It’s our final episode of 2024 and we’re going out with a bang with a game that not only spawned one of gaming’s most beloved franchises, but helped launch its console as a serious competitor in the industry. We’re talking about none other than That One Game, Halo: Combat Evolved. Released on November 15, 2001 alongside Microsoft’s Xbox game console, Halo revolutionized the first person shooter genre for consoles and established a standard that the genre still adheres to to this day.

In addition to an iconic campaign that was fully playable via 2-player splitscreen co-op, Halo had its own multiplayer mode that took advantage of the Xbox’s four controller ports. Multiplayer maps varied from small arenas to large open battlefields optimized for combat with the game’s generous variety of vehicles. When the game eventually made its way to PC, so too did the multiplayer enjoy online matchmaking for the very first time.

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In this episode we’ll be discussing various ways video games have been advertised throughout the years. Over the years game companies have employed a variety of techniques to try and sway potential buyers, from simple gameplay trailers to wild off the cuff tv commercials that make you wonder what they were even thinking when they came up with them.

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This week, in celebration of our 64th episode we will be discussing none other than the iconic gaming console known as the Nintendo 64. Released in Japan on June 23, 1996 and in North America later that year on September 29th, the N64 marked Nintendo’s first big foray into 3D gaming. Unlike its competitors in the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn, Nintendo opted to maintain the use of cartridges as the format for its games rather than springing for the shiny new compact disc medium of its contemporaries. This would both aid and harm the success of the console, as while the cartridge medium did allow for advantages like shorter loading times compared to compact discs, they sorely lacked in storage capacity which caused many developers (including some longtime Nintendo partners like Squaresoft) to look to its competitors to deliver the games they were creating.

However, in spite of losing ground to the Sony Playstation, the N64 still held its own with a strong list of exclusives, including the likes of Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Additionally, thanks to its four included controller ports, the console was a huge multiplayer success with titles like Super Smash Bros and Goldeneye 007. Speaking of controllers, that is also a huge point of discussion surrounding the system thanks to its unique 3-pronged design.

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Lock and load because this week Jazzy from the TOGP Discord joins us on an adventure to save the galaxy in the second entry of a beloved Playstation franchise, That One Game: Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. Released for the Playstation 2 on November 11, 2003, Going Commando sought to improve upon the first game in the series in every way imaginable and largely succeeded at that. The game received universal acclaim across the board and was praised for its graphics, sound design and humor, alongside a plethora of gameplay improvements.

The game stars the titular Ratchet and Clank as they have accepted a mission to retrieve a biological experiment stolen by a masked thief. However during the process they soon discover all is not as it seems and quickly find themselves attempting to stop a mass outbreak of dangerous creatures.

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This week is our third annual Halloween Special that’s actually our second annual Halloween Special (if you know you know) and in the spirit of spooky time the topic is Video Game Franchises We’d Raise from the Dead! We’ve each compiled a few such franchises that haven’t seen new entries in quite some time for us to discuss today!

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This week we’re looking broadly at indie, AA, and AAA games and doing a bit of a compare and contrast, discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each one, where our preferences tend to lie, and more!

Indie games, typically defined by their smaller independent development teams and lower budgets, have seen a significant boost in popularity over the last decade by providing smaller, often more unique experiences compared to their AA or AAA counterparts.

AA games typically fall a bit short of AAA in scope and scale, as well as budget, and have seemingly nearly gone away over the last decade as large publishers put all their eggs into their big budget AAA offerings. However, with recent shifts in the industry post-pandemic, these types of games are starting to work their way back as publishers realize AAA development is getting too costly to be sustained.

And AAA games are the big blockbuster experiences with massive budgets and development teams and frequently push the boundaries of technology available while playing it safe from an overall game design standard.

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In this episode we are judging gaming handhelds by their covers and ranking them purely based on their looks! Using this highly scientific method of quality assessment, we will be creating an official TOGP tierlist for over 30 of gaming’s most beloved (and maybe a little obscure) portable devices. From the original Gameboy all the way up to the Steam Deck, we’ve got our work cut out for us!

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This week we’re diving into the first ever massively-multiplayer online game made specifically for consoles - That One Game: Phantasy Star Online! Originally released near the tail end of the year 2000 for the Sega Dreamcast, PSO took advantage of the Dreamcast’s online functionality to allow up to four players to team up and take on a variety of missions together. The game’s story tasks players with investigating the catastrophe that befell Pioneer 1, the previous expedition sent to the planet Ragol with hopes of colonization. Throughout the story the player would discover notes left behind by a character by the name of Red Ring Rico, a Pioneer 2 resident that seemingly vanished upon reaching Ragol’s surface. Through these notes something sinister is discovered regarding the true nature of the planet and Pioneer 1’s misfortune. Players were also able to create their own characters from one 12 different different classes, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Upon release PSO was met with critical acclaim. It would later see ports to Xbox, Gamecube, as well as PC, and even today, years after its official servers went offline, there remains a strong fan community keeping the game alive via the Ephinea private servers.

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That One Gaming Podcast website
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Join the official TOGP Discord!
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