Racketboy Podcast #10 – PAX East Retro-Roundup Pt. 2: The Best of Indie 2D
The podcast ventured to PAX East in Boston last weekend to see what the show had to offer for retro-gaming enthusiasts. There was so much going on that one episode couldn’t do it justice, so here is part two of our 2-part PAX East Retro-Roundup. Part 1 can be found here.
This episode highlights the strong showing at PAX East for modern 2D games. The podcast features interviews where the creators of these upcoming titles spill the beans about working as an indie developer, drawing inspiration from classics, and navigating the ever-expanding games industry.
Nathan Fouts of Mommy’s Best Games shares his thoughts about his previous titles Weapon of Choice and Shoot 1UP, the reason he made the decision to leave a big publisher to venture out on his own, and what retro games have inspired his next title: Grapple Buggy. He also reveals why he brought giant inflatable whales with him to the show.
Michael Wilford, CEO of Twisted Pixel, talked to me about his company’s upcoming Comic Jumper, the struggles of being an indie developer, his thoughts on disc-based releases of downloadable games, which Mega Man game is his favorite, and why many in his company had to sell their retro collections.
Towards the end of the convention, Jamie Cheng invited me to a private play-through of an exclusive level of their upcoming Shank . In the interview, he talks about that game, his company, the importance of art direction, and why no one should dare take him on in Soul Edge.
Play & Download
[audio:http://racketboy.com/podcast/racketboy-podcast-0010.mp3]Show Outline
- (Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers 2 Intro – NES)
- Dave’s Intro
- Interview with Nathan Fouts, Mommy’s Best Games
- (“Moses is Invincible†sound from Exodus– NES)
- Interview with Michael Wilford, Twisted Pixel
- (Double Dragon Intro – Sega Genesis)
- Interview with Jamie Cheng, Klei Entertainment
- Dave’s Outro
- (Bionic Commando- Armed and Dangerous Remix – courtesy of OCRemix.org)
Be sure to leave your thoughts below or in the podcast forum.
REMINDER!
There will be a live taping of the podcast on Sunday, April 18th at the Too Many Games convention in Reading, PA. We’ve got great guests lined up, a live game tournament during the show, and more! Click here for details – we hope to see you there!
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Twisted Pixel FTW! I can’t wait to hear this one.
Wow. They all look fantastic, but I’m most interested in Comic Jumper. Looks to be hilariously awesome.
Are you planning on doing a podcast on the new indie Dreamcast games?
I don’t know if it was on Dave’s list, but thanks for the idea!