Chris Bashen has been a guest on So Many Bits several times to talk about video games, but did you know he makes them too? He's the guy behind the (digital) guy: he's been The Joker, Firestorm Shang Tsung, and more as a motion-capture actor with Netherrealm! We took a very cool look at the behind the scenes of the cutscenes in some of the past decade's most cinematically ambitious games.

The Amazing World of Gumball had their own ambitious take on Final Fantasy VII, and Brandon Shockney and Bill talk about it in this episode's Screenwatching!

Screenwatching: The Amazing World of Gumball (1:55)

Interview: Chris Bashen (25:05)

Bill's Magic Minute (59:16)

Di Billick is here to chat about some games! Games played: Habitica, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Persona Q2, Trauma Team, Dicey Dungeons

Games were played and bits were made with Dan Schiffmacher! We talked about Gato Roboto, Box-Boy and Box-Girl, Resident Evil 0, and Fatal Frame.

Not one, not two, but six(!) unique movement mechanics are at the core of Zero Percent Juice's Worldline. The team's lead designer Trevor takes Bill through the team's formation, the plans for the game, and the challenges of a Kickstarter campaign.

Given the podcast's motto of Have a Great Summer, Di Billick's choice of Phineas and Ferb for Screenwatching is perfect!

Screenwatching: Phineas and Ferb (1:30)
Interview: Trevor (16:08)
Bill's Magic Minute (37:20)

Lucy Morris and Calliope Ryder are on this week to talk about the upcoming game Best Friend Forever from their studio Starcolt! Hear about the game design aspects of a relationship simulator, what it's like to be emailed by CNN at 3:30 in the morning, and the ethical consumption of Pokemon.

Plus, Dan Schiffmacher helps Bill grunt through an episode of Home Improvement for Screenwataching!

Screenwatching: Home Improvement (1:32)
Interview (Lucy + Calliope): (19:48)
Bill's Magic Minute: (52:55)

Back home now, Shelby Mongan joins me on this episode to get into the video game portions of my trip. What games did I play on the 25 hours of airline travel? What was Akihabara like? Did I pick up any interesting swag? That plus some tips for planning your own trip to Japan right here!

I was very privileged to take a one week vacation to Japan recently and am back to share some stories from my travels! This week in Part 1 I'll run down the various sights I saw, while next week we'll get into some travel tips and the games I played!

Bit Bash was bigger and better than ever this year, and Luis Badillo and I tell you about the event straight from MSI in Chicago! Many of these games can't be experienced anywhere else so listen here for our impressions!

The games we've been playing! Overwatch, Borderlands 2, Persona Q2, and more!

Dogs. Puppers. Bork Factories. Everyone* loves them, and their care is critical work often handled through shelters across the US and beyond. Little Rock Games is working on a game that goes into the challenges of such an operation right now, and Olivia Dunlap joins me this week to chat about To the Rescue! We also crown the greatest fictional dog of all time after rigorous scientific analysis.

Plus, Chris Arneson helps me tackle a classic Simpsons episode during Screenwatching!

Screenwatching: The Simpsons (1:10)
Interview: Olivia Dunlap (27:12)
Bill's Magic Minute (1:02:55)

*Cats are not part of everyone