On the thirty first episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the science, such as it is, in the Parasite Eve franchise. Specifically, we discuss how mitochondria ACTUALLY works, the various concepts the book and games get right and (more often) wrong, whether or not it's reasonably possible for mitochondria to cause self-immolation, and why The Third Birthday is awful for reasons wholly unrelated to its mitochondrial time travel. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Zeke R. (Originally recorded 08/21/17)

On the thirtieth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the history of MMORPGs, from their origins to their present incarnations. We discuss their roots in the MUD community, their highs in Everquest and World of Warcraft, and the long-term shift to freemium content, by choice or by market requirements. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring XG Janyice. (Originally recorded 08/15/2017)

On the twenty ninth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the observable trend we've seen of games slowly becoming more film-like in their presentation, while films are slowly borrowing more and more elements from games. We discuss the inherent negative effects of this trend, several examples of each, and a whole lot of tangentially related concepts that matter only to us. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring ML Kennedy. (Originally recorded 06/07/2017)

On the twenty eighth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the evolution of gaming criticism, from its roots to the modern day and beyond. We discuss the history of game review as a whole, the expansion of game criticism as an artform, and why objective reviews are still silly (though we don't discuss why my microphone has feedback, apparently). Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Hamish Black. (Originally recorded 06/03/2017)

On the twenty seventh episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss Persona 5 and spoil the heck out of it as we discuss our opinions. We discuss what worked, what didn't, elements that confused or delighted us, and how interesting it is that Persona finally got on the quasi-Biblical train. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Aaron Sirois. (Originally recorded 06/09/2017)

On the twenty sixth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss Persona 5, post completion, as a callback to the first episode. We also discuss what worked, what didn't, how well the final experience landed, and which characters make us sad that they exist. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Aaron Sirois. (Originally recorded 05/26/2017)

On the twenty fifth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the touchy subject of fandoms and when being a fan goes too far. We discuss specific examples of fans crossing the line, how fandoms can become insular to the detriment of their fanbase, and Kung Pow. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Nico Blakely. (Originally recorded 03/21/2017)

On the twenty fourth episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we discuss the evolution of the adventure game genre over the years, from its highs in the 90's to the current market, and everything in between. We also discuss the evolutionary offshoots from adventure games such as visual novels and "walking simulators," the current state of the market, and why Clementine is a jerk. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Alex Lucard. (Originally recorded 11/23/2016)

On the twenty third episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we return after a five month hiatus to discuss the importance of context in gaming, in light of PewDiePie's assertions that context is important. We ruminate on the potential failing points of context, how developers can accidentally (and purposefully) fail to account for offense, and the extent to which gaming should (or shouldn't) attempt to address some concepts. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Matt Yaeger. (Originally recorded 03/07/2017)

On the twenty second episode of Neo Kobe Pizza, we sit down to discuss the historical context of gaming narratives and how games learn lessons from historical evolution, not all of them good. We ruminate on how characters and franchises evolve relative to the popular storylines in fiction of their time, how games learn lessons from fiction over time, and some of the less positive lessons gaming narratives have incorporated into their own narratives along the way. Hosted by Mark B Writing, featuring Paul Wang. (Originally recorded 12/01/16)