In this episode of Deep Listens we are joined by a special guest to talk about the hot new indie game, Undertale.  We first answer some audience feedback about Until Dawn and then proceed to discuss the slow beginning of Undertale.  We talk about the game's characters, how the game breaks the 4th wall, how the game deals with player agency and choice, and how the game's multiple endings shape our understanding of what games are capable of.

In this much awaited episode ZombiePie and I discuss his end of our video game bet and his experience playing FFVIII.  We discuss his decent into madness and I try my best to make sense of the chaos that is FFVIII's gameplay and story.  We cover everything: every gameplay mechanic (even chocobo world), every location, every story beat, every character, we even talk about songs. This is truly the deepest of listens.

In this episode of Deep Listens a special guest joins us to discuss the "teen horror movie" game Until Dawn.  We discuss how the game attempts to blend movie tropes with gameplay, how the game handles mental illness, how the game uses native Canadian folklore, and whether life or death decisions are the only decisions that matter in a game about player choice.  Also Billy had a lot of problems with the game. 

In this bonus episode Gino is joined by a special guest to discuss a stupid bet they made and 90s adventure games.  The first half of the podcast covers Myst and Riven, two games that simultaneously made adventure games mainstream and helped to kill the 90s adventure game boom.  The second half of the episode discusses the criminally under-appreciated Pajama Sam games and how they still manage to hold up to modern scrutiny.

In this episode we discuss Tomb Raider and the ways the 2013 game tries to differentiate itself from earlier entries in the series.  We discuss where some of the characters and characterizations fall short and how the game's story and gameplay clash.  We also discuss the how the game could better reward completionists.

In this episode of Deep Listens we discuss Child of Light and go over the game's unique combat system, story, and aesthetic.  We also discuss why coming of age stories are so ubiquitous in games.  Join us as we once again stare into the abyss of Billy's obsession with grinding... and the abyss stares back.

In this episode of Deep Listens we discuss the award-winning, indie game Thomas Was Alone.  We cover the game's minimalist art style, strong narration, mechanical storytelling, and a few of its potential themes.  Towards the end we compare and contrast the Talos Principle and Thomas Was Alone's treatment of AIs and person-hood.  There are a few spoilers for the Talos Principle during the second half of the podcast so watch out.  Also at some point we got sidetracked into talking about whether AIs could ever be people.

In this episode of Deep Listens we discuss the Kickstarter darling Valdis Story: Abyssal City.  First, appreciate the game's mechanics and aesthetics.  Then we discuss Kickstarter's role in Valdis Story's development and the far-reaching impact of Kickstarter on the video game industry (as well as other industries).  We close up talking about the game's unique story structure.

In this episode the Deep crew are joined by Elise "Hyasiance" Stevenson to talk about DOTA 2 and her awesome play like a girl experiment!  Each of the regular podcast members discuss their experiences playing DOTA 2 while visibly and audibly female.  Hya also explains the larger findings of her experiment and her own positive and negative experiences with the DOTA 2 community.  We also discuss the e-sports community, DOTA 2's steep learning curve, and how DOTA 2 functions like a game of pickup basketball.

You can contribute to and read about Hya's play like a girl experiment here: http://altochicka.wix.com/playlikeagirl#!Read-about-Play-Like-a-Girl-phase-one/cjtn/83808D7A-6CD5-4B97-B549-6D1677127E49 

In this episode of Deep Listens we discuss the first Kingdom Hearts game... things get heated.