Gracklecast Episode Ten - Versus Mode: Treesmurf

Ten episodes! It only took me two and a half years.

It's another Versus Mode folks and this time it's with Papa Smurf himself, Treesmurf. As always, it's a bit of chat around his gaming history and then his contributions to the GNamer Vault.

For those looking for specific timestamps if you want to jump right to the five vault games, we start on that around the 45 minute mark, but you'd be missing out on some fun stories and a good wee chat about Smurf's love for video games.

Here's a link to the cast!

Also, Smurf kindly put together a list of the games in the vault and who brought them in, so have a look once you're finished listening. This list spoils Smurf's games, so don't check it out till afterwards.

The GNamer Vault:

Once again thanks for having me on, I enjoyed doing it and hope everyone else will enjoy listening. I'm curious to hear everyone's predictions if they have any, I don't think I have too many predictable ones but I'm willing it be proven wrong.

I asked Jas over a session of Destiny 2 to predict any of your line-up and he called the same one as I did.

Sadly, I tried to cut a little blooper from the episode and fit it in the end, but something went awry in the edit and I lost the blooper. Bonus points to anybody who can spot the obvious cut and figure out what Smurf said that needed rephrasing.

Noice!

I'm gonna predict that theres a pokemon in there. Also Sim City 2000.

I've realised that I have no idea what Smurf's taste in games is apart from disliking SotC. Guess I'll find out starting tomorrow!

There were definitely a couple of surprising picks in there!

For those that have listened, fire me any feedback you've got! I'm trying to nail the format on this to be something that people really enjoy, so if there's any downsides about the format then do let me know.

Balladeer wrote:

I've realised that I have no idea what Smurf's taste in games is apart from disliking SotC. Guess I'll find out starting tomorrow!

I need to listen but just thinking about this and Smurf might be the most all round GNamer, as I from what I do know he'd like some of my favourite games and dislike some, where I'd know you wouldn't like any of the shooters, Cappa the JRPGs and I reckon Smurf would be the same for other people's Top 25's liking & disliking a mix of things.

A good listen! I like these, I wouldnt change the format at all.

Link's dad is mentioned in BotW but never seen.

I'd agree the format is spot on as well, always good to hear about people's gaming history then you get "the meat of the podcast", don't really need more than that.

I'm gonna assume his dad might be dead in BotW? What with 100 years, great calamity and all that.

There’s one issue with the format and that is not enough Crumpy flippin’ Andy

Good listen though lads, aside from the Pokemon choice, shocker.

I'd have loved if there was a LLP-esque cameo as well.

If it helps the Pokémon game was very nearly replaced.

To be fair it was something I predicted from you a while ago, but I’d forgotten and the second you said it it came flooding back

I realised before I started watching that I expected footie games from The Smurf.  I was... kind of partly right?

My scattered feedback:

• Stuff me but Jack Thompson feels like a dated reference these days! I think we need some building up of lore here, Thompson being the god-emperor of the world and Niantic bringing their Pokémon into the vaults...
  
• That poor NES! Who was the culprit?  That gives me an idea for a tagline...
  
• Is 'y'know' the Northern equivalent of the placeholding 'like' down South, or my painfully obvious 'um'?  I base this solely off this podcast and an interview with a Durham cricketer who also seemed to use it a lot.
  
• It's amusing to hear Jay eulogising about getting an N64 with SM64 given his views on it.
  
• That Diglett game where you bunged Ekanses on their heads was indeed in PS1, and clumsy me couldn't get my head around it.  Sushi-Go-Round is the game of champions.
  
• Belting first pick!  I thought that I recognised the tune; then I thought that it was the sort of soundset that I absolutely shouldn't recognise.  Right on both count.  Splendid title, enjoyed it lots on the VC.  Bravoo Man was in the green level though, I remember him well (and none of the others bar Seven Force and Curry and Rice ).
  
• Definitely recognised that second tune.  I think you're doing the co-op games a disservice Smurf: the family had a grand old time playing the Zelda hack-and-shoot.  Would definitely not have minded playing some Luigi-Man Vs. at a meet-up, although I remember them being jolly stressful.
  
• Jesus Christ Rocket League has a dreadful dreadful soundtrack. I think the problems you mention are with online gaming rather than RL, which is a belter.  Also, doesn't RL have lootboxes as well as battle passes?
  
• I didn't recognise this tune having never played the game, but did think it felt like Pokémon.  Bad choice though Jay, takes the tune half an age to get going. Would never have thought of it, but you make a good case.
  
• The fifth game is an absolute banger but you're dead wrong about the Triforce Quest. Another cracking tune though.
  

I'll shove my feedback about the podcast layout towards Jay so that it doesn't sound like I'm criticising Smurf, who did a grand job! Good stuff.  I'm expecting another one next month now.

My Dad was the culprit, it's a horrible indication of what alcohol can do but it's easy to laugh about it now at least. "y'know" is very much a placeholder, thankfully I don't think I used "that's what I mean" which I tend to say when I agree with someone even though I haven't said anything remotely close to what they said.

The first song is just a prime example of what I meant by sounding like a Mega Drive game, so good. I did like the co-op games I just simply didn't play enough of them to do them justice, the competitive ones were very much king. Most Rocket League songs are bad and they sound much worse in isolation without the game, the loot boxes have been replaced with Blueprints, it's still a random reward but you'll know what your paying for beforehand.

There wasn't really much other choice for the 4th song really but it gave me nostalgia from when I used to play with the sound on (I was conveniently playing it as it came on the podcast too). The Triforce Quest just plays perfectly in to how I like to play my adventure games, given the choice is rather have had another dungeon but extortionate fees aside I still enjoyed it.

I also noticed this morning when listening to the latest TCGS that David Turner said pretty much the same thing I said about Rocket League, he's clearly a fan of the podcast.

Grandpapa Smurf has a lot of answering to do.

You were right about the Metroid co-op game being the best at least! Loved that.

Yep, I was a little sad that we didn't get a dungeon added back into the remake. At least they cut the quest down a bit: combined with the Fast Sail the remake did a lot to make a great game greater IMO.

Buskalilly wrote:

A good listen! I like these, I wouldnt change the format at all.

Link's dad is mentioned in BotW but never seen.

Cheers Buska! Where was Link's dad mentioned in BotW? I don't remember that at all!

Crumpy Andy wrote:

Good listen though lads, aside from the Pokemon choice, shocker.

Aye, in retrospect, should have guessed that one!

Because I can't be arsed with formatting separate quote boxes for each of your bits of feedback Balla, I'll chuck my responses in bold.

Balladeer wrote:

My scattered feedback:
[list]
[*]Stuff me but Jack Thompson feels like a dated reference these days! I think we need some building up of lore here, Thompson being the god-emperor of the world and Niantic bringing their Pokémon into the vaults...
Aye, I almost cringe at the fact I brought up Jack bloody Thompson which is a reference so past its sell by date that it's rotted into sludge, but it's too ingrained in Versus Mode lore now!

[*]It's amusing to hear Jay eulogising about getting an N64 with SM64 given his views on it.
 I try to be the optimistic and upbeat host in these. To be fair, at the time, that would have been a cracking gift. My thoughts on SM64 definitely come from a post Odyssey mindset.

[*]I didn't recognise this tune having never played the game, but did think it felt like Pokémon.  Bad choice though Jay, takes the tune half an age to get going.  

I could have used this, but it literally just sounds like generic Pokemon battle tune, so it wouldn't have helped either! I would have thought anybody that had played the game might have heard the tune that plays when you're walking about catching critters.

I'm expecting another one next month now.



Jokes aside, I'm hoping Nintendo or Sony pull their fingers out and have a big Direct or PS5 reveal or something so I can have a regular Gracklecast discussion or a Predictions Series or something between Versus Mode episodes.

In one of the memories Zelda says he's training so hard to live up to his father.

Interesting I know I didn't pay much attention to BotW but I reckon I would quickly read it as Link trying to impress her father.

And once again we're reminded that all your problems in life are your own fault

Scrolling through the Pokémon Go soundtrack I swear they're all just remixes of other Pokétunes. The Gym Leader theme sounds like the best of the bunch.

Yeah I think they're all remixes, I do quite like their take on the Lavender Town theme which they bring out for Halloween.