In this episode, we’ve come down with a severe case of Pokemania, and get together to discuss our symptoms. Also: Skylanders Swap Force, Beyond: Two Souls, The Wolf Among Us, next-gen delays and a dip into the unplugged world with Canterbury.
Check out the show here, check us out on iTunes or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast aggregator. Let us know what you think! Email podcast[at]snackbar-games.com.
Hosts: Chris Ingersoll, Andrew Passafiume, Graham Russell, Henry Skey, Lucas White.
Music: Podcast theme by Tom Casper.
Nintendo has released a slew of new Legend of Zelda in the last 22 years, each with their own individual charm, but none of the games have returned to the world of A Link to the Past. Revisiting this era is a pleasant surprise, since it brings back all the familiar mechanics we grew to love, but gives Link a new ability to change how we perceive the typical dungeon puzzle. READ MORE
The first few days of a major game release are always the best.
If you’re lucky enough to pick a game up on day one, there’s really nothing like it. The fandom is abuzz, every social network is on the same page and you suddenly have plenty to talk about with all of your friends. It’s a rush, enough of one to make the most grizzled of critical thinkers gloss over problems in the wake of that irreplaceable joy of discovery. Then, inevitably, a week passes. This is where longer games are put to the test. Plenty of them pass, but not without a few nasty bumps along the way. READ MORE
Video games give us a lot. They provide exciting, compelling gameplay experiences, amazing visuals, brilliant soundtracks, stunning worlds to explore, and so much more. The one thing games have become increasingly good at is telling a story. While I love titles such as Mass Effect, The Last of Us and The Witcher 2, the games that almost always hook me are the ones attempting to bring story to the forefront. Games such as The Walking Dead or the recent release, Gone Home, all provide excellent narratives that stand above and beyond their contemporaries.
Yet, so many people seem to reject these games, signaling that their success is the sign of a dramatic sea change in the industry which will forever take over and extensively ruin the games we all know and love today. This overdramatic (and frankly, ridiculous) notion makes me wonder just why so many are afraid of games that attempt something different. We all accept innovative titles in regards to gameplay mechanics, but in terms of simplifying gameplay for the sake of a story? It becomes a different conversation entirely.
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Shovel Knight has managed to gain a lot of traction since its Kickstarter debut, showing off at big name conventions and nearing a release on Steam and both of Nintendo’s eShops. Its aesthetic and mechanics take us back to a time when platformers were insanely challenging, and killing an enemy required pixel perfect precision. READ MORE
