Nate, Sebastian, and Ryan gather to discuss SYSTEM SHOCK 2, Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games' tale of hackers and hybrids in darkest space. We discuss the coalescence of the "immersive sim" genre, whether "spiritual successors" can borrow too heavily from their predecessors, and the merits of hive minds versus scornful AIs. Nate reveals he has just seen ALIEN for the first time ("It's good!"), Ryan reveals the song that's on every one of his running playlists, and Sebastian finally learns how to pronounce "Diplodocus."
Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, and Ryan all gather to discuss SUPER SMASH BROS., Nintendo's 1999 mascot fighter which showed what happened when classic franchise stars stopped being polite... and started getting real. We discuss the glory of chaos on the battlefield, the joy of watching Link take a sword to Pikachu, and how a game with such simple controls was able to authentically capture such a wide variety of source materials. Nate gushes over the series' fascination with the eclectic corners of Nintendo history, Jordan remembers his childhood dog Kirby, and Sebastian deems Sonic the Hedgehog "the Theon Greyjoy of videogames."
SHOW NOTES:
1999 Sakurai interview in “Nice Games” magazine, translated by Shmuplations:
http://shmuplations.com/smashbros/
The "Happy Together" TV spot: