Kiryu drops the splintered chair he’s been holding in his white-knuckled grip. Around him dozens of badly-beaten yakuza groan in pain. Turning, he sees a group of adorable small children approaching. “Kiryu-San” they cry in unison, “Why did you beat up our papa(s)? Our families will surely starve tonight!” Kiryu’s expression softens. He proceeds to spend the next two in-game weeks winning them toys in the claw game.”
Further Reading:
Godzilla
God of War
Martin Scorsese’s films
Agent 47 and Lincoln Clay are walking around downtown while passing a joint back and forth. Their inebriation has led them to become somewhat lost. Up ahead a police officer twirls a baton on the street corner. Agent 47 turns to Clay and says “I’m gonna ask him for directions.” Clay, aghast, whispers “No! 47, No!” But 47 is resolute and walks up behind the cop, garroting him swiftly, and slipping into his uniform. He pulls the slide back on his handgun, turns to Lincoln and says: “I didn’t know I couldn’t do that.” (all thanks due to the great Dave Chappelle for this reference)
Further Reading:
The Americans TV Series
Tony Hawk
Crackdown
Grand Theft Auto Series
Dishonored 2
Mafia 3
The Autobiography of Malcom X
Ralph Ellison – Invisible Man
Herman Melville – Moby Dick
Assassin’s Creed Liberation
Evan Narcisse – “The Natural”
Watch Dogs 2
Lincoln leaves his chrome-wrapped car idling – “Black Ghost Blues” crooning out its speakers – and kicks down the doors of the mafia-controlled warehouse. He mows through nameless goons until finally he reaches the head goon. Laying his gun down the goon says “don’t you think you’re being a little divisive right now? Doesn’t our nation need time to heal? Have you ever looked at the statistics on black on black crime?”
Special Guest: Shawn Alexander Allen @aNuChallenger co-creator of Treachery in Beatdown City
Further Reading:
Bloomberg offered security detail jobs as private security guards
Bill DeBlasio wants Federal Government to pay for Trump’s NYC security expenses
https://inversephase.bandcamp.com/
Map of Escape from New York:
Malcolm X and The Nation of Islam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUdM9vrCbow
Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man
Washington Post – Mafia 3 took risk by having black protagonist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytkjQvSk2VA
Join us as we discuss the most interesting and memorable games of 2016.
It was a pretty shitty year, but we’ve found a shred of solace in the digital media with which we tend to pass our free time. Whether it’s through telling good stories or fostering supportive communities, games remain important even as larger issues threaten to overwhelm us.
We cap off the podcast with our hopes and dreams for gaming in 2017, bringing up VR, games criticism, Nintendo’s prospects and diversity in the games space.
Games discussed:
Dishonored 2, Hitman, Overcooked, Uncharted 4, Titanfall 2, Doom, Dark Souls 3, The Witness, Shin Megami Tensei, Inside
My Waypoint article discussing Doom & Inside
You blast out of hyperspace just in time to begin your descent through the looming planet’s atmosphere. In the periphery your hull glows red, then begins to cool. The landing jets of your ship flare up as you dust down on the lush and colorful surface. You pop open the cockpit hatch and set out to explore a new and exciting world, when behind you, you hear a floppy wet squeak. You whip around, and upon seeing the poor misbegotten creature, fall to you knees in despair. “No, not squishy butt planet again!”
Other games discussed: Persona 4 Golden, Severed, Her Story, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Shuhei Yasuda interview about No Man’s Sky’s broken promises
You raise your head from fitful sleep – you’ve been dozing at your desk again. On the computer is a half completed Reddit post: “TIL the kid from Inside is actually a simulation run by an employee of the Abstergo Corporation from Assassin’s Creed.”
Other games discussed: Overwatch, Volume, Hyper Light Drifter, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst, Doom
What Mirror’s Edge Should Have Learned from Burnout
Nathan slides recklessly down the muddy embankment firing RPGs at hordes of nameless Euro-military types. “Hey I just met you,” he bellows at Elena over the explosive rattle of gun fire. “This is crazy!” Elena responds as she backflips onto a jet ski while filming the whole scene through her camcorder. “Well, here’s my number.” Nate tosses a live grenade with his digits sprayed on at a group of baddies running off with the treasure. “Call it a perfect 10 maybe”: Every game publication on Earth.
Guest this week: Joe Russ – Creator of the upcoming adventure game Jenny LeClue
Other games discussed: Inside
Further Reading:
Stephen King and George RR Martin
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Multiplayer
You find yourself down to your very last sliver of health. The enemy looms before you, readying itself to deliver the final blow. As you grimace and prepare to meet your doom, the monster drops its weapon and whips out a mirror instead. “Look within to find the most *dangerous* monster in this world,” it croons. You frantically navigate over to and initiate the menu option: “Self-awareness” – It is super effective.
Also discussed: Kill Screen Festival 2016
Further Reading:
The Desert Half – Rebecca Worby
Blood Meridian – Cormac McCarthy
Serenely, you meander through the bright, effervescent world of The Witness. The sky is a brilliant shade of blue dotted with the occasional brush stroked cloud. The problems and struggles of the real world fade away as you solve cereal box puzzles in quick succession until… “wtf? Why isn’t this one working? What did I do wrong? Do I need to rethink this whole segment? I tried it 50 different times and it still doesn’t work! ARRGHHH…”
Other games discussed: The Division, Puzzles and Monsters, Firewatch, The Talos Principle
Further Reading:
Michelle Ehrhardt’s KillScreen article about The Division and 9/11
Run the Jewels “Close Your Eyes And Count To Fuck”
Enemy fire peppers the hull from all directions. “our Love Shields are down to 33%, Captain!” shouts the first mate from below decks. I jump on the rudder and swing wildly to starboard. All of a sudden fisticuffs cloud my vision and the first ma- “wait, who made you the captain?”
“Well, I’m better at steering”
“Arguably guns are more important”
We explode into a thousand starbursts of cosmic love, tinged with the sourness of a married couple’s bickering.
Other games discussed: Fallout 4, Bloodborne, Splatoon
Yussef’s blog post about Fallout 4’s ahistorical framing of racism
The Fallout 3 house inspired by Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains”