Hello word nerds
Welcome to the ad for my podcast called the dictionary
My name is Spencer Parks. I host this podcast. I read the dictionary the words the definitions
etymologies even more I talk about it. I try to explain things
I also sometimes try to put in some silly jokes or silly sing-songy things
You know it's just a fun way to read the dictionary sometimes I have guests on and I hope that you will turn on this podcast
check it out start from the beginning and
You know enjoy this what I like to call
Edutainment check it out in all the places that you can find podcasts
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you
Yeah, what?
We
We are not introducing it like that what yeah, I mean that's fair
It's really not the time for breaking news, but this is a different episode
Mm-hmm we're playing with the format. I like to play with format
But this time it's because we're actually listening to the people from the talk from oh
Why the social needs what do you mean why?
So we were reading the comments
Mm-hmm, that's not good
Listen our listeners are lovely you made a comment in the sonic episode
So when the Genesis first released it was bundled with the
Forgotten came altered beast
Excuse me
You sure did and I stand by it
Doubling down
But now we're gonna make a whole episode about the word forgotten because apparently
This is not a forgotten game. Okay. It was a made game. It was made
I guess we can welcome to how did this get made it did get made it did get made all about the stories that were made
Yep, I'm like see Riley and I'm Daniel Corka
Okay, so the internet quickly to hold us that altered beast is not forgotten at all
Mm-hmm pretty beloved yeah, which is brand new information to me, but you're the video game expert of the two of us so
Still a very low low bar. Mm-hmm. I don't know that either of us are gamers can someone sub in for me?
No, okay, so I thought that we would course correct our whole forgotten comment and we can do a mini episode all about
Altered beast little history little gameplay
For those of you that were in the same campus us altered beast is a Sega game, which is why it was in our sonic episode
Yes came out in
88 as an arcade game. Mm-hmm. I did so well that it came out with the launch of the Sega Genesis at home
Well, do you know why it got paired up with there because it did well well
It was one of the many arcade games that were there the thing is like it did it did all right
It did well here not so hot in Japan, but it did well here
Yeah, part of the reason why they chose this game over many different games because the gameplay for it not too great but
listen
It's a very specific type of game. I learned so much. Yeah, but the reason why they chose to bring this game as
The first game to be bundled with the Sega Genesis is because it showed off the 16-bit graphics
That part I did not understand so I did not
But it's a beat-em-up game. I didn't know that was a type of game
Yeah, do you know what beat-em-up means like a side-scrower situation like we have with altered beast
You're just kind of going through the levels and you're just kind of like just mowing down just opponents
Did you ever play the Simpsons game in the arcade? No, I did not okay. That's a beat-em-up game
And I don't know that I've ever outside of going to a Dave and Buster's for somebody's birthday have stepped into an arcade
Well, I mean
Moving right past it's a beat-em-up game. It's a very straightforward premise of just like you just but it's only hand-to-hand combat or simple like melee weapons
That's what it's a brawler kind of yeah the teenage mutant in Detertles game they did that's a beat-em-up game
Do you know there was a die hard?
Yeah, I used to play that in the arcade because I played hockey as a kid. Oh
Every ice rink has an arcade in it because you got to keep the kids busy
Yeah, and oftentimes they did have the die hard beat-em-up game where like you get to that part where it's like you either have to choose
This button or this button and depending on which button you choose you either take out the opponent right away or you don't take out that opponent
And then you have to fight them now did it
Emulate the movie at all not even a little bit. Oh, that's so sad. I was so excited
They only share the name it was called die harder cade and it was the first texture mapped 3d polygon graphics game
I did not know it was the first one. Yeah, I remember playing that a lot and a lot of us were like
Emerizing which button you would have to hit in order to like take out the guy just like kick him over the railing
And just like you just kind of move on so that you wouldn't have to fight them
I really don't know how you weren't a bigger arcade kid because or like video game kid because apparently there was a Batman
Or turns which I know is also up your alley and then a Scott pilgrim. Yep. There's a Scott pilgrim beat him up
That was made like around the time that the movie was coming out. They just kind of like
Cashed in on that attention 2010 to me seems like a very late time to be making arcade games
But I know the DVD had come out and there was like a huge ad campaign with that to be like if you like the movie
You're gonna love the video game because the movie plays like a video game
Oh, cuz you can play at home now never mind
I was thinking of like going to a physical arcade and I was like do the kids still go to the arcades these days
I mean we go to the arcade, but now they cater to us and make barcades
Yeah, it's cuz there's the dope averages there. Yeah, okay, do you know the first brawler game?
I do know it's Kung Fu master
It was known as Spartan X in Japan, but it's like the foundation for all of the brawling games
Yeah, you get to play as a Kung Fu master and fight your way through five levels of the devil's temple to rescue your girlfriend
From crime boss mr. X. I love it with these games like
It's always so simple whenever you want to showcase just like the fighting the graphics like
Something needs to be sacrificed in in most cases. That's gotta be the story
So it's like that's what I like about all sort beast though and we'll get to the story of it later
It's a dense story compared to what everything else is. Yeah, you know, it's not a brawler game, but I thought it was
Sonic no mortal combat not a brawler game. Oh, yeah, we're splitting hairs here because I was like
Oh Mario would be a brawler game right? No, it's a platform game
We just switched so many tight it like I learned so much
about the inner workings of genre of video game
Mm-hmm. Yeah, because you're not fighting NPCs in brawlers like you were fighting in NPC
Whereas he's providing an onslaught of them like a wave of enemies as opposed to mortal combat
It's just one-on-one. Yeah, supposedly
Ultra Beast was designed by Makato Ishida and this was the very first game he designed. He did. Do you know how he got it?
How he got the game? No, I know where he pulls a lot from but
So when he was young he saw his first video game in an arcade and was just like
enamored by them just like fascinated and
He would write his bike like an hour and a half to go to an arcade if he had money
He would try and play these games
But most of the time he didn't so he'd just like watch people play these games and just like just fell in love
Like he wanted anything to do with video games
eventually he did get some money and
A lot of his time was spent to play video games in the very first game that he played like two perfection
Was Pac-Man. Oh
Yeah, like he prepared his body
Before going in because he knew that he'd be sitting there for like an hour and a half to make sure that he was like
ready to go and he would play it without any mistakes and he just like kept going over and over and over again
To the point where he went to Sega and just asked to be hired by them and they're like well
Do you have any programming experience? Like no, but I can better got the love of the game
But I can play games and they hired him on as a
Playtester. That's cool
That's a fun job. Yeah, so he was a playtester for a little while and then it came to the point where he was
wanting to
Make his own game and he pitched it to there where he's like what if instead of when you're fighting instead of getting weaker as you go along
It's stronger and then they're like that sounds a great idea
We have no teams available to make this move
They make this game for you
So he just kept festering on it and just kept thinking about it
That's why there's so much inspiration for it. So the cool thing that I found because I
Watched a playthrough and was like this seems like a really fun game with a really cool story
Mm-hmm
And he pulled a lot of inspiration from a lot of different places pulled it from the Howling Joe Dante's
Howling the 1981 yeah Joe Dante and then from thriller Michael Jackson's thriller
Mm-hmm where he turns into a bug-eyed monster so what screams
1980s horror more than ancient Greece altered beast set an ancient Greece
Like you said he wanted the characters to get stronger and when he thought about that
He was like what's stronger than ancient Greece? What's sure sure sure?
But I find that really fascinating because send Churians
Hail from ancient Rome
I mean the internet wasn't around at that time right totally fair again. I'm not mad at any of the story
He also pulled a lot of inspiration from Ray Harryhausen who was a British animator and stop motion creator
Yeah, Jason and the
Argonauts
Yeah 1963 Jason the Argonauts 1958
7th voyage of Sinbad 1981 clash of Titans
Mm-hmm well that was kind of a team inspiration so
Originally with like the main character turning into a
Whatever beast it was the team who was inspired by the Ray Harryhausen movies
So like they were the ones who like really put in the
Ancient Rome part of it were
Utita he put an emphasis on just making sure that these men could transform into a beast and making sure that that was correct
He wanted it to be really flashy though and fun and very eye catching
Also pulling in those horror themes sounds like he wanted a sense of like a jump scare to it
He didn't love the original concept
So then he wound up working with a sketch artist and the lead game designer quid and it's like what it yeah
I mean
Which is going to happen
But it worked out for the best
I mean he quip because he was on it for like a full month of just doing it and for UGW to be like no
And be like well you can figure it out yourself then
But listen he had an idea in mind and hiring a sketch artist and getting it to work that way
It's a very loved game now so I guess all the right decisions were made
Do you know what the term is for a man transforming into a beast
Anamorph it's a Therian trope
I thought it was anamorph like the book I read as a child sure
Where the teenager goes into a cheetah
I can't repeat what words you just said
Sir
No Therian Thrope
Therian Thrope
Therian D H E R I A M T H R O P E
Therian Thrope
Therop
Okay so in the game you can punch, kick and jump
But they had more plans for a pressure sensitive button
They fell through I don't what is that I need what does that mean
So what they were trying to do is
Depending on how hard you push the button was how powerful your punch or kick was
Oh that is cool
And they just couldn't figure out that technology
Because deadlines
Part of it was deadlines part of it was just the technology wasn't there
In an order for you so they would have to like redesign a like arcade game itself
Right where for most of these arcade games it's just
The hardware is all there and they just need to like slot in the game
Right
And then just go design the shelf
I'm sure someone made that button after the fact though
They have it now the trigger buttons that we have on video games
Like sometimes those have a pressure sensitive
That's why I'm such a terrible I don't know I'm just I'm a button smasher
I am I'll admit it I don't understand mechanics
But because that button never got made at least in time for the game
Each hit was like I think that's why players got bored
Yeah
But like he overall really liked how the game came out
And people really liked the initial play
Yeah did you get the quote he said when you like watched
So he said I was so thrilled when I saw not only the players
But the people around the players uniformly surprised
At the video arcade
Hmm that's nice
So the plot is my favorite part
And you get to rise from your grave
Rise from your grave
Kazooz resurrects you as a romance
Wait Kazooz
Zooz
Kazooz
Oh I see what you said there
Because Zeus
Uh-huh
But Kazooz
Kazooz
Zeus
God of Greek mythology
John Goodman
Yes
I was gonna say what's his name from
Ted Lasso
Brett Goldstein
Isn't he Zeus?
Oh no he's not
He's Hercules
Zeus is gladiator
He's in laymiz
I yeah there you go
And I'm Chopper
Anyway Zeus resurrects you the player as a roman centurion
To save his daughter Athena
Who has been captured by the ruler of the underworld?
Neff
Hmm
Athena is a damsel
She is in big time distress
So you have to play through five levels
And you'll come face to face with undead creatures
Lusely based on Greek mythology
I love it
Yeah
I actually am super here for this game
Yeah
We're watching her right now
Yeah
Really excited to play
Okay so level one
You play in a graveyard as a werewolf
Makes total sense
Yard
*laughs*
Level two you play in a cave as a dragon
Still sort of makes sense
Level three
You're in an underground cavern
Which is not just a cave
But with skulls
As a werebear
Yeah
And then four were in the netherworld
I guess we're going deeper underground
This is Dante's inferno
We just couldn't even
Oh shit it is
All of the levels
There's only so much memory you can put on those games
I was surprised that it was only five levels
Okay so now we're in the netherworld fortress
As a were tiger
*laughs*
And then level five
Here in the netherworld
Sanctum
As a goldware wolf
I love it
Yeah
In the original arcade game
In the credits
Did you see this?
There was like this revelation
That the whole game is actually just a film production
It's just a play
And they like have beers and have fun
How of all of the video game movies
Like films that we've gotten
How has no one made an altered beast film
Because like I really like the breaking of it
And being like that
So I'll just to set
We are in a werewolf renaissance right now
That's also what I'm saying
Yeah
Robert Adgers
Scrap
All of your ideas
No no, not for our tutu
We are wolf
Or however he spelled it
How did he spell it?
Oh I don't know
No werewolf
W-E-R
W-E-L
Wherewolf
Werewolf
Oh is this is next
Well we are in like a werewolf renaissance
Yes we are
This is brand new
Breaking information to me
Robert Adgers is basically doing his own monster universe
I'm not mad
You have so much already designed for you
So many more creatures
Like why limit ourselves to just the wolf
We're tiger amazing
We've only seen a were tiger in Tekken 3
Like
Why not just keep going with it
My brain is exploding
Because you know they recreated Ultra Beast in 2005
I do for the PlayStation 2
We throw out ancient grease
We lose Athena and the Centurion
Well do you know how that came to be?
No
So it was
Makado Uchida
He rose in the ranks when he worked at Sega
Yeah I mean I can see why
He went from game tester developer
And he just like kept going
He started in Japan
And in 95
Switched over to Sega for America
And then he helped found the Chinese branch
So there is Sega of China
That he is now the CEO of
And when the first games that he put out
Was a new Ultra Beast for the PlayStation 2
But going back to his word
Is Sega made the PlayStation 2?
Sega did not make the PlayStation 2
Sega
They are now just a software
Or just like a game development company
Good for him
I'm just thinking about that kid
That couldn't afford to play
Now being like a CEO
And being like you know my game
Bringing it back
Yes
Okay but I wanted them to bring it back
I like the storyline of the original
Especially because when you think about Pac-Man
And arcade games
I think of very basic
Not in depth storyline
And Ultra Beast sort of does have one
But we lose it all
We lose the ancient craze we lose Athena
We lose the Centurion
But we keep the idea of Anamorphs
Yeah because like I said
The Ray Harryhausen influence was really the team
And ironically it was the same team
Who came back to help make the game
To make the 2005 version
His soul focus was character grow stronger
Character turns into a beast
Like that was his the main thing that he wanted
Yeah but now we have to modernize it
With Luke Custer
Who was in a helicopter crash
Has no memory
Oh yeah
Yeah
And can turn into a werewolf at first
The reason he can turn into a werewolf
Is that he's a genome cyborg
Yeah
You know
With an artificially altered microchip
That's the chip that turns him into a werewolf
This seems scientifically plausible
No notes
As you play through the game
You collect more microchips
You just kind of eat them and just
Do you know what like we lost were bears
And you know what we got instead
A m-man
And then a Geruda
Which I'm sure I'm saying incorrectly
Which is a Hindu deity
It's like an eagle-like sunbird
A when to go
A Minotaur
And a dragon
We lost all our were creatures
So that game
The 2005 version
Video gamer said
The name will probably attract a number of fans
Of the original game
They may get the most out of what is an average title
For those who do not base their purchase on nostalgia
Look elsewhere
Yeah
Cause there's no were bears
Yeah
Well here's another reason why
Where bears
Why this became a forgettable game
The 2005 or the
Just in general
Okay
Ultra Beast had originally come out
And it was bundled with sygidinsus
And it was only bundled with it for like the first two years
Do you know why it got replaced by Sonic?
I do not
Let's hear
Cause it wasn't family friendly
They were worried about the like undead
And the magic elements not doing well here
Specifically the Bible will
Like we did
Yeah
And
No magic for you just a talking hedgehog
Yeah
And also on top of that
The way that sygidinacis was initially marketed
Was to be like
We are like the true video games
So there was one of like
You must have these to play the syga
And it's like these two steel balls
Like in
In their advertising
So like they really like machoed it up
That makes sense for that to happen
And when they see that Nintendo is just outselling them
And they just have like a little plumber guy who's just like so happy
It's much more family fun
And it's like we got it we got it
We got it
Family
Remedy
Yeah
For the children
So it got like switched out
And there's like kind of this this heartbreaking
Cloth that I got from Uchida where he said
When I heard that Altered Beast would be bundled
With all these sygidinacis packages in North America
I had no idea what to expect
It was only bundled in North America
I was working in Japan
And I heard it was there
I said
That's terrific
I can't wait to see it
But we never saw the bundle in Japan
I had to go to the US about three years later
And I heard about it
So I said
This time I'll definitely go to a store
But I couldn't find it anywhere
There was nothing but Sonic the Hedgehog
Bundle available
So I was never able to see it
It's my only regret about the game
It's really sad
Yeah
Because the 2005 game also never made it here
Nope
It was only available in the UK and Japan
Yeah
That's another reason why it was forgettable for us
us being in the States
We had no idea that this game came out
Mm-hmm
If you went to an arcade
It was still in arcades
Which is how it sort of
kept its relevance
Yeah
Now they tried to
And a lot of the reason why a lot of these games
Do have relevance where I people remember them
Is because there are sequels that come out
Sometimes they're sort of packaging
They tried their best
To like
Spread
This game on many different platforms
There was a lot of different platforms that it went on to
So they also made it for the Mega Drive
Hey there listeners
Editor Dan here
I meant to say
Master System
Not Mega Drive
I realized Mega Drive was the UK version of the Sega Genesis
Master System is what I meant to say
I'm so sorry
I'm sorry
Stop yelling at your pod catcher
The Mega Drive was the console that was before the Sega Genesis
And the Mega Drive was an 8-bit system
Got it
Genesis is a 16-bit
So they had to extremely downgrade it
Yeah and with all of the settings and the character
Like a lot happens in Altered Beast
I feel like sort of making that downgrade a little
Doesn't play as well
It did not
And the gameplay was also slower
Just because it was just so much going on
That breaks my brain
Because I'm like you would think that 8-bit
Would be faster
But I guess
You are trying to put the graphics to its maximum
Yeah
So much for it that's taking there
They did make it for the PC
There was a PC CD-ROM game
That also came with like an added animation
Oh
Yeah it was kind of a weird animation that had like this white face
That kind of looked like the drama face
That is the playthrough version that I saw
Yep
So that's probably why
Because it was probably easiest to
Yeah
To record that
There was the version that they made for the Famicom
Excuse me? What is that?
The Family Computer
So this is before the NES
You're saying a lot of words that are going right over my head
So there was the Nintendo Entertainment System the NES
Ah now I'm on board
Before it was known as the NES
It was known as the Famicom
And it was only available in Japan
Got it
Yeah
So the
Well I think they
No I think I'm wrong about that
I think they brought it over to the US
It wasn't doing well
They renamed it
And then it did well after that
But yeah
They made it available for the Famicom
But that was also like a downgrade from like the system bit to an 8 bit
There was another version for the Amstad
Which is another type of PC
What?
Is this pre us growing up or was this all happening while we were growing up?
I mean I guess we were growing up but we were like 80-bitty
Right
Just a few other areas that it was available
It was available for the Atari
The Commodore 64
The ZX Spectrum
And the MSX
Which I don't expect you to know any of it
I know Atari
I actually think I've heard of Commodore 64 too
But the other two
Yeah
So they made it all available for that
And then you've probably
I don't know if you've ever had a Tiger game before
It's a handheld game
But they can only program it to only play one game
And they made an Ultra-Beast Tiger game version of that
What?
Tiger games remind me of hit clips
Oh I did have a Tiger game
Yeah see
Yeah
I bet you can guess which one I am
Was it a Disney Princess?
It was
Was it for the little more made-
It was
Oh I forgot about these
Guess what you're getting for Christmas
So they really tried to make this game like widely available
On like different platforms
Just like get people to know about it
And there are some hardcore fans
That are out there that really love this game
In fact there is a musician out there
His name is Matthew Sweet
Okay
Much bigger in the UK
He's the Robbie Williams
Oscar Smith
I don't know
Matthew Sweet he loved this game
So much that he had the arcade
He pulled the Chandler
Machine
Yeah
In his house
Like he owned one of those arcade machines
And he named one of his albums
After the game
Like he named his album
Altered Beast
What?
Yeah
Although I think the album cover is like a dinosaur
So
I mean Altered what's his name?
Matthew Sweet
Oh it is
It's two dinosaur
Interesting
Before the 2005 version
There was a kind of an unofficial sequel
Two Altered Beasts
That was called Altered Beasts
Gardening of the Realms
Great title
Much better than Altered Beasts
This was made for the Game Boy Advance
Is that the hand-pulled thing?
Yes
I was not allowed to play video games
This was not my choice
I sound like I lived in the woods growing up
You were an Amish girl
Just churning butter
Michigan's closer to us
This came about because the company
THQ they obtained the rights to Altered Beasts
It's so many names
And they tasked the development company
3d6 games to make the game
And this is without
Macato?
Yeah this is without Uchitas
Input?
Yeah with those input he wasn't really part of it
So a lot of it the development for this game was
Just trying to mimic
what the game used to be
And just kind of like expanding on that
So they made levels for it
They introduced different beasts to it
But like it was very similar
Although the gameplay was just kind of
Lacking
It still like blows my mind that it's only five levels
In my head pack man is like a hundred
I mean that's a lot easier to make
Because you're basically a similar course the whole time
This is a very dense story
To keep making more and more levels of
Five seemed so small to me
There is something that is there
That I've really believe that you can make something great out of
Oh a hundred percent I am on board for the movie
The new reboot of the game
Josh Holloway
He's a centrient
The final thing that I just want to say about this is like
I want to play
It is not the best game that is out there
But it does have its place in video game history
Turning butter girl things
It sounds pretty great
And for many of the early adopters of the Sega Genesis
This game has a lot in nostalgia
The images of a man turning into a different beast
That's pretty hard to forget
There's also just the sayings
Like I know that there's like the rise from your grave
But there's something else
Welcome to your doom
But this is all to say that
We needed altered beast to learn how to walk
So that Sonic the Hedgehog could run
I'm gonna make a lot of people angry
I am more invested in altered beast than I am in Sonic
But the lore of Sonic
The lore I don't get me wrong
I love the whole fighter jets and the jacket
I love the lore of Sonic
I think they're doing a great job with the films
I'm even down to watch Jim Carrey dance
But there is something about altered beast
That I am now like you are the underdog
And I am rooting for your re-comubments
All because you said forgotten
And we posted it on the internet
I'm really glad that this happened
Yeah
Like this was a part of the zeitgeist that I just never knew
And now I wanna play
We're gonna play
But first ads
Sega
So I hit enter
Now your playing
I command you to rise from your grave
Yep, and that's where that sound cue comes in
Which for some reason we are not able to hear but
Oh it's actually probably going through the monitor
There you go
Just kicked the zombies in the walls
Huh?
Oh
Oh, oh no did I die?
Nope, nope
You just got knocked down a peg
Okay
This is how I'm like
Bacha
Now there is that pre-head of duck that is behind you
That you'll eventually have to take care of
Really?
Yeah
It's gonna come back and like nippy in the heels
Okay
Oh
Where's the kick?
Bunch
What's A-new?
A is punch
A is E
Okay
Should be
Buttons matchbox A
Come here, come here, come here, come here
Come here
Yeah
Oh
You wanna get that power up
Come here, come here
Yeah
Wee
Oh, I got too confident
Uh oh
Oh, no
Kicking is fun
Oh god
There's so many creatures
Okay, you want to avoid the sparky sparks
I, oh okay
And there you go, you were getting stronger
But your head stays the same size
You got a juggle, a juggle
Get it
Oh, you're transforming into a
Oh, that's sick
Oh, come here
You're rink
I would never have thought that I had to work behind
Man, unless you told me to do it
But you're still there
Oh, I know
Am I still, I get to stay as a werewolf
You tell the end of a level, yeah
Because you have to click three, right?
Or are you just like
Now you want to avoid the, uh, the Palpatine Lightning
How do you
There
Oh, okay, now go
Oh, yes, excuse me
Now it's gonna keep throwing his head at you
Oh, just like, just keep attacking
Oh
Oh my god, how do you attack him?
He's like, oh, I died
He's a little further
What are you doing?
You three
All right, you're done
Okay
Is that still only level one?
Oh dear god
All right, because I'm only a werewolf
I had to be a
Couldn't even get to a werebear
Hmm
But
Rise from your grave
Do you?
Is my head just...
I'll get these guys
Kick it again
(Laughs)
Yeah, yeah, oh, wow
I can give you a hug, can I? Yeah
That's my favorite one, the guy who's hitting his head
I kick you
I kick you, sir
Oh no, there
Oh, he's a power up
Give me, give me
Yeah, oh my god, the head really does stay the same
Okay, I gotta
I'm gonna punch this guy, punch, punch, punch, punch
Down, down, punch, punch
For 19 or 18
That's a little dull, yeah
What, you can throw something?
The punch is, you throw like a ball
Oh
(Laughs)
I guess, I'm not sure how I did that
I'm also learning how to play this game
Did you ever play this game? No, I did not
I did not
No, I got the Sega bundle
Sorry, the Sonic bundle
How different your life would have been
You got the altered beast bundle instead
Yeah, then I would be in the comments to me
Like, how dare you
(Laughs)
I feel feel pretty vindicated
Yeah, that guy's hard
So we can- Is that the big boss at the end of that level?
Oh, just that level
So we can agree that this was pretty hard to play
It's very hard to play, but I am really into it
There was a playthrough
I'm sure that if I spent more time with it
and actually try to like figure out the actual controls
I could do much better at it
But for the sake of time
I want to find a playthrough
and we just kind of like, scrub through that
I also rescind every comment I said about five levels
not being a loss
(Laughs)
Because I really thought that the levels
were going to be shorter and easier
So good on you for doing five
because one felt challenging
and I'm sure back in the day
in an arcade it might have been different
Because would you have a joystick
or would you still have just buttons to move forward and back
You would have a joystick
and we would have had the controls on our right hand
Oh, that's also what
Yeah, so because this was online
so like it was swapped for us
and even with the Siga controller
it was set up in the same way
where the D-pad was on the left side
and then the ABC buttons were on the right side
(Applause)
We're going through the playthrough right here
This must be a slightly even more updated version
than what we'll...
Whoa!
This might have been the PC version
Yeah, I was going to say
because it's a little crisper
or maybe where we playing the 8-bit
and this is the 16-bit
No, you would have known if we played the 8-bit
We did not
But I think the one that we played might have been...
Whoa, excuse me sir
Yeah, I think this is the CD-ROM version
But look at it, he's going through
and avoiding all the throne heads
which... what a move to like...
Attack, just throw your head at someone
It reminds me of Power Rangers
Ooh, an animation here
So the playthrough that I watched
the sound is really great
the cutscene kind of thing
Apparently that is Athena being in peril
But each one is her being more and more in peril
Yeah
So now we're in the underground
"Bell and Snicks"
"Snicks?"
"Snicks"
"Snakes"
Oh, this is the arcade version
Oh cool
Okay, this is cool
Okay, so we're turning into a twag
and you can fly around
You got a little like
You got your own lighting
Mm-hmm
There's Voldemort
He transformed into
A...
Obibically accurate
Angel
That's a...
A crucifixion
Hey, crucifixions weren't reserved only for Jesus
I know
Didn't say they were
I just got caught off guard
Get your power up, pal
There it is, yeah
A turtle
An evil turtle
Oh, there he is powering up
Get him back and get that turtle
The head stain, the same size, is really funny
It is very much a choice
I mean, it makes sense
My body keeps growing
We're bad
Oh, does it turn into stone?
Or is it just like
Oh, I don't
Oh, it looks like it just kind of...
Yeah
Kind of a Medusa
In fact, neat
All right, now to take out Palpatine
Oh!
Oh, he's up against a dragon
So we're going under
Fast and Furious rules
We're at first you're
A villain and then you become an ally
But this is the opposite
We're...
Right
Although, are we the baddies?
I mean, we're kind of invading this area
And like, taking out all the people who live there
We're rescuing the dams on this grass
There's like a really good line of megas
And...
Herculate
Aren't you a damsel in distress?
I'm a damsel!
I'm in distress!
I can handle this
Have a nice day!
But when I was reading about Athena
I was like, oh, this just reminds me of Herculates
Look at what she does with a pose
Okay, power down
Onto the next level
Well, level Orayano
Three or four
I think this is four
Yeah, we're about halfway through the video
This is gotta be four
So then, wouldn't that be three?
We're halfway through in their spine
Well, he turned into a
Or wolf
We're wolf
We're driving
A were bear
So this must be four
Whoa, look at all the fangs
Oh, zombies are back
These are my favorite
I love them so much
It looks like they're using their heads, like puppets
Yes
Heck a chow
Oh, and...
Yes!
Where did I go?
I...
Okay
Is this one your favorite?
I love checking three when I was growing up
I don't know what that is
Let me see if I can find the character
I...
Forget his name
Because I always played Eddie Gordo
I can't not see Anna Morph
Do you remember that when we were kids?
Yeah, I had a bunch of their books
Especially the cutscenes
Oh, oh, oh, he killed Pagelpateen
And now we have a crock
A floating fire breathing crock
Good aisle
Pokemon
And you can crouch on this level
Oh, I gotta run
So it wasn't a tiger
It was a jag wire
So it was the...
What a mistake
I know, so it was
The body of a human
Face or head of a jag wire
Oh, but I can see
Or you were pulling that, bro
Yep
Big cat
Like did he turn into a bird?
I'm not gonna play that game
Ooh, we got...
Mr. Tumnus
Yeah
Evil Tumnus
I was gonna say the actor's name
I can forget the actor's name
McAvoy
And a fish
Ooh
A bubbly fish
Oh, so you can avoid the fish completely
You cannot avoid the mentar
Oh, now that I've seen this, though I understand
Pulling the mentar
A unicorn
And into
The golden werewolf
This seems anticlimactic
(laughs)
After seeing all the really cool transformations
I'm sure they went through all of the other transformations
Be like, these are all really cool
He's like, and we got one more
And they're like, come on
He's like, all right, I'll make it easy on you guys
Just take the skin from the first level
In fact, we're gonna make the color a lot easier
Yeah, it is all one shade of gold
Whoever is playing this is doing a great job
It hasn't even lost a life
Good on
Ah, rock steady
That's he was up against
(laughs)
All the coloring went into the rhino
Mm-hmm
I do love what's happening in the foreground here
That's kind of a Pompeii situation
Yeah, you're supposed to be deep into the underworld now
So that makes sense
I also see why they were like
Maybe this wouldn't do so well in the US in the 80s
Oh, there's a girl
Oh, they're reunited, see?
It's a love story
But I don't see why it wouldn't, like, we're recently coming off of the
I don't know, the Satanic panic of the 80s
Not the Satanic panic, but Teen Wolf
It's not the wolf-- oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, cut!
Beer!
Team Shnoby, I do need to say that, so Shnoby is a game before this
And actually the team who developed Shnoby
went on to develop Ultra Beast
And they actually put in some like, Shnoby Easter eggs into the game too
Apparently there's also an Alex the Kid Easter eggs
Yes, there is because the head developer of Alex Kid went on to lead the team as well
That's amazing
Yeah
I like it, I like it a lot
Thanks, and I--
It's fun, yay
Thank you, Internet
I have no notes, I think that's a pretty great game
I guess like, Chucky Cheese was also a thing when we were kids
And I don't know, I never got really pumped about any of the games that were in there
I want to see this in David Buster's case too
I liked it
Yeah, it was a lot of fun
Now someone make it a movie
How did this not get me?
I'm glad that the Internet has enlightened me on this game
It is a very important game
It is
I can--
We stand corrected
I understand the
Flood of comedy
The opposition of like, how dare you
I get it, I understand, I apologize
I stand corrected
Happily corrected
Yeah, I mean, I'm glad I looked into this game, it was a lot of fun
Yeah, I really have enjoyed getting feedback on things
And then running with it
Yeah
Should we jump to our recommendations in the week?
Let's do it
What's yours? I always go first
The movie "Flo"
It got nominated for best animated film
It is about a cat who lives in a post-apocalyptic world
We're not really sure, but there are no humans that are around in it
And there is a great flood that like, displaces many different animals
And this house cat is just trying to navigate through the world
Making new friends, making new animal friends
And it's really cute, it's really well done, really well animated
I will say that if you are a cat owner
Hmm
I've seen videos where they watch it with their cats
And their cat will like, look up at the screen
And just like, be enamored by it
But there is a little bit of a warning
There are some distressing cat noises in there
I know, I'm done
It'll make you feel uneasy
Is it like Guardians of the Galaxy 3?
Like bad? Because I'm out
I don't think it's that bad
But there are some moments where
If you do own a cat and you hear those noises
It might hit you a little hard
But I will assure you, I think I can do this
It's just like, does the dog die at the end?
The cat does not die, dot com
So yes, those sounds are distressing
And apparently the noises of that cat is the director's cat
Did he put out a statement that his cat was not harmed in the making of that movie?
I'm sure they did
But they used a lot of real animal noises for the film
But overall, it's an incredible movie
Nice
I guess I'm still doing a blind recommendation
Because I'm going through the best picture
I just gotta say options, contenders
I tend to do that every year, it's nice
Because there's always like your big blockbusters
That you wind up, everybody sort of sees
But there's always three or four that are thrown in that are lesser known
Those are the ones I get really excited to see
So next on my list is Nickel Boys
Oh yeah
Yeah, it's directed and written by Ramell Ross
I know nothing about it
I stayed pretty blind when I'm running through them
But that was one on the list
That was like everybody sort of like if you say "Dunem" part 2
You know what it is
Or if you say "Wikid" you know what it is
At this point if you say "Emily Perez" you know what it is
Yeah
Left on my list is Nickel Boys
I'm still here, the brutalist
A complete unknown enanora
I've got some words to do in a couple weeks
Oscars be what they will
I do think there are other films
that are not the mega blockbusters that are totally worth our time
So I think Nickel Boys is a one-way-should-watch
It's pretty scored pretty high
Sounds pretty good
I want to do another blind recommendation
But if you are in the Los Angeles area
If you are next to a "Lebly Theater"
They will do a special screening for all of the Oscar nominated short films
Oh right, you love this
I highly recommend doing it
I did it once before and it was amazing
Because most of the time when you are watching the Oscars
And they do the nominations for the short films
And most of the time just like the audience
Just like eyes are glazed over
They are just like I haven't seen any of these
But the "Lebly Theater" they do something really awesome
Where they compile all of those short films
And you get to watch them in just one long sitting
And it is amazing to see these short films
Yeah, that's a really good blind record
I could be wrong but I think they separate it between animated short films and live action short films
Right, otherwise you're just like
Doesn't feel so short anymore
But yes, if you are near a "Lebly Theater"
If you are in Los Angeles
And knowing the demographics from
All right, let us tell you you might just be
Most likely next to a "Lebly Theater"
But yes, if you are near a "Lebly Theater"
Please look up the showtimes
Support those smaller theaters
Don't
As much as we love our A-list
Yes, but
Just support the "Lebly Theater"
Yes, and that's it
Yeah, those are recommendations
Thank you internet for telling us that we were wrong
And should play all three days
And that's our showtimes for this week
Yes, it is
And that's gonna do it for our show
If you would like to support the podcast
The best way to do so is to join our Patreon
That is in the show notes
You can also purchase merch on our red bubble page
If you cannot afford that, which I completely understand
Time to talk
Yes, there are other ways that you can support the show
You can follow us on our social media
We are on
Blue Sky at HDT and GM
And we are on TikTok and Instagram
At how did this not get made
Also, rate and review the show
That helps us out tremendously
Especially with the Almighty Algorithm
Helps bring us to the top
And tell your friends
Tell your family
Tell your fellow film nerds about this
Or altered beast nerds
Cause you guys are out there
And we're one too
Yes, tell them about the show
Tell them you enjoy it
It really helps us out
Go see a movie
Go play a video game
Go touch grass
Goodbye
Bye
[Music]