Jake

It feels like Fire Walk With Me actually follows through on the punches this episode pulled, which makes me glad that it exists. This episode is actually infuriating to me because of the potency of the Leland/Donna scene, followed by the limp garbage that is the Leland/Bob interrogation scene.

Hey folks the episode is up! Sorry for the delay. Also it turns out I agree with a ton of this thread. I skimmed it before we recorded but yes. Curious to hear your thoughts on our thoughts. Also next week's pre-discussion thread is up!

Idle Thumbs 195: Business Guys On Planes Jake goes back in time with Grim Fandango Remastered, Nick makes sure the trains run on time in Mini Metro, Danielle moves time forward in controlled and user-selected increments in Majora's Mask 3D, and Chris talks about a dead guy coming to life, limbs flailing, cursing at everyone. On a plane, a big guy in a suit plays some free to play game, and is satisfied with his choice. Games Discussed: Mini Metro, Mini Metro 2033, Infinifactory, Game of War: Fire Age, Grim Fandango Remastered, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, Tyrian 2000, Super Mario Bros. (film) Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

In addition to the letter from Peach, 64 has the intro with lakitu as the camera and a few other story-scene-setting things, but I think you're right that it was a slow ramp up over time. Mario 1 had "our princess is in another castle," then Mario 3 had occasional letters from Peach (including gifting you a P wing for instance) as well a the throne room scenes with the kings before each Koopa Kid encounter. Mario World had that introductory text as well as little vignettes before each castle (probably on par with Mario 3), then the opening story of Yoshi's Island, then Mario 64 introduced actual cutscenes in addition to the notes from Peach. Then Mario Sunshine had a full on prerendered cutscene about Mario's vacation being ruined (and the GBA versions of the old NES and SNES games were retrofitted to have intro cinematics as well).

Idle Thumbs 194: A Grave Ghost The match is about to start, the anticipation so thick you can see it in the air. Dust2, of course. You strap on your MicroSoft HoloLens (Pimple edition, bought new) and scan the crowded auditorium. Aimbots found: Six. Wallhacks: Eighteen. You're not sure why you even came. You put the device back in its huge carrying sack and go home to manage your fake baseball team. Things Discussed: Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft HoloLens, Super Mega Baseball, The Uncle That Works For Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS XL (2015), The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, Gravity Ghost, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2 Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

Much of the orchestral music was re-recorded live, and what wasn't was re orchestrated digitally by Clint Bajakian! Apparently none of the original midi synths remain-it's all either live or updated with modern, far superior synths. So if you think you're hearing the original tracks with no extra work, in most cases you're probably trusting your memory too much. Also I'm glad Bajakian was involved.

Idle Thumbs 191: Not the Greatest, but the Best We ring out the old, and ring in the new, with what may be the oldest conversation in the existence of our medium: What is the best video game of all time? Not the greatest, mind you, but the best. (Thanks to Matter magazine for sending us on this quest as part of their video game week, earlier this month.) See you in 2015! Games Discussed: Tetris, Minecraft, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3D Land, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Spelunky, QWOP, Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto V, Dwarf Fortress, The Sims, SimCity, Mario Kart 64, Grim Fandango, Double Dragon II, Bad Dudes 2, Renegade, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Half-Life, Doom, Far Cry 2, Flappy Bird, Flappy Bird Family, Blast Corps, Full Throttle, Christmas Lemmings Films Discussed: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

Oops sorry for generalizing your specific remark!

the podcast episode is up! I don't really feel like I did my reactions to this episode justice when recording the podcast, but what can you do? Unrelated to that: The discussion threads for this episode and last have been fantastic and incredibly insightful. I'm floored every week. It's soo good. You're all the best.

DF Game Club is great! I want to come back and do another chat but missed the recent run of Telltale stuff they did.

I have a question about Braid, but I've asked it before.

I played Remastered for just a few minutes this morning and I don't know what I can and can't talk about when it comes to specifics, but the controls are handled very well, the new music sounds GORGEOUS (the increased feeling of polish and... "completeness," of the opening cutscene is striking, even with the same 1998 visuals), and the shadows are confirmed pretty.

Count on Benny.

Why not on steam or GOG?

My brain rejects that name every time I see it, so I didn't think to say anything on the cast.

My girlfriend got into Twin Peaks because of that episode of Psych. That then sent her into the X Files. I wonder how much that Psych episode actually got new people onto the show, especially since it was around the same time the Gold Box dvd set came out? I know for a fact that it is a non-zero number! It is my hope that, at the end of it, we can do a couple weird Rewatch episodes about Missing Pieces, and things like the Dual Spires Psych episode and any other longform or really impactful Twin Peaks hits in culture. (I don't know if I want to read the Secret Diary and other book that came out, though. I read a bit of Secret Diary and didn't really enjoy it, personally.)

https://www.idlethumbs.net/forums/topic/9887-general-twin-peaks-discussion/?view=getnewpost Made a general thread and pinned it. Let's give this a try!

Yep, I meant to mention that in the Orchid's Curse rewatch episode but totally forgot to say anything! I forgot to say anything this week, too! Oops. Cooper says the number of days in this episode even.

This episode is now up. - https://www.idlethumbs.net/twinpeaks/episodes/demons Also there's a thread for next week's episode!

We coould probably open a general peaks discussion area, if people thought it'd be worth doing, but right now we just have threads per episode since the discussion hasn't been heavy enough to immediately warrant more.

It would be easier to draw analogies to other mediums if major sports were still being made from scratch and gained acceptance. Like, if Notch somehow had a doppelgänger who created basketball. Most things of that style/scale emerged from a culture or cultures over centuries, but video games pop a new culture-sweeping craze every few years. Few will ever have the longevity of a classic sport, though, I imagine, simply because they require (ever changing) technology to work. Maybe in 50 years when tech evolution has settled down, the last hold out humans can experience a shared game for more than a couple generations, from behind their sun shields on the tiny ocean-bound islands that remain of our continents.

Idle Thumbs 189: Serious Ma'am Alone and in a strange place, a robot types furiously at a terminal keyboard. "dir" it writes. No response. "asdfghjk," it continues, to similar success. It glances around, looks back at the keyboard and then the screen. "load Dragon Age." Games Discussed: The Talos Principle, Serious Sam, Portal, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Framed Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

Idle Thumbs 188: A Refined Baby With the end of the year coming up fast, Jake and Danielle are joined by Patrick Klepek of Giant Bomb, to pull back the curtain on the deliberations and distractions involved in picking the Games of the Year, and to share some surprising travel tips the modern gamer may find useful. Things Discussed: Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, VA-11 HALL-A, Bayonetta 2, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Alien: Isolation, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Digital Spacey, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

Idle Thumbs 187: Half a Brain Nick and Sean are transfixed by the supple, majestic fur of Far Cry 4, Chris crosses a road better than anyone in the room (but not better than his friends), and Jake stares at a real brain on a real plate. Games Discussed: Far Cry 4, Jumanji, Far Cry 2, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, Crossy Road, Street Fighter 2, Super Smash Bros for Wii U Listen on the Episode Page Listen on Soundcloud Listen in iTunes Subscribe to the RSS Feed

It is based on the fan patch code, with its author assisting.