40 - Super Mario Sunshine

Hello, I am writing to you from a jail cell on the beautiful, tropical Isle Delfino. I know that may sound like I am in a setting most would only dream, full of swaying palm trees, sunny beaches, and drinks that are five types of alcohol dumped into a coconut, but I regret to inform you that I am having no such experience. Upon disembarking the plane I was immediately arrested for a crime committed by somebody who could by certain definitions maybe sort of look like me (which side note: could also be grounds for a discrimination lawsuit) and was thrown into a dingy prison likely to rot away while my girlfriend (unofficial) is allowed to wander free. It is damaging to my reputation, an infringement on my rights, and really harshing the vibe of my vacation. I am sending this episode of Smashterpieces talking about the 2002 Nintendo GameCube title Super Mario Sunshine, in the hopes that you will take up my case as an attorney. You may be hesitant given my record, but hopefully the discussion of why the platforming in this game feels so off, why the aesthetic is both strong but has its drawbacks, and why the music is overall pretty decent will change your mind. I hope to hear from you soon, otherwise I fear the gallows may be in my future.

Join us next time as we shift our perspective into first person for Smashterpiece #41: Metroid Prime

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

2021 Wrap-Up

Look, normally this would be where I wrote this weird abstract abomination to the English language that would cause everybody reading to reach out and ask if I’m okay, but I don’t know, man… 2021 was not a great year for most people, ourselves included. But that doesn’t mean that Smashterpieces did not have a banger of a year. We have to take stock sometimes and remind ourselves that hey we actually did really good this year! Ten more games done, the completion of the N64 era, our first Pokémon battles for the show, the beginning of the GameCube era, a month in an animal filled town, a night in a haunted mansion, the death of many many sons, our introduction to Pac-Man’s terrifying dog, the introduction of Mickey Mouse into the Smashterpieces canon. These are all good things! These are all things we had fun with in 2021, these are things we accomplished that are good. We can step back and look at these things and think “hey, you know what? 2021 wasn’t a waste.” I think that’s important.

We’ll be back soon with our episode discussing Super Mario Sunshine, but until then take care and happy new year. We ain’t stopping any time soon.

Auld Lang Syne 8-bit rendition by Bulby

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Melanie.

39 - Kingdom Hearts

One fateful day in the year 1925, somebody drew some sketches of mice around a picture of Walt Disney. Eventually in 1928 that led to the creation of Mickey Mouse in the cartoon short Steamboat Willie (I should note it was not Walt who designed this character but was instead his friend and colleague Ub Iwerks). From there he was like a runaway steamboat into a town of innocent people, except in this case that town was actually the institution of American copyright law and the townspeople were every single piece of media to ever exist on this Earth. So where am I going with this? Well fast forward to 2002 and suddenly Mickey is sharing the screen with anime, something I’m sure Walt would have just loved to see and definitely would not have hated. Anyways that anime crap is in Smash now, so hey let’s talk about Smashterpiece #39: Kingdom Hearts, the gaming industry’s dumbest and most resilient crossover franchise between the likes of Disney animation and Final Fantasy. What do we think of how this game aged? Is it worth it to fight that giant Ursula? And why is Yoko Shimomura just the best?

Join us next time as we take a little tropical vacation where nothing will go wrong in Smashterpiece #40: Super Mario Sunshine

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

38 - Pac-Man World 2

Alright, folks, let’s continue today’s tour of the Video Game Historical Excavation Site. Oh, what’s this? One of our excavators appears to have found something in the soft earth! Why, it’s a copy of a platformer from the long bygone era of 2002! I’m afraid this discovery means that we must shut down the site to visitors for the day, but don’t you worry! You’ll be given a complimentary recording of us discussing Smashterpiece #38: Pac-Man World 2. It even includes a guest appearance by long time friend of the show Luke (aka Cyberlink420), who brings an unconscionable amount of Pac-Man lore that is sure to haunt your dreams and cause you pain, but in a good way we assume. How surprised were we about this game’s general quality? Why is Pac-Man’s dog Chomper a terrifying monstrosity? How do we feel about the game’s bumpin’ soundtrack? All that and more in today’s episode!

Join us next time as we dive into the heart for Smashterpiece #39: Kingdom Hearts

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Joe.

SPECIAL - Super Smash Bros Melee

Yet another milestone on our timeline has been reached! Today we talk about the game that refuses to die, no matter what those surrounding it do or say. A competitive titan, a wavedashing masterpiece, a space fox’s dream. That’s right, everybody, today we discuss the legendary Super Smash Bros Melee, the early GameCube title that would take the foundation of its predecessor and become a template for all the games to come after. Why do Melanie and Joe consider this game one they love to watch but not necessarily play? What’s it like to know that this is the last time a Super Smash Bros game would have a single lead composer/arranger? And why did Hungrybox come to my house and uninstall all my items before forcing me to play as Jigglypuff?

Join us next time as we journey into a world of… ghosts and dots? Probably? In Smashterpiece #38: Pac-Man World 2

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Joe.

37 - Pikmin

CAPTAIN’S LOG: We have crash landed on an alien planet, the various parts of our craft have been scattered amongst the foliage. For awhile we were able to scrounge up the necessary resources we needed to survive but at around the two week mark our inspiring story with themes of determination and grit quickly transformed into a tragedy. Joe was the first to go, a bird sprouting from the ground as if it were a root vegetable being plucked from the earth and wrapping its mighty beak around Joe’s soft frame. Melanie went soon afterwards, chased down and devoured without hesitation by one of those damned Bulborbs. David was able to last a few more days but alas, he too met his end when a stupid frog broke every bone in his body with a body slam. All this death really makes you wonder: if they’re all gone then who the hell is hosting this episode of the show? You know, the one covering Smashterpiece #37: Pikmin? It’s the episode guest starring David (DVD Smith) where they talk about Joe’s first experience with the game, the pseudo RTS style gameplay, the many many Pikmin corpses left in their wake, and of course how pleasant the soundtrack is to listen to. This may be a mystery that’ll never be solved, but hey at least we have an episode that came out of it!

Join us next time for a special episode on the second game in Nintendo’s beloved crossover fighter: Super Smash Bros. Melee

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

36 - Luigi's Mansion

Hello and welcome to our latest seminar on the housing market in the Mushroom Kingdom, I know you’re all dying to get started so I’ll make this quick. Our usual speakers are here but we have also prepared a guest speaker presentation on the subject of what to do if you win a mansion in a contest you don’t remember winning, only to find that the mansion is full of ghosts and the boss of all those ghosts has trapped your brother in a painting, forcing you to equip a weird vacuum to destroy those that have come from the realm beyond who stand in your way. You may be thinking that this is a very specific subject on which to hold a presentation, but apparently it happens frequently enough that it’s warranted. Our guest, Mr. Xander Morningstar, joins us to tell the cautionary tale of Smashterpiece #36: Luigi’s Mansion. How do we feel this game stacks up against its more recent sequels? Why is Joe over the moon about the sound design? And why are the boos so mean? All that and more in today’s semina- er, episode!

Join us next time as we crash land on a distant planet in Smashterpiece #37: Pikmin

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Joe.

35 - Animal Crossing

Welcome to the first and likely final meeting of this HOA, we’re glad you’ve taken the time out of your busy schedule to be with us today. We don’t want to keep you here for too long so let’s just go ahead and jump into it, shall we? Today’s agenda is a collection of neighborhood complaints from the town of Smash that have been combined to form what we’re calling Smashterpiece #35: Animal Crossing. All parties involved have decided to remain anonymous out of fear for their safety. Complaint #1: One resident of Smash, hereby known only as “K”, grifted the town salesman out of roughly 50% more paper than she would ever need, he didn’t appreciate it. Complaint #2: Another resident, now known as “B”, was seen walking along the beach in the dark with what a neighbor described as “a look of murderous intent” and went fishing for several consecutive hours. Complaint #3: Multiple instances of people taking things out of the lost and found that is not their’s. We’re going to jump to our panel of experts now so they can talk about their month in the town of Smash, so I guess please enjoy that.

Join us next time as we totally win a completely free and non-haunted mansion in Smashterpiece #36: Luigi’s Mansion

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Melanie.

BONUS - New Pokémon Snap

Hello and welcome, we’re delighted that you have chosen to join us on the Smashterpieces Pokémon Photo Safari Extravaganza. Please remember to keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times, Smashterpieces will not be held responsible for any loss of limb or other bodily harm you may sustain during your time spent with us. Each of you has been provided with three tools, all of them of vital importance to your journey. First of all there’s the illumina orbs, it can make the Pokémon glow and sometimes they jump higher, or at least that’s what the script says I have to say. Then you have your apples, those are mostly gonna come in handy when we enter the volcano portion of our tour. There may or may not be a Tyrantrum that appears, he will want you dead. What you’re gonna do in that case is throw the apple at him and he maybe won’t charge at you. If I’m being honest you got about a 50/50 shot on that one, I’m sure you’ll be fine. You also have a music player, it’s just there for tax reasons, it doesn’t do anything. Anyways if you’ve signed your liability waivers and have your cameras ready, we hope you enjoy your safari. In the meantime please enjoy this bonus episode on New Pokémon Snap, a game we brought into existence with our weird reality bending curse. Good luck!

We’ll return with Animal Crossing soon!

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Joe.

34 - Dr. Mario 64

All rise for the honorable Judge Toadsworth. Today we find ourselves at the trial of one of history’s greatest monsters. This sick individual took advantage of the tired and weary at the worst possible moment, sick and desperate they clung to his lab coat begging for a cure he knew he did not have, and yet… he persisted. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this individual calls himself Dr. Mario, but he is no doctor! As evidence of this malicious malpractice, we present Smashterpiece #34: Dr. Mario 64! How does the jury feel about this falling block puzzle game? What does this game do impressively, and what does it do very unimpressively? Does the soundtrack sure exist? All that and more in today’s trial! … I mean episode!

Join us next time as we spend a month of cohabitation in an animal filled town in Smashterpiece #35: Animal Crossing

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie stream these games and more here, and you can watch Joe stream here!

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. The preshow for Animal Crossing was edited by Melanie.

33 - Pokémon Stadium 2

The crowd cheers, the combatants face each other. Here come the pokéballs, the battle is about to begin in earnest! Oh, it’s Alakazam! Oh, it’s Wooper! This does not seem like a fair fight, but let’s see how it plays out. Well, that Alakazam was knocked out before I even had a chance to blink, what an amazing battle this has been. While we wait for the next Pokémon to emerge, let’s take a second to tell the folks at home that this is the episode representing Fighter #19: Pichu, it’s the 2000 Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Stadium 2. What makes this game such an interesting piece of video game and Pokémon history? Why does it feel like the RNG seems unfairly against you in certain situations? What do we think of the minigames? And why does it feel like the soundtrack is overall such a dud? All this and more in today’s episode!

Join us next time when we get our medical licenses revoked in Smashterpiece #34: Dr. Mario 64

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie stream these games and more here, and you can watch Joe stream here!

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

AF21 - Halo: Combat Evolved

Let us look back, far into the past (roughly around 2001, so basically ancient). In the wondrous land of “Bun-Jee” a small single celled organism called “combat” enjoyed a carefree existence. But one day combat found itself in the shadow of a larger being called a MICROSOFT. At first it was afraid, but eventually the two formed a symbiotic relationship, and thus combat… evolved. Yes, I am aware the previous sentences sound like the rantings of a madman but to be honest you should know what you signed up for by now. Today’s episode is about the game representing fighter #458, Master Chief, it’s the one and only Halo: Combat Evolved. How did it feel playing this game in co-op, and how did this affect Joe’s first time playing in general? What is the fascinating development history behind this game? How is that music so damn good? All that and more in today’s episode!

Join us next time as we probably don’t travel into the mushroom forest.

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie stream these games and more here, and you can watch Joe stream here!

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode in particular was edited by Melanie.

32 - Pokémon Puzzle League

Hello, we’re back once agaI’M GONNA WIN! … We are here to talk abouYOU’VE HAD IT! … Can I please just get a full sentence out beCAN’T WIN ‘EM ALL! … This is seriously gratiYOU’RE WASTING MY TIME! I beg of you, just let me… oh, they’re done. Cool. Today’s discussion is about Smashterpiece #32: Pokémon Puzzle League, a reskin of Tetris Attack which in itself was a reskin of Panel de Pon. Why did we initially think this game would be a mistake, and how deep did we go into the game itself? Why does Joe describe the game’s sound design as “a nightmare”? Why is the soundtrack a weird one to discuss? And is Ash truly going to win? All that and more in today’s episode!

Join us next time as we battle our way up Gym Leader Castle in Smashterpiece #33: Pokémon Stadium 2

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

BONUS - Sonic Adventure 2

We’ve heard the words of many a wise guide throughout our years, a mentor or simply a person on the street trying to give us words to uplift us in a time of struggle. Sometimes however these beings of great knowledge instead ask us questions, ones meant to help us come up with our own wisdom that we too can pass on to those who come after. So we pass the question we were asked to you: Can you feel life moving through your mind? Can you feel time slipping down your spine? Basically what I’m saying is we played Sonic Adventure 2 for this bonus episode. While Melanie was hanging on to the edge of tomorrow, Joe did not enjoy this opportunity to live and learn from the works of yesterday. What does this game do well? Why is it seemingly responsible for the divide between generations of Sonic fans? How great is that music? Why does the dialogue all bleed intAnd why does Joe have such a beef with the level design? All that and more in this bonus episode.

We’ll be back soon for our final discussion on Pokemon Puzzle League!

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Melanie.

31 - Banjo-Tooie

Look, all I’m saying is that we were all sitting around, minding our own business, playin’ a nice friendly game of poker. Then BOOM. A witch blows up our house, does that seem fair to you? Really should’ve paid extra for that witch insurance… also probably should have taken out a life insurance policy on Bottles. Hindsight is 20/20, I guess. Today’s episode is about Smashterpiece #31: Banjo-Tooie, our final game developed by the legendary Rare and the second outing for the famous bear and bird trio! Our friend Pat joins us to discuss the adventure through the Isle O’ Hags in order to collect shiny golden puzzle pieces. Why do we think this game generally does not hold up as well as the first entry? What’s our favorite and least favorite levels? What problems arose specifically due to us playing the XBox 360 remaster? And why are the levels so damn big? All this and more in today’s episode!

Join us next time as we swap blocks and regret all the decisions that brought us to this point in Smashterpiece #32: Pokémon Puzzle League

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

2020 Wrap-Up

The conclusion of our Bear & Bird adventure is coming soon, but for now it’s New Year’s Eve and it seems fitting to take this opportunity to look back and then look forward. We released episodes on ten games from our list this year, starting with Game & Watch Gallery and ending out on Majora’s Mask. What are our main takeaways from these experiences? How do we feel about the four bonus episodes we released as well? Finally, what does our next stretch potentially look like, as we leave the Nintendo 64 and enter the realm of the almighty Gamecube? Let’s also not forget that a new game has been added to our list since last we spoke, so we go ahead and discuss that a little too.

We’ll be back in a week or so with our episode on Banjo-Tooie, but for now have a Happy New Year and we’ll see you in 2021!

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Joe.

BONUS - Metroid Fusion

It’s time to take a brief detour from our witch hunting adventures and head back up into space real quick. We hear there’s some parasites that are just no good! Today’s bonus episode is on the 2002 Game Boy Advance title Metroid Fusion, where we join Samus on her journey to defeat the X Parasites. How do we think this game compares to Super Metroid? Why are all the bosses so absurdly difficult? How’s the soundtrack stack up? And why did this game come out the exact same year as Metroid Prime? All this and more in today’s episode!

We’ll be back soon with Banjo-Tooie!

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Melanie.

30 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The clock tower bell chimes, the shadow of the moon looms close. A sense of despair fills the air. Surely this couldn’t actually happen, right? The sad truth is that it can, and it is. We have three days. Today’s episode is to discuss a game close to both of our hearts, Smashterpiece #30: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Why is it that we love this game so much? Is this potentially the best game on our entire list? Why is the world of Termina so impactful? What about that sweet sweet music? All this and more in today’s episode, including our plans for the latest character release.

Join us next time as we set off on an adventure through the Isle O’ Hags in Smashterpiece #31: Banjo-Tooie

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.

BONUS - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

We may be done with Castlevania on our main lineup, but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that we haven’t touched one of its most iconic entries. This bonus episode features our discussion on one of the most famous genre shifts in gaming history, establishing itself as the second half of an entire genre title. It’s really too bad that we’re both just sorta lukewarm on the whole thing. Today on Smashterpieces we’re talking about Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the first of the franchise to be classified as “Igavania” and the second half of the “Metroidvania” name. How do we feel about comparing this game to the other half, Super Metroid? Why do we feel like this game has such a poor sense of progression? And what are our thoughts on the Inverted Castle? All this and more in today’s bonus episode!

We’ll hopefully be back in a few weeks with our episode on Smashterpiece #30: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, stay tuned!

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie and Joe stream these games here.

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia. This episode was edited by Melanie.

29 - Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

A shower of beautiful prismatic shards falls down all around us, raining from the heavens in a sparkling display of splendor. Looking around at this wonder of nature, only one thought crosses my mind… We better get under shelter, those things are probably falling at terminal velocity. While we’re there, let’s talk about Kirby! It’s time for Smashterpiece #29: Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a game where you can turn Kirby into a refrigerator. This fact makes it the greatest game of all time, this is not up for debate. We’re joined by Neal Ronaghan of Nintendo World Report to provide his further knowledge of the Kirby universe and provide a direct comparison to Kirby 64’s predecessor Kirby’s Dream Land 3. What do we think of the copy ability merging powers that this game gives Kirby? What are some of our favorite combos? How good is this game’s soundtrack? Gundam? All that and more in today’s episode!

Join us next time when we’re met with a terrible fate in a doomed world in Smashterpiece #30: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask!

Our list of games can be found here!

You can watch Melanie stream these games and more here, and you can watch Joe stream here!

Smashterpieces is brought to you by Anonymous Dinosaur and Nintendo World Report, editing assistance is provided by Peter Spezia.