Number 42 - Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Super Mario Maker, Super Mario 64 DS

As April 2020, the longest month in recorded history, draws to a close, Our Three Cents is back to give your earholes a tickle with our sultry voices. 

Are we still playing Animal Crossing?
Has Jonathan really turned to the dark side and started playing on, deep breath, the Xbox One? 
Which VR games has Chris been using to escape from the reality of L O C K D O W N?

Then, hear us get excited about THREE distinct Mario games. Three! THREE!!

Mario… in a stomach! 
Mario 64… but not on the N64!
Mario… that you make yourselves?

Nintendo's mascot there; as equally comfortable in an RPG, a 3D platformer, or a sandbox creation toolbox. Doff your red cap in honour of his genre-hopping maleability.

Number 43 - Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Splatoon, Pro Evolution Soccer 6

On this week's Ournimal-Crossing Three Cents, Chris celebrates his birthday amongst friends on Jonathan's Otter Isle, Minty stuffs his pocks with eggs, and Jonathan welcomes genuine canine celebrity KK Slider!

What's this show meant to be about again?

Games! Is Roundguard, the Peggle / Rogue-lite hybrid any good? Is mobile puzzler The House of Da Vinci as good as it's inspiration, The Room? Do you really need to go through 3000 duels to conquer 3000th Duel? 

Then, big entries for our big lists.

Jonathan remembers Tomb Raider: Anniversary, spinning vivid tales of his initial exposure to the series via the Sega Saturn's port of the original release before it's Wii update.

Minty is thrilled by Splatoon's 'electric newness', Nintendo's incredible foray into the world of online shooters completely devoid of screaming, racist children. 

Finally, Chris relays a series of fraternal memories connected to Pro Evolution Soccer 6, the ONLY football game worth playing! (In some people’s very specific opinions! - JD)

Oh my! Games are so, so good.

Number 44 - Worms Armageddon, Banjo-Tooie, Donkey Kong Country

We are reliably informed that it's... Monday? In the absence of any real societal markers of time and date, why not use this weekly episode of Our Three Cents as a reminder that yes, time is passing, and yes, video games still exist.

There's more Animal Crossing chat, naturally, as well as opinions on Doom 64, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, some eShop bargains, and… TETRIS. 

Chris adds Worms Armageddon to the list of games revered by all three cents alongside Fantasy Life. Minty makes the extreeemely controversial statement (can you tell it's one of the other Centurions who writes these blurbs?) that Banjo-Tooie is the best game on the Nintendo 64. Finally, Jonathan swells with joy talking about Rare's pre-rendered sprite classic, Donkey Kong Country.

WORMS
BEAR AND BACKPACK BIRD
MONKEYS

Oh, we do spoil you!

Number 45 - Diddy Kong Racing, Pokémon Black 2, Fallout 3

The boys are playing Animal Crossing, of course, but what else is floating our collective boats?

Are Chris and Jonathan going to be able to keep up their Ring Fit regimes? Why has the Panzer Dragoon remake rankled the J-man? Which eShop games are worth your pocket change? Which Gameboy exclusive sequel has Chris's heart all afloat? 

Then, after the dust has settled on our April Fools fake out, what are our ACTUAL 45th favourite games of all time? 

Chris gets a bit over excited talking about Diddy Kong Racing, the 'best racing game on the N64'; Minty explains why the weird animals and cultural pastiche of Pokémon Black 2 beats out much of its franchise competition; and Jonathan emerges from the depths of vault 101 to explain why the post-nuclear wasteland in Fallout 3 stands head and shoulders above its sequels. 

If you'd like to argue with us about any of this week's opinions, feel free to use the following sentence pro formas:

• "CHRIS is wrong about Diddy Kong! Mario Kart 64 is truly the best kart racer on the Nintendo 64 BECAUSE..."

• "MINTY is wrong about Black 2! Generation 1/2/3/4/6/7 (delete as appropriate) is much stronger BECAUSE..."

• "JONATHAN is wrong about Fallout 3! 4 was a true evolution of the series BECAUSE..."

Be safe, stay home.

Bonus Level - April Fool's Day Special

APRIL FOO-
(beer cascades out of the roof in a long shot of the Simpson's house) 

Did you really believe that Minty would have returned to and, gasp, ENJOYED, Sticker Star, his previously professed least favourite Paper Mario entry?

Did Jonathan and Chris' respective digital purchases on the eShop and App Store of Grasshopper Derby and Seagull Officer really sound plausible?

Did Jonathan's Ancient Kingdom II: The Fire of Old Legends (it spells 'FOOLs' for gawd's sake!) sound too good to be true with its layered systems, ludicrous sidequests, and PC bound limited modern accessibility? 

Did the anarchic spirit of the genuinely real (honestly! look it up!) Don't Sh*t Your Pants ring any alarm bells given Minty's usual penchant for sprawling adventure games and RPGs?

Did the weird spelling of Chequy alert you to the fact that Chris' 16-bit hidden gem was actually hidden to the point of non-existence? 

Is self isolation really getting to us all that much? 

Hope you all enjoyed this silly little aside! Regular programming will resume next week!

Bonus Level - Animal Crossing: New Horizons Special

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is finally here and we've made the corporate decision to BREAK RANK and record a bonus episode right here and right now.

Animal Crossing is a series that has grown exponentially since its early release on the GameCube and then the DS, Wii, 3DS and arrives now on the Nintendo Switch in the midst of a global pandemic. 

Does New Horizons stand up against its franchise forebears? (yes)
Does New Horizons prove that the commentariat who willed Animal Crossing to go free to play were wrong, wrong, wrong? (yes)
Will Minty, an Animal Crossing newbie, enjoy the plaintive pacing of Nintendo's life sim as much as Chris and Jonathan, the series stalwarts? (yes)

All this and MORE in this bonus episode!

Number 46 - Final Fantasy VII, Parodius: Fantastic Journey, Luigi’s Mansion 2

Hey, hey, kids! 

Have you ever played Final Fantasy VII, Parodius: The Fantastic Journey or Luigi's Mansion 2? 

If so, listen in and see what we thought of the games you may have loved or loathed. And if not so, maybe we can talk you into giving them a blast? 

We three cents place hands firmly on our hearts and suggest that this generation defining RPG, this cutesy, parody shoot 'em up, and this.. hoover simulator (?) are all very, very worthy of your time. 

Also this week: Jonathan finishes Outer Wilds, Minty doesn't finish Tales of Vesperia, and Chris gets someone else to finish Limbo.

Number 47 - Bastion, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Sonic R

Another episode? A whole one?
Fair enough. 

Is Minty still playing that Tales game? Is Jonathan likely to beat the 400 hour long Witcher 3 before Animal Crossing: New Horizons releases? Can Chris contain his excitement at winning his first Tetris Invictus Maximus?

Then the rankings. Ohhhh, the rankings. 

Three games that we felt were very good. Three games that we felt were SO very good, that we took the time to talk them up within the very podcast you hold digitally in your hand. 

The sumptuously narrated space-Western, Bastion.
The gorgeous, expansive collectathon masquerading as an action RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles X.
...and Sonic R?

We love games and we love you. 

(please wash your hands and take care of one another)

Number 48 - Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, Firewatch, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap

As the weekend crumbles to dust, sweep away the Monday blues and listen as the boys tell meandering stories about their 48th favourite video games of ALL. TIME.

TUROK 2 and its BULLETS and GUNS
FIREWATCH and its WALKIE TALKIES
WONDER BOY 3 and its TRANSFORMATIONS

...but before we do that, perhaps you'll appreciate the long awaited return of the quiz pun? Or enjoy mulling over the thought of Ralph Fiennes hypothetically voicing the mammalian face of capitalism? Or share in Jonathan's disappointment in the relative calorific deficit of Level-5's Snack World, Chris's off-hand lamentations on The Simpson's gradual decline, or Minty's travel log through the impossibly named factions and cities of Tales of Vesperia?

PLUS: Chris does a -LOT- of laughing. 

Come and have fun with us. 

Number 49 - F-Zero GX, Thief: Deadly Shadows, Phantasy Star Online

Our very own menthol man details how Nintendo hits it out of the park with their 'coolest' racer F-Zero GX. Our host extroadinaire revisits the gloom of Thief's grubby dark-age world in Deadly Shadows. That hairy bloke talks about Arsenal Football Club and its weird connection to Sonic Team's online experiment Phantasy Star Online. 

Listen for Chris' thoughts on the Open Source Scanline Converter, Jonathan's thoughts on breaking the back of flagellation simulation Blasphemous, and Minty's thoughts on a selection of eShop demos.

PLUS: 
Where are we plonking our virtual homes? 
Are Minty's valiant efforts to fight a four point quiz defecit in vain? 
Why is Chris so shit at turn-based combat? 
How's Jonathan getting on in S N A C K W O R L D? 
Why are the boys going to Butlins in Bognor Regis? 

Number 50 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, Portal 2

“Jeremy, are you insane?!”

We’re only halfway ruddy there! Come with us into our second season where we discuss, among other things, a video game licensing clusterf*ck, a 128-bit space opera specific graphics card, and the irrefutable truths of the internet!

Also this week, Chris goes subsurface in a circular fashion in Mike Bithell’s latest video game creation. Find out if Minty & Mrs Minty can escape their latest mobile room game in Nox. And what pics will Jonathan’s paths make in his latest mobile addiction, PathPix?

We have hit the ground running as we go into our Top 50, so grab hold of this podcast bus and come with us on a video game journey, a videogourney. 

Bonus Level - Valentine Special

FRATRICIDE AND SMOOCHES
DAIRYLEA TRIANGLES
CONVERSATIONAL BREAKDOWN

What on earth do any of these things have to do with love?

Join Our Three Cents as we, or at least Chris, willfully misinterprets the theme for this Valentine's Day special, before giving genuine recommendations for games to play with the special people that may be in your lives.

Much love from your favourite gaming goons.

Number 51 - Super Mario 3D Land, Pokémon Blue, Guardian Heroes

In our final numbered episode of season one you will hear:  a particularly weasely quiz question; Jonathan getting hot and heavy over a listener's question; some thoughts on our secret santa gifts; and Chris' thoughts on a classic.

Then more games. Three incredible games. A veritable triumvirate of bloody good games.

Jonathan talks up one of the best handheld Mario games of all time whilst simultaneously throwing swathes of depth-perception-based criticism at 1986’s Labyrinth. Minty reminisces about Pocket Monster themed ephemera present at the birth of a franchise and Chris bigs up a mostly forgotten brawling treasure from the back catalogue of the legendary Sega Saturn.

Perhaps these are games you loved? Or perhaps they're games you'll grow to love. 

We certainly love them. And we love you.

Number 52 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Wario Land 4, TxK

Would you, our dear listeners, consumers of our humble podcast, wish to listen to our thoughts and feelings on games of the video variety?

Allow Jonathan to describe the three stages of the Souls-like, and the violent combination of Hotline Miami and MasterChef Australia. Humour Chris' attempt to intellectualise not one, not two, but THREE indie-darlings. Let Minty sell you on the joys of Volition's Saints Row: The Third through its semi-recent release for Nintendo's hybrid console offering.

Then dive into extended discussion on a flagship Ninty franchise's tentpole release; a genre defining puzzle platformer; and an arcade shooter that no-one played.

HURRY UP!!

It's Ocarina of Time, Wario Land 4, and TxK.

And some other bits.

Number 53 - Grand Theft Auto 3, Metroid Zero Mission, Super Mario 64

What is Grand Theft Auto 3 x Metroid Zero Mission x Super Mario 64? The amount of time you should waste before listening to this episode!

Three absolute franchise behemoths feature in this swish and dense episode as we trawl our three Cents’ memories of their gaming childhoods!

Plus, the intrepid Pokémon trainers among them are nearing the end of their Galarian adventures, and Minty merges some dragons, Chris takes on a new puzzle platformer indie game in the form of Gris, and, quite fittingly as Jonathan is currently on his honeymoon, he chats about his experience in The Touryst!

Plus Minty discovers a new consonant...

PS - for the eagle-eared listeners, you may notice some temporal inconsistencies in our discussions from the last episode, which is because we recorded this episode at the tail end of last year! Almost like a flashback. Almost like a multi-narrative story. Go forwards and then go back for the full picture. Christopher Nolan would be proud!

Bonus Level - End of 2019 Special

See you next year! 2020 vision! Something something decade!

Now we’ve got all the contrived new year bumph out the way let’s enjoy the New Year episode with some contrived, vaguely Dickensian bumph:

2019 might have been an absolute mound of turds, but it’s been another great year of gaming. Jonathan has spent most of it smacking down nightmarish monsters in Lordran, Minty’s been smacking down dragons in various quests, and Chris spent most of it smacking down coloured shapes in... Tetris.

What’s been the best games of the past year, according to the centipedes? What games are they looking to in the future? What did they get in their secret Santa presents? 

Find out all this and more as we delve into the Games of past, present and future. Happy New Year everyone!

Number 54 - Super Mario Sunshine, Half-Life, Out Run

NINTENDO FIFTY FOURRRRRRRR

THIS WEEK: Chris gets annoyed at shoddy portsmanship of a storied RPG franchise. Jonathan can't be bothered with Star Wars: Law and Order. Minty takes an extended dip in a rusty lake. 

Let the boys' fifty fourth favourite videogames whisk you away on an island holiday! Or to another dimension by way of a portal in a mysterious underground facility! Or on a cross country roadtrip!

We challenge anyone to find a single episode of a podcast that includes conversation that flows seamlessly between Mario-themed waterboarding, the crowbar's cultural ascendency, and handheld stereoscopy's finest moment. 

Please enjoy. We want you to enjoy.

Number 55 - Mario Golf, Metal Gear Solid, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance

This week on Our Three Cents we have another eclectic triptych of games including an Italian-plumber-based-handheld-sporting RPG, a 32-bit odyssey about a man’s obsession with hiding in a cardboard box, and an epic adventure involving a black knight in the darkness of the night whilst you try to forge some lightness into the world!

Elsewhere, Chris spends his week killing time with Suicide Guy, and we also have a full debrief on Pokémon Sword & Shield, complete with the presentation of the 1st ever annual Jonathan Andrew Dunn Pokémon Awards. Find out which lucky critters have been selected as the recipients of the coveted JADPAs! 

And, more importantly, find out whether Jonathan & Chris’ school English teacher, Mr Haywood, ever got round to playing Chris’ childhood gaming creation, Dunce Goes to Hollywood?

Only on Our Three Cents. What a bunch of absolute ridiculousness. Amen.

Number 56 - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Time Crisis 2, Viewtiful Joe

Oh boy! In a bumper episode, hear the trio chop through a massive stack of games they've played recently, as well as their usual three listed all-time favourites!

Would you like to know our thoughts on The World Next Door, Metal Wolf Chaos, or Forager? How about Ni No Kuni and its sequel, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, or Bloodstained? Maybe Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi's Mansion 3, or Pokémon Sword and / or Shield? Or even the varied entries in the Cube Escape series of mobile games? 

For this week's numbered entries, Minty goes for a splash with the Gamecube's legendary Wind Waker and regales its avian-come-oceanic story with the gusto of a Jackanory presenter; Chris shoots some baddies with a plastic pistol and a bulky cathode ray tube television in the fantastic home port of Time Crisis 2; and Jonathan goes deep on the late Clover Studio's ridiculously stylish whack-em-up Viewtiful Joe.

big deep breath 

So come along and enjoy some of O3C's most impressive expletive bleeping, some silly callbacks for long term fans, everyone's favourite Pokémon, 'Floopididoop', as well as a LOT of curry.

Number 57 - Super Mario World, Journey, Thomas Was Alone

On the menu this week - the further adventures of Minty questing after dragons, Jonathan grinding some stones and Chris racing a football (something like that I believe…)

In the rankings, a classic Nintendo game on a classic Nintendo system, a small fragment of AI experiencing isolation and “a big warm hug of a game.” Three really quite incredible games - real absolute bangers!

Also dogs. Well, more specifically requests for dogs. If it wasn’t implied in all our episodes previously, we now request dogs explicitly. 

Dogs are great. We don’t deserve them.