All My Best Friends Are Digital (Caitlin Bailey and Mark Bigney)

Survival game Pacific Drive has crafting and personality, but we'll see whether that's a marriage that works, especially given the scant guidance you receive in navigating its world. Conversely, Pokémon Ranger offers far too much guidance for its own good.

What We're Playing

01:02 Mark: Fight'n Rage (sebagamesdev, 2017)

08:09 Caitlin: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Square Enix, 2024)

19:23 GOOF: Pokémon Ranger (HAL Laboratory, 2006)

29:08 Feature Game: Pacific Drive (Ironwood Studios, 2024)

SHOUT

52:03 Caitlin: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo)

54:00 Mark: Caves of Qud (Freehold)

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is a strange and unexpected offering, an odd delight amongs a sea of derivative games. Caitlin then reveals her gaming autobiography, her top games of all time.

What We're Playing

02:03 Caitlin: Slay the Spire (Mega Crit, 2019)

06:00 Mark: Pokémon Pinball (HAL Laboratory, 1999)

Tech Dweeb's 10 Must Play Retro Pinball Games: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2X1tC9DjjQ&pp=ygUSdGVjaCBkd2VlYiBwaW5iYWxs

13:15 Feature Game: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (Capcom, 2024)

Special Bunraku Performance: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=124HrR-M0iQ

27:19 Caitlin's Top 10 Games of All Time

28:30 Honourable Mentions

Suikoden 

Undertale

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Final Fantasy XVI

33:43 Top 10

Chrono Trigger

Baldur's Gate 3

Hades

Valkyrie Profile

Mass Effect

Shadow of the Colossus

Dragon Age: Origins

Final Fantasy VI

The Witcher 3

Red Dead Redemption 2

SHOUT

58:44 Caitlin: Slay the Spire 2 (Mega Crit)

59:33 Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero)

More Dragon Age! Caitlin and Mark have very different takeaways from The Veilguard. We also stress the difference between dwarves and vikings in The Last Vikings, another pre-WoW Blizzard offering.

What We're Playing

01:10 Caitlin: A Tower Full of Cats, and An Arcade Full of Cats (Devcats, 2022-2024)

05:21 Mark: Persona 5 Tactika (P-Studio, 2023)

10:36 Mark: Metal Slug Tactics (Leikir Studio, 2024)

GOOF: The Lost Vikings (Blizzard, 1993)

30:35 Feature Game: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare, 2024)

SHOUT

1:10:43 Caitlin: Path of Exile 2 (Grinding Gear Games)

1:12:11 Mark: Mass Effect 5 (BioWare)

Caitlin has no experience with the Persona formula, whereas Mark is a longtime Persona stan--so we have you covered for Metaphor: ReFantazio. Caitlin's blood vendetta against tutorials reaches the game early Blizzard game Blackthorne, and no NPCs will survive her determination to learn as she goes.

What We're Playing

01:08 Mark: Inscryption (Daniel Mullins Games, 2021)

13:07 Caitlin: Neko Atsume 2 (Hit-Point, 2024)

17:34 GOOF: Blackthorne (Blizzard Entertainment, 1994)

31:04 Feature Game: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero, 2024)

SHOUT

58:27 Mark: Exodus (Archetype Entertainment)

We shot them up last week, and this week we are beating them up. One wonders what them did to deserve all this violence, but we move on to more pressing questions--such as, what ground food is best? And, how many mechanisms is too much, and how many light years past that is Astral Ascent? 

NB: The name of that weird creature in Golden Axe and Altered Beast is a "chicken leg." 

What We're Playing

00:55 Caitlin: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead, 2024)

06:00 Mark: Streets of Rage 4 (Dotemu, 2020)

11:48 GOOF: Alien vs. Predator (Capcom, 1994)

19:37 Feature Game: Astral Ascent (Hibernia Workshop, 2023)

SHOUT

53:52 Caitlin: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare)

56:41 Mark: Metal Slug Tactics (SNK)

Mark is some sort of degenerate killjoy who doesn't like Tolkien much, but can Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor win him over regardless? Caitlin's death-march through all the Final Fantasy games continues, as does the mining of classic titles from the NES to fuel GOOF.

What We're Playing

01:04 Caitlin: Final Fantasy II (Square)

07:26 Mark: Have a Nice Death (Magic Design Studios)

12 :17 GOOF: Dragon Spirit: The New Legend (Namco)

23 :53 Feature Game: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Monolith)

44:23 Spoilers begin

50:04 Spoilers end

SHOUT

51:57 Caitlin: LEGO Horizon Adventures (Guerilla)

53:39 Mark: Dreamcast Capcom VS SNK 2 in English and Terry Bogard in Street Fighter 6 (Capcom and kind of SNK)

Mark continues Caitlin's forced education on the Neo Geo with Shock Troopers, an underappreciated run and gun. They then discuss Death and Taxes, a narrative game with some strange framing choices.

WE INTERRUPT YOUR EPISODE NOTES WITH URGENT HORSE NEWS: A horse game is incoming! 

What We're Playing

01:01 Caitlin: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

07:51 Caitlin: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

09:40 Mark: Halls of Torment (Casing Carrots, 2024)

17:58 GOOF: Shock Troopers (Saurus, 1997)

28:14 Feature Game: Death and Taxes (Placeholder Gameworks, 2020)

44:19 Spoilers Begin

51:25 Spoilers End

SHOUT

52:43 Mark: Windstorm: Legend of the Khiimori (Aesir Interactive and NightinGames)

Whether The Lost Crown is your first Prince of Persia (as it is for Caitlin) or not (as it is for Mark), it's undeniably an influential series of platformers with combat sequences. We'll see how well this latest offering fares. Plus, Mark kind of sort of not really tries Final Fantasy XIV! Maybe. Almost.

What We're Playing

01:21 Caitlin: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Square Enix, 2024)

09:02 Mark: Vanquish (Platinum, 2010)

18:39 GOOF: ActRaiser (Quintet, 1991)

31:09 Feature Game: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft, 2024)

SHOUT

51:42 Caitlin: Timespinner 2: Unwoven Dream (Lunar Ray)

52:30 Mark: Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments)

It's Halloween here at AMBFAD, and so we are going to discuss some horror games! The retro run-and-gun Zombies Ate My Neighbors hearkens back to a halcyon period of LucasArts, and Still Wakes the Deep will hit you right in the feels.  

What We're Playing

01:05 Caitlin: Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred (Blizzard Entertainment, 2024)

03:51 Caitlin: Rabbit and Steel (mino_dev, 2024)

08:12 Mark: rRootage (ABA Games, 2003)

https://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~cs8k-cyu/

15:27 GOOF: Zombies Ate My Neighbors (LucasArts, 1993)

24:30 Feature Game: Still Wakes the Deep (Chinese Room, 2024)

SHOUT

55:12 Caitlin: Glyphica: Typing Survival (aliasBLACK)

57:40 Mark: NERF Destiny 2 Ace of Spades

If you had told us that we would be loving speedrunning in a first-person platformer, i.e. Neon White, we would not have believed you. If you had told us that Caitlin would still be knee-deep in Unicorn Overlord and underimpressed by one of Mark's all-time favourites, we would have easily believed you. 

What We're Playing

03:19 Caitlin: Unicorn Overlord (Vanillaware, 2024)

04:48 Mark: Journey to the Savage Planet (Typhoon Studios, 2020)

GROB commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESsRiSbIuKM&pp=ygUham91cm5leSB0byB0aGUgc2F2YWdlIHBsYW5ldCBncm9i

10:56 GOOF: Prince of Persia (Broderbund, 1989)

24:30 Feature Game: Neon White (Angel Matrix, 2022)

SHOUT

55:17 Caitlin: The Garden Path (carrotcake)

56:36 Mark: Whisker Squadron: Survivor (Flippfly)

We finally show Nintendo some love in the form of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and get blown away (in many ways) by Tactical Breach Wizards.

What We're Playing

01:02 Caitlin: Rabbit and Steel (mino_dev, 2024)

08:45 Mark: The Ninja Warriors (Natsume, 1994)

13:24 GOOF: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Flagship and Capcom, 2004)

TechDweeb's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TechDweeb

30:19 Feature Game: Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments, 2024)

SHOUT

49:58 Mark: Halls of Torment (Chasing Carrots)

52:19 Caitlin: Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap (Robot Entertainment)

We dip our toes into mobile games this week with a Pokémon sleep tracker and the latest from MiHoYo. The Quintet appreciation continues with Illusion of Gaia, and we check out Unicorn Overlord with some mixed results.

What We're Playing

01:35 Caitlin: Pokémon Sleep (Select Button, 2023)

07:01 Zenless Zone Zero (MiHoYo, 2024)

16:57 GOOF: Illusion of Gaia (Quintet, 1994)

27:47 Feature Game: Unicorn Overlord (Vanillaware, 2024)

SHOUT

50:14 Caitlin: Monster Hunter Wilds (Capcom)

52:14 Mark: Rogue Prince of Persia (Evil Empire)

Caitlin said Valkyrie Profile was one of her top 10 games of all time, so let's take a deeper look! Mark reciprocates by listing his own top 10.

What We're Playing

00:41 Mark: Earth Defense Force 4.1 (Sandlot, 2016)

11:15 Caitlin: Flock (Hollow Ponds and Richard Hogg, 2024)

17:24 GOOF: Valkyrie Profile (tri-Ace, 1999)

35:35 Mark's Top 10 Games of All Time

36:07 Honourable Mentions

Destiny/Destiny 2

Dragon Age 2

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Risk of Rain Returns

44:47 Top 10

Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters

Vagrant Story

ICO

Silent Hill 2

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup

Mass Effect

The King of Fighters XIII

Spec Ops: The Line

Persona V Royal

Hades

1:11:20 SHOUT: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare)

It's a theme week here at AMBFAD, and we're doing grimy science fiction. From beneath the ground in Fallout to beyond the stars with the Void Bastards, we have you covered--with apologies for the salty language.

What We're Playing

01:14 Mark: Rabbit and Steel (mino_dev, 2024)

02:23 Mark: Street Fighter 6 (Capcom, 2023)

12:20 Caitlin: Core Keeper (Pugstorm, 2024)

20:34 GOOF: Fallout (Interplay, 1997)

35:33 Feature Game: Void Bastards (Blue Manchu, 2019)

SHOUT

56:30 Caitlin: Fable (Playground Games)

58:56 Mark: Windblown (Motion Twin)

Thank goodness you're here to join us as we discuss Thank Goodness You're Here! It's all cats and meat pies this week, though thankfully not in combination.

What We're Playing

02:01 Caitlin: A Building Full of Cats, A Tower Full of Cats, and A Castle Full of Cats (Devcats, 2022-2024)

14:53 Mark: Destiny 2 (Bungie, 2017)

13:46 Mark: PortMaster, especially Bleed (Ian Campbell, 2013)

27:58 GOOF: Road Rash (Electronic Arts, 1991)

38:05 Feature Game: Thank Goodness You're Here (Coal Supper, 2024)

SHOUT

54:58 Caitlin: A Shelter Full of Cats (Devcats)

55:48 Mark: Retroid Pocket 5 (Retroid)

Mark has many questions about many things Final Fantasy, and Caitlin is well-equipped to oblige--and Mark is able to recipocrate with a capsule biography of Firebrand, aka Red Arremer. The feature game is Firework, a horror/mystery story from China. Several things are mispronounced.

What We're Playing

00:46 Caitlin: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Square Enix, 2024)

11:45 SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos (SNK Playmore, 2003)

16:58 Demon's Crest (Capcom, 1994)

30:28 Feature Game: Firework (Shiying Studio, 2021)

49:28 Spoilers Begin

1:03:29 Spoilers End

SHOUT

1:04:01 Caitlin: Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (Capcom)

1:05:21 Mark: Garou: City of the Wolves (SNK)

Quintet released some bangers on the SNES: ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, and Illusion of Gaia. How does their last one--Terranigma--measure up? And how much chill do you want in your journalism? Or, for that matter, your video games? Caitlin and Mark talk about Times & Galaxy.

What We're Playing

01:04 Mark: TMNT: Splintered Fate (Super Evil Megacorp, 2024)

07:30 Caitlin: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Square Enix, 2024)

12:43 GOOF: Terranigma (Quintet, 1995)

26:51 Feature Game: Times & Galaxy (Copychaser Games, 2024)

37:55 Spoilers Begin

42:44 Spoilers End

SHOUT

49:37 Caitlin: Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Retro Studios)

51:25 Mark: DNF Duel (Arc System Works)

Sometimes the only way to show that you love is to complain and nitpick, and that's exactly what Caitlin and Mark do with Fire Emblem--a game they both enjoy but think is sometimes borderline absurd. 

What We're Playing

01:04 Mark: Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments, 2024)

08:47 Caitlin: Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm (Gearbox, 2024)

13:14 GOOF: Metroid (R&D Team 1 and Intelligent Systems, 1986) and Metroid: Zero Mission (R&D Team 1, 2004)

25:10 Feature Game: Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems, 2019)

SHOUT

50:51 Caitlin: Goblin Cleanup (Crisalu)

52:13 Mark: Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (Capcom)

One ought never to overlook a chance to extol the virtues of Terry Bogard, so we discuss the classic Garou: Mark of the Wolves. In anticipation of the upcoming Veilguard, we touch on all the main Dragon Age games released thus far.

What We're Playing

00:50 Mark: Tactical Breach Wizards (Suspicious Developments, 2024)

02:02 Mark: Anomaly Agent (Phew Phew, 2024)

10:33 Caitlin: Risk of Rain 2 (Hopoo Games, 2020)

21:39 GOOF: Garou: Mark of the Wolves (SNK, 1999)

32:35 Feature Game: Dragon Age (BioWare, 2009-)

SHOUT

1:18:39 Caitlin: Neva (Nomada Studio)

It is pretty depressing that Tango Gameworks' reward for the ebullient and excellent Hi-Fi Rush was closure, but we get our own closure by eulogizing their work. There's also much discussion of action RPGs this week, assuming a broad enough definition.

What We're Playing

01:02 Mark: Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco, 2021)

08:09 Caitlin: Diablo IV (Blizzard, 2023)

12:54 GOOF: Legacy of the Wizard (Nihon Falcom, 1989)

24:28 Feature Game: Hi-Fi Rush (Tango Gameworks, 2023)

SHOUT

48:27 Caitlin: Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred (Blizzard)

49:53 Mark: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (From Software)

Caitlin reciprocates this week by trying ICO, one of Mark's all-time favourites. They also both explore the coming-of-age story I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, in which you play as... well, let's not undermine the excellent title, shall we?

What We're Playing

00:53 Caitlin: Rabbit and Steel (mino_dev, 2024)

08:45 Mark: Valkyrie Profile (tri-Ace, 1999)

15:11 GOOF: ICO (Team ICO, 2001)

29:54 Feature Game: I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (Northway, 2022)

48:09 Spoilers Begin

56:32 Spoilers End

SHOUT

58:48 Caitlin: Fields of Mistria (NPC Studio)

59:24 Mark: Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm (Gearbox Software)

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice tackles the issue of having a mentally ill protagonist head-on. How successful is the portrayal? And how good is the game itself? And perhaps most importantly, can we all get on the same page and acknowledge that Cain from Final Fantasy II (or IV, for you purists) was a massive douche?

What We're Playing

01:12 Caitlin: Hellcard (Thing Trunk, 2024)

05:14 Mark: Cult of the Lamb (Massive Monster, 2022)

12:07 GOOF: Final Fantasy (yes, the FIRST one) (Square, 1987)

26:58 Feature Game: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Ninja Theory, 2017)

52:42 Spoilers begin

1:06:14 Spoilers end

SHOUT

1:06:46 Caitlin: Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (Square Enix)

1:08:20 Mark: Hades II (Supergiant)

Caitlin has made her enthusiasm for cats and horses well-known, but let it not be forgotten that she is fond of all manner of other animals as well. It's all kinds of fauna this week, as we revisit The Lion King and look at indie darling Animal Well.

What We're Playing

01:14 Caitlin: Powerwash Simulator (FuturLab, 2022)

11:20 Mark: Inscyption (Daniel Mullins Games, 2021)

13:46 Mark: PortMaster, especially Bleed (Ian Campbell, 2013)

24:20 GOOF: The Lion King (Westwood Studios, 1994)

36:15 Feature Game: Animal Well (Shared Memory, 2024)

SHOUT

53:17 Mark: The Void Rains Upon Her Heart (Veyeral)

55:40 Caitlin: Barkour (VARSAV Game Studios)

All shooting, all the time! Both Rabbit and Steel and Undertale leverage shoot-em-up elements in novel ways, and they form a natural set with the punishing Ikaruga.

What We're Playing

00:57 Caitlin: Core Keeper (Pugstorm, 2024)

08:19 Mark: Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Intelligent Systems, 2019)

13:49 Mark: Rabbit and Steel (mino_dev, 2024)

18:00 Caitlin: Risk of Rain 2: Seekers of the Storm (Gearbox, 2024)

21:21 GOOF: Ikaruga (Treasure, 2001)

30:05 Feature Game: Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015)

SHOUT

52:27 Caitlin: Dragon Age: The Veilguard (BioWare)

53:11 Mark: Iron Meat (Retroware)