The recording of our final podcast. The last official Arcadian Rhythms gathering. A pub quiz that someone failed to record. An excuse for a bunch of 30-something reprobates to gather, drink to excess and talk shit about games.

Think of it as you will: it happened, the evidence has been presented, and now it’s down to you.

Timeline

• 00:30 – Apologies, explanations and introductions
• 06:50 – Team 1 Question 1 – “It’s a divorce that has been snaking toward a conclusion for over nine months.” 
• 13:10 – Team 2 Question 1 – “It has been fifteen years in coming, but finally the great wall was broken with this ruling.”
• 18:40 – Team 1 Question 2 – “In reaching into space, this title has earned millions without even being released.”
• 23:05 – Team 2 Question 2 – “This was a catastrophe in the making but no amount of Gabe memes or Fuz Roh Dahs could make it better.” 
• 32:43 – Team 1 Question 3 – “It was a tragic moment that not even a green mushroom was going to heal.”
• 39:40 – Team 2 Question 3 – “With Yu Suzuki, a big dogbird and every 30-year old’s wet wank fantasy, it’s clear this moment was great for dreamers.”
• 46:50 – Team 1 Question 4 - “It was for developers, but now this console is pretty much dead in the water. Also, that controller sucked.”
• 51:23 – Team 2 Question 4 – “For the third time in a row, this game was the top operator in the charts at Christmas.”
• 53:56 – Break
• 54:16 – Round 2 of the quiz: MRA or YouTube comment?
  • (We’re a bit drunker at this point, so sorry about that. Think of it as an accurate reflection of our bemusement at some of the quotes AJ had dug out of the internet’s finest cesspits.)
• 94:35 – Break
• 94:42 – Matt’s game of 2015
• 97:05 – Claire’s game of 2015
• 100:30 – Dylan’s game of 2015
• 102:42 – Shaun’s game of 2015
• 104:45 – Mike’s game of 2015
• 107:16 – Naomi’s game of 2015
• 110:35 – AJ’s game of 2015
• 113:28 – Closing thoughts
• 118:18 – WTFery

Games mentioned

• Kitty Powers: Matchmaker
• Tokyo Jungle
• Snake (Nokia)
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
• Silent Hills
• Star Citizen
• Starlancer
• Privateer series
• Wing Commander series
• Skyrim
• Punch Out!
• A few other Nintendo games (including… Pikmin 4?)
• Dreamcast
• Shenmue
• Last Guardian
• Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Towerfall
• Call of Duty: Black Ops III
• Life is Strange
• Lego: Star Wars… no, wait, Jurassic World?
• Tharsis
• Invisible Inc.
• Pillars of Eternity
• Tales from the Borderlands
• Until Dawn
• Journey
• The Last of Us HD remix
• Everybodyâ€s Gone to the Rapture
• Gems of War (it ruins lives)
• Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
• Far Cry 2

It’s been awesome, readers. Thanks again. <3

Despite swearing to never do another podcast again the Arcadian Rhythms crew ended up doing one anyway. The main reason was simply because AJ, Shaun and Potter had managed to meet up at EGX Rezzed 2015.

Happily, rather than ending up thinking that all video games were just ‘all right’, the show left us feeling like games were pretty awesome instead. The system works!

Joining us as a guest was Joel (aka. Harbour Master) of Electron Dance. The four of us discussed the highs and lows of the show, with a focus on the highs.

Timeline

00:15 – It was only a matter of time before we used that sound clip
00:39 – “We can’t remember the number of this podcast”
02:24 – We get confused by dynamics
05:43 – Collusion!
07:11 – Lamenting a lack of a real detective
10:00 – “What makes this a compelling experience”
12:18 – Potter can’t remember the name of his fishing game
13:35 – Joel/Harbour Master arrives (he gave us a battery for our microphone, enabling continued recording. We are such pros)
14:11 – An argument begins about console releases (we were both sort of wrong; never mind)
15:45 – “These hands all look the same”
17:15 – AJ does a classic AJ and gets the name of Aviary Attorney wrong
20:19 – ‘Moments’ in games
23:50 – Confusing point and click games
25:36 – Box quotes for Plug & Play
28:14 – We cannot find the game that AJ was talking about at all, so if anyone knows what he is talking about please link us in the comments section…
28:45 – People should stop making games that are really hard to google (Tri)
30:00 – Correction time (sorry for all the wind noises)
36:22 – AJ starts off with strong praise for Hue (he actually does like it), another game you can’t really google
32:10 – The gang talks button configurations
38:32 – What you won’t be able to hear is Potter pulling a face because he can’t remember the name of the game he wants to talk about
42:00 – Shaun calls Mighty Tactical Shooter original
45:15 – AJ regrets having to obey turn-based laws
47:18 – AJ and Potter take a dump on the PSVita, again
49:15 – “Persuadatron the game” (at this point the wind batters our recorder and, subsequently, your ears. We are sorry and will never record outdoors again)
50:13 – Accurate Greek people
52:30 – Potter can’t remember the name of the game he liked but is saved
54:15 – “Thanks, Demons”
56:00 – We hark back to a previous EGX Rezzed
61:00 – “Hatoful Boyfriend?”
62:00 – We name our favourite games of the show

Games mentioned

InSynch
Aerobat
Her Story
The Escapists
Starship Mechanic
Dovetail Games Fishing
Cave! Cave! Deus Videt
Hatoful Boyfriend
Aviary Attorney
Phoenix Wright
Cadence
Plug & Play
McPixel
Monument Valley
Raging Justice
Tri
Mutiny!
The Swindle
Adventure Box
Hue
Kitty Powers’ Matchmaker
Mighty Tactical Shooter
Flotilla
Steamworld: The Dig
Steamworld: The Heist
XCom
Titan Souls
Ohklos
Gratuitous Space Battles 2
War for the Overworld
Beacon
The Weaponographist
The Flame in the Flood
Gunsport

2014, to be brutally honest, wasn’t the best of years. Instead of brooding over it we decided to do something to brighten the mood. The solution? A quiz.

Participating were an assortment of regular (and irregular, and non-) contributors to Arcadian Rhythms, along with occasional guest star Mike of You Total Cult.

This is part 2 of the podcast, as you may have guessed by the title so if you want to hear the first part, go here.

We’ve included the questions for the second half of the quiz below for anyone at home who fancies participating. Sadly you won’t be doing so alongside us, but you can be comforted by the fact that participating won’t mean 6-7 hours of recording (and, admittedly, drinking).

Many thanks to those who wrote in with their contributions, both here on the site and on our Facebook page.

Questions

7. July: Which Telltale series came to its seasonal conclusion this month?
   1. Bonus Question: Name the remastered Ellen Page Simulator which was re-released (remastered) this year for PS4.
8. August: Name the disappointing third instalment in a franchise that was released this month.
9. September: Pier Solar HD was released this month, but which console was its original Kickstarter for?
10. October: Please explain why you haven’t played Alien Isolation.
    1. Bonus Question: Name one other horror game that came out in October.
11. November: They are the same but they are different – which is the odd one out and why?
    1. Toybox Turbos
    2. Escape Dead Island
    3. Grand Theft Auto V
    4. Dragon Age: Inquisition
12. December: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris came out this month. Why were parts of the gaming community electing to boycott it?
    1. Bonus Question: What was AJ’s favourite game that he played this month?
13. Extra Question #1: Which of the following games wasn’t released this year?
    1. Five Nights at Freddies 2
    2. Run Sackboy, Run
    3. Tears to Tiara 2: Heir of the Overlord
    4. Warface
    5. Poptropica: Forgotten Islands
    6. Murakami Baby
    7. Ar No Surge: Ode to an Unborn Star
    8. Xblaze Code: Embryo
    9. Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars
    10. The Witch and the Hundred Knight
    11. Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed
14. Extra Question #2: How many Final Fantasy games were released (including platform reissues) this year?
    1. Seven
    2. Eight
    3. Ten
    4. Eleven

Timeline

00:57 – Question 7!
01:43 – “I’m honestly not wrong”
03:29 – Dylan talks himself out of a full point
05:50 – Mike divulges that no matter how much you piss him off, he will get what he paid for (which is a broken game)
07:42 – Technical problems with the next generation
11:02 – Bonus Question
12:00 – “She’s not a goat, is she?”
13:30 – The gang debate how to make a game based on the film Secretary
17:13 – “I actually remember her from that”
18:54 – “So it’s like a Dora the Explorer game?”
23:00 – “Book of Eli can’t be wrong”
25:10 – Question 8 (to which there are three right answers!)
26:45 – Die Hard conversation
29:01 – “Is this another masturbation reference?”
30:15 – “Oh, fuck you”
34:30 – “This terrible oversight-”
35:42 – “Was that ‘lube’ you said?”
35:57 – Question 9!
38:00 – Mike changes his answer
38:24 – “Why is he standing up?”
39:25 – Shaun endeavours to make the podcast longer
40:50 – “Is that a console you can’t play after midnight?”
42:00 – “I bought this because Mike said it would be funny”
42:52 – “Does AJ stand for ‘Anime Jack-off’?”
43:15 – Question 10!
52:20 – “Why haven’t you played Locker Lunacy?”
54:25 – Shaun given ‘Potter award’ for failing to pay attention
56:04 – Rants about Michael Myers’ representation
46:20 – Anecdotes about EGX Rezzed and hiding in cupboards
50:34 – Bonus Question
58:40 – Question 11
1:01:51 – “Better as browser games”
1:07:19 – Potter gets very shirty
1:08:48 – The argument about spiritual sequels gets a little out of hand so we break
1:09:00 – Question 12
1:11:10 – “You’re thinking of the wrong Tomb Raider game”
1:12:22 – “Lara doesn’t have AIDS”
1:12:55 – “If you want epics in video games…”
1:15:28 – Talk of cutting the podcast go on
1:16:00 – AJ ad-libs. People are disappointed and booming sounds are aplenty
1:18:00 – Things are getting messy as the crew become noticeably more drunk
1:19:00 – “You demanded a bonus question!”
1:20:10 – Question 13!
1:20:50 – Shaun says rude words
1:22:50 – “Just give one answer you cheating bastard”
1:24:05 – “Do you guys have consistent listeners for injokes?” – “no”
1:25:02 – Question 14!
1:25:50 – “The moral, ethical, answer is ‘Fuck you Square Enix'”
1:26:58 – “To be fair, a lot of those were ports”
1:29:09 – “Hands up those who laughed when Aeris died”
1:29:36 – Question 15

(Oh god, this goes on for 27 minutes more)

1:30:30 – Potter is physically pained by Spann’s response to best games of 2014.
1:31:40 – Potter’s Choice of 2014
1:32:16 – Shaun’s Choice of 2014
1:33:03 – Mike issues an apology
1:33:56 – Mike’s Choice
1:36:22 – Claire’s Choice
1:38:28 – Dylan’s Choice
1:39:11 – Bex’s Choice
1:39:39 – “There was a lot of Ghibli put into that game”
1:40:09 – Naomi’s Choice
1:41:00 – The gang talk about Naomi’s choice in between crisp eating and table banging
1:43:30 – Shadows of Mordor marked out as the best Assassin’s Creed game
1:47:29 – ‘Ice cream games’
1:47:44 – Shaun, Claire and AJ reconvene the next day to get the scores and a final recap

2014, to be brutally honest, wasn’t the best of years. Instead of brooding over it we decided to do something to brighten the mood. The solution? A quiz.

Participating were an assortment of regular (and irregular, and non-) contributors to Arcadian Rhythms, along with occasional guest star Mike of You Total Cult.

We’ve included the questions for the first half of the quiz below in case anyone at home fancies participating. Sadly you won’t be doing so alongside us, but you can be comforted by the fact that participating won’t mean 6-7 hours of recording (and, admittedly, drinking).

Many thanks to those who wrote in with their contributions, both here on the site and on our Facebook page.

(The wait for part two will not be long – it’ll be published tomorrow!)

Questions

1. January: Which game, that made it big on Kickstarter, was released in this month?
   1. Bonus Question: Which game, starring a cephalopod, and featuring QWOP-style controls, was also released this month?
2. February: Which game was released this month and was quickly copied by 2048?
   1. Bonus Question: Name the fourth instalment of a much-loved (by Arcadian Rhythms) series that involves shooting ants from space.
3. March: What do Dark Souls II, Titanfall and Towerfall: Ascension have in common?
4. April: Which simulator was released this month alongside a parody of the infamous Dead Island trailer?
5. May: Which game was released this month that involved killing Nazis in a dystopian present, starring a humourously named protagonist?
   1. Bonus Question: Also released in this month was a game with which Swery65 was involved. What was it called?
6. June: Which Ubisoft game, built using the Rayman engine and set during World War I, was released this month? Hint: it almost made Potter cry.
   1. Bonus Question: Airtight games closed their doors this month after releasing Murdered: Soul Suspect. Name one other game they developed.

Timeline

01:14 – “There is an ‘I’…”
01:46 – “Ah, I see the problem now”
03:21 – Mike shows his credentials
04:08 – “You obviously haven’t listened to our podcast before”
04:59 – Prizes are discussed
05:34 – Question 1
06:20 – An argument breaks out about hints – AJ is physically chastised
09:16 – Potter breaks out and is met by a cacophany of laughter (WARNING: you may want to turn down the volume for a few seconds – sorry!)
13:11 – Conversation diverges into potato salad
15:00 – Somehow salad turns into fascism
15:45 – Bonus Question for Question 1!
17:23 – Uproar as Dylan gets a question right
19:03 – We discover that You Total Cult does not get commentary love
19:15 – Question 2!
20:20 – “Anything that isn’t pure 2048 is bullshit”
21:30 – We admit we hate games (games conversation goes down the toilet)
24:23 – AJ has a little Sony dig
25:23 – Bonus Question for Question 2
27:20 – Saints Row IV
27:48 – “That’s bullshit and you know it”
29:00 – “We’ll probably put a link in the notes” (we haven’t because it would be a spoiler)
29:58 – We discover AJ can’t spell ‘Borne’
33:00 – We descend into Fantastic Four references and Transformers
33:37 – Question 3 (yes, I know)
35:30 – “Bullet physics”
37:10 – “It’s my voice, I can’t help it.”
38:01 – “Hold on, I have a problem”
39:25 – Question 4
40:10 – Tapping noises ahoy!
40:34 – Conversation diverges into the Dead Island 2 trailer conversation and ‘stopping mid-wank’
42:14 – Dylan has a revelation
43:00 – Shaun answers: Operation Flashpoint
44:29 – AJ does some cross-Atlantic translation
46:00 – Fuck me, we made it to Question 5!
49:07 – Bonus Question
50:50 – “Coffee Drinker simulator”
53:56 – “So just to be clear – it’s not Catherine?”
55:20 – Question 6!
56:04 – “Can you tell me the answer Naomi?”
56:35 – After being told not to give hints, Naomi tries to break the rules by doing just that, kicking the table in the process
57:49 – Discussion about an Animal Crossing game set during WWI
59:20 – AJ tries to say “This War of Mine” as many times as possible
01:01:52 – We start talking about Vagrant Story
01:04:00 – There was a bonus question, but we got side-tracked
01:05:30 – “Are you fighting these as a dog?”
01:06:20 – Fuck, we almost got to the bonus question again.
01:07:17 – Shaun corrects the usage of ‘factoid’ (and it later turns out both definitions are actually fine, the smart-arse)
01:08:13 – And finally, the bonus question!
01:09:34 – Note: the offer of twenty points does not extend to anyone doing the quiz at home as we cannot check whether you are cheating
01:11:10 – Claire takes a punt on the answer then brings up past transgressions
01:12:23 – Conversation about Tupperware Party and James Brown Soularium (Mike’s favourite imaginary game)
01:14:23 – “Accurate but not relevant to this question”
01:16:16 – All the times Hitler was funny
01:16:44 – “We are absolutely cutting all that”

In this podcast they explore just why they believe Skyrim is so overrated, and become steadily drunker and less coherent as they do so. It’s just like going down the pub with us.

Timeline

• 00:43 – an excellent start to the podcast as Shaun describes Skyrim as “The Elder Scrolls IV“. In fairness, he may have attempted to block Oblivion from his mind.
• 05:10 – on the use of the word “masterpiece”.
• 12:20 – spoiler warning: we’re not doing any spoiler warnings.
• 12:50 – and the games begin, as we get into the why of hating Skyrim. We begin with storytelling and dialogue.
• 16:00 – although we’ve got bigger criticisms to make than Skyrim’s inevitable bugs, sometimes they really have to be mentioned.
• 18:50 – Skyrim’s context-free minor quests and wonky dialogue triggers.
• 22:30 – confusing systems and confusing descriptions, supposedly contributing toward an engrossing experience.
• 24:00 – Skyrim’s two-bit, wallpaper characters.
• 25:40 – the player as the only significant character in the world.
• 28:11 – point 1.2: “there is absolutely no conclusion to anything.”
• 32:30 – the sheer laziness of neglecting to reflect any change in the world.
• 35:05 – “Skyrim doesn’t care about people … character … culture … society … economies … anything.”
• 39:00 – caring more about the wild fauna of Skyrim than its terrible characters.
• 42:00 – in passing defence of cutscenes.
• 46:14 – we take a break to top up on bile after ringing storytelling, worldbuilding, character and dialogue dry.
• 46:47 – point 2, on Skyrim’s combat: slashing at people = not fun.
• 52:30 – Alan Wake comes up in conversation thanks to its driving mechanics.
• 58:50 – unbalancing the game with character progression mechanics (looking at you, sneaking).
• 62:00 – Skyrim’s engine is not cut out for combat.
• 63:00 – Shaun starts talking about Morrowind but is already drunk enough that he refers to it as “Oblivion” three times. (He played the actual Oblivion for about 140 hours from the day of release on. It’s definitely Morrowind that he struggled to get into.)
• 67:00 – “…it’s not epic. It’s just longer.”
• 72:45 – might the “something for everyone” approach of Skyrim result in the edges being sanded off every gameplay mechanic?
• 74:50 – to wrap up combat, we deconstruct “I just want to switch my brain off and enjoy it.”
• 78:00 – round three: everything else. We kick off with bugs.
• 79:30 – bugs: “I think this is a PC and Xbox divide.”
• 83:25 – from Skyrim’s menus to “there is a fucking item for everything.”
• 86:00 – why can’t developers produce a good UI for cross-platform PC games when it takes a few weeks for modders to do so?
• 90:10 – #1: “randomly generated puzzles” #2: “hahahaha”
• 99:00 – Dylan invites Shaun to comment on imagination in fantasy design, which leads to a rantorrent. Oops.
• 105:30 – things we like about Skyrim. Shaun likes spelunking!

Games mentioned

• Well… Skyrim, mostly. Plus Oblivion, its predecessor, and the older Elder Scrolls games.
• X-Treme Express
• Final Fantasy X-2
• Alan Wake
• Dark Souls
• Dragon’s Dogma
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Abyss Odyssey
• Zeno Clash

Reticle or ‘reticule’ is the word of the podcast.

(For the record, we named this podcast when it was edited on August 20th. Sometimes podcast serendipity just happens.)

Timeline

01:00 – Incorrect corrections on Sniper Elite naming conventions
04:10 – Appreciating the complexities of match three games
07:00 – AJ seems to regret having had fun
09:45 – ‘Wing wam’? (we think he means ‘wing man’)
12:24 – Deliberate ‘shaky reticule’ sparks Dylan into rage over past transgressions
15:30 – Dylan comes up with a pithy term
16:30 – Friend of the podcast ‘Pete’ is mentioned (in terms of his gifts)
18:40 – AJ accidentally starts knocking things over
21:30 – ‘Bashing your head against the wall’
24:29 – We praise AI… in a word game
25:55 – We talk about our listeners, all 7 of them
27:11 – ‘Shaun, do your thing then we’re fighting’
31:19 – ‘Executioner’s Contract doesn’t have the same ring to it’
36:50 – Universally shit – in your opinion
39:38 – AJ repeats himself
43:15 – ‘I always loved it but I hated it too’
47:20 – ‘If you die… everything’s gone’
48:40 – ‘Pokemon effect’
52:34 – Ace Team, oh Ace Team
55:46 – ‘Dagon Queef?’
58:08 – ‘And talked about how they hated it’
1:01:10 – Returning to roots, although they never really left
1:03:51 – Japanese games succeeding in the West
1:05:26 – ‘A flying train that is a snake’
1:08:56 – Shaun managed to make talking about a game he liked sound as if he was advertising
1:11:25 – More pedanticism about names
1:12:08 – The pizza interlude
1:18:30 – Dylan demands more integrity so that we have even fewer listeners

Games mentioned

Sniper Elite III
Crimson Dragon
Ride to Hell: Retribution
Panzer Dragoon
Titanfall
Puzzle & Dragons
Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
Dragon’s Dogma
Jetpack Joyride
Child of Eden
Rebel Assault
Phantom Crash
Quarrel
Dark Arms
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Knights Contract
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
Abyss Odyssey
Spelunky
F.3.A.R.
Dragon Quest IX
Final Fantasy XIII
Nier
World of Tanks
Daisenryaku VII
Oh yeah, and Dark Souls

The Arcadian Rhythms Podcast returns, this time with a special guest and some interference from a mobile phone.

Between static the team talk hub worlds, JRPG fanart, drinking and entropy problems, Dragonlance, ludonarrative dissonance, mechanical constructs, mechanical arms and team building.

AJ fails to understand the full scale of Child of Light (forgive him, he played it on hard), but he is not wrong about Dead to Rights: Retribution (Dylan agrees).

Shaun calls for parity and more love for God out of the machine.

Dylan talks coherently – mostly – about shooters and the general gamer experience.

00:45 – A Special Guest! Who barely says anything!
01:45 – Earth Defence Force 2025 gets a menshie
02:45 – FPS: an exciting and fresh genre
04:14 – “I found it incredibly dull”
05:20 – Shaun and AJ set some historical facts straight
06:28 – “Template for a boring FPS”
07:48 – Dylan talks about gameshows
10:10 – After AJ’s criticism of Wolfenstein Dylan proposes an earnest and legitimate argument
14:39 – AJ decides to criticise Deus Ex: Human Revolution next
18:00 – “It’s been 3 years”: Shaun tries to say good things about Deus Ex: Human Resources but can’t remember most of the details
19:55 – Boxes versus Electricity – a high point
22:40 – It wouldn’t be an episode of AR without some ludonarrative dissonance discussion
23:30 – Dragon Quest IX slithers into the limelight
24:20 – “That and World of Warcraft”
27:23 – A very positive thing in JRPG storytelling
28:01 – Dodgy fan art is mentioned, but Dylan manages to stay focused
29:35 – Our guest wakes up and manages to explain the “Tales” series
31:19 – “College full of losers”
32:14 – “One of them has a drinking problem”
37:55 – “Ham-fisted as shit”
38:10 – Dylan calls for peace, and more Dark Souls
39:52 – SPOILERS! for Darks Souls, specifically Knight Solaire as spake Miyazaki
40:25 – “Gothic as fuck”
44:32 – “Everyone involved is a genius”
49:35 – Pooping on mainstream franchises
52:15 – Anus Longo
52:45 – All those sick of Dark Souls can tune back in
53:20 – We take a break. A bit of drinking has been done in the gap…
54:45 – We realise we haven’t yet explained what Dungeon Defenders is about
58:27 – AJ says “don’t quote me on this” for the second time
1:01:44 – “Kills things good”
1:04:37 – “You’re singing my song”
1:06:50 – “Dead Rising 2 is a big pile of Dead Rising”
1:11:04 – AJ suspects incorrectly
1:21:07 – AJ fails to understand the difference between a bow and an arrow
1:24:10 – First player reloading
1:25:57 – Return to Castle Wolfenstein
1:26:53 – Hitting no demographics
1:28:15 – AJ tries to find praise for a designer
1:28:30 – On boss battles
1:29:20 – “It was definitely an experience”
1:30:15 – We wanted to talk about Hitman: Absolution… but we couldn’t
1:31:30 – Obvious grappling points
1:34:06 – “Apart from ‘Streetfighter Lesbian'”
1:39:30 – AJ appeals to ‘common sense’ and is rebuked with legitimate reasons
1:43:25 – Establishing basic precepts
1:45:30 – AJ has a sob story
1:49:38 – “Communicate ideas”
1:51:15 – Quintessential Soap Opera stuff
1:54:10 – “All my power is gone”
1:56:10 – “Rambo: The Video Game is badass”
1:55:50 – Our guest speaks out
2:00:50 – Bright Red Fire Hydrant
2:06:40 – Just less angry and judgemental
2:08:53 – Talk of rabbit runs and malaise
2:10:27 – Branching off into a different topic
2:13:40 – George Orwell and Slippy
2:14:00 – “Are you autistic, in that special way?”
2:15:29 – “I thought you were talking about a dessert”
2:16:00 – Nick Offerman and cunnilingus

Games mentioned:

Dark Souls 2
Dark Souls
Earth Defence Force 2025
F.E.A.R. 3
Wolfenstein
Singularity
Wolfenstein (a different one)
Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Brothers
The Last of Us
Call of Duty
Quake 4
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
The Darkness
The Darkness 2
Metroid
Hitman
Diablo 3
Lost Vikings
World of Warcraft
Dragon Quest IX
Dragon Age
Breath of Fire
Suikoden
Final Fantasy VII
Tales of Vesperia
Tales of Symphonia
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Toki Tori 2
Persona
Fez
Demon Souls
Castle of Shikugami
Trouble Witches Neo
Dungeon Defenders
Plants vs. Zombies
Puzzle & Dragons
Puzzle Quest Galactrix
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Dead Rising 2
Dead Rising
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
LA Noire
Child of Light
Rayman Legends
Aquaria
Grandia III
Rambo the Video Game
Mindjack
Dead to Rights: Retribution
Way of the Dogg
Catherine
Saw 2
Rambo 3 (Megadrive)
Virtua Cop
Tomb Raider
Way of the Samurai 3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Dragon’s Dogma
Gun
Far Cry 3
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat
Just Cause
Alien: Isolation
Bioshock Infinite
Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Gone Home
Yakuza 3
FTL: Advanced Edition
StarFox Adventures

The second part of our EGX Rezzed podcast has arrived… after E3. Evidently we are not as efficient as we would like.

This is the sad result of a spectacular miscommunication in which three of us failed to realise that no one was working on the timeline or the games mentioned, even though the audio was edited and ready to rock.

Still, here it is, finally. Apologies for the clicking sounds, beer can opening, yawning and recorder bashing. To be fair, if you’ve listened to our podcast before you’re probably used to all this.

Steel yourself, body and soul, for highs (soundtracks, of all things), lows (Enola) and plenty of drunkenness.

Timeline:

00:20 – Our first fuck-up took only twenty seconds
05:08 – “Up there with Centipede”
05:50 – “Nazi robots?”
06:25 – “Basically playing the first level, over and over again”
07:53 – “Never let them do it”
09:48 – Tracing out a pattern with our fingers
11:02 – More love for the Vita (we’re starting to think AJ doesn’t like it)
11:57 – “I really like the peeing mechanic”
13:00 – AJ tried to coax OlliOlli talk out of Potter
15:00 – The gang praise OlliOlli… sort of
17:30 – A call out to a Mac friend
18:40 – We talk about a game that is basically Flower but better
19:58 – Some confusion over flying turtles
20:30 – “You are giving me that funny face”
23:01 – “Miner Dig Deep 2…” “Robots”
25:09 – “I am sure it is awesome, maybe”
25:50 – The duo take pause from their game talk to discuss indie development
28:26 – AJ takes the piss out of Fennesz
31:05 – AJ says ‘simple’ for the umpteenth time
33:37 – Potter talks about the soundtrack for Concursion (please note that we had not interviewed the Concursion guys at the time of recording, so lacked some info on it)
36:00 – “It gets me everytime”
42:24 РSmashing Pi̱atas
43:40 – “Like Clay Fighter?”
46:00 – Point and Clink adventure
48:10 – Like Wetrix but with no objectives
49:14 – We talk about our favourite games
51:34 – “Go fuck yourself”
52:50 – Award times
56:30 – AJ takes it too far (and in light of E3 it might be unfounded)
58:00 – We start running out of awards

Games mentioned:

Three Body Problem (mentioned briefly in the awesome Biome preview/interview)
10 Second Ninja
Hotline Miami 2
Postal
OlliOlli
Hohokum (the rainbow game)
Steamworld Dig (which is also out on PC)
Concursion
Alex Kidd in Shinobi World
Mercenary Kings
Toby’s Vertical Adventure
Forma.8
Dead Pixels 2: Straight to Video
Super Pinata Pro
Gang Beasts
Velocity 2X
Murdered: Soul Suspect
Biome
Alien Isolation
Infamous: Second Son
One Finger Death Punch
Enola

Timeline

00:00 – Introduction: AJ, Potter & Rezzed
00:55 – Moving swiftly on to videogames… but Potter is already puzzled (There Will Be Lancing)
02:28 – Developer or enthusiastic fan?
03:40 – “Do you want to talk about that crappy baby game?” (Murosaki Baby)
06:40 – AJ institutes the new Arcadian Rhythms PS Vita Appreciation Club
08:34 – “The Metal Slug RPG with gathering!” (Mercenary Kings)
09:25 – “I don’t pronounce ‘th’ sounds very well… or at all.”
10:10 – Welcome to the Arcadian Rhythms torture porn minute
11:58 – “No… no… her shoulders”
12:55 – Arcadian Rhythms loves four-player co-op!
13:20 – conversation moves on to Mighty Tactical Shooter
15:44 – “Speaking of witty dialogue…” (Foul Play)
17:20 – “There are moments where the villains stumble over their own lines”
18:00 – “…there’s more depth than Castle Crashers, but there isn’t that much depth to it.”
19:25 – “If we’re going to give Sony a shout-out…” (InFamous: Second Son)
20:40 – “A lot of Twilight sparkles”
23:50 – “I don’t understand the point of playing this game when you can go and play Saint’s Row 4
24:40 – Completely unpredictably, the guys drift off-topic and end up discussing Agent Coulson
25:36 – (Break)
25:44 – Storytime with AJ!
26:30 – “I see what you’ve done! You’ve called yourself ‘Xbox sign out’ – oh nooo!”
27:10 – “Don’t visit Coventry.”
27:50 – “[The NEC] is a surreal compound”
29:30 – …and back on topic!
29:45 – mention is made of forthcoming interviews (to be published separately but soon)
30:40 – “As loud as Godzilla.”
30:50 – A few corrections are made to erroneous game titles (which you may have already spotted in the list below)
32:08 – “You can do that to yourself, after I’ve left the room and after we’ve finished recording this podcast.”
32:40 – “Let’s talk about Alien: Isolation”
33:40 – The PC elite trump the consoles again!
34:37 – “Shall we make this awkward?”
36:20 – “It fucking puts the shits up you at every opportunity it can”
37:55 – “Let’s not talk about Alien: Winona Ryder.” “That was my favourite one! …sorry?”
39:18 – “It’s a very gameified way of doing it.”
43:15 – “I’m definitely going to give it my time when it comes out.”
44:00 – “At least it’s not a crafting system.”
45:45 – “It’s about having a good experience.”

Games Mentioned

There Will Be Lancing
Divekick
Bushido Blade
Murosaki Baby
Mercenary Kings
Metal Slug
Magic the Gathering
Mighty Tactical Shooter
Foul Play
Streets of Rage
Final Fight
Castle Crashers
InFamous: Second Son
Crackdown
Saints Row 4
Assassin’s Creed
Alien: Isolation
BioShock

Our first podcast of 2014 emerges blinking from a nice ‘apartment’, hosted by genteel Canadian AJ and his friendly English hominid Potter.

Recorded over the course of two days, this podcast will tell you why you don’t need an Ouya but may end up with one anyway, assesses whether or not the first record-breaking Kickstarter game project has been worth the wait, attempts to get to the heart of what makes Dark Souls so special, why recording ‘casts at 1am may be a problem and how someone shot Hitler last night.

There is a possibility that last one is a euphemism.

Timeline

00:00 – Light entertainment, technical problems.
01:06 – “As in, what you do?”
01:53 – a plug for a novel leads into speculation on Brightonian habits, which leads into discussion of rewriting a character’s gender.
05:48 – “Welcome to our podcast about literature!”
06:24 – AJ covers the background of Double Fine’s first Kickstarter.
07:46 – One special listener is promised a free book about sweaty men fondling one another.
09:20 – Three minutes later, Potter is able to talk about Broken Age.
11:36 – “I’m not sure what kind of face that is.”
11:50 – Probably the funniest discussion around the semantics of “point and click adventure” I have ever heard.
17:00 – Disgusting, slanderous accusations with no basis in reality are levelled against Shaun.
17:40 – Discussion moves on to Dark Souls.
18:57 – AJ attempts to nail down the heart of the game.
22:00 – “It’s that bravery, to let people understand that they aren’t going to see everything.”
22:45 – “There’s still stuff that people can’t explain.”
24:13 – “I have talked way too much about Dark Souls” is probably going to be a pull quote on ads for its sequel.
24:40 – Shoot Many Robots is discussed.
26:50 – Not naming and shaming shit performance in multiplayer co-op. Potter.
27:40 – Discussion of the late game and its in-app purchasing features.
29:00 – Games of a similar ilk to Shoot Many Robots are discussed in relation to its standout characteristics.
30:49 – Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
32:15 – Break!
32:33 – The follies of podcast recording at 1am.
34:10 – “I want to say atavistic […] almost primal satisfaction to a really good headshot.”
34:47 – “I shot Hitler last night. That was quite satisfying.”
35:00 – Conversation moves on to the Ouya, the crowdfunded Android console.
37:51 – “Where it falls apart is the controller.”
41:00 – “Something you take for granted on the 360 or the PS3 is when you power on your controller the console will start responding to inputs.”
43:16 – “There’s no reason to play WizOrb on an Ouya.”
44:07 – “I have almost no use for this whatsoever… and yet I’m still tempted.”
45:42 – “To add to your collection of redundant consoles…”
46:30 – Promises are made about another cast with a larger cast (see what we did there?) and AR announces its presence at Rezzed 2014 in Brum.
50:35 – “Bye!”

Games Mentioned

My Horse (for Android)
My Horse (for iOS)
Broken Age
Little Big Planet
Dark Souls
Dragon’s Dogma
Shoot Many Robots
Contra
Dungeon Defenders
Borderlands
Diablo
Sniper Elite V2
TowerFall
Killing Floor: Calamity
Counterstrike
WizOrb
Arkanoid
Breakout
Nidhogg
Samurai Gun