Author and journalist Kieron Gillen joins the panel to cover the golden age of games journalism, Squaresoft’s 1996 SNES licensed X-Men JRPG, and the mysterious Hat Man. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, Brandon Sheffield, and Kieron Gillen. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman. Watch episodes with full video on YouTube Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums SHOW NOTES: Riders on the Storm Ghost Riders in the Sky The Doors Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance (2011) Mutant Amiga Power Eisner Awards Hugo Award Amiga Mister Sinister 1: What’s the difference between game culture and comics culture? (04:44) Jack Kirby Twine Al Ewing Marvel Cinematic Universe Gamergate (harassment campaign) Sad Puppies Jim Rossignol 2: In tabletop game design, how do you make a game that allows players to do anything, while maintaining a unique identity? (10:03) Mörk Borg OSR Dungeons & Dragons Baldurs Gate III Baldur’s Gate 3 is a masterpiece built on a bad tabletop game 3: What’s the closest a video game has come to ruining your life? (17:19) World of Warcraft World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade Clash of Clans Princess Pajama Infinity Nikki Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 Sonic Advance 3 Nintendo Official Magazine UK Circuit City World of WarCraft: Wrath of the Lich King MUSH Space Invaders The Sims Online Grand Theft Auto IV 4: The year is 1996. Squaresoft wants you to design their final game for the SNES, a licensed X-Men RPG. What have you got? (27:22) Squaresoft Super Nintendo Entertainment System X-Men Image Comics Jim Lee X-Men 2: Clone Wars X-Men: The Animated Series Storm Rise of the Robots Wolverine Princess Maker Charles Xavier Final Fantasy Sentinel Spider-Man The Punisher: The Ultimate Payback! Days of Future Past Chrono Trigger Callisto Marrow Giant-Size X-Men Cyclops Colossus Thunderbird Jean Grey 5: PersonalMatthew asks, how important is it that someone writing about videogames be “good” at videogames? (34:33) Madden DLSS Digital Trends Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster Demonschool Final Fantasy Tactics Persona Shin Megami Tensei 6: What was the golden age of video game journalism? (40:53) Spider-Man 3 Mad Men PC Gamer Tomb Raider Rock Paper Shotgun LIGHTNING ROUND: High Scoring (47:22) Recommendations and Outro (57:22): Kieron: The Power Fantasy, We Called Them Giants Frank: Go read Kieron’s comics Brandon: If you’re feeling cold tuck your shirt into your pants, Manga documentary 1982, The Great Cleric if you want some extremely mid anime, follow Brandon on Bluesky Ash: Game Changers on HBO Max This week’s Insert Credit Show is brought to you by patrons like you. Thank you. Subscribe: RSS, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more!