1Upsmanship

On a very special 1Upsmanship, Adam and Swaim introduce the shipheads to Tyler Maitland, indie dev extraordinaire and recent winner of the Rogue Games Game Jam for his project SeaFrog. Hey kids, let's learn about how games are made!

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Open wide for a fresh 1Up, baybeh! What starts as a deep dive into the latest installment in the Borderlands franchise ends up becoming a wide-ranging debate on the state of the modern looter-shooter, not to mention an object lesson in how to fight about video games then make up. Hooray emotional growth!

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Adam and Mike address a classic indie darling and it answers only in the form of weird time-bending platform mechanics and a story that's either about a breakup or nuclear holocaust. Did the boys dig Braid? Smash that play button and you'll be one step closer to that forbidden knowledge.

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Backlog Episode!

Adam and Michael turn a stupid shooting game into a shockingly deep conversation, as they are wont to do. It's kind of crazy. Topics include Call of Duty, propaganda in narrative, free speech versus empathy, verisimilitude and historical obligation, and zombie mode.

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Fresh out of their ripperdoc's basement, Mike and Adam turned around and stumbled right back in for a second snip. They felt their anger levels about the terrible launch of this game could use some cyber-reduction, and maybe a fresh pair of Kiroshi optics might help them evaluate the game in it's "finished" state . So they played the whole thing. Again. But did they enjoy their latest trip to Night City or are they blue-pilling Keanu's Silverhand back into irrelevant oblivion? Or...are they just gonna do a bunch more Matrix jokes? Hey we're not the Oracle, we just tell you what you need to hear. Follow the white rabbit and listen!

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Aloy's pushing her way ever-deeper into what we're pretty sure is a tiny-sized representation of the contiguous United States, and we're right along for the ride! Michael and Adam welcome long-time friend Jason Pargin back to the show to discuss the follow-up they've been explicitly waiting for ever since Zero Dawn dropped. Did the promise they sensed from this franchise pay out?

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Our heroes explore an empty and definitely scary house in the woods only to discover one of the most compelling love stories in video game history!! Joined by returning and celebrated guest Vanessa Guererro, the gang bonds over the depth, storytelling, and nostalgia in this little indie classic. It got real y'all. There's even some open-mouthed crying and a plan to dye each others hair that was... unfortunately cut for time. But it happened. Trust us. 

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Ever play a videogame and think "I would LOVE to have a grappling hook in this"? Adam and Mike go back and forth sharing their favorite videogame mechanics and why they should be featured in more games. Smash that play button to see if YOUR favorite mechanics make the list! 

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It's the Citizen Kane of cover-based first-person shooters with robust multiplayer and vehicles! Adam and Mike take on the original Halo, and trace its impact through Destiny and all the way to Destiny 2, if you can believe it.

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What do you get when you cross animals with just kind of hanging out? An activity some -- including the inimitable Maggie Mae Fish -- consider a full-on game, actually, thank you very much. Our hosts dig for fossils, chop wood, and talk shop, all to finally determine whether the game that took the whole world by storm at the start of the pandemic is...you know, "good."

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