Fire Escape Cast #111

Summary

Episode Summary: Fire Escape Cast #111

Release Date: July 14, 2025

In episode #111 of Fire Escape Cast, hosts Mike Mahardy, Mary Kish, and Dan Reichert engage in a lively and multifaceted discussion covering a variety of topics, including favorite candies, cult classic movies, engaging video games, and personal anecdotes. The trio's chemistry and banter provide listeners with an entertaining and insightful experience.

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1. Candy Conversations

The episode opens with a playful discussion about different types of candies. Mike teases Mary about her preference for orange Tic Tacs, leading to a broader conversation about candy flavors and textures.

• Notable Quote:
  • Mary Kish [00:30]: "I've been eating orange Tic Tacs. I love orange Tic Tacs. I could eat them every day."

The hosts compare various candies, debating the merits of chewy versus hard candies. They express a particular fondness for sour candies and discuss how international varieties, especially those from Japan, offer innovative flavors that surpass traditional American options.

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2. Movie Discussions: "The Warriors" and Beyond

Transitioning from sweets to cinema, the hosts delve into their thoughts on the classic film The Warriors. Mike shares his experience of introducing the movie to a friend, highlighting its cult status despite some outdated elements.

• Notable Quote:
  • Mike Mahardy [09:02]: "You have to be like a leech on certain parts because you go through."

Mary and Dan discuss the film's themes, content warnings, and its resemblance to Greek tragedies. They explore how the movie combines hipster gang aesthetics with deeper narrative elements, making it a memorable watch.

The conversation then shifts to other films like Annihilation and Head of State, where the trio critiques storytelling techniques, character development, and the impact of modern filmmaking on classic narratives.

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3. Exploring Drive-In Theaters and Movie Showings

Mike expresses excitement about upcoming visits to drive-in theaters in Cape Cod, reminiscing about past experiences and the unique charm of watching movies under the stars. They discuss the logistics of renting out theaters for special showings and the nostalgic resurgence of drive-ins in contemporary culture.

• Notable Quote:
  • Dan Reichert [24:10]: "It is a great movie. But I just want to say, if you want it bad enough, my buddy Ross did for his birthday, rent out a theater here in Minnesota and have to play McGruber."

The hosts share anecdotes about attempting to arrange themed movie nights and the challenges associated with projector costs and neighborhood noise concerns.

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4. Video Games: "Expedition 33" and "Death Stranding 2"

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing the latest in the video game world. Dan talks about his experiences with Expedition 33, highlighting the game's immersive storytelling and complex combat systems. Mike shares his deep dive into Death Stranding 2, analyzing its gameplay mechanics, narrative progression, and how it builds upon its predecessor.

• Notable Quote:
  • Dan Reichert [62:36]: "If you're worried about spoiler, I'm gonna talk generally about where I'm at in the game, so mute if you need to."

Mary provides her perspective on the game's unique blend of real-time and turn-based combat, discussing character strategies and system interactions. The trio debates the game's depth, replayability, and how it stands out in the current gaming landscape.

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5. Personal Anecdotes and Group Dynamics

Throughout the episode, the hosts interweave personal stories, creating a relatable and engaging atmosphere. They discuss their pets, share humorous mishaps, and reflect on personal growth through various life experiences.

• Notable Quote:
  • Dan Reichert [76:00]: "I have a lot more to go."

Mike and Dan recount funny incidents related to gaming and pet behaviors, while Mary talks about balancing gaming with other life responsibilities. These personal touches add depth to the conversation, allowing listeners to connect more intimately with the hosts.

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6. Upcoming Content and Community Engagement

As the episode wraps up, Mike highlights upcoming content related to Total War Warhammer 3 and encourages listeners to subscribe to their Patreon for exclusive videos and bonus content. The hosts also address listener-submitted questions, discussing hypothetical scenarios like turning music videos into video games and sharing success stories from their community.

• Notable Quote:
  • Mary Kish [147:15]: "If you had to turn a music video into a game, what would you choose?"

They emphasize the importance of community interaction, inviting listeners to share their thoughts and participate in future episodes. The hosts express gratitude towards their audience, ensuring listeners feel appreciated and engaged.

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Conclusion

Fire Escape Cast #111 offers a diverse range of discussions that cater to candy enthusiasts, movie buffs, and gaming aficionados alike. Through their dynamic conversation, Mike, Mary, and Dan provide insightful commentary, entertaining anecdotes, and foster a sense of community among their listeners. Whether debating the best candy flavors or dissecting complex video game mechanics, the trio ensures that every topic is covered with enthusiasm and expertise.

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Note: All timestamps are based on the provided transcript and are approximate.

Transcript

[Mike Mahardy]

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the fire escape cast. It is episode 111. We are deep into that good, good, hot, hot summer. I'm Mike Mahardy, your host here as always, with Mary Kish.

[Mary Kish]

Hi.

[Mike Mahardy]

And Dan Reichert.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, hello.

[Mike Mahardy]

You see how I flipped it? Usually Mary's the disappointing sounding one when I. In the cadence.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I didn't pick up on that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mary, have you been eating Cheetos?

[Mary Kish]

Petrie, I'm on my way up. I've been eating orange Tic Tacs.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, your tongue is fucking like. Like bile colored.

[Mary Kish]

I love orange Tic Tacs. I could eat them every day. And I do, and they do change the color of my tongue.

[Dan Reichert]

That's universally the favorite, right? The oranges.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's the same exact flavoring as orange Skittles.

[Dan Reichert]

Wait. Oh, you've said that.

[Mike Mahardy]

I've said it before. Taste test them next to orange.

[Dan Reichert]

But when you bite them, it's different. Maybe the outer orange, the texture is different.

[Mike Mahardy]

Suck on them.

[Dan Reichert]

Suck on.

[Mike Mahardy]

Suck on each one successively. They're the same flavor.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I think once you bite, I think that illusion is shattered.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes, definitely. But I'm just saying, whatever flavor you're.

[Dan Reichert]

Using, I'm just sucking on Skittles. I fucking chew those things.

[Mike Mahardy]

Me, too. That's the point of them. They're a good texture. It's a nice kind of like a light crunch and then a chewy center.

[Mary Kish]

I feel like it's a good way to attack someone is be like, go suck a Skittle.

[Dan Reichert]

That's good. Yeah, I'm getting back in the Jolly Rancher game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Nice.

[Mary Kish]

You don't bite them, do you?

[Dan Reichert]

No. So that's what's great about it, is because if you give me a barrel of Skittles, I'm just gonna fucking stick my head in it until there's no more Skittles. A Jolly Rancher, you don't have that option. You put one in there, you're good for, like, 10 minutes, and then you've, like, you satisfied that sweet tooth.

[Mary Kish]

So, like, that's a tiny candy brick. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Maybe like 20 calories there instead of 250 of the whole Skittles gimmick.

[Mike Mahardy]

You know, I'm impatient with hard candy and lollipops, uh, Tootsie Rolls, Blow Pops. I. I can rarely just suck on one till it's a nub I have to crunch at some point.

[Dan Reichert]

Do you ever get the grody ones at, like, vending machines or the little gumball machines at, like, the bowling alley? And it was those big Ass gobstoppers that were like, you know, like yay big, like a racquetball. And then it's just like, I don't know, you can't fit it in your mouth.

[Mike Mahardy]

White one with the blue.

[Dan Reichert]

Red.

[Mike Mahardy]

The primary color flex.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, It'd be like white, but it would have the flex. Yeah, yeah. And it's like, so what do you do? You just fucking lick this thing for a while and put it in your pocket and you got fucking popcorn kernels and receipts all over it. When you pull it out, you suck.

[Mike Mahardy]

On it like a tennis ball. Well, you can't.

[Dan Reichert]

I used to try to put it in my whole. My. The whole thing in my mouth. And the teeth block it.

[Mike Mahardy]

You got to be like a leech on certain parts because you go through. What do you do?

[Dan Reichert]

You're not going to eat it all. One thing you put. You carry on a Ziploc bag for it.

[Mike Mahardy]

What do you do? I. I used to carry around Ziploc bags for them.

[Dan Reichert]

Really?

[Mike Mahardy]

Or we would get like two of them at Wegmans and put them in one plastic bag and then start one and store it in the plastic bag till I was ready to get sucking again or. I don't know what I would do with the other one, though. I think my. We must have had backup Ziploc bags.

[Dan Reichert]

Did we touch on these in our candy tier list? We had to have done Jolly Ranchers, right?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, we definitely did Jolly Ranchers. What did we give?

[Dan Reichert]

Skittles, Starburst, and the strawberry guys that your grandma has.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, those are so racks or whatever. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

We were really aligned on our candy pinions. I found. I think we have very similar tastes in candies.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, Sours. Fruity candies with a shell with like a chewy center, Things like that. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Weird stuff.

[Mary Kish]

The good, good. I've always been like such a sour head, though. Like, I usually. Anytime I am able to purchase whatever candy I want from a supermarket, I am gonna probably get like those sour strips, the sour rainbows, Sour Patch Coke bottles. Yeah. Gummies. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you. You've been to Japan? Oh, oh, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

You know, they, they.

[Mike Mahardy]

The.

[Dan Reichert]

They have all the, like, soda ones where it's like the root beer stuff with all the specks on it and everything. Like, I think as far as the sour candy game, Japan is like leagues ahead of us.

[Mary Kish]

I think that they're. They've put all of their technological advancements into toilet and candy and cars, but.

[Dan Reichert]

And we've been worried about TVs and video games and.

[Mary Kish]

No, no, no, no.

[Mike Mahardy]

We've been worried about drones and tanks, and they're just like, wait, what if. What if we developed a, like, a really nice, chewy, sour candy?

[Dan Reichert]

I like that approach. Let's all move to Japan.

[Mike Mahardy]

That'd be great. I'd love to.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a good place.

[Mike Mahardy]

Or a kimono with nothing under it. All the time.

[Mary Kish]

Idiots putting in, like, putting together nukes. And it's like the real secret was the invention of the gummy bear.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think that's German. They're Haribo.

[Dan Reichert]

Haribo.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's German.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't like. I'm kind of anti Haribo gummy bears.

[Mary Kish]

You're assuming Haribo is the original.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, they're the standard popular. They're like the Kleenex of gummy bears.

[Mike Mahardy]

Are you suggesting there's an OG Japanese gummy bear that Haribo upstaged?

[Mary Kish]

I'm just saying they're the most innovative.

[Dan Reichert]

Who invented gummy bears? Okay, let's see. Well, Hans Riegel Sr. The founder of Haribo.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, Hans Riegel.

[Dan Reichert]

Hans Regal Sr. In 1922, was inspired by dancing bears that perform at festivals and wanted to create a fun, chewy candy. And they're like, wow. They don't. I don't like them, though. I don't like.

[Mary Kish]

So he shot a horse and made it happen.

[Mike Mahardy]

We've. We've talked about this before. It was defining moment in my life. Amanda likes all things Haribo that I discovered or rather realized. Came to the realization that the green gummy bears are strawberry flavored. I always assume that, like, in my head, because I thought because they're green, I assigned some sort of, like, lime to them.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, of course.

[Mike Mahardy]

But now there's strawberry.

[Dan Reichert]

Really?

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know. I don't know how that happens. Like, the strawberry leaf is green. That's about it, though, because the red was already.

[Mary Kish]

Red is cherry. By process of an elimination. If it can't be, do red and pink.

[Dan Reichert]

You do red and pink. That's what Skittles does. Starburst does. No, no. Starburst does it. Yeah, Runs. I like runs.

[Mike Mahardy]

Runs are great.

[Mary Kish]

I like runs.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, I like runs. I like. Wait, are runs the ones with the fruit? They're shaped like the fruit.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

What were the ones? Tiny tarts were the little.

[Dan Reichert]

Remember, those are. They're sweet. They're sweet tarts, but tiny. Yeah, yeah. I look. The Haribo Corporation seems great outside of their core product of gummy bears. I like the twin snakes. I like the sour guys. I Like. Like most everything Haribo makes outside of the gummy bears. And, like, don't get me wrong, give me a bag of gummy bears. I'm inhaling that shit. But it's like, there's so many candies. I would take over that, including from Haribo.

[Mike Mahardy]

Did you have a paper dots phase?

[Dan Reichert]

No. Those are shit.

[Mike Mahardy]

You always end up eating a lot of paper.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I don't want to eat paper.

[Mike Mahardy]

I pooped like a sultan anytime I ate those.

[Mary Kish]

I think paper so much fun are good because you're playing with them. And playing with your candy is important. Just like those plastic bottles that you would rip off the cap with your mouth and then suck out the juice and then you would chew on the rest of the bottle.

[Dan Reichert]

Those are gross because it's all waxy and stuff. I like just bottle caps.

[Mary Kish]

The wax.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, that's gross.

[Mary Kish]

Internet, my dude. Like, making a cube out of candy wax was a big deal.

[Dan Reichert]

No, give me the candy Legos and they'll break your teeth. But, like, you can actually build with those things and build stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

I mean, I built a penis and then went at it all the time.

[Dan Reichert]

Just sucking off a Lego candy penis.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, it's like, should have. My parents should have been noticing.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

They really would have made my life.

[Dan Reichert]

To the dinner table.

[Mary Kish]

Stop making those dick legos. Our child. They're so weird.

[Mike Mahardy]

Fears are hard with these. And then he doesn't have to play.

[Dan Reichert]

With the candy Lego balls, does he? At the table.

[Mike Mahardy]

It was a very confusing time. My life.

[Mary Kish]

He's gargling them.

[Dan Reichert]

Little Mike. He's out of the end.

[Mary Kish]

Take them away.

[Mike Mahardy]

What are those you can get them at? I always see them at movie theater vending machines. They're sort of like runs, but they're smaller. There's like. There's a peach. There's like a little blue raspberry cluster. They're basically run Nerds.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, nerds clusters.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, Nerds clusters are awesome, but no. They're like a Gen 2 of runts, where it's like a peach and a blue raspberry cluster. They might runs. They might have been runs that they added and they shrunk a bit and then added the peach too, because the peach is the best flavor and it's also the best fruit.

[Dan Reichert]

Sequel to Runs.

[Mike Mahardy]

I mean, like, look it up. Look up Runs Peach or Runs Blue raspberry. And I've seen them specifically. You get a bunch of them. I ate a lot of them when I worked at a movie theater.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, what are these?

[Mary Kish]

I Googled peach Runts. And it was a weed shop.

[Dan Reichert]

That sounds right. Are they fruities?

[Mike Mahardy]

Maybe.

[Dan Reichert]

That's touched.

[Mike Mahardy]

They're really good. They're runts, but, like, with more flavor.

[Dan Reichert]

Hmm. Okay.

[Mary Kish]

Every time I get something, it's asking me if I'm over 18 before I can click it. This is like, all weed.

[Mike Mahardy]

Say yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Huh?

[Mary Kish]

What is going on?

[Dan Reichert]

I want candy now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Me too. Speaking of movies, I. Have you guys watched the warriors ever?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

You watch it recently?

[Dan Reichert]

Come out and play. No. It's been a decade plus.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

How's it hold up? I've been thinking about watching.

[Mike Mahardy]

We re a man and I both share a love for that movie, which is funny because she. It was. It was a movie I had brought up. She goes to bed before me most nights. So I think about a year and a half ago, she's like, all right, I'm going to go to bed. It was like a Thursday night. Like, okay, cool. I'm going to watch the Warriors. She's like, what is that? I was like, movie set in 79 New York gangs. Like theme gangs, but also very vibey. It's more about vibes than, like, a great storyline. It's like a retelling of the Iliad, but it's just like people getting from the Bronx to Coney Island. Cult classic Rockstar made it. She's like, this sounds cool. I was like, okay, I'm curious what you think of it. So she's like, wait until tomorrow. We'll watch it. And we watched it. And I will say, if you have not seen that movie or if you have not watched in a while, front loaded. Homophobia is the best way to put it.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, really?

[Mike Mahardy]

But it's. It's. It's a couple of F bombs centered.

[Mary Kish]

Around the time of, like, the era.

[Mike Mahardy]

79 gangs in New York.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

I guess. Whether you can stomach it. There's a lot of things playing into it, but it's like 79. And also the guy who drops them, James Remar, the actor, he was in the Phantom. He's in Sex and the City, but he was Ajax in this movie. Again, it's all like. It's actually just inspired by Greek. It's a retelling of a Greek story. So it's like Ajax and the Sirens and the Furies. But after that, there are a couple spots where it also gets very 79. Men's gang. A bit weird with women, to put it lightly. So I was like, I don't know if you'll love this movie. We could try it out and then Amanda loved it. Like, not that it's without its problems, but that movie soundtrack, the style of everything. They cut away to these, like two camera segments like you would with like an onstage. Like, like, again, they've made. No, they've not tried to hide that it was inspired by like, old school Greek theater, but they wanted to do like a modern take on it. Neon lit. Joe Walsh from the Eagles does, like, several songs on the soundtrack. Like, when they finally get back to Coney and they're walking into the sunset on the beach. It's in the city. That's Joe Walsh, who wrote it.

[Dan Reichert]

Then I like Big Tits by Joe Walsh. You know, that's also in there.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think that's two. It's hidden there somewhere. Yeah. But that movie's still awesome.

[Mary Kish]

Classic it.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's still really good. I never played the. The Rockstar game. I know. That was more of a beat Em up.

[Dan Reichert]

I reviewed it. It was. I remember liking it. I think I probably gave it like an 8. It's just such a cool thing to exist because that's what a Rockstar thing that is to, you know, it's like, oh, we like this movie. Let's make a. Like, oh, we're playing a lot of ping pong. Let's make a ping pong game. Oh, we. We all like the Warriors. Let's make that, like. I don't know. I. I appreciate that. I kind of missed that rock star, to be honest. As excited as I am for what they're doing now, but like the old ca grab.

[Mary Kish]

But I mean, I think it's like cash grab with heart, which is.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, not even a cash grab. I don't think that many people liked the warriors back when they made that game. It's like. It's like a passion project that I don't think was gonna make a lot of money. And now it was a weird thing.

[Dan Reichert]

When they announced it. They're like, what are like. No, a lot of people hadn't really heard of it. It wasn't like they were doing like, oh, a Terminator game. It's like this kind of cult classic. 70s. Yeah. It's. It was a weird move in a cool way, I think.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I guess maybe I overestimated how popular the warriors was then because I thought like, everybody knows the warriors for some reason. And it seems like it's a popular.

[Dan Reichert]

It has a couple very iconic. It has the come out and play and it has the. Can you dig it? And it's like there's some very quotable moments and everyone remembers the, like, baseball guy gang and stuff like that. It's just. It's a weird and memorable movie, but I feel like it's not one that. It's definitely not, like, cult classic, you know?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. And they fucking. Like, the. The intro is just like. And then it's them all. Like, it shows every gang from around the city going up for this summit in the Bronx. And it's showing the themes of all the gangs. And some of them are wearing military gear. Some of them are like monks. Some of them are clearly, you're the monk gang.

[Mary Kish]

You better watch the fuck out because you're about to get monked.

[Mike Mahardy]

Some of them are clearly stereotypical Chinese people from Chinatown coming up. And I was like, oh, okay. And then, yeah, they move.

[Mary Kish]

And do you think it's gonna have a content warning? Like, it should have a content warning? Like, did you hear about what's going on with Rush Hour?

[Mike Mahardy]

Rush Hour? Or was it like Rush Hour has.

[Mary Kish]

A content warning now when you start the film?

[Mike Mahardy]

Because we need a content warning for fire escape every episode.

[Mary Kish]

Listen. Depictions, language and humor may seem outdated, but we are old.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I haven't seen Rush Hour since the theaters. And that would not surprise me at all if it has not aged gracefully.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, it's just Chris Tucker. Chris Tucker making fun of Jackie Chan and by extension, all Asian, not just Chinese people, because he was just Asian.

[Mary Kish]

He's intentionally combining.

[Mike Mahardy]

I want to give the movie flowers where flowers are due. The fucking comeback. Or like the callback that Chris Tucker's character has. If you watch the Sopranos, you know, the actor is in both of them. He's the. He's the dude who's in the nursing home in Junior later on. But he fights Chris Tucker early in the movie and he like, beats the shit out of him. He says, wipe yourself, you're bleeding. And he throws him like a rag. And then later, Chris Tucker kills him and throws a rag on his dead body and says, wipe yourself, you're dead. Oh, it's.

[Dan Reichert]

That is very good. Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm sure of the movies have not aged well, but that line is whatever with me forever.

[Dan Reichert]

Very good.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, it's good. It's like there's so many of those one offs and Tombstone. Another movie I showed Amanda recently, she had not seen another movie that there's like two women in that have, like four lines. There's a trend with the movies. I like guys.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, most Westerns are kind of that way.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, pass the best test. Also, all the women are hookers yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Hookers. No, it's a. Yeah, one woman who is coming. There's the homewrecker woman in Tombstone and then there's the drugged up addicted to Not Valley. What was the medicine they were all taking? Laudnum Wife. So like, those are the two female characters. Yeah, and the one who's just like with Val Kilmer also, his performance as Doc Holliday is incredible. The men in these, this movie were incredible. Like men.

[Dan Reichert]

Specifically the men.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, specifically the men.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I last night with Bonk watched a movie that I think was also based on the Iliad and also failed the Bechdel test. It's heads of state. It's the one where John Cena is the president and Idris Elba is the Prime Minister of England and they're on Air Force One and Air Force One gets shot down over Belarus and they have to like fight terrorists together.

[Mike Mahardy]

Sounds cool. Is that really based in the Iliad? Because the Iliad.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, I was lying about that part. I was not lying about it. Probably not passing the Bechdel test because I can think of two women in the movie. Well, no, they don't talk to each other, but one of them like, kicks ass. That doesn't pass the Bechdel test if a woman just kicks ass. Right?

[Mary Kish]

No, no.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mind you.

[Mary Kish]

Mind you, I also introduced them having a conversation.

[Dan Reichert]

No, they don't do that. We would.

[Mike Mahardy]

They would. Come on, let's be realistic.

[Dan Reichert]

It's. There's the first lady and. Oh, there's the first lady, the vice president and the ass kicker lady. But they're never in the same room.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, the vice president and the first lady are not supposed to be in the same room. So that checks out. We don't want one nuke to get the whole White House.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay. Now the first lady cries because she thinks John Cena's dead. And then the vice president Turns out not spoilers for heads of state. The vice president lady, Carla Gagino. It turns out it was just a big scheme.

[Mike Mahardy]

Carla Gugino's in this movie?

[Dan Reichert]

Absolutely. She is the vice president. Yes. I've not seen her since Sin City. I think.

[Mike Mahardy]

Download now. She was in Haunting of Hill House. Oh, okay. Real good.

[Dan Reichert]

If you know.

[Mike Mahardy]

You know what I mean.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm pretty sure it looked a lot like her. Yeah, that had to be her.

[Mike Mahardy]

I was just saying she's not talking to any women in the movies I watch with her in it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it is. Yes, she does play the vice president and then she winds up being evil and she tries to usurp John Cena. President John Cena.

[Mary Kish]

At least it passes the whack off test that.

[Mike Mahardy]

She'S passed that test with flying colors many a year. I have also introduced Amanda to Annihilation, which is one of her favorite movies now. So I'm an ally because that movie's mainly women.

[Dan Reichert]

That's all Backdale Test.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's. They all. It's only women talking.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, you guys get them all done in one film. That way you can watch all your porn and be like, I'm fine.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm trying to remember Annihilation. If any men talk to. Oh, yeah. Talks to the other dudes in that squad where it's like, oh, Dan, I know you've been playing Expedition 33. When. When you use the. When you use the main characters. Build up ability. When you're. When you're using. The hell's his name? The main character, Robert. It's the one you build up to. You get 10.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the overcharge. The overcharge.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, he says. Yeah, he says for those who come after. It's like, that's. I mean, it's like a line from, like ancient storytelling, but they say that several times in Annihilation. It makes me think of Annihilation, which is very much about people going into an unknown area and leaving breadcrumbs for the people that come behind.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah. The videotapes and stuff like that. Yeah, I could totally see that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Like the Expedition, the journals or whatever.

[Dan Reichert]

But we'll talk about Expedition in a bit.

[Mary Kish]

Snakes in his intestines.

[Dan Reichert]

That movie's so fucking cool. That is one that, like, every moment I've thought about that since the first time I saw it, I've liked it more. You know, it was like Bonk and I both love that theater thing. Like, I think we both gave it four stars on letterboxd. And then a couple years later we watched it again. We're like, oh, that's a five. That's a five. Like, that is fucking a perfect movie.

[Mike Mahardy]

And fucking. What? What. What studio was it that, like, fucking had a panic attack and lost their balls right before it went to theaters? Or like, no, no, no. It's going two weeks and then going straight to Hulu or whatever. Oh, because they thought they're like, people won't get it and, like, it's not that much. I mean, yes, it has. There's complex layers to it, but it's also just pretty cool on the surface. Like, it is.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't think we really appreciated and Got all of it the first time. So I do think it's one that benefits from a second watch for sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

Or a fucking tenth. Yeah. I love it. It's amazing.

[Dan Reichert]

I just wish there were more dudes in it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. It's the only thing.

[Dan Reichert]

What if it was, like, John Cena. Yeah. Naked John Cena and Idris Elba going into Solve the Annihilation. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's just John Cena being like. They call it the Shimmer. That's my John Cena in Annihilation.

[Dan Reichert]

Pretty good. Him in the Rock.

[Mary Kish]

This is wearing a little Speedo.

[Mike Mahardy]

This is Idris Elba in the Shimmer.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Hey, why is it glowing like that?

[Dan Reichert]

That was a lot better than I expected it to be.

[Mike Mahardy]

Just British. Oh, yeah. The warriors is still really good, though, for all of its faults. Yeah. There's a scene later on where, let's say it has rapey vibes, but then the scene has a twist to it. I mean, it's fucking old movie. I could say Ajax. John Remar's. James Remar's character. The whole movie is giving off rapey vibes. And you're like, are they just gonna keep letting him get away with this? And then they encounter. He. They're walking through Central park when they're coming through Back from the Bronx, and he sees this woman just sitting weirdly on a park bench. He's like, I'm gonna take care of some business. And he hangs behind when they keep moving to get to meet everybody else at Union Square. And then he's like, coming on to this woman, and she's like. She's flirting with him as well, initially, but then he starts, like, making out with her pretty forwardly. And then he's like, oh, no. I like. I like it rough. So I was like, oh, man, he's trying to rape her. And then it turns out she's an undercover cop, so they arrest him. I was like, I don't know how to feel about that scene. Very.

[Mary Kish]

Does that only validate that that's what he was doing all those other times? Is that he, like.

[Mike Mahardy]

But then he. Yeah, then he got arrested, I guess. Like, that's the. Like, there's. There's also the one gang. The. The Lizzies. It's the one all female gang. And they say they dance to the song Love is a Fire.

[Dan Reichert]

Battlefield.

[Mike Mahardy]

Love is a fire. No, Love is a Fire. I think they wrote it for the movie. And the. I don't know if using Iliad comparisons, they would be like the sirens that, like, lure the Men away with their beauty and their. The siren song from God of War. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Cory Barlog was just watching the warriors as he made. He just stole all his ideas from the Warriors. That's what he did.

[Dan Reichert]

No, there was that time he had a kid and said, what if I made a game about being a dad?

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, he's playing the Last of us and watching the warriors and like, what if I combine these things? And then I held.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, that's right. That's right.

[Mary Kish]

Thought in his head and they cried.

[Mike Mahardy]

A lot about it. Yeah, but the warrior is still good. Tombstone's still good. Annihilation's fine. Just too many women. This is a funny letter box sound bite. So what else? What else is up? Mary, why are we haven't talked about why the fuck you're in Bikini Bottom?

[Mary Kish]

You don't want to. You don't. You didn't want to reference my sick new setup.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, for the audio listener, Mary is inside of Tron and there's a pineapple that spongebob. Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I'm at the Twitch offices for work and this is one of our streamer rooms. And it's just, you know, an LED nightmare in here. It's like crazy the amount of lighting that they've put into the background so that it looks cool.

[Dan Reichert]

You got hexagons. I like hexagons.

[Mary Kish]

Kids love the hexagons. I don't expect to appeal to.

[Mike Mahardy]

Some of those are pentagons, but like.

[Mary Kish]

This is what the kids like.

[Dan Reichert]

Did you mean to say pendo gun? Like McGregor?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. There's actually only five sides max to any of them.

[Dan Reichert]

No, those are hexagons.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, but they're not. There's no closed off hexagon is my point. Those are all I know, but it's like.

[Dan Reichert]

It's like jazz. The hexagons. You don't play.

[Mike Mahardy]

Jazz. Wall. I'm at the Pentagon.

[Mary Kish]

A strange location, but.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, I forgot to email you or I forgot to tell you guys. So we'll be in Cape Cod in a few weeks and there's a one of the last or one of the last dozens of drive in theaters in the country. Is in Wellfleet, in Cape Cod. And a couple years ago we went and we watched Top Gun Maverick there. It's fun. You pull the car up, you turn the radio on to the right station, you flip open some chairs, some mosquito spray, some drinks, and you're awesome. You're good to go. I emailed them like a couple weeks ago. I was like, hi, I'm Curious how much it would be to like to run a certain movie. And like, I know that they have like their own projectionists and there's a lot of complications and also a lot of other people in Cape Cod. I was gonna see if I could sort of get them to play MacGruber, but no, they're like, that would require like a 20 or like a several thousand dollar buyout. I'm like, okay, I lost interest. But I think it's just Jaws, which is a good movie to watch at Cape Cod when you're swimming on beaches all week.

[Dan Reichert]

It is a great movie. But I just want to say, if you want it bad enough, my buddy Ross did for his birthday, rent out a theater here in Minnesota and have to play McGruber.

[Mike Mahardy]

So theater would be great. But this is drive in, like at night. They're, they're, they're pretty well stocked with.

[Dan Reichert]

Customers, but I'm sure the neighbors would love hearing. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

That drive ins are so successful because, you know, they are.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't think they are. I think they're just. I think they're like Americana now.

[Mary Kish]

I think that they, there's a nostalgia to them now and the ones that I see are doing great, but, you know, there's not as many of them anymore. So they're kind of like clinging to this old timey vibe that you get to still, you know, bang out the.

[Mike Mahardy]

Car while you watch the flick. I mean, they do those ones on like Governor's Island.

[Mary Kish]

I assume that's what they did back in the day.

[Mike Mahardy]

They do. They do the one on Governor's island here. I think it's just a huge, like sort of screen that they roll out for it. This is a built in. They've got the concession stand in the middle of the parking lot that you got to go to between the intermission between the movies. It's awesome, but I would totally go. It's fun.

[Dan Reichert]

Do they rent out. They used to rent out the thing.

[Mary Kish]

How do they do audio? Do they get us? Do you get a speaker? Some of them, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

You get.

[Mike Mahardy]

There's little posts next in the parking spots with speakers, but half of them are broken, which adds to the charm. So you just turn. They tell you what radio station to turn to so you can hear it in your car.

[Mary Kish]

But I feel like you could just keep moving the radio station over until you find the movie.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, that's the idea. So you can hear the movie, but you pay to get into the parking lot where you can see the movie screen. It's surrounded by Trees. And then you have to pay to get into the parking lot, sit in.

[Mary Kish]

A tree with a radio. Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Like a ham radio. You can tune in there, right?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I don't think they're any radio, Dan.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I don't even know what a ham radio. Differentiation.

[Mary Kish]

No, you don't. I think you.

[Dan Reichert]

It seems like the right thing to say.

[Mary Kish]

I just wanted to say ham.

[Dan Reichert]

I like saying ham.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Let me enjoy my life.

[Mary Kish]

All right. So anyway, so any person could just climb a tree with a ham radio and watch a free movie. Yeah. Because they don't care for sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't think they're trying to keep those hooligans out. I don't think they're losing that much money on them. It's movies that have been out for a while.

[Dan Reichert]

I definitely. When I worked at the movie theater, maybe it was after I quit, I stole one of the walkies that, like, all the ushers and basically everyone working had the walkie talkies. And I would just park my car within range of the theater and just me and my friends just be like, yeah, a couple people fucking in theater 14. And, like, just like, what? I'm sorry. Repeat that. Like, you know, just fuck with them. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Cool.

[Dan Reichert]

Cool. Teenager stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. I was gonna say. I was gonna ask, like, did you have nothing better to do then? I was like, well, I was. Neither did I.

[Dan Reichert]

When I was a teenager, I never had anything better to do. Ne. Yeah, No.

[Mike Mahardy]

I used to.

[Dan Reichert]

I'd bring the TV be gone thing, where it's like, it was just a thing you could buy, and it would cycle through remote control codes and just hit the power button. And I would just go to, like, the theater where all of the menus at a certain point turned into just screens. They're just flat screens with popcorn prices and everything. And I would just sit there and, like, stealthily point it up there and just shut it all down. Like, all the TVs, so all the menus, all the prices, and just watch the chaos unfold. And, yeah, that. That probably caused trouble. I would think. I do that at bars. Like, sports bars. Like, Buffalo Wild Wings, they're showing, like, sports stuff. Like, all the TVs are off. I really should have gotten my ass kicked a lot, is what I'm saying.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, maybe you're saving it all, but, like, when you hit, like, 50, you'll get beaten to death.

[Dan Reichert]

You know what? And if that happened, I think during the beating, I think I'd be like, this makes sense. I had a good run.

[Mike Mahardy]

Scare me so much. If I was beating someone to death and they're like, this makes sense.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I'd be saying ow and stuff too. I wouldn't be, like, tough about it. I would be crying and screaming. I get it, I get it, I get it. Yeah. Yeah. This has been a long time coming.

[Mary Kish]

Deliver me to Hades, oh, God of responsibility.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know why it was Mike Minati in that.

[Dan Reichert]

You just perked up. You heard his name.

[Mary Kish]

That's how he goes.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh. Can I tell a story that he told while we were on Blake Club today? I just need to hear your reactions to this. He said when he was younger, like mid 2000s or something. And Mike, I know you're listening. I'm sorry if I get any part of this wrong, but I don't think I will. There was a girl that he was into, and he thought she was into him, and. But at the time, he didn't have a car. I don't think he got a license until, like, well into his 20s. So he needed rides, places, and on the day, like, well into adulthood, you know, So I think this is an adult. Mike Minati, 2021. I think he said it was like whenever Chippendale Rescue Rangers came out on dvd because.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, okay. I mean, I wouldn't call him an adult now.

[Dan Reichert]

He's like 38. He's like 38.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know when adulthood will kick in for him, but, like, I don't.

[Dan Reichert]

Let's say zero. Four, I think. Let's. Let's say, oh, four. That sounds right. And again, Mike, sorry if I got that wrong. And anyway, he wanted to go to Best side because it was. It was the day Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers came out on dvd. And so we had his friend, the girl who he thought there was something going on with, to pick him up and take him to get Rescue Rangers. And she played on loop on repeat that Bloodhound Gang song, the you and me, baby ain't nothing but mantles. Let's do it. Like, they do the least subtle hint in the world playing the, like, hey, let's song over and over. And he said in his head, he's like, that's interesting. She keeps playing that. Anyway, and he was, like, super excited about watching Chip and Dale. And so we went and picked it up. She went to, like, drop him off at home, and he's like, well, see ya. It's just watched Chippendale.

[Mary Kish]

What a fun lady that was who helped take me to go get this DVD box set.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know why? She kept playing the hey, let's fuck song on repeat.

[Mary Kish]

She must have been so frustrated.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, Mikey, I love that man.

[Mike Mahardy]

You call him Mikey?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, which fucks me up. Because, like, I called you Mikey recently and you were like, what the fuck? You've never called me Mikey. I was like, oh, fuck. I've been hanging out with Mike Minati too much.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Maybe it's because he's a pure soul, you know? I mean, there's like something good in that story of, like, never assuming intent of a lady and just being like, she was the best. Anyway.

[Dan Reichert]

I agree he's a pure soul, but let's just be. He is also supremely perverted.

[Mary Kish]

Well, now maybe it's like all that pent up energy just like, oh, you're gonna get beaten to death one day. He's just gonna explode into semen because he never actually took advantage of any time to fog.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's just gonna come out every orifice.

[Mary Kish]

He's gonna blow.

[Dan Reichert]

He's gonna come. Love you, Mike. Yeah, that'll be.

[Mike Mahardy]

That'll be. I hope I'm there when he explodes. I don't hope I'm there.

[Mary Kish]

You absolute sin sicko.

[Mike Mahardy]

If I had a chance to see someone explode into a mist of semen, I would probably want to be there.

[Dan Reichert]

And it's like that scary movie scene, you know?

[Mike Mahardy]

Which scene?

[Dan Reichert]

The in there scene in scary movie where the guy's like, the like, virgin guy or something is, like, really worked up about having sex and he's about to get laid and the girl's on top and he's like. And he like. Like, it cuts to the ceiling. I think the girl gets plastered to the ceiling with semen.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, oh. Is that reference to Nightmare on Elm Street?

[Dan Reichert]

I've never seen those. I don't know what those are. I've never seen a Freddy. I've never seen a Jason. No. I saw Jason X. I saw Jason.

[Mike Mahardy]

X. I saw Nightmare on Elm street for the first time in a hotel in San Diego. The first time I ever had flown anywhere see my brother come back from Iraq or wherever and. Or wherever it was.

[Dan Reichert]

Wherever.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Canada.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, Canada. Iraq.

[Dan Reichert]

Third tour. Third tour, Montreal, third tour in Fiji.

[Mike Mahardy]

He saw some action in Bora Bora.

[Dan Reichert]

Sure, sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

But I was watching this.

[Mary Kish]

Two turtles going at it.

[Mike Mahardy]

I saw Nightmare on Elm street and there's the one scene where he's, like, stabbing someone up to the ceiling. But then you go back into the real world outside of the dream, and the person's getting dragged along the ceiling trailing blood but getting stabbed over and over, it's fucked up.

[Dan Reichert]

See, these movies sound cool. I just remember the Simpsons with Groundskeeper Willie where it's the Halloween parody thing.

[Mary Kish]

Classic.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And it's like the idea of a guy fucking you up in your dreams is great and terrifying. Like, I. I guess I've just never seeked out horror, you know?

[Mike Mahardy]

And no one wants to sleep and. No, they're trying to resist sleep, but then they, like, fall asleep and then they get killed.

[Dan Reichert]

I think that's a really cool idea. I should watch those.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Freddy was cool.

[Mary Kish]

He was funny. I think another thing that's also important. So he. Spoilers. Is a child molester. And the parents forgot that track him detail. Yes. And they track him down and they kill him. And I think they, like, light the house on fire or something like that. And he's essentially like, I'll get them in their dreams. And so, like, that's what he does.

[Dan Reichert]

It's always going after kids.

[Mike Mahardy]

There's one person who dies quickly.

[Dan Reichert]

It's a. Wow.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

He's.

[Mike Mahardy]

That a character.

[Mary Kish]

The children of the parents that killed him. Yeah. Is like, why he's specifically targeting these kids. And he gets them in their dreams.

[Dan Reichert]

Where all those times I've seen, like, people like kids and stuff being Freddy Krueger for Halloween. They're dressing up as a burnt child molester.

[Mary Kish]

Yes. I think for whatever reason, that one's overlooked. That's why I, like, always found Jason's story to be, like, so much more interesting because it's like, mom threw him in a lake.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Jason's mom was like. She was the original killer. Right. But then he, like. Or he, like, kind of took the. The throne, so to speak, at lake.

[Mary Kish]

He becomes the killer because he, like, assumes the lore. Like, kind of like a campfire lore. And he became like, it comes to life and so.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then Michael Myers in him.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

He was just. He was just depressed and went on a killing spree.

[Mary Kish]

He kills all the teens that are banging. I think he's just a. More.

[Mike Mahardy]

That whole movie. Yeah. There's like, fascinating video essays. That whole. That era of horror. The worst thing any of the teenagers could do that would get them marked for death was anything.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what screams Whole deal was just playing on those tropes, you know, where it's like, I, like, scream a lot. Like, I didn't see it until a few years ago, but, like, I hadn't seen any of the shit it's referencing. I just do think it's a good movie. In its own right. Like, I hadn't seen any of those classics, Freddy, Jason or anything. But I do remember. Were both of you there? Maybe just Mike, when Tim Turi on Halloween had us watch Halloween 1 and 2. It was at the place you used to live with him, Mike. I don't know. You might have been there.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

And I can really appreciate Halloween. I mean, it's like John Carpenter is like that. That's how it got me in the door where Tim's like, it's John Carpenter. Come on, it's gonna be great. And it was very good.

[Mike Mahardy]

Suburban horror. Like, also, like some of the shots when he gets into houses. Like, also, like, effective.

[Mary Kish]

It's from the guy.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Scary.

[Mike Mahardy]

Similar to Jaws also. It's like, those movies are also just good movies in their own right, aside from the horror bits. Also, Jamie Lee Curtis is awesome.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, There's a reason they're lauded.

[Mary Kish]

But yeah, I feel like you can, like, scream as much as you want because it is a good film in its own right. But I think watching the movies it's referencing will give you a better perspective of why it's very smart because of the tropes that it's playing on. Same with Scary Movie. You'll appreciate that movie more.

[Mike Mahardy]

Cabin in the Woods.

[Mary Kish]

Yes, I saw that too.

[Dan Reichert]

And I like that. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I mean, that's a brilliant film too.

[Mike Mahardy]

Despite the Joss.

[Mary Kish]

I think, again, knowing the original is, you know, what they're based off of will give you, like, a deeper appreciation for what they're doing.

[Dan Reichert]

But I think through osmosis, I think those tropes, like, you know, I knew about, like, oh, don't split up. Oh, these people have sex and they're gonna get killed. So it's like, I was aware of the tropes enough to appreciate. Appreciate what Scream was doing with that.

[Mary Kish]

You know, dude, you sugarcoat ignorance. Like, Skittle, you are, like, just constantly like, I. This is actually a good thing that I don't know about.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no. I'm sure there's a deeper appreciation for Scream, but it's not like I was like, what are they talking about? You know, like, I understood what they were referencing.

[Mike Mahardy]

Like, a lot of, like, horror.

[Mary Kish]

I get all these jokes just fine.

[Mike Mahardy]

There might be. There might be one that proves me wrong. But I do think horror is the most self referential, self obsessed, like, niche. It's not a niche. A lot of people are into it. I love it. Mary, you and I had a horror podcast, but, oh, yeah, horror is obsessed with itself as A genre. Like, I don't. I don't know that, like, I mean, everything is like same like mob movies also are, but not as on the nose about it. And Cabin in the woods is as on the nose as you get, which was great because of it. And I also think I still love Cabin in the woods, but I don't think like westerns. I don't think that like sci fi can. I mean, like get self referential as well.

[Dan Reichert]

But it's certain directors like Tarantino, like all of his shit is references him and Wes, movies about movies, you know.

[Mike Mahardy]

Wes Anderson, same thing. Pta, same thing. I just think, like, horror is the most like, literal about it. Whereas, like those directors, like Greta Gerwig does a lot of it too, where it's like, you know, they're clearly cinephiles. There's a reason that they became good directors because they've seen everything and they, you know, they can't help but like reference stuff because movies built them as a person. But horror is like in the very script. It's like, hey, do you get what we're referencing? Cabin in the woods, like every time I watch, I still like it, but it's also like, oh, wow, they really are just like going at it like with a hammer and I'm the nail.

[Mary Kish]

But I love that.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love that.

[Mary Kish]

Hammer, me.

[Mike Mahardy]

Do you want to talk about video games or did you have something to say? Mary, your mouth is open.

[Mary Kish]

Take us somewhere. I was thinking about a horror movie I just watched, but I don't know if I love it. So it's 28 years later to describe it. I haven't seen it.

[Dan Reichert]

I did see that. I've not seen the previous two, but I saw Years.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, God, I've seen the previous two.

[Mary Kish]

What is your problem? Literally what I just said. I just discussed this and how despicable it is. And you don't know any of the reference, but you're probably gonna be like, yeah, they hung Mad Dong. It's like pretty sick film. I think I got the gist of it.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I fucking. I asked people, I asked many people, like, if I haven't seen days or weeks, can I go and enjoy this? And everyone's like, no, it's Anthology style. It's not based on like, you know, people told me, like, I just know that there was a zombie thing in 2001 or whatever. And like, you know, who wrote it? Alex Garland. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Was it. It was Alex Scarlet who wrote the Three and fucking Tulsi. Gabbard. What's his name? No, it's a. Tony Gilroy. Tony Gilroy.

[Mike Mahardy]

Tony Gilroy who did Maverick, Top Gun and Bourne.

[Dan Reichert]

The Bourne movies.

[Mike Mahardy]

And Robert Ludlum and him.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah. Tony Gilroy was. Was involved with some of those. Yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

But yeah, Alex Garland wrote 28 days later. Danny Boyle directed it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Was Danny Boyle attached to this at all?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, he directed it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, what did Tony Gilroy do? Produce, write, wrote.

[Dan Reichert]

So did Alex Garland wrote it?

[Mike Mahardy]

He wrote it, yes. So Alex Garland wrote 28 days later and Sunshine. Danny Boyle directed both of those. I believe Alex Garland's directorial debut. Fuck what was would have been before Annihilation. Now I gotta look it up.

[Dan Reichert]

Here's the answer. Okay. Written by Alex Garland, 28 years later, directed by Danny Boyle. And then who's the other fellow we were talking about?

[Mike Mahardy]

Tony Gilroy.

[Dan Reichert]

Tony Gilroy.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, right.

[Mike Mahardy]

Alex Garland.

[Dan Reichert]

Maybe he wasn't.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then Annihilation and then Men and then Civil War and then he did Warfare, which I got to see. Warfare.

[Dan Reichert]

I want to see that too. But I'm waiting until it's like affordable on 4K because I don't want to watch that streaming. I want to watch that full booming.

[Mike Mahardy]

And it's like a 24 is doing a movie about seals is intriguing because that does not seem up a 24's alley.

[Dan Reichert]

I've heard it's very good.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, same here. That's why I'm curious about it. I like a 24 is always like impoverished people in this Florida housing project or like gay people in Miami or like, wait a minute, it's a bunch of seals now in, I think Afghanistan.

[Dan Reichert]

But it seems like it's done well. It seems like that could be dicey territory, but it seems like they handled.

[Mike Mahardy]

It well from what I'm consulted on it for without.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah. Like people that were involved with like whatever that event was.

[Mary Kish]

28 years later.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, I did. I thought I liked it more and more as it went, when it went. Because I don't like zombie stuff normally. I just find it boring. But I think by the end it did some really interesting stuff. And like, Ray finds in it, he's great.

[Mary Kish]

I really want to see it. 28 days later is one of my favorite zombie films of all time. I just watched it two weeks ago and it still holds up. I would say it's probably slower than most people would want their zombie films by today's standards, but it's like the anticipation of what's going to happen that I think makes it so, so successful. And I just think it's fantastic. I haven't seen. I really did not like 28 weeks later which is the standard among most normal people. And 28 years later I'd like to see it but I haven't had time yet.

[Dan Reichert]

I would recommend it. I really by the end liked it quite a bit.

[Mary Kish]

I cannot believe you've seen it before. Me and you have zero appreciation.

[Mike Mahardy]

What are you?

[Dan Reichert]

It's an anthology.

[Mary Kish]

You don't even like zombie films, you said.

[Dan Reichert]

But I'm open minded and I'll go give it a shot.

[Mary Kish]

Serve the things that you have in your life.

[Dan Reichert]

I think. I think it's to my benefit that I am willing to try things that I thought I wouldn't like.

[Mary Kish]

Here we go. Yeah, I think it's great that I don't know shit about the world and having.

[Dan Reichert]

How am I supposed to learn if I don't try? You know? I don't like zombies. I'm not gonna see that movie. Then I'm not gonna learn literally what.

[Mary Kish]

You said about mustard for the last three decades.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what I'm saying. And I learned about mustard. It only benefits me to be open minded guys. It's only beneficial.

[Mike Mahardy]

We can all agree that Dan is a hero and like a great person for taking this long to be open minded and try new things. Let's agree with you.

[Dan Reichert]

Don't. I've been fighting under the Paul Rer jeans for a long time. It is real hard to be open minded.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan finally escaped the custom grant. Dad.

[Mary Kish]

Your dad being a piece of has nothing to do with what a piece of you are. You're your own piece of shit.

[Dan Reichert]

I have always tried to be better. Mary.

[Mary Kish]

You're going to be like that kind of person who's like so bad. And then right on your deathbed you're like, I am so sorry. And then heaven.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes.

[Mary Kish]

I'm good now. I've changed. I've genuine changed.

[Dan Reichert]

Speaking about that, I. I went to Catholic school. So obviously I've. If there's one thing I'm terrified of, it's hell. Like the idea of like if that's real, it's like, wow. A place where like the worst shit that you. I'm just in a. In a plane having a dental surgery with no anesthesia for eternity. That's like the scariest thing I can ever think of.

[Mike Mahardy]

Bring it on. Who cares but come out.

[Mary Kish]

Suck my dick, devil.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Come get this.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm gonna make the devil my. So I.

[Dan Reichert]

As a teenager who Was still very afraid of the devil and hell and things like that. I wasn't like, active. I was never actually going to church and stuff like that. But I still like by default believed in it because I lived in Kansas and went to Catholic school. I was working at McDonald's when I was 14 and somebody handed me like, they, they paid at the window and then they gave me like a little pamphlet. I was like, what the is this? And I look at it and it was. It was a little prayer thing. And it said something about the lines of like, make sure you say this prayer to absolve yourself of sins or whatever, and you, you'll go to heaven when you die. And for some reason as a kid, I was like, oh, sweet. Okay. So no matter how much, like I'm like 14, so I'm like whacking off crazy at the time. And I was like, I was told that was like super sin. I'm going to hell because I'm whacking off way too much. And it's like, but this lady McDonald's handed me a pamphlet. And so if I'm about to die, I will just say this. Like, I accept Lord Jesus Christ into my life as my Lord and Savior. You know, absolve me of my sin, blah, blah. And I, like, that was so burned in my brain that like, anytime, just knee jerk reaction. If there was like a car swerve on a highway, every time turbulence or something, or every time I come, it's just like, oh, Lord, I accept you as my Lord and savior, you know? Yeah. And it's like, I'm good, I'm good. I'll be clear forever if that's the case.

[Mary Kish]

Angels, I don't have to say it out loud with you. They're all like, no, don't check in on him every time he does that prayer. Do not go in there.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike said the coming thing. I just do it when I'm about to die.

[Mike Mahardy]

I live long since. Stop praying when I'm J in it. That's why.

[Dan Reichert]

Because I was a good Christian boy, so I wouldn't whack off on Christmas day or Easter.

[Mike Mahardy]

Those are the only two days I really would.

[Dan Reichert]

I would be like. And I would, like, have to, like, talk myself up as a kid. It'd be like Christmas Eve. I'm laying in bed, I'm like, all right, after midnight. I can't be wagging off.

[Mike Mahardy]

You had to get yourself out to not jack off the next day.

[Dan Reichert]

I was 14.

[Mike Mahardy]

Sir, it's Saturday before our Easter. Dan's in church just like, no, he's.

[Dan Reichert]

About to be resurrected. He's in the tomb right now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Edward 40 hands. His mom's like, what the fuck?

[Dan Reichert]

He ends up just like, I just rubbed these together.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, his dick was pinched off by two 40s of Colt 45.

[Dan Reichert]

Probably feels all right.

[Mary Kish]

Way to go.

[Mike Mahardy]

That'd be great. Bleed out of your dick.

[Dan Reichert]

So, yeah, I think I got the heaven thing covered if that's real.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Do you guys want to talk about video games now?

[Dan Reichert]

Sure. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

We don't have to, but we never talked about the film that I saw.

[Dan Reichert]

What movie?

[Mary Kish]

We paused it because we were like, oh, Mary has something to say. And I said, yeah, I watched a horror movie, but I don't know if it's very good.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then it wasn't 28 years later.

[Mary Kish]

Another 28 minutes talking about a horror movie that Dan doesn't know about, but kind of liked.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, we're here. We're here. What is the movie?

[Mary Kish]

I'm still making fun of you for ignoring me.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mike.

[Dan Reichert]

Right? You're making fun of Mike.

[Mike Mahardy]

There's a difference between ignoring and interrupting. Willfully redirecting. What is the movie?

[Mary Kish]

You are.

[Dan Reichert]

No, Ally.

[Mary Kish]

You didn't stand up for me, either.

[Dan Reichert]

Check the tape.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mary, you know what show has never. It did.

[Mary Kish]

It's just you saying it for, like, the last 10 minutes.

[Mike Mahardy]

You know what show has never passed the Bechdel test?

[Mary Kish]

This one.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Wow. I guess that's true.

[Mike Mahardy]

What is the movie you wanted to talk about?

[Mary Kish]

I got to get a woman to replace one of you.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

What is. Yeah. What's the movie go.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, so what I was gonna say before we did not.

[Dan Reichert]

So, Mike, I was whacking off on Christmas.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you weren't. You better not have been.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, no, I wasn't. I was. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Mike, you were. Mike, you were gonna say something.

[Mike Mahardy]

I was Jane in a Halloween wearing a Freddy Krueger costume. I still have no clue what horror. Mike, shut up.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary's trying to say something.

[Mary Kish]

I touched long fingers.

[Mike Mahardy]

Extra long Wolverine blades. Just chopping my D up Julienne this, Freddy. Just stabbing my dick over and over. Do you want candy? What are you doing on our porch?

[Dan Reichert]

That's really good.

[Mike Mahardy]

What do you say to the cops when you call them? There's a child's pain Olympics ing himself on our porch. Do I give him a fucking Hershey's bar? What does he need? I think we need an ambulance. He's got a sweater on and he's.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary, do you see how respectful and quiet I'm being right now?

[Mike Mahardy]

He's pretty burnt up, man.

[Mary Kish]

Stop trying to be an ally, Mary.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike, let Mary talk.

[Mike Mahardy]

Hello?

[Mary Kish]

You're only doing it for the validation.

[Mike Mahardy]

His dick is cut in half pretty bad. He just exploded into a mist of cum. I guess he's gone. Never mind. It's fine.

[Mary Kish]

Brought to you by a 24.

[Mike Mahardy]

So what movie are we watching?

[Dan Reichert]

What have you seen?

[Mary Kish]

Fuck both of you. It's another movie from A24. It's called Talk to Me.

[Mike Mahardy]

Carla Gugino looks really good these days.

[Mary Kish]

Damn it. It's a 24 is highest grossing film. So it's really small talk to me. It's a high grossing film. I think it's made in Australia because everybody has Australian accents. I assume it is a couple years ago. It's an interesting concept, so I'll do my best to tldr it. The concept is, is there is like a disembodied hand that these like high schooler kids have gotten their hands on and they understand the system. You like light a candle and when you touch this disembodied hand, a dead person will appear in front of you. And if you say I let you in, then the dead person goes into your body and is you for like as long as they let you.

[Dan Reichert]

Is the dead person evil?

[Mary Kish]

Not always. But like they might not be a good person.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Why do you want that to happen?

[Mary Kish]

Some people are dead because of an accident. Well, so the reason the kids like doing it is kind of like almost like a high. They like doing it because when somebody enters you, it's like a crazy feeling that you're not yourself and like a, you know, dead person got to like be in your body. Is. That's crazy. But then all the kids use their phones to like film what happens because they sometimes say or do crazy stuff.

[Dan Reichert]

And are they not conscious of what their body's doing during.

[Mary Kish]

They don't know. They don't know during the possession what's happening. But they have like crazy vibes and feelings. But you have to get out within like 60 to 90 seconds or the person who's in your body wants to stay. And then there's like an incident where essentially like, you know, you could kind of see where it's going. But like, if you don't get the person out in time, then the, the person, the, the dead person wants to stay in the body and it causes all these crazy complications. I actually think it's quite good. But I, I will like preface this With a low budget. So, like, don't go into this expecting, like, really cool graph. It's mostly like dialogue and just kind of creepy conceptual things that's happening. But it's all, you know, students or, you know, kids in school that are going through this, like, super traumatic, crazy stuff. I thought it was a neat concept and I liked the way it was executed. But I also think, like, if you're one of those people that are like, don't go in there, you'll die. You'll hate this film because it's kids, high school kids. So they make nothing but terrible decisions. This entire film, all they do is make awful, awful choices. So you have to go into it being like, these kids are dumb. They'll probably all die. Like, I'm not gonna stress about that.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I like getting recommendations from you, Mary, because I feel like you have not really missed. And the latest one that we took you up on was Barbarian.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that one's so much better than this. I'm a little worried. I. I can't live that up. I don't think this is. I actually, when this movie was over, I was like, I didn't like it and then I slept on it and I was like, it's. It's actually not that bad. But I don't want to overhype this at all. This is no Barbarian. This is a low budget. Let me try and preface. This is like an indie game equivalent. This is low budget student, not student grade, but like lower quality film with student act. Like, you know, young teen actors that I was like, hey, not too shabby, but I don't think it's that good. So I'm a little worried now. I feel like you're gonna see this and be like, mary, that was not.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I feel like you've. You've couched it properly. I feel like yours Barbarian, you built up quite a bit, but then you sold it perfectly by saying, don't look anything up.

[Mary Kish]

I feel so strongly about Barbarian. I mean, like, I think this movie is just kind of dumb. I really do like watching horror movies. I watch them all the time. And I feel like I would like to do like a. Maybe that's something we do a bonus of. Of like top, like you know, 50 or 100 horror movies because I've seen so many now. I have gotten quite finicky with what I think is like the quintessential horror films that everyone has to see now. And with Halloween coming, which I know that probably sounds insane because it's like July, but This is actually the time when I start thinking about my Halloween costume because they usually take about three months to build. So, like, I don't fuck around. Like, I have to start thinking about it now.

[Mike Mahardy]

The Barbarian director's new movie is coming out in like, a month. Zach Kreger, Weapons. It's that trailer where all those, like, kids are.

[Mary Kish]

Oh.

[Mike Mahardy]

Like classrooms and, like, running weirdly like. Yeah. What's his name?

[Mary Kish]

The anime I'm so excited about.

[Mike Mahardy]

Naruto. Yeah. I'm seeing. There's some. Are there early reviews out. Weapons.

[Dan Reichert]

August 8, 2025, it's coming out.

[Mary Kish]

So it's such a creepy trailer. They. I'll tell you what, that and Barbarian. They know how to make a trailer. Because what was so brilliant about the Barbarian trailer? Now, Dan, did you see Barbarian trailer?

[Dan Reichert]

You were so adamant about it.

[Mary Kish]

I told you not to.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I did. After the fact. I watched it and was like, oh, that's real good.

[Mary Kish]

It's a brilliant trailer because they misdirect you. Like, she's. It's. It's like a scene where she's like, oh, something's wrong. And the guy's like, there's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong. And you're like, that guy's bad. It's all misdirection. It's like.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, then there's also the trailer where they're like, Justin Long's new movie. Like, they did a couple misdirects.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, that's.

[Dan Reichert]

That is so risky like that. I respect that so much because, like, you know, marketing people at any fucking big movie company have got to be like, no, you can't do that. That's not gonna, like, you know, you.

[Mary Kish]

Gotta show the monster. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. So, like, whoever. Whatever battles they fought to make sure they, like, hid what that movie was good on them. Like, that's awesome.

[Mary Kish]

I think in the horror genre, at least it is understood that you don't. You don't actually want to show the. The bad thing. Like, it's.

[Dan Reichert]

It's like Jaws. That's Jaws rules, where it's like, you know, you don't see it for half the movie.

[Mary Kish]

You don't see it. You know, you got to build the anticipation and the fear and the concerns and all that stuff. So, yeah, I'm really excited about. I think there's going to be. It's going to be a good Q3 of scary movies, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Mike Mahardy]

One battle after another. Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie. Have you seen the trailer for that?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's based on. I forget who wrote the book, but Leonardo DiCaprio. It's like this rebel sect that's rising up during a revolution. Benicio del Toro. But watch the trailer. Leo is just the biggest slob ever.

[Dan Reichert]

Really?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. I love him.

[Dan Reichert]

To go into the Brando part of his career, he should go into the Brando era.

[Mike Mahardy]

He's well on his way.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, please.

[Mary Kish]

He's on his way. The last couple films he's been. And I'm like, you do. This did not do well for you. Like, he's obviously a very cute man, but at some point, they've really. They've really let himself go. I saw Killers of the Flower Moon finally on an airplane, because I had like eight boobless hours to kill. And I was like, I might as well watch this film. And it is so, so long.

[Dan Reichert]

And it's one of the only times I think I've fallen asleep in a movie.

[Mary Kish]

It's pretty.

[Mike Mahardy]

I fell asleep in that too.

[Mary Kish]

It's unnecessarily long. I think it really insists on itself, but holy shit, it insists upon itself. Leonardo DiCaprio. They, like, @ no point were like, no, he doesn't need to look good in this. Like, they just make him look like a piece of sh. Entire film. And I. I respect that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah, look up the trailer for One Battle After Another. Yeah. No. The Killers of Flower Moon. We went to the Alamo in Fida here in New York, and my Amanda and my friends and my friend, they both fell asleep. So me and my buddy, My friend's wife, or sorry, my friend's husband, were awake, and we had just ordered four espresso martinis to all stay awake. So me and him had to end up drinking two a piece. And I still fell asleep during that movie.

[Dan Reichert]

It. Me and Mike seeing Rambo 5 and getting too many white claws in the theater and like spilling it all over each other.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Yeah. Because that movie is fucking wow. Let's move on from my opinions about Rambo 5.

[Dan Reichert]

No, it's awesome. The thing I'm curious about is you brought up Leo and a 24 and reminds me of you. Heard of this new Scorsese movie he's making. It's supposed to be like a goodfellas style thing with like. It's about this real life mob boss that was in Hawaii, and it's Leo and then the Rock is going to play the mob boss in this Scorsese movie. He's supposed to be the super charismatic mob boss and, like, Rock, like, I'm seeing it happen, like right now where the Rock was doing his big kind of like action movie thing. He's trying to be the new Arnold, doing his, you know, rundowns and walking talls and all that and fast fives and all that. And then he. That kind of stalled out. You know, it seems like that Black Adam thing really damaged his reputation in Hollywood. And he has like, numerous projects in the works right now that are all like, clearly like a determined career swing where it's an A24 movie by the SAP. One of the Safdies. I think it's Benny Safdie.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Where the UFC thing where he plays that UFC guy. He looks fucking crazy. And it's him and Emily Blunt in the trailer and like, he looks nuts. And it's clearly like a real movie, like an A24 thing. There's the Scorsese thing where he's going to be this mob boss and there was some. Oh, it's a Darren Aronofsky movie. So he's going to. And Darren Aronofsky's new movie is set in like the late 90s. He's going to be this like, charismatic kind of like, you know, Tony Robbins guru type or whatever. So it's like, I'm curious how he does it. Can you guys picture the Rock as. People are not wrestling people? So you're not tainted by the wrestling aspect?

[Mike Mahardy]

No, I mean, I've seen enough of it. I. I think he's got that star power. Like, not the star power. I think he's got the acting chops where it's like, I feel like Batista was also kind of did this.

[Dan Reichert]

Not well, but he started with that, you know, I mean, Batista did like Guardians and stuff like that. But like, Batista was like doing really.

[Mike Mahardy]

Thoughtful in Blade Runner 2049.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what I'm saying. He was like moving away from the rocks Lane.

[Mary Kish]

I think Batista also did. I think he earned a little bit more of his chops by doing more humble roles. Whereas I've kind of gotten a little sour on Dwayne Johnson just because I feel like he's taking himself much more seriously. I just haven't seen anything where I'm like, now this is acting. It's usually the same God damn goosebumps.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, like charismatic, smiley, you know, blockbuster guy. That's why I'm wondering, like, with three, like, kind of artsy, big name movies coming up, I wonder if he will do this pivot successfully. I'm very, very curious to watch this.

[Mike Mahardy]

I Don't know that all three of those directors. And I've said my Pete, when Drew was here, Dan Urell, I talked about how I think Darren Aronofsky makes a lot of shitty movies. I don't know that Scorsese and what, like, whether it's Benny or I forget Ben's brother's name.

[Dan Reichert]

Whichever one of those.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know that they would have, like, cast him just because he's trying to make this pivot. Like, he must have shown something or.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, clearly he's extremely talented. He's insane. And like, you're talking about Batista being humble. Like, Rock is the least humble guy in the world. But, like, yeah, I wonder if I. I do think he. He might have the chops like Mike, to what you were saying.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

When I see it, I. I wouldn't.

[Mike Mahardy]

Have thought, like, Adam Sandler would have been good in Punch.

[Mary Kish]

For People or.

[Mike Mahardy]

Uncut Gems, Safdie Brothers.

[Mary Kish]

Again, I would prefer them to take the risk and even fail and be like, wow, they tried something outside of their wheelhouse, then be like the same one trick pony their whole career. So, like, good on him for putting in the energy and earning it. I just haven't seen. I haven't seen. I haven't been validated yet that, like, they actually can do it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it'll be interesting. I. I think we were robbed of. You brought up Sandler and how he made that turn and punch drunk and uncut. I think there was a world where if Chris Farley had survived, I think that man was so unbelievably talented and charismatic that we could have seen a Sandler esque like Chris Farley's could win an Oscar if he had survived. I think could see that, like, that guy was just a ball of charisma and entertainment. But I think he would also have, like, a darker side he could tap into and be very good at.

[Mike Mahardy]

You know, I wonder if he would have had all that if he wasn't living the way he was, though.

[Dan Reichert]

That's. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

So I don't know him and John Belushi, but yeah, yeah, Norm.

[Dan Reichert]

Norm could have won an Oscar. What? What an actor.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. He's amazing. And what the. Funny. But what is it called? Funny Business.

[Dan Reichert]

Which one? Funny People. I never saw funny.

[Mike Mahardy]

No Funny Business. What's the one where.

[Dan Reichert]

Dirty Work.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dirty work? Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Dirty Work. Screwed. And. Yeah, he's the worst actor in the world.

[Mike Mahardy]

He's in Billy Madison too, briefly.

[Dan Reichert]

Sandler gets his friends paid for. Sure.

[Mike Mahardy]

All right, you want to talk about video games.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, Mike and Mary, a new era of power has arrived with the Alienware Area 51 gaming laptops, intentionally engineered to push more power to the CPU and the GPU for maximum performance. This otherworldly power, paired with the game changing AI capabilities of Nvidia Garage GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs with DLSS4amplifies performance and image precision for ultra smooth, stunning gameplay.

[Mike Mahardy]

And with the new cryo chamber design, airflow is focused exactly where it's needed most. Fused with Alienware's enhanced thermal solutions, it creates a higher power output without raising noise levels. This allows you to play with confidence even during the most demanding marathon gaming sessions.

[Mary Kish]

So no matter what you're playing, Alienware ensures every game runs precisely as its developers intended. A new era of power is here. All you have to do is take it. Discover Area 51 [e-mail] all right, if.

[Mike Mahardy]

You follow Giant Bomb, you probably know, Dan, you have taken the turn and started playing. Claire obscure. Expedition 33, fill the fire escape. People in. What are your thoughts? How far are you before you.

[Dan Reichert]

Had I not played any of it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Last time we talked Expedition. So is that. Is that a series or was it just.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, no, it was just one stream.

[Mike Mahardy]

But you're playing in your free time. The whole game or through?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. So if you're worried about spoiler, I'm gonna talk generally about where I'm at in the game, so mute if you need to. Have you both beat it.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. Toward the end, I forget.

[Dan Reichert]

I forget again. I forget everything we ever talk about.

[Mike Mahardy]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Are you both into it?

[Mike Mahardy]

I talked to a friend and apparently I'm like two hours from the end.

[Mary Kish]

I treat death stranding like you treat JRPGs death stranding disrespectfully.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, we're not talking. All right.

[Mary Kish]

We're talking about Clarem's cure Expedition.

[Mike Mahardy]

She's primed to sound death strand or to attack death stranding too. No, I'm ready. Expedition 33.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I love it. I'm going up to the. Patrice's heart.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, okay. We're about at the same place.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. I'm like at the monolith.

[Mike Mahardy]

I. Oh, so you're. Yeah. So like, like 5, 6 of the way through? Probably.

[Dan Reichert]

It feels like I'm getting close.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm. Yeah. Okay. So you. You made. You covered some ground. You're not far behind me, actually.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Mary, what's your status on that?

[Mary Kish]

Status on the game?

[Dan Reichert]

Are you playing 33?

[Mary Kish]

I'm actively. I haven't played it in at least in two weeks. So I haven't played it in a while.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love how you first started the sentence. I'm actively. Well, I haven't played in two weeks.

[Mary Kish]

Actively avoiding active in the sense that I haven't quit and I was traveling a lot. You'll notice that all of my games are games that you can play on a Steam deck or phone.

[Mike Mahardy]

Nothing wrong with that. That was me most of the beginning of this year.

[Mary Kish]

I've just been traveling so much. But I do, I haven't quit yet. I would like to complete the game.

[Dan Reichert]

So let's do this. Let's do cat debut here. Let's do a fuse. Let's bring the fuse. Let's dust it off for where we are right now. If the game ended right where we're at, I'll start. I think I would give this a nine. Oh, okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

If you had, if you had. If you had asked me an hour, two hours prior in the game, I would have been a nine. I will say. And this is, this is tough. It's one of those games once you see where the ending is going or you think it's going, it's hard to give an opinion on it. Like your opinion itself almost kind of spoils stuff at the end.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay, well then tread lightly.

[Mike Mahardy]

That means let's assume I was at the same point in the game as you. I would have probably also said nine.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay. So basically something happens and you're less.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I think, I think once the ending kicks into gear and maybe something completely reverses again, but once you see the turn they take, I'm like, not my. Not my cup of tea.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, put it this way, if it's a story based thing.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

There's not like they could just shit their pants and run credits and I would like still give this a nine. Like I, I like the story. I'm more invested in the story than I certainly expected to be. But like just the moment to moment has been so fun. I don't think any narrative thing could hurt my opinion at this point.

[Mary Kish]

I feel like right now I'm at a seven. And that's really mostly because despite the fact that Mike, you described the combat system really well when you were playing it, it's very intricate but for me I just don't care about stances and like the learning a different combat person for each, I think it's a bit too convoluted. This is a personal, subjective opinion. I think the game is probably excellent for what it is. These are just not games. I Usually play. And I'm like, God damn it. Do I have to memorize each system and use the same system of lighting them on fire and then using this girl because she does more damage when they're on fire, and then using this guy because he's at his 10th hit so he can do like the super damage, whatever. And it's just like.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know.

[Mary Kish]

I think what I'm saying is I think the game is very good. I just don't think the game is generally. These types of games are not for me. That's all I'm saying.

[Dan Reichert]

And that's how I typically have been with turn based RPGs. But the snappiness of the combat and just how good those counters feel and something like that. I do like systems too. Like, the thing I don't like in turn based RPGs is just feeling like I'm selecting something from a menu and then I just watch something. I don't feel like I'm playing a game. I'm just, oh, I picked a thing and now I watch it.

[Mary Kish]

But you have to be active because to do the damage correctly, you have to hit the button at the exact right time. Plus you have to be ready for counters. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. And I love, like, I have not dodged a single fucking time past the tutorial. I. I parry every. I don't hit it every time.

[Mike Mahardy]

I get hit a lot sometimes.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah, you do the jump thing and then the rt.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's satisfying their own, right?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I never died. I love when you never ever die.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love when you kill an enemy with one of those. Like, yeah, you jump and then blast them and then the.

[Dan Reichert]

All three of them and they all hit. Yeah, it's so good. But I actually like the system stuff because, like, I do like the systems. It's not a game. It's not a game system in the way like an action game has. Like, it's not Devil May Cry. I'm not like, you know, doing active battle battle. But the systems do make me think like, okay, so I need to get my L in virtuoso stance. I need to do every possible lumiere. What's that?

[Mike Mahardy]

If you build her correctly and you can keep her. Sorry, continue. Yeah, yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I know. I want to hear about that because, like, I'm trying to find ways like all of the. The stuff whenever there's new skills, anything that like keeps her in virtuoso stance longer or Illuminati that kind of help that or whatever. It's like okay, well so like the fire damage and marked is great on her. So I'll give these guys more stuff that caused burn and marking and then I'll try to set it up so they're before her. It's like I love that shit. It's like a logic puzzle. Like I, I think that shit is.

[Mike Mahardy]

Great and it's like it's one of those games where I don't know, I'm in the shower, I'm like oh fuck. I wonder if combining those two would help would like work. But I got Mile to basically and I kind of, I will. I love how they let you break the game. It's almost like Balatro esque in the way they're like if you figure out how to break it, we're not going to stop it. You even against major bosses. So Mile basically yeah. You like? Yeah. Mary like I, I, I somewhat agree for sure. Like especially every single character, I think I said this last time feels like they're pulled from a different RPG because their systems, how they work are so different. And it's funny to me. Gustav is so boring compared to everybody else. His combat, like it's fun, it's dumb. It's like build up, build up till this like huge super like all out of and like there are obviously intricacies to that. But Miles like I got her set up so I use the. There's the ability where she can pass her turn basically to remain in the same stance but also build up automatically 3AP. But then there's another one where yes if she hits a marked target she'll gain 3ap and stay in the same stance. So if I have not gotten the chance to to do a marked target yet then it won't matter. However I started building up what's the mages the elemental mage's name Lunae. Lunae. I built up her speed so much to and also I use the luminae where she always goes first so she's basically marking everybody, setting everybody on fire and then by the time it gets to Mile who's still in virtuosa stance she does P and A POS is the one the sword comes out of the ground, stabs them in their basically.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, so that's the one that's normally five but then it's two when you're in virtuoso right. That's the one I always build towards that fucks everything up.

[Mike Mahardy]

Two in virtuoso but and then if you build it up to you can again you can build up Three, if you just pass your turn and it'll keep her in the stance she was in. Oh, yeah, it's. I forget what it's called, but yeah, the synergies between the characters are great. I also really, really like how you can realize halfway through a battle that you're under level.

[Dan Reichert]

Level. Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

But you could still pull it off because if you use the real time elements correctly.

[Dan Reichert]

But.

[Mike Mahardy]

But there's certain fights. I will say, I think it was halfway through the game when you start fighting. What were their names? The something maiden. The ones who stab themselves in the stomach to gain the.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, the, the. The. When they get like six armor, they do that big swipey thing.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. If you. You have to jump to dodge the swipe.

[Dan Reichert]

And then the third one, you can block. Block and then jump.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think something like. No, there's one where they stab himself and they pull it out and just swipe and you jump.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, they didn't even block that. Oh, I didn't. I've never tried jumping. I carried that every time.

[Mike Mahardy]

So if you. What happens if you parry? It does one character counter attack.

[Dan Reichert]

It just acts like a normal Perry, like any other Perry, which is one you don't take. You don't take damage and. Yeah, okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

So that's what's cool. If you jump. If you do the jump and R2.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

All three of them will hit them. It'll count as three hits and they'll lose three shields.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, that's.

[Mike Mahardy]

And I, I learned that on accident because at a certain point I'm trying to think of how I can explain this because I realize I'm like, oh, I actually stand to benefit more from not attacking them right now. What was it? Oh, okay. So they. I. I realized, okay, I'm about to hit them. They have what, one shield left right now? I know they're about to do the stab himself in the stomach and swipe. So they'll have four shields. And if I were to attack right now with Mile. Mile doesn't have that many multi hit moves. She has several. She's got the one that does fire damage or whatever, and that's like two or three hits. But the fourth character you get, she has a lot of multi hit attacks. So. So if I use that ability of miles to just gain three ap and not even hit the maiden and I'll stay in virtuoso. They'll all jump, counter attack. That'll lose. That'll basically almost cancel out the stab themselves in the stomach attack. Because they'll do three Armor damage. My next character will then do her like 4 move attack. The armor will be gone miles primed to just assassinate them with passe. So it's like, oh, I actually stand to benefit more from not just all out normal attacking them right now because otherwise I'm wasting my stance and AP and whatnot. So I'm gonna bide her time. Use my character that's got the double edged Darth Maul scythe who can do more armor damage.

[Dan Reichert]

One of my like that's my party is like we can say the names.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I do.

[Dan Reichert]

Verso CL and my L are my 3 and I've kind of just stuck with them now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Sorry. Verso CL and my. Oh, so you don't.

[Dan Reichert]

You.

[Mike Mahardy]

You got. You got rid of Lunae.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I like Lunae and then weird fucking face mask guy or whatever. Like they've got some interesting stuff going on. But like that's my main three right now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I. CL was one of those ones where oh, I had a dumb moment with cl. I was like wow, she is very weak. I didn't realize they did not auto assign her stat points when I got her in my party.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Just sitting there. Yeah, she was tough to figure out. But once you figure her out and again like each character like oh God, I gotta wrap my head around an entire new battle system for this. Each character, she was awesome. Like the cool interplay. Basically you're trying to build up two currencies with her. So it's like okay, I'm trying to build up the light and dark to enter Twilight when they're even. But also spending this one is going to generate this spending that's going to generate something else. So you really are thinking about it starts getting you in that chess mindset.

[Dan Reichert]

It's. It is very complicated where it's like, okay, well if I'm in Twilight, I can build up to 24 tell on this. So when I'm in Twilight that's when I want to build up foretell and then I will, you know, extinguish the stuff and then gain Twilight again. Like it's. It took me a while. That was one where I was about to be like this is too confusing. But I just kind of brute forced understanding it. And I'm glad I did because she's also just cool.

[Mike Mahardy]

Her double edged scythes are really cool. But like she's awesome. That's. I bring up a lotro just because that game like I will say it's not as gradual or as masterful of a Ramp up as Balatro is to how you can break the game, but the tools are there for you to just dismantle the game if you want to. I will say, like, once I really, really started, like, I was staring at the luminae screen for a while and what are they? What else are they called? The portos or. No, I'm playing something else. No, pictos. I was staring at the picto screen for a while. I'm like, okay, would she benefit from this? And then there's the cool system where basically if someone uses that pictos in several successful battles, you then unlock it as a permanent passive.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Which is great. So then you're just kind of like, okay, well I don't want to spend 7 on of my luminace on this. I want to just. Or I. I don't want to spend seven nights. So I'll actively equip it and then I'll use that. These. The rest of these illuminates to passively equip these other ones. This all probably makes way more sense if you play the game and are looking at that screen, but that's the best I can describe it. So then it's like, I've spent. There's been sessions where I sit down to play it and I spent. And this might not sound that fun, but it was to me. I spent like 75 of the 2 hours like theory crafting the characters and like, would this really work? And then trying it out and be like, all right, well, I still kick the out of them but like, I still feel like I could push this min max it to the be Mac like just all out in order to really use these characters how I feel like they should be?

[Dan Reichert]

Well, and speaking of that, like, am I correct in like thinking that you can't go more than 9,999 damage in a single attack?

[Mike Mahardy]

Like a single.

[Dan Reichert]

I've never seen higher than that. Like a single, like attack. Like when I do like, oh, they're marked and on fire and I use my L's sword pillar thing. I've never seen a number higher than 9999 as the attack. Which is confusing to me because, like, I feel like I've heard a lot of people be like, I was over leveled. I one shot at the boss. And I've been picturing like, oh, you killed the boss of the one hit. But I'm like, wait, it seems like 10,000 is about the most you can do. Does that mean that just in one turn before the boss could attack Like I'm confused by that.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know. Have you seen.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you done damage more than 10,000?

[Mike Mahardy]

I want to say yeah, but maybe I'm just imagining it but to me one shotting a boss means you beat them on the first try.

[Dan Reichert]

Try that first attack or first turn?

[Mike Mahardy]

No, one shot. One. I don't know. One shot has never applied to a turn based game for me. One shot in for soulsborne game to me is you beat them on the first try.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay. Well if that's the I don't know.

[Mike Mahardy]

How those souls in your defense, I don't know what those people mean in terms of a turn based game.

[Dan Reichert]

I didn't know that was like a souls burn term for first try. That's probably what it might.

[Mike Mahardy]

I mean I think it just goes back to the days where any boss fight if you beat the on the first try was a one shot.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, first try. Okay, just say first try.

[Mary Kish]

You're both right.

[Dan Reichert]

Thank you Mary.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, no, I mean like for real. Cuz you can't get more damage until a certain point.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, but maybe I have gotten to that point. That's why I've. Or is it new game plus maybe you can go above that. That would make sense if there is a new game plus I actually don't know. Yeah, I'm glad you're playing the game. I. Do you. Do you foresee this opening up your like maybe trying out more turn based games in the future? Or is this one so specific blend of real time.

[Mary Kish]

It's so unique, it's so special and what it does that it's not annoying.

[Dan Reichert]

And that's the thing is like it's doing several things that make me open to it where it is got the kind of command based stuff where I'm doing things in the middle of the fight which keeps me engaged. But also it's not just like fantasy tropes. I think that's a big thing that has kept me from liking a lot of these is I don't give a fuck about swords and a kingdom and mages and stuff as much like this is like a cool setting and like it sets up this entirely like this very original cool setup of you know, the painters and the, the number and all that stuff. Like I think that's so cool. Whereas like every traditional, not everyone obviously. You know, like I like Chrono Trigger, that's kind of a different setup and everything. Like I have liked JRPGs in the past but anytime it's just like oh here's the King and here's those most powerful wizard and there be dragons. And it's like, I don't care be dragons. I just don't care. And then it's kind of the same way I would view zombie stuff where it's like, I've seen this a million times. It's never been interesting to me. I don't want to keep seeing it. So it's like when this starts with a completely unique story and characters and in, in a storyline, it's like, oh, this, this is new to me. This is cool. Like I can get into it but I, I am immediately turned off by just like fantasy trope, turn based RPG stuff. So like Dragon Quest or something or most final fantasies I'm just not into. I've tried, I've tried so many final fantasies just because it's like, look, I know this is a pillar of gaming history, but most of them I just don't like playing at all. But like, you know, Final Fantasy 15, it's like, oh, it's like a road trip. You're driving around in a car and it's more, it's not turn based and stuff like, okay, that seems interesting. And I'll play like five hours of it and be like, ah, whatever. It's earthbound. I want to try because that seems like it's a different. It is like the combat seems very traditional, jrpg turn based, but the wrappings of it seem so much more interesting. Sci Fi Suburban.

[Mary Kish]

Have you tried Chrono Trigger?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I reviewed the DS1. I reviewed the DS1 and I loved it. I thought it was great.

[Mary Kish]

Chrono Trigger I feel like is a way to escape.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, that's the thing I don't dislike every jrpg and technically those Mario and Luigi's and Paper Mario's. Granted it's got the Mario factor going on, but I think, I think more importantly it's got the actual like kind of active stuff during the battles. You know that that's the key thing for me. And I don't think it's ever been better than I'm seeing in Claire. Obscure. Like I, I find the battles thrilling. Like if I finish a story type beat, I will just fucking hop on that fucking sk's back and sail around and fight every fucking. Why did, why did Mike Mahoney just change my Zoom name to David buddy?

[Mike Mahardy]

Why can you do that? Todd Gack before Todd Gack?

[Dan Reichert]

Who's that?

[Mike Mahardy]

Just Seinfeld. Supporting characters.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay, okay. S.K. by the way, I love that dude. That. Oh yeah, do you get the optional thing with the wine. Mike.

[Mike Mahardy]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh my God. Mike. There's like a campfire thing because I always talk to everyone at the campfire and check in on everyone. There was just a scene where it's like sk. I forgot what spurred this on. But Versa was just like, oh yeah. I guess I'll tell you guys. Like, like I keep all my wine in inside ska. It's a bunch of like very fine vintages.

[Mike Mahardy]

And someone mentioned this to me. I don't know how I didn't come across. I guess I wasn't like puking up.

[Dan Reichert]

Wine into glasses and stuff. Like CL goes up and he's like, fill me up. Wine comes out of him. Because Verso keeps all his in him.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's why.

[Mary Kish]

Keeps his wine.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's really good mine in my stomach. I. There's a wine thing in Destining 2 that I noticed as well. We'll get to that. That. But yeah, get to that. Well, I. There's. There's one game, so Octopath Traveler two, I think.

[Dan Reichert]

Octopath Traveler.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, you did. Did you play the.

[Dan Reichert]

The first one? I love that one. I didn't beat it and I didn't really do the second one.

[Mike Mahardy]

Try the second one out when you get the chance. The combat's just as crunchy like for a turn based game. It's. It's intricate. I think the storylines avoid tropes pretty well. Eight different characters you can start with and then you're building up the party and each. There's a lot of side quests you're doing as you go around the world. So try that out because.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think that's got enough active stuff going on that the combat might appeal to you in the way that.

[Dan Reichert]

I really like the first one.

[Mike Mahardy]

Try the second one.

[Dan Reichert]

It's.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's. It blows up the first one, basically.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. So I'm about to. I think the hour count is something like 12. In Death Stranding 2, I'm halfway across. Halfway across Australia. Based on the map, the last Cupid I connected or Cupid I used to connect.

[Dan Reichert]

We should probably say spoilers also for Death Stranding here. So do you know what act you're in or what chapter you're in?

[Mike Mahardy]

Three.

[Dan Reichert]

You're in only in three. Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. So. Okay, so the first one was just called Sam. Second one was Lou.

[Dan Reichert]

The third was. I can't remember if it's fragile or something.

[Mike Mahardy]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

So you haven't. You don't know Neil much at all yet. Okay. There's really Good stuff ahead.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. If you're looking at the map, you know how when you, you, you insert the cupid or let it hover or whatever and it connects. The map shows basically almost all half of Australia.

[Dan Reichert]

That's so confusing geographic because I feel like, wow. I feel like it didn't take long to be in like Acts 6 or Chapter 6 or 7. Just the west part. You must be doing a weird.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, I be. I might be past. Because like Act Lou act two or three was really quick. It was like three cutscenes.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Act four. So I might, I don't know, I might not have been paying enough attention.

[Dan Reichert]

But if you haven't done any like Neil flashback or like you haven't done any boss fights with.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. So I know I've seen some of the area. So I guess without spoiling anything, if you played the first game, you do all that Mads Mikkelsen flashback to different American wars. I've seen some landscape stuff from like random thumbnails and videos of what it looks like in this game to go back to those. It's like that Tetris effect looking whatever, like. But no, I, I, I. It tells me with the last time I connected someone to the Chiral Network that I'm like 1112 hours in and it looks like half of Australia based on the blue versus red.

[Dan Reichert]

Wow, that's wild that you're that far across Australia. Because I feel like that was like, like 30 to 40 hours in for me.

[Mike Mahardy]

Huh. Maybe I'm farther. I don't know. Maybe. I don't know.

[Dan Reichert]

Are you just connecting stuff or are you. Because I've done this twice now between this and the trip I went to Kojima Productions, if you didn't know.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know. I could turn my PlayStation on, show you the map, I guess. But it's.

[Dan Reichert]

No, no, I believe you. But that's supposed to be taking a different path.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, I don't think that would work. Because they tell you like the ones that connect are like, you don't get that many places or from my understanding, where you can branch off and go. You could branch off, but it seems like the places that you're actually connecting and revealing on the map. Connecting to the Chiral Network. That's pretty scripted in a certain way.

[Dan Reichert]

That's what I thought. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

So I thought you would have been.

[Mike Mahardy]

Maybe, maybe I'm over exaggerating when I say half, but it looks like I've done definitely the Western. Okay, let's say third.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you done monorail stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, you're. You've barely eked into Australia.

[Mike Mahardy]

It sounds like 10 hours. Let's.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I think Mexico, I said was like seven to eight hours in. And keep in mind this is like a 60 hour game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mexico did not feel 8 hours to me. I trust your opinion. I trust your. Your call. I'm just saying. Didn't feel like that.

[Dan Reichert]

I just. I just don't think you are as far into Australia as you think you are.

[Mike Mahardy]

Okay, well, that's good to know. I'm going to put this out there and please feel free to respond however you want. So far, I think this game is fine.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think it's got.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary's pissed.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, that's big words. Better back that up. Fine.

[Mike Mahardy]

Here's the thing. I'm have to be clear. I'm having a lot of fun playing it. And I think that's the most important thing. And there are plenty of times where I get a new tool or a new ability or something I didn't even realize was possible in how these systems overlap and the mechanics interconnect. And I'm like, what the. That's awesome. The thing for me is, and obviously I, I couldn't stand the, the first game when I played it in 2019 that.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I grew as a person.

[Mike Mahardy]

I wrote a review about it and then 2021 rolled around.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, Mary, when are you going to join the club?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I never grow. That's my secret.

[Mike Mahardy]

And I played in 2021. I'm like, oh, fuck, I'm in. I don't know why. I'm in a different headspace. Maybe Covid, like lulled me.

[Dan Reichert]

You were, you were thinking about the American dream writ large.

[Mike Mahardy]

Exactly. And I was thinking about me and how I grew as a. Like, I didn't really put much trust in like the, you know, or I didn't put much. I forgot what the fuck I wrote. But I. It's so funny to me that the first game is like, you're going to be 14 hours in before you get any real weapon to fight bandits. And then this game. And let me. I'm going to say some stuff and then I'm going to say I get why this happened. It's like, hey, here's an assault rifle right off the bat. Here are 12 enemies in this base right over here. Two is so much more of a video game right away than the first game is. So I'm not. I, I appreciate that. I like, it's. It's. Two is more fun right away.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Which is great.

[Dan Reichert]

It's. It's handing you like, here's a tranq grenade launcher, which I just laughed when I saw that. I was like, okay, I'm shooting a grenade launcher and a dude's body is flying 30ft. It's like he's sleepy. Yeah, I love that.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's not lethal. It's fine. I. The first game was one of those things where I'm like, okay, I don't think I really liked the last four hours I played. Then I zoom out and I'm like, yeah, I actually kind of did. It was this really bold game at, like, you know, you look at the game as a formula or as a framework. It's like, oh, it's just glorified fetch quests that they ring a lot of. A lot of emergent gameplay out of. Of. And when you can't fight people the whole time, and you have to be kind of stealthy or you have to be crafty, or you have to think like someone who's not combat trained would. I think that was the game at its best. Not to say, like, especially in Director's Cut, you get stuff to, like, canon cargo, which is great. This game, though, I look at the formula of what I'm doing in a big picture. It's not that dissimilar from a Ubisoft open world.

[Dan Reichert]

You are.

[Mike Mahardy]

You are. You are traveling across this map. Clearing enemy bases is a big thing in this game. It's fun. You don't have to, but it's. You have to go. The. The last four big objectives I've had were to either sneak through an enemy base and destroy this, like, chiral disruptor, or clear the enemy base, collect cargo, and deliver that.

[Dan Reichert]

It's not far cry, though. I feel like you're making it sound like a far cry or something.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm revealing the map by connecting it to the chiral network, much like you would climb a tower in those games and reveal part of the map that then allows.

[Dan Reichert]

But they're in bunkers, they're underground. That's the opposite of a tower.

[Mike Mahardy]

Again, Dan, I'm having a lot of fun playing this game. I'm not trying to be a dick.

[Dan Reichert]

And here's the thing. I'm not going to. I will take no offense. I won't take.

[Mary Kish]

It's like we're in our goatee discussions right now.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

No, I don't see what.

[Mike Mahardy]

Do you see what I'm saying sort of, though, like, as a. As a formula, you're crossing this map and there's some enemy bases to take out or sneak around. And to be clear, I'm playing this game as a stealth game. I think this game is at its best for me as a stealth game. I appreciate good stealth games, but the stealth, the combat, the. A lot of the way these systems are interacting, it's kind of an okay open world game. I think in the minutia, this game's incredible. I think, I think this is an amazing. When you look at the gadgets, they give you the creative tools you have. Like, I was clearing an enemy base and again, to your point, I didn't have to, but I was like, all right, I'm gonna clear this out. Because I have not seen the ramifications of this. But they tell me if I leave some enemies alive, it'll still be just as dangerous next time I backtrack past it or go to it. So I'm like, okay, I'd like it to be safe in the future, so I'm going to rel. Relatively. Yeah. Or no, it's not.

[Dan Reichert]

Make them go to bed.

[Mike Mahardy]

So. So it's. It's very fun to me. And I also say I really do appreciate the vision cones of enemies. I think this game is pretty realistic in that, like, I, I really worry even if I'm like, crouched on a ledge 150 yards from someone, if they're in a watchtower, I'm like, they can see you in this game. Which I love. That's refreshing because a lot of games it's like, why does he not see me anyway? I. I'm. I'm tranquing a dude and it's loud. And I'm actually, the game is very clear. It's like, you should have a relocation area plan because this is a. It's a tranq sniper rifle, but it's loud. I also conveniently attach this speed exoskeleton to me. So I tranq someone and then I'm fucking sprinting, like, way too fast for any human. It's awesome. Like, and then I'm getting to another ridge and then he's getting too close to me. So I bola gun his head and he gets knocked out and his friend comes to, like, kick him awake and I javelin him with an electric spear. And like, the game is constantly giving you new tools with which to do this stuff. The thing is that I, and, and I've said this before, the first game was at its best when you're finding the story through the systems and the emergent story, the gameplay and whatnot. It was amazing in that regard. I didn't care for the script. I think there's some funny, like, bizarre shit going on that was like, patently Kojima, which is great. In this game though, you're like, you're going and you're connecting this new area and it's a fucking hermit musician who goes out there. He wanted to commune with nature and see how it impacted his music. And then he got stranded during the death stranding and he's like, oh, thank you so much. Like, it's so nice to be part of the Chiral Network now. I could share with my music with anybody. Anyway, my friend's really into guns, so here's a shotgun schematic. Like, what. Why did this musician. He should have given me something like a guitar, sniper rifle, if anything.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, and I.

[Mike Mahardy]

And I'm. And I'm. It's funny. Like, I'm having fun with this game despite itself. But I. I have to say, say it does feel like a sophomore slump. I. I do hope. I do hope there's a Death Stranding 3. I'm assuming there will be because I.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know if there will. I hope he's got OD and fizz in the chamber. Yeah, he's in that GQ interview. He's talking about, like, these games take like three or four years and I'm old.

[Mike Mahardy]

Like, you know, and that's the thing, like, I. I look at death rating 2 compared to the first one. And make no mistake, I think as like, this game gets so much more fun so much sooner than the first game. But the first game is such a weird, unyieldy beast with such weird friction against the player. And like, I hate it, but I also love it. And then you're not wrong. And that is what pushed me away.

[Dan Reichert]

From the first one to begin with is it is like going against the player. And like, I hated falling down. Like in the first one, I was doing so much more falling down and I fucking went across a river. I shouldn't. And now I'm watching all of my shit go down the river and it. Infuriating, but also interesting. This one is way more of just a video game for sure. And I think that's why there wasn't that friction with me this time.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, no, I don't. I'd like. I. It's like, I love that you can get a coffin to surf on tar with and stuff. And it's like. But then you accidentally kill someone and you're like, well, fuck. Going by the first Game's logic. And by the logic of this world, I now have to find an incinerator to avoid a void out. So I assumed I would have to bring them back to like the Magellan at the Leaf Beast. It's like, no, the coffin can actually just go down to the ground. Great quality of life thing. But I kind of would have preferred the long journey to avoid this thing. And again, that's just my taste in games. Like, I love state of decay 2. I love that shit that like is Dragon's Dogma too. I love the stuff. That's a pain. But it was a good story. So it's just. I don't know. I play this game and it almost feels like. And I'm. I'm. This is very unfair. I don't fucking know the guy. I think I've met him once and we talked about. About metal gear solid 3. It just feels like Kojima and Kojima Productions, they cared about this game a little bit less than the first one.

[Dan Reichert]

And again, that seems reductive.

[Mike Mahardy]

Right, Right. That's my point. It's like the first one, it's like they had this like. It's like. It's almost like a debut work in a way. The first one, it's like this thing like you could tell that was percolating their brains forever. And they finally got it out. They're like, we don't care. And then you see those stories before 2 came out. It's like Kojima was disappointed that it wasn't that divisive. And I'm like, oh my God. Fucking grow up, dude. Oh, people like your game. Then it came out and I'm like, I kind of actually might have seen what he's saying. It's like. It really is kind of AAA ass video game design. Sure, there is a fucking skateboarding coffin that can dip into ink to. To dispose of potentially time bomb explosive bodies. You say a lot of stuff out loud. You're like, this is a really unique game. But you look at it like a storyboard on a storyboard. It's actually. It's actually a pretty generic AAA game. So far. I'm only 12. I'm only 12 hours in.

[Dan Reichert]

I have a lot more to go.

[Mike Mahardy]

And I want to play more to be clear.

[Dan Reichert]

So you're saying like, let's say, okay, all the, like it's wire framed out. So you know, none of the visual stuff or whatever. It's just. If you're talking about what you are doing moment to moment in this game, take out the cutscenes Like, I, I see what you're saying. I do.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't think that's an insult. Like, I think there's, there's a. Like I, I just, it feels like, I don't know if Sony said, like, hey, make it a bit more palatable so we can get another 10 million players or like they're like, hey, I liked that first game. Let's build on it in a way that brings more people in. I don't know. Like the first game just almost felt like a. I don't, I don't care what you think. And like that's, it's funny because lately I don't want those kind of games that do have that friction. I want the fun game. That's why I'm enjoying Death Stranding 2. But it does. It's so different than the first game.

[Dan Reichert]

Game. I'm not necessarily going to disagree with anything you said. And in fact talking about like the you you brought up, like you know, immersive gameplay and comparing to other open world games, it's not like, I don't think it's that amazing in terms of like immersive or emergent. Sorry, emergent gameplay where it's like, you know, I, when I think of that, I think of Breath of the Wild. You know, I think of Tears of the Kingdom where it's like, I wonder if I could do this and this and that. Oh, wow, that works. Oh, crazy. Like there's so many like telling your own stories through your actions in the open world. There isn't that much of it in desktrending too. Like there are a lot of like, very funny. Like, oh, I'm wearing this vtuber hat and now Sam only says Peko. And you know, there's, there's a lot of quirks, but as far as the moment to moment what you're doing, you're right. Like when you are going to a base, like I'm typically building a watchtower, I'm tagging guys, almost like a far cry and I'm sneaking in my stealth fails and I shoot everyone. Like yeah, I could actually. I could totally see that. It doesn't have like there are interesting physics and interactions, but it's nowhere near on the level of like, you know, a Breath of the Wild. I don't think it's trying to do that. No. I think what makes Death Stranding stand apart is, is for lack of a better term, like just that Kojima factor where it's like that guy has an eye for just style. Where it's like every time I'm approaching a new, you know, terminal or whatever you want to call it or station and it pans out and it's playing whatever's on Kojima's Spotify playlist. And it's just like there's really nothing like that, you know, like it makes me feel a way that like I have not played games that are like this where I feel like it is just so that game is dripping with one person's creative vision, you know. But you are right. It is more palatable in the sense that like yeah, you're just getting a bunch of cool guns and stuff and like even the like delivering stuff, which was the kind of hurdle people had to get over in the place first one. It's not bad. In this one you're most of my times like on the highways. It's you know, like, I'll build my zipline network. It's totally fine. They even like introduced stuff like the monorail system and stuff to make it easier to move like large amounts of stuff. And I never really engaged with that. But the actual delivery aspect of the game, while still there is not nearly as like in your face butting up against you as. As it intentionally was in the first game.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

And so you're right, it is, it is a game that like you can load up and like people ask me if like do I have to play the first game? I'm like, not really. It does feel like the first one to your point Mike is like, that's the one where they had a bunch of crazy ass ideas and their whole like idea of the world and establishing what Kyrillium is and the beach and just you know what these extinction events are like that was very heavy on like explaining like what the fuck is this? What's the crypto bio? What's this thing? And now all that stuff's established and now it's like, all right, you're in that weird world. Here's some guns, go have fun. Here's a coffin board. And I think I like, I think this was the right mix of that.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's more balanced. Like I don't want to say objectively, but it's, it's, to me it's, it's almost objectively more balanced. But I love the moments where you're, you're creeping through areas infested by BTs like watchers. That was terrifying. I love that because that's unique. I will say like doll man's amazing. But the mechanic they introduced where you could throw them into The Air and Scout. That's. That's Assassin's Creed throwing. That's the eagle in the air. Scouting. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

He's a lot cooler than a eagle.

[Mike Mahardy]

I know he is.

[Dan Reichert]

Does your eagle give you, like, little therapy sessions in your private bunk?

[Mike Mahardy]

And I love the blinking on this. The entire screen of your tv. It's good.

[Dan Reichert]

And then every time you pull him back, he's so desperate, like, did I do a good job, Sam? Oh, you did great, buddy. You did great.

[Mike Mahardy]

Zooming back. So he's like, stick a fork in me, Sam. I don't even know what the that means. I just love that he says that. Okay, but, like, but yeah, I, I, I, my. But that kind of speaks to my point. It's almost like a. It feels like. You know what I'm reminded of often when I'm playing this game, and this was kind of the case for the first game, but especially this one. It's the Gremlins two Key and Peel sketch where they're in the. It's like, what if you have a doll you throw into the air and he's basically the eagle from Assassin's Creed, but he blinks and says, really? Like, witty. But then he, like, scans enemies for you?

[Mary Kish]

Yes, Yes. I love it.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes, yes. It's like, what if you skateboard in a coffin, like a hoverboard, and then you.

[Dan Reichert]

Can we break the fourth wall and Hulk Hogan's there.

[Mike Mahardy]

What?

[Dan Reichert]

That was in the Gremlins two stick.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, I thought you meant that he was in Death Stranding, too.

[Mary Kish]

Are we talking about Death Stranding? That's actually a funny mini game.

[Dan Reichert]

Or Death Stranding.

[Mary Kish]

Gremlins 2 or Death Stranding.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, remind me. During the email section, I did just a lot of people wrote in about the game. I was trying to remember. Remember?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, it was indivisible or whatever.

[Mike Mahardy]

It was indivisible.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I looked it up when I saw that, and I was like, oh, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

But, but that would be a fun quiz if someone can do a, A quiz that's Death Straining two or Gremlins too.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, every Gremlins one is just like, there's an electric Gremlin. Like, it's just like. Yeah, it's all just weird Gremlin gimmicks.

[Mike Mahardy]

I know. Yeah. It's, It's.

[Dan Reichert]

That's pretty easy. It'd be very easy for me. These are like, the two things I know the most about are Kojima and Gremlin needs to. We.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mary and I don't even need to be involved with a quiz. Someone create a quiz that's destining to our gremlin sue and we'll give Dan the quiz and see what he scores. 10 questions.

[Mary Kish]

10 questions.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm curious Mary. Like I remember the, the whole death stranding directors got your game of the year debate thing. What I am curious now is like is there, is there any curiosity about two and you know, if not, you know, what is it that butts up against you so much? Like I don't really know where you're at with wanting to play it or not. Mike and Mary A new era of power has arrived with the Alienware Area 51 Gaming laptops intentionally engineered to push more power to the CPU and the GPU for maximum performance. This otherworldly power paired with the game changing AI capabilities of Nvidia gaming GeForce RTX 50 series GPUs with DLSS4amplifies performance and image precision for ultra smooth stunning gameplay.

[Mike Mahardy]

And with the new cryo chamber design, airflow is focused exactly where it's needed most. Fused with Alienware's enhanced thermal solutions, it creates a higher power output without raising noise levels. This allows you to play with confidence even during the most demanding marathon gaming sessions.

[Mary Kish]

So no matter what you're playing, Alienware ensures every game runs precisely as its developers intended. A new era of power is here. All you have to do is take it. Discover Area 51 [e-mail] I think, I think there's interest. I mean I think especially if it's going to be, you know, something we discuss it at Godey. I need to. Right. Just like you would play a jrpg because like we need to be on the same page about these things. I think something that makes me feel a little apprehensive about might. I'm trying to like avoid it just being like a counterculture thing, but I just think so many people are like, it's so crazy and it's just like the things that you're saying, they do sound crazy, but I don't really know if they're meaningful outside of like making you laugh and do silly little things.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to say. In a lot of ways it's does. Yes. It feels like it's just, oh, one of those funny things. You talk about what you just did and you're like, oh, it's funny but like did it serve a purpose?

[Mary Kish]

Sorry, like why, why did we go through all of this? Like Dan, when you were describing it the very first time you played it, you were like, it's so awesome on your birthday. There's this whole cut scene with like characters and they're singing and happy birthday. And I was like, cool, but is the game good? You know what I mean? And so I was like, I kind of feel like you're getting lost in all these, you know, fun things that are so funny. And like, I couldn't, I couldn't believe how funny that was. And it was like, okay, but where's the game? Like, the game is so convoluted and you guys have like even Mike trying to describe the good components. It is really messy because there's so much wrapper of like that's a really funny cut scene that probably cost them a lot of money and they wasted like, look how much time went into that. But it's like, okay, but again, what is the game? Like, I think, where's the direction? That's I don't know.

[Dan Reichert]

I, I get that because like, you know, it's interesting because like I, one of the reasons I hate like Family Guy is because I I hate like random, random for random sake. I'm going somewhere. Like, I hate like so random humor. It's like just being random isn't funny, you know? And there was, I saw a mutual friend recently and I was talking about this game. This is a private conversation. That's why I'm not naming them, but.

[Mike Mahardy]

One of our mutuals. Like, what? You don't. Okay, I see what you're saying.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, I just, it was a private conversation but like I showed him a clip of like, Let me Show you a 10 second clip from the end of this game. And it does some like, like really out there stuff that I could not have possibly predicted. And his reaction surprised me. And then he was like, yeah, but doesn't this kind of feel like Kojima just kind of like getting off and just being like, wow, so random, so wacky. Kojima. And then I thought about it and I was like, about the scene in particular I was talking about, which for those I, I, I alluded to this on the giant bomb thing. It was a James Brown reminiscent thing. And it really popped me where I was like, wow, this is getting weird. And he was like, isn't that just Kojima just like getting off on just being weird for weird sake or whatever. And I was like, like, he's into this whole idea of Kojima being so wacky and random and stuff. Like, wait, I do hate that stuff. Like random for random, weird for weird. You know, that type of stuff. And it's like, what is it about Kojima where I'm, like, tickled?

[Mary Kish]

Maybe it's because you went to his cool, little stupid house and you got to meet him and, like, you know, lick his toes and stuff. Maybe that's punch.

[Dan Reichert]

Mary. I've hung out with him, like, four times. He definitely.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, but he never gave a who you were. And now, all of a sudden, there's, like, these, like, little handshake.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan's got that Keely virus. He's just.

[Dan Reichert]

I was sitting next to him during that event at Kojima Productions.

[Mary Kish]

You bring it up all the time.

[Mike Mahardy]

I got to ask you about that. Off, Mike. I'm so curious what Jeff Keighley is like when the UI and his game isn't working.

[Dan Reichert]

Hey, dude loves metal Gear. Dude loves Kojima. We can talk for sure.

[Mary Kish]

What's it like sniffing Keely and Kojima farts in the same room?

[Mike Mahardy]

Hey, Dale, I threw the doll, and nothing's happening.

[Dan Reichert]

Look, he was encountering a glitch. He was right to call someone over and be like, what's going on here, Dale?

[Mike Mahardy]

What the. Why am I listening to talking heads right now? I'm trying to play a video game.

[Dan Reichert]

That's actually a pretty good impression.

[Mary Kish]

I love you.

[Mike Mahardy]

What do you think he calls? Hey, hid. Hey, hid. What button do I press to throw a suitcase at a man who's trying to stab me with a spear? Hid.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I, like, at the end of the day, maybe I'm just a mark. Like, but then again, it's like. But I hated death. Like, if that were the case, like, when I think of the term mark wrestling term, it's one that's just like, oh, my favorites can do no wrong. I can just like, blah, blah, blah. I hated death stranding when it came out. So I think that shows that, like, even if it's Kojima, my favorite game creator ever, he can make something that I don't like. And I will go out there and be like, I hate this. And I did legitimately come around on it, and I do legitimately love this game. So, like, I do think I will give him when I think it's warranted, But I also genuinely do love this game. So, I don't know, like, I don't feel like I'm, like, you know, running interference for Kojima or whatever if I didn't like it. Like, and that's why it's like, any. Like, Mike, all your complaints that you're saying, I think are totally valid. And also, a lot of the Story is nonsense. I would say a lot of.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I mean, the first game story was nonsense as well. It's just. Yeah, that. That's training one. For whatever reason I played Director's Cut, I'm like, all right. I loved a lot. Like most Metal Gear Solids, Metal Gear Solid three is one of my favorite games ever. I. Despite all the mechanical issues I've always had with Kojima's games, I grew up a Nintendo person. I never really. Even for PlayStation standards, his control schemes just. We're trying to be different for different sake almost. I don't know if it was a generational divide or a regional divide or whatever. Death Stranding 1. When I replayed, I'm like, all right. I kind of finally get why he's kind of lauded like this. Now I'm playing two and I'm like. It feels like he's almost like stooped down to like, AAA game design at this point and finally broke them. Yeah. And like, I still think it's more interesting than that.

[Dan Reichert]

It is more interesting than if they did a Far Cry 7. You know, it's like, there's so much style to it still that, like.

[Mary Kish]

But that's not the bar. The bar isn't. Is it better than.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna piss you off right now. I don't fully believe this, but I'm going to piss you off. I was talking to a friend the other day, and he also has been playing it and he's like. He's like, so, yeah, it was made with the. In concert with the Horizon engine. So he's like, it makes sense that it feels like a Horizon game game. And he said that and I thought about it and I'm like, he's not that wrong.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean. But I have thought about that a lot while playing it because it is on that same Decima engine. And I think.

[Mike Mahardy]

Thank you. Yeah. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

What differentiates it is I just feel like Horizon to me, just feels like a game with every weird or controversial edge sanded all the way off of it. So, like, when you talk about that, like, open world, far cry type thing, I kind of. I feel that way about Horizon. Like, on every single level, it is a Ubisoft game.

[Mike Mahardy]

You're climbing little brontosaurus to unlock the map. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. But it's gorgeous and the action is good and like. Like, it is like, there are so many, like, top of their craft people working on Horizon, but it just feels so sanded down creatively where I think I really do Respect people making swings. And I do think this story and these characters and the like, I think there are still swings here. I don't think it's the safe thing you might be painting it as, you know.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, sure. No, I have a main protagonist. Be a dude.

[Dan Reichert]

They shot a baby.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah. God, the. There's so many gripes. I mean, I had a lot of gripes with the script from the first game. And I say script as opposed to. Again, I like the storytelling when they bird stuff. But like, yeah, that two story. Like, why does Sam not care about this or that? Why did like all of a sudden there's no guilt in like fragile. Doesn't feel any guilt for this thing that happened. But like, yes, I I was thinking, I was like, you know what? Like, structurally it's not that different from a Horizon game. But I was like, yeah, but you're doing a lot of cool stuff. Like, a lot of the minutia is very zany and weird and bizarre. He's like, like, yeah, but it's like by the end of Forbidden west, you're flying around on a robotic pterodactyl. That's pretty. Like, when you say it out loud, it's cool. Even if the entire game does. There's something about like now I I once he said that I couldn't stop thinking about it the last like five hours I played. I'm like, there's something hollow at the center of both of these games.

[Dan Reichert]

And I still Horizon and Death Stranding.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. And I, I like that Stranding two more than Horizon. To be clear, there is something, yes, to your point. Very generic about Horizon, even if it is gorgeous. Death Training 2i. One of the best looking games I've ever played in my life. The opening shot when you're on those ridges and he's solitary in Mexico. I don't look for photorealism in my games. That I could not have told you that was not real. Like when it comes down the ridges and all of a sudden you're balancing on the ridge and like, was it wood kid? The music was playing or whatever it.

[Dan Reichert]

Was going in the. The gateway.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's what I love. I absolutely love for that. And like, even at this point in the game now as I'm approaching a base, like in the and I'm climbing up a hill, I want like Kate Bush to be playing. But then it's the slow, somber song like, this is what I love. I. This is not something Horizon would ever do. But there is. I can't, I can't quite yet put my finger on it, but there is something hollow at the center of this game. Whereas, like, Death Stranding 1 was the opposite, where I'm like, I feel like there's something here that I can't quite break through to. And for whatever reason, Director's Cut, when it came out, I just. Again, maybe I had more patience because we weren't fucking doing anything.

[Dan Reichert]

It was.

[Mike Mahardy]

Was co.

[Dan Reichert]

I think. I think that's what the deal was with Director's Cut. It was only time. There was no thing that the Director's Cut introduced that made it that much of a better game. It was just time and expectation were different. And I think that's why so many people came around with that.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's like, it's two. It's like I'm knocking on this game, trying to get to the center of it. It feels hollowers.

[Dan Reichert]

One.

[Mike Mahardy]

I was like, it's repelling me, but I know there's something there. I don't know. And again, I. I'm one. How long can this game be? 70, 80 hours?

[Dan Reichert]

I'd say 50 to 60.

[Mike Mahardy]

Okay. I'm one fifth at best of the way through this game. So, like, I want to keep playing. I'm having fun, but it's more of a fun that I remember having with, like, the Ubisoft games of the world.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. And again, I'm not. I don't think I'm disagreeing with anything you're saying. I think it's just, you know, your mileage may vary where it's like, the Kojima factor goes very far with me, and it feels there's a lot of Kojima all over this game. Especially, like, in the last. That's the last few hours. I. Granted, I was loving the game all the way up, but then the last few hours is just the most Kojima shit I've ever seen in a video game. More than Metal Gear fighting the President. On top of more than that, it is like, wow, this guy is just fully unshackled here. And I think. I think that will be off putting to some. I think it will be seen as, like, just very indulgent. But I just kind of really like his sensibilities and.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, yeah, no, it's. I. I get why you're loving this game. Like, there's a lot of fun to be had. There's a lot of. There's a lot of batshit stuff that's going on. There's a lot of cool stuff. Like, being able to remotely access watchtowers is awesome as Long as you're on the Chiral Network, then it makes you think, like there's certain bases where if you sprint in one direction too far, you literally leave the Chiral Network and you're like, oh, shit. That's a tactical consideration I love.

[Dan Reichert]

And you can't use the coffin board outside the Chiral Network.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love that. That's the kind of stuff where it's like that is the systemic stuff. You don't see in a horizon or a far cry. I love that. But anyway, anyway, Mary, I, I, I, I think we're done. Sorry, Mary.

[Mary Kish]

It's okay.

[Dan Reichert]

Hey, Mary, I'll tell you right now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mar, this game is way more dewy than the first game. If you're interested in trying this out, it's way more Dewey than. There's some talky. But honestly, compared to the first game, it's nothing. It's a lot of Dewey.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, but Mary, I, if it helps, I don't think I will be doing like. I love this game dearly. I don't think I will be making any. What's the word for, for flibbergusting. What's the filiburton? What's the filibuster? Filibuster.

[Mike Mahardy]

Filiburton sounds like an oil company. Like Afghanistan.

[Mary Kish]

I won't be doing any butter fingering.

[Dan Reichert]

I think it will probably be in my top three of the year, certainly. But don't worry about me. Pushing extremely hard for this to be.

[Mike Mahardy]

Do we all have a share? Number one so far. Far without saying.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, I'll tell you my three. I'll tell you right now. You know, we've done the mid year stuff.

[Mary Kish]

You know, it's too early for this.

[Mike Mahardy]

I guess I'll just say this, I'll.

[Dan Reichert]

Just say it's, it's des. In no particular order. Death Stranding 2, Expedition 33 and blueprints. I shared my three. Okay. Those are, those are my front runners right now. But we're a week away from Bonanza and I'm gonna be going nuts on Bonanza.

[Mike Mahardy]

And we got some stuff coming out in the fall. Yeah, all right. Sorry. Mary, what have you been playing lately? We gotta pass the backstyle test. So continue.

[Dan Reichert]

No, we didn't. I can call my mom. What do you want? Yeah, Mary. Mary.

[Mary Kish]

Who's the one? I'm trying to be an ally.

[Mike Mahardy]

I can go wake my wife up. Bringing her into the room. Name.

[Mary Kish]

Stop bringing your wives in.

[Mike Mahardy]

I have three female cats.

[Mary Kish]

Your love for your wives.

[Dan Reichert]

I know.

[Mike Mahardy]

I was gonna say Dan is all.

[Dan Reichert]

Dude, I have three dude pets.

[Mary Kish]

I've been playing Ship Inc. It's like an Amazon based game where you pack stuff in a shipping plant.

[Dan Reichert]

Is it Amazon branded?

[Mary Kish]

No, it's just like. I assume that's probably what it's like to work there. Like you.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, you do, right?

[Mary Kish]

And yeah, that's what I do. I Ship orders. My God. Let's talk about death stranding some more in Ship Inc. You let her talk.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm an ally.

[Mary Kish]

Stop trying to be an ally. You're not allowed to be an ally by saying you're an ally.

[Mike Mahardy]

Doesn't work. It's been annihilation 12 times.

[Mary Kish]

Stop interrupting me to tell me.

[Dan Reichert]

I wrote a book called Anxiety as an Ally. It's contextually different.

[Mike Mahardy]

But Jackie Brown is my favorite Quentin Tarantino movie.

[Mary Kish]

Oh my God.

[Dan Reichert]

I like the substance in Ship Inc. You.

[Mary Kish]

Barbie was good doing a.

[Mike Mahardy]

Jamie Lee Curtis is aging like a fine wine.

[Dan Reichert]

Carla Gavino Zenya on a top.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, I, I, I, I sighed during our James Bond marathon recently.

[Dan Reichert]

Many times you disapproved of scenes in the warriors.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I knew enough to know this was wrong.

[Dan Reichert]

Pointed at the screen. Hey, buster. Hey, whoa.

[Mike Mahardy]

We don't let that word fly in modern New York, buddy boy.

[Mary Kish]

Hey, whoa.

[Mike Mahardy]

You lay off. You get your goddamn hands off her. And I turn around and looked at my wife. And I flexed and then we boned.

[Dan Reichert]

Mike, let Mary talk.

[Mary Kish]

Sorry, I hate this podcast. Ship Inc. Is a simulation packaging plant. So you work at a pack plant and you print out orders and then you get all the stuff like maybe sweaters or vases or mugs or whatever. And sometimes the items are broken. You double click on them to fix them. They're just like silly little mini games. It's kind of like one of those thoughtless sim games where you can play it after like a long day of work and you don't want to be stressed out or think too much. Or you can play it while you're like watching TV on your Steam deck.

[Mike Mahardy]

It is on Steam deck.

[Mary Kish]

Okay, so Steam deck friendly. Although I will say it's much easier on mouse and keyboard because you're unpacking and you have to like cut open the boxes and take.

[Dan Reichert]

You say that. I've been thinking about unpacking. Like is it anything at all like the game unpacking?

[Mary Kish]

Yes, but it's less story. Environmental storytelling, which I think was what everybody loved about unpacking. This doesn't have any of that. It's more of the fact that you're simulation of doing all the things you need to do to pack a box appropriately, including if it's got fragile things in it, you need to bubble wrap it, you need to put a fragile stickler on it. You just need to make sure that everything's accurate or you lose money. And then at the end of the day, with the money that you have, you can invest in lots of different things. You can. You obviously you need to buy your own shipping equipment, which makes it a lot more annoying if you accidentally use the wrong sticker or the wrong size box. Cause you're paying for that. It's coming out of your paycheck check when you make a mistake. But if you do everything right, you get like maybe like $700. You can put it in the bank, which accrues interest, you can take it to a, a law firm and then you can invest in yourself. So in, in the law firm you can do things like it'll be a thousand dollars, but you get 10% more for fast orders. And so it's like, okay, if I do that, I'll make the money back within like three or four working days. So that's like a good investment. Um, you can buy like different colored shipping equipment which isn't like super exciting or anything. Like, this is a pretty mundane sim game that's meant to help you, like, pastime in a casual way. And I think it does a totally fine job of that. Um, I did buy this in the Steam summer sale, which I think is important context to add, because Steam summer sale, like all of us were kind of like, yes, I would like to spend a little bit of money. This game is like, I think it's $5 and it was on sale, so I spent $2 on this game and, and it was just like a delightful game for two bucks.

[Dan Reichert]

Honestly, the packing part of it, Is there any kind of that, like Tetris RE4 suitcase? Satisfaction of just like packing everything in as tight as possible?

[Mary Kish]

Yes. You have to rotate everything properly and you can't overlap too many things at once. So. And again, you have to like make the right decision. It'll print out. It'll be like, this person wants two pairs of pants, a water bottle and some keys. And it's like, can I fit that into a medium box or do I have to pay for the large box? And if you're wrong now you, now you've just wasted a box.

[Dan Reichert]

So that, that sounds satisfying because I've moved so many times and like the amount of times I've like had a box, I'm like, There has to be a fucking way to get everything in here. Like, it is tremendously satisfying to figure out the configuration that, like. Oh, yeah, that works out.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dredge had that too. In the whole cargo.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

I feel like this is such a stupid conversation compared to Death Stranding.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I'm the fucking yellow taxi go room guy. After Mike talks about life and philosophy.

[Mike Mahardy]

For 40 minutes, Ship Inc. Is just about how we all compartmentalize and pack certain emotions and feelings and traumas into their own little compartments.

[Dan Reichert]

I mean, isn't Death Stranding just a Ship Inc. Game really, when it comes.

[Mary Kish]

Down to it, in many ways? We both played Ship Inc. No, Ship.

[Mike Mahardy]

Inc. Is like the prequel. And then you pass the crates to Sam.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then he brings them to the next facility.

[Mary Kish]

There's. There's like no cutscenes that, you know, where you, like, shoot babies or like walk on the moon or, you know, like anything really extravagant happens. But at the end of your work day, if there's extra stuff that you didn't pack, you can steal it, which I thought was kind of interesting. I feel like it doesn't fit the vibe of the world, which is extremely wholesome and like simple cutsy, but you can steal. And then after you steal, there's like a guy that hangs out by a dumpster and he kind of looks like a random rough rabble rouser. And then you sell stuff to him for like, under the table. Nothing bad has happened to me yet, but I always found that odd that I could do that. And then at the end of the day, you have to pay bills, like, you know, getting your nails done or paying your dog food. The only way you can lose this game is if you don't pay three of your bills in a row. If you don't pay your bills on time, you essentially lose the game. So you have to be good enough at the game at least to. To pack all your stuff and keep your shit together. One of the things you can do at the law firm is you can get a divorce. And then anytime there's a spousal support, you don't have to pay it. Which I think is also very dark. There's like something happened with these developers. They were like, let's let them steal too. And they just left it. And I don't know why they put it in there, but they did.

[Mike Mahardy]

The creative director, Jim, comes in on a Wednesday, clearly hungover. He's like, all right, I got an idea for you.

[Mary Kish]

You should be able to get divorced.

[Mike Mahardy]

The main character's Wife is a idiot. And we need to figure out a way to for, like, figure out how to put some, like, divorce mechanics in the game. It's like divorce.

[Dan Reichert]

Are you okay?

[Mary Kish]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

Fine.

[Mike Mahardy]

Sometimes I just like to think what my life would have been like years ago if I didn't propose to Karen at Disneyland.

[Dan Reichert]

And we're gonna call the game It Takes Two. And then the kid's gonna be all.

[Mike Mahardy]

Morose and you have to kill its stuffed animal.

[Dan Reichert]

Torture its elephant.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, yeah. It'll learn something.

[Mary Kish]

It's. There's like a couple weird jarring things in it. But anyway, I find it especially for the $2 I paid for it. Most of the games that I. I bought during the Steam Summer sale are like, cozy, easy games that you can play on a Steam Deck Deck. Easy pickings for a game that just recently came out. So that's Ship Inc. The next one I'll throw out I also bought at the Steam Summer sale, which was Two Point Museum. I've actually never played a two Point game before, so you'll have to take this with a grain of salt. When other. Other people are like huge two Point fans. And they. They've apparently accrued like this mass following of these silly little. I think they're also sim games where you like, you know, you operate a theme park or something.

[Mike Mahardy]

Hospital. Prison.

[Mary Kish]

Yes. Two Point Prison.

[Dan Reichert]

I've never played a video.

[Mary Kish]

This is Two Point Museum. So you are a museum curator. You. I again, also got this on sale, so just adding that context in there because I was like, this is a good deal. You. I love a bargoon. Don't get me wrong. Games are expensive and I. What?

[Mike Mahardy]

I can't take either of you.

[Dan Reichert]

I saw you. Mike.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan just spilled wine. But, like, you went to like, lick the lid to keep the trickle from going down. And then I hear Mary say, I love a Baron. Why am I spending time talking to you guys every week? Every other.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, Mr. Sommelier is above us now.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's. I mean, yeah, but this guy does.

[Mary Kish]

Not love a Baron.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I've never poured wine without having to lick the bottle immediately afterwards.

[Mike Mahardy]

What do you.

[Dan Reichert]

There's a big drip that goes down every time physically. There's not a way to do it otherwise.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, it's not true.

[Mary Kish]

You can rotate.

[Dan Reichert]

I didn't go to small a school like some of us.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, it's still trickle floater. Sorry, Mary. You love a bar, but you're playing Two Point.

[Mary Kish]

So then my first Two Point. You start the museum, you send people off on expeditions. It's fun because they all have, like, really stupid names, like Ron Falange and, like, you know, Regina Goon.

[Dan Reichert]

That's a good name.

[Mary Kish]

I really struggled. Really struggle.

[Dan Reichert]

These games seem aggressively British.

[Mike Mahardy]

I could. I could. I could, like. I don't know. I could feel like I could, like, hook up with Regina Goon and my wife would forgive me because it's the coolest name ever. Like, yes.

[Dan Reichert]

Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's Regina.

[Mary Kish]

She's hot, too. And the game is silly. The game is, like, filled with British humor and, like, silly humor throughout, for example, for whatever reason. So obviously, you're just selling tickets to your museum. You're filling it with old stuff that you find on your digs, and you're decorating your museum, and people come and visit you, and you can actually click on each person that comes and learn about their stories and their histories and what makes them excited to be in the museum. And some of the people that visit are yetis. Like, they actually have yetis that come into your museum, and they have little children that run around little yetis, and you can learn about them. So the game doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's meant to be kind of a little bit of a. It's playful and silly. When you go on these expeditions, they'll give you, like, maybe one third or one fourth of a dinosaur skeleton. So you got to go back on the same expedition. There is a risk that your people will get injured or take way too long or not bring back the right bones. But once they do and you complete a skeleton, everybody in the museum gets super hype. And all these people come to come see your giant T. Rex skeleton, which I think is fun. I got kind of into it then, and I was, like, not prepared for this at all. I was doing really well, and I thought my museum was, like, actually taking off. I had, like, five fully constructed skeletons that I thought were awesome. And I was like, this game is great. And they were like, cool. You've earned yourself museum number two. Let's start it. And I was like, what? Like, I'm. But I'm already doing a museum. And they were like, no, we're gonna do this one. It's a haunted museum. You need to, like, have ghosts in it. And I was like, what? And everything about the second museum is, like, a farce and fake. It completely lost all sense of reality. I was. Instead of curating bones and scavenging, like, animal remains and fossils in my museum, it's like dolls and haunted phone booths and go, like, Actual ghosts. And you have to make the ghosts happy with the right furniture in order to like keep your museum open. And I was like, I'm out. So I don't like the haunted museum, but I like the. I like the one where you like dig up animal bones.

[Dan Reichert]

I feel like those are like the right level of like city builder type stuff. I would want like, I've seen enough of those games to be like, I don't want to go like super, super in deep on like tax rates and all this stuff. I just want to like build some fun stuff, see some silly characters and stuff. Like, I've always been curious about the two point series.

[Mary Kish]

I was surprised. It is fairly intricate and there's so many different things you can do. You can promote people, you can fire them, you can give them education. I was educating a lot of my people to be like, smarter, faster, kinder. There's one you can do that just makes their thoughts happier. So if you have like a really depressed employee, you can be like, I'm gonna go teach you how to be happier. Ten more. And then they come back and they're like, I don't hate myself anym. And that's great. Like, good for you. I'm a good manager. You design all sorts of decorations for the environment. And I even constructed a playhouse that was a dinosaur. And kids went into the butt of the dinosaur cause it's a toy and play around in its stomach and then they slide down its tongue as a slide. And I was like, that's so fun. So I liked that part of it. But I didn't like the haunted one. I don't even understand how that made sense to me. It's so funny because like, obviously they're supposed to be silly and whimsical. So like, I don't want to take it too seriously. But at some point when I was like trying to appease ghosts to be happy in my museum, I was like, no, you've lost me.

[Dan Reichert]

Does it feel like if you had gone forward with that, it would just be like other gimmick ones where it's like, here's the, you know, caveman hospital. Here's the, you know, ninjas.

[Mary Kish]

I guess it was just getting sillier and sillier and I thought maybe it was going to be to a degree a little bit more realistic. When I was younger, I remember playing a, a sim game where I constructed a dinosaur park, you know, like Jurassic Park. And I was the one doing it. And I had to make sure the fences were high enough for The T. Rex or they escape and they eat all your patrons. And I was like, this is so sick. And it was like fun because it was obviously fantasy, but it was embedded in reality. Like there was a reality to it that you could actually believe that you could put a T. Rex in your park. And there's a reality to this, know, to this museum that I was like, oh no, I could actually send people on expeditions and like put these bones and decorate the rooms and people will pay me money to do it. There's no reality in which like I'm actually like appeasing ghosts and making people come to take. Take photos of them in a room. So it just didn't. I like got lost on that style of museum. I. I wonder if I'm alone on that. But I, I did like the original museum, so. Yeah. So I played a shipping sim and a two point museum sim them.

[Dan Reichert]

Nice.

[Mary Kish]

Thank you, Steam Deck.

[Mike Mahardy]

I want to get back to City Skylines 2 since they updated.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Because that had a rough out of the gate. It was kind of rough. And I'm. Yeah, I am curious too because like I played enough of one to be excited for two and then I was like, wait a minute, this seems really like scaled back and kind of buggy and stuff. So like that was a year, two years ago now that two camera out. So. Yeah, I wonder where that's at.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Because I like the first one. You could be trying to build a self sustaining, beautiful, great education, etc. City, but then you could also at a certain point veer into like, oh, every single person who lives here is Famke Janssen. And I like that flexibility because I want to try to do that in the second game as well. But I like that the only game I played like those recently is Frost Punk. And that's like the most bleak interpretation of that kind of game ever.

[Dan Reichert]

I tried that. That's bleak is the word. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mary, did you get a switch to you playing Mario Kart?

[Mary Kish]

I did get a Switch 2. I played Mario Kart's Open World section. I. I also played through all of.

[Dan Reichert]

The Grand Prix and stuff.

[Mary Kish]

Grand Prix. Because you should. Right. So I've played through every. I've at least tried every hard level Grand Prix, you know, aced them all, got number one throughout the board. But I kind of get bored playing that solo and you know, I have lots of friends, but I wanted to play the Open World. I wanted to play the open World. They go to other schools though. Yeah. Yeah. They have to be cool. And I actually Thought the open world was really interesting. I. There is these power ups throughout the open world that are super fun, that if you hit them, it gives you a challenge. Like, go through all these rings within a certain amount of time.

[Dan Reichert]

Like the P switch missions.

[Mary Kish]

The P switches, Yeah. I find those really fun. And I was enjoying doing those and just making sure because they're actually. Some of them are difficult, and some of them I had to do like 10 or 15 times in order to get through them. But what I recognized is that each of them was actually teaching. Teaching me a good skill that would be very beneficial for when I do have friends. And so I think that was, like, a nice bonus was I was, like, learning skills, but in this, like, nice, fun open world game. There's so many secrets in the open world, too.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it takes a bit of exploring too, because, like, I haven't done a ton of open world. I've done a lot of Grand Prix and, like, online and Knockout Tour and all that stuff. But, like, I've done maybe an hour of just like driving around and maybe found kind of like 5p switch missions. And it seems like there's a lot. I don't know what the number is. And you're not necessarily, like, you can unlock stickers and things like that.

[Mary Kish]

There's hundreds. I found so many. I did it for, like, eight hours and I did just drive around. That's all I did was drive around and do P. What have you been calling them? I've just been calling them P switch missions. I've been calling them P blocks, I think, or something. Yeah, yeah. But they're. They're fun and there's, like, a good challenge in them. So I've been doing them for a really long time. I've also been switching the controller back and forth and we would play with another person and they would try and beat my score. Right. And so there is a competitive nature to it, but we're passing the Steam deck back and forth, which I think is fun.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I think with that stuff, I have felt no real rush because based on every other Mario Kart, I'm just going to be playing this game for the next eight to 10 years until I make another one. And so I will have plenty of time between races to kind of drive around. So I haven't had a lot of dedicated open world time. But it makes me happy to see, like, when I do go over the map, it's like, oh, there are like, six Luigi costumes I don't have. And if I hover over this Track. There's like a bunch of question mark blocks I haven't found. So, like, I like the idea of there just being something in the background for me to do for however long. Like, I'm. Again, I'm going to keep playing this game. That stuff will always be in the background. So it. It is fun. Like the mechanics where it's like, we're going to teach you how to, like, wall ride and bounce between one wall ride to the next wall ride to get the P switch mission or whatever. So I'm sure there's some clever ones there. I still need to see a lot of them.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I think it's a very. Did it have. Did any other. Correct me if I'm wrong. Did any other open Mario Kart have an open world like this?

[Dan Reichert]

No.

[Mary Kish]

Where you could just.

[Dan Reichert]

Definitely not.

[Mary Kish]

This felt like really shocking to me that they did this. And it's also all of the different tracks stitched together, which is also, like, shocking. Like, if you just keep driving, you'll be like, oh, I'm clearly on the main track that, you know, you start your Grand Prix on.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. We're at the Toad factory now, and now we're in, like, you know, the suburbs of Toad factory or whatever.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. But they've stitched them all into, like, one large open world. It feels a little unfinished. Like there's some strange decisions that were made in it. I still find it odd how much you can, like, easily get, like, power ups and speed bump speed power ups and stuff like that, but there's no reason to go fast when you're just in the open world. So it fails. Feels unnecessary that there's that many power ups and, like, ways to boost.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Like getting inside a semi truck and it's boosting and stuff's like, well, I'm not in a race. Like, those semi trucks don't show up during a Grand Prix.

[Mary Kish]

There's no reason to go fast unless you're. You've done one of those power ups and then you need to go fast because the game has told you to go fast for a very specific section. But for everything else, you're actually looking for secrets, which means you shouldn't be going too fast because you might miss them.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I. I've seen people complain about the open world stuff feeling empty, which I. I get it. There's not, like a ton to do.

[Mary Kish]

There's no purpose. There's no purpose to running around in there. No.

[Dan Reichert]

But, like, I don't think I expected that much from it. I think it's a cool gimmick. But I didn't really see it as much more than that. Where it's like, oh, okay, in the lobby, instead of staring at a bunch of mes standing on the globe, I can like kind of drive around and around. Like you can drive around as far as that goes. Yeah, I'm happy with that. I don't think I was expecting more than that, really.

[Mary Kish]

I agree. And I also think, just if I can also say similarly to when Disney makes a sequel and everyone's like, well, I don't like that. That's not what I remember. And it's like, well, it's not for you anymore. I think there is an element to Mario Kart that isn't really for us anymore. These experienced gamers that are like, I need to collect it all. It's actually for the whimsies of a child. And a kid would absolutely adore riding around casually in this open world, collecting things and being really powerful. And I could absolutely see giving this to. To like one of my young nieces and seeing like, how delight, delighted they would be just driving around endlessly and having fun.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, if I was seven and this came out, I would have that entire continent mapped out. Like, I would know every latitude and longitude to that place. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

So I think it's successful in that way. So yeah, I've enjoyed it. Actually. It's been. I add it to three out of my four cozy games that I've been playing in the last two weeks. Cause it's like there ain't nothing more cozy than just driving around aimlessly, like, looking for secrets and doing like little short stint puzzles when you feel like it.

[Dan Reichert]

Totally.

[Mike Mahardy]

Speaking of wall driving, Dan, you've been playing Tony hawk's Pro Skater 3 and 4.

[Mary Kish]

What?

[Mike Mahardy]

Remakes?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, yeah, 3 and 4 remakes. Are. Are you two Tony Hawk people?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, not. Not like Die Hard, but I, I appreciate them and enjoy them. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Mary, I think that's also my alley. I mean, I grew up with them as well, but I was never like a Die Hard. But gosh, I mean, the tracks, like the musical tracks were always so important to me growing up.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I feel like there are, there's. Maybe it's just because I'm older, but like, some people just got bit by the bug really hard. And Tony Hawk is like on that top, top tier of gaming history and I'm definitely in that category. And so for the mes and grubs of the world and Minati, it's just like, okay, this is like, this might as well be like Mario 64 levels of like importance, you know. And I was telling Bonk today, I was like, you know, the number one game that if I just hear sounds from it makes my brain just fireworks are going off my brain. It's Tony Hawk. That, that series, like it is just one of the most beautiful feeling games of all time. And so that's why it's, it's like, yeah, they are just remakes, I guess, if you want to boil it down to that. But to be able to play these games, refresh better graphics, you know, on the go with modern consoles and stuff like that, which, you know, I've gone back to Tony Hawk Pro Skater three a million times. Anytime I get something that can play PS2 on it, the first game I try is Tony Hawk 3. And to have like, oh my God, I'm doing this again. Which is fun every fucking time. But it looks better. There's bonus goals, there's like, you know, it doesn't add a ton in terms of just pure content, but I'm never not smiling if I'm playing a Tony Hawk game. I'm just thrilled. And people complain about the, the 4 stuff because the original release of 4 had like an open world thing where you walked up to NPCs and accepted missions and blah blah, blah. It was a big controversy with hardcore fans. I don't mind. I actually really liked the two minute thing from 1, 2 and 3, so, so just boiling four down to the two minute stuff does not bother me at all. Iron Galaxy, the, the new missions like the, the water park and stuff, like just fantastic or new maps. They've been great. And another complaint has been the soundtrack because like only a handful of tracks are, are back from 3 and 4. And I think they got the ones that like, if they didn't have Ace of Spades, they didn't have Delta Punky Homo Sapien. I would have been like, well those are like, you know, those are the ones. They have those. And then they have a bunch of like more modern songs that really fit the tone of, of Tony Hawk. And I'm thrilled, I'm just thrilled. I, I got it on Switch two the first night I beat the game and didn't like almost like every goal. I didn't do all the pro goals. But then I was like, ah, it's kind of crashing a lot on the Switch version. So I got it again on PS5 and now I'm about to beat it on PS5. Like I will just keep beating this game and playing it over and over and over again and loving it. If you are going to play on Switch, I will give the caveat that if you're playing in a handheld and you're not a analog stick pervert, which if you are playing Tony Hawk with an analog stick, you're a pervert. The. The D pad stuff is not great on the Switch handheld just because it's those four buttons. And like I. That PlayStation D pad is what I want for Tony Hawk. And it did cross crash like that first night I played on Switch 2. It crashed like five or six times in one sitting. That's a problem. I'm sure that will get patched out. I'm sure that'll be fine. And it did run well when it was working, so I think that'll be a non issue maybe by the time this podcast goes up. But no, I'm probably gonna main the game on, on PS5 right now. It's fantastic. They nailed the feel of it. They've tried this before. They did the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD and the feel wasn't right. And anyone who plays Tony Hawk needs knows immediately if the feel is right. And they've totally nailed the feel. And I love it. I absolutely fucking love it. Tony Hawk's one of the best series of all time.

[Mary Kish]

I mean, you can't go wrong. That's so cool. And it's glad that it brings you back those amazing feelings of nostalgia. I think there's probably nothing better when you do a remake than not messing with the original guts too much so that people can just enjoy what they loved when they were of kind. Kids.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Which I'm. I'm about to find out with Snake Eater, because that remake's coming up and I'm. I'm about to start playing it. Probably in an episode or two. I'll be talking about it. And I already went on a trip and played it and it's like, okay, you didn't with it. What I've seen, they didn't with it. And like that's the way to do a classic. It's like, don't try to do your own spin on this thing that everyone loves, because people are going to fucking push back on that. Just make it look better, make it control better. Like that's, that's a great remake right there. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

But then like Resident Evil 1 remake, remake, a lot of remakes fly in the face of that.

[Mary Kish]

Those are mostly like quality of life upgrades though, right?

[Mike Mahardy]

Like, no Resident Evil 1 remake is a complete Resident Evil 2 remake. Is a complete overhaul, and it's one of the best games of, like, the last 20 years.

[Dan Reichert]

But the thing is, like, RE stuff is still like, the people who are in charge of RE making it, you know, with like, Tony Iron Galaxy is not neversoft. You know, Current Konami is not Kojima, you know, so it's like, I think if you were not the people that were in charge of it originally, just be faithful and make it look better and play better. Don't try to do like, we got a better idea for Snake Eater, you know?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yep. No, I get that. Mary, what is Quickly Block Blast. Talk about it quickly.

[Mary Kish]

Super quickly.

[Mike Mahardy]

Block Blast.

[Mary Kish]

You guys into phone games? Mobile games? Block Blast is Tetra with a little bit of puzzle and crack. That's it. Like, it's.

[Mike Mahardy]

I like all three of those things.

[Mary Kish]

But instead of doing it fast, you think about your moves and you place them strategically for the highest score. It is addictive. And I can play it on a plane while it's taking off on my phone. And that's why I got really into it. I asked my boss what their kids love the most on the phone, and she was like, everybody's talking about Block Blast. And I was. Was like, bet. And so I downloaded this game and it is. It is a modern puzzle. Tetris Crack. And I know we like Tetris, so it's the same mechanics, it's the same pieces.

[Mike Mahardy]

Dan likes Tetris. More like Tyson's.

[Mary Kish]

I'm telling. Yeah, Dan, remember, Dan, remember?

[Dan Reichert]

No, I don't remember, so I'm fine.

[Mary Kish]

Well, in our next 100 best games of all time, Block Blast is going to beat Metal Gear Solid, Snake Eater. So you should probably play this so that you can be prepared for the argument. Block Blast.

[Mike Mahardy]

All right.

[Mary Kish]

Not bad for mobile game.

[Mike Mahardy]

You guys want to talk about emails? Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

The concept.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

What are they?

[Mike Mahardy]

Let's talk about emails.

[Dan Reichert]

Can a pigeon delete doing that with your eyebrows? No. Audio listeners, you're missing, you should go to Patreon. Oh, boy. This is where Worth it Alone. Oh, he's doing tongue stuff. Oh, God, look at him go. Oh, God.

[Mary Kish]

Technically, that's Mary doing that.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, that's true.

[Mary Kish]

Ron Falange.

[Mike Mahardy]

Regina Goon.

[Mary Kish]

Regina Goon.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love it. Notified Mary that I changed the name, but I don't think Dan saw it.

[Dan Reichert]

I see it now.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, yeah, I saw both of them. I just tried to muscle my way through one fucking game without you guys. Guys dinking it up with all your.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, we're allies. You can talk as Long as you want.

[Mary Kish]

No, you're not.

[Dan Reichert]

We're a couple. Yes. I gotta go pee. Mike and Mary A new era of power has arrived with the Alienware Area 51 Gaming laptops intentionally engineered to push more power to the CPU and the GPU for maximum performance. This otherworldly power, paired with the game changing AI capabilities of Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 Series GPUs with DLSS4amplifies performance and image precision for ultra smooth, stunning gameplay.

[Mike Mahardy]

And with the new cryo chamber design, airflow is focused exactly where it's needed most. Fused with Alienware's enhanced thermal solutions, it creates a higher power output without raising noise levels. This allows you to play with confidence even during the most demanding marathon gaming system sessions.

[Mary Kish]

So no matter what you're playing, Alienware ensures every game runs precisely as its developers intended. A new era of power is here. All you have to do is take it. Discover Area 51 [e-mail] okay, as always.

[Mike Mahardy]

You can write into fire escapecastmail.com with comments, questions, concerns. We'll take all of them into account. Thank you you To a lot of people who wrote in last episode I had been talking about a game that I could not for the life of me remember. I remember I played it during 2019 or 20 or 21. It was very vague, but I gave general mechanical memories about it and it was in fact indivisible. If you have not played it, look it up. It's very inspired by and this might have thrown some people because I said it was turn based. It's inspired by Valkyrie profile which is like half like not quite clear, obscure levels but sort of real time sort of turn based, sort of Final Fantasy 6. So that might have been what threw people off, but it was indivisible. And the reason I could not find it is because I was going through my Steam library game by game, when in fact I owned it in my PlayStation library. That'll do it, but that's firescapecastmail.com thank you to everybody who wrote in. I kind of jumped the gun on the beginning of this, Mary, but do you want to read this first one from Alice?

[Mary Kish]

Hi guys. Just letting you know that the game Mike is talking about sounds like indivisible to me. Anyways, since I'm writing in anyway, if you had to turn a music video into a game, what would you choose? Alice. Thanks Alice.

[Dan Reichert]

Black Hole Sun Soundgarden.

[Mary Kish]

Oh, what would the game be? Look this up.

[Dan Reichert]

It scared the out of me as a kid. It's like the spookiest vibe I've ever seen from a music video. If you haven't seen it. It's a lot of like. Like the world is like. Like the black hole sun. The sun's turning into a black hole. And it's a bunch of people in the suburbs looking up and like zombies or something and they're like, into it. Like, it's a lot of like, oh, a lady's doing laundry and she looks up and sees the world's ending and like her face contorts like crazy. And it was the face contorting stuff that just me up as a kid. Yeah. Oh, God. I'm looking at that picture right now. The lady chopping the fish.

[Mike Mahardy]

Crazy paper boy 64 vibes.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, it's real up. And it was just like the. The. The very dramatically negative apocalypse stuff. And then people just like smiling super huge. As a kid, I was like, this is crazy. Really scary. Like, that tone I would love.

[Mike Mahardy]

I really liked the. I don't know which one would. But. But what sucks. Sorry. You have answered, like, half of it.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, what was the other part?

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, not really. If you had to turn a music video into a game.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, I guess I was just thinking.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know what the the game is.

[Mike Mahardy]

I mean, it sounds like it'd be a horror game.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Or maybe like a weird open world game where, I don't know, the blood moon shows up and everyone freaks the out or something.

[Mike Mahardy]

Do you remember the music video for Christopher Walken and Fat Boy Slim's music video?

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, the dancing weapon of choice.

[Mike Mahardy]

Weapon of choice. Thank you. When he's going up and down that hotel, the escalator, I'm trying to think of, like, how you could turn that into it. I remember that was like the Earl. Not the earliest, but I remember that video game. Like it was one of those weird things my dad got obsessed with. Like he had come up with Christopher Walken. They're probably the same age, I'd say similar. So, like, to him to see Christopher Walken doing that. And my dad was not super into this British DJ was very funny to him. So he watched that music video, I have to say, twice a week, week, for like a decade.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, that was. The thing is, like, at that point, Walken was not a full meme yet. Like, now I feel like Christopher Walken is so memeified and everything like that. When he was a very respected actor and people would do impressions of him for sure, and they do the talking and, you know, all that stuff. But, like, if there's something around the mid to late 90s where it's like, you got the cowbell sketch, you got the Fat Boy Slim video, that's where it's like he became like. And like the Internet was becoming a thing. He became kind of this Internet darling, almost early meme thing, you know? And I think weapon of choice is a big part of that.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, I guess to your point, if he did it now, it'd be like, oh, he's off doing his thing.

[Dan Reichert]

He's a wacky guy.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, no, that's. That's a good point. I just remember my. I don't know that I've ever loved anything the way my dad loved that music video. And you guys have met my dad briefly.

[Dan Reichert]

Your wife?

[Mike Mahardy]

My. Well, no. Anything? Not anybody. Anybody.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

You can't.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, Armorines.

[Mary Kish]

Well, fuck Amanda. He doesn't love you.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm texting her none of my favorite videos. I'm an ally. I love my wife. She's my favorite. Gangnam Style would be a sick.

[Mary Kish]

I fucking brought that up. And make. We were like looking these up ahead of time just to make sure we had something in our heads. Gangnam Style would be an absolute diabolical video game. It would just probably be like a bunch of stupid mini games, like, can you walk, you know, through this, like, high wind tunnel, you know, without getting too much garbage on you? It would be so funny. Like such a stupid. It would remind me of not. I think you should leave. What's that stupid British game? That's cartoon that we all thought was really funny. Thank goodness you're here.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes, yes, yes. It was fantastic.

[Mary Kish]

I think it would be like that. It would be like, like stupid happening in mini micro games.

[Dan Reichert]

Ooh. Oh, I got one. Okay, you two are. I'm going to feel old here. Green Jello. Three Little Pigs. You two know this. You do?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

How do you know that?

[Mary Kish]

I have to Google this.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know. I've got. Dude, I've got. I'm the youngest of. In a family of seven, if you count my parents.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, I was obsessed with this video. It's a claymation video from like probably like 19. 1992. And it's just about like the wolf blowing down, like, from the hair of my chinny chin chin. And it was all these claymation pigs and stuff. And it was this weird metal band. Remember? I wanted to buy the cd, but there was a song called Ship man on it. And my mom was like, you probably. You're like 8. You shouldn't buy this, but yeah, full on claymation. Weird. Like two adult version of a fable, a kid's fable. That'd be cool.

[Mary Kish]

I think that if we wanted to do story based, right, Like a game that we think would have like a really valuable story to tell but still be really fun to play. I think One by Metallica is one of the most incredible music videos of all time. One is a really long song, right? Like, it's like over seven minutes long. The music video depicts basically like the horrors of war. And so it's like showing someone who's like been through a lot of the problems in World War I and their PTSD and they actually, I think they have like most of their arms and legs and like Face shot.

[Dan Reichert]

Landmine has taken my sight, Taken my mind. Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

Yes. And they're like all fucked up and they're like. In the music video, they're basically like, kill me. Like, I don't want to be here anymore. I think that there's like cinematic elements of that that would be like gangbusters in a video game to explain the horrors of war. I don't think we accurately do that super well, but I do think there is games that depict war in the line.

[Dan Reichert]

Spec Ops. The line.

[Mary Kish]

No.

[Dan Reichert]

What? Why are you laughing at that?

[Mary Kish]

I laugh because I laugh because Mike laughed and his name is Dick Hard Most Edge Lord.

[Mike Mahardy]

Like, this game, like, says something.

[Dan Reichert]

Spec Ops the line. That was a fucking bold game.

[Mike Mahardy]

I agree. Me.

[Dan Reichert]

Why you laughing?

[Mary Kish]

You laughed.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I think Spec Ops Line's an interesting game.

[Mike Mahardy]

I agree. The way you said it was just fun.

[Dan Reichert]

Of darkness.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. Joseph Conrad, all that.

[Dan Reichert]

Apocalypse Now.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Mary Kish]

It's okay. Apocalypse now is like one of my favorite movies of all time. And I think, like, I think that's not a.

[Dan Reichert]

What's this face, Mike? It's maybe my favorite movie of all time. What's that face?

[Mike Mahardy]

I love, love the movie. I love the movie.

[Mary Kish]

What's your problem with Apocalypse Now?

[Mike Mahardy]

I have no problem.

[Mary Kish]

He's making fun of us.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm not making fun of you. I like that movie.

[Mary Kish]

You think you're so fucking great.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I got a poster for Apocalypse now outside the store. Bonk's got a poster of it in her office. What's the problem with fucking Apocalypse Now? We love that movie.

[Mike Mahardy]

I thought Spec Ops was great, that's all.

[Mary Kish]

Shut the fuck up.

[Dan Reichert]

What do you know about war?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. You haven't seen a gun. He's got ptsd. Oh, no. The horror.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, God, the horror.

[Mike Mahardy]

They're in the Trees.

[Mary Kish]

I think that would be a six story based game. I think if we're talking about gameplay. Right. Like visually, this music video would probably mix for some sick gameplay. Seven Nation army by White Stripes would make the best Thumper level of all time. Yeah, Thumper.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, just a constant. Oh, yes.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, that would be a totally.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

I. I wanted to mention this email and I cannot speak to the quality of this, however. Do you guys subscribe to the newsletter? Simon at Game Discover co. No. Really intelligent dude. Like breaking down. Like, why certain game. Mary, you'd love it. I'll send it to you. Why certain games?

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, Mary gets the intelligent stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, no, no, no.

[Dan Reichert]

He.

[Mike Mahardy]

He like.

[Mary Kish]

Dan, there's a finger painting that I think you would absolutely love.

[Mike Mahardy]

My. My niece did this like turkey hand thing that you would put on your wall.

[Dan Reichert]

Like a turkey.

[Mary Kish]

It's like a hand also. This is the head.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Okay.

[Mike Mahardy]

Simon Carless does a newsletter that's really good. You both like it. But Mary, because you like Comb Steam for unique indie games all the time. There's a game called Dead as Disco. There's a demo of it available. Supposedly this game blew up on Steam. I think I want to say like a month ago, two months ago, just says coming soon. You can upload any song you want to the game and then the game will put you in a music video where you are like sifu fighting people to the song. I have not played it myself. Apparently it's rad. So you upload any song you want. So you could put weapon of choice. You could put put Baby One more time. You could put Seven Nation Army. You could put Dan. What. What video do you put? Black Hole Sun.

[Dan Reichert]

Black Hole son.

[Mike Mahardy]

And you'll fight through this like energy.

[Mary Kish]

Supposed to punch to the beat.

[Mike Mahardy]

I get. Yes. There's like rhythm aspects, but like apparently the game adjusts. I don't know how it does it.

[Dan Reichert]

Ew. The ludicrous video where he had the really big hands. He had the big Hulk hands. Get back. And he was. Get back back.

[Mike Mahardy]

And then.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I want to be ludicrous and punching people. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

He had big fist in Everlong as well. The Everlong video.

[Dan Reichert]

He was big like word of mouth. He had the big head and then get back. He had the big hands. Ludicrous is big on the. The big hand gimmicks.

[Mike Mahardy]

Big stuff.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I like that.

[Mike Mahardy]

But I don't know. Check out Dennis. Try the. Try the martial arts music video. And Dennis Disco Neon drench beat him up. Where every punch, kick and combo Sinks to the music. So yeah, you can supposedly upload. I don't think I'm making this all up.

[Dan Reichert]

Seems like people are making Rematch epic.

[Mike Mahardy]

Bosses battle reform band Lace with killer move Neuron signature tracks.

[Mary Kish]

But it's not out.

[Mike Mahardy]

You're. No. There's a demo available though. Add your own custom songs and fight endlessly in our arena. Infinite Disco Solar Co Op.

[Mary Kish]

That's a neat concept.

[Mike Mahardy]

Fight the music. Yeah. So cool. I don't know. Try try it out.

[Mary Kish]

Let's put K Pop Demon hunters in it.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. Okay. Well, Dan, do you want to read this one? Thank you, Alice. By the way, Dan, do you want to read this one from Dustin?

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. I have always been a person who loves the quiet life. Just enjoying my video games, books and shows. In the past six years, that has completely changed when we had our first baby alpaca.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'll send you to the photos of the alpaca, please.

[Dan Reichert]

We found out soon after his birth that there is a whole national show system where alpacas are judged on their first fiber quality and body confirmation. This was life changing for us and we are now part of our state alpaca association board and we go to multiple shows each year with our alpacas. I've said alpaca a lot more than I usually do. I love this so much. I am actually in the ring with the judges assisting them. This has completely changed my life from being introverted and anxious to becoming more extroverted, though the anxiety is still there. Now my question, what exotic animal would you like to devote your time towards if there was a humane show system for them? From Dustin. Wow, Dustin. That's a whole. That's a saga. That's very interesting.

[Mike Mahardy]

Look at the photos. Yeah, look at the photos in the discord. I just sent you the photo. Look at that last one. That's a cute animal. Alpacas.

[Dan Reichert]

Look at these little dudes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, that's good. Oh, I get it, Dustin. That I would. I mean I'm fairly outgoing to like the fact that they kind of brought you out of that sphere is even more emboldening. That's great. Good for you. Very glad to hear that.

[Dan Reichert]

I love that. I love hearing about like, oh, here was the. Like I found this key that unlocked like, oh, I've always been missing puzzle or whatever and now it's like I found my thing and now we're cool. So yeah, alpaca's friend.

[Mike Mahardy]

They are cool looking. I don't know. Alpaca is might looking at these photos. I think mine's alpacas. But. Oh, I'm coming around. Listen, cats, exotics, exotic animals.

[Dan Reichert]

I know they're not exotic, but I don't know how much I've talked about.

[Mike Mahardy]

Cats are exotic, they're weird.

[Dan Reichert]

I am very fascinated by how weird cats are. This is my first real cat, maybe lion.

[Mary Kish]

That's in the cat family.

[Mike Mahardy]

Cats are the Kojima of pets.

[Dan Reichert]

They're just weirdos. He was drinking from the dog's water bowl this morning. Morning. And I was just curious because he reacts to everything weird. And I put an ice cube in the bowl. Oh. And it just broke his.

[Mike Mahardy]

They love it.

[Dan Reichert]

It's just he stopped drinking and he was just looking at like, what the? And he takes like both paws. He's like, what the is this? And he's hitting it and like investigating it. I love this dude so much. Like, Boss is great and like, it's interesting because like, you know, he's not like, we have two cavalier dogs and so they're always just. Well, Gizmo is always like, oh, love me, love me, look me. And Boss is just like, when he wants it, he is like, please pet me. Like, I love this. I'll purr. I'm just like, I love this. But the second he's not into it, it's like a off. And he'll just go stare at a wall for two hours.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

Just love how weird he is.

[Mike Mahardy]

There are such strange animals.

[Dan Reichert]

Like, yes, I love it. I get it. Love Boss.

[Mike Mahardy]

They've carried over such weird jungle behavior that they haven't forgotten. Like, dogs and cats are so intelligent in their own ways. Like, dogs are intelligent in ways that, that make them so it's easy to look at the way a dog acts around us and it's easy for us to project our intelligence onto them. See, like, yeah, they get how I live. They get like how they. They form into our lifestyle and they understand what we're going for and they kind of like mold themselves to meet that. Cats are doing their own thing and they're so curious in a way that it's like they're like, what is this ice cube up to? What the fuck is going on here? I don't know if I trust this thing. I'm going to check it out. Out. I'll report back to the hive in a bit.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I feel like dogs can't hide their emotions. Like, Gizmo is non stop. Just like, oh, hey, hey, I want some pets and stuff. Oh, I want this, I want this. And Boss, like, they. You can't express Emotions really like it. It's so, so different. And having them both in the same place is fascinating. I. I'm loving it.

[Mary Kish]

Very different. In my brief experience with cats, I feel like, like, dogs are so emotionally intelligent, and if I'm sick or if I'm upset, my dog knows even more than normal to sit in my lap and just hang out with me and give me lots of cuds because he knows I'm upset. The cat I was growing up with must have been like, either there, that's like a normal cat, or mine was, like, on, like, the spectrum. He, like, could not process emotion at all. And if I wasn't having a good day, he was like, that's not my fucking problem. And I don't really give a shit.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I've had all the, like, sinus in the last, like, year or so, and, like, you know, I've had a couple procedures and been laid up for a few days, and both times it's like, Gizmo has been like, oh, hey, I'm gonna be with you, dad. Even though it's not our normal time, I. I'm gonna go under the covers and stuff. And he's just curling up under my arm and being, like, extra sweet. Like, dogs like it. It feels like bullshit to say it, but, like, it really does feel like they can tell how you're feeling and adjust accordingly, you know?

[Mary Kish]

Yeah, I think. Oh, muted.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yes. Sorry. Our cat. Yeah, I, I think cats are more. Dogs are way more outgoing, and I think they're more, like, eager to earn your appreciation by showing you that they understand how you're feeling. I would say our cats do that too. When, like, Amanda, sick Luna, like, curls up on her arm. Arm. My. The two I had before we met, they also, like, kind of sleep near me when I'm not feeling well. But, yeah, there's a difference, though. Dogs are just so outright, like, all I care about today is making you feel better.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Cats are like, I, I. This is all I care about for, like, 10 minutes. And then it's like, well, I want.

[Dan Reichert]

To be over here now.

[Mike Mahardy]

My friends. My friends are doing something. I gotta completely over you.

[Mary Kish]

I don't care. Yeah, it's an interesting difference, but I think they're both valuable in their own right. And I also, I do agree with you. Like, there's something really nice about watching an animal learn in real time. And cats are really passionate about learning and figuring things out and solving crime. I don't think that my dog wants to solve anything. I don't think they Care.

[Dan Reichert]

It's. It's so funny seeing, like. Like, let's say a package is left at the front door. Razor will see it and start just, blah, blah, blah, freaking out because something's different. And then Gizmo from another room will be like, oh, this seems like an emergency. And he'll run up and he'll start screaming, and Boss will just be sitting there, does not give a. Will, barely be bothered to open his eyes. He'll just be like, these idiots.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, they're cats. Cats are like, it's cat's world. We're all just living in it. Us. And I love it.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, I. I respect it. I have so much respect for Boss.

[Mike Mahardy]

I think we're.

[Mary Kish]

Anyway, I think a capabara would probably be, like, a funny, exotic, interesting monkey.

[Mike Mahardy]

A flamingo would be really red panda.

[Dan Reichert]

I. I think monkey straight up, like, what is it? Chimpanzees that are the main, like, little ones that hop around.

[Mike Mahardy]

Chimpanzees are the ones with the long arms that can tear you apart.

[Dan Reichert]

But, I mean, that's, like, when you picture, like, the little fun guys that go around.

[Mike Mahardy]

Lanky. Lanky Kong's a chimpanzee. He's the long arm.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't want to. Lanky, strong.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's a chimpanzee.

[Dan Reichert]

Lakey Kong's not allowed in my house.

[Mike Mahardy]

He's a chimpanzee. The ones you're thinking of, I think, are the Diddy Kongs, which are more the, like, spider monkeys or just monkeys.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, little dudes. Yeah, But. But I also. I really felt strongly about how I needed to own a monkey before I was 50, and a lot of people.

[Mike Mahardy]

Have had that phase. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

But, yeah, I've seen some documentaries, and as I've learned more about monkeys. Have you seen. Nope. Abandoned that dream. I've seen. Nope. Yes. But I also watch what Project Nim was. The thing about the people in the 70s that tried to raise a monkey as a pet, and it didn't go well.

[Mike Mahardy]

That's what Nope. Is based on or inspired by. Oh, in this.

[Mary Kish]

In this, like, example, it talks about how it's important that it's humane and that the animals treated well. Can they also not kill you? Like, could it be, like, a black bear? Because it'd be really fun to have, like, black bears and, like, we all hang out. But I don't want them to. To rip me to shreds.

[Mike Mahardy]

No. I don't know. I think alpacas are, like, not dangerous creatures. So, like, I would say, like, an arctic Fox would. I know people who have owned arctic foxes who like, look gorgeous, but they have. They do have to still live, like in the backyard under the. Like, they need a shelter in the backyard. They can't live inside. They're.

[Dan Reichert]

I had a.

[Mary Kish]

Because they pee on stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

They're just. I don't. Mentally, I don't think they can be.

[Mary Kish]

Inside because they'll eat the baby.

[Dan Reichert]

When I worked at the movie theater, there was a guy that had in his pocket like a sugar squirrel. A sugar glider.

[Mary Kish]

Glider.

[Mike Mahardy]

Glider.

[Dan Reichert]

Sugar glider. And so it's like.

[Mike Mahardy]

Like he throws him and surveys enemy bases for him.

[Dan Reichert]

Exactly. Yes. Yes, he would. Like in the concession, you see, it's blink.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's a man's first. There's a man's 10 out of 10 body of a sugar glider. But it's this dude who lost his wife. It's in the body.

[Dan Reichert]

You get it.

[Mary Kish]

40 hours into the game, it's like, he's like, kill me. I went to world war and your.

[Mike Mahardy]

Friend has an assault rifle.

[Mary Kish]

Didn't like what I saw.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, he's like, oh, the trauma.

[Dan Reichert]

Anyway, this dude would be working the concession stand for like four hours and then he would get his 15 minute shitty break and they go up there and be like, check out my fucking squirrel thing that lives in my pocket. And we'd all be in the break room like, what the fuck? This guy's been in your pocket the whole time. And he would show him up and he had like the crazy flying squirrel arms. And it's weird that they could just live in a pocket the whole time. I feel like there has to be some sort of weird, weird. This isn't humane body.

[Mike Mahardy]

That should tell him not to do that.

[Dan Reichert]

That can't. Seems like. Yeah, just living in an AMC uniforms pocket for many, many hours a day is weird to me. But it was still like, man, that guy seems cool.

[Mike Mahardy]

I'm assuming you didn't stay in touch with said man.

[Dan Reichert]

No, not this guy. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

So I wonder. Yeah, I wonder what's going on with the sugar. Sugar glider is a good answer too. I would like a sugar lighter. I want to.

[Mary Kish]

I worry that it's not. I mean, readers can obviously correct me. I feel like most of the time when I've seen someone who owns a sugar glider, the sugar glider doesn't seem that stoked because they're nocturnal. And so most of the time by instinct, you're kind of going against the animal's instincts having it. But maybe there's a way to do it really humanely. Where everybody's stoked to be there. But the benefit of an alpaca is it's already very domesticated and once wants to chill and, like, casually eat next to you, that seems like a good animal that you can bond with and have fun with without harming its natural instincts.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. I was always skeptical, like, you know, you'd be at a party in college, and, like, somebody just brings a giant snake, and it's like, yeah, yeah. The snake wants to be here near all this jungle juice and, you know.

[Mary Kish]

Yeah. They have, like, a parrot, and it's just like. Is this parrot genuinely okay? Yeah, yeah. It's like this, like, situation.

[Dan Reichert]

I'll take it over the guy who brings the acoustic guitar to the party, but not by much. The.

[Mike Mahardy]

The snake's like, let's do some shots.

[Dan Reichert]

Well, I. Okay, look, I would take a shot with the snake.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't like. Yeah, I really, really, really don't like snakes. And I. I've tried my whole life to get over it. I don't like them.

[Dan Reichert]

Have you done the thing. What's the deal with cats where it's like, put a cucumber behind them?

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah. They don't. They think it's a snake.

[Mary Kish]

Snake, and they don't like it.

[Dan Reichert]

They don't. I haven't tried it with our.

[Mary Kish]

It's gonna scare them generally. Like, it's an instinctual.

[Mike Mahardy]

I didn't do it right behind them, like, device. Yeah.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't want to, like, torture them.

[Mary Kish]

They're like, you might scare them. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

I just don't like snakes. Well, thank you, Dustin. Hopefully we answer your question. All right, I'll read the last one from Rachel, who's written in before. Hello, all. I have been on a weight loss journey starting in 2024 and have now hit 76 pounds lost. Jesus, congrats. I've been watching calories, protein, and how many servings and fruits and vegetables I'm getting. I feel like I'm getting to the point where I need to start exercising, but I'm not finding the motivation. I work 10 hour shifts, eight days in a row on night shift. So, for example, 6pm to 4am Maybe a nurse. A nurse or a medical.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Mahardy]

So 6:00pm to 4:00am that's. I'm assuming if it's like, my siblings, like, yeah, eight days on, eight days off. Not. Not that that makes it easier. I'm just saying maybe a nurse. I don't know. My free time between work hours is sleeping, obviously, cooking food, spot cleaning the house to Keep it presentable and playing maybe an hour of video games. I've tried all the quote unquote hacks. Place out your exercise clothes, schedule your workout, set a timer, and if you want to keep doing it. So far nothing has worked because I just talk myself out of it. I used to bodybuild my early 20s and got so burnt out it harmed my relationship with food. So I'm trying to take everything extremely slow to not find myself back up at my heaviest work weight. Honestly, any offbeat advice will be nice. I have a bench, adjustable weights, resistance bands, a treadmill, and a sweet dog to walk. I'm just lacking the motivation. Please, please, please, any advice be greatly appreciated. That's Rachel from Michigan. I figured this would be good for us. We're not health experts, but we all like at one point or another, training for marathons, weightlifting, trying different workout routines, et cetera. So I figured, figured, yeah, it's, it's tough.

[Dan Reichert]

Like with the exercise stuff, I've always found that the thing that matters the most is that you're actually enjoying it. Because, like, if you're just doing like going through the motions, you show up at the gym and just like, I should probably do this and I should probably do that. Like, doesn't really work. You need to have an actual plan. That's why last year, the marathon stuff really worked well for me because I did two half marathons last year. And that is you had a goal, is a strict schedule. And it's like, if you don't follow this schedule, you're not going to be able to do that. The thing. And so this year I tried to do a full marathon, signed up for it, and I was training for it. And you know, in the last like week or two, it's just like, I mean, it had been more than two weeks that the pain had been happening, but like, my shin splints and were like, not good. And everything I was seeing, like, I was seeing physical therapists and they're like, give it a week or two break or whatever. And then it's like you try to go back to it. It's like, well, I'm supposed to run 14 miles on Saturday. I can't do that. So. So it sucks. I had to stop. And so it's like, I'm not running the marathon. You know, I'm not doing that this year. So I'm pivoting. And I think where I'm at now, because I'm right in that kind of transitional period now where I'm just trying to like figure out a different way to do this. And I'm trying to work out every morning right now. And the thing that works for me is when I wake up, all I want to do is go back to, to bed. You know, if the alarm goes off at 7:15, all I want to do is sleep for another 15 minutes, an hour, whatever it is. But you do realize you have to remind yourself that like you do have the power, like there's nothing actually stopping you. Well, I don't know, schedule whatever, you know, but like, if nothing schedule wise is stopping you, you just have to get up and do the thing and it might suck ass. You don't want to do it, it's the last thing you want to do. But if you want to do it, you can just stand up and do it. And then after a certain amount of time, it does just become habit. Your body will adjust to it. It's like you are going to start waking up at a time whether you want to or not. I could have a, you know, if I'm in that, you know, stretch of like I'm being good about working out every morning at 7:15, I could be drinking until 3 in the morning with friends and then my body's going to wake me up at 7:15 because it's like, that's what it's used to. So. So you just have to force yourself to at a certain point. And then habit does actually really work with your brain and body and you'll do it, but there's also the eating stuff and everything. So like, yeah, it's something I'm thinking about a lot because I am in between that stuff right now. But yeah, yeah, yeah, I was gonna.

[Mike Mahardy]

Say like, first off, the fact that you lost £76 is already a fucking huge achievement itself. So like you've gotten farther than the vast majority of people who sat down out to try to do a fraction of that. So congrats. Yeah, I, I would say like habit forming is key, but also I think in order to assist the habit forming there are several things. Like anytime I go for a run or I go to the gym, I'm always looking forward to the music. I make playlists for running, I make playlists for the gym, I make playlists for different kind of things I'm doing. At a certain point you stop just looking forward to it. It's like you play a certain song on the way to the gym, whether you're driving or I walk to the gym, whatever you're doing or getting like stretching for your Run. You hear the first song in that playlist and it gets you kind of gets your heart rate up and gets you like going. Like there actually are physiological, the studies about the physiological response, which is why I stopped. I try not to listen to those songs when I'm not working out because then my heart rate actually, I could feel it going up.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Um, that just plays into the habit forming aspect of it where it's like, all right, I, I don't want to go to the gym right now, but I'm really enjoying laying in bed. Or I'm really enjoying. I would love to just do lunch at home, but I'm going to go to the gym because, you know, like now I'm just going to play the Kick this playlist into gear. But I would also say that another, like, I don't know if this is a mental hack and like this worked for me. It's like way back in the day I started, I would say really, really hone in on how good you feel after the workout and enjoy that feeling.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

So the next day it's like you're working toward that. You might wake up and it would feel great to stay in bed. It would feel great to stay at home for lunch when it would feel great to just generally not go to the gym. Or not saying you have to go to the gym. That's another hack. It's like you could do some really fucking tiring workouts at home.

[Dan Reichert]

Home.

[Mike Mahardy]

The, the, the workouts that really exhaust me the most are the ones I do at home that are all body weight and like core strength kind of stuff. But there's a certain point in the week where I'm like, it's. I don't know, tomorrow morning, Thursday, I'm like, I'm not gonna want to go to the gym. But then I'm like, as good as it feels laying better right now, I know I'm gonna feel like I'm walking on clouds when I'm done. So like every time you finish a workout, pay attention to like that, that dopamine rush. Like it's almost like a drug. Like it sounds if you do in the morning.

[Dan Reichert]

Like if you're, you're done with your 9am and it's like, I'm good. I'm like, you know, it's not carte blanche to eat pizza rolls all day, but it's like you got your workout in. Yeah, your steps, you burnt your calories, whatever you got to do.

[Mike Mahardy]

I don't know how helpful that is, but it's Just like, I don't know. Next time you work out. Every time you work out, like, really? Just, like, embrace how good you feel afterward. Zero in on that and, like, remember what it feels like and say, like, the only way I'm gonna feel like that is if I, you know, do something. And, like, and that's not to say you don't. You should have days off like that. If you do it every day, you're going to burn out. I don't know.

[Dan Reichert]

Or do a yoga. Like, I. I'm a big yoga guy. And like, if you want to just do every day, do yoga, like, that's a great restorative thing. But, Mike, to touch on the. The music thing, like, I have found that, like, now that I'm not doing the running, I can do. You know, I'm doing a lot more biking now because it's easier on the joints and everything. And I'm trying to do it in the morning. Like, this morning, morning I rode. I did like a 8 or 9 mile ride this morning. And I can pick, like, if there's an artist or something you're getting interested in. Like, in the last year or so, I'm really getting into, like, Kendrick Lamar and there are certain, you know, albums I've not heard or whatever. So it's like, all right, not a lot of albums are more than, like, an hour. So I'm gonna go on, like a bike ride for an hour and listen to all of, you know, this one album. And really does make the time go faster. And when you're done in the morning, it's just like, man, I took in an album. I really enjoyed that. I. And I'm good to go. I can work even if time gets away from me like it does with anyone, especially us working from home. You got your shit in in the morning before the day started.

[Mike Mahardy]

Plus, the music becomes the primary thing. And like learning a new or listening to a new album, the workout becomes secondary. It almost like, yes. Brings the. The scariness of the workout down a bit.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. Or like podcasts, it's like, you know, oh, my podcasts are Monday and Wednesday. So I know, like, those days, if I go on a long ride or something, it's like, oh, great, I'll get to catch up on this podcast.

[Mary Kish]

You get to listen to a podcast. It's a nice treat for yourself, I think, for a lazy girl like me. I often try and do things that are not workouts that I know are good for me and that will give me the dopamine rush that I Am doing my best. But also the comfort of being like, listen, I'm also busy. Especially with all the travel I'm doing right now. I do not have the time to work out as much as I cannot go to a gym. And so what can I do that make me feel like I'm doing my best? Things that I like to do are I do have a Fitbit, and I love just the idea of tracking my steps. Like, go easy on yourself. If you can't make it to the gym, then you can't make it to the gym. But something that I think think you can do is hit 10,000 steps. If you go on a walk, if you take the stairs, if you do things that are just more walking, you can hit 10,000 steps. And that is active. That is like walking a theme park for the day. And so that is, like, a great way to stay, to stay active and on your feet without being like, yeah, I have to go to the gym and, like, lift weights. You don't have to do that. Go for walks. Do your best to walk when you feel like you could have driven or again, like, take the stairs. Do things that just make you move your body. There has been times with my Fitbit where I've been close, you know, like 950 steps. And I literally, like. As I'm going to bed, I'm doing extra steps to brush myself.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes. Like, around the bedroom, like, doing, like, circles or up and down the stairs and shit. I do. I've definitely done that because when you.

[Mary Kish]

Hit 10,000 on a Fitbit, it gives you fireworks and it buzzes and it's like, you did so great.

[Dan Reichert]

I'm so on my app, it's like confetti falling down. Oh, great. I can go to bed.

[Mary Kish]

Getting that is like a great dopamine rush for me. And it also just reminds me that I'm trying and that I'm doing my best and I'm being thoughtful about it. Right. Like, there is, like, this effort. There's sometimes, like, in the back of my head, it's like, if you're not breaking a sweat and lifting weights, like, you're, like, wasting your life. And it's like, give yourself patience and kindness. You've obviously come a really long way. You've put a lot of work in, and you deserve to feel good about yourself. So, like, don't ever punish yourself and be like, you suck. Like, you should be going to the gym. You don't need to do that to yourself ever. And you don't deserve to do that to yourself for how hard you've worked. Give yourself lots of grace and credit it and use walking as an excellent way to stay fluid and mobile and, and give yourself lots of grace.

[Dan Reichert]

And if you work from home, there's so many different ways to do it. Where it's like January of this year. I got the most steps I've ever gotten in any month because I got an under desk treadmill and it's just like there's so many, like there's parts of my day where I'm like on camera, on microphone talking and I'm not going to be walking during all that. But everything in between where I'm just answering emails and shit like that, you know, it's like just be walking, just getting those steps in.

[Mary Kish]

You can be walking. My other one that I actually did find that helped me over the winter because it's really hard to get me out of the house in the winter. It rains a lot in Portland and like driving to the gym is not my cup of tea in the rain. I got a TV in my area where I have like my little weights and I put on a YouTube video. There's so many free YouTube people that will do a course with you that way they're telling you what to do. And that makes me feel a little better than just lifting my little silly weights and obviously putting them down when I get tired. I like, I like a lady named Caroline Girvin. You can check her out. Some of her later stuff is way too hard. She's like incredibly strong. She looks like a, she's built like a brick shit house. But like check out stuff where it's like 20 minutes, no repeat. Like, or, or don't even do Carolyn Girvin. Like just Google on YouTube, 20 minute no repeat. Which means for 20 minutes someone's gonna do exercises and they're never gonna repeat the same exercise. God send. Like, you won't have to like do the same goddamn squats for 10 minutes for 60 seconds. You'll do an exercise and if you didn't like it, you never have to do that fucking exercise again. And I think that's really good for my brain. Especially like on days when I don't wanna work out. It's like, well, if I didn't like that, we're moving on to the next one. Anyway, anyway, anyway, those are all my tips from a lazy girl who has to work out but doesn't want to.

[Mike Mahardy]

Thank you, Carol.

[Dan Reichert]

If you want to do yoga, I love yoga. And if you just want to do the free thing, Yoga with Adrien on. She's like the big. If you just search yoga on YouTube, you're going to see yoga with Adrian and her dog Benji and everything. She does a good job for like very entry level stuff. Oh, I just changed my name to Adrian. Okay, great. She. She's good entry level yoga stuff. And. And the thing I do now is, is with peloton. I. I'm a big peloton guy. And Aditi Shah, she's the best with yoga. I do that several times a week. I. I've been doing yoga for 15 years and that is probably my favorite exercise thing I've ever done. And give it a shot. A lot of people don't. They write off yoga as like a thing. It's not it. When I'm doing yoga regularly. Oh my. I'm always sitting like between playing video games and being on zoom calls and shit like that. It's a lot of sitting here and yoga and doing your cat cow poses. You're doing your downward dogs and all that. Like do that a few times a week, you're gonna feel a lot better for sure.

[Mary Kish]

I agree. That's good advice.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, thank you, Rachel. And again, congrats on the weight loss. Sounds like that.

[Dan Reichert]

I don't know.

[Mike Mahardy]

It's already been going well. So anything from here is just.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah. If you lost 76 pounds, you. You got something figured out.

[Mike Mahardy]

Also huge boon. She got a kitten around this time last year who's trying to be friends with her dog Dwayne. She's talking.

[Mary Kish]

That's a cat now.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, Dwayne's a good name.

[Mike Mahardy]

Kittens like a fluffy tuxedo looks cute. And then Dwayne's like a pit bull boxer mix of some sort of it. Very cute.

[Dan Reichert]

It's funny. I think a lot of times people getting dogs, you'd be worried about the dog attack on the cat. I've got the two cavaliers and the one cat and it's like, oh, this cat would Razor.

[Mary Kish]

I'm way more worried about those dogs eyeballs. Like one swipe and those bad boys are blind.

[Dan Reichert]

Boss. Would them up.

[Mary Kish]

Dude, dude. The photos of your dogs retrieving stuff in the water and their eyeballs are like tennis balls that have just been pasted to.

[Dan Reichert]

It's Razor. He's just a fucking maniac.

[Mary Kish]

No defense mechanism to those dogs. Like they would absolutely be killed.

[Dan Reichert]

Yes.

[Mike Mahardy]

Thank you, Rachel. Thank you Dustin and thank you, Alice. That concludes our show as usual. Like I said, you can write into firescapecastmail.com thank you for everybody who pointed out that the game I could not remember was indivisible. Not for lack of quality on the game's part. I liked it a lot. I might even replay it semi slightly soon. We will be back in two weeks as usual. You can go to firescape merch.com. can you. We always do this. I don't think you can.

[Dan Reichert]

URL. Deep dish.

[Mike Mahardy]

Deep dish is if you. Okay. If you're not already a Patreon. Okay. Fire escape merch. Just. Yeah, go to fire. Fire escape cast merch. I don't know. It's one of those. Yeah, go to deepdishpussy.com that's our plug the Warhammer. Vinnie and I from Vinnie Car from Next Lander and I have been doing a couple Total War Warhammer 3 co op campaigns, both of which have been very entertaining for different reasons. There was one over on Nextlander, if you're not already a patron for their $10 tier, which is a lot of their bonus videos and whatnot. Vinnie and I are playing evil factions. We're going. We're like rampaging across Lustria. I'm playing vampire zombie pirates. He's playing demonic fiery horde kind of faction. That's fun. And then if you're a video patron here, then you have been seeing that every other week on our off weeks from the episodes we've been putting up the campaign where me and Vinny are trying to save the world. I'm playing as a lizard men chameleons, dinosaurs. He's playing as Emmerich, the high elf priest with dragon fetish. So we've been trying to. That one is a bit more dramatic where I think finally going to start turning the tides against a bunch of chaos dwarfs and nurglings and you know, all that stuff that I don't need to explain. You guys all know Nerglings.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, okay. God, Dan, fucking nerdlings is funnier.

[Mike Mahardy]

Yeah, they could be called nerdlings. That would still make sense.

[Mary Kish]

What's a Nerg?

[Mike Mahardy]

Nurgle is one of the four chaos gods in charge of pestilence and disease and spreading. Stuff like that. Yeah. Oh, he doesn't surfboard on a coffin, so he's not cool. Oh, Tony. Tony Hawk's not signed on, so it's not cool.

[Dan Reichert]

You're just saying a bunch of cool sounding stuff to me.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, Total Warhammer is not published by Devolver Digital. So it's not cool. What that was Mary.

[Mary Kish]

It's not as big of a flow.

[Dan Reichert]

Yeah, he was.

[Mary Kish]

He was gonna be on that one.

[Mike Mahardy]

Stop Firing it both. So if you are not part of our video team.

[Mary Kish]

Dan was like, that shot wasn't for me. I don't understand it at all.

[Dan Reichert]

I wanted to defend Evolver. They do good stuff of all of us.

[Mary Kish]

Dan is like the cat of this group who's just like. But I don't understand how that pertains to me.

[Mike Mahardy]

No, I take offense to that. I'm the cat.

[Mary Kish]

If you're not, you're the biggest. Yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Oh, yeah, that's fine.

[Mary Kish]

I'm the dog for sure. I'm like. I played Two Point Hospital. It was great. Thanks for letting me speak.

[Mike Mahardy]

I love dogs. I'm in a pineapple room.

[Mary Kish]

Look at all these colors. Oh, wait, dogs are colorblind.

[Dan Reichert]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Mahardy]

Sore cats. But if you're not a member of our Patreon yet, you can go sign up now@deep dish.com you can treat it like a tip jar if you just appreciate what we do. You can get AD free audio episodes or you can get the video tier where you get video versions of every episode and you also get access to our bonus videos and the said Warhammer show with Vinnie and I. Yeah, Dan, what do you have going on in the meantime?

[Dan Reichert]

Giant bomb dot com. Doing a bunch of fun stuff there. We just started the new season of Blake Club where I am playing Pimp My ride for the PlayStation 2.

[Mike Mahardy]

Great game. I think.

[Dan Reichert]

I think I'm doing a great job. I think I'm doing a. We started it today. As of this recording. I think I'm doing a great job. So giantbomb.com is the main thing. And then I'm Dan Reichert on Twitch and Blue sky and all that stuff.

[Mike Mahardy]

Mary, what about you?

[Mary Kish]

Streaming on Twitch Every Monday I streamed a lot of the games I talked about including Two Point Museum and was it called Get Packin' Quickly, Pack Hard.

[Dan Reichert]

Pick Quickly, Blockbuster or Back Harder, Die Trying.

[Mike Mahardy]

Give Give Free or Pack Hard, Pack Hard With a Vengeance.

[Mary Kish]

Anyway, I usually play games on there first just to try them out. So it's kind of fun to get first impressions there. Final Impressions, AKA the Review, the Fuse on Fire Escape.

[Mike Mahardy]

Well, thank you too as always and thank you everybody for joining us. We will be back in a couple weeks and in the off week we'll have a new Warhammer episode. Until both of those, we will see you next time. Bye Bye.