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Dead Formats: An Obscure Movie Podcast

Dead Formats: An Obscure Movie Podcast

Maximum Surge (2003) with Jim and Staring Jon

May 4, 2026 · 1 hr 50 min · 24 segments

Chris is joined by Jim from Waxing the Porpoise and Staring Jon to discuss Maximum Surge (2003), a "film" Frankensteined…

Chris is joined by Jim from Waxing the Porpoise and Staring Jon to discuss Maximum Surge (2003), a "film" Frankensteined together using footage from full-motion video (FMV) games. The trio discuss the history of FMV games, debate the meaning of "virtual habitation system", and reminisce about grade school computer lab shenanigans. The episode concludes with a trivia game featuring questions about defunct soda brands. If you have a GMC Sierra, you won't want to miss this one! Follow Jim and Jon: - Instagram: Waxing the Porpoise - Twitch: KineticOnslot Follow Dead Formats: Bluesky // Instagram // Letterboxd // Discord

Chris is joined by Jim from Waxing the Porpoise and Staring Jon to discuss Maximum Surge (2003), a "film" Frankensteined…

Speakers: ChrisHostJimGuestStaring JonGuest

Top entities: Maximum Surge×31 Digital Pictures×13 Full-motion video×30 Night Trap×7 Sega×12

FMV Games 1011:10 – 3:39

J

JimGuest

1:10

Um, Dead Format this week, basically the assets left over from the collapse of a video game developer repurposed and s- assembled into a film.

C

1:21

Yeah.

J

JimGuest

1:21

Um, [laughs]

C

1:22

A full-motion video game developer, to be precise.

C

1:26

FMV, for anyone that doesn't know, is basically when a game uses recorded video files to display action in a game rather than using rendered graphics.

C

1:36

It was all the rage for, like, five years.

C

1:38

So what are your guys' experience with FMV games?

J

JimGuest

1:42

Kick us off, Jon.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:44

Yeah.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:44

Uh, so obviously Sega CD era, right? Played those.

C

1:49

Yeah.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:50

And it was so funny just to see some of the videos, and then I just had, like, these flashbacks to, like, trying to play basketball on the Sega CD.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:58

I can't remember what the name of the game was, but it was just-

C

2:00

Uh, Scotty Pippen's Slam City-

S

Staring JonGuest

2:03

[laughs]

C

2:03

... or something like that [laughs]

S

Staring JonGuest

2:04

I think that's exactly correct, yes.

C

2:07

[laughs]

S

Staring JonGuest

2:07

Uh, and it, you couldn't do any- Like, it was like those games were just so terrible.

S

Staring JonGuest

2:12

Uh, you had to, you, you- the controls just felt so deli- But you'd always gone from these, like s- the 16-bit era, right? Even into-

C

2:20

Mm-hmm

S

Staring JonGuest

2:21

... like, the 64 and stuff, and just, just, like, see- like, having control over live people in a situation setting.

S

Staring JonGuest

2:28

Like, it was just such a cool thing.

S

Staring JonGuest

2:30

And so, as we're watching it, it definitely hit some of that, you know, nostalgia factor there, where it's just like, God, I remember when-

C

2:36

Yeah

Maximum SurgeMovie2003 film
100%31 mentions
Digital PicturesCompanyVideo game company
99%13 mentions
Full-motion videoEntity
99%30 mentions
Night TrapEntityVideo game
98%7 mentions
SegaCompanyVideo game company
97%12 mentions
Virtual realityEntity
97%9 mentions
Walter KoenigPersonAmerican actor and screenwriter
96%8 mentions
JaguarEntityAnimal
96%3 mentions
Corpse KillerVideo GameVideo game
95%6 mentions
Mortal Kombat 3Video GameArcade game
94%6 mentions
Control-VisionEntity
94%6 mentions
Mike DitkaPersonAmerican football player and coach
93%9 mentions
Woody JeffreysPersonActor
93%2 mentions
Jason BourquePersonCanadian film writer
92%6 mentions
GameCubeProduct ModelGame controller
91%2 mentions
Xbox OneProduct ModelVideo game console
91%2 mentions
Area 51AirportAir base in Lincoln County, Nevada
90%12 mentions
Star Wars: Shadows of the EmpireBookBook by George Lucas, John Wagner, and Steve Perry
90%2 mentions
Sega CDProductPeripheral
89%7 mentions
Make My VideoVideo Game SeriesSeries
88%2 mentions
TwitchEntityTelevision broadcaster
88%4 mentions
Cameo appearanceEntitySpecial TV performance type
87%2 mentions
GodEntitySupreme being
87%8 mentions
Call of DutyVideo GameVideo game
86%4 mentions
YouTubeWebsiteVideo sharing company
86%2 mentions
BeerEntityAlcoholic beverage
85%4 mentions
Power GloveProduct
84%5 mentions
Pac-ManVideo GameVideo game
84%4 mentions
SONYCompanyMultinational conglomerate company
83%1 mention
William H. MacyPersonAmerican actor and filmmaker
83%3 mentions
Stranger ThingsTV SeriesTelevision series
82%1 mention
Tom ZitoPersonVideo game designer
81%2 mentions
Blu-ray DiscEntityFilm format
81%3 mentions
Dragon's LairVideo Game SeriesVideo game series
80%5 mentions
Star Trek GenerationsMovie1994 film
80%1 mention
ChristmasEntityCelebration
79%7 mentions
3DOEntityGame console
78%6 mentions
OK SodaProduct
78%1 mention
GovernmentEntityOrganization type
77%2 mentions
Yasmine BleethPersonAmerican actress
77%9 mentions
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest ServiceGovernment OrganizationGovernment agency
76%1 mention
Maximum ForceVideo GameVideo game
75%2 mentions
AMC TheatresCompanyEntertainment company
75%4 mentions
BlueskySoftware ApplicationSocial media service
74%2 mentions
Pepsi BlueProductDrink
74%1 mention
VHSProductMedia format
73%3 mentions
Nintendo Entertainment SystemProduct ModelVideo game console
72%2 mentions
Commodore 64EntityComputer
72%4 mentions
Tower of PowerMusic GroupBand
71%1 mention
Don SwayzePersonAmerican actor
71%2 mentions

CameosEntertainment > Film > Actors
Video GamesEntertainment > Film
Cultural ReferencesEntertainment > Film > Actors > Cameos
GenresEntertainment > Video Games
HistoryEntertainment > Video Games
ActorsEntertainment > Film
Full Motion VideoEntertainment > Film > Video Games
Game DevelopmentEntertainment > Film > Video Games > Full Motion Video
FMV GamesEntertainment > Video Games > History
Cultural ImpactEntertainment > Video Games > History > FMV Games
Video Game AdaptationsEntertainment > Film > Media
NostalgiaEntertainment > Film > Media > Video Game Adaptations
Interactive MoviesEntertainment > Video Games > Genres
Game MechanicsEntertainment > Video Games > Genres > Interactive Movies
Entertainment
Video GamesEntertainment
FilmEntertainment
MediaEntertainment > Film

FMV Games 1011:10 – 3:39

J

JimGuest

1:10

Um, Dead Format this week, basically the assets left over from the collapse of a video game developer repurposed and s- assembled into a film.

C

1:21

Yeah.

J

JimGuest

1:21

Um, [laughs]

C

1:22

A full-motion video game developer, to be precise.

C

1:26

FMV, for anyone that doesn't know, is basically when a game uses recorded video files to display action in a game rather than using rendered graphics.

C

1:36

It was all the rage for, like, five years.

C

1:38

So what are your guys' experience with FMV games?

J

JimGuest

1:42

Kick us off, Jon.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:44

Yeah.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:44

Uh, so obviously Sega CD era, right? Played those.

C

1:49

Yeah.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:50

And it was so funny just to see some of the videos, and then I just had, like, these flashbacks to, like, trying to play basketball on the Sega CD.

S

Staring JonGuest

1:58

I can't remember what the name of the game was, but it was just-

C

2:00

Uh, Scotty Pippen's Slam City-

S

Staring JonGuest

2:03

[laughs]

C

2:03

... or something like that [laughs]

S

Staring JonGuest

2:04

I think that's exactly correct, yes.

C

2:07

[laughs]

S

Staring JonGuest

2:07

Uh, and it, you couldn't do any- Like, it was like those games were just so terrible.

S

Staring JonGuest

2:12

Uh, you had to, you, you- the controls just felt so deli- But you'd always gone from these, like s- the 16-bit era, right? Even into-

C

2:20

Mm-hmm

S

Staring JonGuest

2:21

... like, the 64 and stuff, and just, just, like, see- like, having control over live people in a situation setting.

S

Staring JonGuest

2:28

Like, it was just such a cool thing.

S

Staring JonGuest

2:30

And so, as we're watching it, it definitely hit some of that, you know, nostalgia factor there, where it's just like, God, I remember when-

C

2:36

Yeah

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