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Nerds Without Pants   

Nerds Without Pants Episode 129: Pak Watch

Beginning a bold new era for Nerds Without Pants!

Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! We are very excited to bring you the first show of our new format for 2018, including the debut of our latest closing segment: Pak Watch! We hope you enjoy it as much as we do, and let us know in the comments or on twitter what you think of the new segment. Comments and criticisms are always welcome!

00:00-01:25: Intro

01:39-1:06:02: STAGE SELECT: Top 3 favorite gaming Easter eggs

1:07:08-1:59:19: CONSUMPTION JUNCTION: Skyforce Anniversary, external drives for consoles, comic book roundup, VGA art gallery, Formula D, Star Wars: Rebellion, Hand of Fate, Yakuza 0, Julian’s Final Fantasy collection

2:00:45-2:30:35:  PAK WATCH: Metroid (1987)

2:30:36-2:37:13: Outro and outtakes

NEXT EPISODE:

STAGE SELECT: Describe your ideal piece of video game related artwork that you’d like to see on your wall.

PAK WATCH: Give us your thoughts and memories on Mega Man 4 (1992)

SUBMIT YOUR STAGE SELECT AND/OR PAK WATCH COMMENTS BY 8:30 CENTRAL TIME ON MARCH 8!

FEATURED MUSIC

Yakuza 0- Intro

Beast in Black- Blind and Frozen

Battle Beast- Let it Roar

Yakuza 0- 24 Hour Cinderella

Final Fantasy XIV- Matoya’s Cave

 

 


 

Comments

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/01/2018 at 06:47 PM

Stage Select:

I want a Van Gogh-esque watercolor painting of the tacky gold Kiryu statue Yakuza 0 allows you to buy:

+

PAK WATCH: I have no opinion on any Mega Man games that are not 12, 3, 7, X or X2.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/01/2018 at 06:55 PM

SHOW RESPONSE PART I: So I cleared the clipboard on accident to copy/paste those pictures, but from what I remember saying:

Was Angelo talking about Castlevania II in one of his Easter eggs? I drifted off and when that happens and the name of a game doesn't get said again for a while I forget what was being discussed.

What meme is Patrick talking about when it comes to "if you like Metroid Other M, you must like manga better than anime?" I've never seen that. 

I looked up the Summoner video Julian referenced and was immediately reminded of Reboot. Funny stuff and those graphics are super 90s/early 2000s. 

It turns out it was The Last of Us being teased/spoiled in Uncharted 3. So Uncharted 3 has the easter egg in it. https://kotaku.com/how-the-makers-of-the-last-of-us-almost-spoiled-their-o-510329358

I remember the Clintons NBA Jam thing. 

Julian Titus Senior Editor

03/01/2018 at 09:40 PM

Yeah, Angelo was talking about a bit in Dust; An Elysian Tail where you have to crouch for a few seconds and a whirlwind takes you to the next area, ala Simon’s Quest.

I...honestly don’t know what meme Patrick was talking about. I often don’t know what Patrick is talking about, in general.

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/02/2018 at 01:27 PM

PODCAST RESPONSE PART II:

I didn't even think about games being unreadable off the native drive. I still really want some for my PS4, for exactly the reasons stated in the show. 

That Joker story does sound interesting. I've always wanted someone to do a serious take on what LEGO Batman kind of alluded to: whether Batman's brand of justice is really effective or moral. 

Sadly, I think I totally missed whatever VGA Art Gallery was; I'll have to scrub through again, cause I'm interested in that. 

I used to see my neighbors watching Initial D and thought it was some super-unknown anime. I never realized how popular it was among anime fans until recently.

You know my feelings on Yakuza 0.

PODCAST RESPONSE PART III:

So there's a Jack Kirby/Stan Lee and/or Bill Finger/Bob Kane thing going on with Metroid and Game Boy development? I'm starting to wonder how many franchises we credit to the wrong person. Hell, did Steven Spielberg really direct all his movies, or was it a grip named Larry Koresh?

More to the point, when Julian talks about how amazing going left in the original Metroid was, I think of how I experienced such freedom in a negative way with Metroid Prime. I was used to going forward to progress, so learning I was supposed to backtrack was frustrating. At the time, Fusion was more intuitive for me and I preferred it to Prime because I could progress more easily. I've since come around on Prime, but it's jarring to go from other games' focus on forward progression to ones that force you to explore. 

Speaking of missile doors, I hated how many missiles those doors take in the original. I think some of that was only intuitive because I played a couple Metroid games before unlocking the original. 

I wonder if some of these older games like Castlevania II and Metroid were designed in a way to force players to look for Nintendo Power or other offcially-released guides and instruction manuals. It would make sense for Nintendo to make kids want their magazine, although I guess it was only NoA publishing that, so I wonder what the difference would be in Japan. But never mind, cause Patrick ruined my theory. Tongue Out

I remember hearing Gunpei Yokoi or someone was upset the American manual used male pronouns while the Japanese version took care to use no gender-specific pronouns, which is a sentence that sounds super progressive in reference to a 1980s video game. I believe I heard about the translation changes on a Did You Know Gaming? video. 

Where can I find these original sprites of Samus and the arm cannon? The instruction manual?  I miss instruction manuals. I miss physical instruction manuals. I miss physical instruction manuals with artwork. 

I'm glad you read my Justin Bailey comment. I was waiting for it after you said no one mentioned it in the Easter Eggs segment. 

I want that Chun-Li ending for Metroid Patrick described. 

Being able to save anywhere would completely change so many games. And yes, low health noises are super-annoying, but I  sometimes appreciate when I'm not paying attention. 

I've only ever played D&D by way of Life is Strange: Beyond the Storm, but I'm glad I'm able to appreciate the Summoner stuff at the end.

Casey Curran Staff Writer

03/02/2018 at 05:20 PM

Stage Select

I know Julian will have my back on this one: The Mass Effect crew posing like the Ginyu Force from Dragonball Z with a Reaper fighting a Thresher Maw in the background. Have Shepard take Ginyu's spot, Garrus in Recoome's, Liara in Burter's, Tali in Jeice's, and Wrex in Guldo's.

Pak Watch

I didn't play Mega Man 4 and am not a huge fan of the NES games. They're not bad, but the series got interesting with X to me. 

SanAndreas

03/02/2018 at 07:36 PM

Stage Select:

I wouldn't mind a painting of the Gallian Army from Valkyria Chronicles raising a Gallian flag, kind of like the famous picture of the Marines raising the American Flag on Iwo Jima.

I also wouldn't turn down a portrait of Tifa in a bathing suit, though I'm sure my GF would roll her eyes really hard at that one.

Pak Watch:

I got nothing, I never played Mega Man IV. I might have said this earlier, but most of my experience with Mega Man revolves around Mega Man Legends and its sequel and spinoff on PS1. I never was into the series otherwise.

SanAndreas

03/02/2018 at 07:42 PM

Oh, and one other thing that was interesting. You talked about how Nintendo games tend to let you know when you have low health? Wizards and Warriors, which was made by Rare and published by Acclaim, had a memorable little tune that played when you were low on health. Despite the fact that the tune is repetitive, it's pretty catchy.

Julian Titus Senior Editor

03/08/2018 at 08:28 PM

I like that a lot. Wizards and Warriors 3 was by far my favorite game in the series. I regret trading it in ages ago.

Exrian Contributing Writer

03/03/2018 at 12:27 PM

Nice to have the old format and team back. Some really interesting Easter Eggs last episode. 

Chrono Crossing: Video Game Art 

Not sure if this is cheating but if I could I'd have a full room mural of Okami. Where you'd look in any direction and you'd feel like your in the actual Shinshu Field. Even the ceiling would be painted. Of course there'd have to be a life size Ammy somewhere. 

PAK Watch: Mega Man 4

(Feel free to skip reading on air to save time)

Unfortunately my main pre X series Megaman experience ends at 3. I'm sure I played it since I own the Mega Man Collection on GameCube but I have no recollection of it. 

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/03/2018 at 12:50 PM

Oh man, I would love to have anything in Okami's art style. Good pick!

Exrian Contributing Writer

03/04/2018 at 01:11 AM

Thanks. I just fell in love with Okami when it released. That art was amazing. Having a room where it'd feel like I'm in that world would be a dream come true. 

I like to believe that one day I can recreate the scene from, "What Dreams May Come," where Robin Williams enters Heaven and it's like a painting. I'm sure VR could get there now if not very soon. 

TyroneSwift

03/05/2018 at 07:33 PM

Stage Select:

I would really love a painting of Chun Li done by Amano. I would proudly display this on any wall in my home. It may not end up looking exactly like her in the end, but I would know, and that would be... Well that would be pretty cool.

Pak Watch:

I would like to take this time to express my adoration of Dr. Wiley. This man has had the same plan for three games at this point, and he still has not learned that it's a bad plan. He just keeps making 8, randomly themed robots, and expecting it to work. I just admire that level of persistence. Oh that last batch didn't work!? Fuck it! Make a skeleton robot! We'll call him... Skull Man! And he'll... I don't know! Skeleton robot! What else do you need!? ...Never change Dr. Wiley. Never change.

Episode Comment:

I really like the pak watch segment. A lot more than I thought I was going to. I really dig the history lesson about the game. I always enjoy learning stuff like that. I love little factoids about stuff. Give me all the factoids. Excited to see how the segment grows and evolves over time, but I really like that part about it. I learned a whole lot about a game I've never even touched before, so I would say that's a plus. I'm actually excited to hear this part about Megaman 4 because it's a game I'm 100 percent positive I played, but had to confirm it via youtube. It's been a loooong time since I rented that as a kid. Curious what parts of that game were new mechanics, (If there were any) because Megamans tend to blend together for me. Keep up the good work! Onwards and Upwards!

Julian Titus Senior Editor

03/08/2018 at 08:27 PM

Glad to hear you enjoy Pak Watch! I'm looking forward to seeing how it evolves, and we have a great segment lined up for when this takes its course. 

F1r3inth3H0L3

03/13/2018 at 10:53 AM

Stage Select:

I have always enjoyed this image from the art of the Mega Man Legends game: https://www.google.com/search?q=mega+man+legends+art&rlz=1C9BKJA_enUS783US784&hl=en-US&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiamaGmxunZAhVC0mMKHUVwA64Q_AUIESgB&biw=1366&bih=909#imgrc=M3DKEZe8lmT5uM

Maybe some form of painting of that would  be nice, I like the bright colors, I also love that art style in games. 

 

Pak Watch:

Mega Man 4 was actually the first Mega Man game I played. My brother and I used to only be able to get new NES games if they were on sale or at a garage sale and I believe we got this one at a garage sale. I was young when I played this game and could never get that far at all. The difficulty drove me away and I never really gave any of the other games a chance until more than a decade later because of that. I like the Mega Man series, but my first encounter with it was frustrating.

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