Go Back and Play

Nate, Jordan, Ryan, and Brock gather to discuss AMNESIA: THE DARK DESCENT, Frictional Games' adventure-horror game from 2010. We jaw about disempowerment in horror, physics objects in games, and whether invisible monsters are scarier or not as scary as visible monsters. Nate talks about the fragility of interactive horror, Ryan gushes about Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, and Brock hol...

Nate, Sebastian, and Jordan gather to discuss UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES, the second in Naughty Dog's globetrotting pulp adventure serial. We talk shooting many men, blockbuster games' desire to imitate blockbuster films, and cracking wise. Nate is excited to play a game with a protagonist that shares his name, Jordan wishes the enemies weren't quite so spongy, and Sebastian appreciates a good  in...

Nate, Ryan, and David are joined by new guest Kate Blue to discuss MINECRAFT, the global sensation. We discuss the incredible things folks have built in-game, the fastest ways to get to The End, and how the game is more than simple "virtual Lego." Nate feels like an old man, David explains why his Stardew Valley playthrough was cut short, and Kate relates UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA encountered in the v...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Ryan gather to discuss FAR CRY 2, Ubisoft's 2008 first-person shooter set in a mercenary playground somewhere in Africa. We discuss the game's emergent systems, how its politics compare to its contemporaries in the genre, and "engaging friction." Sebastian promises to get worse in the new year, Jordan nearly kills his PC, and Ryan extols the virtues of the Jeep Liberty...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, Ryan, AND returning guest Andrea all congregate to discuss MASS EFFECT, BioWare's space opera RPG from 2007. We discuss pushing yourself to grow as a player of games, the incredible worldbuilding lift the game accomplishes, and how the Mass Effect trilogy is a special product of its time and isn't likely to be replicated any time soon. Nate asks which alien everyone is smo...

Nate, Sebastian, and Ryan gather to discuss CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE, Activision and Infinity Ward's cinematic shooter from 2007. We discuss the game's ugly politics, power imbalances, and fetishization of expensive military technology. Nate posits an "uncanny valley of virtual combat," Ryan dazzles with his encyclopedic knowledge of videogame levels set on tanker ships, and Sebastian gets s...

Nate, Sebastian, and Jordan gather to discuss SUPER MARIO GALAXY, Nintendo's cosmic trip from 2007. We discuss linearity vs. non-linearity in 3D level design, which powerups we hate (Spring Mario) and where the plumber could possibly go from here. Jordan checks in via FaceTime regularly with his friend Mario to check in on his mental health, Sebastian compares Super Mario Odyssey to "the Paul Holl...

Nate and Ryan are joined by special guest Max Glenn to discuss PORTAL, Valve's puzzle-shooter gem from 2007. We discuss malicious AI, superb level design, and rethinking our relationship to 3D space. Nate has to explain the moral complexities of the Companion Cube to his kids, Max describes GLaDOS as "like if SHODAN were crossed with Clippy," and Ryan Napsters Hoobastank onto Meemaw's old Compaq. 

Nate, Sebastian, and David are joined by special guest Mark Soloff to discuss BIOSHOCK, 2K Games' pulp shooter from 2007. We discuss the game's critical reception, its incredible atmosphere, and how its politics look 15-odd years later. David posits the existence of "Jnco Splicers," Sebastian proposes a period-appropriate fan-casting of a filmic adaptation, and Mark harvests each and every Little...

Nate, Sebastian, and David gather to discuss DESKTOP TOWER DEFENSE, Paul Preece's Flash game from 2007. We discuss our experiences with Flash games in the heady days of the late aughts, playing tower defense mods for Warcraft III, and which tower defense games are worth revisiting. Sebastian revisits and unhealthy addiction to Nanaca Crash, David stans for Defense Grid, and Nate tries to entice li...

Nate, Jordan, Ryan, and Brock all gather to discuss WII SPORTS, Nintendo's 2006 pack-in that took the world by storm. We discuss why seemingly everyone and their grandmother (perhaps especially their grandmother) was bowling virtually, the legacy of the Wii as a console, and our own personal histories with sport. Nate reveals that his Wii was full of ghosts, Jordan reveals his terrible bowling eti...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Ryan all gather (appropriately, as a foursome) to discuss GEARS OF WAR, Epic Games' third-person cover shooter and chainsaw extravaganza from 2006. We discuss the wealth of co-op games in the XBox 360 / PS3 generation, active reloads, chest-high walls, and why Marcus and Dom complete each other. Find out which Ninja Turtle each of your intrepid hosts is and whether or...

Nate, Sebastian, and Jordan gather to discuss GEOMETRY WARS: RETRO EVOLVED, and the broader swath of games available on XBox Live Arcade. We discuss the sea change wrought by this new venue for digital downloads, all of the wild, weird titles put out by small teams, and Doritos: Dash of Destruction. Nate demands that someone bring back 1 vs. 100, Sebastian reminisces about Shadow Complex, and Jord...

Nate, Jordan, and Ryan gather to discuss GUITAR HERO, Harmonix and Red Octane's peripheral-enabled rhythm action game from 2005. We discuss the player as both performer and audience, the legacy and seeming absence of guitar games in 2021, and kicking your leg out into the air when you activate your star power. Nate reveals his sad freshman year of college, Ryan admits he can't read music, and Jord...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Brock gather to discuss SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS, Team Ico's sophomore effort for Sony Japan Studio, which released in late 2005. We discuss realism in animation, videogames as a particularly poignant vehicle for tragedy, and minimalism in design. Sebastian joins a climbing gym, Jordan gets miffed when people misspell his name, and Brock proposes a jingle for the spoiler...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and David gather to discuss PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY, Capcom's courtroom adventure game from 2005. We discuss visual novel aesthetics coming to the West, linearity in adventure games, and how flawless pacing and a brilliant localization can carry a game so far. Sebastian leaves a traffic court judge speechless, David wishes the game would have come out under its workin...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Ryan gather to discuss -- or try to discuss, anyway -- NINTENDOGS and BRAIN AGE: TRAIN YOUR BRAIN IN MINUTES A DAY, two early titles from the Nintendo DS library. We talk about the unique features of the DS hardware, how Nintendo broadened the scope of who might buy a handheld gaming system, and some of the other DS games we played and loved. Sebastian slides right by...

Nate, Sebastian, and Ryan gather to discuss GOD OF WAR, Sony Santa Monica's 2005 spectacle of violence and brutality. We discuss excessive nudity, stunted narrative, and flowing combat. Can a murderman like Kratos ever be redeemed, or is he doomed to continue endlessly brutalizing enemies with sick finishing moves? Ryan has what he describes as "the perfect cold open" to the episode, Sebastian exp...

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Ryan gather to discuss RESIDENT EVIL 4, Capcom's survival horror reinvention from 2005. We rag an awful lot on the corny storytelling of a game we love, discuss the many games influenced by RE4's perspective change, and marvel at the subtlety and effectiveness of the game's adaptive difficulty. Nate explains how much better he understands RE4 after having played Devil...

Nate, Sebastian, Ryan, and David are once more joined by friend of the podcast Reb Valentine, this time to discuss WORLD OF WARCRAFT, Blizzard Entertainment's massively successful MMORPG from 2004. We discuss all the different ways a player can approach a game, and how WoW offers folks dozens of different ways to engage, from social to anti-social. We discuss our different relationships with the g...

Nate, Sebastian, and Jordan gather to discuss HALF-LIFE 2, Valve's 2004 sequel shooter with a gun that throws heavy objects. We discuss the limits of narrative in first-person shooters, the shifting boundaries of the uncanny valley, and how every NPC in the game can't stop talking about what a big, strong man Gordon Freeman is. Nate admits to finally warming to the Half-Life franchise, Jordan reca...

Nate, Sebastian, Kari, and Lucy gather to discuss KATAMARI DAMACY, Namco's quirky rolling ball extravaganza from 2004. We try to communicate in a conversation the unique aesthetic and exuberant mood of one of the best, purest games of all time. We discuss scale, the sorting and categorizing of Earth's many things, and the King of All Cosmos as an aspirational figure. Five-year-old William pops in...

Nate, Sebastian, and David gather to discuss BEYOND GOOD & EVIL, Ubisoft's 2003 adventure game about uncovering a government conspiracy through the power of investigative journalism. We discuss the early-aughts "Titan A.E." sci-fi aesthetic, clumsy but good-hearted attempts at multiculturalism, and how weird it feels to have a populous roused to rebellion by the power of journalism. We discuss lon...

Nate, Jordan, and Ryan gather to discuss PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME, Ubisoft's 2003 time-rewinding parkour extravaganza. We discuss the game's similarities to ICO (a game we covered earlier this year), the superb level design, and how the titular Prince reads as quite a bit creepier in 2020. Ryan lauds how influential the game's combat seems to have been, Nate explains his theory that the...

Nate, Sebastian, Ryan, and David all gather to discuss STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC, BioWare's 2003 RPG epic set a long, long, LONG time ago in a galaxy far, far away. We discuss RPG combat systems, moral choices, and the pleasure of new looks at familiar terrain. Ryan gives us a peek into the history of Star Wars tabletop games, Nate posits a third possible force alignment, the "Medium...