The story of a cancelled X-Men TV controller game, as told by former LucasArts illustrator Mark Ferrari, who is a world-renowned and innovative pixel artist responsible for popularising multiple graphical techniques — including dithering, colour cycling, and palette shifting. And an inside look at the downside of having marketing-focused gatekeepers in charge of what products hit store shelves.

Music by Kai Engel, Lee Rosevere, and Evan Schaeffer.

You can listen to the episode I made on Mark's graphical innovations, which doesn't include this story, at lifeandtimes.games. And you can see a few screenshots of the cancelled X-Men game at his website, markferrari.com. It's under 8-bit Game Art Volume 2.

Mark worked recently on a spiritual successor to Maniac Mansion called Thimbleweed Park, along with other LucasArts alums Ron Gilbert, Gary Winnick, and David Fox. If you buy the iOS version via the link lifeandtimes.games/thimbleweedpark, I get a small cut of the sale price. It's also available on PC, Mac, Linux, Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

The Life & Times of Video Games on the Web and social media

Website: lifeandtimes.games

Twitter: @LifeandTimesVG

Instagram: @lifeandtimesvg

YouTube: lifeandtimes.games/youtube

You can make a donation to help cover running costs and allow me to rely less on freelance income via

Patreon: lifeandtimes.games/patreon

or PayPal: paypal.me/mossrc

Please remember to subscribe and to leave a review on iTunes or whatever podcast platform you use. A small donation of a few bucks a month on Patreon would go a long way, too.Support The Life & Times of Video GamesLinks:Thimbleweed Park on the App Store — A brand new adventure game from Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick, creators of the classics Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion! Play as five characters to uncover the surreal mystery of Thimbleweed Park -- a town where a dead body is the least of your problems.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices