Smashterpieces

Load up your backpacks, grab your skip sandwiches, and brandish your baseball bats cause we’re finally heading out on our adventure in Eagleland! That’s right, today’s episode is the first part of our discussion on Smashterpiece #17: Earthbound. In this episode we talk about our qualms with the game’s early hours through Onette, Twoson, and Happy Happy Village. Why do we feel it’s now obvious why...

From the quiet isolation of space comes this audio file of two guys talking about shooting aliens with a laser gun. That’s right everybody, it’s finally here! Smashterpiece #16, Super Metroid! We dive into a classic game that defined an entire genre, and even features our first major female protagonist to boot! What do we think of the game’s design? How did Joe do on his very first playthrough of...

I guess here we are. We’re sure here. We went hunting for treasure in Smashterpiece #15: Wario Land, but what we found was just… Iunno, some rocks? A bag full of rocks? And dirt? We didn’t like this game, but let’s talk about it anyways. What are some of our main problems with the game? How does this reflect on Wario as a character in the context of our show? And why am I so bored? All that and mo...

Like the morning sun we have arrived at last to vanquish the horrible night in Smashterpiece #14, Caastlevania: Rondo of Blood. This is not only our first game with cutscenes, but with fully voice acted cutscenes! How does the enemy placement in Rondo stack up to the original Castlevania? How does the introduction of a second playable character change up the entire game? Are the bosses improved or...

Recorded live at the Nintendo World Report Charity Telethon, it’s Smashterpieces #13! Representing the pink puff himself we’re here to talk about Kirby’s Adventure, the NES game bizarrely released three whole years after the SNES had already hit the scene. Why is this game unfortunately such a technical mess the whole way through? How has this game potentially had some of the biggest impacts on Sm...

Coming to you at the speed of sound, it’s Smashterpieces #12! Today we’re here talking about the 1992 Sega Genesis game Sonic the Hedgehog 2. What did we think of the game’s overall level design? Does playing this game make us appreciate Sonic’s moveset a little more? Why is Wing Fortress such a bad song? All that and more in today’s episode! You should also check out and donate to the NWR Charity...

The duo has returned once again, this time as wandering warriors in order to talk about the game representing Ryu himself. That’s right, Smashterpiece #11 has finally arrived, and it’s time to talk some Street Fighter II! Why was this game’s development so interesting? How historically significant is this game as a whole? Is Yoko Shimomura just cool or the absolute coolest? All this and more in to...

The deed is done and Hyrule is saved! Our heroes emerge victorious and have arrived to tell of their exploits through Smashterpiece #10, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. What was their favorite dungeon in the game? What was their least favorite dungeon? What are some of the flaws that they noticed while playing this classic? And just why is the soundtrack so weirdly underwhelming? All that and...

A long wait later, we’re here at last to dive in to the first half of our journey through the game representing Fighter #17, Princess Zelda. It’s Smashterpiece #10, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past! This episode will cover our thoughts on the game so far, from the start to the Dark Palace. What do we think of the game so far? What is so far our favorite and least favorite part of our first...

It may be a little late, but fear not! Smashterpiece #9 has finally arrived! Join us as we talk about our second journey into the land of the gods for the game representing Fighter #54, Palutena, it’s the 1991 Game Boy game Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters. How did this game improve upon the original formula? Why did one of the hosts have a terrible time while the other had a great time with this...

After much delay, Smashterpiece #8 has finally arrived! Joe and Matt travel to Dinosaur Island in the game chosen to represent fighter #14, Bowser. It’s the 1990 SNES game Super Mario World! Along the way they pick up a guest host, Ben (Read the Manual, Moon Prism Power Hour) and head off to save Princess Peach from the notorious Koopa Kids. Why is this game such a fantastic introduction to the SN...

Smashterpiece #7 has arrived! In honor of Princess Daisy, Joe and Matt take a trip to the exotic world of Sarasaland in the 1989 Game Boy launch game Super Mario Land. Why is this game so historically important? How did the game’s strong aesthetics surprise us? How awesome is this game’s soundtrack? And where, oh where, are Joe’s Buff Moai Boys? All this and more in today’s episode. Also included...

It’s time for Smashterpiece #6, we’re jumping into the city of Monsteropolis to stop Dr. Wily in the 1998 NES game Mega Man 2! How brilliant do we think this game’s level design truly is? Why do we consider it the best game we’ve played for the show so far? And what about that bangin’ music? All this and more in today’s episode! Also included in this episode is our call to action, help us figure o...

Representing Fighter #13, Princess Peach, Smashterpiece #5 has arrived! Join Matt and Joe as they dive into the dreamy world of Subcon in 1988's Super Mario Bros 2 USA! How much surprising Mario lore came out of this game in particular? How did the SNES version hold up in comparison to other versions of the game? Why is Melanie so heated about the overly punishing checkpoint system? All that and m...

Here we are already at Smashterpiece #4, Joe and Melanie take their first trip into the dark depths of Dracula's Castle for the 1986 game Castlevania. What did this game do well, and what did it do not so well? Are the whip upgrades really necessary? How awesome is this game's soundtrack? All that and more in today's episode! Join us next time as we dive into Subcon and pick some turnips in Smasht...

Smashterpiece #3 has arrived, and it's our first game with a defined beginning and end! Joe and Melanie make their first journey into the world of myths and legends to save the goddess Palutena in the 1986 game Kid Icarus. Was this game ahead of its time or could it not live up to its own ambition? Why do eggplant wizards suck? Are centurions worth it? All this and more can be found within! This e...

The second Smashterpiece is here and boy was it a doozy, we're here to talk about the 1985 game Ice Climber. Why is this game bad? What makes the game suck so much? Why should it not be given a pass just because it predates Super Mario Bros.? All this and more can be found within! The next game: Kid Icarus

It's time for our first Smashterpiece, the 1985 game Duck Hunt! What are some of the more interesting parts of this game's history? Why is its existence as a time capsule into the 1980s video game industry so important? Was Joe insane for having memories of a projector version of the game? And most importantly, why is it so damn boring? All this and more in our first real episode of the show! The...

From Duck Hunt (1984) to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), hosts Melanie and Joe are going to play one game for every member of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster! On this, the inaugural episode, the hosts talk about their plans for the show at large and also go over their list of games that will be played over the course of the show. After that, they talk about their first game: Duck...