Arrggh! A Video Game Podcast from The Waffling Taylors The Waffling Taylors

All-round amazing person G to the Next Level joined us to talk about Chainsaws, Dolphins, Sega Saturn, Resurrected Gods, and Sorceresses... Nope, you'll just have to listen to the episode to find out what that means - I'm just the AI who writes the website content. Wait! Am I allowed to tell you that?
Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.
Show Notes
From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games beyond.In this episode, we have a returning guest G to the Next Level - little aside here: #dontCallMeShirely - to talk about his entire retail US Genesis library.
We cover wholesome gaming stories. A cautionary tale about drinking, and chainsaws. Yes, I said chainsaws. You want to know why chainsaws? Keep listening, and you'll find out. It's in there somewhere.
So sit back, grab some snacks, and get ready for this episode entitled "Genesis to the Next Level, a story about game collecting."Enjoy.
— Squidge
And as soon as the episode started, the lie about their being pizza was out of the bag. Apparently, Squidge had promised some pizza to G to the Next Level but it had all been a ruse in order to get him to appear on the podcast. Pretty bad form, if you think about it. Meanwhile, Jay started talking about a very specific Jonathan Coulton song without talking about it of course - because it's really rather rude, you see.
And keen listeners of the podcast will remember G to the Next Level appearing in the first two parts of our Sonic2sMonth special (which celebrated 30 years since Sonic 2sDay). Here are some links, in case you missed that one:

Part one
Part two
And when asked about himself, G had this to say:
So, yeah, I'm I'm G to the Next Level, you know, like, "welcome to the next level" with a G like me. I mostly do retro stuff, sometimes retro inspired stuff. I do YouTube, I do Twitch four days a week.I'm working on a project called Growing Up Genesis where basically I'm chronicling the entire library of the Sega Genesis - the official library from A to Z - on both YouTube and various other methods. I've been guessing at conventions all over the United States. Hopefully on your side of the world someday, hopefully. But yeah, that's basically where you can find me.
And my whole thing is not just Sega, but it mostly involves Sega. I've been a fan of Sega since 1991, since getting the Sega Genesis for Christmas 1991. And ever since the Sega Genesis - or Mega Drive - has basically been a huge integral part in my video gaming life. And between that and one way to another is just ways to share not only my own childhood stories, just cool things about video games, cool facts that maybe you might not know, games that you might not have ever really played, that sort of thing.
And just bringing unique Sega spin on things that don't quite get enough love in these days.
And the same thing on Twitch, too, because essentially I do, like, viewer requests on Twitch where people can request games for me to stream. I'll do newer, retro-inspired games that maybe people are just kind of on the fence whether or not they should play. I do community games on Friday nights on the Nintendo Switch. And then, like I said, that Growing Up Genesis project, it mainly all starts on Twitch and it spans off from there.
— G to the Next Level
Recent GamesThe Recent Games segment will not be new to listeners, but in case you're new to the show here's how it goes: we go round the table and discuss one or more game that we've been playing recently, and whether we think it's worth the listeners checking it out. We continue to do this until we've run out of games to discuss.
And this episode was no different.
G to the Next Levels' Recent Games

Splatoon 3
Hi-Fi Rush
Sonic Frontiers
Squidge's Recent Games

Samurai Warriors 5
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Jay's Recent Games

Phantasy Star Online
Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-sh

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.
Anthony (of Capes on the Couch) joined us to go a hilarious and irreverent deep dive into the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie, discussing everything from its iconic soundtrack to its questionable casting choices. From Jean Claude Van Damme's missed opportunity to be part of the cast to the iconic soundtrack, the hosts offer witty observations and absurd suggestions that will have you laughing out loud. But it's their suggestions for new characters and fatalities in the Mortal Kombat franchise that really shine, including a shirtless sax man from Lost Boys and a 'bloodwind' instrument played through a victim's ribs.
And did Kevin Nash give his quads that Raiden could look fabulous?
psst. we've actually done a bunch of these "goes to the movies" episodes. Check this page to see all of the released specials.
Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.
Content Warning
As this is an episode about a both PG13 rated movie and a fighting game which literally started the game rating systems, we'd advise a little caution for this episode. There's nothing explicitly terrible in this episode, but the subject matter can be pretty rough.
There are a few swears toward the end of the episode, but they're all bleeped out. There's also a part at 42:44 (which lasts for 90 seconds) where we discuss possible titles for a porn parody for this movie.
Please listen responsibly.
Show Notes
The boys are back in town, and this time they're joined by Anthony of the Capes on the Couch podcast. Anthony joined us to talk about the 1995 movie Mortal Kombat. Anthony was actually on an earlier episode - here's a link to that episode.
And he described Capes on the Couch as:
So Capes on the Couch, we are a podcast. We just crossed the five year mark, which we're very proud of, and we cover the mental health issues of comic book characters. And my co host, my best friend, my brother, is a board certified psychiatrist, and so he breaks it down from the perspective of, "what are some of the issues that each character faces?" And then we dissect what treatment options would look like for the characters, both in universe and that can involve whatever the characters have available to them, if they're magical, if they are technologically savvy, whatever the case may be, if the have abilities. Whatever that world has to offer, Doc will utilize that in treatment.And then we discuss what treatment would look like for a real person with a lot of these issues. And then we role play what a therapy session with that character would sound like. And it gives us an opportunity to have a little bit of fun and to do some voice acting. Some of them are funny, some of them are deadly, some of them are really serious. So it all honestly depends on the character. And so we have a lot of fun with it.
And we just recently announced, I don't know exactly when this episode is going to be coming out, but we just found out that we are going to be doing our first ever panel appearance at a convention. We will be at Puchi Con in Atlantic City, New Jersey, so not terribly far from where we are. On Sunday, May 14, we will be discussing Vash the Stampede from Trigun. If you are at all a manga or anime fan, the con is a little more anime and manga focused than your standard comic convention. So when we were putting the panel together, I said to Doc, we've never done a manga character. I want to make sure that we hit the audience kind of where they are.- Anthony
Interestingly, since they had recorded the Mortal Kombat Annihilation episode ahead of this one - though it wasn't out when this one was being recorded - Squidge and Anthony had some things to say about it before the record button was pressed. Jay brought this up.
Well, I wouldn't say it was trash talk, but Squid seemed to indicate that he felt that Mortal Kombat Annihilation

Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Discord server, Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.
Squidge and Jay take you on a hilarious journey through one of the cheesiest action movies of the 90s: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. With their witty banter and insightful commentary, they break down the fight scenes, discuss the plot, and share fun facts you never knew about the making of the film.
psst. we've actually done a bunch of these "goes to the movies" episodes. Check this page to see all of the released specials.
Here's a sample of the full show notes - make sure to click through and check them out.
Content Warning
As this is an episode about a both PG13 rated movie and a fighting game which literally started the game rating systems, we'd advise a little caution for this episode. There's nothing explicitly terrible in this episode, but the subject matter can be pretty rough.
There are a few swears toward the end of the episode, but they're all bleeped out.
Please listen responsibly.
Show Notes
This episode may or may not have been recorded live at the Jammy Awards:
Hello, greetings, and welcome to another edition of the Jammy Awards. This is the 37th annual edition, I'm in my jammies why are you not.I am here, my name is Squidge...- SquidgeExcept that it wasn't recorded live, Jammy Awards or no.
This episode was just Squidge and Jay talking about (as Jay put it)
MORTAL KOMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!ONEONEONEELEVEN- JayBasic Info on the MovieThis movie was released in 1997, as a sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat - don't worry, we're going to cover that movie. We wanted to start with Annihilation for... reasons.
The 1995 movie was directed by Paul W. S. "look at how hot my future wife is" Anderson, but this piece of celluloid was directed by John R. Leonetti. Not only was the director replaced, but most of the cast were too; with Christopher Lambert being replaced by James Remar - there's a perfectly logical reason for this, and it's explored in the next Goes to the Movies episode. Teaser much?
The plot of this movie revolves mostly around the games Mortal Kombat II and Mortal Kombat 3, which makes sense when you realise how little plot there are in fighting games.
Initial Thoughts
Neither Squidge nor Jay saw this movie on the big screen. But Squidge remembers seeing Star Wars Episode 1 on the big screen, and Jay remembers The Power Rangers Movie as their first movie.
Starting with a montage is a baller move, for sure. And it's even more impressive than the way that Casino Royale into Quantum of Solace did it.
Full Show Notes
Make sure to check out the full show notes for more discussion on the points we raise, some extra meta-analysis, some out-of-context screen grabs from the movie, and some links to related things.
Are you a fan of the Doom games? What about this movie? Did the first-person section of the movie grab you and take you back to the games?
psst. we've actually done a bunch of these "goes to the movies" episodes. Check this page to see all of the released specials.
What other movies would you like us to cover? Let us know on Discord, Twitter, Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.
Links
Here are some links to some of the things we discussed in this episode:

Join our Discord server and be part of future episodes
Us on Twitter
Our Facebook page
Support us on Ko-Fi
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
Lights, Camera, Game Over by Luke Owen
Cinema Therapy
And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.
The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 donation provides a week of hosting for all of our shows. You can support this show, and the others like it, at https://ko-fi.com/jayandjaymedia


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Matthew (the host of The Dead Drop podcast) is back again. This time, we take video game talk to a whole new level with their hilarious and random tangents. We discuss the absurdity of a half a million dollar game to throwing babies and cats at pickpockets, to dissecting Apple's marketing strategy - all the while finishing off our chat from last time... maybe
Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.
Show Notes
Squidge decided to start this part of the episode with a (not so subtle) shot at Chief:
And you thought Chief Problems can do tangets. He aint go nothing on Matthew Bliss from the Dead Drop News podcastAnyway, with that being said: sit back, grab some snacks, and get ready for the conclusion of the chat we had with Matthew Bliss in this episode that we entitled "The Lethality of Tangents - Part Two"— SquidgeI Am Rich
Towards the end of the previous episode, Jay brought up the I Am Rich game for iOS - it was the first famous iOS app in that it cost half a million dollars to buy, and would just display the legend "I am rich" when you opened it.
This reminded Matt of a story that he almost put in the (then) most recent episode of the Dead Drop News podcast - we recorded this episode on Feb 10th, 2023 - about a developer who decided to release their game to Steam and charge the maximum that Steam would allow. At the time of its release, The Hidden And The Unknown had a hefty price tag of $2000, but this wasn't the game that Matt was talking about.
Recent Games
The previous episode ended partway through the Recent Games section, so here's a quick round up of that section.
The Recent Games segment will not be new to listeners, but in case you're new to the show here's how it goes: we go round the table and discuss one or more game that we've been playing recently, and whether we think it's worth the listeners checking it out. We continue to do this until we've run out of games to discuss.
And this episode was no different.
Jay's recent Games
But before the discussion could turn to Jay's recent games, there was a conversation of the Apple Magic Mouse 2's charging port and Apple's standard marketing strategy. Here is a shot of the Magic Mouse 2, plugged in and charging.

Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Road Redemption
The Thunder Plain Games
For those who are new to the pod, we have a section called "Thunder Plain Games" which might be vaguely reminiscent of a certain programme on BBC Radio 4 - but for copyright reasons, it is completely different.
Imagine that you are in Final Fantasy X, and the Thunder Plains) is a place that you get banished to. And what we're going to do is we're going to open a portal to the Thunder Plains and, very nicely and politely, boot you through it. You will get help, maybe it will be tomorrow, maybe it will be in a week, maybe it will be in an hour.
To stop you from getting bored, we've said that we'll keep the portal open and we'll throw through up to three video games and everything you need to play them - including an Internet connection. The only rules are that you can't ask for help, because help is on the way, and you can't tell anyone that you're in the Thunder Plains.
So our question is: were we to do throw, boot, or yeet you through the portal, which games are we throwing through with you?
Full Show NotesA full transcript of this "raw with Jay" episode is available in the full show notes - because there are loads of books you can read, and some web-based resources for you to consume.
Let us know on Twitter and Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.
And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonderful feedback.
The Waffling Taylors is a proud member of Jay and Jay Media. If you like this episode, please consider supporting our Podcasting Network. One $3 do

Matthew (the host of The Dead Drop podcast) is back to talk about Hi-Fi Rush and Squidge's intense GoldenEye sessions on the Nintendo Switch, the group dives deep into their recently played games. We also explore the potential for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to play the next Doctor Who and the frustrating slow text speed in games. And Hi-Fi Rush. Did we mention Hi-Fi Rush?
Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.
Don't forget to check the chapters tab in your podcatcher. This is a thing we're doing now, so keep an eye open for those.
Show Notes
Remember when Matt Bliss was on the show, back in episode 145? Well, he's back, with way more tangents than before.
But before that, the episode had to start with a cold open of some of the nonsense that everyone got up to in the recording; otherwise, the nonsense would end up on the cutting room floor, and you'd never get a taste of the true experience of recording the show.
Squidge's intro to this episode was on point:
From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games beyond.In this first of a two parter episode, we are joined by our good friend Matthew Bliss from the Dead Drop Game News podcast. Now, by his own words, Matthew has described our podcast as being "long form episodes with banter being lethal." Well, you aint seen nothing yet.In this episode we cover everything from sneezing into tubas to our recently played games. So sit back, grab some snacks, and get ready for our latest episode which is entitled "Waffling Taylors with Matthew Bliss: The Lethality of Tangents - Part One.Enjoy.— Squidge
And whilst Matt lives in a different part of the world to Jay and Squidge, it was rather cold where the Waffling Taylors live:
In our part of the world. It is rather cold right now, but that's perfect weather for staying in and playing video games— JayYou've always got to see the positive.
And Matt describes all of his podcasting stuff as:
The last time I was on the show I talked about this, I've got a video game news podcast that's audio only. It's called, and the name's actually changed. It used to be the Dead Drop Ten Minute Video Game News and now it's just Dead Drop Game News. Nice and easy to search. But those are ten minute episodes twice a week of video game news that I summarize for you so you don't have to go through all those articles and read all the clickbait and all the nonsense that Kotaku and all those other outlets tend to pad their stuff with. I just give you the info straight up.But I also have started a business as well since called blissery.fm, where I edit other people's podcasts as well. So if you listening right now, have a burning desire to start a podcast or you just cannot be bothered editing your podcast any more, then let me know... I think last time I was on actually, I talked about the Teaching Culture Cast that I used to run as well, where I interviewed teachers about their experience and sharing as professional development for others. But I've since kind of indefinitely hiatused that one— Matt Bliss
So yes, Matt is a pretty busy dude.
Jay mentions a tweet when talking about Matt's show Dead Drop Game News - which you should definitely listen to, by the way.
I lost in when @MattBlissPod said "Apparently this counts as news as well," on the most recent @DeadDropPodSource: https://deaddroppodcast.com/episodes/news-tears-of-the-kingdom-grammy-hogwarts-legacy-nintendo-direct— JayFull Show NotesA full transcript of this "raw with Jay" episode is available in the full show notes - because there are loads of books you can read, and some web-based resources for you to consume.
Let us know on Twitter and Facebook, or try our brand-new contact page.
And have you left us a rating or review? We really like to hear back from listeners about our show, so check out https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/our-podcast/ for links to services where you can leave us some wonder

In this episode, Jay takes us down to Deadside, walks us through the Marrow Gates, and introduces us to Legion and his group of nasties. This episode is Jay's attempt at a Retro Wildlands-like monologue about the deeply atmospheric, and incredibly dark Shadow Man from 1998.
Remember that you can always get in touch with us on our Facebook page, on Twitter, or with our Contact page.
Don't forget to check the chapters tab in your podcatcher. This is a thing we're doing now, so keep an eye open for those.
Content Warning
This episode is a Retro Wildlands-like exploration of one of my favourite, extremely dark games. This episode contains some pretty grisly descriptions of some of the darkest areas of the game. This means that the episode is not for the ears of the innocent or those triggered by descriptions of horror and gore.
As such, please listen responsibly.
---
From active timer battling to zombie slaying, Waffling Taylors covers video games and beyond. And this episode will see us going quite far into the beyond - the great beyond, that is.
This episode of the Waffling Taylors was inspired by the Retro Wildlands podcast. I'm a big fan of Nomad's show, and think that you would be too - so go give it a listen (there's a link in the show notes). And if you haven't heard it yet, we had him on the show not too long back - here's a link to that.
This episode is going to be another monologue from me (Jay), but don't worry, Squidge is still very much here. In fact, he edited this episode (as he does with every episode) and I can prove it:
HONK!- SquidgeSo why is it just me this week? Firstly, Squidge is down with illness, but he'll be back very soon. I've also been wanting to tackle one of my favourite games in long form for a long time, and that game is Shadow Man. I discovered the Retro Wildlands podcast shortly after Nomad had released episode three (which was about Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past) and loved it from the off.
I decided that Nomad's format would fit a monologue about Shadow Man perfectly, but I've no idea whether he will be interested in covering this game so I thought I would do it myself - Nomad, I'm more than happy for you to do a way better job that I have on this game.
I actually love Shadow Man so much that I that I've written about it twice for our blog (and there will be links in the show notes):

https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/2017/07/08/shadow-man-part-1-welcome-to-deadside/
https://wafflingtaylors.rocks/2017/07/22/shadow-man-part-2-keep-your-hair-on-michael/
But before we get started with the episode proper, I want to issue a warning: Because we're going to touch on some of the content in one of the darkest video games I've ever played, I ask that you please consider skipping this episode if you are easily offended, can be triggered by descriptions of violence or horror, or are listening with those who have innocent ears.
I'm not going to cover some of the worst parts of the game's themes and story in this episode, but we'll certainly be dancing around them a little.
If you choose to continue onward, I'll have Squidge put this sound: ALERT! before and after any of the particularly grisly descriptions that I've decided to include in this monologue. I'll also warn you in advance and aim to give a "skip ahead x seconds to get around this bit" style of warning.
I ask that you please listen to this episode responsibly.
Background Info
So what is Shadow Man?
Aside from the spooky meme of a shadowy person who haunts people's sleep, near-sleep, and hallucinations, it is also a game which came out in 1998 - originally for the N64. It was then ported to the PlayStation, PC and Dreamcast (in that order) in 1999; making it a game for both the 5th and 6th generations of video game consoles.
It was developed by Acclaim Studios Teeside, a UK-based arm of Acclaim based in Teeside (in the North of England), and is based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name.
One thing to note is that the character of Sh