[0:00:00] Squidge: From active time battling to zombie slaying, waffling Tailors covers video games and beyond. We are kicking off the new year and the new season of Waffling Tailors retro and beyond with a bang. Because why not? Today we are joined by Nomad from the Retro Wildlands podcast. We've teased him in from the Wildlands to talk about Resident Evil. So when you're ready, strap yourselves in for our episode on the Resident Evil franchise named Resident Evil Requiem for a Chill Sandwich. Hello and welcome back to a new year, a new season of Waffling Tailors. Can you believe it's? 2023. Totally not recorded last year. I am your anthropomorphic werewolf who works as a police officer by day. Squidge, one of your hosts. My other co host, which is I don't know why I'm pointing on my thumb. You can't say it. I can say I'll point anyway.
[0:01:08] Squidge: Point my thumb. He's sexy and he knows it. It's J. Makes some noise just to make sure your mic isn't bust. Give us some noise. I'd say it's not bust.
[0:01:21] Jay: That makes sense to me. That's my sexy and I know it sound.
[0:01:27] Squidge: Clearly a man of the world making a noise like that. Clearly I don't make noises like that because I'm not a man of the world. I'm a wolf. What do you expect? I've only got small hands. Small pause. I've only got small pause. Small pause. In this virtual round in this virtual roundtable, we are joined by a guest. I've managed to wrangle him out of the Wildlands Fellow podcaster with a number of different pods under his belt. It is Nomad, please. There. Make some noise to make sure that the connection is still there and your mic is working.
[0:01:59] Nomad: Can everyone hear me? Thank you guys for having me. I can't replicate that just oozing sexual awesomeness that Jay had just now. But I'm here, you guys. Thank you for having me.
[0:02:11] Jay: Some guys got it. Some guys don't.
[0:02:15] Squidge: Take the glasses off him. You won't see him. He just goes invisible. It's like a reverse ring from Lord of the Rings. Takes the glasses off, you can't see him.
[0:02:22] Jay: That's it.
[0:02:24] Squidge: Scary thing to encounter. Last thing on the night. But we'll both go there, so we.
[0:02:29] Jay: Just don't go in the bathroom.
[0:02:31] Squidge: I don't think anyone would, to be honest. It's scary times. You think fallout is scary. Anyway, so we are here today to talk about Resident Evil, our love of Resident Evil. But before we do that, no mad. Sir, please tell us about your podcast. I didn't want to do that. I'd rather you chill it for a bit. Go on, tell us about your podcast. Come on.
[0:02:56] Nomad: All right. So I'll give you guys the elevator pitch. My name is Nomad. I hail from the United States, a little state called Ohio. It's maybe a little well known, especially for its weather, but my podcast is about the games that I have discovered or rediscovered while roaming the gaming wildlands. That sounds good. That's by Kevin grace. But really what it is, is I'm a 38 year old guy who loves video games, and I've grown up playing games most of my young adolescent life and well into adulthood. My episodes are around games specifically, and what I try to do is I have my episodes around a couple of different parts. They're one part review, they're one part game overview, they're one part my experiences and personal memories, and they're one part nostalgia. Mix all that together and that's my show, basically. My goal is if you've played a game before that I'm talking about, I hope you end my episode with a bunch of nostalgia and all them tingly feelings that you get. And if you've never played the game before, hopefully it's a nice introduction into what the game is and maybe something you may want to play. And if not, maybe you just listen to me talk for an hour. And I killed a little bit of your time.
[0:04:13] Nomad: So I definitely want to lean on the nostalgia a lot. It's not what I originally intended to do when I started, but it's turning into that and I'm really having fun with it.
[0:04:23] Squidge: I mean, nostalgia makes sense because you can tech spec someone to death. Car so a bit of nostalgia. The story behind the pad is what we like to hear.
[0:04:34] Nomad: Exactly.
[0:04:37] Jay: It's way too easy to technical specifications and Wikipedia article reading someone to death, which is I have way too many podcasts on my phone that I listen to where it's just so let me read the Wikipedia article to you. And I'm like, no, I'm skipping this one.
[0:04:56] Nomad: Yeah, it's all about the fun times. It's all about the games, the memories, and just feeling good overall. So, yeah, that's it.
[0:05:04] Squidge: We're into that. I'm definitely into that. I'm a big retro gaming fan myself. Go to a number of different events pre and post everyone being sent to our rooms globally. So I've got huge stacks of stuff all over the place, just a little tidbit. I've actually got the Resident Evil two specific PS. One controller, the grip and the gun handle. I found that in a Bargain Bin forkwid. I don't even know if it works, but I grabbed it. So, a big fan of Resident Evil myself. So let's start as we mean to move on.
[0:05:44] Jay: Just 1 second. What about where can I find the retro world lens?
[0:05:49] Squidge: Oh, yes. I can't believe I forgot that. Where can we find your works, sir?
[0:05:55] Nomad: So I am all over the Internet now. I'm on most major podcast services spotify, itunes, Google, Amazon. But you can also find us over on social media as well. I've got a presence on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. I have a website, Retro Wildlandspodcast Podbean.com. That's our basic website. So if you don't have any of those services or you don't want to subscribe to any of those channels, whatever, you can list it through the website. That's the best place to find me. And I'm always roaming the wild land somewhere out in that general direction.
[0:06:32] Squidge: There are ways and means up to and including carrier pigeon to find your work. That's good to know.
[0:06:39] Nomad: We take it seriously. Any way we can get it out there? Carrier pigeon messenger. We're doing it.
[0:06:44] Squidge: Well, just as a quick tip, it carrier pigeons are a lot better than ravens because ravens tend to hold a grudge and I don't know why. They're still not going anywhere near me.
[0:06:55] Jay: Blame Edgar Allan Poe. That's why. That's why.
[0:06:57] Squidge: Yeah. Edgar Allen Poe and Edgar. Right. I'm just going to blame the parole.
[0:07:01] Jay: Yeah, exactly. That makes sense. Because they both got the same first name, right? That's how it works.
[0:07:05] Squidge: Yeah. They've both got eyes in their name. Anyway. So let's kick off with a bang, shall we, with this episode that I've called Resident Evil required for a Jill Sandwich because I just feel like it. So let's start off with the first thing I want to ask you. Now, I have actually listened to your first episode about Resident Evil. It did give me the nostalgic tingles. It did leave me wanting more, as in, why wasn't this 2 hours? I wanted to hear about everything. And surprisingly, it's the only podcast that I can actually listen to, because other podcasts, I just can't. I edit them as my job. I just can't listen to podcasts. I hear his voice way too much. His being Jeer the Magnificent, shining sexual chocolate that he is. So my first question is, you've got a number of different episodes under your belt.
[0:08:07] Squidge: Quite a few, in fact. Why did you start with a Resident Evil?
[0:08:13] Nomad: So Resident Evil is where it all started for me as a gamer.
[0:08:20] Squidge: And it was all downhill after that.
[0:08:21] Nomad: It's been a spiral. It's like circling the toilet. It's still a fun ride, but it's enjoyable. Yeah, absolutely. But no, that's where it all started for me for a gamer. Now, that's not to say that's the very first game I ever played. I've been playing games since, more or less. The Cradle, the Nintendo at my grandmother's house, the Super Nintendo that my parents got a couple of years after that. So I've had games. But it was Resident Evil that solidified my passion for video games. And here's how it all kind of went around, if I can regale everyone with a story. Yes, and this is in the podcast as well, folks out there. Is that a shameless plug?
[0:09:03] Squidge: No, that's a cheap plug. Not a shameless one.
[0:09:06] Nomad: Fair enough.
[0:09:06] Jay: I like the levels. I didn't realize.
[0:09:09] Squidge: Yeah, there's different levels.
[0:09:13] Nomad: We had a Sony PlayStation in our home for quite a while. But one day my stepfather came home and he had a game in his hand that he didn't really want to show it to me. He kind of kept it under his arm, right? And he pulls me aside and he goes, I've got this game. It's called Resident Evil, and you are not allowed to watch me play this game. And he left it at that. And I'm looking at him like, what does that mean? What is Resident Evil? So he tells me a little bit about it. It's about characters that are trapped in a mansion with zombies, and apparently it's very scary and it's very gory. Like, I wouldn't be able to handle it if I saw this. So, like a good little stepson, I retreat to my room, which was just off the living room, any time my stepdad would play this game, but that didn't last very long because I would slowly creep the door open and I would watch. I would crawl into the living room and look over the couch while he was playing. And I remember him playing the opening of the game, where if you and your Listers remember, they enter the mansion and go into the dining room, and Barry finds the blood up by the fireplace. And at that point, I was hooked in this mystery.
[0:10:29] Nomad: What is going on? And then he was playing I think he was playing Jill at the time, went into the next room, and that's where you saw the very first zombie. That very iconic. Oh, yeah, that opening. And I must have squeaked or made some sort of noise or chirp, because as soon as that happened, he whipped around and saw me behind the couch. What are you doing out here? I told you, you're not supposed to watch this. And then we both hear his character dying in the back, and I got him killed.
[0:10:58] Jay: See what you did?
[0:11:02] Squidge: You cannot play this. That's like Catnip Two. Again, no chance. You're told you can't play this. Your gaming may cat ears went up. You're like, really.
[0:11:14] Nomad: Big time. Because at that point, especially in my gaming, quote unquote, career at that point, I've never seen a game like that. And especially the opening, that live action opening with real actors that preceded the actual game itself. I remember seeing that, too, and I was just blown away. It's that stereotypical. The graphics can't get better than this moment. And it locked me in. I knew I wanted to play it. So over time, as I kept sneaking out of my room to watch him play this, finally my step dad realized it was futile and he was just going to let me watch. But that also turned into him letting me play with him. And then I had to finish the game for him because he kept dying and not getting as far as he wanted to. But we shared a lot of good memories with that game. And that's the biggest thing that I remember with Resident Evil, is the memories that I shared with my stepdad. Those iconic moments walking down the hallway where that dog burst through the window, dropped our controller on the ground, scrambled to get it, couldn't get it in time. We died again, but our heart would not stop beating for probably a good 30 minutes after that.
[0:12:30] Nomad: A little jump scare like that, that nowadays is something small, but it really stuck with us.
[0:12:38] Jay: The icing on the cake, right? That's what it is. It's the icing on the cake, 100%.
[0:12:44] Nomad: And the tension in that game was so thick and we had no idea what to expect. I mean, Resident Evil is everywhere now. And most people, I would think, that are semi familiar with the series kind of know what it's all about. But the very first time we played it, we didn't know why zombies were in this mansion. We didn't know why these dogs were running around. What is really going on here? And that mystery really drove us and we bonded over it. And that whole experience, once we were done with it and put it away for something else, that's what I knew. I want more of these experiences in my life. And Resident Evil was by far the biggest catalyst for me.
[0:13:21] Jay: I like it. I remember there was because it came out as I was in high school and it was distinct, where everybody got a bunch of my friends all got together during a recess or whatever. I'm translating to help you understand because if I say during break time, it may not be may not translate so well. So during one of the recesses, we were all sort of setting together. My friend John said, Dude, I've got this game, right, and you get locked in this mansion and it's full of zombies, and it was like, what? Can we come around a plate? What's this all about? And they remember I went around to his house and he was he just gotten in and there's loads of stuff that you can do that they've like, I'll see if I can find it and put it in the show notes and send you it as well, if you're interested. Nomad, there's a website where someone has broken down every single one of the sort of branching choices you can make throughout the game and all the differences that it makes. So, like, when you first start, if you're playing, as Jill and Barry says, see if there's any other clues, right? You're supposed to go through the door and see the zombie. If you don't do that and go back into the main hall, wesker says, oh, you should go and look for more clues. You go back in and then go back out again. It won't let you out. That's when the zombie bursts through, right?
[0:14:34] Jay: But then once you've done that whole bit, when you go into the main hall again, you can open the front door and a whole bunch of dogs run in and bumrush you and take you out that way. So there's like loads of different. These aren't like secret Easter eggy things, but those little things that they put in the game is very linear. You got to go to here to do this, then there to do that. But they put loads of these little things in. They're just sort of at the spice. Right? I really like that.
[0:15:00] Nomad: Absolutely. That really added to not just the replay value, but the experience, too. I remember the very beginning, gary gives you the lock pick and calls you the master of unlocking. And before him and Jill part ways, specifically, he points to the door at the other end of the hall and says, how about you check over there? I'm going to go back to the dining room. But I remember going upstairs in a different play through and decided what's going to happen now? And off the very top of the staircase, a side room, you come across a long corridor that's full of blood and someone's injured and has been through there. And you come across Forest, I think his name was, another member of the Stars team. Now, depending on when you decide to go up there, barry may actually be up there and you have a conversation with him and he gives Jill the bazooka. But depending on what you do, he may not actually be up there sometimes. And the little things like that that influence the story, little decisions that you're making that you don't even realize that you're making, really enhance that experience.
[0:16:08] Jay: They really do. And going back to what you said about having the memories of all of this, like the connection that you and your stepdad had because of this game, that to me, was what gaming was in the 90s, right? It was you go around to a friend's house or your friends all come around to your house, or in your case, you're sitting with your stepdad, or I was sitting with my stepdad and we're just like, let's put Tomb Raider on, or let's put Resident Evil on and just see what we can do. Or, hey, let's have a race on grand tourism or something, right? Because it was just those moments of being together. And I feel like in the sort of online connected multiplayer Xbox Live and wherever the PlayStation version is, we can just sit around in the living room and dart to talk to anyone that feels like there's a step missing, right?
[0:16:55] Nomad: Yeah, you're 100% right, Jay. And that's always been a big part of it for me, too. My friends were the same way. They heard about this game before they even saw it, and I was fortunate enough to be able to tell them about it. There was even instances where they would get the game and not know about those little nuances, like going out into the dining room, going back into the main hall again and Wesker yelling at you and telling you to go back, or certain other secrets or even certain jump scares. Certain things that you could miss just because you don't go into a certain room. That kind of connection with a game. Yeah. That's why Resident Evil will always stick with me.
[0:17:33] Squidge: You started off with the first Resident Evil. I was a bit late to the game, surprisingly. I started for Resident Evil too. But I'd come from a mega drive Genesis background and three buttons and an up down, left, right. Then you put me on a game of tank controls. Didn't know the controls. That just sat me there. I was playing as Claire 5 seconds later, or getting munched. I thought, is this just a zombie feeding simulator? Then got sat down in front of the first Resident Evil, was allowed to read the book, got the controls down and same thing happened. I just got munched and I just thought, I'm not in this. I just kept going and going and eventually I got the hang of it. No dog could chomp me, zombies couldn't outrun me. I was blowing heads off left, right and center. We're talking in the game here.
[0:18:23] Squidge: Finding the different weaponry, finding barriers popping up all over the place like a teleporting. I don't know. He must be teleporting. That's what it must be. Finding his eternal quest for a sandwich. But yeah, it took on a life of its own. Getting a lot of inspiration from the first Alone in the Dark game. It took that made it a lot quicker. It was definitely bright, but it didn't have like it adds atmospheric colors instead of just green and brown and so much chasing. No. Let's turn up to eleven. So I can see why you made that as your first episode.
[0:19:10] Nomad: Oh, yeah.
[0:19:11] Squidge: Start off strong.
[0:19:12] Nomad: Yeah, the tone was perfect, really, because again, when we were playing this way back when the first released, we have no idea what's going on around here. And the music was perfect. Even the absence of music and all you heard when you're walking down hallways is those footsteps. But I have to share a very quick story. Bringing up Barry and his sandwich quest, it's comical now and thinking about and listening to Barry say, joe, you were almost a jill sandwich, or whatever. He says it's funny now, but I remember going into that room with my stepdad and the one room past the room with the trap that comes down and finding the shotgun. And I remember my stepdad going, oh, shotgun, grab that thing. And I grab it and the two hooks that is sitting on rise up. And he tells me to go somewhere else in the mansion, go do something else. And I stop him and I say, this is bad. Everything in this environment is pre rendered. But they made it a point to make those hooks go up. This is bad. So we went into the next room and triggered that trap, of course. And we couldn't get out.
[0:20:19] Nomad: And my stepdad looks at me, goes, I'm sorry, I didn't know. But buried to the rescue. And I remember both of us sighing with relief after that. It was a fun moment in that moment. It'll never have the same luster the very first time you do it, I don't think, but it's iconic.
[0:20:38] Squidge: I forgot I had that line as my text message tone, so whenever I was playing that, I checked my phone. Is it made? No.
[0:20:46] Jay: Awesome. The interesting thing about that room, though, is that, like you were saying earlier on, no matter, but there's a certain set of steps you can take to have Barry meet you in the forest room. There's a certain set of steps you can take where Barry doesn't save you and you're just like, don't worry, he'll save me. He's supposed, why isn't he saving me? Is the game crashed or something? And there's a certain because in the story of the game, he's at that point on the other side of the mansion, so he has no reason to follow you around. Yeah, it's interesting stuff.
[0:21:22] Squidge: Also, the fact that that line is referenced in Revelations too, right? Yeah. I was almost a Claire sandwich. Does he tell everyone that story?
[0:21:32] Nomad: I remember playing Revelations, too, and getting to that part, and I laughed out loud and my wife was sitting on the couch looking me like, what is so funny about that? It's like, you don't get it. It's fine.
[0:21:42] Squidge: I'll explain later. It's got to kill things.
[0:22:03] Jay: Of the different games in the series because there's like I haven't counted them, but I want to say, like, 50 pajillion Resident.
[0:22:12] Nomad: Evil play, give or talk about, right?
[0:22:14] Jay: Yeah. With an error for margin of about 100% of the different games in the Resident Evil series, what would you say? Your most memorable ones? Obviously the first one. Right. But are there any others? Yeah.
[0:22:33] Nomad: So have either of you heard of Resident Evil Outbreak?
[0:22:39] Jay: Oh, yes.
[0:22:40] Nomad: Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil Outbreak file Two, the sequel, are the most memorable for whatever reason. And when I think about it, those two games or the Outbreak series immediately come to mind when I think of memory. And maybe the games themselves are not as memorable per se, but for me, they always come out and jump out at me. The biggest reason being is for those maybe there's someone listening that may not know what the series is. It was originally pitched as an online game for the PlayStation Two. And the characters that you play as it's not Leon Kennedy, it's not Claire Redfield. You're playing everyday survivors that are in Raccoon City and you're put in I think the first game had five and the second had four scenarios where you're given an objective, get to this point, evacuate from here, find this. Thing, some sort of scenario. And it recreates the feeling of being a civilian in Raccoon City as the T virus is ravaging. Everything and everything's all going to hell. And the reason that always stuck with me is that game series was way ahead of its time, and it was very, very fun to play. What what made it fun to play was not just going through these short ish scenarios. Every character that you play as is unique. There's Kevin, who was an RPD police officer, and he's more geared towards offensive abilities. He comes equipped with his own gun.
[0:24:17] Nomad: That does some decent damage. But there's also Cindy. Cindy's a server at a bar. She's very timid. She doesn't really have combat training. And every character you play as has different abilities that plays to them. Specifically, Cindy has a duck animation that'll get her out of danger. Mark, the security guard, he's more focused towards combat, that kind of thing. I loved going through those scenarios, playing as these different people and working my way through. The bad thing is, I never got to play it online with other human beings. But I still had fun with this game to the point where I did everything. I had strategy guides, I checked them all off, and I can't possibly do anything more with this game. But it was so unique.
[0:25:03] Squidge: The item hunting in that just to get the completion rating, it might be there, it might know what difficulty you want, sodia right. Although although I will say my favorite, because every character got a costume, my favorite costume to run around any scenario was the colored stickman. Oh my God, made my deer. Each character had a different colored stick man, and he just run around as a stick man. He just made my dear nice.
[0:25:31] Nomad: Yeah, that game knew how to do it unique like that. It was awesome.
[0:25:36] Squidge: Yeah, right ahead of his time. So it's a shame. If it had come out like ten years later, it would have been amazing with all the online features being prevalent and everyone used to it and what have you. But you can play it online, but it involves a certain version of it and a certain emulator and a lot of jiggly poor creating.
[0:26:01] Nomad: Yeah. It's almost not worth it at this point, though. But I still hold out hope that one day Capcom will go back to that, because I'd like to think there's enough fan outcry for something like that. What was it? Resident Evil Resistance, I think released with the Resident Evil Three remake, and then they just came out with, I think, Resident Evil Reverse, or however they want to call it there. And they're interesting concepts, these arena shooters or whatever. They want to put together with some unique spins on the genre and the source material, which is fine, but every time I see something like this come out, it's like, just give me outbreak. Give me a chance to play with my friends. Either sitting next to us, next to each other on a couch, or online, and let's just see if we can survive. Give me that.
[0:26:53] Squidge: I'm personally a fan of Golden Survivor Two, which is the game set in the coveronica universe. It's first person and use a light gun, and you've got to get to a set point, and it's set in all the different locations of coveronica. But if you take too long, Nemesis chases you.
[0:27:16] Nomad: Hello there.
[0:27:19] Squidge: I know, right? The main story part didn't interest me. It was the sub game, which was like the it was it was a dungeon crawler. You just kept going down, and the further you go down, the harder it gets. But you pick up unique weapons and you fight bats, and it's just a first person dungeon crawler or a present evil game that you can use a light gun for. And I thought it was really novel.
[0:27:42] Nomad: That's interesting. I know of gun survivor too. I've seen images online and some gameplay, but I had no idea that existed in that game. That's going to make me want to try to find a way to play it. That sounds cool.
[0:27:53] Squidge: Well, the version I've got it. I assume every version's got it. But for me, hands down, the best Resident Evil game is one that it didn't come out in the States. It's for the Game boy color called Resident Evil Garden. And I described this as Resident Evil meets Rock band. It's probably the best way to describe it.
[0:28:20] Nomad: That's good. Yeah. I've had the pleasure of playing that game, actually. And that's expression or the displeasure, it depends. But to color in that rock band aspect of it, or at least what I think you're going after is the combat in this game is very unique in that your little pixel, Barry Burton, is walking across the screen, and if he encounters a zombie, you enter kind of a battle mode of sorts, and it's kind of first person. And zombies are coming at you, and the closer they get to you, then they can hit you and do damage. But on the bottom of your screen is this little slider, and then there's this little sweet spot right next or right below each zombie that's coming at you. And you have to hit your attack button when that slider is right in the middle of that sweet spot to be able to damage the zombie. And if you miss, you waste bullets and they're still going to come at you. So it's kind of like a Resident Evil rock Band rhythm game, something or other. It was weird, but it had a charm to it, I'm going to tell you.
[0:29:17] Squidge: Yeah. There's two things that always threw me off about that game. The first one is if you need a key or a key card or something, it's always on a zombie next to the door, which threw me off. That extended my time. I thought I'd missed everything. You couldn't find items. There was no little. Glint, you had to literally walk over everything. And the other one was, if I tried to put any weaponry on Lucy, I crashed the game. You put weaponry on the person you're going to help. If you switch to her and try and use the weapon, the game just shuts down.
[0:29:52] Nomad: Interesting.
[0:29:52] Squidge: So I managed to crash it.
[0:29:54] Nomad: I don't think I ever tried that. I always felt like, the big boys will handle this. You just get behind me, I'll protect you. But that's good to know. I will not do that now. Thank you.
[0:30:02] Squidge: Yeah, definitely a good thing. What about you, JEA? I know you often played all of.
[0:30:08] Jay: Them, but so, just real quick, I've got a couple of thoughts based on what you've both said. So firstly, resident evil guiden. As Resident Evil rock band, I think I would play that game like a rock band, but with some of the songs from the many different Resident Evil games. I think that would be quite fun. Just jamming out to one of the Save themes on one of those plastic guitars. That'd be loads of fun.
[0:30:33] Nomad: Fisher Price rock guitar, I would be into that. That's awesome.
[0:30:37] Jay: Yeah, right? Or even like the Resident Evil two, when you beat the game, you get rock track.
[0:30:46] Squidge: When you complete the B scenario.
[0:30:48] Jay: Yeah. Get all your friends out with your plastic instruments, you jam out on that. That would be brilliant. And I think, as a less silly note, I genuinely feel like Resident Evil outbreak, if that hadn't have been released, we wouldn't have had things like Left For Dead because they were very similar. Just like, left for dead was first person. Right. And the idea that you could play with friends, not always in the UK, didn't come out over here in time for us to catch the online services. So you couldn't play online, at least here in the UK. But the idea is, obviously, you play online with three or four of your friends and you go solve those smaller individual scenarios by working as a team, which, like you do with Left for Dead, or if you're a squidge, you run out and get the witch to follow you, and then you bring the witch back to the rest of the group.
[0:31:38] Squidge: One time. I did that one time.
[0:31:41] Nomad: Sorry, Squid. I was that guy once, too.
[0:31:46] Squidge: I first sat my play that I loved, just doing Guns of Kimber and shooting anything that moved, including the people I was supposed to be helping. So I was a detriment to myself, my team and everything, really? Just because it was like, it's moving, shoot it. No tactics, just if I'm shooting and you walk in my line of fire, your fault.
[0:32:12] Nomad: So whose fault is that? You or your teammates not knowing how you roll? So could go either way.
[0:32:20] Jay: Exactly. You're asking me, squidge, which is my most memorable Resident Evil?
[0:32:28] Squidge: The ones you've played.
[0:32:30] Jay: I think perhaps the original Resident Evil, too, just because I have this really vivid memory of I wasn't even playing it. It was being played in the room that I was in. We'd gone around to see like a family friend, and she's sitting there playing Resident Evil Two. And there's a bit in the RPD building where you walk into an interrogation room, you see some shiny you pick it up, you go out, and then a dog burst through the one way mirror. And obviously I'm just like, oh, cool, this is a game. You're running around picking things up.
[0:33:00] Nomad: Where's the dog the best part about that I remember that too. It's those scary moments where as you're walking through and the camera shifts, you know it's coming and it doesn't come, and that anticipation just builds. But then you walk back like maybe it's fine and then it's all over.
[0:33:19] Squidge: You end up joe going to control and voluntary.
[0:33:23] Jay: Yeah, that's exactly it. We do something no matter I just thought I'd throw this into the middle here. We do something that is a bit fun, sort of mix it up a little bit called the Thunder playing games. Would you be interested in playing the Thunder playing games?
[0:33:52] Nomad: As long as I don't have to dodge Lightning 200 times in a row to get an item, I'm all for it.
[0:33:58] Squidge: Amount of culture, indeed.
[0:34:00] Jay: Excellent. Okay, so the setup for the Thunder playing games, obviously for your benefit, no matter for anyone else who's joined us, new today is we want you to imagine that you're in Final Fantasy Ten and that the Thunderplanes is a place that you can get banished to. What we're going to do is we're going to open a portal to the Thunderplanes and very nicely and very politely boot you through it. You will get help. Maybe it'll be tomorrow, maybe it'll be in a week, maybe it'll be in an hour. We're going to send you through with all of the survival stuff. So you get a whole stack of food, like some shelter and ways to make fire and things like that, keep us up warm. But to stop you from getting bored, we've said that we'll keep the portal open, but only enough to throw through up to two or three video games and everything you need to play them, including an internet connection. And the only rules are that you can't ask for help because it's already on the way. And you can't tell anyone that you're in the Thunder playing game because like I said, right, it's like a social experiment. So my question to you now, what are you taking through with you? Remember, we'll supply everything that you need to play the games. You need a PlayStation, we'll give you a PlayStation. You need the Internet, we'll give you the Internet. What are you taking?
[0:35:14] Nomad: Well, let me ask you this question, since this is a Resident Evil Centric episode. Are these strictly Resident evil games or is anything on the table.
[0:35:22] Jay: You can take anything.
[0:35:24] Nomad: Okay, so right off the bat, one of my favorite game genres and one that kind of keeps me sane is role playing games, RPGs. So for my PlayStation Vita, which is the best handheld system ever made, I'm bringing Persona for golden.
[0:35:44] Squidge: Why are people into that game?
[0:35:45] Nomad: I don't and it's funny you say that, Squidge, because I don't even know why I'm into the game either. But hear me out. So I was fortunate enough to get a physical copy at my local game Stop, and I started playing it, and I couldn't put it down. Reason is this game has a very addictive combat system. It's got a very addictive story. It grabs you and the different relationship mechanics and things like that where you're meeting new classmates and trying to earn their favor and grow bonds with them, which translates into gameplay and all of that. I don't know, there's just something about it, and I've never actually finished it. I got to a point where I stopped and never went back to it. So I would want to bring that and finish it. And I think there's a new game plus or another way to play it after you finish. So that I'm sure since I've already put 63 hours into that game and not finished it, that will tide me over for a little bit.
[0:36:44] Jay: You're about halfway then.
[0:36:46] Nomad: Exactly. The second game that I would bring is on the Sony PlayStation Portable, the next greatest handheld ever made. I would bring Metal Gear Solid Peace.
[0:36:59] Squidge: Walker Glutton for punishment. Then.
[0:37:04] Nomad: My pleasure is your pain, I guess. I love that pleasure.
[0:37:10] Squidge: That with a smile on your face.
[0:37:12] Nomad: Yeah. But I have always adored that game. And the reason I'd bring it with me to the Thunder planes is it's a lot of the replayability. But the biggest thing for me is Peacewalker has a fantastic, fantastic base building mechanic. And it's almost kind of a mature version of Pokemon where you're building up your base and you're trying to capture personnel to populate your base. And those people that you grab to put into your headquarters all have different skills, different abilities that add to different things like your medical ward or your tech, and you can build certain things up. And I always love that aspect, and I've always loved the Metal Gear Solid universe as a whole. And Peace Walker is very rife with story. You can sit and listen to these audio cassette tapes that give you more background information. And I love David Hater as a voice actor, and I could listen to him read a phone book, so that would occupy my time very well. Metal Gear Solid. Peacewalker.
[0:38:13] Squidge: You blow my mind. I'm never going to see Metal Gear Solid Peacewalker and Five the same way again. I'm a big Pokemon player, so I'm just going to look for strength and weaknesses and build a team.
[0:38:30] Nomad: There's more parallels than you think, Squids. Those soldiers that you're capturing in Metal Gear, they don't want to be captured, but you're going to do it anyway and they're going to like it and be willingly a part of your team, just like Charmander, Squirtle, the rest of them.
[0:38:43] Squidge: I remember when I played Metal Gear Solid Five, I captured that many people in the first area that were used in inflatable soldiers.
[0:38:52] Nomad: Oh, yes.
[0:38:55] Squidge: I was just taking everyone I could get my hands on. Not just that, but I was Falcon, recovering everything I could. The funniest one I ever found was I tranquilized a gut, put the Fulton recovery system on it, and as it went up, he just had this bad amazing. That was at the point where he could record little clips. So I had like a ten second clip and she kept playing it. I was rolling, howling laughter.
[0:39:22] Nomad: I did the same thing and my wife, again, was watching me and she goes, Why did you do that? And I just go, I just went, I don't I don't know, but it's.
[0:39:29] Squidge: Fine because I can. That was the mission. That was the mission in this game.
[0:39:34] Jay: I am God.
[0:39:35] Nomad: Okay.
[0:39:39] Jay: So quick side thought on that just before we go to your last few games. Right, okay, first question, which will likely split us all up. Favorite first gen Pokemon starter, go.
[0:39:55] Nomad: Charmander.
[0:39:57] Squidge: Charmander.
[0:39:59] Nomad: I don't know what it is. I've heard arguments for both Bulbasaur and Squirtle. I love fire. Is that bad? I love fire. That's all it is. I love charming.
[0:40:11] Jay: I'm all about bulbasaur.
[0:40:13] Nomad: Awesome.
[0:40:16] Jay: I'm showing to the camera just for the camera. Yeah, I'll take a screenshot and I'll just crop just me. Here we go. Did that work? I don't think you did. Well, anyway, Squidge got me for like, Christmas or for a birthday one year, a set of Legos to build up a bulba soil and it's teeny tiny, it fits in the palm of my hand and it's beautiful. It's lovely because it's the best.
[0:40:44] Squidge: Sorry, if anyone remembers playing the Mess, that was Pokemon Red or Blue back in the day on the Game Boy, where I had to get a set light so you could see the screen, you could understand the frustration I'm about to hit on people. I had Charmander evolving into Charizard as my main. I didn't use anything else. I brute forced my way into completion with him alone and I have no idea how.
[0:41:14] Nomad: That's incredible there's.
[0:41:17] Squidge: Just stubbornness, I suppose, but I remember doing that. It took me ages. Many batteries died for the cause. But, yeah, I brute force my way to become champion and then beat Gary and then whatever the hell else it was, just using one Pokemon. All I did to this day, I still can't do it now, and I'm wiser and older, apparently, but I still can't recreate it. And I'm not even going to try on the Game Boy and copy a Blue obstacle guard. I don't have the ability to maintain that kind of stress level, I don't think.
[0:41:52] Nomad: Yeah, we were a different breed when we were younger. We were able to tolerate a lot of different things. Way back when. I remember playing Pokemon Red and then Blue with a random stranger that I met when I went camping one day. And using the link cable, we battled each other and somehow I pulled out a victory. And no matter what happened the rest of that day, it was all worth it. We were in our tents. There was hardly any light, and we're twisting the screen around. But I beat that kid, and I beat him good, and I felt good about it.
[0:42:27] Squidge: You remember it to this deer, that random person. I beat them down.
[0:42:31] Nomad: Right.
[0:42:32] Squidge: His name was Stick on your CV.
[0:42:34] Nomad: That's right. I think his name was Bill. Might have been Jeremy. I don't know. But I remember you, sir.
[0:42:41] Jay: Nice. So the second quick thought that I had was because you talked about Metal Gear Solid, I have this very vivid memory. Metal Gear Solid Two on the Xbox and how I never used to play the main story. I just used to play as Raiden. Is that right? Yeah.
[0:43:00] Squidge: If you're on about tanker and plant. Tanker was snake. Plant was riding.
[0:43:04] Jay: That's right. So I used to play the bit with Snake where you just running around and stealing everyone's dog tags. I used to love doing that. Just sneak up behind someone and go, freeze.
[0:43:15] Nomad: That was always my favorite, too. I remember playing that game, especially coming off of Metal Gear Solid, the original on the PlayStation. And just the idea that you could hold somebody up, go into first person and point at their head, or even their crotch if you're a masochist, and just make them give up items blew my mind. It was fantastic.
[0:43:38] Squidge: And the section was riding when I was outside, I used to like tranquin. The beds just have rose to have a go at me. It made my dear, would you stop attacking those beds? Okay? I told you, stop attacking them. I used all my rounds up, and then I had to just batter people before I could get more ammunition because I was just shooting them beds. All the tranks, I didn't kill them. They just fell into the sea and floated. But it was their fault I slipped on their bed poop. So I was just taking vengeance.
[0:44:13] Jay: Yes, I remember that now as well. Because if you were running in the wrong bit, you could slip and fall over like genius.
[0:44:20] Nomad: Right. The fact that they made an animation for that blew my mind as well. You fall backward, hit the ground, like, did it? It happened. Oh, that reminds me, too. Did either of you, when you played that game, when you were on that deck, look straight up in first person and just wait. If you do that, a bird will poop on you, and you will see it on your vision slowly falling down. So they get their just desserts, too, if you let them.
[0:44:46] Squidge: I've got a PS Two set up in the other room. And I've got Metal Gear Solid Two. I'm going to try that. Now, the only thing that would have made that slipping animation better is if Ryden slips, lands on his back, and then his shoes fly off, and then you have to get replacement shoes. You have to hunt somewhere for replacement shoes, otherwise your feet made too much sound. Old school cartoons, towel. And then the shoes fly off, and then you just hear footsteps as he's running around barefoot.
[0:45:21] Nomad: That would have absolutely enhanced that game 100%.
[0:45:24] Jay: Absolutely. You mean the old Hannah Barbera running sound effects? Right. Nice. Sorry. Nomad, I interrupted you while you were telling us about your Thunder Plane game.
[0:45:38] Nomad: No worries. This is fun. This is what it's all about, my friends. Going all the way back to memory lane.
[0:45:44] Jay: Absolutely.
[0:45:45] Nomad: All right, so the last game that I would take with me on the Thunder Planes is a game that I've never played before, and it's a game that I'm almost too afraid to play. It's stardue Valley. Now, the reason I'm too afraid to play this game is from what I know about it, and if I get any of these details wrong, fellow listeners, don't reign on me. It's more or less a farming simulator. Your character inherits a farm. You contend to the farm, but you can also go into town, build up relationships. You can go into a dungeon and attack monsters there's, combat there's, all of that. And from what I've read, this game has no end. You just keep going. You keep improving your farm, you keep doing this, getting better at this, refining that. That sounds amazing to me, but it scares me because I know as soon as I start that game, no one will ever see Nomad again. And.
[0:46:42] Squidge: Similar vibes to Animal Crossing.
[0:46:44] Nomad: Exactly.
[0:46:45] Squidge: Without the crippling debt.
[0:46:47] Nomad: Right? So I figure if I'm stuck in the Thunder Planes for an undetermined amount of time, persona Four Golden will scratch my RPG. Itch, Metal Gear Solid. Peace Walker will certainly capture that action itch that I'm going to have. And then when I'm done with that, I will drift into Stardew Valley until my rescue comes.
[0:47:07] Jay: Nice.
[0:47:08] Squidge: Nice. Okay, so here's a question for you. Keeping on the Resident Evil theme, which game of the series, which you've played, did you get the most kick out of?
[0:47:39] Nomad: That's a toughie, because, really, a lot of games that I've played in the series, I've gotten a kick out of just different things from different games for different reasons. So I'm going to cheat. I'll keep it quick, but I've got a couple of answers for you.
[0:47:54] Squidge: Okay.
[0:47:55] Nomad: Number one, Resident Evil two, it's top of my list. If I had to choose one, it's the most memorable, arguably the best in the series. I absolutely enjoyed the idea behind how they presented that game. You can play as two different characters, and depending on who you played as first, if you played as Leon Kennedy first, for instance, and you complete the game, you can save your game file, play as Claire, and run through the same scenario as her, as you're intersecting in the police station with Leon and different events. And I think they called it a Zapping system. Don't know where they got that name from, but what you do in Leon scenario A, could have Ramifications. In Claire's scenario B, the classic one. If you two remember, you're in the weapons locker in the basement of the police station, and you come across a locker that has a big machine gun and a side pack to add more items. When I first played this game, the very first time, I didn't know that my actions were going to have Ramifications. I was just a young kid. Consequences mean nothing to me. So I took both the items and I put them in Leon's pocket, like, all right, we're set. But then when I played as Claire and I got to the same locker and realized there was nothing in there, my heart sank. But I also felt this well of excitement that this game did that and little things like that really stuck with me and the cherry on top, the dual shock version of that game came with Extreme Battle Mode at the end, and I could play that for hours. You choose a character, you run through familiar locations back to the police station to find these bombs, antivirus bombs that you have to put on the train in the umbrella laboratory.
[0:49:50] Nomad: I love that. A lot of times, it was random item locations were different. It kept me going for forever. So Resident Evil Two. Top of my list for that.
[0:50:01] Squidge: Just because you mentioned Extreme Battle Mode, a little tidbit that I noticed when playing it because I was exposed to that in the dreamcast version. So I played the dreamcast version as well. Chris versus Leon when you've got the shotgun, I can't remember if Chris, in that mode, gets the upgraded shotgun, but Chris versus Leon. In regards to shotgun usage, chris has got more control. He has less recoil than Leon. Yeah, Leon's a rookie, and Chris is an Air Force pilot that was retrained into the Special Forces stars well, rescue squad. But, yeah, he has less recoil, which means it's easier because you get more shots off and you can run like hell in your tank here. And you Chris. This is before his melon smuggling days.
[0:50:53] Nomad: You're 100% right. I mean, that man, he punches boulders for a living. So handling the recoil of that shotgun, you're absolutely right. He had the upgraded shotgun, I remember. And Leon could get it if he found the right item, I believe. But yeah, Chris stood there like a staunch statue and said, let's go. Give me some.
[0:51:11] Jay: Nice.
[0:51:14] Nomad: And then real quick, I've got two more runners up. Resident Evil Four. Resident Evil Four I have a lot of memories with and got a really big kick out of because it was so unique. Obviously, I'd like to think we all know Resident Evil Four at this point. The very unique combat over the shoulder view. But I love playing that game over and over again because the combat was so fun, but it scratched this itch in me where I loved going around and collecting items, different jewels and things to sell to the merchant. Got something for you, stranger. Just loved it. And getting as much money as I could upgrading weapons. There was a point where I got so into Resident Evil Four, I kept saving over and over again to where I couldn't hold any more money. There was just no point of me playing the game anymore. I played it that much. I had so much fun with that game. And last but not least, and this is a hot take, I think. And Jay, I don't think you've played this one yet.
[0:52:15] Nomad: Resident Evil Six.
[0:52:18] Jay: Yes.
[0:52:20] Nomad: Now, somewhere, someone listening to this in their car right now is rolling their eyes at the radio. But hear me out, Resident Evil Six, I know there's a lot of hate for because it went so far into the action genre, it went so far away from survival horror. It wasn't really even a Resident Evil game, really. It just had the characters in it. But for some reason, that game was just fun to play. I could ignore the story convolutedness. I could ignore some of the things that just didn't make sense from a gameplay standpoint. I loved playing as a character that I could make roll around and jump back and forth and the mobility. And I said this to somebody, and they thought I was lying to them, but I mean, this. I got platinum trophies for Resident Evil Six on the PlayStation Four and PlayStation Three, and 1000 gamer score on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions gunned to my head. I can't tell you why I like that game, but it's fun for me. It's just fun to play. It is awful fun.
[0:53:29] Squidge: What other Resident Evil game do you have tanks firing at you while you're trying to jump across ledges and stuff?
[0:53:35] Nomad: Right.
[0:53:37] Squidge: What other game? As a character who turns out to be Wesker's Son, can you put your guns away and batter the hell out of things with your barefist?
[0:53:45] Nomad: That is true. Very true.
[0:53:47] Squidge: I mean, Chris could quite easily do it, but I think that's just, like, too easy. If Chris just punched everything into pieces and moved on, that's a model I'd love to see on Resi Six. Just whack. Next. Chris is one punch, man.
[0:54:02] Jay: I was just about to say one punch, man. I like it.
[0:54:05] Nomad: I like that.
[0:54:08] Jay: Nice. In your experience, right? We've got two different control types for Resident Evil games. We've got the classic tank controls. And you did a wonderful job of describing it on the Resident Evil episode. So I'll partially quote that and get it wrong. Essentially, if you push up on the D pad, your character heads in the direction they are facing, and if you push down, they head backwards, the reverse of where they are facing. Use left and right to turn them left and right. Okay. And then there's like, third person actiony standard sort of controls where, depending on where the camera is orientated, if you push up on the analog stick, they'll head in the upper direction from where the camera is in. That sort of fixed camera angles one, and then obviously over the shoulder, it's just hope to move forward and left and right to turn around. So which is your preferred action game? Or rather, which is your preferred control style for a Resident Evil game? If someone altered the code for the first Resident Evil game to give you that non tank controls, would you play that? Or if you could somehow, like, in a magical world, you could make it a third person action game, would you prefer that?
[0:55:23] Jay: Where do you sit with the controls?
[0:55:25] Nomad: Yeah, and I feel like this conversation is another one of those that just may divide all of us. I love the old school tank controls, and that is what I prefer. You nailed it, Jay. You press up on the D pad, you move the character in the direction that they're facing instead of relative to the camera. Whereas the action controls, same thing. It's relative to the camera, not the person. I don't know the true story behind this. Maybe you two gentlemen do, but I've heard conflicting ideas based on the control scheme when it comes from Capcom, the developers. I've seen articles where series director Shinji Mikami has said tank controls were designed for this type of game almost on purpose to enhance the horror and the tension. Because the backgrounds in the older Resident Evil games were all pre rendered, static backgrounds. So wherever the camera was, was where it was, and you had to move your character within that range. What I loved about the tank controls is I feel like if that is true, Shinjikabi was correct, I felt much more tension because my character, even though there are Special Forces operative Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, for instance, you would think they would be more mobile, more nimble. But in this case, with those tank controls, if you have something coming at you, you can't just leap out of the way. You have to slowly pivot their body around like a tank and get them out of there. And on the surface, that does sound awful.
[0:57:03] Nomad: It just sounds bad. But once you've played it enough and you get used to the nuances, it's like second nature. And I can't think of how I would be able to play a Resident Evil game like that with action controls. In fact, the Resident Evil remake, the one that originally came out on the GameCube, and it's out high definition now, pretty positive, has the ability to give you action type controls where if you press up, you go up, left it, whatever. I tried it. 17 seconds later, I'm out. I didn't want anything to do. I couldn't do it.
[0:57:43] Squidge: But speaking of the action controls, just real quick, a friend of mine told me something that blew my mind when I started playing the GameCube version. Well, I played the GameCube version. That's how I started. And when it came out on PC, I thought, I'll give it a go. There's a few extra bits and bobs. And he said, Stick it on action controls. I said, do I like Tank? He said, no, stick it on action controls. Right. You can still use tank controls. I went, okay, use the action controls to dodge zombies when they leap at you. Absolute game changer. You can freak out and have Jill or Chris or whoever just sort of like and then just run around them.
[0:58:23] Nomad: Interesting.
[0:58:25] Squidge: Yeah. The reenactment that I'll give people if they don't know what I'm on about is imagine you're playing Gold Nigh on the N 64, right? And you're on that level where you're stuck in a prison a prison cell, and you're trying to escape with Natalia yeah. The escort mission. And while she's talking to you, you tilt the cartridge ever so slightly forward, and then the character models go, that's essentially what happens when I try and dodge because they try and leap at me. I move out of the way. They're lurching forward. Now you're from random. Absolute game changer. But if I could sneak this one in just just I i think the original Resident Evil on the GameCube is the best. The HD remake and everything after that is hyped. Way too much. It's a good game. It was a launch title for the GameCube. I remember playing it.
[0:59:29] Squidge: It's not the Be all and End all. It's a good game, but it's hyped way too much. Same as was an Evil Two remake. It is a really good game. It's way too hyped. I get someone nerves and people go, oh, it's the best resi game. It really isn't the Game Boy. Color one is the best one. Bit of guide end.
[0:59:49] Jay: Contractually obligated to sneak that in.
[0:59:52] Squidge: Yeah, guide end. But, yeah, I'll let you get back to a second, but it's just I can't stand it when people go, oh, it's remake. It's the first remake and the second remake. No, it really isn't. There are other offerings. There's even a fair person dungeon crawler. For as an evil don't just say remake. It's the easy. Way out. Find a different argument. There's me dividing the fans.
[1:00:21] Nomad: No, I agree with some of that, personally, but no, I don't think you're completely wrong either. The Resident Evil Two remake, and since we're talking control styles, they took a lot from Resident Evil Four, the over the shoulder, that kind of thing. But does do action based controls have a place in this series? Potentially, I think, if they're done right. I think the Resident Evil Two remake and the Resident Evil Three make, for the most part, are great games. They're done really well. They control well. The atmosphere is fantastic. The graphics are amazing. I had a fun time. I platinum those two. It was great. Are they the best? Are they the IPSO facto, this is Resident Evil. I argue no.
[1:01:11] Squidge: Clots of hands.
[1:01:13] Nomad: The older games. The original Resident Evil, Resident Evil Two, and even Resident Evil Three. Nemesis. And then if you want to even go and divide your fan base into smaller sections, code Veronica, I thought was a fantastic game as well. And, yeah, that's Resident Evil to me.
[1:01:32] Jay: Nice.
[1:01:33] Squidge: The only Resident Evil game I know of that a single zombie can take two clips to take down.
[1:01:38] Nomad: Right. Nowhere in this series does anyone think, granted, all these individuals, for the most part, that we're playing are trained as military or police. Never shoot for the head. What is up with that?
[1:01:53] Squidge: Yeah, we don't use the Cwed count in them. Not allowed.
[1:02:00] Jay: So here's something real quick. Side point real quick. Have you played the game called Save Room?
[1:02:09] Squidge: Save Room is save room. I introduced you to this. He loves it.
[1:02:13] Jay: Squidge introduced me to this last week as we are recording so, like, just over a month ago, as if you're listening to it on the day of release, it is, and this is a controversial jokey statement. It's the best parts of Resident Evil Four as a game. It's inventory management that's it as a puzzle, really. It's really good. And from what I can remember, it's super cheap on the Nintendo Switch, and I think I bought it for, like, a pound and something. So it'd be like a dollar on something, a dollar and change or whatever.
[1:02:47] Squidge: If you imagine the inventory management from Resident Evil fall, all the items are on the right, and you've got a set amount of space in the main part, and you've got to juggle shapes and stuff to get it all fitting till you move to the next level. It's kind of like Resident Evil. Tetris.
[1:03:03] Jay: Yes.
[1:03:06] Nomad: And I think other people's, too. That was my favorite part of that game, is, oh, I've got all this junk in this attache case. What am I going to do? And how you intricately line up your weapons and your herbs and the little eggs you come across once you're done. I felt more satisfied organizing my inventory than I did taking enemies down. Yeah, that sounds amazing.
[1:03:25] Jay: May I recommend save room? It is such an amazing little title. Little nd title. Brilliant.
[1:03:31] Squidge: All of the items have little descriptions, and it's heavily based around Resident Evil Four. It is Resident Evil Four, but not to avoid copyright. And one of the things that I saw was one of the things you have to put into the case was the broken butterfly, but it was called the Fixed Butterfly. And the description was somewhat on the lines of this gun wax. I don't understand why people don't use it more.
[1:03:55] Jay: Perfect.
[1:03:58] Nomad: I'm going to give that a try. I'm going to check it out.
[1:04:01] Jay: Nice. Okay, so the next thing I've got written down on my master plan, as written by Grandmaster Flash, aka Squidge, is a thing that we do called Get Control of Yourself. So this is essentially it's based on a tweet by Since Spaces on Twitter. And that guy is amazing. I've got to say. Brian's amazing. Essentially what he said, and we take this and just basically run with it. And that is, he said, Get control of yourself. What's been your favorite controller of all time? And which one bites? The big one. So I realize I've probably sprung this on you a little bit unprepared, but what's the greatest controller and what's the worst controller you've ever used?
[1:04:59] Nomad: The greatest controller I've ever used is the PlayStation Four DualShock Four controller.
[1:05:05] Jay: Nice.
[1:05:06] Nomad: Now, the reason for this is allow me to get a little intimate. When I hold that controller, when I hold that controller, it just fits just right. The Xbox 360 controller was my runner up, but there's just something about the PlayStation Four controller that just maybe it's my big man hands. I don't know what it is, but it just fits perfectly in my hands. But there's other features about the controller that I really like, too. I know for the PlayStation Three, I think it got off to kind of a rocky start, but the six axis control. Have either of you played until dawn before the Scary game by Supermassive Games?
[1:05:48] Squidge: Yes, I've played bits of it.
[1:05:50] Nomad: What sold me on this controller was that game more than anything. Because there's parts of that game I won't spoil anything for anyone who's not played it. But there's times in this game where the character you're playing as has to stay completely still to avoid something that's chasing them or whatever. And you have to keep your controller completely still. If you bump it or move it, you'll fail this quote unquote quick time event and something bad will happen to you. And just that notion of having to hold my controller close and how it integrated into gameplay really stuck with me. The led on the front. I love Certain games you play will change different colors. One game I was sucked into for way too long was the Division Two. And as you're playing the game, you've got the yellow watches that your characters wear your controller. Led will be that color yellow, or color orange rather. And when you get healed, it'll turn green. When you take damage, I think it turns red. Just little touches like that that ever so subtly immerse you into the game experience. So the PlayStation Four is my best controller of all time.
[1:06:57] Squidge: I seem to remember the PS Three when I first got mine. It was army of Two. You played as the two masters, and one of you there's a part where you're parachuting into somewhere. Now, I've got it under 360 and the PS 3360, you just moved, so you'd avoid or go quicker or go slower. The PS Three, once you actually tilted the pad to go further. I have mine on my lap and I thought, Why am I dying all the time? And then it clicked as I lifted it. Oh, that's what it is. Right. Okay. It was a bit more amassed. Yes. Some of the things. And then you've got the use of the touchpad at the top. It is a good pad.
[1:07:39] Jay: Interesting point about the touchpad. Right. If you connect the PS Four controller up to your computer, you can have the touchpad as a mouse pad.
[1:07:48] Nomad: Yes. I found that out on accident one day. I saw a little mouse cursor on my screen, like, what is happening? But it's perfect. I use a PlayStation Four controller for a lot of what I do on PC now. It's fantastic.
[1:08:03] Squidge: And for anyone who doesn't know, just a word of caution. If you're going to use a PS Four pad with any first person game, through Steam especially, you need to go through the big picture settings for the pad and turn off the Gyro controls because that will control where you look. First time I played, what was it? It was Dsx, the Fest expansion pack where you dropped into this island. I was sort of sat there, was like, Right. And I had the cable plugged in, so I'm flicking it as you do. You do that quick flick to get the thing out your way.
[1:08:41] Jay: More cable. Yeah.
[1:08:42] Squidge: The camera just went nuts. It took me 24 minutes to figure out how to turn it off because it was it was on my knee.
[1:08:51] Jay: Wow.
[1:08:52] Squidge: While I was trying to turn it off, and in the background, the game was like spinning and like, to pause it and then try and figure it out. So if you use Nut and Steam, just make sure the Gyro controls are off. There is a thing to do it, because if you do it, you're going to be in a world of spinny pin.
[1:09:09] Jay: I like it. All right.
[1:09:11] Nomad: Well, that's a good segue into my worst controller, because this controller, as far as I know, does not have Gyro controls and it brings me nothing but sadness. The Nintendo 64 controller, and I think that's I think it's a popular take, maybe, but but here's. Why? So I was unfortunate enough to handle one of these controllers here and there when I was younger. Now, I never had a Nintendo 64, but a couple of my friends did. And when I'd go over, we'd play games like Super Smash Brothers, we'd play Starfox 64, that kind of thing. But just let me ask all your listeners to close their eyes and imagine this controller in their hand and try to press every button that you can while holding this controller. Oh, wait, you can't. Let's move our hands over this way to the left and try to wrap it up from the underside. There's certain buttons I still can't press that drove me bonkers. And this controller is probably responsible for maybe arthritis I'm going to get as I get older, just by default. And cherry on top of that. Sunday the thumbstick. My friends. There was a friend of mine, I can't remember his dave.
[1:10:28] Nomad: Sorry, friend. I still love you. He went through three different Nintendo 64 controllers because that thumpsticks kept breaking off on him, and he wasn't very tough with it. I read somewhere that it was a design thing. I think it was just very weak on the bottom or just something beneath the surface. But he kept going through Nintendo 64 controllers left and right. So the combination of early onset arthritis and that thumb stick is why I consider this probably the worst controller. And maybe you guys could give me some indication on why this is. They make a Nintendo 64 controller for the Nintendo Switch, and it is so popular, I barely ever see it in the store. And I want to understand why people want that thing so bad, because I don't get it.
[1:11:12] Squidge: Okay, so nostalgia and it's wireless. So what? I can think because you charge it up fancy. Was your friend a big Mario party player? Because that would explain why the control stick got snapped so much.
[1:11:25] Nomad: Yeah, he was. You're probably right.
[1:11:27] Squidge: Had that famed circle of skin missing from the center of his hand.
[1:11:31] Nomad: Yeah.
[1:11:33] Squidge: Now, this is a potential to blow your mind, but I know how an N 64 pad is supposed to be controlled. I've done years worth of research into this. I've traveled the globe, solve down the street.
[1:11:47] Jay: And you've spun it, right?
[1:11:49] Squidge: Oh, yeah. Spin it. Why not Uruguay?
[1:11:54] Jay: Absolutely.
[1:11:55] Squidge: The N 64 controller brace yourself. Is meant to be played with three hands.
[1:12:02] Nomad: That makes sense. Why did we not think of this earlier?
[1:12:07] Squidge: Three hands. Such a simple thing that nobody figured out until years, decades after it got completely three hands. That's how you play it. Or if you want to get extra weird, try playing Gold Nye with two controllers.
[1:12:22] Nomad: Why would someone want to do that?
[1:12:25] Squidge: The left and right stick is for movement and aiming. And the two Z buttons, one would shoot and one would change weapon. You'd still have to pause one to get like your remote bombs and stuff, but you can actually play it like that. I've never tried it. I found my copy and I've got two pads. I'm really tempted.
[1:12:48] Jay: Does that mean that's what we're doing next time I come over? Squidge? No, maybe that's all right. Okay. I'll get some pizza and beer and we'll give it a try.
[1:12:58] Squidge: What do we need? Tools and beer. Crazy scheme.
[1:13:01] Jay: Absolutely.
[1:13:03] Squidge: Yeah. So now you know you got to use a N 64 controller with three hands.
[1:13:08] Jay: Absolutely.
[1:13:08] Squidge: So all those people lucky enough to have three hands, that's the controller for you.
[1:13:14] Nomad: So many minds blown today.
[1:13:17] Jay: Absolutely.
[1:13:21] Squidge: Okay, let me get the script. With this episode, the guest is live. The horse is scripted. Just listen.
[1:13:34] Nomad: I couldn't tell that was good.
[1:13:39] Squidge: That's why it takes so long to do this.
[1:13:41] Jay: We've got a pre plan for every single possible thing you could say and record it ahead of time, then put it on to VHS because we're at the height of technology.
[1:13:52] Nomad: So you had to anticipate telling me that to say that in case I.
[1:13:56] Jay: Wondered, and I had to anticipate answering you as well.
[1:14:00] Nomad: Oh, my gosh.
[1:14:01] Squidge: Yeah. I'll insert the POAMs later on. So, with the world of indie games pushing boundaries because the Triple A developers don't have time, money, patience, or any need to, would you say the fixed camera angle or give me a second scripting error. Would you say the fixed camera angle tank control games could make a comeback in the future because there are games such as, like Alyssa, which is a mixture of Resident Evil, Dark Souls and an RPG. Would you say that there's a market for it? Would you say there'd be some sort of comeback?
[1:14:41] Nomad: Yeah. Alyssa was the first game that I was thinking of when you were asking me that question. Now, as far as it making a comeback, I'm kind of divided with that. And the reason being now, before we sat down, I did some Internet research. And according to the Internet, the average gamer today is around 35 years old. I'm assuming that's accurate because the Internet is never wrong. But the reason I bring that up is my generation. People that are as old as I 35, 37, I can't remember what I said my age was before. So we're just going to let it go. We grew up with those kind of games, and there is a nostalgia for that type of game. And anytime I find a game that has fixed cameras or tank controls, I tend to gravitate towards it because I like that style. It really resonates with me, and it definitely tickles that nostalgia bone. So I'd like to think, just if indie games were to go that direction, or maybe even if it pushed into the Triple A market yeah, I'd like to think there would be a market for that. Gamers are getting older, but they're still playing games. And I think there could be some appeal for that.
[1:15:58] Nomad: The problem with that statement, as I was thinking about it more, is even though it's something that brings a nostalgic tinge from people of yesteryear, and that's something that people like to play. Even people back then don't like tank controls. And I believe that that might be the downfall. I don't know if there's enough of us older, quote unquote gamers that are going to be able to revive that type of game. So I'd like to see it, I really would. But is it realistic? I don't know. It's debatable.
[1:16:39] Squidge: So let's just scratch that itch and have someone create a mod for Breath of the Wild, where it's open world, but fixed cam wrangles and tank controls. That's what we need.
[1:16:48] Jay: We need that'd be a hell of.
[1:16:51] Squidge: A project for camera angles.
[1:16:53] Jay: Tank controls. Legend of Zelda. Right?
[1:16:57] Nomad: With all the accessibility options that are coming in the games nowadays, why wouldn't developers do something like that? Do you want to have a miserable time person and have these specific type of controls? You can just check that little box in the options menu.
[1:17:12] Squidge: Hey, do you take my money?
[1:17:14] Nomad: Right?
[1:17:15] Squidge: Take my money right now. I hate myself just enough to pay for that. Take it.
[1:17:21] Nomad: Right. I need to make sure I'm taking.
[1:17:23] Squidge: My money out of kidney. I don't need them.
[1:17:25] Nomad: Just want to make sure I'm still alive enough to feel let's go.
[1:17:31] Jay: Nice.
[1:17:33] Nomad: But it's a really interesting thought all the way through, and I love indie games for that because they're experimenting with and going back to those older style of controls and ways that games are played. So I'm really hopeful that we do see a lot more of that type of game. I really do.
[1:17:52] Squidge: Yeah. Tank controls and Resident Evil Rock band. That's what we want to see.
[1:17:56] Nomad: Yes.
[1:17:57] Jay: Dude, I would pay for that game. I would pay a whole bunch of money for it, and I would play it. Some money needs to make threats of fire. Do that and I will play it.
[1:18:08] Nomad: Maybe your guys'podcast will be able to will it into existence. I'm right there with you.
[1:18:14] Squidge: I'm using it best.
[1:18:16] Jay: What did you say it was? That I had squid sexual energy or something? I will use that. That's what will make it happen.
[1:18:22] Squidge: Yeah. Let's just say yes. I can't remember that long ago.
[1:18:29] Jay: Listen, I've breathed since then. That means I've forgotten, right?
[1:18:34] Squidge: Kind of, yeah.
[1:18:35] Jay: Excellent. So I've had a whole bunch of fun, and I can't speak for scriptures. Have you had a whole bunch of fun?
[1:18:44] Squidge: Yes.
[1:18:45] Jay: Good. Yeah. It's been amazing having you on the show. What I would love to do before we do any kind of wrapping up or anything, just remind the listener about your show and how they can get it. Because like I said, I'm not trying to blow smoke up you, but I really do enjoy listening to your show. So I want more people to hear it. So tell the people about your show.
[1:19:06] Nomad: Yeah, absolutely. So, again, everyone at home and in their cars. My podcast is called the Retro Wildlands, and my podcast is designed to give everyone that's played a game before that I'm talking about on the show just a walk down memory lane to be able to listen to me talk about a game that they've played before. And maybe I spark memory. Maybe I give you that dope of mean drip that you're looking for. But at the same time, if you've never played a game that I'm talking about before, I'm hoping that I can convince you to either play it or you'll know what it is that I'm talking about. I enjoy talking about games, and that's what I do. It's just me on the podcast, with exception of episode ten, the Simpsons Arcade. If you want to hear me going back and forth with my stepdaughter, that was fun. But ultimately, I tell you all about the games that I've discovered or rediscovered while roaming the gaming Wildlands. And I appreciate both of you giving me such high praise just because it's been such a fun, passion project for me. But at the same time, yeah, I would love for someone to listen to the podcast, give me their feedback, and if nothing else, I'm just having fun talking to people about video games, and that's ultimately what the Retro Wildlands are all about.
[1:20:20] Squidge: Ting.
[1:20:20] Nomad: TM trademark. Let's go with that. That sounds awesome.
[1:20:25] Jay: Insert jingle here.
[1:20:26] Nomad: Exactly. And we're on all the major platforms spotify, itunes, Google, Podcasts. I don't think there's a platform out there that I'm not on. If I did my homework correctly, we're on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, where you can interact with me directly. If you wanted to pick my brain, talk with me, just whatever. I'm over on social media and our website. If you don't want to listen through a podcasting app, I'm sorry. Retro Wildlandspodcast Podbean.com is the website that I have very basic but if you just want to listen to the show, that's where you can do it.
[1:21:04] Jay: Nice.
[1:21:06] Squidge: Well, thank you very much for being a guest. You can have your house keys back now. Much appreciate it.
[1:21:12] Nomad: I appreciate your guys'forced, I mean, generous hospitality.
[1:21:18] Squidge: I'm sure you've got things to do. And you probably left the washing machine on, so there's your keys back.
[1:21:24] Jay: Aren't you supposed to leave the washing machine on? That's what I do. I put the thing in, I leave it on, and I walk away.
[1:21:34] Squidge: Sorry, the iron. Not washing machine. The iron.
[1:21:38] Nomad: The iron is I leave them on. Things are meant to be turned on and used.
[1:21:47] Squidge: You don't have to turn them off, so you don't have to worry about toasting the air near them. That's the toast.
[1:21:52] Jay: Absolutely not.
[1:21:53] Squidge: Not the not the stove or the iron.
[1:21:55] Nomad: Sound advice. So so anyone listening to this, you learned something today. I know I did.
[1:22:02] Jay: Excellent. So, yeah, like I said, nomad, it's been a pleasure chatting with you today and I hope that more people discover your show. And I've loved talking about all of the stuff. It's really vague, what I'm saying, but all of the stuff that we've talked about, the dalliances we've gone on, and discussing, all the games you would take to the Thunder Planes and all that kind of stuff, I've really enjoyed it. And please, someone make Resident evil rock band. I would love to play that game. With that being said, thank you all for listening to another episode of Waffle Entailers. We are available on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and Twitch and all that kind of stuff as Waffle Entailers. I've done the whole SEO nonsense. Head over to Waffle Entailers Fox for our website on there, and Squid is going to make fun of me. But on there, there's a section called Those Games We Played, which lists every single game we've ever discussed on the podcast or in our early incarnation as a blog. And it lists them, totals them up, so you can actually order it by how many times we've mentioned the game, what is your favorite game and have we talked about it. And if you click it, it'll show you all the episodes that we talked about in, because it's really clever.
[1:23:12] Squidge: I roll.
[1:23:13] Jay: Thank you.
[1:23:14] Squidge: Script. I'll come across really well in the audio. I roll.
[1:23:19] Jay: Thank you very much. But yes, been an absolute pleasure. Noma, thank you very much.
[1:23:23] Nomad: Thank you for having me. I really, really appreciate the opportunity.
[1:23:27] Squidge: It's been a pleasure.
