For All Intents and Purposes

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Even though we hit a huge milestone with Episode 50 last week, Episode 51 carries even more emotional baggage as it is being released on the exact 1-year anniversary of the launch of For All Intents and Purposes. We made it!

Week in Geek: It was a bit of shared purposes this week as both guys played old, old games. Andrew obsessively played the Final Fantasy VI iteration that was released for the Game Boy Advance while Dan played the recently HD remastered released of the Lucasarts’ classic, Grim Fandango.

Year in Geek: Dan and Andrew take a minute to look back at the year that was, indeed, for all intents and purposes.

The Rashomon Effect: This week, Andrew and Dan decided to discuss the increasing and prevalent phenomenon in television that takes its unique storytelling framework from the 1950 Akira Kurosawa film, Rashomon, where one story is told from multiple perspectives.

The Rashomon Job: If you haven’t been exposed too much to Rashomon-type stories, Dan and Andrew recommend checking out the standalone Leverage episode, “The Rashomon Job.” It’s a nice introduction to both the show itself (little context is needed) and to the idea of The Rashomon Effect.

Question of the Geek:

What topic(s) would you like the show to revisit or discuss?

Leave you answer on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. Be sure to also join the conversations at the official Facebook and/or Google+ pages. You may also e-mail us with any questions, comments, or concerns at forallpod [at] gmail.com.

For all intents and purposes that was a year!

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“Back in Time” by Huey Lewis and the News

-“Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall

-“Leverage Main Theme” by Joe LoDuca

-“My Time to Be a Star” by Reba West (from Robotech Perfect Soundtrack Album)

-“Look Up! The Sky is Falling” by Michael Bradley (from Robotech Perfect Soundtrack Album)

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Welcome to EPISODE 50! This week it’s all about nostalgia with a dash of navel-gazing.

Week in Geek: Andrew finally watches a Hayao Miyazaki film, Castle in the Sky, while Dan geeks out over Mad Max: Fury Road.

#WheresNatasha: Revisiting an earlier topic, a recent e-mail leak revealed studio heads discussing why a female-led superhero movie won’t work based on terrible (in every sense of the word) evidence. Dan and Andrew discuss the implications of this information.

Doctor Who Nostalgia: In the interest of nostalgia, Andrew and Dan discuss how Doctor Who has appreciated itself (that sounded better in my head) over the years, specifically with its anniversary specials. Plus, Dan and Andrew come up with a great idea for the next one.

Final Fantasy V: If this is an episode about nostalgia, you had better believe Andrew and Dan are going to talk about Final Fantasy. This time they cover the final 16-bit game (which they haven’t yet covered), the fifth one.

Question of the Geek:

What piece of nerd culture are you most nostalgic for?

Leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You may also answer, and join in the conversations, at the official Facebook and Google+ pages. You may also e-mail the show with any questions, comments, or concerns at forallpod [at] gmail.com. 

For all intents and purposes, that was a fiftieth episode recap.

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“The Princes of the Universe” by Queen

-“One Chance” by Eric Clapton

-“I Am the Doctor” by Jon Pertwee

-“Dear Friends” by Nobuo Uematsu with the Royal Stockholm Orchestra (from Distant Worlds II: More Music from Final Fantasy)

-“We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters

-“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” by Donny Osmond (from Mulan)

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Week in Geek: Andrew watched a heavily promoted Netflix-original, Grace and Frankie, while Dan reads the recently re-collected The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past comic work, as commissioned by Nintendo Power, and written & drawn by the legendary Shotaro Ishinomori.

Don’t Play: Dan and Andrew come at you with another game they do not recommend; and let’s reinforce this aspect: DO NOT PLAY THIS GAME. This time, they discuss the absolute question mark that is Star Wars: Masters of Teras Kasi. *shudder*

The Forced Evolution of Characters: In the wake of recently released images of fan-favorite character, Yoshimitsu, from Tekken 7, Andrew and Dan look back at characters from games, tv, and comics have changed so much over time and analyze why this happens, with both positive and negative intentions.

Ownership Roundabout: Recently, famed comics writer and artist, Gerry Conway, posted a scathing review of his situation with DC Comics regarding royalties and ownership of character he created while in their employ. DC’s brilliant but shady workaround paying or even crediting creators deserved a closer look from Dan and Andrew.

Question of the Geek:

Who (or what) is your favorite fighting game character? Why?

You can leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You can also respond, and join the conversations, at the official Facebook or Google+ pages. You may also e-mail any questions, comments, or concerns to forallpod [at] gmail.com. If you subscribe to the show on iTunes, be sure to leave a review to help spread the podcast to even more people.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“Star Wars Main Title/A Galaxy Divided” by Kevin Kiner (from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, based on themes by John Williams)

-“Cantina Band #2” by John Williams (from Star Wars: A New Hope)

-“I Want It All” by Queen

-“Phoenix Wright – Objection!” by Noriyuki Iwadare (from Ace Attorney Meets Jazz Soul)

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WARNING: This week’s episode is about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Avengers: Age of Ultron; while spoilers are earnestly avoided, no guarantees can be made. Proceed with caution.

 

Week in Geek: Well, they both saw Avengers: Age of Ultron, so they can’t talk about that. Andrew watched the documentaries Get Lamp and Atari: Game Over (again) while Dan played the recently released nostalgia-show, Strider.

 

Watching Order: Dan and Andrew give you the rundown of what you need to see before you see Avengers: Age of Ultron; just the bare necesseties.

 

Age of Ultron: Andrew and Dan don’t review the new movie, per se. Instead they talk about what it does right, what it does not as right, and what it’s doing that is interesting.

 

Agents of SHIELD: Dan and Andrew discuss how well Marvel is using their tv show, Agents of SHIELD, but then wonder if the payoff is worth it in the long-run.

 

Question of the Geek:

What has been your favorite entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far? Why?

You may leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You may also leave your answers, and join in on the conversations, at the official Facebook or Google+ pages. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you may e-mail the show at forallpod [at] gmail.com. If you subscribe to our show on iTunes, be sure to leave a review! That will help spread the word about the show.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

 

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“The Invincible Iron Man Theme”, “The Marvel Super Heroes Have Arrived”, and “The Mighty Thor Theme” (from The Marvel Super Heroes) by Jacques Urbont

-“Boston Legal Theme” by Danny Lux

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Week in Geek: Andrew sets up a new 13th Age campaign and watches the hell out of some Iron Chef: America while Dan preps to be an exhibitor at his local comic shop’s Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con (May 2nd at 9am, Empire’s Comics Vault – 1120 Fulton Ave, Sacramento, CA) and started playing Bioshock: Infinite because he got it for free from Microsoft.

Hold Power Button to Save: Dan and Andrew take some time to discuss the floundering genre that is the Video Game Movie––why does it never work? Can it ever work?

Konami: The Final Domino: With the announcement that the Hideo Kojima & Guillermo Del Toro-helmed Silent Hill reboot, Silent Hills, announced as being cancelled by Konami due, likely, to the departure of Kojima from the company, Andrew and Dan examine what, in hindsight, seems to be the steady decline of the Japanese console video game industry since its height in the ’80s through the ’90s.

Silent Hill: Since it was brought up in the previous two segments, Dan and Andrew look back at the series and reflect on what really separated it from the otherwise oversaturated survival-horror pack.

Question of the Geek:

Is there a video game which you think a movie adaptation should (or could) be attempted? What is it and why?

Leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You may also leave your answers, and join in on the conversations, at our official Facebook and Google+ pages. You may also e-mail us any questions, comments, or concerns at forallpod [ at ] gmail.com.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

-“Jumpin’ Johnny” by Chunk Raspberry (from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)

-“Silent Hill Theme” by Akira Yamaoka (from Silent Hill)

 

-“Hi-Tone Fandango” by Peter McConnell (from Grim Fandango)

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Week in Geek: Andrew (and Dan, as well) watch the documentary, Atari: Game Over, about the search to find the buried copies of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Atari game, while Dan plays a game he’s played handfuls of times before on a tiny handeld system.

Final Fantasy IV: With Final Fantasy Record Keeper still digging its way into both Dan and Andrew’s respective brains, they dive back into the Final Fantasy pool and talk about, this time, Final Fantasy IV (a.k.a., Final Fantasy II, which Dan argues may be a better title for not obvious reasons).

The Great Trailer Fiasco of 2015: Andrew and Dan probe a bit into the strange week/week-and-a-half that saw the release of high-profile trailers and how they all interacted with each other, for better or for worse.

The “Fantastic” Four: One of the high-profile trailers that dropped this last week or so was a full trailer for Fox’s upcoming Fantastic Four, their reboot of their middling, two-movie series from the last decade. With Marvel on the rise and no apparent crossover with Fox’s other superhero Marvel series, X-Men, Dan and Andrew wonder why Fox is betting so much on this singular property.

Question of the Geek:

What is a recent trailer (for a movie, tv series, video game, etc.) that has really gotten you excited? Why?

Leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You can also leave your answer, and join in on the conversations, on the official Facebook and/or Google+ pages. You may also e-mail us any questions, comments, or concerns at forallpod [at] gmail.com. 

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

 

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“Dancing Calcobrena” by Nobuo Uematsu (from Final Fantasy IV)

-“Chewbacca” by Supernova

-“The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers

 

-“We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” by Tina Turner (from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

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Week in Geek: Andrew (and Dan) get caught up in the latest nostalgia-driven mobile free-to-play game, Final Fantasy Record Keeper while Dan watches yet another Hayao Miyazaki movie (this time, it’s Porco Rosso).

Vorpal, Shoot Between Heartbeats: Dan sits down with previous guest, Jason Tudor, to talk about Jason’s new sci-fi, espionage webcomic, Vorpal, creative goals, inspirations, and philosophies. This is a very truncated version of a much longer interview, which is available as its own Shortcast.

Free to Play Games: With the previously mentioned Final Fantasy Record Keeper, Dan and Andrew talk Free-to-Play games––also known as “Freemium” games––and what their trend in gaming means to gaming and nerd culture at large.

Marvel Takes a Dare…devil: Not to ignore some major nerd news, Andrew and Dan discuss the recent Netflix Marvel TV show, Daredevil, and what it means to Marvel and TV watching in general.

Question of the Geek:

What’s been a Free-to-Play game that has gotten its hooks into you?

Leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You can also leave your answers (and join in on the conversations) at our official Facebook and Google+ pages. You may also e-mail us any questions, comments, or concerns at forallpod [at] gmail.com.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“There’s Something in Here (theme from The Science Fiction Show)” by Aaron Kusterer

-“Freedom Isn’t Free” by Trey Parker (from Team America: World Police)

-“I’d Rather Be Blind” by Freddie King

-“Right or Wrong” by Titiyo

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Welcome to a mega-sized, special episode all in celebration of International Tabletop Day!

In the interest of full disclosure, Andrew (as a representative of For All Intents and Purposes) will be hosting, along with Luke Turpeinen and Nicole Jekich (from AcrossTheBoardGames.net), an event at the Raygun Lounge in Seattle, Washington at 12pm on Saturday, 11 April for International Tabletop Day. A whole host of games will be there and prizes (including a signed & sketched copy of the Long John preview book!). Be there (or see if there are any events in your area)!

Week in Geek: Andrew plays Cities: Skylines a spiritual (and functional) successor to Sim City, while Dan watches another old movie that was a pleasant surprise, Mad Max.

AcrossTheBoardGames.Net #1: Andrew discusses with previous guests, Luke and Nicole, about how to start your own game day event.

Jonathan Adler & Ethics in Gaming: Andrew sits down with Jonathan Adler (aka The King of the Nerds) and discusses how people play games, and how its not always necessarily done in the interest of winning, and what this type of gameplay says about the players.

AcrossTheBoardGames.Net #2: Andrew, Nicole, and Luke talk about what their “hot” game is at the moment: Argent: Consortium and Skulldug!

Question of the Geek:

Have you ever played a game “wrong”?

Leave your answer as a comment on the page for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. You may also leave your answers–and join in on the conversations–at the official Facebook and Google+ pages. You may also e-mail us your answer, as well as any other comments, questions, or concerns, at forallpod [at] gmail.com. 

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap. Happy Tabletop Day!

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ in Black” by Wax Audio

-“The Mancer’s Dilemma” by Darren Korb (from Bastion)

-“Main Title” by Bear McCreary (from Battlestar Galactica)

-“Kings and Centipedes” by Stepdad

-“Spikes in a Rail” by Darren Korb (from Bastion)

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Week in Geek: Andrew heads to the Emerald City Comic Con at his base of operations in Seattle while Dan watches, for the first time, First Blood, and was pleasantly surprised.

Sympathetic Villainy: Noticing the trend over the last few decades of villains in popular culture becoming rather humanized, flawed, and tragic characters, Dan and Andrew investigate this movement and what it says about popular culture.

Metal Gear Solid: Andrew and Dan take a look at this series again, but specifically at how a surprising majority of its antagonists are, in fact, quite sympathetic, especially when reflected in the moral ambiguity of the various protagonists of the games (but especially the protagonist in Metal Gear Solid 3, 4, Peace Walker, V: Ground Zeroes, and the upcoming V: The Phantom Pain.

Antiheroes: Dan and Andrew take a look at the flipside (or side step?) of the sympathetic villain, the antihero.

Here’s the Psychology Today article Dan read from in this segment.

Question of the Geek:

Who is your favorite sympathetic villain and/or antihero?

Leave your answers in the comments for this episode at forall.libsyn.com. Be sure to also leave your comments, and join in on the conversations, at the official Facebook and Google+ pages. You can also e-mail any questions, comments, or concerns to forallpod [at] gmail.com. If you subscribe on iTunes, be sure to leave a review to help spread the world of For All Intents and Purposes to even more nerds and geeks.

For all intents and purposes, that was an episode recap.

Featured Music:

-“Stayin’ In Black” by Wax Audio

-“A One-Winged Angel” by Nobuo Uematsu (from Final Fantasy VII)

-“‘Metal Gear Solid’ Main Theme (Metal Gear Solid 3 Version)” by Harry Gregson-Williams (from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)

-“Theme from Dangeresque II: This Time It’s Not Dangeresque I” by The Brothers Chaps (from Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits)

-“Titles” by Masaru Satoh (from Yojimbo)