Moving Pixels Podcast

Originally conceived of as a discussion of the best superhero video games of all time, the Moving Pixels Podcast crew quickly discovered that super powered games have been-for the most part-less than super.

With that in mind, our discussion of the presentation of superheroes in video games became, instead, a discussion of the history of the superhero in video games-more particularly the refinements that have lead to more interesting gaming experiences within this genre.

This week the Moving Pixels podcast considers the ballet of blood choreographed by People Can Fly in their new game, Bulletstorm.

Is the game a perfect storm of masculinity and mayhem or just more boys and their bullets?

With one Chris out and another Kris in, this week the Moving Pixels crew travels to Ferelden to discuss the world of Dragon Age: Origins and its many expansions. Do these downloadable prologues, epilogues, and side stories add anything to the diverse and complex world of Origins? Or are they just recycled levels splashed together to make a quick buck? Join us as we dig into everything from the game itself to the demo for the sequel.

Last week the Moving Pixels podcast crew took a look at Dead Space as a transmedia phenomenon, considering the films, comics, and other spin offs that the series has generated.

This week we look at the games themselves, considering their innovative design decisions and gameplay, alongside their grotesquerie and some of their choice in presentation of issues like work and women.

More than just a video game, Electronic Arts has given Dead Space the full transmedia treatment, shipping movies, comics, and spin off titles with the same grisly themes. In anticipation of a discussion of the release of Dead Space 2, the Moving Pixels podcast explores the universe of Dead Space as a media phenomenon.

Is this all about marketing or do these additional properties flesh out the mythos or enliven the concepts of this action/horror hybrid?

Response to Enslaved has been divisive. Most agree that the game does not feature the most outstanding gameplay, but after acknowledging that, opinions vary a great deal.

Most divisions about Enslaved arise around its storytelling. With gameplay that may or may not do service to its plot but featuring some talented voice acting and direction alongside expressive motion capture and beautiful graphics, does Enslaved manage to tell a good story?

This week the Moving Pixels podcast crew discusses the success or failure of Enslaved's somewhat controversial storytelling.

Shifting settings from the mall to the casino, the Dead Rising series hasn't changed in its commitment to gross excess and superficiality.

In a similar sense, much of the approach to grappling with the zombie hordes has not been altered significantly in the 2010 follow up to Dead Rising. The player is still tasked with killing zombies and psychos, while ensuring the safety of as many of his fellow survivors as he can. The more subtle changes ("subtle" being a term that is normally very rarely applied to a Dead Rising title) come in terms of combat tweaks, some changes in difficulty, and some very different psycho fights.

This week the Moving Pixels podcast crew discusses the good and bad in those changes and whether or not the follow up is a worthy successor to one of the more popular early titles of this hardware generation.

As an experiential medium, it is often the little moments that mean so much in video games. This week we wrap up our discussion of gaming in 2010 by recapping some of the most emotionally affective and just plain cool moments in games like Red Dead Redemption, Bioshock 2, Amnesia, and Heavy Rain (to name just a few).

While Infinity Ward has take the franchise to more a contemporary setting, Black Ops developer Treyarch had yet to stray outside the boundaries of World War II with its Call of Duty installments until late last year. With a Cold War setting and a title suggestive more of espionage than traditional battle, the best selling game of last year attempted to tell a slightly different style of war story.

However, is there any real substance to Treyarch's style this time out?

The Moving Pixels podcast crew considers this and other questions by evaluating the phenomenon of Call of Duty: Black Ops.

This week, the Moving Pixels podcast crew trains their eyes on the direct sequel to Assassin's Creed II. This time the series returns to the story of the Italian Renaissance era assassin, Ezio.

However, this time Ezio has made a few new friends. So, among other aspects of the game, we discuss the "brotherhood" that this new Assassin's Creed has embraced in both its story and multiplayer options.