"It will only cost you your life, and you got that for free!"



A notable cult classic, an idiosyncratic game, a commercial failure and a fan favourite. Landing at a formative time for the JRPG genre in the west, EarthBound (Mother 2: G?gu no Gyakush? / Giygas Strikes Back) loomed very large over the gaming landscape sliding between Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, two of SquareSoft's biggest hitters from a relatively unknown studio.



Join host Rich with Jon, Leah and guest Eddie Inzauto of the Smashing Bricks Podcast as we get to the bottom of this beloved title, from its peculiar launch, divisive marketing campaign, and underwhelming sales to what has become a darling title for Nintendo and SNES fans.



http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_679.mp3
 



Music featured in this issue:



1. Sunrise and Onett theme by Keiichi Suzuki/Hirokazu Tanaka2. Good Friends Bad Friends by Keiichi Suzuki/Hirokazu Tanaka



edited by Jay TaylorYou can support Cane and Rinse and in return receive an often extended version of the podcast four weeks early, along with exclusive podcasts, if you subscribe to our Patreon for the minimum of $2 per month (+VAT). 



Do you have an opinion about a game we're covering that you'd like read on the podcast? Then venture over to our forum and check out the list of upcoming games we're covering. Whilst there you can join in the conversations with our friendly community in discussing all things relating to videogames, along with lots of other stuff too. Sound good? Then come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

Time jumping, legendary dragons, and an arsenal of playable characters. Join Brian, Chris Worthington, Leah and Rich as they dissect Chrono Cross, the much discussed sequel/follow-up to legendary JRPG Chrono Trigger. Does it provide a satisfying next chapter or are the Chrono Trigger sized shoes too large to fill?

Pikmin skipped a full generation as Miyamoto and co. bided their time before unleashing the third instalment on the Wii U in 2013. Another seven years after that a few more people actually got to play the game as it arrived on the rather more successful Switch. Leon, Chris O'Regan and Darren - along with community contributors - once again round up the little creatures, consider this game's changes and refinements (across the two versions), as well as indulge in a little speculation about the 'science' that lead to their existence. Darwin or Dandori awards all around?

Caprine capers with Sybil in rittzler's love-letter to the fifth generation of games that popularised third-person character action in three dimensions. Leon, Brian, Ryan and Sean - along with community contributors - get figuratively and literally lost in the dreamlike world of Pseudoregalia. Can the game's celebrated flexible character control and versatile locomotion help our panel find their way through this largely unguided adventure?

So how could a 40-year-old film about a dystopia in which capitalism has run amok and the overreach and militarisation of the police combined with fears of increased automation and the dangers of artificial intelligence possibly be relevant today LOL? Leon and Dan (who selected this one - the best-selling home computer game of the 1980s - for the show) plod and blast through the many versions of Ocean and Data East's side-scrolling interpretation of the 1987 violent, dystopian movie classic.

This week, Ryan, Jesse, James, and Chris talk Mighty Coconut's Walkabout Mini Golf, both in VR and on iOS. From the depths of Atlantis to the heights of the Seagull Stacks, the minigolf adventure extends through licensed properties, mythical realms, and cozy cottages.

Hot on the space boots of our - oh - 2021 podcast on the original (and official) Game Boy Metroid II: Return of Samus, we take a rare look at an unauthorised fan project: Another Metroid Prime 2 Remake, or, AM2R. Leon, Brian, Leah and Rich - along with correspondents from the listenership - brave the dark web and dodgy torrent sites to bring you this Nintendo's lawyers-defying show.

Our Darren rightfully and righteously nominated the venerable Bomberman (also known by several other names) series for inclusion in our 2025 roster. Blasting off as a single-player only affair way back in 1983, this Hudson franchise saw no fewer than 80, mostly local multiplayer focused, entries released over the subsequent 40 years. So it's high time (High-10?) that Leon, Darren himself, Karl and Michiel - along with contributors from the Cane and Rinse Patreon and forum - gave the little dude (and multiplayer pals) his dues.

In 1989, the vision of Shigesato Itoi brought about the creation of Mother, a subversion and a pastiche of the incredibly popular Dragon Quest series, and birthed the Mother trilogy containing the cult classic Earthbound. Rich, Leah and Jon discuss the creator of the series and the impact Mother had on the gaming landscape of Japan, and the near 20 years that passed before the game made it’s way to the western markets.

Perhaps the archetypal 'cult classic', SEGA Smilebit's Jet Set Radio (aka Jet Grind Radio) made a splash when it landed on Dreamcast in the year 2000. Quarter of a century on, Leon, Dan, Michiel and Tony - along with contributions from the Cane and Rinse listeners - get inline to rattle on about the game's striking visual aesthetic, iconic music and, also, yes, the gameplay. This podcast also touches upon the GBA version, the official 'sequel' and some of JSR's spiritual successors.

Somehow Cane and Rinse returned. We dawn our blasters and lightsabers once more as we venture once more to the precipice of the Dark Side (Electronic Arts) to discuss the acclaimed sequel STAR WARS Jedi: Survivor. Ryan, Chris and Jon follow Cal's ongoing adventures and anticipate how the forthcoming trilogy-capper might end his story.

Somewhere between the Australian bushfires of 2019 and the Covid breakout, Umurangi Generation was born. Tauranga, New Zealand is the setting for Veselekov’s retro-futuristic photography simulator; James, Jesse, and Thomas are our budding photographers, chronicling the end of the world.

If you ever felt like playing along with the Cane and Rinse podcast but couldn't find the time, this is a good show to start. Leon, Leah and Tony pick their way through the characters and choices of Aevee Bee and Max Schwartz's short but impactful visual novel. We examine the arcs of Venus, Jupiter and Neptune from their uncertain summer camp openings to cabin in the woods exorcism or self-acceptance denouement.

Syberia and Syberia II were originally planned as a single release (and podcast), instead we got two games (and two podcasts) - that decision plays into how these games are viewed today. Will Hans reach the fabled island of Syberia? Join Chris Worthington, James, Michiel and Tony to find out.

From simple beginnings as one of around 100 pitches to Sony seniors, turning into a flagship Sony series selling upwards and above 90 million copies. These games have their origins in early-90s cartoon kart genre, and now boast to be the self proclaimed, "greatest racing game of all time". In this issue, host Rich and his co-drivers Karl, Tom and Tony start at the beginning of Sony's Gran Turismo series with the two original PlayStation (PS1) outings Gran Turismo and Gran Turismo 2, to discuss their legacy as both racing games and love letters to motorsport.

We realised there haven't been enough Cane and Rinse podcasts dedicated to Resident Evil 4, so here we are. Leon, Brian, Leah and Sean once again invade the mysterious Spanish (?) village of the so-called Ganados, to once again rescue 'Baby Eagle' THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER. Along with a broad spread of opinions from the Patreon and forum, the panelists endeavour to convey their experiences with this 2023 remake both in its own right, and as an update to the widely-celebrated 2005 original.

Behold the Bitterman, in id Software's archetypal 'boomer shooter' sequel, Quake II. Strogg-blasting vets Leon, Chris O'Regan, Darren and Karl - along with contributions from the Cane and Rinse community - recount their bloody campaigns through the 1997 PC original, the somewhat miraculous console ports to N64 and PS1, as well as the much more recent Nightdive remaster package, including DLC episodes and an all-new chapter from Machinegames.

Perhaps not the most pressing candidate for the remake treatment, nevertheless, EA Motive found itself remaking 2008's sci-fi horror shooter Dead Space for 'current gen' in 2023. Leon and Jon - along with contributors for the Cane and Rinse community - consider the changes and differences from the original to the all-singing, all-dancing update. Was the whole project worthwhile? Listen in and find out what we think.

Star Wars + DOOM = awesome success. A simple enough equation for mid-90s LucasArts, but is there more to Dark Forces than that? Leon, Chris Worthington, Darren and Tony blast and puzzle their way through this first-person shooter adventure, with missives from Cane and Rinse's community alliance along the way. From the MS-DOS original to the recent Nightdive remaster, we have all planet-destroying bases covered.

The twin-stick shooter never fully caught on in the arcade's golden age, and yet, some years after the beloved Robotron 2084, Eugene Jarvis and his team returned to that particular mechanical interface wellspring for another go round, with 1990's spiritual successor Smash TV. Leon, Jesse, Michiel and community contributors scream bloody murder at Smash TV's ultraviolent, loud, frenetic, brutal and relentless dystopian 1999 gameshow.