Side Story
Side Story is a bi-weekly podcast about games and the stories we tell about them, presented by Friends at the Table and supported by our patrons at friendsatthetable.cash.
Episodes
After a long week of moving apartments, Austin breaks in his new podcasting setup. Finally, he and Janine get to talk about Popucom, the colorful co-op action-puzzle game that we've run out of time for in the last few episodes. Plus, Sylvi regales us with tales of her cyberpunk exploits in the New Boston dystopia of Cyber Knights: Flashpoint.
Show Notes
Ali returns to the show to lead Janine and Austin in an exploration of contemporary Tamagotchi culture, focusing on the recent Tamagotchi Uni and brand new Tamagotchi Paradise releases, before diving headfirst into one of the clearest ways that gambling/gacha culture is spreading into the mainstream: The Pop Mart Hint System.
Also: You can put your finger into it and touch the slimy button.
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After a few episodes of exclusively appearing in the Outward Let's Play (available to $10 Patrons right here!), Jack and Janine return to Side Story proper. And oh what a trek it has been. They've crawled the the shadowy woods of a vague gothic forest. They've traversed the craggy slopes of the Australian outback. They've had to fend of both bats and BTs. And Austin? Seated comfortably in front of the microphone, Austin has many qu...
Despite our audio editing software totally devouring Austin's file and corrupting nearly a fully produced episode file, this week's episode of Side Story could not be stopped. Not by the ups-and-downs of gacha horsegirl racing. Not by the whims of the Pokemon League. Not even by actual, real life athletic leagues and the many games they inspire. Catching a theme? Thats right, this week Austin, Keith, Dre, and first time guest Art M...
With Austin and Keith itching to talk about Elden Ring: Nightreign, they bring Dre--who carried the group to their first win--on for their for their first appearance on the show. Plus, some mid-game impressions of the town management, relationships, and V-Tuber-esque character design of Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.
Show Notes
After promising not to talk about the Summer Games Fest for too long, Janine, Keith, and Austin spend a full hour chatting about the event's resonance with various ongoing malaises and maladies affecting games culture. Then, finally, they dig into Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Has she also stolen their hearts, or is their dream game just a fantasy?
Show Notes
Today we dive deep into the mysterious manor of Mt. Holly as Austin, Sylvi, and (for the first time on Side Story) Keith talk at length about Blue Prince, the first-person puzzle game by Dogubom. We talk favorite puzzles, end-game secrets, and the strengths and weaknesses of the game's narrative about familial affection, political intrigue, and spending your childhood getting lost in big houses.
Look, over there, at that tower. What sort of secrets could it hold? Perhaps some terrible Multiplayer Activities to waste your time. Or, no, wait, maybe it's one of the good towers, the kind you can zipline down or hover-grapple your way up, the kind with an loot... or even better, an agility orb on the top! No... no, wait, what's that number on the front?? Why is it counting down? And why does this whole thing smack of the Frenc...
Would you leave an NPC so broken hearted that they just clam up for the rest of the game? Would you trade the AAA flash of 2025 for the animated FMV flair of 1992? Would you get upset if you engaged in hijinks so chaotic that you ended up slipping on a banana peel you put on the ground to begin with? Or would you understand that sometimes, the player getting what they want looks a little bit like the player not getting what they wa...
What would you do if you were a little digital guy, running around in a Tron or Reboot style game world? Would you solve puzzles and investigate the myserious of the mansion-that-would-be-your-inheritence? Would you stalk the bogs of Britain, evading authoritarian robots and hunting for giant batteries? Or perhaps you would commit yourself to the noblest of goals, God's One True Task: Repeatedly raising and lowering all four window...
Around these parts, it isn't April Fools Day, it's April Truths Day, and today's big truth: Friends at the Table has a new podcast for you. It's about games and the stories they make us tell. It's that simple. It's hosted by Austin, with guests from the rest of the main show's cast. It's going to come out every two weeks, probably on Mondays. Today was an exception. Because of the holiday.
Oh, and for $10 Patrons, it means the be...
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