The Cane and Rinse videogame podcast

“Allow me to tell you a tale. It took place 360,000… No, 14,000 years ago.” Ignition Tokyo, with Okami’s Takeyasu Sawaki at the helm, set out to tell a tale that possibly took place 360,000 years ago, or 14,000 year ago, we’re not entirely sure. Drawing from christian and judaic mythology, and specifically The Book of Enoch, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron combines combo driven gameplay, with a wildly creative aesthetic, to portray Enoch’s mission to return the seven fallen angels to heaven. Featuring special guest Sean Bell from Midnight Resistance and Joypod. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_ninety_one.mp3   1: Theme of El Shaddai by Masato Koda and Kento Hasegawa 2: The Faraway Creation by Masato Koda and Kento Hasegawa Cane and Rinse 91 was edited by Sean O’Brien Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you can also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, discuss past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Official Cane and Rinse Forum.

In this podcast Leon, Tony, James and guest GameBurst's Neil Taylor examine Tomb Raider 2013’s successes and shortcomings, its sexual assaults and its tiny tombs. We’ll also be taking a good long look back at Lara Croft’s 90s Derbyshire roots as a South American man. Plus as usual we throw in some of your missives and Three Word Reviews. Track 1: Tomb Raider Theme by Nathan McRee Track 2: Alone by Jason Graves Cane and Rinse 90 was edited by Darren Gargette

“In the end, you know it’s all just blocks.” Mojang Studios, based in Stockholm, Sweden created not only one of the most popular games in the world today with over 18 million copies sold, but also one of the deepest and most complex should you dig a little deeper beyond the simplicity which lies upon the surface. With that in mind, James Carter, The Two Darrens and special guest Richard “MrTingg” Underwood pick away at their experiences with the phenomenon that is Minecraft and shovel information into your blockheads. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty_nine.mp3   1: Calm 3 by Daniel Rosenfeld 2: Subwoofer Lullaby (or Hal 1) by Daniel Rosenfeld 3: Calm 1 by Daniel Rosenfeld Cane and Rinse 89 was edited by Darren Gargette Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum Minecraft claims two more victims as Josh pops round for cake at Darren’s crib, but Darren has other plans, luring him first to his secret underground lair and ultimately through a mysterious and sinister portal. Josh and Darren are playing the multimillion selling Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition: If you like these Quick Rinse videos you can find many more (plus a few other bits and bobs) over on the Official Cane and Rinse YouTube channel.

“We all start with innocence, but the world leads us to guilt.” Borrowing elements from Thief, Deus Ex, Half-Life and more, Arkane’s Dishonored debuted in 2012 to critical acclaim and word of mouth plaudits. But was it actually any blinkin’ good? Leon, James, Jay and Josh drug some guards and hop into Dunwall to find out. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty_eight.mp3   1: Ambients by Daniel Licht 2: The Drunken Whaler by Copilot Strategic Sound Cane and Rinse 88 was edited by Jay Taylor Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum In his first of two Quick Rinse videos, Darren G. plays the opening part of the House of Pleasure mission from Arkane Studio’s Dishonored as a gleefully murderous Corvo Attano: In his second Dishonored video, Darren decides to once again play the opening of the House of Pleasure chapter, but this time all sneaky-sneaky like: If you like these Quick Rinse videos you can find many more (plus a few other bits and bobs) over on the Official Cane and Rinse YouTube channel.

Making an exciting videogame based around James Cameron’s 1986 action sci-fi masterpiece Aliens should be the game-making equivalent of making Lionel Messi tap a football into an unguarded net. Did Gearbox manage to score from three yards out? Leon, Tony, James and both Darrens take the drop ship down to LV-246 to pick through the rubble. Track 1: Main Menu Theme by Kevin Riepl Track 2: Main Ops Battle Part 2 by Kevin Riepl Track 3: Bishop's Countdown by James Horner Cane and Rinse 87 was edited by Sean O'Brien Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

After five years of development, would Phil Fish and his Polytron Corporation be able to create the indie darling that everyone hoped Fez would be? Find out as Darren Gargette, Joshua Garrity, James Carter and Sean O'Brien discuss the highs and lows of Fez. Track 1: Adventure by Disasterpiece Track 2: Beacon by Disasterpiece Track 3: Forgotten by Disasterpiece Cane and Rinse 86 was edited by Darren Gargette Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

To coincide with the release of The Last of Us - and to conclude our Uncharted trilogy of podcasts - we return to 2011 and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Was it all we’d hoped for and more? Leon, Tony, Jay and Sean also take a little look at Nate’s Vita gaiden, Golden Abyss and hear from our brilliant correspondents. Track 1: Badlands by Greg Edmonson Track 2: Amushed by Greg Edmonson Cane and Rinse 85 was edited by Jay Taylor Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

“What is a man? A Miserable little pile of secrets!” More than ten years after the series’ Famicom debut, director Toru Hagihara fully integrated exploration and RPG elements into the traditional linear, gothic action-platforming of Konami’s Akumaj? Dracula (Devil’s Castle Dracula) series. The result was one of the most celebrated 2D titles of all time: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Leon, Josh, Karl and special guest Andi Hamilton of Midnight Resistance go out this evening for pleasure, while the night is still young. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty_four.mp3   1: Moonlight Nocturne by Michiru Yamane 2: Dracula’s Castle by Michiru Yamane 3: Prayer by Michiru Yamane 4: Prologue by Michiru Yamane Cane and Rinse 84 was edited by Darren Gargette Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum Darren gives us a look at Konami’s classic side scrolling action role playing video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: If you like these Quick Rinse videos you can find many more (plus a few other bits and bobs) over on the Official Cane and Rinse YouTube channel.

“Hell, what happened to you?” 2011’s Driver: San Francisco, the sixth game in the franchise. Were Ubisoft Reflections able to turn back the clock and deliver us a good ol’ boy, able to hijack its way back into our hearts? Or was it just caught violating its parole? We’ll dig in and find out. On this week’s car chase spectacular: Karl Moon, Darren Forman, James Carter and Darren Gargette. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty_three.mp3   1: Main Theme by Marc Canham 2: How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy Cane and Rinse 83 was edited by Sean O’Brien Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum Darren potters about in various jalopies in the sedate driving/astral projection simulator that is Driver: San Francisco: If you like these Quick Rinse videos you can find many more (plus a few other bits and bobs) over on the Official Cane and Rinse YouTube channel.

In the second of our Uncharted trilogy of issues, we turn to 2009’s beloved mega-sequel: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. Could Nate and co. knock it out of the park at the second time of asking? Can we? Probably not, but we've got more Sully than Microsoft’s reputation. Leon, Tony, Josh and Karl, along with the fine members of the Cane and Rinse community come together to praise, or possibly bury, what might be Drake's finest hour. Track 1: Nate's Theme 2.0 by Greg Edmonson Track 2: Marco Polo by Greg Edmonson Track 3: Desperate Times by Greg Edmonson Cane and Rinse 82 was edited by Darren Gargette Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

A couple of months ago I recorded an interview with C.Y. Reid, also known as failnaut. It took me longer than it should to edit the three hour conversation down to something slightly less than half that, but here it is. Apologies and thanks go to C.Y., whose games (including the newly released Escape Pod) can be found over on his blog failnaut.com. All music used in the interview (the usual Cane And Rinse themes aside) was created by C.Y. himself for his first game, Hug Marine (found here). Hopefully you find the interview as fascinating as I did. If you’re interested in learning how to make games, or have any questions relating to the interview you can contact me here at Cane And Rinse, or C.Y. on his Twitter account, @failnaut. Enjoy! http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_interview_with_cy_reid.mp3

Lo cunto de li cunti Independent developer, Tale Of Tales aims to create “emotionally rich interactive entertainment” whilst eschewing the “limitations of competitive play”. In Issue 81, James, Tony and special guest Paul Rooney look at four of their games in an attempt to discuss subtext and the boundaries between video games and interactive art. Hang on, folks, it’s going to get emotional. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty_one.mp3   1: Komen Te Gaan by Gerry de Mol 2: Safe Song by Force & Jarboe 3: Audio Trailer by Gerry de Mol Cane and Rinse 81 was edited by Sean O’Brien Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum James plays the PC version of Tale Of Tales’ Luxuria Superbia. Somewhere among the metaphorical flowers lies his embarrassment, never to be heard from again:

“We fell through a TV! Actually, uh… what is going on here?” Shin Megami Tensei has been around for awhile, standing just outside the industry spotlight, quietly releasing unusually Japanese RPGs desperately searching for… Signs of Love. Despite garnering only a tiny cult following, its… Heartbeat Heartbeat, just kept on pounding. Atlus even found the resources to release spin offs, such as Devil Summoner and Persona, all bear-ing the Shin Megami Tensei name. When Persona 3 reached US shores, at first it seemed it would go unnoticed. But a small group of people, just wouldn’t shut up about it. Persona 4 was met with a similar reaction, and the discussion became more passionate, and increasingly hard to ignore. And now what started as a spin off, has garnered more critical acclaim and attention than the series that spawned it. Many fans and critics alike would even go so far as to consider Persona 4, the greatest Japanese RPG ever made. Or, at the bear-y least, one of the best. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_eighty.mp3   1: Pursuing My True Self by Shihoko Hirata 2: Signs of Love by Shihoko Hirata 3: Heartbeat, Heartbreak by Shoji Meguro 4: A Corner of Memory by Shoji Meguro 5: Reach Out to the Truth by Shoji Meguro Cane and Rinse 80 was edited by Sean O’Brien Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

After ten years of working with Crash and Jak, Naughty Dog attempted to send gamers on an adventure of intrigue and derring-do that would rival those of Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, in Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Leon, Tony, Jay and Josh delve into the whats, whys, hows and wheres of Nathan Drake's 2007 debut and, as ever, we also hear from the Cane And Rinse community through their forum posts and tweeted Three Word Reviews. 1: Nate's Theme by Greg Edmonson 2: Uncharted: The El Dorado Megamix by DJ Shadow Cane and Rinse 79 was edited by Jay Taylor Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum

“We will be watching” Once again you’re put in charge of defending the Earth from an extraterrestrial incursion, only this time you have an army at your command and the backing of the world’s leaders (at first anyway). And when the action kicks off it’s your wits and tactical nous that will be tested, rather than your reactions. Leon, James, Josh and Darren Forman gear, up, board the Cane and Rinse Skyranger and head out to kick alien buttocks with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. http://media.blubrry.com/caneandrinse/caneandrinse.com/podcast/cane_and_rinse_issue_seventy_eight.mp3   1: Breaking Ground by Michael McCann 2: Mission Complete by Michael McCann 3: The Gollop Device by Tim Wynn Cane and Rinse 78 was edited by Darren Gargette Do you have an opinion about this particular game or maybe about our podcast in general? Then why not venture into our forum and leave us your feedback. Whilst there you could also interact with our ever-growing and friendly community, in discussing past, present and future videogames (and lots of other stuff too!) and perhaps even arrange some games with like-minded individuals. Sound good? Come and say hello at The Cane and Rinse forum Darren Gargette guides us through a section of Firaxis’ XCOM reboot demo on PC: If you like these Quick Rinse videos you can find many more (plus a few other bits and bobs) over on the Official Cane and Rinse YouTube channel.