State of the Arc Podcast

Snake returns in our analysis of the very beginning of Metal Gear Solid 2. This is exactly what players wanted and Hideo Kojima delivered on it big-time... with a bit of a twist. We play up to end of the boat mission, where everything ends in chaos. Not only the characters, but the player as well. This exciting sequence is packed with symbolism, references and hard hitting thematic material that n...

We couldn't play everything we wanted to in 2024 but as luck would have it, there will actually be another year starting soon! It will be called 2025 so that means we get a whole extra year! But with this unexpected extra time comes with its own hurdle, apparently even though we didn't get to play everything we wanted to play in 2024, there will still be yet even MORE games coming out in 2025. Luc...

Metal Gear Solid 2 went through a grueling process in development that lead to big changes needing to be made. Kojima got to tell the story in his style, of course, but was more constrained in the type of story he was allowed to tell. But something shocking happened towards the end of development that changed the course of the game, and all of history along with it, forever. Come along, and let's...

Why do you like the things that you like? Can good art be objectively measured? Is nostalgia really such a bad thing? We tackle questions like this in our latest episode of the podcast. Look, guys, we recorded this after midnight on a Friday like 4 days before Christmas, give us a little slack. We love you and hope all is well! Enjoy our fun discussion that we'll probably have to revisit another t...

Next week, on Christmas Day, we'll be beginning our deep-dive into Metal Gear Solid 2, Hideo Kojima's follow-up to the PS1 stealth action masterpiece. In this video, I explain why you should play (or replay) the game alongside us.

The votes are in! The patrons have chosen! But which game will we cover next for a long-form analysis on our podcast? Metal Gear Solid 2? Terranigma? Why not both? Will we EVER cover Final Fantasy 9? Find out today! Patreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/resonantarc Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/resonant-arc Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantarc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com...

Which Final Fantasy games start off with bang, and which ones whimper pathetically on the floor? Which intros propel these games to legendary status, and which ones would the games be better off without? We discuss the qualities at the beginning of each game and rank them in order, from best to worst. It turns out, Final Fantasies all have pretty great intros, so even the least of these games here...

The intro to art is often the most important part. Video games are no exception. If a dev team can pull off a good intro, they likely will be able to pull off a good game. To craft the perfect intro takes a lot of coordination between the directors, producers, musicians and the dev team. When it's done right, it almost always spells success for the rest of the game. In this episode, we dip back in...

In today's episode, we're covering Hayao Miyazaki's masterpiece, Princess Mononoke. Set during Japan's late Muromachi period and incorporating fantastical elements, the tale centers on Ashitaka, a young prince of the Emishi people, as he becomes entangled in a conflict between the forest's spirits and the humans exploiting its resources. The film explores a recurring theme in Studio Ghibli's works...

Today, my good friend Hian and I discuss the concept of Mono No Aware in Japanese culture—the "Romance of Impermanence" and the beauty of letting go while maintaining the appreciation of precious memories. Hian's Essay: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EsKkfrt8wyaZUqwWjsnJDg1jNGoWM80s/view?usp=drive_link

Having just finished Alan Wake, we couldn't help but notice the Jungian symbolism woven into the story. This is a story about Alan's journey to face himself, his shadow, and leave behind a persona (and image of himself) he has grown to hate.

I became fluent in Spanish in 4 months. Here is how I did it, and the good news is, it's something that you can do too! It's a basic, easy method that anyone can do. But it's not exactly a thing that you'd expect. I am currently studying Swedish with this same method to great success. Check it out! What language do you want to learn? SUBS2SRS: https://subs2srs.sourceforge.net/ Pimsleur: https://ww...

The console war is upon us, whether we would risk it or not! In which case, which side are we on? This matchup is specifically between Sony and Nintendo, with only mentions of Sega and X-Box. We've developed an objective criteria with which to judge these behemoths of the gaming world. Each console from the beginning to the most recent generation will receive a score from 0 to 5. The one with the...

Sheriff Sarah Breaker takes Allan in for questioning. Alan's phone rings, his wife's voice faintly coming through, followed by a chilling voice dictating Alan's next moves if he ever wants to see her alive again. At Lovers' Peak, the kidnapper demands Alan's manuscript, claiming it foretells future events. Their confrontation escalates, leading to a brutal struggle and a desperate chase through th...

Alan Wake, a famous crime novelist from New York City, lives in a world of stories, especially those with supernatural elements. But he's been suffering from writer's block for two years, so he and his wife Alice head to the remote town of Bright Falls for some peace and quiet. Suddenly, Alan finds himself driving along a dark road at night, and before he can stop, he hits a hitchhiker on the road...

Do you want to know what the top ten games of all time are? I think it's time to settle this once and for all. Mike and Casen go head to head in all out war as they try to settle this age old question once and for all. The rules are simple. For each match-up, from #10 to #1, the points get higher and higher. The winner of the #10 spot gets 1 point, while the winner of the #1 spot gets 10 points. W...

This is just a quick message in response to a great conversation I had over the phone with Zakogdo. I wanted to correct the record in some areas where he felt we misrepresented him and let you guys know where the future of this conversation lies on our channel.

Alexander O. Smith returns to talk game translation and localization. What words did he sneak into every Final Fantasy game that he translated? How would he have tackled current controversial translations? All this and more are discussed in this exciting episode of the Resonant Arc Podcast. Alexander's Instagram account: http://www.instagram.com/aokajiya/ The "Shogun" breakdown Alexander mentioned...

In today's episode, we begin our deep dive into Alan Wake, a 2010 action-thriller game from Remedy Entertainment. In this first episode, we'll tell the story of the game's development, getting into the creators' headspace and setting up the themes and deeper meaning the game will explore. Join us!

Disclaimer for this episode: It has come to my attention since recording this episode (months ago) that there is some controversy surrounding the discussion of Paul Atreides as a "hero" among fans of the series. There are many who reject the idea that Frank Herbert's intention was misunderstood, as I state at the beginning of the video. I hope people watching this who are suspicious that I am goin...

How far is too far? If a translator tries to use common phrases and manners of speaking in the target language but does so at the expense of the source language's intention, who is to blame? We conducted an interview with Zakogdo over text and asked him some of these exact questions. Zakogdo is someone who talks about the localization of Japanese games on X and has gotten lots of traction this yea...

Today, we'll be analyzing Dune: Part One, the 2021 film adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic 1965 novel. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, renowned director of Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, and Sicario, this movie tells roughly the first half of the story. It is filmed to the brim with great filmmaking to break down and is without question one of our favorite films of the last five years.

Silent Hill 2 Remake has delivered a new experience to fans of the original while taking great care to maintain the spirit of the original and the result is something that comes as close to perfection as I've ever seen. They threaded the needle perfectly and even improved the experience in many ways. Max Derrat drops by to talk all things Silent Hill 2 Remake. Subscribe to Max Derrat: https://www....

Localization Controversy | Representing The Other Side Of The Debate by Resonant Arc

Are you too old to play video games? Are we? Is there a cut-off somewhere? In this episode, we dive into the age old question, "When are you too old to still be playing video games?" It's a good question. Also, it's a bad question. Which games are we referring to? What else are these games keeping you from doing? Is our civilization going to end? Or will it keep coasting by? When will I stop askin...