Sketch Watch Play

It's a Christmas miracle! Not the great kind though, more that Chris and Serena Wade were able to persevere through their first full viewing of the amazingly bad holiday cartoon The Christmas Tree. John joins in and records a group viewing, with plenty of outbursts, horrified utterances, unintended laughter, and plenty of questions with no chance of an answer.

Listen to the previous bonus episode for a proper review of this thing along with our Best Media of 2017 picks, and feel free to watch along with us via the YouTube upload we used: https://youtu.be/GlFtMxG6mnY

Happy holidays and New Year to all our listeners - look forward to Episode 22, Chris's return and more new guests and topics soon!

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Serena's Twitter: https://twitter.com/omnomsenzubean

Episode 22 is fully recorded and still being edited, but with the winter holidays coming up, John decides to pull a Christmas miracle and sneak an extra episode out, not only getting Chris back to co-host, but recording on location at the Wade residence, mercifully sparing us of any Skype & Discord errors. We take this opportunity towards the end of 2017 to do a personal awards show, listing not just what films, TV shows, and games we adored the most, but also look back on Sketch Watch Play's history so far to discuss our favorite episodes and moments as well as plans for the near future, with John throwing a curveball of an extra award out as a capper.

But that's far from the only thing we discuss in this episode. The actual reason John went to Chris in person was to show him a little special from 1991 by the name of The Christmas Tree, an independent animation that's got a reputation for all the wrong reasons. Be it the garish character designs, numerous animation errors, abysmal voice acting, or straight-up insane last act, there's a lot here for so-bad-it's-good fans like John (And a lot of pain for non-fans like Chris). Discussions include theories on what was surely a messy production and its director, the possibility of expanded lore that enriches its insane villain, one particularly disturbing early moment that steers it into anime territory, and Serena Wade's first proper appearance on the show.

John recorded audio of our entire watch, and will put that up as an additional bonus commentary soon. If you're curious about watching this thing for yourself, either check out the reviews John mentions towards the beginning or the actual special here if you have the stomach for it: https://youtu.be/GlFtMxG6mnY

01:25 - The Christmas Tree review
44:38 - Best of 2017 awards

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Watch John's analysis of Sonic Forces' ridiculous writing: https://youtu.be/xLWBRhj83AM

John and Tyrone finish off their X-Men movie retrospective by tackling the films past the original trilogy. Tyrone covers Origins & Apocalypse, both tackle First Class, Days of Future Past, & Logan, and we honestly both skipped The Wolverine because neither of us were ever interested enough to see it (And Deadpool, because although we both liked it, it's a different beast compared to the main series- Apologies.)

Topics include how Origins' director seems like a bad fit stylistically, how First Class mishandles the first appearance of a particular character, John's controversial opinion of Days of Future Past, and more talk about Logan than the rest because it's such a unique beast (HA!) of a sendoff film, and there's a lot about it to dissect.

One more thing: The recording of this episode brought with it a record number of technical problems while recording, leading to an extended editing period and numerous spots where John's stereo sound isn't equalized. We tried our best to correct things, but still apologize for what's noticeably off and have figured out how to lessen these issues going forward.

00:20 - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
07:19 - First Class
18:28 - Days of Future Past
27:40 - Apocalypse
36:37 - Logan

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Tyrone's Twitter: https://twitter.com/tyronehydraulic
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Check out Tyrone's webcomic, Elements of Light: http://eolcomic.blogspot.com/
Check out Tyrone's indie film fest Soul 4 Reel: https://twitter.com/Soul4Reel
Watch John's analysis of Sonic Forces' ridiculous writing: https://youtu.be/xLWBRhj83AM

Thanksgiving break is winding down, which means that John is finally editing together the behemoth that is Episode 21 (And by behemoth we mean it - hence the Part 1). Tyrone Selby returns as the latest rotating co-host for an unintentionally Marvel-centric episode, as the two discuss their overall thoughts on the latest Thor film to hit theaters, then dive into the long and varied juggernaut (HA) that is Fox's X-Men movie franchise. This episode covers the original three present-day films, with Part 2 touching on the Wolverine spinoffs and the more recent prequel entries.

Observations include the great central conflict that drives the characters, coming at the series with varying levels of background knowledge, some iconic characters that get a bum deal, why we didn't find The Last Stand the disaster everyone cites it as, and John's stance on why he'd prefer the series stay independent from the MCU. Special bonus: So many audio issues that John had to add a disclaimer at the start.

09:37 - Thor: Ragnarok review (Spoilers)
39:22 - X-Men/X2/X-Men: The Last Stand discussions (Spoilers for all three)

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Tyrone's Twitter: https://twitter.com/tyronehydraulic
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Check out Tyrone's webcomic, Elements of Light: http://eolcomic.blogspot.com/
Check out Tyrone's indie film fest Soul 4 Reel: https://twitter.com/Soul4Reel
Watch John's grandma seeing the original Thor for the first time: https://youtu.be/DDztQDoOtbY

What better way to celebrate Halloween than talking about a movie series that birthed a million cosplays? (I guess we could have talked an actual horror series, but whatever.) Patrick Fleury finally returns to the show and records alongside John once again, kicking things off with Patrick's thoughts on Destiny 2 so far, with a sprinkle of Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta impressions thrown in for spice. John also dishes out his thoughts on the adorable indie platformer A Hat in Time to balance out all the gunplay.

After that, the two take a deep dive into one of their favorite film series, as we tackle Christopher Nolan's iconic take on Batman in order of release. Expect observations on character reinventions, brief thoughts regarding other Batman series, what each entry does better and worse than the others, Patrick's adoration for Bane, John's adoration for The Dark Knight in general, A smorgasbord of Christian Bale impressions at the end, and possibly the first recording of someone wiping their nose with a laptop caught on microphone. And it probably goes without saying that we spoil the crap out of each movie, but fair warning regardless. (As well as a fair warning that John being both tired and excited while recording this led to a lot of very fast talking on his end.)

07:12 - Destiny 2 thoughts
16:55 - A Hat in Time thoughts
27:44 - Batman Begins/The Dark Knight/The Dark Knight Rises talk (Spoilers for all three)

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Patrick's Twitter: https://twitter.com/fleuryp
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Watch John's video review of the indie platformer A Hat in Time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vx_SSu2V_E

A temporary new era for Sketch Watch Play begins, as John recruits a revolving team of co-hosts to fill in for Chris through the rest of the year. First up to bat is returning guest Felipe Diaz-Vera from Generation Animation, with additional guests and topics announced at the episode's conclusion. We talk working at a movie theater with a certain film releasing, Felipe explains how Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite both delights him on a gameplay level and disappoints him almost everywhere else, while John loses his mind and his mind alone over Danganronpa V3's early twists. And no, the audio did not glitch out around 45 minutes - we don't want stuff spoiled for those interested in the game. If you have played past the first trial or don't mind having a huge spoiler dropped, you can hear the snipped audio here: http://behonkiss.tumblr.com/post/166370386542/my-unedited-thoughts-on-the-big-twist-in-the-first

For this episode's main topic, we get niche, quirky, and hyperactive like a rabbit-y thing, as we discuss every iteration of Steve Purcell's Sam & Max series across print, animation, and video games. Highlights include John's inability to describe how the titular duo talks and emotes, how their road trips made Felipe want to visit Stuckey's, and impromptu discussions on underrated Dreamworks movies.

17:23 - Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite
33:20 - Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony initial impressions
50:08 - Sam & Max retrospective

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Felipe's Twitter: https://twitter.com/fizzucker
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Listen to Felipe's podcast, Generation Animation: http://fanoffmedia.com/shows/gen/
Watch John's video review of the indie rhythm RPG The Metronomicon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kL_rksg_VU

You thought our mammoth Sonic talks were over? Not by a long, LONG shot. Chris returns to not only dish out his thoughts on notable games in the series, but things get truly beefy when he and John both tackle every official Sonic cartoon to hit the airwaves. See where their opinions differ on things like Adventures and the anime OVA, unite in Underground's awfulness and X's boring-ness, argue about certain points on SatAM, and Boom's self-aware nature.

As a bonus, John blows Chris's mind regarding voice actors on almost all of these, and we cap things off both with an announcement regarding the show's future direction and a simultaneous watch of a cringey fan video that leaves Chris flabbergasted and John laughing harder than ever before. (Apologies for Chris cutting out at points - them's the breaks.)

02:49 - Chris's thoughts on the Sonic games (39:24 for Sonic Mania)
59:39 - Adventures
1:18:00 - SatAM
1:37:20 - Sonic OVA
1:48:40 - Sonic Underground
2:02:03 - Sonic X
2:12:22 - Sonic Boom
2:34:55 - Tanic the Hedgehog watch & commentary

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Watch John's video review of Agents of Mayhem: https://youtu.be/1Ntwlkzwt2Q
Watch Chris's animated film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6

You thought our in-depth talk about hedgehog character arcs was done? You were so, so wrong. The second half of John and Colin's gargantuan retrospective of the Sonic the Hedgehog games kicks off at the worst (or maybe best?) starting point with the infamous Sonic 06, chronicles the odd road to redemption with Colors and Generations, discusses the stumbles afterward, and finally cap things off with what's on everyone's minds with our thoughts on Sonic Mania. Thoughts include Sega's struggle to give gameplay a consistent identity and not rush games out, the idea of fidelity vs. aesthetics in the early HD era, and some overall thoughts on Mania that hopefully won't lead to any hardcore fans out for our heads on a pike, and will also explain this episode's thumbnail.

Next time - Sonic cartoons, comics, and misc. stuff (Featuring the return of Chris!)

P.S. Colin's internet connection crapped out on us continuously here, so forgive the audio stumbles.
P.P.S. Listen past the outro music of this one (And some of our past episodes. Hint, hint).

01:18 - Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
15:38 - Sonic and the Secret Rings/Sonic and the Black Knight
27:07 - Sonic Unleashed
39:22 - Sonic 4
43:15 - Sonic Colors
49:45 - Sonic Generations
59:37 - Sonic Lost World
01:05:56 - Sonic Boom games
01:17:56 - Sonic Mania

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Colin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/skipperwing
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Watch John's video on Sonic Generations mods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZVmIkkDBaw&ab_channel=Behonkiss
Check out Colin's animated superhero comic, The Crimson Fly: http://www.thecrimsonfly.com/
Watch Chris's animated film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6

It's been a long time coming, but we're finally taking our first dive into the dangerous behemoth that is the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise! Chris ended up unable to record, but former guest and friend of the show Colin "SkipperWing" Byrd fills his shoes as he and John tackle Sonic's long and wild history of major console titles.

Did I say tackle? Because this is full-on immersion. Despite also intending to discuss spinoff material like cartoons and comics, our discussion on the games along totaled over three hours of audio, resulting in the decision to not only do our first split of an episode into two halves, but to save the spinoff stuff for its own dedicated follow-up episode once Chris returns. Both John and Colin have plenty of memories, opinions, and insight into a series that's become infamous for its hit and miss quality, from what worked and didn't work about the classic Genesis trilogy, the initial leap to 3D in the Dreamcast days, and where things started to get truly wonky once Sega went third-party. Expect more character analysis on Sonic alone than you could ever imagine, too.

Timestamps:
09:47 - Intro to Sonic
16:52 - Genesis games
22:37 - Sonic Adventure 1 & 2
40:30 - Sonic Heroes, Sonic Advance, & Sonic Battle
54:03 - Shadow the Hedgehog

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John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Behonkiss
Colin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/skipperwing
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Watch John's video on Sonic Generations mods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZVmIkkDBaw&ab_channel=Behonkiss
Check out Colin's animated superhero comic, The Crimson Fly: http://www.thecrimsonfly.com/
Watch Chris's animated film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6

While it's still in theaters, John and Chris waste no time in talking about Spider-Man Homecoming after getting several requests, though you'll want to see it for yourself before delving into our spoiler-heavy thoughts, including observations on certain aspects the reboot is handling differently or even better than previous series.

But if you aren't here for superhero talk, you're here to bring on the waterworks. John and Chris take the opportunity to spotlight just how emotional cartoons can get, and take turns coming up with a set of various animated movies and TV shows that drew strong reactions from them. Be they inspiring, thought-provoking, or just straight up heartbreaking, expect a wide variety of series, movies, and probably the most background either co-host has dished out yet.

Timestamps for every title covered have been included this time, as we spoil the crap out of everything we discuss.

Timestamps:

2:34 - Spider-Man Homecoming review (Spoilers)
19:44 - Emotional moments intro
21:25 - All Dogs Go to Heaven
26:10 - Peanuts (Snoopy Come Home & A Boy Named Charlie BRown)
32:07 - Land Before Time
37:37 - Castle in the Sky
42:14 - Pokemon the Movie 2000
48:52 - Futurama (Jurassic Bark & Luck of the Fryrish)
54:50 - Gurren Lagann
1:02:18 - Finding Dory

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John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Behonkiss

Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Watch John's Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy: https://youtu.be/LAE_qX2-bbc

Watch Chris's animated film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6

It's guest time again, as Felipe Diaz-Vera from Generation Animation makes his debut on our side of the podcasting realm. He brings with him much to discuss, starting with recent announcements regarding fighting games, Kingdom Hearts, and Sonic comics. John and Chris also dish out their thoughts on the recent adult-oriented Netflix cartoon based on the Castlevania franchise.

But the real conversation comes from Felipe's suggested main topic this week, as the three dive into a look back at the now-retro Cartoon Network hit The Powerpuff Girls. Expect discussions on John's mom being concerned, why Him is so darn evil, why John gives a certain voice actress a demerit, Felipe's impeccable ability to ad-lib Mojo Jojo speeches, and some touching on the current reboot and that weird anime you probably forgot about until we brought it up.

Timestamps:
06:50 - R.I.P. Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog
10:37 - Recent fighting game news
24:44 - Netflix Castlevania review (Mild spoilers)
38:40 - Powerpuff Girls retrospective

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Show homepage: http://sketchwatchplay.blogspot.com/

John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Behonkiss

Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Felipe's Twitter: https://twitter.com/fizzucker

Watch John's Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy: https://youtu.be/LAE_qX2-bbc

Watch Chris's animated film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6

Listen to Felipe's podcast, Generation Animation: http://fanoffmedia.com/shows/gen/

Chris has picked our most unique topic yet, but we don't forget to stick to more mainstream stuff for the first portion of this episode. John briefly talks about the Crash Bandicoot remasters and the recent indie film hit The Big Sick, and Chris joins him in discussing their overall thoughts on the recent Wonder Woman. (Where their opinions diverge may surprise you.)

For the meat of the episode, instead of analyzing another movie, show, or video game, it's time to get inside their nerdy heads and learn about the various animations and videos that they've made or hope to make. Expect talk regarding the learning experiences making their first cartoons, what they're hoping to do with more recent releases, what's been left behind, and what may lie ahead.

Timestamps:
02:29 - Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy + The Big Sick thoughts
07:38 - Wonder Woman movie review (Spoilers start at 16:35)
25:10 - Personal project talk (Spacious/The Will of Monsters/Button Mashers/WarioWare Tooned/Behonkiss Reviews)

Watch The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6
Watch some WIP shots from Spacious: https://youtu.be/Aha8_zyOgHc
Watch Button Mashers: https://youtu.be/tWFb2WLUaMU
Watch John's E3 2017 countdown: https://youtu.be/Q0kXKOzIu9s

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Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

This year's Electronics Entertainment Expo has come and gone, and we tackle our biggest takeaways from it. John loses his mind over Super Mario Odyssey in a good way, but Hell hath no fury like a Rabbids-fatigued Chris. We also talk upcoming fighting games on the opposite side of the visual quality spectrum, Dad of War, and AwesomeCon.

But since this is unlucky episode number 13, John unleashes a true disaster movie to unpack with Chris, as we dissect the cinematic disaster that is 1993's live-action Super Mario Bros. movie. Discussions include why the film fails both as an adaptation and a standalone piece, what elements of its aesthetics and imagination deserve legitimate credit, and the best way Hollywood could go about doing a possible second attempt at bringing Mario Mario to the big screen again. Strap on your belts, get your plumbing tools, trust the fungus, and do your best John Leguizamo impression - this is a crazy one.

Timestamps:

08:05 - Super Mario Odyssey impressions

14:40 - Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle impressions

27:43 - Super Mario Bros. (1993 movie) review

Informative YouTube documentary on the making of the Super Mario Bros. movie from which we pulled some information: https://youtu.be/Ve26GpPDTgY

Watch Chris's animatic film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6

Check out John's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/Behonkiss

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Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

A month away from the mic has not stopped our flow of guests, as Chris's brother Tyrone Selby joins us for a Unicron-sized discussion (Sorry not sorry) of the various TV incarnations of the Transformers franchise, though John's current obsession means that we spend time singing the praises of Injustice 2 first, including observations on Harley Quinn and her Tara Strong-ified face, along with a little more Breath of the Wild talk.

Once we tackle our main topic, we attempt to discuss every major series from Beast Wars onwards (Don't blame us for skipping G1, we were born too late), taking the time to praise two particular series, shrug over several others, and marvel at the mind-boggling ineptitude of one in particular. Expect discussion on weird fan Wikis, Decepti-nipples, moms who love Optimus, and surprise Ernie Hudsons.

Timestamps:

05:17 - Injustice 2 review

15:54 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild talk

22:18 - Transformers TV show retrospective

Watch Chris's animatic film, The Will of Monsters: https://vimeo.com/217121639/9a918876e6
Read Tyrone's webcomic, Elements of Light: http://eolcomic.blogspot.com/
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John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Behonkiss
Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade
Tyrone's Twitter: https://twitter.com/tyronehydraulic

We're not doing having super-long guest-filled episodes just yet!  Longtime friend Colin "Skipperwing" Byrd joins John and Chris to talk many things this week, starting with Chris and Colin's thoughts on the recent smash hit anime Your Name and thoughts on its director in general.  John also shares his overall thoughts on the Kickstarter-funded throwback game Yooka-Laylee, and an impromptu discussion on crazy moments all three of us have encountered in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild bridges the gap to our biggest topic.

Inspired by the recent Hollywood remake, all three delve into the flashy yet intellectual world of the iconic Ghost in the Shell franchise, touching on the original theatrical anime films, the Stand Alone Complex TV series, and the ScarJo-centric live-action remake.  Expect speculation on its themes of technology and identity, discussion on the remake's controversial casting and troubling Hollywood trends, and the inception of what may become Chris's least favorite recurring joke ever.

Timestamps:

03:07 - Your Name spoiler-free review

23:07 - Yooka-Laylee review

38:18 - More Breath of the Wild thoughts

46:18 - Ghost in the Shell discussion (Spoilers for 1995 and 2017 movies)

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Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristopTheWade

Colin's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Skipperwing

We hit the double digits with all we've got, as Tyler Moliterno from Generation Animation joins us for our longest episode ever (We started early and ran long, which explains a lot).  We kick things off with a talk about the recent rash of bizarre direct-to-video movies featuring classic cartoons teaming up with WWE superstars, which ended up being the best way for Chris & Tyler to bond without any of us planning for it.

Afterwards, John and Tyler dive into their overall thoughts on the recent big-screen reimagining of the Power Rangers, complete with nostalgic thoughts and speculation from all three hosts.  And the episode isn't even halfway over when we tackle our main topic, as we discuss and rank the movies that make up the cultural juggernaut that is Marvel Studios' interconnected superhero film franchise.  We talk about Tony Stark's "peak dick" period, Edgar Wright's Howard the Duck, John's co-worker's adoration for talking raccoons, and Tyler's hands-on experience with one scene from the film that ends up universally topping our lists.  We also touch on the TV spinoffs briefly, but that may be a discussion worthy of its own episode...

Timestamps:

06:38 - WWE/Hanna-Barbera crossover movies discussion

14:04 - Power Rangers (2017 movie) review (Spoilers at the 35-minute mark)

49:06 - Marvel Cinematic Universe retrospective (Spoilers throughout)

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Chris: https://twitter.com/sparkflowfilms

Tyler: https://twitter.com/TylerMoliterno

The Switch is out, John's geeking out, and Chris's cats do their best to get on the show.  John starts the episode out by discussing his impressions so far for the much-hyped new Zelda game and some thoughts on the Nintendo Switch in general, then dives headlong into a review and dissection with Chris of the 1999 animated classic The Iron Giant.

Full disclosure: We spoil the crap out of the movie, so go watch it if you haven't already (Especially since it's just been put back on Netflix).  Also be prepared to hear John gush about something like never before, because there's a good reason he wanted to discuss it.

03:16 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild initial impressions

23:47 - The Iron Giant review (Spoilers)

Our hiatus is over, and it's time to get back to geeking out.  John recounts some more recent convention silliness and an impromptu cameo in a video from one of his favorite YouTubers, followed by his thoughts on the giddy fun that is The Lego Batman Movie.  Chris then discusses his impressions of the still-going anime series Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, the nature of which inevitably results in us tackling the topic of anime fanservice for the first time.

The main event is one that Chris has wanted to cover from Day 1, as we dive into the recent anime phenomenon that is Yuri on Ice.  We talk about pretty men, character development and the show's "personal" nature, and even the significance of how the series handles gay representation compared to other anime.  And, of course, pork cutlet bowls.

Timestamps:

9:27 - The Lego Batman Movie spoiler-free review

17:18 - Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid discussion

30:35 - Yuri on Ice review

Show Twitter: https://twitter.com/sketchwatchplay

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John's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Behonkiss

Chris's Twitter: https://twitter.com/sparkflowfilms

John's YouTube guest appearance (22:53 onwards): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ0wdIWKGxI&ab&ab_channel=SomecallmeJohnny

Our first podcast recorded in 2017 is also our longest yet, packing in a ton of impressions from John and Chris on many gaming-related topics (And one movie as well).  John details his most memorable experiences at the recent gaming convention MAGFest (DAVID WISE!) and dishes out his thoughts on the recent tearjerker fantasy film A Monster Calls, followed by shared impressions of Nintendo's big Switch stream, and thoughts on what we've seen regarding the system and its lineup so far.

Afterwards, we lose our limbs and dive into the kooky, fantastical world of Ubi Soft's long-running Rayman franchise.  This includes recalling the series' heyday as a numbered series, its change in direction brought on by the Raving Rabbids, its rebirth as an old-school sidescroller with Origins & Legends, and even touching on the cartoon series you probably didn't know existed.  We discuss how fine-tuned the gameplay has become, the one aspect of the older games John misses most, and more Billy West than you'd ever expect.

02:11 - MAGFest 2017

08:44 - A Monster Calls (Spoiler-free review)

23:14 - Nintendo Switch presentation thoughts

46:22 - Rayman retrospective (1, 2, 3, Raving Rabbids, Origins, & Legends)

A new year also brings a personal first, as this episode gives us our first guest in the form of John's brother and fellow geek Patrick.  After Chris and both brothers catch up regarding their individual holiday gifts and experiences, Patrick and Chris share their overall thoughts on Rogue One (No spoilers here, as John hadn't seen it at the time of this recording) and some overall thoughts and memories of Star Wars in general.

But no, that's not why you're listening to this episode, is it?  We let Patrick choose this episode's main topic, and it's resulted in one of our longest discussions yet, as we tackle the behemoth that is the Pokemon franchise and our memories of it from the beginning, particularly the main games, the anime, and some of the spinoff titles, including a recent smartphone title you might have heard about.  High points include Patrick's angry letter to Niantic, Chris's tragic story involving Pokemon Snap & Australia, and how Meowth of all characters tugged at John and Patrick's heartsrings the most in the anime.

Timestamps:

7:10 - Rogue One spoiler-free review

20:38 - Pokemon retrospective

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