What Made Hollow Knight an Instant Classic?
Inspired by 30 years of Nintendo games, Team Cherry released Hollow Knight in 2017 to critical and commercial acclaim. The Metroidvania with souls-like combat follows a solitary knight on his journey through the fallen kingdom of Hallownest. This game is often cited...
S1 E27: The Miyamoto Gameography Game Awards (GGAs)
This week, we take a look back at our favorite and least favorite parts of Miyamoto's Gameography in the first Gameography Game Awards! Who is the horniest Zelda character, what are the best and worst eggs, what were the most frustrating and most magical moments? Find...
S1E26: Shigeru Miyamoto’s Legacy
This week we look back at the entire gameography of Miyamoto, discuss his creative process, and his impact in shaping an entire industry and artform.
S1E25: The Wii U, Super Mario Run, and Switch
“I’m retiring!” Miyamoto said in the waning years of the Wii. Of course, to Miyamoto this didn’t mean he was leaving the company, just that he wanted to step back from making big budget projects. He was ready to pass the torch, and we talk about how that transition went with the Wii U, why the Wii U ultimately failed, and how that led to the Switch. We wrap up by talking about some of the other projects that Miyamoto has been up to the past ten years including Super Mario Run, the upcoming Super Mario Bros animated film, and 3DS at the Louvre!
S1E24: Mario Galaxy and Twilight Princess
This week we take a look at the Zelda and Mario games as they transition to the motion controls of the Wii. They are attempts to show that the Wii can still offer a traditional gameplay experience in addition to the Wii’s strength as a casual machine. This week on Gameography we finish our discussion of Wiiyamoto’s works with two of the last games Miyamoto ever personally produced, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy as well as his pet project Wii Fit.
S1E23: Wiiyamoto
Nintendo found themselves at a crossroads in 2004. The best selling games in the world were violent shooters and sports games where they had once been the exploits of a mustachiod plumber. Would Nintendo bow to the market and create a Call of Duty: Mushroom Kingdom, or try and reach those people for who headshots held no interest. Needless to say with the Nintendo DS and Wii, Nintendo opted for the latter. Miyamoto himself expresses this idea best, by rating his own works against the Wife-o-meter, or the interest level of his own wife. This week we get into the story behind the Wii, how Miyamoto’s years long ambition to create a character creator led to Miis, the impact of Wii Sports, and how the Wii is the only console with a soundtrack.
S1E22: Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin, Mario Sunshine, and Windwaker
While the Gamecube was not the abject financial failure the Dreamcast was for Sega, it was a low point in the company’s sterling history. Just what was it that didn’t connect with people about the Gamecube and even Nintendo’s flagship franchises of Mario and Zelda? This week on Gameography we look at Miyamoto’s works on the Gamecube with Luigi’s Mansion, Pikmin, Super Mario Sunshine, The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker, and The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure.
S1E21: The Gamecube
Codenamed project Dolphin, the Gamecube was developed along the same assumptions that led to the N64. They wanted the most powerful console and the most entertaining games, but with burgeoning competition from Microsoft and themselves having lost decisively to Sony in the previous generation, could Nintendo and the Miyamoto school of design win back the hearts and wallets of the world? This week on Gameography, we begin our look at the Gamecube, Nintendo’s deal to sell Rare, Miyamoto’s thoughts on GTA and more!
S1 Ep. 20: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 3
This week we finish our discussion of Majora’s Mask with a lively debate over what is the better game: Majora’s Mask or Ocarina of Time. We also give our theories as to what the game means and is trying to convey and get into a lengthy Jungian analysis of the game’s symbolism.
S1 Ep. 19: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Part 2
This week as we continue to explore Majora’s Mask we turn our attention to the main quest. The game explores characters and cinematography in a new way for the series and the medium in general. We’re talking Dekus, Gorons, Zoras, and Majora’s Mask’s second defining mechanic, using masks to transform. Putting on the masks is a horrifying process, indicative of the Lynchian feel of the game. Join us as we go even deeper into the mystery of Termina and Majora’s Mask!