Ep. 374 - Cage Rage Gauge, with Aaron Stewart-Ahn

Screenwriter Aaron Stewart-Ahn (asahn.me) joins a panel guest hosted by Esper to cover the current definition of “good graphics,” Nicholas Cage’s sublime beauty, and seeing Attack of the Clones on acid.

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SHOW NOTES:

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finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Fenrir_(motorcycle)

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Light Cycle (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Cycle)

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Tron (1982) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tron)

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Kingdom Hearts II (mobygames.com/game/21912/kingdom-hearts-ii)

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Tron (mobygames.com/game/33983/tron)

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Honda Motocompo (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Motocompo)

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Shadows of the Damned (mobygames.com/game/54155/shadows-of-the-damned)

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Mandy (2018) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandy_(2018_film))

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Yaiba Kusanagi CT-3X (cyberpunk.fandom.com/wiki/Yaiba_Kusanagi_CT-3X)

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Cyberpunk 2077 (mobygames.com/game/128136/cyberpunk-2077)

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Keanu Reeves (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keanu_Reeves)

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Arch Motorcycle (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arch_Motorcycle)

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Alex Winter (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Winter)

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Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Ted%27s_Excelle…)

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Gran Turismo (mobygames.com/game/3909/gran-turismo)

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Polyphony Digital (mobygames.com/company/1993/polyphony-digital-inc)

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Tourist Trophy: The Real Riding Simulator (mobygames.com/game/24227/tourist-trophy-the-re…)

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Road Rash (mobygames.com/game/17194/road-rash)

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Sega Saturn (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Saturn)

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Sony Playstation (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_(console))

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DO

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Full Throttle (mobygames.com/game/940/full-throttle)

1: Where are your favorite places to hang out in open world video games? (06:20)

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Throne and Liberty (mobygames.com/game/231444/throne-and-liberty)

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Fallout 76 (mobygames.com/game/115632/fallout-76)

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The First Descendant (mobygames.com/game/227132/the-first-descendant)

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World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade (mobygames.com/game/26026/world-of-warcraft-the…)

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Honor Hold (wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Honor_Hold)

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Arator the Redeemer (wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Arator_the_Redeemer)

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Final Fantasy XIV Online (mobygames.com/game/48497/final-fantasy-xiv-onl…)

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Ryū ga Gotoku / Like a Dragon / Yakuza universe (mobygames.com/group/8208/ryu-ga-gotoku-like-a-…)

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Boyhood (2014) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyhood_(2014_film))

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Kamurochō (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamuroch%C5%8D)

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Shenmue (mobygames.com/game/3558/shenmue)

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Slitterhead (mobygames.com/game/232930/slitterhead)

2: When is it most obvious that zero research went into a particular video game scene? (15:15)

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Starfield (mobygames.com/game/208288/starfield)

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Astral Lounge (starfield.fandom.com/wiki/Astral_Lounge)

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Mass Effect series (mobygames.com/group/8742/mass-effect-series)

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GoldenEye 007 (mobygames.com/game/3528/goldeneye-007)

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Far Cry series (mobygames.com/group/4089/far-cry-series)

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Motor Toon Grand Prix (mobygames.com/game/26889/motor-toon-grand-prix)

3: Design a video game where the main hero is played by Nicolas Cage. (20:54)

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Nicholas Cage (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Cage)

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Superman 64 (mobygames.com/game/9239/superman)

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Dead By Daylight (mobygames.com/game/80324/dead-by-daylight)

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Leon Kennedy (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_S._Kennedy)

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leatherface

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Tekken series (mobygames.com/group/458/tekken-series)

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Stanislavski’s system (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislavski%27s_system)

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Mortal Kombat series (mobygames.com/group/87/mortal-kombat-franchise)

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Avery Brooks (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Brooks)

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Shun Di (virtuafighter.fandom.com/wiki/Shun_Di)

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Virtua Fighter series (mobygames.com/group/351/virtua-fighter-series)

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John Barrymore (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barrymore)

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Charlie Chaplin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Chaplin)

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Buster Keaton (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Keaton)

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akuma_(Street_Fighter)

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M. Bison (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._Bison)

4: Design a video game where the main villain is played by Nicolas Cage. (25:16)

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Pig (2021) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_(2021_film))

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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (mobygames.com/game/70041/metal-gear-rising-rev…)

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Death Stranding 2 On The Beach (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Stranding_2%3A_On_…)

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Hideo Kojima (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hideo_Kojima)

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Dan Brown (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Brown)

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weezer

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Cats (2019) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_(2019_film))

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Megalopolis (2024) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopolis_(film))

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Kendrick Lamar (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendrick_Lamar)

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Shroud of Turin (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_Turin)

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Robert De Niro (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_De_Niro)

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The Devil’s Advocate (1997) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil%27s_Advocate_(…))

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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (mobygames.com/game/5211/metal-gear-solid-2-son…)

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Legend (1985) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_(1985_film))

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Tim Curry (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Curry)

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Constantine (2005) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_(film))

5: Spencer asks, what are games biggest strengths as a medium? (30:56)

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Street Fighter (1994) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter_(1994_film))

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen

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Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (mobygames.com/game/808/ultima-v-warriors-of-de…)

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Indika (mobygames.com/game/223223/indika)

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‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ Gets 2027 Release Date (variety.com/2024/film/news/sonic-the-hedgehog-…)

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Call of Duty series (mobygames.com/group/2640/call-of-duty-universe)

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Half-Life 2 (mobygames.com/game/15564/half-life-2)

6: What do “good graphics” mean in 2025? (38:11)

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Super Scaler (sega.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Scaler)

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Indika (mobygames.com/game/223223/indika)

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Final Fantasy X (mobygames.com/game/5673/final-fantasy-x)

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Final Fantasy XV (mobygames.com/game/82135/final-fantasy-xv)

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OutRun (mobygames.com/game/16/outrun)

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Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Episode_II_%E…)

7: What is the Decemberists of video games? (44:46)

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The Decemberists (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decemberists)

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Colin Meloy (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Meloy)

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Shrek 2 (2004) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek_2)

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streetfighter.fandom.com/wiki/Shoryuken

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The Matrix (1999) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix)

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The Matrix Revolutions (2003) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_Revolutions)

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Dark Souls series (mobygames.com/group/10078/dark-souls-series)

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Bloodborne (mobygames.com/game/72089/bloodborne)

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Fleetwood Mac (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac)

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Kate Bush (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Bush)

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King’s Field (mobygames.com/game/3691/kings-field)

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Devil May Cry series (mobygames.com/group/1104/devil-may-cry-series)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Name Design – Czech New Wave …