Podcasts about emotive pixels

Conclude Nathan Drake's (and one arc of Emotive Pixels') journeys here with a long, rambley discussion of the best in the series, deserving a lower score than Uncharted 2.

This episode of Emotive Pixels sees us, like so many others in the doldrums of 2020+, return to things left unfinished in our past. In this fine week from years past, we discuss Pauly favorite game Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, from 2010. Many things are said, it's unclear why Nate was here, and Craig loves God of War. Pauly leads the show this week with some discussions into the mechanics of this game, how it relates to other Castlevanias, and a very impressive award he bestows upon the game. Will brings interesting questions like the inspirations bordering on homages peppered throughout this game from design doc to architecture.

This week, we draw lots of parallels to somewhat-obscure post-postmodernist English literature in a discussion about DEViCE 6, a game by Swedish developer Simogo. Device 6 is an iOS-exclusive title heartily inspired by 1960s-era spy films, most notably "The Prisoner", and it plays as an interactive text adventure fiction combined with escape-the-room puzzles across 6 separate 'episodes'. The game plays with a mild illusion of choose your own adventure, but doesn't quite work out that way by the end. Our host this week, Nate, has a lot to say about the parallels between this game and ergodic literature (a form of literature that requires more out of the reader than basic text); Nate's most prominent example being Mark Z. Danielewski's seminal 2000 work House of Leaves, a book that attempts to answer the questions and fantasies of early media experts prophesizing about what the internet would do to the written word. That is to say, reading House of Leaves is crazy; its text is constantly in changing styles, with some passages being backwards, upside-down, laid out in spirals, or told through margin liners of someone else's inane notes and scraps, for the most part in immersion-constructing ways. And from this, there are some clear but toned-down inspirations in the 'interface' of Device 6, Nate thinks, and we'll talk a bit about that and why that book might interest you if you liked aspects of this game (and vice-versa), in addition to the J.J. Abrams contribution to the world of the ergodic. It isn't just about books this week though, as we ponder the puzzles in Device 6, their difficulty, the story of the 'game', the divide between reading and playing, and just how similar this is after all to Fullbright and Emotive Pixels both's classic Gone Home. Relevant links! Simogo's official list of all cultural references in Device 6Book time I: House of Leaves by Mark Z. DanielewskiBook time II: S. by Doug Dorst & J.J. AbramsBootstrap paradox: the one Esteban was talking aboutMusic time I: "Creepy Doll" by Jonathan CoultonMusic time II: "Anna" by Jonathan Eng from the D6 OSTRelevant to the next Simogo production: The Lighthouse Painting, a 4-part podcast story

This week, we draw lots of parallels to somewhat-obscure post-postmodernist English literature in a discussion about DEViCE 6, a game by Swedish developer Simogo. Device 6 is an iOS-exclusive title heartily inspired by 1960s-era spy films, most notably "The Prisoner", and it plays as an interactive text adventure fiction combined with escape-the-room puzzles across 6 separate 'episodes'. The game plays with a mild illusion of choose your own adventure, but doesn't quite work out that way by the end. Our host this week, Nate, has a lot to say about the parallels between this game and ergodic literature (a form of literature that requires more out of the reader than basic text); Nate's most prominent example being Mark Z. Danielewski's seminal 2000 work House of Leaves, a book that attempts to answer the questions and fantasies of early media experts prophesizing about what the internet would do to the written word. That is to say, reading House of Leaves is crazy; its text is constantly in changing styles, with some passages being backwards, upside-down, laid out in spirals, or told through margin liners of someone else's inane notes and scraps, for the most part in immersion-constructing ways. And from this, there are some clear but toned-down inspirations in the 'interface' of Device 6, Nate thinks, and we'll talk a bit about that and why that book might interest you if you liked aspects of this game (and vice-versa), in addition to the J.J. Abrams contribution to the world of the ergodic. It isn't just about books this week though, as we ponder the puzzles in Device 6, their difficulty, the story of the 'game', the divide between reading and playing, and just how similar this is after all to Fullbright and Emotive Pixels both's classic Gone Home. Relevant links! Simogo's official list of all cultural references in Device 6Book time I: House of Leaves by Mark Z. DanielewskiBook time II: S. by Doug Dorst & J.J. AbramsBootstrap paradox: the one Esteban was talking aboutMusic time I: "Creepy Doll" by Jonathan CoultonMusic time II: "Anna" by Jonathan Eng from the D6 OSTRelevant to the next Simogo production: The Lighthouse Painting, a 4-part podcast story

Fresh from the shrinking backlog here at Emotive Pixels, we serve up the long-overdue finale to our discussion surrounding The Walking Dead Season Two, a Telltale adventure series loosely paralleling Robert Kirkman's comic and - of course - the culturally monolithic AMC TV production. We tackle episodes 4 and 5 here - check out earlier coverage further back in our catalog! In these episodes, we follow Clementine through more harrowing guts-strewn throngs of zombies on through even more awkward and profound emotional moments and, as our cast is wont to point out, intolerable humans. We get into the conclusion of the series quite deeply and really rue the things we felt we've missed with our endings (especially as they relate to our mostly-merciless treatment of Kenny). We talk about how much Bonnie is no good, the fine balance beam Telltale is walking with their action-to-cutscene ratio, statue quotes, dream sequences neverending, and niche Hotline Miami references. It's an exciting week, and an older episode serves as an excellent reminder of the thrills that are only possible when you rate games. Remember when we did that? Relevant links! Austin Powers steamroller scene: important cultural references aboundWes Fenlon via PC Gamer: The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 5 reviewMDK: murder, death, kill? A game of madness, but it's Interplay so you know it was goodSPOILER: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons death scene - death done 10/10 as only in videogames Shameless plugs! (quality warning) Emotive Pixels #4: The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 1 podcastEmotive Pixels #9: The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episodes 2 & 3 podcast

Fresh from the shrinking backlog here at Emotive Pixels, we serve up the long-overdue finale to our discussion surrounding The Walking Dead Season Two, a Telltale adventure series loosely paralleling Robert Kirkman's comic and - of course - the culturally monolithic AMC TV production. We tackle episodes 4 and 5 here - check out earlier coverage further back in our catalog! In these episodes, we follow Clementine through more harrowing guts-strewn throngs of zombies on through even more awkward and profound emotional moments and, as our cast is wont to point out, intolerable humans. We get into the conclusion of the series quite deeply and really rue the things we felt we've missed with our endings (especially as they relate to our mostly-merciless treatment of Kenny). We talk about how much Bonnie is no good, the fine balance beam Telltale is walking with their action-to-cutscene ratio, statue quotes, dream sequences neverending, and niche Hotline Miami references. It's an exciting week, and an older episode serves as an excellent reminder of the thrills that are only possible when you rate games. Remember when we did that? Relevant links! Austin Powers steamroller scene: important cultural references aboundWes Fenlon via PC Gamer: The Walking Dead Season 2 Episode 5 reviewMDK: murder, death, kill? A game of madness, but it's Interplay so you know it was goodSPOILER: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons death scene - death done 10/10 as only in videogames Shameless plugs! (quality warning) Emotive Pixels #4: The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episode 1 podcastEmotive Pixels #9: The Walking Dead: Season 2, Episodes 2 & 3 podcast

On this week's Emotive Pixels podcast, we nitpick a production of next-gen pure joy! Sunset Overdrive is an Insomniac-produced Xbox One exclusive that arrived with a splash on a system that at the time was in need of a fun fix. Sunset Overdrive is an over-the-top third person action/adventure platformer & shooter that revels in breaking the fourth wall. It enjoys lampooning LARPers and any other stereotype you can conjure up even peripherally related to gaming, and shattering your expectations of what Insomniac can produce as a studio, especially in the wake of their overwhelmingly morbid Resistance series. We hit upon the concepts of interface frustration, hitting the first 80%, traversal issues and delights, uncooperative co-op, and the pros and cons of a game even bothering to pretend to take itself seriously. Does a game have to top the charts in one category to truly be recommend-able?

On this week's Emotive Pixels podcast, we nitpick a production of next-gen pure joy! Sunset Overdrive is an Insomniac-produced Xbox One exclusive that arrived with a splash on a system that at the time was in need of a fun fix. Sunset Overdrive is an over-the-top third person action/adventure platformer & shooter that revels in breaking the fourth wall. It enjoys lampooning LARPers and any other stereotype you can conjure up even peripherally related to gaming, and shattering your expectations of what Insomniac can produce as a studio, especially in the wake of their overwhelmingly morbid Resistance series. We hit upon the concepts of interface frustration, hitting the first 80%, traversal issues and delights, uncooperative co-op, and the pros and cons of a game even bothering to pretend to take itself seriously. Does a game have to top the charts in one category to truly be recommend-able?

On this week's Emotive Pixels podcast, we bring ourselves back to the roots of Generation VII with a voyage through some highlights of 2007 Naughty Dog's title Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. As the first of what would come to be a tril- and then quadrilogy, Uncharted was a fun romp in the park of ludonarrative dissonance. No, really: someone besides Nate uses that phrase in this podcast. Uncharted is a third-person shooter with a distinctly Indiana Jones-like style. In this podcast, we lob all sorts of critiques at the 7-year and one-generation old game. We speak a lot about what levels we play games on (especially Will), and we delve extensively into voice acting: what exactly makes Uncharted? is it Heavy Rain? is it Bastion? is it Ravenholm? (We don't go to Ravenholm.)Special bonus points go to the astute listeners who can spot the hidden reference to a superindie underground Sony-exclusive title in this episode. Feel good about yourself if you find it, you sherpa you. ;)

On this week's Emotive Pixels podcast, we bring ourselves back to the roots of Generation VII with a voyage through some highlights of 2007 Naughty Dog's title Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. As the first of what would come to be a tril- and then quadrilogy, Uncharted was a fun romp in the park of ludonarrative dissonance. No, really: someone besides Nate uses that phrase in this podcast. Uncharted is a third-person shooter with a distinctly Indiana Jones-like style. In this podcast, we lob all sorts of critiques at the 7-year and one-generation old game. We speak a lot about what levels we play games on (especially Will), and we delve extensively into voice acting: what exactly makes Uncharted? is it Heavy Rain? is it Bastion? is it Ravenholm? (We don't go to Ravenholm.)Special bonus points go to the astute listeners who can spot the hidden reference to a superindie underground Sony-exclusive title in this episode. Feel good about yourself if you find it, you sherpa you. ;)

You were awake for this scene.*trophy sound* This week on the Emotive Pixels podcast, we take a glimpse into the NCIS videogame, released in late 2011 to the universal acclaim of platinum trophy hunters everywhere (and probably not very many others). This is a concerted effort by an internal Ubisoft studio, which apparently makes it a step up from similar CSI games developed by Ubisoft which are handled by a satellite studio in China. We completely avoid discussing this in the podcast, and instead focus on whether or not this is an enjoyable experience for fans of the show, and how badly you'll have to suffer for what many consider to be last generation's easiest 100% completion achievement. Specific points touched upon include voice actors that make the jump between CBS and Ubisoft (there are two of them, by our count), integration and dependence on dastardly quicktime events, pattern matching minigames, and vaguely uninstructed nuclear bomb disarmaments atop skyscrapers. In a lengthy discussion about the worst games we've experienced, we awkwardly and inadvertently compare Hatred and Noby Noby Boy and discover some strange passion, before moving on to discuss the raw historical offensiveness that is Custer's Revenge for the Atari. As a special featurette, we delve into some quick 2005 reminiscence with tales of launch date Xbox 360 fails courtesy of the illustrious Nate.

You were awake for this scene.*trophy sound* This week on the Emotive Pixels podcast, we take a glimpse into the NCIS videogame, released in late 2011 to the universal acclaim of platinum trophy hunters everywhere (and probably not very many others). This is a concerted effort by an internal Ubisoft studio, which apparently makes it a step up from similar CSI games developed by Ubisoft which are handled by a satellite studio in China. We completely avoid discussing this in the podcast, and instead focus on whether or not this is an enjoyable experience for fans of the show, and how badly you'll have to suffer for what many consider to be last generation's easiest 100% completion achievement. Specific points touched upon include voice actors that make the jump between CBS and Ubisoft (there are two of them, by our count), integration and dependence on dastardly quicktime events, pattern matching minigames, and vaguely uninstructed nuclear bomb disarmaments atop skyscrapers. In a lengthy discussion about the worst games we've experienced, we awkwardly and inadvertently compare Hatred and Noby Noby Boy and discover some strange passion, before moving on to discuss the raw historical offensiveness that is Custer's Revenge for the Atari. As a special featurette, we delve into some quick 2005 reminiscence with tales of launch date Xbox 360 fails courtesy of the illustrious Nate.

On this episode of the Emotive Pixels podcast, we are joined by special megaceleb Anthony Gallegos of Rebel FM and The Comedy Button fame to discuss Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.Topics covered this week are broad, but focus particularly upon our elusive belief that this game is an example of mechanics-driven game design. To that end, we imagine where WB might apply the Nemesis engine next, whether in a Tolkien-centric direct sequel or liberally peppered throughout all kinds of whimsical IP in need of a fix. There's some discussion about voice acting focusing upon some North-Baker interplay, and there is a mild amount of required background research for a brief discussion about PlaidSocial and WB's review policy which is thoroughly draconian, to quote our esteemed guest. Check out the Jimquisition episode on the matter here for more information.There's no surprise in our ratings all being quite consistently 'great', and that isn't a spoiler. This is a great game and is, some of us daresay, something truly next-gen. Finally.

On this episode of the Emotive Pixels podcast, we are joined by special megaceleb Anthony Gallegos of Rebel FM and The Comedy Button fame to discuss Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.Topics covered this week are broad, but focus particularly upon our elusive belief that this game is an example of mechanics-driven game design. To that end, we imagine where WB might apply the Nemesis engine next, whether in a Tolkien-centric direct sequel or liberally peppered throughout all kinds of whimsical IP in need of a fix. There's some discussion about voice acting focusing upon some North-Baker interplay, and there is a mild amount of required background research for a brief discussion about PlaidSocial and WB's review policy which is thoroughly draconian, to quote our esteemed guest. Check out the Jimquisition episode on the matter here for more information.There's no surprise in our ratings all being quite consistently 'great', and that isn't a spoiler. This is a great game and is, some of us daresay, something truly next-gen. Finally.

On this episode of the Emotive Pixels podcast, we discuss the 2002 PC classic "Uplink", a game which Will persuaded Brian, Alberto, and Nate to play. Despite possessing a bevy of thoughts about the game, we ultimately come away with a surprisingly expectation-defying set of ratings, none of which will be spoiled here.There's considerable banter about the amount of time we spend playing the game, and our deepest conversational stride (and the point where Will's opinion wavers in silence) occurs when we ponder what a present-day (2015) version of Uplink would look like - this on the tail of our trivia about Introversion Software's latest releases.

On this episode of the Emotive Pixels podcast, we discuss the 2002 PC classic "Uplink", a game which Will persuaded Brian, Alberto, and Nate to play. Despite possessing a bevy of thoughts about the game, we ultimately come away with a surprisingly expectation-defying set of ratings, none of which will be spoiled here.There's considerable banter about the amount of time we spend playing the game, and our deepest conversational stride (and the point where Will's opinion wavers in silence) occurs when we ponder what a present-day (2015) version of Uplink would look like - this on the tail of our trivia about Introversion Software's latest releases.

The Emotive Pixels games of the year: Will Hotline Miami[1] Lego Marvel Superheros[2] Assassin's Creed IV - Black Flag[3] Brian Sunset Overdrive[4] Uncharted 2 - Among Thieves[5] Brothers[6] Alberto Brothers[6] Gone Home[7] Never Alone[8] Nate (Most Special) Never Alone[8] (Best Production) Endless Legend[9] (Most Fun) Forza Horizon 2[10] Our most disapointing games: Alien Colonial Marines[11] Gone Home[7] Voice Commander[12] Watch Dogs[13] Civilization - Beyond Earth[14] The games we wished we'd played Shadow of Mordor[15] Shovel Knight[16] Wolfenstein - The New Order[17] Darksouls 2[18] Also a super special thanks to Mitchell Dillard[19][20] for providing us with podcast music! [1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GKT2Y0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009GKT2Y0&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=HOLXACT7DRKFL5I7 [2] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUARDFC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DUARDFC&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=64VNIDFRXHMGOXWC [3] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMFIXT2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BMFIXT2&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=646JBUXDF4GQ5EYV [4] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M31VIOG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00M31VIOG&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=RZF43WI6FIVSIY76 [5] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002I0F5I2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002I0F5I2&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=3ESTZ3ZCWSV6NZOV [6] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FQPQGSY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00FQPQGSY&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=VLMGYCO5CMZ2EQG4 [7] http://store.steampowered.com/app/232430/ [8] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P9QGNEM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00P9QGNEM&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=FKPYK3AXPE5ZDR5J [9] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JWZ2480/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JWZ2480&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=MUNS5NU3SUHFELDA [10] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KSR396C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00KSR396C&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=IEPS355PKFBUHZCO [11] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005THAX5Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005THAX5Q&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=KRUV3SUEIWZZEYJM [12] https://store.xbox.com/en-US/Xbox-One/Games/Voice-Commander-a-Microsoft-Garage-project/0cb1ab17-55e9-4925-a55c-f6edb332e40b [13] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BI83EVU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BI83EVU&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=4ELS3N7Q4FUAZOD6 [14] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JLK6ULS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JLK6ULS&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=TQNXOMH7OJ34MW7C [15] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMFKYK8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GMFKYK8&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=MN6T3VMCGKMBC7OL [16] http://store.steampowered.com/app/250760/ [17] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHF39KS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DHF39KS&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=OINU3GH6RW7ZPJKP [18] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006YDPU48/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006YDPU48&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=XBRKPH4QWWIYDZMR [19] https://twitter.com/mitchelldillard [20] https://www.facebook.com/mitchell.dillard

The Emotive Pixels games of the year: Will Hotline Miami[1] Lego Marvel Superheros[2] Assassin's Creed IV - Black Flag[3] Brian Sunset Overdrive[4] Uncharted 2 - Among Thieves[5] Brothers[6] Alberto Brothers[6] Gone Home[7] Never Alone[8] Nate (Most Special) Never Alone[8] (Best Production) Endless Legend[9] (Most Fun) Forza Horizon 2[10] Our most disapointing games: Alien Colonial Marines[11] Gone Home[7] Voice Commander[12] Watch Dogs[13] Civilization - Beyond Earth[14] The games we wished we'd played Shadow of Mordor[15] Shovel Knight[16] Wolfenstein - The New Order[17] Darksouls 2[18] Also a super special thanks to Mitchell Dillard[19][20] for providing us with podcast music! [1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009GKT2Y0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B009GKT2Y0&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=HOLXACT7DRKFL5I7 [2] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUARDFC/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DUARDFC&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=64VNIDFRXHMGOXWC [3] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMFIXT2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BMFIXT2&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=646JBUXDF4GQ5EYV [4] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M31VIOG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00M31VIOG&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=RZF43WI6FIVSIY76 [5] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002I0F5I2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002I0F5I2&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=3ESTZ3ZCWSV6NZOV [6] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FQPQGSY/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00FQPQGSY&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=VLMGYCO5CMZ2EQG4 [7] http://store.steampowered.com/app/232430/ [8] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P9QGNEM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00P9QGNEM&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=FKPYK3AXPE5ZDR5J [9] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JWZ2480/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JWZ2480&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=MUNS5NU3SUHFELDA [10] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KSR396C/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00KSR396C&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=IEPS355PKFBUHZCO [11] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005THAX5Q/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005THAX5Q&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=KRUV3SUEIWZZEYJM [12] https://store.xbox.com/en-US/Xbox-One/Games/Voice-Commander-a-Microsoft-Garage-project/0cb1ab17-55e9-4925-a55c-f6edb332e40b [13] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BI83EVU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BI83EVU&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=4ELS3N7Q4FUAZOD6 [14] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JLK6ULS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00JLK6ULS&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=TQNXOMH7OJ34MW7C [15] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GMFKYK8/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00GMFKYK8&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=MN6T3VMCGKMBC7OL [16] http://store.steampowered.com/app/250760/ [17] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DHF39KS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00DHF39KS&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=OINU3GH6RW7ZPJKP [18] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006YDPU48/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006YDPU48&linkCode=as2&tag=emotpixepod06-20&linkId=XBRKPH4QWWIYDZMR [19] https://twitter.com/mitchelldillard [20] https://www.facebook.com/mitchell.dillard

This is the Emotive Pixels podcast covering our group tonight's thoughts on the 2013 Fullbright Company release Gone Home. The game is firmly rooted in the indie genre, winning several 2013 Game Of The Year titles (insert Polygon plug here) alongside other triple-A giants like The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite. What makes this game so good, despite falling firmly in the category the crassest of Steam users tag "walking simulator"? Join us for a hearty discussion and hear our thoughts on the matter! In the opening minutes, each of the group - Will, Alberto, Brian, Esteban, Nate, and Megan - shares their experiences with leaving home in their own lives, which will set the stage for some of the discussions and particular motivations that arise during the discussions following. Then Esteban takes us away with a brief but well-meaning attempt at summarizing Gone Home's plot, which quickly segues into some thoughts on the nature of expectations when approaching Gone Home - perhaps an integral piece of the reason for Gone Home's rampant success and fame. We discover that one of our friends isn't particularly invested in this style of gameplay, and discuss the nature of what makes a game, with varying degrees of believed complexity. We discuss the nature of communication and whether or not this story could (/should) be boiled down to a single paragraph on a 3x5 post-it note. At that point, we also begin wondering why Sam ran away at all, which quite frankly quickly becomes altogether too much for us and we splinter off into other talks about hair and scalps - most of which was cut. We discuss lockers, codes, and religious heroin, which are all exciting concepts of game design, and this segues the discussion brilliantly (not) into the reality of morality of lightswitches. Then inevitably, we bring up three-ring binders. Alberto shows his class by describing Gone Home's binders as 'high-class' and, I quote, 'expensive'. And hey wait, why is there an inventory? And then we delve into the application of the 'walking simulator' label, which is of course my personal favorite thing (editor's note). Allegations against thatgamecompany's Flower are leveled, which nearly ends the podcast (a fistfight broke out, no joke). We discuss whether or not haters on this game hate the game or the idea of the game - is plot relevant to these folks? Brian is our scapegoat in this arena. We discuss the (extremely interesting) concept of forgetting the purpose and nature of joining the military, which everyone should listen carefully to and imagine what things were like once the events of September 2001 reached a fervor pitch. We discuss how following your emotions can sometimes jeopardize your career. Level and set design is discussed, particularly in the case of the horse-blinder-likened attic, which is very exciting for all involved (especially the horses which are strangely omitted in this game). We think anticipation will either ruin you or immerse you, but it will not prepare you for the use of 'orgy' in any way to describe the attic. Brian gets fussy about the lack of backstory, and then Megan goes for a full Mortal Kombat evisceration with a rebuttal: how much can you actually learn about a set of humans from walking into their house? Brian debates some of the finer points of un-realism, to varying degrees of attentive listening. Then, completely un-dramatically, we progress to the discussion of Polygon's brief mentions of familial abuse and other themes that the game touches on. We then talk about the sex ed class papers written by each of the sisters and how these very effectively illustrate characterization; not to mention, how Kaitlyn is our protagonist but not our main character! Then we delve into the trophies in the foyer and how that demonstrates who our main character is - with an OkCupid analogy in case you weren't really getting what we were going for. Then we get into some personal interpretations of why exactly the story is presented in the way that it is - why didn't Sam just write out her new identity on a postcard, for example? Alberto's ancient Spanish is observed to be poor - and then we segue into talking about Sam's Captain Allegra narrative and what it says about D. From there, we speak about the creepy uncle and how Polygon mentions abuse: you'll find out what these two things have in common, in case you didn't know it from looking at photos in the foyer! Then, we move right onto Nate's random mention of S.EXE on RPS. After that, it's naught ahead but ratings, final thoughts, and some sass. We wrap things up and take you away to whereever your life is going next! MENTIONED LINKS:Polygon's 2013 GoTY announcementRock, Paper, Shotgun - Cara Ellison's S.EXE on Gone Home IMPORTANT OTHER LINKS:PBS' Game/Show via Polygon

This is the Emotive Pixels podcast covering our group tonight's thoughts on the 2013 Fullbright Company release Gone Home. The game is firmly rooted in the indie genre, winning several 2013 Game Of The Year titles (insert Polygon plug here) alongside other triple-A giants like The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite. What makes this game so good, despite falling firmly in the category the crassest of Steam users tag "walking simulator"? Join us for a hearty discussion and hear our thoughts on the matter! In the opening minutes, each of the group - Will, Alberto, Brian, Esteban, Nate, and Megan - shares their experiences with leaving home in their own lives, which will set the stage for some of the discussions and particular motivations that arise during the discussions following. Then Esteban takes us away with a brief but well-meaning attempt at summarizing Gone Home's plot, which quickly segues into some thoughts on the nature of expectations when approaching Gone Home - perhaps an integral piece of the reason for Gone Home's rampant success and fame. We discover that one of our friends isn't particularly invested in this style of gameplay, and discuss the nature of what makes a game, with varying degrees of believed complexity. We discuss the nature of communication and whether or not this story could (/should) be boiled down to a single paragraph on a 3x5 post-it note. At that point, we also begin wondering why Sam ran away at all, which quite frankly quickly becomes altogether too much for us and we splinter off into other talks about hair and scalps - most of which was cut. We discuss lockers, codes, and religious heroin, which are all exciting concepts of game design, and this segues the discussion brilliantly (not) into the reality of morality of lightswitches. Then inevitably, we bring up three-ring binders. Alberto shows his class by describing Gone Home's binders as 'high-class' and, I quote, 'expensive'. And hey wait, why is there an inventory? And then we delve into the application of the 'walking simulator' label, which is of course my personal favorite thing (editor's note). Allegations against thatgamecompany's Flower are leveled, which nearly ends the podcast (a fistfight broke out, no joke). We discuss whether or not haters on this game hate the game or the idea of the game - is plot relevant to these folks? Brian is our scapegoat in this arena. We discuss the (extremely interesting) concept of forgetting the purpose and nature of joining the military, which everyone should listen carefully to and imagine what things were like once the events of September 2001 reached a fervor pitch. We discuss how following your emotions can sometimes jeopardize your career. Level and set design is discussed, particularly in the case of the horse-blinder-likened attic, which is very exciting for all involved (especially the horses which are strangely omitted in this game). We think anticipation will either ruin you or immerse you, but it will not prepare you for the use of 'orgy' in any way to describe the attic. Brian gets fussy about the lack of backstory, and then Megan goes for a full Mortal Kombat evisceration with a rebuttal: how much can you actually learn about a set of humans from walking into their house? Brian debates some of the finer points of un-realism, to varying degrees of attentive listening. Then, completely un-dramatically, we progress to the discussion of Polygon's brief mentions of familial abuse and other themes that the game touches on. We then talk about the sex ed class papers written by each of the sisters and how these very effectively illustrate characterization; not to mention, how Kaitlyn is our protagonist but not our main character! Then we delve into the trophies in the foyer and how that demonstrates who our main character is - with an OkCupid analogy in case you weren't really getting what we were going for. Then we get into some personal interpretations of why exactly the story is presented in the way that it is - why didn't Sam just write out her new identity on a postcard, for example? Alberto's ancient Spanish is observed to be poor - and then we segue into talking about Sam's Captain Allegra narrative and what it says about D. From there, we speak about the creepy uncle and how Polygon mentions abuse: you'll find out what these two things have in common, in case you didn't know it from looking at photos in the foyer! Then, we move right onto Nate's random mention of S.EXE on RPS. After that, it's naught ahead but ratings, final thoughts, and some sass. We wrap things up and take you away to whereever your life is going next! MENTIONED LINKS:Polygon's 2013 GoTY announcementRock, Paper, Shotgun - Cara Ellison's S.EXE on Gone Home IMPORTANT OTHER LINKS:PBS' Game/Show via Polygon

BACKLOG EPISODE!This episode is an early work and is only recommended if you love the game - or, slightly less likely, love hearing us. :) This episode, our first as Emotive Pixels, shows us we have much to learn and much ahead of us. We gathered around the table today to discuss the 2001 Square classic Final Fantasy X, the 'tenth' Final Fantasy game released, the story of Yuna and her quest to take on Sin with the help of blond whiny/lovable Tidus (nominated as Nate's favorite female character). The crew on this first episode is Will, Brian, Alberto, Nate, Geoff, and Sy. We begin with the Eternal Calm, its awkwardness, and how it ties FFX and FFX-2 - which we subsequently discuss in our "To Play or Not To Play?" section - and the accompanying realization that this universe has two separate ‘dream worlds’. And inevitably given the timeframe (early 2014), we compare it to FFXIII, that lovable mess. Critical to scoring the platinum in this game is the totally-not-a-cheat Don Tonberry exploit, which Will regales and dazzles us with, and its path towards easy sphere hoarding. We discuss how the internet has changed playing this game from when many of us first laid hands on it in 2001: remember the serendipity of discovering game mechanics for yourself; of thinking of exploits rather than seeing 'em on Polygon or Twitch first? Also, what level of foot-in-mouth disease does Tidus have; is it over 9,000? "I'm tired of all these mother****ing Seymores on this mother****ing Plain!" Alberto attempts to tell us about chocobos avoiding lightning 200x, and, somehow even more preposterously, about how Blitzball isn't the worst minigame of, well, ever.

BACKLOG EPISODE!This episode is an early work and is only recommended if you love the game - or, slightly less likely, love hearing us. :) This episode, our first as Emotive Pixels, shows us we have much to learn and much ahead of us. We gathered around the table today to discuss the 2001 Square classic Final Fantasy X, the 'tenth' Final Fantasy game released, the story of Yuna and her quest to take on Sin with the help of blond whiny/lovable Tidus (nominated as Nate's favorite female character). The crew on this first episode is Will, Brian, Alberto, Nate, Geoff, and Sy. We begin with the Eternal Calm, its awkwardness, and how it ties FFX and FFX-2 - which we subsequently discuss in our "To Play or Not To Play?" section - and the accompanying realization that this universe has two separate ‘dream worlds’. And inevitably given the timeframe (early 2014), we compare it to FFXIII, that lovable mess. Critical to scoring the platinum in this game is the totally-not-a-cheat Don Tonberry exploit, which Will regales and dazzles us with, and its path towards easy sphere hoarding. We discuss how the internet has changed playing this game from when many of us first laid hands on it in 2001: remember the serendipity of discovering game mechanics for yourself; of thinking of exploits rather than seeing 'em on Polygon or Twitch first? Also, what level of foot-in-mouth disease does Tidus have; is it over 9,000? "I'm tired of all these mother****ing Seymores on this mother****ing Plain!" Alberto attempts to tell us about chocobos avoiding lightning 200x, and, somehow even more preposterously, about how Blitzball isn't the worst minigame of, well, ever.