Codex Rex

Dachz tells a story about the 2001 game Gothic and the German studio Piranha Bytes. Tyler gets excited by the discussion of an advergame called “Swamp Chicken.”

In the first of a new series about the 5th generation of consoles, Tyler tells Dachz the story of the Jaguar, Atari’s last-ditch effort to compete in the console market. Sources for this episode can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XuGBy2k9QaUlVMNzSLTeEqHJaae3NcEjSFJCSExSdKQ

Dachz tells a story about Ron Gilbert and the creation of the SCUMM Engine, which was used to create several cult classic Lucas Arts games, like Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island.

Tyler tells Dachz a story about the obscure Super Famicom add-on, the Satellaview, which allowed users in Japan to download games from satellite transmissions. Sources for this episode can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1We8R9gDFlzU_7M3p2yUZqfox1ZORFbC80r5NkgfJT4g/

Dachz tells Tyler a story about the PDP-1 computer and the creation of one of the first video games, “Spacewar!”. Sources for this episode can be found at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O6f3MQG1jrKot4BVSQ2UoPfgPYkCjRiXcYmZrCO4mAI/

Tyler and Dachz discuss Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons and the birth of farming game genre. Episode sources can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bxk45D2d5HR9qALVwKwaC5mgFXJ113BBP4UqUiKsmdA/

Dachz discusses the historical origins of the term “Mana” and how it became a video game mechanic.

Tyler and Dachz discuss the cultural phenomenon that was Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and the ensuing over-saturation of the rhythm game market. Source list can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yc3Z89HMyneLVAn-mIyimWBT0rihh84U/

Dachz tells Tyler a story about the 1989 game Populous, a “god game” that spawned a genre.

Dachz tells a story about the creation of Portal and how the creators became a part of Valve. Note: this episode has audio issues. Our apologies!

In this episode, Tyler and Dachz discuss the formation of Naughty Dog and the creation of Crash Bandicoot.

In the first episode of the podcast, Tyler and Dachz discuss the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog and the console wars of the early 1990s.