Deleted Saves

Let us step into our boots and gun belts once again listeners as I talk about yet another Wild West themed video game. On this episode I give my thoughts on Weird West, a top-down twin stick horror shooter RPG. That's a lot going on at once in its description. It fits, as there is a lot going on with this game. Come by an listen to discover just what it is about and why the genre it is part of, the weird western, is seen that way.

Once more on a lethal European vacation! On this episode I offer my thoughts and opinions on the Resident Evil 4 Remake. How does it compare to the original? Was this remake necessary? Was it even scary? I'm sure you have your thoughts but these are mine, so come listen to one more opinion on the subject. Maybe I'll even change your mind.

Well. here we are again talking about a game I've covered more than once. This week I give my thoughts on the Dead Space remake, complete with mean comments about its publisher and glowing praise for its developer and the game itself. How many space zombies can Isaac Clarke kill this time? Give it a listen to hear the squishy answer.

TREE!!!

Don't worry, you'll get the joke. On this episode, I give my thoughts on my time with Elden Ring, the smash hit of 2022. How much was George R. R. Martin actually involved and why am I unimpressed with his work? How much Berserk can Miyazaki fawn over? And why was this such a big hit? I give it to you from my point of view as always and I'll let you decide for yourself from there.

On this episode, I will be discussing my time with the Demon's Souls Remake and offering my thoughts on why it is significant from its brethren. Or should I say the game that started it all. But why the remake version? Tune in to find out all about it.

Hmmm? Oh sorry. You caught me thinking about the Roman Empire. Anyway, this week I offer my thoughts on Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, a little historic context, and giant robot mecha anime fighting machines. Was this title everything a FromSoft game should be, or was it something else entirely? Come check it out and we'll contemplate it together.

Oh boy, here we go back into Nintendo waters. This week I offer my thoughts on Metroid Dread, my first return to the series after almost three decades away. It is certainly, if nothing else, a Metroid game! What it is after that, I'm not really sure.

Excelsior, true believers! (TM) On this episode I do a two-for of the Marvel's Spider-man games and discuss my time with both Peter Parker and Miles Morales and a bit about my own history with the business and being an art teacher. How does that all work? Give this one a listen to find out, Spider-fans!

Oh boy, I come out swinging on this one, but in the game's defense, not to deride it as so many have. I offer my thoughts on my time with The Callisto Protocol, our Dead Space substitute for today. This is another in my problematic favorites series, and while it does have issues, the real issue was everything else that didn't have much to do with the actual game. Hold onto your ears folks, it's showtime!

Ever wonder what the French Revolution would have looked like with robots? On this episode, I will be covering just that with my thoughts on Steelrising, a French-made Souls-like of above average quality. Can you pilot your killer dancer robot through a burning Paris to uncover why everything went crazy? Or do you just want me to cover the highlights? Either way, stop by and give this one a listen.

On this episode I give my thoughts on Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, the first cartoon mascot action platform game I've played since Jak and Daxter II. Almost twenty years is long time. Was it any good? Why this game after so long? Give this episode a listen and all will be explained.

Once more into the Dungeons and Dragons breech, my listeners, so dust off your minis and dice as I give my thoughts on 1994's Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession. As a dungeon crawler, is it any good? Was it able to stand out against its competitors? Why have I covered this setting so much? I'm not sure I can answer all those questions, but give this a listen anyway, won't you?

Well, this one is probably going to annoy some of the Star Wars fan base. On this episode I talk about my experience with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as a Star Wars outsider. Why did anyone in their right mind think this was a Souls-like? Is this what Star Wars is really like? How am I even supposed to pronounce any of this?

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, we need to talk...

Man, am I late to this franchise. On this episode I offer my thoughts on Luigi's Mansion 3, the third entry in this weird ghostbusting series. Why this game, now? Because it's what I played as a Super Mario Bros outsider. Give it a listen anyway.

What do you do with a drunken sailor early in the morning? Feed him to an Outer God, that's what! On this episode I give my thoughts on Dredge, where pro fishing meet Cthulhu f'htagning in the most colorful way possible. This was another indie darling, but does it stand up? Absolutely, if you let it.

Yee haw! Time to kill us some vampires, cowpokes! This week I give my opinion on Evil West, a historic fantasy game of cowboys versus vampires in which we rip off God of War 2018 in the best way possible. Is it a solid double A title? Did I completely mispronounce names all the way through the recording with abandon? Just how does it feel to punch a werewolf in the face with an electrified gauntlet then blast it with a shotgun? I can answer at least two of those questions, so come take a listen.

Cowabunga, again! On this episode I give my thoughts on TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, a modern day beat 'em up starring everyone favorite sewer dwelling martial arts reptiles. With callbacks galore and fluid combat, this is perhaps one of the best modern examples of this genre available.

Welcome to Season Five!

Powered by the Patrons of the show, on this episode I discuss the recent hit Alan Wake 2. Was it everything it was cracked up to be? Did it truly unify the Remedy Entertainment-verse thing, whatever we are calling it? Oh boy, I'm bound to annoy someone with this review, one way or another.

For shovelry! On this episode I discuss my time with Shovel Knight, a 2014 indie platformer about a blue armored character with a shovel and a dream. This one is proof positive of the influence of the influence platforming games had on al of us, one way or another.

Our way of life is changing, and the world no longer needs men like us. On this episode I give my thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2, a title we have all heard quite a lot about since its debut. I add one more voice to that discussion, give my beliefs on the characters, the historic context, and why this title is hidden gem of survival horror among non-scary titles.

On this episode I give my thoughts on Wasteland 3, another in InXile Entertainment's long-running series. This time we travel to frozen Colorado to make big choices and kill raiders and robots in the snow. Is this series better than other types of post-apocalyptic RPGs? You bet! Give it a listen to find out why.

On this episode I give my thoughts on Dishonored 2 on the PS4. Can it live up to the promise and concepts of the first game? Ummm... about that.

Hello listeners! This episode was a recent Patreon exclusive, and it is a little different from my standard format. In this episode I discuss my time with Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania and the likely fact that I'll never complete this game. But does every game need to be finished?

If you would like to become a Patron (and get more episodes like this) go to Patreon.com and look for Deleted Saves Podcast.

On this episode I give my thoughts on PC horror puzzle game The 7th Guest, with all of its awkward filmed scenes, public domain puzzles, and a review so out of left field you'd swear you were having your own ghostly hallucination.

This week I give my thoughts on Infernax, an indie PC darling that could best be described as a Castlevania II: Simon's Quest-like. Wow, there's a mouthful of a term! Can this title offer more than the original did? Take a listen and find out.

This week I delve into Blasphemous on the PC, a Metroidvania title filed with religious iconography and horror aplenty. So just was The Miracle and why did it cause such chaos upon the land? Put on your best spiked helmets and take up your swords as I talk religion, art, and the scary nature of both.

This week I decide to let the Age of Fire fade and give my thoughts on Dark Souls 3, the last in the immediate Dark Souls trilogy and a great send off to the games. What will we have to overcome to accomplish this feat? Who will we have to deal with: dead gods, wild mutations, angry fanboys, or perhaps legions of haters? Stop by the bonfire to hear me tell my tale, and we all just might learn something important.

On this episode I offer my thoughts on Streets of Rage 4, a series last seen in the 1990s on the Sega Genesis but was brought back by a new developer. Did they succeed in reviving the series? Oh most definitely! And if you ever loved beat 'em ups, this game is for you.

On this episode I give my thoughts on my time with Alien: Isolation, a run-and-hide-with-extra-bits survival horror title based on the 1979's Alien. Can our star character survive this haunted house in space? What happens when a game is so filled with tension that you are physically wiped after playing it? This is a tough one to answer, but we'll get through it.

On this episode I offer my thoughts on one of the most lauded games of 2015, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and explain how I kept stopping at the same place for several years before finally giving up on the game. But does that mean it is bad? Come take a listen and decide for yourself.

If society collapsed tomorrow, would the person you are now matter? Would you cling to the past or change? On this episode I offer my thoughts on Days Gone, which should have gotten more love but didn't, and I get just a bit philosophical about it.

On this episode I give my thoughts on the absolutely brilliant Ghost of Tsushima, a very Western take on samurai culture, historic time periods and events, and how one man has to change everything he is and knows to save his home and people. And I do a little teaching, too.

Love alternate history fiction? Love short games? Love to hear about what happens when both go wrong? I give my thoughts on The Order: 1886, a third person steampunk shooter with Arthurian knights versus werewolves and other things in Victorian London. And how the whole thing went pear shaped.

This week I offer my thoughts on 2018's God of War, the soft reboot and continuation of the long-running series. Can Kratos' rage finally be quenched in the ice and snow, or has the birth of his son finally calmed him down? I explain it all as I see it and you can be the judge.

I offer my thoughts on yet another Twin Peaks wannabe. Control, we need to talk...

This week I offer up my thoughts on Resident Evil 3 Remake, a remake of what was supposed to be a side content story in the franchise. There was a lot of gamer upset about this title, and it came out during a bad time, but overall I think it succeeded far more than many would believe.

What's this? Another Resident Evil game? Yep, and on this week's episode I give my thoughts on what has to be the outright scariest of the bunch so far with Resident Evil 7: Biohazard. How did Capcom combat series fatigue with this entry? By ripping off every American horror movie from 1999 onward and mashing them together to drop on one unsuspecting dope named Ethan.

On this episode, I return to the dead streets of Raccoon City to give my thoughts on Resident Evil 2 Remake. It was a long time coming, but we finally got the remake we needed. But what had changed in the decades since the original game? A lot, and it propelled this classic horror title into superstar of the modern era status.

On this episode I give my thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Remake plus the INTERgrade DLC, on what has changed in the twenty plus years since the original, what has stayed the same, and why we should look at this game with a new understanding of what this game will be going forward, and not as the enemy of the original. And if you think this game ruined your precious childhood memory, then you are really not going to like this review.

On his episode, I dive back into STEM and render my thoughts on The Evil Within 2, a survival horror sequel that almost does not resemble the game that came before due to changing up the formula and just going buck wild. But is it any good? I think so, but considering what it was up against from the AAA game sphere, it could have been the worst game ever and still succeeded. So there is that.

Hope you liked Resident Evil 4, because you're getting again but under a different name! My thoughts on The Evil Within, a survival horror title from the master of the RE series where he tried to do something different but ZeniMax wanted RE4 again for their own purposes. This is another of my Problematic Favorites, so grab your own Agony Crossbow and strap in.

In which I say nothing upsetting or get annoyed at people in any way whatsoever, I offer my thoughts on The Last of Us Remastered. Nor do I comment on fandoms, public discourse, or anything else. It's just a fun zombie game, really. Nor is it a "we need to talk" episode. Not really, anyway.

Oh boy, a versus fighter sequel! I offer my thoughts on Samurai Shodown II, the second versus fighting game that made me want to get good at it. We get more of the same with some improvements and I actually beat this one in the arcade, when no one was around. Oh well.

There can be only one, I guess? My thoughts on Samurai Shodown for the arcades, the only versus fighting arcade game that made me want to get good at them. I discuss the game itself, historical parallels, and a 1980s TV miniseries that had only a tangential relationship to punk samurais killing one another.

This is what happens when we let the creatures of myth fight it out for supremacy. On this episode I talk about Darkstalkers, another Capcom fighting game where they scratched the serial numbers off of the Universal Monsters and set them loose on arcades across the land to compete for all that Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat and Tekken money. Also, learn what happens when you try to do big real estate deals in dying small towns.

Welcome, to die! On this episode I give my thoughts on X-Men, the arcade beat 'em up game staring six of the world's best known mutants Marvel Comics has yet produced. Put on your best Spandex cosplay outfit and get ready to once again relive the glory days of the arcades.

It's time to talk about mutant turtles trained for murder. My thoughts on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time, one of the biggest blockbuster beat 'em ups of all time. It is also the show's 100th episode, so yay! Turtle power!