QCF: Song of the Deep

s vast as the ocean is, nothing compares to the depth that it hides below; there’s this whole other world that exists under the fathoms, upon fathoms of the sea’s underbelly. So one would imagine just how well the explorative dynamics of a Metroidvania-direction would complement that sort of setting, especially with the caliber of a developer like Insomniac Games at the helm—and Gamestop publishing it themselves to boot.

In spite of this surefire recipe for success however, Song of the Deep only manages to live up to be somewhat endearing at best, and hopelessly mediocre at worst.

 Yeah, I know; the review is already going downhill from the start but my impression just simply couldn’t help from being deflated by the fact that the game’s biggest flaw happens to be one of the most important elements to a successful Metroidvania title.

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Evo 2016: The MIX Indie Showcase

he MIX stands for the Media Indie Exchange which is a colaboration between the MIX and Evo to showcase games from indie game developers to the hardcore fighting game and competitive players. From the offical Media Indie Exchange website, the MIX states "The fighting game community (FGC) is a tight-knit culture who share a lot in common with Indies.

Both are interested in system design, have grassroots community backgrounds; both appreciate well-crafted game design, mechanics and both understand that games are only as fun as the people you can play with and talk to. The MIX and EVO are independent productions who strive to develop their cultures and bring people together to share amazing experiences". We were able to play and speak with the developers of several titles on the Evo floor, a few we enjoyed and some that seemed a little out of place but worth discussing either way. 

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PPR Presents Play Play: Hyper Light Drifter

he Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past is one of most influential games in history, a masterpiece that will stand the test of time as one of the iconic showcases of game design. As such, it’s only natural that it would inspire the generation of games that followed its prime, and one day, there’s going to be a game that will outshine it.

Hyper Light Drifter isn’t that game mind you, but God Damn is it ever close to accomplishing that.

George takes full command in this edition of Play Play where plays through the beginning of Heart Machine’s love letter to ALTTP, and goes on about the delicately brilliant nuances to this title’s ebb and flow, and hauntingly beautiful Éric Chahi-like pixel animation, and art. 

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

PPR at GDC 16!

ncoming; we’ve got a late podcast from PPR, and for that; we sincerely apologize, but just know that we’re still here, we’re still kicking, and that’s never going to stop.

So GDC, George went there, and he played a TON of stuff; mostly shit that transported him to immersive worlds through the use of various gaudy headwear tech options that were strapped to his dumb dome. Stuff like Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Idealswift, and more in this special GDC recap.

Tons of other game talk too, especially Nintendo, and the debut of their app, Miitomo, some Batman V Superman talk, and all those shitty NX leaks that we all had fun with dissecting. What are y’all waiting for? Give it a listen!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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GDC 16: Mixing it up at the 5th Annual MIX

s GDC celebrates its 30^th anniversary, there’s another event that’s hit its 5^th year of life with the conference and beyond—the Media Indie Exchange, or as we’ve come to affectionately refer to it, The MIX.

A host of developers and media hover around the cavalcade of new indie games to get featured throughout the offices of IGN, all buzzy and tingly from the adult concessions of the hour. It’s a great event to check out some of the latest offerings from the indie dev community, and like any event; I took the opportunity to walk through the aisles to play everything I could.

Here are some of the games that really caught my attention; I’m ready to hype y’all through some cool shit.

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GDC 16: Examining the importance of Game Balance

he invisible metrics that operate behind the scenes of a game are arguably the most important aspects behind its design, because let’s face it; developers can have the coolest idea for a title on paper, but the magic won’t happen until it’s properly coded with all the information it needs to successfully work.

This is a topic of design that Game Design Professor Ian Schreiber cites to be criminally overlooked, and has taken it upon himself to make GDC 16 the ideal platform to share his views, and their significance in the ever-changing landscape of video games.

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PPR Presents Play Play: Rocket League

t’s funny how two niche past times like the sport of Soccer, and hobbyist RC Car driving, have been known to cater to an exceptionally small, but fervently dedicated fan-bases, and yet when you smash up the ideals of the two together—everyone loses their shit over it, in a good way of course.

This is Psyonix’s Rocket League, an indie sports-action hybrid that seemingly came from out of nowhere, and is now currently among the hottest online titles played across all major platforms, and why is that?

Because it’s fun as hell, and Georgie is going survey Ser’s take on the game and more, in this latest Play Play from Press Pause Radio—GO ORANGE! BOO BLUE!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

My thoughts on That Dragon, Cancer

 spent my weekend building up the nerve to boot up That Dragon, Cancer on my Ouya, and never have I felt so anxious about something like this, in such a long time.

The memories from my very first encounter with the title are still burned into the back of my skull, for better or worse. Knowing that I would be playing this game in a critical capacity, only made the whole thing even more challenging—I mean, how exactly to you review a game that serves as an interactive retelling of a true story about two parents, doing their best to raise their terminally ill child?

The thought of quantifying the quality of this particular title under the conventional criteria of criticism felt demeaning to the message of hardship and love that its story was trying to express.

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