Before Todd Howard’s promises about the climbability of mountains was Peter Molyneux and Fable , a game which promised a level of interactivity never seen before in an RPG. Have children (that could continue your legacy when you died), plant a tree and see it grow, and dynamic rivalries with other heroes - Fable was going to have it all. Instead we got something far simpler in scope and ambition. There were hints or shadows of something more grandiose, properties could be bought, reputation exis...
Feb 20, 2023•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 101
The original Pathologic has long been regarded as a cult classic. Obtuse, frustrating, boring and unfriendly, it nonetheless captured people’s imaginations with its densely woven storytelling and mystical dialogue. It was a game that came at the art form from a completely different direction from what everyone else was doing, but was ultimately limited by its fairly simple gameplay. Pathologic 2 aimed to solve the gameplay problem. Ice Pick Lodge, with a wagon full of kickstarter money, wanted t...
Jan 30, 2023•2 hr 25 min•Ep. 100
When we started this podcast nearly 4 years ago, we did so with a clear goal in mind. We wanted to play, review and critique games of the past from a perspective free of nostalgia. As the gaming industry grew, games changed, for both better and worse - and it is worthwhile to examine all those creaky and dust covered titles to see what has been forgotten. Sometimes mechanics truly are outdated, sometimes modern games have done it better - but not always. And discovering when an old game offers s...
Jan 09, 2023•2 hr 35 min
The Metroid games are certified classics for a reason. Super Metroid , in particular, is responsible for inventing an entire genre, with a shockingly tight design that puts all other games of its era to shame. The 90s came and went without seeing a 3D metroid game, but in 2002 we finally saw the release of Metroid Prime. Could it possibly capture the magic of what made the 2D games great? Well, according to the reviews of the time, it did that, and more. Metroid Prime received close to universal...
Dec 26, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 99
When Resident Evil first came out in 1996, it wrote the book on what 3D survival horror was meant to be. Fixed camera angles, a creepy atmosphere, tank controls and bizarrely themed puzzles - these were now synonymous with the genre, whether you liked it or not. And for the most part, people liked it very much indeed, with its mainline sequels (and a couple of the spinoffs) sticking to and refining what made the original so compelling. It's no surprise then that Resident Evil 4 was released to s...
Nov 28, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 98
The Chronicles of Riddick, when it first released in 2004, was the definition of mediocre sci-fi schlock. Riddick, played by Vin Diesel, came across as a generic edgelord, and it seemed to lean into special effects and spectacle over anything more substantial. It's a direction that didn’t play well with critics, nor with the fans of the previous entry, Pitch Black . So it was to everyone’s surprise when a videogame set in this same world was released to widespread critical acclaim. Vin Diesel, u...
Nov 07, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 97
Gamefreak , on the rarest of occasions, takes a break from toiling away in the Pokemon mines. And when they do, sometimes they strike gold. Such was the case with Drill Dozer , first released in 2005 to mostly favourable reviews. As time ticked on, however, many began to look back on it with increasing fondness, and it's not hard to find those who consider it one of the best games ever released for the Gameboy Advance. You play as Jill, pilot of the Drilldozer: a short and squat mech that harnes...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 96
Mega Man X, first released in 1993 and developed by Capcom, is a certified Super Nintendo classic. Widely considered to be one of the strongest entries in the entire expanded Mega Man franchise, it took the classic formulae of running and gunning and turned it up to 11. The graphics were more colourful and detailed, the music got bumped up a notch, and the arsenal available was wider than ever before. X even had expanded movement options, and the slide/dash of the game is wildly influential in i...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 95
Peter Jackson made history with the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but as far as he was concerned he was just getting warmed up. A mere two years later saw him remaking King Kong , with the marketing department splashing his name all over the place so there could be no doubt that this was indeed a Peter Jackson film. Like with the LOTR hack and slash games, a video game was developed at the same time as the film with the actors reprising their roles, and it even released a few weeks b...
Sep 19, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 94
Blade Runner is one of the most exceptional and influential works of science fiction to ever grace the silver screen. It brought the works of Phillip K Dick to life from its opening shots of geysers of flame erupting in the shadow of the Tyrell Corporation’s Egyptian skyscrapers. The technology might be fantastical and the world transformed, but the people of the city were the same, and Blade Runner knows it. To this day it is considered one of the best explorations and examinations of humanity,...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 93
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, as the ninth game in the series, did not radically alter the formula that made the series what it is. Take one pinch of tactics, mix liberally with some RPG mechanics and bake together into a cohesive fantasy world, and at the end of it you’ll have a Fire Emblem game. It did, however, introduce some new features and changes that did make it stand out. Released for the Gamecube in 2005 and developed by Intelligent Systems, Path of Radiance was the first 3D Fire Embl...
Aug 23, 2022•2 hr 14 min•Ep. 92
Rez , first released in 2001 for the Dreamcast and PS2, is many things. It's a rail shooter, heralded as one of the greats of a now mostly dead genre. It's a visual assault on the senses, with its pulsating neon wireframes and insanely animated boss fights. It's an audio hallucinatory trip, with musical beats emanating from every killed enemy, and every shot fired rapping like a snare drum. It is, in short, an experience unlike any other. But for all its uniqueness, is Rez a game worth your time...
Aug 01, 2022•51 min•Ep. 91
Sly 2: Band Of Thieves released at a special time in 3D platforming history: the GTA era. In much the same way that Ubisoft would eventually set the (dismal) standard for open worlds, Grand Theft Auto 3 went on to define how 3d action games should be made. The three big platforming names of the PS2 - Jax and Daxter, Ratchett and Clank, and of course, Sly Cooper, all radically shifted their macro level design in the wake of GTA’s popularity. What does that mean? It means we’ve got an open world, ...
Jul 18, 2022•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 90
By 1999, when Gorky 17 released, the genre of tactics games was definitely well trod. X-COM , Final Fantasy Tactics , Jagged Alliance - these were all heavy hitters, and many consider them to still be masterpieces to this day. But the Polish developers at Metropolis Software were not to be cowed, and set out to put their own spin on sequentially murdering monsters on rigid tiles. Unlike other tactics games, this would be a short and tight game, clocking in at 10 hours. Unlike other tactics games...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 46 min•Ep. 89
Tyrian 2000 is, to this day, regarded as one of the greatest shmups ever made. It boasts a continuous campaign that goes for 5 episodes and 50 levels, a ludicrous array of guns to dock your ship out with, and a varied and creative enemy roster. The game is stuffed to the cracks with bonus content - secret levels, unlocks, minigames - even fighting game special moves tied to each ship! It's not hard to see why it has garnered so much praise. And compared to its bullet hell brethren, it's a far mo...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 88
Before we had Resident Evil and Silent Hill, we had Ecstatica. First released in 1994 for MS DOS, Ecstatica blew critics away at the time of its release with its stunning ellipsoid based character models and realistic environments. You play as a simple traveller stopping in town to water their horse - which turns out to be the worst decision they could have made. Within seconds of setting foot inside this village you are immediately beset by horrors and demons, witness scenes of sadism and tortu...
May 30, 2022•58 min•Ep. 87
Mario Kart has long been king of the Kart Racer. Ever since it debuted back in 1992 on the SNES, it seems that every other entry has lived in its long shadow. But back in 1997 we saw a challenger emerge to contest its throne: Diddy Kong Racing. Both developed and published by Rare, Diddy Kong Racing was critically acclaimed at the time of its release. It had a hub world to drive around in and select races from, a different take on powerups, and most dramatically of all had 3 different vehicles t...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 86
For all of our complaints, we did enjoy Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory . While it failed to maximise its different elements into a creative challenge, its core gameplay is just as good as it was in the first title. So when we remembered that an entire coherent Co-op campaign was released alongside the main game, it seemed like an excellent opportunity for us to suit up and demonstrate our brilliant stealth chops to one another. We were hoping we would breeze through it in a few hours, particularly ...
May 02, 2022•50 min
Star Wars: Republic Commando received good press when it first released back in 2005. Instead of playing as a Jedi, you play as a stormtrooper, albeit a gifted and specially trained one. You lead missions with your 4 troop squad set during the height of the Clone Wars, taking down enemy artillery, investigating derelict spacecraft and doing reconnaissance on contested worlds. It was considered a fresh and well executed fusion of the broader fantastical world of Star Wars with the more frontline ...
Apr 25, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 85
Diablo 2 is one of the most influential games ever made. Evolving on the basic formulae created in Diablo 1 , it introduced many concepts that are now considered genre staples: skill trees, socketed items, champion packs and the stash. Not only have countless games just like it come in its wake - every single element of this game has been spun off into other genres. MMOs take from Diablo 2. FPS games take from Diablo 2. Its tendrils writhe deep into the flesh of the gaming landscape, even today....
Apr 12, 2022•3 hr 3 min•Ep. 84
House of the Dead 2 is one of the most famous, and most successful, arcade cabinet games of all time. Not only that, it's been credited along with Resident Evil for spearheading the resurgence of zombies in media that occurred in the late 90s. But for all its success, I don’t think anyone could have anticipated the spinoff title that would emerge just a year later: The Typing of the Dead. The game stays shockingly close to the original, with the main change being replacing shooting bullets at en...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 83
Eternal Darkness is a game that holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. You play as Alexandra Roivos, called to her father’s mansion to confirm his identity after he is found dead and horrifically mangled. Annoyed by the police’s incompetence at solving this murder, Alex begins to explore the mansion in the hope that it will reveal some clues as to how he died. Before too long she discovers the first pages of the Book of Eternal Darkness, detailing the first encounter of a Roman legio...
Mar 14, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 82
The release of Goldeneye in 1995 was one of the most successful reboots in cinematic history. Pierce Brosnan’s take on Bond was suave and sophisticated, with just a touch of melancholy, which was the perfect fit for a more grounded and serious Bond film. It had its fair share of silly moments, but there was something special about Goldeneye that made it memorable. So it was no surprise to anyone when just two years later, we got a game based off the movie - Goldeneye 007, released for the Ninten...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 81
Mushihimesama is one of many arcade titles developed by Cave, who were best known for their danmaku or ‘bullet hell’ style shoot ‘em ups during the late 90’s and 2000’s. First released in 2004, Mushihimesama stood in stark contrast to the glut of sci-fi shooters with its beautiful visual style that depicted a wild and untamed fantasy world ruled by enormous insects. Since then it has seen many re-releases on the PlayStation 2, Xbox360, phones, PC and most recently the Nintendo Switch. In Mushihi...
Feb 07, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 80
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory comes with a weighty legacy. Many consider this 2005 game to be the best stealth game of all time, edging out even games like Metal Gear Solid and Thief. Chaos Theory builds on the first two games in the series, introducing smarter AI, slightly more open level design and a unique hacking tool built to fit the cyber themed story that the game tries to tell. When we played Splinter Cell 1, we both really enjoyed the experience. And on paper, Chaos Theory does everything...
Jan 24, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 79
Celeste is not your average platformer. When it was released in 2018, it took the world by storm, delighting casual players and speedrunners alike. Its levels were divided into screens reminiscent of Super Meat Boy, featuring fast and frequent death with extremely frequent checkpoints. It had a simple, but warming and competently written story, a rarity for the platforming genre. And while it might appear simple at first glance, the mechanics at play here unfold deeper and deeper the more you se...
Jan 10, 2022•1 hr 59 min•Ep. 78
It's Mailbag time! In this episode, Pat and James continue the Christmas tradition of answering listener questions in their third annual Mailbag episode. We want to say a special thank you to everyone in our discord community, both for the questions and just being with us over the years. When we started the podcast we always hoped that something like this would happen, but realising it is something else all together. You are all the reason we continue to record episode after episode - it makes i...
Dec 27, 2021•2 hr 8 min•Ep. 77
When Street Fighter 2 first released in arcades in 1991, it single handedly revolutionised the fighting game genre. It introduced shocking concepts like letting you select more than one character! And for the very first time combinations of attacks could be strung together while the enemy player was still stunned (which, hilariously, was a bug). Its characters essentially defined the archetypes and set the baseline for how characters should be designed. This was the Mario or the Doom of the figh...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 76
When Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom was released in 2002, it was not to a fanfare of fervor or excitement. This was the 6th title in Impression Games’ city builder series, and it was widely viewed as more of the same. Caesar, Pharoah, Zeus and now Emperor all had the same baseline mechanics, and although they had their own theming and nuanced differences, they still mostly played the same. Critics were not impressed. Emperor brought along a couple of refinements in residential walls and roa...
Nov 29, 2021•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 75
From the very moment Jet Set Radio released, it wowed its audience. It blew people away with its at the time revolutionary cell shaded graphics, and boasts an undeniably funky soundtrack, with bangers like Yellow Bream and Recipe for the Perfect Afro . Adding graffiti tagging to the gameplay of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater? It seemed like a match made in heaven, and all done in incredible style. But have the sands of time been kind to Jet Set Radio, or just the opposite? We have seen endless iteration...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 74
