NOCLIP Pocket E25 - Well Made Plays - Her Story

So, did you figure out why she did it? Recorded the podcast?

Welcome back! Today, we’re going to be talking about Her Story, Sam Barlow’s desktop simulator mystery game, which has you searching terms in a database of interviews to find clips that each tell small parts of the story, and assembling the answers from those. Of all the games we’ve played for Mystery May (or Nancy June, this year), this game relies the most on your own ability to figure out what’s going on and only rewards your intuition with terms that provide progressively more context. The game doesn’t even have a traditional ending, instead allowing the player to determine when they are satisfied with what they know. All this adds up to one of the most unique games we’ve talked about and one that is actually pretty difficult to analyze in our usual way. We’re going to talk about design in a game where the player has complete freedom within its mechanics, how the premise is sold on aesthetic and great acting, and about a horrible CG lady.

Thank you for listening to NOCLIP Pocket this week, and we hope you’ve enjoyed our choices for mystery games this year. This is one we’ve considered doing for years now, but it’s surprisingly intimidating to talk about a game that we like this much for reasons that are so unusual. Next time we’re going to be talking about Sayonara Wild Hearts, so we hope you’ll check it out then.

Episode 94 - Who Are Ray's Parents? - Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

Podcasting is a criiiiiiime, baby!

Welcome back to NOCLIP! Today, we’re dusting off our DS to play Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, an underappreciated adventure game by the team responsible for Ace Attorney. As a very narrative-driven game, Ghost Trick comes off as wordy at times, particularly since the game uses no voice acting, but with the dialogue comes a lot of wit and charm that give the game its personality. The counterpoint to these sequences of dialogue are the actual puzzles, which see you manipulating objects in the environment to change the sequences of events leading to someone’s death. Due to your limited range of motion, only being able to jump between objects that are a short distance away, it gives a sense of urgency to the game’s sort-of-timed gameplay segments and creates a mechanical experience that is genuinely unique. The combination of these factors gives you a game that is exceedingly weird coming from a developer like Capcom, but also one that is interesting for all the right reasons. We’re going to be talking about the strange narrative conceit, expressive animation, and why your oral fixation could cause you to lose several DS styluses.

Thank you for joining us today for the first full episode in this year’s Mystery May replacement series Nancy June. We’ll be back at the end of the month, assuming the stars align, with Kentucky Route Zero, a game we’ve been waiting literally years to finish.

NOCLIP Pocket E24 - Miner 49er Death Maze - The Vanishing of Ethan Carter

You’re always in here, writing your weird little podcasts.

Welcome to NOCLIP Pocket! And welcome to “Nancy June,” our Mystery May replacement for the year where everything seems to have gone wrong. Today, we’re going to be talking about The Astronauts’ The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. This is a walking simulator type adventure game, where you play the part of a psychic detective tasked with finding Ethan Carter, a boy who wrote to you and then, well, vanished. The game itself focuses largely around environmental exploration and puzzle solving to uncover the events that led to Ethan’s present circumstance. The beauty of this game is its presentation; set in the woods and with a striking use of visuals, the game succeeds in drawing the player into its world and never putting up quite enough of a speed bump to pull them back out. We’re talking about memorable puzzle set pieces, graphical fidelity lending a sense of atmosphere to an environment, and how this game is seasoned with just a peppering of ancient sci-fi secrets.

Thank you for listening this week, and hopefully you weren’t thinking like “oh man, thank god they dropped that stupid Mystery May garbage. That was the dumbest and worst thing they ever did,” because we’ll be back next time talking about Her Story to cap off this enigmatic month and we’re very excited about it.

Episode 93 - Regenerating Biofoam - Halo: Combat Evolved

Did you sleep well? No thanks to your podcasting, yes.

Welcome back to a moderately special episode of NOCLIP! JJ has returned to discuss Halo: Combat Evolved. The first game in one of the unarguably largest game franchises in history, Halo really brought the first person shooter to consoles in a way that managed to popularize the genre much more universally than had been accomplished in the past. While this growth really hit a fever pitch with the accessibility of online multiplayer through Xbox Live, the single player campaign mode was still an expected and important part of a console game experience, and Halo delivered on that front and was probably most known for its creature design, protagonist and stunning outdoor vistas before the ubiquity of team deathmatch really took hold. And this is what we’re going to be talking about today. How does the campaign hold up under a modern lens, and what elements of design did they get so right to spawn such a monumental series? We’re going to be talking about the game’s presentation of it’s sci-fi plot through visuals and dialogue, the way the game diversifies its encounters with enemy AI and weapon availability, and discuss the existential horror of being caught in a “Womp loop.”

Thank you so much for joining us today. Halo is a game that has been looming as one of the “must talk about” games since the beginning (along with a few others I’m sure you’re thinking of we haven’t covered yet), and I’m really happy with how it turned out. What do you think about Halo? Does it hold up to modern games, or even other entries in the same series? Do you feel like a badass because you have grenades that stick to stuff and have a twenty foot tall vertical leap? Join us in discussing the game on our Discord, or leave us a comment on YouTube, and make sure to subscribe, because we’re heading into Mystery May in June, Nancy June, next time when we talk about Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.

NOCLIP Pocket E23 - Squinched Face - Zeno Clash

Pig? No, it’s not just a pig. It’s my podcast.

Welcome back to NOCLIP Pocket! Today, we’re going to be talking about Zeno Clash, which is an episode idea that started as legitimate suggestion, to a running joke, and finally to reality. The game is a first person game that switches between shooting and melee combat, but definitely gives the brawling the lion’s share of attention when it comes to depth. And while the combat is interesting, the aesthetic design is what really brings the game together and makes it a unique, weird kind of game we think is worth playing. We’re going to talk about how the game balances between melee and ranged combat, the strength of indie games for unusual and creative designs, and the graphical differences between a sofa and a picture of a sofa.

Thank you for joining us again this week. This is the kind of game I feel like is intriguing when described, so if you did end up playing it, I hope you enjoyed yourself. That intrigue is exactly why it’s stayed in my mind for as long as it has. And speaking of intrigue, we realize that Mystery May is already halfway over and we haven’t done anything explicitly mysterious, but we are correcting that next time when we talk about The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. I hope you’ll tune in for that!

Episode 92 - The Worst Penthouse Forum - Divinity Original Sin 2

Podcasting is a moral imperative. But I think you've moved beyond podcasting and into madness!

Welcome back to the podcast! Chad will be sitting out of todays episode and in his place Andy will be joined by special guests, Daniel, Janelle, and Steven. This week we’re taking a look into the world of CRPGs with Divinity Original Sin 2. We discuss our experience of playing through the entire game in co-op, the importance of well implemented customization options, and the joy we find in eating body parts for a glimpse into the memories of their owners.

Thank you for listening to NOCLIP this week! We hope you'll join us next time for a discussion of Halo: Combat Evolved.

NOCLIP Pocket E22 - All Kinds of Jars - Tick Tock A Tale for Two

You know that podcast that went missing? This one’s even better. It cannot die.

Welcome back to the show! Today, we’re going to insist you have friends, because we’re talking about Tick Tock A Tale for Two. The title isn’t all onomatopoeia and alliteration though, this game requires two players on two separate devices to play. While that is a little cumbersome, there’s something really convenient about not having to connect over the internet. The two games both function entirely on their own, but progress is gated by information that one player will have but not the other, creating a uniquely cooperative puzzle solving environment. This is basically the prescribed version of playing an adventure game with your friends, and as lovers of the genre, that makes this a truly novel experience. We’re going to talk about puzzle solving with two people, the good and bad of overloading a player with details, and we finally discuss the elusive definition of the word “attic.”

Thank you for joining us this week! This was sort of an unexpected game we ran across during a bored moment, and we wanted to talk about it just to do it. In stark contrast to this, next time we’re talking about a game that has been in the back of my mind for over a decade: the ever questionable first person brawler Zeno Clash. Expect some more outlandishness on that episode, and I hope you’ll join us!

Episode 91 - Weed Economist - Life is Strange 2

Time to take the microphone, dude.

Welcome back to the podcast this week! Today we’re vising the world of Life is Strange again to cover the sequel, but things are a little different this time. First, we have two guest hosts today, returning favorites Dan and Janelle. And second, this time around things are a lot less “go ape” and more “go see a therapist.” The second full season of Dontnod’s premier adventure series does a lot of things right, and it tackles larger, more immediately relevant points than broached in its predecessors. There is a lack of subtlety in approach, though, and the messages it sends don’t always succeed in being as profound as the personal lessons taught by the first game. Find out more as we talk about the cast of characters and narrative structure, how you can play too safe with politics, and see why we compare Life is Strange 2 to books you’re assigned to read in class.

Thank you all for sitting down with us today! Fun fact: this is the longest ever episode of the show, but I suppose that’s kind of to be expected when we have twice any many people on as we’re used to recently… Still, I think this is some of our most valid critiquing we’ve done in a while, and I hope the length didn’t wear you out of Dan and Janelle, as they’ll be back next time to talk about Divinity: Original Sin 2. Hope you’ll check it out!

NOCLIP Pocket E21 - Summertime, Bitch - Harvest Moon GBC

I can not podcast, for I am a spirit.

Welcome back to NOCLIP Pocket! Today, we’re going to be talking about the first portable entry in the Harvest Moon series. The GameBoy feels like the most appropriate console for a game like Harvest Moon, with the success of later entries in the series as well as things like Animal Crossing excelling on portable platforms. Being able to quickly go through a couple days of checking on your crops and performing daily chores while on the go seems like it would comprise a simple and relaxing gameplay loop to perform with the convenience of a handheld. However, given how new the series was to the limited hardware, the game ends up with some hiccups that make the experience oscillate awkwardly between incredibly stressful and exceedingly boring. There’s just something missing from this installment (or a lot of somethings, in some cases) that fails to meet expectations, even for fans of the genre. We’re going to talk about stamina management on both the side of the player and developer of the game, how this game makes us long for the tutorials of modern games like the caress of a long lost lover, and whether clearing out the tunnel in the tool shed in this game would net you marvelous secrets, or just a “thank you” from a harvest sprite.

And call me a harvest sprite, because thank you for listening to NOCLIP Pocket this week! Twenty-one is an exciting birthday, but this was kind of a boring game, so to make up for that lack of thematic consistency, for episode twenty-two we will be playing Tick Tock: A Tale for Two, so be sure to come check that out.

Episode 90 - A Nice Wide Stance - Blasphemous

What I do know is that, according to The Rule, one must carry out the Three Humiliations to podcast about Souls-like games

Welcome back to the podcast! Today we’re going to be talking about Blasphemous, a Kickstarter funded indie game that takes inspiration from various platformers and metroidvanias and, rather explicitly, Dark Souls. What this means for the game is actually pretty varied, with some elements, like boss fights, absolutely flourishing in their inspiration, while others, like platforming, feel inappropriate for the style of engagement this game presents. The game asks you to explore a world and collect the necessary holy do-dads and other plot important knickknacks, and you do so by jumping over pits and utilizing the simple but weighty combat system. All of this seems pretty standard, but the level of detail in the pixel art visuals the game boasts really draw you in and keep you entertained throughout the experience. We’re going to be talking about the differences between overworld exploration and boss combat, the implementation of collectibles and using it as a case study to examine how they should and shouldn’t be used, and things get really heated when we drop trou and compare Fervor Bars.

Thank you for joining us this week as we begin our countdown to episode 100. This probably won’t be something we make a big deal out of or comment on a whole lot, but it is only 10 episodes away, and that’s kind of insane. Thanks for sticking with us, if you have, or joining us whenever you did! As we enter the 90s, we’re revisiting a series that at the very least has an appropriate appreciation for flannel, though admittedly less so in this installment. We’re talking about Life is Strange 2, so check us out then!

Episode 89 - Shopkiller - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

I got the NOCLIP Podcast! This might be my chance!

Welcome back to the podcast! Today, we’re taking a look at Link’s Awakening, a Gameboy game, that got a rerelease on the Gameboy Color, and then finally remade and released this last year on the Nintendo Switch. What has changed in nearly three decades since this game’s release? Not a whole lot, actually, but the game holds up to modern standards a lot better than that may imply. Playing through the game now, the somewhat opaque design of the game stands out but, barring a few hiccups, you can see why the early Zelda games really felt before their time. We’re going to talk about an appreciation for narrative and characters in a game as old as this one, puzzle design in a game with limited resources, and we rename one of Nintendo’s least beloved characters! Hoo? Er, who? You’ll have to listen to find out!

Thanks for joining us again this time, and keep an eye on the feed because next time we’re going to be talking about Blasphemous, an indie Soulslike Metroidvania, which is a pretty healthy genre who’s name couldn’t exist without like at least three or four other games.

NOCLIP Pocket E20 - Casual Babies Keep Out - The Beginner's Guide

Stop putting lampposts in my podcasts.

Welcome back to NOCLIP Pocket! For our first episode of the year, we’re going to be taking a look at Davey Wreden’s The Beginner’s Guide. While the developer is certainly best known for The Stanley Parable, this game does a lot to show the level of dedication Davey has to making narrative games that break the mold of what you would expect from the genre. In this particular instance, we are being taken on a tour through the games of “Coda,” a hobbyist developer and friend of Davey’s, as they become more and more disjointed and laden with symbolism. While this is happening, there is narration playing to give context to the games and explain what some things mean and how they came to be. And all of that text was necessary to give you a basic explanation for what this game is, but it is the emotional core that really gives the game its flavor. Play it for yourself before listening if it at all seems interesting. Why? Because we’re talking about the narrative structure of a game about games with narrative structures, game development and its associated stresses, and how this game is basically a sequel to Half-Life 2’s developer commentary.

Thank you for joining us this episode, and we’ll be back (hopefully in a shorter time) with an episode about Harvest Moon, marking the legendary return to handheld consoles in a series called “Pocket.” We hope you’ll check it out!

The NOCLIP Awards 2019 - Deep Dulcet Feebas

In the streets, where true might is chosen.

The podcast games of have been gathered, the categories curated and our three podcasting pedants re-assembled, it’s time to hand out the 2019 NOCLIP Awards! As is tradition every year, for one year, we have organized a list of highly relevant categories, such as “Least Likely to be Compared to Dark Souls” and “Worst Map”, and will be deciding the best of the best or the…smashiest of the smashy…games we’ve played this year, not in clickbait YouTuber top ten list form, but in a spirited debate to really get to the heart of the issues.

Thanks for joining us again this year! How do you feel about our choices? Are we the pinnacle of good taste, are our categories so thought provoking they’re keeping you up at night? If so, join the discussion over on Discord or in comments or something! Which games did you play this year that felt like Oscar bait? I genuinely need to know.