Gameography

Inspired by 30 years of Nintendo games, Team Cherry released Hollow Knight in 2017 to critical and commercial acclaim. The Metroidvania with souls-like combat follows a solitary knight on his journey through the fallen kingdom of Hallownest. This game is often cited as an example of games as art, but what is it exactly that […]

The post What Made Hollow Knight an Instant Classic? first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week, we take a look back at our favorite and least favorite parts of Miyamoto’s Gameography in the first Gameography Game Awards! Who is the horniest Zelda character, what are the best and worst eggs, what were the most frustrating and most magical moments? Find out the answers to these questions and more on […]

The post S1 E27: The Miyamoto Gameography Game Awards (GGAs) first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we look back at the entire gameography of Miyamoto, discuss his creative process, and his impact in shaping an entire industry and artform.

The post S1E26: Shigeru Miyamoto’s Legacy first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

"I'm retiring!" Miyamoto said in the waning years of the Wii. Of course, to Miyamoto this didn't mean he was leaving the company, just that he wanted to step back from making big budget projects. He was ready to pass the torch, and we talk about how that transition went with the Wii U, why the Wii U ultimately failed, and how that led to the Switch. We wrap up by talking about some of the other projects that Miyamoto has been up to the past ten years including Super Mario Run, the upcoming Super Mario Bros animated film, and 3DS at the Louvre!

The post S1E25: The Wii U, Super Mario Run, and Switch first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we take a look at the Zelda and Mario games as they transition to the motion controls of the Wii. They are attempts to show that the Wii can still offer a traditional gameplay experience in addition to the Wii's strength as a casual machine. This week on Gameography we finish our discussion of Wiiyamoto's works with two of the last games Miyamoto ever personally produced, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy as well as his pet project Wii Fit.

The post S1E24: Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Nintendo found themselves at a crossroads in 2004. The best selling games in the world were violent shooters and sports games where they had once been the exploits of a mustachiod plumber. Would Nintendo bow to the market and create a Call of Duty: Mushroom Kingdom, or try and reach those people for who headshots held no interest. Needless to say with the Nintendo DS and Wii, Nintendo opted for the latter. Miyamoto himself expresses this idea best, by rating his own works against the Wife-o-meter, or the interest level of his own wife. This week we get into the story behind the Wii, how Miyamoto's years long ambition to create a character creator led to Miis, the impact of Wii Sports, and how the Wii is the only console with a soundtrack.

The post S1E23: Wiiyamoto first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

While the Gamecube was not the abject financial failure the Dreamcast was for Sega, it was a low point in the company's sterling history. Just what was it that didn't connect with people about the Gamecube and even Nintendo's flagship franchises of Mario and Zelda? This week on Gameography we look at Miyamoto's works on the Gamecube with Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin, Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure.

The post S1E22: Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin, Mario Sunshine, and Windwaker first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Codenamed project Dolphin, the Gamecube was developed along the same assumptions that led to the N64. They wanted the most powerful console and the most entertaining games, but with burgeoning competition from Microsoft and themselves having lost decisively to Sony in the previous generation, could Nintendo and the Miyamoto school of design win back the hearts and wallets of the world? This week on Gameography, we begin our look at the Gamecube, Nintendo's deal to sell Rare, Miyamoto's thoughts on GTA and more!

The post S1E21: The Gamecube first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we finish our discussion of Majora's Mask with a lively debate over what is the better game: Majora's Mask or Ocarina of Time. We also give our theories as to what the game means and is trying to convey and get into a lengthy Jungian analysis of the game's symbolism.

The post S1 Ep. 20: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 3 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week as we continue to explore Majora's Mask we turn our attention to the main quest. The game explores characters and cinematography in a new way for the series and the medium in general. We're talking Dekus, Gorons, Zoras, and Majora's Mask's second defining mechanic, using masks to transform. Putting on the masks is a horrifying process, indicative of the Lynchian feel of the game. Join us as we go even deeper into the mystery of Termina and Majora's Mask!

The post S1 Ep. 19: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 2 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week, considered by many the black sheep of the Zelda franchise, and by others one of the best games of all time, Majora's Mask! We dive into the breakneck development cycle of the game which was to be developed in one year. This led to the reuse of many assets including whole NPCs and songs, which only heightens the strange dissonance the player feels in the land of Termina. Then we get into the signature clockwork town mechanic of the game and how it works and doesn't work some 20 years later.

The post S1 Ep. 18: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 1 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we continue our look at the development of Ocarina of Time, including the origins of Young Link, cut-content from unreleased versions of the game, and much more! We also take a deeper look at one of the best soundtracks in video game history, why Ocarina of Time is the most Miyamoto game of them all, and revolutionary cinematic gameplay.

The post S1 Ep. 17: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Part 2 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

First revealed in 1995 as a simple tech demo, Zelda 64 grew into a monster project with five directors and Shigeru Miyamoto overseeing them all. This week on Gameography we learn about the origins of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as a first-person game, and as a 64DD (Disc Drive) game. We are joined this week by Andy and Ocarina of Time speedrunner Zack to talk about our childhood memories of the game.

The post S1 Ep. 16: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Part 1 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week, Nintendo goes full cinematic with stylish cutscenes and voice acting in Starfox 64. But first we talk the complete (and more interesting?) but unreleased Star Fox 2 for the SNES and its clunky first attempts at 3D platforming, character selection and procedural gameplay.

The post S1 Ep. 15: Star Fox 64 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Caught between visionary creative types and corporate funding sources, the 1993 live action Super Mario Bros. movie ended up a jumbled mess, barely reflecting the games that inspired it. With its cyberpunk, slapstick aesthetic the movie has garnered a cult status despite its issues. Join us as we dig in to the Super Mario Bros. movie with special guest Mathew Devil!

The post S1 Ep. 14: The Super Mario Bros Movie first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Wahoo! Mario 64 blasted Mario out of a cannon and into 3D as a launch game for the Nintendo 64. In this episode we discover how Mario found his voice, how Nintendo teamed up with silicon valley on their most ambitious console yet, and how Miyamoto, in one fell swoop, pioneered 3D movement and camera controls and created the gameplay template 3D platformers have been copying ever since. 64 bits! That's our promise to you on this episode of Gameography.

The post S1 Ep. 13: Mario 64 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we continue our look at the history of the SNES and its handheld companion the Gameboy with discussions of the decisive Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the Twin Peaks inspired The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and Miyamoto's disappointing return to arcade shooters, Star Fox.

The post S1 Ep. 12: The SNES Years Part 2 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

With the release of the Super Nintendo in 1991, Miyamoto transitioned from creating games to supervising the production of Nintendo's most important games. This week on Gameography we cover the creation of the Super Nintendo, F-zero, Super Mario World, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. We discover along the way that Miyamoto's plans at the time included a child raising simulator and more!

The post S1 Ep. 11: The SNES Years Part 1 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

This week we step away from Miyamoto's games to cover the 1989 cult film, The Wizard, staring Fred Savage, Jenny Lewis and Christian Slater. The film features the first footage of Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America, and plenty of badly written family drama, a piss-poor Peewee's Big Adventure knockoff road trip adventure, and p r o d u c t p l a c e m e n t.

The post S1 Ep. 10: The Wizard first appeared on Gameography Podcast.

Delayed for years in North America, Super Mario Bros. 3 caused a near riot among America's children upon its release becoming the best selling game of all time for many years. A masterpiece of level design and character feel, Mario 3 perfected and set the formula for 2D Mario games for the next 30 years. This week on Gameography we cover Miyamoto's swan song to the NES and the end of an era, with Super Mario Bros. 3!

The post S1 Ep. 9: Super Mario Bros. 3 first appeared on Gameography Podcast.