Old Gamer’s Almanac

Bangai-O (2001)

The Dreamcast is dead, and yet Japan isn't done putting out incredible games for it. Bangai-O by Treasure comes to America long after the damage has been done, which means it easily could have been missed by many folks. But not for us and our 2001 game odyssey. Let's dive into this delightfully weird and funny "mech game."
Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey
Consider contributing to our show on Patreon. Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac(at)gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our Discord.
The List So Far:
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Katamari Damacy
Quake
Raw Danger!
Metal Gear Solid
Hyper Light Drifter
Halo: Combat Evolved
Papers, Please
Out Run
Ocarina of Time
Jet Set Radio
Final Fantasy 7
Centipede
Hitman (2016)
Super Monkey Ball
Crusader Kings 3
Skyrim
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Portal
Soulcalibur
Pikmin
Kirby Super Star
Mass Effect 3
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Halo 3
Journey
Inside
Journey to Silius
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Mass Effect 2
Mirror's Edge
Forza Horizon 5
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Kingdom Hearts
Donkey Kong Country 3
Sonic Adventure
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Twisted Metal 2
Solar Ash
Mass Effect
Metroid Dread
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
Halo 2
Sonic Adventure 2
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil (2001)

2001: A Game Odyssey marches onward and this week we hit up a less remembered character platformer, Klonoa! Namco brought us this earnest story in an attempt to put more heart in its writing while also providing a nostalgic feeling, slow-paced puzzle platformer. Matt is smitten, and Hunter likes it just fine. No need to get all contrarian about it! It's a good game!
Mentioned in the episode:
Ars Technica: War Stories - How Crash Bandicoot Hacked The Original Playstation
The List So Far
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Katamari Damacy
Quake
Raw Danger!
Metal Gear Solid
Hyper Light Drifter
Halo: Combat Evolved
Papers, Please
Out Run
Ocarina of Time
Jet Set Radio
Final Fantasy 7
Centipede
Hitman (2016)
Super Monkey Ball
Crusader Kings 3
Skyrim
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Portal
Soulcalibur
Pikmin
Kirby Super Star
Mass Effect 3
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Halo 3
Journey
Inside
Journey to Silius
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Mass Effect 2
Mirror's Edge
Forza Horizon 5
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Kingdom Hearts
Donkey Kong Country 3
Sonic Adventure
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Twisted Metal 2
Solar Ash
Mass Effect
Metroid Dread
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
Halo 2
Sonic Adventure 2
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Super Monkey Ball (2001)

Last week was the death of the Dreamcast, and this week is SEGA reborn as a games publisher sans console. Super Monkey Ball leads their foray into Nintendo systems which marks a major milestone in the relationship between the two companies as long time competitors. It helps that the game is a smash success with a dedicated following that Matt has never understood. Let's see what all the fuss is about
Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey
Consider contributing to our show on Patreon. Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac(at)gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our Discord.
The List So Far
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Katamari Damacy
Quake
Raw Danger!
Metal Gear Solid
Hyper Light Drifter
Halo: Combat Evolved
Papers, Please
Out Run
Ocarina of Time
Jet Set Radio
Final Fantasy 7
Centipede
Hitman (2016)
Crusader Kings 3
Skyrim
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Portal
Soulcalibur
Pikmin
Kirby Super Star
Mass Effect 3
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Halo 3
Journey
Inside
Journey to Silius
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Mass Effect 2
Mirror's Edge
Forza Horizon 5
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Kingdom Hearts
Donkey Kong Country 3
Sonic Adventure
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Twisted Metal 2
Solar Ash
Mass Effect
Metroid Dread
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
Halo 2
Sonic Adventure 2
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) [”Season 1” Premiere]

WE'RE BACK. It's our third Sonic game, our umpteenth SEGA game, and our 4th 2001 game despite being the FIRST episode of our new season: 2001: A Game Odyssey. Not only do we talk about another ridiculous Sonic Adventure game, but we put it into a broader context of the year 2001. How will it rank amongst the rest of the 2001 games on our list? How will it rank amongst the other 50 games on our list? Welcome to "Season 1!"
Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey
Consider contributing to our show on Patreon. Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac(at)gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our Discord.
The List So Far:
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Katamari Damacy
Quake
Raw Danger!
Metal Gear Solid
Hyper Light Drifter
Halo: Combat Evolved
Papers, Please
Out Run
Ocarina of Time
Jet Set Radio
Final Fantasy 7
Centipede
Hitman (2016)
Crusader Kings 3
Skyrim
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Portal
Soulcalibur
Pikmin
Kirby Super Star
Mass Effect 3
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Halo 3
Journey
Inside
Journey to Silius
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Mass Effect 2
Mirror's Edge
Forza Horizon 5
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Kingdom Hearts
Donkey Kong Country 3
Sonic Adventure
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Twisted Metal 2
Solar Ash
Mass Effect
Metroid Dread
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
Halo 2
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Patreon and Discord Announcement!

Old Gamer's Almanac is officially on Patreon and we have our own Discord server!
Come hang out with us at https://discord.gg/ASG2YpyfPx
And consider contributing to our Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/oldgamersalmanac

Reranking the Top 50 Games [w/ EJ]

This is it! The finale to "Season 0" (we decided this was season 0 after recording this episode, but it IS okay?). As should become a yearly tradition, we must now take a look at the works we have done and fix all of the horrible mistakes we've made to our own list. Today we sit down with all 50 games we've covered thus far and give you the one True Ranking. All previous rankings were false. (but were true)
Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey
Consider contributing to our show on Patreon. Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac(at)gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our Discord.
The List, prior to reranking: (you're gonna probably want to have this in front of you from time to time)
Skyrim
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Katamari Damacy
Metal Gear Solid
Halo: Combat Evolved
Ocarina of Time
Quake
Papers, Please
Hyper Light Drifter
Raw Danger!
Crusader Kings 3
Hitman (2016)
Jet Set Radio
Halo 3
Mass Effect 3
Soulcalibur
Mass Effect 2
Out Run
Portal
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Centipede
Journey
Inside
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Kirby Super Star
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Forza Horizon 5
Metroid Dread
Donkey Kong Country 3
Final Fantasy 7
Pikmin
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Kingdom Hearts
Mass Effect
Journey to Silius
Solar Ash
Mirror's Edge
Halo 2
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Twisted Metal 2
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Sonic Adventure

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) [w/ Shawn and Sun]

We have done it. After roughly a year, we have made it to our 50th game to be added to this list. To celebrate, we've brought on two of our lifelong friends Shawn and Paul to talk about how storied history playing Elder Scrolls games and specifically our experiences with the series' fifth entry Skyrim. It's been rereleased some ungodly number of times and is it worth all of the hype? Well at least three of the freaks on this episode are certainly members of the Cult of Todd, so buckle up.
Mentioned in the Episode:
Morrowind Rebirth overhaul mod
Skywind Mod for Skyrim
UESP - The Ultimate Elder Scrolls Wiki
Brian David Gilbert reads every book in Skyrim
Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey
Consider contributing to our show on Patreon. Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac(at)gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our Discord.
The List So Far:
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Katamari Damacy
Metal Gear Solid
Halo: Combat Evolved
Ocarina of Time
Quake
Papers, Please
Hyper Light Drifter
Raw Danger!
Crusader Kings 3
Hitman (2016)
Jet Set Radio
Halo 3
Mass Effect 3
Soulcalibur
Mass Effect 2
Out Run
Portal
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Centipede
Journey
Inside
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Kirby Super Star
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Forza Horizon 5
Metroid Dread
Donkey Kong Country 3
Final Fantasy 7
Pikmin
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Kingdom Hearts
Mass Effect
Journey to Silius
Solar Ash
Mirror's Edge
Halo 2
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Twisted Metal 2
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Sonic Adventure

Metal Gear Solid (1998)

Hideo Kojima is a titan in the industry and while he was making hits before 1998, Metal Gear Solid is the game that secured is place on the list of all-time greats. This game is important, innovative, and dumb as all get out. That checks three pretty important boxes of criteria for us on this show, so I please enjoy this episode and expect Solid Snake to do well...
The List So Far:
Disco Elysium
Celeste
Super Mario Brothers 3
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
Panzer Dragoon II: Zwei
Katamari Damacy
Halo: Combat Evolved
Ocarina of Time
Quake
Papers, Please
Hyper Light Drifter
Raw Danger!
Crusader Kings 3
Hitman (2016)
Jet Set Radio
Halo 3
Mass Effect 3
Soulcalibur
Mass Effect 2
Out Run
Portal
Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
Centipede
Journey
Inside
Mario Kart 64
Inscryption
Kirby Super Star
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Forza Horizon 5
Metroid Dread
Donkey Kong Country 3
Final Fantasy 7
Pikmin
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Kingdom Hearts
Mass Effect
Journey to Silius
Solar Ash
Mirror's Edge
Halo 2
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Twisted Metal 2
Killer Instinct
Goldeneye
War of the Monsters
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Sonic Adventure
Music by nightcorey. https://soundcloud.com/nightcorey
Consider contributing to our show on Patreon. Email us your thoughts on the ongoing list at oldgamersalmanac(at)gmail(dot)com. Or come talk to us on our Discord.