Co-op Mood

Latest Episodes:

Co-op Mood 11: David Cage Remastered Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

Sally and Shane played the game that put David Cage’s name on the video game map: 2005’s Fahrenheit (or, as it was known in North America, Indigo Prophecy) and they’re here to talk all about it. They describe the game’s story and gameplay before diving into a discussion about the legacy of this very uneven game when it comes to today’s point and click and adventure games. They also talk about games they’re playing right now, including League of Legends and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime.

-What Shane’s excited about: Defector, the new spots blog/media company founded by former Deadspin employees

-What Sally’s excited about: The TV show Stumptown (ABC), available on Hulu

Things we talked about:

Postmortem:

Indigo Prophecy

by David Cage

Co-op Mood 10: Detroit: Become Tabletop Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Sally and Shane talk about Sony’s weird lottery system for preordering a PS5. Then they talk about the video games they’d like to play as tabletop RPGs and share their thoughts and ideas for just how to do that, from adapting lore and worldbuilding to implementing gameplay and mechanics. They also talk about games they’re playing right now, including Among Us, Eliza, and Night Call.

-What Shane’s excited about: The TV series Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet available on Apple+.

-What Sally’s excited about: The actual play of the indie RPG Sleepaway on the One Shot Network. You can listen to Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Co-op Mood 9: You Will Be Deceived Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Sally and Shane talk about a few different news items (including Stardew Valley update 1.5 and a certain big company suing a certain giant company). Then they discuss the 2019 game Interrogation: You Will Be Deceived, from the noir mood and rotoscoped aesthetic to the mechanics and themes, as well as what worked and what didn’t. They also talk about games they’re playing right now (League of Legends and Borderlands 3) and buying skins that don’t do anything mechanically but are extremely fun.

-What Shane’s excited about: The Canadian TV series, Letterkenny, available on Hulu

-What Sally’s excited about: The podcast California Love by Walter Thompson-Hernández

Co-op Mood 8: Tabletop Roleplaying Video Games Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Sally and Shane talk about the Nintendo gigaleak, why it matters, and ask the question “Does anyone care about the plumber’s brother?” Then they talk about the tabletop roleplaying games they’d like to see adapted in video games and how those concepts would be executed. They also talk about the games they’re playing right now, which include League of Legends and The Witness.

-What Shane’s excited about: The finale of Discovery’s Naked and Afraid XL

-What Sally’s excited about: Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, the 3-season A&E docuseries

Co-op Mood 7: You Have My Divided Attention Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Sally and Shane talk about casual co-op games, when they work, when they don’t, why they’re great during the pandemic, and more. Then they discuss their all time favorites of the genre and also kind of change their definition of the genre. They also talk about speedrunning and Games Done Quick 2020 as well the games they’re playing right now (Overwatch, Minecraft Dungeons, LA Noire, A Mortician’s Tale, ACNH).

Things we talked about:

-Games Done Quick 2020 Schedule

-Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! World Record Progression

-Final Fantasy VII speedrun from Summer Games Done Quick 2017

-What Shane’s excited about: The rom-com Palm Springs (Groundhog Day for millennials, streaming on Hulu)

-What Sally’s excited about: Zweihänder, the “grim and perilous” RPG that started as a hack of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Co-op Mood 6: Myers–Briggs, But Video Games Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

Sally and Shane talk about Quantic Foundry’s gamer motivation profile survey and how it attempts to distill gamers’ personalities and playstyles and recommend games. They talk about the benefits and the limits of the survey model and then discuss their own results. They also discuss Amazon’s new recent released (and more recently un-released) game Crucible, as well as the grand strategy game Stellaris and the short indie game A Short Hike.

Links from this episode:

-Quantic Foundry’s Gamer Motivation Profile survey

-Sally’s gamer motivation profile

-Shane’s gamer motivation profile

-Steve Saylor’s reaction video to the accessibility menus in The Last of Us Part 2

-What Shane’s excited about: the PS5

-What Sally’s excited about: the podcast Alba Salix, Royal Physician

Co-op Mood 5: The Best of Us Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Sally and Shane talk mostly about Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 2. Although they skipped big story spoilers, there is plenty of discussion of how the game feels to play, the richness of the environments, and the exquisite storytelling. They also discuss whether video games have any place in high school curricula, the simple but deep joys of Minecraft Dungeons, and kicking a villager off your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island.

Here are links to some of things we discussed this episode:

-This War Of Mine Added To Poland's High School Reading List

-Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

-Spec Ops: The Line

Co-op Mood 4: Jones in the Fast Lane Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

Shane and Sally open by talking about the Madden player who won the Madden bowl without having a QB or even throwing a single pass. Then they dive into the genre of games that includes Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing—known as “tend and befriend”—that are all about doing a job once your IRL workday is over.

Read More:
On anti-blackness and police violence:

On silly video game stuff:

Co-op Mood 3: Enter the Dungeon(s and Dragons) May 26, 2020

Show notes

Shane and Sally open the episode by talking about the billion dollar (billion! Dollar!) video game coaching industry. Then they talk about the video games that provide a damn good simulacrum of sitting around a table playing D&D with buddies.

Read More:

Bloomberg: Billion Video-Game Coaching Business Ramps Up During Lockdown

Contact Us:

Sally on Twitter: @sallyt

Shane on Twitter: @mundangerous

Co-op Mood on Twitter: @coopmoodpod

Co-op Mood Email: coopmoodpod[at]gmail.com

Co-op Mood 2: War is Hell (of a Good Time) May 18, 2020

Show notes

After discussing the Nintendo PlayStation and how weird and (apparently) valuable it is, Shane and Sally talk about how video games explore and portray war, from the jingoistic gun porn options to the games that are grounded in the brutal reality of combat trauma.

Read More:

Engadget: Bidding for the 'Nintendo PlayStation' prototype is already over $200k

Contact Us:

Sally on Twitter: @sallyt

Shane on Twitter: @mundangerous

Co-op Mood on Twitter: @coopmoodpod

Co-op Mood Email: coopmoodpod[at]gmail.com