Episode 137: Zachary ___ Walton San's Episode

With that lovable, pesky Cameron out of the picture (at the zoo?), Zachary steers the podcast eastward to his true homeland of Japan. That country's unique brand of RPGs pop up in the form of Final Fantasy VIII and Ni No Kuni, which doesn't do much to turn Stephen and Bryan from their skeptical ways. They're much happier at talk about Birthday Games, Birthday Games, Stephen Got Them for His Birthday-- it's kind of a new segment. Why, there's maddeningly hilarious Nightshade, controversial hot button voter issue 1080 Avalanche, uncomfortable dream machine Chulip, and more besides! But really, when it comes down to it, Disembodied Voices is about love, and so is a large chunk of this podcast during which the trio talks about romance in video games and how it's almost always dumb. And, to honor the absent Cameron, this description will end with an obligatory "Your FACE is dumb." [audio https://ia902306.us.archive.org/0/items/DisembodiedVoicesEpisode137/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20137.mp3]

Direct link to the episode yaaaaaaay!

Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Night City Funk, originally from Final Fantasy VIII and ReMixed by Anti-Syne.

Episode 135: Let's Be Xenophobic Together

This episode begins with lots of yelling, so that's... good. But who wouldn't raise his or her voice in celebration when Stephen's birthday just happened, complete with fifteen new old video games hand chosen by Bryan and just waiting to be played? Cameron helped out by sending Stephen a copy of Ollie Ollie and singing loudly, distracting himself from the murky fate of Destiny with merrymaking and the like. He also joins forces with Zachary in a militant anti-MOBA stance, which leads a bit more yelling. There's also video games and stuff-- just listen to the episode already! [audio https://ia902308.us.archive.org/9/items/DisembodiedVoicesEpisode135/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20135.mp3]

Direct link to the episode yaaaaaaay!

Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Title Jam, originally from Plok and ReMixed by Mazedude.

Episode 132: Katy Perry Gets $4

War never changes, but Zachary does. He's all goofy about MMOs these days-- an obsession shared by the resident brothers-- and he owes it all to Final Fantasy XIV. This makes Stephen happy, but Cameron becomes disillusioned about the world because of this and then mysteriously disappears from the Skype call, which also makes Stephen happy. (Those two settle their differences by arguing vehemently about A Game of Thrones.) Bryan is, as usual, towing the line and playing Hearthstone with a likable spirit impenetrable from unlikable things such as The Dead Linger and Spyro the Dragon: Enter Elijah Wood. That also sets a new record for celebrity references in a Disembodied Voices episode which is just kind of weird. [audio https://ia902506.us.archive.org/32/items/DisembodiedVoicesEpisode132ForReal/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20132%20for%20real.mp3]

Direct link to the episode yaaaaaaay!

Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Data Flux, originally from Tyrian and ReMixed by Magellanic.

Episode 130: ZE3LDA (Cameron named this episode)

Ahoy, web surfers! Come closer, come closer, stay a while and listen. Disembodied Voices is not dead after all (oh snap, plot twist!) and there is all manner of wonderful thingies to talk about. For example, do you remember E3 2014? That crowded social gathering with all the moving pictures? The DV Cast has lots to say about it, particular concerning The Legend of Zelda Wii U. And old Bryan, you remember that wild man, right? He's still Ragnarosing it up in Hearthstone and his loyal brother Stephen-- the guy who makes the bad jokes, you know?-- has become his pupil in training. Oh goodness, and then there's the infamous Cameron Nutter, a gentleman who needs no introduction but got one anyway because it's fun to mess with him. He's stealing stuff as usual, but it least this time his criminal antics are being kept within Battlefield: Hardline. Finally there's Zachary, back again performing for you, and Transistor gets a critical appraisal that kind of sums up every conversation this podcast has had about the game so far. Yes indeed, here in the suburban burg of Disembodied Voices you will find fun; not the musical group, but the emotional concept. Direct link to the episode yaaaaaaay!

Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: I Do It for the Faeries, originally from The Legend of Zelda and ReMixed by The OneUps.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_e17d89f51a104cf9aa77571b34677cce/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20130.mp3]

Episode 125: The Dark Souls of the Force

May the fourth be with you, and may it also be with Zachary 'cause it's his birthday! (At the time of this recording, at least. Come on, these guys don't have time travelling powers like Putt-Putt. Not everyone can be like Putt-Putt you judgmental ruffian.) The episode starts out with a bunch of yelling and weird music, but before you know it Zachary is jumping out of his own metaphorical birthday cake to make a surprise appearance. He and Cameron go on and on about Dark Souls II again, so you'd better be down for talks of death and stat-based intrigue. There's still room for Guess That Pokemon: Wookieepedia Edition, a quiz that pits two beloved science fiction universes together in a clash that reveals Admiral Ackbar's first name. Cameron hates this game. :) Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Title Theme, from Musical Star Wars Birthday Card and composed by John Williams.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_8fd163d115ca4aed81b4fd1e2813d48e/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20125.mp3]

Episode 123: Harmonizing in Harmony(ish)

The DV Cast knows nothing about space-time continuum, but something somewhere must have broken something fierce because worlds are colliding like Super Smash Bros. in here. Cameron has traveled from Oregon City to the sandy land of Texas in which Stephen and Bryan reside, resulting in a very, very exciting outcome: the ability to test a new microphone! Cameron takes this opportunity to rifle through the brotherly duo's video game shelf (comprised mostly of Sonic Adventure 2) and wastes no time in finding his oldest friend and ally Resident Evil 4. A newcomer to the game collection is Metal Gear Solid 4, which the panel finds to be weird. Incidentally, Stephen teaches everyone about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. All this and more is discussed in real time with real people in real life on a real couch and one real chair, but they accidentally recorded with the MacBook instead of their new microphone so they quit the podcast. Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Chillin' With the Bros., originally from Super Smash Bros. and ReMixed by Amphibious.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_8405ba6a68df4b698acfecdb19f20b5d/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20123.mp3]

Episode 120: In Which Stephen Weirds Everyone Out Again

Zachary becomes the Lord of All Goats this week. In other news, Stephen and Bryan finally have a hearth to hearth about Hearthstone after the rest of the DV Cast harshly rejects their heist-that-isn't-a-heist to hook a computer into a separate room. To be fair, Cameron is too busy preparing for Titanfalls to pay much heed to the dreams and aspirations of anyone else, let alone Blizzard and its continuing struggle to make Diablo III reach its demonic potential. Speaking of brand new releases for today's generation of gamers, Project Snowblind blindsided Stephen with a revolutionary idea that first-person shooters will look to for eons to come: level design. These are exciting times, folks, and you get to spend them with Disembodied Voices! Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Stephen Noir: Main Theme, from Gunpoint and composed by John Robert Matz.

Heist Song: Blob in Space, from de Blob 2 and composed by John Guscott

Ending song: Purple Heart, originally from Rush'n Attack and ReMixed by goat.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_0d2929c4b8fe4b6a816a0b828a7d25b1/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20120.mp3]

Episode 119: More Like Metal Gear Pallid

Panelist Cameron Nutter is no longer voiced by David Hayter, which wouldn't be so bad if Disembodied Voices didn't sell out and hire Tara Strong for the role of Bryan. All of these voice actor woes make the iffy changes of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes seem like the smallest of potatoes, despite the fact that it facilitates an enormous conversation rife with controversy, conspiracy, and some other enticingly alliterate word. Less infamous and yet vastly more InFamous is PS4 blockbuster InFamous: Second Son, winning over Zachary's embittered anti-Cole mindset. All of this cutting edge technology puts Stephen in the mood to play Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (BLAST PROCESSING) and makes Bryan want to play Hearthstone (because everything makes Bryan want to play Hearthstone). Crazy Taxi is also yelled about, so good on that. Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Mystical Groove, originally from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and ReMixed by Arceace.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_0f15cd2f618d4634860e387e5a6017cb/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20119.mp3]

Episode 114: Tough E. Nuff for You?

The DV Cast tackles the difficult subject of difficult games, which is definitely an excuse to talk about StarCraft II and Spelunky. Stephen is once again exposed to be a closed-minded, selfish neanderthal thanks to his "play as no one but Indiana Jones Spelunky Man" policy and an exclusively Terran-based widow mine strategy, but he balances out the negative karma by quoting "Everything is Awesome." Speaking of which, The LEGO Movie is haphazardly explained with too much enthusiasm to make sense and Gravity's weighty subject matter (PUNS PUNS PUNS) gets a thumbs-up in Odd-eo Commentary. If that's not intense enough for you, Cameron relays his experience riding a Giant Robot in the Titanfall beta, trying as he might to avoid spouting hyperbole like a 1980-something spaceman building a spaceship. Bryan has to close out the show all by himself due to technical difficulties, which brings the episode back full circle since it's about difficulty, remember? Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Difficult Move Indeed, originally from SD Snatcher and ReMixed by Commandcom.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_93406ddd81134294bcea12cf5f9e4480/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20114.mp3]

Episode 113: Never/Always Tell Me the Odds

The DV Cast is ready to roll... the dice! Because this episode is about randomness in game design! Which includes dice! Or a die if you're working with the singular use! Spelunky and Hearthstone, games that Stephen simultaneously wants to high five and slap in the head, make their own arguments for the great game of chance, but StarCraft Time represents the merits of unyielding uniformity in the face of uneven odds. Cameron becomes a storyteller in the first ever segment Nutter Family History, venturing into the mythical Corn Palace before heading back to Lowrule for some controversial opinions. Bryan, in the meantime, becomes unpopular for having a good time. Speaking of having good times and being unpopular, this episode of Disembodied Voices is ready to roll... the dice! (The joke is funny enough to use twice.) Opening song: Chalupa Pass, from Minimap and composed by coda.

Ending song: Roaming... Please Wait, originally from Final Fantasy and ReMixed by BONKERS.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_71a16b3af192452d942e0e911952a5df/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%20113.mp3]

Episode 95: Home Is Where the Hearthstone Is

After years of pure selfishness and a little bit of malevolence thrown in for good measure, the DV Cast is finally giving something back. Specifically, a beta key for Hearthstone, Blizzard's new card-based battlefield of shiny spells and nifty numbers. With this edge-of-your-seat, seat-of-your-pants exciting contest as the centerpiece, you just might miss the fact that nobody has any idea what to talk about, so the rest is mostly haphazard chaos. At least Guild Wars 2 is still going strong, as is Cameron's determination to not spend real money on fake cats. Bryan doesn't have this problem, instead dedicating his cold, hardened heart to playing grueling StarCraft matches and not being emotionally manipulated by Season 2 of Sherlock. As for Stephen? He's pretending be a robot and an orc, but thankfully not at the same time. Yep, for sure, it's another episode of Disembodied Voices. Oh yeah, and about that Hearthstone key. Just use the contact form here to leave your five-word review (details in the episode, good sir/madame) and we'll get back to you! Also, important: follow the rules, man! Name the game you're reviewing, double check your word count, etc. You won't win if you don't submit the bestest of all.

UPDATE: The contest is over! Thanks so much for playing if you, indeed, did play!

Opening song: Electrolytic Man, originally from Mega Man and ReMixed by MaJIN_SaN, ambient, and tomatsu.

Ending song: Through the Castle, originally from Super Mario World and ReMixed by Rockos.

[audio https://www.cubby.com/p/_9e2ab8cb182d4ee6a88622c0ef0a2fea/Disembodied%20Voices%20-%20Episode%2095.mp3]