Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve put one of these episodes out. Not as long as it’s been since the previous Alan Wake game, though! Over the 11 years since American Nightmare, Alan Wake has added a female protagonist and gotten a whole lot prettier (damn, same). Ashley, Molly and Luke join me to talk about the Alan Wake 2 and why we loved it.
Read MoreEpisode 8 - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
This time on the podcast, Luke and Melissa join me to analyze (and gush about) a game hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention as it deserves: 13 Sentinels. The newest game from Vanillaware, it ended up being a sleeper hit with all three of us. If you’d like to learn how this game caused us to set our fears of enduring another Dragon’s Crown aside and give it a chance, give this episode a listen!
Read MoreEpisode 7 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
On this follow-up episode to Final Fantasy 7, I’m joined by Luke and Zoe to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Remake, the game that a lot of JRPG fans have been waiting decades for. Though…it’s not quite the game that we were waiting for, either. For better or worse, FF7R plays around with both the gameplay and the fiction in an attempt to simultaneously meet and subvert expectations. Join us as we dig into what works, what doesn’t, and what we hope to see in future installments.
Read MoreEpisode 6 - Final Fantasy 7
Hey, did anyone know that a highly-anticipated Square-Enix game released recently? Yeah, we’re not talking about that one today. Instead, Luke joins me to talk about his experience playing Final Fantasy 7 for the first time. Does the game still hold up? And what the hell is going on with Sephiroth anyway?
Read MoreEpisode 5 Part 2 - Kentucky Route Zero: Un Pueblo De Nada - Death of the Hired Man
This episode is the conclusion to Luke, Ashley and my summary and examination of the entirety of Kentucky Route Zero. If you’ve made it this far, you know what you’re in for.
Read MoreEpisode 5 Part 1 - Kentucky Route Zero: Act I - Act IV
It’s taken just over 7 years, but Kentucky Route Zero is finally complete. As a game that blends point-and-click adventures, community theater, magical realism, modern folk tales, a little bit of Southern Gothic, and a whole lot of horses, it was destined to be a game that I was destined to love. For this episode, I got Luke and Ashley to join me in a far more in-depth exploration than I was initially planning. Needless to say, both Part 1 and Part 2 will be cock full of spoilers, so if you’re at all interested in playing the game for yourself, you have my most enthusiastic recommendation to do so.
Read MoreEpisode 3 Part 2 - Re:Coded to Kingdom Hearts III
On the second part of our journey through the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Luke and I talk about the rest of the games…and a kinda-sorta related game that also happened to be directed by Tetsuya Nomura. Most importantly, though, we analyze the recently-released Kingdom Hearts 3: what our expectations were for it going in, the constant tug-of-war between Disney and Kingdom Hearts, the ways it disappointed us, and the ways it succeeded. And in the end, was it all worth it?
Read MoreEpisode 3 Part 1 - Kingdom Hearts I to Birth By Sleep
After a nearly two-year hiatus, I’m back to talk about a franchise known for similarly long delays: Kingdom Hearts. I’ve been an obsessive fan since the beginning, so I’ve brought along my friend Luke—who played/watched every KH game in just a few months—to offer a different perspective.
Read MoreEpisode 2 - Nier Automata
SPOILER WARNING: This episode contains full spoilers for Nier, Nier Automata, and Drakengard 1 & 3. Ashley and Molly join me to talk about Nier Automata, Yoko Taro's latest masterpiece. In addition to admitting which scenes made us cry the most, we analyze the use of music, clever metatextual jokes, player psychology, and the majesty that is Ending E.
Read MoreEpisode 1 - Avatars
On this first proper episode of Skies of Academia, Jules, Melissa and I tackled the subject of avatars, covering a wide range of topics, including: our favorite avatar creation systems, the importance of hair styles, wearing pretty outfits, and avatars as a form of experimentation.
Read MoreEpisode 0 - Final Fantasy X & X-2
Welcome to the pilot episode of Skies of Academia! This recording was originally intended to be the start of a spinoff series of one of my previous podcasts: Games Witticism. When I stopped making episodes for GW and moved to Audio Entropy, I decided to turn the spinoff idea I had into its own show for Audio Entropy. I'm including this recording not only because it's the genesis for SoA, but also because I'm quite proud of the work Mike and I put into it. I hope you enjoy our journey through Final Fantasy X/X-2 as much as we did.
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