Genre 101 is a series that looks at the past and present of a game genre to find lessons about what defines it. In this installment, guest lecturers Lucas White and Eric Albuen give a seminar on the fighter.
Learning from the sensei
Lucas White: 1984’s Karate Champ is the ostensible beginning of one-on-one fighting in video games. The player operates the game entirely with joysticks, and must simply land a hit to score. Karate Champ set the stage for many genre features: multiple techniques or “moves,” two-player competition and palette-swapped karate gis. READ MORE
Ah, the venerable Slime. The Dragon Quest monster is sometimes a mascot and sometimes a foe, but more often than not it’s something to be trampled and overrun with superior force. It’s rare when the happy little blob gets a position of honor or prestige. When it happens, though? It’s called Rocket Slime, and it’s magical. And in Japan, it’s a franchise. READ MORE
My girlfriend and I often play games together. It’s a good way to pass the time in the fall and winter months. When we can’t go for hikes, or kayak in Victoria’s beautiful inner harbor, we settle for placing lightning towers in Dungeon Defenders or doing a second playthrough of Borderlands 2. Like most experiences in life, ours with games are enhanced when enjoying with others. READ MORE
In From Pixels to Polygons, we examine classic game franchises that have survived the long transition from the 8- or 16-bit era to the current console generation.
Maxis’ SimCity franchise, the game that brought designer Will Wright into the forefront, is a historic franchise. It led to the creation and popularization of many Sim-based game franchises, including SimCity spin-offs such as the beloved Sims series. Although 2013’s release of the new SimCity is behind us now, it’s time we took a look at the series’ evolution and, more importantly, how it ended up where it is today. READ MORE
Lucas, Henry, Jeff, Andrew and Graham convene to discuss series that tried to be more accessible, and whether that turned out well. Also: Wind Waker HD, Disgaea D2, Rain and Rune Factory 4, plus Steam Machines and the Wii U update!
Check out the show here, check us out on iTunes or use the RSS feed in your favorite podcast aggregator. Let us know what you think! Email podcast[at]snackbar-games.com.
Hosts: Jeff deSolla, Andrew Passafiume, Graham Russell, Henry Skey, Lucas White. Music: Podcast theme by Tom Casper.
Lucas White: 1984’s Karate Champ is the ostensible beginning of one-on-one fighting in video games. The player operates the game entirely with joysticks, and must simply land a hit to score. Karate Champ set the stage for many genre features: multiple techniques or “moves,” two-player competition and palette-swapped karate gis. READ MORE
