Retro Spectives podcast

Player FM - Internet Radio Done Right

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Retro Gaming

Lagt til six år siden

Innhold levert av Patrick Arthur. Alt podcastinnhold, inkludert episoder, grafikk og podcastbeskrivelser, lastes opp og leveres direkte av Patrick Arthur eller deres podcastplattformpartner. Hvis du tror at noen bruker det opphavsrettsbeskyttede verket ditt uten din tillatelse, kan du følge prosessen skissert her https://no.player.fm/legal.

Silver Linings with The Old Gays

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Our Chosen Family: "The gay community is much bolder today." 33:19

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What’s the secret to lasting friendships? How does queer community show up through the ebbs and flows of life? And what’s the REAL story behind the “YMCA” song? In the first episode of Silver Linings, The Old Gays dive into an essential part of queer life: chosen family. They discuss the vital love, support, and sense of belonging that community provides, especially during life's toughest moments. They open up about what “queer” means to them, how chosen family has impacted their lives, and how to maintain close bonds over time–including their love for each other! “We’ve come a long way, baby.” Family isn’t just what you’re born with; it’s the people who show up, shape you, and stick around. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

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Are classic games deserving of their praise? Or have the unwashed masses been blinded by nostalgia? On the Retro Spectives Podcast, we tell you why you're wrong about the games you love.

133 episoder

#Retro Gaming #Tech #Lifestyle #Video #Retro #Review #Discussion #Retro Videogames #Videogame Arguments #Old Videogames #Retrogaming #Patrick Arthur #Games and Gambling #Video Games #Games #PlayStation #Videogame #Retro Spectives #Retrospective

Retro Spectives explicit

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Are classic games deserving of their praise? Or have the unwashed masses been blinded by nostalgia? On the Retro Spectives Podcast, we tell you why you're wrong about the games you love.

133 episoder

すべてのエピソード

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E130: Vanquish 1:17:08

for 10 dager siden1:17:08

1:17:08

Third person cover based shooters were all the rage in the late 2000s. Unveiled in 2003 in Killswitch and later popularised with Gears of War, they became an essential part of most third person action games. Coming in 2010, Vanquish sought to revolutionise this paradigm by giving the player an omnidirectional slide boost to move around the battlefield in an attempt to energise its plodding pacing. And, broadly speaking, it was a resounding success. People loved the faster pace, the bullet time, the enemy design and the more action orientated dodging of enemies. And even though it didn’t sell as well as many other similar games, it developed a huge cult following of people who are still wildly holding on for a sequel to this day. But is Vanquish still as refreshing and innovative as it was back in 2010? Are bullet time and moving around quickly really all that impressive. Can this fast and furious take on third person shooters truly break out of the straitjacket that the genre insists upon? On this episode, we discuss: Weapons Vanquish provides you a wide range of weapons to murder robots, from the more conventional shotguns and sniper rifles to grav cannons and lock on lasers. How fun are these to use, and how well does the weapon upgrade system work in balancing your arsenal? Enemy Design Vanquish enemies are mostly robots of different varieties. Do these serve as compelling foes, from the lowliest grunt to the huge mech-like Argus? Or are they boring to fight against, an endless wave of repetitive drones? Cover Vanquish is, at its heart, a third person shooter. Does it do enough to incentivise you to play into the throbbing heart of intense action and brinkmanship, or do you end up ducking behind cover and taking potshots at enemies as you slowly whittle them away? We answer these questions and many more on the 130th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! — Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Vanquish OST : Erina Niwa, Masafumi Takada — How aggressively did you play Vanquish? What is god hard mode, and does it drastically change the experience? How would you rank Vanquish compared to other Platinum Games titles? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server ! You can support us monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee page…

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E129: Recettear 1:17:33

for 5 weeks siden1:17:33

1:17:33

Video games usually place you in the role of the plucky adventurer. You are the wizard, the warrior, or the rogue, and it's your duty (and often destiny) to save the world. On your journey, one of the most important things to do is to acquire more powerful gear to make your character stronger. But who exactly are you buying that gear from? Enter: Recettear. First released in 2007 (and later 2010 in a global english localisation), Reccetear places you in the role of an 8 year old girl tasked with running an adventurer’s item shop in order to pay back a very suspicious loan. You hire adventurers to go on dungeon runs, and you strive to buy low and sell high in an attempt to pay back ever increasing debts. On release this concept was entirely novel, and that novelty turned it into a smash success. But how does this game really work under the hood? Is Reccetear only a good game thanks to its charming presentation and unique concept, or is this actually an enjoyable and engaging video game? On this episode, we discuss: Shopkeeping Recettear’s item stocking and selling revolves around multiple mechanics, some of which are very deviously hidden from the player. Combo selling chains and customer loyalty has to be balanced against extracting the maximum possible profit from your customers. How well explained are these mechanics? Are they balanced? Does the balancing act become too much to handle as the game progresses? Dungeoneering Ask anyone - the dungeon arpg gameplay in Recettear is almost universally despised. No review is complete without bemoaning this part of the experience. But are they really that bad? We dive deep and explore what doesn’t work about these dungeons, and more surprisingly, what does. Presentation Reccetear’s presentation is simple. Items get snapped onto predetermined locations, selling items is a series of fast menus popping off in succession, and moving around town is as simple as selecting a location. Does this simplicity of UI navigation lead to a crisp and clean experience, or is it ultimately too restrictive and limiting for the player? We answer these questions and many more on the 129th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Reccetear OST : sarumotto , Araibear, ni_ya, m_box Are the mechanics behind Reccetear really as exploitable as we described? Are the dungeons worse than we thought? What other games in the shopkeeper genre would you recommend? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server ! If you’d like to support the show, please check out our Buy Me a Coffee page!…

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E128: Baldur's Gate 2:45:57

for 11 weeks siden2:45:57

2:45:57

In 1998 Bioware changed the gaming landscape with Baldur’s Gate, a Dungeons and Dragons inspired adventure. Taking cues from second edition D&D and the many stories written about it, Bioware wrote a low level adventure that jammed everything they could find inside it. They attempted to copy mage spells directly from the manual, and even added in famous characters like Drizzt. It was exactly what the fans had been waiting for. Not only were they able to see everything come to life, the game used the radical real time with pause system, allowing combat to flow far more freely than other turn- based games before it. Fights were fast and frequently deadly, adding a thrill to RPG combat, even if it came at the cost of precision and control. But CRPGs are now a dime a dozen. Not only are there later games in the series, Baldur’s Gate now has to compete against Pathfinder, Warhammer and Divinity, to name a few. With all the advancements in tech, in UIs, in skill systems, can the original Baldur’s Gate really compete? Has it stood the test of time, or has it been made obsolete by the wave of modern RPGS that came in its wake? On this episode, we discuss: Exploration Much of the early-mid game of Baldur’s Gate 1 is spent exploring the environment around the towns and keeps that are dotted around the Sword’s Coast. Is this exploration enjoyable to engage with intrinsically, and does it provide enough extrinsic rewards to motivate you to continue? Combat Baldur’s Gate’s combat is scrappy, disorganised and messy. There is a high level of vulnerability on both sides, spells have unclear areas of effect, and high rolls can produce instant-death in many circumstances. Does this combat system lead to dynamic and novel encounters that allow for tactical depth, or does it just encourage reloading until you get the outcome that you want? Character Customisation Baldur’s Gate is a very complex game under the hood, but those calculations, and level up decisions are mostly hidden from the player. Does the game give sufficient options to the player to customise their character with skill choices and gear, or is it all predetermined the moment you first select your character? We answer these questions and many more on the 128th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast? Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Baldurs Gate OST - Michael Hoenig Are you meant to eventually multiclass everyone to a mage in DND? Is Sanctuary really as overpowered as it seems? When will you play Baldur’s Gate 2, you pair of sniveling cowards? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server ! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee Page!…

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E127: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective 1:26:43

for 16 weeks siden1:26:43

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The Ace Attorney games were an insane success, far beyond what Capcom could have predicted. After 4 mainline games in the series though, it was time for something new, and creator Shu Takumi refused to do anything normal. With a desire to explore characters in a far deeper way than was possible with Ace Attorney, he decided the only way to go about this was to have the main character be a ghost. Whether that made sense or not, in 2010 we finally saw the release of Ghost Trick, a game that is so wrapped up in mystery that it's almost impossible to spoil all of its revelations. The quirky characters, pacing and comedy of Ace Attorney was preserved, but it was replaced with entirely new gameplay mechanics with you manipulating the environment in subtle ways to change the outcome of deadly events. It was an undeniably unique and beautiful game, and one that had even better critical acclaim than even Ace Attorney. But with the Indie revolution churning out puzzle games like crazy, does Ghost Trick still stand out as an amazing game today? Do its characters still thrill and excite? Or is this style of storytelling and gameplay bloated and obsolete? On this episode, we discuss: Presentation How does the music, characters and animation come together to create the feeling and atmosphere of Ghost Trick? Is this just another Ace Attorney game, or is it something fundamentally different? Story Ghost Trick goes to great lengths to ensure the player is following the story, with reiteration and flashbacks being core parts of its narrative. Is this too much, or is the story so complex that it needs this to keep people engaged? Is Ghost Trick meant to be played chapter by chapter, or binged for longer sessions? Gameplay Ghost Trick’s objects are all manipulated and affected in unique ways, instead of being reused and acting consistently. How does this affect the puzzle design? Is is better to have unique objects that need to be understood, or repeated objects to better understand a broader puzzle solution? We answer these questions and many more on the 127th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Ghost Trick OST : Masakazu Sugimori Is Ghost Trick just another Ace Attorney Game? Is it just another Hitman game? Or is it truly unique? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server ! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me A Coffee Page!…

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E126: Tachyon: The Fringe 1:00:35

for 19 weeks siden1:00:35

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Space Sims used to be a vibrant and well populated genre. Back in the 90s they command shelf real estate, right next to the latest and greatest RTS and Point and Click Adventure games. Coming at the tail end of this era was Tachyon: The Fringe, released in 2000 by Novalogic games, well known for their regular flight sims and the Delta Force series. You play as Jake Logan, a freelancing mercenary, who quickly gets caught up in the midst of a fight for independence. A megacorporation has been given the legal rights to mine on the Fringe, and you have to decide whether to help them invade and conquer this space for profits, or defend the native population. And you do this all by flying your spaceship round and blowing shit up, as freelancers tend to do. Do its gameplay and story combine into a compelling experience? Has Tachyon the Fringe stood the test of time, and is it worth strapping in to play a space sim? Or did this genre die for a reason? On this episode, we discuss: Story The initial presentation of the corporation Galspan and the defending natives, the Bora, seems to lack any kind of nuance. Galspan is fairly obviously evil and the natives are fighting the good fight. Does the dual split narrative reveal a deeper and more compelling story where both sides have a point, or is this a simple tale of good versus evil? Level Design The level design of Tachyon is a series of arenas connected by fast travel portals, not a big empty space. This allows you to quickly get to where you need to go, but is there a cost for giving the player such rapid convenience? How immersive does space feel if you barely move through it? Combat Tachyon spices up the usual space arcade fighter by adding a strafe/slide function and giving you the ability to shift energy around between your systems. Is this enough to elevate the action combat to brilliant fun, or is it just an endless series of repetitive battles? We answer these questions and many more on the 126th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Tachyon: The Fringe OST : Tom Hays How well did Tachyon: The Fringe’s multiplayer work back in its heyday? Does Freelancer really do what Tachyon was trying to do but better? Are there any other space sims that you think are genuinely better than both? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.…

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E125: Mailbag 6 2:54:32

for 22 weeks siden2:54:32

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With another year done and dusted, Pat and James crack open another batch of listener questions. After curveballs like Killer 7 and Deadly Premonition , these should be a breeze. Right ..? On this episode, we discuss: What are the best - and worst - smelling video game levels? Can you tell us the story of how y’all met and decided to start this podcast? Was the fear of Baldur’s Gate 2 something you both developed as children? Or did you just become cowards as grown men? We answer these questions and many more on Mailbag 6 of the Retro Spectives Podcast! - A huge shoutout to everyone who submitted questions this year, this episode wouldn’t have been possible without you. - Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Annihilation - The Alien : Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow Cosmo Dreamer - Stage 8 : DOVA-SYNDROME - Think we were completely off the mark with some of our questions? Or do you have an even better answer of your own? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!…

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E124: Crysis 1:15:50

for 38 weeks siden1:15:50

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But can it run Crysis? This was the motto that surrounded every single PC build for literal years after the release of the game in 2007. Crytek were not satisfied with what they had achieved with Far Cry in 2004, and decided to push graphical hardware to its absolute limits with their brand new and shiny game. And boy, did they succeed, with a poorly optimised but breathtakingly gorgeous game. Even better, there was an entire video game attached to this graphical showcase, promising open ended tactical engagements over massive levels, far removed from corridor brawling. You have cool suit powers that switch between modes, on the fly weapon modification, and a wide array of guns (and vehicles) to wreak havoc on those pesky North Koreans. And if there are aliens, well, the United States of kick ass will just have to murder them as well. It seems like an incredible game on paper, even today when we have more open world games than you can shake a stick at. But for all that Crysis is vaunted for its massive leap forward in graphical technology, just how good a game is it to actually play? Are the suit powers really that interesting in the face of the many RPG systems that tend to overlap FPS games today? And is fighting those aliens all its cracked up to be? Is Crysis worth your time to play today, or is it better remembered? On this episode, we discuss: The Suit. Crysis’s key feature is a powerful exoskeleton that lets you switch between 4 modes - Strength, Armor, Speed and Stealth. Just how well does the game push these suit modes in terms of engaging gameplay? Are they balanced, and more importantly, are they fun to use? The Guns. How fun is the gunplay in Crysis? The game features a fairly typical roster of assault rifles, submachine guns and shotguns, but has weapon modification on the fly with a simple menu. Does this do enough to spice up the gunplay and keep things interesting? The level design. Crysis features (mostly) semi-open world level design, with bespoke objectives. Does this give you the freedom to approach them in the way you want, and does it maintain this philosophy for the entire run time of the game? We answer these questions and many more on the 124th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Crysis OST : Inon Zur The original version of the game, available on GOG, will fail to start on modern operating systems (Windows 10+). This can be fixed using the below link, which James used for this https://github.com/ccomrade/c1-launcher Do you know what the gameplay differences are between Crysis 1 and the remastered version? Do you think that Crysis is better than the Far Cry games that came afterwards? When are we going to play Far Cry 2? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!…

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E123: Resident Evil 2 1:08:35

for 44 weeks siden1:08:35

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After their magnum opus that was Resident Evil 1, Capcom were not going to sit on their heels. Coming out just two years after the first in 1998, Resident Evil 2 sought to have everything the original had and much, much more. It connected its two character’s stories in far more meaningful ways, increased the size of each player's inventory (and their respectives arsenals) and had more cinematic and explosive moments to show the player. And boy did it do well! It received universal critical acclaim, with everything from its graphical fidelity to its voice acting considered above and beyond the original. Many players consider this to be the best Resident Evil game to this day. But in the wake of the 2019 remake, and a longform view of what eventually became of the franchise - is Resident Evil 2 really all that its cracked up to be? Do more zombies and more action automatically equal a better game? Does more inventory slots, disappearing corpses and a more linear cinematic progression bode well from a gameplay sense? How does Resident Evil 2 compare to its other offerings, and is it worth playing today? On this episode we discuss: Story Resident Evil 2 presents its story in a very interesting way - two overlapping but distinct perspectives in Leon and Claire. Does this experimental storytelling work, and how invested were we in its fundamentally B grade plot? Level Design Resident Evil 2s police station brings back most of what made the mansion so incredible, with its distinct spaces and looping level design. How does it compare to the original, and how enjoyable is it when you move away from the Police Station Survival Resident Evil 2 takes away the need to burn corpses, gives you more ammo and gives you more inventory slots. What impact does this have on the tension of survival, and how different is the focus on tactical exploration? We answer these questions and many more on the 123rd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Resident Evil 2 OST : Masami Ueda, Shusaku Uchiyama, Syun Nishigaki Which Resident Evil game is truly the best? What were your experiences like playing the original games back in the day? Are there any other survival horror games that come close to this franchise? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.…

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E122: The Legend of Zelda 1:09:44

for 47 weeks siden1:09:44

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The Legend of Zelda is perhaps the most iconic video game series of all time. Boasting 19 mainline entries, and an endless swathe of critical acclaim and awards, it's hard to find someone who hasn’t at least heard of the action/adventure story of Link and Zelda. It all began back in 1986 with the release of the first game for the Famicom in Japan. The game begins immediately with an open ended structure, giving the player multiple paths to follow, and an open world to explore. You explore and fight, get stronger and overcome challenges, and discover secrets along the way. It might sound inconsequential, but on release Zelda was breathtakingly audacious in its design, with its non-linearity and enormous world. But is it still an impressive title today? Non-linearity and open worlds are par for the course now. And while Zelda has been massively influential, that just means there have been thousands of attempts at refining and improving over what the original game offered. Has The Legend of Zelda truly stood the test of time, or is it simply just a historical landmark? On this episode, we discuss: Exploration and Secrets Zelda, like many games of its era, boasts a huge manual, complete with a partially filled map to get you started on uncovering its many secrets. Is the process of exploring and finding secrets enjoyable, or is its reputation as obtuse and frustrating to figure out justified? Progress and keys Zelda is stunningly non-linear, with most of the gameworld immediately accessible if you know what you’re doing. Does the design of giving the player more utility and power through their progress instead of straight up keys lead to a more engaging open world? Or does the metroidvania formulae do it better? Combat Just how enjoyable is the moment to moment gameplay of Zelda? Enemies can be fast and furious, and the game wil often sling a lot of projectiles at you. Does the game give you the tools to skillfully deal with the obstacles in your way, or is it just about hit trading and tanking through damage? We answer these questions and many more on the 122nd episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Zelda OST : Koji Kondo The full manual can be found here What other games have been heavily inspired by Zelda that we completely blanked on? What were your experiences exploring the world for the first time? What Zelda game should we play next? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee page!…

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E121: Killer 7 2:20:23

for 49 weeks siden2:20:23

2:20:23

Killer7 is one weird game. Developed in tandem by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom and first released in 2005, its very existence as a game defies description. Within moments of starting, you’re placed into a world with talking bondage ghosts, a TV channel that drains your blood, and abstract puzzles that would fit right into Resident Evil. Combine this with a cinematic third person slow rail shooter and you might have just a taste of what Killer7 is all about, but the truth is that you’re just scratching the surface of this enigma of a video game. Killer7 has a diehard cult following, not just for its presentation and aesthetic, but for its incredibly deep and confusing story. But for all its fans, what is the experience of playing Killer7 actually like? Is there an enjoyable game underneath all of its layers? Or are they merely disguising something that's all flash and no sizzle? On this episode, we discuss: Presentation and Style Killer7 is absolutely dripping in style. From the broader minimalistic cell shaded environments to something as simple as the way characters reload their weapons, there’s a unique vibe to this game that is hard to describe. Does the glamour eventually wear off, or does its presentation remain compelling for the full game runtime? Combat and Pacing Killer7’s combat is most reminiscent of something like House of the Dead, with zombie-like enemies and a first person static shooting style. Does it match the frantic pace and tension of a light gun game, or does giving the player total control of the rail movement lead to something more plodding? Story What exactly is Killer7 trying to say? There are layers and layers of story here, from identity issues, to geopolitics, to conspiracy and control. Is this a compelling and understandable story? Does it make sense? Does it even need to make sense? We answer these questions and many more on the 121st episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! We are joined by special guest Dave Jackson of the Tales from the Backlog Podcast ! He reviews interesting games that would otherwise sit on your shelf, with a focus on having spoiler free discussion initially for people who are on the fence. He also hosts A Top 3 Podcast , where he and friends rank the top 3 of a given thing each episode. Check it out! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Killer7 OST : Masafumi Takada Did you find that Killer7 was all that it was cracked up to be? Do you have any idea what’s going on with the story? Are there other Suda51 games that are worth playing? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server ! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.…

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E120: System Shock 2 1:55:24

for 52 weeks siden1:55:24

1:55:24

System Shock 2 is considered by many to be the finest immersive sim ever made. Released in 1999 in a coventure by Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games, it sought to combine the classic 3D dungeon crawling of the original with pen and paper inspired RPG systems. While resource management and exploration were still a key part of the experience, you were now restricted in what you could initially do by those RPG stats - and it was only towards the end game that your character would feel truly strong. Perhaps most obvious were the changes from the more abstract environments to something that felt real - this was a real place that had a disaster befall it, not just a series of rooms and corridors stapled together. But are those things that were so revolutionary back in 1999 actually that impressive today? Nowadays we have semi-spiritual successors like Bioshock which mimicked environmental storytelling. We have Prey and Deus Ex with far more expansive RPG systems. Has System Shock 2 stood the test of time, or does it even offer something unique, when compared to the games of the present? On this episode we discuss: Storytelling How does System Shock 2 tell its story to the player? Do its many audio logs combine into a complete and understandable narrative, or is it just a lot of standing still and being bored while a voice actor spouts nonsense at you? Level Design Does System Shock 2’s systems complement its level design, or get in its way? Does the non-linearity of the levels represent the apex of the game, or are they just confusing messes? RPG Systems How well designed are the RPG aspects of System Shock 2? Do they allow the player the creative expression to make a unique character that tackles problems in their own way? How well do they work over the full runtime of the game? We answer these questions and many more on the 120th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! — Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another System Shock 2 OST : Eric Brosius , Ramin Djawadi — RSD Mods for System Shock 2 — Is System Shock 2 still the best and brightest immersive sim, or has it been eclipsed by new games? Should we finally play Deus Ex? What other games in the genre are we yet to play and need to? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server! You can support the show monetarily on our Buy Me a Coffee Page.…

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E119: Gran Turismo 4 1:33:36

for 1 year siden1:33:36

1:33:36

Over the years, we’ve played games from pretty much every genre under the sun, but there is one that is notably missing - the racing sim. We’ve dabbled with arcade racers like Burnout 3, and have played several kart racers - Diddy Kong and F-Zero GX to name a couple. But this is the first time we’re trying to learn how to actually drive a racing card under somewhat realistic conditions. And what better game to start with than the highly lauded Gran Turismo 4? It boasts hundreds of hours of gameplay, and you’d be hard pressed to find a racing sim fan who hasn’t at least heard of it. There are an endless number of cars, tracks and conditions, and it's the kind of racing game that requires you to do tutorials on how to brake and turn simple corners before you get to the actual racing part. So with all that in mind, just how good a video game is Gran Turismo 4? What does it offer to someone who knows nothing about cars, and wants to go round a track really fast? Is this a fun and engaging time, or is it a bland and dry simulator, for the ultra-enthusiasts only? On this episode, we discuss: Tutorials In what ways does GT4 attempt to teach the player the basics of learning to drive your car on the race track? Does it do enough to explain the why or does it just focus on the how? Mechanics Just how fun is it to race around the tracks? Does the difficulty of taking corners and controlling steering end up being frustrating and repetitive, or is there a kind of satisfaction to be found here? Tuning and Upgrading GT4 features an incredible number of different cars to choose from, upgrade options for them, and a bevy of ways to tune them to perform in different ways. How good is the game at delivering this information to the player so that they make informed choices? We answer these questions and many more on the 119th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Gran Turismo 4 OST : Various Artists Is Gran Turismo 4 the best racing sim of its era, or is there a better retro equivalent? How have modern racing sims changed from the formulae of the original? Are there any racing sims with a gentler learning curve when it comes to tuning your car? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server ! You can support us monetarily on our Buy me a Coffee page…

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Episode 118: Hitman Bloodmoney 1:39:05

for 1 year siden1:39:05

1:39:05

Hitman: Blood Money, first released in 2006 by Eidos, is considered by many to be the best Hitman game ever made. After the first few games played around with novel ideas and concepts to mixed success, Blood Money honed in on the formulae of specific, small and dense environments filled with ‘accidental’ scripted opportunities to murder your target. Gone are the long and slow walking through the linear levels of Silent Assassin. You no longer have the weird and confusing systems of Codename: 47, where you only sometimes had to think outside the box. What we get here is a more focused experience - 12 playgrounds puzzle murders. But in focusing on these specifics, has Blood Money left behind something meaningful from the previous games? And while it built the groundwork for what the modern games would become, does it execute on it with the same finesse? Has Hitman: Blood Money truly stood the test of time, or does it just play like an awkward middle child? On this episode, we discuss: Story Hitman: Blood Money is ostensibly a more gritty game than the first two - but is this actually the case? Does the gameplay end up pushing the overall tone towards something less serious and slightly more goofy, or does the darker story portrayed in cutscenes keep it grounded? Level Design How does the level design of Blood Money craft and guide the overall experience? How does it use visual direction to create a sense of place, and does it compare favourably to the levels earlier in the series? Execution(s) How enjoyable is it to discover and execute the various scripted deaths on every level? Are these fun puzzles to figure out through trial and error, or does this lead to a sense of frustration as you wait around with no idea what to do? We answer these questions and many more on the 118th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Hitman: Blood Money OST - Jesper Kyd Is Hitman: Blood Money truly the best Hitman game? Just how good are the modern hitman games, should we play them? What’s your favourite level? Come let us know what you think or recommend us a new game on our community discord server! If you would like to support the show monetarily, you can buy us a coffee here!…

for 3 years siden58:15

58:15

Before we had Resident Evil and Silent Hill, we had Ecstatica. First released in 1994 for MS DOS, Ecstatica blew critics away at the time of its release with its stunning ellipsoid based character models and realistic environments. You play as a simple traveller stopping in town to water their horse - which turns out to be the worst decision they could have made. Within seconds of setting foot inside this village you are immediately beset by horrors and demons, witness scenes of sadism and torture, and must struggle to even stay alive. But while at the time of release the graphics were stunning, the gameplay innovative, and the atmosphere chilling, can we truly say that’s the case today? Do Ellipsoids really stand up to scratch close to 30 years later? And can the primitive gameplay possibly hold a candle to all the innovations in resource and inventory management that define survival horror today? On this episode, we discuss: Ecstatica sees you attacked and chased by monsters within seconds of you starting the game. Is this a good gameplay experience, or should there have been a more gradual ramp up of horror? How deep are the combat and puzzle mechanics in Ecstatica? Are they enjoyable, terrible, or functionally non-existent? Do the graphics of Ecstatica hold up today? Do the fixed camera angles detract or add to the immersion of the experience? We answer these questions and many more on the 87th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast! — Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another Ecstatica OST : Andrew Spencer — Does Ecstatica have any more hidden interactions that we missed? Is the sequel any better, or is it more of the same? Are there any other survival horror games that we should check out? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server !…

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