The Cartridge Family 094 - Cathartic Games, Shovel Knight Fever, Coronavirus's Impact

02/28/20 • 67 min

Buffa's out of town today so it's Joe's turn to type up some nonsense for you to read instead of simply listening to our delightful, weekly gaming podcast. I'm kidding. Buffa's a talented writer and I'm nothing. No one. An ant. A shadow of an ant. Dust.

Check out our latest episode. John and I breakdown the latest from Yacht Club Games, Xbox Series X's info dump, and how the Caronavirus is impacting the games industry. Thanks for listening as always and enjoy!

Previous Episode

The Cartridge Family 093 – Ninja Goes Full Mamba, StarCraft: Ghost Lives

Is it OK to be cool with losing? Does every loss while playing a competitive video game, some pickup basketball at the local gym, or a pie-eating contest need to fill you with unholy rage? According to video game influencer and streaming superstar, Ninja, abso-damn-lutely!

Ninja recently took to Twitter to call out people who are OK with losing at video games. The remark peeled back the virtual curtain on his competitive nature, and it sparked a debate amongst the gaming community over good sportsmanship and how people respond to winning and losing at video games. Is it really, just a game? John, Joe, and Buffa have strong opinions!

Then, StarCraft: Ghost returns from the dead! The much hyped but ill-fated shooter from Blizzard resurfaced online a few days ago. First as found footage, and then someone uploaded what exists of the actual game for people to play. The three dads were right in the thick of all the StarCraft: Ghost hoopla back in the Xbox, PS2, and GameCube days. Find out what they think about this surprise reveal.

In other news, Nintendo unveils a new Switch Lite color, there’s an Animal Crossing Direct, and Joe has some more thoughts on Kentucky Route Zero. It’s another gem of an episode on the road to 100!

Next Episode

The Cartridge Family 095 – FF7 Remake Demo, Half-Life Alyx, and RE3 Gameplay

We’re little more than two months into 2020 and this year’s been quiet for video games, at least until a few days ago. Despite the anemic start, things are heating up in such a big way that Buffa is actually considering a VR-capable PC. Oh boy!

In no particular order, Valve served up a generous helping of gameplay for Half-Life: Alyx, and Capcom unveiled several minutes of in-game action for its upcoming Resident Evil 3 remake. We also have Square Enix, which released a demo for its highly anticipated re-imaging of the smash hit PSOne RPG, Final Fantasy 7. Did Joe, our resident RPG aficionado, beat the demo several times over? His response might surprise you.

Going back to Half-Life: Alyx, Buffa sort of has the PC itch despite ditching PCs more than ten years ago for Mac. Now, with Asgard’s Wrath and Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners already released, with Alyx on the way... is now the time for Buffa to become a member of the PC master race? He already has the Oculus Quest. Now all he needs is an Oculus Link cable and about $1500. What can go wrong?

Meanwhile, John successfully introduced video games to his daughters. It seems like everyone in the Benyamine family owns a Switch and copies of Stardew Valley. This is by John’s design, as he primes his kids to become professional gamers. We’re pretty sure he’s going to make competitive Animal Crossing a thing several years from now. Much like in Stardew Valley... he is... planting the seeds.

We round out the show with a rumored Star Wars game, Corona talk, and even a little politics following a dramatic Super Tuesday showdown. Only five more episodes until 100!