Giant Bombcast: 03-09-2010 - Phoenix Down

[Henroidt]

Pshaw, Phantasy Star > Final Fantasy. So please, yes, discuss Monomate, Stardew, etc.

[LordHonkInc]

Wow, I never thought anything else of it, probably because I've had down feather pillows for as long as I can remember. But I know that feeling of sudden, painful realization :D

[gundammon]

It can also be translated as "Phoenix Tail", which would have been more direct. Most kids don't even hear or use the word "down" in the context of feathers unless they're reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas".

[MegaKatatat]

Love the reference to Phantasy Star's healing potions.

[misslehead3]

Oh god. Mind = blown.

[dancinginfernal]

That other voice...

Is that...Patrick? Or somebody who I don't recognize?

[Sargus22]

@dancinginfernal Rich Gallup. He was part of the group in the GameSpot days. Now he's at Big Huge Games.

[dancinginfernal]

@Sargus22 Thank you for that explanation. I knew Rich used to be with them, but I didn't know he was ever on the Bombcast.

[Tremblay343]

I wish they were recording the expression change on Jeff's face as he slowly came to the phoenix down realization.

[MetroidKingofMetroid]

I realized what they meant by down in phoenix down just as Jeff realized it, it's like goose down, I get it, all these years and I never got that.

[bradyohalloran]

Was reminded of this after hearing Will Smith learn the correct pronunciation of 'executable' in the latest Bombcast.

[Binbay55]

Have played every Final Fantasy. Yet I just realized this as well..

[stryker126]

awesome.

[bobafruti]

My first Final Fantasy was FF1, back before they even had Pheonix down. I remember naming a character Stac after my sister Stacy, and then using Stac (pronounced stack) as her name for months afterward. :)

My mind was also blown when I listened to this podcast.

[jeanfmur]

I was in the same situation as Jeff and Ryan: my mind was totally blown when I heard this podcast last year. Man... I have been playing Final Fantasy ever since VI on the SNES, and it NEVER occurred to me.

[Teeg32]

I've got to get to Target; they're having a sale on phoenix-down-filled pillows.

I hear it's a hot item.

[SuperUltraOmegaDude]

OH..... DOWN!

[descendedgod]

I seriously didn't get this 'fore I heard this on the podcast :-)

English is not my native tounge though.

[kbthiede]

really? i understood the first time i saw phoenix down that it was feathers lol.

[dmoogle2006]

@jaeisk This blew my mind.

When I was 9.

[emperor0013]

I've always known that. The pheonix down is almost always depicted as a feather. How have people not made that connection?

[lordofultima]

@emperor0013 When I heard this podcast it blew my own mind as well, dawning around the same moment as it did for Jeff. I've been playing Final Fantasy games all my life, definitely weird that I never made that connection.

[Strand0410]

@emperor0013 I always thought it was another case of their other bizarre item icon choices.

[Sareia]

@emperor0013 Probably because it's "almost always" depicted with a generic 16x16 loot bag icon on a menu screen, along with every other consumable in the game.

[TheClassicalSauce]

Wow, derp. Why wouldn't you think of that.

[JackHemming]

@TheClassicalSauce Apparently because some people do not have minds that are equal to yours.

[golguin]

My first exposure to Final Fantasy games was Final Fantasy Tactics whatever year it came out. I assumed that the Phoenix Down name came from the fact that you throw the Phoenix powers on someone when they were down. All of my friends agreed that Phoenix Up would have been better. I didn't get the whole down feathers thing till years later, but I had the same reaction.

[MarsCleric]

i had the exact same reaction

[BurningDogFace]

I realized this years ago, but I basically had the exact same reaction as Jeff when the revelation dawned on me, so it was hilarious hearing him go through it too. Good times.

[squeehunter]

This happened to me too.

[GreekJR2]

I just got.

[Mysterious0Bob]

I didn't get it either.

[foxiemoxie]

@Mysterious0Bob 'Down' is another word for feathers. Ryan and Jeff just realized that "Phoenix Down" was literal and was referring to a feather from a Phoenix. Before, they just thought that "Phoenix Down" was just some phrase Square made up that sounded cool in Japanese but made no sense in English. I admit I was just like that up until a few years ago.

[Roxfox]

I also never made that connection. I had the epiphany at the exact same time as Jeff. Crazy how that works. This'll remain one of my absolute favorite Bombcast moments because of that.

[Paool3107]

YES. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[abrozek64]

Totally one of my fav bombcast moments because I realized this as they did. most likely didn't help that i've said stuff like "use a phoenix down" when I should have been saying "use phoenix down!".

[DudeguyRabbi]

I had this reaction. Final Fantasy is a habitually weird Japanese series. The idea that it was literally Phoenix Down, and not some sort of -- "Phoenixes are reborn when they die, use it when you're down, you'll be reborn" -- translation seems more shocking to me than anything.

[MrViddler]

It took them this long to realize that? I understood that the first time I played FF

[LuminoFirewarrior]

I'm surprised they never realised this before.

Wow.

[Kyre0]

Rich Gallup's Laugh is Priceless!

[jynx13]

This is probably my favorite Bombcast moment.

[englishdeerpark]

OH... DOWN!

That reaction is priceless.

[xxBlacksundayxx]

@englishdeerpark I AM SO GLAD I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO REALIZED THAT AT A VERY LATE POINT IN TIME :(

[nathones]

LMAO wow i'm so newb

[sun5621]

can someone please explain this to me i have never played a Final fantasy game so i get understand it?

[nmarchan]

@sun5621 When one of your characters is knocked out (knocked to 0 hp) in battle in a Final Fantasy game, you can use an item called a phoenix down to revive them.

[oneuptheextraman]

I remember when I heard this on the podcast, and it did BLOW MY MIND!!! I played through 10, and I never figured it out.

[thelastneo]

Dude, I must have rewinded this a TON of times . My mind was also blown....

Sooooo good.. lmao..

[Daelock]

I love it! I actually thought this as well until I replayed FFVI a few years ago.

[CanadaGradeEh]

I love this so much. Cracked-up hard at how exasperated Jeff sounded.

[james5555545]

i still dont get this

[MechaEspio]

@james5555545 "Down" is another word for feathers.

[SpamSpammity]

DOWN!