CE #22: Michael Pachter

This week we welcome Michael Pachter, game industry analyst extraordinaire with Wedbush Securities. Michael is known for his insight into the business of games and currently hosts a show on Game Trailers called Pach Attack. In this episode, we discuss the way THQ has done the right thing all the way to the poor house, how MMO subscription models may take over your FPS, and what we can expect from the unholy union between Notch and Tim Schafer.

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Michael Pachter on Twitter
• Pach Attack
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] Double Fine Kickstarter Asks Big Questions
• [LINK] L.A. Noire: Four Main Reasons There Should Be a Sequel
• [LINK] Ace Attorney is the Best Video Game Movie Ever
• [LINK] Minimalist superhero posters

CE #21: Lexie & Terence

This week we are joined by Lexie and Terence of Hitbox Team, makers of the stylistic platformer, Dustforce. In this episode, we discuss the audacity of cloning, the evil alliance of Tim Schafer and Notch on Psychonauts 2, and the curious case of old game sales. We had some pretty serious Skype issues this week, so please forgive our audio difficulties.

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Hitbox Team on Twitter
• Hitbox Team Website
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] Rift going free to play
• [LINK] LOTRO adding mounted combat
• [LINK] Notch to Tim Schafer, let's make Psychonauts 2 happen
• [LINK] Spryfox suing 6waves LOLapps
• [LINK] The problem with buying old games
• [LINK] Take a moment to fill out this gaming survey
• [LINK] The Curse of Cow Clicker

CE #20: Kellee Santiago

This week we are joined by Kellee Santiago, co-founder of That Game Company... makers of Flower, Flow, and Journey. In this episode, we discuss whether Lineage is too old to be relevant, cognitive dissonance as it applies to saving the world, ethical considerations of game cloning, and how much Space Chem sandbox mode terrifies us.

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Kellee Santiago on Twitter
• That Game Company
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] NCSoft seeks to prevent US release of Tera
• [LINK] Dear Zynga
• [LINK] Dear Nimblebit
• [LINK] Tim Schafer celebrates 20 years in the industry
• [LINK] Ibb and Obb

CE #19: Edmund McMillen

This week's guest is Isaac and Meat Boy creator, Edmund McMillen! We discuss the ideological dipoles of Bioshock and Stalker, the philosophical merit of Zynga games, the inevitable decay of Mario Cart, and the stigmatic childhood of Wes and Spencer.

We experienced some technical difficulties on the recording of this week's episode, so pardon the audio quality and the delayed release.

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Edmund McMillen on Twitter
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] Irrational announces 1999 mode for Bioshock Infinite
• [LINK] Zynga losing $150 per new customer?
• [LINK] Dungeons and Dragons Online announces first expansion pack

CE #18: Jeff Roberts

This week's guest is Jeff Roberts of RAD Game Tools. Jeff gives us a unique look into developing for developers, as well as sharing with us multiple decades worth of experience in the business of games. Topics include the mysterious alien artifacts one finds on flagpoles, the social ramifications of repulsive logos, and the bizarre world of Everquest fiction.

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Jeff Roberts on Twitter
• RAD Game Tools
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] Sony's 16 in-house development studios
• [LINK] Kuma/War dev faces execution in Iran
• [LINK] Everquest 2 reports "amazing growth" following switch to free-to-play
• [LINK] World of Warcraft testing 64 bit client

CE #17: Jonathan Blow

Jonathan Blow of Braid fame joins us for our first episode of 2012. Taking time out from his latest project, The Witness, Jonathan talks with us about how cheating is not really cheating, what all these MMOs are trying to pull off, and whether we should ever use the word pretentious again. We are ringing in the new year with a spectacular new episode. Join us!

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Jonathan Blow on Twitter
• The Witness
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] Steam hits 5 million concurrent players
• [LINK] The 2012 Year in Games
• [LINK] What's wrong with exploiting design flaws in online games?
• [LINK] Vox Media hires big names for a new gaming web site
• [LINK] Braid papercraft

CE #16: Andrew Greenberg

This week we're joined by Andrew Greenberg, probably one of the most prolific game designers we've gotten to interview. Andrew was one of the original White Wolf developers of Vampire: The Masquerade, worked on video games that span from Emperor of the Fading Suns to Mall Tycoon, and is a director of SIEGE, a southern game development conference. In this episode, we discuss the pitfalls of the ESRB, the lethality of latex pleasure devices, and the relative worth of game developers in comparison to lawyers.

[MP3 AUDIO]

• Haunted House Tycoon
• SIEGE:Southern Interactive Entertainment & Game Expo
• Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
• Try a free audiobook and support the show!
• [LINK] Skyrim mods to be available in Steam Workshop
• [LINK] Bioshock Infinite trailer did not remove religious lyrics
• [LINK] 2 million deaths by dildo in Saints Row the Third
• [LINK] Humble Bundle
• [LINK] X-mas Indie Royale Bundle
• [LINK] Little Big Bunch
• [LINK] The 99% Bundle