The Rotating Platform and Other Podcasts from the NGamer Chaps

Are we saying what we've voted for in here before the 'cast? I'm currently struggling to choose between my 2.

The_Jaster wrote:

Anyhow I personally wouldn't say KIU is an on rails shooter (even though some levels are) but having not listened to this ep yet I don't know how much they may have bent the rules.

Yeah, at least half of KIU is not on rails, so I wouldn't back it (if asked!). And the controls do get in the way of what is a great game, as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, and, they bend the rules a little bit. Those bad chaps!

I'm not sure which genre KIU really falls under if not OR-shooter, though, given that it's divided into two very different halves. Miscellaneous action?

Also, I've sent in some a capella songs for next week! They're the three "audio" pieces on my website, if anyone's interested. "Audio percussive" was particularly badly sung, which is the idea, right?

None of y'all have noticed that episode 6 is up? Only halfway through so far, but chuffed at having got all of the a capellas apart from Alan's one (for obvious reasons). And check out that link to GNamer's happiest music week!

Looking at the link dump it fills me with joy that my suggestion of Arkham City is there, but fear that it's bundled with the more dated, weaker Arkham Asylum. Think my meeting is gonna happen before I reach the Space Ark though.

Agree with all the Halo stuff they bring up, I would be interested what Drunka things of Halo's going into it on the ONE as I do feel they do feel a bit dated mechanically now. So for someone new the first (the best) might feel worse then 4 due to it's more modern concepts even though it's a worse game.

Woo me and Matthew went for the same game.

I never thought of Arkham as a Metroidvania but now thinking about it it kinda is, I do prefer Asylum as I feel the story is better then City.

Surprised no one said an actual Metroid or Castlevania.

I'd urge anyone who thinks Asylum is a better game than City to go back and play them both. The story in Asylum is pretty loose and not as good as I remembered it, and the combat and gadgets are significantly worse.

Probably my favourite ep so far, made me chuckle so very much. I want to submit another suggestion to the ark just to hear them laughing about my message again!

Yeah maybe but Asylum set the games up, the sequel should be better.

I've sent mine for next week which is bending the genre quite a bit.

I agree with Andy that episode 6 is the best yet, I was in stitches at points. I think it's really gotten into its groove now, whereas the first couple of episodes were slightly awkward.

I particularly liked this week's "what have you been reading" discussion. I agree with Matthew's point about the minimap: it's best when you're not hoovering up icons on one, but also when you're expanding a minimap which can then become useful later, so you don't lose that immersion.

Listened this morning at the gym. Good stuff as ever. I love how Matthew h gets so into the idea of the platforms and the space ark and everything. I have also sent some songs for next week!

I'll let you know how I find halo, mas. I picked it up yesterday but spent all night on The Evil Within.

On minimaps, the idea of discovering the minimap as you venture around the map reminds me of Etrian Odyssey and its dungeon-crawling ilk a tad.

And yes, Matthew's dedication to the podcast's bizarre premises is easily one of the best things. We need the canon as to how the platforms rotate nailed down, though. Is it multiple platforms? One platform, but the underside is changed while you can't see it? An octohedral platform, with each side representing a difference part of the podcast? Truly these are the most important questions of our age.

Yes, when Matthew said he wanted to draw his own map (or along those lines) I immediately thought of Etrian Odyssey. But I think minimaps on some open world driving games will be a black sea until you discover the areas yourself, which is nice.

I also love how the trio are really into the abstract ideas. Not just the rotating platforms, but things like the Space Ark being set a thousand or so years from now.

Generally speaking I feel this podcast has brought back some of the fun silliness and side notes which have been lost in the transition away from magazines. Take Greener's Matthew teasing for example (this week's space ark), or how you couldn't do 100% true facts on the internet, but it was a feature in NGC Magazine.

I'm really chuffed that I noticed that Greener was humming this week, even if I had to pause the podcast for a few minutes, hum the tune to myself (at the time I could only think "I KNOW THIS!!!") and figure it out...

Random thought when talking about arkham and how it fits into metroidvania, thinking about how fits the genre. Is zelda metroidvania think about it you get a new item which can allow you to reach new places and things you get to before like metroidvania.

You don't typically go back track to old areas (& open up new paths in the old areas) in Zelda though.


I'll tell you what is a Metroidvania though........Dark Souls.

You do in Skyward Sword.

I thought Dark Souls is a RPG

Actually I meant to put 3d metroidvania there as that genre name is (usually) reserved for games that are 2d but as we know the line for certain games is getting blurred more & more each day as one game doesn't often stick to doing one thing.

So most will call Dark souls an RPG, as for skyward sword I honestly don't remember a lot of backtracking.

(side note: Most metroidvania games have you uncovering a map in some way too which skyward sword or DS don't do the latter doesn't even have a map)

SS uses the same 3 areas but they change so much they're barely recognisable.

Not a good week for me on board the Ark.  Of the games I've played, one was hellishly overrated with incredibly weak level design, one is one of my most disliked games of the last year, and the good one hit the lava.  And one of the games I haven't played (that got in) had an emphasis on stealth.

On a related note, dear oh dear "Andrew Rice".

I feel I was unfairly treated for my use of the word "heck" It's not that weird!
I didn't reread what I sent to them again this week so if they read it out could be a mess again...
Also big up the Ramsgate shout out from Greener!

I sent mine via email and forgot to put my name but tweet them after. But it's a very strange choice which I can't see getting in as it's consider more of another genre even though the whole game is based around Music.

I presume that everyone else will have said Beat the Beat, so I don't need to?

Like we were discussing on twitter the less obvious the better.

EP7 is up and looking at the list of stuff they talk about my choice is brought up with some what look more obvious choices this week unlike previous weeks.

LOL at Andy again

No my game is on the window seal.

Yes a great genre next week.

Awesome! That's my gym session sorted this afternoon.

Definitely submitting the Luigi's Mansion games for survival horror.