For posterity’s sake, let me bid you a fond farewell here as well, Matt.

My catch-up binge of the show stalled midway through season 3, so I’m glad to hear that the show picks up again. I’ll give it another go when I can. 

It never fails to delight me when Okami gets ported to yet another system.

My favorite local craft brewery is notorious for having poor (if not outright hostile) customer service (if you bring in an outside growler, they insist on putting a sticker on it before they’ll fill it, for example) but they will happily mix and match cans, which is nice.

In my area, we use the term “picnic park” to denote a small park that has no amenities fancier than picnic tables and restrooms, and is usually located right beside a major highway.

As a kid, my parents had the foresight to plan meal stops at places where we could let out our pent-up energy, like picnic parks or McDonald’s playgrounds. Picnic parks are the ultimate road trip move: everybody gets to stretch their legs, and you eat the affordable sandwiches you’ve packed in your cooler.

I would say, in general, that Nathan doesn’t try to make people look bad. But he does revel in giving people the opportunity to make themselves look bad. 

So, there are no plans to reissue the Batman soundtrack?

Okay, now I <i>definitely</i> need a fluffy drama about the making of <i>American Gladiators</i>. That anecdote about the plywood audience is perfect. 

We Are Scientists have put out their best album in a decade, <i>Megaplex</i>. The track “KIT” is a real standout, especially for everyone who loves the sound of the Super Nintendo’s bass guitar samples.

Absolutely. There’s little or no connection between the games. 

What games are you most looking forward to later this year?

I think Ni No Kuni II is the only new game I’ve played this year. (There may be an indie game or two which I’ve already forgotten, but I’m pretty sure the only indie games I’ve played this year came out in 2017 or earlier.) It was very enjoyable, even if the kingdom-building and RTS elements felt a little…

Honestly, it’s all that “random” humor that makes the Scully years still watchable to me. (Not great, but watchable.) Lord help me, even the Land of Jockeys is so dumb I can’t help but smile at it. The bulk of the last 15 seasons has been a boring mess.

Where would “Old Man and the Keys” visit to Branson (and Bronson) rank on this list?

I say we call it a rebirth. We’ve got a new* writer with a great article in the AVC tradition of “Hey! Here’s something I like. Maybe you’ll like it too!”

Irony aside, I’m intrigued by this new Battletoads game. I don’t think that the original gets enough praise for its genre-bending approach[1]; everyone just talks about how hard it is[2]. The new game could be good if it draws inspiration from the former, and doesn’t double-down on the latter.

Wild Strawberries was a coming of age movie that took place over 24 hours (albeit with flashbacks and dream sequences). Of course, the main character was “coming of age” as an old man rather than a teenager...

I related pretty strongly to Anthony Rapp’s character, as well as the widespread condoning of bullying. And there were many evenings that my friends and I spent walking around and hanging out. It’s not like every day was a party, but there were fun times to be had.

I’d advise you to hire a lawyer, but the hippo has already spent your savings on expensive booze.