Gameography

This week, considered by many the black sheep of the Zelda franchise, and by others one of the best games of all time, Majora's Mask! We dive into the breakneck development cycle of the game which was to be developed in one year. This led to the reuse of many assets including whole NPCs and songs, which only heightens the strange dissonance the player feels in the land of Termina. Then we get into the signature clockwork town mechanic of the game and how it works and doesn't work some 20 years later.

The post S1 Ep. 18: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 1 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we continue our look at the development of Ocarina of Time, including the origins of Young Link, cut-content from unreleased versions of the game, and much more! We also take a deeper look at one of the best soundtracks in video game history, why Ocarina of Time is the most Miyamoto game of them all, and revolutionary cinematic gameplay.

The post S1 Ep. 17: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Part 2 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

First revealed in 1995 as a simple tech demo, Zelda 64 grew into a monster project with five directors and Shigeru Miyamoto overseeing them all. This week on Gameography we learn about the origins of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as a first-person game, and as a 64DD (Disc Drive) game. We are joined this week by Andy and Ocarina of Time speedrunner Zack to talk about our childhood memories of the game.

The post S1 Ep. 16: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Part 1 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week, Nintendo goes full cinematic with stylish cutscenes and voice acting in Starfox 64. But first we talk the complete (and more interesting?) but unreleased Star Fox 2 for the SNES and its clunky first attempts at 3D platforming, character selection and procedural gameplay.

The post S1 Ep. 15: Star Fox 64 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Caught between visionary creative types and corporate funding sources, the 1993 live action Super Mario Bros. movie ended up a jumbled mess, barely reflecting the games that inspired it. With its cyberpunk, slapstick aesthetic the movie has garnered a cult status despite its issues. Join us as we dig in to the Super Mario Bros. movie with special guest Mathew Devil!

The post S1 Ep. 14: The Super Mario Bros Movie first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Wahoo! Mario 64 blasted Mario out of a cannon and into 3D as a launch game for the Nintendo 64. In this episode we discover how Mario found his voice, how Nintendo teamed up with silicon valley on their most ambitious console yet, and how Miyamoto, in one fell swoop, pioneered 3D movement and camera controls and created the gameplay template 3D platformers have been copying ever since. 64 bits! That's our promise to you on this episode of Gameography.

The post S1 Ep. 13: Mario 64 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we continue our look at the history of the SNES and its handheld companion the Gameboy with discussions of the decisive Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the Twin Peaks inspired The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and Miyamoto's disappointing return to arcade shooters, Star Fox.

The post S1 Ep. 12: The SNES Years Part 2 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

With the release of the Super Nintendo in 1991, Miyamoto transitioned from creating games to supervising the production of Nintendo's most important games. This week on Gameography we cover the creation of the Super Nintendo, F-zero, Super Mario World, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. We discover along the way that Miyamoto's plans at the time included a child raising simulator and more!

The post S1 Ep. 11: The SNES Years Part 1 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we step away from Miyamoto's games to cover the 1989 cult film, The Wizard, staring Fred Savage, Jenny Lewis and Christian Slater. The film features the first footage of Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America, and plenty of badly written family drama, a piss-poor Peewee's Big Adventure knockoff road trip adventure, and p r o d u c t p l a c e m e n t.

The post S1 Ep. 10: The Wizard first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Delayed for years in North America, Super Mario Bros. 3 caused a near riot among America's children upon its release becoming the best selling game of all time for many years. A masterpiece of level design and character feel, Mario 3 perfected and set the formula for 2D Mario games for the next 30 years. This week on Gameography we cover Miyamoto's swan song to the NES and the end of an era, with Super Mario Bros. 3!

The post S1 Ep. 9: Super Mario Bros. 3 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.