E46 Hardspace Shipbreaker

Pixel Vision

Happy Halloween! Ben and Tao wallow in corporate servitude and debt until unionisation galvanises them to join the intergalactic picket line in zen, outer space deconstruction simulator, Hardspace Shipbreaker. In addition to the usual breakdown of the game’s story and gameplay mechanics, the duo get into gaming loops, micro objectives and puzzles, corporate megalomania and mandatory agreement to terms and conditions, the role of banter and companionship in games, dystopian retro futurism, and if gaming companies should use unsigned musicians for their soundtracks to foster more variety and cultivate new talent. Major story spoilers towards the end of the pod, but nothing detrimental to gameplay.

Content Warning: PEGI 12. Institutional oppression, bosses from hell, occasionally explicit cursing.

Clarifications:

* All music for Hardspace Shipbreaker was composed by Blackbird Interactive, specifically Jono Grant, Traz Dimji, Ben McCullough, Philip J Bennett

* Hardspace Shipbreaker was released on 16 June 2020

* Tao was right about the navigation system in Myst. It’s marginally different, but certainly comparable:

* While digging out the South Park ‘terms and conditions’ audio, I found this track by Seb Lowe which I think is worth sharing. Seems like a talented young guy:

* According to the Nintendo product page, there are actually 500 different products in Wilmot’s Warehouse

* Owen Wilson says ‘Wow’ compilation is, bizarrely, worth watching in full. It’s absurd:

* Vincent D'Onofrio, who acted Edgar in Men in Black (1997) is not the voice of Hal Rhodes. That honour goes to Adam Nurada.

* ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Check out their website here: https://www.welcometonightvale.com/

* Hypnospace Outlaw was our second ever episode and is available here. I like to think we’ve come a long way:

Audio extracts:

* Futurama theme

* Half Life 2

* Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place from Kid A

* 2001 A Space Odyssey

* Men in Black - Farmer Edgar

* Chuck Brodsky - Bill & Annie in full. Available for purchase here:

* The Office - ‘Good news and bad news’

* The Office - David Brent interviews Tim Canterbury

* South Park - HumancentiPad - S15E01

* Wilmot's Warehouse OST by Eli Rainsberry

* Pigs In Space, The Muppets

* Owen Wilson says ‘Wow’ over and over

* Welcome to Nightvale

* Hypnospace Outlaw by Jay Tholen

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