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Love of the worlds created by video game designers and personalities drives Alex Smith & Jeffrey Daum (history, law, CS degrees) to provide a scholarly yet light-hearted discussion of how arcade, home console, and PC games merged into a Video Game Industry. Emphasis is on the combination of business and creative elements needed for financial success. Interviews of Atari, EA, Activision, & other execs with detailed source evaluations produce the insights you hear in these 140+ hours!
Episodes
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Friday Mar 01, 2024
TCW Podcast Episode 205 - Shepherd's Mass Effect 2 & 3
In our examination of the second and third installments of the Mass Effect trilogy, we delve into the development of each game and the transformative impact of BioWare's acquisition by EA. Mass Effect 2 marked a notable departure, shifting away from RPG elements towards a more structured shooter, with a renewed emphasis on narrative, albeit sidelining the original game's crew and downplaying choices made in its predecessor. Regrettably, Mass Effect 3 faced challenges, including the departure of its head writer and a departure from the hard sci-fi roots. The third game disappointed fans as high aspirations fell short, particularly in the lack of meaningful impact from player choices on the ending, which itself was criticized for adopting a Deus Ex Machina style conclusion. Despite these setbacks, the series retains a devoted fan base, attesting to its enduring appeal.
Want to get Alex's book? Want to save some cash doing so? Want more books, and help charities? We got you!
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/game-architecture-worldbuilding-and-ai-taylor-francis-books
Mass Effect Storyline in 3 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WfTN57dOVg
KOTOR Conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8F-qqxGPNQ
MASS Effect Conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vSGwx0zvek
Mass Effect Lore - The Asari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb20dR_X1E0
The Dirty Dozen Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff1V6ywnWcY
ME2 - Mordin Performing Scientist Salarian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0iJtgHOCI
Mass Effect - Cerberus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_et4nN7LtAA
ME3 Endings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ1O_w0ksgw
New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!
TCW Email: feedback@theycreateworlds.com
Twitter: @tcwpodcast
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds
Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com
Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1
Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode - Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode
Outro Music: RolemMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love
Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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