Game suggestions for the podcast

[Stanshall]

I've been thinking about this for ages but Tubaruba on the CPC 464? Probably the game of my early childhood.

[ratsoalbion]

Congratulations, you have come up with a game that I have never even heard of!

[KSubzero1000]

I know you guys aren't really fond of lengthy RPGs due to time constraints, and others have already been mentioned which would probably be higher on the priority list, but... Golden Sun? The first two on the GBA and the third one on the NDS?

The GBA library in general is a bit underrepresented on CaR, I think. Lots of fantastic titles!

[ratsoalbion]

We love the GBA of course, but we never pick games for discussion by format (beyond the practical considerations).

Somehow the Golden Sun games weren't on the list, but I shall add them forthwith!

[KSubzero1000]

If you ever do decide to cover them on the podcast, keep in mind that the first two act as a duology of sorts and should really be viewed as two halves of the same game, while the third one is a much more distant and belated sequel.

[ratsoalbion]

Yep, aware of that - had the GBA games both on cart back at the time and now on Wii U VC.

[The_reviewist]

Just to toss an idea into the ring, last month I played through The Turing Test, a nice wee FPS style puzzle game from the makers of Pneuma: Breath of Life. Both of which would be good games for the podcast, possibly as a 2 for 1 developer focused issue.

I also tried out Never Alone, a 2.5D platformer about a young Inuit girl and her pal, an arctic fox. Chock full of interesting knowledge about the Inupiat people and their mythology.

[ratsoalbion]

Never Alone was already on the list, I have added The Turing Test.

[James]

Kinda surprised TTT wasn't on there too. I honestly thought it was, given several of us are of the Portal/Witness/Talos Principle persuasion. It's certainly been on my 'To Play' list for a while now.

[Suits]

Any interest in a Timesplitters episode ??

More than a drop of Rare DNA in those ...... Darren .

[ratsoalbion]

The TimeSplitters games are already on the list.

[Jobobonobo]

We love the GBA of course, but we never pick games for discussion by format (beyond the practical considerations).

I am sure it is already requested but Mother 3 really needs to be covered at some point (hell, the Mother series in general). There is a lot in that game to pick over, definitely one of the GBA's highlights.

Any interest in a Timesplitters episode ??

More than a drop of Rare DNA in those ...... Darren .

Yes, second Timesplitters, particularly the second one. Such a delightfully silly FPS.

Speaking of Rare DNA, I think Yooka Laylee does need its own episode at some point. If I remember correctly Darren was a bit disappointed with it when it came out, I wonder what he will think of it when the new game shine is gone? I think due to the mixed reception it got that a Cane and Rinse of it should be particularly interesting. It is also a game that leads to a lot of interesting discussions, particularly around Kickstarter, spiritual successors and what collectathons can implement in order to be more "modern"and if Yooka Laylee succeeded in that regard.

[SnakeyDave]

Yes, third for Timesplitters. Again, particularly the second one. I remember PS2 magazine at the time consistently brought up Timesplitters 2 and how it was the best. They were right.

So much silly fun to be had in that game. The aiming dead zone must seem like madness to go back to now though.

[KSubzero1000]

I don't class software like this or any kind of `RPG` as `games`, never have done.

Putting aside the question of whether or not adventure games and visual novels classify as "proper" video games... You really don't consider any kind of RPGs as games either? Dark Souls, Chrono Trigger, The Witcher, Suikoden, Fable, Xenoblade, all non-games? Am I understanding this correctly?

[kintaris]

I don't class software like this or any kind of `RPG` as `games`, never have done.

Putting aside the question of whether or not adventure games and visual novels classify as "proper" video games... You really don't consider any kind of RPGs as games either? Dark Souls, Chrono Trigger, The Witcher, Suikoden, Fable, Xenoblade, all non-games? Am I understanding this correctly?

I've only ever heard of Chrono Trigger out of those, but no, it's not a game IMO. A game requires skill by its very definition. A Choose Your Own Adventure book doesn't require skill, only time and reading. Makes me cringe when I hear people say on podcasts things like "I beat Earthbound man." Did you? Did you beat it alone sir? Did you beat it last night sir? Did you?

A game can (and has been) defined as something one partakes of for amusement, not just a test of skill. But almost every video game takes at least a modicum of skill, i.e. the ability to press the right buttons at the right time!

It takes patience and a lot of considered strategy to beat the hardest RPGs, especially on their hardest difficulties. Patience is definitely a skill. As for perhaps more traditional or "arcade" tests of skill within these genres I would encourage a look at any of a number of speed runs through some classic RPG titles, which add a layer of dexterity and attention as well as a lot of creative thinking.

[KSubzero1000]

I've only ever heard of Chrono Trigger out of those, but no, it's not a game IMO. A game requires skill by its very definition. A Choose Your Own Adventure book doesn't require skill, only time and reading. Makes me cringe when I hear people say on podcasts things like "I beat Earthbound man." Did you? Did you beat it alone sir? Did you beat it last night sir? Did you?

Oh, I understand your point about adventure games and visual novels, due to their lack of challenge. But I don't think the same applies to RPGs, since most of them do in fact require skill in order to finish. Perhaps not as much as hardcore action games, but skill nevertheless. RPGs are not Choose Your Own Adventure books. Even the most basic turn-based JRPGs have difficult encounters that require planning and strategy, and sometimes even good reflexes. And there are numerous examples of RPGs which blur the line even further, hence my Dark Souls example.

I guess my question is, how do you define skill? Fire Emblem is another example that comes to mind. The series never requires any type of twitch input from the player, and yet most find them way too difficult to finish. Is skill not a part of the equation?

Does chess not require skill, according to you? Genuinely curious.

[Alex79]

Yeah hang on a minute - Chrono Trigger isn't a game? Really?

It is.

[KSubzero1000]

Again, I think a true game requires physical and/or mental agility skills.

Yes, I fully understand that point (although I'm not sure I fully agree). So according to your definition, adventure "fiction" and visual novels like Hotel Dusk don't count as video games. Okay, that makes sense. But what I don't get is how you seemingly incorporate all RPGs within that definition, despite most of them requiring physical and/or mental agility skills.

Fire Emblem does require the same type of mental agility as chess, which you do classify as a game. And yet, it very much belongs to the RPG genre, which you don't classify as games. Do you see the contradiction here?

[Alex79]

Yeah hang on a minute - Chrono Trigger isn't a game? Really?

It is.

Game. Noun. "an activity that one engages in for amusement".

If Chrono Trigger is a game then so is Ceefax.

So because some games require a bit more reading, then they're not games. That's an even more ridiculous argument than the 'Gone Home isn't a game' talk.

You couldn't finish Chrome Trigger by sitting a doing nothing but pressing X on the controller. It requires exploration, careful choices to be made in battles and so on.

This point of view is so alien to me it would be like someone trying to argue jelly isn't a pudding. Genuinely, I don't know what to write. Surely you're joking? I mean I respect your point of view, you're more than entitled to it, but it is a game. It is objectively a game.

[Combine Hunter]

I feel like disqualifying media from being games based on such needlessly strict criteria is like saying Koyaanisqatsi isn't a film because it has no explicit narrative or characters. It is a series of moving pictures, accompanied by sound, meant to entertain or enlighten. It is a movie. Chrono Trigger is entertainment that the audience can directly interact with. It is a game.

The definition that you have provided feels more apt for Sports rather than Games