Episode #59 - RF Generation Playcast (Bayonetta)

[singlebanana]

Tomorrow.....set phasers to "DOWNLOAD"

[singlebanana]

It's Here!

[Pam]

Really great episode guys, I enjoyed the discussion of Bayonetta as well as hearing about they other games you've been playing. And how Keto affects the smell of urine... the more you know.

Thanks for giving me a chance to weigh in on Bayonetta as a character.

I must have missed the question of the month (is this on twitter?). Zoe Castillo is a great choice, though funnily enough I have played The Longest Journey and Dreamfall Chapters but not the second game. I do quite enjoy her in Chapters though... much more than the other character you play as. I also really love April Ryan from TLJ and would like to see her goth-mode in the second game at some point. Other favourites for me are Aya Brea, a great character - love her backstory and how she deals with the unique kind of adversity she faces. I'm determined to play PE2 sooner rather than later. Renegade Commander Shepard, also awesome. One that didn't get mentioned was Roseangla Blackwell from the Blackwell series of games. She solves mysteries and talks to ghosts and really develops as a character of the series of 5 games.

Also, nice call on the Right Said Fred.

[singlebanana]

Thanks for the listen Pam and again, we really appreciate the bit you did on Bayonetta.  I think listening to your thoughts during the recording really helped to fuel our discussion.

Yes, our question of the month is always on Twitter and typically gets posted a few days before we record.  Look for one this week!  Even if you didn't play Dragon Warrior, the question is open ended, so we'd love to hear your response.

And yes, Right Said Fred, I couldn't think of a more appropriate song and I had it in mind before we even recorded. Ha ha!

[Duke.Togo]

I always seem to miss these questions as well, and I'd have to mention Tina/Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI as my favorite female lead. She has a great journey that focuses on her really finding herself throughout the adventure, and her mixed nature between Esper and human brings in the major aspects of the story.
[img width=700 height=747]http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/2/22/200px-Ff6_amano_tina.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120724220628[/img]

Having played Bayonetta years ago, it's fun to listen to you guys going back through it. The story was really out there, but at least Bayonetta herself did a nice job of lightening the mood and keeping the game moving. The only other character that stuck in my mind from the game was the Joe Pesci-alike Enzo. I remember enjoying my trip through the game, but it wasn't enough to pull me back in. Maybe I'll finally get to Bayonetta 2 sometime soon.

[singlebanana]

Thanks for the listen Duke!  Yeah, Shawn and I both post the question of the month on Twitter and we will try to remember to post it in the game thread each month.

[Disposed Hero]

Nice discussion on your favorite female characters, and quite a few were listed that I'm not familiar with. Since I just got the final season of Telltale's The Walking Dead in the mail yesterday, I realized that I completely neglected to mention possibly my favorite female character from any game: Clementine from The Walking Dead. Even as a young girl in Season 1, she always came across as an extremely levelheaded child just trying to cope with the situation the best way she can, and she never becomes overwhelmed by the fear and challenges she faces. She was always smart and resourceful, even outwitting the adults from time to time. As the series progresses and she gets older, she has to deal with many losses along the way which harden her to an extent, but she always remains compassionate. By the time she's around 13 years old, she is a complete badass. I have just started playing through the final season, and I can't wait to see how her story ends.

Also, as the official RFGeneration KING OF RAGE, I have the authority to declare Streets of Rage 2 the undisputed best game in the series.

[singlebanana]

Also, as the official RFGeneration KING OF RAGE, I have the authority to declare Streets of Rage 2 the undisputed best game in the series.

You have no authority here sir!  As I remember, when we discussed it on the forums, it was pretty much split between the first and second game. Either way, both great games and must owns. Three on the other hand.......

Thanks for listening Stephen and weighing in on your favorite female characters. Be sure to locate and answer our next question on Twitter or our Dragon Warrior thread.

[Crabmaster2000]

@singlebanana - Kirby's Dreamcourse is so freakin good! I think you'll enjoy it a lot. Fun Fact that was the first game I saved up allowances for and bought with my own hard earned cash!


Not being on twitter I missed out on the question for this as well. I love a lot of the ones you guys mentioned. Shantae, Valkryia Chronicles ladies, Fem Shep, Samus would all be high on my list, but I'm surprised that another series that has several awesome female characters didn't get any love. I've gotta go with Claire Redfield from the Resident Evil series (Jill Valentine, Rebecca Chambers and Ada Wong also being super awesome characters from RE). Ever since the original RE2 she's been my benchmark for female leads. She is completely capable of surviving a zombie outbreak on her lonesome not to mention the other external forces trying to stop her. On top of that she does it dressed like a normal human being. Then she comes back in Code Veronica to kick even more ass and becomes some kind of zombie fighting specialist with her brother. Just an all around strong lead, without resorting to sex appeal, romantic interests, helplessness or any of the other tropes that often get tagged onto female characters.

[img width=640 height=360]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7812/46762226684_bf14c30f97_z.jpg[/img]

Now to dig into the main topic of the podcast!

[Crabmaster2000]

Super smart move having Pam chime in on the character of Bayonetta. Really loved hearing her take on it and really got me thinking about Bayonetta in a way that I had never thought to previously. Much like the Bioshock episode you guys did a few months back I really liked the part of the episode near then end when you guys started talking about how the character and themes and portrayal of the Bayonetta was making you reflect on your own thoughts/preferences/prejudices/comfort levels/etc. You seemed almost apologetic for getting a little off the direct topic, but these are the moments I love best listening to you guys. I think it's important to have conversations about how games make us feel and reflect beyond the actual game. It's something that I personally cannot get by playing the game by myself and they only really come out when discussing it with someone post game. Bayonetta isn't exactly in the public consciousness at the moment (hopefully it will be again when 3 comes out), so playing it and having no one outside of the forum posts to decompress with I kind of rely on you guys getting into that for me.

Playing by myself and doing a pole dance to wipeout enemies I just think: "this is the most effective way to damage large groups of enemies in a 360 degree pattern". Never did it cross my mind that I'm doing an erotic dance to inflict maximum pain on angels......am I ok with this? You guys really open up the experience I just had in a new way and gets me to do some self reflection which I appreciate.    

One word description of the Bayonetta: Glamorous

PS - Ya'll crazy for not loving the Outrun level!!

[singlebanana]

Ha ha!  Thanks for the feedback Crabby, and yes, I agree, the "sexiness" segment is my favorite part of the show.  I really like having a related topic outside of the gameplay and story to digest and hopefully this is something we can focus on in the future. I love the Pam drop in and I couldn't think of anyone else who could do that topic as much justice. I have considered having other drop ins in the future, so I appreciate the feedback my friend.