Starter Quest podcast

Starter Quest

Starter Quest

A podcast where we look at classic video games through the eyes of a noob. Each episode, Alessandro Crolla shares his 30 years of gaming experience with gaming newcomer Jen Hughes by taking a deep dive through a classic game, to see how it holds up to fresh eyes and beginner thumbs.

17 Episodes

Luigi’s Mansion
12/3/2023
1:58:07
Halloween is long since over, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still bring a few late frights to our second podcast birthday. What better way to remember our first episode, than to play Mario’s little brother in Luigi’s Mansion. The night is long, and our mics are about to pass on to the spirit realm (apologies), but we’re going to do our best to survive the night with the Mario brother we all prefer. Episode theme - Professor E. Gadd's Lab (Remix) by Ben Briggs CONTENTS (00:15) Introduction (04:07) Pre-playthrough interview (20:08) Rules of gameplay (22:23) Intermission to post-playthrough (30:33) History & design (36:46) Music & Sound (42:13) Prologue - Welcome to the Mansion (48:48) Area 1 - The First Floor (partly) (55:56) Area 2 - The Ground Floor (01:02:44) Area 3 - The (rest of) First Floor (01:09:07) Area 4 - The Top Floor (01:15:18) Final Boss - Bowser & Boo (01:21:35) Aftermath (01:23:35) Final analysis (01:36:03) Write-in stories (01:48:58) Conclusion - The 3 Jens
Tekken 3
11/6/2023
3:22:40
After surviving all the street-based fights and the kombats of mortal peril, we return to fight in the most popular fighting game of the entire PlayStation era; Tekken 3. Join us in our fight against the Bruce Lee & Jackie Chan knock-offs, the pair of bears, the strange, abusive couple made of wood, and the incomprehensible backstory of the Mishima bloodline. Episode theme - Get Ready for the Next Battle! by Ivan Hakštok CONTENTS (00:26) Introduction (06:05) Pre-playthrough interview (19:57) Rules of gameplay (22:59) Intermission to post-playthrough (29:17) History & design (39:26) Music & sound design (43:30) Backstory to Tekken 3 (52:45) Protagonist and noob fighters - Jin Kazama, Eddy Gordo, Forest Law (01:10:08) Ladies and girl's hair - Nina Williams, Hwoarang, King, Ling Xiaoyu (01:28:08) Familiar faces - Lei Wulong, Paul Phoenix, Yoshimitsu (01:41:48) The bastard and his pet - Heihachi Mishima & Kuma/Panda (01:57:40) Hidden Characters - Julia Chang, Gun Jack, Anna Williams, Bryan Fury (02:14:50) The God of Fighting (sleep) & his pet - Ogre/True Ogre & Mokujin (02:26:32) Bonus Characters - Dr Bosconovitch & Gon (02:39:44) Tier List (02:49:17) Aftermath & legacy (03:02:11) Write-in stories (03:09:17) Conclusion - The 3 Jens
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Age of Empires 2
9/7/2023
1:59:58
The horn of battle blows, we ready our swords, and prepare for battle against our very first real time strategy game, with Age of Empires 2. Our struggle will be hard; we must fight against resource management, enemies that come to destroy our wonders, and the scourge of bad Scottish accents, but we must prevail! Episode theme - Realms of Africa by Protricity We Wish you a Merry Christmas by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 CONTENTS (00:52) Introduction (07:33) Pre-playthrough interview (20:11) Rules of gameplay (22:26) Intermission to post-playthrough (28:47) History & design (38:42) Music & sound design (43:57) The First (Tutorial) Campaign - William Wallace (59:14) The Tales of Skirmishes (01:21:32) The Second Campaign - Joan of Arc (01:31:25) Aftermath & legacy (01:36:15) Final analysis (01:49:52) Write-in stories (01:51:58) Conclusion - The 3 Jens
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
7/16/2023
2:07:29
We take the adventure game genre back to court, and play one of gaming's very few Law-em-up games, with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. With our Nintendo DS in one hand, and our kangaroo law degree in the other, we try to defend our clients from the wrath of lying witnesses, evil prosecutors, and feckless judges. DISCLAIMER: The views of this podcast are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered legal advice for if you are sued in the pure glaikit Jamerican justice system. Episode theme - Court Begins - 2020 version by The Consouls CONTENTS (00:20) Introduction (03:02) Pre-playthrough interview (21:01) Rules of gameplay (22:12) Intermission to post-playthrough (33:48) History & design (38:18) Music & sound design (42:42) Epsiode 1 - The First Turnabout (53:26) Episode 2 - Turnabout Sisters (01:06:00) Episode 3 - Turnabout Samurai (01:17:46) Episode 4 - Turnabout Goodbyes (01:27:00) Episode 5 - Rise from the Ashes (01:33:09) Aftermath & legacy (01:36:06) Final analysis (01:50:40) Write-in stories (01:57:46) Conclusion - The 3 Jens
Duke Nukem 3D
5/27/2023
1:58:57
It’s time for another shot at shooting, as we take to the streets of Neo Los Angeles to play PC’s most un-PC character; Duke Nukem 3D. Come join us as we grab a big gun in one hand, a hot babe in the other, and spit angry takes over gaming’s biggest meathead (until Super Meat Boy, obviously). Episode theme - Bassbag by bLiNd - Available as part of BadAss: Paragons & Renegades album CONTENTS (00:17) Introduction (04:53) Pre-playthrough interview (16:11) Rules of gameplay (19:11) Intermission to post-playthrough (32:16) History & design (45:35) Back story...Kinda (51:28) Epsiode 1 - L.A. Meltdown (01:05:58) Episode 2 - Lunar Apocalypse (01:15:30) Episode 3 - Shrapnel City (01:23:50) Aftermath & legacy (01:29:26) Final analysis (01:45:25) Write-in stories (01:49:48) Conclusion - The 3 Anti-Jens
Side Quest 02 - Episode 10-2: Advent Weans (Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children)
5/1/2023
43:19
We're back with the Side Quest series, putting down the controllers and taking a trip to the movies instead. We take one final look at Final Fantasy VII to watch the sequel movie Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. Come join us to see how Square Enix handle the memory of the most successful Final Fantasy game. Episode theme - Love Everlasting by DDRKirby(ISQ) Special thanks to Spad;ly for One winged angel, but I’m playing it on the recorder
Final Fantasy VII
4/3/2023
3:11:54
We return to the PlayStation for another epic journey into the world of Japanese roleplay gaming, to play one of it’s most famous (and expensive) titles with Final Fantasy VII. Come join us as we tell the tale of adventure, love, eco-terrorism, and Chocobos. Episode theme - A World of Piano by kLuTz CONTENTS (00:21) Introduction (04:53) Pre-playthrough interview (19:41) Rules of gameplay (20:57) Intermission to post-playthrough (36:12) History & design (45:19) Introduction to Midgar - Meet Cloud & Barret (53:41) A love Triange Forms - Tifa & Aerith join the party (01:06:49) Storming the Shinra Building - Rescuing Aerith & Red XII (01:13:54) What Happened Five Years Ago... - The Legend of Sephiroth (01:19:54) Through the Forest and the Ocean - Yuffie Attacks! (01:22:17) The Most Magical Place on the Planet - The Gold Saucer (01:32:06) Back to Neibelheim - Vincent Rises, Cid Rebels (01:43:37) Locating the Lost Lands - The Temple of the Ancients & The Forgotten City (01:50:55) Through the Northern Continent - Snowboarding to the North Crater (01:54:51) The End of Days... - Finding Cloud (02:00:28) A Very Important Quest of Supposed Importance - Saving the Huge Materia (02:10:35) Time for Some History - Aerith's plan and Vincent's Past (02:15:10) The Boys (and Girls) Are Back in Town - Return to Midgar (02:18:11) The Final Battle - Finishing Sephiroth (02:30:48) Aftermath & legacy (02:36:57) Final ranking & analysis (02:57:46) Write-in stories (03:03:54) Conclusion - The 3 Jens
Side Quest 01 - DLC 2022 (Retrospective & Outtakes)
2/23/2023
1:22:47
Welcome to our very first bonus episode of the podcast; Side Quest. In this inaugural episode, we take a look back over our first full year (and the 2 episodes from 2021) of the podcast. We give our thoughts and feedback on each episode, share our highlights, and make some corrections to the mistakes we made. We also share some cut content from our first 8 episodes to bring you a few outtakes, derailed discussions, and other hilarious pieces we salvage from the cutting room floor. Episode theme - Love Everlasting by DDRKirby(ISQ) CONTENTS (00:26) Introduction (02:08) Super Mario Bros 3 (10:36) Secret of Monkey Island (14:58) Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen (18:47) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (25:49) Doom (31:07) Earthbound (34:02) Street Fighter 2 vs Mortal Kombat (40:16) Resident Evil (44:32) Final thoughts, and favourite & worst episodes (48:10) Outtakes (01:21:23) Outro
Kirby Superstar
1/24/2023
1:44:09
Our first episode to feature a guest host as we invite our editor Mark O'Hare out from the editing booth to come talk about one of his favourite games. We go back to the world of platforming for a game (or should I say 8 games) with Nintendo's most adorable pink abomination, in Kirby Superstar. Come join us for platforming’s last chance to impress our resident noob before she writes the genre off as something she doesn’t like. Episode theme - Ska Buffet (All You Can Eat: Clean Version) by The OverClocked Plaid Muffins CONTENTS (00:14) Introduction (04:30) Pre-playthrough interview (16:41) Rules of gameplay (18:02) Intermission to post-playthrough (25:32) History & design (33:30) Music (36:14) Spring Breeze (42:12) Gourmet Race (43:43) Dyna Blade (52:13) Megaton Punch (53:20) The Great Cave Offensive (01:00:27) Samurai Kirby (01:01:26) Revenge of the Meta Knight (01:07:59) Milky Way Wishes (01:21:04) Final ranking (01:22:53) Aftermath, legacy, & Final analysis (01:33:08) Write-in stories (01:36:08) Conclusion - The 3 Jens
Resident Evil
10/31/2022
2:20:58
Happy Halloween! To celebrate the month of scares we play our first PlayStation game to play the highly influential zombie classic Resident Evil. Come join our cowardly noob as we try to spend a night alone in the house of survival horror. Episode theme - Resident Evil 1 - Save Room Music Remix by Mono Memory CONTENTS (00:20) Introduction (03:52) Pre-playthrough interview (17:79) Rules of gameplay (20:03) Intermission to post-playthrough (25:01) History & design (35:14) Music (42:03) The back story & opening scenes (51:10) Chapter 1 - Meeting the Mansion (01:11:18) Chapter 2 - To the Guardhouse (01:17:16) Chapter 3 - Back to the Mansion & into the Sewers (01:26:05) Chapter 4 - Finding the Secret Laboritory (01:42:13) Chapter 5 - The Final Escape (01:49:10) Compared to Chris - The other playthrough (01:55:50) Aftermath, legacy, & Final analysis (02:08:16) Write-in stories (02:12:34) Conclusion - The 3 Jens

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