Nate, Jordan, and Ryan all gather to discuss SHENMUE, Sega's late-1999 martial arts revenge epic -- or the first chapter of it, anyway. We discuss embodiment, detailed virtual worlds, and forklifts. Jordan doubts Ryo's detective skills, Ryan gushes over kittens, and Nate marvels at what a weird, ambitious, flawed game this is. Ryan gets addicted to capsule toys.
Nate, Kari, Sebastian, and Jordan all gather to discuss HARVEST MOON: BACK TO NATURE, Marvelous and Natsume's 1999 game about agriculture and small town life. We talk routine, pastoral fantasy, and missed opportunities. Kari suggests that sometimes it's fine for game series not to change very much across iterations, Nate reveals a moment in which he brought shame to his father's house, and Sebastian sings the tragic ballad of Cliff. Jordan names his horse Bertram.