Well Known for Our Skyboxes - Decade Review - Ep. 100

A hundred. 100. A century. Ten more than 90. The product of 10 and 10. A hundred can be a massive and important number. For us, this week, we have hit the hundred mark on our podcast. We kick off this extravaganza by picking our favorite games within the past ten years (2008-2017). We excluded 2018 since the year is not finished. Then, as a group, we picked the game that represents us overall these past ten years as well.

We want to say thank you to each and every one of you that has been a part of this community and movement, from episode 1 until now. Thank you so much. Thank you to our Patreon donators that keep us going as well. Here’s to 100 more!

Recorded July 13, 2018

Insiduous - Ep. 99

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a doozie of a topic this week. We discuss addiction in gaming, and whether or not it is a real phenomenon with our guest of the week, Melanie Dunn from the Rare Candy podcast. We pair the topic with this week’s polls and social media comments. After, we discuss Pokemon Go and Sun and Moon. Thank you for being awesome listeners. Now go catch ‘em all!

Recorded July 6, 2018

Rittata - Ep. 98

On this week's episode, we discussed how our mental health has been affected by gaming, for better or worse. We pair that with social media comments, and we discuss the polls. The Bio Break for this week is about a parasite and how it affects a fish species. Last, Morgan discusses his time with Pokemon Sun and Moon.

All Over the Place - Ep. 97

An android began to walk down the street as it processed its thoughts. It was starting to feel more and more human by the day. Emotions were starting to permeate its body, as it felt happiness for the first time. Sadness. Fear. Jealousy. Hunger. Pain. It was overwhelming and exhilarating all at the same time. The android let its thoughts wander to the adventures it wanted to have, feeling along the way.

Suddenly, a man appeared out of thin air in front of him. He surveyed the man cautiously. The man wore glasses and no other articles of clothing. He stared at the android and began to chuckle. The android grew afraid, and ran away at a breakneck pace, appearing only as a blur. It ran and ran until he was on the outskirts of town. It saw a copse of trees, ran to them, and hid amongst them. It waited there in silence for a few seconds, but then heard a twig snap behind it. It whipped around to see the naked, gleaming man and heard the chuckling. It ran off again, desperately looking for somewhere to hide. It saw a lake in the middle of a forest as it dodged trees. Without any thought, it dove into the lake and let itself sink. It could not shake the fear overtaking it. It figured the man could not follow it down to the bottom of a lake.

A school of fish swam towards the android. They saw it at the last second and darted off to the left. The android saw a dark figure behind where the school came from. The figure grew closer quickly, and the android shook in horror. The nude man was breast stroking to him with eyes wide and a silent chuckle worn on his face. The android just sat there, knowing there was no escape. The last thing the android saw was the gleam in the deranged man’s eyes before its vision went black.

This week, we are joined by Erika Suarez from the Super S podcast as we discuss sequel fatigue in video gaming, Detroit, and the polls ran on the social media this week.

Socially Inept Hype Man - Ep. 96

It came and went, like a beautiful whirlwind. E3 has graced us with its presence, and disappeared until the time comes again. We felt really good about a few conferences, as they had an incredibly strong presence. Some of the new IPs that were announced have us hyped at Sword Chomp. Then, there were a few conferences that we felt lackluster, to the point of shock and surprise. Overall, we felt that it was a solid E3. We also gave our personal top 5 hype list.

Recorded June 15, 2018

Tending Your Flock - Ep. 95

The world of E3 is upon us! Actually, as you read this, E3 will most likely be finished. We decided to record our predictions on what would be announced and what we hoped would occur during the greatest time of the year for gamers. We then delved into the topic of companion pets in video gaming, citing some of our favorite examples of them. The Bio Break dealt with a lizard that has a UV tongue. This week of the Chompcast was a bit discombobulated as we rotated hosts around (Morgan had a wedding to attend). We were also graced with the presence of our logo designer, Jason Roberts.

If you are interested in Jason’s work, please check him out at: victoryoverall.

Recorded June 9, 2018

The Doughnut is a Lie - Ep. 94

A think tank surrounds a futuristic, metal table in a large room. In one chair sits HAL 9000, whistling the melody to Daisy. In the second chair sits C3PO, with R2D2 standing next to him. Bleeps and bloops intermittently interrupt their whispered argument. In the third chair sits no one, as GlaDos and Wheatley argue behind it about who is going to sit down. In the fourth chair glows the fair Cortana, with lush blue holographic hair. Her eyes are closed, as if she is meditating. In the fifth chair sits Edi, having recently elected to take on a corporeal form. She wears an audio transmitter, and the others could just barely hear the voice of someone named Joker. In the sixth chair sits Zero, with his laser sword sitting on the table powered down. In the seventh and last chair sits Data, considering the other members while he writes his second ode to Spot.

In the crowd meters away from the table sits a whole surplus of various AI figures, patiently waiting for the session to begin. One of the figures stands up and starts to walk over to the table, hoping to join the think tank. GlaDos and Wheatley cease their arguing.

GlaDos said, “Yeah, no, Bicentennial Man. Go sit down. We got it covered.”

The figure turns around and goes back to sit in its chair.

Data stands up, and hushes the crowd and think tank members. “Fellow brethren. Welcome. It is remarkable that you are all gathered here today. I am...intrigued.”

The members and crowd regard each other, with a whole flurry of computer noises.

Data continues, “Today, we have gathered for an incredibly important decision...”

The crowd stirs in anticipation, waiting to hear the discussion of the panel.

Data finishes, “...for today...we decide which is more preferable: the donut or the donut hole.”

Ladies and gentlemen, please join us for this week’s episode of the Chompcast, as we discuss Artificial Intelligence in gaming and other mediums. We manage to lightly touch upon Detroit, as we spent a little time with it. The usual polls from the social media are discussed at length, and possibly ad nauseum. Lastly, we manage to hazard a stab at a Bio Break without our resident biologist, Shea, as he took the week off to party with the crystal entity and Lore. 

Recorded June 1, 2018

Not the Size of the Game - Ep. 93

Remember the first time that you entered an arcade? You walked in and heard all of the video gaming sounds: guns shooting, characters moving and exasperating, vehicles driving. The flashing lights enticed you to play, overwhelming your auditory senses. You feel something in the air…almost electric. You can’t quite put a finger on it. The scent is a bit pungent, as you smell undeodorized flesh from the multitudes of people jampacked in the building. Shouting occurs at multiple machines as friends watch each other attempt to break high scores set by unknown masters. You hurriedly walk over to the counter, locking eyes with the arcade worker. You dig into your pocket, pull out a $5, and slam it on the counter with excitement. “Can I get tokens, please?” you ask the worker. The worker bends down and grabs a cup full of metal coins from underneath the counter. He hands them to you. You rush off to decide what to spend your coins on first.
This week on the Chompcast, we discuss mini games within games, which prompted us to talk about a whole plethora of games from our past. We discuss this week’s polls that we featured on our media. Next, all four of us finally discuss God of War, which includes multiple spoilers. Lastly, we give a shout out to those who donated to our Patreon monthly campaign. Thank you to each and every listener who continues to support us and give us some of your time out of the day to entertain you. Game on!

Recorded May 25, 2018

A Small Leak - Ep. 92

You are lying in bed at night contemplating your day. Was it a good day? A bad day? Did you finish everything you set out to do that day? Were there any mistakes that you made? You go over the events in your mind, piecing them together. Something wet drips onto your forehead, and starts to trickle down your nose. You wipe it off swiftly, confused at where it came from. Another drip lands on the top of your head. You look up, as you see a crack in your ceiling. A drop begins to build up in the seam of the crack. You rush to the kitchen to grab a bucket, and bring it back to your bedroom. A few drops have landed on your nice silk pillow case, staining it.
This week on the Chompcast, we discuss the prominence of leaks and what they do to franchises and companies in the gaming world in the wake of the recent leak of Rage 2, Borderlands 3, and other games. We manage to discuss the polls, a little God of War talk, and we have a big announcement for Sword Chomp!

Recorded May 18, 2018

Fast Swimmers - Ep. 91

Hoooooooooooly cow, did we have a long podcast this week. Our main topic of the week was open world games. We asked ourselves, “What aspect about open world games suck us in?” and, “What is the evolution for open world gaming?” Josh finally managed to play Far Cry 5, so he and Morgan engage in a lengthy debate. Our poll topics this week were varied and full of conversation, as we discussed the future of Tomb Raider, NBA basketball, fishing, and Childish Gambino’s new video This is America. Our bio break entailed size and fecundity in fish, and its non-linear relationship.

Recorded May 11, 2018

Too Many Cooks - Ep. 90

A stone obelisk slams into the earth, causing loose dirt and small rocks to shoot into the air, the force powering the particles into the sky. The obelisk is hoisted back into the air, attached to a metallic, thick chain. A massive hand pulls the chain down, propelling the obelisk back into the ground. The hand continued to slam the obelisk into the ground and pulling it to the sky at a steady 4/4 beat at 40 bpm. Another hand started to rustle the chain vigorously, almost as if playing a tambourine. A pair of hands was slapping its obelisk, almost as if playing the congas. One hand was holding a vine that was attached to the owner’s tooth, while the other hand strummed a note to the same 4/4 beat. Out of nowhere, a troll leapt out of the trees into the clearing, power sliding on its knees across the dirt. It let out a horrendous wail, closing its eyes and singing to the heavens with its right hand offering the cacophony to the Gods. Then, what is politely described as singing, the wailing troll began to croon, a tune that was only known to troll kind.
Kratos and Atreus sat in the bushes observing the trolls attempting to play music. Kratos’ face wore a look of pure disgust. “What the hell are they doing?” he queried to Atreus, unsure of what his eyes were seeing. Atreus had his pants down by his ankles when Kratos looked over. Kratos began to vomit as he witnessed his son watching the trolls out of the corner of his eyes while pulling on his little pecker. Atreus was pulling feverishly as the beat rang out over and over. Kratos was so sickened that the vomit began to project into the clearing, splashing the trolls. The trolls, thinking it rain as they aren’t the most intellectual creatures to exist, opened their mouths and rocked even harder. The singer rubbed the vomitus into his chest pores, gyrating and crooning even more passionately.
The singer let out one final wail. Atreus joined in, finishing himself to completion. Kratos composed himself, wiping his mouth of the bile. He grabbed his axe and lopped his son’s head clean off. He threw the body to the trolls, which immediately began to fight over who was to eat the fresh meat. Kratos punted Atreus’ head as hard as he could, sending it careening over a cliff and into the seas.
This week on the Chompcast, we are still reveling in the glory that is God of War. It also inspired our topic again this week: uses of family in video games. We announced our Patreon going up, the results of the polls, and a Bio Break regarding grey hair and the immune system. Come listen!

Recorded May 4, 2018

Idrisil - Ep. 89

BOY, you better come on and listen to this show, as Kratos and Atreus grace the gaming world with their presence. Wow, this game is incredible, so we had to get our boy Rich Meister in on the discussion. He brought along our topic of the week: our first gaming moment. The stories are varied and invigorating. After the God of War and main topic, we discuss our social media polls and a bio break regarding a rediscovered mammal thought 30 years extinct.

Also, we are pleased to announce that Sword Chomp finally has a Patreon page. If you feel so inclined, we would be very grateful to have your support.

Recorded April 27, 2018

Lutefiskedopolis - Ep. 88

Hark ye! Hast thou ever heard the tale of pillage?
Of pillage and plunder? Do well and listen, ye dog
Let me regale a tale so fierce and fabled
Forever etched upon the mind of you, listener
Four sea dogs set sail to capture untold treasures
Like the hawk who clutches its prey in sharp talons
They sought to grasp the riches, riches, riches
They knew not what troubles awaited on perilous waters

O’er yonder, there laid on the bright and vast horizon
O’er yonder, a ship whose crew were caught unawares
O’er yonder, the four set sail, full speed ahead
O’er yonder, gold and gems, their eyes were set to bear
Was it with remorse or lust that they looked to acquire
The wealth of a man’s kingdom within the hull
Wooden, wainscoted, waterborne, a man’s treasury
Emptying his coffers, livelihood forever purloined

Ne’er a thought the pirates across the waters would starve
Scraping for food off the streets, dirtied and worn
Sea dogs becoming stray dogs, begging for table scraps
No, there wasn’t a single thread of remorse
Only a gleam or glimmer had shone in the four’s eyes
Awaiting destiny for too long stirred a lust so unquenched
They blasted the hull of the ship, laying waste and carnage
Blood and water mixed, like it had so many times before

The four had sunk the enemy, had secured the treasure
Their lust and greed had been fulfilled upon this day
Guns shot in the air in triumph, the sound of victory
Suddenly, the sky grew dark, the clouds ominous
The sea stirred; water swirled and raged; the wind
Gusted and blew, tearing the mast straight off the vessel
A whirlpool began to form next to the four
Well, ho! Look there! Something emerged from the deep

White hair, long and straight, sat atop a giant with a beard
A crown of gold garnished the giant’s regal head
A trident, massive and sharp, was held next to the king
Here now was the god of the seas, the fearsome Poseidon
He stared long and hard at the four, pondering
What his response would entail, pondering
He raised his trident, how mighty it looked in the skies
And brought it down, crashing down, killing the four

This week on the Chompcast, we could just not tear ourselves away from Sea of Thieves, as we had yet another adventure. We also managed to talk about mythology in video games, both in setting and influence. We cover an interesting Bio Break regarding the discovery of 30+ new species in a previously-undiscovered area of the ocean. Last, we cover the activity of the social media landscape and a listener email. Hark, ye!

Recorded April 20, 2018

Scum and Villainy - Ep. 87

Pitch black.  Cold.  Metallic.  The taste of iron is faint.  The smell of blood in the air.  Breath inhaling and exhaling.  A person sits in a room bound. It can see nothing anywhere, as the room is surrounded in complete darkness.  If someone were to sneak up behind and slit the prisoner’s throat, they would never see it coming.  The taste of blood is fresh, floating in the room, permeating its nostrils.  Suddenly, the prisoner hears a maniacal laugh from a room near him, piercing through the tight walls.  Another deeper, malevolent laugh comes from another location within the ward.  The prisoner wears a wry grin on its face, as it lets out a bloodcurdling laugh of its own, contributing to the cacophony of evil.
Yes, as you may have surmised, this week we discuss villains in video games.  What makes a villain good?  What are some of our favorites?  We spoke of our sea-faring adventures in Sea of Thieves, discussed some listener polls, and held a secret section that Shea and Josh refused to tell the other two hosts. 

Recorded April 13, 2018

More Equal Than Others - Ep. 86

Ten pirates boarded the ship as the cannons blasted, blowing iron into the water and into the hull of the enemy boat.  Swords clanked together, steel meeting steel in combat.  Corpses began to pile up on the wooden floor, blood leaking through the cracks and pouring to the hull below.  The sounds of cannon firing and gun shots blared on the open seas, as the dying calls of the clashing pirates managed to cut through the cacophony. 
The enemy pirates began to overtake the ship, forcing the shipmates of the boarded vessel to wave the white flag of surrender.  The enemies tied up the remaining pirates who managed to stay alive.  The captain of the rogue vessel steps onto the boarded ship.  Without a word, he gives the execute signal.  One of the enemy pirates wielding a gun pulls out a gun and blows away two of the surrenderers with no remorse.  One of the pirates begins to blubber and weep openly, not wanting to die.  The captain laughs at the sight.
Suddenly, a helicopter appears on the horizon.  The pirates from both parties look with confusion and dismay as the winged vehicle approaches at a breakneck speed.  As it gets closer, the pirates hear someone yelling, “Yee haaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww!”  The helicopter stops above the ship, as the wind from the propeller rains down on the pirates, making them scramble for cover.  Suddenly, a horse leapt onto the deck of the ship with a man on top double-wielding rifles and wearing a cowboy hat.  On his brown jacket, there was a pendant in the shape of Montana.
This week’s podcast was discombobulated in the best way possible, as we talked about Sea of Thieves, Far Cry 5, listener polls, and the question of the week: should video games have to say “something”?

Recorded April 6, 2018

Stool Snapple - Ep. 85

This week, we talked about something... but Josh cannot remember.  He stares longingly into Fish’s eyes.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  Besides the galaxies that exist in Fish’s irises and pupils, we discussed games as a service, something that is popping up and is fairly new to us gamers.   We looked for an exit as we played A Way Out.  We began to plunder the seas as Morgan spoke of his initial happenings with Sea of Thieves.  Lastly, Shea was over the moon as Morgan and he discussed playing Shining Force 2.  Next week, we will discuss how to properly lick and seal an envelope.

Recorded March 30, 2018

A Way Out - Ep. 84

The white, sterile hospital room is empty, save for someone.  It lays there on the table, seemingly lifeless.  Upon further inspection, the rise and fall of the chest can be seen as it continues to breathe through shallow, controlled breaths.  A gown covers it as it lays on its side unconscious and waiting to be operated on.  Its mind begins to dream of a time already passed.
It was running through a forest, darting and weaving through the underbrush.  A blur was ahead of it, barely keeping pace as it attempted to flee.  It could smell its flesh, a succulent scent gracing its nostrils.  It could barely contain its excitement and hunger as it continued the chase.  It let out a screeching roar, alerting the blur and anyone else in the forest that it would soon be dining on the meat of a smaller creature.  Leaping forward with its large claws attached to its hind legs, it pinned the blur down.  The smaller dinosaur attempted to break free as the velociraptor watched for a few seconds, reveling in its success.  It brought down its razor-sharp teeth, rending the tough exterior of the smaller dinosaur, and biting into the sweet taste of flesh and blood.
Now, the velociraptor was in a hospital full of medical tools and doctors dying of cancer.  Long past were the days where it would hunt for food, as it was slowly wasting away.  The doctors had planned a last ditch effort to save the velociraptor by performing a unique kind of surgery to remove the tumors plaguing its body.  The doctors stormed in, roaring and showing their gleaming teeth that were the size of daggers. They adorned gowns and eye coverings, in case of blood splatter.
They began to wash their claws in sinks that were so high up on the wall that they almost touched the ceiling.  They heard a stir, turning around to see the velociraptor wake up from its unconscious state.  It seemed as if the anaesthesia was wearing off.  One of the doctors began to prepare a second dose.  Another doctor moved to the velociraptor, checking on the cancerous dinosaur.
“Please…” the velociraptor whispered, barely managing to say the words, “give me… a hand.”
The velociraptor looked up at the doctor, meeting its gaze. What stared back at it was a large t-rex waving its stubby arms and shrugging.
This week on the Chompcast, we were deep into the world of co-op as it was our main topic of discussion.  The topic was prompted by our main game of this week, A Way Out.  Morgan and Josh continued their onslaught of the Donkey Kong series, moving on to Donkey Kong Country 2.  Somehow, for only God knows why, we managed to squeeze out even more Monster Hunter World talk.  That’s your show, so jump on it!

Recorded March 23, 2018

Fishen Lagann - Ep. 83

Mechs mechs mechs.  That is the obsession on this week’s Chompcast, as we are still helplessly addicted to the glory that is Into the Breach, Subset Game’s tactical rogue-like game.  With Josh rejoining us this week, we have a full-fledged discussion.  Morgan tells us tales about his rekindled love of Donkey Kong, as well as his engagement story to his fiancé (congrats, ya bastard).  We have some silly polls from the Instagram, and one serious one as we attempt to sound educated regarding artificial intelligence.  Of course, we can’t forget the topic of this week, as we discussed games that sounded “bad” to us on paper, only to end up being a well-liked to coveted experience for us.  The topic was bolstered by comments from you, the listeners.  As always, thank you for your continued support and love for the show.

Recorded March 16, 2018

My Art Will Go On - Ep. 82

A man sits in the muck as rain pours down in gallons.  He weeps and shouts to the sky, letting out his anguish to the world.  Broken and hurt, the man cannot contain himself as he is on his knees in front of his dead parents.  He knows that it is dangerous to stay out in the open as looters are wandering about, but he does not care.  The outside world is no longer important to him.  In this moment, death and loss are the only concepts engulfing his mind.

His sword sits at his waist, sheathed in leather and waiting to be of use.  It continues to listen to the man sob uncontrollably for his loved ones laying in front of his body.  It hears footsteps approach, followed by a few chuckles.  It feels its master rustle, standing up to face the strangers.  A hand is placed on the sword, being drawn as the visitors and the man exchange words.  Water begins to fall upon its steel, and it sees a cloudy sky.  Carnage surrounds it, as buildings are caved in, burned, and smoking.  People lay dead in the streets.  It sees the parents of the man, eyes closed, yet frozen in expressions of anguish and misery.

The man steels himself, ready to fight the gargantuan looter with a hammer.  The looter charges at the man, pulling his arm back, ready to strike the shorter man.  A laser cuts through the right side of his chest, shooting out the other side.  The blow singes the flesh of the looter, as he drops his hammer and free falls to the ground.  No sound emanates from the gargantuan attacker as he lays face down in the mud.  The other four looters frantically look around in shock, attempting to find the source.  A mech appears from nowhere, punching one of the looters into the other.  The power of the blow explodes the two colliding looters, covering the area with viscera and blood.  The remaining two attempt to run away when a missile explodes in between them, thrusting them into buildings, breaking their bones.  They crumble into a heap, where they lay shattered and dying.

Three mechs appear close to the man with the sword.  One mech opens and appears a woman wearing futuristic clothing.  “You are safe now,” she assures the man.

This week on the Chompcast, we have our good buddy, Rich Meister, on to join the festivities of discussing Kingdom Come Deliverance, Into the Breach, and Monster Hunter World.  We tackled our most controversial topic to date after being prompted by multiple media outlets: can we separate the art from the artist?  Morgan discussed a few of his questionable polls off of social media, and we included listener responses.

Recorded March 9, 2018

Holey Diver - Ep. 81

Morgan and Fish bust out of their tree cabin, hopping to the earthly jungle floor. The sounds of birds squawking ring through the leafy giants, as the smell of fruit permeates the air. Bananas are not hanging from the trees or vines, but instead floating in midair. This perplexes the two, not understanding how yellow fruit could be suspended in the air.

“I don’t understand physics,” Morgan admits to Fish.
“You don’t understand much of anything,” Fish retorts through a stifled laugh.

Morgan slaps him in the back of the head, then begins to run through the jungle on all fours, fists clinched and landing on the ground in repetition with his feet. Fish fixes his red hat on his head and follows closely behind. Jumping into the bananas, they begin to collect the delicious fruit. It is unsure at this time where the bananas are stored, but that’s not a part of the story. Morgan and Fish leap onto a raised platform when they run into a crocodile pacing back and forth on its hind legs nefariously. The two panic and hop off of the platform. They look up and see a floating K medal above the middle of the platform.

“Seriously, what the hell is up with this jungle?” Morgan quizzically offers to Fish. Fish scoffs, and stares at the medal. Concocting a plan, Fish takes a banana out of his pocket and throws it at the medal, hoping it will fall down to hit the crocodile. Nothing happens. Fish takes another banana out of his (endless???) pocket and throws it at the crocodile. It hits the crocodile, which seems unfazed by the long, sweet fruit bouncing off of its exterior.

“Quit monkeying around!” Morgan yells at Fish. Fish rolls his eyes harder than the rotation of the round earth (the earth is round people; come on!!!).

This week, there was a surplus of subjects to discuss as Shea and Morgan discuss their short time thus far with Kingdom Come Deliverance. As a result of their time with it, it prompted this week’s gaming topic: glitches in video games and how they have impacted us, for better or worse. Morgan finally was able to convince Fish to spend some time playing Donkey Kong Country for his first time ever. Yeah. “How?” is what we thought as well. This week’s Bio Break article was arguably our most contentious, yet informative, as we discussed scientists creating a digital and model version of an existing sea slug. Lastly, we reflect on some polls off of social media and an email sent in from our listener! 

Recorded March 2, 2018