This one's on you, PixlBits!
Well, look who decided to show up! Angelo is back, and he’s here just in time for an awesome edition of Nerds Without Pants brought to you by…you! Yep, this episode was orchestrated by the awesome PixlBit community, and it’s kind of special.
He’ll huff, and He’ll puff…
*This review contains minor spoilers*
The latest episode in the “Fables”-inspired Wolf Among Us was an interesting reminder of the strengths of this mode of storytelling. While the previous episode was hindered by slower moments and a lot of buildup, this one ramped things up a bit by continuing the mystery and introducing new characters. By throwing a slew of tough and divergent choices my way, “A Crooked Mile” helped remind me why this series can be just as effective as The Walking Dead.
Embrace the flames!
To help you cope with the encroaching demise of online Wii gaming, your PixlBit family is here to help you send the service off to its eternal existence before it all ends on May 20th. What better game to do this with than one of the few that had a significant online community: Mario Kart Wii. Join us on Thursday, May 15th starting at 9:00 p.m. EDT to play Mario Kart races until we puke blue shells. If all goes according to plan, we’ll also record the event so you can see how it played out from at least one other person’s perspective. To get in on the fun, just post your Mario Kart code in the comments and we’ll add it to a big list for everyone to tediously enter into their Wiis.
Super reductive description of this game: bros, babes, Bermuda shorts.
It's time for another three parter here at Backloggers Anonymous! Angelo is joined by Jaime and Julian to talk about a pretty big game that two thirds of the cast have never played: Final Fantasy X. Now, after a three hour FF episode of Nerds Without Pants you might think that Julian doesn't have much more to say about fantasies that are final, but you would be wrong. Seriously, we can't get this guy to shut up!
Duck and cover!
Not about to let Disney's Donald Duck hog all the fame and fortune, Daffy Duck starred in his own Nintendo 64 platformer as well. Unfortunately, this is another case where I'm not very familiar with the source material, having seen the show maybe a few times when I was younger and don't remember a lick of it. However, the game is plenty decent enough to stand on its own, or maybe it's just my love of platformers talking.
Floating platforms with a touch of absinthe.
For better or worse, games like Braid, Limbo, and other 2.5D “masterpieces” have reconfigured what a platformer can be. Spate, developed by Eric Provan and his development team at Ayyo, is not as complete a package as these games, but is still an astoundingly beautiful work of art, with truly arresting imagery, an interesting story, and a unique and moody soundtrack. However, with its tired mechanics, inconsistent controls, and sloppy (yet forgiving) physics, it is hard to quantify, or to even categorize. It is a conundrum, as it stretches between these two poles – one of artistic genius; and the other of uninspired game design.
Where we talk about stuff. And things.
We're a man down this time, so listen to Julian and Patrick talk about a bunch of stuff that nerds who do not wear pants would talk about. What are those things? Good question?
Kill the skies.
The wonder of some indie games that go for that retro aesthetic is they kind of live up to our brain’s memories of what those old games were like, without the warts we seldom remember. Sort of like a period film, it might not be like how things really were, but while catering to our modern tastes, a finer piece of art is sculpted, one that has learned the mistakes of the past. Luftrausers is a game forged out of what once was – not only with its 8-bit aesthetic, but also with its satirical Nazi artwork. Both of these themes work for and against it, but overall what we have here is a great game that is a commentary not only on the past, but on the future.
It's still real to me, damnit!
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. ARE YOU READY TO PODCAAAAAAST? Well, good, because Patrick and Julian are joined by JD and fan favorite John Gholson to talk about some rasslin'. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you aren't a wrestling fan this episode of Nerds Without Pants just might help you understand why some of us are.
Come see four PixlBit staff members unbox their crappy games on video!
Sometimes it's necessary in life to shake things up. The fact is, the PixlBit writers seem to have it too good, so Chessa and I (but mostly Chessa) concocted a little event for our own amusement. Rather than allow our writers to continue to cover the things they love, we've decided to force upon them the junk games that have been sitting around PixlBit HQ for ages.
