Side Story

After telling us for months that we needed to play and talk about Kingdoms of Amalur, Jack has made good on the threat. But is it a threat? Isn't Kingdom's of Amalur a classic 'better than you think it is' game of the early 2010s? Once you look past all the legal hoopla (and the politics of 38 Studios' founder), doesn't it have a pretty unique setting and a combat system that lets you pull off, frankly, sick maneuvers?
Well. Opinions differ.
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Show Notes
Listen to Jack's segment on WCBN on September 8th at 9PM EST
Watch Janine play some Kingdom's of Amalur
Assassin's Creed Animation Change





Featuring Austin Walker, Keith Carberry, and Jack de Quidt,
Produced by Austin Walker
Cover Art by A Liang Chan 
Music by Jack de Quidt

Today, Janine and Ali go to a little world of catboy couriers and witches with high standards: Go-Go Town!, a frenetic city builder that splits the difference between Animal Crossing and Anno. They discuss its myriad tasks (both hands-on and delgated), its numerous vehicles (subway, truck, skateboard, and horse), and its many, many marble-like residents.
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:41 Go-Go Town!: A Game About Building Up a Little Town
12:11 Wait, What Is Go-Go Town!
19:47 The Courier System
26:28 Does It Have Longevity?
39:29 Early Game vs Late Game
52:31 Final Thoughts and Feelings
Featuring Janine Hawkins and Ali Acampora
Produced by Austin Walker
Cover Art by A Liang Chan 
Music by Jack de Quidt

It's music week on Side Story! Keith, Jack, and Sylvi kick off a conversation around music creation game Offbeat, a game about using a toy keyboard and a bunch of input cables as a sequencer to create little jingles as a freelance musician. But of course, this is Side Story, so their conversation quickly ranges to the act of music-making writ large.
Show Notes 
Yamaha MU80 - Performance Demo
The Gen Alpha Melody
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Every Company Only Makes One Good Thing
09:51 What is 'Offbeat'
17:44 Wait, what is a "Sequencer"
31:27 Permission to Make Busted Work
40:46 How Tools Shape Music
01:08:02 Keith Reccomendation
01:14:09 Secret Bonus Track (Deluxe Edition)
Go check out the Special Edition 10th Anniverary Marielda Vinyl Album! 
Featuring Jack de Quidt, Keith Carberry, and Sylvi Bullet
Produced by Ali Acampora
Cover Art by A Liang Chan 
Music by Jack de Quidt

We talk about friction a lot here on Side Story. Friction as difficulty. Friction as texture. Friction as erotics. But today, as the gem slides onto the lathe, as the clay spins around the wheel, as the brush strokes across the long arm, we talk about friction-as-friction, literally. But I mean, yes, we also talk about it as all that other stuff. Of course. Who do you think we are? 
Show Notes



Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:17 Lapidary
31:43 Master of Pottery
58:29 Meccha Chameleon

Gather up your ore nuggets, bind quicksave to an easy to reach button, and prepare to be killed in one hit by a level 1 mole creature because this week, Jack and Austin descend into the Khorinis mines and the magically-sealed penal colony within, delving for the first time into the renowned Gothic series via the newly released Gothic 1 Remake. 
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Show Notes
The Lost Art of Collectivist RPGs by Crocodile Gambit
Sin Vega's Gothic 1 Remake Review
https://xetoxyc.github.io/gothic-remake-lockpicker/

Go check out the Special Edition 10th Anniverary Marielda Vinyl Album! 
Featuring Jack de Quidt and Austin Walker
Produced by Ali Acampora
Cover Art by A Liang Chan 
Music by Jack de Quidt