Checkpoints

Today's guest on the show is Shailesh Prabhu, creative director of Yellow Monkey Studios and owner of one of the finest beards I know of. We talk about the videogame scene in India, the Nintendo Samurai (!), how the credits sequence at the start of Day of the Tentacle completely shifted how he understood games, and the agony and ecstasy that comes with starting your own videogame studio. We also hit on the joys of rhythm games, how having limited access to lots of games can make you an absolute pro in the ones you have, cricket, Counter Strike and the joy of making things. SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW HERE RSS HERE Games discussed: Road Fighters, Mortal Kombat 2, Day of the Tentacle, Black, Socioball, Huebrix, Super Mario, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Device 6, Thief, Arkham Asylum and Counter Strike. Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

My guest today is Jeff Green. Jeff has spent a the past few years working for Popcap and EA, but is perhaps best known for his long tenure on GFW/CGW magazine, and as the host of GFW Radio, one of the very first videogame podcasts and certainly one of my favourites. He is also the nicest guy, and an excellent guest. We talk about Jeff's delinquent youth in a pinball gang, how to balance marriage and Hearthstone, bonding with his daughter in WoW, how awful it is to have to write about modems and how amazing it is to write about games. We wax lyrical about Half Life and Doom, wonder whether stories in games matter, think about the impact of podcasting and share thoughts on the latest Hearthstone expansion. This was a treat. You're not the Lord of the Rings! SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW HERE RSS HERE Games discussed: Doom (1993), Quake, Half Life, WoW, Everquest, Bioshock, Hearthstone, Zork, Destiny, Marathon, Dark Souls 3. Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

My guest today is Jeff Green. Jeff has spent a the past few years working for Popcap and EA, but is perhaps best known for his long tenure on GFW/CGW magazine, and as the host of GFW Radio, one of the very first videogame podcasts and certainly one of my favourites. He is also the nicest guy, and an excellent guest. We talk about Jeff's delinquent youth in a pinball gang, how to balance marriage and Hearthstone, bonding with his daughter in WoW, how awful it is to have to write about modems and how amazing it is to write about games. We wax lyrical about Half Life and Doom, wonder whether stories in games matter, think about the impact of podcasting and share thoughts on the latest Hearthstone expansion. This was a treat. You're not the Lord of the Rings! SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW HERE RSS HERE Games discussed: Doom (1993), Quake, Half Life, WoW, Everquest, Bioshock, Hearthstone, Zork, Destiny, Marathon, Dark Souls 3. Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

My guest on today's show is William Pugh, one of the co-creators of the Stanley Parable and now director of a new studio, Crows Crows Crows. William is really young and that's totally fine because games have been a huge part of his life since literally the moment he was born. He is very funny and very charming and this was a lot of fun to record. We talk gaming as performance, why SNAPs never got the recognition it deserved, making VR games with Justin Roiland, the weirdly sexual characters in Cushion Cats, the magic of practical jokes, actual magic, Slavery! and how Super Mario made him a monster. Places, please!

My guest on today's show is William Pugh, one of the co-creators of the Stanley Parable and now director of a new studio, Crows Crows Crows. William is really young and that's totally fine because games have been a huge part of his life since literally the moment he was born. He is very funny and very charming and this was a lot of fun to record. We talk gaming as performance, why SNAPs never got the recognition it deserved, making VR games with Justin Roiland, the weirdly sexual characters in Cushion Cats, the magic of practical jokes, actual magic, Slavery! and how Super Mario made him a monster. Places, please!

My guest on today's show is the games editor for the Guardian, Keith Stuart. One of the recurring themes of Keith's life in games is family. From his earliest memories of he and his dad as co-conspirators in the notion that a home computer would be 'good for homework', through to his own life as a father, and how he and his son's relationship has been completely transformed by Minecraft. A story which is soon to be fictionalised in his book, A Boy Made of Blocks. Keith's life in games is a heartwarming one. We talk about writing videogame manuals, the magic of Phantasy Star Online, the forgotten Mario and Zelda games on the CDi, chasing the football dragon in Champ Manager, the role of a games journalist in the world of the streamer and the fascinating relationship between acting and playing videogames. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. CHOOSE YOUR CLASS. Games diccussed - Life is Strange, Portal 2, WoW, Heavy Rain, Quantum Break, The Last of Us, Minecraft, Jumpgate, Pilotwings 64, Sega Rally, Leaderboard, Civilization, Championship Manager and Uncharted. Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki SUBSCRIBE HERE RSS HERE

My guest on today's show is the games editor for the Guardian, Keith Stuart. One of the recurring themes of Keith's life in games is family. From his earliest memories of he and his dad as co-conspirators in the notion that a home computer would be 'good for homework', through to his own life as a father, and how he and his son's relationship has been completely transformed by Minecraft. A story which is soon to be fictionalised in his book, A Boy Made of Blocks. Keith's life in games is a heartwarming one. We talk about writing videogame manuals, the magic of Phantasy Star Online, the forgotten Mario and Zelda games on the CDi, chasing the football dragon in Champ Manager, the role of a games journalist in the world of the streamer and the fascinating relationship between acting and playing videogames. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. CHOOSE YOUR CLASS. Games diccussed - Life is Strange, Portal 2, WoW, Heavy Rain, Quantum Break, The Last of Us, Minecraft, Jumpgate, Pilotwings 64, Sega Rally, Leaderboard, Civilization, Championship Manager and Uncharted. Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki SUBSCRIBE HERE RSS HERE

Mel Croucher is a living legend. You may not have heard of him and might be thinking, 'Declan, that's a bit strong.' and I'd say, 'Listen to the episode first.' Mel started the first ever videogame company in the UK, Automata. They made games as statements, from profane jabs at the royalty to psychedelic drinking games starring the Pi-man. This all culminated in 1984 with the release of his most ambitious game yet, Devs Ex Machina. It was vastly ahead of it's time. This wasvideogame as concept album. An exploration of life and death with a full celebrity voice cast and a complete musical score. It also proved his undoing. Mel is packed with extraordinary stories, we talk Sooty Xylophones, designing the first skyscrapers in Duba, broadcasting games across the radio, offering a golden sundial as a videogame prize, working with Christopher Lee and the incredible tale of how piracy caused his downfall and how one of those pirates, 25 years later, brought him back to videogames. This was a treat to record, I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and remember kids! There's no blood in our games, it's Automata sauce. Mel Croucher - http://www.melcroucher.net Checkpoints #6 - http://declandineen.com/checkpoints/ppostid-5 Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki SUBSCRIBE HERE RSS HERE

Mel Croucher is a living legend. You may not have heard of him and might be thinking, 'Declan, that's a bit strong.' and I'd say, 'Listen to the episode first.' Mel started the first ever videogame company in the UK, Automata. They made games as statements, from profane jabs at the royalty to psychedelic drinking games starring the Pi-man. This all culminated in 1984 with the release of his most ambitious game yet, Devs Ex Machina. It was vastly ahead of it's time. This wasvideogame as concept album. An exploration of life and death with a full celebrity voice cast and a complete musical score. It also proved his undoing. Mel is packed with extraordinary stories, we talk Sooty Xylophones, designing the first skyscrapers in Duba, broadcasting games across the radio, offering a golden sundial as a videogame prize, working with Christopher Lee and the incredible tale of how piracy caused his downfall and how one of those pirates, 25 years later, brought him back to videogames. This was a treat to record, I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and remember kids! There's no blood in our games, it's Automata sauce. Mel Croucher - http://www.melcroucher.net Checkpoints #6 - http://declandineen.com/checkpoints/ppostid-5 Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki SUBSCRIBE HERE RSS HERE

My guest on today's show is Shahid Ahmad. For many people, Shahid is best known as the Playstation Indie Champion. He was part of a team that changed the landscape at Sony, and made Playstation a home for indie developers, developing the rich ecosystem we see today. But before that, Shahid had already had a rich and varied history with videogames. Starting as a bedroom coder in his teenage years, Shahid has gone on to work in almost every facet of the industry - development, production, publishing, composing - as well as playing in bands and starting his own business. He's won it all, lost it all, and won it all back. His life in games is an extraordinary story. We talk about getting RSI playing Speedball, sibling rivalry in Street Fighter, why Space Invaders is like the monolith in 2001, and the formula for knowing when a game should be greenlit. (Spoiler, there isn't one.) Games discussed - Star Raiders, Speedball 2, Jet Set Willy, Gauntlet, Call of Duty, Olli Olli, Velocity 2X, CoD: Modern Warfare, Knight Lore and Mario Kart.