Eddie & Christos get their shovels and pails, and dive into a discussion of sandbox gaming.
In the very first episode of vs. Node, Eddie Inzauto and Christos Reid talk about swine flu’s videogame debut, a flash game that outraged religious groups across the globe, homosexuality in gaming, and this show’s headline topic, sandbox games.
00:00 – Welcome!
00:44 – What vs. Node is all about.
01:29 – News
02:00 – Swine Fighter
02:30 – Faith Fighter
06:04 – Six Days in Fallujah canceled.
09:33 – Homosexuality non-existent in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
11:13 – Other gay rights issues.
13:15 – What we’ve been playing.
13:46 – Christos: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
14:44 – Eddie: The Dark Spire
17:16 – What makes a sandbox?
19:05 – Wikipedia definition of sandbox videogame.
20:26 – Storyline in sandbox games.
21:13 – Freedom to play and explore at one’s own pace.
24:11 – Spore‘s universe.
25:11 – Crafted experience vs. open-ended play.
26:43 – Mass Effect a sandbox?
28:53 – Side tasks need to be engaging.
30:56 – Open-world freedom with guided portions is best.
32:21 – Fable II discussion.
35:56 – Is Braid a sandbox game?
40:15 – Subsequent play-throughs in Braid vs. Halo 3.
41:30 – Burnout Paradise lacks sandbox elements.
44:15 – Final thoughts and wrap-up.
Introductory music “1st & 2nd Floors” taken from the soundtrack to Atlus’s The Dark Spire, 2008, 2009. “Victory Fanfare” taken from the soundtrack to Square Enix’s Final Fantasy X, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, 2001.
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