80-Bit Podsmash

80 Bit Podsmash: May the 4th Celebration!

Penguin & Termite bring to you a full on review of the most anticipated remake yet! Including a spoilercast. Don't worry, you'll be warned before we transition to spoiler territory. Final Fantasy VII may be Termite's favorite single video game of all time, but how does the Remake hold up? We take a very deep dive into this amazing JRPG. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite discuss the convoluted, ambiguous nature of video game genres. What is the purpose of a genre categorization for a video game? Should it be prescriptive or descriptive and what's the difference? Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite celebrate the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, in light of of the movie's early release. We go through our favorite games as well as talk about the influence that Sonic has brought in the gaming industry over the years. We also address the elephant in the room... Why are these Sonic games so bad lately? Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite discuss backwards compatibility. Not just now, but across all console generations. When has it worked out? How is it profitable? Do you enjoy being able to play your existing library on new hardware? Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite, while social distancing, continue to provide you all with great content. To that end, we are discussing all things regarding the title of a video game. How do they get named? What's the implications of a good or bad title? Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite discuss the progression system aspect of video game design. We discuss the purpose and the myriad of ways which video game developers implement progression systems. This is the core of any video game, how a player progresses. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite update you all on the Coronavirus' affect on everything. Social distancing guidelines have completely changed our world. Everything's closed, supplies are hard to find, and all social events and gatherings have been cancelled. We also talk about how this could impact the video game industry and the future of next generation consoles. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Sony has pulled the curtain back on their PlayStation 5 tech specs, giving us insight into the direction and vision of the next generation of console wars! Penguin & Termite discuss in this all new Bonus Level Episode of 80 Bit Podsmash! Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - No Fight But Cool http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite are on hype overload for all things DOOM!!! Join us in our celebration of the Doom franchise, in light of Doom Eternal's release. We go through our favorite games, memories, as well as talk about the influence that Doom brought in the gaming industry. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

In an almost all DLC episode, Penguin & Termite release some pent up rage about terrible, egregious, and aggravating video game design decisions that infuriate us! To balance that with some positivity, we lift up some games that are designed wonderfully as well. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

Penguin & Termite do another genre deep dive. This week, we discuss Action Role Playing Games(ARPGs)! Walk with us through this ambiguous genre as we discuss the history, evolution and influence that the ARPG genre has brought to the video game industry. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ https://www.giantbomb.com/action-rpg/3015-8592/ https://www.pcgamer.com/the-moment-the-arpg-was-born/

Penguin & Termite discuss the current state of games journalism. We discuss the kinds of journalism present in the video game industry and how video games should be evaluated. Is there a political bias? We compare hard-hitting exposes vs technical writing as well. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ https://kotaku.com/palante-kotaku-1840936854

Penguin & Termite talk about video game live streams. Essentially, a market dominated by Twitch. How has the introduction of this culture affected the video game industry? Are video now developed with streaming in mind? Do we want this? Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/10/how-livestreaming-has-changed-gaming-culture/ https://medium.com/predict/the-past-present-and-future-of-video-game-streaming-a9c6193ab445

Penguin & Termite "celebrate" Valentine's Day with a discussion around video game couples! We also ship a few of our own. We discuss what relationships bring to video game storytelling and celebrate our favorite couples over the years. Discord: https://discord.gg/t5hEgKt Music: Ozzed - It's Not My Ship http://ozzed.net http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/