Ep. 311 - Cathcula, with Phil Salvador

Phil Salvador, library director for the Video Game History Foundation, steps over to the panel for Maxis facts, Five Nights at Freddy’s lore, and pigeon kings. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield, and Phil Salvador. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

Questions this week:

Do Maxis Sim games have an evolving line of game design you can trace from title to title? (07:29)

What else could Maxis have done after The Sims 2? (15:16)

What are some interesting regional differences in video games? (22:01)

How and why do mass game company layoffs keep happening? (27:37)

Without looking anything up, what do you think Five Nights at Freddy’s is about? (34:57)

Slightly More Five Nights at Freddy’s talk (44:48)

Isla asks: What is a game mechanic or system you really like that is in a game you don’t like? (45:57)

What would it be like if video games had playable forewords? (56:46)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Who Said It? (01:01:39)

Recommendations and Outro (01:13:17)

Discuss this episode in the Insert Credit Forums

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Ninja Gaiden

Bloodborne

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

Shining Force III

Tori no Hoshi: Aerial Planet

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg

Chocobo

The Matrix Online

Yakuza / Ryū ga Gotoku series

Maxis

Firaxis

Sixaxis

Sid Meier’s SimGolf

SimGolf

Will Wright

SimAnt

SimEarth: The Living Planet

The Sims

Marvel Midnight Suns

Spore

SimTower: The Vertical Empire

Alexey Pajitnov

El-Fish

The Sims 2

The Sims 3

Capitalism

Diner Dash

The Sims Online

Kirby games

Crash Bandicoot series

Ratchet & Clank series

Splatterhouse

Exile

Police Quest 2: The Vengeance

Might and Magic

J.J. & Jeff

DJ Jazzy Jeff

Populous

Peter Molyneux

Destiny 2 dev Bungie facing layoffs

Embracer Group

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Baldur’s Gate III

Street Fighter 6

Diablo IV

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Chuck E. Cheese

ShowBiz Pizza

The Rock-afire Explosion

USA Store Fanon

FNaF World

Roblox

Scott Cawthon

Arachnophobia (1990)

The Birds (1963)

The Golem (2018)

The Young Pope

Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)

Undertale

Robot City

P.N.03

God Hand

God of War

The Last of Us series

NieR

David Cage

Roman Polanski

Martin Scorsese

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Trouble Is My Business

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Toby Fox

Um Jammer Lammy NOW!

Guillermo del Toro

Death Stranding

Æon Flux

Peter Chung

Recommendations:

Phil: The Video Game History Foundation

Brandon: Fushigi and Crimson by Nakamori Akina

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