Back in college, one of my frugal roommates was always working different deals. He figured out that if we switched cable providers often enough, we could get some pretty sweet extras. We had just switched back to Direct TV - I think - and we got some free movie channels.

I had a similar reaction when I first saw Garth Marenghi's Darkplace at 3AM many years back. It just blew me away. "Is this…a real show? Am I having a fever dream?"

Someone get me Chann-o on the phone!

SOCOM 2 in 2003 was my first multiplayer experience.

I didn't get into 'em much, either. The Queen with her blood womb pointing you towards Mergo's Wet Nurse was a pretty cool visual, though.

Now I want to lay it all out.

I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but I've always liked the Doll theory. She does have the white blood, and there's no earthly reason that the hunter's dream should persist past Moon Presence's death.

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Yahar'gul is totally overrun by the townsfolk-beasts at that point in the game (nice touch that those beasts were like the townsfolk you fought earlier, only much further along in their beastly transformation).

Those sons-of-bitches can hit you all the way across the map. I don't remember what I did to counteract 'em (probably my usual style of being WAY overleveled), but I do remember that they only really bothered me at the entrance to Sen's.

I can't tell if the game is easier than DS1 or if I'm just a grizzled veteran, but assuming the former, I'd have to agree. Outside of that first long run from Central Yarnham to the lantern past the two werewolves, it wasn't particularly difficult.

Yeah, I think you've nailed it here. I'd have no problem calling Bloodborne my favorite, but there's a lot about DS1 that I really miss. The glory of setting foot in Anor Londo after a relentlessly bleak first half of the game. Trying different weapons and determining that a non-descript sword dropped by a…

I'll give Dark Souls the edge in map design. It was totally ingenious the way the world twisted back on itself.

Yeah, I was skeptical at first, as I relied on the "turtle" style of fighting so favored in the first three games…but Bloodborne's lore was so much richer and more interesting to me.

You guys are smart, and I haven't found a satisfying answer to this question yet, so I'll ask it here:

Fair enough about the lore, but the lore isn't what makes the game actually fun to play. I think you're selling the Souls games a little short.

I haven't stayed current with lore discussions, but we've settled on the main antagonists being the School of Mensis, right? Lawrence and Willem both f*cked up hard — the former with blood, the latter with eyes — but the School were the ones to establish hard contact, correct?

Ooh, yeah, I second the Kumail episode.

Yeah, I got everything on my old 160gb. EVERYTHING.

Episode 5 with Paul F. Tompkins is pretty good. If you're already inclined to like PFT, then it's your best bet.

Hollywood Handbook is funny and smart and nice and also cool, and you should definitely start there, especially is you're a nobody dumpster-pusher in a garbage flyover state with big dreams.