How the Heck Do We Talk About Outer Wilds? Errant Signal 2019-06-28 | This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignalThe Outer Wilds is a game that is difficult to talk about, because it's a game about discovering itself. Which means the more I talk about it, the more I take the game away from you. And that's a difficult position to be in when this game makes me want to talk about it *so badly!*Anyways I was halfway through a script that tried to navigated this issue by having a front half that was largely spoiler free and a back half that was spoiler city, and I realized it made the whole thing lumpy and awkward (and also required most people to drop off halfway through the video). So I figured I'd cut it in half, release a spoiler free version (or as spoiler free as you can when talking about this game), and then next time we'll *really* dig in to what's going on here.
Fryin Up Some Arctic Eggs Errant Signal 2024-08-01 | Tryin' something a little different - a shorter standalone Blips episode that has an accompanying text version (here: medium.com/errant-signal/arctic-eggs-ludic-comfort-food-c0d683b34bbd ).The TL;DR is that I've been playing a lot of *really* cool indie games lately, but you wouldn't know it from looking at this channel. So I've been looking for a means of getting smaller, shorter, quicker to produce videos out the door, and this is experiment #1 with that. I managed to put the post and video together basically over a weekend, which is really really fast for me considering *gestures to recent videos*. So if the response is positive I'd like to keep doing it for other neat games I've played - but I have no idea how short five-to-ten minute videos are gonna play on the modern YouTube scene, so I have the Medium post as a fallback outlet.Anyways, Artic Eggs is pretty rad! As is Venba and Umurangi Generation which both get shout outs in this video. Check them out!store.steampowered.com/app/2763670/Arctic_Eggsstore.steampowered.com/app/1223500/Umurangi_Generationstore.steampowered.com/app/1491670/Venba
SHODAN is back! System Shock 2 leads Children of Doom: 1999! Errant Signal 2024-06-15 | Hey! I'm still alive! And it's 1999! And we're talking first person game! Again! So let's walk down memory lane and play some weird 4:3 first person titles and talk about them!00:00 System Shock 236:13 Quake 3 and Unreal Tournament44:56 Kingpin52:07 Requiem: Avenging Angel58:10 Medal of Honor1:02:53 SWAT 31:09:37 Alien vs Predator1:13:49 Wheel of Time1:19:56 Outro
The Lethal Comedy of Zeekerss Lethal Company Errant Signal 2024-01-14 | Lethal Company is the latest viral internet multiplayer sensation popular among streamers and kids! But also... it's kind of rad?00:00 Intro00:54 Lethal Company08:13 Learning about Zeekerss09:47 It Steals14:49 Dead Seater19:46 The Upturned24:45 Conclusion
Taking Calls Live on the Scarewaves in Killer Frequency Errant Signal 2023-10-31 | A short, spooky (but not that spooky!) Halloween video for this year. Let's go to the lines, shall we? Caller one, you're on.
How System Shocks Reboot Wrestles With Adapting Its Legacy Errant Signal 2023-10-02 | How much of a game's identity is tied up in its rough edges? What do you gain by smoothing those edges away? What do you lose? System Shock (1994) and System Shock (2023) serve as a nice case study for this line of thought. While 1994's System Shock is a seminal work whose impact echoes through to today it's also a game a lot of people simply refuse to play given its archaic input systems and low-fi graphics. Meanwhile, 2023's System Shock wants to bring the game to The People - but that means hammering a game that's full of awkward-but-interesting choices into something a bit more conventional. Does that smooth out the game's problems, or erase its identity? Let's take a look!
Children of Doom 1998: Half-Life Errant Signal 2023-06-13 | 1998 sure did happen! And there were video games all up in it! So let's talk about way too many of them!It's weird to have watched this series change: what started as a time filler in between "bigger" essays has itself become one of the biggest projects in scope I've ever done. And what started as talking about one game each year has slowly become more and more about looking about each year in context and cross-comparing what was going on. I think this is more useful and interesting, but it is also undeniably more resource and time intensive to produce. Hopefully the results continue to bear fruit, though.Sources:gamedeveloper.com/design/the-cabal-valve-s-design-process-for-creating-i-half-life-i-valvearchive.com/archive/Other%20Files/Publications/The%20Final%20Hours%20%28Geoff%20Keighley%29/The%20Final%20Hours%20Of%20Half-Life/The%20Final%20Hours%20of%20Half-Life.pdfyoutube.com/watch?v=s9aCwCKgkLocartoonbrew.com/stop-motion/the-shadow-king-selick-lasseter-pixar-222390.htmlmedium.com/counterarts/pixars-first-woman-director-c0fdb600e531vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/11/pixar-john-lasseter-boys-club00:00 Half-Life22:38 Unreal30:35 SiN38:16 Thief41:12 Tribes45:16 Jurassic Park: Trespasser53:06 Klingon Honor Guard57:11 Shogo: Mobile Armor Division1:00:32 Blood 2: The Chosen1:04:09 Xtreme Paintbrawl & Nam1:07:36 Delta Force & Rainbow Six1:11:34 Outro
Of Fops and Flops: Cheating the Aristocracy in Card Shark Errant Signal 2023-03-07 | Yeah, I know "fop" traditionally refers to an English or American dandy and not specifically eighteenth century French aristocracy, but you try writing an eye-grabbing title for a YouTube video about cheating Voltaire out of five bucks in today's economy.Card Shark is available on Steam/Epic/GOG: store.steampowered.com/app/1371720/Card_SharkAnd the Switch: nintendo.com/store/products/card-shark-switch
The Company Intro Cinematic Universe is Bad Errant Signal 2023-01-31 | Marvel came up with a really neat corporate logo splash! And then people started ripping it off...
Lets Tidy Up: A Little to the Left Errant Signal 2023-01-19 | A short video about a lil' game. http://store.steampowered.com/app/1629520/A_Little_to_the_LeftA Little to the Left is also available on the Switch!
Sometimes The Bodies Talk Back: The Mortuary Assistant Errant Signal 2022-10-31 | The Mortuary Assistant is a scary game: store.steampowered.com/app/1295920/The_Mortuary_Assistant
Exploring Nightmares in Hypnagogia Errant Signal 2022-10-30 | The first Halloween episode is out, if very belatedly!This is the less scary one! It's about Hypnagogia: Boundless Dreams, and some of the cool spooky scenes there in!Check out Soda Raptor's stuff: sodaraptor.itch.io
TikTok: Life on the Algorithm Errant Signal 2022-08-07 | Let's talk about the hottest platform people over 35 don't seem to use.Hank Green's video: youtube.com/watch?v=jAZapFzpP64Sarah Z's video: youtube.com/watch?v=EeCi4CSqtzw00:00 Intro03:00 What the heckin' heck is TikTok08:25 Life on the Algorithm19:04 Content One TikTok At A Time31:04 Immoderate Moderation35:59 Monetization39:42 Warhol's Curse47:41 Why Should We Care?
A Silent Film Horror Game!? Errant Signal 2022-06-01 | Cool rendering styles?! Slow burn dramatic horror that eschews jump scares?! That's right! We're looking at another Christoph Frey game!Letters to a Friend: Farewell: chrstphfr.itch.io/letters-to-a-friend-farewellLetter to a Friend: chrstphfr.itch.io/letter-to-a-friend-asylumjam-2015-entry
Hyperbolica Errant Signal 2022-05-03 | Hyperbolica: codeparade.itch.io/hyperbolicastore.steampowered.com/app/1256230/HyperbolicaI wanted to do an experiment in short form/rapid production video making. Still not sure of the results~~
GoldenEye 007 (Children of Doom 1997) Errant Signal 2022-03-15 | This is less of a video essay and more of a plea for an editor.Also it's a video essay.About GoldenEye 007. And, I guess, game inputs. And James Bond. And 1997. It's about a lot of things. Because again, I am a man in desperate need of someone to edit him.-- Sources --Dr. David Doak's Norwich Games Festival Talk: youtube.com/watch?v=t6wLh1hGZkUMartin Hollis' GDC Postmortem: youtube.com/watch?v=Z1Fx18cppZkGraslu00's Channel: youtube.com/channel/UCGInMxYIVrl23nLjDAIMknw00:00 GoldenEye04:12 GoldenEye 00737:18 Elsewhere in 1997...
Androids, Fires, and Spooky Subway Trains - Blips 9 Errant Signal 2022-01-06 | Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Anyways, now that I'm back let's talk about some cool indie games!Games Featured:Nuclear Blaze: Itch: deepnight.itch.io/nuclear-blaze Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1662480/Nuclear_BlazeRayze: store.steampowered.com/app/1689190/RAYZESilicon Dreams: Itch: clockwork-bird.itch.io/silicon-dreams Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1272070/Silicon_Dreams____cyberpunk_interrogationDemon Turf: store.steampowered.com/app/1325900/Demon_TurfSubway Midnight: store.steampowered.com/app/1750570/Subway_Midnight
What if WarioWare But Skeletons? Errant Signal 2021-10-31 | Games featured:The original SpookWare: papercookies.itch.io/spookwareSpookWare Watch Party (Contains the original jam game + SpookWare @ The Video Store + a demo of the main game): papercookies.itch.io/spookware-watch-partyThe Two Minute Horror Jam: itch.io/jam/two-minute-horror-jamThere Are Ghosts In These Stalls: wrlck.itch.io/there-are-ghosts-in-these-stallsThe Gramsby Summoning: leafthief.itch.io/gramsbyDread X Collection III: store.steampowered.com/app/1437500/Dread_X_Collection_3SpookWare's retail release: store.steampowered.com/app/1574250/SPOOKWARE
Vibing to the End in Umurangi Generation Errant Signal 2021-09-13 | Apologies in advance, this one's a little spicy.Videos cited:Freeplay Parallels 2020: youtu.be/ZgVhQVTxXQg?t=332Amazon Heroes Ad: youtube.com/watch?v=_Z7PY4bOvvoEnd Clip: twitter.com/kelseyrettino/status/1211851713461682176I also listened to but did not directly cite (though previous versions of the script did) the Dad and Sons podcast episode featuring Veselekov: https://nebula.app/dad-and-sons/dad-sons-168-apolitical-podcast-power-fantasy-feat-veselekov-umurangi-generationIf you wanna play some of the games in this video, here are some links!Umurangi Generation: store.steampowered.com/app/1223500/Umurangi_Generation (also on Switch)Penko Park: store.steampowered.com/app/852090/Penko_ParkShutter Stroll: jannikboysen.itch.io/shutterstrollToripon: theladyvictoria.itch.io/toriponAlba: store.steampowered.com/app/1337010/Alba_A_Wildlife_AdventureEastshade: eastshadestudios.itch.io/eastshade , store.steampowered.com/app/715560/Eastshade
10th Anniversary Spectacular of Introspective Narcissism Errant Signal 2021-07-06 | I've done a thing for 10 years. It feels weird.And yes, I used "Spartan" instead of "Sparse" at one point in this video. It wouldn't be an Errant Signal video without a ridiculous vocabulary screwup.
Riffin On An Old Universal Promotional Video Because I Need A New Creative Outlet Errant Signal 2021-07-06 | This was probably a mistake but look I needed to get it out of my system.I decided to try to be funny, which is always, always, always a mistake. But also it isn't me talking about a video game, which is really what this is about.
Of Shamblers, Shades, and Sectors: Children of Doom Episode 6 Errant Signal 2021-05-10 | Did you know: Duke Nukem 3D and Quake are both video games? Learn about this and more at your local library.Ian's video about FPS arsenals: youtube.com/watch?v=iyAjp-NkzBQChapters:0:00 An Intro1:17 A Brief Look Back At Quake11:10 A Too Long Look Back At Duke Nukem 3D27:09 Elsewhere in 1996(ish)...
Gaming In the Quarantine Years Errant Signal 2021-03-30 | This one's less of a video essay and more of a kinda meandering raw nerve; an attempt to work through (or at least put words to) a phenomenon I've been wrestling with for a while now. It may also just be a pretentious scribble, but it's one I worked real hard on.
Bad Bosses, Beautiful Vistas, and Baffling Mysteries: Blips Episode 8 Errant Signal 2021-02-17 | Pixel A Day: Channel: youtube.com/channel/UCRmZM0WpKzSu_27unPuyEZA Video on The Sublime: youtube.com/watch?v=rlj0JK-CDuQVenineth: Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/976500/VeninethA Hand With Many Fingers: Itch: colestia.itch.io/a-hand-with-many-fingers Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1229030/A_Hand_With_Many_FingersLucifer Within Us: Itch: kitfoxgames.itch.io/lucifer-within-us Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/717560/Lucifer_Within_UsGoing Under: Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/1154810/Going_Under
Prepare for 1995s Descent! Children of DOOM Episode 5 Errant Signal 2021-01-06 | It's 1995, and we're looking at Descent!As always, you can support the show on Patreon:http://patreon.com/errantsignalCited Sources:archive.org/details/GDM_JuneJuly_1995/page/n39/mode/2uppcgamer.com/volition-would-commit-murder-to-make-freespace-3
Playing as Anyone in Watch Dogs Legion Errant Signal 2020-12-07 | In which I look at Watch Dogs Legion's play as anyone system, and maybe get a bit back on my role playing hobby horse because that's my wont.
The Polite Horror of Pamali Errant Signal 2020-10-28 | Happy Halloween! This time we're looking at a spooky game from Indonesia called Pamali! There's ghosts! And creepy old houses! And lessons about proper etiquette! store.steampowered.com/app/854570/Pamali_Indonesian_Folklore_HorrorJumpscare times for people looking to avoid them (thanks Skulduggery Peasant!): 10:54-10:59 has the Pocong fly into the camera suddenly, but has no audio sting. 13:48-13:52 has Pocong appear suddenly with an audio sting. 17:39 - 17:42 Ghost pop up while the presenter is talking, but with no audio accompaniment due to aforementioned talking.19:18-19:27 has some creepy sounds followed by the toyol jumping at the screen with an audio sting. 20:46-20:50 has an audio sting, but nothing visibly scary 22:11-22:45 has the Leyak pop up a few times visually as the presenter is talking, but without any audio accompaniment due to aforementioned talking.t
Blips: A Not So Spooky Halloween Warm Up Errant Signal 2020-10-02 | Featured Games:Necrobarista ( store.steampowered.com/app/725270/Necrobarista )Cloud Gardens ( store.steampowered.com/app/1372320/Cloud_Gardens ) Post Void ( store.steampowered.com/app/1285670/Post_Void )Spirits Abyss ( store.steampowered.com/app/1078200/Spirits_Abyss ) Skelly Selest ( store.steampowered.com/app/685400/Skelly_Selest )Straimium Immortaly ( store.steampowered.com/app/515650/Straimium_Immortaly )Fatum Betula ( bryce-bucher.itch.io/fatum-betula , store.steampowered.com/app/1281270/Fatum_Betula )PS1 Haunted Demo Disk ( hauntedps1.itch.io/demodisc2020 )Referenced videos/articles:First Five: youtube.com/watch?v=IW5Dtowk9xQRock Paper Shotgun: rockpapershotgun.com/2020/08/12/trippy-fps-post-void-is-like-devil-daggers-having-a-fever-dream-of-hotline-miamiKotaku: youtube.com/watch?v=UmzC8-hPuZo0:00 Intro0:06 Necrobarista7:50 Cloud Gardens12:36 Post Void16:28 Spirits Abyss21:31 Fatum Betula
Marathon: Children of Doom Episode 4 Errant Signal 2020-08-07 | Going into this series I had never played Marathon, so let's take a look at it together!Aleph One ports of Marathon, Durandal, and Infinity: alephone.lhowon.orgAlso, for the love of god, please let us not get into a debate about how to pronounce "Durandal."Support the show! patreon.com/errantsignalWatch me make regretful statements in real time! http://twitter.com/campster
Fortnite: The Party Thats a Platform Errant Signal 2020-07-08 | So I started playing Fortnite again, and that got me thinking about Fortnite again, and then... well, this happened.Cited Works And Stuff:It's Not Coming Back: tevisthompson.com/its-not-coming-backManufactured Discontent: youtube.com/watch?v=dPHPNgIihR0GDC Vault: Game Design Challenge: The Love Story: gdcvault.com/play/1014860/Game-Design-Challenge-The-Love
Well, This Was Inevitable: Children of DOOM Episode 3 Errant Signal 2020-06-09 | Subscribe! tinyurl.com/ybspvts8Support! www.patreon.com/errantsignalCited videos:Ellaguro: youtube.com/watch?v=1i-H8UvujkAJP LeBreton: youtube.com/watch?v=cMfoGvOCnfULazy Game Reviews: youtube.com/watch?v=7gCZZkBATScChildren of DOOM finally reaches... well, DOOM. From here on out, we'll *actually* be talking about the games impacted by this one! Cool, huh?Anyways, this one's a little different. It's hard to cover a game that's been covered to death. So I kind of go all subjective on this one, much to the chagrin of... pretty much everyone, including me.
Blips 6: Conspiracies! Street Brawls! Spaceships! Old Books? Errant Signal 2020-05-02 | Treachery in Beatdown City: nuchallenger.itch.io/treachery-in-beatdown-city , store.steampowered.com/app/762180/Treachery_in_Beatdown_CityIs the President a Traitor?: store.steampowered.com/app/1170210/Is_the_President_a_TraitorFor the Warp: massivegalaxy.itch.io/for-the-warp , store.steampowered.com/app/1201830/For_The_WarpDeathtrap Dungeon Trilogy: store.steampowered.com/app/824760/Deathtrap_Dungeon_Trilogy , nintendo.com/games/detail/deathtrap-dungeon-trilogy-switchDeathtrap Dungeon Interactive Video Adventure: store.steampowered.com/app/1191940/Deathtrap_Dungeon_The_Interactive_Video_AdventureSupport the show! http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal
Wolfenstein 3-D: Children of DOOM Episode 2 Errant Signal 2020-04-03 | We're doing another one of these things because we have a lot of years to cover between Catacomb 3-D and now. This time it's 1992, and Wolfenstein 3-D is trying to be a modern adaptation of a retro title but with modern sensibilities. IT'S ALMOST LIKE TIME IS CYCLICALAnyways, support the show on Patreon because I'm sure the imagery in this video will get it demonetized soon enough! www.patreon.com/errantsignal
Catacomb 3-D: Children of DOOM Episode 1 Errant Signal 2020-03-03 | So I put most of the description in the actual script this time, but: I thought I'd try my hand at something new. Let me me know if this is something you'd like to see more of!Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/errantsignal
Blips 5: Kings, Robocops, and Clay Comedy Games Errant Signal 2020-01-31 | Today we look at.... "comedy" games, kind of? Or at least, a series of games that all have a humorous bent to them, to one degree or another. Look, y'all want themed episodes and I'm meeting you halfway.Fit for a King: kitfoxgames.itch.io/fit-for-a-king | store.steampowered.com/app/1110380/Fit_For_a_KingMiniLaw: lassogames.itch.io/minilaw | store.steampowered.com/app/503180/miniLAW_Ministry_of_LawDujanah: jackspinoza.itch.io/dujanah | store.steampowered.com/app/681240/Dujanah
Star Wars: The Franchise Strikes Back Errant Signal 2020-01-03 | I looked at Star Wars way way back in 2013, but I thought (given all of the Star Wars stuff that's come out in the intervening years!) maybe it was time to look back again? Or maybe that's a bad idea...Peak Star Wars: youtube.com/watch?v=omfP303IL7wStar Wars Minus Star Wars: youtube.com/watch?v=-gUKYBs6T8cTim Tracker: youtube.com/watch?v=Z1SsitO6P1oSupport the show on Patreon: patreon.com/errantsignal
Blips: Minesweeper Roguelikes, Soccer Coaching, and Ecological Disaster! Errant Signal 2019-12-04 | Here are a bunch of little vignettes, most of which involve hex-based spheres in some way!GlobeSweeper: store.steampowered.com/app/982220/GlobesweeperRadical Dungeon Sweeper: benjamin-soul.itch.io/rds , store.steampowered.com/app/761170/Radical_Dungeon_SweeperDemonCrawl: store.steampowered.com/app/1141220/DemonCrawlSome Distant Memory: store.steampowered.com/app/824850/Some_Distant_MemoryFootball Drama: open-lab-games.itch.io/football-drama , store.steampowered.com/app/876190/Football_Drama
The Slow Burn Arthouse Horror of The Space Between Errant Signal 2019-10-30 | Who's ready for a methodical, introspective drama that has horror elements!? WOOO!The Space Between: chrstphfr.itch.io/the-space-betweenThe Games of Christoph Frey: chrstphfr.itch.ioCatherine Brinegar's Three Part Piece on The Space Between:rebind.io/tearing-down-the-house-an-exploration-of-the-space-between-part-1-1467rebind.io/burning-down-the-house-delving-deeper-into-the-space-between-part-2-1480rebind.io/cleaning-up-the-house-deconstructing-the-space-between-part-3-1495
Faith: An 8-Bit Horror Errant Signal 2019-10-28 | Faith is a really popular horror game, and I think it's time I finally sat down and discovered for myself what it was that made it resonate so much!Games:Faith: airdorf.itch.io/faithFaith: Chapter 2: airdorf.itch.io/faith2Nun Massacre: puppetcombo.itch.io/nun-massacreAnatomy: kittyhorrorshow.itch.io/anatomyTamashii: vikintor.itch.io/tamashiiSEPTEMBER 1999: 98demake.itch.io/september1999Scanline: The Power of VHS: youtube.com/watch?v=xbZMqS-fW-8
Blips 3: Cyberpunk Stealth, Digital Therapy, and Road Trips! Errant Signal 2019-10-01 | It's an extra chunky Blips episode, featuring... 7-ish games, instead of the usual four! Hooray! Featured games:Riverbond: store.steampowered.com/app/459370/RiverbondOverpass: store.steampowered.com/app/773740/OverpassNeon Struct: minorkeygames.itch.io/neon-struct / store.steampowered.com/app/310740/NEON_STRUCTAcid Spy: store.steampowered.com/app/817230/Acid_SpyEliza: zachtronics.itch.io/eliza / store.steampowered.com/app/716500/ElizaDark Data: store.steampowered.com/app/996000/Dark_DataNauticrawl: 20,000 Atmospheres: andrea-intg.itch.io/20000atm / store.steampowered.com/app/922100/NauticrawlAs always, if you liked this (or want to get access to the next one a few days early!), please consider supporting the show on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal
Outer Wilds Part 2: Being There (Spoilers) Errant Signal 2019-09-06 | This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignalLet's talk about The Outer Wilds in detail!
Rage 2 and Game Feel Errant Signal 2019-08-02 | This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignalRAGE 2 is a really great shooter! But maybe there's more to playing games than being really, really, ridiculously good to play?
Blips 2: Making Friends, Circling Enemies, and More! Errant Signal 2019-07-10 | So here's four more weird games (and game-adjacent applications) to look at! If you want to skip the flashy bits, fast forward to 3:43.VoidRun: benjamin-soul.itch.io/voidrun / store.steampowered.com/app/1048560/VoidrunSmile for Me: gabelane.itch.io/smileforme / store.steampowered.com/app/1018850/Smile_For_MeSophie's Dice: sophieh.itch.io/sophies-dice / store.steampowered.com/app/1067350/Sophies_DiceDanCop: Daniela on Duty: scrubbysquirrel.itch.io/actionrex-dancop / store.steampowered.com/app/1060820/DanCop__Daniela_on_DutyRiverbond: store.steampowered.com/app/459370/RiverbondAs always, if you liked this, please consider supporting the show on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal
Blips: Pastel Doodles, Blazing Speed, And Lite Horror Platformers Errant Signal 2019-05-31 | This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignalIt's here! The first attempt to look at some maybe less-than-well-known indie games! Let's see if it is bad or not!OVERWHELM: store.steampowered.com/app/785880/OVERWHELMDriftForce: store.steampowered.com/app/674170/DriftForceTamashii: store.steampowered.com/app/1026400/TAMASHIIArt Sqool: store.steampowered.com/app/953300/ART_SQOOL
Talkin Bout tiny Games Errant Signal 2019-05-02 | This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignalIf you've followed this channel for any amount of time you know that I like small, weird, quirky games. And there are so many out there! And you would think that would mean we'd have coverage of small games for days, but... we don't. And so I wanted to take some time to talk about why!Here's the list of all the small games from the video! It's... long! Remember, these aren't really endorsements - there's a mishmash of stuff in here at various price points/levels of fidelity and polish/amount of stuff going on thematically, and not all of it is gonna resonate with everyone. But hopefully *some* of it will resonate with you. Check them out!Space Captain McCallery: store.steampowered.com/app/852900/Space_Captain_McCallery__Episode_1_Crash_LandingDandara: store.steampowered.com/app/612390/DandaraThe Space Between: chrstphfr.itch.io/the-space-betweenDevotion... cannot be bought anymore.Pamali: store.steampowered.com/app/854570/Pamali_Indonesian_Folklore_HorrorLost City of Vampires: store.steampowered.com/app/993810/Lost_City_of_VampiresTerror in the Atomic Desert: store.steampowered.com/app/955490/Terror_In_The_Atomic_DesertFanaticBlader: store.steampowered.com/app/1013400/FanaticBladerAPE OUT: store.steampowered.com/app/447150/APE_OUTVignettes: store.steampowered.com/app/944340/VignettesMemoirs of Magic: strawberryoctii.itch.io/memoirs-of-magicArt Sqool: store.steampowered.com/app/953300/ART_SQOOLHypnospace Outlaw: store.steampowered.com/app/844590/Hypnospace_OutlawTalk to Strangers: store.steampowered.com/app/963280/Talk_to_StrangersFeather: store.steampowered.com/app/545040/FeatherTech Support: Error Unknown: store.steampowered.com/app/781480/Tech_Support_Error_UnknownMarvin the Hatter: store.steampowered.com/app/1036820/Marvin_The_HatterDrift Force: store.steampowered.com/app/674170/DriftForce_________ (What Even Is That Thing?): sumaleth.itch.io/9underscoresRisk of Rain 2: store.steampowered.com/app/632360/Risk_of_Rain_2Celestial Hacker Girl Jessica: store.steampowered.com/app/873390/Celestial_Hacker_Girl_JessicaObjects in Space: store.steampowered.com/app/824070/Objects_in_SpaceBound Up & Squirming!: store.steampowered.com/app/959050/Bound_Up__SquirmingTamashii: store.steampowered.com/app/1026400/TAMASHIIReturn of the Obra Dinn: store.steampowered.com/app/653530/Return_of_the_Obra_DinnWe Know the Devil: store.steampowered.com/app/435300/We_Know_the_DevilNot Tonight: store.steampowered.com/app/733790/Not_TonightNight in the Woods: store.steampowered.com/app/481510/Night_in_the_WoodsMarble It Up!: store.steampowered.com/app/864060/Marble_It_Up1001stHyperTower: store.steampowered.com/app/958050/1001st_Hyper_TowerBroken Reality: store.steampowered.com/app/757480/Broken_RealitySecret Little Haven: store.steampowered.com/app/827290/Secret_Little_HavenEverything: store.steampowered.com/app/582270/EverythingCreepy Vision: store.steampowered.com/app/1014560/Creepy_VisionMultiTaskMaster: store.steampowered.com/app/879290/MultiTaskMasterGod's Trigger: store.steampowered.com/app/488730/Gods_TriggerType Dreams: hofmeier.itch.io/type-dreams
Signal to Noise (Rejected 2018 Pilot) Errant Signal 2019-05-02 | This video (originally posted in May of 2018) was my first attempt at creating a show that could look at the small, the weird, and the unknown games of Steam. It... didn't work, for reasons that become obvious when you watch it.I was trying to ape the Best of the Worst format but without the comradery and spontaneity of that show nor the meaningful discussions that are more my wheelhouse. The result is mostly a boring, awkward mush. There are parts that really should have been scripted that were improvised, and parts that should have been improvised that were scripted. The purely random game selection is good for getting a wide swath of titles, but it leads to a lot of boring duds, phone ports, and also possibly some accidentally some super offensive stuff (that first game is *sucks in air through teeth*). It was a shot in the dark to break from the constrained format of video essays, and it was clear as soon as it was finished that it wasn't the way forward.Additionally, as discussed in the other video I released today, I don't know if this is even the right approach to take? I think a personal curation effort that espouses the positives would probably be more beneficial. I still think there's value in lovingly riffing on bad games, and I still advocate for the birth of a "videogame shlock" discourse that's sorely missing. Like, Blowy Fish is terrible, but there's also something undeniably charming and absurd about its inept aping of phone monetization strategies without remotely understanding them and ridiculous fish outfit unlockables. Bad games can be fun! And in their own, z-grade movie way, good! But this format? This wasn't really working either as a way to champion small games or to push for a canon of videogame schlock. It's mostly just a snooze that neither promotes nor lovingly mocks, so it doesn't achieve any of my goals. Still, I'm happy I took the jump and tried something new, and I intend to explore other new ways of covering this material going forward. And if you want to help fund those attempts:This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal
What Does It Mean To Player Character? Errant Signal 2019-04-04 | I wanted to talk about player characters, so... here is entirely too many words about player characters!----This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal----
Broken Reality, Vaporwave, and Irony Errant Signal 2019-02-01 | Broken Reality is a game about a futuristic virtual chatroom that borrows most of its aesthetics from the 90's! You'll almost feel like you're back in 2045!It's also deeply tied up in the vaporwave subculture for good and for ill, and we talk a bit (as much as I can bear to, anyways) about what that means and how it impacts the game.Game link: store.steampowered.com/app/757480/Broken_RealitySources, As Per My Statement I Would Include Sources:The Music Theory of V A P O R W A V E : youtube.com/watch?v=QdVEez20X_sWhat Happened To Vaporwave? esquire.com/entertainment/music/a47793/what-happened-to-vaporwaveAdam Harper's Comment: Vaporwave and the pop-art of the virtual plaza: dummymag.com/news/adam-harper-vaporwaveDan Bell's YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCjU-Cwjfqbo2hMRItlXwnnQDan Bell's TEDX Talk: youtube.com/watch?v=AYzA2uyd9_s----This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal----
DUSK and the Design of 90s FPS Games Errant Signal 2019-01-01 | DUSK is a game that hearkens back to FPS games from 20 years ago. Is it just a warmed over collection of old hat tropes, or does the game make a case for something like this being made today?----This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal----
Thanksgiving Leftovers: Fallout 76 Errant Signal 2018-12-03 | You don't need me to tell you that Fallout 76 is a mess; there are plenty of angry internet people out there doing that already. So instead I'm gonna hypothesize about the game that could have been, and then do my soapbox thing about game dev transparency. I'm nothing if not predictable, and my box of tricks is extremely limited.----This episode was made possible by generous support through Patreon!http://www.patreon.com/errantsignal----
