One of my favorite things about the original Splatoon was that while you were waiting for an online match to start, you could play a little 8-bit arcade style game. I even wrote an article about them here. I missed having them in the sequels, but I can understand why they took them out. I think most people would rather play in a practice arena doing what they’ll actually do in the match while they wait, and I think some of the extra arcade games were locked behind amiibo figures anyway. But I still liked them because I’m weird I guess. So I was pleasantly surprised that the arcade games made a return in Splatoon Raiders! I don’t even remember anyone talking about them in previews or reviews, so it was a surprise to me! So I’m going to talk about them here!
Recently remastered and released for free on Steam, Knytt Classic dusts off the classic freeware indie game by Nifflas, Knytt, for modern systems. When Knytt originally released, I downloaded it and tried to play, but the keyboard-only controls proved to be a huge impediment to my immersion. But when I saw that Chasm developer, Bit Kid, updated the title, complete with updated graphics, modern gamepad controls, and achievements, I knew I had to give it another go. Twenty years later, Knytt stands the test of time and shines in its new format.
It was the summer of '97 - we were on a family vacation in Montreal and went to La Ronde Amusement Park for the day. I couldn't believe what I was seeing when I was there; a Nintendo Megadome, right inside the park. It was like a dream come true. Even better, it was right before the release of GoldenEye 007, so I got my first look at what would soon become one of my favorite games ever. We played everything we could and left, VHS in hand, promoting some of the upcoming releases, including GoldenEye. There were some other promotional materials too, a dossier that would be thumbed through hundreds of times before we were graced with a copy of the game that Christmas.
In console gaming, there is a legend known as the Third Console Curse. Most consoles are not successful enough to receive a follow-up. If they are, then a third console is still not guaranteed. It is a hard industry not only to break into, but sustain a market share in. Yet something happens with the third console every time. It fails to meet the company's initial goals. Maybe it still sells fine, maybe the console has a wonderful library of games. Even if that is the case, the company loses market share and is in a worse spot at the end of the console's life than they were going into it. It could be arrogance from success. It could be a lack of perspective from being too used to success. Maybe it's just rotten luck. But it's consistent.
Welcome to another episode of PixlTalk! This week is another solocast featuring Nick and in a similar format to the last couple weeks. Nick chats about some of the site upgrades and demonstrates how to use a couple different features. He also enumerates exactly what features are coming next to keep an eye out for. He also talks a bit about his time with Penny's Big Breakaway and Agent 64. Finally, the podcast's main topic covers trends in gaming, both from the AAA and indie space.
This week, Nick returns for another solo cast of PixlTalk! Starting with site updates, Nick details what changes he's been making and the progress on some new features that are coming soon. Next he goes through some of his Pseudoregalia and Super Kiwi 64 thoughts, as those are the games he's been playing lately, followed by what he'll be playing next. Finally, the main topic - Engineering the Fun Out. Nick talks about his experience with the new 3D Zelda games and how he manages to completely ruin the experience for himself, despite not really wanting to.
Even from the outset, Pseudoregalia proves to be a fascinating game. Visually, it's striking - evoking the PlayStation 1 - you won't see many games that look quite like it these days, and few, if any, are able to pull off the style successfully. Similar to a title on the PlayStation, you're dropped into the game without much fanfare and with only the ability to jump. You have no map to help you navigate, no weapon to defend yourself, and compared to later in the game, extremely limited mobility. Exploring Castle Sansa and its surrounding areas will net you a sword and upgrades to it, as well as myriad upgrades to your movement abilities, enabling you to reach more parts of the castle.
After a very long hiatus, PixlTalk is back for Episode 83. For now, you'll only be able to watch this episode on YouTube, but soon the RSS feed will be updated appropriately in order to bring all of the PixlBit podcasts together into a single feed. In this episode, Nick discusses the state of the industry after both Sony's digital-only announcement and Microsoft's huge layoffs, the games he's been playing recently, and a little bit of site information and where things are going next. Tune in to hear more in this reboot of PixlBit's original podcast!
The Star Fox series has always been special to me. When I turned 8, shortly after the original game came out, my parents surprised me with it on my birthday. At the time, I remember thinking the 3D graphics were incredible and the game was extremely fun. I was addicted to blasting through space and foiling Andross' plans to dominate the universe. Years on, I remember obsessing over my Nintendo Power issues that showed Star Fox 2 - the new characters and crafts looked amazing. Unfortunately, it wouldn't officially see the light of day until I was an adult, but my Star Fox appetite would soon be satiated with Star Fox 64.
For years Microsoft hoovered up more and more of the games industry. It was shocking when they purchased Bethesda - a huge third party publisher and development house. By the time they secured the deal to buy Activision-Blizzard, it was much less so, and it was clear that Microsoft believed they could buy all the properties they needed to make GamePass a success. It didn't take long to see that their strategy wasn't working.
Yesterday, Sony dropped a few bombs on the gaming world - first, they are discontinuing support of the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita stores by next year, at the latest, with support ending immediately in some areas. Second, they will cease production of physical games by January 2028 for all releases on PlayStation consoles, leaving only another year and half before you'll no longer be able to grab the latest games pressed to a disc.
It's my pleasure to present to all of you the latest iteration of PixlBit! It feels unreal to finally be launching this new version of the site - I've spent a lot of hours over the past few months building everything out and getting things in a state to launch. It's particularly unreal to be typing this in the brand new editor and getting this new content posted after such a long dry spell.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an entry in the Metroid Prime series - 18 years, in fact. It was 8 years ago that Metroid Prime 4 was originally announced and its development was more than a little turbulent. Initially developed by Bandai Namco, it was later scrapped completely and development was shifted back to Retro Studios to start the project over. In the end, Retro has delivered a solid new entry in the series, but one that doesn’t totally capture what originally made the series so compelling.
When 1up started the process of shutting down, there was one person who seemed to lead to charge to congregate the community in a single place. After his first visit here, it wasn't long before a slew of new members arrived. The site came alive and the real story of PixlBit began - the one that involves all of you. The person I'm referring to is, of course, Michael Alvarado, otherwise known as Michael117.
All good things come to and end, and by now you know that Nerds Without Pants has ended after over 11 years of pantsless podcasting. But that doesn’t mean Julian and Justin are done. Far from it! Introducing The Stage Select, a video game variety podcast launching in 2024. What we have for you here is a repost of the pilot episode, in case you don’t follow us on social media and didn’t know the show has had its soft launch.
Welcome to the final Nerds Without Pants of 2023! It’s that time again, time to talk about the state of the generation! This is a really great episode that has some deep discussion on where the games industry is at the end of an amazing and terrible year for it at the same time.
Welcome to the penultimate episode of Nerds Without Pants for 2023! It’s a pretty chill and low-key show, as we talk about a small handful of games and then hop on the Email Banana Boat one more time before the end of the year. Enjoy!
Welcome to the annual Nerds Without Pants music special, which is also the LONGEST EPISODE OF NWP EVER. Sorry (not sorry). Yeah…nothing else to say; but please enjoy some fantastic music!
Welcome to the final Headlines Edition of Nerds Without Pants for 2023! This was a fun experiment, going weekly and getting to talk about news every other week, but we’ll probably do something different for 2024. This time it’s all about that Grand Theft Auto VI reveal and everything Game Awards related, so sit back and enjoy!
Welcome to the final listener interactive episode of Nerds Without Pants of 2023! It’s a fun discussion about our favorite third party accessories. This is a wild ride you’re about to embark on. We also have an NWP Video Game Cage Match Championship bout between Winter Heat and Elden Ring. Elden Ring has been a strong champ. Can it retain as we go into the new year? Listen and find out!
Oh no, it’s a news edition of Nerds Without Pants with not a lot of news! Whatever shall we do? Er, talk about games, I guess. And Justin READ A BOOK.
Wow, we’re really coasting into hiatus without a care, aren’t we? We didn’t even realize that this is the penultimate listener interactive episode of the year, but here we are! At least it’s a fun little discussion, plus lots of games, including a dedicated spoiler conversation about Spider-Man 2 (check the show notes if you need to skip that). Enjoy!
Welcome back to a games-packed edition of Nerds Without Pants! We have most of the big recent releases to talk about, some smaller ones that may or may not be up your alley, and even a little movie talk. Plus, headlines and your emails! Well, email, singular. Should the Banana Boat be drydocked?
