Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Ryan gather to discuss METAL GEAR SOLID, Konami's stealth action game from 1998. We discuss the "uncanny valley of cinema," the Selfish Gene Theory, and the origin of the setpiece-heavy structure that would come to inform so many AAA games for the next twenty years. Nate spends $60 on an extremely frivolous expense, Jordan discusses his teenage dream of creating a hoverboard, and Sebastian finds something he hates more than Star Wars -- the insidious misogyny of Hideo Kojima.
Nate, Sebastian, and Jordan sit down to discuss Polyphony Digital's 1998 racing sim GRAN TURISMO, which struck a perfect balance between arcade action and the verisimilitude of simulation, changing racing games forever. We discuss racing games as showcases for graphics technology, the pursuit of the "real," and car elevators. Sebastian debates what we mean when we say "good graphics;" Nate tries hard to make useful comparisons between Gran Turismo, Pokemon, and Diablo; and Jordan has a hard time remembering the name of Microsoft's Flight Simulator, "Microsoft Flight Simulator." Special guest appearance by William, age 3, who loves cars.
SHOW NOTES:
KAZ: Pushing the Virtual Divide