19: Tomb Raider (2013)

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A note to our listeners: This episode will be followed by a one week break as we catch up and prepare for “season two” of The Short Game! We have a lot of great games to discuss in the coming months, and we want to hear from you! Let us know which current or upcoming games you would like to hear about on the show, or send us feedback on Twitter or at our website!

This week, The Short Game plays Tomb Raider.

Tomb Raider, a reboot of the classic action shooter series, was one of the most incredible games of 2013, but many people missed it when it was brand new and for one reason or another still haven’t made time for this great triple-A game. We discuss what makes this game stand out from other third person shooters, from the history of the Tomb Raider franchise, and from games as a whole.

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Availability

Tomb Raider is available on essentially every platform you could want:

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18: Nidhogg

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This week on The Short Game, we discuss our first fighting game! Or is this a fighting game? Wait, what is this exactly?

nidhogg logobanner

It’s Nidhogg, a game in which two sabre-wielding duelists with infinite respawns face off in a frenetic, bloody tug of war for the right to throw themselves into the gaping maw of the titular Norse snake god Níðhöggr. Chew on that for a minute.

It’s also an incredibly tight and well designed, yet simple and approachable vs. combat game for two players.

We also have a good chat about Game Center CX and Mega Man II, as well as Civilization Revolution 2 for iOS.

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17: Freedom Planet

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Freedom Planet character trio

This week we delve into our shared Sega heritage with fast paced action platformer Freedom Planet. Launched from a Kickstarter budget of just $25,472, Freedom Planet from GalaxyTrail is a love letter to the character platformer and Sega nostalgia. One part Mega Man, one part Gunstar Heroes, one part Rocket Knight, and many parts Sonic & Knuckles; Freedom Planet is a high speed platform game that recalls the glory days of “blast processing.”

We discuss the game, and then spend a good long while talking about some of the kick-ass Sega Genesis games we played and loved over the years.

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16: Shovel Knight

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shieldKnight shovelKnightRun
This week on The Short Game, we discuss Yacht Club Games incredible debut and love-letter to the NES, Shovel Knight. This is a game we’ve been dying to discuss on the show and it stands out as both faithfully retro and relentlessly innovative and modern.

We discuss the ways the game pays homage to its inspirations, from Mega Man to Zelda to Duck Tales to Castlevania, and how it improves upon those games with technology and mechanics that feel both old and new. After the spoiler break we discuss the game’s ending and talk about how it made us feel.

Availability:

Steam for PC, with Mac & Linux as soon as they’re available – $15, or $25 for the Deluxe Edition with Soundtrack and PDF manual
3DS eShop – $15
WiiU eShop – $15

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15: How to Play 400 Games in 4.5 Years: An Interview with Dr. David Heineman

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Edit: We fixed a small editing error at around the 2:00 mark.

This week on The Short Game, we bring you an awesome interview with Dr. David Heineman, author of the recent Kotaku article ​How To Beat 400 Games In 4.5 Years.

Kotaku Article

David is a real life scholar of video games. He is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies t Blooksburg University of Pennsylvania and author of the forthcoming book “Thinking About Video Games: Interviews with the Experts.” (Indiana University Press) He also hosts the long running Racketboy Podcast, a great show about playing classic games, game collecting, and great interviews with video game creators and luminaries.

David HeinemanWe’re a show about fitting games into your life, and David does that in spades. We ask him about his strategies for finishing all the great games in his backlog, and he offers some suggestions of short games you might enjoy.

Follow David on Twitter at @DrHeineman!

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14: iOS Gaming & Leo’s Fortune

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iOS Gaming & Leo’s Fortune

In this episode, Raygan and Nate are joined by friend of the show Laura Nash as we talk about Leo’s Fortune in particular, and the present and future of iOS smartphones as a gaming platform in general.

Leo’s Fortune won an Apple Design Award in 2014 but it’s the one game that none of us had played in time for our Apple Design Award Winners 2014 episode a few weeks ago. This week, we attempt to remedy the oversight.

This also gives us the opportunity to discuss in depth the strengths and weaknesses of iOS and other touch screen devices as gaming platforms. We talk about asynchronous multiplayer, “augmented reality” and the future of quality gaming on a platform where games can seem a little ephemeral, or even disposable.

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13: Transistor

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This time on The Short Game, your three hosts unite to discuss Super Giant Games new action RPG for PS4 and Windows PC, Transistor.

We discuss the game’s painterly art, its unique setting, and terrific customizable combat system. We also share in depth game tips and strategies, and after the spoiler break (at about 56 minutes in) we speculate about the game’s effecting ending.

Transistor is available on Windows through Steam ($20) and on the Playstation 4 ($20.) Expect it to take about 6-7 hours to complete the first play-through.

transistor cute

 

(art by DeviantArt’s JenZee, art director of the game)

Links for this episode

Check out Game Plus, a great YouTube channel and friend of the show.

12: Towerfall Ascension

Towerfall Ascension This week we discuss Matt Thorson(@MattThorson) of Matt Makes Games multiplayer masterpiece, Towerfall Ascension. Towerfall is an arena multiplayer platform fighting game for two to four players. It draws on inspirations like SNES…

11: Apple Design Award Winners 2014

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Apologies in advance for the sound quality of this episode and for its late release. Your intrepid podcast host was moving cross country this week and our equipment and schedule did not cooperate as planned.

2013-14 has been great for iOS gaming, and Apple has picked five great games to honor with Apple Design Awards at this year’s World Wide Developers Conference. We’ve played (nearly) all of them and share our impressions with you!

Threes

A tiny puzzle game that grows on you

*(Currently on sale for $1.99.) *

Monument Valley

An illusory adventure of impossible architecture and forgiveness

Blek

Watching it move is like watching magic

Device 6

A surreal thriller in which the written word is your map

Leo’s Fortune

A beautiful platform adventure game.

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10: Play Portal Again!

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In this episode, we discuss a game that probably all of you have played: Valve’s incredibly popular distraction from Half-Life 3 development, Portal.

Portal is a game so influential it likely requires no introduction. In this episode, Raygan and Shane break down the qualities that made the game was so successful, and its widespread impact on gaming in general.

We command you:

GO PLAY PORTAL AGAIN!

Portal is available on nearly every platform you could want, including:

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