Checkpoints

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Harrison G. Pink, a world designer who currently works on Mafia 3 at Hangar 13and has previously worked on the Walking Dead and Tales from the Borderlands at Telltale.

We talk about growing up in Bermuda, solving Kings Quest puzzles while playing in the sea, how shareware trading and PC helped him through boarding school, how Myst changed his life and why The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker seemed like a game made just for him.

We also hit on the storytelling potential of games, how endless hours of Unreal helped him hone his early game design chops, how Megaman made him bite his controller and why Bastion is perfect.

"What do they call it when everything intersects?" "The Bermuda Triangle."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Mafia 3, The Walking Dead, Dark Castle, Myst, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Math Blaster, Doom, King's Quest, Command & Conquer, Zork, Starcraft, Unreal, Smash Brothers, Geometry Wars, Megaman 2, Bastion, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Another World

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Robert Yang, a game developer and a teacher at the NYU Game Center. Robert's games are most known for their explorations and interpretations of gay sex, from spanking in Hurt Me Plenty to dick pics in Cobra Club, and we talk on what compelled him to focus in on these themes, and how something as seemingly juvenile as a dick pic simulator is actually a scathing critique of our surveillance culture.

We talk about his bad first impressions of video games, how Final Fantasy changed his mind, his introduction to modding through StarCraft and Half Life, that one time he interviewed for Valve and how best to approach a spanking game in VR. 

We also hit on our favourite Golden Axe characters, Super Smash Bros. hipsters, how tough it is to do intimacy well in a video game, why twitch won't let people stream his games and how pop songs are some of his strongest influences.

"Every Final Fantasy game is basically about growing up, going through a goth phase and then killing God."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Ladykiller in a Bind, Sonic, Golden Axe, Command & Conquer, Starcraft 2, Overwatch, Halo, Super Smash Bros, Oikospiel, Fatale, A good snowman is hard to build, Counter Strike, Half Life,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guests today are the creators of the incredible local multiplayer game Overcooked, Phil Duncan and Oli Devine AKA Ghost Town Games.

We talk about both of their early experiences with home computers and the divergent interests they inspired in them, why Sonic was so fun to draw, why Tails is the worst, the thrill of local multiplayer, the best version of Tony Hawks and how you're never ready to start a studio so why not just do it now?

"Anyone can cook but only the fearless can be great."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Dizzy, New Zealand Story, Tony Hawks Pro Skater, Sonic 2, Streets of Rage, Bomberman, Kinectimals, Lost Winds, Bioshock, Wrecked, Storage Inc, The Old Republic, Overwatch, Event 0, Dead Space,

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is the senior reporter for Waypoint, Patrick Klepek. We talk about how we can't quit Weezer despite their best efforts, how he pitched a Playstation to his little brother to ensure they got it as a shared christmas gift, his incredibly young start in video games and the lack of romance that defined his early video game journalism career. 

We also hit on his speakeasy style Halo 2 multiplayer set up in college, his mammoth battle of wits with Dan Rykert during the Mario Maker Mornings, the profound effect of Papá y Yo, and how he learned to stop worrying and love Dark Souls. 

"The redhead said you shred the cello, and I’m Jell-O."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Tecmo Bowl, Pong, Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy X, Resident Evil, Halo 2, Super Mario Maker, Spelunky, Nioh, Papa Y Yo, Dark Souls, Night in the Woods, Yakuza Zero, Mega Man 2

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Ken Levine, creative director and co-founder of Irrational and now Ghost Story Games, and the creative force behind some of the most iconic titles in video game history including System Shock 2, Thief and the Bioshock Series.

We talk about the physical thrill of early mechanical games, his bad news bears-esque teenage deliquency - bumming smokes and playing arcades - his bumpy path into video game design via Hollywood and how the theatre prepared him for running a video game studio.

We talk about why the original Castle Wolfenstein was so stressful,  how obscure gem Herzog Zwei should get way more credit, why Rocksmith is one of the best games he's ever played and how the Legend of Zelda ruined a relationship.

"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Adventure, Asteroids, Pac Man, The Legend of Zelda, Dark Castle, Road Rash, Herzog Zwei, Yie Ar Kung Fu, Ikari Warriors, Castle Wolfenstein, Star Control, World of Warcraft, Portal, Inside, Thief, Shadow of Mordor, Her Story, X-Com, Invisible Inc, Rocksmith

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Will Luton, the product manager for Angry Birds 2 by Rovio and author of the book Free to Play or how to make money by giving away your games.

Unsurprisingly we talk a whole bunch about free to play, we lament on the passing of the Dreamcast, we talk about Will's Magic the Gathering training regiment and his passion for playing and restoring old pinball machines.

In an expansive and meandering chat we also manage to get into Alex Kidd speedruns, the merits of the Super Mario Bros movie, DARK BASIC, Pogz: the text adventure and how games can be the perfect therapy.

"Ever since I was a young boy, I've played the silver ball."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Hearthstone, Game of War, Rez, The Last Guardian, Resident Evil 7, Magic the Gathering, Alex Kidd, Pong, Space Siege, Skies of Arcadia, Samba di Amigo, Shenmue, Streetfighter, GTAV, Angry Birds 2, New Star Soccer, Game Dev Story

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is David McCarthy who you'll probably recognise from the radio. He has worn many hats in the video game industry, from staff writer at Edge, to Rockstar Games and ultimtely to Japan, where he's worked for a number of video game companies over the past 6 or 7 years.

There's a bunch of serious video game chat including the allure of Sonic, why Halo was so important, the majesty of Bangai O, the underappreciated brilliance of Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball and how the latest iteration of Fire Emblem stamps on the glory of the original titles.

We also hit on the magic of pen and paper role playing, his unlikely switch from investment banking to video game journalist, dealing with the Hot Coffee incident while working at Rockstar, the burgeoning Japanese Indie Game scene and that time he was blown up on the tube.

"May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce."

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Gauntlet, Sonic the Hedgehog, Magic the Gathering, Puyo Puyo, Goldeneye, Bangai O, Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball, Halo, Mortal Kombat, Fire Emblem, Mutant League Football, Hearthstone, Shadowverse, Snooker, John Madden, Super Monkey Ball, AKB48 - the game.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guests today are Mare Sheppard and Raigan Burns, the founders of Metanet Software and the creators of N++.

We talk about the promise of early programming, the impact of Sonic the Hedgehog, how they met and bonded over freeware games, the design lessons of Wip3out, an NHL 2001 tournament that has spanned over a decade, why a broad education is perfect for video games and, in perhaps the most controversial statement on the show thus far, how Crash Team Racing is better than Mario Kart.

As well as chatting enthusiastically about a whole bunch of video games, we also hit on the development of N, how it felt to lead the charge for indie games on Xbox Live Arcade, the fear of selling out, and the positives and negatives of being a perfectionist.

"Lyrics, fill in the gap. Drop that bass and get the Ninja Rap"

PATREON - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: N++, Lode Runner, Bionic Commando, Chime, Ascii Arcade, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tetris Attack, Aero the Acrobat, Day of the Tentacle, Space War, Dark Castle, Aladdin, Doom, Commander Keen, Super Mario World, Lumines, NHL 2001, Doom the Rogue Like, Kutar, Gish, Nuzomou, Hyper Light Drifter, Spelunky, Dream quest, Braid, Jumper, Cave Story, Jump and Bump, Dark Souls, Animal Crossing, Crash Team Racing

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

My guest today is Michael Brough, the singular designer of a whole bunch of truly brilliant video games including 868-Hack, Imbroglio and Corrypt.

We talk about how it feels playing New Zealand story as a kid in New Zealand, how quickly he fell in love with exploring computers through command lines, the exotic promise of video game shops, his experimental StarCraft mods, what keeps him making games, and how sometimes you can have too much faith in shareware.

"Hold Z to feel emotions."

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Pac Man, Flightmare, New Zealand Story, Castle of the Wind, StarCraft, Captain Comic 2, Commander Keen, Myst, Race for the Galaxy, Rogue, DOTA

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki

This is a show about videogames, the people who play them and the people who make them. Each episode, a guest on the show talks about the games that have shaped their life in one way or another. Games that have inspired them, games that forged connections with others & games that have soothed wounds. Checkpoints!

Today's guest is Jim Crawford, creator of Frog Fractions 1 and Frog Fractions 2 and co-host of the video games hot dog podcast. 

We talk about his very early love of programming, why he would tell his young self to just rip people off better, how Frog Fractions was born out of insecurity and the key to funny video games.

We also talk about World of Warcraft may have got him fired, working in the early PC demo scene, tracker music, reading Dungeons and Dragons rule books for fun, the ahead of it's time Terminator game by Bethesda, and that time Star Wars made him kick a Gamecube.

This is definitely nothing to do with an ARG.

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection. The lovers, the dreamers and me."

FROG FRACTIONS - http://twinbeard.com/frog-fractions/

PATREON! - patreon.com/checkpoints

iTunes HERE -  SUBSCRIBE / RATE / REVIEW

Games discussed: Frog Fractions, Frog Fractions 2, World of Warcraft, Terminator, Gunhouse, QWOP, Psychonauts, Pheonix, Super Mario 64, Grand Theft Auto 4, Space Station Silicon Valley, Pharoah's Tomb, Nethack, Pickaxe Pete.

RSS HERE

Twitter - twitter.com/CheckpointsShow

Cover design: Craig Stevenson - http://onedinosaurandhisballoon.blogspot.co.uk

Music: Samuel Baker - http://soundcloud.com/furoshiki