NOCLIP (NOCLIP)

Ready for the mosh pit? Today we’re going to be hella talking about Life is Strange, a choice-based adventure game with the ability to reverse time to alter your decisions. We discuss how this mechanic changes the way we think about the choices we make in game as compared to other choice driven games, how many times we can watch something terrible happen until it becomes funny and how this game reflects on how choice is treated in games as an interactive medium. Check us out again in two weeks when we talk about Kingdom Hearts!

Gawrsh! Today on NOCLIP we’re going to be talking about Kingdom Hearts. As an Action RPG that largely defined the genre moving forward, this highly influential game mixed the worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney with some original concepts that miraculously ended up not being a horrible mess. As one of JJ and Andy’s favorite games, they have a lot to say while I (Chad) am mostly along for the ride. We go deep on how the combat feels, why you would ever use magic and how the aesthetic and story design work together to create a massively successful game that’s largely about tone. Join us again in two weeks when we talk about Undertale!

It’s a kill or be killed world, humans! Today we’re going to be discussing the Internet’s darling, Undertale. This Earthbound-inspired RPG was developed in Game Maker by mostly one dude, and would probably be extraordinary just for being a competent game on that front, but manages to cram a lot of great ideas into a small package. We’re going to be talking about it’s influences, it’s story and character development, and we’re going to have a pretty massive argument over the game’s central moral question. I don’t know about you, but that fills me with determination. Join us again in two weeks for Trine, our cooperative experiment!

We record waaaay too long. So, as I was editing together the previous two episodes I came across two segments that I had to cut out. The first, in Kingdom Hearts, was an argument that JJ and Andy were having over some possible inconsistencies in Kingdom Hearts 2, which was removed as we had decided to isolate the first game so as not to let the whole of the series impact our opinions on the first game. I, however, thought that it was hilarious, so I present it to you now. Additionally, our Undertale episode was running close to 2 hours long, which is more than I can expect anyone to listen to, so I removed what I considered the weakest bits, among which was this little discussion on how the multiple endings of the game affect our feelings on the story at large. This too, I lay before thee, on the off chance that you just couldn’t get enough Undertale talk, or, more likely, it’s just been long enough that listening to us talk more will not bring you physical pain. Either way, thanks for listening to our bonus episode, with impeccable bumper narration by JJ and I, and check back next week when we talk about Trine!

Welcome to the BroClip FriendCast. This week we all sat down together to play Trine. This is the first time we’ve all played a game cooperatively for the show, and so to get a different perspective from a different play-through, we brought in our friend Dan to participate. We discuss our personal feelings on the game, the cooperative gaming experience and how Trine stands on that front, and wizards. We talk an unusual amount about Wizards. Thanks for listening this week and check us out next time for our tenth episode! It’s going to be on Portal, so if you have somehow still not played it, get on that.

Welcome to [PODCAST NAME HERE]! Today we’re going to be talking about Valve Software’s Portal, a first person puzzle game that we evidently think is pretty good. Going through Aperture Science’s test chambers again in 2016 is just as satisfying as when the game originally came out in 2007, and the impact the game has had on the industry leads us to discuss a lot more than just its mechanics. We’ll talk about Portal’s design, Dead Space, PC gaming, virtual reality, King Kong, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves… and more. This one will be a doozy. Thanks as always for listening, and join us again in two weeks when we talk about Star Fox 64!

Keep listening! Trust your instincts! This week on NOCLIP, we’re going to be discussing Star Fox 64, a Sci-Fi rail shooter designed as a remake of an SNES game that became one of Nintendo’s all-time classics. We’re going to be talking about level design, the game’s legacy, and hot dog guns. (Probably the most comprehensive hot dog gun analysis ever committed to tape.) Fun fact: Star Fox 64 came bundled with the Rumble Pak and is largely responsible for the success of the device. That’s the kind of interesting trivia you get for reading the episode description! Thanks again for listening, and check us out next week when we discuss Bioshock!

No pods. No casts. Only men. This week on NOCLIP we’re going to be talking about Bioshock, a first person shooter with an agenda. One of the earliest games of the seventh generation of consoles, it took its themes and aesthetics seriously and has largely become a classic because of it. We talk about the game’s setting, the combat, and the story and how the game does so much that it sometimes fails to deliver. As always, thanks for listening and join us again in two weeks when we play Gone Home!

I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to describe this podcast in person, This week on NOCLIP we’re talking about the walking simulator that simulated walking all over a bunch of sour GamerGate dudes’ nuts. This game was very popular for what it was, not least due to the fact it succeeds so completely on its admittedly narrow goals. We’re going to discuss how this game chooses to tell a story, what decisions lead the player to become immersed in the game’s world (and which do not), and bringing the disembodied soul of an old dead punk rocker back from the grave to walk among the living once more. Thanks for listening (as always!), and join us again in two weeks when we discuss the ever-expansive Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim!

At long last, the Dovahcast has arrived, Strap on your mountain climbing shoes and tell your housecarl you’re not to be bothered, because today we’re talking about Skyrim, Bethesda’s massive (single player) RPG that has consumed millions of man hours and has become a pillar of open world game design. We talk about compulsion, rewards, emergent gameplay, and level 100 blast wizards. As this is Skyrim, we ended up recording a lot of us just telling stories about our experiences. To prevent this podcast from being far, far too long, we have separated these out, so check us out next week for our Skyrim Story Time episode! As always, thanks for listening, and be sure to come back next time for our talk on From Software’s Dark Souls!

Gather round children, and I’ll tell you a tale, Thanks for joining us on our week off this time. I cut so much content from the Skyrim episode that I was able to stitch together this brief anthology of stories detailing our time spent in Tamriel. The intro says it all, so I hope you enjoy our bardic performance. While you’re listening, don’t forget to reinforce your Estus flasks because next week is part one of Dark Souls!

My pods… They’re casting. It’s dark. So dark, Covering this game was a challenge. Not just in the sense that the game is a challenge, which rest assured, it is, but because it’s so divisive, so finely crafted and so highly revered that discussing even the smallest details of this game proved to be a lengthy experience. But in the spirit of the game, we persevered, podcasted against a brick wall for a long time and produced two full episodes worth of content and a lot of butt sweat which assuredly soaked into Andy’s couch. We talk about difficulty, area traversal, and the dark, seedy underbelly of Googling your way through the game. Thanks for listening and join us again next week when we tackle combat mechanics, bosses and more in our second part of Dark Souls. Until then, don’t get yourself killed. Neither of us wants to see you go hollow.

Forgive me, I was absorbed in thought, Today we finish our examination of Dark Souls, hopefully ending a months long podcast theme of comparing every game we play to it. We'll be discussing bosses, plot and storytelling in the Souls series, and ideas for reality shows with Dark Souls as the central motivating factor. Thank you for listening, and join us again next week as we shake off the grimness present in Dark Souls and play ThatGameCompany's Journey!

We're talking about Journey today! This very simplistic game banks on its beautiful visuals and emotional presentation to keep players interested. And based on how well it did on the marketplace, I'd say it succeeded. We're going to be discussing meaningful multiplayer, minimalist mechanics, and matronly meanderings. Thanks as always for listening, and check back with us next time when we talk about Broken Age!

Welcome to Mog Chothra's chosen podcast, On this episode we're going to be discussing Broken Age, a point and click adventure game that was funded by a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign. This game's notoriety comes from a combination of its Kickstarter combined with the fact that it was an adventure game with very traditional adventure game mechanics released so long after their heyday by one of the genre's most prolific creators. We're going to be talking about adventure game mechanics, this game's storytelling, and how much of the budget was probably spent just on Elijah Wood. Thanks as always for listening, and come back in two weeks as we discuss Chrono Trigger!

Don't waste your time. Alfador only likes podcasts, Today we shake off the shackles of time's slow march and talk about Chrono Trigger, an SNES RPG that used active combat and time travel to mark its place in history as one of the most beloved games of its time. The legacy of this game is well established, but we dive in to figure out what makes it tick and why it is held in such high esteem. We discuss RPG combat, characters and their inherent tropes, and one very, very buff arm. Thanks for listening to us, and be sure to join us in two weeks when we talk about 2016's Doom!

Whoops. We accidentally recorded an episode about Flappy Bird. This discussion cropped up during the break for the Doom episode, so I figured it would be the perfect off-week content. I hope you enjoy it, and join us next week for hectic demon-shooting goodness; Doom!

The road to hell is paved with the NOCLIP Podcast, Thank you for joining us today as we run, gun, punch, rip, tear, smash and chainsaw our way through Hell in the Bathesda published remake of Doom. For being the game that ushered in the relevance of the First Person Shooter genre, the 2016 take had some large shoes to fill. Wisely, they decided to refine what the genre had become since Doom's release rather than try and mimic what the first game did, and what we end up with is an extremely fast paced arena shooter that looks and feels like what we all thought Doom was in the '90s. We talk about violence, viscera, and vivisecting vehement villains. (I promise the alliteration isn't going to become "a thing.") Thank you for listening and come back in two weeks for our twentieth episode on Super Mario Sunshine!

Sorry! We won't be uploading an episode today, but we do have a YouTube video to share! (I will post a link here once it is up.) We will be recording the Mario Sunshine episode still and putting it up next Saturday, so apologies for the delay, but we should be back on schedule next week. As per usual, thank you for listening and we'll see you next week!

I judge this podcast guilty as charged, Welcome back to the podcast, everyone! We're celebrating twenty episodes by talking about our first Mario game ever, and what better entry to talk about during the hot summer months than Mario Sunshine, the plumber's vacation away from abstract platforms to contrived, realistic platforms. We're going to be talking about design consistency, voice acting, and Strollin' Stus, even though we didn't know their name until now. Thanks for joining these Podcastin' Stus today and come back in two weeks when we talk about The Talos Principle!

It is a Podcast, My Child, Thanks for joining us this week as we talk about The Talos Principle. This Croteam designed game puts us in the first person perspective of an AI solving puzzles in a simulation. While that probably seems pretty well within the realm of games, what Talos Principle prides itself on is its incorporation of philosophy into its themes and story. The game wants to make you think, but how well does it accomplish this? We talk about narrative pacing, puzzle design, and potentially motion sickness-inducing speed. Thanks for listening and be sure to join us in two weeks when we talk about Hyperlight Drifter!

In the Technological Dystopian Future, Only Podcasts Remain, This week we talk about Heart Machine's fast-paced action game Hyper Light Drifter. This game is tough and beautifully animated, and we draw comparisons to a number of classic games that got everything mostly right, but some of the finer details leave us wishing the game could have been slightly more than maybe it was capable of. We talk about dodging, bosses, beauty in pixel art, and prospecting for game consoles in the mountains of Appalachia. Thanks for joining us this week, be sure to check back two weeks from now when we are joined by our friend Faun to discuss the PS2 platform classic Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus.

Loud and... Very Loud, Today we're going to be joined by our friend Faun and talking about one in the PlayStation 2's stable of mascot platformers, Sucker Punch's Sly Cooper. The first game in what would become a well received series, we debate what relevance Sly has in the current day and try to determine what made it popular in the first place. We discuss platforming, minigames, and how one contextual button press can turn us all into the super spy of our dreams. Thanks as always for listening, and check us out again in two weeks when we begin JJ-September with Atlus's Catherine!

Fucking Pods, I'm Gonna Cast the Shit Out of You, On today's episode we're going to be talking about Atlus's block pushing, trust shattering, heavy drinking puzzle game Catherine. The off-the-wall aesthetic, odd subject matter and brutal difficulty make this game a hell of a thing to behold and it rests comfortably in the "only thing like it" category. We discuss puzzle mechanics, visual craziness and Chad being an absolute baby. As always, thank you for listening, and be sure to check back in next time when we look at the Game Boy Advance game Fire Emblem, the first in the series to be released outside of Japan.

Together We Cast!, Today, we're going to be talking about the first entry in a long running series to come to the U.S. only in its seventh installment, Fire Emblem. This game has become Intelligent Design's flagship series, and it focuses on turn based, tabletop RPG-like combat and heavy character development. We're going to discuss strategy, characters and dialogue, and the seeming inefficacy of poison in the middle ages. Thanks for joining us for NOCLIP (and for JJ's month of picks!) this week. Two weeks from now we're starting October (and what is more or less Chad's month of picks) with Horror Demos. Specifically, we're going to be looking at Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour and P.T., Silent Hills' teaser. Spooooky!

Thank you for listening to NOCLIP! A year ago we released the first episode of this podcast, and while it hasn't resulted in a whole lot, we have definitely gained some momentum. We love doing this and we appreciate everyone who listens. So, in honor of this slightly less-than-momentous occasion, we present you with half an hour of some of our dumbest jokes and silliest tangents that didn't make it into actual episodes. Learn to make iced coffee, take a few lances to the chest, and answer the age-old question "Do you want some Doritos?" Thanks for a fun first year and be ready to crap yourself in fright next week, guaranteed, when we talk about Resident Evil 7: Beginning Hour and P.T.!

NOTE: For an unknown reason, a popping noise was picked up on our recording for the first half of this podcast. This begins around 14 minutes, and ends during the second half. If this proves incredibly annoying to you, skip to 57:10 for our discussion on P.T. and the end of that sound. Apologies for the terribleness. The only me is me. Are you sure the only pod is cast?, Welcome to our first episode for the month of October. Being the spookiest month of the year, (got my eyes on you, June) we have chosen to take a look at the recent demo for Resident Evil 7 and pretty much the scariest thing on the planet, P.T. These games share a lot in common, but looking at them in direct comparison gives a lot of insight on the design of horror games and how good P.T. is at what it sets out to do. We're going to be talking about agency (or the lack thereof), use of limited space in design, and the proper identification of bird flesh and meat bags. Thanks so much for listening and come back in two weeks as we talk about Resident Evil 4!

You Want to Come Back to My Place for Some... Podcasting?, Welcome to our second and last October horror episode on Resident Evil 4. Released on the GameCube way back in 2005, RE4 is often held up as the best game in the series, and we dive into why that is. The action elements of this game mark a significant departure from the series' Survival Horror roots, and the result is a very different kind of game, groundbreaking at its time, that still wants the player to feel unsettled. We're going to talk about strategic combat, B-Horror trappings, and sexual tension on a long jet ski ride to America. Thanks so much for listening (and we apologize for the delay in releasing this one), and be sure to come back next time for an episode on Pokémon Snap!

How's the Podcast? 590pts? Hmm, It's Not Very Good..., Today on NOCLIP we're going to be talking about Pokémon Snap, the oddball N64 game where you ride around and take photos of Pokémon. The game has quite the following and is remembered fondly by most people who played it, ourselves included, despite having very little actually going on. However, the nostalgia surrounding Snap and the design sensibilities it represents are exactly what make it such an interesting game to discuss. We talk about what could be done to bring the game into the modern age, why making a game that scores players on an artistic pursuit is inherently difficult to do, and the ethical lengths Todd Snap is willing to go to capture a mythical Pokémon on film. Thanks for joining us again this week, and check us out next time when we talk about Assassin's Creed 2!

You Broke Her Heart! Now I'll Cast Your Pod! Welcome back to the show, today we're going to be talking about Ubisoft's follow up to 2007's Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed 2. Released two years after the first, AC2 is widely considered to have successfully iterated on the concepts the first game pioneered and has become warmly remembered by fans of the series. This, however, does not keep the game safe from retrospective criticism, and we take a look at what about this game worked at the time and still works now and a few areas that time has not been particularly kind to. We talk about parsing the game's combat system, climbing all over a meticulously rendered city, cruising with whores and dropping cheddar. Thanks for listening this week and tune in next time when we take our first ever look at an entire series, talking about the Pokémon franchise.

NOCLIP Unleashes Its Full-Force Z-Cast! On today's episode, we're going to begin our massive undertaking that is talking about the Pokémon series as a whole. With the franchise celebrating it's 20th anniversary, the popularity of what was the biggest fad among kids in the nineties has spiked back up to numbers rivaling those it had in the beginning. The games have largely stuck to their roots, offering minor changes from generation to generation of main series games while nurturing a ballooning collection of TV series, movies, toys, and spinoff games, and this has developed a fan base ranging from the enthusiasts who have played each game from the beginning to new converts. In this episode, we discuss what it is about the series that created the sensation that it was, how the design has, however slowly, gotten better over time and things that #Only90sKids will remember like Zoids and Monster Rancher. Thanks for listening again this week and check us out next time for Part 2!

Your Pokémon Was Holding This Podcast, We Have No Idea How it Got There, Today, we're concluding our discussion on the Pokémon franchise. It's been a constant part of the gaming landscape for twenty years, and those twenty years have been pretty stable for the Pokémon Company. Now with the seventh generation released and a new console on the horizon, the franchise has to look to the future and start designing hundreds of new monsters to keep itself relevant. Or does it? We look into the design of the games and what we believe the franchise is doing to ease expectations and prepare its audience for change as well as take a more in depth look at Generation 7 now that we've finished the games. We talk about Pokémon visual design, the future of the franchise, and the unending cycle of remaking games until the only logical alternative is to create Jurassic Park. Thank you for listening this week and come back next time as we're joined by Dan (from the Trine episode) to talk about a childhood favorite and all around terrible game, Rascal, on the Playstation.

Five Out of Five Podcasters Agree, Rascal is Terrible, Thanks for joining us, and our guests Dan and Steven, again this week while we talk about an objectively awful game, Rascal on the Playstation. Developed by Traveler's Tales, Rascal is a mostly unheard-of action platformer that focuses on a young boy traveling through time to shoot enemies with bubbles and rescue his father. As exciting as this might sound, Rascal is truly a masterclass in poor design decisions and a lack of understanding of the concept of fun. We talk about curved walkways as prescribed challenge, unexpected death and frustration, and how, while bad, the game might be made well enough to enjoy as an example of poor design. Thanks for listening (and thanks to Dan and Steven for coming on to fill out this conversation), and be sure to check us out next time as we take a look at the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series. Map: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56f99a07f8508214f1944f5f/t/586807be03596efaebdeadcf/1483212805212/?format=750w

If the Police Aren't Complaining, You're Not Podcasting Loud Enough, Thanks for joining us for our second series examination where we're looking at the genre defining games of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. We look back on why these games were so immersive, and why they started a sensation in a way no other rhythm games could. Basically, we're looking at plastic guitar peripherals. We talk about the popularity of Rock and Roll, difficulty of Metal music, and the differences between a human being and someone who is good at Dance Dance Revolution. Thanks for listening this week and tune in next time when we talk about Metroid Fusion.

Our top 3 games (each) that released in 2016 After a full year of podcasting, we've decided to do an obligatory January retrospective episode. We sat down and talked about what games really gripped us this year, and generally speak to why these games were successful, which games we think are interesting and what really failed to meet expectations. Not much more explanation is necessary, so let's get to the high-octane, hyperinteresting blathering. Hope you enjoy this bonus episode, and check out our episode on Metroid Fusion next week!

When Adam decided who would podcast, he chose incorrectly, Welcome to NOCLIP and this week we're talking about Metroid Fusion, the first GBA game in the series and one that attempted to add an explicit narrative with dialogue and also dial back the difficulty present in previous Metroid games. The result is a game that feels very unlike its predecessors, but still manages to nail a tone and be enjoyable to play. We talk about claustrophobic level design, conveyance of tone, and a non-threatening bouncy stalk man. Thanks for listening to the podcast this week and join us again in two weeks when we talk about Bloodborne!

We are born by the cast, made men by the cast, pod by the cast, Welcome back to NOCLIP everyone! Having established ourselves as a podcast that likes to talk about Dark Souls, we sit down to talk about FROM's Souls-alike game Bloodborne. Despite the fact that the games do have a lot in common and share the majority of their major design points, we find a lot to talk about to differentiate the two series and talk about the points that make Bloodborne a unique experience in its own right. We discuss Lovecraft's influence, weapon and stat progression and what effect it has on a playthrough, and a whole lot of disgusting grossness. Thanks for listening this week and join us again next time for our discussion on The Last of Us!

Once we're done with this whole thing, I'm gonna teach you how to podcast. Yeah, I reckon you'd really like that. Welcome to NOCLIP this week, and this time we're talking about The Last of Us. One of the most popular games to release on the PS3, Naughty Dog's take on the zombie apocalypse got a lot of people talking about the narrative elements of games, including a lot of people who seldom considered games to be a great storytelling medium beforehand. We break down that story, as well as the game it's attached to, in what ends up being a surprisingly divisive discussion on what elements live up to the hype, surpass it and sometimes even fall short. We talk about the evolving perspective on the narrative throughout a playthrough, crafting and dissonance, and what kind of belt buckle or trailer hitch decoration Joel is most representative of. Thanks again for listening, and join us next time when we talk about Earthbound. There's been enough time since we covered Undertale, right?

You cannot grasp the true form of Giygas's podcast, This week, we're going to be talking about one of the most interesting RPGs to come out of the SNES era, Earthbound. Known as Mother 2 in Japan, Earthbound is the first entry in the Mother series to be released in the States and despite underselling on its initial release has developed a cult following and it's tone and visuals have inspired both game players and developers for years, and we haven't seen too many games that are this unusual and aggressively weird out of a major developer since. We talk about contrasting tones, mechanical and narrative pacing, and neurosurgery. Thanks once again for checking this episode out, we'll be back in two weeks to discuss Overwatch!

The world needs podcasts, This episode of NOCLIP is going to look at Blizzard's populous dominating FPS, Overwatch. The key to the overwhelming reaction to this game seems to be the game's near universally appealing design that was assembled and iterated on from a number of sources. We're going to dive into that design and see why this game keeps us playing it for a number of hours that is frankly embarrassing. We talk about incredible character design, the reasons behind frequently balancing and patching a live game and how much extra health you get just for being ridiculously swole. We hope you enjoy the episode this week, and be sure to check in next time when we talk about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The podcast that must shine upon Hyrule once again, Welcome back to NOCLIP, where this week we are beginning our discussion on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and we're joined by our friends Janelle and Dan. This game's release is an event for a number of reasons, as it launched a new Nintendo console and represents a departure from what most would consider the way a traditional Zelda game works. The fact that it has been embraced by fans of the series in light of this is testament to how well Nintendo pulled the open world game off. We talk about Shrines, Zelda's role in her games over the years, and everything you need to know about horses. Thanks for listening and join us in two weeks as we close out our discussion on Zelda!

The Blood Cast rises once again... Welcome back to NOCLIP as we finish out our discussion on Breath of the Wild and are joined again by Dan and Janelle.  With the formalities out of the way, we get into the depths of the design of the dungeons and the ways in which you interact with the physical world. We're going to be talking about physics simulations and weapon degradation in games, the lifespan of narrative tropes in the medium, and the... it's a... well it's a door that's like... it's sphincter doors. We talk about sphincter doors. Thanks for checking out this second part of the Legend of Zelda, we'll be back in two weeks to talk about Inside, Playdead's follow up to Limbo!

NOCLIP is recorded inside of a dead studio audience, This week on NOCLIP we're going to be talking about Playdead's Inside. Inside is the second puzzle platformer from the developer of Limbo and the evolution in design is immediately apparent. The game evokes a dark tone in a way that is incredibly effective given its presentation. We discuss striking visual design, puzzle difficulty and pacing and how deep underwater you can be before you can no longer make friends. Thanks for checking us out this week and join us again next time when we talk about Bayonetta!

I don't think I've got time to entertain your blather. I'd much rather hear it straight from your podcast .Thanks for joining us again this week while we talk about Bayonetta.  Platinum's flagship franchise started with this send-up of classic Devil May Cry games featuring satisfying action combat and a tone that's straight out of grindhouse cinema.  We talk about combo systems, Bayonetta's character design and the cultural ramifications thereof, and the best Subway sandwich advertisement of all time. Thanks for checking us out this week and be sure to come back next time when we talk about The World Ends With You!

Like a bolt from the blue, it's time for the podcast review, Welcome back to NOCLIP, today we're going to be talking about Square's unique DS Action RPG that is absolutely JAM PACKED with mechanics. Like an environmentally conscious hunter, Square uses every part of the console from the touch screen to the microphone to the internal clock to govern the myriad systems that sacrifice user accessibility for a complicated and ultimately satisfying combat system that has you constantly doing something, or even forgetting to do things. We're going to talk about action management, incredible aesthetic themes and being a God. Damned. Slammurai. Thanks for listening this week and be sure to check us out next time when we talk about Metal Gear Solid!

Do you think a podcast can bloom, even on a battlefield? Welcome back to NOCLIP this week, where we're going to be discussing Konami's classic stealth action game, Metal Gear Solid. Before Konami went complete off the rails and their business philosophy drifted toward "we hate Kojima," they released one of the most prolific stealth games of all time which spawned an extremely popular series, lauded by players and critics alike. We crack open the first of the series to examine how it holds up today and what design decisions make it an all-time classic that has influenced games in and out of the genre to this day. We talk about stealth gameplay, attention to detail, and the meatiest, manliest ways to end your game. Thanks for checking us out this week and prep yourself for surgery, because next time we're talking about Trauma Center: Second Opinion!

NOCLIP. Innovation comes standard. Apologies for missing a week, our Trauma Center episode will be going up this Saturday. In the meantime, what you're going to be listening to today is more of a general discussion podcast. We had the (retrospectively not super bright) idea of duct taping our microphone to the dashboard of my car while we took a trip and recorded our conversation. Because of this, the audio quality isn't up to our usual standard, but I think the discussion topics we cover warrant putting this out anyway. We're talking about the Wii U, Splatoon, Dark Souls, Fire Emblem, the Switch and we teach you about the West Virginia tradition of Rolling Coal. Hopefully this is a fun one for you guys and we'll be back on our regular schedule next week.

How can I work under a doctor that doesn't even try to podcast? Welcome back to NOCLIP! This week we're going to be dissecting Atlus's Trauma Center: Second Opinion, a Wii game that used the Wii Remote to simulate surgery of all things. An expanded version of Under the Knife on the DS, Trauma Center changes up its control scheme for the console and creates an entertaining and incredibly challenging game that manages to feel unique and interesting over a decade after its release. We're going to be talking about difficulty, level design and variety, and a mysterious zombie man. Thanks for checking us out this week and join us next time when we tear into Hotline Miami!

Who's leaving podcasts on your answering machine? Welcome back to the show this week. We're going to be talking about Dennaton's Hotline Miami, an ultra violent top down beat 'em up that became a bit of an indie darling at the time of its release in 2012. While we end up thinking the game misses its narrative mark, the games punishing but intensely satisfying mechanics combine well with the cocaine-fueled pseudo '80s aesthetic making the game difficult to put down. We're going to be talking about violence and the game's commentary thereon, gameplay loops and variety, and feverishly bumpin'. Thanks for checking us out again this week, and we'll be back next time to talk about Metroid Prime!

Once our podcast here is complete, we will peer inward and discover the truth. Thanks for joining us this week as we talk about Metroid Prime. A severe turn from the appearance of previous Metroid games, Prime retains a lot of the DNA that makes up the series it belongs to, despite the shift in perspective. Because of these similarities, design appears to have been focused around making a traditional Metroid game play well in first person and were generally successful enough that the game has maintained a following over the fifteen years since its release. We discuss controls, loneliness in aesthetic and admiring those beautiful, stupid ass Puffers. Thanks for checking us out again this week, and come back next time for our conversation on Severed!

Sasha, come outside. It's time you learned how to podcast. This week on NOCLIP, we're going to be talking about Drinkbox Studio's Severed. Severed makes use of the touch screens prevalent in modern devices by creating a frenetic sword fighting dungeon crawler while striking a very somber tone. The pieces fit so well together, and we enjoyed our time with this game so much that it's one of the few games we've covered that we absolutely recommend getting and playing if you've never heard of it, or just not given it a shot yet. We're going to talk about touch screen gaming, symbolism and abstract plot, and just the grossest papayas. Thanks for checking out the episode, and subscribe to our feed to hear our next episode on Superhot!

Podcasts are software, bodies are disposable. Welcome back to NOCLIP, where this week we're going to be breaking down Superhot. The central gimmick to Superhot is controlling time. Time only progresses when you move, turning the skill set required for a first person shooter completely on its head. This makes for a more contemplative, though still tense, experience. The mechanical themes of this short game are incredibly strong, but unfortunately, looking further into the narrative can distract you from what it is that it does incredibly well: glorious dodging and shooting. We'll talk about how level repetition can lead to badass perfection, a detrimentally heavy handed plot, and sick, awesome jumping. Thanks for checking us out again this week, and join us next time as we talk about Super Mario RPG!

At this rate, it'll take ya 100 more podcasts to catch me! Welcome back to NOCLIP! This week we're going to be talking about Super Mario RPG, Square's take on the Mario franchise and the first RPG to carry Mario's name. Square handling a Nintendo RPG seems like a natural fit, and their touch is noticeable here. However, Nintendo's influence can be seen as well, and a lot of the "Mario" elements are the things that make the game feel unique. We're going to talk about the evolution of the RPG, tedium in combat and Wario's secret identity! Thanks for listening to NOCLIP again this week, and join us next time when we talk about Ori and the Blind Forest!

He is the reason we're alive, he's the reason we podcast, Welcome back to another episode of NOCLIP this week. We're going to be talking about Ori and the Blind Forest, Moon Studio's Metroidvania that takes the platforming that's expected of the genre and ramps it up to be the main focus. The platforming challenge combines with stellar presentation to create a game that is lauded by many, so we take a closer look at the way the pieces fit together. We discuss movement through a Metroidvania's levels, visual design and visibility, and nature's most perfect of cold-hearted assassins: frogs. Thanks for listening this week, and join us next episode for a very special fiftieth episode where we revisit the series that started it all and talk about Splatoon 2. Also keep an eye on the feed for a bonus episode celebrating two entire years of our dumb show!

It's that time of year again. Time to say thanks to all of you, sincerely, for listening to this show. We've been going for two years now, and we're still loving making every single episode. We're still trying to improve, and we're still trying not to commit to tape the kind of thing you're about to listen to nigh on a half hour of right now. Thanks for letting us indulge this week, and we've got a couple of great October episodes planned coming up: Splatoon 2 for our fiftieth episode and our Halloween special on Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water Stay tuned, keep an eye on our feed, and thank you again for listening to NOCLIP.

'Til next time... Don't get bypassed, stay with the NOCLIP Podcast! Welcome to the fiftieth episode of NOCLIP. For the occasion, we're taking a deep dive back to our very first episode and talking about the sequel to that game, Splatoon 2. Nintendo has taken their squid-based competitive shooter property and updated it for a new audience on the much more popular Switch console. Despite many people claiming that the sequel isn't much more than an update, we take stock of the differences and the strengths and weaknesses they bring with them. We're going to be talking about how the game feels to play compared to the original, the glory of Salmon Run's design, and the trials and tribulations of being a try-hard idiot. Thank you for listening to the episode this week. While we were very excited to hit this fifty episode milestone, we haven't forgotten the season; so join us again next week as we talk about Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water for the Wii U!

The Podcast must be protected, the Black Water must not overflow. Welcome to the podcast this week, and as Halloween is right around the corner we're going to be talking about a ghostly Wii U title, Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. The fifth game in a long running Japanese horror franchise, the Wii U release seemed to be in danger of not being localized for other regions. Fortunately, there was enough demand to bring the game stateside, even if only in a digital version. Fatal Frame V maintains the thematic and mechanical elements the series is known for, with a new control scheme focused around the central gimmick of using the Wii U gamepad as a diegetic camera, which is the central focus of combat and puzzle solving. We're going to be discussing sloppy controls in horror games, mechanical mastery and point systems, and QWOP (but for your core). Thank you for listening, I hope we didn't give you too many nightmares. Next time, join us as we talk about Epistory - Typing Chronicles! 

Mama always said, "go podcast outside," One trip around the kingdoms later, and we're back with another NOCLIP Podcast. This time we're going to be talking about Super Mario Odyssey, the latest 3D platformer in the most iconic video game series of all time. Odyssey shows a desire to return to the design principles that made Mario 64 one of the most talked about and influential games of its generation, and while there was some progress to that end, Odyssey feels like a different beast entirely, bursting with things to do and a simple but diverse moveset with which to do them. We're going to talk about fluidity in platforming, captivating visuals and music, and we get political, cracking open the conspiracy to reveal whether Pauline is a good mayor or a cool mayor... or neither! Thank you for listening to us this time, and join us again in December to talk about The Cat Lady!

Are you part of that podcast subculture? Have you died and gone to podcast heaven? No, it's much worse than that, because we're going to be talking about The Cat Lady. The Cat Lady is a Horror Adventure game that examines themes of real life and depression through a surrealist lens that never ceases to be interesting and emotional. The design of this game uses and eschews convention in equal measure and the end result is an Adventure game that feels unique, while still reminding you of why this genre can work in the first place. We're going to discuss how audio/visual decisions add to an unsettling atmosphere, the importance of puzzles in Adventure games with such a strong narrative focus, and the unsurprisingly disappointing combat system. Thanks for listening to the podcast this week, join us again next time when we talk about Animal Crossing: New Leaf!

Happy New Year, everyone! With another year over and a busy holiday season winding down, we have basically entirely forgotten to play any video games or record a podcast. So while we make up for that oversight, we discuss what surprises 2017 brought to the industry and some of our own observations about the things we care about. We talk about Twitch, the Switch and EA's bid to get rich. Thanks for being patient with us this week, and check us out next week for our episode on Mirror's Edge!

I hear a podcast, and you can't outrun those. Thank you for joining us for another episode of NOCLIP today (and apologies for the delays!). We're back to talk about Mirror's Edge, a first person platformer that came to define the genre for the majority of average game players for years. Mirror's Edge emphasizes your character's movement as you free run through buildings and on rooftops, but rarely gives you a chance to catch your breath. We discuss whether this breakneck pace is a benefit or detriment and how the other mechanical elements mesh together to create a parkour game all others will be compared to. We talk about movement mechanics, maladroit combat, and what level of social responsibility you have for constructing coherent metaphors. Thanks for tuning in again, and be sure to check us out in two weeks when we discuss Nier: Automata!

Analysis: A large amount of entertaining audio data incoming. Recommendation: Listen to the NOCLIP Podcast. Thanks for joining us again this week while we talk about NieR: Automata! This game is a sequel to a Square Enix Action RPG from last generation that Platinum Games has put their own spin on, eschewing some of the more traditional RPG elements for the hack and slash gameplay that Platinum is known for. While the combat itself is kept fresh by repeatedly changing from character to character with new control schemes and abilities or from genre to genre, sometimes becoming a Shoot 'em Up for some segments, it's the narrative and thematic content of the game that really keeps players pushing forward. With a focus on story not really present in other Platinum games, it makes this one a compelling experience and really feels like the best of both worlds for the game's developer and publisher. We're going to talk about combat flow, world and quest design and oh yes, there will be butts. Thanks for checking us out this week, and be sure to check back next time when we talk about Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice!

You will podcast with me in Ragnarok! Welcome back to the podcast where we're going to be talking about Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Ninja Theory made this game with what was a shoestring budget for its goals and ambitions, and what results is hopefully a proof-of-concept game to show that this type of development can still be viable despite the risks. Choosing to focus the game around the concept of mental illness and Norse mythology gives the game a well of rich narrative and thematic content to draw from, but beyond that is where the game starts to fall down. We're going to talk about strong art direction, repetitive combat and the lemon-lime soda most likely to exist in the afterlife. Thanks for listening this week, and be sure to check back next time when we talk about West of Loathing!

You're about to listen to a podcast with the color and viscosity of maple syrup, except instead of maple it's flavored with the inside of the mouths of people who chew cigars instead of smoking them and have never brushed their teeth. Welcome back! Today we're taking a look at West of Loathing, an RPG set in the wild west from the makers of Kingdom of Loathing. Despite being an RPG, the real draw of this game is in its writing, and funnier writing is not often seen in this industry. As quaint as it can come off with its rudimentary art style and turn-based combat, the world present here is deep and interesting, leveraging both its excellent dialog and knack for creating interesting and worthwhile quests to keep players invested. We're going to talk about sprawling quest structure, enjoying the journey in spite of the destination (really a life lesson, if you think about it) and the intricacies of discrimination in Goblin culture. Thank you (yes you!) for listening this week, and check back with us in two weeks when we talk about The Last Guardian.

I awoke to find myself listening to a strange podcast... Welcome back to NOCLIP, where this week we're going to be talking about The Last Guardian.  The third game in what could be considered a spiritual trilogy of games including Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, The Last Guardian similarly features a bleak atmosphere and an unassuming protagonist.  The hook this time around comes in the form of a massive beast and the connection that you create with it over the course of the game.  While the game is touching and technologically very impressive, the devil, as it usually is, is in the details of the execution.  We're talking about puzzle design, questionable mechanical and UI decisions, and what type of thing it is more okay to be angry at: at person or a horse? Thanks for checking us out again this week, and be sure you come back next episode when we talk about Hollow Knight!

NOCLIP Podcast, find it in your grocer's freezer! From deep in the bowls of the Internet, we're going to be talking about Super Mario Cereal today. When this promotional cereal released, it was met with continental amusement, seemingly because of the inherent ridiculousness of it. But, rather than be spoon-fed opinions on it, we decided to pour up and try it for ourselves. Join us to find out if our favorite Nintendo hero has made the switch from plumbin' to bakin' or if his breakfast effort is another milquetoast effort on the shelves of your grocery store. Thanks for joining us for this admittedly kind of silly tangent this week, and we'll be back again next time to talk about Hollow Knight!

Wealth, glory, enlightenment... that podcast seems to promise all things! Welcome back to the podcast (and apologies for how long of a break we've had)! Today, we're going to be talking about Hollow Knight, an action-heavy Metroidvania that's an overwhelmingly impressive feat coming from a small indie team. Every corner of the world Hollow Knight contains is teeming with life, or at least undeath, and this sense of discovery drives engagement all the way through the game. We'll discuss all the ideas this game brings to the table, and how even our complaints seem small in comparison to the scale of this game's accomplishments. We talk about the experience focused design of the game's world and combat encounters, using vague hints at backstory to further a mood, and tapping into your latent instincts to be a high school bully. Thanks for checking us out again this week, and be sure to check in next time when we talk about Monster Hunter World!

I found a nice podcast, Meowster! Welcome back to NOCLIP, where this time we're looking at Capcom's item crafting, Felyne training, stat pondering, social dancing, and yes, monster fighting action RPG: Monster Hunter: World. Monster Hunter is a long standing, but largely niche, series and this entry is the first in seven years to be released outside of the handheld market. This seems like a decision that largely paid off, as Capcom is in the monster hunting business, and brother, business is a-boomin'. We look at the best selling game in Capcom's history and let its hooks sink deep to find out what is so compelling about the boss fight-centric game. We talk about the meaningful difference weapon choice makes, the ecology of Monster Hunter's world and what motivates a mountain to do what it does. Thanks for checking out this episode, and prepare your magnifying glasses and pick up a debilitating smoking habit as we kick off Mystery May next time with 999!

What do you mean "what the hell is the NOCLIP Podcast"? You mean...you don't know?! Welcome to the podcast, and the first episode of Mystery May, where today we're going to be talking about 999, an escape room/graphic novel adventure game that goes heavy on its convoluted plot in its attempts to engage the player. While we think the puzzles are well designed, there is a helping of disagreement over whether the game accomplishes what it sets out to do with its plot and characters. We're going to talk about adventure game puzzle design, mature content being handled in a less than mature manner, and whether this game would be peeeeerfect for the Switch. Next time we're talking about Danganronpa V3, so be sure to check back then!

Baseball! Soccer! Mobile games! They're all nothing compared to the NOCLIP Podcast! You may be wondering why you're here. Why you woke up in a locker and are being cajoled by bears who look like they took fashion advice from Harvey Dent. It's because you are the Ultimate Podcast Listener, and you're listening to the NOCLIP Podcast! We're taking a look at Spike Chunsoft's eclectic adventure game/visual novel/dating simulator this week, breaking down what works and puzzling over all the elements that combine to make this game so dense. We laugh, cry and get fatigued and come away sure that the game was good, even though we might not always know why.  We talk about high tension and tonal whiplash, coming to love unlovable characters, and how some of the mechanics in this game seem designed to be cheap and fun. ...you know. Like a sex motel. Thanks for danging our ronpas with us this week, and be back two weeks from now when we talk about WarioWare: Mega Microgames!

Podcast! Welcome to another episode of the NOCLIP podcast!  Today, we're going to be talking about WarioWare, the schizophrenic Nintendo title that asks you to complete its challenges in mere seconds.  The game's sense of humor combined with the insanity inherent in its concept makes this a charming surface level experience with enough room for improvement to get some fairly serious mileage out of it. We talk about designing games that are meant to be understood in an incredibly short time frame, cartoony character design and we speculate on the ultimate Waluigi VR experience. Thank you for listening to the podcast this week, and join us again next time as we talk about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare!

Room temperature? Please. A podcast should be ICE COLD. Welcome back to the podcast this week, where we're getting boots on the ground in what is arguably the most popular video game franchise of all time. The fourth CoD is the entry that really elevated the series within popular culture, and for good reason. This game took a step away from the setting and tone of previous games as well as most games within its subgenre of shooters to deliver something that was—dare I say it about a Call of Duty game—original. We're going to talk about the mechanical and tonal successes of the game, the ubiquity of certain controls and mechanical interactions present in shooters and the staleness this can cause, and both surprising and unsurprising political implications made by the game. So you know, don't play this episode at the dinner table around your weird uncle. Thanks for joining us this week and thank you for bearing with us through a less than regular release schedule.  Due to numerous real-life-related events, our availability to record and release episodes is more sporadic than it has been in the past and we apologize for that. We should have an update on that soon, but until then, the next time you hear us we'll be talking about The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D!

You've met with a terrible podcast, haven't you? Welcome back to the podcast, where today we're going to be talking about the follow-up to Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask. Majora is one of the precious few direct sequels in the Zelda series and yet it feels completely different to the games that came both before and after its release. With a much stronger focus on tone than the series had ever seen, a focus that would presumably go on to inspire the design of the Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, Majora's oppressive atmosphere brings an element of sadness to the table that serves to make its mysteries that much more intriguing. We're going to be discussing the reuse of assets, world and dungeon design in a game with a repeating time mechanic, and indifference toward the suffering caused by allowing the spirits of the dead to possess your body and the existential dread that comes with wrenching them back out again. Fun stuff! Thanks for joining us again this week, and keep an eye on your feed because next time we'll be talking about Celeste!

The first level in NOCLIP Zone, Welcome to the inaugural episode of NOCLIP Pocket!  Today, we're going to spend some time with Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, a Mario platformer originally released on the Game Boy. While the game itself brings what was, even in 1992, standard Mario platforming gameplay to a handheld console, the game's music and visual design make it stand out from others in what was the most ubiquitous genre at the time. We're going to talk about platforming difficulty in a nonlinear game, the origins of Wario, and rare species of flying rabbits. Thanks for listening to the first episode of NOCLIP Pocket! While recording our regular episodes is difficult at the moment, hopefully we can keep up a stream of content through this mini-show. For the next episode, we're going to be talking about Home!

If my "podcast" almost did you in, the mountain might be a bit too much for you, Welcome back to the NOCLIP Podcast! Today, we're going to be talking about indie platformer Celeste. Celeste falls under the category of precision platformers, with an ever escalating difficulty curve that continues to get harder even after the game proper ends. This difficulty is then set against the personal challenges the main character is tasked with overcoming in the narrative, making for a beautiful melding of theme and mechanics that makes the entire experience an extremely satisfying one to complete. We discuss challenge versus iteration time, narrative rationing and pacing, and we roast those pink clouds so good, man. They don't even know what hit them. Thank you for joining us for this episode, and join us next time as we explore No Man's Sky with a million procedurally generated words.

I picked up the podcast, it's weight felt comforting in my pocket, Welcome back to another episode of our Pocket series where we're going to be talking about the game that is impossibly difficult to Google, Home. Home is a narrative-focused adventure game whose main draw is the fact that it's ending and your interpretation of the entire game can change depending on your actions. This concept is furthered by a dreary atmosphere and isolating sound design which casts a dark tone over the entire experience. We join up with previous NOCLIP guests Dan and Janelle to determine if this execution succeeds in making an intriguing game from the perspective of both first time players and people who have played through the game a number of times. Thank you for joining us this week, and the next Pocket episode will be on Monument Valley!

A strange podcast dribbles down from the point and onto my visor. The entity waits for the order to plunge it deep into my brain. Welcome to another episode of NOCLIP! This week we’re going to look at Hello Games’ vast universe generating game No Man’s Sky. While the initial release of this game was fraught with controversy (a subject we can’t avoid addressing), the game has received consistent and constant updates to transform itself into what it is today, currently going under the moniker of No Man’s Sky: Next. The changes that have been introduced fundamentally alter the way No Man’s Sky can be played, but where does the game stand now as a product? We discuss depth of mechanics with a limited verbset, visual and word design in a proceduarally generated universe and how your propensity for Rush could help in your enjoyment of this game. Thank you for listening this week, and, since our next episode will be releasing in October, brace yourself for the very weird and very abrasive Harvester!

Sacred geometry was our pride, our downfall, but forever will our podcasts stand in this valley. Welcome back to another episode of NOCLIP Pocket, where today we’re going to be discussing mobile gaming darling Monument Valley. The impossible objects and puzzling landscapes of M.C. Escher do seem to lend themselves to, well, a puzzle game, but the necessary visual complication can sometimes detract from the actual puzzle solving. However, this rarely hinders your enjoyment and the game is consistently gorgeous and unexpected making for a solid overall experience, particularly considering its platform. We’re going to talk about difficulty in puzzle design, clean and beautiful aesthetic choices, and we will say a French word but probably mispronounce it. Thank you for joining us again this week (or off week, depending on how you want to look at it) and we’ll be back at the start of October to talk about Year Walk!

Happy NOCLIP Day, everybody! Hopefully you’re celebrating over a delicious NOCLIP Day dinner, and are enjoying your traditional NOCLIP Day Eve gifts you got from your family and friends. That’s right, this means that NOCLIP is now three years old and today we’re here to present you with our annual bloopers episode. It’s like if you had a child that turned three and is now walking and so you upload a cruel home movie compilation of all the times they fell over or ran into things while learning to keep their balance. As always, we want to thank all of you for listening as we’ve grown and changed over the last three years. It means a ton to all of us and we still sincerely enjoy playing these games, making these episodes and talking about it with all of you. Anyway, enough with the saccharine stuff, enjoy the episode and stay tuned, as we’ve got a NOCLIP Pocket on Year Walk coming out later today and we’ll be back with a full episode on Harvester this weekend!

People tried to glimpse the future in the strangest ways. They locked themselves in dark rooms, not partaking in podcasts. Thank you for joining us as we begin our extra spooky Halloween month this year! Today we’re going to be talking about Year Walk, a Simogo developed horror-adventure game based on a Swedish folk tradition in which people would perform a ritual in an effort to see into the future. The way the act of Year Walking was adapted to this game, originally released only for iOS, maintains the inherently creepy nature of such practices, but also helps to incorporate other elements of folklore that purely add to the game’s iconography and atmosphere. However brief, Year Walk does a fantastic job of accomplishing its goals in tone and story making it an enjoyable, moody experience and one perfect to kickstart the season. We’re going to discuss puzzles, folklore and an anthropomorphic suit-wearing horse man. Thank you for joining us today (a very important day as it’s our third year anniversary!) and we’ll be back in two weeks with an episode on Night Trap. Stay spooky, everybody!

Remember to take the podcast out for Jimmy. You know how he gets. Welcome to our first proper episode of the Halloween season! Today, we’re going to be taking a look at Harvester, a ‘90s point and click adventure game that touts itself as the most vile and shocking you’ll ever play. While this may not be entirely true, Harvester does not pull its punches when it comes to being weird and transgressive, and confronts its players with scene after scene of nonsensical characters and irreverent dialogue. This proves to be the game’s charm, though, and once it stops feeling like Twin Peaks on a hallucinogen bender, it’s actually pretty funny, whether it intends to be or not. We talk about surprisingly tame adventure game puzzles, the way the game handles tone, and whether or not something is just too pink to be a real ass. Thank you for spending some quality time with us this week and keep an eye out later this month for our second, decidedly less bizarre, horror episode on Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem!

The podcast trap?! NOOOOOOOO! Welcome to the newest episode of NOCLIP Pocket where we’re going to be talking about Night Trap (25th Anniversary Edition). Originally a Sega CD game, the game was re-released last year spanning all the major consoles for a wider audience to experience one of the most controversial games of all time. Does it hold up? Was the game ever really “good” in a traditional sense? Well, there’s definitely something charming here, and the notoriety this game has is a hilarious backdrop with which to experience this game today. We’re going to talk about the way FMV is integrated into the mechanical experience, the way the trial and error gameplay relates to storytelling, and the characterization and nuance of cinema’s unsung hero: Weird Eddie. thanks for listening today, and keep an eye out on halloween because we’re going to HavE pLayed PokeMon black vErsion.

A podcast of empty souls and fevered thoughts, reeking of foetor and decay! MAY THE RATS EAT YOUR EYES! Thank you for joining us this week on the NOCLIP Podcast, where today we’re going to be talking about Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. This GameCube exclusive horror game once again takes its inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft, but unlike almost anything before it and even most games that came later, Eternal Darkness nails some of the lesser used themes of Weird fiction, like the madness of the protagonist, which play into the game both narratively and mechanically. Central to this game’s notoriety is the sanity meter and its associated effects, which add a meta layer to the game’s horror and are still something of a calling card for the game many years after its release. We discuss pacing in combat, the intricacies of this game’s magic system and the eldritch properties of desserts. They are unknowable. They are delicious. Thanks for listening to the podcast during our favorite month of the year (though we’ve got one more thing for you before the season’s over)! Hope you enjoyed our spooky selections, but we’re going back to our usual variety next time when we talk about What Remains of Edith Finch!

I’m what you could call a collector of bootleg Pokémon podcasts, Happy Halloween! As was alluded to in the previous episode, we are in fact playing a couple of the various recreations of the famous (infamous?) creepypasta Pokémon: Black Version. This haunted or hacked first-generation Pokémon game relies on the tried and true horror formula of taking something you’re very familiar with and forcing you to view it from a new, more macabre, perspective. While this effect works for the story, widely circulated on the Internet for almost—or possibly more than—a decade, when applied to the real game, the terror doesn’t really take hold. Nevertheless, the existence of hacks like these is a fascinating topic, so come for the discussion of the video game in question, stay for the cultural discussion of creepypastas and Internet folklore. We’re going to talk about the glitch hunting phenomenon in Pokémon, demographics and their expectations, and the ingredients that make up a “Good-Bad Sandwich.” Thank you guys for listening today! We can all let out a collective exhale because the busy month of October is at last over. I genuinely hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s survey of horror games, as well as our Anniversary bloopers episode, but as we head into November we’re going to make a slight, barely perceptible shift in tone; next time, we’re going to be discussing Bugs Bunny: Crazy Castle 2!

I don't mind if I only have a year left. Or a month. Or a single week. I'd be happy with one new podcast. Welcome to NOCLIP this week! Today we’re going to be talking about What Remains of Edith Finch, a walking simulator that uses short vignettes to constantly impose differences in kind to tell its narrative. The game follows storytelling conventions typical of other walking sims, but uses different styles of gameplay to keep you engaged through its admittedly short run time. The story explores death and superstition from a variety of angles ranging from childlike innocence to more violent ends, but manages to skirt being too morbid or depressing. We’re going to talk about environment design, exploring characters both through their own eyes and the world they left behind, and we mention CatDog at least twice. Thank you for listening to the podcast this week! Next time, join us as we finally talk about Persona 5, one of the longest experiences we’ve talked about to date! Links to things we discussed, but knew very little about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarrare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_Mystery_House

“Finally! Someone’s talking about Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2! THIS is what I’ve been waiting for!” - Everyone, 2018 Welcome back to NOCLIP Pocket where we’re going to be looking at the 1991 Gameboy Title The Bugs Bunny Crazy Castle 2. The game is a sequel to an NES title, but with its short levels and puzzle platformer gameplay, the portable console proved to be more of a home for games of this ilk. With that out of the way, the question I’m sure most people have has more to do with why this game is being talked about at all. Well, in addition to the nostalgic feeling it brings to revisit games from our childhood, there’s actually a surprising amount of depth here. This isn’t a game worthy of any substantial amount of retroactive praise, nor did it push the industry further in its time, but this should absolutely be held up as an example of not judging a book by its cover and finding something quality in even the most seemingly unlikely places. We’re going to talk about mentally taxing execution as opposed to reflex tests, surprisingly successful audio/visual presentation, and making the tough choices in life, like “should I kill Sylvester?” Thanks for listening to us again this week, and following the next episode of the main podcast, our next Pocket episode is going to be on Kirby’s Dream Land. I hope you’ll join us then!

We shall become the podcast of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity, Thank you for joining us this week, and, if you’re playing along, sorry for how very long this game is. This time we’re tackling Persona 5, the most recent entry in Atlus’ flagship RPG series (in the West, anyway). While the game’s combat system is still the simplest form of JRPG combat, featuring menus as well as physical and magic attacks with elemental weaknesses, the real gold is what surrounds this baseline system. Everything set before you in Persona is stylish, polished, and for the most part very open and user-friendly, meaning it is the kind of game that can pull you in, even if you aren’t typically likely to engage. We’re going to discuss confidant storylines and upgrades, stewing over myriad combat choices, and Goblio, the world’s handsomest goblin. Thank you again for listening, and if all this sloooow JRPG talk has got you snoozing, join us again next time when we're going to talk about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

Press Up, A and Select on the Title Screen to start a new podcast, Thank you for joining us on NOCLIP Pocket this week, where we’re only thinking about and playing Smash Bros. In the spirit of the season, we’re going back to one of Sakurai’s earliest games with HAL, Kirby’s Dream Land. Dream Land is a fairly simple platformer, but it is the introduction of Kirby, one of the longest-standing Nintendo mascot characters. Its design made strides toward accessibility in games, particularly for younger children, something that was rarely considered in its time. The aesthetic design combined with the easygoing challenge of the game really make this a relaxing and enjoyable experience to go through and it’s a game that has stuck with at least one of us for more than 20 years. We’re going to talk about solid, readable visuals in Game Boy games, how Kirby’s mechanics lend themselves to a game that doesn’t want to frustrate, and how our incredible professionalism and preparedness ensure that NOCLIP Pocket is truly the trash bin of comedy. I hope you enjoyed listening to us this week, and next time on NOCLIP Pocket we’ll be discussing Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion with JJ on as a not-so-special guest. Happy holidays everybody!

We’ll bear this torch against the cold of the night, search our souls and podcast for the undying light, The Smash Bros. theme with lyrics is kinda weird, isn’t it? Welcome back to NOCLIP! Today, we’re going to be talking about what is one of the most anticipated games of the year, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Officially announced at E3 and then released in December, we had half a year full of mechanical discoveries, live demonstrations and surprisingly convincing leaks brought to you by Dr. Seuss characters. Now that the game is out, how does this game compare to previous entries in the series? There is a massive, sprawling single player mode, online functionality that is in a controversial state of flux and the largest roster the series has ever seen with every playable fighter returning alongside new and varied characters both unexpected and longtime requests. Will this be the game to get the community to put down their GameCube controllers? Or at least plug them into an adapter? We’re going to be talking about the variable design of World of Light, debating the optimal ways of playing in multiplayer, and puzzling over Simon Belmont’s shaved armpits. Thank you for listening to the podcast and we hope you have a smashing New Year. We’ll be back at the beginning of 2019 with the first (and likely only) NOCLIP Awards show, where we’ll be categorizing the design achievements of the games we’ve covered this year in strange and interesting ways!

Three friends talk about a game, They speak of squids but make no quid. ”Welcome to NOCLIP!” they exclaim. Welcome back to the pocket podcast this week! Today JJ makes a guest appearance because we’re talking about Splatoon 2, a favorite of the show, and more specifically diving into the Octo Expansion DLC. As an amped up single player campaign, the expansion does a lot to increase the challenge and variety from the base game’s single player and riffs on the mechanics that make Splatoon unique compared to other shooters. Whether this is done by limiting your ink capacity or by sticking you in a hamster ball for an entire level, the differences in kind really shine here and the difficulty lives up to the DLC’s darker, yet vaporwave-y, aesthetic. We’re going to be talking about challenge-based level design, tone and writing in a multiplayer shooter, and T H A N G S. Thanks for joining us this week, and be sure to check back with us next time as we kick off our multi-part indefinite length-and-quantity series on Deltarune with an episode revisiting Undertale!

“In the spirit of continually doing new and dumber things…” Consider this your invitation to the hottest and most exclusive awards show of the new year. Join us at the NOCLIP Awards, where we consider every game we recorded an episode on this year for myriad categories that range from legitimate judgments of quality to asinine judgments of minor features. While other awards shows hit you with nominees and winners, a cool verdict, an unquestioned decision, deliberated behind closed doors for the purpose of knowing what you need to spend two hours watching to hold a shallow conversation about cinematic quality over glasses of 10 dollar wine, the NOCLIP awards present you our arguments, runners up and decision making process as we roast each other over our choice for Smashiest Balls. Now with real envelopes. We hope you enjoy this exercise as much as we did recording it. We’ll be back with a real episode about a real game (feels like forever, I know) in three weeks and we’re going to be talking about The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap! For your consideration: Mr. Game. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56f99a07f8508214f1944f5f/t/5c43688f575d1f15a9702807/1547921708182/image1.jpeg?format=750w

Undertale’s real, right? Welcome to a very special prologue/epilogue episode of NOCLIP Pocket! Today, we’re going to be revisiting Undertale, the indie game that has so completely saturated the Internet, that the sequel/spinoff game needed to be made into an event. While we’re going to be covering each episode of Deltarune as it is released, this episode should serve as a primer to get you familiar with where we stand on the beginning of the series proper. Therefore, this episode will focus on the larger themes of Undertale as well as the impressions the game made on us and on the landscape of games as a whole, so we recommend being somewhat familiar with the game going in. We’re going to talk about how Undertale affects the player and reflects on their choices, the game’s strengths and weaknesses and discuss the upcoming campaign for Game President 2020. Thank you for listening to NOCLIP Pocket this week. We’re continuing with the special episodes next time as the next episode of NCP will be the first in our Deltarune series talking about Episode 1, so join us then and we hope you enjoy!

I suppose a boy like you has much to learn about podcasting, Welcome back to NOCLIP! Today we’re going tackle one of our oldest requests and talk about The Minish Cap. The Minish Cap is an odd Zelda game that was developed by Capcom for the Game Boy Advanced, but despite this, stays true to the elements of 2D Zelda games that make them work as well as they do. Whether this is a good or bad thing is going to come down pretty strongly to if you are the kind of person who loves Zelda’s tropes and mechanics. Regardless, Minish Cap’s absolutely has its strengths, and whether it’s aesthetic choices or dungeon design, the game surpasses expectations for a non-Nintendo developed entry in the series, and in some elements surpasses some first-party offerings. We’re going to talk about repetition in Zelda games, uses and variability of items, and the weird bed that had the potential to go so wrong. Thanks for tuning in! Next episode is going to be an exciting one for us, as we celebrate the end of more than a decade of waiting by talking about Kingdom Hearts 3! That episode will release in a few weeks, but in case you’re a little rusty on what Sora and pals have been up to in the interim, keep an eye on the feed for a bonus episode in which Chad gets educated on the story so far. Well, either educated or put into a coma, we’ll find out soon enough.

Got it memorized? Welcome to a very special bonus episode, where today we’re going to cover the plot of Kingdom Hearts in an attempt to get everyone up to speed before we talk about Kingdom Hearts 3 next week. Sit down with Chad (who knows nothing about anything) and Andy (who has always known he has two hearts inside of him) as they go game by game and give you a recap and summary of the important points and connections of the entire franchise. Whether you’ve only played the numbered games or you’ve been playing each iteration as they’ve released, we help you understand the characters, their amnesia, time travelling escapades and trips to the Realm of Darkness. We talk about key plot points, key blades and χ blades. Thank you for joining us and listening to us spoil a record number of games in one episode. We’ll be back for the next main episode to talk about Kingdom Hearts 3 and hopefully make Master Yen Sid proud, so stay tuned!

Get Hint! by listen podcast Surprise! We’ve had some delays in recording the last few weeks, so to compensate we decided to cover a podcast favorite mobile game, Hidden My Game By Mom! This unassuming iOS and Android title hides a massive amount of personality in its design and is a consistently surprising experience. A puzzle game by nature, the real appeal here is in the comedic tone and absolutely wacky logic that is required to solve its levels. Assuming you gel with the game’s offbeat humor, this is a totally free, entertaining and leisurely experience we recommend to everyone. We talk about intentional versus unintentional humor, minimalist visual design and the psychological onslaught that is this series’ soundtrack” Thanks for being patient with us, and we’re sorry it’s been so long since our last upload, but we should be getting back on track in the coming weeks. Check us out on our next episode of NCP where we’re going to finally discuss Deltarune Episode 1 and our Kingdom Hearts 3 episode will drop in just a couple days.

To strike down Xehanort, we need the podcast Mickey spoke of in his letter! Welcome back to the podcast! This work has been a long time coming and fans of the series probably never thought it would come out at some points. After delays and issues in making it, it finally released to droves of ravenous fans. I’m talking, of course, about this episode of the NOCLIP Podcast on Kingdom Hearts 3. Kingdom Hearts is one of those franchises that earned a lot of die hards and the third main series game being the conclusion to the story arch that began in the first Kingdom Hearts meant that a lot of people were understandably excited for it. Now that it has released, though, the reception has been decidedly mixed, particularly among those most enthusiastic about the series. We break down the game mechanically and narratively to figure out why that is, as well as to express our own points of interest and disappointment. We’re going to talk about combat flow, the value of visual spectacle, writing consistency, emotional character moments and what definitely is and is not a boat. Thanks for bearing with us on the not-quite-13-year development cycle of this episode. Given our history with the series and the monumental nature of this release as well as the indecision around it we wanted to make sure what we released was at our standard of quality. We hope you enjoyed the episode, and join us next time when we talk about Katamari Damacy!

Huh, it's pretty big. We imagine it'll make a pretty podcast. If it were Ours, We'd make it much bigger. Welcome back to the podcast! We’re finagling the release schedule a little to meet some time sensitive goals (hopefully you’ll be equally shocked and gleeful at the results), but that doesn’t mean we ROLLED out this episode without putting our usual SPIN on it. Eh? What I mean to say is that this week we’re talking about Katamari Damacy, the delightfully weird roll ‘em up from Namco that can spark childhood joy in even the lamest of people. Originally a PS2 title, the series proved itself worth a remake with Katamari REROLL and we figured there was no better time to talk about the game. The logic-defying aesthetic and almost serene mechanic set make this game both unusual and unforgettable and it exemplifies the kind of experience you really need to play to understand. We talk about outlandish music direction, stupid sexy controls, and the alternative religion Katamari clearly intends to propagate through the impressionable youth…of 2004. Thanks for joining us again this week, and if you’ve got reasonably deep pockets and brand loyalty to Sony (or just happen to want to hear us talk about the game without necessarily playing it) join us next time when we talk about Déraciné! This will be our first examination of a VR title, and it’s FromSoftware, so expect us to enthusiastically reference Dark Souls even more often than usual.

This podcast is fueled by EVIL! ...and friendship! Welcome back to the podcast, where after announcing the series seemingly one million years ago, we’re finally tackling the first release of Deltarune, the episodic followup to Undertale. Set in a world with familiar characters and musical motifs, Deltarune does a lot to change, and dare I say, improve the design set forth in its predecessor. With a party involved, battles are a lot more dynamic and the look and feel of the game overall has been changed significantly. The plot also makes its deviations from the original, putting the mystery of the world at the forefront while still presenting a complete narrative even in this first episode. The question we look to answer here is: how does all this come together? And of course, we can’t help but wonder what the remaining episodes have in store for us. We discuss the narrative potential of having the character arcs of multiple party members play out simultaneously, the mechanical implications of antagonistic friends, and the physical experiences possible once you unslide the Switchies. Thanks again for joining us today, and be on the lookout for the next entry in this series soon after the next episode releases. On the topic of this series, do you like this format? Would you like to see a dedicated series comparing and contrasting other franchises, either here or on the main podcast? Does anyone actually read the descriptions? Am I trapped typing out a paragraph of notes for every episode in a Sisyphean effort to fill space in a text block that I’m required to populate, but says nothing of value by its own nature to keep the content of the episode itself a surprise? Are we all this lonely? Like, comment…and subscribe?