Famicom Dojo Video Game Podcast

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52: Extra Large Jun 29, 2012

Show notes

Granted, it was announced since recording this episode that the 3DS XL is going to have its own circle pad, but that didn't stop us from wondering a couple of things: a) Why it wasn't built into the XL, and b) why it wasn't announced during E3.
Sean and Vinnk grapple with the relevancy of the biggest gaming industry event in the US, and come to the terrifying conclusion that just MAYBE Nintendo might not want third parties to succeed...
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

51: Added Content Jun 22, 2012

Show notes

Added Content is not something you find much in video games any more. Long gone are the days of Infocom's "feelies", but great text adventure classics like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy had some of the most creative in the business.
Vinnk and Sean followup on their "DLC podcast" promise by adding episode content from listener requests! Guest panelist Sindra joins Sean to review the Silent Hill movie, while Vinnk reminisces about the days of hint lines, program books, and peril-sensitive sunglasses.
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

50: E3 2012 Jun 15, 2012

Show notes

Did Nintendo try to steal the show, only to stumble? Is the Wii U just an expansion for the Wii, with only enough extra horsepower to run the GamePad screen? Did Sony and Microsoft play it too close to the vest, or can we expect something greater from them in 2013?
Sean and Vinnk talk about the ups and downs (sometimes it feels like mostly downs) of E3, Vinnk's game of the show Project P-100, and all of the reasons we tell ourselves that E3 wasn't that great, even thought we just really wanted to be there in person.
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

49: System Fragmentation Jun 08, 2012

Show notes

The Wii U Pro Controller presents two problems: 1) It's just like the Wii Classic or Wii Classic Pro Controllers: the adoption rate is poor, nothing that works on it NEEDS to work on it, and we totally forget about it. 2) It actually takes off, and threatens one of the core value propositions of the Wii U. Only Nintendo makes games for it, and 3rd parties just ignore it after a while.
Vinnk and Sean discuss the problem of hardware fragmentation in video game systems, and trot out some well-worn examples as well as more recent ones: the Sega Genesis 32x, Android's newest Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and more!
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

48: Gamer and Developer Entitlement Jun 01, 2012

Show notes

In the waning years of the 20th century, secret codes were a common feature in games that would unlock secret content or make the challenge a bit less difficult. But now if you want those extras, you can "unlock" them for just a few dollars! Is that this a terrible shift in developer entitlement, or another example of how gamers feel like they shouldn't have to pay more than a few dollars for a new game?
Sean and Vinnk look at the things that developers do to get more money out of gamers, and what gamers do to make developers believe that they can't get paid fairly for their work. Used games aren't evil, but some developers want you to think they are. Developers aren't evil, but there are gamers who... well, you know the rest. Is one side more entitled than the other?
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

47: Developer Worship May 25, 2012

Show notes

What companies or individuals make games that you will buy just because their name is on it?
Vinnk and Sean examine the perils and the pitfalls of Developer Worship, and wonder aloud if there's really anything our favorite personalites and companies can do to make us hate them. We list some of our favorites: Harmonix, Square and Enix (before they were one company), BioWare, Shigeru Miyamoto, Hideo Kojima, Grasshopper Manufacture and Suda 51 and more! Which ones are your favorites, and why?
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

46: Matrimony May 18, 2012

Show notes

The idea and practical applications of marriage barely come up in video games. Sure, there's not much of a place for it in Angry Birds, and it theoretically might be the ultimate goal of dating sims. But what about games where you're playing as a character or interact with NPCs who just ARE married?
Sean and Vinnk (gamers who are, apparently miraculously, each respectively married with children) explore the reasons why games might actually shy away from the trapping of matrimony, and how the few games that do use it (Fable, The Sims, Alan Wake) want to milk it for emotional impact. But how "emotionally impacted" might an 8 year-old gamer feel about such subject matter -- and is that right there the reason it's a subject few developers dare to tread?
And when is Mario just going to marry Princess Peach already! How many more times does she need to get kidnapped by Bowser for him to get the hint??
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

45: Only Mostly Dead Apr 27, 2012

Show notes

Injuries in video games tend to be minor annoyances rather than the game-stopping events they should be. But wouldn't having to heal from actual injuries be a sure way to kill gaming fun?
Vinnk and Sean discuss how injury has been taken out of games with the advent of armor and shielding, and on the other side of the spectrum games that are all about healing. And somewhere in between, there's the worst offender of the blurry line between life, death, and severe crippling injury: RPGs. Also, we give out copious amounts of Phoenix Downs.
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

44: Don't Believe the Hype Apr 06, 2012

Show notes

Hype is great... until your game comes out. Quite different from development hell, these are games that come out, but when they do they don't quite live up to the promises made by the marketing department -- and sometimes the developers themselves.
Sean and Vinnk discuss the raft of hate against the Mass Effect 3 ending, the lack of ending for the Shenmue series, Peter Molyneux's retirement from Lionhead Studios, and more. Suffice to say, it's been an interesting year for the hype machine and its consequences.
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

43: Consoles Versus PC Mar 23, 2012

Show notes

Could the console and PC wars have been snuffed out in the early '80s if NES hadn't been released? Or was Nintendo's intervention in the market overblown?
Vinnk and Sean ponder the rift between PC and console gamers, those who do both, and what kinds of games seem to be better suited to one over the other. Are the two devices on a collision course? Or is the idea of a Steam Box or other PC-based "console" nothing more than a fever dream?
"RPG" theme song by the Imari Tones: http://imaritones.net
This podcast is brought to you by the Famicom Dojo Video Series. Train Your Game at https://youtube.com/famicomdojo.

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