141: Virtue in the Virtual

00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:39 - Pathogenic (Heath) 00:11:54 - Metaphor: ReFantazio (Samantha) 00:17:05 - Splatoon Raiders (Chris) 00:29:16 - Hades II (Heath) 00:34:49 - Inside (Samantha) 00:40:21 - Book Nook Talk 00:43:12 - Video Game Decompilations/Recompilations Trend 00:55:21 - 2016 Gaming Retrospective 01:41:36 - Could Excessive Gaming be a Faustian Bargain? 01:47:47 - Does Gaming Lead to Stagnation or an Optimized Outcome? 01:57:28 - Do Video Games Provide Second-Class Fulfillment? 02:12:43 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: November 9th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:53 - Metaphor: ReFantazio (Samantha) 00:14:18 - Vampire Crawlers (Heath) 00:22:59 - Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Chris) 00:34:23 - Big Walk (Chris/Heath/Samantha) 00:44:05 - (*Spoiler Section*) Big Walk 00:50:32 - Immortality (Samantha) 00:55:02 - (*Spoiler Section*) Immortality 01:04:12 - Heath Sneaks in Deltarune Talk 01:05:58 - Do Not Say the Same Thing as Me: Volume 1 01:09:37 - Video Game Addiction Corrections from Last Episode 01:46:11 - Is Excessive Video Game Playing Rational? 02:30:23 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: October 15th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:18 - Big Walk (Chris/Heath/Samantha) 00:16:47 - Stardew Valley (Heath) 00:23:32 - Detective Grimoire + Tangle Tower (Chris/Samantha) 00:35:51 - Arco (Chris/Heath) 00:40:55 - Deltarune Chapter 5 (Heath) 00:46:49 - Road to Empress I (Chris/Samantha) 01:03:29 - Xbox Launches Disc to Digital Program 01:07:47 - Exploitative vs Compelling Game Design Debate 02:12:35 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: September 24th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:06 - Resident Evil 4 (2023) (Chris/Samantha) 00:22:32 - Chants of Sennaar (Samantha) 00:26:58 - Librarian: Tidy Up the Arcane Library! (Samantha) 00:32:15 - Tunic (Heath/Samantha) 00:43:30 - Tetris Effect: Connected (Chris/Samantha) 00:59:16 - Deltarune Chapter 5 (Samantha) 01:09:41 - Civilization V (Samantha) 01:16:09 - Heath's Criticisms with Nordic LARP 01:23:00 - Heath and Samantha Discuss Family and Aging 01:27:17 - Video Game Affordability in 2026 Discussion 02:01:08 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: August 17th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:09 - Thomas' History with Video Games 00:10:05 - Arco (Chris/Heath) 00:28:16 - Lumines Remastered (Thomas) 00:36:54 - Downwell (Thomas) 00:45:17 - Super Hexagon (Thomas) 00:51:20 - Control (Heath) 01:03:53 - Hollow Knight: Silksong (Thomas) 01:20:30 - Destiny 2 (Chris) 01:36:28 - PlayStation Physical Disc Production Ending in 2028 01:57:36 - Thomas Confronts us on Various Opinions 02:09:17 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: July 29th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:05:17 - Yakuza Kiwami (Samantha) 00:14:38 - Vampire Crawlers (Chris/Heath) 00:25:09 - Arco (Samantha) 00:30:24 - Mediterranea Inferno (Chris/Samantha) 00:41:59 - Stardew Valley (Heath) 00:45:14 - Yakuza 5 Remastered (Chris) 00:53:06 - Do Video Game Choices Reflect Your Moral Character? 01:32:21 - Fantasy Video Game Publisher Competition Update 02:04:13 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: July 9th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:19 - Vampire Crawlers (Chris) 00:13:38 - Control (Heath) 00:16:44 - Life is Strange: Before the Storm (Chris) 00:28:37 - Yakuza 5 Remastered (Chris) 00:38:30 - Email: Tragedy Looper Follow-Up 00:41:20 - Switch 2 Year One Report Card 00:51:08 - Chris and Heath's About Me: Video Games 01:47:49 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: June 8th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:07 - Pitch for Episode 150 00:04:57 - Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (Samantha) 00:18:56 - Stardew Valley (Heath) 00:22:03 - The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (Chris/Samantha) 00:39:31 - Control (Heath) 00:44:07 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Samantha) 00:45:28 - Portal 2 (Samantha) 00:46:01 - Dredge + DLC (Chris/Samantha) 00:50:43 - Yakuza 0 (Samantha) 01:00:25 - Subnautica (Chris) 01:18:46 - Stuck Between (Samantha) 01:23:04 - Closing Statements Play Stuck Between: https://ceelman.wixsite.com/mysite Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: May 20th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:02:07 - Interview Questions with Tom and Kenny 00:28:20 - Balatro (Tom) 00:36:43 - Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (Kenny) 00:51:42 - The Last of Us (Tom) 00:56:14 - Control (Heath) 01:04:54 - The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (Chris) 01:16:42 - What Makes Play Feel Like Work? 01:46:07 - Magic: The Gathering Talk 01:50:00 - Closing Statements Apologies for the lower quality audio from Chris this episode. Things should be back to normal next time! Listen to more of Tom and Kenny over on the Shelf Stable Podcast! https://shelfstablecast.com/ Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: April 30th, 2026

00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:56 - AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative (Chris) 00:18:14 - Citizen Sleeper (Heath) 00:28:44 - Stardew Valley (Heath) 00:31:14 - Subnautica (Chris/Heath) 00:46:10 - Reacting to Samantha's Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Thoughts 00:54:58 - The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy (Chris) 01:01:20 - Slay the Spire 2 is Out in Early Access 01:02:43 - Surprising News Roundup (Bluepoint Shutdown, Phil Spencer Retires, PS5 Exclusivity Comeback, Project Helix Plays PC Games) 01:15:24 - Mobius Tubes Required Reading List 2026 01:47:13 - Closing Statements Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/f54Bk38Qjg Send us an email at [email protected] Original release date: March 22nd, 2026 Mobius Tubes Required Reading List (2026) Hades Deltarune Inscryption Outer Wilds Prey (2017) Nier: Automata Into the Breach Red Dead Redemption 2 Return of the Obra Dinn Mass Effect Legendary Edition