Still Loading #371: Live A Live w/ Happy Bear

Episode 2 of this year's Backlog Month features a game very different from last week's. Backlog month this year is RPG heavy and one of those RPGs we are looking at is Live A Live. Live A Live is an RPG from Square Enix that originally released back in 1994 for the Super Famicom but was later given a remake and published world wide in 2023. Joining to chat about the may lives experienced in this game is the Twitch streamer Happy Bear! Happy and I had a great conversation about our experiences with this game, why the battle system is pretty awesome, why the end of the game probably sucks and also the logisitics of farting in imperial China. Follow Happy on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/happybearcares.bsky.social Check out Happy's Twitch channel! https://www.twitch.tv/happybearcares Shout-out Song: Live-ALive Composer: Yoko Shimomura Album: Liva A Live OST https://www.zophar.net/music/nintendo-snes-spc/live-a-live End Song: MEGALOMANIA (Techno Remix) Artist: Michael Solski Album: N/A https://michaelsolski.bandcamp.com/track/live-a-live-megalomania-techno-remix Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

Backlog month 2025 kicks off with a big one! It's Castlevania. I covered Castlevania a LONG time ago on the show but that was before I had beaten it and it was very early in my podcasting career. So I figured putting it on my backlog month poll earlier this year was a perfect way to take another crack at this iconic NES game. But... A special game requires and even more special guest. Joining me on this episode is author, YouTuber, podcaster and Castlevania expert, Jeremy Parish. Jeremy has created so much Castlevania content I couldn't think of anyone better to join me on this episode. We discuss what makes this game so special, why it's an important game in the annals of game history, how much it's soundtrack slaps and so much more. Follow Jeremy on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/jparish.bsky.social Check out Jeremy on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@JeremyParish Listen to Retronauts! https://retronauts.com/ Shout-out Song: Hallway to Hell Artist: Joshua Morse Album: VLAD II https://gamechops.com/vlad2/ End Song: Vampire Snap 2 Artist: Joshua Morse Album: VLAD https://gamechops.com/vlad/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

Indie games are awesome. They try so many different and unique things or have unique spins on classic game design ideas. This week on the show I am joined by Emily Merritt and Kate Hunter from the No Small Games podcast to talk about an indie game that pushes emotional storytelling without dialogue and explores grief in a way I haven't experienced before. We are talking about the game Gris. Gris was developed by Nomada Studios and released in 2018. It explores the stages of grief in a very beatiful and haunting way. Kate, Emily and I talk all about this game's themes, what we loved about it, why it makes us love indie games and so much more. Check out No Small Games here! https://nosmallgames.com/ Follow No Small Games on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/nosmallgames.bsky.social Follow Emily on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social Follow Kate on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/katerblossom.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Gris Pt. 1 Composer: Berlinist Album: Gris Soundtrack https://berlinistmusic.bandcamp.com/album/gris-original-game-soundtrack End Song: Gris Pt. 2 Composer: Berlinist Album: Gris Soundtrack https://berlinistmusic.bandcamp.com/album/gris-original-game-soundtrack Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

Here comes Mama Mario! In this month's mini episode Dexter Morrill and I break down episode 9 of the Super Mario Bros Super Show! In one of the more wild episodes of we've seen yet we end up meeting Mario and Luigi's Mom, discussing the logisitics of carb loading, Luigi not understanding what the word "default" means and Fry Guy loan sharks. Follow Dexter on social media! Instagram BlueSky Shout-out Song: Rosalina in the Observatory Artist: Coffee Date Album: Wii Chill https://gamechops.com/wii-chill/ End Song: Birabuto Kingdom Artist: Rymdkraft Album: Smooth McGroove Remixed 3 https://gamechops.com/smooth-mcgroove-remixed-3/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

The Muppets are iconic and it has been long overdue since I discussed them on the podcast. Joining me today to help me talk about a childhood favorite of mine is... my brother Mike as well as Doug Lief from the Nostalgium Arcanum podcast! The game on this episode is Muppet Treasure Island, based on the movie of the same name. Mike, Doug and I break down this game in more detail than probably needed but who cares, this game rules. We talk about the gameplay, production value, green screen use and much more! Check Out Mike's show! https://www.mediatheatre.org/ Follow Nostalgium Arcanum on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/nostalgiumpod.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Treasure Island Composer: Hans Zimmer Album: Muppet Treasure Island Soundtrack https://archive.org/details/MuppetTreasureIsland_201805 End Song: He's a Pirate Composer: Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil Album: Muppet Treasure Island Soundtrack https://archive.org/details/MuppetTreasureIsland_201805 Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

Emulation is a polarizing subject in video games. While I personally feel its not a bad thing there are people who only associate with piracy. So I figured who better to talk about this topic than the founder of one of the earliest emulation websites, Zophar. Zophar founded Zophar's domain back in 1996 as a way to aggregate emulation information and it grew into something much more than that. Zophar and I chatted about how he started Zophar's domain, why he left, his feelings on emulation and much more! Check out Zophar on Twitch! https://www.twitch.tv/zophar1 Check out Zophar on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@zophar1 Checkout Zophar's Domain! https://www.zophar.net/ Follow Zophar on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/zophar.bsky.social Shout-out Song: Take some rest and eat some food! Artist: xDeviruchi  Album: 8-bit Fantasy & Adventure Music https://xdeviruchi.itch.io/8-bit-fantasy-adventure-music-pack End Song: He's a Pirate Artist: Jason Bernard arrangement of Klaus Badelt's original piece Album: N/A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7fGMH2b1Mc Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

A huge part of video game history is context. Context surrounding a game's development, context surrounding a game's release, context of the time and place the game was made during. Context informs how we interpret the past. This week on the show I am joined by author and journalist Ross Benes to talk about his book "1999: The Year Low Culutre Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times." We discuss what about the late 90's has informed so much of our present, how that culture affected the games that came out and how the games themselves were part of that percieved "low culture" at the time. There is so much more in his book worth diving into but I felt like this was a good introduction for ya'll to see what Ross has written. Follow Ross on Twitter! https://x.com/RossBenes Check out Ross' Website! https://www.rossbenes.com/ Check out Ross' Book! https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700638574/ Shout-out Song: BLUENOISE! Artist: Protodome Album: BLUESCREEN https://protodome.bandcamp.com/album/bluescreen End Song: Micromanagement Failure Artist: Ultrasyd Album: Chipsters EP Remix https://ultrasyd.bandcamp.com/album/chipsters-ep-remastered Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

We delve the depths of Tallon IV on this episode of Still Loading. I'm joined by returning guest to the podcast Chris (aka the British Bond Addict) to talk Metroid Prime. Metroid Prime is a game that has eluded me for a while. I first played it over a decade ago but never got around to beating it even though I made it over 90% through the game. That has been finally corrected and I couldn't be happier I got to experience it.... with a few complaints here and there. Chris and I discuss the music, the world, the story, why he's wrong about the story... I mean we just discuss the story. Anyway. Learn how to morph ball and roll on into this new episode! Follow Chris on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/britishbondaddict/ Shout-out Song: Samus Shuffle Artist: bLiNd Album: Chozo Legacy https://gamechops.com/chozo-legacy/ End Song: Chozo Legacy Artist: bLiNd Album: Chozo Legacy https://gamechops.com/chozo-legacy/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

More Zelda cartoons can't be a bad thing right? Joining me is my co-host with the mo-host Dexter Morrill to break down the 8th episode of the Zelda cartoon, Doppleganger. We talk about goth Zelda, Link's Kink's, uncomfortable kisses and Bob Ducca's list of bizarre ailments. As usual, what does that actually mean!? You will have to listen and find out! Follow Dexter on social media! Instagram BlueSky Shout-out Song: Fairy Fountain Artist: Mikel Album: Zelda & Chill https://gamechops.com/zelda-chill-complete/ End Song: Kokiri Forest (Ocarina of Time Remix) Artist: James Landino Album: Smooth McGroove Remixed https://gamechops.com/smooth-mcgroove-remixed/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod

I love Nintendo. I still do. This company makes some of my favorite systems and games and has also given me some of my favorite memories. But even with my love of Nintendo its hard to overlook their negatives, even if those negatives are not Nintendo's fault. This week on the show I'm joined by Chris Coplien from Retro Hangover and St1ka from the YouTube channel St1ka to talk about the Nintendo Bump. We discuss how it seems the perception of game history at large is heavily skewed by Nintendo fandom, how that harms game preservation in other areas of gaming and where this bump seems to come from. Follow Retro Hangover on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/retrohangover.bsky.social Follow St1ka on Bluesky! https://bsky.app/profile/st1ka.bsky.social Check out St1ka on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@st1ka Shout-out Song: Hot Tea & Firmware Updates Artist: Dj CUTMAN Album: Wii U Grooves https://gamechops.com/wii-u-grooves/ End Song: Let's All Go To Nintendo Land! Artist: Dj CUTMAN Album: Wii U Grooves https://gamechops.com/wii-u-grooves/ Get Still Loading Podcast merch! https://www.teepublic.com/user/still-loading-podcast Check out the Bit by Bit Foundation! https://www.bitbybitfoundation.org/ Support the Podcast! https://www.patreon.com/stillloadingpod