Episoder

  • E50 A Plague Tale: Requiem

    E50 A Plague Tale: Requiem

    · Pixel Vision

    Pixel Vision turns 50 with some earthshaking news, before Ben and Tao turn protector and carrier and take on the armies of Provence in A Plague Tale: Requiem, sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence. The duo take opposing views as they discuss the contradiction between a didactic story and fun gameplay; why all in-game villains have caricature evil voices; how The Last Of Us sets the benchmark for effective storytelling in adventure games; if crafting, collectibles and upgrade elements are superfluous and interfere with a strong narrative; the influence of JK Rowling; force walk; and rats. Lots of rats.

    Every key story element is spoiled by the end, but the first 45 minutes are spoiler free and pretty much all spoilers are heavily forecast.

    Content Warning: PEGI 15. Coarse language, violent scenes, tragic developments.

    Clarifications:

    * The soundtrack to A Plague Tale: Requiem which features heavily is by French composer Olivier Deriviere, who also composed Greedfall, Alone in the Dark and Dying Light 2 among others. Ben’s a fan:

    * The Arnaud aka Beast aka Wall confusion exhibited by both Tao and Ben is real, as testified to by several Reddit threads and errors in YouTube compilations. The Beast and the Wall are not the same guy:

    * https://www.reddit.com/r/APlagueTale/comments/yrz5an/when_it_comes_to_arnaud_and_the_beast/

    * https://www.reddit.com/r/APlagueTale/comments/z3njza/the_beast_arnaud/

    * https://www.reddit.com/r/PlagueTaleInnocence/comments/10cj2dq/major_spoiler_why_did_arnaud_become_hunted_by_the/

    * https://www.reddit.com/r/APlagueTale/comments/y6cx7o/a_plague_tale_requiem_chapter_vii_discussion/

    Audio extracts:

    * Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    * The Prodigy - Firestarter

    * The Last Of Us OST by Gustavo Santaolalla

    * The Godfather 3

    * Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

    * Monty Python and the Holy Grail

    * Dame Vera Lynn - We'll Meet Again

    * Citizen Sleeper - Density

    * Disco Elysium OST

    * Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

    * The Revenant OST by Ryuichi Sakamoto

    * Wes Anderson Horror Trailer - SNL

    * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

    * Skyrim Level Up

    * Playstation 5 start up sound (reversed)

    * Wolcen Lords of Mayhem OST by Jean-Gabriel Raynaud & Cedric Baravaglio

    * Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - “Chill Winston”

    * Pentiment OST by Alkemie

    * Dark Souls OST by Motoi Sakuraba

    * The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)

    * Brad Mehldau - Exit Music (For A Film), original by Radiohead

    * The Mouse Outfit - Money

    * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.net Twitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]

    PS. So long and thanks for all the fish (and the listening!) - Ben and Tao xx



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E49Ÿ PSA aka Excuses Excuses

    E49¾ PSA aka Excuses Excuses

    · Pixel Vision

    Ben and Tao dive into A Plague Ta - oh wait, no they don’t, what’s been going on?!

    Content Warning: PEGI 3. There’s literally no content. WTAF.

    Clarifications:

    * Yeah, to be clear, nothing to see here.

    Audio extracts:

    * Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? composed by Matthew Strachan

    Find us at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe

  • Manglende episoder?

    Klik her for at forny feed.

  • E49 Citizen Sleeper

    E49 Citizen Sleeper

    · Pixel Vision

    Wake up, Citizen! Ben and Tao are in festive spirits as they dish out a Christmas feast of sci-fi turkey with roast story spoilers on the side and cranberry DLC toppings in dice rolling space adventure, Citizen Sleeper - to be clear, absolutely not a turkey, by any definition! Your boys riding the mic get lyrical, discussing the overlap between board games and video games, gaming achievements, romance and gender in RPGs, playing good and evil, characters you can root for, and, naturally, Pixel Vision’s Christmas tradition
 There’s a multitude of story spoilers after our initial reactions and the Taomun-ologue.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Pretty PG this one. ‘Tis the season, innit.

    Clarifications:

    * Citizen Sleeper’s excellent soundtrack is by Amos Roddy. It’s available on Spotify:

    * Gareth Damian Martin talks to PCGamer about his personal experience relating to gender and its influence on the game’s development.

    * The other game by Gareth Damian Martin and ‘Jump Over The Edge’ studios is In Other Waters, which also looks really cool


    Audio extracts:

    * Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    * The Twelve Days of Christmas - The King's Singers and The Tabernacle Choir

    * Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

    * Disco Elysium OST

    * Weird Al Yankovic - Smells like Nirvana

    * The Beatles - All You Need Is Love

    * Kool & The Gang - Get Down On It

    * Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

    * Icewind Dale 2

    * The Dark Knight

    * Free Guy

    * The Sopranos

    * Repo Men

    * Nina Simone - My Baby Just Cares For Me

    * Sunless Sea OST

    * Shaun of the Dead

    * Hearthstone OST

    * Observation OST

    * Paradise Killer OST by Barry "Epoch" Topping

    * In Other Waters OST - A Drifting Lens by Amos Roddy

    * A Plague Tale: Innocence OST

    * Frank Sinatra - Jingle Bells

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E48 The Eternal Cylinder

    E48 The Eternal Cylinder

    · Pixel Vision

    The big wheel keeps on turningOn a simple line, day by dayThe earth spins on its axisOne man struggle while another relaxes~ Massive Attack

    Ben and Tao are on a roll, fleeing the all flattening, deadening turn of the great wheel of time - or not time, just a massive, physics defying concrete cylinder crushing everything in its path for all eternity - aka The Eternal Cylinder. Your hosts try to make sense of the allegories therein, pondering metaphors and surrealism, story narration, procedurally generated landscapes, the perks of multiplayer gaming, and when an animal’s trunk is not a trunk but a snoot. As usual the game’s ending is outlined with some spoilers, but given the nature of the story, the gameplay impact would be minimal.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Swearing. Ranting. One offensively audible clip from the Teletubbies.

    Clarifications:

    * The UK’s Teletubbies narrator was Tim Whitnall. This is a seriously disturbing show with an adult’s eye.

    * Stephen Fry explains the story behind the ‘Pocketed It’ compilation. (TL;DR - he stumbled over the phrase while narrating the Harry Potter audiobooks so JK Rowling inserted it into every subsequent book).

    * Ben enjoyed this take by Lewis Gordon of Vice: “I couldn’t help but look back towards the gigantic cylinder, an image nearly bursting with allegorical possibilities. In a way, we’re all the tiny Trebhum, doing whatever we can to postpone our eventual annihilation. In another, perhaps we—and I mean this in the humanity-encompassing sense of the word—are closer to the cataclysmic rolling pin, flattening and destroying everything we encounter.” And this one too: “For this time of gigantic crises we find ourselves in—none more so than that concerning the environment—it’s a fitting allegory, a reminder of the power that resides in the collective, and that our differences are an asset, not a hindrance.” You can follow Lewis here if you haven’t yet abandoned Twitter to the vultures and ashes.

    * If you nostalgia hard on the Zoombinis reference, we recommend this video ‘deep dive’ into the game by GamesOnHardMode - it’s worth it for the comments alone:

    * According to his Wikipedia entry, Peter Molyneux did not have any involvement in Creatures, Tao’s memory playing up (again). It was created in the mid-1990s by English computer scientist Steve Grand.

    Audio extracts:

    * Dance of the Knights by Sergei Prokofiev aka The Apprentice theme

    * Other tracks from The Apprentice by Dru Masters

    * Sir Alan Sugar, also his fictional secretary, whose real name is Samantha Moon, not ‘Frances’.

    * Left 4 Dead OST

    * Apex Legends OST

    * Outer Wilds OST

    * Void Bastards

    * Midsomer Murders

    * Stephen Fry - ‘pocketed it’ compilation

    * Baldur’s Gate 2

    * Chicago - If You Leave Me Now

    * Blues Brothers - Everybody Needs Somebody to Love

    * David Cronenberg’s ‘Crimes of the Future’ trailer

    * Zoombinis

    * Creatures game SFX

    * Spore OST

    * Astroneer OST

    * Line of Duty TV Series - End Title theme

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E47 Stray

    E47 Stray

    · Pixel Vision

    To explore what it means to be human, Ben and Tao play with a pussy - a personified cat with an AI drone sidekick - while befriending wannabe artistic bipedal robots in feline post-apocalyptic, post-Homo sapiens adventure tale, Stray. It’s not all highfalutin social commentary though, they do get to remote detonate mutant bacteria with a light gun strapped to their teeny weeny cat vests. Analysis includes discussion of dystopian storytelling and tropes, the role of animals in games, children’s storybooks, whether art is a uniquely human venture, Tom Hanks, prison escapes in games, plus Ben shares why he’s not fond of cats or domesticated animals in general. As usual, some major story spoilers towards the end of the pod. If you’re going to play it, it’s recommended you do so before listening.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Cursing. Animal cruelty. Egregious cockney accents.

    Clarifications:

    * All music for Stray was composed by Yann van der Cruyssen

    * The collective noun for cats is, apparently, a ‘Clowder’. Doesn’t roll off my tongue either. The collective noun Ben used, ‘Posse’, is ‘a group of people armed with legal authority’, for instance, policemen.

    * The Road is a dystopian novel by Cormac McCarthy. There’s nothing ‘basic’ about it. Ben regrets the term!

    * The book Tao is clutching for is not ‘The Earth Remains’, an entirely different and unrelated novel by Shelley Burchfield, but sci-fi classic, Earth Abides, a 1949 American post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by George R. Stewart. It tells the story of the fall of civilization from deadly disease and the emergence of a new culture with simpler tools.

    * Kurt Zouma’s personal contact details are
 not really going to be published here. That was a joke. Read the room, or alternatively, this article about his crimes against cats.

    * Here’s details on the prevention of migraines using vitamin B2, riboflavin.

    * Machinarium was not from Annapurna Interactive, it was Amanita Design. It was released in 2009.

    * Tom Hank’s new movie is called A Man Called Otto

    * Prison escape features in Fable 1 and 3, but it’s also a story element in Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, The Witcher 2, Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Deus Ex, Dragon Age: Origins, Resistance 3, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Dishonored to name just a few.

    Audio extracts:

    * Machinarium soundtrack by Tomas Dvorak

    * Prey

    * DePresno ft. Liv Dawson - Gold

    * Cats (2019)

    * Transporter 2

    * Half Life 2

    * Minions

    * Vinnie Jones and Ross Kemp in Extras

    * Jason Statham

    * Ocean’s 11 and Ocean’s 12 soundtracks, by David Holmes

    * The Quarantine Zone (20 Years Later) from The Last of Us OST by Gustavo Santaolalla

    * The Sixth Sense

    * Superbad

    * LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

    * John Prine - Pretty Good

    * The Lion King

    * Eddie Vedder’s ‘Tuolumne’ from Into The Wild

    * Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2

    * Fallout 4 OST - Main Theme

    * The Police - Every Breath You Take

    * Alone Too Long - Daryl Hall and John Oates

    * Fable

    * Shawshank Redemption OST

    * Escape from Alcatraz

    * Blaktrix - Ironfist

    * Castaway

    * The Witcher

    * A Man Called Otto

    * Max Payne

    * Snowpiercer

    * Alex Jones ranting

    * Squeeze - Cool for Cats

    * Goat Simulator trailer

    * Halo Infinite - Zeta Halo

    * The Eternal Cylinder OST

    * Cats and Dogs - Dr Syntax and Pete Cannon

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E46 Hardspace Shipbreaker

    E46 Hardspace Shipbreaker

    · Pixel Vision

    Happy Halloween! Ben and Tao wallow in corporate servitude and debt until unionisation galvanises them to join the intergalactic picket line in zen, outer space deconstruction simulator, Hardspace Shipbreaker. In addition to the usual breakdown of the game’s story and gameplay mechanics, the duo get into gaming loops, micro objectives and puzzles, corporate megalomania and mandatory agreement to terms and conditions, the role of banter and companionship in games, dystopian retro futurism, and if gaming companies should use unsigned musicians for their soundtracks to foster more variety and cultivate new talent. Major story spoilers towards the end of the pod, but nothing detrimental to gameplay.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Institutional oppression, bosses from hell, occasionally explicit cursing.

    Clarifications:

    * All music for Hardspace Shipbreaker was composed by Blackbird Interactive, specifically Jono Grant, Traz Dimji, Ben McCullough, Philip J Bennett

    * Hardspace Shipbreaker was released on 16 June 2020

    * Tao was right about the navigation system in Myst. It’s marginally different, but certainly comparable:

    * While digging out the South Park ‘terms and conditions’ audio, I found this track by Seb Lowe which I think is worth sharing. Seems like a talented young guy:

    * According to the Nintendo product page, there are actually 500 different products in Wilmot’s Warehouse

    * Owen Wilson says ‘Wow’ compilation is, bizarrely, worth watching in full. It’s absurd:

    * Vincent D'Onofrio, who acted Edgar in Men in Black (1997) is not the voice of Hal Rhodes. That honour goes to Adam Nurada.

    * ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ is a twice-monthly podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Check out their website here: https://www.welcometonightvale.com/

    * Hypnospace Outlaw was our second ever episode and is available here. I like to think we’ve come a long way:

    Audio extracts:

    * Futurama theme

    * Half Life 2

    * Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place from Kid A

    * 2001 A Space Odyssey

    * Men in Black - Farmer Edgar

    * Chuck Brodsky - Bill & Annie in full. Available for purchase here:

    * The Office - ‘Good news and bad news’

    * The Office - David Brent interviews Tim Canterbury

    * South Park - HumancentiPad - S15E01

    * Wilmot's Warehouse OST by Eli Rainsberry

    * Pigs In Space, The Muppets

    * Owen Wilson says ‘Wow’ over and over

    * Welcome to Nightvale

    * Hypnospace Outlaw by Jay Tholen

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.net Twitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E45 Unravel Two

    E45 Unravel Two

    · Pixel Vision

    Ben and Tao tug and pull each other - not like that - as they swing from leaf to bough to frog to swan, in stringy suburban couch co-op pendulous puzzler, Unravel Two. The duo break down exactly what they’re looking for in a co-operative platformer and if this side scroller has all the right ingredients. Between comparisons to other co-op titles and nearly random film references, they talk friendship, fascism, faux urgency, the role of metaphors in story design, and of course their own interpretations of the Unravel Two plot. Plus, what makes a suitable audience, and why Ben’s sudden interest in simulations may be linked to his new VR headset. Negligible spoilers.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Some bad language but not worse than your average playground. No violence. No sex. Good or bad? You decide! (And let us know in our Suggestion Box
)

    Clarifications:

    * If it isn’t obvious, the audio at the end is Ben and Tao narrating their own playthrough of Unravel Two. It’s not the commentary track of an inappropriate DVD.

    * Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) is a sci-fi comedy from Mark Duplass.

    * Vengeance (2022) is a comedy film written and directed by B. J. Novak. Ben enjoyed it and recommends. You can see other films he liked (and hated) here: BennyViews.com

    * Tao references N! - game you can still play in browser here: https://www.thewayoftheninja.org/n.html (it’s not as fun as everyone remembers it)

    * We reviewed Overboard! Here:

    * We reviewed It Takes Two here:

    * We reviewed Astroneer here:

    * We reviewed Greedfall here:

    Audio extracts:

    * Monty Python - Bring Out Your Dead

    * Al Bowlly - Goodnight Vienna

    * Spanish Flea by Herb Alpert

    * Overboard! Game (2021)

    * The Amazing Spiderman - 1960's Cartoon theme

    * The Mighty Boosh - ‘Hold Me’

    * Half-Life 2

    * Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes by Liam Sauvé

    * It Takes Two OST

    * Are we the baddies? - Mitchell and Webb

    * Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr. Hitler by Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner (Dad’s Army theme)

    * A Way Out game (2018)

    * Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons game (2013)

    * Portal OST - 'Still Alive' by Jonathan Coulton

    * Astroneer OST

    * Safety Not Guaranteed (2012) feat. Mark Duplass

    * Greedfall OST by Olivier Deriviere

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E44 Weird West

    E44 Weird West

    · Pixel Vision

    In servitude to a higher power and with a mysterious brand to show for it, Ben and Tao dominate multiple characters (and creatures), fill their posse, and ride hard all over the weird west in Wild West twin stick shooter, action RPG, supernatural spin-off: Weird West. And that infantile summary is in no way representative of the content herein. Tumbleweed tumbles. Dust billows. High noon rings out from a nearby bell tower. “There ain’t enough room in this personality for the both of us!” calls a voice, and Ben and Tao face off, eyes narrowed, hands hovering at gun belts, ready to quickdraw. They discuss in-game reputation; aim and controller systems; the role of incentives in gaming; loot, upgrades and skill trees in RPGs in general and if isometric RPGs face a unique difficulty in world building; independent journalism and the role of critics in general. Plus, Tao reveals a personal connection to the devs. Sorta. Basic story spoilers from around half way through, plus a major story spoiler (the ending!) which is very clearly flagged in advance.

    Content Warning: PEGI 15. Strong language and strong opinions from the start. And a Trump quote, for which we are very sorry.

    Clarifications:

    * Interestingly, after both Ben and Tao criticised the gaming controls and aiming system - the devs just announced they’re releasing a new aim mode. There’s no suggestion these things are related.

    * The film to which Tao refers depicting violent Native Americans is Bone Tomahawk (2015).

    * We still don’t know if it’s possible to recruit Across Rivers to your posse if he is corrupted by the Spirit of Greed during his storyline.

    Audio extracts:

    * ITV Take Me Out - TV Show theme and intro feat. Paddy McGuinness

    * Bite Your Crush - Monster Prom OST

    * The Wanted - I Found You (as heard in ITVs Take Me Out)

    * Calamity Jane from ‘Deadwood’

    * The former and possibly soon to be incarcerated President of the US

    * Ly O Lay Ale Loya (Circle Dance)

    * Vince Noir from The Mighty Boosh says, ‘Oh Yeah’

    * Weird West OST performed by Weird Wolves and Choose Hellth

    * Arcanum - Main Theme from OST

    * Spider-man (2002)

    * Baldur's Gate - Main Theme from OST

    * DISHONORED - Main Theme by Daniel Licht

    * The Pink Panther theme song by Henry Mancini

    * The Sword of a Thousand Truths - South Park

    * I Need A Dollar - song by Aloe Blacc

    * Dragon Age 2 - Main theme from OST

    * Dollar - song by Electric Guest

    * One Pound Fish! Meme song. Turns out this guy made a music video out of this meme. All the power to him:

    * Morrowind OST - main theme

    * Commandos: Beyond The Call Of Duty main menu music

    * Commandos character voices

    * Desperados 3 OST - main theme

    * Game creator, Raphael Colantonio, talks about implementing the aiming system and how it nearly broke the game’s development. More in this Gamespot vid

    * Nuclear Throne OST - main theme

    * Options - song by Gomez

    * Fallout 3 Soundtrack - I don't want to set the World on Fire’

    * Bodied (2017) - brilliant film, check it out if you didn’t already

    * Bone Tomahawk (2015)

    * Jeannie's Diary - song by Eels

    * Death Stranding OST - main theme

    * Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem OST

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.net Twitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E43 SOMA

    E43 SOMA

    · Pixel Vision

    Ben and Tao think therefore they are, getting mindfully and consciously philosophical, in 2015’s subaquatic survival horror existential crisis cultivator, SOMA. The conversation gets as deep as the abyss, with topics covering euthanasia; the nature of human existence, consciousness and digital transcendence; different forms of horror - the horrifying and the horrendous; artificial intelligence, super intelligence, digital taps and the Paperclip Maximizer hypothetical; and the concept of the ‘Human Black Box’ to document the last seconds of people’s lives. Plus, Tao becomes the second person to diagnose Ben with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Tao is not a doctor. Caution: a crap ton of story spoilers from early in the pod. They are forecast in advance.

    Content Warning: PEGI 15. Swearing, sounds of screaming. Tao’s tap. The horror, the horror


    Clarifications:

    * SOMA was released on September 22, 2015. It’s a sci-fi horror game from Frictional Games, the creators of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

    * The name SOMA is not an acronym, it originates from the Greek word Ïƒáż¶ÎŒÎ± (soma) which refers to the body, specifically the body as distinct from the mind or the soul.

    * Robert Nozick was an American philosopher.

    * The Paperclip Maximizer is a thought experiment described by Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom, author of the book Superintelligence.

    Audio extracts:

    * Windows XP start up and shut down sounds

    * Upgrade (2018) feat. Logan Marshall Green

    * The Magnificent Seven theme by Elmer Bernstein performed by Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and Erich Kunzel

    * The Ricky Gervais Show feat. Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington

    * Nat King Cole - There Will Never Be Another You

    * The countdown timer from ‘24’

    * A Real Hero - College & Electric Youth

    * The Last of Us OST - The Quarantine Zone (20 Years Later) by Gustavo Santaolalla

    * CĂ©line Dion - All By Myself

    * Clippy - Office XP launch, 2001

    * Amnesia: The Dark Descent OST by Mikko Tarmia

    * Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

    * Return of the Obra Dinn OST by Lucas Pope

    * Outer Wilds - Angler Fish sounds

    * The Manchurian Candidate (2004)

    * Bioshock

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E42 Void Bastards

    E42 Void Bastards

    · Pixel Vision

    Penal denizens Ben and Tao lower their visors and enter the airlock, ready to race against time and depleting oxygen, evade security cameras, turrets and warbots, and massacre all manner of space monsters in the droll and aptly titled looter-shooter, Void Bastards. Issues discussed include Roguelike game lengths and replayability; procedural generation, randomness and its impact on decision making; comedy in games versus TV or film; and if Void Bastards would work as a tabletop board game. No story spoilers.

    Content Warning: PEGI 13. The yobbish space monsters are full on Sweary McSwearface, but your hosts are fairly restrained this ep. You’re welcome.

    Clarifications:

    * The original music for Void Bastards was composed by Ryan Roth. The developers are Blue Manchu.

    * It was originally released on May 28, 2019.

    * Ben annoyingly conflates two separate (but very similar!) space comedies, each released in 2020. One is Armando Iannuci’s Avenue 5 starring Hugh Laurie:

    * The other, whose audio is featured, is Space Force, a series created by Greg Daniels and Steve Carell for Netflix. They’re both a bit crap, so his point still stands.

    Audio extracts:

    * The Terminator (1984)

    * MC Devvo - ‘Have a game of coins, mate’:

    * Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

    * Half-Life

    * Slay the Spire OST by Clark Aboud

    * Lovespeake - DNA

    * Borderlands 3 OST by Michael McCann

    * Alan Partridge - Tannoy (Steve Coogan)

    * The Mighty Boosh - Isolation

    * Space Force (2020)

    * Dale's Supermarket Sweep

    * Arrested Development - ‘Come on!’

    * Terminator 2 theme by Brad Fiedel

    * Hades OST - House of Hades theme by Darren Korb

    * And, of course, from Pixel Vision’s back catalogue - E1 Disco Elysium:

    Substack:Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E41 Manifold Garden

    E41 Manifold Garden

    · Pixel Vision

    Ben and Tao get jiggy with gravity in colour coded cubic confounder, Manifold Garden. As they get lost explaining its abstract infinity and implausible geometry, they find a lack of boundaries just as thorny in the manifold garden as in Tao’s vegetable patch, they weed out bugs (and I’m not talking ladybirds), deconstruct the ratio of time played to problems solved, and ponder how the sandbox has revolutionised creativity: specifically, whether computational technology has suppressed as much cultural innovation as it may have spawned. No spoilers (for once!)

    Content Warning: PEGI 13.

    Clarifications:

    * The original music for Manifold Garden is composed by Laryssa Okada

    * Here’s the explainer Ben watched on Non-Euclidean Geometry by YouTuber, CodeParade:

    * Christopher Nolan’s short early film was called ‘Doodlebug’ not just ‘Bug’. You can watch it here:

    * Incidentally, if you’re an affectionate critic of Nolan (which is to say, you like his films but think they all suffer from expositional incontinence), you might enjoy comedian Michael Spicer’s take:

    * Here’s the Reddit thread where they confirm the yellow tree cube bug Ben laments: https://www.reddit.com/r/ManifoldGarden/comments/ifydmf/missing_cube_on_a_yellow_tree_bug/ (note the thread is 2 years old!!)

    * Here’s the developer explaining how to load older save versions of the same save file:

    * Game Maker’s Toolkit is presented by Mark Brown on YouTube. Coincidentally, the magnet concept Tao mentions is actually implemented in Qube, the 2011 puzzler from Toxic Games.

    * Antichamber - a hugely similar game to this one - is a first-person puzzle-platform game created by Australian developer Alexander "Demruth" Bruce and released in 2013.

    Audio extracts:

    * The Shining (1980)

    * The Mighty Boosh

    * Jesus Walks by Kanye West

    * The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers (2002)

    * The Other Guys (2010)

    * The Witness challenge music

    * Return of the Obra Dinn OST by Lukas Pope

    * Urban Species - I Wonder

    * Coherence (2013)

    * Qube

    * Antichamber

    * Doodlebug by Christopher Nolan (1997)

    * BBC Sherlock feat. Benedict Cumberbatch (2010)

    * Austin Powers (1997) feat. Mike Myers

    * Portal 2 feat. Stephen Merchant as Wheatley

    * Blade Runner (1982) - Vangelis - Tears in Rain

    * Halt and Catch Fire theme by TrentemĂžller

    * The Rite of Spring - Ballet by Igor Stravinsky

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E40 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

    E40 Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

    · Pixel Vision

    Always Rebels at heart, Ben and Tao finally join the Alliance, drop some sweet lightsaber sweeps, get feely with the Force and kick some Empire ass while reviving the Fallen Jedi Order in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, colon included. Ben alienates Star Wars fans with a hybrid cow-horse metaphor mashup and a broad critique of recent incarnations of the franchise; Tao settles into his psychology sofa to talk trauma’s role in the storyline and the Dark Side more generally, and the pair discuss how this Souls-like Star Wars experience compares to the original FromSoftware formats. We get into spoilers around two thirds of the way through the pod.

    Content Warning: PEGI 15. Swearing and stuff. Ben tempts you to the dark side. Oh, and autosave is enabled on this podcast - don’t turn off while it’s saving.

    Clarifications:

    * The music for Fallen Order is by Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab

    * BD-1, Chewbacca and Wall-E are all voiced by Ben Burtt (not Brad or Bret, Tao! He only shares a name with your co-host
)

    * Andy Serkis did not win an Oscar / Academy Award for his performance as Gollum. Indeed, he has never won an Oscar. However, according to Wikipedia, for his role in The Lord of the Rings film series, he won the Empire Award for Best British Actor, Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor, and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, which he obviously shared with the rest of the cast.

    * The difficulty levels are: Story, Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, and Jedi Grandmaster (which means if Tao did play it on Jedi Knight, Ben completed it a superior level. In your face, Tao!)

    * Our episode on Subnautica is here:

    * Our episode on Sekiro is here:

    * Our episode on Immortals Fenyx Rising is here:

    * Oh, and Lara Croft doesn’t really ‘wall run’ in Tomb Raider, she kinda wall scrambles.

    Audio extracts:

    * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), theme and audio clips

    * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope - Cantina (1977)

    * 5 live bulletins remix from 10 Jun 2022 - apologies to my former colleagues, it’s just a bit of fun!

    * Only Fools and Horses theme

    * Star Wars Pod Racer N64

    * The Mandalorian

    * The Book of Boba Fett

    * Obi Wan Kenobi

    * 24 - Season 2 - actor Carlos Bernard as Tony Almeida

    * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Luke Lands On Dagobah

    * WALL-E (2008)

    * Beverly Hill Cop 3 (1994)

    * The Taming of Smeagol from The Two Towers OST by Howard Shore

    * The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) feat. Andy Serkis as Gollum

    * Dark Souls OST by Motoi Sakuraba

    * Immortals Fenyx Rising OST by Gareth Coker

    * Spaced, Season 1: Chaos feat. Simon Pegg

    * Imperial March (From "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back")

    * The Prince of Egypt (1998) - Parting the Red Sea Scene

    * Subnautica OST by Simon Chylinski

    * The Mighty Boosh - Howard Moon (Julian Barratt)

    * The Martian - feat. Matt Damon

    * Game of Thrones Season 7 - Ed Sheeran

    * Austin Powers

    * Sekiro OST by Yuka Kitamura

    * Family Guy - ‘Join The Empire!’ spoof

    * Samuel Jackson asks George Lucas for a purple lightsaber

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.net Twitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E39 Overboard!

    E39 Overboard!

    · Pixel Vision

    Danger lurks as Ben and Tao figure out not just how to get away with murder, but how to do it with aplomb, in Inkle’s inverted murder mystery whodunit - (we did!) - Overboard! As well as discussing the various solutions and outcomes of the tricksy puzzler, the pair discuss the innovative use of time, repetition as both an obstacle and invitation to discovery, player knowledge to supplement character knowledge and whether there’s method to Inkle’s madness. Plus, Pixel Vision make a special announcement
 Spoilers upon spoilers. This game would be nearly impossible to discuss without game critical reveals. If you like the sound of it from the intro, it’s recommended you play before listening.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Seduction and saucy behaviour, but nothing graphic (in the game, Tao and Ben are platonic as ever). Delightfully sociopathic murders depicted through comedic text snippets (also in the game. Ben and Tao are alive and well. At the time of writing).

    Clarifications:

    * You may hear us refer to the main character, Veronica Villensey, as Villensley, with an L. This is an error. Ben regrets this error. Tao says “it might as well be the same name”.

    * Much of the music is performed by the US Army Band, US Army Blues, US Army Strings and The Dixieland Band of the US Army Band's Jazz Ambassador and includes:

    * Flight of the Bumblebee

    * Coventry Carol

    * Souvenir De Florence Mvt 1

    * Main Stem

    * Kelli's Number

    * Stardust

    * Bugablue

    * Bayou Farewell

    * The a cappella group Ben references is not The Inkspots, it’s ​Birmingham Jubilee Singers, singing Pharaoh's Army Got Drowned

    * Ben mentions the love poems and at the time of recording hadn’t figured out their usage. They are relevant to a playthrough achievement dubbed ‘The Leap of Faith’.

    * Despite many endings and achievements discussed here, there are many more!

    * The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold is a novel by Evelyn Waugh (1957)

    * Here’s evidence of Ben’s fastidious note-taking:

    Audio extracts:

    * Knives Out! (String Quartet in G Minor) by Nathan Johnson

    * Death on the Nile (ITV’s Poirot)

    * Deathloop Theme by Tom Salta

    * Palm Springs (2020)

    * The Simpsons - Marge joins the Springfield Police

    * Bright Young Things (2003)

    * Heaven’s Vault OST - Before the Fall by Laurence Chapman

    * 80 Days OST by Laurence Chapman

    * Former British PM, Gordon Brown, calling a lady a ‘bigoted woman’ in 2010

    * Leon Bridges - If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)

    * Gomez - Meet Me In The City

    * Rounders (1998) feat. John Malkovich

    * The Godfather (1972)

    * Louis Prima - Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)

    * Dixieland One-Step by Sidney Bechet

    * Django Reinhardt - Sweet Georgia Brown

    * Open a Breach from the Into The Breach OST by Ben Prunty

    * Dexter - Blood Theme by Daniel Licht

    * Main Stem by Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra

    * Psycho (1960)

    * Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata

    * Handbags and Gladrags arr. by Big George from The Office (UK) (2000)

    * Star Wars - Imperial March (Apashe Remix)

    * I Love You, Man (2009) - ‘Ridonculous’

    * Rachmaninoff plays Prelude in C Sharp Minor

    Substack: Sign up free to read our reviews and commentary at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E38 Resident Evil 3

    E38 Resident Evil 3

    · Pixel Vision

    Among the streets and sewers of Racoon City, Ben and Tao flee the relentless Nemesis, hunt an elusive vaccine, stop an unstoppable sociopath, and split up to look for survivors in Capcom’s riveting zombie horror remake, Resident Evil 3. They discuss the gimmick of the invulnerable enemy, the controversial redesign of classic characters for new generations and modern sensibilities, the role of partially locked map design to mitigate backtracking, the fine line between B-movie hyperbole and cult success, and how even originality of script and narrative can play second fiddle to good fun and near-flawless execution. Story spoilers abound. Seriously, don’t listen to this if you’re worried about spoilers, play the game first. Otherwise, come get some!

    Content Warning: PEGI 15. A subtle blend of lateral thinking and extreme violence. (No, not like ‘It’s a Knockout!’)

    Clarifications:

    * The original soundtrack to Resident Evil 3 is by multiple composers, including Masami Ueda, Azusa Kato, Ryo Koike, Takumi Saito, Kota Suzuki, Takayasu Sodeoka, Saori Maeda, Jeff Broadbent, Zhenlan Kang. It’s available on Steam

    * As Tao suspected, there is an accompanying series of novels. Wikipedia says the first Resident Evil novel was Hiroyuki Ariga's novella Biohazard: The Beginning, published in 1997 as a portion of the book The True Story of Biohazard. The story serves as a prelude to the original Resident Evil, in which Chris investigates the disappearance of his missing friend, Billy Rabbitson.

    * Ben says this is a continuation of the events of Resident Evil 2. It would be more accurate to say they happen in an overlapping time frame. Parts of Resident Evil 3 even take place before Resident Evil 2, though this concludes later in time. The YouTuber Gamer’s Little Playground does an admirable job of piecing the cutscenes together chronologically:

    * Ben reviewed Alien Isolation here:

    * The character of Jill Valentine also appears in Resident Evil 1 & 5 as well as some non-numbered Resident Evil games.

    * Here’s the episode where we discussed achievements in Desperados 3:

    Audio extracts:

    * Channel 4’s Spaced. Series 1 Episode 3. Watch the whole series here for a slice of fried gold: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/spaced

    * I MONSTER - The Blue Wrath

    * Night of the Living Dead (1968) OST - Driveway to the Cemetery

    * Simon Pegg in Mission:Impossible (who knows which one of them
)

    * Resident Evil 2 - The Beginning of Story Music

    * The Simpsons - McBain

    * Resident Evil 2 Remake OST - Mr.X

    * Love is in the Air by John Paul Young

    * Alien Isolation theme by Joe Henson and Alexis Smith

    * Zombieland feat. Jesse Eisenberg

    * Puffin de herb - Human Traffic

    * Bob Marley interview

    * Falling Down (1993) - ‘take some shooting lessons’

    * Ratchet and Clank PS5

    * The Room (2003) - ‘Oh, hi Mark’

    * Scooby Doo - ‘We should split up’

    * Ivan Ave - Circle

    * The Forest theme by Gabe Castro

    * The Flight of the Bumble Bee from the Overboard! Trailer:

    Substack: Out with the old Patreon, in with the new Substack. Find us at www.pixelvision.net Twitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E37 Age of Empires 4

    E37 Age of Empires 4

    · Pixel Vision

    Ben and Tao notch their bows, load their trebuchets, unsheath their swords (thankfully not a euphemism) and lay siege to their enemies in Microsoft’s docuseries revival of historical RTS, Age of Empires IV. The duo flashback to memories of Age of Empires 2 and the role of games in education, query the environmental ramifications of forced epic downloads (that’s epic, not Epic), and debate whether the RTS genre is dead on its feet. They also explore at what point real world historical violence becomes acceptable for monetisation and entertainment in video games. Bur first, Tao decides, unilaterally, to make an apology. Story spoilers in all good history books and Wikipedia - not many here!

    Content Warning: PEGI 13. Lessons on historic warfare and violent conquest. Culture wars, old and new.

    Clarifications:

    * The original soundtrack to Age of Empires IV was composed by various musicians including Tilman Sillescu, Alex Röder, Henning Nugel, Armin Haas & Mikolai Stroinski

    * This is the BBC The Inquiry episode, ‘Are Video Games A Waste Of Time?’ which Ben produced: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3csv1bv

    * Nathan Brown wrote a persuasive piece on balancing AI in gaming in his Substack, Hit Points. Pixel Vision recommends:

    * The controversy over Manchester Cathedral in Resistance Fall of Man: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/6736809.stm

    Audio extracts:

    * Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings theme and intro

    * Age of Empires 2 various sound effects

    * Age of Empires 2: Conquerors

    * Noah Visits from The Village OST by James Newton Howard

    * Whiplash feat. JK Simmons

    * The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

    * Tracy Chapman - Baby Can I Hold You

    * Age of Empires IV Main Theme and soundtrack

    * The Jungle Book (1967)

    * Age of Mythology Soundtrack - A Cat Named Mittens

    * Peter and the Wolf - Sergei Prokofiev

    * Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

    * The Motorcycle Diaries - Sendero - by Gustavo Santaolalla

    * Tiger King feat. Joe Exotic

    * BBC The Inquiry - Are Video Games A Waste Of Time?

    * The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    * Star Craft 2 soundtrack, by composers Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, Neal Acree, Russell Brower, Sascha Dikiciyan and Cris Velasco

    * A Knight's Tale OST by Carter Burwell

    * Rome Total War OST by Jeff van Dyck

    * Build A Wall by East Park Reggae Collective

    * Your Highness (2011)

    * Bill Bailey - Chaucer’s pub joke

    * Hitman 3 OST by Niels Bye Nielsen

    * Channel 4’s Spaced feat. Simon Pegg

    * Diablo 3 OST by Russell Brower

    * The Mighty Boosh

    * The Postal Service - Such Great Heights

    * Sky News

    * Fawlty Towers feat. John Cleese

    * Resistance Fall of Man

    * Spec Ops: The Line OST - Truth Revealed by Elia CmĂ­ral

    * Fable 3

    * Resident Evil 3 main theme by Kƍta Suzuki

    Patreon: We’ve moved! Our Patreon has closed in favour Substack. Find us at www.pixelvision.netTwitter: @pixelvizEmail: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E36 Monster Prom

    E36 Monster Prom

    · Pixel Vision

    Baggy trousers, hanging shirts, tentacles and Furry flirts! Ben and Tao reminisce about school days gone by after trying to get laid in supernatural dating sim, Monster Prom. The innuendo filled discussion bounces from hentai to bestiality, UK vs UK cultural touchstones to what constitutes critical acclaim, and a voiceless new contributor joins in from the wings: Tao’s mysteriously anonymous vampire girlfriend (or so he says). Both hosts profess to(o) much ignorance of online pornographic kinks, Ben finds dating every bit as tough as he remembers, and Tao surprises no-one revealing a Furry fetish. Sort of. No story spoilers.

    Content Warning: PEGI 13. An explicit, hypersexual discussion including many taboos and tone-deaf singing. Keep your pets locked up!

    Clarifications:



    The original soundtrack to Monster Prom was composed by Claudi Martinez
    Weebl’s Stuff was a 2002 era flash website. It still exists as a shadow of its former self.
    Here’s Polygon writers Jeff Ramos and Allegra Frank offering the flipside of our discussion: https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/2/17304752/monster-prom

    Audio extracts:



    Baggy Trousers by Madness
    Byker Grove theme tune
    The Inbetweeners theme (instrumental)
    Press Gang theme
    Nelson from The Simpsons
    Dr Hakim from It Takes Two
    Christopher Walken SNL ‘gotta have more cowbell’
    Just the two of us by Bill Withers
    Mass Effect (Tali)
    Monsters University
    Monsters Inc
    Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler
    Mona The Vampire opening titles
    Monster Prom’s kickstarter
    Friday Night Lights
    Badger Badger - Weebl’s Stuff
    Alexandre Desplat’s theme to The Shape of Water
    Yamete meme
    Jurassic Park (1993)
    Arrested Development Mr F
    An American Werewolf in London by Elmer Bernstein
    The Animals of Farthing Wood theme (1993-1995)
    Paradise Killer OST - The Lemegeton Bop
    Back to the Future
    Superbad - Michael Cera sings ‘These Eyes’
    Blind Date with Cilla Black
    Age of Empires 2 theme

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pixelvisionpod
    Twitter: @pixelviz
    Email: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E35 Cyberpunk 2077

    E35 Cyberpunk 2077

    · Pixel Vision

    The cybernetic pixel kids and their anarchic mate, Keanu, are dickin’ about in the hood, implants upgraded and optics on point to hack the system and collapse the corps, in CD Projekt RED’s Night City brain dance RPG, Cyberpunk 2077. Dissecting what might be the most sexually explicit and graphic game covered by Pixel Vision to date, Ben and Tao discuss if raunchy RPGs are made for men, if Cyberpunk’s infamous launch controversy has left any bugs crawling the system, how even Tao can be impressed by graphics, and why in-game Keanu works better than Norman Reedus did in Death Stranding (clue: charisma is everything). Story spoilers heavily forecast and only about the early game. This was recorded pre Patch 1.5 update.


    Content Warning: PEGI 16. Like drugs, sex, rock and roll and hacking? We got you covered.


    Clarifications:



    All Cyberpunk 2077 music is composed by Marcin PrzybyƂowicz, P.T. Adamczyk, and Paul Leonard-Morgan
    The Night City song is by REL and Artemis Delta
    Death Stranding’s actor is Norman Reedus.
    The show Ben can’t remember is Altered Carbon on Netflix.
    The GPT3 AI Ben references is Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3, an autoregressive language model that uses deep learning to produce human-like text.
    Tao’s gripe about the phone automatically answering has been fixed in the latest patch, post-record, pre-broadcast. At least they agreed it shouldn’t have happened!
    The ‘wheelie thing’ Ben is on about is a Segway
    CD Projekt RED’s game engine is called the RED Engine.

    Audio extracts:



    The Matrix (1999)
    Monty Python - The Penis Song
    Animal Crossing OST
    Sex and the City theme
    ITVs Love Island theme
    Mario Kart 64 Rainbow Road theme
    Snatch (2000)
    Rage Against The Machine - Wake Up
    Kelis - Milkshake
    The Mask (1994)
    Dr Syntax - Subcultures
    Seth Sentry - My Scene
    Jungle - The Heat
    Altered Carbon
    Watch Dogs theme
    Watch Dogs 2
    Urban Species - I wonder
    Goldfinger
    Goldeneye
    Tina Turner - Goldeneye theme
    The Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
    Fosters - Good Call advert
    The Simpsons duff beer ad
    PLEBS
    The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
    West World HBO
    Travis Eliot yoga instructor
    Oblivion OST
    The Pixies - Where is my mind?
    BBC Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy theme
    BBC Line of Duty theme
    Observer OST

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pixelvisionpod
    Twitter: @pixelviz
    Email: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E34 Halo Infinite: Multiplayer

    E34 Halo Infinite: Multiplayer

    · Pixel Vision

    The boys are back for their first episode of 2022, armour donned and dropping feet first into a guns blazing, heady and impassioned round of Team Doubles in Halo Infinite: Multiplayer. Except there are no Team Doubles in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer - but don’t worry, they cover that; that and everything from TTK to the Freemium Model, to the Mangler, Step Jump, Curb Slide and the competitive scene gets a look in. Nostalgia versus modernity - was it worth the wait? Story spoilers. Just joking
 This is a Pixel Vision first - a multiplayer exclusive. Stay tuned for the Campaign follow up later in the year.

    Content Warning: PEGI 12. Happy days, the duo drop a few F bombs, but nothing even a rookie Halo player couldn’t repulse.

    Clarifications:



    Observations are accurate as of the time of recording. Eg. No anti-cheat at the time of recording.
    A couple of the medals Ben references are actually Mythic medals, which is the tier above Legendary.
    343 Industries first Halo game was Halo 4, before that it was Bungie
    Sprint was introduced in Halo: Reach back in 2010, Clamber was introduced in Halo 5 (along with Thrust)

    Audio extracts:



    Halo Combat Evolved, 2, 3, ODST, Reach, 4, 5 and Infinite OSTs featuring original scores by Martin O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, Neil Davidge, Kazuma Jinnouchi, Alex Bhore, Gareth Coker, Curtis Schweitzer, and Joel Corelitz.
    N64’s Goldeneye
    Quake
    Marathon
    The Office - David Brent meets Steve Carrell
    Halo 2 Mjolnir Mix
    Robot Wars “Activate”
    Ace v Pistola Halo 4 Global Championships
    Grange Hill
    Apex Legends - Main Theme
    Battlefield 4
    Shyway
    Lucid Style Points (HCS Raleigh) OG v Sentinels
    Superbad
    V for Vendetta
    Just Cause 3
    Good Kill
    Spider-Man 1967 theme
    Star Wars Episode 1 Phantom Menace Gungan Battle
    Titanfall 2 OST
    Donkey Kong
    Halo player ‘Frosty’ gets a ninja in scrims
    Monty Python and the Holy Grail
    Captain America: The First Avenger
    Fast Five
    Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way
    Lucid - HOLD THIS montage
    Inception
    Tell Me Why - The Beatles
    The Specials - Why?
    Taylor Swift - Tell Me Why
    Neil Young - Tell Me Why
    The Kid Laroi - Tell Me Why
    Supermoder - Tell Me Why
    Ghost of Tsushima - The Way of the Ghost
    The Big Lebowski
    The Social Network - Trent Rexnor
    Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
    Splitgate theme by Christopher Tin
    HCS Raleigh 2022 feat. Onset

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pixelvisionpod
    Twitter: @pixelviz
    Email: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E33 Observer

    E33 Observer

    · Pixel Vision

    In this special, early Christmas Day release, Ben and Tao upload themselves into neural noir, cyber arthouse, psychological horror, Observer. As they detangle the convoluted murder mystery, Ben finds his inner Luddite, Tao imagines cyber-limbed, animal-spliced, Super Tao, and discussion veers into dangerous political territory, sordid subject matters, and extensive deliberation over dystopian futurism. Story spoilers late in the pod, but it’s a short game, so either play it first or don’t complain!

    Content Warning: PEGI 17. This is seriously dark and very explicit. Sorry. Also, Tao’s cat miaows offensively in the background.

    Clarifications:



    Observer music is by composer Arkadiusz Reikowski
    The main character is called Daniel Lazarski
    The upcoming ‘cyber renaissance’ game from Greedfall devs, Spiders, is called Steelrising (apparently at Spiders, titles either rise or fall
)
    The film Ben references on the theme of uploading consciousness is Transcendence, a 2014 American science fiction thriller directed by Wally Pfister and written by Jack Paglen.
    Anon is a 2018 British-American science fiction thriller film written and directed by Andrew Niccol starring Clive Owen

    Audio extracts:



    'Figment' by Simon Park (from Dawn of the Dead)
    Multiple tracks from Observer OST by composer Arkadiusz Reikowski
    Love Actually (2003) feat. Hugh Grant
    Iron Harvest OST
    The Coup - Pork and Beef
    Saw (2004) - and its soundtrack by Charlie Clouser
    So You Wanna Be A Boxer(Bugsy Malone Soundtrack) by Paul Williams (1976)
    ANON (2018) feat. Clive Owen
    Soylent Green (1973)
    The Herbaliser - Very Mercenary
    The Simpsons - ‘tis a fine barn
    Fitter Happier by Radiohead
    Paranoid Android by Radiohead
    Elysium
    A Touch of Frost by Ray Russell
    Harrison Ford has lost his family (My Wife! My Family! Compilation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-vjbuodBEU
    Alien Isolation OST by Christian Henson
    Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
    Steelrising trailer by Spiders
    David Fincher’s Se7en (1995)
    Transcendence (2014)
    The Matrix (1999)
    Halo 2 Mjolnir Mix by Marty O'Donnell feat. Steve Vai
    HCS Raleigh 2021
    Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pixelvisionpod
    Twitter: @pixelviz
    Email: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • E32 Deathloop

    E32 Deathloop

    · Pixel Vision

    Good morning, Blackreef! Captains Ben and Tao rack their brains, reignite their memories, and mow down endless Eternalists in Arkane Studios' cocksure first person shooter, Deathloop. The team talk character development, playing detective, stealth, Twitter, Tao’s reluctance to play scary games, oh, and a spot of incest. Story spoilers abound I’m afraid, it’s just one of those games, but as ever, they’re generously forecast.


    Content Warning: PEGI 15. Effin and jeffin. Tarantino blood spatter. Graphic innuendo.


    Clarifications:



    All Deathloop instrumental music was composed by Tom Salta & Ross Tregenza‎
    Colt’s first word is not ‘F*k’ (although we’re surely forgiven that it could have been)
    Ramblin Frank’s tunes were written and Performed by Erich Talaba
    Duskers is a strategy video game by independent developer Misfits Attic. It was released on May 18, 2016.
    There are three Dishonored games to date. Tao’s out of the (Death)loop.
    Bulletstorm is a 2011 FPS from Gearbox, it was rereleased as the Full Clip Edition in 2017.
    The time bending FPS Singularity was released in 2010, not 2011.a
    The ‘Unknown Man’ in the boathouse is not just a tantalising tease, his secret is very much discoverable

    Audio extracts:



    W.G. Snuffy Walden’s score to Aaron Sorkin’s ABC series, Sports Night.
    Land of the Giants - The Drop
    Duskers OST
    The West Wing Weekly podcast theme
    Lost Unanswered Questions by College Humor
    Deadpool ft. Ryan Reynolds
    Reservoir Dogs
    Dishonored main theme by Daniel Licht
    Fallout 4 main theme
    The Outer Wilds main theme
    Bulletstorm main theme by Piotr MusiaƂ, MichaƂ Cielecki and Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz
    Left 4 Dead
    Prey
    Superbad feat Jonah Hill
    Outlast OST by Samuel Laflamme
    Robert Kilroy Silk - Shafteda

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pixelvisionpod
    Twitter: @pixelviz
    Email: [email protected]



    Get full access to Pixel Vision at www.pixelvision.net/subscribe
  • Vis mere