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AKA Red Dead Robot-tion We continue trying to unravel the onion that is Xenogears. Our search for answers has led us to...Catholic cowboys? In this episode, we meed the best side character in the game, shoot up a ghost ship, uncover a centuries old conspiracy and discover a lost city of wonders. All while the main character is in a coma! This game is pretty wild, gang. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

A lot of stuff happened last year. But also a bunch of video games came out! We take our annual look back at the highs and lows we had in the past 12 months. In gaming, anyway. Only gaming. We talk about good tunes, dastardly mysteries and big, big boys! Also, Jared tries to make a joke about current events but reveals he only reads like half a headline and assumes he got the gist. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

aka Stier Automata Our Xenogears saga continues! In jail! Fei Fong Wong wakes up after the battle for Aveh to a mix of good and bad news. Good news: he's alive. Bad news: he's a prisoner of the Kislev Empire. Luckily, the Nortune prison runs on a fighting tournament based economy, so Fei has an edge. Meeting Rico Banderas, who definitely does not infringe on any copyrights whatsoever, Fei gets caught up in the investigation of a string of brutal killings. Can he solve the case AND become king of the ring? Why is Citan there? Who is that Wiseman guy anyway? And hey, what's the Purge thing those Geblers keep talking about? All these mysteries and more in Xenogears Act 2! Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

At long last, we embark on a saga. A saga of kung fu, robots, and divinity. A saga known as Xenogears. In this first part of our journey through the 1998 cult classic, we meet our hero Fei Fong Wong. He has a problem: robot violence. Also amnesia, but the robot violence is the main thing. Caught up in the middle of a centuries long war, Fei suffers from the loss of his home and crushing guilt at his role in its destruction. But whatever because Bart the Pirate King has a corrupt regime to topple, so Fei has more robo-battling ahead of him. Through it all, we are confronted by the ultimate question: Dost thou desire The Power? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

The most requested game we've ever had, it is finally time to face the legendary Sonic '06! In this reboot(?), Sonic intervenes in Eggman's evil schemes yet again and rescues the Princess of the bizarre nation of Soleanna. While he pursues whatever his dark designs are, Sonic is pursued by a mysterious time traveler seeking to save a blighted future. Meanwhile, Shadow the Hedgehog has no time for all this nonsense and nearly resolves the narrative all by himself in his desperate scramble to get out of this game. And poor old Eggman falls off the wagon. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

Listener Requests continue to deliver great games as we take a look at the now legendary Metal Gear Solid 2! Two years after the Shadow Moses Incident, Solid Snake and Otacon have dedicated themselves to freeing the world from the increased proliferation of the bipedal mechanical weapons known as Metal Gear. Infiltrating a covert Marines vessel, Snake finds himself facing off against a new threat and familiar old foes when RAIDEN! CLOSE THE PODCAST APP NOW! I NEED SCISSORS! 61! Ahem. But also support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

In this jumbo sized first entry in this year's Listener Request Summer, the boys take a pilgrimage to the temple of sports in Final Fantasy X! Tidus Jechtson has it all: a promising sports career, a luxury house boat, loving fans and a dead father. But his cushy life gets turned upside down when his wacky uncle Auron sends him on a trip of a lifetime. Oh, and also an eldritch monstrosity destroys civilization, sending Tidus hurtling one thousand years into the future. But Tidus is about to find out that no matter when or where you are, there's only one thing that's ever truly important: Blitzball. Wait, I mean love. I guess this game is about love. Blitzball, though... Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

Due to popular(?) demand, this bonus version of our episode on Hopkins FBI is a little different. Please note that overexposure to "I Can't Control Myself" by the Troggs is potentially hazardous. The science is not yet in, but the FDA advises extreme caution. HBGC does not accept responsibility for any mental or physical damages caused by prolonged bopping. Listen at your own risk.

In this episode, the boys tackle the infamous cult classic adventure game Hopkins FBI! In a world made entirely of edgelords, one man stands for justice. I don't know who that man is, because it is not Agent Hopkins. Hopkins is a highly decorated FBI agent who squares off against the worst of the worst and occasionally wins. He "foils" a bank robbery only to have his life turned upside down by the return of his arch-nemesis, Bernie Berkson. Hopkins will wade through a sea of dead women on his quest to save his girlfriend and the world. One thing he will not do, however, is react to anything like a human being would. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

This version of the ep has background music for folks who like our older format The boys are back with a look into an alternate history. C&C Red Alert 3 is a story about a world war that never was. When the Soviet Union is on the verge of defeat, a colonel played by Tim Curry uses a secret time machine to go back and murder the source of the Allies's super tech: Albert Einstein. When he returns, he finds the Soviets are now winning, but a new threat has been born from his temporal tampering. The global war is now worse than ever in this final entry in the Red Alert series. It's Soviet Premier Tim Curry vs US President J.K. Simmons vs Emperor of Japan George Takei in a battle of giant robots, spider tanks and laser dolphins! Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

The boys are back with a look into an alternate history. C&C Red Alert 3 is a story about a world war that never was. When the Soviet Union is on the verge of defeat, a colonel played by Tim Curry uses a secret time machine to go back and murder the source of the Allies's super tech: Albert Einstein. When he returns, he finds the Soviets are now winning, but a new threat has been born from his temporal tampering. The global war is now worse than ever in this final entry in the Red Alert series. It's Soviet Premier Tim Curry vs US President J.K. Simmons vs Emperor of Japan George Takei in a battle of giant robots, spider tanks and laser dolphins! Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

Time for the boys to get wrapped up in a spooky mystery in the bayou with the Sierra classic Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. Gabriel Knight is a full-time author part-time sleaze bag living in New Orleans. While researching Voodoo for his next book, Gabe gains in interest in a series of brutal murders playing out in the city. After a little snooping, he finds that the murders are being carried out by a supernatural cult and, worse yet, the cult has a bloody connection to his own ancestors. Now, Gabriel has to scramble to get to the bottom of this mystery before a ritual dagger gets to the bottom of his rib cage! Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

Kazuma Kiryu is a man on a mission. And that mission is to be the world's most powerful dad. Kiryu takes the fall for his best friend's murder beef. When he gets out, things have changed. His childhood love is missing, his best friend is looking to kill him, and someone stole 10 billion yen from the Yakuza. In the middle of all this, Kiryu meets Haruka, a ten year old girl being hunted by every crook in Tokyo for unknown reasons. Lucky for her, Kiryu knows the perfect solution for her problems: Punching dudes. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

It's Rough Boy January, and we are revisiting an old friend with the original Dead to Rights, Namco's hyperactive tribute to action schlock! Jack Slate is a loose-cannon cop on the edge, driven to violent revenge after his father is murdered. But he's also very gullible, so quickly becomes the fall guy for a surprisingly complex criminal conspiracy. With nothing left to lose, Jack has to bust out of death row to clear his name and bring the true villains to extremely fatal justice! Also, he has a dog. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

The boys take a look back on this past year and chat about their favorite games. Capcom, bafflingly, continues to be good! The indie scene is booming! Massive multiplayer shooters from triple AAA publishers are not so good! And we even crack into the big question: What was the best video game of the past decade? Hear it from us, the experts here at the only video game podcast in the world! Weird that no one else has thought of doing one of these... Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

It's the holiday season, which means its time for KILLER CYBORGS! Snatcher is one of the earliest games written and directed Hideo Kojima, the mad man behind Metal Gear and Death Stranding. It's also, kind of, Blade Runner/Terminator fan fiction. Gillian Seed is man with amnesia and a mysterious past. He's also just been assigned to Neo Kobe City's new JUNKER task force. His mission: to hunt down the latest in cyberpunk terror, the deadly Snatchers. Snatchers are murderous androids that kill people and assume their identities to further their unknown but sinister goals. But when the only other surviving JUNKER is murdered, Gillian is thrown into the deep end of a deadly conspiracy. Also, there's pizza! Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

WE LIVE...AGAIN! The Rowdy Boys are back and we are finally finishing our long summer with the PS1 cult classic, Legend of Legaia! A grim mist covers the land, transforming people and animal alike into monsters. The few remaining refuges are under attack by a diabolical wizard and his pet kaiju. Vahn, a young man in an isolated village, knows the only way to stop it: Karate! Vahn sets out on a punch-adventure to save the world because it's a video game, baby! And yes, there's time travel. How does this keep happening to us? Support the show at: https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

If there's one thing our listeners love to request, it's JRPGs. And we have a bit of a cult classic this time around! Arc The Lad was originally released in 1995 in Japan and did not get a western release until 2002! Was it worth the wait? When a young priestess is tricked into messing up an ancient seal, monsters are unleashed onto the land. To make things worse, the world powers have gone so hard on imperialism that the planet is dying. Enter Arc, the absolute mad lad and prophesied hero. With the stern demeanor of a plank of wood, Arc sets out on a quest to gather the blessings of the elemental guardians and find the Ark, which will hopefully save the world. And he'll do it the only way an RPG hero knows how: gathering a group of weirdos and swinging a sword around. Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

OOOOOH YEAH BAAAABY! Summer never ends and that means more Listener Requests! This episode we take a look at what just might be the best handheld game ever released. Ghost Trick is the story of one amnesiac ghost's journey to solve his own murder and learn his true identity. Sissel is a simple man: he's dead and he wants to know why. Using his ghostly gifts, he follows a detective named Lynne in the hopes that her investigation will lead to answers for both of them. The duo contend with dire threats at every turn: hitmen, death traps, explosives and romance novelists all threaten to bring a premature end to the night. But don't worry, they have a four-legged ally waiting to guide them into the light of a new day. Also, Time Streaming? Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/HyperbolicGameChamber

The hectic summer has delayed the boys' valiant effort to see through their listener requests once again, but have no fear! We have retrieved an episode long thought lost in our hosting switch-over. Well, by "lost" we mean "Jared put it in the wrong folder" but still. SuperGiant Games may be an indie juggernaut today, but for most of us, Bastion was our first exposure to the team. And what a first impression! We recorded this episode ages ago, but our opinions on the game haven't really changed. It's great.