YoVideogames!

Main Characters... Do they have to be compelling in order to make the game great? Do they have to be white males to do well in wide release? Market research apparently says generic white males sell best but I have a hard time believing that when there are so many examples of female, and  minority protagonist games performing wonderfully. Metroid being an example, or GTA San Andreas as another.   ...

Today let's get into some fighting game talk. Max gets a chance to join us and it couldn't be for a better episode. And with Street Fighter V being released just a couple days ago (two days after recording), this topic couldn't be more on point. We talk about what makes a fighting game great and what can be done to create a new IP that does well. I'm sure you guys have lots to say about this, so b...

(The following is my opinion in retrospect, with time to reflect. Matt doesn't have that opportunity. So, when I say my understanding of his opinion, please know I am only saying it in it's most boiled down form.) Censorship is generally a shady proposition in my opinion. I don't like the idea of someone else deciding for me what I can or cannot see. I play devils advocate to Simmons this episode,...

Working on Maximilian's Assist Me Web series was a big part of my life for a few years. It became the first passion project our group of friends would work on together. Matt was out of town this weekend, but it turned out Mike Young was in town. He played various characters on the show and designed their costumes, as well as a ton of the writing for the series. I've wanted to have him on the podca...

Game Development is surrounded by a veritable cloud of opinions. Buzz words and PR BS make it difficult to get a grip on the process of development and it leaves itself open to rampant speculation. I need to learn more about the process, so it's time to bust up some of those myths and clear up the misunderstandings.

Remember when you were a kid and you loved a game (or even a movie) so much that you played it over and over and over again? Then, you grew up and somewhere along the line, someone came to you and said "Buy this, it's just like that thing you loved." And you did. You bought that game/movie/nudiemag. Was it like how you remembered? No. Someone took a huge dump on your memories right? Maybe it's you...

Is there a development company or publisher you trust? By that I mean, you'll take what they say at face value, and trust that they are being upfront. Personally, i think it is perfectly fine to try and put your company in the best light. However, the urge to do that can lead to out right lies, some small, others massive. The quick example of a small lie? "We are delaying the game to make it look...

How do you feel about Twitch? It's become a pillar of the gaming community, and an undeniable outlet for creatives. It's arguably replacing YouTube when it comes to gaming. Even to the point that YouTube has tried to launch it's own streaming service for gaming. So let's talk about our personal experience with streaming and what effect we think it will have on games in the future. Will single play...

Oculus Rift dropped the line on its price tag finally ($599). Not surprising but a bit eye-popping! That price includes two games (Lucky's Tale and Eve: Valkyrie) and an Xbone controller. As a peripheral, this means you'll also have to drop a grand on a gaming PC. Now, I'm optimistic about the potential for VR today but holy hell... I won't be getting one of these for a long while if ever.   Let's...

Happy New Year! We forget to say that, but we mean it. You guys have been awesome and we look forward to growing and playing more games next year! In this episode we go over what surprised us most this year, as well as our biggest disappointments. Of course, our answers are skewed because we are a small operation and we are telling you the truth as we see it. We didn't play all the games that dese...

Do you remember that time you held out hope for miracles? Well, we're in the season for just that kind of hope! So, now's the time to list our Miracle Games. Will these games ever happen? I'd say probably not... Hell, definitely not for most of these. We're dreamers, folks. Come dream with us! We're not just going to name the games we want to see, but we are going to debut our (sometimes) insane i...

Honestly, I haven't been interested in the Xbox One. I was a big fan of the 360. I was even a fairly big fan of the Original Xbox. However, the Xbox One has had a total of zero first party games that got me excited enough to buy the system. It has a far superior controller compared to the PS4 but on any other front it seems Sony is kicking Microsoft's butt this generation. Can they make a come bac...

Everyone wants to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Is Square Enix going to drop the ball? More importantly, are they going to try and screw us? The latter seems pretty likely at the moment. What we can't figure out is how this company hasn't learned to be transparent yet! FF7 remake - Let's talk about the Possible Pros an episodic release presents: It could be indulgent in environments, and cine...

Ever wonder what makes a game bad? Can those games still be fun? Matt and I determine a quick criteria. 1. Controls 2. Design 3. Mechanics Then we go at it over UNDENIABLE classics like Blasto. And other games he mentioned that don't really matter because Blasto had Phil Hartman.   Ok I'll tell the truth. I just now watched game play from Blasto and I'll be honest... it's pretty awful. Anyway, let...

Do I have shooters in my list? You bet your sweet buns. Does Simmons have an obscure, mostly untranslated, Japanese game on his list? You bet those toasty tots. Does this list have a little bit for everybody? You better believe it, toots! I'm a casual gamer. Everyone knows that now. I won't always have the deepest insight into a game's design. I'm competitive as all hell, so multiplayer games tend...

Matt doesn't find Western RPGs interesting. Worse yet, he calls them boring. Oblivion? Yawn. Skyrim? *jerks off* Fable? "Oh Fable's good." HA caught him. I guess I don't have to Fus Roh Dah in his face... Or wear all this war paint. I mean, I definitely don't need this axe, but if we're honest I like it more than what's normal. Anyway, this episode is all about new releases in time for the holiday...

So, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 came out. I wanted to share how delightfully surprised I am. It isn't a total pile of garbage. The net code is pretty good, the guns are cool, and I will literally power-slide the shit out of any problem. (UPDATE: there were some problems the day after we recorded this, but Treyarch released a patch the same night and cleared it up. Again, they seem to be on their shit...

Sony had its big press conference at Paris Games Week! Guess what? Basically nothing new was said. Matt and I did a live reaction on Twitch but now we've had a few days to digest. We have to say... our initial reactions are pretty spot on. There were a couple things to be excited about, namely Wild and Horizon; As well as some mind numbing presentations that had the crowd checking their phones or...

Nintendo has been quiet this holiday season and we haven't heard anything about Zelda WiiU in forever. Matt and I have some thoughts on what's coming. Check us out on iTunes  and  Stitcher !

Konami has one of the worst reputations in gaming. They've driven away several of their star creators and have displayed a general lack of interest in expanding their videogame division. Now that Kojima has walked; this is the end. Light the fire Doods. We're cookin' Konami Burgers tonight.

Online Gaming: Love it or hate it, it's here to stay. But is an Online element absolutely necessary for a game to succeed? That's what we talk about today.

Sega could have been beautiful! Or at the very least still relevant. Today we talk about our Nostalgia for classic gaming and Matt fills me in on just what happened to one of my favorite companies.