Staring at Screens.

In our last episode for the year, we look back at 2014 and discuss the things and events we found significant to our lives as gamers. Also in this episode: Game of Thrones, Bounden, Fantasy Life, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and of course, Not Everything is Flammable. (Game of The Week.) Music: Trevor Morris - Dragon Age Inquisition Main Theme Links: Notch's new $70m mansion Lindsay Lohan: The Price of Fame

Whoops, a really delayed .5 episode. Joel sends his apologies. In this half episode we talk about the games we saw at Gamestart and PAX Aus.

This week we play host to Mike Ferrer from OMGeek and we talk about Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Rune Factory 4, Valkyria Chronicles, and XCOM: Enemy Within, as well as share our experiences at Gamestart 2014 and PAX AUS 2014. Music:  Hitoshi Sakimoto - Valkyria Chronicles (Main Theme)

Crysis 3, PES Manager, Monument Valley, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, Fotonica, Alone and a discussion on what makes a good licensed game. Music: Garry Schyman - The Gravewalker - Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor OST

Achivements in games, Godus, Shovel Knight, Banished, Nidhogg, Another Case Solved, nerd hugs and mouth farts. Music: Jake Kaufman - Strike The Earth! (Plains of Passage) - Shovel Knight OST

This is probably the weirdest .5 episode we've ever recorded. Also, Google blackhead videos at your own risk. You have been warned.

This week you get to enjoy listening to Eric, Joel and Vick ruminate on Dawn of The Immortals, Crazy Taxi for iOS and Android, Saints Row IV, Gunpoint, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Remember Me and Ni No Kuni. In other news we explore binge gaming and try to pick apart its causes and effects.

In which Vick educates us about Taylor Swift's songwriting. Try and decipher if she's a fan or a hater.

On this week's scintillating session, The Lego Movie Videogame, Lego Marvel Superheroes, Lego Harry Potter, GTA Online, Monument Valley, Steampunk Tower, Dawn of The Immortals and of course Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. WHUT? Exactly. 

In which we nerd out a bit about Game of Thrones and '90s IRC.

In this week's episode the gang catches up and talks about Fates Forever, Borderlands 2, Mountain (you've probably never heard of it), Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, Double Dragon Neon, and of course, GTA V. Got questions or comments? Email or Tweet at us. Music: Jake Kaufman - Double Dragon Neon Title Theme

With apologies to Lisa, but even more apologies to the late Tom Clancy.

The dust has kinda settled around E3, which gives us a chance to look at some of the news and announcements without hype-tinted glasses. Along the way we talk about Guild Wars 2, Wildstar, The Wolf Among Us, GTA V, that Watchdogs PC graphics tweak, the Alienware Alpha, Assassin's Creed Unity and the ensuing multiplayer hoo-ha, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Fire Emblem x Shin Megami Tensei, Uncharted 4, Tom Clancy's The Division, The Order 1886, the new Mirror's Edge, The Sims 4 and No Man's Sky. Also, Turn Down For What?

The gang's all back together! This week we talk about Dave's new job at EA, Battleheart Legacy, Kentucky Route Zero, Towerfall Ascension, The Sims 3, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, and Gaming Buyer's Remorse. Check out the gaming consoles, peripherals and games we wish we hadn't shelled out money for. Do you have any gaming purchases that you regret? Email or Tweet at us to let us know. Music: Brian Tyler - Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag OST - A Pirate's Life

This week's episode will be a bit late, but we'll get that to you early next week. Anyway we had to tell you this story first so that you will be able to fully enjoy the episode when it's published on Monday, so for now please enjoy this half-episode. Image credit: xkcd

In this half episode, Dave, Joel, Lisa and Mac discuss the now-abandoned Steam Greenlight game Towns as well as Microsoft's decision to dis-Kinect the Xbox One.

This week Dave, Joel and Lisa play host to Mac Lotze, one third of DAM, the group that made Not Everything is Flammable, and we talk about their experiences from participating in Global Game Jam 2014 and the future of their game. Along the way we discuss A Dark Room, Duet, Luftrausers (with a short aside about Vlambeer and cloned games), and Yoshi's New Island. If you have game jam anecdotes to share, write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @staringscreens. You can find the Global Game Jam build of Not Everything is Flammable here. Music: Rushjet1 - Son of Flynn (it's an 8bit cover of the Daft Punk song off DaChip Vol 2)

In this .5 episode, Dave and Joel talk at length about Fire Emblem: Awakening, and Lisa pontificates on why the Fire Emblem games are "ah beng". (We know. We don't even… either.)

This week Joel and Dave are reunited, and you can hear Lisa's eyeballs rolling in their sockets as they geek out over Pay To Win mechanics in Free To Play (and all other) games. Along the way we discuss Guild Wars 2, Stonehearth (not to be confused with Hearthstone) and Hearthstone (not to be confused with Stonehearth). Got a Pay To Win anecdote or opinion to share? Tell us via email or Twitter.

In this .5 episode we get to talking about FireChat and other chat apps and unwittingly reveal our geriatricity. Also, did you know Alamak Chat still lives?? Whut.

Happy Easter, everyone! In this week's episode, Lisa tells us a really bad joke inspired by Kami, Vick evaluates the story of Max Payne 3 and the mechanics of Disco Zoo, and Joel plays Guild Wars 2 and the sixth and final Layton game, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy. Also Dave sleeps through the entire recording. Inspired by Jim Crawford's GDC talk on Preserving a Sense of Discovery in the Age of Spoilers, we embark on a trip down memory lane as we talk through a few of the Easter Eggs and rumors (true or false) that we know of from our gaming history. Spoiler alert. If you know of any interesting Easter Eggs or glitches (?) in any game you've played, tell us about them via email or Twitter. Music: Disco Zoo OST

During the break Dave, Lisa and Jim shared their experiences with some experimental IRL interactive games. we're not even sure what to call these collectively, but if they are playing near where you live you should definitely check them out. Except for Her Things they should still be playing. Escape From The Time Travel Lab and other Real Escape Games Her Things: An Interactive Real Estate Sale Sleep No More

This week we’re joined by the mercurial Jim Crawford aka Twinbeard of Frog Fractions fame, and he’s been playing Skyrim and Rockband and Hungry Cat Picross; during the recording Lisa plays Doge 2048, a clone of a Threes clone; Joel goes low-fi with the Blackwell series of point and click adventure games; and Dave tells us about the Experimental Games Workshop at GDC and Bounden (watch the video on their site and you'll get it immediately). For this week's discussion we had a chat with Jim about the Frog Fractions 2 Kickstarter (that you should totally back right now) and his adventures in crowdfunding. Inevitably we also discussed Facebook's $2b acquisition of Oculus and pontificate about their nefarious(?) plans for VR technology. If you have any questions for Jim you can tweet @mogwai_poet and as always if you'd like to write in to us you can do so via email or Twitter.  Music: Jim Crawford - Pond Life (Frog Fractions OST)

So during our last recording some of us (we're not naming names) may have gotten a little carried away chatting with our friend Chin the bigshot AAA game developer about their latest game and what they're working on next. The resulting conversation didn't quite make it into the final cut of the episode, but we present it here for your edification. Let us know if you like what you hear.

This week we are joined by Chin from Respawn Entertainment (you may have heard of them) and he talks to us about Titanfall and Dota 2; Joel completes his first Legend of Zelda game: A Link Between Worlds and introduces the very forgiving Yoshi's New Island; Lisa gets started on Autumn Dynasty Warlords (made in Singapore, baby!); and Vick beats down people and slugs in Only One. In other news, we discuss games that disappointed us and try to figure out where they failed to meet our expectations. You know who you are. That's right, we're looking at you, Simcity (2013), Metal Gear Solid 2 & 4, Mirror's Edge, Alphabets, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Fable: The Journey and others. Got a game that disappointed you? Tell us what and why by dropping us an email or a tweet.

Jed from OMGeek joins us this week and he tells us about The Blackwell Legacy; Lisa catches the Threes bug from Dave; Vick finds a new way to enjoy music in Song Blaster; and Joel picks up Dragon Age: Origins from where he left off in 2009 and starts The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. This week we discuss some memorably difficult games and try to expound on the appeal of deliberately (or accidentally) difficult games. Along the way we talk about Codestorm, Flappybird, Dark Souls, Devil May Cry, Battletoads (ARGHH) and many more! Got a difficult game you want to talk about? How hard-boiled are you? Tell us by dropping us an  email or a tweet.

In our most explicit episode ever, Lisa treats us to a sampling of the salacious video game fanfiction she's been reading. (Why, Lisa, WHY??) It's our Valentine's Day episode, so we're humoring her. Be warned, you may need ear bleach afterwards. Definitely don't listen to this episode with your parents within earshot. But before that Joel talks about Broken Age Part 1 and Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, and Dave and Joel gush about the Titanfall Beta. If you have any erotic video game fanfiction to share, keep that shit to yourself. Feel free to email or tweet us for anything else though.

This one's for all you developers out there. In this half-episode, Chin gives Dave some advice on what to do in preparation for attending GDC for the first time. If anyone is going to GDC 2014 and would like to meet up, please write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org and we'll work something out!

We're back! Welcome to 2014! Chin (y'know, from Respawn?) tells us about playing Jet Set Radio Future and Strike Suit Zero during his company-mandated end-of-year break. Joel's been… kinda free, evidently. He talks about overdosing on Batman games, indie darlings Papers, Please! and Starbound, and 22Cans' purportedly 41%-done Godus. This week we talk about our gaming-related resolutions and goals for the new year. Take a listen and find out what we're looking forward to in 2014. Obligatory name-dropping follows: Ultra Street Fighter 4, Evolve, The Witness, Titanfall, GTA V, Watchdogs, and Bravely Default. Got a game you're looking forward to in 2014 or a gaming-related resolution to share? Write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Stay tuned for episode 49.5 next week and an important announcement for the 50th episode soon after that!  Music: Curtis Schweitzer - Starbound Complete OST: Epsilon Indi

That is the question. In which Lisa reveals her ornithophilic tendencies and we discuss various other salacious things. That's right, folks, only Staring At Screens dares to ask the hard questions!! This will be our last episode for the year, but we'll be back fairly soon! So in case we don't get to wish you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Kung Hei Fatt Choy. Okay just kidding, we're not gonna be gone that long. See you in 2014!

Dave finally gets a break from school and he wastes no time getting into Starbound; Lisa tells us about the cute eShop game Super Little Acorns 3D Turbo; and Joel bashes through his backlog with Kirby's Epic Yarn and Stacking. This week we talk about our personal Games of The Year for 2013. If you've been following this podcast closely you shouldn't be too surprised. Join the gang as we look back at an interesting year for Video Games. If you have any thoughts about our choices or if you'd like to let us know what your picks for GOTY are, send us an email at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Music: Stacking OST - Frédéric Chopin - Mazurka in B flat major Op. 7 No. 1

Here is the promised half-episode! See the obligatory pic of a titan and a pilot tiptoeing around a field? Also, you heard it here first: Titanfall pastel skins DLC in 2014!! (Unconfirmed.)

This week Joel gets his ass kicked by the dead and undead in Guacamelee! Gold Edition and State of Decay, Lisa talks about the prototype games she's played at the CMU ETC Building Virtual Worlds Fall 2013 Festival namely Last Egg and Sherlock: Who or What Killed The Butler, and our special guest Chin from Respawn Entertainment (you've probably heard of them) tells us about Titanfall (but of course) and Payday 2. Stick around for the topic of the week where we discuss the paradigm shift from player to developer and pick the brains of industry insiders to learn more about the glitz and glamour of making video games. (Spoiler alert: it's not all fun and games. Actually no, it is all games, just maybe not quite what you're expecti— you know what, just listen to what they have to say.) Got a question for our panel? Want to know what it's like to work in the Video Game industry? Ask us by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing in to hello@staringatscreens.org. Music: Jesper Kyd - State of Decay OST: Civilization Falls

We're back after an unplanned month-long hiatus! What've we been up to besides work and life? Well, this week we update each other about our lives. Joel's been playing (among other things) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Pokemon X & Y, and State of Decay; Lisa's moved to the US and discovered new oldskool in the form of Dark Escape 4D and Tiny Death Star; despite Dave's busy-ness (making games, doncha know) he's managed to play some GTA V and Clicking Bad; and Vick's been in the US spending time with her iPad in Symphonica and Ready Steady Bang. We're back! Talk to us! We've missed you! Tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Also, astute listeners may have noticed that this is actually last week's episode. We had some technical problems so it's really late. As an apology, look out for a full episode (this week's!) in the next few days!

No Episode this week, friends, but here's the promised half-episode where Dave, Eric and Joel wax lyrical about Warriors Orochi 3 character names and designs. We'll be back with more next week!

In our most G-rated episode in a while (read: all boys) Eric beats up Dave's ancestors in Warriors Orochi 3, Joel talks about mangled Japanese culture in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destines, and we all weigh in on the incredible chimera that is Mercenary Kings. This week we talk about gamers' expectations of the price of games. Along the way we touch on some fairly meaty topics: Digital Distribution, Free-to-Play monetization and Steam Sales. Got something to say about this? How much are you willing to pay for your games? Tell us on Twitter @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. HUGE episode this week guys, but stay tuned for a bonus half-episode to be posted later this week! Music: Patrice Bourgeault - Mercenary Kings OST - Jungle 1 Links: Sony explains why PS4 will cost $1,845 in Brazil Extra Credits on games in Brazil Errata: Mercenary Kings is currently in Steam Early Access is not technically alpha, but open-beta. In April 2013 Forbes reported that Supercell makes $2.4Million a day between their two games, Hay Day and Clash of The Clans. This figure has likely significantly increased by now. Steam now has 65 million total users, compared with 48 million on Xbox LIVE.

In our most frightening episode yet, Vick eats peanut butter with a spoon (ew); special guest Junch (The Big Gap) tells us about Fire Emblem: Awakening, GTA Online, and Sir, You Are Being Hunted; Lisa talks about Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Kingdom Rush Frontiers; and Joel tells us about Pokemon Amie in Pokemon X and Y and The Stanley Parable. The topic for this week is Gaming Nightmares. Steel yourself, Dear Listener, for harrowing tales from our collective gaming histories. These are not for the faint of heart; you have been warned! Got a scary story you'd like to share? Tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. 

Before you listen to this episode, watch this trailer. We're serious. Go on, GET! Welcome back. On this week's episode, Vick's Xbox finally sees some action in the form of Max Payne 3, Lisa demonstrates her vastly superior intellect in Har•mo•ny, and Joel geeks out about Pokémon X only to receive a tepid response. (PHILISTINES!) This week we bravely go where no game publication has dared go before and ask the uncomfortable question: "What makes a game cute?" Gird your loins, ladies, as we namedrop Kirby's Epic Yarn, Nimblebit games, Orisinal: Morning Sunshine, Nintendogs, and Pokémon (but of course) and many more. Questions? Comments? Tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us athello@staringatscreens.org.

On this week's thrilling episode, Eric is back(!) and he tells us about replaying Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, getting DMC: Devil May Cry on sale and his latest obsession: Just Dance 2014. Dave too is back(!) and he tells us about what he's been up to lately in the Carnegie Mellon University ETC (read: not playing video games). Joel is… still here(…) and against all conventional wisdom he goes full-Nintendo with Pokémon X, Lego City Undercover and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. In the second segment we talk about the Oculus Rift and the kinds of games we'd like to see on the platform. Along the way we name drop Hawken, Titanfall, Eurotruck Simulator, Just Dance 2015, Saints Row IV, AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome, Gone Home, and the Virtuix Omni treadmill. If you have questions or comments you can tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Errata: The game we're actually thinking of at the 4:30 mark is River Valley Rendang River City Ransom. Sigh. The set up that Joel alludes to at 37:30 is not for AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome but for SkyDIEving. The link to that simulation is below. Links: An overly-elaborate SkyDIEving Tech Demo setup Dreadhalls experienced on the Oculus Rift (whyyyyy would you do that??) Music: Craig Toungate - Prince Ali (from Just Dance 2014)

On this week's episode, Joel and Vick are joined by Stephanie aka UbiSpectre from Ubisoft and we talk about Ghost Recon Online, Year Walk, Tropico 4 and Lego City Undercover.  Later on we go through some old games and try to decide if they are vintage or antiques. On the way we mention the Megaman and Megaman X games, both old and new Karateka, Theme Hospital, Chrono Trigger, The Legend of Zelda games, Final Fantasy 7, Planescape Torment, The Prince of Persia and many more! Join us on our trip down memory lane by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Let us hear about your well/poorly aged games! Links: Sequelitis: Mega Man Classic vs. Mega Man X All Philips CD-i Legend of Zelda cutscenes. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. Music:  Alex Torres & His Latin Orchestra - Fuego de Pasion (featured in Tropico 4)

This week Vick puts more time into Saints Row IV and introduces us to Dragon Finga; aside from more Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Lisa plays The Alphabet Game and Cookie Clicker, but the less said about that the better; and Joel talks about Knights of Pen and Paper +1 and the very pretty Sine Mora. Our topic of discussion is Weird Games that we've played, namely Katamari Damacy, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, LocoRoco, Patapon, Rhythm Heaven, Robot Unicorn Attack, Heavy Rain, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, There's No Time To Explain, WarioWare and Mr. Mosquito. Reminisce with us by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Let us hear about your weird games. You sickos. Links: Tom Chick's reviews of Halo 4 and Uncharted 3 Darren Geer's interpretation of Gabe Newell Music: Akira Yamaoka - Sine Mora OST- Cardinal Canyon A

This week Dave is the first one of us to get to play Grand Theft Auto V. Much patronizing follows. In other news Joel finally plays Gone Home (so you should see a spoiler episode about that soon), Cookie Clicker, Gunpoint, and Card Hunter. Which segues very nicely into our discussion topic for the week: Free To Play games. Along the way we name drop Candy Crush, Clash of The Clans, Plants Vs. Zombies 2, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic iOS game, and MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Elder Scrolls Online and Final Fantasy XIV. So, Dear Listener, which F2P games do you enjoy and which do you shy away from? Tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org and let us know! Links: Joel's blog post about the likelihood of a GTA V on PC PC Gamer's estimate of the GTA V PC release date — supported by math!

This week Dave tells us what it's like developing for the Oculus Rift, Vick finally gets to gush about Saints Row IV, Lisa tells us about Autumn in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and walks us through the four new Nintendo 3DS StreetPass Games, and Joel catches up on the fourth and fifth Professor Layton games and watches a full playthrough of The Last of Us on Youtube. The topic of discussion this week (which was totally Vick's idea) is gaming culture's apparent obsession with breasts. Once the initial sniggering dies down we look at some female video game character design vis–à–vis Dragon's Crown, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Code of Princess, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Now I know you're gonna want to join this discussion, so go ahead and tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Oh and other that Lightning in the masthead image, here are the characters we referenced in today's episode. The Dragon's Crown heroines   The Dragon's Crown heroes   Morrigan as she appears in Dragons Age   Jack as she appears in Mass Effect 2   and Solange from Code of Princess   Links Jenn Frank — "Tits or GTFO"

This week Dave gropes his friends in Wenis Wars, chucks blocks in Searchlight, and finishes other people's sentences in Blackbar; Joel breaks in his shiny new Wii U with Nintendo Land and Pikmin 3; and Vick reveals her indie side in Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP. We also talk about the relatively recent rise of collectible NFC chip toys in gaming with obvious nods to Disney Infinity, the Skylanders series, and the much anticipated (or dreaded depending on your point of view) Pokémon Rumble U. Is this just a cynical money grab? Do you think this is just a passing fad or are NFC toys here to stay?  Let us know by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org.

We're back! Did you miss us? We missed you! This week Vick finishes Infinity Blade 2 four times, Joel talks us through The Showdown Effect and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Dave takes his time with Gone Home, and (almost) everybody gets to play Saints Row IV on launch day. In the run up to the launch of Grand Theft Auto V we discuss Realism and how it affects our enjoyment of video games. Along the way we mention Prototype, Skyrim, the GTA games, milsims like ARMA, The Last of Us, Cart Life, Dope Wars, FFVII, and Galatea by Emily Short. So, Dear Listeners, how does realism affect YOUR enjoyment of video games? Tell us by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Links: Galatea by Emily Short That misquote about GTA IV and Howard Zinn came from this excellent Polygon article

On this week's episode, Joel don't see nothing wrong with a little bump and Fire Emblem Awakening; Lisa can't stop talking about Animal Crossing: New Leaf; Dave tries to sell us on the gorgeous Muramasa Rebirth on the PS Vita; and Siri Vick refuses to quit Assassins Creed 3 even though she's getting bored. For the rest of the time we just shoot the breeze about the various things on Sale at this point in time. There's the Club Nintendo offer of $30 eShop credit if you purchase and register Shin Megami Tensei IV and Fire Emblem Awakening before 31 Aug, Steam Summer Sale obviously, the iOS 5th anniversary sale, and Kentucky Route Zero is 25% off. Also, did you know that in Animal Crossing you can buy and sell turnips at a profit? ISN'T THAT COOL?? If you have anything to add to the conversation or you'd just like to find out Lisa's Nintendo friend code so you can watch her sleep in Animal Crossing Awakening, you can write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Creepy Lisa is creepy Links: Leigh Alexander on the escapism of life sims PBS Idea Channel on Animal Crossing Don't cross Tom Nook (PVPOnline)

Wedding bells are ringing on this week's episode! Newlywed Joel talks about playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf (on his honeymoon no less) and retro-chic ADnD-themed beat-em-up Chronicles of Mystara, Vick tries her hand at the 10-year old Puzzle Pirates and finds it strangely familiar, Lisa relaxes her mind by flicking ice cubes over holes in Puzzle Retreat, and Dave buys XCOM: Enemy Unknown a second time (this time on the iPad) and we find out why. Discussion topic for this week: Games that require high levels of time commitment to play or even get started playing. Along the way we namedrop Ni No Kuni, The Witcher series, Skyrim, the Dragon Age series, Persona 4, the Arkham games, Far Cry 3, Angry Birds, The Sims, The Last of Us, the Alan Wake games, L.A. Noire, Red Dead Redemption, the MMO genre, and GTA V. By the way, no offense was intended to people living with OCD, ADHD, paraplegia or a vagina. If you take issue with our use of these labels on this episode, please email your complaints to vick@vicksredredemption.org. Otherwise if you have anything to add to the conversation write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Errata Chronicles of Mystara is actually on Steam and PSN too. Not just XBLA. Puzzle Pirates was on Java. Not Flash.

A half-episode as Dave & Chia Jun Shen of thebiggap.com gush about The Last of Us and discuss the ending, amongst other spoilery things. ** THIS EPISODE HAS POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US (duh), BIOSHOCK INFINITE, UNCHARTED 2, BRAID, AND STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS (yes.) ** In addition to the controversial ending, they chat about companion AIs from other games, how the logic of the game sometimes defies common sense, whether Joel is an identifiable protagonist, and the brilliant, brilliant writing and relationship between Joel & Ellie. Also, Nolan North as David, Naughty Dog's elegant game design, the brilliant segments that were Fall & Winter, combat mechanics that reward improvisation, why a sequel wouldn't work, and Dave's issues with all the women around Joel dying for his story to progress. Links: On the needs of the one versus the needs of the many. (Forbes) Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us (Trailer)

We are joined by special guests Brian Kwek of Witching Hour Studios and games journalist Cassandra Khaw this week as we discuss how being South-East Asian has influenced our enjoyment, creation, and discussion of games. But before that, a lively discussion of why Remember Me was disappointing, and Cassandra introduces all of us to A Dark Room. Meanwhile Dave gets lost while playing Survivor Z, and Vick quickly disses Ingress. But only because she was playing it in Singapore. In a small departure from our usual gamut of topics, this week the crew and guests explore broadly how being (South-East) Asian has affected their careers are game writers and developers. Naturally, parental expectations are discussed, as well as these careers being 'outlier professions' in the eyes of Asian society, issues of creative and technical competency in the region, and the struggles of independent game developers in Asia. Definitely a topic in which we would like you to join the discussion: do write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Links: Cassandra wrote about Handsome Jack and Angel in Father Knows Best (Unwinnable) Witching Hour Studios' latest game Ravenmark: Mercenaries  (Yes, Brian and team wrote this, not outsourced to someone from the UK) Venus Patrol's  Horizon being an alternative E3 (Joystiq) And if you haven't played it yet, Candy Box If you like indie games, a good resource can be found here. We also think you should follow @johnpolson, @CPriestman & @weetim. Addendum: The ARG game that Dave and Vick were playing on their iOS devices a few years ago is Shadow Cities. Dave only has about 215 T-Shirts, not 300, including those not from Threadless.

Extra long episode this week, Dear Listener. There's just so much to talk about!! This week we are joined by our pals James, Jed and Mike from OMGeek.net, and they tell us about the massive complexity that is Wargame: Airland Battle, Joel gushes about yet another cutesy game in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Lisa finds her true calling as the Mother of Dragons in Kingdom Rush 2, Vick discovers the burden of being a normal human being in The Last of Us, and Dave finally gets the chance the use the term "ludonarrative dissonance" in regular conversation. (Regular for Dave, anyway.) In the topical segment we discuss the Microsoft and Sony announcements at E3 2013 vis-a-vis the controversies surrounding Microsoft's Xbox One messaging and the absolute smackdown that was delivered by Sony's PS4 announcment. We also talk about some of the upcoming games flogged at E3, namely the deliciously cross-platform Watchdogs, the mystifyingly-numbered Mirror's Edge 2, the pulchritudinous Bayonetta 2 and the wordily-named Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. If you would like to join the discussion, write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Links: Animal Crossing Comic (Lyk dis if u cry everytiem!) Watchdogs performance capture with Sebastien Merlowe

On this week's episode, Vick doesn't get killed in traffic while playing(?) Zombies, Run! Joel picks up Humble Indie Bundle 8 and tries out Proteus and Thomas Was Alone which are NOT "cutesy games"; Lisa reveals that she lives in North Korea ("prison camp") and is disappoint with Street Food Tycoon; and Dave continues his PS Plus free game streak with Infamous 2 and Virtua Tennis 4. Oh, and Static Shock totally wears a bra on his head. CANNOT UNSEE. SO COMFY!! I CAN BARELY FEEL THE UNDERWIRE!! The topic for the week is games we underestimated and were pleasantly surprised by. Find out which SAS team member has Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to the endless runner genre, which team member is still on dial-up internet, and who has been on the internet since at least 2004. If you have anything to add to our most awkward episode ever — perhaps a game or two that you found unexpectedly enjoyable — we invite you to join the conversation by writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweeting us @StaringScreens.