257: Riven Heaven

We're fallin' for pollen! This June, Ray prepares to ship (again!); Alex dons his detective hat to play some interactive fiction; Blocko continues to be boffo; an update on Bokura no favorite Canadistralian; even more ways to enjoy Final Fantasy VI, an exploration of horrifically-named controllers; Switch 2 mania grips the world; Alex dips a toe into Linux; more driver talk than the F1 commentator booth; Ray & Truck Hit the Road; pizza logo chaos, and scintillating Phone Phun! Don’t read our interview in Reverse Psychology Today! ====MUSIC==== Nobuo Uematsu - Blackjack Reiko Takahashi - Sunset Road

It's May, which means only a handful of things! Specifically: Alex's new audio interface; Switch 2 preorders bring the internet to its knees; mucking it up with Mercari; pondering the rarities of games and trinkets; Oblivion and the nature of remasters; Alex drags the ol' bag of bones into the shop for maintenance; the inaugural installment of StarFeld; Ray scapes land; tourists in the neighborhood; dream cities and homes; the roller coaster of freelance voice work; Six Degrees of Yamauchi, and Phone Phun! Remember to poke holes in your phone or we'll suffocate!

Hit that defrost button! This Spring, Alex goes back to the Savage mines; a pair of Nintendos Direct, each heralding a fantastic new age in hardware and software; casting off the yoke of hyperconsumerism; YouTube and the art of putting yourself out there; exciting changes come to Alex no Natsuyasumi; wondering at the hentai game industry; an abridged consumer review of the Sony ZV-1F; the time-consuming craft of creation; Phan/Phone Phun, and musings on Pixarcore! Yes, we're ready for you to start dating again! ====MUSIC==== insaneintherainmusic - Mii Channel Theme Masayoshi Soken - Ride the Rhythm

We’re working on a new audio software for editing, so maybe this will be one of those crazy eps that sound like they’re going too fast, but on the bright side, we do sound less stupid! Today: big breakfasts; SkiFree 2; Alex pulls the plug on live events (going to them, I mean); Keebee and Baby Robot; car antenna? More like anten-no; doing the Grampa Simpson walk-in-walk-out on LinkedIn; angelfire.com/pa/flansburgh; Final Fantasy’s the one with the guns, right?; Spot the Seinfeld Guest Star; Dynasty Hades; catching up on Murakami, and some carlsome calls! This podcast has covered parking, so bring the family. ===MUSIC=== Re-Ra - Shine Vulfmon - Dawn

The classic taste is back! This month, a hilarious conversation about loss; worrying mom news distracts from vacation time; food poisoning turns into mood poisoning; the capture card as an invasive species; Alex's transcen-dental experience; the unbearable grossness of the human head; Ray experiences movie theater quality in his own home; Permanent Residency Application Round Two; further meditations on obnoxious YouTube practices; a double dose of Phone Phun, and new developments are afoot at the NoMoWoCo compound! Don't miss our autograph signing at the Fresno Supercuts! ====MUSIC==== Lisa Lougheed - Run With Us Isao Abe - Dee Jay's Theme

Good morning Vietnam! Ray rings in 2025 with a trip to southeast Asia; the 72-hour Misery Gauntlet; holiday gatherings and Jim Belushi; the weather outside is fright'ning; the monolithic Vingroup; the perils of internet telephony; Alex falls for Fantasian; the CRITICAL HIT video game library is officially for sale!; UI complaints old and new, and mapping the course of Alton Brown's insanity! Take this podcast with you to your first shrine visit of the new year and receive a FREE blessing! ====MUSIC==== Noriyuki Iwadare - Carbo

Making the yuletide gay! This holiday season, casual Thanksgivings; acquisitions on the cheap; flipping burgers during the end of the world; cleaning out the husk of the bar; adapting to the freelancer lifestyle; Star Trek: The Horny Series; stories and songs need good writing; the new version of a game called Dragon Quest III; reacclimating to the loud & foreign; one phone phun, and our embarrassing forays into fiction (fan and otherwise)! Replace this podcast in your disaster survival kit every two years! ====MUSIC==== 171 - Lenticular Anna Makino - Love Song Sagashite

The spooks came a little late this year! This ep: NMW outlives Critical Hit; the world's longest pneumatic tube; can Alex fix his rods and/or cones?; our valuable English lessons; Switch¥; attempts at reason; crowin' 'bout Carlin; loud and proud about Silent Hill 2; you wouldn't calculate a damage stat, and voicemalis aplenty, for once! This podcast is moving to Canada for real this time. = = = MUSIC = = = Karakuri Kiden Hiwou Senki - Scenic Journey Karakuri Kiden Hiwou Senki - Scenic Journey part 2    

J-j-j-jittery Juugatsu! This month, Alex burns the midnight oil; the pitfalls of finding the right freelance voice work; Unity partially backpedals; pronunciation hang-ups as a matter of course; the Nintendo Museum is open for business; the bizarre reverence of the Zelda fan; Snack Food Copy meets Drink Food Copy!; the rare J-Drama talk; how’s that Avatar?; UFO 50 talk devolves into NES insanity; social anxiety in the bar sphere, and learning how to use a camera the hard way! Not liable for lost or damaged time!

We found a way to get to 250 episodes, and now you gotta live with it! The adventures continue with talk of a little bit of typhoon in my life; doing English bits in Japanese; vlogging cameras; the story circle; the 7-Eleven insanity rolls on; Suikoden I & II might actually come out!; cold shower summer; droning on about making a website, and we really should screen our calls! This podcast should not be returned to place of purchase.