A Forgotten World
Why isn’t Out of this World talked about more? Originally released in 1991 on the Amiga 500, OotW tells the tale of Lester, a scientist that gets zapped to a dangerous extraterrestrial world. Despite the gameplay similarities to the original Prince of Persia, World contains a number of stunningly innovative ideas, many of which are still often used today. The game also pioneered the use of 3D graphics in a side-scroller, allowing for silky smooth animation and jaw-dropping cinematic cutscenes. Yet—despite all of this—Out of This World is rarely mentioned among the most important and forward-thinking games it’s time. Continuing on my mention during Big Red Potion: Episode 14, I thought that a bit of insight into this classic might be of interest (only one spoiler, and it’s clearly marked).
Episode 14: Lights, Camera, Halo
This week’s topic is how Hollywood influences video game narrative, but you’ll be surprised by the diversity of games and themes discussed during this episode, especially when you consider its shorter length. Keeping Sinan and Joe on their toes this week are Crispy Gamer’s Kyle Orland and GamerNode’s Christos Reid. Both provide fascinating insight during the main discussion, but when the chips are down neither are on hand to prevent Joe’s kitchen from exploding (listen to the very end). More important than all that nonsense, though: absolutely no spoilers this week! Well, apart from the kitchen exploding spoiler - sorry.
Podcasting with Kissinger
I’m not feeling so good. I’m raspy, I’ve got a headache and I’m shivering plenty. It’s a full-on case of man-flu, and I really should be in bed, sipping some Lemsip, and playing some Rhythm Paradise. Well, I shouldn’t be doing the latter, but that’s what I would be doing. Instead I’m typing this out, then I’m going to collapse on the sofa, then I’m going to fall asleep during this season’s final Match of the Day, and then I’m going to start dribbling serenely onto my cushion. On a separate note, can you get man-swine-flu? Just a thought.
The Big New Home
Okay, this is more like it. When I created Big Red Potion, I didn’t think it would last too long. Three months later and there have been 15 episodes, ever-increasing download numbers, high-profile guests and plenty of gaming debate. Now we have this website, and I’m absolutely thrilled. We now have a home within TheGameReviews, a portal to our podcast, and a place for the discussion to continue. It’s far from complete, either. We will continue to work on this site and continue to embellish it with content. Hopefully this is the start of something really big - even bigger than a red potion that’s quite big.
Episode 13: Even More Death
More death? Yes, more death! Last week the pod panel discussed the ‘game over’ side of video game death, but this week Sinan, Joe, and guest Jared Newman get far more morbid, with more emphasis on how game narrative handles death in particular. That means lots of spoilers, and if you don’t want Silent Hill 2, Dead Space, GTA IV, Fallout 3, Madworld, Metal Gear Solid 3, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy 7, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Passage, and Heavenly Sword spoilt for you, best to fast forward a bit when you hear them come up. Oh, and if the whole topic depresses you, be sure to listen right until the end for some thoughts on a happier future for Big Red Potion.
Right click here and press Save Target As to download
