We've both been to the cinema. Sefran saw Pacific Rim Uprising, Jalada saw Ready Player One.

Back again with another indie review, we discuss one of Sefran's most anticipated games of 2018; Into the Breach. Into the Breach is by Subset Games. Their previous game is FTL: Faster Than Light. In the show we compare it to Advance Wars. The music was composed by Ben Prunty. Intro/Outro music: JACKS - Runaway Fashion.…

Jalada's been playing Pyre. Sefran went to the cinema to see Code Geass.

In this episode we take a moment to be introspective and set ourselves some goals for the podcast for the next three months. Listen along, and hold us accountable! Increase our social presence by posting regular content, posting snippets of the show, and setting up an Instagram account. Grow the brand by getting some stickers printed, running T ...…

In this episode of Octal FM we discuss and review Celeste, a game about climbing a mountain. Celeste is made by Matt Makes Games and is on Twitter at @celeste_game. Their previous game was Towerfall Ascension. The music is by Lena Raine, @kuraine on Twitter. Intro/Outro music: JACKS - Runaway Fashion…

We're back to discussing Japan in this episode; this time it's Jalada's turn as he has just come back from a two week trip to Tokyo and Kyoto. Links from the episode: Thermae-Yu: Onsen in Shinjuku. Google Maps. Akihabara UDX parking. Jalada on Instagram We used Japan Wireless for our Wifi hotspot. Intro/Outro music: JACKS - Runaway Fashion…

In this episode we try to be as un-snobby as possible, whilst talking about how to get into coffee as a hobby. Live in the UK and want to get coffee delivered to your house? Sign up at Taylor St Roasted using the promo code OCTALFM to get your first bag for £1. Single-serve coffee patents, and the future of the technology Stumptown brew guides ...…

In this episode of Octal FM, we discuss our two favourite games from one of our favourite series of all time; The Legend of Zelda. The best way to play Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask is the 3DS remakes: Buy Ocarina of Time 3DS* Buy Majora's Mask 3DS* Intro music: JACKS - Runaway fashion Outro music: Docjazz4, FunkyEntropy, Theophany and XPRT ...…

In this episode we discuss the hit anime film Your Name*. Your Name was released in 2016. It earned over $300m at the box office. The film Sefran saw in the cinema after Your Name was Napping Princess.

In this episode of Octal FM we're joined by Louise Swift, a software developer & fellow nerd who recently worked on a project using the Unity game engine. Louise works for No Mayo Digital Follow Louise on the interwebs: Twitter Medium louiseswift.com

In this episode we discuss the emerging trend of adding massively multiplayer features to games that otherwise might be single player. Is this something we want to see more? Or is it just a way of extracting more 'value' from gamers? GTA 5 has sold-in over 85 million copies Frontier Games Hosts Massive Space Battles on AWS AWS re:Invent 2015 pr ...…

Happy New Year everyone! In this episode we are joined again by Antonia, who last joined us to talk about Stardew Valley. This time, the three of us discuss some of the video games we're most looking forward to in 2018. Sefran: Far Cry 5, Into the breach, and Wargroove. Antonia: Monster Hunter World, Ni No Kuni 2, Kingdom Hearts III, and Bayone ...…

In this episode we are joined by Elizabeth Chesters, a user experience consultant, human-computer interaction student, and software developer. We ask her about her job, what HCI is, and what's in store in the future for how we interact with our devices. The Man Who Lied to His Laptop, by Clifford Nass City University of London, Centre for Human ...…

In this episode we’re joined by our friend Tom, aka @x5315. Tom co-created Twitterfall with Jalada back in 2009. To follow up from Episode 25 where Jalada talked about building Twitterfall, Tom is here to tell us the story from his point of view, and what he’s up to now. The whiteboard of features in Tom’s university dorm room: Intro/outro musi ...…

In this episode of Octal FM, the two of us catch up and talk about what games we’ve been playing. Jalada has been playing Horizon: Zero Dawn (affiliate link, proceeds go to Octal FM). Horizon is powered by Guerilla’s own game engine, Decima. Sefran has been playing Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak.

In this episode Sefran talks about visiting his favourite place in the world; Japan. We chat about what it’s like to visit, the things you should know before going, and what it was like when Sefran visited for the first time.

In this episode we return to the topic of platformers. All the things we love, some of the things we hate. Not much in the way of notes for this episode; we really just sit back and have a bit of a chat. Enjoy!

In this episode of Octal FM we kick back and reminisce about all the MMOs we’ve played in the past. Earth & Beyond Review from IGN in 2002 Ragnarok Online EVE Online EVE Online is F2P Lord of the Rings Online Aion Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

In 2009 Jalada spent 2 hours building a website that would ultimately end up shaping his entire career. In this episode of Octal FM we tell you the story of that website. Twitterfall on Wikipedia Twitterfall co-founder Tom Brearley on Twitter Twitterfall makes it onto Telegraph newsroom screens Photo from Marcus Warren @ Telegraph Twitterfall: ...…

In this episode Jalada and Sefran sit back and chat about how gamers shape games through coming up with challenges, speedruns, or rewriting the games themselves through modding. Playtonic games announcing tweaks to Yooka Laylee for speedrunners. Super Mario 64 parallel universes. Nuzlocke Challenge. “Brendan “Playerunknown” Greene’s whirlwind y ...…

In this ‘The Best Ever’ episode, Jalada and Sefran try to agree on which game in the Super Mario series is the best; Super Mario Sunshine, or Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island?

In this episode we talk about early access games. Everything from their origins, where we think they’re going, and some of our favourite and least favourite games we’ve backed or bought before release. “Early Access popularity growing, but only 25% have released as a full game” (2014) Jalada’s favourites include: Elite: Dangerous Kerbal Space P ...…

In this episode we are joined by the brilliant Marti Bennett. Marti kindly agreed to tell us all about playing Pokémon competitively and recount some of her own stories and experiences of the professional Pokémon scene. Follow Marti: YouTube – Virtual Accomplishment Twitter – @MartiBennett (@VirtualAccomp for content updates) Twitch – Virtual A ...…

We recently got the opportunity to go hands-on with an Oculus Rift, complete with Oculus Touch controllers and two sensors. In this episode we discuss our thoughts and impressions, and what we think is in store for the future. Oculus Rift HTC Vive Playstation VR Apple ARKit Google Daydream Games we played: Elite: Dangerous Robo Recall The Climb ...…

In this episode we discuss how video game advertising and trailers have changed, why ‘footage captured in game’ means nothing, and whether any of this matters at all. Read Patch The Process, an article about ‘day one patches’ by indie game dev Rami Ismail. There’s lots of videos you should watch to accompany this episode: Harry Potter and the H ...…

In this episode of Octal FM we try to decide: Is the 3D platforming video game genre dead? Games we discuss: Arcade games such as Donkey Kong, Mario Bros Croc Metroid and Castlevania Crash Bandicoot Rogue-likes such as Spelunky and Rogue Legacy Puzzle-platformers like Super Meat Boy and N+ Is Yooka-Laylee the return of 3D platformers? Snake Pas ...…

In this episode we talk all about the state of difficulty in video games. Are they too easy? Too hard? Does it matter? Rubber banding. “The Noobification of games”, a clip from Pure Pwnage: Teh Movie. Super Guide. Intro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion Outro music: The OneUps – Funky Mario Circut (Radio Edit)…

In this episode we continue our discussion theme of video game music. Instead of picking out examples we think are ‘good use’ of video game music, we just pick out games that have soundtracks that we think are awesome. Mario Galaxy Listen: Gusty Garden Galaxy, Beach Bowl Galaxy BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Listen: Under Heaven Destruction, Lust S ...…

In this episode we pick out some of our favourite uses of music in video games. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker combat Video of an example of combat with audio ‘accents’ (minor Wind Waker spoilers) Listen: Middle Boss Battle Final Fantasy VI Composed by Nobuo Uematsu Listen: Terra’s theme Half Life 2 Listen: CP Violation Music levels from Rayma ...…

We discuss how lives are becoming more internet connected, the history and hype around ‘smart homes’, and generally demystify the Internet of Things. Further reading: X10 Protocol Sustainable Smart Home and Home Automation: Big Data Analytics Approach Connected homes will take longer to materialise than expected Here’s What TfL Learned From Tra ...…

In this episode we take a deeper look at eSports and how it compares to more traditional sporting events. Inside Fnatic’s Bunkr, the World’s First eSports Store eSports news on ESPN Loading Bar Intro/outro music: JACKS – Runaway Fashion

In their most click-bait episode ever, Jalada and Sefran discuss the state of mobile phone games, where they think the industry is going, and some games that perhaps aren’t so bad after all. 81% of the UK population own a smartphone according to Deloitte. “Mobile games hit $34.8B in 2015, taking 85% of all app revenues” Super Mario Run from Nin ...…

In another case of ‘Jalada and Sefran weren’t paying attention to the episode timer’, this bonus-length episode is all about our favourite video game consoles. Nintendo GameBoy Sega GameGear Nintendo 64 PlayStation 4 Joint favourite: Nintendo GameCube In the episode we say that the Wavebird was the first wireless controller. Of course, there we ...…

Tom (‘modest’ on Summoner’s Rift) joins Jalada and Sefran to talk about MOBAs; what they are, where they came from, and why they’re so much fun. We touch on League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm, Defense of the Ancients, DOTA 2, and Smite. Feel free to be pedantic and email us to let us know that Aeon of Strife was arguably the first MOBA, not ...…

Jalada and Sefran explain why community management is so important in the development and maintaining of video games, from the perspective of video gamers. 7 Days to Die developer blog Examples of less-than-ideal pre-launch management: Spore, Fable, No Man’s Sky. “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided silly preorder scheme scrapped” Diablo 3’s significant L ...…

Antonia joins us for this episode where we discuss what makes life-sim games appealing, and why Stardew Valley is such a great example of one. Steam best sellers of 2016. Other examples of life-sims: Animal Crossing, The Sims, Farming Simulator, and of course Euro-Truck Simulator. For further information on the reward loop in video game design, ...…

Episode seven is a bonus length episode all about board gaming. From traditional co-operative games like Pandemic, to fast-paced social games like One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Jalada and Sefran break into this huge topic with a summary overview of some of the main types of board games, with a selection of ones to try yourself. Links to purchase ...…

Jalada and Sefran talk further about what you need to think about when running your own LAN, as well as discussing some of the history of LAN parties and events and the state of the community today. We cover a lot in the show, but there’s a lot more to it. Here’s some related reading from what we covered, and some bits we didn’t: Internet cafés ...…

Jalada and Sefran explain, with examples, some of the aspects of games that work well at LAN parties. We touch on a whole bunch of games in this show, but in particular we highlight: Borderlands and Borderlands 2. Heroes of the Storm. Towerfall. Team Fortress 2. Other related reading: What was GameSpy Arcade? Insomnia Gaming Festival. Intro & o ...…

Jalada and Sefran chat about six of their favourite genre-defining real-time strategy games. Related reading from the show: Real-time strategy on Wikipedia Metagaming Age of Empires 2 How to play it: Try Age of Empires 2 HD, the 2013 remake. Homeworld How to play it: Homeworld Remastered is a beautiful remake and comes complete with the sequel ...…

In this ‘The Best Ever’ episode, Jalada and Sefran try to agree on which game in The Elder Scrolls series is the best; Oblivion or Skyrim? Related reading from the show: IMDB page for Oblivion IMDB page for Skyrim Procedural terrain sculpting in Oblivion Enemies in Oblivion Enemies in Skyrim Morrowind speed-run using game breaking spells Oblivi ...…

Jalada and Sefran discuss voice-activated home assistants. We have a chat about what they are, how they work, and where we think the technology is going in the future. The two main devices we talk about are Amazon Echo* and Google Home. We also reference Apple Siri and Google Assistant. For more information about why understanding speech is har ...…

In this episode of Octal FM, Jalada tells Sefran what he thinks of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for the Wii U. Spoiler warning: Contains minor spoilers about Twilight Princess and a general discussion of the Zelda timeline. Related reading from the show: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and The Wind Waker HD. Zelda teaser trail ...…

Welcome to Octal FM! After introducing your hosts, we dissect the PS4/PC game No Man’s Sky. Related reading from the show: Freelancer Star Citizen Elite: Dangerous Journey Spore Procedural generation No Man’s Sky stats on SteamSpy Diablo 3 Diablo 3’s loot 2.0 patch (sample of media coverage for context) Please let us know what you thought by Tw ...…