Dev Game Club

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are kicking off a new series on 1991's Super Mario World , a SNES pack-in title. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Yoshi's Island Podcast breakdown : 0:40    SMW Discussion 48:36  Break 49:18  Feedback Issues covered : Tanooki suits, the ubiquity of Mario, the console v...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we have been discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . This week we do a little bonus work and turn to its sequel, Half-Life 2 , released at the end of 2004. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up to Water Hazard Podcast breakdown : 0:36    HL2 Discussion 40:05 Br...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . This week we welcome Dario Casali, a level designer who worked on Half-Life and is still with the company all these years later. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Podcast breakdown : 0:39       Interview with Dario Casali 1:04:41  ...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . This week we welcome Marc Laidlaw, long-time Valve employee and writer of Half-Life . Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Podcast breakdown : 0:40       Interview with Marc Laidlaw 1:04:50  Break 1:05:16  Feedback/Questions Issues co...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . We talk about the much-maligned final levels and understand where they came from and then turn to a few pillars. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up to the end! Podcast breakdown : 0:35     End of the game 51:40...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . We especially focus on level design but touch also on weapon design and a bit of reuse of weapon progression. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up through Lambda Core Podcast breakdown : 0:40       Discussion segm...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . We talk about what works in both the design of the military you fight and about enemy design in the game generally. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Apprehension (up to Residue Processing) Podcast breakdown : 0:3...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing Valve Software's 1998 classic Half-Life . We talk about what a year 1998 was, and a good deal about the restrained opening to the game and its provenance. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up to "We've Got Hostiles" Podcast breakdown : 0:34 Segment 1: His...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing 1999 Black Isle classic Planescape: Torment . We talk about the end of the game and some of its pillars. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Finishing the game! Podcast breakdown : 0:37        Segment 1: End of the game 1:00:58   Break 1:01:23   Segment 2:...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing 1999 Black Isle classic Planescape: Torment . We talk about broad story beats, themes of identity and mazes, and the role of side quests, among other topics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Until you return to Sigil Podcast breakdown : 0:39      PST Dis...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing 1999 Black Isle classic Planescape: Torment . We talk about the usefulness of tropes (which this game mostly overturns), keeping your bearings when so much is available to you, and the uses of story and narrative to prop up underwhelming mechanics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing co...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing 1999 Black Isle classic Planescape: Torment . We talk about how the overwhelming nature of the beginning acts might have come about (again), Brett hits a game-breaking bug, and needles are sought in haystacks. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Through Rav...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where we are discussing 1999 Infinity Engine classic Planescape: Torment . We talk a bit about franchise fatigue, turning tropes on their heads, turning back historical design choices, and discuss some of what we saw as we played. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up through the...

Welcome to Dev Game Club, which this week begins a new series exploring 1999 Infinity Engine classic Planescape: Torment . We situate it in time both against other games and the D&D license but also especially as the pinnacle of Interplay's Infinity Engine games, and then dive into the first section of play. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, p...

Welcome to the fourth and final episode in our series exploring SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . We discuss the end of the game, finding nooks and crannies, various difficulties, and then quickly cover our takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Through the end of the game! Pod...

Welcome to the third episode in our series exploring SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . We discuss what storytelling there is, several of the bosses we fought, the analog nature of combat and also the difficulty curve before turning to some player questions. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections p...

Welcome to the second episode in our series exploring SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . We talk a lot about how it's difficult even to analyze a game that casts such a long shadow and open worlds as a genre. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Through Agahnim battle Podcast breakdown :...

Welcome to the first episode in our series exploring SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . We situate the game in time and talk about its long shadow in game development before tucking into the game proper. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Through the end of the Eastern Palace Podcast b...

Welcome to the final episode in our series exploring PS1 and PC 3rd person action-adventure game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver . We delve into the last bits of the game including pluses and minuses surrounding its environmental navigation and puzzles, its voice acting, and then turn to our takeaways and pillars. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes,...

Welcome to the third episode in our series exploring PS1 and PC 3rd person action-adventure game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver . We pick apart the jumping madness that is the Drowned Cathedral, talk animation priority and interruption, and hit up some development thinking to boot. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections...

Welcome to the second episode in our series exploring PS1 and PC 3rd person action-adventure game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver . We delve into character design and how it is supported by character art and animation and pick a bone with lack of environmental direction. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up...

Welcome to the first episode in our series exploring PS1 and PC 3rd person action-adventure game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver . We situate the game in time a bit and then turn to its storytelling style, its early game, and its primary mechanics. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : Up until the first boss Po...

Welcome to the final episode in our series examining the first two works of Fumito Ueda: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus and turning to the present with some bonus content surrounding The Last Guardian . We talk about the games' pillars and our personal takeaways. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : A bit o...

Welcome to the third episode in our series examining the first two works of Fumito Ueda: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus . We discuss Colossus's mysterious world, talk about Agro, the camera, delve into the story, and also recap the eight Colossi that make up the second half of the game. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. S...

Welcome to the third episode in our series examining the first two works of Fumito Ueda: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus . We discuss Colossus 's form, intro, animation, and a number of design elements, including brief recaps of the first eight Colossus battles. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played : The first...