Episode 87 - Let's Play Toy Story: Retro Roundup! w/ Digital Eclipse

Earlier this year, when Atari acquired Thunderful Games, it came with talent that led to its sterling reputation as an indie games publisher. One example of that is Andreas Beijer, creative director at Atari (formerly at Thunderful). Having contributed to hit games like this year's Planet of Lana II and REPLACED, he has a clear, if not so obvious, impact on a plethora of critically acclaimed indie games released over the last decade. How did he get to this point? What goes into making a game fun? And what's it like making a Stadia-exclusive game? Andreas was kind enough to join me and answer all these questions and more. Please enjoy!

One month after a certain "tactical espionage action" game debuted, Thief snuck its way onto PC with a radically different approach.. Its tough-as-nails stealth systems demand you take your time and plan the perfect heist as you sneak through the shadows, leverage low-tech gadgets like fire arrows, and only resort to combat as a last resort. It was successful enough to lead to many sequels across generations and inspire countless games that followed. So here we are now, 28 years after its initial release, with a remaster with the love and care that only Nightdive can deliver. Joining me to dive into the details are Nightdive's Daniel Grayshon (Director) and Josh Dowell (Programmer).

In 2010, Toy Story 3 shocked the gaming world with an incredible game that served as a perfect companion to the film of the same name. Not content with a dynamic campaign that took players through the events of the film (and then some), the title included an innovative "Toy Box" mode that was practically another game in and of itself, letting you explore various zones, accomplish missions for franchise characters, and customize the world to your liking. Fast forward to today, and we're on the brink of Toy Story 3's return in the form of Toy Story 3 Complete Edition. Digital Eclipse has worked their magic to lovingly remaster it for modern platforms so new and old fans alike can easily check it out. Calvin Vu, Digital Eclipse producer on the game, makes a glorious return to the podcast to tell me (and you) what you can expect from the remaster. Enjoy!

Bubsy 4D has been out since May, and we know you love it. We know the biggest problem you all had with the game was one thing: you wanted MORE. More Bubsy. More levels. More challenge. More skins. Just more everything. And you didn't want to pay anything for it. Fortunately for you, we heard your demands and just dropped the Black Hole update for Bubsy 4D. For a small fee of zero dollars, you're getting more levels. You're getting more challenge. You're getting more skins. You're getting more everything! And who better to break it all down in detail than the devs themselves? Please welcome back to the podcast, Fabian and Ben, cofounders of Fabraz, to do just that.

Dinosaurs: you love 'em. Tycoon games: you love 'em! Mash those two together, and you have a delightful peanut-butter-and-chocolate-like combination that is Parkasaurus. Under the bright and whimsical presentation lies a deep park builder with sci-fi twists and endless opportunities to build your dream Jurassic destination. While the title has been out for a few years on Switch and Steam, we partnered with Washbear Studio to bring the title to current-gen consoles with all DLC in tow. Joining me to discuss all things Parkasaurus are Washbear Studio co-founder Chris McQuinn and Atari producer Kay Bell. We go through the origins of the title, the many systems, and, of course, a quick round of trivia.