In this inaugural test season of Chapter Select, Max and Logan dig into Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us. Weeks before the release of the sequel, Logan and Max replayed the PS3's swan song to explore how it aged and explore its impact on the video game industry in the past seven years.

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Naughty Dog
• Platform - PS3 and PS4 (and PS5?)
• Release Date - June 14, 2013 on PS3 and July 29, 2014 on PS4
• Creative Director - Neil Druckmann
• Game Director - Bruce Straley
• Composer - Gustavo Santaolalla

Metacritic - 95/100

• Millennial Gaming Speak
• The Last of Us Wins Game of the Decade
• Soundtrack
  • Music
  • Spotify
  • YouTube
• Arriving in Pittsburgh
• Max’s Wild Tie in Factions Multiplayer
• Jak X: Combat Racing in Left Behind
• Uncharted 4 Spoilercast

Episode Cover Art by Nick Gindraux

This episode was originally recorded on June 11, 2020.

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In this inaugural test season of Chapter Select, Max and Logan dig into Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us. Hot off the heels of its release in 2020, we sink our teeth into Naughty Dog's divisive sequel. Did PlayStation's top team capture earn the "Part II" in the title? How does The Last of Us Part II affect the legacy of the first game?

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Naughty Dog
• Platform - PS4
• Release Date - June 19, 2020
• Director - Neil Druckmann
• Narrative Lead - Halley Gross
• Game Directors - Kurt Margenau and Anthony Newman
• Composers - Gustavo Santaolalla and Mac Quayle

Metacritic - 93/100

• Uncharted 4 Spoilercast
• The History of The Last of Us Part II’s Development
• Soundtrack
  • Music
  • Spotify
  • YouTube

Episode Cover Art by Sebastian Gromann

This episode was originally recorded on June 23, 2020.

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Logan’s Twitter

Season 1 is all about Paper Mario! Dusting off their Wii U consoles (?) Max and Logan play and dissect the paper-inspired RPG that started it all. Is Paper Mario really all it’s crafted up to be or is it a soggy mâché of a game?

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Intelligent Systems
• Platform - Nintendo 64
• Release Date - August 11, 2000 (Japan) and February 5, 2001
• Producers - Shigeru Miyamoto and Kenji Miki
• Game Directors - Ryota Kawade, Toshitaka Muramatsu, Takahiro Ogi, and Hironobu Suzuki
• Composer - Yuka Tsujiyoko

Metacritic - 93/100

• Paper Mario Wiki
• Li'L Sparky
• Paper Mario Prices
• Soundtrack
  • YouTube

Episode Cover Art by Max Roberts

This episode was originally recorded on February 10, 2021.

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20 Years after the series started, Paper Mario: The Origami King was quickly revealed and then released in Summer 2020. Max and Logan examine the creases and folds that lead to Paper Mario being represented on the Nintendo Switch in this way. Has much really changed from the N64 game?

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Intelligent Systems
• Platform - Nintendo Switch
• Release Date - July 17, 2020
• Producers - Kensuke Tanabe, Atsushi Ikuno
• Game Director - Masahiko Nagaya
• Composers - Yoshito Sekigawa, Shoh Murakami, Yoshiaki Kimura, Hiroki Morishita, and Fumihiro Isobe

Metacritic - 80/100

• Paper Mario: The Origami King Wiki
• Soundtrack
  • YouTube
• The Promised Tweet
• Line Them Up! A Paper Mario: The Origami King Concert
• Mario & Luigi RPG Developer AlphaDream Has Gone Bankrupt

Episode Cover Art by Max Roberts

This episode was originally recorded on March 24, 2021.

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It feels like it has been 1,000 years since Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door came out for the Nintendo GameCube; mostly because there hasn’t been a game like it since. Max, Logan, and special guest Scott White return to the seedy town of Rogueport to see if The Thousand-Year Door is a grand, epic stage production or a sloppy side show in the series.

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Intelligent Systems
• Platform - Nintendo GameCube
• Release Date - July 22, 2004 in Japan, October 11, 2004 in North America
• Producers - Shigeru Miyamoto and Ryouichi Kitanishi
• Game Director - Ryota Kawade
• Composers - Yoshito Sekigawa, Yuka Tsujiyoko, and Saki Kasuga

Metacritic - 87/100

• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Wiki
• Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Prices
• Soundtrack
  • YouTube
• Paper Mario's Happy Lucky Lottery is Rigged
• Paper Mario Color Splash Developer Interview with GameXplain
• Paper Mario's Development Team Lays it All Out
• RPG University Episode 29 - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door with David Brevik

Episode Cover Art by Max Roberts

This episode was originally recorded on May 5, 2021.

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Scott's Twitter

The Wii U wasn’t really making a splash back in 2016. Max, Logan, and special guest Tomas Franzese bust out their decks of cards and paint palettes to examine if Paper Mario’s HD debut is one of the Wii U’s lost masterpieces. Can a fresh coat of paint hide the cracks of Paper Mario’s Wii U adventure?

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Intelligent Systems
• Platform - Wii U
• Release Date - October 7, 2016 in North America, October 13, 2016 in Japan
• Producers - Satoru Iwata and Tatsumi Kimishima
• Game Directors - Naohiko Aoyama and Taro Kudo
• Composers - Fumihiro Isobe

Metacritic - 76/100

• Paper Mario: Color Splash wiki
• Rockstar’s Game Design is Outdated
• Soundtrack
  • YouTube
• Chapter Select, S1E2 - Paper Mario: The Origami King

Episode Cover Art by Max Roberts

This episode was originally recorded on June 30, 2021.

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Tomas' Twitter

Inverse

In a wholly unique adventure, Super Paper Mario takes our 2D super star and brings him into a 3D world. Max, Logan, and special guest Ricky Frech boot up SWOON.EXE and see if the wiles of Super Paper Mario can truly charm them. How does this one-off puzzle platformer fit into the collage that is Paper Mario?

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Intelligent Systems
• Platform - Wii
• Release Date - April 9, 2007 in North America, April 19, 2007 in Japan
• Producers - Kensuke Tanabe and Ryoichi Kitanishi
• Game Directors - Ryota Kawade
• Composers - Naoko Mitome, Chika Sekigawa, and Yasuhisa Baba

Metacritic - 85/100

• Super Paper Mario wiki
• Ricky's Paper Mario: The Origami King Review
• Soundtrack
  • YouTube
• Paper Mario series sales

Episode Cover Art by Max Roberts

This episode was originally recorded on July 21, 2021.

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Ricky's Twitter

The Season 1 finale has our hosts play through the Paper Mario game that changed everything. Max and Logan peel back the sticky layers of the Nintendo 3DS exclusive Paper Mario: Sticker Star to get a grasp on the influence of Shigeru Miyamoto. How has this portable game defined the franchise for the last decade?

Download a transcript of this episode here.

• Developer - Intelligent Systems
• Platform - Nintendo 3DS
• Release Date - November 11, 2012 in North America, December 6, 2012 in Japan
• Producers - Kensuke Tanabe, Toshiyuki Nakamura, and Shinya Takahashi
• Game Directors - Naohiko Aoyama and Taro Kudo
• Composers - There were 11 Composers

Metacritic - 75/100

• Paper Mario: Sticker Star wiki
• Iwata Asks - Paper Mario: Sticker Star
• Soundtrack
  • YouTube
• Dinosaur Planet Turns into Star Fox Adventures
• When Miyamoto First Played Zelda: Breath of the Wild, He Wouldn't Stop Climbing Trees

Episode Cover Art by Max Roberts

This episode was originally recorded on August 4, 2021.

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