Staring At Screens.

This week Vick puts more time into Saints Row IV and introduces us to Dragon Finga; aside from more Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Lisa plays The Alphabet Game and Cookie Clicker, but the less said about that the better; and Joel talks about Knights of Pen and Paper +1 and the very pretty Sine Mora. Our topic of discussion is Weird Games that we've played, namely Katamari Damacy, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, LocoRoco, Patapon, Rhythm Heaven, Robot Unicorn Attack, Heavy Rain, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, There's No Time To Explain, WarioWare and Mr. Mosquito. Reminisce with us by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Let us hear about your weird games. You sickos. Links: Tom Chick's reviews of Halo 4 and Uncharted 3 Darren Geer's interpretation of Gabe Newell Music: Akira Yamaoka - Sine Mora OST- Cardinal Canyon A

This week Dave is the first one of us to get to play Grand Theft Auto V. Much patronizing follows. In other news Joel finally plays Gone Home (so you should see a spoiler episode about that soon), Cookie Clicker, Gunpoint, and Card Hunter. Which segues very nicely into our discussion topic for the week: Free To Play games. Along the way we name drop Candy Crush, Clash of The Clans, Plants Vs. Zombies 2, The Simpsons: Tapped Out, the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic iOS game, and MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Elder Scrolls Online and Final Fantasy XIV. So, Dear Listener, which F2P games do you enjoy and which do you shy away from? Tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org and let us know! Links: Joel's blog post about the likelihood of a GTA V on PC PC Gamer's estimate of the GTA V PC release date — supported by math!

This week Dave tells us what it's like developing for the Oculus Rift, Vick finally gets to gush about Saints Row IV, Lisa tells us about Autumn in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and walks us through the four new Nintendo 3DS StreetPass Games, and Joel catches up on the fourth and fifth Professor Layton games and watches a full playthrough of The Last of Us on Youtube. The topic of discussion this week (which was totally Vick's idea) is gaming culture's apparent obsession with breasts. Once the initial sniggering dies down we look at some female video game character design vis–à–vis Dragon's Crown, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Code of Princess, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Now I know you're gonna want to join this discussion, so go ahead and tweet us @StaringScreens or write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Oh and other that Lightning in the masthead image, here are the characters we referenced in today's episode. The Dragon's Crown heroines   The Dragon's Crown heroes   Morrigan as she appears in Dragon

This week Dave gropes his friends in Wenis Wars, chucks blocks in Searchlight, and finishes other people's sentences in Blackbar; Joel breaks in his shiny new Wii U with Nintendo Land and Pikmin 3; and Vick reveals her indie side in Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP. We also talk about the relatively recent rise of collectible NFC chip toys in gaming with obvious nods to Disney Infinity, the Skylanders series, and the much anticipated (or dreaded depending on your point of view) Pokémon Rumble U. Is this just a cynical money grab? Do you think this is just a passing fad or are NFC toys here to stay?  Let us know by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org.

We're back! Did you miss us? We missed you! This week Vick finishes Infinity Blade 2 four times, Joel talks us through The Showdown Effect and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Dave takes his time with Gone Home, and (almost) everybody gets to play Saints Row IV on launch day. In the run up to the launch of Grand Theft Auto V we discuss Realism and how it affects our enjoyment of video games. Along the way we mention Prototype, Skyrim, the GTA games, milsims like ARMA, The Last of Us, Cart Life, Dope Wars, FFVII, and Galatea by Emily Short. So, Dear Listeners, how does realism affect YOUR enjoyment of video games? Tell us by tweeting us @StaringScreens or writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org. Links: Galatea by Emily Short That misquote about GTA IV and Howard Zinn came from this excellent Polygon article

On this week's episode, Joel don't see nothing wrong with a little bump and Fire Emblem Awakening; Lisa can't stop talking about Animal Crossing: New Leaf; Dave tries to sell us on the gorgeous Muramasa Rebirth on the PS Vita; and Siri Vick refuses to quit Assassins Creed 3 even though she's getting bored. For the rest of the time we just shoot the breeze about the various things on Sale at this point in time. There's the Club Nintendo offer of $30 eShop credit if you purchase and register Shin Megami Tensei IV and Fire Emblem Awakening before 31 Aug, Steam Summer Sale obviously, the iOS 5th anniversary sale, and Kentucky Route Zero is 25% off. Also, did you know that in Animal Crossing you can buy and sell turnips at a profit? ISN'T THAT COOL?? If you have anything to add to the conversation or you'd just like to find out Lisa's Nintendo friend code so you can watch her sleep in Animal Crossing Awakening, you can write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Creepy Lisa is creepy Lin

Wedding bells are ringing on this week's episode! Newlywed Joel talks about playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf (on his honeymoon no less) and retro-chic ADnD-themed beat-em-up Chronicles of Mystara, Vick tries her hand at the 10-year old Puzzle Pirates and finds it strangely familiar, Lisa relaxes her mind by flicking ice cubes over holes in Puzzle Retreat, and Dave buys XCOM: Enemy Unknown a second time (this time on the iPad) and we find out why. Discussion topic for this week: Games that require high levels of time commitment to play or even get started playing. Along the way we namedrop Ni No Kuni, The Witcher series, Skyrim, the Dragon Age series, Persona 4, the Arkham games, Far Cry 3, Angry Birds, The Sims, The Last of Us, the Alan Wake games, L.A. Noire, Red Dead Redemption, the MMO genre, and GTA V. By the way, no offense was intended to people living with OCD, ADHD, paraplegia or a vagina. If you take issue with our use of these labels on this episode, please email your complaints to vick@vicksredred

A half-episode as Dave & Chia Jun Shen of thebiggap.com gush about The Last of Us and discuss the ending, amongst other spoilery things. ** THIS EPISODE HAS POTENTIAL SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US (duh), BIOSHOCK INFINITE, UNCHARTED 2, BRAID, AND STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS (yes.) ** In addition to the controversial ending, they chat about companion AIs from other games, how the logic of the game sometimes defies common sense, whether Joel is an identifiable protagonist, and the brilliant, brilliant writing and relationship between Joel & Ellie. Also, Nolan North as David, Naughty Dog's elegant game design, the brilliant segments that were Fall & Winter, combat mechanics that reward improvisation, why a sequel wouldn't work, and Dave's issues with all the women around Joel dying for his story to progress. Links: On the needs of the one versus the needs of the many. (Forbes) Grounded: The Making of The Last of Us (Trailer)

We are joined by special guests Brian Kwek of Witching Hour Studios and games journalist Cassandra Khaw this week as we discuss how being South-East Asian has influenced our enjoyment, creation, and discussion of games. But before that, a lively discussion of why Remember Me was disappointing, and Cassandra introduces all of us to A Dark Room. Meanwhile Dave gets lost while playing Survivor Z, and Vick quickly disses Ingress. But only because she was playing it in Singapore. In a small departure from our usual gamut of topics, this week the crew and guests explore broadly how being (South-East) Asian has affected their careers are game writers and developers. Naturally, parental expectations are discussed, as well as these careers being 'outlier professions' in the eyes of Asian society, issues of creative and technical competency in the region, and the struggles of independent game developers in Asia. Definitely a topic in which we would like you to join the discussion: do write to us at hello@staringatscre

Extra long episode this week, Dear Listener. There's just so much to talk about!! This week we are joined by our pals James, Jed and Mike from OMGeek.net, and they tell us about the massive complexity that is Wargame: Airland Battle, Joel gushes about yet another cutesy game in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Lisa finds her true calling as the Mother of Dragons in Kingdom Rush 2, Vick discovers the burden of being a normal human being in The Last of Us, and Dave finally gets the chance the use the term "ludonarrative dissonance" in regular conversation. (Regular for Dave, anyway.) In the topical segment we discuss the Microsoft and Sony announcements at E3 2013 vis-a-vis the controversies surrounding Microsoft's Xbox One messaging and the absolute smackdown that was delivered by Sony's PS4 announcment. We also talk about some of the upcoming games flogged at E3, namely the deliciously cross-platform Watchdogs, the mystifyingly-numbered Mirror's Edge 2, the pulchritudinous Bayonetta 2 and the wordily-named Super Sm

On this week's episode, Vick doesn't get killed in traffic while playing(?) Zombies, Run! Joel picks up Humble Indie Bundle 8 and tries out Proteus and Thomas Was Alone which are NOT "cutesy games"; Lisa reveals that she lives in North Korea ("prison camp") and is disappoint with Street Food Tycoon; and Dave continues his PS Plus free game streak with Infamous 2 and Virtua Tennis 4. Oh, and Static Shock totally wears a bra on his head. CANNOT UNSEE. SO COMFY!! I CAN BARELY FEEL THE UNDERWIRE!! The topic for the week is games we underestimated and were pleasantly surprised by. Find out which SAS team member has Stockholm Syndrome when it comes to the endless runner genre, which team member is still on dial-up internet, and who has been on the internet since at least 2004. If you have anything to add to our most awkward episode ever — perhaps a game or two that you found unexpectedly enjoyable — we invite you to join the conversation by writing to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweeting us @StaringScreens

We played host to Ade Putra from Robots Gone Bad this week! He brought with him an element of sheer hardcore that none of team can hope to match. I mean who plays Metro: Last Light on Hard difficulty?? In other news, Joel puts in way more (commuting) time on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Vick tries her hand at Puzzle Trooper, Dave builds his dream gun in Guncrafter and also gives Sid Meier's Ace Patrol the respect it truly deserves, and we find out how bad Lisa is at dancing. So Microsoft has finally revealed their next console: the Xbox One. If you know nothing about it, here is the TL;DR version. Yes, it's a little tongue-in-cheek, but we stayed up to watch the entire reveal and can vouch for the uncanny fidelity of that highlight reel. Listen as we take you through what we do know and what we'd like to know about Microsoft's philosophy for the future of living room entertainment! At least for those of us who have living rooms… in the US. If you have questions or comments about the Xbox One reveal, we invite y

This week we host our very first guest podcaster! Everybody give a big SAS-sy welcome to Jun Chen (aka Junch) from The Big Gap. We're certain that like us, you'll find his insight a welcome addition to the conversation. In this episode, Joel gets a new 3DS XL and immediately gets to work on Super Mario 3D Land and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, but also gives his Xbox360 some love thanks to Gears of War: Judgment; Junch goes retro on us with Persona 3 & 4 for the PS2/PSP; and Dave has nothing but praise for the awesome (and slightly creepy) Playstation Plus service which gives him free games to play like Quantum Conundrum. For our topic this week we discuss the industry's aversion to Female Protagonists and bemoan the mystifying lack of games starring playable female leads. Memorable female leads are uncommon at best, and when female protagonists do get their own game they are starved of marketing dollars or discouraged from having any agency. We also touch on the role of the protagonist's gender on game narr

Fresh off recording our long-awaited drunken playcast, the team forges on with a regular episode recording in a slightly sloshed (and soon-to-be hungover) state! Vick trys the much-lauded Dots and finds it sorely wanting, Lisa follows suit with Bee Leader, Dave gets his inner-luchador on in Guacamelee!, and Joel keeps up with the Joneses by playing Battleblock Theater and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. We had originally planned for our discussion this week to be about Platform Envy and the platform-exclusive games we have no way of playing but it somehow morphed into an interesting discussion on Platform Exclusivity in general with a nod to Indie Games on consoles and (as fanservice) a meditation on iOS vs. Android development. This was of course accompanied by a healthy dose of name-dropping. Coming along for the ride against their will: Red Dead Redemption (Xbox360, PS3), Little Big Planet (PS3, PS Vita), Fez (Xbox360, PC), the Professor Layton games (DS, 3DS), and Journey (PS3). By the way, the aforementioned pl

We've got a real treat for you today, Dear Listener — our first ever special guest! Earlier this week we had the privilege of chatting with Faye Kingslee — you may know her as Citra from Far Cry 3 — and we had an absolute blast! In this interview with Dave and Joel she gives us a sneak peek into her preparation for playing the role of Citra, her acting process and how the game was made in Ubisoft Montreal, or as we put it, "where the magic happened". There's even a point in the interview where all three of us fanboy/fangirl out over Michael "Vaas" Mando. We trust that this more than makes up for the brevity of Episode 27. :) Check it out!

The team's been busy of late, so this week we eschew our usual format and just have a nice catch up session to talk about the games we've been playing. First up, Joel's perception of reality is severely distorted by AntiChamber; then we revive the spectre that is Assassins Creed 3 as Vick finally gets to play it; mobile offerings also get some airtime as we try out Sonic Dash, Mighty Dungeons, and Fish Out of Water; and last but not least, Dave tells us about Hope: The Other Side of Adventure and much moaning and groaning ensues. Aaand strangely that is it for this week. As usual we'd love to hear from you, dear Listeners. To add your voice to the conversation simply write to us at hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens. Apologies for the short episode; no promises, but we'll try to make it up to you some time later this week with something special. Fingers crossed! Links: Kotaku's Moneysaver tag Game Deals Subreddit Thanks to YJ for the money-saving tips!

This week Eric talks about playing Torchlight 2 (now with more alpaca!) and Far Cry 3 (which Dave has yet to frickin' finish), Joel actually completes Grim Fandango more than a decade after starting, Dave tries his darndest to sell us on Gemini Rue while we try our darndest to be enthusiastic, and we pontificate about the upcoming Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon based on nothing but this incredible and absurd trailer. The topic of the week was inspired by this article by Kotaku's Jason Schreier that suggests that review score aggregate site Metacritic hurts developers and by extension video games in general. We think it's a thought-provoking and informative read that is well worth your time. So this week we were inspired to do a (rather meta) critique of Metacritic and its effect on our purchasing decisions. In our discussion we do allude to ideas discussed in the Kotaku article, so you may want to hit pause at the halfway mark and go read that first. We'd love to hear how (if at all) game reviews influence your vide

In this week's episode, Vick Eric plays Far Cry 3 and quickly fills up his rucksack with bloody skins, Joel completes Bioshock Infinite but we can't talk about it just yet, Lisa plays Finger Tied sober and ponders aloud what it would be like to play this drunk, and Dave, ever the hipster, talks us through some IGF winners, Dys4ia and Cart Life. They're free games and you can check them out in the links below. We'll also tell you why we haven't been playing SimCity of late. Maybe we'll get back to it when they fix it? We'll see. As you may already have heard, Disney shuttered LucasArts last week, and in memoriam we do a LucasArts retrospective and talk about the memorable (and ignominious) experiences we've had with LucasArts games through the ages. Along the way we mention point and click adventure games from the SCUMM era like Maniac Mansion, its arguably more famous successor Day of The Tentacle, the awesome Sam and Max Hit The Road, and GrimE era games like the seminal Grim Fandango. Oh yeah, we also menti

We’re in Lisa tries out the decidedly un-NimbleBit-like Nimble Quest, Joel completes and is satisfied with Crystal Dynamics’ take on Tomb Raider, Dave gets audibly frustrated at not being able to talk about Bioshock Infinite (which we recommend playing on "easy"), and we all speculate about what it would be like to play Space Team under the influence. In the second half of the episode we talk about the things that make videogames such a good vehicle for telling engaging stories and recount some of the more memorable narrative arcs in our collective gaming experience. SPOILER ALERT: Along the way we also reference (and possibly spoil) plot elements of several games including the Saints Row series, GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption, Heavy Rain, the Mass Effect series, Fallout 3, Mafia II, Assassins Creed 2, L.A. Noire, and Halo 4. Got an example of a game that really wowed you with its narrative? Tell us via email hello@staringatscreens.org or tweet us @StaringScreens.

In this week's episode, Dave and Joel have a protracted discussion about Tomb Raider, Vick tries unsuccessfully to get a workout from Fighters Uncaged, and Lisa bounces Hercules' boulders in Clash of The Olympians. Along the way we also mention the Uncharted series, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures, Kingdom Rush and Cat Shot. In other news, PAX East was last weekend and have we got news for you! The DoubleFine Adventure finally has a name: Broken Age Ducktales Remastered has been announced. Watch this trailer. It's all you need to know. (If you have no idea what this is, you may be too young for this podcast.) Supergiant Games' next project is called Transistor and Logan Cunningham has been confirmed as a voice actor. The game is about WHO CARES WHAT THE GAME IS ABOUT SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY Diablo III for consoles is not going to be a Sony exclusive. Whoop dee doo. Moving on… Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut for the Wii U will fix the controversial Boss Battles and finally XCOM: Enemy Unknown is g