2-Bit Game Club

When Ideas from the Deep’s SMB3 prototype was rebuffed by Nintendo, their Mario stand in needed a makeover and Billy Blaze is the hero who emerged from the change room. Enter Commander Keen, springing forth upon pogo stick brandishing his laser gun. Released in 1990, Commander Keen is a platforming adventure where the titular hero battles alien invaders while collecting keys, special abilities, and power ups. Though light on plot this game is heavy on theme delivering on themes of wish fulfillment for kids who want to explore and be the hero. While this game shares DNA with the Mario brothers, it blazes its own trail by having larger maze like levels that facilitate exploration. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

In 1993 there were plenty of people willing to bet against Myst. Activision declined Cyan’s approach to have them produce the game, their eventual producer Sunsoft didn’t believe in the CD-Rom as a format for games and wanted Myst to be a console game. What was released ended up being the best selling Mac and PC game until 2001 when Will Wright’s The Sims over took Myst and claimed the honour. Myst is a point and click mystery game whose story starts off with the player being dumped on an island with no explanation. There’s no one on the island to explain where you are or how you got there, and the inquiry starts from there. The game is equally famous for being subtle and rich, or obtuse depending on your perspective. Either way the game has delivered endless sequels, ports, spin offs, and board games and remains a pillar of the age of early CD-Rom gaming. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

In 1988 the Super Mario Bros. series reunited to see the era of the NES out. Widely recognized as one of the best game of its time, and best platformers of all time, SMB still has a dear place in the hearts of gamers being a favourite game for speed runners. SMB3 is colourful, full of variety and novelty, recognizable  as a Mario game but still full of fresh ideas. As successful a follow up title as there might ever be Super Mario Bros. 3 remains a joy to play. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

The thirteenth game for the 2-Bit Game Club is SimCity (1989) for the Apple II. This is the original City Simulator, and the beginning of designer Will Wright’s franchise of franchises, the Sim games. The Sims, SimAnt, SimCopter, SimFarm etc. all owe their beginnings to SimCity, not to mention the slew of games in a genre going strong 30 years later, the simulation game. In SimCity you build a thriving city by balancing the needs and dreams of its simulated citizens by insuring their needs are met. By managing your city’s zoning, adjusting budgets, and providing essential services like electricity and hospital access you can provide a meaningful urban life for your growing metropolis. That or have everyone killed my lightning and godzilla. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

The twelfth  game for the 2-Bit Game Club is ing’s Quest: Quest for the Crown (1987) for the Apple II. King’s Quest is the age old tale of a prince’s quest to become king. In this Prince’s Quest Prince Graham most prove to the king that he is ready and able to take the mantel of the king hat and rule from the king chair. By pointing and clicking your way through the Apple II computer, you’ll solve puzzles, meet colourful characters, and hopefully claim your destiny. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

The eleventh game for the 2-Bit Game Club will be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) for the N64. Zelda was a big kid on the block long before there was 3D gaming, with four hit games for the NES, SNES, and DMG, the series was already a heavy hitter in the games industry, but in 1998 Miyamoto and Aonuma released what would be Nintendo’s heavy weight champion.   Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

  This month’s game is no game, or maybe better said, it’s all the games. Brook and Liam take a moment to cast their gaze back through time at the last 12 months of 2-Bit Game Club to see how their impressions of the games have held up, and what the future holds for the Game Club. Also there’s a fun Quiz! Take the quiz to see how well you remember the games that we played in 2016. It’s not quite a best of show, it’s not quite a list show, it’s not really even a recap, but it is a time to reflect on what we’ve learned. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

Final Fantasy (FFI) is just the first of many games in a landmark series that has dominated the JRPG genre. With beautiful opening art, the enchanting prelude by Nobuo Uematsu, and a no nonsense tittle crawl that puts you right at the heart of a world of magic from word go, Final Fantasy is a game that invites you to get lost. Fans who are familiar with the series and JRPG genre will recognize in this early entry all of the things that people still love and hate about JRPGs today. Dense and often obtuse menu driven combat, big open worlds that are empty and lifeless, and larger than life story telling with unrelatable and bizarre characters. Like it or lump it, Final Fantasy delivers hard on its promises and refuses to make any explanation for its self. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Patreon – iTunes

Have you ever wanted to travel to Mars and take a portal to hell so you could kill the damned with a shot gun? If so Doom has your number. Made by id Software, doom is the seminal first person shooter. There were earlier shooters that made an impact, such as Wolfenstein 3D (1992), and there were shooters that advanced the genre more dramatically, such as Hovertank 3D (1991), but Doom was the game to excitingly deliver all the elements that would come to define the FPS genre in the coming decades. It had tight controls, a dramatic setting, tense game play, and legitimate scares and horror. Bathed in gore and ultra violence the game has left a cultural legacy of concern over the impact that games have on their players, but for all the political posturing around the game here might be no better demonstration of the western relationship between the player and the gun. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes – Patreon

You and your three friends (read: enemies) must battle cooperate to make the colony on Irata as profitable as possible for the good of all interstellar peoples (who are you). Combing the elements of shared screen play, a blend of co-op and competition, and giving classic board game style play with action packed auctions, M.U.L.E. is a timeless game. With rules that are immediately understandable to the player, using numbers small enough for players to crunch in their head, and by emphasizing player interaction over stylish presentation, M.U.L.E. has all the makings of a great game like chess or go. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes – Patreon

Since its debut in 1993 Pokémon has become one of the world’s strongest brands with an endless flow of spin off games, toys, card and board games, feature films, television shows and so forth, but back in the early 90s Pokémon was not Pokémon yet. So how did Pokémon become what it is today, and how much of that is actually to be found in the premier titles, Pokémon Red & Blue? Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes

When your elderly friend passes away he leaves his farm in your young hands and without any more preamble Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town is off to the races. Praised by many critics as the high water mark for the franchise (confusingly called the Story of Seasons), Fiends of Mineral Town is a combination of fan favourite staples for the series with all of the fat cut. The game sets a pace just a notch above slow and unfolds a simple and charming story where the player has a meaningful amount of control over the shape of their farm and the relationships they foster. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes

The Longest Journey (1999) is indeed, in the words of April Ryan “A Very Long One”. Though not without it’s trouble this game is a significant entry in the history of the adventure game as is worth playing and exploring as much for as it’s failures as for its successes. Join Brook and Liam as the chart a middle path between the past and present of game development. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes

Metal Gear Solid has about as many problems as it has solutions, but there’s a twist! Brook and Liam have to get to the bottom of what’s working in this classic and what’s not, and figure out how much of its reputation is based on its breaking of ground and how much is based on it being a fun game. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes

Banjo-Kazooie abounds in this story about collecting rotating things and puzzle and adventure and possibly bears. We talk about what makes the music, sound and art direction so good, and if the mechanics live up to their legacy or are forever trapped behind the times. Find 2-Bit Game Club around the web and join in the discussion. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube –  iTunes

The second episode of the 2-Bit Game Club is here! Brook Jensen and Liam Gallagher talk Deus Ex (2000) to learn about story telling that adapts to player choice, low poly art, and the linage of famous games. Find 2-Bit Game Club around the web and join in the discussion. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Soundcloud 

The first episode of the 2-Bit Game Club is here! Brook Jensen and Liam Gallagher talk ActRaiser to learn about the paradigm of design in the 16-bit era, how the new tech available in the SNES effected design choices, and what flaws contemporary designers ought to avoid in their own designs. Find 2-Bit Game Club around the web and join in the discussion. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Soundcloud 

The first episode of the 2-Bit Game Club hits May 1st, 2016. Until then enjoy this episode and set up your subscription. Learn what you can expect from the show, have a few laughs, and get ready to talk ActRaiser! Find 2-Bit Game Club around the web and join in the discussion. Facebook – Twitter – YouTube – Soundcloud