Inspired by a surprisingly good documentary about video games. This month, Sam talks about what factors may have resulted in the demise of the Arcade and discusses  if there is still any virtue in playing games in the full view of the public, away from out plush and comfy lounges.

It’s the beginning of a brand new year and the excitement surrounding 2011 is still ringing in the ears of many gamers. So was the last twelve months the golden age for the current generation of hardware or is there still more to come from consoles that have pride of place in our homes? That’s what Sam puts through his sights in the latest Through the Reticle…

]]> http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/2012/01/content/podcasts/through-the-reticle-what-next/feed/ 0 http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/2011/12/content/podcasts/through-the-reticle-my-plinky-plonky-music-special/ http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/2011/12/content/podcasts/through-the-reticle-my-plinky-plonky-music-special/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 12:00:19 +0000 Marconi http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/?p=2205
You may or may not remember that in August of last year, Sam asked fellow podcasters, Paul, Pete, Kris and Dan to share with him their video game music highlights. This was the Plinky Plonky Music Special. After more than a year and to celebrate the 25th show of Through the Reticle, Sam has decided …]]>

You may or may not remember that in August of last year, Sam asked fellow podcasters, Paul, Pete, Kris and Dan to share with him their video game music highlights. This was the Plinky Plonky Music Special. After more than a year and to celebrate the 25th show of Through the Reticle, Sam has decided that it was time to do his own Plinky Plonky Special. Inspired by a recent play through of Rayman: Origins, Sam shares those pieces of music that have stayed with him after over two decades of gaming.

]]> http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/2011/12/content/podcasts/through-the-reticle-my-plinky-plonky-music-special/feed/ 0 http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/2011/11/content/podcasts/through-the-reticle-whats-in-a-number/ http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/2011/11/content/podcasts/through-the-reticle-whats-in-a-number/#comments Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:00:45 +0000 Marconi http://www.inretrospectpodcast.com/?p=2083
  Numbers say alot about the world around us. They define our life stlye, our habits and even the legalityof our actions, but do they have any place in video-game crticism? Could there be a time when reviews no longer have to be accompanied by numbers? Or could there be a moment in the future …]]>

Numbers say alot about the world around us. They define our life stlye, our habits and even the legalityof our actions, but do they have any place in video-game crticism? Could there be a time when reviews no longer have to be accompanied by numbers? Or could there be a moment in the future when reviews are nothing but digits? That’s what Sam puts Through the Reticle this month….

If you haven’t already, then it might be a good idea before you bathe your lugs in the latest Through the Reticle, to hear what inspired Marconi to write this month’s episode. Change of Plan . That was then though and this is now and Marconi reports on the indivduality of the gaming press. How come it survives whilst other media struggles to adapt? Marconi investigates….

It was all going so smoothly. Marconi had an episode all mapped out and ready to go and then he went on a trip on a boat, came back and everything changed. In an alternative episode to the one planned by the podcaster, Marconi uses a strange reaction to returning home from sea to start a new episode on a totally different subject.

Probably one of the most grumbled about parts of our video gaming lives is the focus of Through the Reticle this month. That part when the developer has decided when our experience with a game should finish. Or when they choose to kill off our favourite character. Why do endings bother us so much and with so many different ways to finish a title, which is the best? Marconi finds out if this is ‘The End’.

This month Marconi deals with the eternal question of what makes us…well…us. After thousands of years of therapy, psychology, and understanding could the one thing that makes us truely know more about ourselves be the online world in which we inhabit? Marconi finds out.

It is the last in Marconi’s three part look at how fitness has pervaded our consoles. In previous episodes he has looked at how the genre has been created, and put Nintendo’s Wii Fit board to the test. Now as his attempts to try and stick to a fitness regime continue. However maybe it is not the board that is letting him down, but instead other games that he has played. Found out in Part III of Witness the Fitness as Marconi portions the blame to why he can’t get slim.

Last month Marconi declared that he was going to test to see if the Wii Fit could be of any benefit to his health. Could games and the pursuit of health really find a place to co-exist or is the genre still finding its feet? Found out in Part II of Witness the Fitness as Marconi puts the world of fitness games in his sights.

It is an obsession of our generation. It is literally the weight around our ‘kankles’. Our world is growing, and whilst some get thinner others get fatter. For those that cannot stop the chewing games seem to have come up with the answer. They seem to have found a purpose. The purpose to train you up and get you going. Short of just telling people to put the fork down, games could be the answer to the ‘problem’ and this month Marconi founds out if it works and how it all started.

It looms over you like the great tower of Babel. Unfinished, unhinged and some of it not even started. Something is holding you back and you can’t quite put your finger on it. This month Marconi explores the reasons behind you Pile of Shame and explains why this time of year is probably the best to get some of it cleared out.

You really have to question the sanity of that lot in Fame. Jumping all over Taxis maxing absurd statements of immortality and breaking the laws of physics. It might be a hum drum musical to most but there is more in that song that sums up the absurdity of fame more than any other. And it is with lef warmers firmly in mind that this month Marconi examines why games don’t embrace fame like other mediums do!

We all need some time off now and again. We cannot be gaming all the time, even though inside our little hearts I bet we wish we could. There are certain things though that are around that help us take a break when we need to. Slippers, Two Finger Chocolate Snacks and of course the Save File. This month Marconi sees if this essential part of gaming can really effect our experience.

That is it! There is no more! Life comes to an end and there are no more games to play. Now you’re in trouble! However why are games different? Why do they get to die multiple times and we only once? Marconi investigates.

“Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye” Sometimes music is just weird and other times it is pretty bloomin’ good. Sometimes it attracts our attention and others it is just playful in the back ground. Sometimes it is probably best to  ignore music and other times we should be pulling it all apart and interviewing all the members of the InRetroSpect team in a special extended video game music special. Those other times be right now!

Computer Games have an image problem. What you and me try to take seriously others may liken it to wandering around naked, crawling along the floor dribbling. To some it is childish, to others it is adult and to a small minority they are proud to be childishly adult. So is it about time we all just grew up?

It’s not nice being lost. It wastes your time, my time, and the time of many others as you flap around in a panic. However, there is no reason to worry cause in the world of Video Games getting lost is never an option. Look in the right places you’ll always have a walkthrough to rely on and a friendly hand to guide you. But if you use them are you cheating? Should you be straddled in dishonour for just getting a little help? Marconi finds out.

Knowledge is power and a power many of us don’t have the time to access and wield. We could read books, speak to people and download the entirety of Wikipedia, but maybe the solution to the power already lies in our hands. Could the Video Games we play give us the knowledge and intelligence we need to get on in this world? Marconi pulls himself away from the works of Tolstoy to look at the world of knowledge and whether computer games are the next encyclopedias to train up our minds.

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It is almost considered cool these days to assume that violence in video games is influencing our youth. Though how come many of us have never been affected by what we have played? Marconi delves into his past to see why many of us sympathise with the industry rather than joining in with the attack!

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It is nice to be rewarded and recognised! Nice to be spotted on the street and hailed as the champion of your field. That same feeling is now in our home, now available with every game we buy! However, are the trophies and awards we get whilst playing games just a case of “all that glitters is not gold”?!

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The future of the gaming landscape is nearly upon us. It’s time to take the controller out of your hands and put those inactive limbs into action. Will it be all that though? The peripheral is in Marconi’s sights.

Why do we do it? Why do we make love to the console? Spend hours and hours on the same game, playing it over and over!? Self gratification or self mutilation?

Where have all the bosses gone? Fancy Mochicans., exposed limbs, and fancy smamshy graphics don’t cut any more. I want the old fights back! Who fancies some Rock, Scissor, Paper!?

THIS PODCAST CONTAINS SPOILERS. For the final narrative focused Through The Reticle, Marconi examines what might make the perfect narrative driven video game. Looking at Metal Gear Solid, Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and Batman: Arkham Asylum for inspiration, can the ultimate story be created, or will he create a monster?

Through The Reticle is the monthly opinion show from Marconi examining various aspects of video games and video games culture. This month, the exploration of narrative continues with cult comic classic: Comix Zone. Pirandello? Pffft. what did he know?

“Through The Reticule” is a new podcast that aims to cross hairs with the usual perceptions of gaming life and brings you regular features looking at different and sometimes untouched areas of gaming development and gaming life. Examining exact areas of how games have changed themselves and the world around them, and how we have, in turn, changed them!