Trine 2: Maximum Wizarding

Get out your robe and wizard hat, it's time once again for Trine 2!

Exploring the Loot Cave of Destiny

Me, sitting in front of the loot cave.

As soon as I post this week's PopMatters article see the news: Bungie is removing the (in)famous loot cave.

The news was posted this morning on Bungie.net in which they address several issues with the game. I encourage you to take a moment to read the post. It's a fascinating large scale piece that in many ways addresses the myriad of criticisms with the game without doing so directly. It reveals some insight into their design process and almost outwardly apologies in a way.

Some key lines:

"But we didn't adequately communicate the potential random outcomes of decryption."

"The social experience of a cave farming run is amazing."

"Our goal is to always celebrate when this occurs, both as a reward in and of itself and to communicate to players what is going on."

"Not all our Exotic Weapons currently live up to this promise."

I think there is an understanding here of the difference between expectation and experience, in the minute design of their weapons and the sense of fairness and expectation. Maybe I am reading this with too much affection for the game, but I think this is player communication done right. While this won't convince those who dislike Destiny to come back, I do think it's recognition, in a way, of a failure to communicate their design goals within, well, the design.

I, for one, am hopeful. Even if we do have to spend less time together, shooting into the dark.

EXP Podcast #295: Cruising the Digital Archive

Image from Flickr user Georg Sander

"Well-weathered leather.  Hot metal and oil.  The scented country air.  Sunlight on chrome.  The blur of the landscape.  Every nerve aware."  Don't worry, we're not turning the podcast into a prog-rock analysis show.  However, we are using this episode to talk about cars.  Specifically, how video games might preserve automobile history as they change.  This leads into a broader discussion on how games can act as archives or as tools to convey history.  Feel free to jump into the comments with your picks for what video games should preserve for posterity.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 35 mins 55 secs

- "Preserving History in Gran Turismo," by Corey Milne, via Play the Past
- Music by Brad Sucks

Trine 2: Lizard Stew

Combine 4 cups of water, 2 diced onions, a handful of your favorite reptile treats (whole, live), and a dash of magic. Simmer until it starts bubbling. Result: our continuing adventure through Trine 2!

 

"No Going Back": Hope and Nostalgia in 'The Walking Dead'

Kids sure grow up fast these days!

Prepare your soul: this week's PopMatters piece is about The Walking Dead.

It's a spoiler-laden post, so I won't go into details here.  At a broad level, it's about how the last episode (and actually the entire season in general) have been about transition points.

The big one I identify is the transition from when the world of the zombie apocalypse stops being an event and instead becomes the status quo.  Clem is one of the last people around that even remembers what life was like before the collapse and she's rapidly having to shed that childhood.  There's an infant in the group this season, and he becomes a symbol for a new generation of people that have never known anything but the post-apocalypse.

One of my personal weaknesses is a tendency towards regretful nostalgia.  It's the sense that maybe a missed opportunity can be recaptured or a mistake can be undone.  In retrospect, this is why Season 2 was such a hard one for me.  Baby AJ is the most extreme example, but the episodes are littered with messages that there is no going back to what we consider normal.  It's tempting, but ultimately futile to try.

Season 2 didn't have the same immediate punch that Season 1 did, but I'm starting to increasingly appreciate the thematic shifts now that I have had some time to reflect.  The Walking Dead is now past the point of showing the society's destruction; it now has to focus on how people adapt and what it means to continue after the fall.  On a final game-related note, I'm still fascinated to hear how other people's stories turned out, because there are significantly different outcomes.  Do you still wistfully remember the old days, or have you (wisely) abandoned nostalgia?

EXP Podcast #294: The Minecraft Money Show

You thought buying a full priced game was expensive? Microsoft just bought Mojang, and Minecraft along with them, for 2.5 billion dollars. That is way more money than I spent to play the game. So how does Microsoft plan on making it worth their while? This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I are joined by a guest to discuss the future of Minecraft, what it can mean for players, and the secret life of Notch. As always, we love to hear you chime in via email or the comments below!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

Show Notes:
- Runtime: 39 mins 3 secs

- Music by Brad Sucks

Spelunky: Death and Destiny

Ghosts, shotguns, caverns full of deadly traps, teleportation: the list of similarities between Destiny and Spelunky is amazing!  I wonder of anyone has done a Destiny speed run yet?