S01E01: Dispatch: The Game That Plays YOU

Games often mistake a good story for good agency. We think swinging the sword is what matters, but what if the game is using that very assumption against us?

Dispatch might look like a superhero graphic novel come to life, but underneath that gorgeous art and S-tier voice acting, it's pulling the ultimate player con. It's not just a game you play. It's a game that makes you feel the weight of command, the sting of failure, and what it’s like to be a washed-up hero called Robert Robertson.

If you loved the story mechanic that made BioShock legendary, you need to see how Dispatch takes that same trick and turns the dial right to 11.

I'm diving into this management sim/animated movie/people story. We'll get into whether the episodic release cadence is really a problem, the real cost of heroism, and whether this a game you must play before you die.

• Need a transcript? Sure you do: https://parrydox.com/why-you-liked-dispatch/
• Support the channel by checking out a cool superhero book (sadly, no Jeffrey Wright): https://www.books2read.com/TheThreeFacesofFate

⏱️ Time for Timestamps!

• 00:00 🤯 The Storytelling Trap: What Games Get Wrong
• 04:33 🫠 Anxiety as Gameplay (Where the Real Terror Lives)
• 07:39 💾 Wait, Episode 4? (The Binge-Play Dilemma)
• 09:43 🎨 It's Art, Stupid (S-Tier Talent & Banging Beats)
• 11:47 😩 Being Robert (Consequences Vector)
• 15:20 ✅ So, What? (Is it a Must-Play?)

Fair warning: this review contains spoilers for BioShock (it's been 18 years, you've had your chance).

And let me know in the comments: are you Team Blazer or Team Invisigal?

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