The HotSpot

Be warned: Spoilers afoot. Tom Mc Shea, Kevin VanOrd, Tyler Winegarner, and Tom Magrino delve into the beautiful, emotional, self-illuminating world of thatgamecompany's Journey. Those looking for a spoiler-free HotSpot still have the first 30 minutes of the show, in which we reflect upon last week's Game Developers Conference.

The HotSpot - Journey - 3/14/12 by gamespot

Like The HotSpot but can't be bothered to watch an hour-long video? We've got you covered! Check out this week's HotSpot Highlights video below!

Like what you see above? Check out the full episode below!

OK everyone, big breath. Just the indies to go. Johann Sebastian Joust's Doug Wilson and SpaceChem's Zach Barth join Frozen Synapse creators Paul Taylor and Ian Hardingham to provide a look inside the independent game development scene. It's not as dark and seedy as you might think!

The HotSpot - GDC Indies - 3/12/12 by gamespot

Wouldn't it be cool if all of these GDC podcast videos were cobbled together in one place? Oh my gosh, that's actually something that has happened!

Volition says Uncharted 3 is easy, unchallenging. That's right, folks, and if you want proper context for this shocking revelation, you'll have to wade oh, say, 38 minutes into The HotSpot's Narrative Design podcast. Portal 2's Erik Wolpaw, Chet Faliszek, and Jay Pinkerton are joined by Saints Row: The Third writer Steve Jaros and Bastion's Greg Kasavin to talk with Tom Magrino about writing good stories that are true to their design, breaking immersion with voice controls, and relieving expletives like dick tits.

The HotSpot - Portal 2, Saints Row, Bastion - 3/9/12 by gamespot

Wouldn't it be cool if all of these GDC podcast videos were cobbled together in one place? Oh my gosh, that's actually something that has happened!

Neither Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham City nor Eidos Montreal's Deus Ex: Human Revolution walked home with the Best Game Design award at last night's Game Developers Choice Awards, but what do we care? Those games are crazy good! Tom Magrino sits down with Arkham City lead level designer Ian Ball and Deus Ex senior game designer (now Eidos Montreal gameplay director) to discuss design philosophies and the making of great games.

The HotSpot - Arkham City, Deus Ex - 3/8/12 by gamespot

Wouldn't it be cool if all of these GDC podcast videos were cobbled together in one place? Oh my gosh, that's actually something that has happened!

Both Uncharted 3 and Mirage are up for Best Visual Arts awards at the Game Developers Conference tonight, but that's not all that links the two wildly different games. Naughty Dog FX lead Keith Guerrette joins one-man-show Mario von Rickenbach and Tom Magrino to discuss how developing a "realistic" production like Uncharted 3 is kind of the same, kind of different from making a highly abstract indie game like Mirage.

The HotSpot - Uncharted 3, Mirage - 3/7/12 by gamespot

...

Can you hear that? No? Maybe a little bit? OK, well that's the sound of a few pieces of paper being rubbed together over a cymbal crash in a remote village on the border of Uzbekistan. And also, overlayed on top of all that, are the voices of Bastion's Darren Korb, Dead Space 2's J. White, and Little Big Planet 2's Kenny Young. All three games are up for Game Developers Choice Awards, and Tom Magrino does his best to figure out what all the noise is about.

The HotSpot - Bastion, Dead Space, Little Big Planet - 3/6/12 by gamespot

Wouldn't it be cool if all of these GDC podcast videos were cobbled together in one place? Oh my god that's actually something that has happened!

The HotSpot moves the stars for its first (and only?!) Leap Day show. Mass Effect 3 executive producer Casey Hudson digs in with Tom Mc Shea, Carolyn Petit, and Tom Magrino as they do their part to increase your galactic readiness level. Please note: Failing to watch this show does not preclude you from achieving the optimal, complete ending of Mass Effect 3. But, whoa boy, will it be harder. (P.S.: No spoilers, bro.)

The HotSpot - Mass Effect 3 - 2/29/12 by gamespot

Audio above, video below!

What's the worth of a remake? Can its value be found in a complete new interpretation of a nostalgia-drenched classic, such as Syndicate? Or what about making substantive changes to what amounts to the same game, as in Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D? And where does that ultimate of ultimates fit in? The highly complicated, don't-try-this-at-home-kids feat of porting a remake, as in Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus? Justin Calvert, Chris Watters, Carolyn Petit, Peter Brown, and Tom Magrino discuss.

The HotSpot - Syndicate, Metal Gear, Ninja Gaiden - 2/22/12 by gamespot

Audio above, video below.