Abnormal Mapping

The Mappers begin the new year with a new podcast about a new video game! There’s no such thing as too much new, as we delve deep into new characters, new shapes, and new possiblities with some new artwork and some new laughs. We also induct new things into the reading list. New. New new new. Please enjoy this new podcast, and maybe let friends (new ones, but old ones too I guess) know, so that they can be new listeners in this new era.Meatloaf, Pure Pool, The Witcher, Animal Crossing, Shaven Wookie, Destiny, Mass Effect, Beyond: Two Souls, City of Heroes, Star Trek Online, The Sims, Saints Row, Miis, GTA IV, Sleeping Dogs, I am Become Rihanna, the Destroyer of Worlds, The Natural, Expand, When Two Best Friends Make Video Games, CS Go 1.7 Beta, games for children, the “Tears in the Rain” Blade Runner speech, Minecraft LPs, the car story from the BeastcastYou can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Reading List Inductees:Psychology of Video GamesFriends at the TableMonster FactoryThis Month’s Game Club Game: ExpandNext Month’s Game Club Game: Ninja Gaiden BlackMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodMii Channel by Kazumi TotakaClosure by Christopher LarkinSlide by Etch MusicBusy Earnin’ by Jungle

With the completion of the Metal Gear diaries, Jackson is finally free from this franchise for the rest of time… or so they thought. Instead, they’ve pulled back in to a series of mid-month podcasts here on Abnormal Mapping where he talks to different guests about the various games in the series to highlight and explore multiple perspectives. For the first one, he’s joined by Corey Milne, an Irish Games Critic who wants nothing more than to hear Liquid Snake, with all the vocal might he can muster, utter the magic word: B R O T H E RCorey’s writing can be found on his website and you can also follow him on twitter!You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Things discussed: Metals Gear 1-4, Driving Off The Map, Spec Ops The LineMusic This EpisodeThe Best is Yet To Come by Rika Muranaka & Aoife Ní FhearraighEncounter by TAPPYMetal Gear Solid Theme by TAPPY

It’s the end of the year, and the Mappers have arrived a little late and a little weary to talk about the year that is now past and the year that lies ahead. 2015 was a mess of a year, like years often are, and in grand tradition we echew game of the year lists to bring you some memories, some japes, and some feelings. What lies ahead for the podcast? Within are the answers. Then, we turn to the games of yesteryear, for a deep conversation about one of the most highly regarded RPGs of all time, GameFAQs and Starman.net’s own … EarthBound.A big thank you to friend of the show Tracie Mauk for providing the voice of the photographer in this episode.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: EarthBoundNext Month’s Game Club: ExpandThings discussed: 2015 Spreadsheet, The Metal Gear Articles, Metals Gear, Zelda, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Final Fantasy VII, Ninja Gaiden Black, Yakuza 3, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, The Crew, Alphabear, Neko Atsume, Binding of Issac: Rebirth, Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate, Bloodborne, Etrian Odyssey, The Walking Dead: Season 2, Crusader Kings 2, EarthBound, the EarthBound guideMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodPhotographer’s Theme by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu TanakaYour Name Please by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu TanakaThe Sky Runner by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu TanakaRunaway Five Left the Building by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu TanakaOnett Theme by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka

No jokes today, but our second annual Thanksgiving spectacular as we talk about what we’re thankful for and the stories we tell ourselves both in video games and not. That’s followed up by one of our most intimate game club games yet, and a promise for memories to come with next month’s classic game club to round out the year. Hope everyone had a good holiday, if you’re in the part of the world that celebrates it!You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: BeeswingNext Month’s Game Club: EarthBoundThings discussed: Fallout, Bloodborne, Monster Factory, Mickey Mouse in the Castle of Illusion, The Sims, Twitch Plays Pokemon, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, Mario Lore, Final Fantasy VIII, Assassins’ Creed, Metal Gear Solid 2, Dino Crisis 3, Beeswing, Slacker, Abnormal Mapping continues their efforts to stop the sun, Bend it Like BeckhamMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodBeeswing Main Title by Jack King-Spooner*Beeswing Music Box theme by Jack King-Spooner*Hell to Up by Silverley AllenTV Song by Jack King-Spooner**names and composer presumed given lack of information

The Mappers take to the Halloween skies of a cursed night long long ago in a castle far far away to discuss the Greatest Video Game Ever Made … Super Bombad Racing.Items Discussed: Going to GAME in 2015; Bloodborne; Errant Signal’s “Peak Star Wars“; Star Wars in video games (Battlefront 2015 and 2003, Shadows of the Empire, Lego, etc); Castlevania: Symphony of the Night; Leigh Alexander’s writing on SotN; Eva Problem’s “your asshole dad’s castle is back again“; Mike Joffe’s writing on SotN; Vania Mania; Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow; Destiny’s Pokemon Team: Espurr, Eevee, Squirtle, Jigglypuff, Snorlax; Matthew’s Pokemon Team: Wobbuffet, Arcanine, Breloom, Probopass, Victini, Kiefi; Metroid Prime; Donkey Kong Country; Mario 64; Mystical Ninja starring Goemon; Catherine; Star Wars books; Stephen KingYou can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: Castlevania: Symphony of the NightNext Month’s Game Club: BeeswingMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodDance of Gold by Michiru YamaneWood Carving Partita by Michiru YamaneRainbow Cemetery by Michiru YamaneI Am The Wind by Michiru Yamane (feat. Cynthia Harrel)

A dark night in the bright city. Jackson dashes down an alleyway, a shadow looming behind them. They clutches the attache case close to they chest as they squeeze past a dumpster and into a space that would generously be described as snug for even the overfed cats that dine on the garbage nearby. Em’s close behind, reaching into the tiny space up to their elbow to reach after Jackson, unable to go any further. Growling, they climb up the dumpster, leaping onto the lowest rungs of the fire escape as they use the window to get into the hallway of the building Jackson is squeezing past. As they leap down the steps two at a time, they don’t see the slender cane extend between the bars of the railing until it’s too late, and their’s sprawled out on the cold tile floor of the foyer of the building.Destiny emerges from behind the stairs, nudging Em’s arm aside with her cane as she steps outside, just to see Jackson emerge from the alleyway and stop to look behind him for pursuit. It’s a distraction they can ill afford. They don’t even feel the needle slip under their skin, they just feels himself sag against the wall as Destiny steps up beside them and removes the case from their now flaccid hands. “Thanks,” she says. “It’s game over for you, though.”She turns to walk away, Jackson gasping trying to yell after her, their knees buckling as they falls back into the alleyway, and both of them disappear back into the bustle of the city.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: FramedOctober’s Game Club: Castlevania: Symphony of the NightGames Discussed: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Tomorrow Never Dies, Morning Mario Returns!, Civilization V, Three Beers Deep, our conversation with Lana Polansky, Framed, Hideo Kojima’s tweet, Angry Birds, Boom Blox, Doctor Who, Grim FandangoMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodBaba Yetu by Christopher TinFramed Soundtrack by Adrian MooreThe Fragrance of Dark Coffee by Noriyuki IwadareKapp’n’s Song by Shohei Tsuchiya

Legends tell of a man, a quiet man, a man who jumps and a man who spins, a man who one day—this day—must rise and save us all. But that man was not available, and so it falls upon this paper plumber to embark upon a journey to the stars to save a princess oft and once more kidnapped. The Mappers embark upon this man’s journey through a twisted land of pun-laden characters and self-aware deconstruction, and arrive finally at the end of their quest with only the corpses of penguins to show for it*.(*No penguins were harmed in the making of this podcast.)As a companion piece to this episode, Em produced an zine for Paper Mario, featuring cool and cute paintings and sketches of the characters and the world of this month’s game! You can (and totally should, it’s really good!) pick it up at either itch.io or gumroad.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: Paper MarioSeptember’s Game Club: FramedGames Discussed: Papa’s Donuteria, Racially Diverse Kitchen 3, Metal Gear Solid, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, Roger Ebert’s Great Movies, Player 2, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl, The Minesweeper Wall, Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars, Iwata Asks for Paper Mario Sticker Star, Upon Reflection, Retro Game Challenge, NES Remix, Shovel Knight, Attack of the Friday Monsters, Yakuza 3, Gone Home, Her StoryMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodAttack of the Koopa Bros. by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi SendaMarch Ahead by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi SendaNice To Meet You by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi SendaDetective Mario by Yuka Tsujiyoko & Taishi Senda

A few weeks back, Jackson participated in a panel for the Alternative Digital Arts Festival, run by Zolani Stewart, Austin Howe and Solon Scott. The folks behind ADAF have kindly given us permission to post the panel in our podcast feed for your enjoyment, if you missed it at the time!It’s a panel on Games & Mental Illnesss, featuring Heather Alexandra, Zeiya Speed and Austin Howe. We discuss representation of Mental Illness, how our own experiences with Mental Illness inform our readings of games, and the responsibilities of portraying Mental Illness narratives for an audience. In addition to the panel, Em, Jackson and Destiny got together a few days later to record a short cast with follow up points and extra discussion.It all comes together to form a really interesting 2 hour package of great discussion about games, Mental Illness, and the intersection of the two. Please enjoy!You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.August’s Game Club: Paper MarioGames Discussed: Final Fantasy VIII, Depression Quest, Actual Sunlight, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 4, Hellblade, Kane & Lynch 2, Her Story, Silent Hill, The Static Speaks My Name, Cart LifeMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodTheme of Laura by Akira YamaokaEternity by Nobuo Uematsu

For the description please visit thebestgame.club

whenever we cast our podson the net, on our ownwhenever we say our wordswishing they would be heardwe saw you smiling at us threetalking about final fantasyso click the play button in the cornerof this tiny little barIt is a glorious day, a day of celebration, of reflection, of escape. The Mappers sit together, Final Fantasy VIII behind them, fading away, knowing that they are free. They had been on a journey together, a journey through time and love and a needlessly labyrinthine battle system. And now, here on the other side, they know that they’ve forged in fire a part of themselves that they shall never lose.But that is not all that today is. Today shall go down in history, remembered by all for at least the next week and a half. For today is… The Day The Batman Died.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.July’s Game Club: Her StoryGames Discussed: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, Metal Gear Solid 2 HD, NiER, Neko Atsume, Tamagotchi, Final Fantasy VIII, Austin’s Article on FF8 fan theories, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Persona 4 and 3, Batman: Arkham KnightMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodFisherman’s Horizon by Nobuo UematsuThe Oath byNobuo UematsuMaybe I’m a Lion byNobuo UematsuEyes on Me byNobuo UematsuBatman Theme by Neal Hefti

The Mappers celebrate the heat of summer with hot jams, hotter skating, and the blazing addition of a third host! The three of them get down to business with a long talk about the sun-drenched streets of sizzling pavement and blasting AC, cars in traffic and the endless parade of city construction. It’s open season on open worlds, a question of what open worlds mean for the formal structure of video games and level design. Then, we skitch behind a stunt car and grind our way through through the … well, the grind of the eighth endeavor of Mr. Anthony “Tony Hawk” Hawke, Esq., also known as Project 8. Friendships are tested, hands are contorted, and we come through the other side with a rousing defensive of youth and play by one of our number, who can never not ollie. He said see you later boy. He wasn’t good enough for us. But he deigns to take us on this Junetime adventure, as we grumble our way through this expansive romp.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.NOTE: Jackson and Matthew clarified some of the points in this podcast in addendum article, which you can read here.This Month’s Game Club: Tony Hawk’s Project 8Next Month: Final Fantasy VIII: Part 2Games Discussed: A New Host Appears, VaniaMania Returns with Castlevania 2, Jackson’s PS4 Adventure, Grand Theft Auto 4, Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed 2, World of Warcraft, Sleeping Dogs, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Red Dead Redemption, Yakuza 3, Saints Row the Third, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Burnout Paradise, Spider-Man 2, Batman: Arkhams Asylum and City, Tony Hawk’s Project 8, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, this Errant Signal video, skate 2, Crazy Taxi, Goldeneye.Music This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodPunk Rock Girl by The Dead MilkmenIf You Must by Del The Funky HomosapienAll My Best Friends Are Metalheads by Less Than JakeSuperman by Goldfinger

A silent choice rode the winds that day, its currents bearing only two words, of which only one could remain. “Squid,” it said, “or Kid?” Em snapped awake in sweats, knowing only one thing. This choice would not consume them, this choice would not win. And with one press of the enter key, they recruited their friend into their cause. They drove to their shops, and plugged in their Wii Us, and strove for a third option that they knew did not exist. They would be neither Squid nor Kid, and yet they would be both at the same time.Em’s article about Mario 2 and Jackson’s endeavors is up and you can read it here!You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Things Discussed: Darth Vader comic, Match 3 Podcast, The Giant Beastcast, Austin Walker hired at Giant Bomb, Less Than Jake, Linkin Park, Blink 182, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Morning Mario, our episode on Link to the Past, the ending of Zardoz, POTUS in bicycle accident, Mambo No. 5, The Magic Number, One is the Loneliest Number, Just the Two of Us, Splatoon, Amiibo, WWE Pay Per Views, Halo, Fire Emblem, PT, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Pre-Rendered Backgrounds, Asura’s Wrath, Street Fighter, Soul Calibur 2, Crazy Taxi, The Offspring.June’s Game Club Game: Tony Hawk’s Project 8Music This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodFinal Boss (Squid Sisters Ver.) by Toru Minegishi, Shiho FujiiSplatoon Commercial Music by Unknown

We’re joined by our erstwhile third chair for an adventure in the sun-drenched days of a childhood none of us can remember, tearing around 70s Japan with our friends, our backpack fresh and our faces fresher as we make new friends and go on adventures with Attack of the Friday Monsters. There’s more in this episode, but I promise you none of it has anything to do with video games. I’d apologize, but I’m pretty sure 2/3 of our podcast members like it that way.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Things Discussed: Super Mario Bros 2., New Super Mario Bros 2., Spelunky, The Binding Of Issac, Scroll VG Issue 10, John Cena’s Giant Hands, Soulja Boy’s flag planted in game crit, Retronauts’ prog rock episodeThis Month’s Game Club Game: Attack of the Friday Monsters: A Tokyo TaleNext Month: Tony Hawk’s Project 8Music This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodCharacter Select from SMB2 by Koji KondoToll of Small Happiness by Hideki SakamotoAttack of the Friday Monsters Main Theme by Hideki Sakamoto

It’s a very special Abnormal Mapping as we transform the podcast set into a late night studio and invite two of gaming’s most infamous bad boys for a nice sit down chat. The King of the Koopas takes center stage to talk his new book, the geopolitics of the mushroom kingdom, and his complex family life that keeps even a democratically elected monarch on his toes. Then, surprise guest Wario offers us the dirt on Nintendo’s business practices, a new way to look at the history of small games, and what exactly the #evilgames movement entails. It’s the first Abnormal Mapping panel show, and we hope that you enjoy these intimate looks at the lives of the villains we take for granted.#evilgamesThanks to Michaela Joffe, who set up these interviews for us. Our mic’s wouldn’t be singed by turtle fire without his contributions.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Next Game Club: Attack of the Friday Monsters!!Music This EpisodeSaturday Night Live Theme 1985-1994 by Howard ShoreBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodWario Dance Company by Naoko Mitome, Masanobu Matsunaga, Yasuhisa BabaGamecube Boot Music by Toru MinegishiIgnorance is Bliss by Jellyfish

Em stood by the grave, and looked upon the headstone. Time had withered the slate, there was no name left to mark a life long since lived. And all the people seemed to pass on by, catching the bus, going to work, eating chips and going to bed. He didn’t understand how they could walk here without hearing the warning, those deafening screams of the forgotten, keeping him awake night after night after night. One day he would be screaming too.“No,” they whispered to themself, turning away. He couldn’t change his fate, but he could tear down heaven and hell to punish those who chose it. Who were Gods to sign his death sentence, to force upon him an existence never requested, and all too soon, steal it away? No longer could this cycle continue. The Gods would fall to their hand, and for one brilliant, shining moment, as the pain of existence blinked away, there would be silence.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s RPG Explorer’s Club: Final Fantasy VIIINext Month’s Game Club: Attack of the Friday Monsters!!Games Discussed: Final Fantasy VIII, Pokemon Shuffle, Star Wars, Super Mario BrosMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin MacLeodAmi by Nobuo UematsuShuffle & Boogie by Nobuo UematsuFragments of Memories by Nobuo UematsuMan With A Machine Gun by Nobuo Uematsu

The Mappers deal with the loss of technology and hope in the only way they know how: deep existential crisis and how it informed criticism. Good thing they’ve finally stumbled across a game that is willing to compete with them for who can be the most fatalistic, even if it means doubling down on prescriptive ideas of what educational/artistic games should be. Also, we talk about lore for almost a half an hour and nobody makes a Star Trek joke, so it’s all a minor miracle today in this post-computer episode of this post-computer podcast.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: Elegy for a Dead WorldNext Month? TBD, sorry!Games Discussed: Elegy for a Dead World, Pokemon Art Academy, Rock Band, Resident Evil HD, Even The Stars, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Skyrim, Dragon Age: Origins, Dishonored, Alan Wake, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Battlefield: Hardline, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Dark SoulsMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodGame Over from Sega Rally ChampionshipRock the Dragon by Shuki Levy and Kussa MahehiWicked Child by Kinoyu YamashitaAll I Want by Offspring

The Mappers take on a special guest in this very special episode, as Heather Alexandra comes onto the cast to join us on our journey through the path of the spirit. We brave forests, destroy ships, run nightclubs, and manage to recite a poem or two in remembrance of classic adventure game Grim Fandango! No fancy intro this time, just good old fashion podcasting about a classic game! I hope you enjoy!Art for this episode was done by Em, who themself himself an amateur artist when he’s not hosting this podcast.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Heather Alexandra can be found on twitter (@transgamerthink) and at her blog. You can find her Skies of Arcadia video here.Reading List Additions: Justice Points and Major ThirdGames Discussed: Goldvision Pacifist GTA Online, Skies Of Arcadia, Far Cry 3, Beyond: Two Souls, Heavy Rain, Dead Island, Bloodborne, Cave Cave Deus VidetThis Month’s Game Club: Grim FandangoNext Month’s Game Club: Elegy for a Dead WorldMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodRubacava by Peter McConnellCasino Calavera by Peter McConnellManny & Meche by Peter McConnellShe Sailed Away by Peter McConnellBone Wagon by Peter McConnell

You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Reading List Additions: History Respawned and Top ScoreGames Discussed: P.T., Paris Hallway, Sci Fi Corridor Maze Walkthrough, Gone Home, GTA 4, Burnout Paradise, Sleeping Dogs, Final Fantasy VII, Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Skyrim, Minecraft, Interactive Fiction, Your Actions Do Not Effect The Ending, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy, Dream.Sim, Mirror’s Edge, Tony Hawk, Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time, Attack of The Friday Monsters, Persona 3/4, Resident EvilThis Month’s Game Club: Yakuza 3Next Month’s Game Club: Grim Fandango with special guest Heather AlexandraMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodDead Run by Hidenori ShojiD 2 A by Hidenori ShojiBray of the Dragon King by Hidenori ShojiKamurocho Lullaby by Hideki Sakamoto

Today we bring you our most sleepy episode yet with our celebration of all things Valentine’s Day by talking about anime girls hitting on each other, as the RPG Explorer’s Club returns to talk about Atelier Rorona Plus! We’re joined with fellow role playing spelunker Destiny Sturdivant for a journey into the dark heart of time limits and item creation as we run afoul of all the problems with trying to play RPGs on a timetable. The only solution? More RPGs! Please enjoy this short episode on this short month, when all seems nearly lost because winter refuses to give up its grip on our hearts.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Games Discussed: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, Kindle, DS9 Books, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, Atelier Rorona Plus: Alchemist of ArlandThe Next RPG Explorer’s Club Game: Final Fantasy VIIIMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodEyes of the Dragon by Ken NakagawaFalling, The Star Light by Yamamoto Mineko

The Mappers are joined in this January episode by one of the few games writers they’re genuinely intimidated by, and they go on a heady adventure into lands untold. How does anyone understand the landscape of a culture whose history keeps disappearing? What does it mean to want to work in a field and criticize works when every aspect of that production is increasingly devalued in both money and regard? What does it mean to explore the murky issues of consent in games? And how long can you exist on a ghostly train ride before it becomes a lens through which you view your own predispositions? All these questions and more are yours inside when Em and Jackson try their best to keep up with Lana Polansky in this heady, intense, appropriately metaphorical train wreck of an episode. Please enjoy!You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Our guest this month is Lana Polansky, who you can find at Sufficiently Human and on Patreonand Twitter.This Month’s Game Club Game: offɭineNext Month’s Game Club Game: Yakuza 3Music In This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodthe soundscape of offɭine by NAWKSHSnowflakes by Shoji MeguroThings (All Of Them, Until We Can’t Link Anymore) Discussed in This EpisodeArcade ReviewFive out of TenZEALCahiers du cinémaCritical DistanceGood Games Writing@OldGamesWritingZoya StreetReading EGMCelia Pearce Tracy Fullerton Jacquelyn Ford MorieA Game of One’s Own Computers as Theatre by Brenda Laurel Frances Hodgson Burnett Hélène CixousSimone de BeauvoirCharlotte Perkins GilmanVirginia Woolf Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter BenjaminLeigh Alexander “You Can Sleep Here All Night”: Video Games and Labor by Ian WilliamsForskaTJ ThomasAustin C HoweEspen AarsethRoland BarthesSusan SontagGita JacksonMike Joffe (Check out our prior episode featuring an interview with Mike!)Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal Videogames of the Oppressed by Gonzalo FrascaThe Crew Review: Postcard America by Austin Walker Level 99 Capitalist by Stephen BeirneGender Trouble by Judith Butler80 DaysJustice Points podcast .error404Bayonetta and .error404: Two Concepts of Nudity by Katherine CrossConsensual Torture Simulator by Merritt Kopas Hurt Me Plenty by Robert Yang Flushed: A Toilet Gaming E-ZinePol ClarissouMystZorkTwineLas Meninas, Diego VelazquezGlitchhikersnight tuneStarsEven The StarsAndi Mcclure2:22AMBeeswingActual Sunlight (and Jackson’s old writing on that game)There Are Monsters Under Your BedEveryone’s Hot For Worf (Lana’s upcoming parody game)

The Mappers return from the holidays to a heaping helping of holiday ennui, an alliteration obliterating miasma from which there is no escape. They soldier on, in this dark era where the PS3 has not ascended, trying to put together the pieces of a now uncertain future. What is around the bend?It might be doom, it might be untold riches, but it’ll certainly be adventure. If only there were a … group? Of people who were dedicated to … exploring? Nah, that’d never work.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Games Discussed: Bayonetta 2, 80 Days, Batman: Arkham Origins, .error404, DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, How to Be a Great Artist in 10 Seconds, Star Trek Theme Songs, Sleeping Dogs, The Fall, Alan Wake, Final Fantasy 7’s Gay Sexual TensionNext Month The RPG Explorers Club Returns with: Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of ArlandMusic This Episode:Blown Away by Kevin McLeodAnother Winter by AnamanaguchiDigimon Main Theme by Paul Gordon

This final Abnormal Mapping of 2014 begins with a bit of introspection, as the Mappers go over the year that is quickly fading behind them, and look forward to the year to come. Then, joined by oft-guesting Destiny, they explore the endless realms of Minecraft, doing their best to stave off the expected and inevitable slide into existential terror as they look to the horizon and ponder just how many blocks one has to dig up to be alive. Join us on this, the Eve of the Year of the PS3, as we head towards the future, hearts heavy but heads held high.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.This Month’s Game Club: MinecraftNext Month’s Game Club: offɭineMusic in This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodChristmas in Nightopia by Tomoko SasakiStal by C418Toy Day by Manaka Kataoka & Atsuko AsahiNext month’s guest, Lana Polansky, can be found at Sufficiently Human, or support her Patreon!

Welcome, one and all, to another very special episode of Abnormal Mapping: our second Gameography! For those unfamiliar, a Gameography episode is where we take a close look at the work of a game maker, and approach it as a whole. This time, we chose to take a gander at the games of Michaela Joffe, who is here for an incredibly fun and interesting interview!Join us for talk of twine, trees and thanksgiving, as we dive into discussions of improvisational play, the function of anthropomorphism and the limits of authorial intent. And yet, all this is perhaps overshadowed, as Em brings unto Jackson the most horrifying of all revelations: The true meaning of Thanksgiving.This is only our second Gameography, and we’d love for your feedback about our process, as well as any other random questions or comments. As ever, you can bother both of us on Twitter, or send us an email at: [email protected] can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Gameography: JoffeBenthic LoveFinal Fantasy VI RecastInvisible Cities: The Party GameDream of the Acacia TreeThe Handsomest EchidnaMother She Killed Me, Father He Ate MeBabirusa Pig GamePet Loris SimulatorFaster Than A Speeding BulletWill o’ WispPangolin ValentineEft to NewtEufriesea: A Game of Orchid BeesThe Handsomest Echidna RemasteredScribbly WalrusNext Month’s Game Club:MinecraftMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodThe Good, the Bad and the Loris by Ennio Morricone and Michaela Joffe

Hope lies in ruins. The calamity hangs overhead. People look up, wishing that some savior will come. But nothing will save us from the inevitable: extended CGI anime movie sequels to games that didn’t need them. Alas, in this darkest hour, when all that is Holy is buried and the stigma of the planet taints even the bravest of us, the Abnormal Mappers are all that stand between the inevitable void and salvation. But worry not, this is just the last dream of all of us. The ultimate vision. One might even say … no, that’s not for mortal mouths to speak. It drives people mad, sputtering nonsense words like ‘shilly shally’ and ‘memetic legacy’. Fearing this fate, we dwell on the inconsequential: snowboarding, a few good Turks, and our own tiny hope for the future.You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking here.Games Discussed: Sims 3, Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, Resident Evil 4, Broken Age, Bayonetta 2, Hatoful Boyfriend, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children CompleteMusic This Episode:Blown Away by Kevin MacLeodThose Who Fight (Piano Ver.) by Nobuo UematsuTenrai ~Divinity II~ by Nobuo UematsuOne Winged Angel by Nobuo Uematsu

We don the masks of the harvest reaper to stalk the dank halls of a far off land of clockwork intrigue and steam-powered assassination, perched on the balustrades of our own mental palaces, poised to strike in the blink of an eye. What are we waiting for? Only the final strike of the witching hour, when we will descend and offer up that vengeful mantra of horror that was granted to us by the great Machiavellian evil: Thnks fr th vidya gms. It’s enough to make a person’s blood run cold, robbing even the most comforting evening of matching three or grinding levels of hope and rendering it an empty shell of its former self. This is where fun goes to die. This is where For Glory is only a long-forgotten menu option, and not an ideal to strive for. This, my friends, is Dishonored Halloween.On a serious note, the Lana Polansky article we reference heavily in segment 2 can be found here.This Month’s Game Club Game: DishonoredNext Month: Gameography: Mike JoffeI’ll be putting up a list of Mike’s games in the next few days, and I’ll link them. Until then, check out his website, found here.Music This Episode:Blown Away by Kevin MacLeodJob Anthem 1 by Nobuo UematsuKnife of Dunwall Ending Theme by Daniel LichtFind Me on a Whim by Devin VibertDance of Gold by Michiru Yamane

The Mappers are joined once again by Honorary Cartography Extraordinaire Destiny Sturdivant for the inaugural meeting of the RPG Explorers Club. Em leads them down the Mako-soaked lanes of his memory as they dig up that burning question for the ages: what exactly does happen to Aeris? It’s a long journey, full of pitfalls and pratfalls, and together they all learn to love again. Just like Cloud. Who learns to love a certain flower girl. Who dies. Oh right, Aeris dies.Destiny Sturdivant can be found at Badland Girls!You can get our podcast on iTunes, on Stitcher, or you can download it directly by clicking HERE.Games Discussed: Sims 3, Final Fantasy Theatrhythm: Curtain Call, Neverending Nightmares, EGX, Even the Stars, Clicker Heroes, Cookie Clicker, Candy Box, and of course, Final Fantasy VIIMusic This Episode:Blown Away by Kevin MacLeodAnxious Heart by Nobuo UematsuTurk’s Theme by Nobuo UematsuThe Great Warrior by Nobuo UematsuTheatrhythm Curtain Call End Theme by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

Trans-media beings exist in a digital realm, transcending the archaic definitions of one art or another. Words become images, images become environments, narrative forms change shape in a strange alchemy of noble intent and desperate capitalism. The Mappers navigate this technoplane, where all things change and the nature of creation is itself in flux, and they find themselves gripped tight to their seats. How many Gs exist in cyberspace? Will the Mappers survive, or are they doomed to hurl their lunches at the very thought of all things being subverted into newer, bigger, more engaging? This is the thin line between good and evil, light and dark, reality and dreams: this is the blurred space where adaptations and roller coasters become one.Games Discussed: Final Fantasy VII, DanganRonpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, FIFA/Madden, Spider-Man 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, QWOP, South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Hunger Games: Girl on Fire, The Great Gatsby, The Lion King, The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Waiting for Godot, GoldenEye: 007, Tom Clancey’s Rainbow Six, Spaceteam, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, DuckTales, Dante’s Inferno, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, Star Wars Episode I: Racer, Roller Coaster Tycoon series, The Sims, Little Big PlanetNext Month’s Game Club: Dishono(u)redMusic This Episode:Blown Away by Kevin MacLeodMain Theme of The Lion King by Frank Klepacki, Dwight Okahara, Patrick CollinsRollerCoaster Tycoon 2 Main Theme by Allister BrimbleGoonies 2 Stage 1 by Satoe TerashimaInfogrames Rocks My World by an unknown but beautiful angel of music

This month’s Coolsoge kicks off with a bang as the Mappers are joined by fellow David Cage veteran Destiny Sturdivant to talk a boatload of games and the very ridiculous task that we’re all going to undertake this fall. Also more than a little time is spent educating Jackson on just what Meatloaf wouldn’t do for love, because they has to learn somehow. The answer is potentially “collect multiple cows” or “descend into Rapture” or “select ninja dog.” But the smart money is on “keep his eyes dry when a certain flower girls eats it.” Will we ever learn the truth? Probably not on Disc 1, but if you stick around for the secret ending and you unlock the 4th level of the tie-in cell phone game, maybe the true answer will arise from the lifestream. Only time will tell.The Coolsoge Backlog Slog begins with us starting to play Final Fantasy VII! We’ll cover up through disc 1 next month, and Em will be a nostalgic, mopey mess for this strangely maligned once-unassailable game.You can find Destiny on Badland Girls, a cool junk culture podcast that we heartily endorse!Please subscribe, rate and review our show on iTunes! If that’s not your bag, you can get the episode directly by clicking HERE.Additions to the Reading ListWatch Out for FireballsMemory InsufficientGames Covered This MonthI’m FineHarvest Moon 3D: A New BeginningEidolonNinja Gaiden BlackHohokumBioShock 2Be the BallP.T.Octodad: Dadliest CatchCivilization 5Music in This EpisodeShow Your Moves by Kevin MacLeodCoastal Brake by TychoCloudwatching by Michael BellOctodad (Nobody Suspects A Thing) by Ian McKenney

The day they thought would never happen is finally here. The clockwork machinery of the gods themselves rolled away and revealed a blinding light, from which poured a host of a host of creatures both fair and foul. All of that number were beyond mortal understanding, but they all cried out with a single human voice: YOU WERE WRONG. And so it was, that as the seas boiled and the sun and moon reversed their paths through the firmament, did these two Mappers set out to admit this final damning truth, even if the planes be rent asunder forever and all lives both player-driven and peripheral be cast into the deepest of voids. Such is the One True Cast.This Month’s GamePlanescape: TormentNext Month’s GameRollerCoaster Tycoon 2Music in This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodDeionarra’s Theme by Mark Morgan and Richard BandFall-From-Grace’s Theme by Mark Morgan and Richard BandOpening Theme by Mark Morgan and Richard Band

Em braves audio failure as Jackson drags them kicking and screaming through another Coolsoge adventure. After many many weeks between them, the Mappers have a pile of games they’ve finished and the dimmest of memories with which to recall them, but they do their best to talk about various driving and skating games, the terror of suplexing scorpions, and some Donkey Kong follow-up beef. Vows are made to cast the Coolsoge more often and they pour one out for the machete man gang, but eventually it all collapses into Star Trek talk, because it always does when Em and Jackson are talking longer than 15 minutes. Featuring special guest Worf, son of Mogh, it’s the second Coolsoge onslaught!You can find the Coolsoge Cast in our usual iTunes feed or click HERE to get to the file directly.Stuff Talked About!Trashpect Ratio, Jackson and Em’s new movie podcastThe Abnormal Mappers on The Badland GirlsEm’s Blackwell Let’s PlaysJackson’s article about UnchartedJackson’s other article about the Burnout seriesGames Covered (some spoilers, fair warning!)Resident Evil 4The Blackwell SeriesUncharted 3Deadly CreaturesTony Hawk’s Pro Skater (all of them)Thrasher: Skate and DestroyPapo y YoBurnout 3 & RevengeDonkey Kong Country: Tropical FreezeFire Emblem: AwakeningPersona 4 Golden (and Persona 5)Mass EffectStar Trek OnlineOutlandRogue LegacyNintendo 3DS Guide: Louvrebit Generations seriesMusic UsedShow Your Moves by Kevin MacLeodSkate or Die 2 Main Theme by Rob HubbardStar Trek: The Next Generation Theme by Jerry Goldsmith by way of the NES Sound ChipBusted Bayou by David Wise

This month is a special month, as we’re joined by special guest Destiny Sturdivant of the Badland Girls for not only our first guest third chair but also our longest episode ever! Deciding to double our pleasure, double our fun, we take a dive into the duo of Quantic Dream games for the Playstation 3—Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. We go deep on both games, both mechanically and in their many storytelling successes and failures. It’s a doozy, but I can sincerely say this is our best episode yet, so it’s worth the movie-length runtime! Please enjoy, and we’ll be back next month for more regular inanity in this show notes space!Destiny Sturdivant is a podcaster and comedian, you can find her on twitter or on BadlandGirls.com!Games Discussed This MonthHeavy RainBeyond: Two SoulsNext Month’s Game ClubPlanescape: TormentMusic in This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodPainful Memories by Normand CorbeilJodie’s Theme by Lorne Balfe & Hans ZimmerLost Cause by Ellen PageNew Angels of Promise (Omikron The Nomad Soul ver.) by David Bowie

The mappers take a journey to a world where anthropomorphic animals live alongside humans and a journey begins to acquire a number of magical orbs. No, it’s not Dragon Ball, it’s Beyond Good & Evil! In between all the stealth and shutterbugging, Em decides to take a single joke as far beyond its breaking point as they can, while Jackson tries their best to detangle the good and evil of game beginnings and how they relate to the games as a whole. Deep down, they mostly just look towards the future, and reflect on past mistakes. It’s a learning opportunity for us all in this very special* episode.*episode not that special, reallyFeel free to subscribe on iTunes, or you can download the episode directly HERE.Games and Topics This MonthBeyond Good & EvilVideo game openings both good and evilZZT by Anna Anthropy, which is great but not really good or … you get the point.\Plz Diversify Your Panel Note from Matt: at the time of recording this was a very newly minted idea, and many of the things we discussed have since been addressed directly by the people running the site. It’s even more endorsable than it was, and definitely worth your eyeballs on it.Next Month’s Game Club GamesHeavy RainBeyond: Two SoulsMusic in this EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodPropaganda by Christophe HéralMass Effect Main Theme by Jack WallShine by Magnus BirgerssonNuclear by Mike Oldfield

What was supposed to be a simple ‘let’s get our plans for the month nailed down’ chat between Em and Jackson turned out to be nothing but lies and deceit as Jackson fired up the recorders and started what would become the first Coolsoge Cast! Instead of the meticulous planning and structure of real Abnormal Mapping podcast, what you’ll instead get here is some free flowing talk about whatever we’ve been playing when we aren’t playing game club games. This is an every-once-in-a-while cast, but you’ll get such magical tangents as the lineage of the Kong clan and the mysterious secrets of Dark Eco, along with some real talk about Transistor’s many faults. We go all over! You might say this one is … off the map.Games Covered (with spoilers, fair warning!)TransistorDonkey Kong Country Returns 3DMario Kart 8Wolfenstein (2009)Jak 1, 2, AND 3Ratchet & ClankF1 2013Music UsedShow Your Moves by Kevin MacLeodDK Rap by Grant Kirkhope

Ace pilots Em “Cupcake” Marko and Jackson “Ginger” Tyler fly through the enormous Library of the Giants, where the giant tombs of Video Game Lore are stacked to the heavens. Whether they have been shrunk or the pillars of writing have grown is beyond the pay grade of these two intrepid wingmen, but as they juke around zines and loop through forests of critical theory they arrive at their destination: Fortress Games Podcasts. Their payloads are ready, a full tactical strike of thermonuclear cast, meant to eradicate the enemy and wrest victory from certain defeat. They squeeze the triggers, and await orders to fire.Please subscribe via our RSS or iTunes! If you insist on a bare MP3, you can find it HERE.Covered this month:Our games reading list, which you can find in the header above or just click here!Ace Combat 6: Fires of LiberationNext Month’s Game Club Game:Beyond Good and EvilMusic in this EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodA Letter to Edge by Chris RemoLiberation of Gracemeria by Keiki KobayashiRemember Me Main Title by Olivier DeriviereThexder Main Theme by Kohei IkedaHey! We love mail. Email us at [email protected]!

Hey everyone, welcome to our first very special episode, of a hopefully long-running series called Gameography! If you need to know what Gameography is, take a look at this prior postexplaining it. If you insist on the tl;dr version, we picked a game maker we really liked and played through her entire history of games and talked about them as a whole body of work. In this case, our first subject was one of our favorites, Christine Love!I have to admit, we were very nervous going into this episode, trying to do something a little different than usual. As such, we would love any sort of feedback about our process, and anything we might do better next time a gameography episode happens. As always, you can bother us on twitter, or email us at abnormalmappingpodcast @ gmail.com.Gameography: Christine LoveCell Phone Love LetterHeart of FireSketchbook: Schoolgirls in Love and Other Assorted HeartbreakDigital: A Love Storydon’t take it personally, babe, it just ain’t your storyAnalogue: A Hate StoryDiving DeeperEven Cowgirls BleedMagical Maiden MadisonHate PlusNext Month’s Game:Ace Combat 6: Fires of LiberationMusic This EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodThe Stars Come Out by Brother AndroidIt’s Not Ero by Isaac Schankler (feat. Senah Kim)

So April’s podcast is going to be something different than the usual. Instead of doing the typical game club and random segment 2, we’re going to do a special, potentially twice-yearly Very Special Episode that we’re calling Gameography. What is Gameography, you ask? Well, we recorded a very special bonus mini-podcast to try to explain our thinking. I’ll let that speak for itself.If you’d rather read than listen, I don’t blame you, so here’s the scoop: very early in Abnormal Mapping’s planning stages, I came to Jackson with the idea that every once in a while we’d do an episode that was devoted to the entire career of a specific game-maker. We’d collect all the games they put out, link to them on the blog, play through them all, and then have a very deep dive into someone’s career making games. That is, in essence, what we’re doing in Gameography. Self-explanatory, right?The reason why is a little more complicated. You see, I started writing heavily for the internet talking about movies (and still maintain a dusty but beloved movie blog), where the concept of authorial voice is really strong. People are very quick to assign all sorts of meaning and weight to a director or a screenwriter, creating a broad sense that all their works are of a piece, and that studying that authorial voice is worthwhile in better understanding both the works and the creator. This is called Auteur Theory, and has been around a long time.The strange thing is that you rarely see this sort of thing applied to games, especially in the hobbiest/amateur game making space. We often play games in a contextual vacuum, something that’s linked to us in a browser or on a curated web page, with only the dimmest awareness of who created the game and what other games they might have made, especially in a space where the games can be radically different, released in many different ways, and presented to different platforms. Bringing it all together under one roof for consideration is something we’re keen on doing, and thus Gameography is born!Which brings us to who this first one is going to be about! We have a short list of game makers we really want to dig into, but the obvious choice was someone we both knew about and who had made games we had both enjoyed. The obvious answer was Christine Love. We talk briefly about why Christine Love in the accompanying short podcast, but in realize you only need to play her games to understand why. So I leave you here with the full list of games, including links on where to find them, in the order in which they were released. Go nuts, and we’ll be playing along too, and we’ll be back at the end of April to talk about them!Gameography: Christine LoveCell Phone Love LetterHeart of FireSketchbook: Schoolgirls in Love and Other Assorted HeartbreakDigital: A Love Storydon’t take it personally, babe, it just ain’t your storyAnalogue: A Hate StoryDiving DeeperEven Cowgirls BleedMagical Maiden MadisonHate Plus

The Mappers dig into the ancient jungle tombs filled with the un-biodegradable legacy of dozens of one-off novelty music games and the shells of grimy controllers—trying to wrap their heads around wrapping their hands around these relics of a bygone era. Emerging from the tombs, they find a box-busting Bandicoot before them, challenging them to one final task in this three month sojourn through some of the most significant games of the 90s. What ever happened to the Bandicoot of tomorrow? All this and more is revealed within.Please subscribe via our RSS or iTunes! If you insist on a bare MP3, you can find it HERE.Topics Discussed: video game controllers and controls, Crash BandicootNext Month’s Game: the collected works of Christine Love!Please click THIS LINK for more information about what we’re doing.Relevant Linksa history of Crash Bandicoot’s developmentthe full Read for Speed experience in one handy youtube playlistMusic in this EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodJoystick by Dazz BandCrash Twinsanity Main Theme by SpiralmouthEnd of the Century by No. 9Main Theme (Marvel Ultimate Alliance) by Trevor MorrisHey! We love mail. Email us at [email protected]!

Hello and welcome to the first Abnormal Mapping episode from our new wordpress blog! This is (for now) going to be the home of Abnormal Mapping, but it’s still barely up and running. So please follow the blog, and share this episode if you like it! It’ll help a lot to getting the word out about what we’re doing with Abnormal Mapping!The mappers find themselves in a glitch world, where the insomnia madness encroaches and the very internet begins to disintegrate. Our intrepid heroes carry on, reversing the course of last month’s progress to embrace the numbers and meters of ye olden games, and ride this regression wave directly into the past to confront the satanic baby of Johns Carmack and Romero within its pixelated heavy metal womb. Will a carton of juice and a shotgun be enough to survive this trek?Games Discussed: Bravely Default, DoomGame Club Game in March: Crash BandicootRelevant LinksEm’s entire playthrough of DoomMasters of Doom, the book that inspired this podcastthe history of Crash Bandicoot’s developmentMusic in this EpisodeBlown Away by Kevin McLeodTiz’ Battle Theme (live ver.) by RevoE1M1 Music by Robert PrinceFeena by Yuzo KoshiroAnna by Jonathan Eng

Abnormal Mapping Episode 4: Fo(u)r Podcast! A mountain of games, atop which sits the greatest of all video games: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. But are the mappers capable of scaling the video game mountain and in what frame of mind will they encounter their goal? In this episode both Em and Jackson have existential crises when they consider the deepest of all questions: WHAT IS GAME?Games discussed: Depression Quest, Ultra Business Tycoon III, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the PastNext month’s game club: DOOMEm made a game! You can play it here.Relevant links:the entire list of Naked Twine Jam submissionsputting pets into art gamesthe Indie Statik 50 Best Free Games of 2013 listNeed For Speed: The Novel, based on The Movie, Based on the Game

Abnormal Mapping finishes off the year with our episode talking about 2013, 2014, and the future of video games. No, actually, we just talk about The Shivah and Vanquish and The Hobbit. But that kind of counts!Next month’s game: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the PastThings mentioned in the podcast:A Buddhist’s Guide to Asura’s Wratha thematic review of The Binding of Isaacthe infamous philfishglass.jpgthat hot Christmas blockbuster, The Hobbit

In the second episode of Abnormal Mapping, Em and Jackson have breaking news about the new console generation, Em discovers a beloved franchise maybe isn’t as beloved as they thought it would be, and Jackson hears a question so profound it makes them drop his coffee cup.Here’s all the things we talk about!Games Discussed at Length: The Swapper and Pokemon X & YThat cool article about the development of Crash Bandicoot!How much the new Pokemon cards suck. No, really.Games for next month are as follows!The Shivah: Kosher EditionVanquishSee everyone again soon!

Welcome to the first episode of Abnormal Mapping, a new monthly podcast about video games! We’re not games press, so we’re not going to be talking about new releases or industry news, but instead looking at specific games with a critical eye. This means that we’ll be freely talking spoilers for any of the games listed in the description, rather than discussing them in a review context.This week we’re talking about DmC — Ninja Theory’s 2013 reboot of the franchise — how it mechanically relates to other games of the genre, the roles and limits of narrative within Ninja Theory’s games, and the importance of art and animation. Also: our personal relationship with video games over the years, and we invite our friend Callum (@CallumPetch) over to argue about the effectiveness of Gunpoint.We hope you enjoy, and come back next month for the second edition of Abnormal Mapping – Pokemon X and Y.Abnormal Mapping is: host Matthew Marko (@litrock on Twitter) and co-host Jackson Tyler (@Tylea002 on Twitter).To download the episode instead of streaming it, right click HERE. Sorry, no iTunes yet. We’re very new.games for this monthGunpointDmC: Devil May CryTheme music – Blown Away by Kevin MacLeod