Episodes

VGH #65: Space Madness

Aug 9, 2012
7 Comments

VGH #65: Space Madness

NASA’s Curiosity rover is the coolest thing to happen on Mars since the rise of the Red Faction. This week, we’re talking about games in space. We’ve also got your Viewer Mail, thoughts on Deadlight, Red Faction: Armageddon, Bioshock and Limbo, and we pick sides in the EA vs. Zynga dust-up.

Episode Timeline:
Intro: 0:00
Viewer Mail: 2:05
Hangover: 7:30
Space Games: 41:35
Last Call: 63:50
Outro: 69:30

Listen and Subscribe:
iTunes

Connect and Interact:

This Week’s Music:
“Dark Flute” and “Army of Assholes” from Sword & Sworcery LP and Indie Game: The Movie, by Jim Guthrie (Bandcamp, iTunes).

Links:
The Ur-Quan Masters – free port of Star Control II
Starship Corporation – website, gameplay preview
JSLander – play Lunar Lander in your browser
Cooking Mama: Breaking Bad
Gamasutra: The Case Against Zynga
Solar Jetman on Wikipedia
LittleBigPlanet PS Vita preview

  • http://vghangover.com/ Matt Kernan

    Great episode! You guys overlooked a couple of recent releases that are squarely relevant to this week’s discussion topic though:

    Lunar Flight – “A modern take on the classic arcade game, Lunar Lander” on Steam

    http://store.steampowered.com/app/208600/

    Mars Rover Landing – a free, Kinect-based XBLA game that tasks you with landing Curiosity. “Use your body to direct the craft and control thrusters as you descend.” Sounds awesome! ;)

    http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Mars-Rover-Landing/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258480836

  • Tiago Bonetti

    Great show guys…
    Anyone up for some Space Based Dwarf Fortress like game?
    Now that would be exploring!

    My favorite space game is Freelancer… Nice exploring, trading and combat.

  • Herman MangaMan Scott

    Hey guys!!! been behind on VGH eps so i decided to catch up! Also can add my greatest gaming achievement!? DEAD SPACE 2! hardcore difficulty run! 3 saves! No check points! That is all!! Anyway!!! Favorite space game!? Star Fox 64!!!!! The battles that you would fight in space and the planets you can go to! (also while on certain planets, you could use different vehicles) Oldie but great!

  • http://twitter.com/creid8 Pete

    My favorite space game as a kid was ‘Project Space Station’ on Commodore 64. From what I can remember it was basically a NASA simulator – you got to design your own space station, staff it, choose what research they do, clean up space junk so it won’t get damaged, while trying not to bankrupt the program. The best part was trying to successfully land the space shuttle, which was pretty tricky.

  • http://www.twitter.com/strandedbrit StrandedBrit

    First game that made a memory was a game called Awesome made by the psygnosis back on the Amiga. You basically had to haul cargo from planet to planet by doing shitty overhead shooter sections be it pirates or asteroids and then you’d have to land on the planet and do a overhead style platform run that was timed. It looks like shit now on youtube but the music still sounds remotely cool.

  • Leigh

    Just wanted to drop a note saying I particularly enjoyed your discussion of what makes space games interesting, because I’m working on one, a small 2D one kind of like the games I used to make with video game making programs. It takes place on a cool terraformed planet and has no space marines… or combat at all. It’s exploration and building… when I get done with the graphics and really start making it, anyway.

    My favorite space game? Not sure, I’m still playing Xenoblade though, and that has a cool space setting. If you haven’t played it, the worlds are these two giant creatures, and there are people living on the surfaces of their bodies…

  • http://twitter.com/kube00 Erik K.

    I can see the summer back loggery is rough for some of you. Any of you take advantage of the recent sale at Best Buy? I guess my favorite space game is either System Shock 2, or I guess Star Wars counts as space right? Jedi Knight anyone?