Smashterpieces

The clock tower bell chimes, the shadow of the moon looms close. A sense of despair fills the air. Surely this couldn’t actually happen, right? The sad truth is that it can, and it is. We have three days. Today’s episode is to discuss a game close to both of our hearts, Smashterpiece #30: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Why is it that we love this game so much? Is this potentially the best gam...

We may be done with Castlevania on our main lineup, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that we haven’t touched one of its most iconic entries. This bonus episode features our discussion on one of the most famous genre shifts in gaming history, establishing itself as the second half of an entire genre title. It’s really too bad that we’re both just sorta lukewarm on the whole thing. Today on Sm...

A shower of beautiful prismatic shards falls down all around us, raining from the heavens in a sparkling display of splendor. Looking around at this wonder of nature, only one thought crosses my mind… We better get under shelter, those things are probably falling at terminal velocity. While we’re there, let’s talk about Kirby! It’s time for Smashterpiece #29: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a game w...

We have collected, collected some more, and then collected all over again. The collecting has worked to forge us into higher beings, made powerful by the immense potassium we have ingested that would kill any lesser ape were they to devour the bananas we have endured. Now, in our gluttonous sleep, there is only one question left to ask: how the hell is this one of Joe’s favorite games of all time?...

Back in the olden days of 2019 we spent about three months both playing Final Fantasy VII, one of the most iconic and influential JRPGs ever made, for the first time. As luck would have it this was done just in time for Square Enix to release the first part of their heavily requested and highly anticipated remake. So how did it turn out? Is it comparable to the original in terms of quality, or sho...

Pull out your camera, grab a handful of apples, and tune up your poke flute, we’re going on a safari! We’ve finally hit our first trip into the biggest media franchise in existence, even if it happens to be through a spinoff game. It’s time for Smashterpiece #27: Pokémon Snap, a strange little rail shooter where your only real goal is to get the best shot (or a lot of times any shot at all). What...

It’s taken almost two years, but we’ve finally made it into a time period where the reason for the season exists. It’s time for a very special episode about the original Super Smash Bros, the game that started it all. We talk way too long about this game, from its humble 12 character roster, to the lack of side specials, to our fun with the side modes like Break the Targets and Board the Platforms...

We’ve finally arrived, riding into Hyrule Castle with naught but a fairy at our side and an ocarina in our pocket. We’ve got a job to do. It’s time for Smashterpiece #26, one of the most famously influential games of all time, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time! This time we’re joined by Sol, the designer of our lovely logo, to talk about the game that wrote the book on how to make a 3D action a...

Who’s footprints are these…? AHA! HQ, we have located a new episode of Smashterpieces! Send reinforcements! Meanwhile we’ll get our sneaking gear ready and head off into the Alaskan wilderness. It’s time for Smashterpiece #25: Metal Gear Solid! For the first and possibly only time both hosts played two quite different versions of the game, giving them a chance to compare and contrast the pros and...

Hey you! Would you like to see what it’s like to go… even further… BEYOND? No? Well, that’s too bad, because it’s time to focus your ki and transform into a Super Saiyan! Today’s episode is discussing the game representing Son Goku himself, 2018’s Dragon Ball FighterZ. How does this game feel even to those who aren’t going pro any time soon? What should this game mean to long time Dragon Ball fans...

Ladies and gentlemen! It’s finally time! Tighten up your gi, grab your fan, and put on your… Freddy Krueger gloves? (Why???) It’s time to find out who truly is the King of Fighters! That’s right, it’s time for our episode on the game representing the Legendary Wolf, Terry Bogard, it’s Smashterpiece #24: The King of Fighters ‘95. As our second fighting game for the show, how does it compare to our...

It seems we have at last arrived in a world of arts and crafts, a pop up book with denim skies and cardboard cliffs. It’s finally time to turn the page and talk about Smashterpiece #23: Yoshi’s Story. Being our first game featuring Totaka’s Song to being the first instance of Yoshi having the voice we’ve all grown accustomed to hearing, this perfectly normal platformer is exactly what we expected-...

Head out into the hangar, hop in your Arwing, check your G-Diffuser, and strap in! We’re off to Venom, and nothing is going to stop us! That’s right, it’s time for us to take a journey into space in Smashterpiece #22: Star Fox 64. Miles Allen (AKA Solharath) joins us as we discuss one of the Nintendo 64’s most iconic rail shooters. How does playing on modern hardware (the Wii U or 3DS) compare to...

HARK! What’s that in the distance? A beep? Perhaps a boop? A buzz, even? Whatever you call it, the answer is that it’s a blast from the past! That’s right, it’s time to talk about Smashterpiece #21: Game & Watch Gallery, a Game Boy title released in 1997 pretending to be a handheld device released in 1980. What’s the history of the Game & Watch itself? What were our feelings when comparing...

We have arrived at the end of this journey, as Meteor approaches and the roar of Weapon can be heard in the distance. At long last our trip through Final Fantasy VII has come to a close, the planet is saved. Ultimately what did we think of a game often called one of the greatest JRPGs ever made? How do we feel about the final sequences, the trip down to Sephiroth, and the final battle with the one...

The end is in sight, but we still have a few loose ends left to tie up. As we journey, grieving and broken, it’s time to learn about who we really are and gear ourselves up to save the planet. This is our penultimate discussion on Smashterpiece #20: Final Fantasy VII, in which we finally take to the skies and then try to throw a rocket at a giant ball of magical energy in space. You know, your ave...

Prep your tears and fuel up your broken airplanes, cause we’re back on the road and continuing our adventure through Smashterpiece #20: Final Fantasy VII! Today’s discussion takes us all the way to the end of disc one, featuring our final two party members, a ninja village, a romantic date, and one of the most famous deaths in all of gaming history. Who did we woo into going on a date through the...

The adventure continues as we come back for the second part of our discussion on Smashterpiece #20: Final Fantasy VII. Come join us as we take our first steps onto the world map and finally begin exploring the wide world of Cloud and co! This episode covers the events from the end of Midgar to the end of Cosmo Canyon, and in that span of time we find ourselves hearing stories of the past, taming C...

At long last, the long awaited beginning of our journey is here! Time to get morally grey and bomb some reactors because I guess the planet is dying? Our new dad with a gun arm said so, so it must be true! That’s right, it’s finally time to talk about Smashterpiece #20: Final Fantasy VII. We’ve made it out of Midgar, which from what we’re told means the game’s really about to start. What do we thi...

What’s that I see? Suddenly your features are so much more defined, so much bigger, so… polygonal! It might be because Smashterpieces has finally made their way into the third dimension with Smashterpiece #19, Super Mario 64. Join us, alongside NWR’s Jordan Rudek, as we discuss what may well be the most influential and historically significant video game ever made, one that wrote the book on 3D ga...

Do you hear those drums in the distance? That’s the sound of Smashterpiece #18, Donkey Kong Country! On this episode Joe and Melanie jump into one of the most historically significant games on the Super Nintendo, famous for its state of the art graphics and a defining moment for Nintendo’s ape himself. How did Melanie’s first ever playthrough of the game go? How is this game connected to the evolu...

It’s finally happened, we’ve finally made it! After three long months our psychic journey has come to a close. That’s right everybody, the final episode discussing Smashterpiece #17, Earthbound, is here! Join us as we discuss our final feelings on the game, its delightfully quirky soundtrack, the iconic final boss that is Giygas, and more. It’s been a long road, and we’re so thankful you decided t...

After trekking through the desert and dealing with the most evil entity of all (traffic), we have finally arrived in the big city of Fourside! That’s right, it’s finally time for Joe and Melanie to continue their discussion on Smashterpiece #17, Earthbound. In this episode we discuss the hustle and bustle of Fourside, the nonsensical nature of Moonside, and the introduction to the warrior prince P...

Hey everyone, we're doing something a little different with this episode of Smashterpieces. Now that Banjo and Kazooie have been revealed as playable fighters for Ultimate, it's time for us to select a game to play for them. We're going to be going with Banjo-Tooie, released in 2000 for the Nintendo 64. The original Banjo-Kazooie from 1998 may seem like a more natural choice, but we've decided not...

With our adventure in the happy suburbs of Twoson complete, it’s time to hop on a bus and head to the creepy town of Threed and beyond! In this extremely short part two of our discussion on Earthbound we dive into zombie infested streets, meet a new friend with a knack for invention, and even spend the night in a town full of weirdos that keep shouting “ZIP” and “BOING” for some reason. Ignore the...