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Batman: Arkham City is an object lesson in how sequels can go very right. It's additive in every way that matterns leaving the core play of Arkham Asylum intact while adding an open world and lots and lots of villains. The Jokester is back and sicker than ever, and Hugo Strange has made deft use of eminent domain to create a prison city. What could go wrong?

Huge thanks to Doug Lief, who guests on this episode, for his support, and for picking this great game!

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We traveled to the Midwest Gaming Classic once again, this time to talk about what we're broadly calling "creative games". The headliner is Mario Paint, but the idea of games that let you either make games, or make art, goes way back. So we talk about the history, talk about how this articulates, and try to answer the question: Why is using games to make art so fun?

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Life is Strange is a Telltale-style cinematic adventure game about a young woman named Max Caulfield who has a very strange week. On the same day, she discovers that she has the ability to rewind time, and she uses this ability to avert the death of Chloe, an estranged friend. Her powers get her wrapped up in a murder mystery that points to corruption in the heart of the small town of Arcadia Bay.

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Some games are trapped in time, and this Dispatch episode has us wondering what makes some games age worse than others. How can something made 25 years ago feel more fresh and something made 5 years ago?

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Resident Evil 2 is a classic game, so it's understandable that we were slightly nervous when Capcom said they were remaking it. Our worries were unfounded, because Capcom is back, baby, and this remake isn't just a good game in its own right, it does justice to the original. It makes sensible updates and incorporates memorable elements from every era of the series. This is how you do it.

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Sometimes you can do it again, and do it better. The Resident Evil 2 remake is our favorite game so far this year, and it's remarkable not just for doing justice to the original, but for being extremely good in its own right.

It's kind of ridiculous that we haven't done a Halo game yet. First because they were very big, and second because they're aging very poorly. However, there's plenty to like about Halo 3: ODST, the weird side story in the Halo franchise.

The Rookie is separated from his squad, and he must roam the ruins of New Mombasa to find evidence of their battles and piece together what happened. We hope you like your jazz smoky, because it's all we got in stock.

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Captian Martin Walker is not up to the task. Dubai is in ruins, and things just get worse from there. This is a military shooter about military shooters, and it's lauded for its story while its play is dismissed. But we're here to tell you: the play is fine!

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We hear your thoughts on our Desperation Month games, and talk about what the deal is with gamers.

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Desperation Month concludes with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, a Ukranian-developed open world first person shooter. The Zone is a harsh place with infinite possibilities, but you have to fight to find them. Especially in the back third of the game, where it's all fight. Until then, though, there's lots of very good survival play going on.

This is a preview of that full episode, which you can get by backing us on Patreon.

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