First we discuss timers in videogames. From their arcade origins to more modern takes of having time as a resource.
Next is jumping. Why so many games have it, and why it’s so effective.
And finally we wrap up with some miscellaneous gaming thomassons. Pixel art, MOBAs, and more.
Part two of our series on thomassons, the vestiges of the arcade.
In this episode we discuss score, combos, difficulty, and loss.
Games mentioned include Mario, Space Invaders, Defender, Pac-Man, Assassin’s Creed, Prince of Persia, and Super Meat Boy.
The term Thomasson comes from Japan and describes a feature of architecture that no longer serves any purpose: a staircase to nowhere, a gate without a fence, a pole supporting nothing. These things arise as cities and buildings evolve naturally over time. The same concept can be applied to videogames.
This episode starts with a few smaller examples of Thomassons in gaming, then ends with an in-depth analysis of why arcade games needed lives and how the Mario series has used them.
Links:
99% Invisible on the invention of the shot clock
99% Invisible on the Thomasson
These episodes cover the entire Call of Duty franchise, plus Titanfall.
Part 2 covers Call of Duty 5-10 as well as Titanfall.
If you’re only interested in the Titanfall section, it starts at 31:20.
These episodes cover the entire Call of Duty franchise, plus Titanfall.
This got surprisingly long, so I had to split it into two parts. I try to keep my episodes short and on track, but I guess when my goal is to cover all aspects of eleven games it’s gonna take a while.
Part 1 covers Call of Duty 1-4, as well as the mechanics that are common to all Call of Duty games.
Kotaku’s overview of the Infinity Ward vs. Activision legal battle
Sorry about the noise! Somewhat fittingly, this is the fan noise from the computer I’m hosting Twitch Plays Zelda from.
We start with the first novel use of Twitch, Salty Bet. This is followed by an analysis of why Twitch Plays Pokemon works so well, mostly by contrasting it with all the hoops I had to jump through to make Twitch Plays Zelda work. I then describe some highlights from Twitch Plays Pokemon, for the uninformed/for future reference. Finally we end with an analysis of what makes TPP unique and appealing, and how it can apply to more conventional games.
If you want to play the games of today fifty years from now, will you be able to? I try and answer this question as broadly as possible, discussing topics including hardware, emulation, what developers are doing about, and what we can do about it.
Relevant links:
Mark Cerny’s PS4 talk, including a section on how hard it was to develop PS3 games
Great article on Tested about the best hardware for retro gaming
First I discuss what makes fighting games good, through an analysis of Evo Moment 37. The remainder of the episode is about the Super Smash Bros. Series, why I’m so excited about Project M, and why you should be too.
For a variety of reasons, I found my favorite games of 2013 all made me feel bad. First I discuss storytelling in gaming more broadly, why it’s so hard to do well, and some examples of how it has been done well in the past. I then discuss the games of this year.
Spoiler alert! I spoil Braid, Call of Duty 4, Final Fantasy 7, and I guess Missile Command with very little warning. I wouldn’t say I horribly spoil anything recent, but if you’re sensitive to that kind of thing, I discuss Papers, Please, Gone Home, Journey, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and The Last of Us in some depth. Just stop listening when I start talking about them.
Relevant Links:
Sometimes every element of a game works together to form a greater whole. Sometimes they clash, dragging the game down to less than the sum of its parts. Here I explore both the good and the bad, with a focus on the level of detail given to a game’s environment.
Games discussed:
Retro/Grade, Gone Home, The Last of Us, Antichamber, Left 4 Dead, Dead Island, Max Payne 3
Relevant links:
Matt Gilgenbach’s GDC talk on the development of Retro/Grade
Polygon’s History of Arkane Studios, containing the anecdote about Deus Ex