The Crate and Crowbar

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Episode 216: Videocrates Crowdog Nov 24, 2017

Show notes

Tom F is joined by Zack and Kevin from Asymmetric for a Crate & Crowbar/Videogames Hotdog crossover episode recorded at Fantastic Arcade in Austin, Texas.

Discussed: the explosive appeal of Untitled Goose Game, Wilmot’s Warehouse, Bennett Foddy’s Getting Over It, Minute, Into The Breach, and loads more. It’s all in the shownotes below.

Patreon backers will not be charged for this episode. It’s a bit of a departure from normal podcast procedure, and we didn’t want to risk double-charging people who back both The Crate & Crowbar and Videogames Hotdog. So we’re not charging at all!

Here’s the computer website for Fantastic Arcade.
Zack and Kevin made West of Loathing, incidentally.
Tom’s just released a new update for Heat Signature. He doesn’t talk about this on the podcast, but I, Chris, am mentioning it in these show notes.
Here’s Dick Hogg and Ricky Haggett’s Wilmot’s Warehouse.
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is difficult and funny and Tom won’t play it.
Minit is incredibly hard to Google if you’ve only heard it described on a podcast, let me tell you.
Jordan Mechner’s Journals cover the making of Prince of Persia.
10 Mississippi: also difficult to Google, pals.
Everybody’s very excited about Into The Breach.
Here are thecatamite’s videogames and here is his Fantastic Arcade talk.
And here is Genesis Noir and associated talk.
Also, Capy’s BELOW and talk.
Forest Cup brought out the rare competitive side of Tom F (and is also impossible to Google.)
The other tournament game was Jar Wars.
Here’s Hypnospace Outlaw.
Also, the talk about Blind Drive.
Finally, Pipsqueak by Jenny Jiao Hsia.

You can hang out with us and our community on our Discord channel. If you have a question for a future episode, send it to us at questions@crateandcrowbar.com or tweet us @crateandcrowbar. This episode is on YouTube here, and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel, if you like.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Tom Francis

and

Zack Johnson
Kevin Simmons

…who collectively form Asymmetric and do Videogames Hotdog.

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 215: Eye For An Eye, Finger For A Guy Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

Chris and both Toms dig into the Battlefront II microtransactions thing, momentarily become a film podcast while talking about Injustice 2, and rewind back to Shadwen for a chat about parenthood.

Plus: a voice from the past returns, the importance of the trudge AND the squeak, Superman’s uncanny lips, and Ian M. Banks’ Play of the Game.

Here’s a weird thing: we originally thought this week’s episode was going to have to go up on Saturday. It’s not! It’s out on Thursday! That means that the intro doesn’t make a lot of sense! Unless you’re listening to it after Saturday! Thanks! Sorry! Bye!

Here’s Chris’ tweet about the BBC News front page.
There’s a good assessment of how Battlefront II’s progression/loot crate system actually works on GamesRadar. And here’s the response from the EA man.
Here’s Blizzard’s pop at EA/pay-to-win via the StarCraft II free to play announcement.
Here’s Dan Cook’s tweets about the way that microtransactions confront players with the reality of the real-world wage gap.
Tom S has been having a great time with Superman’s uncanny lips in Injustice 2.
(The Wonder Woman movie theme is by Tina Guo. This music video is not particularly safe for work.)
Tom F has been avoiding disappointing kids in the ambitious Shadwen.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Chris Thursten
Tom Senior
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 214: The End of Reliable Horse Delivery Nov 10, 2017

Show notes

Tom, Chris and Alex have medium takes on Call of Duty: World War II, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, Dota 2 Turbo, and the industry’s latest travails.

Plus: getting the better of Satan, hopes for a hairy new Hitman, co-op jobs, Tuesday, impressing kids with chicken, bud motivation, and more.

Chris talks a bit about Dota 2 in this episode! If you’re one of the people who hate it when this happens, skip from 1:21:20 to 1:34:50. There are also spoilers for quite old PlayStation game Shadow of the Colossus from 1:50:25 to 1:51:20.

Alex has been playing Call of Duty: World War II, an omnidirectional box of shoot war.
Here’s that article about algorithmically-generated distrubing children’s YouTube cartoons.
Tom is living his best life in Assassin’s Creed: Orangina.
Oh boy you better believe that Chris is back on his Dota 2. You can also find Pip’s article about Dota 2 Turbo here.
Listener Rahul emailed about rat maps, linking to this PC Gamer one: video here, file here.
Here is Patrick Lenton’s Twitter thread about trying to do right by a dog in Skyrim.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Chris Thursten
Alex Wiltshire
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 213: Auto Camel, Psychic Eagle Nov 03, 2017

Show notes

Chris, Tom F and John Roberts discuss Spelunky 2, Dota 2’s update, Wolfenstein II, Divinity: Original Sin, Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and other oranges besides.

Plus: the faulty UX of life, dancemat Tinder, internet things forever lost to time, and diminishing takeout returns.

Spelunky 2 has been announced! Here’s the trailer.
Dota 2 has been updated! Here is the nonsense.
Here’s the trailer for Destiny 2’s first expansion. Minor campaign spoilers!
Wolfenstein II continues to divide them hot takes. Who wants half a take?
However, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is almost universally lovely.
…and Assassin’s Creed: Origins is a surprisingly meditative eagle-based exploration experience.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Chris Thursten
John Roberts
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 212: Amazing Raids That Don’t Exist Oct 27, 2017

Show notes

Tom, Chris and Tom discuss Steam’s new curator system, Wolfenstein II, Destiny 2, and Opus Magnum.

Plus: an episode of 999 featuring a rogue X-Wing CD-ROM, the New Game+ of your life, and the machinations of the hated foe, Alex Wiltshire.

The Halloween Steam Sale is on. Stories Untold is good, and cheap!
Here’s Valve’s blog post about the new Steam Curators system.
Manveer Heir spoke about EA on the Waypoint podcast.
Chris has been unpacking his complex relationship with Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
Tom S has been playing Destiny 2 on PC, at last! Here’s his review in progress.
Tom F is deep into Opus Magnum. Here’s his Twitter thread full of gifs.
You can find the first entry in Chris and Pip’s series of fuzzy Star Wars recollections here.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Chris Thursten
Tom Senior
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 211: An Etch A Sketch’s Dream Of Itself Oct 20, 2017

Show notes

Chris, Pip and Tom discuss the new Zachtronics game, the closure of Visceral, A Mortician’s Tale, Shadow of War, and more.

Plus: Babe Runner: Pig In The City, the midpoint between The Raid and Watership Down, hot cauliflower facts, inadvisable waffle digressions, and some videogame questions maybe? Jury’s out on that one.

Here’s the trailer for Zachtronics’ very pretty Opus Magnum.
Team Fortress 2’s new update comes with the first new animated short in ages.
Overgrowth is out! Chris didn’t know that Overgrowth wasn’t out.
The closure of Visceral means an end to Amy Hennig and co’s Star Wars project.
Pip’s been playing A Mortician’s Tale. Here’s her review for PC Gamer, where she works now!
Tom F is still making headway in Shadow of War, while Tom S has simply been looking at Talion’s face.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Chris Thursten
Philippa Warr
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 210: It’s Captain Flippin’ Good Oct 13, 2017

Show notes

Chris, Tom and Tom discuss the 10 year anniversary of The Orange Box, Universal Paperclips, Middle-earth (TM) Shadow of War, and EVE Valkyrie: Warzone.

Plus: explaining your game in fifty words or less, Chris’ worst idea, games fit for an Oxbridge application, rum, and more.

The Orange Box is 10 years old this week! Here’s PC Gamer’s coverage, including Tom F’s republished reviews.
Here’s the Guardian article about the attention-sapping consequences of modern app design.
Universal Paperclips unmakes an apple pie, destroys the universe.
Middle-earth (TM) Shadow of War invites you to have big ol’ piss on some orc’s chips.
Chris has been playing EVE Valkyrie: Warzone (and still is.)

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter dot com:

Chris Thursten
Tom Senior
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 209: Orange In Story Oct 06, 2017

Show notes

Chris and the Toms discuss Assassin’s Creed: Oranges, Divinity: Oranges Sin 2, and the hunt for a missing crate of origins. Also: Cuphead’s accessibility, Skaven’s terrifying ‘shitty rats anywhere’ power in Total War: Warhammer 2, and Battlegrounds’ Chinese review bomb.

Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds has had 70,000 Steam reviews in the last 30 days and its score is now officially ‘Mixed’.
Cuphead’s brutal but you’ll probably buy it anyway because a) it’s gorgeous and b) everyone else did.
Assassin’s Creed Origins will have a Discovery Tour mode where you learn history with no combat. Here’s the tamest evisceration screenshot in videogames.
Here’s that remarkable and unnecessary guide to how to get out of Heat Signature’s practice mode the hard way: by drifting so far you find the real world.
Here’s Tom F’s Divinity character transforming from a lizard wearing a bucket to a barrel with a tail.
Total War: Warhammer II has treacherous rats with invisible cities and dinosaurs who want paying, dammit.
Tom S wants to see a game inspired by the art of Sergio Toppi rather than Francesco Toppi, who is someone else.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter:

Chris Thursten
Tom Senior
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 208: Sid Meier Is Not A Pirate Sep 29, 2017

Show notes

Pip, Tom F, and some refreshing glasses of gin and tonic assemble to reflect upon the release of Heat Signature before moving on to other hip and happening PC games of the moment, including: XCOM 2: War of the Chosen and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Also! Your questions regarding community controversies and one of like a million reasons why Facebook is bullshit. We’re on a single mic again this week, but hopefully some post processing magic means it sounds okay.

Heat Signature is out wooo!
Tom F wrote this post about how the launch has gone on the Heat Signature site.
Pip is deputy editor of PC Gamer now wooo! Graham did a nice farewell on RPS.
Enjoy the mild PUBG/Epic/Fortnite beef, clarified here by Chris Livingston on PCG.
Pip has been playing PUBG with Alice on RPS.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen campaigns are loooong now, but the tactical additions are exciting. Yep.
What happened when a man signed emails using a female name for two weeks, at HuffPo.
Jeff Kaplan’s interview at Eurogamer regarding toxicity in Overwatch. and the resources required to combat shitty behaviour online.

You can hang out with us and our community on our Discord channel. If you have a question for a future episode, send it to us at questions@crateandcrowbar.com or tweet us @crateandcrowbar. If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, you can do so here. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel, if you like.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter:

Philippa Warr
Tom Francis

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

Episode 207: ANY% ALL DOGS NO PEOPLE Sep 22, 2017

Show notes

Tom, Chris and Tom gather on the eve of Heat Signature’s release to talk Divinity: Original Sin 2, which they haven’t actually played, and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider, which they have.

Plus: character name conventions, systems with character, the secrets of a Twitter drafts folder, and the number of action points consumed by making love and listening to Death From Above in the same turn.

Heat Signature is out! Tom has made an entire game again! Congratulations, Tom!
Hackmud is one year old today! Chris has written a puzzle event again!
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is out! It’s good, apparently!
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider is good! Also, it’s out!
This is Summoning Salt’s video about the changing face of Half-Life 2 speedruns.

You can hang out with us and our community on our Discord channel. If you have a question for a future episode, send it to us at questions@crateandcrowbar.com or tweet us @crateandcrowbar. If you’d like to watch this episode on YouTube, you can do so here. You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel, if you like.

The Crate and Crowbar is kindly funded by our Patreon backers. If you’d like to know more about supporting our podcast and its spinoffs, click here.

You can also follow us on Twitter:

Chris Thursten
Tom Francis
Tom Senior

Our intro music is by The Mandibles from their track Clambake. Many of the band members now tour as Count Bobo And The Bullion.

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