Episode 942: We Can’t Make the Ghost Ship Poster Any Clearer – Radio Free Nintendo
We could have made the poster lenticular but thought you might be confused why the ship was sometimes not a skull. Yes, the title should clue you in, but we’re not taking any chances.
I’ve mentioned it in past episodes, but for about ten years I was part of a group that routinely watched movies ranging from “bad” to “befuddling.” We produced a spreadsheet that documented every film, but sadly I have lost access. Ghost Ship was on that list, and as dumb as “Speed 2 with Ghosts” sounds, it really isn’t even close to the worst content we saw.
One of the things we learned will not surprise: as the barrier to entry dropped the floor for quality dropped with it. When it was hard to make a movie, movies like Manos: The Hands of Fate were rare novelties. By the 90s, any delusional narcissist could make their vision our reality.
Camcorders, a portmanteau of “Camera” and “Recorder,” really was just a video camera with an on-board recorder. Previous video cameras – portable and studio – transmitted their analog video signals to an external recording device. In the early 80s there were professional quality “remote” recording kits that included a VCR in a satchel, but these were prohibitively expensive.
In 1983, Sony released the first consumer-grade camcorder based around their proprietary Beta format – a format that was already losing the format war with VHS. JVC soon followed suit with a VHS-based product. Prices quickly dropped, refinements continued, and the cameras – and their recording medium – continued to shrink.
1990 saw video editing likewise democratized with the release of Video Toaster for the Amiga. Non-Linear editing was now available to any content creator with a camera and a Commodore PC.
The legacy of these creators lives on horror slop available on Tubi.
You might wonder why I’m telling you all this. Well, it’s related.
Jon wasn’t available to join us this week, ending his “Iron Man” streak at two. A new high score.
This week we lead-off with a chunk of your Listener Mail. Our first question asks what games can introduce non-gamers to the hobby. We then get real old and breakdown how our bodies’ breakdown is degrading our ability to game. The third email requires we defend ourselves from accusations of becoming a Xenoblade podcast. We did just release a 150 minute Xenoblade podcast three weeks ago…
After a break, we dig into one final email: why no one besides Nintendo has an active mascot character. Concluding the Listener Mail task, we tackle a bit of actual New Business. Guillaume tore through Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Needless to say, he’s a fan. We also get a brief Silksong mention, because its real. Greg has some final thoughts on Star-Crossed World and the Chibi-Robo! for GameCube NSO.
Keep sending those emails!
- (00:05:00) Listener Mail – Games to introduce non-gamers to games.
- (00:25:43) Aging affecting our game-playing.
- (00:44:56) Radio Free Xenoblade.
- (00:52:29) What’s so hard about attaining mascot dominance?
- (01:18:39) New Business – Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. Silksong is brought up.
- (01:53:24) Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World. Chibi-Robo!
