Tag: PopMatters

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Experiences ‘Event 0′

This week we go into deep space and talk to a ship AI in Event [0]. We discuss language as a mechanic as through most of the game you are uncovering what happened on a derelict star ship by way of real text conversation with the ship’s AI. The game is a marvel of technical prowess. But we each had issues with it came together as a whole. Strangely enough, each of us had different issues. You can find the episode on PopMatters, SoundCloud, iTunes and through the RSS feed. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

My PopMatters Reviews from 2016

I haven’t written for PopMatters in quite a while. When I went to go upload post an article for them the other week I found that I no longer was able to. Most likely my permissions have been changed. Last year, I did write a number of reviews that I never got around to linking to here. I’m still going to appear on the podcast, but given my current situation with the site, this will most likely be the final roundup of written material I published on PopMatters. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Moving Pixels Podcast: The Best Games of 2016

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast we list our top 5 games of 2016. As I say at the beginning of the podcast, this isn’t my final list. They’ll all most likely appear on my final list, that should be coming soon. But my goal here was to talk up games that we hadn’t done podcasts on and wouldn’t really get talked about. I succeeded in part. My compatriots on the podcast might have cheated a little with their choices, but ehh. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Investigates ‘Gravity Bone’ and ‘Thirty Flights of Loving’

This week we look at two small games by Brenden Chung, Gravity Bone and Thirty Flights of Loving. Following up on our discussion Virginia we decided to look back at the games we figured had to be an inspiration for its choice of using film editing language. Coming at these two games, many years after their release and their initial splash on the critical scene, we find they hold up very well and in fact still feel part of the vanguard of narrative experimentation. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Interrogates ‘Virginia’

On this, the last Moving Pixels Podcast of the year, we look at the cinematic adventure game, Virginia. There’s a lot to talk about with Virginia, mainly because no one in the game says anything themselves. The entire game is wordless, even my quote below required some stretching to get. Because of that, a lot of the game is up to interpretation and insinuation. Of course, before you can ask what is going on, you have to reckon with how the game is delivering its visual experience. | more

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Exploring the Mind-Body Connection in ‘Soma’

This week, we finish our trilogy of going through the Frictional Games oeuvre with their latest game, SOMA. I really love this game. It was my number 2 game of last year. When we started down this Amnesia route, I knew this was the superior game already and couldn’t wait to get to it and dig in. The discussion we had did not disappoint. Also, stick around for after the ending music. My ending quote inspired an 8-minute discussion on one of the characters. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Explores ‘A Machine for Pigs’

This week we continue on from our last Amnesia podcast with The Chinese Room follow up, A Machine for Pigs. Despite that this episode was going to release in November, we decided to continue our look at/catch up with the horror franchise Amnesia. A Machine for Pigs is familiar as an Amnesia game, but at the same time, noticeably different from Frictional’s take, but with clear similarities to The Chinese Room’s other work. My reference point was Dear Esther and Nick’s was Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Finally Gets ‘Amnesia’

This Halloween we look at a now horror classic in Frictional Games’ Amnesia: The Dark Descent. One of the reasons I love being on the Moving Pixels Podcast is that it forces me to sit down and finish games by a deadline. I began playing Amnesia 3 years ago. I made it about halfway through before I had to put it down because it was late and I just never picked it up again. So, we decided on Amnesia as hour Halloween title and I had to sit down and finish it. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Executes ‘The Deed’

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast we discuss the indie murder planner simulator, The Deed. It’s an interesting idea that works more as a proof of concept than as a cohesive whole. That is just my opinion. My compatriots aren’t quite in a agreement on that front. You can get the episode now on PopMatters, SoundCloud, iTunes and the RSS feed. “There are many ways to do the deed,but only the cunning will succeed.” | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Highbrow, Middle Brow, and Lowbrow in Free-to-Play Gaming

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast we do another anthology of 3 small free games. The games this time are A Date in the Park, Mandagon and The Lion’s Song. For this variation on the occasional trip into free game land, we, essentially, each picked a game out … (This post is lost beyond this point.) Moving Pixels Podcast: Highbrow, Middle Brow, and Lowbrow in Free-to-Play Gaming » PopMatters "No need to linger little totem; heed the words we all have spoken!" | more