Hard Water: Jetting into Summer with Wave Race: Blue Storm

Hard Water: Jetting into Summer with Wave Race: Blue Storm

As temperatures rise, we're heading to the beach with the 2001 GameCube launch title Wave Race: Blue Storm. The third entry in the Wave Race series, there are perhaps few games that show off this console generation's famous water effects quite like Blue Storm, a Jet Ski racing game that is still a fun (and challenging!) ride today. For this episode, we have some familiar Sound Stone faces as Sean talks with Gooey and McKenna of Flashback 64, the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast. Together they discuss the history of Blue Storm, their experiences with the game, and how well it carried the torch for Wave Race into a new era of video games. Questions or comments about this show? Feel free to reach out at soundstonenetwork@gmail.com. Our 2000s-inspired theme music is by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/ [https://duncansmith.carrd.co/]), and our show art is by Andrew Elmore (https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone [https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone]). If you enjoyed this show, please consider following us in your podcast player and leaving a positive review. For any five-star reviews left with names, we will personally thank you on the show. Millennium Edition is a Sound Stone Network [https://www.soundstone.network/] original podcast. If you liked this show, we invite you to check out the rest of our lineup: * Kirby Conversations [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@kirbyconversations.bsky.social]: Air riding through over 30 years of Kirby and HAL Laboratory with Sean, Bridget, and WiKirby Editor-in-Chief Gigi * Flashback 64 [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@flashback64.com]: the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast with Gooey and McKenna * Pixels and Polygons [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@pixelsandpolygons.net]: a conversational video game podcast of short interviews from Darren Hupke * ...and a weekly livestream on video game manuals from Nic McConnell, Instruction Derby [https://www.twitch.tv/nicmcconnell] Our YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network [https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Happy Housewarming: How Luigi's Mansion Set the Tone for the GameCube

Luigi's Mansion was an unconventional launch title to introduce new players to the GameCube. With Luigi in the starring role and playing completely unlike other Mario games, it didn't embrace the broad appeal we'd come to expect from other launch titles like Super Mario World or Super Mario 64. And yet, Luigi's Mansion would go on to become one of the GameCube's highest-selling games, and its expressive characters, lighting, and environmental effects proved to be an amazing graphical showcase for what the new system could do. In this episode, Sean and Gooey revisit Luigi's Mansion, looking back on its development history and considering its place among Nintendo's pantheon of famous launch titles. How does it feel to play 25 years later? Did Nintendo make the right choice to launch the GameCube with such a quirky new Mario game? And how does it perhaps match the unassuming yet creative energy one might associate with the GameCube today? While it may not be remembered with the same fanfare as some Mario titles, both Sean and Gooey had a great time setting off on another ghost hunt, in a game that was key to shaping the Luigi as we know him today. Questions or comments about this show? Feel free to reach out at soundstonenetwork@gmail.com. Our 2000s-inspired theme music is by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/ [https://duncansmith.carrd.co/]), and our show art is by Andrew Elmore (https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone [https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone]). If you enjoyed this show, please consider following us in your podcast player and leaving a positive review. For any five-star reviews left with names, we will personally thank you on the show. Millennium Edition is a Sound Stone Network [https://www.soundstone.network/] original podcast. If you liked this show, we invite you to check out the rest of our lineup: * Kirby Conversations [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@kirbyconversations.bsky.social]: Air riding through over 30 years of Kirby and HAL Laboratory with Sean, Bridget, and WiKirby Editor-in-Chief Gigi * Flashback 64 [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@flashback64.com]: the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast with Gooey and McKenna * Pixels and Polygons [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@pixelsandpolygons.net]: a conversational video game podcast of short interviews from Darren Hupke * ...and a weekly livestream on video game manuals from Nic McConnell, Instruction Derby [https://www.twitch.tv/nicmcconnell] Our YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network [https://www.youtube.com/@SoundStone-Network]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Appreciating Dark Cloud Today—Beyond the "Zelda Killer" Hype

As press got their first glimpses of Dark Cloud for the PS2, some hailed it as a coming "Zelda killer" and the PlayStation's answer to Nintendo's storied franchise. This narrative would follow the game through its development and even into its reviews. But looking back more than two decades later, was all this hype really justified? And did premature comparisons to Zelda—when the game was really going for something very different—blind people to the game's unique identity? For this episode, we have two Sound Stone Network founders and Millennium Edition co-producers on the panel, as Darren Hupke hosts a conversation with Gooey on the game and its legacy. Darren is a longtime Dark Cloud fan and Gooey is just experiencing its unique blend of RPG action and city building for the first time—without the weight of expectations players might have felt in 2001. Together they talk about what made Dark Cloud special, why it's better to appreciate the game without the Zelda comparisons, and how a hype bandwagon can shape our perceptions of a game before it even comes out. What do you think of Dark Cloud? Did you play it back in 2001, with its "Zelda killer" rumors fresh in your mind? Or did you have the chance to play it without that past hype affecting your experience? Send us a message at soundstonenetwork@gmail.com or @soundstone.network [https://bsky.app/profile/soundstone.network] on Bluesky and let us know! Our 2000s-inspired theme music is by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/ [https://duncansmith.carrd.co/]), and our show art is by Andrew Elmore (https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone [https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone]). If you enjoyed this show, please consider following us in your podcast player and leaving a positive review. For any five-star reviews left with names, we will personally thank you on the show. Millennium Edition is a Sound Stone Network [https://www.soundstone.network/] original podcast. If you liked this show, we invite you to check out the rest of our lineup: * Kirby Conversations [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@kirbyconversations.bsky.social]: Air riding through over 30 years of Kirby and HAL Laboratory with Sean, Bridget, and WiKirby Editor-in-Chief Gigi * Flashback 64 [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@flashback64.com]: the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast with Gooey and McKenna * Pixels and Polygons [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@pixelsandpolygons.net]: a conversational video game podcast of short interviews from Darren Hupke * ...and a weekly livestream on video game manuals from Nic McConnell, Instruction Derby [https://www.twitch.tv/nicmcconnell] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Finding New Depths to X-Men: Next Dimension Two Decades Later

For this episode, Sean is joined by Ben, a former comics journalist who covers fighting and comics-related games through his YouTube channel @sandalwoodgrips [https://www.youtube.com/@sandalwoodgrips], for a conversation on the 2002 X-Men fighting game X-Men: Next Dimension. While Next Dimension might be an underrated title that never made a big splash in the fighting game scene at the time, both Sean and Ben are huge fans of it, and Ben continues to pour hours into the game to discover the depth, complexity, and incredibly broken tech the game has to offer. Through his Discord (https://discord.gg/pKpa5psG [https://discord.gg/pKpa5psG]), where a small but active following continues to discuss and explore new facets of the game, Ben's commitment to Next Dimension serves as a perfect example of how a small but loyal community can breathe new life into a game more than two decades later. What makes this game so special, what conversations has Ben had with the developers, and what is it like to build a new community for a game from 2002? Reset your combo counters as together we look at the past and surprising present of X-Men: Next Dimension. Questions or comments about this show? Feel free to reach out at soundstonenetwork@gmail.com. Our 2000s-inspired theme music is by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/ [https://duncansmith.carrd.co/]), and our show art is by Andrew Elmore (https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone [https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone]). If you enjoyed this show, please consider following us in your podcast player and leaving a positive review. For any five-star reviews left with names, we will personally thank you on the show. Millennium Edition is a Sound Stone Network [https://www.soundstone.network/] original podcast. If you liked this show, we invite you to check out the rest of our lineup: * Kirby Conversations [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@kirbyconversations.bsky.social]: Air riding through over 30 years of Kirby and HAL Laboratory with Sean, Bridget, and WiKirby Editor-in-Chief Gigi * Flashback 64 [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@flashback64.com]: the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast with Gooey and McKenna * Pixels and Polygons [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@pixelsandpolygons.net]: a conversational video game podcast of short interviews from Darren Hupke * ...and a weekly livestream on video game manuals from Nic McConnell, Instruction Derby [https://www.twitch.tv/nicmcconnell] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Maken X is a Surreal, Sublime Brainjack and Slash Adventure

Maken X, from many of the developers behind the Shin Megami Tensei series, is a sci-fi first-person sword fighting game that came to the Dreamcast in 1999. From its experimental gameplay to its branching international story filled with eccentric characters, it plays like nothing else. And while it may not be perfect, it's still a perfect example of how a game doesn't have to get everything right to still be artistically memorable and a lot of fun along the way. For this episode, join Sean Douglass, Andrew Elmore, and Fredo Fabrucci and they pick up the demon sword and take a deep dive into Maken X's endlessly compelling world, the unique idiosyncrasies of the Dreamcast hardware, and the inimitable art of Kazuma Kaneko. Questions or comments about this show? Feel free to reach out at soundstonenetwork@gmail.com. Our 2000s-inspired theme music is by Duncan "PixelTea" Smith (https://duncansmith.carrd.co/ [https://duncansmith.carrd.co/]), and our show art is by Andrew Elmore (https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone [https://bsky.app/profile/elmore.zone]). If you enjoyed this show, please consider following us in your podcast player and leaving a positive review. For any five-star reviews left with names, we will personally thank you on the show. Millennium Edition is a Sound Stone Network [https://www.soundstone.network/] original podcast. If you liked this show, we invite you to check out the rest of our lineup: * Kirby Conversations [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@kirbyconversations.bsky.social]: Air riding through over 30 years of Kirby and HAL Laboratory with Sean, Bridget, and WiKirby Editor-in-Chief Gigi * Flashback 64 [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@flashback64.com]: the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast with Gooey and McKenna * Pixels and Polygons [https://open.acast.com/networks/652dc40e2681ee0012ad15d2/shows/69e6e95d0b4baf3bf24eb30f/episodes/@pixelsandpolygons.net]: a conversational video game podcast of short interviews from Darren Hupke * ...and a weekly livestream on video game manuals from Nic McConnell, Instruction Derby [https://www.twitch.tv/nicmcconnell] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.