Episode 018 – Myst (1993)
Episode 018 – Myst (1993)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we’re opening books to unravel the mysteries of a family squabble on a mystical island. From 1993, we’re playing the game that spurred folks to buy a CD-ROM, Myst! And on this week’s show, we have a special guest, friend of the show Jovial Jackee.
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TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – Intro. “The Tower” theme from Myst.
- 47:45 – Emails. Jackee sticks around, and the gang talks Katamari Damacy and music peripheral games.
- 1:01:00 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– There are several playthroughs of Myst online, such as this one.
– The storyline of Myst and its various sequels is incredibly complex and tangled, but Wikipedia does a decent job of hashing it all out here. And as you can imagine, TV Tropes has quite a bit of fun with the series.
– For more information on the annual Myst convention, Mysterium, visit their website.
– According to Price Charting, Myst is pretty affordable nowadays, if you want a physical copy. The PC edition is around $4, although as we said on the show, it can be a bit finicky to get to work. On Steam, the updates and re-releases of Myst go for around $6. Some of the rarer console versions, like 3D0, Jaguar and CD-I, range from $10 to $20.
– Myst has a game spoofing it, called… Pyst. The concept is a tour of the island after four million people have toured it, and includes solutions to puzzles from the game scribbled on scenario. It got so-so reviews, and it’s out of print now. Oddly enough, this causes it to be worth more than Pyst, around $8 used to $20 new.
GUEST REQUEST
For next week’s show, we’re covering Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl! If you’re interested in guesting, shoot an email to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
Episode 017 – Smash TV (1992)
Episode 017 – Smash TV (1992)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we’re shooting through hordes of baseball bat swinging mooks for the chance to win a year’s supply of good meat! From 1992, we’re playing the Super Nintendo’s Smash TV, also sometimes called Super Smash TV. (It’s kind of a thing for games on that system – more than 70 have ‘super’ somewhere in the title.)
You can manually download this week’s gore-tastic podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, with no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
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TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – Intro.
- 49:30 – Emails. Todd explains his absence from last week, and the guys talk scary vidya game experiences.
- 1:05:00 – The return of the ToddBitSkit!
- 1:08:00 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– There are plenty of good videos on Smash TV on the Internets! Here’s a speedrun in 28 minutes, and a longer play of more than an hour.
– According to Price Charting, Super Smash TV is about $16 for the loose cart. If you want the manual and box, the price shoots up to $40, and new or perfect condition copies run $115 currently. There are also inferior home versions available for the NES, Game Gear and Genesis, all of which run for $6 to $8.
– As mentioned on the show, Smash TV used to be available on the online stores, but it was taken down after Midway went bankrupt and got sold in 2010. It is available in Midway Arcade Origins, a compilation disc for the PS3 and 360 released in 2012. Although some of the games in that collection have iffy controls, Smash TV is still pretty solid. It’s available used for about $10, new for $20.
– The “sequel” to Smash TV is called Total Carnage, although it’s more of a spiritual successor as opposed to a straight continuation. It’s not nearly as well-reviewed or popular though.
Episode 016 – Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (1994)
Episode 016 – Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City (1994)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we’re throwing down dunks for fire basketball power-ups! From 1994, we’re playing the much-forgotten Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City, a SNES-exclusive from Electronic Arts. Today’s special guest is Steve’s buddy Dale!
You can manually download this week’s wonderful podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, with no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which is not The Police, but is from a stage in the game.
- 1:00 – Todd’s not here, man.
- 46:00 – Emails. There could be foul play involved with this week’s show, and not enough video game questions.
- 60:30 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– According to Price Charting, a copy of Chaos in the Windy City costs about $7 for the cart itself. If you want a new copy, or just one with the box and manual, it’s around $20 to $40.
– For a play-through of the game, with some commentary, check out this YouTube video. The speed run video is around 44 minutes, and available here.
– There isn’t much info on this game available on the web, since it isn’t “so bad it’s funny” like Shaq Fu. (And hey, reminder – We reviewed that one too!) However, as mentioned on the show, this game was the first one designed by Amy Hennig, who would go on to design and develop some much better games.
GUEST REQUEST
For next week’s show, we’re covering Smash TV! If you’d like to participate, shoot an email to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com. Recording time will be 11 p.m. EST Wednesday.
Episode 015 – Little Samson (1992)
Episode 015 – Little Samson (1992)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we’re defeating evil wizards as a dragon, a golem and a mouse in one of the most valuable NES games out there. From 1992 and near the end of the NES lifespan, we’re playing Little Samson, with special guest DJ!
You can manually download this week’s wonderful podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, as no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which is the end boss theme for Little Samson.
- 38:15 – Emails. Cul-de-sacs and wrestling video game talk.
- 52:00 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– During the show, DJ mentions a video that gets into the history of Little Samson. It’s by a neat YouTube creator, the Gaming Historian, and it can be viewed here.
– Want to collect every NES game? Titles like Little Samson make it tough. John Blanco at Jinja Bobot has a good list of the toughest finds, which includes Little Samson, Panic Restaurant, and the Nintendo World Championship carts.
– The video game value site that Steve mentions, Price Charting, can be found here. It’s a pretty nifty resource for buying and selling games. As publicity on Little Samson’s rareness has increased, so has its value, from the $90 range in 2008 to around $150 in 2011, $500 in 2013 and $700 to $800 in 2015. If you want the manual and box, you can add a surcharge ranging from 15 percent to 50 percent. To see Little Samson’s entry on the site, click here.
– For a gameplay video on Little Samson, click here. The best speed run of the game is in about 10 minutes.
Episode 014 – Contra (1988)
Episode 014 – Contra (1988)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we are fighting our way through jungles, the tundra and H.R. Giger styled bases to strike at the heart of the alien invasion! That’s right, we’re playing that classic run-and-gun shooter from 1988, Contra! With special guest and Contra virtuoso Backsack! (He got to the ice stage without losing a life!)
You can manually download this week’s wonderful podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, as no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which features music from video game music cover band The Minibosses.
- 44:15 – Emails. The gang talks guilty playshures games.
- 1:02:00 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– As mentioned in the timestamps, the main theme this week is by video game music cover band The Minibosses. Besides Contra, they do a lot of other cool tunes that you should check out. The sound effects from Contra were gotten from this nifty site.
– Amazingly, some people can play Contra even better than Backsack! There are various speedruns on YouTube, such as this one in 10:11, which seems to be the world record as of 2012. It tends to be a popular pick for charity gaming sessions and what not.
– The resemblance between the heroes of Contra and 1980s action movie heroes has not gone unnoticed over the years.
– While we spoke briefly about all of the weird post-Contra Contra games out there, we didn’t talk about the cost of the game. It’s actually somewhat pricey on eBay, with the cost ranging from $25 to $40 for just the game itself. The box and the manual ups it to $70. There is a similar price range for the NES sequel Super C. It oddly has not had a re-release on the Xbox or Playstation stores, but it is included on various Konami classic releases for the Nintendo DS and PC.
– Clu Clu Land was mentioned several times by Backsack. You can read more about the game on its Wikipedia page. Or, see it in action on YouTube!
– The weird video game simulation series Steve was talking about, GameBiz, can be downloaded here. There are three installments out, but oddly, they each add and subtract good things. The first is the best at single game development. The second adds the ability to train staff (which is very annoying to do) and multiple game development. The third lets you also develop hardware (which takes forever).
Episode 013 – Comix Zone (1995)
Comix Zone (1995)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we’re getting transported into an alternate dimension to fight comic book monsters! We’re playing Comix Zone on the Sega Genesis, a game with awesome artwork but frustrating play issues.
You can manually download this week’s podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, as no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which features the main title theme from Comix Zone.
- 37:50 – The ole YPB email box!
- 1:01:45 – The snifferoo for next week’s episode.
SHOW NOTES
– We mention the Japanese box art on the show, which is shared by Brisket. You can find it here. It’s not NSFW, but it’s not exactly normal either.
– Also at several points, we mention the music video for “Take On Me” by A-ha, which you can read about on Wikipedia here. If you’ve somehow never seen it, it is on YouTube.
– Want to see a ridiculous speedrun of Comix Zone in 12:36? As usual, YouTube delivers.
– Interested in Game Center CX? You should be, it’s oddly hypnotizing to watch! Arino’s challenge of Comix Zone is here.
– Comix Zone starts at around $10 on Amazon, although the box and manual adds around $20 to the purchase price. As we said on the show, the game is available on Steam and online console stores for $3 and $5, respectively.
Episode 012 – R.C. Pro Am 1 and 2 (1987 and 1992)
R.C. Pro Am 1 and 2 (1987 and 1992)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we’re vrooming past wet spots and through oil slicks, as we avoid bombs dropped by planes! R.C. Pro Am 1 from 1987 is the main topic of conversation, along with Nintendo Power’s NES game of 1993 – which was actually released in December 1992 – R.C. Pro Am 2! Also this week, we have ole friend and big fan Pippenz as a guest, and a very special guest toward the end of the sow.
You can manually download this week’s podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
As always, if you like the show, support us by buying from Amazon! You can use this link to go to Amazon, and any purchase you make will kick a couple bucks to the show, as no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com.
We’re also looking for a guest for next week’s show, Comix Zone for the Genesis. If you’re interested in joining the recording, send us an email or comment on one of those social media sites.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which features the main title theme.
- 32:45 – The YPB boys are joined by a very special guest!
- 38:15 – Emails. More dark thoughts from Butterscoot, Scooterbutt and Kristina Ricci.
- 53:30 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– As mentioned on the show, R.C. Pro Am is one of 30 games featured on Rare Replay, which is scheduled to release on Aug. 4 for the Xbox One. Other highlights are the Banjo games, Perfect Dark and the Battletoads games. It’s going for $29.99 to preorder on Amazon.
– A perfect play of the 24 base tracks in R.C. Pro Am can be seen on YouTube here. It’s utterly ridiculous.
– When it comes to the sequel, it was covered by the Angry Video Game Nerd in James and Mike Mondays a little while ago. It doesn’t look like anyone has cared enough to upload a proper speedrun to YouTube, but there is a longplay here.
– NES Guide, a good resource for that system, has a list of racing games for the system. This forum post at Atari Age is also useful, since it lumps them into single and multiplayer games. As mentioned on the pod, Excitebike was the first to come out, in October 1985, followed by Mach Rider in August 1986, which was more of a mixture of shooting and arcade racer. Square’s Rad Racer came out in October 1987, which was then followed by R.C. Pro Am in February 1988.
– There is a Genesis version of R.C. Pro Am, and it’s essentially an enhancement of the original. Records are saved and what not, which helps too, I’m sure. However, it came out in 1992, when the racing scene was crowded with other, better games.
– On Amazon, the first game is around $10, but the second goes for a premium – between $65 and $100. eBay is a bit more reasonable on the first, with $3 to $10 for just the cart, and $18 to $25 if you want the box and manual. The second game still goes for $35 to $100, for just the cart, and the only box and manual and cart combo is $213.74. The Genesis version is $5 to $10, even with the box and manual.
Episode 011 – Secret of Mana (1993)
Secret of Mana (1993)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we are playing one of the highest-rated RPGs of the 16-bit era, Square’s Secret of Mana! Follow along as we lavish praise on the fighting system and music, and do our best to overlook the truncated dialogue in the fight against ebbing mana.
You can manually download this week’s podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
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Want to have an email or comment read on the air? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com. We’re also looking for future show guests, and future show ideas! You can leave those in comments here, or on Facebook or Twitter.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which features music from the flying portions of the game.
- 47:40 – Emails. More dark thoughts from Butterscoot.
- 54:00 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– We don’t get into heavy story spoilers for Secret of Mana, since the iOS and Droid versions are still good, and thus, hopefully some of you will be interested enough to give it a try. Basically, any story aspect we talk about comes up within the first five hours (about 10 percent) of the game. However, it should be said that at one point, you do get to save Santa.
– We somewhat on the development history of this game, which is pretty interesting and has been written about several times. In addition to the always-reliable Wikipedia, 1-Up has a column about how the series actually began in 1987.
– As far as the translation specifically, Wikipedia has a transcript of a September 1994 interview with Ted Woolsey, the poor bastard who had to do all of Secret of Mana in 30 days. In the 1990s, he was a controversial figure because his translations really morphed the intent of some text and plot, but opinion has softened on him over the years as people have become aware of the programming and time limitations he faced. He did the translation work on Mana, Final Fantasy 3, Breath of Fire and Chrono Trigger. He has his own page on TV Tropes, Woolseyism, and now works for Microsoft.
– On the show, I (Steve) said that I thought I could probably work my way through this game in 10 hours or so. Well, on YouTube, there is a speed run done in about 3 hours. Ye gads.
– Also on the show, as usual, we talk about how much the game costs now. As mentioned several times, the iOS version is well-reviewed, removes some translation errors and only costs about $10. On eBay, loose carts go for about $30 to $70, and complete packages (game, box, map and manual) go for around $100 to $200, depending on condition. There are also tons of Secret of Mana 2 carts on eBay in the $45 to $60 range. These are not official though; they’re simply the fan translation dumped on to a cart. They’re still playable on your SNES, though.
– We talk briefly about Secret of Evermore, which plays a bit like Mana, but is otherwise completely unrelated. We might cover it more in-depth on another show. Via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, Super-NES.com has a great interview with Brian Fehdrau, the lead programmer for Evermore.
– Hat tip to co-host Todd Brisket, who found this story about the newest boss additions to the Japanese-only Vita game, Rise of Mana.
Episode 010 – Gradius (1986) and Gradius 3 (1990)
Episode 010 – Gradius (1986) and Gradius 3 (1990)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we pew pew pew with our space shootin’ Vic Viper-line ship past flying enemy fighters, sand dragons and giant, pulsating alien hearts. We’re playing the classic side scrolling shooter series Gradius, focusing on its first and third installments, for the NES and SNES respectively.
You can manually download this week’s podcast here, or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
Want to have an email or comment read on the air? We’d love to hear from you! Send us a message on the ole Twitter or Facebook, or, shoot that mail to parentsbasementpodcast@gmail.com. Help us to keep the demons within Scooterbutt at bay.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – The intro, which is a Japanese commercial for Gradius 3.
- 35:00 – The return of the Toddbitskit!
- 39:15 – Emails. The return of Scooterbutt! Ole Scooty.
- 54:15 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– The 30th anniversary of the Gradius series was this year, and Kurt Kalata had a great article on its development for Gamasutra. You can read it here. He gets into how it developed from an earlier game, Scramble, and served as the Konami answer to Namco’s Xevious.
– The lore and backstory for the Gradius series is really quite superfluously wonderful, considering it’s a game about shootin’ down space alien ships. The Wikipedia article on the series gets into it, and it’s also a good source for the tangled naming web Steve mentions on the show.
– There are many, many, many people who can play Gradius way better than us three schlubs on this show. YouTube has many of their speed run videos, which I recommend checking out because they’re ridiculous.
– Wanna buy Gradius for the NES? Loose carts run from $8 to $13. If you want the box and manual as well, it runs from $17 to $30. For Gradius 3, carts run from $8 to $15. Despite being younger, boxes and manuals are rarer for Gradius 3, and prices run from $37 to $53. Various forms of Gradius are available on current generation systems in their online shops, again in the $8 to $15 range.
Episode 009 – Shaq Fu (1994)
Episode 009 – Shaq Fu (1994)
This week in Your Parents Basement, we study Shaqido. It’s a deadly and ancient martial art, dating all the way back to the 1990s. The history of this dangerous form of fighting in explained in 1994’s Shaq Fu, which was a real thing that happened, along with Shaquille O’Neal’s rapping career and him playing a god damn genie.
To download this week’s show, click here! As always, you can listen to this week’s show by downloading from the iTunes store – be sure to give us some starrrrssss! (In fact, you don’t even have to listen to give us stars, you know.) To manually subscribe to the pod, input this link to your device of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or ‘like’ us on Facebook.
TIMESTAMPS
- 0:00 – Intro, brought to you by the Wu-Tang Clan, followed by Shaq Fu chat.
- 41:30 – Tales from the Arcade with Huell.
- 51:45 – Emails.
- 1:07:15 – Snifferoo.
SHOW NOTES
– For information on the Shaq Fu sequel, check out the website on it. Like we get into on the podcast though, there isn’t an announced release date, and it’s now been more than a year since the project was initially announced.
– The Shaq Fu Liberation Army seems to be mostly dormant now. But if you’re interested, check it out here. (Note: Sound.)
– Want to play Shaq Fu? It’s not especially tough, if you still have your old systems. Copies of the game range from $3 to $8 for cart only. Even if you want the box and manual included, the price ranges from $8 to $20, depending on condition. As we say on the show, the Genesis version is surprisingly superior to SNES, thanks to more character and smoother (relatively speaking) animation.
Your Parents Basement 
