We’re joined by Dia Lacina once again as Ryo continues the next leg of his quest to track down Lan Di, his father’s killer. What strange challenges will he find in China? How does Yu Suzuki follow up one of the most ambitious, incredible games of all time? We find ourselves surprised at almost every turn as Shenmue II goes big and goes small and goes adventuring!

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Stalker 2, watch Dia and Em play Gabriel Knight 3 on Dia's YouTube channel, Vanishing Point, NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup, Super Mega Baseball 4, Streets of Rage, Some Sonic Games, Sonic X Shadow Generations, Mother, Ninja Baseball Bat Man, Arctic Eggs, Shenmue, Shenmue II, Shenmue 3 predictions, the most a game has ever made us laugh

Next Month’s Game Club: Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the Legacy of Solaris mod (install tutorial video)

Music this Episode
Joy by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yuzo Koshiro, Ryuji Iuchi, et al.
Queen’s Street by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yuzo Koshiro, Ryuji Iuchi, et al.
Campfire Discussion by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yuzo Koshiro, Ryuji Iuchi, et al.
The Path to Destiny by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yuzo Koshiro, Ryuji Iuchi, et al.

One of the hot new releases of … wait, 1999? That can’t be right. Oh, it’s a fan translation. One of the hot new fan translations hitting the inter-oh I’m being informed the fan translation is from three years ago! How embarrassing. Well, we’ve been meaning to play this one for a hot minute, and when Em finally tried it they were so instantly in love with it they insisted we cover it for the podcast. So we did! Turns out, we had a great time! Please join us as we try to discover what is beyond speed!

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Lollipop Chainsaw, Akiba's Trip, Oneechanbara,Oneechanbara 2, Ys IX Monstrum Nox, Etrian Odyssey, Ratchet and Clank 4 and 5 PS2, Air Comabat, Ace Combat 2, Ace Combat 3, Ace Combat 4, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Racing Lagoon, Racing Lagoon plot summary from Dungeon Chill, Ashita no Joe, Final Fantasy, Initial D, the lost generation and the bubble economy, fan translations, gallery of all the loading screens in Racing Lagoon

Next Month’s Game Club: Shenmue II

Music this Episode
Loop Demo by Takahito Eguchi & Noriko Matsueda
Taiman Battle by Takahito Eguchi & Noriko Matsueda
Yuka Suzuki by Takahito Eguchi & Noriko Matsueda
Forgethill by Takahito Eguchi & Noriko Matsueda

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: We’re Gaming!
(00:54:20) - Segment 2: Racing Lagoon
(02:00:45) - Segment 3: Questions

Sometimes you decide to finally pick up one of those games you’ve always heard of but never got around to, the curiosities that you are pretty sure aren’t must plays, but stick in your brain anyway. Some might argue this has been the history of Abnormal Mapping at large! But this month we do one of the epitomes of this style of game as Em chose one of the big PS2 curiosities from the era of “I can’t believe they localized that!”

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: PlayStation 5 Pro, Ratchet & Clank PS2 trilogy, Harmful Park, Ranger X, Haunted Castle Revisited, Castlevania Judgment, CybeRRRevolution, Phantasy Star Online, Astro Bot, Mister Mosquito, quirky games

Next Month’s Game Club: Racing Lagoon

Music this Episode
Pit of Peril by Kenneth C M Young
Bossa 1 by Akihito Okawa and Houzou Okazaki
Jazz 1 by Akihito Okawa and Houzou Okazaki
Funk 1 by Akihito Okawa and Houzou Okazaki

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: Gaming Catchup
(01:03:00) - Segment 2: Cassette Beasts
(01:43:20) - Segment 3: Questions

Jackson is joined today by official Final Fantasy Correspondant Austin Walker to talk about Final Fantasy XI - specifically the base game and Rise of the Zilart. It’s been a busy MMO summer and we simply needed to get it out of our systems and into microphones somewhere. Please enjoy this three hour tribute to a game that’s still around and still good as hell.

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Final Fantasy XI, Final Fantasy XIV, all the other Final Fantasies a little too, World of Warcraft and MMOs. It’s mostly just FF11 though.

This Month’s Second Game Club: Mister Mosquito

Music this Episode
One Last Time by Nobuo Uematsu
The Grand Duchy of Jueno by Naoshi Mizuta
Voyager by Naoshi Mizuta

Em is back from the month off to talk about the joy of a kind of cheesy mystery with a great sci-fi premise as we get to live out our Star Trek: The Original Series dreams by lecturing ancient peoples about how our modern world view is clearly the best one. This sounds like it’s selling The Forgotten City short, but I promise it isn’t, we really liked this game. Sometimes good things are also kind of silly things, is all, and we delight in the silliness in this episode.

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Dwarf Fortress, Neon White, Jackson's MMO Summer, The Forgotten City, Immortals of Aveum

Next Month’s Game Club: A Bonus Final Fantasy XI episode, and then Mister Mosquito at the end of the month!

Music this Episode
The Forgotten City by Michael Allen
The Die is Cast by Michael Allen
The Voice of the People by Michael Allen
Life's Greatest Blessings by Michael Allen

This month it’s just me, Jackson, being joined by Crystal to play Citizen Sleeper. Em is currently in Hospital after major surgery and so I’m taking over and organizing the podcasts while they recover! Please send them well wishes. It’s time to talk about RPG systems, and the strange act of critiquing leftist video games that you mostly agree with. I think this is a good discussion about a fun game and I hope everyone enjoys it!

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Pokemon NetBattle, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy XI, Citizen Sleeper, Skyrim, Fallout New Vegas, Dragonstomper

Next Month’s Game Club: ??? Possibly The Forgotten City, we shall see

Music this Episode
Possible Futures by Amos Roddy
Ember’s Wake by Amos Roddy
A Window to the Sun by Amos Roddy

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: Dragon Age/FFXI
(00:31:21) - Segment 2: Citizen Sleeper

We enjoy one of the major modern attempts at making a Pokemon-style monster collecting and battling RPG with Cassette Beasts. We talk about surprising scope of the world, the intense battle system, what your numbers say about your priorities, the weirdness of dating mechanics, and much more! This game was a great surprise and a huge delight, so please check it out!

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Doom 4, Summer Games Fest, baffling Square Enix decisions, Cassette Beasts, Pokemon, rpg battle mechanics, open world design, dating mechanics

Next Month’s Game Club: The Forgotten City

Music this Episode
Cross Your Heart by Joel Baylis
Like Chimeras by Joel Baylis
Wherever We Are Now by Joel Baylis
Same Old Story by Joel Baylis

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: Summer Games Fest chat
(00:16:40) - Segment 2: Cassette Beasts
(01:21:20) - Segment 3: Questions

We find ourselves doing grunt work for Atrus once more as our favorite self-published author and god of his own realms begins reaping what he’s sown over the last two games. We solve some puzzles, enjoy Brad Dourif, and talk about the kind of guy who keeps going around birthing entire worlds. Exile was good fun, happy to dip back into the world of Myst once again.

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Balatro, Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel, Blinx: The Time Sweeper, Panzer Dragoon, Shinobi, Shadow Dancer, The Revenge of Shinobi, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, The Cyber Shinobi, The G.G. Shinobi, The G.G. Shinobi 2, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, Shinobi Legions, Nightshade, Shinobi 3D, Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars, Alex Kidd: High-Tech World, F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch, Animal Well, Little Kitty Big City, Crow Country, Broken Reality, Ace Combat 2, Myst, Riven, Myst III: Exile, The Room

Next Month’s Game Club: Cassette Beasts

Music this Episode
Main Theme by Jack Wall
Libra's Lever by Jack Wall
Saavedro's Theme by Jack Wall
Exile (Bonus Track) by Jack Wall

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: Games Played
(00:43:40) - Segment 2: Myst III: Exile
(01:18:04) - Segment 3: Questions

We leap back in time to the Mega Drive to talk about two action classics back when action games meant jumping and avoiding and not perfect parries. Not exactly divisive that we enjoy these types of games, but the generational split is very real as we talk about these two classics of game. Join us, for a walk down memory lane (Sega edition).

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Roboquest, NiER: Reincarnation, Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide, Needy Streamer Overload, Blazing Lazers, Felvidek, Binding of Isaac, Dynamite Headdy, Ristar, Gunstar Heroes, Beyond Oasis, Zelda, Angry Video Game Nerd

Next Month’s Game Club: Myst III: Exile

Music this Episode
Opening Theme by Katsuhiko Suzuki, Yasuko, et al
You're Izayoi by Katsuhiko Suzuki, Yasuko, et al
Indication by Yuzo Koshiro
Ending by Yuzo Koshiro

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: Games Played
(00:33:30) - Segment 2: Dynamite Headdy and Beyond Oasis
(01:32:10) - Segment 3: Questions

We finish our long Final Fantasy adventure by playing Square’s largest single player Final Fantasy yet. But does size equal quality? Does it equal ambition? We have many thoughts about this and about where the entire Final Fantasy VII Remake Project has gone and is heading in this enormous podcast about an equally enormous game. After dozens of hours, we are left with one simple question: why do we do this to ourselves?

1. Because we were ready to game
2. Because we were sure of quality
3. Because we were clueless

Trick question. The correct answer was: because it’s our job.

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Balatro, Cosmo Cheats at Poker, Rise of the Ronin, Jackson's piece on the ending of FF7 Rebirth, Jackson's Rise of the Ronin review, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, every other Final Fantasy on earth but ones with specific spoilers include: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Intergrade, and Crisis Core, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XVI

Next Month’s Game Club: Beyond Oasis and Dynamite Headdy

Music this Episode
The Fight for Naming Rights by Mitsuto Suzuki, Masashi Hamauzu, and others
Let's Go, Mt. Corel! by Mitsuto Suzuki, Masashi Hamauzu, and others
Queen's Blood by Mitsuto Suzuki, Masashi Hamauzu, and others
Crazy Chocobo by Mitsuto Suzuki, Masashi Hamauzu, and others

Timestamps
(00:00:00) - Segment 1: Games Played
(00:30:00) - Segment 2: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
(01:57:34) - Segment 3: Questions

We’re joined by Molly for the return of one of the classics, a guy who just needs to jump over every spike in all the world, conveniently located in a beautiful palace. That’s right, we’re here to talk about the return of Prince of Persia, and the surprising ways Ubisoft have melded the last ten years of exceptional platforming games into something with its own identity.

Thank you so much as always for listening, please rate and review the podcast, and tell all your friends on whatever social media you call home that they should check us out. See you next month!

Send us questions about our game clubs, other games, or gaming in general to [email protected]!

If you would like to support us please visit patreon.com/abnormalmapping for exclusive podcasts!

Things Discussed: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Granblue Fantasy: Relink and Granblue Fantasy, Pseudoregalia, Iconoclasts, Monster World IV, Prince of Persia, Immortality, Another Code: Recollection, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, a bunch of Metroidvania stuff broadly

Next Month’s Game Club: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Music this Episode
Managarmr, Sequestrian Primal by Tsutomu Narita
Hanging Gardens of Mont Qaf by Mentrix
Frozen as it Falls by Mentrix
End Credits by Mentrix

Timestamps
(00:03:30) - Segment 1: Games Played
(00:37:10) - Segment 2: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
(01:33:15) - Segment 3: Questions