Moving Pixels Podcast

This week the Moving Pixels podcast considers how we take the supposed "meta" elements of gaming for granted. But then considers how these elements contribute or detract from the drama and realism of the gaming experience.

Monaco is a multiplayer stealth action game oozing with retro style with a touch of neon noir flair.

This week Nick Dinicola and I discuss both the single player and multiplayer experience of a game that features a nod to the meticulous planning of the heist and all the frenetic pleasure produced by getting the chance to play out that moment when all that planning goes terribly wrong. Ironically, it is this lat bit that makes the game great. Monaco reveals the pleasure of making mistakes.

This week Nick and I talk minimally-about minimalism in video games.

What more can we say?

Normally, we don't concern ourselves too terribly with spoilers on the podcast. However, given the rather essential and emotional twists and turns of Bioshock Infinite, we did make an effort to save most of the spoilers until the end of our discussion.

This episode we will be discussing Columbia, Elizabeth, Comstock, Booker, and what that infinite in Bioshock Infinite signifies. However, we'll give you fair warning as we approach discussion of the bigger potential spoilers.

As a remake, the 2013 release of Tomb Raider has truly remade an iconic image. But by beating her down, has Crystal Dynamics successfully created a reasonable image of a survivor?

In this week's episode, we look at the re-imagining of Lara Croft in this year's Tomb Raider reboot.

One of the more interesting indie releases of last year was Tomorrow Corporation's Little Inferno, a puzzle game, a parody of casual gaming, and an opportunity to burn everything in sight.

The game has been interpreted as a critique of capitalism, an environmental warning, and as a consideration of childhood and its endings. This week Nick, Eric, and I trot out our own personal theories about and personal experiences with the fireplace that burns at 100 billion degrees.

With a holiday season stuffed with sequels, it was nice to see a new IP arrive alongside other AAA releases.

The development team behind Dishonored has an impressive pedigree. The game offers a fresh take on stealth mechanics and character building, as well as a fairly fresh looking universe to play in. This episode, though, we consider if Dishonored has a soul?

This week Nick, Jorge, and I revisit one of the bigger holiday releases of 2012, Assassin's Creed 3, the conclusion of the game's first story arc and the introduction of an assassin that we aren't quite sure that we've figured out.

With Assassin's Creed 3, Ubisoft presents their vision of an American Revolution. But is the fifth time out all that revolutionary?

One of the more interesting indie titles of 2012 is the often unsettling, but often equally alluring and lurid Hotline Miami.

Does the game have anything to say about video game violence or does it just allow us to further exercise our own grossest tendencies?

This week Moving Pixels Podcast gets together to discuss our best gaming experiences of 2012.

We decided that we would not allow anyone to repeat any picks from anyone else's lists, so there may be a few inclusions that surprise you.

We also want to thank Rick Dakan, who has been with us since the beginning of the Moving Pixels podcast, for regularly hosting for us. This will be Rick's final episode with us, as he moves forward with another job in the gaming industry. We appreciate having had his perspective for the last few years. Thanks, Rick!