Episode 15: Living in a simulation

Dog Days of Summer Update from listener Marco– From National Geographic.com “For many, the “dog days,” evoke those summer days that are so devastatingly hot that even dogs would lie around on the asphalt, panting. But originally, the phrase had nothing to do with dogs, or even with the lazy days of summer. Instead, the dog days refer to Sirius, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, which means “big dog” in Latin and is said to represent one of Orion’s hunting dogs.

Bargain Bin:

Jay’s Picks:
Spiritfarer – $9.89 (67% off $29.99)
Feather – $3.89 (61% off $9.99)

Em’s Picks:
Negative Nancy – $5.99 (60% off of $14.99 – lowest price ever)
City Bus Driving Simulator – $4.19 (70% off $13.99 – matches previous low)

What we’re playing this week:

Jay:
Into the Breach***
Dragon Caffi
Mario Kart (new courses available)

*^{Frogs are having a big moment right now.}*

Em:
Time on Frog Island
Pokémon Go
Watching Dougie play Stray

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is resizedimage640360-20220725234458-1.jpg — *^{Be a cat and do what cats do in Stray.}*

Reality TV Picks of the Week:
Below Deck Down Under (Bravo)
The Unxplained (with William Shatner) (Netflix)

*^{Taking the world’s most questionable field trip to Aokigahara (The UnXplained).}*

Episode 15: Living in a Simulation:
Simulation games (life is a simulation and time is a construct)

Powerwashing Simulator
Goat Simulator
Rock Simulator
Street Cleaning Simulator
Cultist Simulator

*^{Outta my way, it’s hot fat bear summer.}*

Bear Simulator
I am bread
Sim City
Untitled Goose Game
Theme Park/Roller Coaster Tycoon
The Sims/Sims 4

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Episode 13! We’re on Vacation!!!

Bargain Bin:

Jay’s Picks:
Lego Worlds – $5.99 (80% off 29.99 – matches previous low)
Rollercoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition – $10.49 (65% off 29.99 – matches previous low)

*^{Oops. My bad. As a tycoon, I hope I have insurance and lawyers.}*

Em’s Picks:
Castaway Paradise – $2.99 (85% off 19.99 – lowest price ever)
Speed Dating for Ghosts – $2.09 (70% off 6.99 – matches previous low)

*^{Only the best for my dates (Speed Dating for Ghosts)}*

What we’re playing this week:

Jay:
The First Tree
Chicory: A Colorful Tale

Em:
Pokemon GO!
Lumbearjack
Lake

*^{(sigh) I want to be a mailman in the PNW in 1984, too. (Lake)}*

Reality TV of the week:

Married at First Sight (premiered July 6th/Lifetime): SEASON 15?!
The Floor is Lava (2 seasons/Netflix)

*^{I want to sink to the bottom (of this off-putting orange game show lava) with you.}*

Explore.org Katmai Bear Cams (Brooks Falls – Alaska)
The Brown Bear Cams (and don’t worry, you can watch highlights!)
The Wiki

🏖Vacation Gaming Guide by Em and Jay:

*^{Just over here trying to play outside with my Gameboy.}*

🕹👾Video games:
Jackbox (Drawful, Quiplash, Trivia Murder Party, Blather Round, Devils and the Details, Push the Button, Joke Boat, Split the Room, Fibbage)
Family Feud
Tetris on the Gameboy
Nintendo64 bolted to a wall
Pokemon on the Gameboy

🎲♟Board and Card:
Monikers
BANG!
Telestrations
Play 9
Business Walrus
Carcassonne

*^{The Business Walrus is a demanding creature.}*

Miscellaneous:
Dance Dance Revolution

✉️ MAILBAG:
Pete from NY wrote to us about his love for his Ice Blue Gameboy, Pokemon Red, and disdain for being fooled into buying a Rollercoaster Tycoon knock-off for the PC on vacation. Thank you for being far out, Pete!

Episode 11! Special Birthday Episode!

Bargain Bin:

Jay’s Picks:
Golf Club Wasteland – $2.99 (70% off $9.99)
Arise: A Simple Story – $9.99 (50% off $19.99)
Tiny Metal – $7.49 (50% off $14.99)

Em’s Picks:
Wingspan – $11.79 (41% off of $19.99)
My Time At Portia – $7.49 (75% off $29.99 – matches previous low)
Old Man’s Journey – $1.99 (80% off $9.99)

What we’re playing this week:

Jay:
Stardew Valley
Garden Story
Uncharted 2

*^{Stalk squirrels (and other things) in Nuts.}*

Em:
Kentucky Route Zero
Nuts: A Surveillance Mystery
Negative Nancy

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is apple-arcade-nuts-1.jpg — *^{Say “No” or nothing as Nancy in Negative Nancy. Cathartic.}*

Reality TV Picks of the Week:
Old Enough! (Netflix)
Baggage (GSN)
You Live in What? (HGTV)

You Live in What?

Episode 11! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Games that reward you for playing on your birthday:

It’s nice to feel loved and respected by your friends and neighbors.

Games that reward you for playing on your birthday: Animal Crossing, Pokemon (X&Y and beyond), Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons, The Legendary Starfy

Starfy and co. on your birthday in The Legendary Starfy.

Other games that acknowledge your birthday: Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding, Tomodachi Life, Kirby: Squeak Squad, Wii Fit, Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, FIFA, Gran Turismo 5, Genshin Impact.

Overcooked has a birthday party skin, and there is a sandbox game called Happy Birthdays!

Episode 10!!! Double Digits Baybee!

Bargain Bin:

*^{More like SKA tape. (Ska’s not dead).}*

Jay’s Picks:
Inside – $1.99 (90% off $19.99 – matches previous low)
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees – $10.04 (33% off $14.99 – lowest price ever)
Card Shark – $16.99 (15% off $19.99 – lowest price ever, releases June 2)

Em’s Picks:
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 – $32.99 (18% off of $39.99)
Donut County (hurl me into a dumpster)– $3.79 (71% off $12.99 – matches previous low)
Jackbox Party Pack 7 – $19.49 each (35% off $29.99, also Jackbox Party Pack 5 $17.99)

What we’re playing this week:

Jay:
Stardew Valley
Shady Side of Me
Garden Story

Em:
Stardew Valley
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond

Reality TV Picks of the Week:
Britain’s Best Home Cook (I know I said chef, we all make mistakes sometimes)
The Circle (finale 5/25)
Is It Cake?

Episode 10! Check in and games we are (still) excited about:

Jay’s picks:

^{This Lego Luke Skywalker (deluxe edition figurine) drinking seemingly expired milk.}

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (released March 25, 2022)
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (April 5, 2022)
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel (Spring 2023)

Em’s Picks:

*^{Alexa: play Eventually by Tame Impala}*

Bear and Breakfast (2022)
Lake (out on multiple platforms, tbd for Nintendo Switch)
Little Witch in the Woods (out on multiple platforms, pushed back 2023 for Nintendo Switch)

Games to look forward to:
Em:
Time on Frog Island (Now pushed to 7/15 from 5/27 – I can’t win here)
Snacko (TBA 2022)
Mineko’s Night Market (TBA 2022)
Coral Island (TBA 2022)
Puffpals: Island Skies (2023)
Haunted Chocolatier (???)
Yokai Inn (???)
Boyfriend Dungeon DLC (???)

Jay:
Advance Wars 1 + 2: Reboot Camp (TBD)
Cuphead DLC (June 30, 2022)
Splatoon 3 (September 9, 2022)

Also: Grow-a-frog: as adult frogs they need bigger aquarium tanks, not the tiny plastic box.

Episode 5! What time is it?!

What time is it? Adventure Time? Time to get ill? Closing time?
Nope! Time for everyone’s least favorite topic! Daylight Savings Time! We talk games to play all day with that extra hour. Bargains, farming sims, and the games we’ve been enjoying this week!

Bargain Bin:

Jay’s Picks:
Cozy Grove **(30% off) – $10.49 (reg. 14.99) – sale ended, but mobile game also available/goes on sale regularly.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (50% off) – $14.99 (reg. 29.99) (we love a bargain bin bundle! – matches previous low) – Shout out to friends/listeners Gretchen and Ian who bonded over this game! ❤️

Em’s Picks:
The Stillness of the Wind (80% off) – $2.59 (reg. 12.99) (lowest price ever!)
Summer in Mara** (60% off) – $9.99 – (reg. 24.99) (matches previous low)

Currently playing (March 2022)

Jay
Cozy Grove
Turmoil**
Pokemon Unite**
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Demo**

Em
Unforeseen Incidents**
Boyfriend Dungeon** (dated all the swords!)
Animal Crossing Pocket Camp
Heardle

Daylight Savings Time!
Common myth: It is for farming and farmers.
It is not.
It’s about capitalism and bug collecting.
Benjamin Franklin wanted people to capitalize on more daylight and burn less candles.
In New Zealand in 1895, entomologist George Hudson wanted more daylight for bug collecting and inspecting (sounds familiar).
It’s actually a myth that it’s for farmers, they lobbied hard against it (like my mother every year on social media). It’s supposedly for things like energy saving during wartime/energy crises but many call it “daylight slaving time.” Time is money.
But! It’s time to burn daylight with our favorite farming sims.

Farming Sims!

Jay
Friends of Mineral Town on the Gameboy Advance
Stardew Valley**

Em
Garden Paws
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles
My Time at Portia

✉️ Mailbag! ✉️
Thank you to friend and listener Pete! After episode 4 (Strong Female Protagonist/Women’s History Month), Pete sent in the tip about Roberta Williams! There are so many influential and talented women in the gaming industry, but Roberta Williams is a pioneer. Some highlights about Williams: influential female game designer, instrumental in pioneering the graphic adventure which is definitely the building block for our cozy, chill games today (also point and clicks!) She is the “queen of adventure games.” She has won the Industry Icon Award (2014) and the Pioneer Award – Game Developers Choice Awards (2020).
Games she designed to check out: Kings Quest series, Phantasmagoria, Laura Bow, and more!
The Secret (TBA) with husband developer Ken Williams – Keep an eye out for their new game!

Em’s deep cut of the day: Peasant’s Quest (King’s Quest Parody from Homestar Runner)

Strong Bad email #58: Dragon

Last but not least, shout out to Skatune Network. I mentioned Ska Shores (Animal Crossing covers on vinyl) and it is everything I hoped and dreamed it would be.

**mentioned in a previous episode

Episode 2! 2022 Games!

Episode 2!:

Bargain Bin:

Cosmo's Quickstop by Big Sir Games — *I’d stand on my head to make you a deal!*

Jay’s Picks:
Immortals Fenyx Rising $14.99 down from $59.99 (75% off)
Child of Light $4.99 down from 19.99 (75% off)
Unpacking*** $15.99 down from $19.99 (20% off – lowest price ever)

Em’s Picks (everything is under $5!!!):
Syberia 3 $4.99 down from $49.99 (90% off)
Little Mouse’s Encyclopedia/Under Leaves $4.99 down from $24.99 (80% off – lowest price ever)
Hidden Paws $2.99 down from $3.99 (25% off – lowest price ever)

What we’re playing this week:
Jay:
Cozy Grove***
Pokemon Unite
Pupperazi (Steam reviews are a delight)

Em:
Staxel
Little Misfortune
Neopets (email us to tell us about your Neopets!)

What we’re looking forward to 2022 (video games, not like, life events or anything else):
Jay’s Picks:
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch – March 25)
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC – April 5)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel (Switch – TBA)

Em’s Picks:
Bear and Breakfast (TBA – 2022)
Lake (TBA – 2022)
Little Witch in the Woods (TBA – 2022)

Listener Tip: (Thank you Gretchen!) Mika and the Witch’s Mountain (TBA – 2022)

Also: Future Islands on Letterman:

_{^{‘Cause I’ve been waiting on you}}

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Thanks for stopping by! 🐾🎮

_{***mentioned in Episode 1: GOTY}

Episode 1 – GOTY! 2021

Hello world!
Welcome to Friends Are Far Out! with Em and Jay!
Podcast available where podcasts are had: Spotify and Apple podcasts!

Bargain bin (search for deals on Deku Deals!):
Jay:
Toe Jam and Earl: Back in the Groove
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Em:
Animal Crossing
Katamari
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game
Family Feud
Opus (Bundle)

GTOY 2021:
Jay:
Pokémon Unite
It Takes Two
Unpacking

Em:
Grow: Song of the Evertree
Mutazione
Wytchwood

Both: Toem

GTOY 2021 (Most played):
Jay:
Hades
Dicey Dungeons

Em:
Stardew Valley
Animal Crossing
Cozy Grove

Thanks for stopping by! 🐾🎮

Friends Are Far Out!

Gaming for the young and the anxious.

pokemon

Episode 15: Living in a simulation

Episode 13! We’re on Vacation!!!

Episode 11! Special Birthday Episode!

Episode 10!!! Double Digits Baybee!

Episode 5! What time is it?!

Episode 2! 2022 Games!

Episode 1 – GOTY! 2021