FLAVOR TEXT: Games Done Quick

August 08, 2023 by Andrew Henderson

Twice a year, gamers from around the world converge to showcase the very best in video games by playing them really, really fast. Games Done Quick is a biannual, weeklong marathon full of highs, lows, dreams, memes, and raising a metric s***ton of money for charity.

If you want to commission your own FLAVOR TEXT, check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at ozzed.net!

FLAVOR TEXT: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

May 23, 2023 by Andrew Henderson

In every generation there is a Chosen OneTM. One podcast alone will stand against the vampires, the demons, and the forces of darkness. We are that podcast, and this month we are talking about the GOAT teen supernatural action-adventure-dramedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Listen in as Andrew dictates in no short order the first three seasons leading up to Buffy's high school graduation and the set up for its massively successful spinoff, Angel.

Here's an Imgur library chock full o' complicated prostethetics and late-90s VFX: https://imgur.com/a/Tmh5PiD

Special thanks to "@OCreativeOne" for commissioning this month's episode! If you want to commission your own FLAVOR TEXT and have us talk about literally whatever you want, check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Extended Reading

Buffy killing Paul Reubens in the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHVh_S9NGIU
15 minutes of Cordelia being Cordelia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drhITDLloeo
Spotfiy playlist of bands at The Bronze: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3OYIDJ7S0N1oLWYBmN5DkE?si=90649516197f4b81
"Dear Maria, Count Me In" does, in fact, go with the intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qUsID_VKxU
@OCreativeOne’s Monster of the Week TTRPG Podcast: https://monstersplaybook.com/

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at ozzed.net!

FLAVOR TEXT: Pokémania

October 11, 2022 by Andrew Henderson in anime and manga, comedy, comics, halloween, podcasts

In September 1998, the U.S. was introduced to the franchise that would soon become a worldwide phenomenon: Pokémon. After only 18 months, Pokémon was everywhere--on TV, in car CD players, in school cafeterias, and on kids' backpacks and bedsheets. You couldn't walk 5 feet inside a Kmart and not see something with Pikachu's likeness on it. How did this come about? Why, all of a sudden, was every child aged 7-14 suddenly screaming for their parents in to buy them booster pack upon booster pack of Pokémon cards in the summer of 1999? And, why oh God why is there a Pokémon Christmas album? Find out the answers to all these questions and more on our deep dive into the late 90s cultural phenomenon that was Pokémania.

Special thanks to our first-generational Pokémon Master, "@mgrum54" for commissioning today's episode. If you're interested in comissioning your own FLAVOR TEXT, come check out our patreon at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Spooktacular Review-a-thon:

Step 1: Review the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser, Goodpods, or anywhere else you can write reviews!
Step 2: Take a screenshot of your review, post it to social media, and tag us @debatethiscast
Step 3: We'll read your review in a spooky voice during the October ad breaks!
Step 4: If we get 20 new reviews this month, we'll make Todd play Doki Doki Literature Club live on Twitch!

Spooktacular Patreon Bonus:

Everyone who joins our Patreon at patreon.com/debatethiscast will score a free Halloween-themed Debate This! tchotchke!

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Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

FLAVOR TEXT: Completing Video Games

September 27, 2022 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, video games

Picture this. You've dedicated hundreds of your limited hours of existence exclusively to The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild. You've cleaned out every one of the 120 shrines, you've maxed out your health and stamina, and you've found the most rare and powerful weapons. Moreover, you've explored every inch of the map and have literally overturned each and every stone in order to find all 900 Korok seeds--most of which didn't even provide material gain. But, you did it. You have done all of the things and have seen all the stuff. As you nab that 900th Korok seed, you breath a sigh of relief, saying quietly to yourself: "It's over."

Triumphantly, you rush to the NPC character who originally set you off on this quest, wondering to yourself what kind of reward could possibly be in store? Maybe some super cool armor or overpowered weapon? Maybe an extra shrine or dungeon or something? You eagerly wait for the Korok's fun and silly dance to conclude, soberly aware this will be the last time you may ever see this dance because you are definitely never going to do this again. The Korok leader tells you "here is your reward", and you get the new item prompt--only to show that you've just been handed a golden piece of poop. That's right. You combed the vast expanse of the Hyrule wastes in order to find all these dang Korok seeds just to receive a big ol' turd. You shrug a bit and ask yourself, "OK, what's next?"

What makes people compulsively explore every corner and check every box in a video game? Why do we always feel like we -have- to get all the achievements and get all the collectables to see the TRUE ending? Today, we explore that innate desire to 100% video games.

You can find the Imgur gallery here: https://imgur.com/a/CSquBT0.

Special thanks to #buttthwompnation's resident Cheevo Hunter, "@sharkbait" for commissioning today's episode. If you're interested in comissioning your own FLAVOR TEXT, come check out our patreon at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Don't forget to check out our Redbubble shop where you can find your favorite debater as a pixelated fantasy hero and a few other DT! goodies: https://rdbl.co/3PWMs5j

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a Creative Commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Episode 107: The Tim Bit of '83 (ft. Young Deuces)

September 06, 2022 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, podcasts, video games

This season of Debate This! has braved the waters of some uncomfortable topics, but today we venture to truly uncharted seas. Lace up your shoes, strap on your pads, and do other sports related things because today we're talking IRL sports! Now we're not here for your Maddens or your 2s-K, we're here for Chaos and we want it in the Windy City. Today we embark on a journey which asks, "Which athlete should star in their own non-sports game?"

We asked Kyle to talk about sports and he told us about donut history. Todd takes a page from the WKRP in Cincinnati book. Andrew, to no surprise, is bringing us to the year 20XX. Obviously we needed someone on this podcast who actually understands sports, so we drafted Young Deuces of the Geekset podcast (@Young_Deuces on Twitter) to lead our team to our franchise-first championship.

Episode 77: Remember To Have Your Rock Dragons Spayed Or Neutered

April 20, 2021 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, anime and manga, comics, podcasts, video games

Like Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, the mysterious Shut Up Todd Pet Store has once again opened up its doors to showcase the wondrous marvels inside. But instead of floaty soda, it's full of giant mammoths and rock dragons just itching to do a murder. And now YOU can adopt one of these Monster Hunter monsters as your very own! And you should act now because this store is not going to stay standing for much longer.

Image credit: Nortonifer

If you want more Debate This!, check out our Patreon page at patreon.com/debatethiscast. For $5 a month, you can get access to our premium feed where you can access the full backlog of our D&D real-play, real-corporate podcast Forborgürf And The Office Drones AND our exclusive Discord server!

Ep. 76: Forged In A Ding Dang Hellfire

April 13, 2021 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, comics, podcasts, video games

The suits at Discovery Ploose were so jealous that we were the only podcast talking about the Disney+ shows that they approached us to record an exclusive videogame-themed episode of History Channel's Forged in Fire. Don't ask them, just trust us. It's totally legit and definitely part of the FiF canon. Definitely.

Speaking of premium streaming services, how about those MCU shows? There's so gosh darned many of them coming out that you'd need to take a part-time job learning all of the through-lines. Well fear no more dear listener, the crew at Debate This! is here for you with a weekly recap podcast breaking down every character and mysterious Easter eggs. Check out The Ploose Is Loose! available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcatcher apps.

SIDEBAR: Product Placement in Games

March 30, 2021 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, comics, podcasts, video games

It's been a while since we all gathered around the pretend Zoom campfire and told some personal CUP NOODLES® IS THE PERFECT BLEND OF TASTY BROTH AND ZESTY TOPPINGS THAT TAKE ONLY 3 MINUTES AND A MICROWAVE TO MASTER. NO COOKING REQUIRED stories about favorite moments in video games.

Andrew recounts his time with Final Fantasy 15, Kyle gushes about Buger King's Xbox series, and Matt FOR MORE THAN 45 YEARS, NISSIN CUP NOODLES® HAVE BEEN WARMING BELLIES AND PUTTING SMILES ON FACES. THE ORIGINAL INSTANT RAMEN IN A CUP WITH NO ADDED MSG. CUP NOODLES®: IT'S FAMILY IN A CUP recalls Mario Kart.

THE NEW SPICY LIME SHRIMP FLAVOR WILL HAVE YOU SAYING 'I'LL HAVE MORE CUP NOODLES® PLEASE'! Please give us money.

Episode 73: Abraham Lincoln's Army of the Damned (ft. Eric Silver)

February 09, 2021 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, comics, podcasts, video games

Last year, Supergiant blew the gaming world away with their near-perfect and also very thirsty roguelike, Hades. We certainly could have spent this time talking all about how the gameplay is expertly crafted to make you feel like every run is forward progress, or how the characters are all incredibly unique and likable in their own way, or how the music and sound design helps to build an engaging world that constantly makes you crave just...one...more...attempt.

Instead, we took the high road and pitched a fake DLC with sexy Jesus, a man with a 2x4 shoved down his pants, and a certain former president with a penchant for reanimating flesh.

Special thanks to our special guest, Eric Silver! Eric is the host and DM of Join The Party, a D&D real-play podcast. You can also find him streaming on Twitch under HouseBreakfast on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm ET and Saturdays at noon ET, and he also lives on Twitter @El_Silvero.

Episode 72: A View To A WAAHHH

February 02, 2021 by Andrew Henderson in comedy, comics, podcasts, video games

There comes a time in every video game podcast's life when they are compelled to stop what they are doing and ask "Sure, this game is great. But what's Waluigi up to?" This is that time, and today's episode is the output of that thought experiment.

Consider, dear listener, a sequel to Katamari Damacy starring Waluigi rolling up the Mushroom Kingdom. How about a version of David Cage's Indigo Prophecy where Waluigi is the AI messiah? Or, there's always just straight-up making Waluigi James Bond. I mean, nothing matters anyway, right?

Debate This is streaming live every Monday and Wednesday night! You can find us on twitch.tv/debatethiscast every Monday at 8pm ET. VODs are also available up on the debatethiscast YouTube channel.

Check out more of our incessant arguments at debatethiscast.com and keep the conversation going by following us on social media @debatethiscast.