Friend Request

[Content Warning: Includes extensive discussion of fictional transphobia and queerphobia.] We’re not always positive on the relationships and characters we discuss on this show, but this week is a different matter altogether. I like to think we err on the side of constructive criticism on this show, never hating for the sake of hate, and […]

It turns out, the Tom Clancy series is pretty badly written! Marvel at the “relationship” of Sam and Sarah Fisher of the Splinter Cell series, a father-daughter duo where the woman’s role is simply to be a carrot on a stick to drive Sam forward. She isn’t treated as valuable in her own right, only […]

You know, in looking for sound clips for this week’s intro, I found out that Kratos spends less time angrily screaming the name of his enemies than I thought. He actually does a lot of stiff, really-pissed-but-handling-it normal talking, which I did NOT remember. Whatever, it’s still a travesty how utterly every God of War […]

A horse is a horse; of course, of course. And no one can talk to a horse, of course. Except, of course, if the name of the horse is Wander’s noble steed Agro. Throughout Shadow of the Colossus, Agro is without friends or allies, set on a seemingly impossible task, and his only friend is […]

I thought about making that “Miles & Dick” instead of “Edgeworth & Gumshoe.” Then I was like “I should REALLY avoid putting ‘Dick’ in the title of an episode. Is he a Richard?” And then I realized even if he was no one calls him that so then no one would know what I was […]

I would feel guiltier about coming back to Persona characters over and over if we didn’t have good conversations every single time. This week on Friend Request, we’re starting off by comparing the protagonists of Persona 4 and Persona 5, Yu Narukami and Akira Kurusu! Then Colin needs to quickly correct verself for their previous […]

It’s a character study this week on Friend Request, as both Jen and Colin brought individual characters! Colin asks us to ponder Varian Wrynn, High King of the Alliance from World of Warcraft, and how he defies Blizzard’s usual indecision and instability in writing. Jen wants to look at the gaming icon Lara Croft, and […]

Sequels are often a progression and development of the strengths of the original, but sometimes part of the predecessor’s appeal can be left behind in the efforts to improve. Such is the case with Destiny 1, where part of the charm of the Guardian and the Ghost as characters and partners simply didn’t make the […]

Even when a character is simple on their face, there may be complexity to be found in their various portrayals. Such is the case with Dante from Devil May Cry, a fairly straightforward cocky devil hunter whose different representations betray different ideas about who the character is. There’s also a lot to be read from […]

I’m glad to say that this week on Friend Request, we have a full on game recommendation. We’re big fans of characters, relationships, and how they interact, and so we’ve got a full-throated recommendation for Blue Reflection from Colin, a recently released JRPG that is obsessed with relationships! Jen brought a more show-standard subject in […]

We’re doing a bit of an experiment this week on Friend Request. Thus far we’ve focused on relationships between characters, and that will still be a recurring topic, but what if we were to simply talk individual characters? For this experiment, we’re going to discuss Richard Conway, the freelance spy from Gunpoint, as well as […]

Friendship is often complicated. Sometimes, you reach a point where you realize you’ve been a pretty terrible friend to someone for a long time, and you need to make amends. That’s a position Haseo finds himself in with his friend Atoli in the .hack://G.U. games as his abrasive and selfish attitude eventually catch up with […]

From fire starters to fire watchers. This week, we start off by tackling The Boss and Johnny Gat from the Saint’s Row series, and how the evolution of their relationship is actually emblematic of the rise and fall of Saint’s Row itself. Then we bounce over to the woods of Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming […]

You’re not the boss of me! …Sorry, that’s what I’ve got. This week, we’re diving into… METAL GEAR?! John “Naked Snake” and his mentor The Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3 have a real complicated relationship, with it being teacher/student, lovers, and also mortal enemies? And stuff? A lot there. But maybe not as much […]

We’re going to start you off in school before we head to the stars! First up, Shujin Academy in busy Tokyo, where star volleyball player Shiho Suzui and fashion model by day, Phantom Thief by night Ann Takamaki maintain a friendship despite increasingly divergent worlds. Then we’re off to the Mario Galaxy, if that’s what […]

Should I have said Uruks? I am still… like, it just means “orc.” But it’s the official term, so maybe it’s a Don Juan? It’s probably a Don Juan. But it’s so duuuuumb I don’t waaaaanna. We start off by tackling the Kid and Zulf from Bastion, which is really just Zulf and the player […]

Y’know, some people are just an open book. This metaphor for Sirrus and Achenar of Myst is ill-conceived because part of the game’s plot is figuring out their true motives, and also the books that imprison them are literally closed, for real. Hmmm. Well, maybe I’ll come up with a better metaphor for the Squid […]

Welcome to the future, folks. Jen and Colin are ducking into VA-11 Hall-A for a quick drink and a look at the relationship between two of the bar’s regulars, Stella Hoshi and Sei Asagiri. Then it’s off to Big Shell to watch the fumbling rookie Raiden learn from Solid Snake- some lessons good, some less […]

From bummer to BUMMER. This week, we start with Joel & Ellie from The Last of Us, a pair of apocalypse survivors whose relationship is as troubled as it is troubling. After that, we move on to Jaina Proudmoore & Thrall from the Warcraft series: a relationship notable not so much for its amazing writing, […]

It’s our first guest episode! Regular cohosts Jen and Colin are joined by Nick Seese, cohost of the Dota 2 podcast Bottle Crow Reborn! Together, the three of them tackle the complicated relationship between Booker DeWitt and Elizabeth of BioShock Infinite and its story DLC, Burial at Sea. What happens when you mix an ex-Pinkerton […]

Welcome to our new podcast, Friend Request! Our goal with this show is to talk about the relationships between characters in games, both fair and foul. A pair of great video game buds, a digital mother and daughter with interesting history, or even two characters who drive us crazy when they’re on screen. We open […]

Welcome to our new podcast, Friend Request! Our goal with this show is to talk about the relationships between characters in games, both fair and foul. A pair of great video game buds, a digital mother and daughter with interesting history, or even two characters who drive us crazy when they’re on screen. This week […]

Welcome to our new podcast, Friend Request! Our goal with this show is to talk about the relationships between characters in games, both fair and foul. A pair of great video game buds, a digital mother and daughter with interesting history, or even two characters who drive us crazy when they’re on screen. The Freelance […]

Welcome to our new podcast, Friend Request! Our goal with this show is to talk about the relationships between characters in games, both fair and foul. A pair of great video game buds, a digital mother and daughter with interesting history, or even two characters who drive us crazy when they’re on screen. Junpei and […]

Welcome to our new podcast, Friend Request! Our goal with this show is to talk about the relationships between characters in games, both fair and foul. A pair of great video game buds, a digital mother and daughter with interesting history, or even two characters who drive us crazy when they’re on screen. In our […]

Welcome to our new podcast, Friend Request! Our goal with this show is to talk about the relationships between characters in games, both fair and foul. A pair of great video game buds, a digital mother and daughter with interesting history, or even two characters who drive us crazy when they’re on screen. On this […]