Fire Escape Cast #107

Summary

Fire Escape Cast #107 Summary

Release Date: May 19, 2025
Hosts: Dan Ryckert, Mary Kish, and Mike Mahardy

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1. Introduction & Catching Up

[00:41] Mike Mahardy:
The episode kicks off with Mike welcoming listeners back to Fire Escape Cast, noting that this is episode 107. He mentions the absence of all three hosts being together, introducing Ben Hansen from Minmax as a substitute. The trio humorously navigates the challenges of not being in the same location, setting a lighthearted tone for the episode.

[01:28] Mary Kish:
Mary expresses excitement about the group's reunion, highlighting that it's the first time all three hosts have been together for several episodes due to their busy schedules involving travel and corporate commitments.

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2. Exciting News: Giant Bomb Acquisition

[03:03] Dan Ryckert:
Dan drops a major announcement: "We bought Giant Bomb." He explains that Giant Bomb is now fully independent, supported exclusively by fans without any external investors. This marks a significant shift for the company, emphasizing fan subscriptions and ad revenue as the primary funding sources.

[03:13] Dan Ryckert:
Further elaborating, Dan introduces Jeff Bacalar as part of their new team, drawing parallels to wrestling references for humorous effect. He details the roles within their revamped structure, assigning playful titles to team members.

[04:43] Mary Kish:
Mary praises the move, stating, "Business is a lot, but it's important that we're able to also play games and just hang out with each other." She underscores the importance of supporting local, independent companies in the gaming content space.

[20:16] Mary Kish:
Mary emphasizes the benefits of this acquisition, highlighting the liberation from corporate constraints. "Now, you're not beholden to that anymore," she remarks, noting that although challenges remain, the overall outlook is positive for both the team and the gaming community.

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3. Personal Updates: Mike’s Sommelier Status & Mary’s Bowling League

[04:41] Dan Ryckert:
Dan humorously adopts the title "Chief Content Officer," while Mary inquires about her own role, leading to playful banter about titles and responsibilities.

[04:43] Mary Kish:
Mary shares her personal achievement of joining a bowling league in Portland, proudly announcing her new high score of 1:59.

[07:54] Mary Kish:
She reveals her team name, "Pinsy Lohans," after a search for an original name, poking fun at the creative process involved in naming a team.

[05:08] Mike Mahardy:
Mike congratulates both Mary and Dan on their new roles, celebrating their achievements with humor and camaraderie.

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4. Experiences at PAX

[09:04] Dan Ryckert:
Dan recounts his experiences at PAX, including the excitement of participating in the panel and the subsequent relaxation session watching "MacGruber." He reflects on the intense preparation and the rewarding moments post-panel.

[10:21] Mary Kish:
Mary discusses the social dynamics at PAX, noting her limited social stamina despite being extroverted. She values the ability to reconnect with old friends and fans amidst the overwhelming environment of the convention.

[11:25] Mary Kish:
She shares a memorable moment from after the panel where she suggested watching "MacGruber," which resonated well with both hosts, reinforcing the importance of downtime and relaxation after intense event participation.

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5. Pet Adventures

[12:25] Dan Ryckert:
Dan talks about finding their new cat, Boss, and the challenges of integrating him with their dogs. He humorously describes the chaos that ensues when Boss initially hides from his canine companions.

[14:00] Mike Mahardy:
Mike relates his own experiences with missing cats, emphasizing the elusive nature of their pets. He jokes about potential dangers of cats hiding in mechanical reclining couches.

[15:02] Mary Kish:
Mary expresses surprise at Dan's fondness for cats, considering herself not much of a cat person. The discussion highlights the hosts' differing experiences and affections towards their pets.

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6. Gaming Discussions: Blueprints & Death Stranding 2

Blueprints:

[39:08] Mary Kish:
Mary dives into her experiences with the game "Blueprints," detailing the complexities and frustrations associated with its roguelite elements. She compares it to other challenging games like "Animal World," emphasizing the game's intentional design to test players' patience and problem-solving skills.

[43:23] Mike Mahardy:
Mike shares his progress with "Blueprints," discussing various puzzles and the game's intricate mechanics. He appreciates the balance between engaging gameplay and strategic depth, although he notes moments of tension and the occasional frustration with RNG elements.

[48:14] Dan Ryckert:
Dan echoes the sentiments about the game's challenging nature, comparing it to experiences with "Hollow Knight." He emphasizes the appeal of incremental progress and the satisfaction derived from overcoming in-game obstacles.

Death Stranding 2:

[66:02] Dan Ryckert:
Dan discusses his time at Kojima Productions, where he spent significant hours playing "Death Stranding 2." He shares insights into his gameplay strategies and his overall positive reception to the game's evolution from its predecessor.

[70:42] Mike Mahardy:
Mike elaborates on "Death Stranding 2," highlighting its depth and unique mechanics. He appreciates how the game integrates realistic elements with escapism, allowing players to immerse themselves fully without the constraints of overly complex narratives.

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7. Listener Quiz

[81:00] Mike Mahardy:
Mike introduces a listener-submitted quiz from Alex in Australia, tailored to the hosts' interests. The quiz segments add an interactive and entertaining element to the episode.

Mary Kish's Performance:

• Question 1: Three growable crops in Stardew Valley.
  [82:20] Mary Kish: "Tomatoes, corn, cauliflower."
  Result: Correct

• Question 2: Name the main character of the video game Duck Detective.
  [83:54] Mary Kish: "Quacksworth."
  Result: Incorrect—Correct answer: Eugene McClachlin

• Question 3: Name of Mary’s dog.
  [84:49] Mary Kish: "Simone (also called Chug)."
  Result: Correct

Dan Ryckert's Performance:

• Question 1: Exact day and date Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was born.
  [83:37] Dan Ryckert: "March 3, 1988."
  Result: Incorrect—Correct answer: June 30, 1985

• Question 2: Known as the Gumby of the pool, Michael Phelps also won several Olympic gold medals. How many exactly did he win?
  [84:30] Dan Ryckert: "Eight."
  Result: Incorrect—Correct answer: 23

Final Tally:
Mary Kish wins the quiz with 2 out of 3 correct answers, while Dan Ryckert scores 0 out of 2.

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8. Closing Remarks & Final Banter

[85:43] Mary Kish:
Mary shares a heartwarming message from Cameron in Baltimore, thanking the hosts for their work and asking about dream gaming matchups.

[88:42] Mike Mahardy:
Mike interacts with the listener's question, expressing desires to play various games with celebrities like Famke Janssen and Conan O'Brien, adding humor and personality to his responses.

[90:12] Dan Ryckert & Mary Kish:
The hosts continue with playful banter, discussing their interactions and experiences, emphasizing the bond and camaraderie among them. Mary encourages supporting local creators and reiterates the importance of maintaining their independent stance.

[100:07] Mike Mahardy:
As the episode wraps up, Mike highlights Mary's social media activities and plugs upcoming co-op campaigns they're running, encouraging listeners to subscribe and support their endeavors.

[103:32] Mary Kish:
Mary emphasizes the significance of supporting independent creators and shares a humorous anecdote about the challenges of owning multiple companies, maintaining the episode's lighthearted vibe.

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Notable Quotes

• Dan Ryckert on Giant Bomb Acquisition:
  "[03:03] 'We bought Giant Bomb. I'm a co-owner of Giant Bomb now.'"

• Mary Kish on Supporting Local Companies:
  "[33:19] 'I think it's best to support private people, private companies, if you can stay local.'”

• Mike Mahardy on the Sommelier Title:
  "[04:43] 'I'm officially a sommelier now. How much does that piss you off?'"

• Mary Kish on Bowling Achievements:
  "[07:54] 'I got a new high score. 1:59.'”

• Dan Ryckert on Anxiety and Personal Growth:
  "[27:05] 'The timing and business strategy of Quibi was very good.'"

• Mary Kish on Gaming Frustrations:
  "[48:12] 'Am I in the mood to try for something and never have it happen to me after six hours?'"

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Final Thoughts

Episode #107 of Fire Escape Cast is a delightful blend of significant news, personal updates, gaming discussions, and engaging interactions among the hosts. The acquisition of Giant Bomb marks a pivotal moment, showcasing the hosts' commitment to independence and community support. Personal milestones, such as Mike's sommelier status and Mary's bowling endeavors, add depth to their personalities, while their candid conversations about gaming challenges resonate with avid gamers. The interactive quiz segment and listener messages foster a sense of community, making this episode both informative and entertaining for both long-time fans and newcomers alike.

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Support the Fire Escape Cast and stay updated with their latest content by visiting fireescapecast.com.

Transcript

[Mary Kish]

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[Mike Mahardy]

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Fire Escape Cast. It is episode 107. I'm Mike Mahari here, as always. Unfortunately, once again, we're not all together. I've got some subs here. I've got Ben Hansen from Minmax.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, hi. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Ben, how's it going?

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, good. Yeah, it's good. I can't do this. I don't even know. I'm in my head trying to. Like, I've heard that man talk more than most people in my life and I cannot place. Yeah, I don't know how to say.

[Mary Kish]

He sounds like he's always smiling.

[Mike Mahardy]

You ever play Shit Colossus while you're listening to three podcasts and wonder, how did they make this? Do you hear that? Do you hear the story about Hideo Kojima apparently just refuses to use toilets? It's crazy. That's my first try at Ben Hansen.

[Mary Kish]

I'm also here, and I'm not pretending to be Ben Hansen. I'm just regularly here. But this is so exciting because this is the first time the three of us have been together in several episodes because we have been so busy with travel and corpo life and like, crazy stuff that's been going on. We haven't had time to just be.

[Mike Mahardy]

Together about four episodes. I think. Last time it was me, Mary Drew, and then Dan the Blight Club Boys, and then me, Mary Kalief Adams.

[Dan Ryckert]

Jeez. Yeah, it's been. It's been a lot of stuff going on.

[Mike Mahardy]

I was gonna say we don't really have much to catch up on.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, I saw Mary this weekend. I guess we didn't really talk about it. Mary. Yeah, I got some stuff going on at work.

[Mary Kish]

I have so many cute videos of you. I have like, really funny videos of, like, asking Dan to dance in a nightclub and he did this, like, car racing maneuver. It was very fun.

[Dan Ryckert]

I have never been more out of my. I was out of my element when I went to clubs like twice in my life in my 20s and immediately hated it and left. Boy at 40 with a bunch of influencers. I am out of it. I guess, technically, you know, I'm in that same world, that same orbit influencer. Yeah, I feel like my version of that is very different than the people.

[Mike Mahardy]

At this party for you, baby boy, you just walked into a world of influencers by. By doing what you did.

[Dan Ryckert]

Hey, I'm a businessman now.

[Mary Kish]

I'm CEO. What's your title?

[Dan Ryckert]

Chief Content Officer.

[Mike Mahardy]

Wait, can you run us through? All right, for like, the maybe 3% of listeners who don't know what we're referencing. Can you What? In two sentences, max tldr, explain what happened.

[Dan Ryckert]

We bought Giant Bomb.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes.

[Dan Ryckert]

I'm a co owner of Giant Bomb now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. And it's independent.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes, it is completely independent.

[Mike Mahardy]

Fully funded by fans.

[Dan Ryckert]

Fully funded by fans. There's no secret shady money above us. There's no, you know, investor, company or venture or whatever. No, literally, it's just fans. That's. I mean, we'll. We'll do ads and stuff for sure, but yeah, fans and subscriptions. Giant bomb.com/join are the backbone of this operation now.

[Mike Mahardy]

And your Chief Content officer. What is. What is Jeff Bacalar?

[Dan Ryckert]

Jeff Bacalar. Okay, well, this is a wrestling reference. He is Eric Bischoff. We decided.

[Mike Mahardy]

I know what that means now. I watched Netflix Doc.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, he is. Okay, so the names we decided on right now were, uh, grub is Mr. Corporate. Uh, Bacalar is Eric Bischoff. I'm Chief Content Officer, which is Triple H's title of wwe. And Jan is hbic. And Mike Minati has been at fucking Disney World for three weeks and was not part of these conversations.

[Mary Kish]

He's going to be your social media manager because that's just what they do with the scraps.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, I mean, he's the one that was going to happen anyway because he's.

[Mike Mahardy]

The guy who reads Disney adults.

[Dan Ryckert]

Every fucking comment he always reads. He's in every Reddit thread, every YouTube comment. So he's the guy doing that anyway. He's the one cleaning that up.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, God, Mike, save yourself. Stop doing that.

[Dan Ryckert]

He's there anyway. He's. He's there anyway.

[Mary Kish]

Info chief.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Dick. Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

So I think it's great Dan's a chief creative officer.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm officially. No joke. Sorry. Whatever.

[Mary Kish]

Whatever, Dan, you know, it's made up and no one gives a show.

[Dan Ryckert]

Totally.

[Mary Kish]

Business card.

[Mike Mahardy]

I have not told you this news myself in on air. I'm officially a sommelier now. How much does that piss you off?

[Dan Ryckert]

Me? It doesn't piss me off.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, right.

[Dan Ryckert]

I'm not my dad. I'm not anything like my dad. What are you talking about?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I triggered him. I. Now that I have said that to You. I'm going to quit, but I just wanted to be able to one day say that and mean it. But, yeah, it's official.

[Dan Ryckert]

You are officially a sommelier now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. Not full time at all, obviously. I'm still. Still in games full time.

[Dan Ryckert]

But I see pictures of you on Instagram of you serving wine and holding it in a fancy way and. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, gotcha. Yeah. Oh, yeah. A few friends stopped by the other day when I was helping out. That's fun.

[Dan Ryckert]

Nice.

[Mike Mahardy]

Been quite a lot.

[Mary Kish]

Congratulations. You guys Both have achieved monumental things.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, now we can announce Mary's news. She founded a dodgeball league in Portland.

[Dan Ryckert]

Wow.

[Mary Kish]

But I joined. I joined.

[Mike Mahardy]

That sounds like something Mary would do, though.

[Mary Kish]

I joined a bowling league, and I got a.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's the same thing.

[Mary Kish]

I got a new high score. 1:59.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, Mary, I want to bowling with you. It's been a while.

[Mary Kish]

Out of 300.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's correct.

[Mary Kish]

That is the total. I'm proud of you. I don't know. I should assume you guys know a lot about bowling. But, like, I literally.

[Dan Ryckert]

That was the one class in college I went to was bowling. I can. I can score by hand. I. I used to be on a league. I. I love bowling. Bowling's fantastic. Although my fingers keep breaking now, so I don't know. Like, the two fingers that I would put in the holes are, like, breaking now, so that would hurt.

[Mary Kish]

But maybe you could use different fingers for the holes. Does it really matter if you use, like, other holes?

[Dan Ryckert]

The guy that does the cradle. There's the guy that does the cradle. And, like. And like, you know, I've always wanted to be that guy.

[Mary Kish]

Erich, I've recognized because when we did this, everybody has their own private balls. They don't use the house balls, which is what I use, but everybody has custom balls. And a lot of them, the fingers don't go all the way in the holes. They only go to the first knuckle, which is. Which is really new to me.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's a good technique. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

And some people just hold the ball like they palm it and kind of just, you know, toss it, and that's checking for lumps.

[Dan Ryckert]

What. What. What poundage are we working with here?

[Mary Kish]

I do an 11, but I've been told I need to go up if I want to increase my score because apparently a heavier ball knocks down more pins. But 11 is where I'm at.

[Dan Ryckert]

I think I've been, like, a 12 or 14 guy. It's been forever, though.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's hard to do, like, 23.

[Mary Kish]

I think we're gamers. You know, I like.

[Mike Mahardy]

I like bowling. It's fun.

[Dan Ryckert]

Bowling's awesome.

[Mary Kish]

Bowling's well great.

[Mike Mahardy]

Do not confuse bowling with dodgeball.

[Mary Kish]

I would be. You would get killed.

[Dan Ryckert]

I'd watch that.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I. Yeah. So I got my new high score and on the system they said like, most improved Mary. And I got a coupon for free bowling. So they rewarded me for being the best bowler that evening with additional bowling.

[Dan Ryckert]

My gracious.

[Mike Mahardy]

How many people are on your team?

[Mary Kish]

It's a four person team. We're. We're the Pinsy Lohans.

[Mike Mahardy]

Nice.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's good.

[Mary Kish]

Thank you. Yeah, we were almost the Michael Boltons, but I googled it and somebody else had already thought of that and I wanted an original one.

[Mike Mahardy]

Wait, where's the bull? Oh, bowl like B O W L gotcha. Yeah, I was like, you sure you didn't mean bullpens?

[Dan Ryckert]

No, bowl. The word bowl.

[Mary Kish]

You know the name of the sport.

[Mike Mahardy]

The Chicago Bulls.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, I was thinking about. I was thinking about being the Beastie Bowls. But yeah, we were, we were chucking a lot of names and Mike, one of the ones I said, everybody said, no, that's actually like really not cool. And we absolutely won't have that be the name. I was like, Mike would have appreciated this. Yeah, Full penetration.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's what. They didn't like that. Get yourself a new team, Mary.

[Dan Ryckert]

I was waiting for you. Mike would like it. I thought it was going to be the Bowl Cosbys.

[Mike Mahardy]

Okay. That one was a matter of time before they came up. It's the first time we're hanging out in a while. I'm sick of seeing you guys. Watched MacGruber together. When I was.

[Dan Ryckert]

We did, we did. We replaced you with. With Seth Macy from ign. So. You know, Jake's a veteran of this. Yeah. Well, actually, Jake, this was his first time doing the whole thing, so. Yeah, he finished up. Seth Macy was with us. Grub. Also a veteran of the late night travel. MacGruber. But yeah, yeah, we. We were thinking about you.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. Because he fell asleep. We even talked about how Dan picked your nose while you fell asleep for like 30 seconds.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Maybe I was awake and just enjoyed it.

[Dan Ryckert]

I got bowling ball deep in his nostril.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, he went way past the first knuckle.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You could have lifted him up like a 14 pounder rolled him down the lane.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's like a fatality.

[Dan Ryckert]

So Jake has seen the whole thing now.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. It was good to have everybody together. It was like A nice way to also socially disconnect something that I always tell. Like, it's a lot, right? PAX is a lot. Being around a lot of people is a lot. It is wonderful to reconnect with old friends, see fans or just people who love games as much as you. That is a joy to me. But I have a. I have a. I have a running clock on my. In my system, and it's usually about four hours. And after about four hours, I. Of interacting with people and talking and chatting it up and drinking. I gotta get outta there.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. Like, my social stamina is usually almost infinite. Like, I'm the one who will always want to shut down the bar and all that stuff.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you're a machine.

[Dan Ryckert]

But after. After the pax, this was the night of the PAX panel, ours, and. Oh, boy, you want to talk about that Was just a whole day of, like, planning it together, you know, putting it together. And then like, the excitement of the hour on stage and stuff. And afterwards, it's like everyone was back at the. At the hotel. Like, you know, there's probably like a hundred people I want to talk to there, but I just kind of the squirrel away, you know, responded to texts and stuff like that. And then you were like, let's watch McGruber. And I was like, yes, yes, let's.

[Mary Kish]

Just go watch McGruber. That sounds great. Yeah. I'm glad that that was the right move, because that felt good to me, too. I'm also a lot of people misconstrue or assume, like, extroverted people can just do that all the time. But because I burn the candle at both ends, I usually can't do it for very long. Um, so I'm very excited and very happy. And then at one point, I'll just be like, I gotta go. And I think it did happen where you guys were, like, hanging out and just, like, having a drink. And I just leaned down to both of you and said, MacGruber, MacGruber.

[Dan Ryckert]

MacGruber. MacGrouber. Yes. Yes. Let's do it. Yeah. Because I was coming straight from Montreal to Pax, and originally I was supposed to be in Poland right now I was supposed to go right from PAX to Poland. And then that was before the, you know, the giant bomb thing happened. And it's like, well, our first week of content, I cannot be gone for a week, so I had to cancel that one. But, yeah, yeah, Montreal was fun, but by the time the PAX panel was over on that last night, it's like, McGruber is. Is cure for what ails me.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you're probably spent. You were probably spent. And we've all been busy. I mean, there's no question, especially with all our travel and stuff like that. We have a lot going on, and I think that's cool. And it shows that we're booked and busy, which you love to see. But it's important that we're able to also play games and just hang out with each other. And I'm really grateful that we were able to find time to be together for this episode because it's important to catch up and. And we all have news. I mean, look at this, like, Somalia. New company, co owner, bowling.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I mean, they're all things. They're all equally important. They're all equally of value. They're all the same magnitude of value.

[Dan Ryckert]

I would say they're. They're all universally positive, for sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan, have you found your cat?

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, you did?

[Dan Ryckert]

I had to message Mahari this morning because we were in the. Laying in bed, and the cat, like, was, like, coming up to say hi, which, you know, we got Boss the cat, like, a week ago, basically. And, you know, he. He got to the point Bonk was giving me updates every day while I was at pax. Like, oh, well, you know, Boss just kind of, like, sauntered in, came into the room. Oh, Boss is on the couch with me. And it's, like, started kind of coming out of his shell and coexisting with the dogs, but he came up into the bedroom, and the dogs just lost their minds and started barking at him. And then we could not find Boss anywhere. So I messaged Mike, like, we have looked everywhere, twice, and we cannot find this fucking cat anywhere. But then, yeah, we just Googled it. We saw a Reddit thread where somebody said, oh, I use this video of kittens meowing, and a lot of times the cat will come out. So Bonk just started up and immediately came out from, like. It was, like, in the guts of the couch, like, in the living room, and he just kind of came out.

[Mary Kish]

Cats.

[Mike Mahardy]

I swear to God, my. So Dan messaged me. He's, like, our cats, like, especially adept at hiding. I was like, yeah, it's like their favorite thing to do. I just this morning, couldn't find Scarlet, and we have an apartment like, a quarter the size of Dan's house. Yeah, like, they find spots. They do not abide by the laws of nature. But I was about to say sometimes they do get up, like, from under couches. So be careful with like your mechanical reclining couches.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes. We decided we're not gonna, like, put those down unless we have, like, visual confirmation. Cat. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Because they love getting up there. He's like Danny DeVito coming out of the couch in the Christmas special. It's always sunny.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes.

[Mary Kish]

Mike, where are your cats? Are they all gone and hiding right now? I haven't seen any.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah. Daisy's definitely not jumping up the moment she sees me talking.

[Mary Kish]

It's like a tail in your camera shot.

[Mike Mahardy]

She, like, she. She walked across the screen during work today, and it gave me like a. Like a mustache.

[Mary Kish]

Mustache.

[Dan Ryckert]

No.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, that's good. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Reminds me of Nixon. No, not. He didn't have a mustache, did he? He would have looked. He would have looked hot with a mustache.

[Mary Kish]

What the heck? Yeah. Nixon was always hiding in the folds of the couch. He was so good at it. Everybody. Everybody in the White House was like, don't open the reclining chair unless we have eyes on Nixon.

[Dan Ryckert]

If you play a video of a bunch of baby Nixons, he'll come out of hiding.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I want to cook. Yeah, she's. She. Yeah. Cats are. Cats are weird.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. They're very different than dogs, but I'm.

[Mary Kish]

I'm like, I'm amazed you got one. I'm amazed that you have. You have. You have two dogs. You have a full house in my opinion of. Of action and animal. So the motivation to get a cat surprised me because I never really thought of you as a cat guy.

[Dan Ryckert]

And Bonk also did not. She didn't grow up with cats, but she was just looking up ragdoll cats. And there's this one available that he was a former sex worker. I think I mentioned that on here. Who had his penis cut off and now lives with us, so.

[Mike Mahardy]

Nice.

[Dan Ryckert]

Still not sure if it's penis cut off or balls cut off or neither, but got neutered and got sent to live with us.

[Mike Mahardy]

He has his penis, believe it or not. He needs to pee still.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, there'd be a hole there.

[Mike Mahardy]

All right.

[Dan Ryckert]

Like, if I cut off my dick with scissors, I could still pee, right?

[Mike Mahardy]

I have no clue.

[Mary Kish]

I don't think so. Because you have the muscles. The muscles.

[Mike Mahardy]

On this episode of Phantom Limbs, Dan cuts off his dick. This is the new giant bomb Grub.

[Mary Kish]

Give me the shears.

[Dan Ryckert]

We gotta make a new tier for that. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

The same medical knowledge as, like a 12 year old boy. That's like, how come it doesn't just fall out of girl.

[Mike Mahardy]

How babies are made. You pee in the woman yeah, yeah, I heard that. That'd be a sick Patreon page. It's like $8 a month. You get your name mentioned in the credits of each episode. 12. You get to come to our hangouts in the city. $14. I will cut my dick off.

[Dan Ryckert]

One person subscribes with 14, and I.

[Mary Kish]

Cut my dick off.

[Mike Mahardy]

Some teenager found change in his couch and was like, I got it.

[Dan Ryckert]

Let me bring this up at the next board meeting. We'll see.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. And tell. Tell Bacalar it was my idea. He'll.

[Dan Ryckert]

He'll.

[Mike Mahardy]

He'll go for it.

[Dan Ryckert]

Boy, it is. It is good we have Bacalar. He is. He is the adult in the room. It's just like, we'll be sitting at, like, you know, planning meetings and stuff with him. And I'm like, wow, you're saying all these crazy acronyms and making all these notes about stuff. And, like, here I am just like, don't make a video of doom.

[Mary Kish]

Like, yeah, yeah. That's exactly how I suspect those first meetings are going, where you're just like, we gotta figure out taxes and payment plans and health insurance. And Dan is like, so you don't go to jail. Like, he's got, like, doom written down, and he's got, like, yellow taxi go room. And he's just like, I'm booked. Sorry, guys. I.

[Mike Mahardy]

Eight more puns for fight Club.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes. I swear, if he had hair, it all would have fallen out at pax because, you know, we're keeping this all a secret and everything. And I. I've been told this before, but I always forget is that my voice carries. And so we'd just be walking around the pack show floor with lots of people that know us in earshot, and I'd just be like, like, oh, yeah, so we're about to be in business together. Like, oh, when's the sale go through? And like, okay, we're gonna announce it at this. And then we say we bought Giant Bomb. And like, he was like, dude, shut the.

[Mary Kish]

Shut the up.

[Dan Ryckert]

I can't tell you how many times he's like, shut the up.

[Mary Kish]

I bet you're a terrible secret keeper. And I also. I could not imagine. Don't bring up the embargoes. Don't bring up the embargoes. I think that you.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, not the embargoes. I think he keeps. I think Dan keeps other people's secrets close to the chest.

[Mary Kish]

Secret.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes.

[Dan Ryckert]

Someone tells me if I've got. If I've got an exciting thing brewing. Well, here's the Thing.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan will walk into my apartment. I like, I can see it, that he's holding something in.

[Dan Ryckert]

If I had fun personal news, I'm going to say it, but I'm not going to get anyone else. Not water.

[Mary Kish]

I think it's funny how often you were like, no one can know this.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm just talking loudly in a crowd.

[Mary Kish]

No one can know this at a.

[Mike Mahardy]

Convention where most people know you.

[Mary Kish]

Hey.

[Dan Ryckert]

But no one knew. It was a surprise to everyone.

[Mary Kish]

It didn't get spoiled. It did not get spoiled. I think was. To be honest with you, the thing too is like, I just think it's so unbelievable. I think you kind of needed the press release because if you had just said that you did it, I would have been like, shut the fuck up.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, there were a bunch of, like, Reddit legs and stuff after, like, you know, the. The stuff with the last company was, you know, clearly something was about to hit the fan and you would just see that stuff on Reddit, like, oh, I wonder if they bought it and they could make it independent. And everyone just like, that's not realistic.

[Mary Kish]

It's just like, literally, it's so impossible and so many people have tried to do what you're doing.

[Mike Mahardy]

Wait, Reddit was wrong about a potential business deal.

[Dan Ryckert]

Now that calories. I love Reddit.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't.

[Dan Ryckert]

They've never said a single bad thing. I love.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm not. There's no. No safety guidelines on this show. I think they're a bunch of babies. I think they don't understand how the world works. I don't give a. I think they.

[Dan Ryckert]

Are the salt of the earth and you're keeping me alive.

[Mike Mahardy]

Okay, fine. I'll fight them myself.

[Dan Ryckert]

There's like 12 annoying people on there, and the rest are just gems. I mean, that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, Tolkoto sucks, but everyone likes Mike.

[Dan Ryckert]

Mike's kind of a bad way. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Just to clarify, because I am really pro eating ass, but that guy does it wrong.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

His technique's terrible.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, he's no good.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. I'm excited for you guys. Sounds like it'll be a challenging endeavor, but nothing worthwhile is.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you're in it now. You're gonna, like, have to deal with a bunch of shit, but I think that overwhelmingly this is gonna be so much better. Not just for you, but for people who listen to video game content. And it's also inspiring. I mean, so many of us have been just hunkered down and weighted down by the corporate shackles of investments and the rules and the laws of what you can and can't say, and you're just not beholden to that anymore. Like, now, obviously, you will have to create content and you'll have to be really goddamn good at it. And you'll probably add a couple more jobs to your current list. But that the. The pros outweigh the cons, dude. Like, you're gonna be so much happier.

[Dan Ryckert]

I'm already feeling it. Because it's just like, you know, with any company, I've worked for a lot of big companies, GameStop and WWE and all this ST, CBS, and there's always going to be meetings that aren't directly about the stuff you're making. And like, basically all of our stuff already has just been like, okay, what's some cool stuff we can make? What's our plan? Like, obviously there's a lot of just logistical things with taking over a company and like, getting all the keys and like, okay, well, this thing's got a two factor and we got to get that. And like, there's just setting up accounts and all this. Like, it's. There are a lot of things going on, but we're all, we're all hands on deck on stuff, so. And then also trying to plan, like, oh, is it realistic that we can do SGF this year? Like, we really, really want to. So trying to get that together. And it's just. But it's. I, I'm busier than I've ever been, but, like, I've just been thrilled about all of it. Like, I, I was on stuff all day today and now I'm doing another one. But it's like, it's all been fun.

[Mary Kish]

So do you think it will change the way you spend money? Because when you go out, it's not really a corporate card in the same sense anymore. It is like, literally, like, yeah, that's like yours to share with everybody else.

[Dan Ryckert]

I love taking money from corporations. Like, you know, when I was, when I was too. Oh, if I was traveling with a company, I would just be. I'd first stop in town, go to a 711 to load up on like $30 worth of Twizzlers. Like, you know, just go nuts.

[Mike Mahardy]

I've seen now it's true.

[Dan Ryckert]

You have seen it, Mike? Yes. And now it's just like, even like as soon as they turn my cart off while I was at pax, it was a thing where it's like, I looked at the, I looked at the menu and it was like cocktails were $20. I was like, maybe I'll do a $9 beer, which is still a little much, but you know, like, I. Yeah. I'm not gonna willy nilly spend money that would be great for me and my friends. Yeah. Which is totally fine. That's.

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's not a big trade off.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love how if you were in my shoes, you would have already felt this when you did fire escape when we do fire escape. Because this is how I feel when I have our corporate card for like, we don't. We don't go like. It's not like you go to 711 and go balls out with like the fire escape card.

[Dan Ryckert]

No, I've never used the fire.

[Mary Kish]

Dude's been buying Twizzlers on the fire escape account for like two years.

[Dan Ryckert]

Super nibs. Twizzlers, which are just the nibs, but they're super. They're the best thing I've ever had. I'll be in Montreal tomorrow until get some super nibs. I don't think I've ever used the fire escape card. I don't think I've ever spent.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, it's. It's when we're, when we're all in town for the thing, it's like I'm. We've never actually gotten to a point where. Of course, where it's like, okay, now we'd all. We should taper off like in terms of spending money. But I'm just like, I usually am the bacalar in that situation.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, sure, yeah, yeah. I mean you're the one that knows how much we've got in the war chest and stuff like that. We'll do the one.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, you have actually, you just don't. Look.

[Dan Ryckert]

I don't know how the fuck I'd see it.

[Mike Mahardy]

We all have access to do stuff. I'm just the one.

[Mary Kish]

How does it work?

[Dan Ryckert]

Did to a bank account.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. You have access. You have the card. Oh God, I should log in with a card. I should have embraced you.

[Mary Kish]

There's going to be same way at Giant Bomb. Do we have enough money for like an inflatable giant Twizzler for a bit. And they're just like. You have access to all of this.

[Dan Ryckert]

Huh?

[Mike Mahardy]

Like, what are these? What are these? What is this charge for 349, 30 times like. Oh, just. Those are nibs.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

We're in my monthly nibs budget. What's our nibs budget at this company?

[Mike Mahardy]

Our CCO needs it to brainstorm. He can't think without him.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, I. Although I. I'm gonna lean on. Look, I Got a lot of friends in the industry. I'm gonna lean on people that can expense things. And perhaps someone on this podcast was the inaugural buying me dinner person and it was very nice.

[Mary Kish]

It's.

[Mike Mahardy]

We're not.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's Mary.

[Mary Kish]

Yes. It's a business dinner. You guys stream on Twitch.

[Dan Ryckert]

We very much talked about Twitch during that dinner.

[Mary Kish]

Yes, I think it's fine. My joy for going to conventions as someone who, who works for a streaming site is everyone I am talking to is a content creator. They're all content creators. So it is completely justified for me to buy someone a drink and say, how's your content going? How can we help you? Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Everything can become a business conversation like that. So it is my pleasure to be able to walk around at a PAX and help people and support them. And was also really fun just to get you guys at an official twat. Twatch Twitch. I wanted to say Patch. I wanted to say PAX and Twitch and it came out twatch is TWATCH TV taken twax. That could have been.

[Dan Ryckert]

We're going to stream to twatch tv, which I.

[Mary Kish]

No twatch. I don't know what happened. I was thinking of packs.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, that was our dinner right before we. Right before the panel. So you got us right, right there at the big moment.

[Mary Kish]

I got an insider look at like how you guys work together, which was also really nice. You guys have a good dynamic and I think even though you are silly and stuff on videos, I think you respect each other a lot. And it was pretty obvious at that dinner that I think you guys are a really good group. I think you, you care about each other and you're, you're all very passionate about making this work. And so it was kind of fun getting that behind the scenes view of you guys. And I also really appreciate you giving me credit for taking the photo on the announcement on the. On what you called the grassy knoll.

[Dan Ryckert]

The grassy knoll covered in rabbit. That's was the first official announcement of us as a group.

[Mary Kish]

So much on that grassy knoll.

[Dan Ryckert]

And then we ate 900 pounds of meat and then we went and announced our futures.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you need a lot of meat when you're under high stress. I learned that from Glengarry Glen Ross. Just, you know. Yeah, lots of protein. Get those rookie numbers up, you know, Self.

[Dan Ryckert]

I'm surprised too because like I used to like PAX panels and stuff. Any kind of public speaking would be like a number one anxiety trigger. Like I would worry for Months before I did one. And I don't know what happened in the last like, year or so. Actually, I started the medication, that might be it, about a year ago. Not me. That explains it directly. I have on and off over the years, but I started citalopram last summer. What's that since then? It's. It's Alexa. It's just the generic versa.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's her eating.

[Mary Kish]

I don't know what that is. Yeah, he can't.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's an ssri. I'm on like a low dose of it and like I just noticed saying stuff. I don't know what an SSRI is.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's an anti depressant, anti anxiety, kind of.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, that's helpful. Okay. Yeah, sorry, I don't know.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, Mary's fine in the head. Oh, congratulations. Only Dan and I need to take pills.

[Mary Kish]

Sorry, I'm neurotypical.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, Mary's neurotypical. Cool. How's your cookie cutter life going, Mary? How's your bowling league, you big pussy? No, just kidding.

[Mary Kish]

That's how I get my stress out. I hurl a 12 pound bowling ball at people.

[Mike Mahardy]

This is my therapy as you crush some man head.

[Dan Ryckert]

But yeah, I like, before the panels, now I'm just like completely calm. I like, fly to and from Tokyo twice in the last six months. Stone cold sober. No real issues. Like, it's, it's, it's in moments like that that I really realized, like, oh, I think I'm in a pretty good spot with that stuff now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Good.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Growing. I think you're developing as a person. You've already written a lot of stuff on anxiety, so I feel like you understand it well. But I think like, what's so crazy is like, remember that story I told you guys about the Minecraft stream and like, how stressful that was? And I was like dealing with like five different people who wanted completely different streams. Plus the beautiful Jack Black and like all these different things, plus the problems of a live stream. And I was so stressed that when I went home that night and I went to sleep, I thought to myself, like, man, this is gonna make whatever stream I do next a fucking cakewalk. And I just think you've been through so much. You've just, you've tempered yourself in so much shit that a regular stressful day is really not as big of a deal as it used to be.

[Dan Ryckert]

That, that stuff really does help, like, when you just kind of raise the stakes on that. Because, like, I remember when I was about to take the job at WWE and this was Back in a very different era of wwe, I called up Xavier woods and I asked him like, hey, what am I walking into with this kind of job? And he goes, yeah, this company is going to grind you into dust in a way where you are working like crazy and you were going to be stressed and it's going to like, you're going to have really, really rough days, but you're going to come out the other side ready for anything. And it really was true. You know, I was there for a few years and I came back out and I feel like I was just prepared for so much more in terms of production and high stress environments and stuff like that. So, yeah, yeah, there's something to be said for that stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's like Quibi.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's like Quibi. I remember talking to you during Quibi.

[Mary Kish]

That was, that was a wild time for you. I think you handled that with a lot of grace.

[Mike Mahardy]

Maybe for. Maybe to you. But yeah, in. In the quiet moments of the night, I didn't. I don't know what I'm talking about. But yeah, it was, it was, it was also coveted. I think it felt normal to work that much.

[Dan Ryckert]

The timing and business strategy of Quibi was very good. I think everyone agrees the timing wouldn't.

[Mike Mahardy]

Have been good if it wasn't for Covid, and Covid definitely hurt it because no one was commuting anymore, which is the only hope and a prayer that they had. And even though we had, I should say, no, not at all.

[Mary Kish]

I will never be like, love that pandemic.

[Mike Mahardy]

But there was all the time in our.

[Dan Ryckert]

There was no clean read for the soundboard.

[Mary Kish]

There was no better time for. To work at a streaming company than during that moment.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, probably was pretty good.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, it was, it was crazy. Like, everybody was staying home and obviously finding entertainment and socialization at their computer. And so our, our streaming numbers really skyrocketed during that time and everybody was like, all right. Aw, yay. Oh, that's like a bummer. But I mean, it was a crazy time to be at Twitch because it was just like, it felt unstoppable during those moments.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's. That's when I started streaming on Twitch. I never did a single. Like, I guess I did the, like, one on the PlayStation 4 where you could do it from the box, but I'd never used obs or anything before. And yeah, Mike told me, like, yeah, you should talk to Mary. They got really good tools for showing me how much money you can make. And I was like, oh, money you say? And Then I talked to Mary and she told me how to set up streamlabs.

[Mary Kish]

I told you how monetization works.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, yeah. And I was like, I think I like this. And then I just went nuts with it.

[Mary Kish]

But it's cool though, because before you actually had like, never touched streaming software at all. And you were like, kind of like, that's not my thing. I play the games. You guys help put the stream together. But you were learning obs, you were learning alerts. You had. Actually, when we do our game of the year streams, usually you are the one who technically sets it up. And it is quite technical. It's like four cameras. Multiple. Sorry, multiple mics, multiple camera setups. I mean, it's a big ordeal that you put it all together, unique alerts and everything, and you figured it out.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, I think it's intimidating at first because. No, we need Jan desperately.

[Mary Kish]

Just kidding. Just kidding, Jan.

[Dan Ryckert]

I think it helped that, like, you know, I did have a video production background and like editing and shooting and stuff like that. So, like, that just knowing the general language helps. But like, streaming and obs is a different thing. But like, obs is kind of awesome. I like it. It's got its finicky stuff, but you can do a lot with obs. But no, I credit both of you with getting me into it. But during the pandemic that was like April 2020, I started doing that.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you weren't alone. It was a lot of people and it was a crazy time, but I saw like, a lot of people, like, really freaking out. And I was the only one that was like, I feel good. I feel completely fine. Little did I know that company's gonna company. But I still have enjoyed my ride where I am. And it's been like really fascinating to observe. Just the culture of people talking about games evolve over the last decade. It's changed quite significantly. But something I really. I have felt for as long as I can is that it's just best to support private people, private companies, if you can stay local. That's why I've always been like, awesome. Nextlander is doing their own thing. Support nextlander. You know, find people that make stuff that you love and support them directly and do it the best way that you can. That works for them and allows them to live their life making awesome content that you love. I think that's the way to go. And I think that will continue to. To be the trend.

[Dan Ryckert]

I think there was a real flashpoint for that a couple weeks ago. Obviously what happened to us happened and Then Polygon was. It was just a massacre there like that.

[Mary Kish]

Mike, that must have been hard for you.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I mean it was hard to see for sure. I reached out to a bunch of people especially going to fucking Valnet, like Vox Media selling them to like I. You know, I'm sure there's good people working at Screen Rant and Game Rant but I can't recall two sites that made me want to throw my phone more than those two in terms of Clickbait and Ad Serve. Well, aside from fandom. Well, I personally, I, Mike Maharti personally do not like fandom and never have because of how many ads they serve up on you. Scroll an inch and all. I'm trying to find out where this last Korok seed is and now all of a sudden I'm getting an ad for pornhub or something. But like.

[Mary Kish]

Notorious buyers from pornhub that.

[Mike Mahardy]

My experience there and opinions about Phantom do not represent the rest of the cast. But yeah, the sites that Valnet owns are close second to ones I really fucking hate using. So yeah, I feel for Polygon for sure. I still like have that muscle memory of going to type in like pol and then I was like, oh fuck, I don't. I mean there's still some good people doing. There's still some good people there for sure, but they're not going to be allowed to do the really cool stuff that they want to do. From what I understand of the deal.

[Mary Kish]

The restructuring, shackled down by corporate ding dongs once again. And you have truly escaped such a wild place, Dan. I mean it just seems crazy, especially considering how little you did to help.

[Dan Ryckert]

To help in what circumstance?

[Mary Kish]

I think Bacalar and Grub did a lot of the heavy lifting is all I'm saying.

[Dan Ryckert]

I did some good stuff that behind the scenes. You maybe don't know about all the good stuff. I do behind the scenes.

[Mike Mahardy]

How convenient.

[Dan Ryckert]

Can't talk about it but I might be pulling together. Look, I know people. I may be pulling together some sponsorships. It might be for some breach and certain stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mr. Mr. Anti Corporation suddenly wants the corporate sponsorship.

[Dan Ryckert]

No, I will totally take again. I will take the corporate money all day. I will absolutely do that. I got Twizzlers Nibs to buy.

[Mary Kish]

Nibs should sponsor you guys.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mr. Nib hands.

[Dan Ryckert]

Super Nibs. Let's clean.

[Mary Kish]

He thinks he's helping.

[Dan Ryckert]

I will take so much money from corporations back.

[Mary Kish]

Grub were probably like covered in sweat in a room like looking at a computer and Dan was like looking out the window with a Twizzler in his mouth and was like, is it happening or not?

[Dan Ryckert]

When do we own it?

[Mike Mahardy]

Hurry.

[Dan Ryckert]

Hurry up, guys.

[Mike Mahardy]

What is that? What's taking so long?

[Dan Ryckert]

Why do lawyers take so long? Don't hurry.

[Mike Mahardy]

Give them money and then get it. That's simple. Dan's like. Dan's a guy who watches like a football game's like, just run into the end zone and get more points. The other team. It's simple.

[Mary Kish]

Catch it. Catch the ball.

[Mike Mahardy]

Throw it, Run that way. Go.

[Dan Ryckert]

The guy was an integral cog in the machine.

[Mary Kish]

You were. You're a backup cog in case one of the main cogs breaks.

[Mike Mahardy]

Just a corporate marionette website can work.

[Dan Ryckert]

Without content, and you need someone to chiefly officer it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Meet the new. Meet the new cco. Same as the old CCO before. Ready to. Ready to. Ready to shell out. As if. As long as you give him beers and nibs.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, yeah, we'll work for nibs.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

And six foot long subs that he can just hand people in a hotel lobby.

[Dan Ryckert]

See more of that?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I'm waiting to see what you come up with next.

[Dan Ryckert]

Actually. No, that sounds expensive. You can't do that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Six foot long subs are like. Is 40 bucks six foot long?

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, my God. They were like 150 each.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, God.

[Dan Ryckert]

We spent like over a thousand dollars on subs, Ms. Duh.

[Mike Mahardy]

Suddenly Mr. Corporate's missing his sandwich. Artisans slopping him together along.

[Mary Kish]

Where's all these six foot sub money coming from? You guys? Stop it. Stop it with these six foot subs.

[Dan Ryckert]

We're scrappy now. I can't be buying six foot subs.

[Mike Mahardy]

Corporate America's got its hand in everybody's pockets. Even the white knight, Dan Riker. It's the same old song. Same lyrics, just a different melody.

[Dan Ryckert]

I don't even know what you're saying anymore.

[Mike Mahardy]

I never do either.

[Mary Kish]

The game is the same, but the player. The game is different. The players are the same.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think I'm starting to like this guy. I said that recently, like, in like, in actual context, and it felt great.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, yeah. Just kidding. I still hate you.

[Mary Kish]

I still hate you. Oh, my God.

[Mike Mahardy]

You're wearing a bulletproof vest. That's awesome. All right, you guys want to talk about video games?

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

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[Mike Mahardy]

Okay. We believe it or not, have not all been on the same episode since Blueprints review embargo went up.

[Mary Kish]

That is so wild.

[Dan Ryckert]

1997.

[Mary Kish]

It feels like it. And we've all been playing it in our own worlds, and at no point have we ever had the time to just sit and talk to each other about playing. And we're also at completely different levels. Like, well, when I. When I talk to you about it, you really hadn't played it, you'd have only played like a couple days.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I had. I told. Told you and Kalief that I really. It was not grabbing me. I think I expected to grab me right away.

[Mary Kish]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

But I have since played more. I want to say I'm. I'm still only like day 20 or 20. I'm in the 20s somewhere. However, it has definitely started to. I've had that, like, those eureka moments where I kind of see the bigger picture. And the game has not been out super, super long. So I don't want to spoil stuff. We talked about this before, and I also don't want you got to spoil something because you're both much farther than I am. But there are those moments where, Mary, you mentioned, like, the Witness as a comparison on last episode. And I get that now. It's like, oh, I didn't even realize that this part of the game was a bigger picture puzzle. And seeing how that fits together. Also, the farther you get in, the more you're actually having to worry about your foot, your steps, your energy. You're learning what different items, how they function. You are finding rooms with a computer or with a little note that seems innocuous until six days later when you're like, oh, right, I did write that down in my notebook. I'm starting to see the actual Roguelite elements where I'm getting permanent upgrades, which feels awesome because now I start with X or Y as opposed to just starting from scratch. I'm finding new room types every run that I didn't know existed. I'm starting to learn how to balance. Okay, So I can have this experiment running from the laboratory, which will help me buff or help me toward this goal with the commissary. If I get a commissary also like they this thing says on these days, I'll get a discount. However, it's a lie because this other note told me that these memos are not to be trusted.

[Mary Kish]

That's an interesting one.

[Mike Mahardy]

The dartboard puzzle. Like, I figured out the dartboard puzzle by myself. But it took me a bit, but then I found a note about it later. The. There's some, like, Resident Evil level puzzles going on with, like, the fuse box. When I finally did the fuse box kind of stuff.

[Dan Ryckert]

Like, have you had the pump room?

[Mike Mahardy]

No. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Resident Evil, that fucking pump room pisses me off. That's, like, the only one where I, like, really struggled with it, because it's.

[Dan Ryckert]

Not like, at some point with me.

[Mary Kish]

I, like, don't understand, like, how some tubes don't want to go up or down. And that one was frustrating for me, but it was really fun. The very first time I drained the fountain, and I was such a big one. Yeah. That's such an eye opener to be able to do stuff like that. And so it's been really neat. Have you, Mike, have you been able to get to the garage, or have you had any luck with the garage?

[Mike Mahardy]

I've trying to figure out how to say this.

[Mary Kish]

I'm trying to say this in a delicate way, in case you don't know what's going on.

[Mike Mahardy]

The game is bigger than I thought it was. And I have discovered some other stuff going on. And there's stuff in the distance through windows, and, like, huh. That seems like it might be a thing later. But then there's also stuff where it's like, why would I want to set up an experiment? And I don't actually know this. I'm not being coy. I'm still figuring it out why this would be beneficial. But the experiment, say, like, okay, if this, then that. If you choose a green room, then we'll split, spread dirt over the driveway. I'm like, what the. Why would.

[Dan Ryckert]

Right.

[Mary Kish]

Why would you care? Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

So, like, there's still, like, quite a lot of mystery going on. I discovered the sprint. Like, everybody's gone to the rapture. I didn't know the sprint existed, at least.

[Mary Kish]

That's so funny.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's not like it's important.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, but it's still. I. I don't not use it, though.

[Dan Ryckert]

Like, I use it all the time. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. But there's. There's also, like, really tense moments, too, where I find a terminal or something that's like, oh, fuck, I missed a key somewhere. I don't know where it was, and I don't have the metal detector. So now I need to go through every room with a fine tooth comb. But I need to backtrack quite a bit. I have the sneakers, so I'm saving one footstep every few rooms.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yep.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, Right. There's a bedroom that. Along that path. So I should go through the bedroom. But then I'm getting toward. I think it's in this room, but I'm almost running out of steps. So then it gets tense, like, are the sneakers gonna work before I get to that room, which then has the key, which then I can, you know, hopefully make my way back? There's stuff like that where the different layers of the game are starting to coalesce in a way that it seems way more compelling than I initially thought it was.

[Dan Ryckert]

So, yeah, that keeps unfolding and unfolding, and, like, it's the point where it's like, I did stop at a certain point, but, you know, I played 60 hours, 70 hours, something like that. And I could still see that. Like, oh, boy, there is way more I could do if I wanted to dive all the way in. Like, I. I feel like there must have been 30 of the game left. But I did stop playing just because it's like, it would require a crazy amount of further investment, you know? And, like, it's not that I wasn't enjoying it anymore. It's like, all right, I do need to play something besides this game at.

[Mary Kish]

This point, you know, I understand. I. I think I'm also there. So I. I had the flight to Boston for packs, and so I had five hours to kill both ways. And I played a good amount of blueprints again, just to see, like, what the late game has to offer. I'm still trying to figure out there's, like, a power room that gives you, like, is it a boiler room? But it gives you power and you can route to another room.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes.

[Mary Kish]

Really interesting ways. My problem now is that I have a goal in mind, but because of the RNG nature of this game, I am constantly derailed or, like, pivoted. And I try and say with a good attitude, make the best of every day. Like, don't let it bother you, but it fucking does, because I do know what I want to do, and if I just don't get the layout the way I want it, then I just fucking ruined a whole day.

[Dan Ryckert]

Do you. Can you say without it being too spoilery, what the thing is you're trying to do?

[Mary Kish]

I'm trying to power the science room.

[Dan Ryckert]

Okay, that one took me. That was frustrating for me, too, because, like, you specifically need, like. And there are things you can do where it's like, oh, if I do this thing, it'll make it so mechanical rooms pop up more often and things like that. But, like, there's nobody like guarantee it still beholden.

[Mary Kish]

The only thing that's like happened to me that's been really beneficial is I've like now I'm consistently getting those reroll die and like that gives me better odds. But even still, I'm screwed all the time. I've also been trying to get all of the classrooms and I almost always around, like, because I think. I think there's eight classrooms and around four or five, I just. They just stop giving them to me, which I think is bullshit. Obviously, if I am going for the classroom run and I've opened five classrooms, the game knows that I'm going for a classroom run and it keeps giving me fucking hallways. And a part of me just wants to be like, you know, exactly. This is an orange. You guys are fucking me intentionally because you. You want me to keep doing this and try and get more classrooms. Like, give me the fucking classroom.

[Dan Ryckert]

If you're trying to do the eight classrooms thing. Are you doing the thing? There is something that you can do that really helps with that. I mean, do you want. This is not like a crazy spoiler. I don't think.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, don't. I don't. I don't even know about the classroom thing, so don't take out your headphones for a second. But I also think it might be a spoiler for people listening because there is a lot of room types. I don't even know about that. It's a spoiler.

[Mary Kish]

Take off your headphones.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm telling you guys, take off your headphones. I'm just talking for the listeners.

[Dan Ryckert]

Mute it. If you need to listener the shelter, there's a thing you can do if you summon. If it's like a classroom adjacent thing and it adds like eight classrooms to your deck. So don't even try for the classroom thing unless you do the shelter first. Mike, we told the listeners to mute.

[Mary Kish]

As well, but yes, I just don't know what. I don't know. And this reminds me of Animal well, which seems like a weird game to compare this to. But Animal World was also the same where it was like, we're not gonna tell you. Figure it out. And there were times in Animal well where I was. I can't believe that the disc is rideable and that this is like a travel thing and like the yo yo is so it does all these other things. That is really fun to become aware of it. It is also insanely frustrating to play a game for 30 hours and be like, oh my God, this was something that I could have Done the whole time. The whole time. The whole time. The whole time. I. It just irks me a little bit and I just think that is, it is not a bad thing for the way this game was designed. I think what I'm trying to say is like it is intentional what they have done and I think they've made an intentionally great game. But I think you have to have extraordinary patience and I don't always have the patience that this game requires. So it's not a game problem, it's a me problem. But I've gotten to the point now where I also don't know if I'm going to play it anymore because I'm running out of patience with like not getting the run I want or getting, getting something in my way when I know what I'm trying to do.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Like I don't know anyone for everyone I know that loves this game and it's most people that have played it that I know. I don't know anyone that's been like, yep, did all this stuff. Like I think there is going to be that point for everyone regardless of how much you like it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, it's like with something like Hades or Dead Cells, the action oriented games, those are easier to forgive when things aren't going your way because the moment to moment gameplay is still so like enticing and fast pace whereas this is like a literal can be a like plodding pace through the mansion that you're building.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I think it's RNG is great and like I, I think the game is expertly designed. So it's not, it's not a ding on the game. It's just more of like am I in the mood to try for something and never have it happen to me after six hours? That is something you have to be in the mood for. And I would almost even also say like that's compar car. Oh my God, I can't speak today. Comparable to Balatro. I tried to say compare and Balatro and I said compar. Whereas like you can have an excellent run in Bellotro but if you get a blind, that's a real. Your run's over. Like.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. And once you go further in it too, like you know, Bonk was trying to get all the gold stakes and then oh yeah, like, and at that point like she says she knows within a couple like aunties that like okay, this is not gonna be the run. You have to like be perfect from the beginning, you know.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that's true. So it's that's why I say that because I think Bellotro is brilliant and I think it's like perfectly sculpted, but it will frustrate you if you are. If you think you're in a good way, the game rng will get you.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yep.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, it's probably a good segue because Doom the Dark Ages seems very similar to blueprints. Like similar pacing, similar vibes.

[Dan Ryckert]

The same. Yeah. Once you get. Once you get the. The gun that crushes up all the skulls and blueprints, it really opens up a lot of stuff. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

That's a real game changer.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Take that Grandp.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. The shield saw, once it's upgraded in blueprints is sweet.

[Mike Mahardy]

This is Babbage. The boss fight is pretty, pretty gnarly. It can be pretty tough. How is Dark Ages YouTube? I haven't downloaded. I've not played it.

[Dan Ryckert]

I like it.

[Mary Kish]

I am liking it. Yeah, I'm glad.

[Dan Ryckert]

How about that shield dash Mary. That is. That feels great. Every time.

[Mary Kish]

It's crazy. Like they, they knew the juice that were was gonna make me freak out. I. I literally tweeted this and I. And I mean it. In the first three chapters I said.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

A dozen times. I said it out loud. And it's, it's not just the mechanics that they really nailed. It's the environment and the feeling that they want the player to have. They nailed it. They knew that when you were at the top of like, like a hill and you're about to drop down, you know that there's going to be a bunch of shit that's going to hit the fan. And as soon as you're dropping, they just increase and pump the metal music like crazy.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

So that you feel the rush of murdering and destroying demons with your bare hands. It feels good. And then on top of that, the evolution of this game is really interesting too. Where they were like, we're gonna put crazy shit in the background, like giant mech looking devils, like huge beings in the background and they're competing and fighting with each other and it was so sick. I couldn't believe it. When I was like in the middle of a fight and I look in the background and there's like two giant beasts like killing each other in the background, stomping on little players my size in the back. It was awesome. Like I, I think they nailed it.

[Dan Ryckert]

Or when it's like it puts you in the. It was at the Atlan, the. The mech and you are suddenly like kaiju size and there's just bridges of like tons of enemies that if you were dude size, they would be terrible. But you're just walking through it and you get that super gun that gets like, supercharged. If you get a perfect dodge and you're just monsters that you're shooting with this turret, basically, and chunks of meat are just flying off. Whatever part you're shooting, you're shooting their left thigh. All of the meat is just getting blown off of it. It is visceral satisfying.

[Mary Kish]

So satisfying. And they have the death animations just like the previous one. So if you liked the last Doom, they do that thing where like, if they're purple or if they're like shiny a certain way, you can hit a finisher button and then they play a finishing animation. And the finishing animations in Doom are exactly as you would expect. They open up the mouth, they vomit into their throats, and then they rip them apart. Like, it's like. It's gross. It's fucking cool. It looks so sick. They. They knew their audience, they knew exactly what they were going for and they went for it on this one, like, it is just. It's just everything that you want. I do have a couple gripes with it, but I, I'm loving it and I. And I am really looking forward to playing more. And I've also enjoyed the upgrade system which Dan, you were talking about, like, upgrading your shield so you can have like more dashes. I've upgraded certain guns. They have like flame bullets and things like that. It's been fun.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, and it's smart too, that like, you know, it's got the radio weapon menu and it just kind of puts like, okay, here's like the energy weapons here. So you've got a couple like blue kind of plasma weapons and you can just hit X on the fly to like, it almost feels like an alternate fire, even if it's a different. Yeah, so it's like the shotgun you hit X turns into the super shotgun. And it doesn't get overwhelming the way that Doom Eternal did. It's like Doom Eternal. Like, you know, the first couple hours. Oh, cool, cool, cool. But then it like kept adding stuff and kept adding stuff and it's like. Well, of this thing, you can do it this way or this. Like, it just. It got a little bogged down. You know, you get the flamethrower and then like, they kept adding stuff on top of that and it's like, I feel like I have to think too. Like, I only want to think a certain amount in a Doom game, you know?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, you've Already got a hammer. You don't need six more ways to hit a nail into something.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, that's a good way to put it. Where it's like, I want enough stuff to. Where I feel like I can switch between a bunch of weapons on the fly and kill a whole arena full of bad guys. But I don't want to constantly be having to think of, like, okay, I should do this now, and I'll switch to this. But then, like, it's like, it got to be a little overwhelming in Eternal. I think they have found a sweet spot in this one.

[Mary Kish]

I think so too. I think they also opened it up. Some of my problems with Eternal was that they would put you in these pretty thin corridors where you would have to face these shield enemies from a very specific direction, the front. And that's really annoying because it means you had to approach them in a very specific way. You had to be able to parry and then shoot them to get rid of the shield. It's fine. That's what they were teaching you. But it's very limiting. This game is kind of more sandboxy where that when you fall, they usually drop you in a very open environment. So if you want to sprint around and grab them from behind and kill them, you can do that. If you want to do what Dan was saying, there's this, like, awesome shield thing where you, like, dash shield into someone and they essentially explode. When you do that, you just run around exploding people, and that's very satisfying. So I can just play it my way this time.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. And it's like groups. So, like, you'll go into a group with the shield dash, and that'll decimate everyone in a certain radius. And then there are these guys that have different shields that they have shields where it's like, okay, if they have an energy shield, if I use an energy weapon on that blue thing, and you can see it from far away, you can shoot it, and that'll explode everyone near them. Or if people have metal shields, whether that's like body armor or holding it, if you shoot it with enough bullets, it'll heat up and you'll see it get, like, bright red. And then you throw your shield saw at it and it explodes. So, yeah, if you want to, like, be an idiot, you can try to take them all out, you know, with just whatever gun you've got, or you can just kill them this huge fell swoop with the right weapon.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I've been not thinking it through. I've been doing the opposite of probably what the Game has been trying to get me to learn. I like running around. I've been dashing around in the little spaces and just shooting them in the head, mostly with my, like, little sniper rifle thing that I've just enjoyed. I just think it's fun to use. It's easy. And when I run out of those bullets, I go to Faithful Shotgun and I just bop them with my shield and shoot them in the head until they're dead. And I don't have to think about it that much. I. I feel very strongly you were kind of alluding to this earlier, but I just feel really strongly when I play Doom, I don't want to be like, what's the strategy here? It's like, are you. Are you out of your mind? I want to, like, completely close my entire brain off. I want to enjoy this experience, and that's all I care about right now.

[Dan Ryckert]

But the visual language is also really good, where it's like, it teaches you early that, like, if you see a bright green thing coming your way, hit LT to parry it. And that carries, you know, there's dragon levels, there's mech levels, and on foot levels. And that language stays the same throughout where it's like, if they're throwing orange energy at you, block it or get out of the way. If it's green, parry it. And that might put them in, like, a stagger state. And you can go, it reflects.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, it reflects green. I would say, like, one of the things that they tried to do that I wasn't as stoked about is that there's, like, these mini bosses at the end of chapters that I think think are a bit inspired by Returnal. They're. They just throw a lot of balls at you. And Bullet Hell, yeah, it is very Bullet Hell. I just think that when you're doing something that is quite similar to Returnal, the reality is, is that these boss fights aren't even nearly on the level of Returnal. And so when I was experiencing them, I was like, I feel like there was inspiration here, but you cannot pull off what Returnal was doing. And a part of me was like.

[Mike Mahardy]

Eternal was doing stuff like that before Returnal, or, sorry, the first Doom was doing stuff like that too. It got pretty Bullet heli with some mini bosses. But to your point, Returnal definitely did it better than that.

[Mary Kish]

They just did it so good.

[Dan Ryckert]

That is what, like, Housemarque does, is they make, like, really sweet Bullet Hell type games for sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Doom was never on the level of that with Bullet Hell specifically.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I Think it's like, put it on another level. I think they're simplified versions of it still. Right. These are mini boss fights. They're not like, meant to be crazy powerhouses, but they are much more difficult enemies with a lot more health and they're shooting lots of balls at you. And most of the time in these fights, the only, only way to win is to parry the green balls. Like, that's the only way you're actually going to knock their health down with any efficiency. So I got adjusted to doing that. I did not find them as satisfying, but I got through them. The other thing that I did, I. I feel like I haven't heard anyone say this, but, like, I don't care for the dragons. I don't care for.

[Dan Ryckert]

I think if they did it too much, I would not like it. But, you know, I'm eight, nine chapters in and. Okay, only one chapter has been a Dragon one.

[Mary Kish]

There's only been one dragon chapter. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

So I'm sure there will be another one or two by the end. And I liked it. Like, even in the dragon one, you will, like, do a little bit of dragon combat stuff and then you will land, you'll get off, and then, you know, you go around. Dude. Yep, yep. And then big ending and you fly through the air and land on the dragon again. Like it was just a vehicle kind of getting you from thing to thing.

[Mary Kish]

You're right. It is a vehicle. And I think in that sense, like, I'm fine with it. I think when it ended, I remember saying to myself, like, I didn't care for the dragon. Which is such an amazing thing to say because the first time they gave me the option to get in a dragon, I was like, you're. You're crazy that they made this. It's so awesome that they added a level where you're riding a freaking dragon. It's like, hats off to them, but ultimately, it's just not what I'm there to do. I'm not there to play a dragon or ride in a dragon. I'm there to shoot a gun that crushes skulls and shoots the shards of their skull at my enemies. And that is genuinely where this game shines. The guns are so fun. They're expertly designed. They're a joy to look at. Like, they're just.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes.

[Mary Kish]

They're, like, chunky and thick and they. The sound effects of this game are so fucking good. Like, this is where the game is at its best.

[Dan Ryckert]

Have you gotten the grenade launcher?

[Mary Kish]

Oh, yes.

[Dan Ryckert]

That is a cool Looking grenade launcher. Like, the balls themselves. Like, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

This game and its balls, they knew what they were doing.

[Dan Ryckert]

Ooh. Category. Best balls of the year.

[Mary Kish]

Okay. All right.

[Dan Ryckert]

Okay. Yep. Okay. I think we have the dock. Yeah. Okay, great.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I. I love that stuff. I just think it's important that when you're evolving and obviously when they were making this game, they were thinking, like, what? How do we make this better than the last one? We're not making the same game. We have to, like, think about how we're evolving it. And I think they did think about some inspirational things. The mechs are sick. Like, the dragons are really cool Evolutionary con concept. I do think they came up with brand new gun designs and brand new ways for you to kill people. And generally, like, all of these have been excellent decisions. They have. They have done a good job with this game and everyone is going to love it. Like, Doom is good.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. And even, like, the look of it, I was. I was like, is it going to be too, like, fantasy? You know, and it's not. It's a Doom game. It's. You've just got tons of guns and stuff. Like, yeah, sure, there's some castles and dragons, but even those are, like, very doom ified. So. No, if you like Doom, this has the tone of a Doom game.

[Mary Kish]

I agree.

[Dan Ryckert]

Good stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

What is Shotgun Cop Man?

[Mary Kish]

Oh, Dan and I both played this, which I think is really funny. I don't know. This is a Devolver special.

[Dan Ryckert]

The developer of my friend Pedro the, like, Banana game.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that's right. Which is also a pretty interesting game, I believe. This is a solo dev and it's very unassuming, visually. This is like, like kind of garbage looking like you're like this little.

[Dan Ryckert]

I love how it looks. I think it's a weird character.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah. And they have funny animations. Like, the very first thing that happens, because you are Shotgun Cop man, your job is to go to hell and arrest Satan. And the very first thing that happens when you get dropped off in the game is Satan shows up and you go, I'm taking you in, Satan. And Satan goes, you shotgun Cop Man. And then he runs away. And then you have to go through these levels. I. I'm really curious, Dan, what you think. I think where this game really shines is it. The mechanics are very simple. The shotgun is also your boost. There's no jump, so you have to shotgun to move quickly and efficiently. And you also have to kill things in the area. You want to do three things. You want to kill everything you Want to beat it with a certain amount of time and you want to take no damage. And if you do those three things, you get like an all in one check mark, which is super addictive. And so my goal isn't to just get through the levels, which I think you can do with fair ease. The goal is to get through the level and then realize, okay, if I do it this way and I do it with this combination, I can kill everything without taking any hits, and I could probably do it under 25 seconds. And that's. That's like the sweet spot of, like, when this game really starts to feel good.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, I. I think the platforming and the way it works is really like you described the shotgun. But like, you. You could shotgun. You'll. You'll get like, shotgun in one hand and like pistols in the other. And so you'll do like one big blast to shoot yourself into the air. And then you can like, pop, pop, pop, pop, and kind of keep yourself hovering by shooting enemies. So it is just a lot of, like, trying to figure out the best use of, you know, offense and platforming using whatever two guns you have equipped. And it's almost like a meat boy style. Like, you know, it's just very 2D platforming action. You die quickly, restart quickly. But yeah, it's. It's doing something very simple, but it's doing it very well, I think.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I was comparing it to down well because, sure, I think in many ways as well, in later levels, there's lots of spikes and there's moving components. I don't know how far you are in it. I actually. It's really hard to gauge how far you are because the map system isn't like you're on level 12. Like, I have no idea how far I am in this game. I want to say maybe I'm halfway, but that is like a bit of a guess. It gets really complicated with just surviving, with just staying up in the air. And so you get to have a lot of fun with shooting. You have two different guns, as you said, shooting your different guns in a particular way that float you just enough, but not too much where you get hit with spikes from above or like from a moving object. You should be very delicate with your character. I think this game is well crafted so that you can maneuver yourself with two guns for jet packs essentially without getting hurt. And. And to me, that was very down. Well, I used to always use the jet pack boots in downwell. It gives you just a little bit of elevation, which is very important. In downwell in this game you just need that little bit of elevation and to do that you shoot your shotgun or you shoot your gun a couple times to get through. I also think it has the downwell magic of like random gun drops. In this game, you do not know the gun that's actually going to be your next gun. It Matt, it's rng. It could be a submachine gun, it could be a rifle. You never know. It could be like a pistol and that will change the way you're able to navigate the space. So it is different each time you play a level.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yep, yep. I'm. I'm not being as meticulous as you with like, you know, getting the full all in one thing every time. I'm just trying to like kind of get through it. And like you said, it does get pretty hard and you really have to learn when to like kind of feather these shots. You know, how not to send yourself into a spike above your head and yeah, it's just, it's one of those very bite sized level games that like, you know, put it on a steam deck, bring it on a plane, knock out a few levels. It's an easy one to pick up for 15 minutes or an hour if you want to. So yeah, definitely been enjoying my time with it.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I've really like. I think this is a sleeper. I feel like people aren't going to talk about this game because it visually doesn't look amazing. And even when you do get hands on it, like if there's like a demo or something, you might be like, this is a bit simple but I actually think this game has a really well done design. We haven't talked about the music yet, but there's also like just a heavy feels like you're in a club beat and so I feel like you can really get in the zone with this game mentally where you're just completely zoned out and focused on shooting every demon that comes into your face and excuse me.

[Dan Ryckert]

I haven't gotten that level yet.

[Mary Kish]

I'm going to stop talking. Yeah, that's an int that you're. Well, you'll get there. You have to get really good. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's the final boss spoilers. Kish tonight. No, I'm just kidding. That sounds rad. My backlog is getting unwieldy almost, but I'm getting there. I'll get there eventually. I will not however, be playing Death Stranding 2 for a while. But Dan, you. I don't know if you heard Mary, Dan went to KOJIMA Productions?

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. Did you hear about that? I was at Kojima Productions for a while.

[Mary Kish]

Why? No, Because I was under a rock with my fingers in my ears, trying my best not to know.

[Dan Ryckert]

I forgot what we were talking about so much and I was just saying it. Not as a brag. I was saying it as a. The reason I can't respond right away is because I'm at Kojima Productions and we're not allowed to use our phones if we're not in the relaxation area. So that was just me saying, sorry, academia. That's why I'm not responding quickly.

[Mary Kish]

At the Ghibli Museum.

[Mike Mahardy]

Three times. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

You can't take a photo in there.

[Mike Mahardy]

She's bragging.

[Dan Ryckert]

No.

[Mike Mahardy]

What. Why were you in Japan recently?

[Dan Ryckert]

I went to Kojima Productions.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, nice. How is Death rating two seeming so far. How much did you play? Did you just play straight from the beginning or was it a version?

[Dan Ryckert]

From the beginning and I played 30 hours.

[Mike Mahardy]

So you played the. As much as most people. Many people would play when they buy.

[Dan Ryckert]

The game, I mean. Yeah, but they said it was 30 to 40% of the game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Gotcha.

[Dan Ryckert]

So it's a big fucking game and I like it a lot more than the first one, which, you know, I did come around on. You know, I think we did give a Game of the year, so. Yeah, came around on it for sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

In 2020.

[Mary Kish]

When does this game come out?

[Dan Ryckert]

June.

[Mary Kish]

This year.

[Mike Mahardy]

June?

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, man, that means I have to quit the podcast so soon.

[Dan Ryckert]

I know. I don't know if it's going to be good. Look, we got a Mario Kart and a Donkey Kong and who knows what else this year. I don't. I don't know if I'm fighting for Game of the Year for it.

[Mike Mahardy]

What's. What's new in two?

[Dan Ryckert]

It's just does things. It's way less of a pain in the ass in terms of all of, like, the management. You have to do, like, in 30 hours, I think I soothe the baby twice. You know, the cargo stuff. Like, there may be two times, three times that, but I fell down and like, oh, fucked up my cargo or whatever.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, they removed the good stuff.

[Dan Ryckert]

No, they've got that stuff. I mean, you can fall down and things like that. You are still delivering things, but just like when you get to a BT area, you don't have to, like, crouch, walk and hold your breath and, you know, just go at a snail's pace.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm out.

[Dan Ryckert]

I have a blood boomerang that I fill with my blood and Throw it at BTS and it kills them immediately.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm back in.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, it's the. Oh, God. So when you approach an outpost like you. You wanted to avoid combat and stuff in the first game because it just. Dudes with electric sticks would chase you and it wasn't fun.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

This one you have like almost a Metal Gear level of like. I've got a tranq sniper rifle. So, like, I'll build a watchtower on the perimeter of an outpost. I'll get up there, I will tranq sniper rifle, several dudes. And I'll get down there, I'll throw my puppet doll man. I'll throw him in the air. And he hovers in the air and you can tag enemies through doll man's eyes. And then he comes back and then it's like, okay, there's a guy over there. I'll distract him with a hollow grenade that makes like a holographic ostrich and sneak up behind, kill him. And then when things go to. You can actually just kill. I mean, not kill. It's all like non lethal stuff because you can't create a void out, you know. But it's rubber bullets. It's tranq grenade launchers. It's things like your blood boomerang.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, you can kill somebody with a rubber bullet.

[Dan Ryckert]

Blessing. Blessing from. Kind of funny. Didn't realize that you could just capture. Like there's an animal shelter and it's set in Australia, and you can like capture kangaroos and stuff and bring them to an animal shelter. He didn't realize you just go up and press a button to put them in like a nice little, like, box and deliver them to safety. So he was unloading assault rifles with rubber bullets, like, directly into kangaroos to knock them out.

[Mike Mahardy]

Kangaroos can be dicks in blessings defense.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, I've heard. I. Someone did say that they can punch you. The kangaroos in the game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, they. You've seen that jacked one?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I've seen.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, the video. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I think it'd be nice if you could get in their pouch and then gta, like commandeer them and then you.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, sure.

[Mary Kish]

You tell them where to hop because you're in their pouch.

[Dan Ryckert]

There's no room for ridiculous stuff in desk training too.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. This is serious.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. So like, doll man, you see the ha of a man got in included in the car of a puppet. And that's why he's a puppet that talks to you and he explains to you that he's like, hey, Sam, do you want to know how I stay so young. I was like, yes, because you talk to him in your private room and he says, well, there's a character named Rainy and she's a seven month pregnant woman where the fetus won't grow past seven months. So it's just kind of staying. And she's a still mother or whatever. So the baby won't go past seven months. But when she's outside, she causes timefall rainstorms, which timefall rain makes everything age faster, but in a 1.5 meter radius around her it's core fall rain, which makes things younger. So every once in a while she takes the puppet into the shower and the shower water turns into core fall rain. And since the puppet is showering with her, he stays young.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh yeah.

[Mary Kish]

So convoluted.

[Mike Mahardy]

I just don't understand getting realistic. I write, I play games for escapism. I don't want science and realism in my games.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh my God. It's just so many things like that that are just incredible and it's genuinely just very funny. It's, it's. It gets into it so much quicker. The action's better, man. It's. It's really, really solid. I didn't know if I would play another 30 hour, like, because then, you know, are saved and carry over or whatever. So I'm just gonna do it all again. But I had so much fun playing it that I will absolutely do it again.

[Mike Mahardy]

Cool. Where did you play it? How'd you get your hands on it?

[Dan Ryckert]

Just my buddy's house.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh yeah, you're just being Keely now.

[Dan Ryckert]

He was there. I was sitting next to him. He was at the station next to me.

[Mary Kish]

Todd, did he get a better.

[Mike Mahardy]

This puppet thing, this is gold.

[Mary Kish]

Did he get a computer bigger than you? Was it like in the number one spot?

[Dan Ryckert]

No, no. Me and Keely had the exact same setup. Although his. His build was kind of weird because the prompts wouldn't show up. So like the square, it would just have like a nothing button there. So that was. That was a whole chaotic thing for the first day or so. So, yeah, I had the better station than Keely.

[Mike Mahardy]

Where's my prompt? You know, I. Daddy Keely's gots to have his prompts.

[Dan Ryckert]

You know why he kept calling himself Daddy Keely? It was weird. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Daddy Keely doesn't know what button to press. Daddy Keely needs his prompt.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, I didn't know you were also at Kojima Productions with us.

[Mike Mahardy]

Welcome to the 17th Annual Game Awards. This is Daddy Keely and I am promptless. I'm going free bird tonight, Raw Dog and all you sun of tuning in to see the hottest announcements the greatest awards. Now for our next guest it is yosafares.

[Dan Ryckert]

They know each other I guess.

[Mike Mahardy]

So someone told me that you finished Guns. What's Guns of Fury?

[Mary Kish]

Guns of Fury was a game I told you guys about a month ago, I think. Yeah, I've already been playing it, but it's the one where it's a side scroller Metroidvania that kind of of feels like lots of explosions and you're shooting a lot of people. But it is a Metroidvania. Dan. I told you. I thought you would like it.

[Dan Ryckert]

I tried it. Yeah, yeah, I downloaded it.

[Mary Kish]

I rolled credits on it. It's pretty fun. Down to the last boss fight. It's such a slog to get to the final boss fight. Just because in classic, it's just in classic Metroidvania style. Like there were many times where I was like, where the fuck am I going? And it's because I didn't have the right boots with the spikes that so I could do a double jump onto the thingy. And I didn't know that. So I was going into areas where I really didn't have the right items in order to progress. But once I figured it out, I was able to finish the game. It felt really freaking good. And it has a really funny ending of like when you're, when you've like killed the final boss, you just kind of want a nice ending. And they do that thing where he's like, gets on a motorcycle and he like rides into the sunset and he's just like, yeah, we did it. And yeah, it was good. I've. I've enjoyed the game. I just kind of wanted to remind y' all, like I think it's a good Metroidvania for people looking for this type of experience that like retro style, I don't know, guns blazing game. That Metal Slug, you know, style, very metal Slug. I think it, I think it appeals to a certain user and so I was, I was glad to finally finish it. But yeah, it took, it took time to get through that boss. But I was doing it on the flight and my flight was two hours delayed out of Boston. There was a mechanical issue with the plane. And so I sat there just burning through this game. And you could tell people after two hours of a delay, people are heated on a. This is a five hour flight. So this flight has gone from five hours to seven hours. People are angry Babies are crying, people need to pee. Tensions were high and I was like, this game is so good. And I was just like, I was completely immersed in the game for the entire seven hours. I think that's actually how I was able to finish it. So nice.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, I downloaded it. I played a little bit, I see what you're talking about, but didn't get too far. And it's like, all right, once there's a little more time, specific stuff, once I'm done with that. That seems like a good playing game.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, it's a good playing game. And I think the thing though that can happen and might happen with you is like once you get stuck and you're like, I don't actually know where to go next next, that could be like a 45 minute trip for you, like walking around being like, where? What am I missing? And once you figure it out, it's fine. But yeah, it can get to you a little bit.

[Dan Ryckert]

I mean, yeah, but I've played, you know, something the Night Hollow Knight, like and had those experiences in those games. As long as I enjoy the moment to moment and I'm accruing something, whether it's XP or currency or something, then it doesn't bother me too much.

[Mary Kish]

Well then probably what will happen is, is that you will, you know, hate the game and talk a bunch of shit about it and then do like this crazy turn and change of hearts that six months later and then fight for it like you actually grow as a person. No.

[Dan Ryckert]

You're against that? Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Flip flop.

[Dan Ryckert]

No personal growth.

[Mary Kish]

Just.

[Dan Ryckert]

Look, I own a company. I can't be a silly person who flip flops.

[Mary Kish]

You can and you are and you.

[Dan Ryckert]

Do every word to be silly anymore.

[Mary Kish]

Mary, bad people own companies all the time.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's not true.

[Mary Kish]

There are so many evil men.

[Dan Ryckert]

No, wait, I'm evil now. I thought I just flip.

[Mary Kish]

I'm just saying you can't, you can't use your company owning as like something that absolves you of anything. There's like so many silliness.

[Dan Ryckert]

I'm a serious person now.

[Mary Kish]

No, you're not. You're just this little slap headed ding dong that got handed the keys to the castle and somehow like they allowed you in. And I'm happy for you.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, Hump dirt. Yeah. Truck.

[Dan Ryckert]

Whoa.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. Get a mic.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Hump dirt.

[Mary Kish]

Hump turds.

[Mike Mahardy]

We own fire escape.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yes, we do.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan's got his. Dan's got his hands in everybody's house.

[Dan Ryckert]

I own multiple companies. Yes.

[Mary Kish]

A lot of cookie jars. That guy.

[Dan Ryckert]

I Love cookies. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

He's got his hands in a lot of nib jars. What can I say?

[Mike Mahardy]

Boy needs his nib money.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's right.

[Mike Mahardy]

What is Bionic Bay?

[Dan Ryckert]

Go. Oh, geez. Wow, this is intense today. It's like a limbo or like an inside, like, really cool look to it. A lot of physicsy puzzles, a lot of, like, kind of puzzle. It's a puzzle platformer and. And both parts of it are very, very good. If you look up how the game looks, it's. It's got a hell of a aesthetic going on. Fantastic Steam deck game. So when I was flying out to Japan, this was the main thing I. I played and.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, cool.

[Dan Ryckert]

Very, very fun. Lots of cool powers and yes, if you like limbo and inside and stuff like that. But I almost want it to be a little more platforming centric. It's. It's fantastic.

[Mary Kish]

I do. I'm gonna look it up. This seems like right up my alley. Like, I can see you streaming that.

[Dan Ryckert]

Mary and enjoying it quite a bit.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes.

[Mary Kish]

All this stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

Studio. What else they make?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah. Tell me. Tell me their background. Oh, I'm gonna sneeze. Fancy.

[Mike Mahardy]

They are.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, Kepler.

[Mike Mahardy]

Funded by the Royal Saudi family. Oh, interesting. No, I'm just joking. That was a lie.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's a very plausible line in the video game industry.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, I think this looks like their first game.

[Dan Ryckert]

Okay. Nice. It's a very good one. I would definitely recommend checking it out.

[Mary Kish]

This is exciting. Thanks for the tip. I'm excited. I'm going to give this a try.

[Dan Ryckert]

Mm.

[Mike Mahardy]

All right. I've been playing Warhammer with Vinny. That's going super well.

[Dan Ryckert]

Warhammer?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. New for me.

[Dan Ryckert]

Huh.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think Vinny's hooked. I don't want to put words in his mouth, but I think he's hooked. I think a lot of people have been watching it. It's getting fun. My. My one campaign is I'm commanding a bunch of dinosaurs and he's this high elf prince who's got a sexual thing for dragons. So that's making it weird to work with a bunch of lizards and reptiles because I feel like he's coming on to me, but I'm helping him out.

[Dan Ryckert]

Horny game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah. No, not. Not in. Not like Death Stranding 2 or Mario Party, but it's.

[Dan Ryckert]

Right.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's got some sensual aspects.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then my other campaign, I'm vampire zombie pirates. And he's. What is he? He's. He's Skulltaker who's just collecting skulls for his cape. Very doomed that dude. It's fun. It's going well. We got. We got into a few big battles. People see. I think people are starting to see why. Why old Mikey likes this game.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah. Mm, that sounds pretty fun.

[Mary Kish]

It just acquired Vinny.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. It required someone with an open mind as opposed to you.

[Dan Ryckert]

You would have just recommended it. I would have given it a shot.

[Mary Kish]

Open minded.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm not recommending it. I never once told thought either of you would have would be any. There's just something. There's this artistic edge to the game I don't think you'd get.

[Mary Kish]

That's probably true.

[Dan Ryckert]

Your dinosaurs fucking whatever.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, it's fun. That's in our off weeks here. And then the other campaign is on next Lander if you're not subscribed over there. You want to talk about. Do you want to talk about emails?

[Dan Ryckert]

Sure.

[Mary Kish]

What are they?

[Mike Mahardy]

You can make a difference in someone's life, including your own, with a job in home care. These jobs offer flexible schedules, health care, retirement options and free training. They also provide paid time off and opportunities for overtime. Visit oregonhomecarejobs.com to learn more and apply. That's oregonhomecarejobs.com okay. As usual, you can write into firescapecastmail.com if you have questions, comments, concerns or quizzes. We've not done a quiz in a long time, but our friend Alex from Australia sent in a good one tonight that I'm going to be quizmaster for. It was specifically tailored to Dan and Mary's interests and knowledge, so I won't mess with that. But yeah, it. Yeah, a little bit. There's a few. There's a Venn diagram.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

There's a crossover jumping in video games.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Macaroni.

[Dan Ryckert]

Being drunk.

[Mary Kish]

So many things that we both love.

[Mike Mahardy]

MacGruber with beer drunk.

[Mary Kish]

Hollow night.

[Mike Mahardy]

Bars.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah. Bars, Dogs.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, there's a lot.

[Mike Mahardy]

There's soon cats. When I start slipping cats into Mary's house under cover of darkness.

[Mary Kish]

I'm not a cat person.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, no, you'll evolve. You'll evolve at some point. Okay, let us do this quiz. This is from Alex in Australia. There are three questions for each of you, so six total.

[Dan Ryckert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then at the end we can just tally it. Tally up how well each of you did if for some reason there's a tiebreaker. There is no tiebreaker in the email. I will just kind of off the cuff, make up a tiebreaker question. It'll be fine. Okay. Mary, this question is for you specifically. And you can you either get it correctly or you don't. What are.

[Mary Kish]

There's no multiple choice.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. What are three growable crops in Stardew Valley? Just three.

[Mary Kish]

Growable crops.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yep.

[Mary Kish]

Okay. You can grow. Is there, like, time for that? I'm, like, panicking now.

[Mike Mahardy]

If you take too long. Yeah. I'm going to start shouting.

[Dan Ryckert]

I thought you knew this game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, shut up.

[Mary Kish]

I know this game really, really well. I know I'm panicking. There's tomatoes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Let me double check that. Yes.

[Mary Kish]

There's corn.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. Just one more. 20 seconds.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, cauliflower.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. Correct.

[Mary Kish]

I had a panic attack and I know that game very well.

[Mike Mahardy]

I know. Well, you had me guessing there. All right, Dan, your first question. What is the exact day and date Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was born? 30 seconds.

[Dan Ryckert]

March 3, 1988.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, it's Sunday, June 30, 1985. You have zero points, Mary. Mary, question two. Name the main character of the video game Duck Detective.

[Mary Kish]

It's the duck.

[Mike Mahardy]

What is his name?

[Mary Kish]

His name is Quacks. Detective Quacksworth.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. Do you want a second try?

[Mary Kish]

It's got Quack in the name.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, but no, it's not it. All right, it's Eugene McClachlin.

[Mary Kish]

Damn.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's wrong. All right, Dan, question two.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Known as the Gumby of the pool, Michael Phelps also won several Olympic gold medals. How many exactly did he win?

[Dan Ryckert]

Eight.

[Mike Mahardy]

The correct answer is 23. All right, Mary, you are up one. You have one of two. Dan has zero of two. Mary, question three. Internationally known as a Good Boy. What is the name of your dog?

[Mary Kish]

I know this. His name is Simone. Full name, Simone Kish. And we also sometimes call him Chug.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes, that's correct. Mary is two of three. Dan, you don't have a chance to tie it. This is just to save face. Before having to flee international authorities for threatening to beat up the Pope, Michael Phelps held several world records. What was his time at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in the 200 meter butterfly?

[Mary Kish]

You know this, Dan.

[Dan Ryckert]

46 seconds.

[Mike Mahardy]

The correct answer is 1 minute, 53 seconds. And 80, whatever tenths of a second. Mary, you have won this quiz. Thank you, Alex. He says, long live the bomb. Speaking of beating up the Pope, I watched. We watched Conclave. Have you guys seen Conclave yet?

[Mary Kish]

I missed a question dedicated for me.

[Dan Ryckert]

I think you should lose the whole thing.

[Mike Mahardy]

Now, Dan, did you know the name of the duck?

[Dan Ryckert]

No, I wouldn't.

[Mary Kish]

It had Quack in it. I knew that. It was like quack's, you know, McGillicuddy Quackenshire. But, like, I couldn't think of it. Quacksworth. Quackley.

[Mike Mahardy]

Detective Eugene McClachlin.

[Mary Kish]

McClachlin. I love that.

[Mike Mahardy]

But yeah, Detective McQuacklan. Yeah, McQuacklin.

[Mary Kish]

Fuck, that's funny. That was really funny. I mean, I think it only, like, helps determine that I am smart and, you know, Dan is here.

[Dan Ryckert]

You know, I can't argue with the results scoreboard.

[Mike Mahardy]

Okay. Got a couple email questions as well. We can. This person sent in a lot of nice stuff about each of us, but I think we don't have to toot our own horn like that. I can delete that. No, no, no. It was all extremely nice. This is Cameron from Baltimore. Thank you. They know what they wrote. Appreciate it, but it's just. It would be a long read.

[Mary Kish]

I will read it, but.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, Mary, read it. Yeah, it's in our inbox. Mary, do you want to read this one? Cameron from Baltimore.

[Mary Kish]

Yes. Hey, fire escape gang. I've been listening since the first episode, but never took the time to sit down and email. With the death of Giant Bomb and Polygon this week, I've been pretty sad, but still excited for everybody has next. Bet you didn't expect that when you wrote this email, huh? Cameron from Baltimore is crazy. I know this is long, but you guys still, like, with a question? Oh, we. We cut out the middle part.

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Over the years, you all have done a good bit of playthroughs with different people. What is your dream matchup of game and person? For example, I personally think it's hilarious to go through an entirety of Kingdom Hearts with Hideo Kojima. I think he'd outwardly hate it, but secretly. Have fun. Thanks for everything you do and kicking ass in the video game world. Cameron from Baltimore. That's a good question. I thought. I didn't think, like, celebrities and like, you know, like, when they're like, who would you have dinner with? It could be a person who's dead. Like, that's a total game changer. I genuinely have always felt that playing Resident Evil with Mike has been like, such an awesome combo because he knows those games quite well. But we have a really silly connection when we play them together. And it's been really fun for me having the experience for the first time. So realistically.

[Mike Mahardy]

Always diplomatic, too. Never contentious at all.

[Mary Kish]

Never. It's always been beautiful. No one's ever tried to.

[Mike Mahardy]

Resident Evil 5 did wonders for our.

[Mary Kish]

Relationship, but my dream matchup in reality was me and Mike playing Resident Evil. I really enjoyed Playing that series with you and I. And I have really good memories doing it, and it's really special to me. Now, fantasy. That's a whole new thing.

[Mike Mahardy]

I have one.

[Dan Ryckert]

Go ahead.

[Mike Mahardy]

I would love to play goldeneye with Famke Jansson. I have another one.

[Mary Kish]

How dare you use this to be a pervert.

[Mike Mahardy]

I have another one. I would love to play Death Stranding with Famke Janssen. Oh, wait, I got a third. I have a third.

[Dan Ryckert]

Dig Dug with Famke Jansson.

[Mike Mahardy]

I would love to play Terraria with Famke Jansson.

[Mary Kish]

No, you want to play a game that's like 400 hours to finish it so that you just get lots of time.

[Mike Mahardy]

I have one. I would love to play Ninja Gaiden Black 2 with Famke Janssen.

[Dan Ryckert]

These are good answers.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. These are the dream situation.

[Mike Mahardy]

I do wish there were more, like, being serious. Not that I wasn't serious, but I do wish there were more developers. Like, I enjoy what you know, ign and even, like, what I know. I. With the show that Lucy had been doing at Gamespot where, like, developers, you know, commentate on stuff, I wish there were more avenues for developers to do, like, full playthroughs and just comment on, like, each mission. That'd be rad. Like, I'd love to hear the OG Halo developers talk about each mission in Combat Evolved. Like, they're thinking for designing that back in 2001, late 90s. That'd be. That'd be cool.

[Dan Ryckert]

Sure.

[Mary Kish]

What about you, Dan? What do you think?

[Dan Ryckert]

I say this because conceptually it sounds funny, but it'd be probably more infuriating. But making my dad play through all of Metal Gear sounds pretty funny.

[Mary Kish]

That's pretty funny.

[Dan Ryckert]

I did watch him watch some of it when Kayla was playing four and yeah, that was not penetrating his head at all. Yeah. Like, is this a shooty game? Is this a shoot em up? Yeah. Death stranding with my grandma would be fun.

[Mary Kish]

That would be fun. That's a sweet one.

[Mike Mahardy]

Wait, why? What about your grandma?

[Mary Kish]

Why would she.

[Dan Ryckert]

She's just afraid of everything. She's afraid of and confused by everything in the world and definitely does not take in anything like that. And I would just like to see how she reacts to that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Okay. Gotcha.

[Mary Kish]

In a dream where I could play with anyone, I think it'll be really fun to play most game series with Conan o' Brien. And I think I would pick GTA because I think he would have a lot of fun experiencing GTA and the storylines and the different Things that you go through. I think he would. I think he would just be so fun to play that with. And so I'm throwing it out there into the ether that I would literally play any game with Conan o' Brien and have such a good time. Yeah, any comedian playing a game with would probably be a joy, honestly.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, man, I'd love to hear. What's his name? Daniel Danielson. What? What's the nor. Norwegian dude.

[Dan Ryckert]

Damn. Stand up at the comedy seller. I forget his name, but he was great.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, the autistic Norwegian dude. He'd be fun to play games with.

[Dan Ryckert]

He was hilarious. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Hey, anybody, button to the bank.

[Dan Ryckert]

I.

[Mike Mahardy]

Do you, Mary, do you know who that is? Hold on, let me look up his name, because now. Daniel. Norwegian comedian Daniel Simonson. Oh, he gets up on stage. The first time I ever saw him, I was with Dan at the Comedy Cellar and just clearly was immediately being awkward. But he's just. His jokes are all about, like, how awkward he is, which I usually don't find funny, but he just was nailing it. He's like. Like, I've been really working on just, you know, my small talk lately, so next time I go to the barbecue, people are gonna be like, look out, here comes Daniel. And I'm gonna be like, hey, anybody been to the bank? That's his idea. I'm not doing him justice. Daniel Simonson. Go watch. Go watch clips. Go watch. Go watch some clips of him. Okay. Didn't mean to minimize that. Dan, you want to read this last one? This is. Thank you. Cameron from Baltimore.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Who is this from? Let me look.

[Dan Ryckert]

Matt from Massachusetts.

[Mike Mahardy]

Matt B. From Massachusetts. Wait a minute. Oh, never mind. Okay. They were asking about whether the new season of the Rehearsal is fucking up your newfound confidence with flying.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, no, no, that's. It's. No, I never worry about the plane crashing or anything like that. No.

[Mike Mahardy]

Gotcha.

[Mary Kish]

What do you worry about when you have anxiety?

[Dan Ryckert]

It's just anxiety. It's just the fear of fear and panic. Panic attacks and.

[Mary Kish]

You mean like being in a tube?

[Dan Ryckert]

It's for people that don't really have this.

[Mike Mahardy]

I.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's almost impossible to explain. It's just like the fear of having a panic attack and not having control over it and. Yeah, but, I mean, it never happens, you know, it's just the idea of, like, oh, I'm locked in this thing for, you know, 12 hours and am I just gonna be doomed to have this panic attack the whole time? I've never once worried about a plane crashing, you know, which I think a lot of people, when you say fear of flying, they assume that, but if you tell it to anyone with, like, severe anxiety disorders, they're like, oh, I get it. So. But no, no, I'm. I'm getting much better at that stuff. But, yeah. Hey, fire escape cast, Matt B. From Massachusetts, here to say congratulations to Dan and the Giant Bomb Crew on this huge moment. I'm actually writing this live at PAX east during the panel. I'm an enforcer here, and it was awesome seeing both Dan and Mary here. Now, this is not a Giant Bomb podcast, so let's get to business here. Mike, if Dan and Mary were a wine, what wine would they be? And why would Dan be wine in a box? Love you guys. Rocking banana yellow for life.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, that's so sweet. I do not know if this is the same person, but while Mike thinks of the answer, I just want to say that post the panel, everybody was kind of gathering around you guys and giving you congrats and cheersing you, and you were kind of just hanging out with everybody. And I was hanging out in the corner quietly, and a person came up to me. They did not tell me their name, and they said, hey, I just want to let you know, I always rocking that banana yellow. And I was like, dude, that's so cool. That's such a funny thing to say to me. And, like, I really appreciated whoever that was. I appreciate you. I love that. I will always retweet a banana yellow shirt, but it's just a funny and really silly specific thing that you can say to me that makes me smile. So I thought that was very sweet. I don't know if that's the enforcer or if this is a separate person, because there's. There's. There's thousands of people rocking that banana yellow. So it could be anyone, really? Oh, yeah, it really could. It truly could be.

[Dan Ryckert]

The Met Gala had a bunch.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I know. It's very in right now. People love that banana yellow.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, God. Imagine if. If someone actually wore fire escape merch to the Met Gala, they would actually probably be seen as cool and avant garde.

[Dan Ryckert]

Right?

[Mike Mahardy]

And everybody else, Fire escape.

[Mary Kish]

Listen up. Celebrities that go to the Met Gala, that listen to Fire Escape, you too, could be the belle of the ball. If you want to wear a banana yellow T shirt to the Metro, send.

[Dan Ryckert]

It to you for free. If you're a celebrity of enough stature. Yes.

[Mary Kish]

No, you can pay for it. You're rich. But, like, don't be a little bitch. Pay for the shirt and wear It. Speaking of which, I don't know if you guys talked about this, but you guys talk about the fact that, like, right after your panel, Jeff got kicked out of.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, God, I forgot about that Bacalar. No, Grub. What was the deal? Like? They were telling us all to, like, move.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Well, here are two different stories from enforcers. We were, like, sitting there doing meet and greets with fans, and understandably, you know, the PAX enforcers were like, hey, come on, move, Move. We got to clear this area.

[Mary Kish]

Completely reasonable. Which is reasonable. You can't.

[Dan Ryckert]

Moving down. Moving down. And they kept being like, well, move more. Move more. And we kept moving more. And one PAX enforcer took his badge and said it was because he wasn't moving down enough, but then wasn't another one saying because he had alcohol.

[Mary Kish]

So the. The panelists before. This is what I heard. The panelists before us, I guess, had it like a fifth of.

[Dan Ryckert]

They did. I brought a glass of it on stage. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

And they gave it to you guys. And so. But you didn't bring it in. But it was contraband. And I just think Grub wasn't thinking and just put the. The fifth of whiskey in his back pocket. Visible. And when the enforcer saw it, he was like, you can't have that. You're out of here. And confiscated his badge and kicked him out.

[Dan Ryckert]

Incredible. You bought Giant Bomb, then got kicked out of packs.

[Mike Mahardy]

Jeff Grubb. It's already going to his head being whatever that title is.

[Mary Kish]

So funny. Anyway, I just thought it was a funny side story of getting kicked out of packs, but hopefully that bought you time to think about our wines.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, I didn't need time. I got it. Dan. I always see Dan. I think a lot of people see him as this big, boisterous personality with a booming voice that carries. As we talked about earlier. But there. There's some nuance once you get to know him, but I think. I think at the end of the day, he's. He's a very, very reliable friend and someone that, like, even if I. Even if I'm, like, going farther afield and trying out new stuff all over the world, I think he's like a Rutherford Cab. He's always gonna be like. He's always gonna be a good friend and be there for. For whenever I. Whenever I come back and want, you know, like old reliable. Old Mary.

[Mary Kish]

Reliable.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Ryckert]

Mary.

[Mike Mahardy]

I would say you're more like a Barolo or a Barbaresco. Both. Nebbiolo. Made from Nebbiolo. I think you start off like. I think when you're first getting to know Mary, she could be extremely tannic and. And can be maybe a bit, like, have an edge to her, especially if you're a mom from Jersey.

[Mary Kish]

Way to say annoying.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not like that. You can be fiery and you can be, like. You can be abrasive at first if you're a mom from Jersey, you know, like, just rubbing you the wrong way. But over time, as you, like, you start to breathe and whatnot, you become very, very ethereal, and you can be very, very alluring and. And very, you know, like, just generally very memorable to be around. Yeah, that's. That's. That's what I think you guys are.

[Mary Kish]

I think that's nice, and I accept that. I would always say I had a friend who was like, a lot, like, high, high energy. And I used to always say I take them in doses, meaning, like, I could totally hang out with them for, like, two, maybe three hours, but then I need a break because they're, like, way too intense. And I think for how intense I am, there are so, like, there were like, more today people who are like, listen, I got, like, two to three hours with that girl, and then I need a moment. So, like, I think it's super fair and par for the course that, like, it's. I'm an acquired taste, whereas Dan is a classic.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, thank you.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. Classic. That's a good way to put it.

[Mary Kish]

Watered down red with some ice in it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Thank you, Matt B. And thank you for keeping those hallways clear of Jeff Grubb's shenanigans at pax. He's already being a prima donna after what, a week of giant bombs? Shame on him.

[Dan Ryckert]

That's right.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, that's our episode. It's been a while since we've all been together. Got a lot more travel coming up, but we'll, you know, knock on wood. I think we're planning on all being here for the next one, so that'd be fun.

[Dan Ryckert]

We're gonna be good.

[Mary Kish]

Try and do it. Compeller High Water. This is very important to us, and we appreciate your support. And thank you so much for the support of fire escape over the years. It's really meaningful. And if anything, this is just a reminder to always support local support at, like, the micro level, support at the human level where you can. Who knows when Giant Bomb will just become corporate again? Like, you know, I can still see it. Dan. Dan's gonna, like, start wearing suits, and he's gonna start worrying about the numbers and, you know, I mean, I worry.

[Dan Ryckert]

About the numbers, but. Yeah. No suits on the horizon. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Do you even own a suit? You own a suit?

[Dan Ryckert]

Yeah, I bought a bunch when I got hired at W E. But then the pandemic hit and I didn't have to wear any of them, so I was literally looking at them today and being like, God damn it. Spent like probably a couple thousand dollars on all these suits and haven't worn them once because, yeah, the pandemic hit.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I got some suits you could wear.

[Mary Kish]

You look nice in a suit. Nobody cleans up like Mike.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, thank you.

[Mary Kish]

He's always.

[Mike Mahardy]

You have to be fishing for compliments, but thank you.

[Mary Kish]

I don't do it like without nothing. But I'm just saying I think you have to because your wife's so smoking hot. If you weren't like, I gotta keep the nines. Yeah, she'll. She'll find someone else. You gotta, like, keep it up. You gotta like, you gotta keep going. Keep it at the highest bar.

[Mike Mahardy]

Plus, like, this is me as well. You just wouldn't know that that helps.

[Dan Ryckert]

Oh, yeah. Is that a penis thing?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, it's huge.

[Mary Kish]

It's always really hard walking around with your 12 foot python in your pants.

[Mike Mahardy]

24 pounds, 24 pound python.

[Dan Ryckert]

You and your dick. Comments.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, that's why I say them.

[Dan Ryckert]

It's fun to hear them.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Mary, what do you have going on outside of Fire escape?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I usually say the same thing, but I also say that because I'm limiting my vods on Twitch, I put everything on my YouTube. So if you ever want to watch an old stream of mine or even my new streams, I'm putting all of the VODs on YouTube. It's the same name. M E R O Y K I S H so you can watch everything on YouTube. I will also say, like, I have found that my social media of choice as of late really has been Instagram. So, like, if I'm posting Dan dancing at a club or like fun photos of watching MacGruber in a hotel room, it's. It's usually on Instagram, so you can find me there.

[Dan Ryckert]

Cool.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan, what about you? I mean, I think we talked about.

[Dan Ryckert]

It, but go for it. Blue sky and Instagram for socials and most.

[Mary Kish]

What have you been up to? Yeah, where do you want, what do you want to. If you want to plug anything, this is the place.

[Dan Ryckert]

I was going to plug something. I would plug giantbomb.com which I have plugged for a long time now, but especially proud of it right now. We're gonna be making some fun stuff and giantbomb.com join this thing is alive now because of people that support us. So, yes, check us out for free if you can't. But if you can support monetarily, giantbomb.com join and it's gonna be very, very fun.

[Mary Kish]

Cool.

[Mike Mahardy]

And I'm playing Total War Warhammer 3.2co op campaigns with Vinny Caravella of Next Lander. We're doing one campaign here on Fire Escape. If you're not subscribed, you want to see that? Do that for our video tier. And then if you're not subscribed to Next Lander, you want to see our evil campaign. We're playing different factions and different parts of the huge map that's over on Next Lander. Go subscribe to their top tier as well. That's every other week. It's our off week. We publish our good campaign and then the evil will publish a new one. Would have published today. If you're listening to this episode right now on day one. All right, that's our episode. Yeah, we'll be back in a couple weeks. Good to see both of you again. It's been a while.

[Mary Kish]

It's been nice. It's nice to catch up and especially with such good news. Everybody's so successful. Sommeliers, co owners.

[Mike Mahardy]

159 points. Don't you think I forgot about that.

[Dan Ryckert]

Nothing to sneeze at.

[Mary Kish]

That's why you're my bestie.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I remembered 159. I mean, if you don't bump those rookie numbers up, then we won't be besties. But I still think it was kind of impressive to begin with. All right, everybody, we'll see you in a couple weeks.

[Mary Kish]

Sam.