"Star Fox Zero has a bizarre control scheme, seemingly made to justify the Wii U gamepad. In this deep dive critique, I look at what Nintendo and Platinum were trying to pull off and see where they su...
2016-05-23 18:54:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello!
So Star Fox Zero's controls are weird. And reading interviews with Miyamoto, other members of Nintendo, and Platinum, just leaves me more confused.
In this deep div...
2016-05-22 18:50:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! Me again.
Thanks for your awesome questions this weekend. I answered them all in the video above - covering everything from Telltale to Monolith, Zelda to Broken Sword, gaming as treatmen...
2016-05-17 06:14:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey! Sorry to do another post on this topic and clog up your inbox once more, but I wanted to make sure everyone who offered feedback on the last post saw that I am listening!
So for starters, t...
2016-05-16 13:02:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Thumbnails are important. And mine have been a bit crap.
They're okay at 1080p but no one ever seems them at the full size. They get shrunk down to tiny little icons on the YouTube homepa...
2016-05-15 18:43:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey! I enjoyed answering your questions yesterday, so I'd like to do more! I've already got a few in the comments from the last post, which I'll save, and so drop more down below and I'll answer them ...
2016-05-13 07:23:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey. So I got a weird email from Patreon. "We asked your patrons which question they’d like you to answer most," they said. Which is a bit weird. Thanks, Patreon, I guess?
But hey, I'm not...
2016-05-12 20:19:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Ah, the video game controller. That bulky chunk of plastic - bristling with buttons and sticks and bumpers - allows us to interface with alien worlds, fantasy landscapes, and post-apocalyptic wastelan...
2016-05-10 12:14:49 +0000 UTC View PostHello!
Phew, this one was a bit of a doozy. It's probably got more games than any other episode, loads of custom graphics, the script took forever to get right, etc.
It's all abo...
2016-05-09 05:38:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! This month I've been immersed in Hyper Light Drifter, been pulling my hair out over Stephen's Sausage Roll, and more.
Hope you enjoy this bonus vid!
2016-05-01 08:44:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone, as promised I've broken the reading list out into its own thing so both this and the newsletter can stretch their legs.
Each month I'm going to give you loads of recommendations of...
2016-04-30 08:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! I'm a bit early, but I wanted to stagger these updates a bit so I don't destroy your inbox at the end of every month. I'm also going to split the reading list off into its own post, on its own ...
2016-04-26 08:13:07 +0000 UTC View Post
It's the question that comes up every time FromSoftware releases a new action RPG - should Dark Souls come with an easy mode? To answer this question (sort of), we must first figure out why these game...
2016-04-25 12:49:49 +0000 UTC View Post
An innocuous question about adding an easy mode into Dark Souls lets us dive deep into how designers conjure up specific experiences, and how players can choose to set their own level of challenge.
2016-04-24 09:32:07 +0000 UTC View PostPatreon is awesome.
As traditional media continues to implode with advertorials, click bait headlines, and budget cuts, a whole new band of critics and creators are thriving on the generosity of...
2016-04-22 06:48:58 +0000 UTC View Post
I've attended GDC twice as a member of the press, and I loved it both times. Great conversations, amazing people, and you see John Romero buying a coffee in Starbucks and you're just like "huh, it's J...
2016-04-13 19:27:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Woah, that's a ridiculous number. Thank you so much, and hi to all newcomers!
I'm working on some cool stuff exclusively for you guys - it will be ready soon.
2016-04-13 13:14:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Spelunky will always keep you guessing, by making a fresh set of 16 levels every time you play. In this episode we look at how creator Derek Yu strikes a balance between random and authored levels to ...
2016-04-12 18:32:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone!
I was so fascinated by Derek Yu's explanation of how a Spelunky level is generated (from his new book) that I just had to make a video that shows the process. Plus, think about why...
2016-04-11 07:40:46 +0000 UTC View Post
HELLO! Here's your bonus video about cool games you might've missed from March.
What did you think of these games? And what cool stuff did you play this month? Please feel free to drop a commen...
2016-03-31 07:25:54 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello! What a fabulous month it has been. I played some cool games, made some fun videos, popped to San Francisco for a bit, and made some big changes in my life.
So, keep this on the down low,...
2016-03-31 07:15:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Cover-based shooter Vanquish comes from PlatinumGames - a developer best known for beat 'em ups like Bayonetta and MadWorld. In this video I look at how Vanquish borrowed the best elements of Platinum...
2016-03-28 16:52:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello super special Patreon people. You're the best. Yes, you. You're the best.
This episode is about a game I really love - Vanquish - and about how it borrowed the best bits of PlatinumG...
2016-03-27 09:55:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Don't know about you guys around the world, but here in the UK we're having a four day weekend. And I know exactly what I'm doing...
Thanks to everyone who said hi at GDC. Was a fun show - wish ...
2016-03-24 19:50:10 +0000 UTC View Post
For Jonathan Blow, a puzzle is never just a puzzle - it's a communication from the designer to the player about the game's universe. In this episode, I share the philosophy and design process of the b...
2016-03-09 13:20:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello super special Patreons! Here is your exclusive preview of tomorrow's episode.
I wanted to make a video about designing puzzle games in general but Jonathan Blow has such a unique and...
2016-03-08 09:09:17 +0000 UTC View PostHello! Mark here. I wanted to update you lovely people on a few things.
Patreon is a weird nightmare of stress and anxiety but that's okay because it's fantastic and you're all lovely. <...
2016-03-03 19:13:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey hey hey, here's your bonus video about cool indie games from February.
What did you think of these games? (Try and be considerate of spoilers re: Firewatch!) And what cool stuff did yo...
2016-02-29 09:48:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey everyone! Thanks for your support this month. Here's what I've been up to, and what's coming up over the horizon.
Post Script
Sadly, I was only able to produce one episo...
2016-02-28 12:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Games have been messing with morality for ages - but are karma systems and binary choices the best we can do? Inspired by Darkest Dungeon's neat twist on video game villainy, lets look at some indie g...
2016-02-23 14:08:05 +0000 UTC View Post