Core Elements

CE #23: Daniel Cook

2012-02-24T10:20:00.000-06:00

My fanboy fascination with Triple Town has finally struck gold! This week we welcome Daniel Cook of Spryfox! Although he can't really talk about the ongoing lawsuit, he can talk to us about the other pressing matters of today... the meritocracy of flash portals, the validity of Guild Wars 2 reporting, and the changing paradigm of ever-updating games.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Daniel Cook on Twitter
Spryfox Website
Do all your Amazon shopping via the DWP storefront, and help support our shows!
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[LINK] Skyrim beta patch removes 50 mod limit
[LINK] Skyrim and Guild Wars 2: Changing the Face of Gaming
[LINK] Fake Pokemon Yellow removed from App Store
[LINK] Vita to launch with 2nd most games of any platform
[LINK] A Global Ratings Initiative

CE #22: Michael Pachter

2012-02-16T12:33:00.000-06:00

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

2012-02-09T15:19:00.000-06:00

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

2012-02-02T08:49:00.002-06:00

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

2012-01-27T20:11:00.001-06:00

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!
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[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

2012-01-12T04:00:00.000-06:00

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

2012-01-05T04:00:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-16T02:56:00.002-06:00

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

CE #15: Benjie of Hi-Rez

2011-12-01T04:01:00.000-06:00

This week we're joined by Benjie Freund, sound designer for Tribes Ascend at Hi-Rez Studios. In this episode, we discuss Spencer's Game of the Year, how blacksmithing and saving the world are not mutually exclusive, and what sounds drive the sound guys batty.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Hi-Rez Studios
Write in this week to get a Tribes Ascend beta key!
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[LINK] Why Bundles and Steam Sales Aren't Good for Most Indies
[LINK] Ghost Recon: Future Soldier won't be released on PC
[LINK] Why Modern Warfare 3 Remains an Un-Game
[LINK] SWTOR to Convert 500k WoW Players

CE #14: Brian "Psychochild" Green

2011-11-17T04:00:00.002-06:00

This week's show features Brian Green of Namaste Entertainment. In this episode, we discuss the past, present and future of MMOs, Brian's change of heart regarding user generated content, and repeat the word Skyrim a preposterous number of times. Spencer is sick as a dog, so Eric Fullerton joins us as a guest host.

[MP3 AUDIO]

CE #13: Jason Wishnov

2011-11-04T04:13:00.000-05:00

This week's show features Jason Wishnov of Iridium Entertainment, developers of Sequence. In this episode, we discuss the relative complexity of checkers, the horrors of not getting acting credits, and the hidden secrets of the game journalist IRC channel. Additionally, we reanimate FreQuency and discuss the past, present and future of rhythm gaming.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Iridium Entertainment
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[LINK] The Voxatron Bundle
[VID] Paul Soares Jr. does a Indie Test Drive of Voxatron
[REANIMATOR] FreQuency

CE #12: Justin Korthof Must Die!

2011-10-27T04:00:00.011-05:00

This week we are joined by Justin Korthof of Robot Entertainment. We discuss the job of a community manager, how Gabe Newell is experimenting on us, and how Spencer is WRONG! Since we're covering Robot's new game, Orcs Must Die!, we use our reanimator to dissect tower defense and find out what makes the genre tick. Then we kill Justin. The End.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Robot Entertainment
Justin Korthof on Twitter
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[LINK] Spencer is WRONG about Iron Brigade
[LINK] Merchant of Venus and Merchant of Venus
[LINK] An Open Letter to Notch
[LINK] Gabe Newell is experimenting on us
[LINK] CCP lays off 20% of its staff
[LINK] The Four Tenets of the Community Manager
[MUSIC] Reanimator Music: Orc March by Basematic

CE #11: Markus Beutel

2011-10-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

After a two week break for vacation and the DWPP, we're BACK! This week we're joined by Markus Beutel, the designer of the Civilization NiGHTS mod for Civ 5. In this episode, we discuss linear RPGs, the atmospheric uncanny valley, and our universal distaste for stacked military units.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Civilization NiGHTS on Civ Fantatics
Rasmussen College offers an online degree in Game and Simulation Programming
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[GAME] Orcs Must Die! on Steam
[GAME] Costume Quest comes to Steam
[LINK] Square Enix experiments with proprietary game engine
[LINK] THQ not sure there's a place for a Space Marine sequel
[LINK] Battlefield 3 predicted to generate a billion dollars in PC hardware sales
[LINK] Opinion: Journalistic Rage
[LINK] Mojang can use "Scrolls"... for now

CE #10: Andy Schatz

2011-09-29T05:00:00.003-05:00

Andy Schatz of Pocketwatch Games joins us for our longest show to date! In this episode we discuss the potential for a console RTS, the social contribution of game reselling, and the target market for casual sim games. We also dig into Andy about his upcoming game, Monaco, and get stonewalled for a release date.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Andy on Twitter
Pocketwatch Games
Monaco on Facebook
Rasmussen College offers an online degree in Game and Simulation Programming
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[LINK] Where are all the minecraft clones?
[LINK] Consoles have just become crappy PCs
[LINK] PC games poised to dominate the market... wait, what?
[LINK] League of Legends releases new game mode
[LINK] Why I love buying used games
[LINK] Games saved my life
[VID] Indirect lighting through raytracing

CE #9: Lisa Brown

2011-09-22T04:50:00.001-05:00

This week we're joined by Lisa Brown, part of the Insomniac team that worked on Resistance! In this episodes we discuss what we'd like to be when we grow up, the value of class action lawsuits, and the upcoming "gay patch" in SW:TOR.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Lisa Brown on Google +
Rasmussen College offers an online degree in Game and Simulation Programming
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[GAME] Toys vs Nightmares
[LINK] Sony puts out new PSN terms of service
[LINK] Nintendo's new horrific peripheral
[LINK] Dead Island and Gamification
[LINK] World of Darkness MMO features nudity, gore, insanity, and permanent death
[LINK] WoW introduces Raid Finder
[LINK] Same sex relations will be in SW:TOR post-release patch

CE #8: Brian Weissman

2011-09-15T04:04:00.001-05:00

This week we are joined by Brian Weissman of Grinding Gear Games, creators of Path of Exile. In this episode, we delve into the minutiae of Magic, the rage against resellers, and the take a look at games from another angle. Oh, and we reanimate an arcade classic... Zaxxon.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Path of Exile
Rasmussen College offers an online degree in Game and Simulation Programming
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[MOD] Civilization 5 NiGHTS
[GAMES] Online board games at Yucata.de
[LINK] Ars Technica on ownership in large game houses
[LINK] Planetside 2 will be free to play
[VID] Video game in a box
[LINK] Quantum Dream CEO denounces game resellers
[LINK] History of used video games
[LINK] Owning the Stack: The legal war for control of the smartphone platform
Reanimator: Zaxxon
[LINK] The Badass Hussars
[LINK] Big Block Games builds a game for Child's Play
[CONTEST] Send in a question for the show to have a chance to win a Path of Exile beta invite

CE #7: Greg Kasavin

2011-09-08T04:27:00.000-05:00

Greg Kasavin of Supergiant Games join us this week. Their first game, Bastion, has been a favorite of critics and fans alike. We discuss the difficulty portraying story in games, the faustian specifications for good press, and the inspirations behind Bastion. Parappa the Rapper also joins us from beyond the grave.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Supergiant Games
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[LINK] Portal sells better on PC than on consoles
[VID] Serious Sam 3:BFE has 16 player co-op
[LINK] Star Trek Online moving to Free to Play
[LINK] How to save adventure games
[LINK] Dead Island developer code released instead of release code
Reanimator: PaRappa the Rapper

CE #6: Joey Betz of Armor Games

2011-09-01T05:15:00.000-05:00

This week we welcome Joey Betz from Armor Games! We discuss flash game development, the worth of gamification, and the value of elephants in games. Additionally, we reanimate Space Quest for a quick trip out the airlock.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Armor Games
Joey's profile on Armor Games
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[LINK] Gamification is here to stay
[LINK] Gabe Newell likes ARTS
[LINK] Ubi apologizes for From Dust
[LINK] Super Monday Night Combat announced
[LINK] Firefall beta begins
Reanimator: Space Quest
Space Quest is available on GoG
[LINK] Indie Test Drive from Paul Soares Jr.

CE #5: Borut & Ben

2011-08-25T06:00:00.002-05:00

Ben Vance and Borut Pfeiffer of Haunted Temple Games join us to talk about their upcoming XBLA release, Skull of the Shogun. In this episode we discuss gaming company kerfuffles, the foreign language that is WoW, and we reanimate a Troika classic, Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Skulls of the Shogun
Borut Pfeiffer: The Plush Apocalypse
Ben Vance: Buffalo Vision Games
Try a free audiobook and support the show!
[GAME] Kingdom Rush
[LINK] WoW Armor Transmogrification
[LINK] From Dust DRM
[LINK] Blizzard and Valve conflict over DOTA
[LINK] EA vs Activision: FIGHT!
[LINK] Razer's mysterious pro-pc gaming campaign
Reanimator: Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines
Music for this week's Reanimator segment: Miami Theme A

CE #4: Dan Silvers

2011-08-18T04:09:00.000-05:00

Dan Silvers joins us from Lantana Games, where they are working diligently on "Children of Liberty". In this episode, we discuss the controlversy of used game sales, the ups & downs of kickstarters, and the demise of the space flight combat sim.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Dan's Twitter Feed
Lantana Games
The "Children of Liberty" kickstarter
Get a free Audiobook and support the show!
[GAME] The End
[GAME] Smuggle Truck
[LINK] Study finds spoilers increase enjoyment
[LINK] Locked out Rage single-player
[VID] VGW Scribble: Customer Abuse
[LINK] November = No Money
[LINK] Pathfinder outsells D&D
[LINK] Reanimator: TIE Fighter

CE #3: Eka of Uber

2011-08-11T04:00:00.000-05:00

This week we talk to Chandana Ekanayake of Uber Entertainment, but he just goes by Eka. For this episode, we're celebrating the birthday of Monday Night Combat! It's one year old, and well worthy of getting a nice present for.

Maybe you should buy it a nice game... like an RTS...

[MP3 AUDIO]

Eka's Twitter
Uber Entertainment
Listen to audiobooks while you play Desktop Dungeons!
[GAME] The Stanley Parable
[GAME] Tiny Tower
[GAME] Bastion
[LINK] Healbot App
[LINK] Diablo 3 always online, mods outlawed, cash transactions
[LINK] Superman in GTA IV
[GAME] Reanimator: Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

CE #2: Danny Day

2011-07-28T04:00:00.004-05:00

Core Elements welcomes Danny Day of QCF Design into the laboratory. In this episode, we discuss gaming in education, the future of independant MMOs, and the proper way to get into the video game industry. Additionally, we raise Rogue from the dead, and give it a thorough once over.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Danny Day's Twitter
Desktop Dungeons
QCF Design
Listen to audiobooks while you play Desktop Dungeons!
[GAME] Sweatshop
[LINK] Gamers as loners
[LINK] Over 900 voices in SW: TOR
[GAME] Realm of the Mad God
[GAME] Reanimator: Rogue at the DOS Games Archive
[GAME] Spelunky
[LINK] Global Game Jam

CE #1: Brad Muir

2011-07-22T00:03:00.001-05:00

Today we experiment on Brad Muir of Double Fine Productions, the Lead Developer on Trenched! We get to talk about sexy cooking, the wisdom of bad-mouthing publishers, and the value of robot smoking arms.

[MP3 AUDIO]

Brad Muir on Twitter
Trenched
Trenched on YouTube
Listen to audiobooks while you play Minecraft!
Supreme Court rules games are protected speech.
Epic's Mike Gamble discusses studio closures.
How Zynga's value stacks up against other companies.
Reanimator: Star Control 2.
The Ur-Quan Masters
Music for the Reanimator segment remixed by The Precursors. Go check out more of their Star Control 2 remixed game music.

CE #0: The Beginning

2011-07-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here it is! The introductory episode of Core Elements! If you have any questions about what this show is going to be, this should answer them. If it doesn't, listen to Episode 1!

[MP3 AUDIO]