Tag: PopMatters

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Explores Act IV of ‘Kentucky Route Zero’

The long-awaited Act IV of Kentucky Route Zero has been released and now so has our discussion about it. It’s a game about being lost. With each new episode KR0 seems to find a new way to express this both thematically and structurally. While Act IV may be the most constrained episode geographically, it also feels like it is also the most expansive with narrative crafting options. It strange coming back to continue a game after letting it lie two years fallow. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Catches ‘Em All

Last week, we discussed the summer’s hot new game, Pokémon Go. This really was the summer’s big game. It was everywhere and I don’t just mean out in the wild playing it. Culturally it seemed to have saturated the mind share for the past few months. You couldn’t go much of anywhere or read something without Pokémon Go being brought up. It’s why I felt in some way able to talk about it as a cultural event despite having never played it myself. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Goes ‘Inside’

This week, we inspect PlayDead’s sophomore game, Inside. We go into a long, long discussion on the nature of purpose in art. The dichotomy being, whether it should be imbued with meaning or whether pure expression is enough. And then whether Inside succeeds or fails in regards on those merits. … (This post is lost beyond this point.) The Moving Pixels Podcast Goes 'Inside' » PopMatters "........." - There! That's my quote. Because no one says a goddamn thing in this game. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Battles the ‘Jotun’

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast we look at the brilliantly animated, Norse, giant-slaying adventure, Jotun. This is a game born of Norse mythology. Those stories are inscribed in the worlds you visit. It isn’t just a source for the developer to mine enemy types from, but a presentation of an ethos of that world view. As Nick notes in the podcast he was expecting for a long time for victory to mean Thora would be granted life once again. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Unearths ‘Uncharted 4′

This week we look at a AAA game, the end of the Uncharted series, A Thief’s End. Our usual host, G. Christopher Williams does not have access to a PS4 and had to bow out of this episode. I put the call out for a guest over several weeks and got few responses. Justin Keever ended up being the one we brought on to discuss the game. Instead of having a thesis to discuss this game under, we used the ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ method. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Learns the ‘One Finger Death Punch’

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast, we discuss the martial arts mastery action game, One Finger Death Punch. For as simple as the premise is and the fact the game doesn’t have a whole lot of the usual type of material we dig into, we got a good long … (This post is lost beyond this point.) The Moving Pixels Podcast Learns the 'One Finger Death Punch' » PopMatters "Victory: Gold Medal Awarded!" | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Gets ‘SUPERHOT’

We discuss SUPERHOT on this episode of the Moving Pixels Podcast. For all of SUPERHOT‘s solid focus on the mechanics of slow-motion shooting play, there is a lot more going on under the hood. In fact, I’d hold SUPERHOT as a prime example of a game that can’t get a fair shake because the critics purposefully turn their brains off with what it’s saying. The number of people saying that all the narrative material shouldn’t have been in the game and they wished it has been excised, is frankly appalling. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Our Own Points of View on ‘Hardcore Henry’

This time on the Moving Pixels Podcast we discuss not a game, but a movie. Hardcore Henry to be specific. I did not like Hardcore Henry. Let’s just get that out of the way. I came out of that theater only glad I went to a matinee and thus didn’t spend as much money on the ticket. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go and see it. Having said that, talking about what the movie was doing was rather interesting. My main issue with the film is that it’s hard to watch and comprehend what is going on. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Haunted Islands and the End of High School Are Both the Subject of ‘Oxenfree’

We’re back with another episode of the Moving Pixels Podcast, this time talking about the indie adventure game Oxenfree. I heard good things about this game and I’m extremely glad it did not disappoint. You can hear my enthusiasm for it in my voice when we discuss it. I knew so little about Oxenfree going in and somehow it managed to exceed all my expectations for it. There, that’s my recommendation for it. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

The Moving Pixels Podcast Looks at the Scenic Vistas and Human Drama of ‘Firewatch’

This week on the Moving Pixels Podcast we talk about the out in nature First Person Walker, Firewatch. Despite Firewatch essentially being a mystery game, we spend most of our time discussing how the game divorces itself from that genre, or fails to do so, depending on which one of … (This post is lost beyond this point.) The Moving Pixels Podcast Looks at the Scenic Vistas and Human Drama of 'Firewatch' » PopMatters "You came out to put your memories behind you and they're still right there, in front of you. | more