Epic Free Game Reviews

Episode 41: Alan Wake's American Nightmare - Alan has wares, if you have coin

In this episode, we discuss 2012's Alan Wake: American Nightmare, which Epic gave away for free from October 17 to October 24, 2019. We begin by considering why specific games get adapted and why Alan Wake might not have an adaptation yet. This leads to conversations about the meta elements of the game, the way certain games intend for players to analyze specific elements, the corporate influence over games (again), and the over-sexified women in Alan Wake's Dark Place.

Episode 40: Surviving Mars - People only want a teensy bit of the real

In this episode, we discuss the game Epic gave away from October 10 to October 17, 2019, the city building simulation game, Surviving Mars (2018). This allows us to consider the function of realism and authenticity in media, the way tutorials can derail a game experience, and the escapist fantasy of a game about technology and utopia. We also return to the important fact that Ray secretly has a (Martian) dictator in him

Episode 39: Minit - Does it please the suburban coupon woman?

In this episode, we discuss the 2018 quirky action adventure Zelda-like, Minit, which Epic gave away for free from October 3 to October 10, 2019 (bonus - I didn't notice until right now that October 3, 2019 is also when my second daughter was born!). This allows us to talk about gimmicks in games, in many different ways about representations of animals, about game pacing, the continued significance of mines, factories, and submarines in indie games, and what "charm" means when it comes to popular culture. We also had some technical difficulties, apologies, so there is a brief period that may be a bit rough.

Episode 38: Everything - Let us take communion of Mountain Dew and Cheetos

In this episode, we discuss the 2017 universe simulation game Everything, which Epic gave away from September 26 to October 3, 2019. We explore the idea of a game with a message or a serious game, say more about indie games as alternative forms of therapy, and consider the ecocritical possibilities of games (and simulations). This also allows us to consider what philosophical voices would be good games, and whether we would like to be washing machines.

Episode 37: Metro 2033 Redux - Ladies and gentlemen, Soviet Wonderwall

In this episode, we discuss the game that Epic gave away from September 26 to October 3, 2019, the survival horror first-person shooter Metro 2033 Redux (initially released in 2010, with the Redux version from 2014). We discuss the ethos of the game (modernist, Soviet-core, etc.), chat about the history of mine carts in video games (with thanks to this post: https://www.resetera.com/threads/a-brief-history-of-the-mine-cart-level.653622/ [https://www.resetera.com/threads/a-brief-history-of-the-mine-cart-level.653622/]), discuss heterotopias and realpolitik, and admit how much we hate children (in games)