that’s inspired by Beauty and the Beast and a film that Jared got to interview the composers of! We dive into the story, the music, and everything else surrounding it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) sped through the remake of Resident Evil 3, just like they sped through this podcast discussing the game, how it’s weird in a multitude of different ways, and why this version of Nemesis doesn’t seem to work as well.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at Netflix’s recent anime film release, Bubble, and see how it uses The Little Mermaid as a big influence and mixes that with a dystopic version of Tokyo.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) watch another kdrama for the first time in four years as we talk about Forecasting Love and Weather. We talk about all of the fun characters the show brings, some surprising character development, and how it being an ensemble cast makes it work so much better.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at a lot of the mainline Mario titles and attempt to rank them from the best to the not so good. There are notable exceptions here such as Mario Kart, Mario Party, a lot of the RPGs, and other Mario series that would’ve made this list too long.
We’ve got a bit of an experimental episode this week as Jared helps Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get situated in her first Animal Crossing game as she continues prepping for her eventual fishing streams project. We essentially just chit chat while playing the game so enjoy a very casual atmosphere.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the recent remaster of a somewhat controversial title in Chrono Cross. We discuss the release of Radical Dreamers, being available officially in English for the very first time and how it ties into Chrono Cross while also having a very tight development schedule. We then talk about the main game of Chrono Cross and why it might not have aged as well in the last twenty years.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at an anime series that on the surface, seems like something they might not be into, but after viewing it, does a lot of surprising things that neither were expecting. We discuss the main anime series and all of its arcs, and also the sequel movie and how they’re all interconnected.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally dive into the controversial Cyberpunk 2077 to see what’s exactly up with this game. We talk about all the pitfalls that the game went through at launch, how it seems over a year later, if the game is actually any good, and if it actually is a good representation of the cyberpunk genre.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what’s going on with our favorite poyo boy, Kirby and why he’s decided to be in a strange dystopia in the latest game in the series. After that, we talk about the first story DLC in the Yakuza series with The Kaito Files from Lost Judgment and how it sets up some intriguing potentialities for where the Judgment series could go.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally dive into the world of CHAOS and edginess as we played Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. We talk about the gameplay, the wild and weird story, and whether or not this is just a meme game or if there’s actually some substance here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return with our annual March tradition as we put 64 characters from the Yakuza franchise into a bracket and figure out who is the best of the best. We’ve got a lot of main characters, a good amount of side characters, and some good goofy characters all battling it out for Yakuza character supremacy.
If you’d like to fill out your own bracket, you can do so right here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest big otome release as AL walks us through how the game starts off with some promise at first, before crumbling apart by the time she reached the end of the true ending route.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest entry in the Gran Turismo series as Jared breaks down what’s up with this new simulation racing game. We also talk about the very odd museum history section that gives you a glimpse at what’s happened in world and automotive history since the late 19th century. After that, we talk a bit about how we think about the PlayStation 5 now that we’ve both had some time using it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the effectiveness and how useful video game reviews are in 2022. We talk about the facets of how reviews are used, review aggregate websites, fandom wars when it comes to reviews, and how reviews have changed throughout the decades.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) played through the controversial and divisive Shenmue to see what’s really up with that game over twenty years later. We discuss its wild development history and whether or not it’s truly deserving of all the jokes and memes it’s gotten.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown a weird and wild Nintendo Direct that sees a lot of games from the 90s coming back, some Xbox 360 games coming back, Kirby engulfing items, and they’re making a new Xenoblade.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the land of otome to ring in the romantic holiday as AL describes to us one of the latest titles in the genre that has quicker routes to go through, but all sorts of supernatural beings and wild stuff happening.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have more news to talk about this week as apparently January was video game company acquisition month and Sony is attempting to acquire Bungie. After that, Jared talks about this first time through Link’s Awakening and how the latest Pokémon game is a stark departure from the traditional formula, but it’s doing some real neat things.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the latest mainline entry in the Shin Megami Tensei series and its first non-remaster entry on the Switch. We talk about the gameplay easing you into the game much better than in IV, some of the good new gameplay additions, the very lacklustre story, and why we chose very good protagonist names.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) begin this week’s episode by breaking down the huge news of the week of Microsoft attempting to buy Activision Blizzard and what implications that will have for the industry, the mess with Activision Blizzard, and whether or not it’ll actually go through. After that, Jared talks about trying to legitimately play through Super Mario 64 for the first time and how the game is viewed through a 2022 lens.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) traverse through a small town and try not to get spooked while dealing with weird monsters and time travelling to the 17th century. We discuss the second Dark Pictures Anthology game in Little Hope and talk about the story, AL being spooked a lot, and how we managed to cooperatively solve this mystery.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the first regular episode of the year by going through a very weird otome game, which is saying something. AL tells us about all the guys, routes, and every strange thing in between.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look back at the year in video games and celebrate their favorites by giving out our annual Game of the Year awards. We have multiple supplementary awards to dish out first before Jared dives into his top 10 and AL dives into her top 7.
You can find Jared’s write up here and AL’s write up here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) spend Christmas watching the most chaotic episode of Persona 4 The Golden Animation where Naoto thinks everyone is going to murder her on Christmas Eve, the other girls think Yu is inviting them out on a date, and Yu just wants to have a fun Christmas Party with the Investigation Team.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get ready to close out the end of the year by checking out what’s going to be coming out in 2022 and beyond with regards to video games and anime.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Life is Strange to discuss the latest mainline entry in the series with True Colors. We talk about the characters, what parts of the story worked and which parts didn’t, how it stacks up to other titles in the series, and the DLC prequel.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the controversial live action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop by discussing the few things it does right, but the whole lot of stuff it seems to miss the boat on or get wrong completely.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome where AL takes into a world of a class system, Japanese mythology, and dudes who want to get really lewd with the main character in a lot of the routes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) cover a wide swath of video game genres this week as we cover racing, shooting, and scares. Jared talks about his time with Forza Horizon 5 and gathering a ton of anime liveries for his cars. He also talks about his brief time with the Halo Infinite multiplayer beta that had just come out. After that we both discuss what happens when you mix a horror game with a vtuber in Evil God Korone.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) revisit a game from the early 2010s that recently got remastered to see if it still holds up with how they remember it, or if time has caused our view on the game to change. We talk about the storytelling, the gameplay, and how we hope a true sequel comes out finally gets made.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) do a bit of catch up on recent games they’ve played. First they briefly talk about the Persona x Love Live! School Idol Festival collaboration. AL talks about her time with Tales of Arise and Warioware: Get It Together. After that, Jared discusses Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance and The Good Life.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions about suicide, bullying, and sexual assault.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) took a bit of time, but are finally to dive deep into the world of Lost Judgment and everything it has to offer. We discuss the new additions to the game, how it compares to its predecessor, and the dark story that it decides to tell.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are just like everyone else this week and have watched Netflix’s hottest new series, Squid Game. We talk about what we like and disliked about the series and how it didn’t blow us away like how it did with a lot of other people, considering our experience with this genre.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the chaotic world of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin to talk about the second demo that’s been released, which features a new meme worthy cutscene, a new area, and a new character. After that, Jared talks about the first Castlevania game released on the Gameboy Advance in Circle of the Moon and how it does some interesting things as a post-Symphony of the Night game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have decided to celebrate the announcement of the final Smash Bros. DLC character by ranking all 12 characters that were added to the game. The results probably won’t shock you.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the latest Nintendo Direct that saw a game come back from the dead and a very questionable casting choice for the Mario movie. We also talk about the second season of My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom and how Catarina continues to grow her harem.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the latest offering that brings video games to television in the Apple TV+ series, Mythic Quest. We talk about the two current seasons, whether or not the comedy hits at all times, and if this is a good blend of video games and television.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) reach the conclusion of AL Experiences the Yakuza Series as we talk about the spin-off, Judgment. We talk about some of the twists and turns, what AL enjoyed about the game, and briefly talk about some aspects we are looking forward to in the sequel.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at the wild and long road it took for Psychonauts 2 to finally be released. From trying to find publishers, to finally succeeding on crowdfunding, and finally getting that Microsoft money, the game is out and we dive deep into the games story and mechanics to see if it lived up to the hype after all these years.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about the wild second season of Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars’ story mode. From new characters, an actual villain character, and the group splintering, how do the girls of Nijigasaki manage to make it through this new season?
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the recent announcements that have come out of Gamescom this week before breaking down one of the most discussed games of the past month with Twelve Minutes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out a cute movie about two teens who have to find a way to deal with their own insecurities and anxieties by helping one another and an old man who wants to find a vinyl record he’s lost.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the courtroom for the first time in five years to play a new (to non-Japanese audiences) Ace Attorney game. We discuss the time period change, new mechanics, the wild story, and how surprisingly racist the game gets.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) give a preview to their forthcoming Patreon feature where they’re going to do game drafts from consoles by drafting video game consoles as a whole. They both get six consoles to draft, but can’t pick what the other person has already chosen. Who will have the best roster of consoles?
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into another Science Adventure game as we build some giant robots in Robotics;Notes. We breakdown the story, talk about our favorite moments, and how it compares to other Science Adventure games that we’ve played.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decide to make things more chill this week by taking a look at games and anime coming out in the remainder of 2021 and also we see what’s scheduled to come out in 2022 and beyond.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) were excited to see a new CG Resident Evil project was in the works, and now we get to talk about it. We discuss all four episodes, how it probably should’ve just been a movie, and whether or not it follows in the same footsteps as the previous CG films.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) watched the live action adaptation of the Dynasty Warriors games and boy howdy, it sure was a film. We talk about the fights, the story that seems to make up way too much of the film, and how the film could have been made better as an adaptation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finish up the Kiryu saga as AL sees how his story wraps up. We discuss certain story beats, AL’s thoughts on how Kiryu’s story finishes and the game as a whole, and where it ranks in her overall Yakuza ranking.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go over some games they played recently. We discuss Operation: Tango, a game where we got to be cooperative secret agents in some wild puzzles. After that, we dive into the Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin demo that had a rocky launch. Finally, the Yuffie DLC for Final Fantasy 7 Remake has dropped and we talk about that and what it sets up next for the FF7 Remake universe.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown all the announcements that we saw from the Summer Game Fest and E3 2021. We talk about the good games, the less than stellar games, the memes, and what surprised us by showing up and not showing up.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) bring back our annual summer preview of the big video game marketing event of the year. This time with even more of a messy event divorce. We breakdown most of the events and give our thoughts on what we think will and won’t show up. (Shouts out to already being wrong about our Elden Ring prediction). Before all of that, we talk about the recent controversy surrounding Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice including voice actors getting fired and leaving, censorship, and bad fans.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Yakuza and drive some taxis, fight a bear, become an idol, and play some baseball, because it’s a Yakuza game. We talk about the wild and very intricate story, all the new minigames and mechanics, and where it ranks among the rest of the series.
Also apologies for the audio in the first half. Jared’s mic decided to act on its own and be real loud for no reason!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue their deep dive into the Yakuza series by taking a look at the live action film adaptation of the first game. We talk about the bizarre storytelling, nearly half of the story being original content, and everything else being a mess.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) become teen detectives and look at a lot of dead bodies between both Famicom Detective Club games. We discuss The Missing Heir which is a tad frustrating gameplay wise, but still a good story, along with The Girl Who Stands Behind which might have the most messed up ending of a Nintendo developed game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue their dive through the Yakuza series with Yakuza 4. We talk about all the new characters introduced as this is the first game to introduce multiple protagonists, all of the interconnected and winding story beats, and how this might be the weakest game in the series thus far.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan to discuss the anime OVAs that have recently been put out officially overseas. We talk about the similarities to the live-action adaptation with regards to one episode and then breakdown the three other episodes that differ from that adaptation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Yakuza with a game that neither of them have experienced. We discuss the new additions, what’s changed from the ps3 to the new remaster, the story, and Kiryu being even more of a dad.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of JoJo, and specifically, live action JoJo with the recent live action adaptation of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. We discuss all three episodes, how the adaptation works well with the source material, and whether or not we’d like to see this mini series come back.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decide to reminisce about an old friend, the PlayStation Vita. We discuss our thoughts on why Sony decided to put it out to pasture very early in its lifespan, the poor decision to make memory cards incredibly expensive, the Vita TV, and some of our favorite Vita games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) put their mystery hats on this week as they dive deep into Root Film, the spiritual successor to Root Letter. Before that, we talk about Sony’s latest kerfuffle around them shutting down the PS3, PSP, and Vita digital stores later this year and how much that will suck for preservation. After that, we discuss Root Film’s fun twists and turns that left us trying to figure things out all the way until the very end of the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into two very different games. We begin with the latest Love Live! game that’s a port of the arcade version of School Idol Festival and how despite it being free, isn’t the Love Live! game you’d want to seek out instead of the mobile games. After that, we dive into It Takes Two and it’s cooperative gameplay which is very good, but has a lot of narrative problems that are a bummer.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) attempt to make heads or tails of the wild, obtuse, time-bending, strange, and mind blowing story of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. We go somewhat into the story or as much as we can, discuss our favorite characters and some of their best moments, how the mech gameplay isn’t good, and Jared’s notes he had to take while playing.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to their annual March tradition of putting things into a tournament bracket to see what is the best. This year, we’re finding out what’s the best song from Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club. Will one of the group songs come out on top or will it be one of the many solo songs? You’ll have to listen to find out!
If you would like to fill out your own bracket, you can click here and do just that!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look to tackle a game they both sort of dogged on over the course of 2020 in Final Fantasy VII Remake. We discuss the changes, new additions, how the game makes good on expanding upon parts of the opening of the original game (and how it isn’t as good), where we think the next games will go, and whether or not we’ve had a change of heart about the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the little bit they want to talk about from the latest Sony State of Play, before diving into AL’s experience with Yakuza Kiwami 2. That, of course, involves talking about Yakuza 0, pro wrestling, and shocking twists and turns!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have a wide swath of topics to breakdown this week. First we briefly talk about the latest Nintendo Direct and how it was not the best showing from Nintendo. Then, we give a definitive and objective ranking of characters from all the Love Live! series thus far. Finally, we dive into AL’s first experience with Yakuza Kiwami, aka the remake of Yakuza 1.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off the first installment of a new series where AL is going to be led through all of the Yakuza games as Jared plays through them. We start with Yakuza 0 since that’s the chronological starting point of the series and discuss all of the wild side stuff, watching sexy videos, and of course the story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) witness a game be brought back from the dead with the complete edition of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. We discuss the legacy of the game with its delisting and eventual return, how it compares to both the graphic novel and movie, and whether or not it’s aged particularly well.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) come together to try and determine what were the ten best songs that Aqours and Saint Snow put out in 2020. Of course, that’s only out of fifteen songs, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get into any hotly contested debates about what’s the best of the best!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue catching up on various games they played recently. We talk about two games we played cooperatively with Streets of Rage 4 and Overcooked 2 and how we were able to work together to beat up folks and cook food. After that, Jared talks about one of the first big 2021 games in Hitman 3 and how he thinks the game wraps up the World of Assassination trilogy.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) work together to bring spirits to the afterlife, while also dealing with the management aspects of building a boat to accommodate the various folks you have to ferry. We discuss the overall story and our various escapades when it came to navigating the very heavy themes of the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) attempt to figure out what’s the best game in the Legend of Zelda series, out of the games we’ve played. We cover most of the mainline titles here on both console and handheld as we determine what’s the best of the best and what’s the worst of the worst.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) begin to catch up on games they’ve played recently with two very different games. First, we talk about Donkey Kong Country 3 and how it stacks up to the other games in the trilogy, while also offering the most variety the series has seen. After that, we talk about Jared’s 2020 Game of the Year in Kentucky Route Zero and how the game manages to be a wide critique on the dangers of capitalism, but also have some elements of narrative design that differ from most narrative choice games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kickstart 2021 by revisiting some games they played near the end of 2020. Jared discusses what it means to be family with Fast and Furious: Crossroads. After that, he talks about the latest game in Sony’s Spider-Man game franchise. Finally, AL breaks down the latest Hyrule Warriors game which ended up being more of a disappointment for someone who’s a big Zelda and Musou fan.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are ready to end the year on a more positive note by discussing the best games of 2020. We give out seven supplemental awards each, present the first inductee into the Seasonal Anime Checkup Hall of Fame, and then breakdown our best games of the year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate the holidays by watching a film that neither of us have ever watched. We breakdown the wild Ace Attorney live action film adaptation that is able to capture the spirit of the games in a surprising way, but unfortunately won’t be replicated if they were ever able to make a sequel.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at a variety of media presumably coming out next year and see which one’s we’re interested in and which still might not make it next year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look back at the first season of story in Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars that sees the girls of Nijigasaki go through a lot of drama, try and run a festival, and we see how much character development of Shioriko.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) see what happens when a brawler series decides to change its course and become a Japanese RPG. We talk about the wild and wacky story of the latest iteration in the Yakuza series, the new protagonist, and whether or not the switch in gameplay manages to work.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of otome as AL tells about the latest big otome release that sees you hanging out with dudes from other worlds while drinking coffee and getting up to some shenanigans.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) spend a few hours breaking down the final iteration of the Trails of Cold Steel series. We discuss the intricate story, our favorite moments, what we predicted correctly from the previous game, and where we see this whole series going forward.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) played some Legend of Zelda games that were only available for a very limited time in Japan, including one that’s an Isekai Legend of Zelda game that’s also a direct sequel to A Link to the Past. After that, AL breaksdown the latest big otome release which takes you to Italy and has some very wild things happen.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) recount their year long journey watching the latest iteration of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. We discuss the entirety of Golden Wind, what we liked and disliked about part 5, and where it ranks amongst the rest of the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate reaching 200 episodes of the Seasonal Anime Checkup OVA podcast by discussing one of the most prominent documentaries of the year thus far, a story about the 1997-1998 Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, The Last Dance.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) break down some games they’ve played recently that range from good to questionable. Jared talks about Hades and how much he’s enjoyed the run-based game that’s full of story, before talking about Super Mario Bros. 35 which he’s a little less sure about. After that AL talks about Joestar Struck, which is a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure otome game that is a wild ride.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the wild world of Mr. Love: Queen’s Choice to discuss the anime adaptation that’s just recently wrapped up. We talk about the similarities to the game, how the anime wraps things up in an original fashion, and how the anime adaptation wears it’s influences on its sleeve.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go back to the Donkey Kong Country series to discuss the sequel that came out a year later. We talk about how it’s a much better sequel, the improvements to gameplay, and then we decide to fall into talking about the Donkey Konga song lists.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) break down the wild news of Microsoft buying Bethesda for a small 7.5 billion dollars. After that we talk about the Nintendo 3DS finally being discontinued and discuss some of our favorite games for the system and how it was the best system available for a certain time.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown the recent PlayStation 5 news that included some new games announced and finally, prices and a release date. After that we discuss the latest Makoto Shinkai film, Weathering With You and how it fares compared to his other major works.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have a whole lot to talk about this week. We break down some news first coming from Nintendo regarding Mario’s 35th anniversary and a new Hyrule Warriors, plus the reveal of the Xbox Series S. After that we discuss our time with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered, A Way Out, The Escapists 2, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about some controversial games this week. First up is Jared discussing replaying Mass Effect 2 & 3 in the last few months. One of those games still holds up quite well, while the other was the true warning sign that the Mass Effect series was heading towards disaster. AL talks about the Collar X Malice fan disc which has had some issues coming out of launch with translation and proofreading, but she discusses the routes and which ones she enjoyed the most.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return after two weeks away due to technical difficulties to discuss a controversial and divisive game. Jared played through Hideo Kojima’s latest release and is here to tell us about what he enjoyed, how much of the story he didn’t enjoy, and how the game really has nothing to say.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) check out one of the latest anime films to hit Netflix this year in A Whisker Away. We discuss the less than stellar opening bits of the film, how it eventually evolves into a story that’s a little less creepy, and how it ended up being an overall enjoyable experience.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk through a lot of news from the Xbox Series X showcase, the recent Nintendo leak, and the potential return of G4. After that, AL discusses her experience playing through the latest Paper Mario game and fighting through a variety of office supplies.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss a wide variety of subjects. We first talk about the recent Nintendo Direct Mini and seeing the return of Shin Megami Tensei V and the SMT3 remaster. Jared talks about resetting the NBA to the year 2000 and seeing what changes. We then both talk about our experience replaying Donkey Kong Country and then becoming farmers in Farming Simulator 19.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss a variety of subjects this week. First, we briefly breakdown the Ubisoft stream that happened last Sunday and how much of a mess that was, Jared discusses his time watching Lovely Complex, and AL dives headfirst into a non-mainstream otome and sees that these boys really want to dive into the bone zone.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) find out what would happen if you were to get sucked into the world of an otome game (aka everyday life for AL). We breakdown the first season of the series, discuss some theories we had and could see happening in the second season next year, and who we think will truly win Catarina’s heart.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate the return of FMV games and Kazutaka Kodaka’s first game outside of the Danganronpa franchise in awhile. Given the nature of this game and how short it is, you should probably play through it before listening to this episode. Or be risky and don’t. Either way, we discuss the story, some implications from the end, and why we hope this ushers in more FMV games in the future (after we get over this global pandemic).
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the weirdness that was EA’s digital presentation that saw the shocking return of Skate and then we dive into the weirdness of Resident Evil 0 before we come up with our own Resident Evil game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about all the games shown at the recent PlayStation 5 event along with our thoughts about the look of the console and what we think the pricing might be. Following that, AL talks about the latest Shantae games and how it wasn’t what she was looking for.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss a ten year old game that has had new life breathed into it. We discuss the bizarre history of the game coming out in America, AL gushes about how much she enjoys the definitive edition, Jared talks about what didn’t click for him, and we both praise the new epilogue, Future Connected.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have a very casual conversation about the merits of comfort food with regards to video games and anime as pieces of media you utilize when you’re feeling down or things aren’t going great. A lot of them are things we’ve discussed previously, but we give thoughts on why these work in this specific context as comfort food.
https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) revisit a game Jared talked about 177 episodes ago! AL finally played through the game so we discuss our various experiences with it, the interesting aspects the game brings to various characters and their arcs, how this game is as a sequel, and what the anime adaptation provides for the story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have decided to have a nice civil conversation about the best Final Fantasy games that they’ve both played. We figure out what is the best, what’s the worst, and what’s in between. And of course, it’s very civil, until we reached the middle of the list.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at an old game that’s been reborn as new. AL played through a portion of the story in Trials of Mana before learning that maybe it was a game that was better off left in the past and could’ve done without it’s bizarre voice acting. We also do some trivia to kick off the episode.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decide for a more chill episode and attempt to figure out what was the best year in video games. That chill podcast ended up being one of the longer episodes we’ve done some how, but we go from 1978 to 2019 and determine once and for all, the best year in games.
If you don’t want to listen to all three hours of the pod, which we get, that’s a long time, you can go to around 2:48:00 where we begin our final deliberations.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Resident Evil as they discuss the game that could’ve been Resident Evil 3 at one point in time, Code: Veronica. We discuss the game’s strange development history, how it should get a remake before RE4, the bizarre nature of where the series goes after this game, and what we would’ve liked to have seen from RE4 and beyond taking into account what happens at the end of this game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go through a wild variety of things to talk about. First, Jared discusses the PC Engine CD version of Sailor Moon that recently got an English translation and where the story lines up with the original anime. We both discuss Totally Reliable Delivery Service and the ridiculous hijinx that we got into. Finally, Jared breaks down the novelization of Metal Gear Solid 2 and how bizarre it is.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the late 90s and the world of Hi Score Girl to see how the series wraps up. With the latest episodes finally hitting Netflix, we breakdown the rest of the series and how we feel with the way the show ends.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go on a time travelling adventure after AL played through Steins;Gate for the first time. We discuss the various endings, the wild ins and outs of the story as a whole, and how the series has a bonkers ending that does some fun stuff with player manipulation.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about one of their more hotly anticipated releases of the year thus far in Doom Eternal. We talk about the gameplay, how it compares to its predecessor, and why we came out of this game feeling disappointed rather than excited to continue ripping and tearing.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get cozy before diving into some very story driven games. First, Jared talks about his initial experiences with the latest entry in the Animal Crossing series. After that, AL breaks down the rest of the Trails in the Sky series and how the last two entries set up what’s to come later on.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) bring forth the only March Madness to occur now as we attempt to figure out what is the best Love Live! Sunshine!! song out of the best 64 options. We go through each individual matchup and give our thoughts, opinions, and get into a few arguments.
If you want to figure out what is the best Love Live! Sunshine! song in your opinion, fill out a bracket right here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the recent cancellation of E3 due to the Coronavirus global pandemic and how that will have a ripple effect on other aspects of the industry. After that, we dive into something a little more light hearted and discuss the singular King of the Hill video game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) played through the demo of Final Fantasy 7 Remake and don’t have the best impressions about what the game seems to be. After that, AL watched and read Erased recently and goes through the story of the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk more about Love Live! this week. First, AL went to a delayed screening of Love Live! Fest and discusses her experience. After that, we dive into the global release of Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars and talk about some of the more confusing aspects of the game and try to explain them better than the game does while also getting into the story of Nijigasaki.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go through two completely different types of stories. First, AL discusses the manga, Dreamin’ Sun and how she had an up and down relationship with the story after reading the whole thing. After that, we played some of The Division 2 after it was very cheap and we talk about the most intriguing aspect of the game we’ve found thus far: the accuracy of their versions of actual museums.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) play catch up on some games they played recently. First, Jared discusses the Persona 5 Scramble demo that hit Japan and how it is compared to other licensed musou games Omega Force has made lately. AL finally got through Trails in the Sky and gives us a breakdown of the first game in that series. Finally, Jared and AL played the Stranger Things 3 game and it’s not a good sign for licensed games.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) become fantasy bookers this week as we look to build a setlist for an Aqours live show that we’d both want to see. Of course, the key is that we’d go see anything, so we tried to stay in line with their format they’ve used in the past and come up with something that had a flow and energy that was consistent throughout.
Spotify link to playlist (not everything is on there unfortunately and this is the easiest way for it to be preserved)
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a trip down memory lane to reminisce about the weird and unusual video game accessories they had growing up, why we think there are less strange accessories currently, and talk about some of the most bizarre pieces to come out and how they worked or didn’t work.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to a story we talked about via two different forms of media last year in I Want To Eat Your Pancreas. This time, we checked out the anime adaptation to see how it differs from the novel and manga, how this might be the best version for people coming to the story fresh, and how we ended up laughing a lot at one particular scene.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) pull out the grab bag again and talk about a bunch of stuff they’ve played, watched, and read over the past month and a half. There’s so much stuff that if I tried to list it all, I’d probably forget some things! So, here’s a bunch of thoughts on various games, anime, manga, and books.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue with their catch up from last year as we discuss two games they finished in December. First, we go to space and talk about our experiences with The Outer Worlds and trying to take down capitalism. We follow that up by discussing the series finale of Life Is Strange 2 and the wild way it wraps up.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) kick off 2020 by talking about one of the best games of 2019 in The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III. We breakdown the very long story, as you’ll see by the runtime, talk about our favorite moments and characters, new additions, and where we see the series going next.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) break down the best of the best when it comes to video games in 2019. We start off with our supplemental awards that we give out for various aspects such as Best Character, Best Opening, and Best Moment. Finally we break down our top 10 video games of the year and give our reasonings behind these choices.
For more on these lists, check out the written portion of our lists here and AL’s over here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) gather around for the holidays and play a game that’s based around Christmas. We dive into Snatcher, one of Hideo Kojima’s more prolific non-Metal Gear games. We talk about the minimal story, how much it basically copy and pastes from Blade Runner, the problematic and gross portions of the game, how much AL suffered through the game, and why the soundtrack is great.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at pieces of media that are going to come out in the next year. We talk about various games with and without release dates and some anime that will be hitting next year. Of course, like last year, we recorded this before The Game Awards, so none of those announcements are in this episode. Sorry, Xbox Sex.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look back at the previous decade with regards to games and try to determine what were the best games from the 2010s. We have a lot of honorable mentions to discuss before we get into our own top ten best games of the decade. Then, we rank any overlap that we had.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) turn back the clock and see what it would have been like to be a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fan before 2012. We watched and discussed the 1993 and 2000 JoJo OVAs that were released as an adaptation of Stardust Crusaders. With that, comes a very interesting dub, how it came to adapting Stardust Crusaders despite its much shorter episode length, and how much more violent it is.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go in two different directions this week. First, we take an old man on a journey involving manipulating terrain and falling down multiple waterfalls. After that, we discuss the live action adaptation of Hyouka and how it’s decent at adapting the source material, but is very bizarre with some of its direction and shot choices.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at some of the times Square went weird with Final Fantasy. We begin with one of the more controversial Final Fantasy games with Mystic Quest. We discuss how this game isn’t as bad as most people like to say it is, how it can work in some respects with being a beginner’s RPG, and how the soundtrack is one of the best in the series. Following that, Jared attempts to tell the story of Final Fantasy XIV in about fifty minutes or so, which for a game he’s played for 19 days, is a speedy retelling.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) find themselves stranded in a hotel that’s become very spooky! Luckily, Luigi and Gooigi are here to make sure that any ghosts that are here get taken care of. We discuss the latest entry in the Luigi’s Mansion series as it makes its way to the Switch. Is this one of the best looking games on Switch? Does the charm carry its way through the entirety of the game? How good is Gooigi? These questions and more are answered!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decided to see what was up with that KFC dating sim, so we played it. It may have only taken us two hours, but it was two hours where we were pretty unimpressed with everything that the game had to offer. So, what went wrong? Is this truly as wacky as people thought it was going to be or a game that falls flat?
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Resident Evil CG movies as we watched the second film they made. Before all of that though, Jared walks us through the very strange NBA 2K20 career mode. After that we dive headfirst into the film where Leon continues to have BDE and we come up with what really happened during “that night” between Leon and Ada.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a trip back into the archives of Square to talk about a movie they’d probably want you to forget. We discuss Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and how the film is deserving of its criticism, the very mediocre score it has, and some behind the scenes aspects. There’s also a deep analysis into one of the later scenes in the film and how it relates to Sakaguchi and we theorize on alternate realities where this film was a success.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get prepped for spooks as we talk about the sequel to Resident Evil: Revelations. We breakdown some literature, spooky children that point, Claire being the dumbest protagonist, and some less than stellar co-op.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown two games they’ve been patiently waiting for. First, Jared talks about the recently released in Japan, Love Live! School Idol Festival All Stars and how much it differs from the original School Idol Festival. After that, we discuss Kotaro Uchikoshi’s latest game, AI: The Somnium Files and how it might be his best game to date.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) honk a lot as we discuss the new hit game where you get to be a goose. We talk about the fun and calming nature behind Untitled Goose Game and afterward AL got scared a lot as we check out what’s up with Resident Evil: Revelations.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decided to play through two games that aren’t completely out yet. We first breakdown the Trails of Cold Steel III demo which gives a brief glimpse into what that game is going to be like. Following that, we talk about the four episodes that are out currently for Life is Strange 2 and discuss our choices and the ways that game just goes for it politically.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) got very excited about the recent Nintendo Direct so we talk about all the ridiculous announcements from it. We also talked about some of the new endings in Catherine: Full Body and our time fighting physics and puzzles in Human: Fall Flat.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into a spooky mystery in World End Syndrome. We breakdown the story as a whole, all of the different routes you go through to get there, and how it’s very similar to 7’Scarlet. We also briefly talk about Final Fantasy VIII Remastered and give our incredibly accurate predictions for the latest Nintendo Direct.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the land of otome as AL discusses the latest big mobile otome release in Mr. Love. She breaks down the multiple features the game has, it’s ridiculous story, and then looks up some future releases for the game and is baffled.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive deep into multiple anime series! AL discusses Anohana and Violet Evergarden, where she liked one and disliked the other. We both discuss Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and the wild and wacky ways of that series. Finally, Jared finished up all 220 episodes of Naruto so he talks about that for a bit.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Zero Escape as we discuss the final game in the trilogy. We breakdown each team, the wild ways this game ties into the previous ones, complex motives, and memes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) tactically came together to see what’s up with the new Fire Emblem game. We discuss the one route we went through, the story, characters, and how AL really feels about the new game plus. Perhaps the one differing opinion on the game you will have heard thus far!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) team up together to tackle the Nazi occupation of Paris in 1980 in the Wolfenstein spinoff. We talk about the strange gameplay changes, how the game doesn’t exactly know what it wants to be, the wild twists near the end that set up the next Wolfenstein, and how review bombs and people only playing for an hour don’t quite have the whole picture about this game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown two different games this week. First, Jared discusses the latest game from the team behind the Yakuza series with Judgment. We dive deep into being a detective and sometimes attorney while punching folks in the face. After that, we speed through a discussion of Virtue’s Last Reward after we quickly made our way through the game, so it’s mostly a discussion about the wild endings.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are back on the Resident Evil train as we cooperatively played through one of the last few mainline games we’ve yet to talk about in 5. We discuss why we were so disappointed with the game after enjoying it when we played it years ago, how it’s a strange bridge in gameplay between 4 and 6, and the allegations of the game being racist.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) find themselves in a wildly designed castle having to take out some demons as we played Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. Does the game hold up with how it is a game meant to be a nostalgia trip and does it defeat the crowd funding curse? We also preview what else is coming out with regards to games in the second half of this year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a look at another Kyoto Animation film with the Sound Euphonium spinoff, Liz and the Blue Bird. We discuss the film’s story, how it relates to the original series it comes from, if the film is good enough on its own for people who haven’t seen Sound Euphonium, and how often Kyoto Animation flexes it’s ridiculous skills.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the 3DS for potentially its last big release with Persona Q2. Does combining the casts of P3, P4, P5, and P3P’s heroine make for a good game or are there too many cooks in this kitchen? Who is the true protagonist of this game? What surprised us the most? These questions and more found within this here podcast.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to their yearly look at JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure as we now are in 1999 and the town of Morioh. We breakdown the whole season, the great aesthetics, how it blends slice of life and action together, and where this part ranks amongst the rest of JoJo.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive deep into the weirdness of 2019’s edition of E3. We breakdown each press conference, discuss what we got excited for and what was rough, and then get very excited about that Breath of the Wild sequel announcement.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Erebonia to see what’s happened in Trails of Cold Steel II. We discuss the game as a whole, what’s new in the sequel and PS4 release, what we enjoyed and the problems with the ending, and what we think will happen in Trails of Cold Steel III. Before that, we dive into our predictions for E3 2019.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) prepare themselves for their episode on Diamond Is Unbreakable as a whole by watching the live action film that covers the beginning. We discuss the differences, how JoJo is brought to life and how they utilize stands, our ideas if they ever do decide to make more movies in this series, and jojokes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the world of Orange to discuss the live action adaptation that predated the anime. We discuss the differences between this and the other forms the series has taken and how it is as an adaptation. [For more on the anime, check out Episode 85]
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go back in time to the 90s and see what was happening with the Japanese arcade scene while discussing Hi Score Girl! We discuss the first season and the three bonus episodes that have aired already, all the different games that are featured in the show, and discuss what will happen in the second season later this year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the finale of the Love Live Sunshine story as we talk about the film as a whole, what it means to the overall series, and how the film contrasts with the series. We also talk about the new song performances with how good they are and the growth of certain characters. Also there are of course spoilers.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally have a discussion that’s been years in the making. We finally talk about Final Fantasy X. After having an episode about its sequel two years ago, we come back to its predecessor since it has been released on new hardware. Plus, Jared has finally finished the game for the first time. We discuss specific characters, our thoughts on Tidus, that laughing scene, and whether Jared’s opinion has changed on the game since the X-2 episode.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take things a little easier this week as we discuss the ins and outs of adaptations regarding video games. Whether it’s games becoming something else or other media becoming games, we talk about what makes them work, what doesn’t, and some of our favorites.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have extended their lives and been reborn as they discuss the new game from some of the Danganronpa team in Zanki Zero. We discuss the parallels it shares with Danganronpa, the individual character stories themselves, whether parts of this game are actually needed.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) go back to the start of the Ace Attorney series to take a look at the very first game. With it coming up on its 20th anniversary in two years, we discuss each case in the game, the origins of all these iconic characters, and whether or not you remember the DL-6 incident.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have two completely different subjects to talk about this week. First, we discuss the light novel and manga of I Want To Eat Your Pancreas with how the two are different, the story and what’s good about it, and what scenes we’re looking forward to seeing in the movie. After that we dive into the Pop Team Epic special episodes that came out on April Fool’s Day which continue the ridiculousness of that series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) recently played through a wide variety of games while they hung out together, so they’re gonna talk about them! We discuss Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Sailor Moon, Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S: Jougai Rantou!? Shuyaku Soudatsusen, Sailor Moon Super S: Fuwa Fuwa Panic, Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest, K-ON! Houkago (After School) Live! HD Ver., and Jared briefly talks about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and AL talks a bit about The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared played through the wild and wacky Devil May Cry 5 which was Jared’s first real experience with the main series, while AL has been playing these games from the start. We also discuss William Blake poetry, the amazing previz cutscenes, and the bonkers story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) podcast for the first time in person and continue the Resident Evil train as Jared played through RE4 for the very first time. We discuss the game, how it feels playing it today compared to in 2005, the claims of it being one of the best games ever made, QTEs, the wonders of escorting Ashley, and what happens when kitties fight.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return with more madness in the month of March as we now try to figure out what is the best song throughout all of the Persona games. We’ve gathered 64 songs across every game and debate which one will be the scientifically best song through our various criteria for what makes these songs good.
If you want to fill out your own bracket, go here: https://challonge.com/im6t2jkv (as a heads up, double or triple check that your bracket goes through as we’ve had some issues from some people with regards to this fact.)
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared run through the wild history of Resident Evil 2 as AL recently played through the Resident Evil 2 remake! We discuss the new upgrades and features, Mr. X gon give it to ya, Steve the zombie, and Leon ‘98.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared return to the world of Code: Realize to see how this series is going to wrap up with the final fan disc. We discuss the newest route, some Christmas dates, making a Romanticism era otome game, and how good Sisi dressed up as a reindeer is.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue their Resident Evil trend as they discuss the first game in the series and its wild history between the multiple releases. We also discuss the game’s story, playing as beefy Chris Redfield, and taking care Chris.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive into the wild world of the CG animated Resident Evil films based off the video games as we watch the latest of those that takes place between Resident Evil 6 and 7. We discuss the wild, wild action in this film, Leon being sad, Chris being beefy, and the film fridging Rebecca.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss an anime that AL got Jared to finally watch after having read the manga initially. We talk about the anime’s entire run thus far, what makes it fun and enjoyable, the joys of having adult characters, how it’s relatable, and the bummer of anime adaptations that barely touch upon a manga’s story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) travel back to 2008 to talk about a JRPG that was a XBOX 360 exclusive for a long time until just recently. We discuss our initial time with the game, what’s new in the definitive edition, how one of the costumes made Jared be incredibly shocked, and how Patty is a great new addition to the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) celebrate Jared’s birthday by discussing his recent senior seminar project from college that he did where he created a course on manga. We talk about the structure of the course, how manga is treated in academia, what manga the course would use, and why a course such as this is important.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finished watching Pop Team Epic back in September of last year, but there’s no better time than now to discuss the series. We talk about the anime’s run, our favorite gags and jokes, and how much we really want to see an actual version of Hoshiiro Girldrop.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dove deep into a lengthy JRPG series in the Trails of Cold Steel games as we played through the first game. We talk about all the wild twists and turns and how much we ended up enjoying this game with it getting us very excited to play more of the series.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have tallied everything up and are ready to present their Game of the Year awards! Who walks away as the Best Game of 2018? Who gets one of the coveted supplemental awards that we will give out? What’s our favorite anime of the year? These questions are all answered in our final episode of 2018.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) ring in the holidays with another anime film that takes place during Christmas in Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. AL has never watched anything Gundam related so she went into this extremely confused and left extremely confused, but we discuss the film, Gundam Wing’s rise in North America, and some of the interesting marketing techniques for the series in Japan.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are prepared for everyone to be here as we discuss the latest iteration of Smash Bros. We talk about what parts we enjoyed, what parts we absolutely did not enjoy [looking at you unlock system], and what’s up with World of Light.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look ahead to the future (zura) and see what video games and anime that are coming out in 2019 they are excited about. We go through a lot of different games that have at least some form of release date or are rumored to come out in 2019 and also some anime that will come out next year as well. Like last year, we recorded this before the awards shows that happened this week so those announcements are not represented here.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the bizarre adventures as we recently played through JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven. We talk about the wild story that unites all the Joestars, our favorite characters and teams to play as, and everyone getting burritos.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take things down an octave as we discuss one of the most interesting games to come out this year, The Quiet Man. We discuss our own original story we came up with during the first playthrough, how the second playthrough isn’t great when you learn the actual story, and just what the heck is The Quiet Man. We also talk about some good things we’ve played recently to offset the bad of the shush shush man.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return with two recent releases (well, one a re-release) to discuss. AL talks about the 3DS re-release of Luigi’s Mansion and how it holds up to its original release in 2001. Jared dives into the cowboy world of Red Dead Redemption 2 to see if all the hype was worth it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have reached 100 episodes of the Seasonal Anime Checkup OVA and decided that the only way to celebrate was to figure out what was the best out of all the anime, video games, and conceptual ideas we’ve had. So we did just that. It’s time to figure out what’s the best of the best and have some controversy along the way.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared return to the world of Life is Strange with AL having just finished Before the Storm. We take a deeper dive than previous episodes where we have talked about this game into the entirety of the game and whether or not if the game works as a whole or if there are parts that were completely unnecessary.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) continue with their spooky October theme by talking about two games that fit in that space. First, Jared talks about the latest Swery game in The MISSING and its incredibly surprising themes and story. After that, we go into Symphony of the Night after AL got Jared to play it for the first time and some of the goofiness of Alucard.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared get into the Halloween spirit by talking about some of the more famous urban legends in video games. We talk about stories like Ben Drowned, was Pokemon causing kids to die?, Polybius, Shin Megami Tensei’s spooky boot message, the Madden curse, and the Atari landfill. It’s time to get spooky.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get a bit philosophical and theoretical as they attempt to answer the question of what is a masterpiece in terms of video games. We talk about our criteria, how we differentiate masterpieces from our favorite games, the difficulties with answering a question such as this, and look at a list of “best games” and give our opinions on if those games are masterpieces or not.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about idols and yakuza in this action packed episode. We begin the episode by talking about the great Love Live! School Idol Festival mobile game and why we enjoy it so much for a gacha style game. Afterward, Jared dives deep into Yakuza Kiwami 2 and its wacky and serious nature.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared breakdown a couple of items including the launch of Nintendo Switch Online and its new NES library with online play. AL gives a detailed breakdown of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 DLC expansion pack, its story, and how much time she put it into it.
Jared’s a bit under the weather so it’s time for him and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) to do reach deep into the grab bag and talk about multiple topics. We discuss the latest Nintendo Direct and the announcements associated with that. Jared and AL went through Final Fantasy XV Pocket Edition HD because Jared thought it might be a good way to play that game. It wasn’t. Finally, Jared played through Marvel’s Spider-Man and wanted to talk heavily about swinging, the story, and the strange relationship with police the game has.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared discuss an anime from earlier this year with A Place Further Than The Universe. AL recently decided to watch it so we break down the show episode-by-episode and talk about what makes the series so good and especially episode 11.
CONTENT WARNING: Talks of suicide and parental death in this episode.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared discuss this very website's 2015 second best game of the year since AL has just now played it. We discuss each individual episode, the story as a whole, AL's initial thoughts having just completed it, and how this game can make you feel emotions you don't expect.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared talk about the 2013 hit in Beyond the Boundary/Kyoukai no Kanata! AL somehow forgot to mention that she was watching this to Jared until the very end, which led for a humorous exchange, but we discuss the happenings of the series and the sequel movie as well to see how good the action/romance series from Kyoto Animation is.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared return to the land of co-op as we discuss a few more games we recently played through together. First up we have to talk about being good dads and fighting zombies in Dead Rising 2 and then it's time to follow that up by remembering our times in a simulation and as the President of the United States in Saints Row IV.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return after a year to discuss part 3 of JoJo in Stardust Crusaders. We give a breakdown of what happens throughout the entirety of this portion of the series, our favorite and most hyped moments, the best new characters, and how good the Viz English dub is.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared finally discuss one of AL's favorite games in The Legend of Zelda series in Skyward Sword. We talk about breaking Wii Nunchuks, the wild anime-esque story, the betrayal of making people swol, potential changes that could be made to the game, and this game being the tipping point for the way the series uses Zelda for Jared.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared get cooperative as we talk about our experience playing through Resident Evil 6 in co-op. We discuss all the campaigns, the very ridiculous and wacky campaign, rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy being dumb, and the best Resident Evil character, Agent.
CONTENT WARNING: Lots of talk about suicide in this episode.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared discuss a series from 2016 since AL has just recently watched. We discuss each episode and the ways those were constantly full of angst and sadness, the unfortunate animation issues that hurt the show, and if things have changed for Jared since he reviewed the series two years ago.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) has been catching random bits and episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Super before she and Jared would watch JoJo on Toonami. Over the past month or so, AL's been very confused. So, to remedy that Jared has decided to try and explain what happens in Dragon Ball Z up through the Cell Saga to AL in an attempt to help that confusion. She also attempt to predict how the show goes and is shockingly accurate at times. It leads to a different, but wacky and fun episode.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) find themselves trapped amongst a variety of fates as we talk about Blazblue Cross Tag Battle, the crossover fighting game from Arc System Works and Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk, the latest otome release for the Vita! There's a lot of otome to discuss which AL weaves us through it's wild story while we both discuss our journey fighting with a variety of anime fighters and against each other.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared go through the various versions of Persona 3 and figure out which is the best version to play. After recently playing Persona 3 FES, we discuss how that version holds up, some of the strange gameplay limitations that aren't often talked about, whether or not the party AI is as bad as it's made out to be, and how each version of the game differs. We also talk about some things this game does that we wish the series would bring back and other things we are glad the series got away from.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the recently finished anime adaptation of Caligula a.k.a. The Caligula Effect! We discuss our brief experiences with the Vita release of the game and how our opinions changed when it came to the anime version. There is also talk of how the adaptation of Caligula switches the formula of how most game adaptations usually are and how that benefits this show.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the Grab Bag to discuss a multitude of games. Jared begins with discussing the new Splatoon 2 DLC, AL talks about the latest Xenoblade Chronicles 2 DLC, and we wrap up by talking about our quest to date some birds in Hatoful Boyfriend.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) breakdown all the press conferences from this year's E3! From EA to Nintendo we talk about all the games that were said on any stage and give our reactions to them. We also discuss what games we are most looking forward to after a strange year of press conferences.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared go back to the world of otome and double up on it! We discuss the recently released Code Realize OVA that is a brand new story following the conclusion of the anime. We also talk about the latest otome release on the Vita with 7'Scarlet and AL runs down the wild story. Finally, we wrap up the episode with some E3 2018 predictions, so you'll be able to hear how much we get right.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) put their dancing shoes on to discuss the 3 Persona dancing games. We go hands on with the latest releases with Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night and Persona 5 Dancing Star Night and what is new, the basis around the story mode replacement, and how the remixes are. Of course, it wouldn't be something Persona 5 related if Atlus didn't do something incredibly problematic, so we have to discuss that with regard to a certain group dance in the game. We also talk Persona 4 Dancing All Night since that has been given a PS4 port.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared breakdown one of AL's two favorite franchises being smooshed together in The Legend of Zelda and Musou games. We talk about the story, the ways the game plays to the various games in the Zelda franchise, and some of the fun fan service. Time to mash the attack button and take down thousands of enemies.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) bring forth two games which can be seen to them as disappointing to infuriating. Jared talks about Mass Effect: Andromeda, the controversial latest entry in the Mass Effect franchise and how it maybe doesn't deserve all the flack it gets, but is disappointing. AL discusses Final Fantasy XV and how the game does not do anything to our notion that it is a bad game and left her feeling frustrated after finally getting through the entirety of the game.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared discuss yet another title in The Legend of Zelda series. We discuss how we feel about Majora's Mask, what we like and dislike about the game, whether it deserves the controversial stance it gets, and dunk hard on the Zelda timeline.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) finally have a chance to take a break so we dive into two games we played through recently. AL discusses the latest otome release and how ridiculous the story gets, which is in line with otome games. Jared talks about the rest of Yakuza 6 which has twists, turns, and beating people up. Both games sure get sad. Spoilers are abound for both so be careful!
Jared and Dr. Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a different direction this week as we go more academic and look at the history of video games in the United States. Based off of AL's dissertation (WHICH SHE PASSED!), we discuss the very beginning of the industry including the first games created, the formation of Atari, its acquisition by Warner, the downfall of Atari, and the revival of the industry thanks to Nintendo.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared return to Your Name with a new format as they look at how the manga adaptation tells the story. We discuss the jump from film to manga, how the different medium approaches various scenes and the story as a whole, and whether or not the manga works with regards to the story.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take it back to the turn of the 21st century with one of the more highly regarded shows of that era, FLCL. How is the show when coming at it for the very first time and rewatching it after its original US airing? Does the series holdup or is it a product of its time? These questions and more as we attempt to breakdown the show before the two sequel series coming later this year.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared bring forth their nicest episode with the recent release of the Code: Realize fan disc. We talk about the extensions to the original routes, the three new stories, and learning about Drac-chan. There are extensive story discussions of each route so be careful of spoilers throughout!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have watched and read the rest of the ReLIFE media that has come out in the two months since our initial episode on the series. We talk about the second half the manga, the four OVA episodes, and the live-action film and which version works or could have been better. Of course since two of these versions have just recently came out, there are spoilers so be careful.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decide to take a spin on March Madness by pitting 64 characters from Persona 3-5 against each other to determine who is the best character from those three games (and a few characters from the spinoffs). Join us for a ton of debate and arguments on deciding which character is better, surprise matchups and victories, and being exhausted by the end of it. If you would like to make your own prediction of who is the best based off our bracket, find the bracket right here!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a long look at a game that was kept somewhat under the radar last year in Tokyo Xanadu eX+. We discuss the multitude of ways the game impressed us, the ways it compares to games in the Persona series, where it would rank in our top ten lists for game of the year retroactively, and how much fun we had in general.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have found two games to talk about that are strange in different ways. Jared got an extended look at the Yakuza 6 demo due to strange circumstances that made the full game become unlocked. AL played through the Secret of Mana Remake and we discuss whether or not it was worth remaking the game at all with how Square did it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) look back at a full year of the Nintendo Switch on today's anniversary of its release. We talk about what games we enjoyed on the system, the positives and negatives, the games we are looking forward to playing in year two, and if the second year of the console will continue the highs of the first year or will a drop in quality start to begin.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared look at another re-release this week in the Radiant Historia remake. AL has been trying to get people for years to play the game and got Jared to play it. We discuss the time travel story, the gameplay, the changes and additions, and the surprising characterization the game utilizes.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about the 2005 hit Shadow of the Colossus thanks to the recently released remake. We discuss whether or not the game lives up to the enormous hype that has been built around it, what this release means for remakes and game preservation, how it is to play the game in 2018, and figuring out how to keep expectations in check.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared switch up the podcast from what we normally talk about and instead discuss a Korean drama. We talk about the show itself, what makes it so good, the drama and comedy aspects, and how it differentiates itself from other Korean dramas. Jared talks about his first experience with a Korean drama and AL gives her opinion on why this is one of her favorites.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions of suicide, self-mutilation/self-harm, and disturbing themes. Listener discretion is advised.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have a few games to talk about so they bring out the grab bag once again to discuss four different games. Jared brings Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth - Hacker's Memory and Dragonball FighterZ, two very recent releases to the episode to discuss. AL has the Friends to the End DLC for Shantae 1/2 Genie Hero and Doki Doki Literature Club!. There are spoilers for each game so be careful if you are still playing a certain game we discuss this week.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss an anime from 2016 and a currently ongoing manga in ReLIFE. We discuss each episode, talk about the manga up to where the anime concludes, and discuss a certain change between the anime and manga. AL talks about the dub and what she liked about it. We also talk about the ways the series pulls off being non-traditional in terms of the formats it uses for the anime and manga.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared head back to the early 2000s to talk about one of CLAMP's hits in Chobits. AL has been a fan for years and Jared has now watched the show for the first time. We discuss various themes of the show and how it is surprising with its twists and turns that subvert the viewer's expectations. Make sure to get excited about checking email.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) found an indie game that seems to be somewhat inspired by a famous Super Nintendo game. We discuss what we liked about Blossom Tales, what we thought could have been improved on, and how this game will seem to people who are not influenced by the nostalgia push. There are certainly no links to be made to any sort of past here, no sir.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared return to the land of Code Realize and discuss the recently finished anime adaptation. We talk about what the show does right, how it differs from the game, and parts we would have liked to have seen done differently. If you'd like to know more about this series, check out our previous episode, Episode #41 where we discuss the game in its entirety.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are capping off the year by celebrating the best and worst in video games with our Game of the Year awards. We have our Top 7/10 games of the year along with supplemental awards such as, Most Disappointing Games, Best Soundtrack, Best Old Game, Best DLC, Best Anime Game, Best Remake/Re-release, Best Moment, Best You Die in the Game, You Die in Real Life, Best Surprise, Best Multiplayer Re-release That Is Better Played With Shuffled Music, and Most Surprising Arcade Archives Release of the Year.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) decide to celebrate the holidays by watching a movie that can be seen as a Christmas film, Sailor Moon S The Movie! The one catch is that we watched the original English dub and experienced that for the first time. We discuss our opinions on that original dub, the film in general, and the localization changes.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared have decided after a combined 200+ hours with Xenoblade Chronicles 2, that they should talk about the game. We give general feelings about the game, spoilers that delve into the later parts of the story, and talk about a variety of moments and characters. There is a spoiler warning at 42:30 where we go deep into endgame spoilers so be warned of that if you are trying to avoid those.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) take a break from talking about the present to look at the future. We discuss a variety of video games, anime, and manga that we are looking forward to that are tentatively scheduled to be released next year. NOTE: We recorded this earlier in the week so announcements made on The Game Awards and at PSX are not covered because we were not aware of them at the time of recording.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have fallen asleep and are climbing blocks in their dreams! This week we discuss one of AL's favorite games in Catherine, the social/puzzle game put out by Atlus' Persona Team in 2011. We discuss the wacky story, the multiple endings the game has, the puzzle mechanics, making friends with everyone, and how the soundtrack is another Shoji Meguro classic.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared have reached the milestone of fifty episodes! To celebrate, we decided to talk about one of AL's favorite games in Apollo Justice or Ace Attorney 4. We talk about why this game is as good as it is coming off the original Ace Attorney trilogy, what makes the new mechanics, characters, and storytelling work so well, and why the later games have not been the best for Apollo.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are back to talk about yet another sad, but big anime film that came out last year in Japan, A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi). We discuss the film in depth, so there is a spoiler warning pretty early on. Time to get very sad with us and discuss why this film is so good.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are back from their long winded odyssey around the world to talk about Nintendo's latest smash hit, Super Mario Odyssey. We discuss the gameplay, costumes, kingdoms, boss fights, our favorite moments, and everything in between. There's a spoiler warning halfway through as we do go more in depth with some specific moments that for people playing the game and have not completed it should steer clear of.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have finally had time to sit down and play through Fire Emblem Warriors and defeats thousands of enemies. We discuss the mechanics of the gameplay, the basic story, the different modes, and AL gushes about her love of the Warriors/Musou games.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared discuss another of Makoto Shinkai's works in his 2007 film, 5 Centimeters Per Second. We discuss not only the film in its entirety and what we thought of it, but also the 2010 manga adaptation which expands upon the story in some surprising ways.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have been playing a few games and decided to pull out the grab bag again to talk about them. AL discusses the latest entry into the Layton series and how it might not hit every mark and also her latest otome game she's playing in Bad Apple Wars. Jared talks about a magical girl JRPG called Blue Reflection and how it is not all he wants it to be (also I make some goofs and call the common, the collective and call fragments, sphere thingies.) and a fantasy sports game in Pyre.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared take a look at Kyoto Animation's 2012 classic Hyouka which has finally been officially released in North America. We discuss the anime series as a whole, what we think of the English dub, the differences between the two dubs, and also talk about in spoilers the novels that have yet to be adapted in the series.
SPOILER TALK BEGINS AROUND ~32:56
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about one of their most anticipated games of the year in Danganronpa V3. Did it meet expectations or is this another game that has left us feeling incredibly disappointed? We give our general thoughts on the game firstly before diving into some very explicit spoilers near the time indicated above, so if you have not finished the game, you will want to avoid since we start with a discussion about the end of the game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) were very excited about the re-release of Final Fantasy IX on PlayStation 4, so they quickly played through the game again in order to discuss it. In what is arguably the best Final Fantasy game, we discuss the story, some of the best moments, the new features in this version that are also in the PC/Mobile versions, and have to deal with frogs. Too many frogs.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared continue the otome talk from last week as AL talks about her favorite otome game that she's played, Code: Realize. We discuss the story which is sometimes indescribable in terms of how ridiculous it gets, who is the definitive best boy, those sexy special CGs, and what it is like to become a wealthy landowner.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared have once again pulled out the Grab Bag and are ready to talk about a handful of games. AL has a new otome game that she has had an excellent time with. AL and Jared played through Hyper Light Drifter and were blown away by it in different ways. Jared brings Tacoma and the first episode of Life is Strange Before the Storm to talk about what's hot in terms of narrative based games. We also have a serious discussion about hateful language in the gaming community in light of PewDiePie saying the "n-word" on stream.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have finally played and are ready to talk about one of the biggest surprises of the year in Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle. The strategy RPG has many ways that it was able to wow us and catch us off guard, especially when the game as a whole could have fell apart in a multitude of ways. We do discuss story spoilers, but give you a warning up front of when those are and also talk about the way AL beat the final boss in the most ludicrous way imaginable.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared take a look at a brand new rhythm game based around Kpop and centered around YG Entertainment. As a free-to-play game, are the mechanics good or does it try to make the player pay money constantly. Does it play good and is the selection of songs acceptable or could it have been better? We also discuss how it compares to other mobile rhythm games and how it makes some smart and not so smart decisions with how the game actually plays. It's a clash of Anne Ladyem's love of Kpop and Jared's love of rhythm games!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) talk about one of the highest regarded game in the history of video games, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. We don't necessarily agree with the notion that this is the greatest game ever made, but it is certainly one that should be played. Does it stand tall as the best Zelda game though? Jared has some issues with certain parts of the game and Anne Ladyem talks about the manga and the differences there are between that and the game.
CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussions about adult themes, sex, and scenes of rape in a video game.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared dive into a part of Al's research and talk about the pornographic games that were on the Atari 2600. How did these games come to be before the crash? Were any of them good? How controversial were they at the time? Has the industry changed in regards to adult games since then? We also uncover quite possibly one of the first rhythm games in video games.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared dive head first into one of Al's favorite games, Final Fantasy X-2. While we both enjoy it and think it's an excellent addition to the Final Fantasy franchise, there are a lot of people who hate it for a variety of reasons, most notably due to with how it is a very feminine game. We talk about the things we enjoy, why Jared thinks it is a much better game than Final Fantasy X, gender in video games in general, and what makes Final Fantasy X-2 so much fun.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are ready to break down and dissect the latest Persona series announcements that have happened in the past week. We talk about Persona 5 the Animation, Persona Q 2, Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night, and Persona 5 Dancing Star Night. Which ones are we excited for and which ones are we feeling a little trepidation about? What hypothetical game would Al sell one of her kidneys to get? Who are the characters we want in the dancing games? What do we expect out of PQ2 and the P5 anime? Join us as we answer those questions and laugh about P3 protag dancing on his own grave.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) gather to discuss one of 2014's best anime in Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun. After reading the first volume of the manga, Anne Ladyem dived into the manga and the two discuss what made the anime work, how good of a comedy it is, and how well it adapted the manga. There is a lot of laughing this week.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared tackle one of the most prolific games in the Final Fantasy catalog in Final Fantasy VI. A game lauded as not only one of the best Final Fantasy games, but best RPGs period, there are expectations, an aura, and an immense amount of hype surrounding the game. Does the game hold up, even playing the original SNES version or is the excitement for the game too much for people who play it today? This and much more as we take a look at the game and how it is for someone who played it at release and just recently.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the recently announced SNES Classic. We go through the list of games and discuss each game and also talk about games we believe could have made the cut as well. Is the price point worth it? Will there be another shortage? We also discuss some other older games that we have recently played as well.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared decide to take a page from the mainline Seasonal Anime Checkup podcast and talk about an anime that just wrapped up, Tsuki ga Kirei. Perhaps the breakout show of the season, what exactly makes it so good and worthy of such praise? How does it differentiate itself from other shoujo series? Due to us talking at length about the entirety of the show's run, there will be spoilers throughout the episode so be careful.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) revisit one of their favorite games of 2016, Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE. What made the former Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem game so good? How good is that soundtrack? What would we like to see if there was ever a sequel? If you haven't, go play this game. Like, right now. Go. Do it.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared are ready to take some time to laugh after a few weeks of video games and discuss this very website's Best Anime of 2016, Sakamoto desu ga?/Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto. What makes this comedy so good and sets it apart from other shows in the genre? Is Sakamoto an alien? These questions and also some of our favorite moments from the show are discussed this week!
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to see if any of their predictions last week were right or if they goofed real hard. We break down each of the six major press conferences starting with EA and wrapping up with Nintendo and give our thoughts and opinions on the games and hardware announced, as well as the overall feeling coming out of all of the press conferences. (Side note: I (Jared) mistakenly call God Eater, God Hand in this episode twice. My bad. No need to send in corrections on that, I realize my goof.)
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) discuss the broad topic of crowdfunding in video games. Thanks in large part due to recent games such as, Yooka-Laylee, Mighty No. 9, Bloodstained, and Shenmue 3. We also discuss our experiences with crowdfunding games and if they have been positive or negative. As a bonus, we end the episodes giving our predictions for E3 2017, which kicks off this week where we already have some predictions wrong and one that ended up being true, but was slightly ahead of when we predicted it.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared revisit and idea they had in Episode 1 and talk about the original Danganronpa anime. Here is a dub, that while is very different from the game, is one you most certainly should not sleep on. In fact, we talk about how it is the better way to watch the show and get the most enjoyment out of it.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to the grab bag and this time discuss some manga they have recently read. How does Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin compare to the original anime? Is the Oracle manga better or worse than the games? Are either or these good introductions to their respective series? All this and much more as we dig deep into the grab bag once again.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are here to talk about a game that has been pushed toward Jared for quite a while, Final Fantasy VIII. Why does the game get such a bad reputation? Is Squall as disinterested as people say he is? How about that soundtrack? This and much more as we breakdown what makes Final Fantasy VIII one of the best in the franchise.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared have decided enough with delays and are finally going to do the Zelda episode. Here we discuss The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Oracle of Ages & Seasons. We also talk about why we are not doing an episode on The Caligula Effect, preservation of experimental games, and what exactly makes 16-bit era games age so well.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) have gathered up some games and pulled them out of the grab bag to talk about. Anne Ladyem talks about Period Cube - Shackles of Amadeus and gives the most comprehensive look at the game currently on the internet. Jared talks about Puyo Puyo Tetris and gushes about how good of a puzzle game it is and how amazing the voice cast is. Finally, we discuss Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and share the true way to play online in that game.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared attempt to try and explain what exactly is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. There is a lot of ridiculousness, a lot of man pain, and a lot of us asking each other what is this show. Either way, this might be a best episode to date.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to anime to discuss the biggest anime film of all time, Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa). Given all of the accolades the film has received, does it live up to the hype or can it? What would you do if you switched bodies? How many tears were shed? These questions and more are answered along with a smattering of shoujo love.
SPOILERS START AT 56:18 Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared beat Persona 5 a bit earlier than expected and are here to dive head first into all facets of the game. Is the game as good as previous entries in the series? Was the game worth the long wait? Who is the best character? What story beats were good and which were bad? All these questions and more are answered in this longer episode.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) bring you a shorter than normal episode in which we discuss what is happening with Nintendo's three mobile games on the market, Miitomo, Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes. Do these games work as mobile games, in general, or should Nintendo rethink their current strategy. We also try to come up with new franchises that Nintendo should use for whatever they decide to make after Animal Crossing Mobile.
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared attempt to seek a way out and discuss the three Zero Escape games, 999, Virtue's Last Reward, and Zero Time Dilemma. We both have different experiences with some of the games, but still find them all to be very enjoyable games. Of course, there is spoiler talk so be mindful of that and also a discussion about education? Remember, we do have a new twitter so check us out there @animecheckup.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) get to talk about a game that Jared got Anne Ladyem into?! We talk at length about Danganronpa, Danganronpa 2, and Danganronpa Another Episode, while briefly talking about Danganronpa V3 with no spoilers. There are spoilers for the other three games so be careful! As with other retrospective episodes, we also have development information for you to give an inside look at how these games were made and what decisions came to be. Also, follow our new twitter (@animecheckup)!
SPOILERS We do a deep dive into spoilers at the 41 minute mark of this episode which goes into story, end game, and various mechanics up to the end of the show. If you want to skip out then to avoid any spoilers, that would be the time to do so. Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared both have the Nintendo Switch and give some brief impressions on that before diving headfirst into talking about Breath of the Wild. There are general impressions for the game that avoid spoilers, but also over half of the episode does include spoilers so beware. It might not be a perfect game, but it is a pretty good game.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are here to talk about a hard to find console! No, not that one, that will be next week. They both have a NES Classic and are here to tell you all about it and the games included, along with some bonus games Jared might have put on his. There is also another facet to this episode as we discuss how games and the culture of games have changed in the 30 years since the release of the NES. (Don't forget Square stole Blitzball from the Captain Tsubasa Famicom game adaptations of the anime.)
Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) and Jared dive deep into a pair of underappreciated PlayStation 2 games, Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts (2) Covenant. These are two fantastic JRPGs that perhaps were overlooked when the PS2 was churning out JRPGs right and left, but these are two games you should definitely go back and play.
It's the second half of our Persona retrospective as Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are back to discuss the rest of the Persona games. We do a deep dive into Persona 4, Persona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Persona Q, and Persona 4 Dancing All Night.
In our biggest episode to date, Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) dive head first into talking about the Persona franchise and it's so big that we had to split it up! For part one we talk at length about development and our experiences with Revelations Persona, Persona 2 Innocent Sin, Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, and Persona 3.
Jared is going to take you down the long road of various Sailor Moon games that have come out over the past 25 years. There are some that are good, especially for licensed games, while others are better left in the past. This is the first in a new series of the podcast where we take a look at game franchises and talk in-depth about the games that have come out and our experiences with them.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) return to talk about an underappreciated Xbox 360 game, Lost Odyssey. How does it differ from other JRPGs of the generation and what sets it apart from other games within the genre? Also, Jansen never wears out in bed.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are back to talk about how Jared just now got around to finishing Final Fantasy VII and the takeaways from beating that game nearly 20 years after its release. We also talk about the legacy of Final Fantasy VII and our hopes for the upcoming remake of the game.
It is the first manga only episode as Jared talks about the prequel to Sailor Moon, Codename: Sailor V! What makes it different than Sailor Moon? Is it as good? Jared also makes a plea for someone to make an adaptation for the work.
Jared and Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com) are back to run down what happened at Nintendo's presentation on the Switch and run down the games that will be coming to the system. We also talk about various reactions to news about the system and what we expect from it.
It is a different type of episode as Jared is flying solo and talking about a recent video game release, Steins;Gate 0. Does it hold up to the first game or are there problems with the sequel? Will the future anime adaptation be worthwhile? Are sequels necessary? These questions and more in the latest Seasonal Anime Checkup OVA.
It's time to catch up and talk about games that Jared and Anne Ladyem have played over the past month. World of Final Fantasy, Root Letter, and Final Fantasy XV Judgment Disc are on the table ready to be discussed. We also talk about the recent Persona 5 delay for English speaking audiences and why that is a bummer.
Joined once again by Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com), we go in a different direction for episode 2 by talking about 2010's Highschool of the Dead. It's not good, but it is surprising in how it takes on various anime tropes. We also discuss the way you should view the show and how exactly a show from six years ago has better animation than shows this year. Also, we say tig ol bitties a lot.
The inaugural episode goes long on the ins and outs of Danganronpa 3. How did splitting the season into two different arcs work? Was the entire season a success? Should Danganronpa 3 have been in a different format? These questions and more in the debut episode. Featuring friend of the site Anne Ladyem (anneladyem.com)! For more information go to seasonalanimecheckup.com or sac.cool!