From Pong to Pixels

The Interview Episode

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: The Interview Episode

Episode #8

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host(s) Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: more about our guest Quinn, finding out some of his interests, and some shared experiences.

Segment 1: General Questions

QUESTIONS:

Do you have a favorite video game? And if you do, what is it?
Do you have any memorable moments that have to do with a video game?
How do you think the gaming industry has evolved over the years?

Segment 2: Opinions on Certain Game Topics

QUESTIONS:

Do you have a favorite genre or style of video games?
What do you think a game needs to include for it to really stand out?
Is there a video game you can think of that you’re really not too fond of?

Segment 3: Pretty Good Questions

QUESTIONS:

Do you think video games should be mainstream, or should they be kept out of the news?
Do you have a favorite video game console? And if not, is there one that you share a lot of memories with?
What do you think the future holds for the world of video games?
If you could create your perfect video game, what would it include?

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

Only Time Will Tell

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Wed, 17 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: Only Time Will Tell

Episode #7

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host(s) Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: games released during the 2020s, a popular movie that came out, and my struggle with Mario Galaxy.

Segment 1: From Comeback To wait what

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. Sorry I’ve been gone for so long, I just finished my holiday break. But I’m glad to be back recording another episode for you guys. If you remember last episode, I had a guest on to talk about games in the 2000s. This episode I plan to cover some games that have been released during the 2020s. It probably won’t be much, considering we’re only 4 years in, but there are still things to cover. So I’m just going to get right into it starting with Fall Guys, released in 2020. Fall Guys is a platform battle royal game published by Epic Games. During 2020, Fall Guys didn’t really get talked about for long. It had made its way around social media, but it was only for a couple weeks. This was mostly because it wasn’t free to play. Its price upon release was $20 on Steam, an extremely popular platform for people to download games on. Now being free to play wasn’t the only reason, another one being how it didn’t work too well on the Nintendo Switch. At the time, only a couple big streamers were playing Fall Guys. But something no one expected happened, Fall Guys became trending again in mid-2022, due to the fact it became free. Everywhere you went you’d see people playing or watching Fall Guys. Even I tried out the game at one point, and although I wasn’t good, I still had fun. So if you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game to play with your friends, I’d definitely recommend Fall Guys. Now, these next two games I didn’t really want to cover, but I feel I have to because they are pretty popular. The first of these games is called Genshin Impact. Genshin Impact is an action RPG released in 2020. It follows the player having to travel a world they’ve never seen before to find their lost sibling. Now I don’t really know much about this game, but I’m sure you’ve heard of it, whether it’s from good or bad. The game features an anime-style open-world environment and an action-based battle system. Now if you’ve heard of this game, it’s probably either from the huge amount of ads for it, or things about its community. The developers behind this game are also not the best either, showing either hints of racism in its character designs, or using AI-generated art. As for the actual game itself, I can’t say much about it because I haven’t played or watched much of it. Another problem people have with the game is that it can feel like a lot of grinding. I’ve played games before that can feel like they’re dragging on and that there’s a lot of grinding, so I can understand the frustration. Now if you want to try out this game, be my guest, I’m not trying to get people to not play it, I’m just stating what I found when I researched info about the game. I’d recommend avoiding the community around it though, some of the things they do can be considered problematic or just flat-out weird. But hey, if the visuals and gameplay really stand out and look interesting to you, don’t be scared to give it a try. Just try not to tell anyone that you play it.

Segment 2: Weird, Forgotten, and oh hey this is actually pretty cool

Now I mentioned that there were two games I didn’t want to talk about. And this one is not so problematic, it’s mostly just the players. Valorant is a free-to-play first-person shooter developed and published by Riot Games, released in 2020. You can choose to play as a set of agents, characters based on several countries and cultures around the world. It is kind of similar to games like Overwatch or League of Legends, being just a first-person shooter with different game modes. The reason I said I didn’t want to talk about it is not because of the game itself, but for the community around it. This seems to be a theme in this episode. Now not everyone that plays Valorant is toxic, just about 80 percent. But you might be thinking, “Isn’t that just every first-person shooter game?” and while yes it is, toxicity isn't the only thing about the community. I don’t want to say it specifically, but If you have Valorant, I want you to just load into a game and see how long it takes for two people to have matching names. Now some of them are okay, but there are some that, well, it’s better if I don’t say. Now moving away from extremely controversial games, let's talk about one that barely got talked about, and that's what I plan to do in this episode too. (Sorry Cyberpunk) Cyberpunk 2077 is an action RPG published by CD Projekt in 2020. This game was most remembered for actor Keanu Reeves' role as Johnny Silverhand. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk universe, the player assumes the role of V, a mercenary in the fictional Californian city known as Night City, where they deal with the fallout from a heist gone wrong, which results in an experimental cybernetic "bio-chip" containing an engram of the legendary rock star and terrorist, Johnny Silverhand, threatening to slowly overwrite V's mind. I don’t blame you if you forgot about this game, because I did too until I started researching for this episode. Although I haven’t heard much, the things I have heard were pretty positive. So if you haven’t played this game and are looking for something new, I’d recommend this one. Onto the next game released in 2022, Elden Ring. Elden Ring is another action RPG developed by FromSoftware. It is an open-world game, having you traverse through six main areas. You can use many kinds of weapons or magic while exploring and fighting enemies. The best way to compare it to something would be to say it’s pretty similar to the popular game, Dark Souls. I don’t think it’s as challenging, but it definitely uses some of the themes and elements present in the game. I have a couple friends who have played it, and they all said it was really good. I would download but I’m not sure I have the time to play through all of it. So if you’ve been looking for something you can sink multiple hours into, Elden Ring is the game for you.

Segment 3: Mario Time (the amount of attempts...)

Moving away from video games, I want to talk about a movie that was actually released during the 2020s following one of the biggest video games of all time. The Super Mario Bros Movie was released in 2023 and produced by Universal. The quickest summary I can give of this movie is that Mario and Luigi try to start up a plumbing business, but after their family disapproves of it, Mario and Luigi try to save their hometown, Brooklyn. But once they go into the sewers, they get separated by a warp pipe, Mario being taken to the Mushroom Kingdom, and Luigi being taken to Bowser's castle. Mario encounters multiple iconic Mario characters, such as Toads and Princess Peach, and they try to help him get Luigi back from Bowser. Mario becomes skilled enough to stop Bowser after a short fight with Donkey Kong. They all team up and defeat Bowser, saving Luigi and Brooklyn in the process. Now I definitely skipped over some important stuff, so if you haven't already, go and watch it for yourself. When this movie was first announced, it was kind of not taken too seriously, considering the cast. Chris Pratt was revealed to be voicing Mario, and Jack Black was Bowser. Although it sounded like bad casting at first, they both did an amazing job as their roles. People were surprised by how good of a Bowser Jack Black was. Chris Pratt on the other hand wasn’t received too well. Personally, I think he did a good job, but many people's problem with it was that it didn't sound like Mario. I can understand that, but come on, do you really want someone like Charles Martinet to be doing a stereotypical Italian voice for the entire film? Probably not. So maybe Chris Pratt wasn’t the best choice for Mario, but I still think he did a good job. While still on the topic of Mario, I actually got reminded of a story involving one of the Mario games. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, there are these two galaxies that have you using the Wii remote to control a bird and fly to the end of the stage. The first one isn’t too tough, but the second one is what really got me. I mentioned in a previous episode that I actually got a Wii for my birthday, and I played Mario Galaxy on it. I recently reached the second level again and just, all the horror and bad times with it came back to me. Actually completing the level isn’t too bad, with only one or two hard parts. But there are these things called Comet Medals, which later spawn Comet Stars. To collect the Comet Medal in this stage, you have to fly through every one of these arches, which involves having to do some really tight turns, and only then will it spawn. But the challenge isn’t over yet, once it spawns, you still have to fly into it to collect it. The amount of times I’ve gotten through all the arches but missed collecting it is embarrassing. I tried this for multiple hours before I finally ended up collecting it. The name of the galaxy is Fleet Glide Galaxy if you wanna check it out. But yeah, finally beating that galaxy was one of the best feelings ever. Now I have to get all the green stars. So much fun. Well, I think that about does it for this episode, I’m gonna go reflect on my life and think about how long it took me to complete that level. Thank you for listening to another episode of From Pong To Pixels, I’m your host Andrew, signing off.

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

Truly Iconic

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: Truly Iconic

Episode #6

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host(s) Andrew (and special guest, Quinn).

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: games released in the 2010s, our personal experiences with them, and some thoughts and opinions.

Segment 1: Two of the Games That I Grew Up With (and GTA V)

These are the games we talked about during this segment:

Minecraft
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Grand Theft Auto V

Segment 2: Unlikely Rivals

These are the games we talked about during this segment:

Five Nights At Freddy’s
Undertale

Segment 3: Nintendo’s Big Hitters (and Fortnite)

These are the games we talked about during this segment:

Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Game of the Year
Fortnite

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

Leveling Up

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: Leveling Up

Episode #5

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: a lot of Mario games, consoles released during the 2000s, and some of my favorite and not-so-favorite releases.

Segment 1: Mostly Mario

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew, and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. I hope you guys are having a wonderful day, and I’m glad you decided to check out another episode. Today we’ll be looking at games and consoles that came out during the 2000s. Just by looking at the topics I can tell you this will be a long episode, so make sure to get comfy and enjoy. I think I’ll start things off with a fairly popular game, The Sims. The Sims is a social simulation game published by Electronic Arts in 2000. In this game, the player controls people called “Sims” and is able to control their everyday lives. You have a ton of free choice, meaning you can choose whichever path you’d like to take. You can customize your Sims looks, personality, relationships, and much more. There is so much to this game that I’d love to talk about, but I recommend just go download it if you’re looking for a fun way to waste your time. Now moving into a more familiar franchise, Nintendo. 2000 marked the year of their first Paper Mario game. Paper Mario is an RPG for the Nintendo 64. It follows a similar formula to other Mario games, being that Bowser kidnaps the Princess, and Maio has to save her, but with a twist. Bowser has also imprisoned the seven-star spirits, making himself invincible after defeating Mario and stealing the Star Rod. To save Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario must locate the star spirits, who can get rid of the effects of the stolen Star Rod. The player controls Mario and others to solve multiple puzzles and defeat enemies in a turn-based battle system. Each of Mario’s partners has a special ability to assist him with puzzles. Encounter different NPCs and they’ll give you clues for the storyline. Even though I’ve never played this game before, a ton of my friends have said nothing but good about the Paper Mario series. It’s a unique visual style and story, so if you’re looking for something a little different than normal Mario games, I’d highly suggest Paper Mario. I just quickly want to mention that the Playstation 2 was released around this time, a home video game console developed by Sony. Nothing too specific I wanted to say, just its release. Now another console I’d like to go into more detail on, the GameCube. The GameCube was another home video game console marketed by Nintendo. The GameCube was a huge success, with people still using its controller for other games to this day. One title for the GameCube I’d like to talk about is Luigi’s Mansion. Luigi’s Mansion is an action-adventure game released in 2001 by Nintendo. This was one of the first games in the Mario series to have Luigi as the main character. Good for him, I think he’s the better brother anyway. But this game follows Luigi, with him being informed that he won a mansion in a contest he didn’t enter. Luigi tells Mario to meet him there, but when he arrives Mario is nowhere to be found. He is attacked by a ghost, but thankfully saved by a scientist who goes by the name Professor E. Gadd. After he tells Luigi that the mansion is haunted, he gives him a vacuum and communication device and he goes to look for Mario. After a bit of exploring, he discovers that the mansion is an illusion set up by the game's antagonist, King Boo, in order to free ghosts that E. Gadd has previously trapped. King Boo lured the brothers to the mansion in retaliation for all the boos they killed in the past. After Luigi finally confronts him, he sees that he trapped Mario in a painting. Defeat King Boo to save Mario and finish the game. Luigi’s Mansion was a launch title for the GameCube, meaning it was released with the console. It became the most successful launch game, selling 257,000 units during its first week in the US. I actually remember owning this game but I don’t have any memory of playing it.

Segment 2: Sonic, Smash Bros, and Sunshine

Moving away from Nintendo and going into their rival franchise, Sega. The second installment of the Sonic Adventure series was released in 2001, Sonic Adventure 2. This was the first game to introduce Shadow, with him becoming a staple character in the franchise by boosting Sonic’s popularity with his personality and story arc. To sum up the plot, Dr Eggman’s grandfather was a mad scientist and created something known as the ultimate life form, being Shadow, in order to try to take over the world. I’ve also heard that the game has an amazing soundtrack, so if you don’t mind listening to video game music, which you shouldn’t mind by the way, I’d suggest giving it a listen. Continuing the talk about sequels, the second Super Smash Bros. game was released in the same year. Super Smash Bros. Melee is a sequel to Nintendo’s first fighting game, Super Smash Bros. This game is very similar to the first, being a crossover fighting game between multiple Nintendo franchises, but added a ton of new stuff. Such as new characters, features, and spawning a competitive scene that is still active to this day. I just wanted to mention that briefly, because next is one of the biggest consoles to get released. The first installment of the Xbox was released in 2001, manufactured by Microsoft. It was classified as a sixth-generation console, competing with Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube. Amazon and Toys ‘R’ US reported that online pre-orders sold out within 30 minutes. It was received really well, planning to ship around 1 million units by the end of the year. It was one of the most successful launches in video game history, the sales surpassing 1 million after just three weeks. I’ll talk more about the Xbox later in this episode, but going back into the Sonic series, Sonic Advance was the last significant release of 2001. Sonic Advance was a game created to celebrate Sonic’s 10-year anniversary. It follows the events of Sonic, his sidekick Tails, Knuckles, and Amy trying to stop Eggman from taking over the world, again. It was released on the Gameboy Advance and later got two sequels. Although it was criticized for how short it was, it was known as a major success, selling around 1.2 million copies, and is one of the Gameboy Advances bestselling titles. The next game I’d like to talk about is a new Mario title released in 2002, Super Mario Sunshine. I’m sure you’ve heard of this game before, considering its popularity and it later being ported to the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario Sunshine follows the events of Mario, Peach, and her “butler” Toadsworth. They set out to Isle Delfino for a vacation. After they land, Mario spots piles of gloop around the island, after receiving a water jetpack named FLUDD from Professor E. Gadd, he defeats a slime piranha plant. However, Mario is convicted of vandalizing the town and assigned community service to clean up. He finds out the person who actually graffitied the town is Mario’s doppelganger that goes by the name of Shadow Mario. He then kidnaps Princess Peach. After Mario defeats various enemies, it is later revealed that Shadow Mario’s true identity is Bowser Jr, Bowser’s son. He framed Mario because Bowser told him that Peach was his mother, and that Mario was trying to kidnap her. After defeating Bowser Jr, you are tasked with one last battle against Bowser. This game is a very unique Mario game because you are able to see the characters act more natural and in a different setting. I’d definitely recommend playing this one if you have a copy of it on the Switch or if you still have a working GameCube.

Segment 3: The Wii (and other stuff)

Now moving on to a new console, the Nintendo DS. The DS is a handheld console released in 2004. DS stands for either Developers System or Dual Screen. This was a new type of console, nothing like it had really been seen before. I used to own a DS and actually think it still works. It’s one of my favorite consoles, behind one I’ll mention later. Now I’d like to talk about a franchise I very briefly mentioned last episode, Grand Theft Auto. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is an action-adventure game released in 2004. It’s the fifth game in the GTA series, released on the PlayStation 2. It features many real-life events that I probably shouldn't say on here and that you already know if you’ve played it. There’s a whole story mode too that I don’t really want to get into, not because it's bad, but because I need to make room for other things I have to talk about. If you’re old enough, which you better be, I’d say go try it out if you haven't already. A new console I’d like to talk about is the Xbox 360, the second console in the Xbox series. I’m sure if you’re listening to this, at least one of your friends has an Xbox 360. It was an extremely popular console and its games were even more popular. It also introduced Xbox Live, a subscription that allows you to play games online, download game demos, purchase music, and much more. I don’t personally own an Xbox 360, but I do have one Xbox console that I’ll mention in another episode. Moving consoles to Xbox’s rival, the PlayStation. One game I’d like to mention for the PlayStation 2 is Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero is a music rhythm game published by RedOctane. The game features a guitar-shaped controller that the player uses to simulate rock music. The game covers multiple generations of rock music, having notes that scroll down onto the screen. Press them in time with the music to complete a song. If you’re into rock music and rhythm games, which are a lot of people based on its sales, this seems like the perfect game for you. Now going back to the DS, I’d like to quickly cover a Mario game released for it. New Super Mario Bros. is a 2D platform game released in 2006. It follows the typical Mario formula, Bowser kidnaps Peach, and Mario has to rescue her. This game started the trend of New Super Mario games, releasing a “New” Mario game, when it’s basically just the same game with a couple new features. Now I’m not hating on it, I don’t mind the series of New games, I’m just saying it can get a bit boring or repetitive after a while. Now on the complete opposite end, something that’s not boring or repetitive, a brand new Nintendo console. The Nintendo Wii is a home video game console released in 2006. Now I might be a bit blinded by pure nostalgia, but this is my favorite Nintendo console. One of the reasons for that is a title I’m sure a lot of you know. Wii Sports is a sports simulation game released along with the console. You are able to play five different sports, tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, and boxing. You play as a Mii, a character debuting from the Wii. A Mii is a customizable character that you can play as and customize to look however you want. The simplicity of these games along with the Mii in general really make for a fun time. I used to own a Wii, and I’m pretty sure it still works, but I don’t have the right wire to connect it or something. So since it’s my birthday the day I’m recording this, my dad decided to get me a brand new Wii. I’ve been looking forward to it ever since we ordered it. I can’t wait to replay some of my favorite games and relive some of the memories I had. Speaking of memories I have with the Wii, there’s one game in particular I want to talk about. Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D platform game released in 2007 for the Wii. It follows the events of Mario and his dinosaur friend Yoshi going through literal galaxies now to save the princess. I remember completing every level of this game, even getting all of the green stars, which yes did originate from this game and not Super Mario 3D World. Green stars are stars that unlock after you complete the main story, being an extra challenge. That reminds me of one level, Melty Molten Galaxy. They contained these dragon-like creatures made out of lava. I specifically remember being scared of them, and even having a nightmare about them when I was little. They still kind of freak me out now. It’s something that I’ll never forget and probably never will. Now the last game I want to talk about is a crossover between two rival franchises. Nintendo and Sega decided to do a crossover in the form of a sports and party game, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. This game consisted of a ton of sports and games that are played during the Olympics. It contains characters from both the Mario series and the Sonic series. You are able to play almost any Olympic game as a decent amount of characters. If you have one friend that likes Mario, and another one that likes Sonic, I’d suggest showing them this game. It can be fun for everyone, although it may get a bit competitive at times. Well, that's everything for this episode. I really appreciate it if you made it all the way through, it means a lot to me. Anyway, thanks for listening to another episode of From Pong To Pixels, I’m your host Andrew, signing off.

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

A Turning Point

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: A Turning Point

Episode #4

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: the creation of Sonic The Hedgehog, a lot of Mario games and a certain fighting game, and Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow.

Segment 1: That Bloody Hedgehog

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew, and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. If you remember last episode, I had invited two guests on to talk about probably the biggest decade and gaming history, the 80’s. If you didn’t watch that episode, make sure to go check it out. But enough about the past, let’s talk about, well, the past. This episode is going to focus on the 1990s, another crucial decade when it comes to discussing video games. I’ll be covering important games, companies, and turning points for the gaming industry, so make sure you sit tight, and enjoy. While technically starting in the 80s, the 90s marked the start of fourth-generation consoles. Now I don’t think I’ve covered this in my other episodes, but blank generation consoles, in this case fourth, just state what years they were developed in. Such as first-generation consoles being created in the early 70s to the early 80s, and second-generation consoles being made from the mid 70’s to early 90’s. Fourth-generation consoles were mostly dominated by the rivalry between Nintendo and Sega. Some consoles released during this time were the Sega Mega Drive (more commonly known as the Sega Genesis in North America), the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (or SNES), and handheld consoles such as the Nintendo Game Boy. Nintendo was able to profit off of their success in the third generation, after releasing the Nintendo Entertainment System, and won the largest worldwide market share in the fourth generation. Sega did however manage to become extremely successful after releasing their first Sonic The Hedgehog game, trying to compete with Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros series. But make sure to not go anywhere, they’ll be more on that speedy blue hedgehog, after this. Welcome back, sorry for the break, just had to go replay all the Sonic games to refresh my memory. So, if you didn’t already know, Sonic The Hedgehog is a series of games published by Sega, with the first game being released in 1991 for the Genesis. Sonic The Hedgehog is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog with supersonic speed, hence the name Sonic. The game follows the adventures of Sonic and his quest to collect all six of the chaos emeralds after the main antagonist, Dr. Robotnik, stole them in order to harness their power. Sonic went on to become an extreme success, becoming America’s number one best-selling game for months in 1991, outselling Super Mario. After its release in June, it had sold nearly one million cartridges by Christmas in the U.S. By the end of the year, it had claimed its title as the best-selling home video game of 1991, with two million copies sold worldwide. It even managed to win game of the year in three different award shows, The Golden Joystick, Electronic Gaming Monthly, and The European Computer Trade Show awards. Sonic The Hedgehog has solidified its legacy and reputation as one of the most popular video game franchises, and still has a massive fan base to this day.

Segment 2: Let’s-A-Go (and Smash is here too)

Enough about Sega, let’s move on to the dominating franchise, Nintendo. This decade may just be the most memorable and important for Nintendo’s history. I won’t be going into a ton of detail, because there are a decent amount of games released during this time. The first Mario game to be released in the 90’s was Dr. Mario. Dr. Mario is a puzzle game released in 1990 on the Game Boy, where the goal is to destroy viruses that show up on screen by using colored vitamins that are thrown by Dr. Mario. The game was received fairly well, with 2.5 million copies sold within six weeks of the game's launch in North America. With the combination of cartridges sold from other consoles such as the Game Boy and NES, it finished with a final number of around 10 million copies sold worldwide. The next game to be released in the same year was Super Mario World. This Mario game is a platformer for the SNES which follows the events of Mario, his brother Luigi, and Princess Toadstool going on vacation, which is interrupted by Bowser when he kidnaps the princess. This is also the first time we see Yoshi, Mario’s loyal dinosaur sidekick. The three of them have to work together to save their loved ones and defeat Bowser, along with his koopalings. This game was enjoyed worldwide, selling around 20 million copies, making it the best-selling game on the SNES. Moving onto a spinoff series of games, Mario Kart. Super Mario Kart was the first of these games, released in 1992 for the SNES. It is an extremely simple game to understand, Mario and various other characters from his games race against each other on different tracks, dodge obstacles and finish 1st place to win. Instead of following a story or having an antagonist, the Mario Kart series is one to be enjoyed with friends, making it a fun, and sometimes stressful, experience for all players. Now the last Mario game I want to mention is one that you all probably know and love, a game that brought an entirely new element and advance to the industry. That’s right, Super Mario 64. Super Mario 64 is one of, if not the most, influential and important games in the Mario franchise. This game is the first 3D Mario game, being a platformer released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64. It follows the typical Mario formula, Princess Peach gets kidnapped by Bowser, and Mario has to go through different levels to rescue her. This game was revolutionary for its time, being the first 3D Mario game and breaking away from the side-scrolling levels everyone was used to. This allowed Mario to be much more expressive, both with voice lines (voiced by Mario Ambassador Charles Martinet) and movement. Mario gained much more moves than just jumping and crouching, the 3D space allowed for Mario to perform such moves as a kick, backflip, long jump, and crawl just to name a few. This was the first game to also introduce Power Stars, with the player having to collect at least 70 out of the 120 of them placed throughout each stage to beat the game. Instead of opting for the typical fireflower and super mushroom power-up, Nintendo decided to include three unique caps for Mario to wear. The Wing Cap allowing Mario to fly, the Metal Cap making him immune to enemies, and the Vanish Cap turning him partially invisible, allowing him to walk through certain obstacles. The game has fifteen different courses, all with their own unique theme. After collecting enough power stars and obtaining keys through defeating Bowser, you are tasked with one last battle against the king of the koopas to save your sweetheart. The memories and nostalgia that come with this game really show how much of an impact its had on the gaming world. As someone who wasn’t even born when this came out, being able to play it when it got ported to the Nintendo Switch really made me see the charm and simplistic feel of it all, and how people were able to create memories with their friends, family, or even by themselves. The game was received more than well, selling more than 2 million copies and grossing $140 million in just the first three months of its release, going on to become the best-selling video game of 1996. The combination of nostalgia, simplicity, and pure joy people felt while playing it makes Super Mario 64 one of Nintendo’s most popular and memorable games to this day. There’s just one more Mario game I want to talk about, I promise this isn’t just about Mario. 1998 marks the release of another set of spin-off games, Mario Party. Mario Party is a party game that contains a variety of different minigames for up to four players. Mario Party is a game meant to be played with friends, each player trying to win the most minigames, collecting coins and stars along the way, and the person with the most of these items by the end is crowned the winner. The first title, Mario Party, set the foundation for many more of these games to come, each new game getting more improved minigames and graphics. If you’re ever looking to play a fun, and pretty competitive, game with your friends, I’d suggest any of the Mario Party titles. Now, finally shifting away from Mario games, kind of, I want to talk about one of the most well-known fighting games that was able to spawn multiple clones due to its success. That’s right, I’m talking about Super Smash Bros. Super Smash Bros. is a crossover fighting game published in January of 1999. Super Smash Bros., more well known as Smash Bros. 64, is a fighting game that combines many different Nintendo franchises, such as Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Pokémon just to name a few. The first game's roster wasn’t as expansive as some of the later titles, but still had a good cast of characters. These characters include: Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Link, Samus, Captain Falcon, Ness, Kirby, Fox, Pikachu, and Jigglypuff. Each of these characters have their own unique abilities, providing different options and playstyles for everyone. Each round works the same, up to four players battle on an arena, each player having three stocks (or lives), and they have to try to get rid of all the other players' stocks by hitting them, causing their percentage to rise. The max percentage a player can reach is 999%, but it usually gets up to around 300 in a normal match until they’re K.O’d. Eliminate all opponents in order to win. Super Smash Bros. is a game that can be enjoyed by anyone, but considering the fact it’s a fighting game, some matches can get pretty tense and could lead to arguments between players. So just remember, unless you’re in a tournament, it’s all just a game for fun. Y’know I should really take this advice myself.

Segment 3: Gotta Catch Em’ All

The mention of Pickachu reminded me that the first Pokémon game was also released during the 90’s. Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue are role-playing games released in 1996 and published by Nintendo. Pokémon Yellow was also released around this time in 1998. They were first released in Japan under the name Pocket Monster. The plot of Pokémon starts in the player's hometown, Pallet Town. They go and visit Professor Oak. He informs the player that wild Pokémon are living in Pallet Town. He then brings the player back to his lab and tells him to choose a starter Pokémon, meaning the one he’ll train and evolve. He is presented with three options, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. After selecting a starter, the player visits the region's cities, running into places called Gyms. Each Gym has a gym leader, and the player has to defeat them in order to obtain a badge. You will also occasionally run into Team Rocket, a team that abuses their Pokémon for various crimes. The player has to foil each of Team Rocket's plans for trying to steal rare Pokémon. Once the player defeats all the gym leaders and gets all eight badges, they are able to enter the Indigo League, consisting of all the best trainers in the region. There they will battle the Elite Four and the new champion, the player's rival. I personally have not played any of the Pokémon games so I apologize if I get any of the information wrong. I know Pokémon also has a trading card set and collectibles, but I don’t want this episode to be too long. If I end up talking about Pokémon again in the future I’ll try to remember and bring it up then. Just one last thing I wanted to talk about was the release of the PlayStation, a home game console released in 1994, marketed by Sony. Some memorable titles for the PS1 include Grand Theft Auto, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, and Spyro just to name some. Some other games I’d quickly like to mention are Mortal Kombat, a fighting game released in 1992, Doom, a first-person shooter released in 1993, Crash Bandicoot, a platformer released in 1996, and Banjo-Kazooie, another platformer released in 1998. I’m really sorry if I didn’t go into detail on any of your favorite games or if I missed it. These episodes take days of research, so I might slip up and forget something. Well, that concludes this episode of From Pong To Pixels. I hope you guys enjoyed and thank you for listening. This is your host Andrew, signing off.

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

The Golden Age

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: The Golden Age

Episode #3

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew, and special guests Quinn and Carlos.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: five extremely popular games that were released during the 80’s, their impact on the gaming industry, and some personal experiences we’ve had with them.

Segment 1: Donkey Kong & Mario

The first two games we discussed in this episode were Donkey Kong and Super Mario Bros. We talked about any experience we’ve had with the games and if we got to play them. We also got a little sidetracked and talked about our Halloween plans, but we were able to cover the important parts of each of the games.

Explanation of Donkey Kong
Their own thoughts on it
The impact it had
Introduction of Mario
Have they played it?
Explanation of Super Mario Bros.
Have they played it?
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The influence it had
Halloween plans (little off-topic)
The FIRST Mario Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show

Segment 2: Tetris

Quinn explained the rules and overall gameplay of Tetris, then we went on to talk about it and some other things along similar lines.

Explanation of Tetris
Have they played it?
Tetris Battle Royale
It’s community today
Mario Battle Royale?

Segment 3: Pac-Man & Zelda (and a little Metroid)

We explained the premise of both of these games and then talked about some of our experiences with them. We covered a bit of Metroid, but no one really played it so we didn’t spend too much time on it.

Explanation of Pac-Man
Ghost names?
The Pac-Man Show
Fred Willard (he loves Pac-Man)
Explanation of The Legend of Zelda
Have they played it?
Childhood games
New Zelda Games

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

The Start of an Era

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: The Start of an Era

Episode #2

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: new video games that came out during this time, different industries starting to build their platform, and what advancements were made during this era.

Segment 1: The Rise of Atari

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and welcome to another episode of From Pong To Pixels. I’m glad to be back making another episode, and I’m even more glad that you decided to listen. If you remember last episode, we covered the development and building of some of the first games and game consoles to be made. And if you haven’t seen that episode, make sure to go check it out. Lots of good info in there, trust me. But now this episode is where things get really interesting. I'll be covering different companies and games that came out during the 70’s, which is a lot of big ones. So enough introduction, let's just get into it. The 70s is where games really started to pick up in popularity, with arcades doing better than ever. One of the most well-known arcade companies, Atari, was founded and created during this time. Atari is a video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by American businessman Nolan Bushnell, and electrical engineer Ted Dabney. Bushnell had a part-time job working at an arcade, slowly learning more and more about EM games. After Bushnell graduated, he became an employee at Ampex, an American electronics company. There is where he met Dabney, and after the two started talking, they found out that they shared a lot of common interests. Bushnell decided to take Dabney to a computer lab at Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to see games there. After seeing them, they jointly developed a concept using a standalone computer system with a monitor and attaching a coin slot to it to play games on. To actually create the game, Dabney and Bushnell decided to start a partnership called Syzygy Engineering, both of them putting in $250 of their own funds to support it. Bushnell and Dabney worked with Nutting Associates to manufacture their product. Dabney developed a method of using video circuitry components to mimic the functions of a computer at a much cheaper cost and smaller space. Bushnell and Dabney used this to develop a variation on Spacewar! called Computer Space, where the player had to shoot at two UFOs, thus creating their first game. About 1,500 Computer Space cabinets were made, but they were a difficult product to sell. While Bushnell blamed the associates for its poor marketing, he later realized that Computer Space was too complex of a game as players had to read the instructions on the cabinet before they could play. Bushnell began seeking other partners outside of their previous ones, and approached pinball game manufacturer Bally Manufacturing, who showed interest in funding future efforts in arcade games by Bushnell and Dabney. Bally offered them $4,000 a month for six months to design a new video game and a new pinball machine. With those funds, they hired Al Alcorn, a former co-worker at Ampex, as their first design engineer. In May of 1972, Bushnell had seen a demonstration of the Magnavox Odyssey, which included a tennis game. According to Alcorn, Bushnell decided to have him produce an arcade version of the Odyssey's Tennis game, which would later go on to be Pong. Bushnell and Dabney had gone to incorporate the firm, but found that Syzygy (an astronomical term) already existed where they were. Bushnell enjoyed the strategy board game Go, and after considering various terms from the game, they chose to name the company atari, a Japanese term that in the context of the game means a state where a stone or group of stones is in danger of being taken by one's opponent.

Segment 2: Pong and It’s Rapid Growth

Bushnell and Dabney offered to license Pong to Bally, but the company rejected it due to it requiring two players. Instead, Bushnell and Dabney opted to create a test unit themselves and see how it was received at a local establishment. By August 1972, the first Pong was completed. It consisted of a black and white television from Walgreens, the special game hardware, and a coin mechanism from a laundromat on the side which featured a milk carton inside to catch coins. The test was extremely successful, so the company created twelve more test units, ten of which were distributed across other local bars. They found that the machines were averaging around $400 a week each. After discussing various terms and conditions with a few different companies, they decided to eventually release Pong on their own, and Atari, Inc. transformed into a coin-op design and production company. Atari shipped their first commercial Pong unit in November 1972. Over 2,500 Pong cabinets were made in 1973, and by the end of its production in 1974, Atari had made over 8,000 Pong cabinets. Due to Atari not being able to produce Pong cabinets fast enough, other existing companies decided to create their own versions of Pong. German-American game developer, Ralph H. Baer, who had patented the concepts behind the Magnavox Odyssey through his employer, felt Pong and these other games infringed on his ideas. Magnavox filed suit against Atari and other companies in April 1974 for patent infringement. Under legal counsel's advice, Bushnell opted to have Atari settle out of court with Magnavox by June of 1976. Atari agreed to pay $1,500,000 in eight installments for a perpetual license for Baer's patents, share technical information, and grant a license to use the technology found in all current Atari products and any new products announced between June 1, 1976, and June 1, 1977. Atari then decided to expand their company out to different headquarters and eventually made their way to the home video game console industry. They went on to create many more games, but none of which really being too notable.

Segment 3: Nintendo Joined The Game

Now moving to a different well-known game company, Nintendo. Nintendo is a Japanese multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, founded by a Japanese craftsman (Fusajiro Yamauchi). His, and other Japanese names, will be in the show notes for this episode because I don’t want to even try to pronounce them. Nintendo didn’t start out as popular as it is today, they had to build their way up to fame just like every other company. They started out really early as a playing card business, but I’m not gonna go back that far. I’ll be starting in the 70’s because well, that’s the decade this episode is about. So in the beginning of 1970, the company's stock listing was promoted to the first section of the Osaka Stock Exchange, and the reconstruction and enlargement of its corporate headquarters was completed. This year was the release of Japan's first electronic toy, the Beam Gun, a light-powered pistol designed by one of Nintendo’s engineers (Masayuki Uemura). In total, more than a million units were sold. The growing demand for Nintendo's products led its founder to further expand the offices, where he acquired a ton of surrounding land. Meanwhile, new employees continued to develop innovative products for the company. The Laser Clay Shooting System was released in 1973 and managed to surpass bowling in popularity. Nintendo then went on to create their very first video game system, The Color TV-Game. The Color TV-Game was released as a series of five dedicated home video game consoles between 1977 and 1980 in Japan only. The series has the highest sales figures of all the first generation of video game consoles. For the first two consoles, Color TV-Game 6 and Color TV-Game 15, Nintendo acquired a license from Magnavox production of its own Pong clone game consoles. Nintendo then went on to finalize and release these two consoles, both of them doing extremely well. That’s really the most notable thing they’ve done in this decade. As I’m sure you know, they go on to change gaming forever in another couple years or so. I just wanted to mention one more game before I finish this episode, because how could I not mention this one. The game I’m referring to is Space Invaders, which was developed by a Japanese game developer (Tomohiro Nishikado) and released in 1978. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. Space Invaders was the first fixed shooter and set the template for the genre. The goal is to defeat wave after wave of descending aliens with a horizontally moving laser to earn as many points as possible. Game developers including Shigeru Miyamoto (creator of franchises such as Donkey Kong, Mario, and The Legend of Zelda) and Satoshi Tajiri (creator of Pokémon), have cited Space Invaders as their introduction to video games. Miyamoto stated that Space Invaders had revolutionized the video game industry. I’m sure you’ve heard of Space Invaders before, considering it’s still playable in almost, if not every, arcade to this day. I’m pretty sure that covers all of the important games and consoles that were released in the 70’s, and if not, I deeply apologize. But make sure to stay tuned for the next episode, I’ve already done some planning and I know it’ll be a great one, so don’t miss it. Thank you all so much for listening to another episode of From Pong To Pixels, this is your host Andrew, signing off.

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

Where It All Began

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: When It All Began

Episode #1

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we discuss: the idea and development behind the creation of video games, some prototypes of the first games made, and how the gaming industry was built from the ground up.

Segment 1: Why Does This Exist Anyway?

The reason as to why video games were created in the first place is a bit rough, but it was largely because they were tied to research projects at universities and large corporations. Though these games weren’t made for entertainment, they set the foundation and groundwork for video games in the near future. But to see the first development in video games, we look back all the way to the 50s to when physicist William H. created the first official video game, Tennis for Two. Tennis for Two was created for a display at the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s annual public exhibition after learning that the government research institution Donner Model 30 analog computer (which was just a really fancy computer at the time) could simulate trajectories and wind resistance, perfect for a tennis-like game. Tennis for Two was the first game to be made solely for entertainment, with every game before it being just a step in technological advancement. The game would become extremely popular, with people lining up to see it at the 3-day exhibition. Tennis for Two marked the start of video game creation and opened people's minds to the possibilities of the industry for the first time.

Segment 2: The Prehistoric Age of Video Games

Now moving on to the 60’s, this was probably the most important year for the development and shaping of video games. 1962 was the making of the earliest digital computer game to be available outside of an institution, Spacewar!. The whole process began when computer scientists started to create simple games and simulations on the minicomputer. The minicomputer being an all-around, smaller computer used for testing and running software. This led to the creation of Spacewar!, developed by Steve Russell in collaboration with other students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (or MIT). Spacewar! was an extremely simple space combat game, consisting of two players having to destroy the other player's ship by shooting at it. Although the premise and gameplay were simple, they became very influential in the early development of video games. Also during this time the very first home game console was released, being the Magnavox Odyssey. The design of the Magnavox Odyssey was simple, a black, white and brown box connected by wires with two rectangular controllers. It came with extremely simple games, such as Table Tennis, Football and Hockey. Although it didn’t have any revolutionary titles, it single-handedly created the market for home game consoles. Now going back a bit, although the marketing and commercialism for video games at the time were small, due to the cost of computers limiting their distribution to research institutions and big corporations, many were still made by programmers and spread by computer manufacturers. Following the spread of Spacewar!, further computer games developed by programmers at universities were also developed and distributed over the next few years. These consisted of the Socratic System, a question-and-answer game designed to teach medical students how to diagnose patients by Wallace Feurzeig in 1962, and a dice game by Edward Steinberger in 1965. Now this next one was the start of a huge genre of games that still get made to this day. It started with a joint research project between IBM and the Board of Cooperative Educational Services that led to the creation of The Sumerian Game, one of the first strategy games, games with a narrative, and the first edutainment game ever made. The arcade video game industry grew out of the pre-existing arcade game industry, which was previously dominated by electro-mechanical, or EM games. Following the arrival of popular Japanese game company, Sega's EM game Periscope in 1966, the arcade industry was experiencing a sort of technological renaissance driven by audio-visual EM novelty games. This established the arcades as a healthy environment for the introduction of commercial video games in the early 1970’s.

Segment 3: The Forming of an Industry

Some major industries we know today started their video game journey around this time, such as the one I mentioned earlier, Sega. Sega is an extremely popular Japanese video game company, mostly known for their series of Sonic The Hedgehog games, but I’ll save that for a future episode. Starting as early back as the 40s, American businessmen Martin Bromley, Irving Bromberg, and James Humpert formed Standard Games. Their goal was to provide coin-operated slot machines to military bases, due to a demand for entertainment towards the beginning of World War II. After the US banned slot machines on its territory almost a decade later, Bromley sent employees Richard Stewart and Ray LeMaire to Tokyo to establish Service Games of Japan to provide the same slot machines to US bases in Japan. Only a year later, they established Service Games Panama to control the entities of Service Games worldwide. The company expanded to many other territories, such as South Korea, the Philippines, and South Vietnam. The name Sega, being an abbreviation for Service Games, was first used in 1954 on a slot machine, the Diamond Star. Due to investigations by the US government in criminal business practices, Service Games of Japan was dissolved in May of 1960. But in June of the same year, Bromley created two companies to take over its business activities. (Nihon Goraku Bussan and Nihon Kikai Seizō) These two new companies purchased all of Service Games of Japan’s assets. One business focused on manufacturing slot machines, while the other served as a distributor and operator of coin-operated machines, particularly jukeboxes. The two companies later merged in 1964.

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
Mr. Pink - Wolf Asylum
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN

From Pong To Pixels

Hopewell Valley Student Publications Network — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Hopewell Valley Student Podcasting Network

Show Name: From Pong To Pixels

Episode Title: Welcome To From Pong To Pixels!

You are listening to From Pong To Pixels the podcast with your host Andrew.

In this episode of From Pong To Pixels the Podcast we give a basic overview and explain what to expect from the show, while also introducing you to the host. We also set the overall mood and tone of the podcast, which is for the listener to have a relaxed but informative time, hopefully leaving the episode with a bit more knowledge and insight into the world of video games.

Segment 1: Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Andrew and welcome to From Pong to Pixels!; A podcast all about introducing, analyzing, and reviewing video games!

This show plans to take listeners on a journey through the world of video games and how they’ve evolved over the years. I myself have not seen most of the games I’ll be covering, so it’ll be a new experience for everyone!

I’ve always had a sort of attachment to video games ever since I played them with my father at a young age, so this is something that I’m very passionate, and nostalgic about. I’m really grateful that I can express my thoughts and opinions to new people who feel the same way I do.

Now, if you either want to learn about old games and how they’ve shaped gaming today, or expose yourself to new and exciting games, this podcast has you covered on all sides. Each one of these episodes plan to introduce, talk about, and review the most popular games from each decade.

I’ll be starting in the 70’s with the invention of Pong, hence the name “From Pong to Pixels”. I want this to be a journey for both me and you guys, taking everyone through the timeline of gaming, while hopefully opening their eyes to the complex and compelling history of the gaming industry.

I also want to share some personal experiences with some of the games I cover and maybe bring some people on to make the episodes feel a bit more lively. Once again I’m very excited to be able have this podcast, telling my memories and own opinions on popular games with anyone who chooses to listen.

Thank you all for listening and I’ll see you guys next time on the first episode of From Pong to Pixels. Cya!

Music Credits:

Magenta Moon (Part II) - Line Noise
X-2 - nymzaro

Connect with us on Social Media

@theHVSPN