Space. The final Frontier. For centuries, man has looked up at the sky and wondered what exists out there beyond the reaches of our imagination. And in 2013, a hero-turned-villian-turned-back-to-hero named Sean Murray dared to answer that question. His answer: Nearly infinite procedural generation. 

No Man's Sky is one of the most interesting case studies among modern video games. As we near the game's 10-year anniversary, this marks a great time to look back and reflect. On the surface, this is a story of a game dev who flew too close to the sun and whose wings burned off like Icarus. But, 10 years of free update and massive, free update tell a much different story. Not only did Icarus grow his wings back, but they eventually grew back bigger and better than ever before.  

Follow along with this weeks Imgur Gallery here: https://imgur.com/a/BVcEjaZ

This week's FT! was commissioned by our patron @zhakhix! You can commission your own Flavor Text right now at patreon.com/debatethiscast. We'll record an audio book report on whatever you want. Do you yearn for a dissertation on the Void Mother, or even something from a different and obscure IP? You can have that! Get all the details at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Recommended Reading:
- The trailer shown at the 2013 VGX Awards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-v6R_T1hEs 

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast 
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Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net! 

Image Credit: The No Man’s Sky website

Modern games like Kirby and the Forgotten Lands and Pokemon Pokopia have put a new twist on post-apocalyptic media. These games combine the bleak realities at the end of the world with cute, cozy gameplay and aesthetics. What inspired this fresh outlook on the end of days? Who knows! But we here at DT!HQ are ready to capitalize on the trend. This week we're prepping for the collapse by rebooting old game franchises as cozy, post-apocalyptic tales.

Todd is ready to suprise you with a casting you forgot. Kyle is ready to depress you with an economy you remember. Matt brought cryptids?

The title of this week's episode was selected by our Patrons in our Discord Community! If you want to help us choose the next one, join our discord, and/or get some bonus content, become part of #ButtThwompNation at patreon.com/debatethiscast!

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? https://www.youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

MERCH! We have that! Right now you can go on the internet and order things that say Debate This! On them! All you need to do is head to MerchThis.net and give us your money! Ever wanted socks with the DT! logo on them? Well now you can get em! One more time that website is MerchThis.net!

Properties we talked about this week: Pokemon Pokopia, Spyro the Dragon, Wario Land, WarioWare, Skylanders, Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2011, Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013, Happy Feet, Stardew Valley, Paper Mario

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Image Credit: Swiped from a blog called TheOneRing.net

March has five Tuesdays so we're blessing the DT! Main Feed with a bonus episode! Our latest premium show is called Fellowship This! AKA One Does Not Simply Record a LOTR Watchalong Podcast: There And Pod Again: An Unexpected Recording. That's right, we're doing Lord of the Rings! Before we began this venture, Matt had never seen ANY of the LOTR movies or read any of the books. Do you want to experience The Fellowship of the Ring for the first time again vicariously through the eyes of a podcaster? Great news, that's what this is!

If you like this episode and want to hear the rest of the series, head over to our Patreon! You can get access to all of FT!AKAODNSRALOTRWP:TAPA:AUR as well as our other premium shows, The Office Drones and DCOMstructed, at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

You've stuck with us for two years of Disney Channel holiday movies, and so now we figured it's time to shake things up. It's time to talk about one of the most quintessential Holiday movies no one in the history of podcasting has ever talked about: Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Join us for Pt 1 of this epic quest as we journey through The Fellowship of the Ring.

Highlights from our discussion:
- Holy crap does this movie hold up
- But no really...it really holds up
- Even the 2001-era effects look pretty great! 
- ...and even more Boomer takes like these!

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

MERCH! We have that! Right now you can go on the internet and order things that say Debate This! On them! All you need to do is head to MerchThis.net and give us your money! Ever wanted socks with the DT! logo on them? Well now you can get em! One more time that website is MerchThis.net!

Image credit: Put our faces on the Fellowship of the Rings poster.

The worst part about spring in the Midwest isn't the rain, it's the occasional 75-and-sunny day that sneaks in between the gray, rainy ones. Well after we received a healthy dose of vitamin D, we couldn't shake the idea of a summer vacation. For one reason or another, our travel agents encouraged us to go somewhere we'd seen in a video game. So we put our heads together and pulled out every pamphlet in the office to plan a seasonal getaway. The only question? What is the best video game tourist trap to host our summer vacation?

Matt will make you get your sea legs. Kyle will make you get outdoors. Andrew will make you cut your trip short.

The title of this week's episode was selected by our Patrons in our Discord Community! If you want to help us choose the next one, join our discord, and/or get some bonus content, become part of #ButtThwompNation at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? https://www.youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

MERCH! We have that! Right now you can go on the internet and order things that say Debate This! On them! All you need to do is head to MerchThis.net and give us your money! Ever wanted socks with the DT! logo on them? Well now you can get em! One more time that website is MerchThis.net!

Properties we talked about this week: Pokemon Pokopia, Mario Kart Double Dash, Celeste, The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask, Royal Carribean Icon of the Seas, Nothing beats a Jet2 Holiday

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Image Credit: Album cover from this Spotify track with the word “Jet2” replaced with “DT!HQ”

Living weapons, dark mysticism, and scantily clad protagonists! All that and more are crammed into the subject of this week's Flavor Text: Witchblade. It was one of the top selling comic books of the 90s and early 2000s and it spawned a Buffy-esque TV show that was actually pretty good! It's also got a Christ allegory and talks a lot about the Christian God. So...there's that.

Follow along with this weeks Imgur Gallery here: https://imgur.com/gallery/witchblade-ft-3JN15X7

This week's FT! was commissioned by our patron Turbo Tobbogan! You can commission your own Flavor Text right now at patreon.com/debatethiscast. We'll record an audio book report on whatever you want. Do you yearn for a two hour podcast about Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends or a different obscure IP? You can have that! Get all the details at patreon.com/debatethiscast.

Recommended Reading:

• TNT's Witchblade opening sequence: https://youtu.be/urKkvyp2yX0?si=MX3kxq1LENgdQsmm

• Read the first issue of Witchblade (2024): https://imagecomics.com/read/witchblade

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast 
Have you seen our Threads? threads.net/debatethiscast 
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net! 

Image Credit: Really solid JPG of Witchblade (2024) cover via ebay.

Sharks, entering the Tank today are three scrappy entrepreneurs. They're each seeking an investment with the hope of bringing their new products to market. Now these aren't just any products. These business owners found the best items video games have to offer and they want to make them consumer grade. So grab your notebook and check under the bed for Mark Cuban because we're doing a Shark Tank episode!

Todd's bringing the beat. Andrew's bringing the box. Kyle is bringing his brother.

Recommended Reading:

• Dubstep Gun video - https://youtu.be/SZaE7QkME38?si=KctbT_EeTK7aI8LJ 

The title of this week's episode was NOT selected by our Patrons in our Discord Community because we didn't want to spoil the bit! That said, if you want to help us choose the next one, join our discord, and/or get some bonus content, become part of #ButtThwompNation at patreon.com/debatethiscast!

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? https://www.youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

MERCH! We have that! Right now you can go on the internet and order things that say Debate This! On them! All you need to do is head to MerchThis.net and give us your money! Ever wanted socks with the DT! logo on them? Well now you can get em! One more time that website is MerchThis.net!

Properties we talked about this week: Shark Tank, Horizon Zero Dawn, BioShock, Final Fantasy VII, Animal Crosssing, Saints Row, Metal Gear Solid, Mega Man Battle Network, Rainbow Six Siege, Crank

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Photo Credit: Photoshopped a Mavs jersey onto Tom Nook as requested.

Society is collapsing all around us and 4 out of 5 dentists say it's because people don't have "Third Places" anymore. Everyone has home, the "First Place." Everyone has work, the "Second Place." But so few of us have the mythic "Third Place" that allows us to hang out, unwind and exist without spending an exorbitant amount of energy. Well, in hopes of saving society, we're turning to video games to find our next leisure space.

Andrew has biplanes. Matt has buckets. Todd has battle games.

The title of this week's episode was selected by our Patrons in our Discord Community! If you want to help us choose the next one, join our discord, and/or get some bonus content, become part of #ButtThwompNation at patreon.com/debatethiscast

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? www.youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

MERCH! We have that! Right now you can go on the internet and order things that say Debate This! On them! All you need to do is head to MerchThis.net and give us your money! Ever wanted socks with the DT! logo on them? Well now you can get em! One more time that website is MerchThis.net!

Properties we talked about this week: Diddy Kong Racing, Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, Nintendo Switch Sports, Reboot

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Image Credit: Via wiisports.fandom.com

It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries the Emperor of Mankind has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. But, how did we get here? Was the deified head of the Imperium of Man always a rotting corpse sitting atop an actual golden throne? And, how did the universe become littered with zombified men mutating into horrifying flesh demons? It's been a minute, but we're treading back to the grim, dark future of Warhammer this month. Namely, we're talking all about the most pivotal era of the lore's long, long history, the Horus Heresy! Come and join our fellow Warhammer junkie and Acolyte of Chaos Andrew as he details this defining moment for the once-thriving Imperium.

This month's FLAVOR TEXT was commissioned by...nobody! This was all from Andrew's brain. But, if you want to request MORE Warhammer or info on any other property out there, head over to patreon.com/debatethiscast.

If you're interested in more WH40k content, here are a few suggested YouTube channels:

• https://www.youtube.com/@Luetin09 - Andrew's favorite long-form Warhammer lore source

• https://www.youtube.com/@ArbitorIan - Specifically Horus Heresy content

• https://www.youtube.com/@Lorekeepers-Librarium - "Warhammer Lore To Sleep To"

• https://www.youtube.com/@MidwinterMinis - Miniature painting

• https://www.youtube.com/@SquidmarMiniatures - More miniature painting

• https://www.youtube.com/@PlayOnTabletop - "40k In 40 Minutes"

• https://www.youtube.com/@auspextactics - Info and strategies on building an army

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast 
Have you seen our Threads? threads.net/debatethiscast 
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net! 

Image Credit: Thanks to SpikeyBits.com for this high-res Horus image

If you like to talk to tomatoes, if a squash can make you smile, if you like to waltz with potatoes, then I hope you're ready to learn about tax evasion. That's right everyone, we're doing Veggie Tales! But the execs at DT!HQ have asked that we "do secular Veggie Tales." That's why we're on the hunt for the next great literary work to be adapted by Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber.

Todd is riding a bike. Matt is surviving spread. Kyle is breaking out of jail.

The title of this week's episode was selected by our Patrons in our Discord Community! If you want to help us choose the next one, join our discord, and/or get some bonus content, become part of #ButtThwompNation at patreon.com/debatethiscast

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? https://www.youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

MERCH! We have that! Right now you can go on the internet and order things that say Debate This! On them! All you need to do is head to MerchThis.net and give us your money! Ever wanted socks with the DT! logo on them? Well now you can get em! One more time that website is MerchThis.net!

Properties we talked about this week: Veggie Tales, Larry Boy, Grapes of Wrath, The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Image Credit: I put Veggie Tales on the Grapes of Wrath.

Long ago, two races rule over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS. One day, war broke out between the two races. After a long battle, the humans were vicorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell...or so the opening crawl of Undertale would have you believe is the full story.

Special thanks to @squirrelmancer for commissioning today's episode! You can commission your own FLAVOR TEXT right now! If you want us to breakdown your favorite, niche IP, head over to patreon.com/debatethiscast!

Recommended Reading:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLTHWT9pZso

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH05QKkk6Q8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr4IYjeplJA

• Toby Fox's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@toby-fox-music/featured

• Undertale - Epic Cover Collection: https://open.spotify.com/album/3XwEBM7qrMDNlba3HDrTMH

• Filled with Pride: An LGBTQ+ Tribute to Undertale: https://gamegrooves.com/music/filled-with-pride

Have you seen our Instagram? instagram.com/debatethiscast
Have you seen our YouTube? youtube.com/@debatethiscast
Want to send us an email? debatethiscast@gmail.com

Music for Debate This! is provided by composer Ozzed under a creative commons license. Check out more of their 8-bit bops at www.ozzed.net!

Photo credit: It’s Sans Undertale! Via Versus Compendium Wiki