Go Back and Play – Details, episodes & analysis

The end has come!

Nate, Sebastian, Jordan, David, and Ryan all convene to discuss the games that surprised them on their seven-year podcast journey, the games from our chronology that they MOST recommend everyone try, and some games which we didn't touch on but which we couldn't finish out our tour without at least mentioning. Along the way, we're joined by several previous guests and friends of the show who have recommendations of their own -- come join us for one last chat about games and what we like about them.

Nate, Ryan, Jordan, and David gather for the last game on our whirlwind tour of game history -- Supergiant Games' 2020 rogue-like HADES, about a young god just tryin' to get out from his father's shadow. We discuss synergy, sexy deities, incredible jams, and the magic trick of a persistent narrative doled out in pieces in a run-based structure. Nate gushes about Supergiant's other games, David turns up the heat, and Jordan gets in good with Sisyphus's good friend Bouldy.

Nate, Sebastian, Ryan, and David all gather to discuss NO MAN'S SKY, 2016's procedurally-generated space exploration and survival game from Hello Games. We discuss the game's awe-inspiring trailers, its turbulent launch and reception, and the incredible strides it's made in the years since. Nate points out the importance of having two moons in the sky, Ryan defaces a friend's stellar outpost by terraforming, and Sebastian isn't mad, just disappointed.

Episode 50! Join Nate, Sebastian, David, and Jordan as we discuss eight games we've skipped over in our journey so far, with special bonus pre-recorded segments from Ryan and Kari! Our extremely disorganized conversation covers:

E.V.O. - SEARCH FOR EDEN

ACTRAISER

TERRANIGMA

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?

FINAL FANTASY LEGEND III

XCOM: UFO DEFENSE

ULTIMA V: WARRIORS OF DESTINY

Is this in any way a comprehensive or meaningful assortment of games? No! Except, of course, that they're games we love. Come listen to us attempt to explain why!

Nate, Sebastian, and David are joined by new guest Andrea to discuss EARTHBOUND, a Super Nintendo RPG unlike any other. We discuss sentient piles of vomit, terrible ad campaigns, a man who becomes a dungeon, Canadian whiz kids, and whether dogs are an essential part of the American Experience. Andrea explains her childhood obsession, Sebastian draws comparisons to The Blob, David gets teary-eyed remembering his wedding, and Nate infuriates Andrea by finding the Sword of Kings unreasonably quickly. 

SHOW NOTES

Nintendo localize Mother 3 you cowards

Nate and David sit down to unpack THEME PARK, Bullfrog Productions' amusement park management simulator. Nate explores the limits of his tastes in games, David explains his curious predilections for order as a child, and they both recoil in revulsion over the tasteless game over cinematic. Come for the unpacking of a unique sub-genre of videogames, stay to find out who Nate calls "a cross between Willy Wonka and Clippy the Paperclip from Microsoft Word."

SHOW NOTES:

The morbid “Game Over” cinematic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmc5KR8dEJE

Planet Coaster trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o16e9daqGko

Buy THEME PARK on Gog.com:

https://www.gog.com/game/theme_park

Nate and Sebastian are joined by Ryan and David to discuss SUPER METROID, the seminal space bounty hunter adventure from 1994. We discuss the birth of the "Metroidvania" sub-genre, sequence breaking, and some things that games can do in ways that other media can't. Warning: Nate says "Heavens to Super Mergatroid" once, which seems inadvisable. Due to user error, Sebastian continually refers to Kraid as "Graig." 

SHOW NOTES:

The Metroid comic that ran in Nintendo Power:

https://imgur.com/gallery/yQiV9

Nate and Sebastian are joined by Lucy, who knows more about basketball than the two of them put together (which isn't saying much), and Ryan, who recorded his audio in his bathyscape at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, apparently, to discuss NBA JAM, Midway's extreme basketball extravaganza from 1993. Listen in to discover who is on fire, who's heating up, who's making shots FROM DOWNTOWN, and whether any of our hosts have enough money to buy a bucket. 

Boom shaka laka. 

SHOW NOTES:

GDC postmortem on NBA Jam:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp3Os2kk6V4

Sports Illustrated oral history of NBA Jam:

https://www.si.com/longform/2017/nba-jam-oral-history/index.html

Nate and Ryan are joined once again by Em Marko of Abnormal Mapping to take a look at the most influential game ever named after a throwaway line in a Tom Cruise movie: DOOM. We discuss WADs, deathmatch, and Ryan's deep love for Star Wars: Dark Forces. Come for the discussion of how a couple dudes in Texas revolutionized the way we interact with virtual environments, stay to find out what the heck Ryan is referencing when he labels something "That Thing You DOOM."

SHOW NOTES:

“It Runs Doom!” Tumblr

http://itrunsdoom.tumblr.com/

Liz Ryerson’s article at Waypoint about “Absolute Life Conversion” and DOOM WADs

https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/paq5bz/alt-doom-mod-stalker

The video that Em referenced with BioShock and John Romero:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUbk98uZjso

Nate, Sebastian, and Jordan sit down for a brief dissection of VIRTUA FIGHTER, Sega's ground-breaking 3D fighting game from 1993. We talk about the metaphor of a game "camera," Jordan's "ground game," and getting a "ring out." Being "wrung out?" Look, I'm no fighting game expert. I just mash the buttons and hope I flip somebody.