Maken X is a Surreal, Sublime Brainjack and Slash Adventure

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.

Is Link in Soul Calibur II the Best Fighting Game Guest Character?

Welcome to Millennium Edition! Millennium Edition is a new original podcast from the Sound Stone Network exploring video games form the last 90s and early 2000s. And rather than just looking back at these games, with this show we particularly want to reflect on how these games remain both relevant and current today. Various technological advances at the time led to games of this period aging particularly well, with, as we noted in our show description, many of them today feeling both nostalgic and surprisingly modern all at once. Writer and teacher Sean Douglass (@seandouglass.bsky.social [@seandouglass.bsky.social]), whom you may also recognize from our Kirby Conversations show, is the creator of Millennium Edition and will be its most frequent host, but you can also expect regular contributions from co-producers Gooey Fame (of Flashback 64) and Darren Hupke (of Pixels and Polygons) as well. If you're already a fan of Sound Stone podcasts, we hope you enjoy this collaboration between all three of the network founders. For this episode, Sean and Gooey are joined by SuperCombo writer, former FGC event coordinator, and friend of the network Jay (@idolismj.yase.world [@idolismj.yase.world]) for a talk on Soul Calibur II—particularly the incredible guest appearance of Link on the GameCube version. What made Link such a standout guest character? How did the Heihachi and Spawn end up as the guest characters for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions? And why does Soul Calibur II retain such a core following so many years later? With the game still as fun to play as ever, and recently back as a debut title for GameCube Nintendo Classics library, we knew this would be the perfect game to kick off a show about the lasting appear of games from this generation. 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 [@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 [@flashback64.com]: the chronological Nintendo 64 podcast with Gooey and McKenna * Pixels and Polygons [@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.