Damage Per Podcast

Hello all,  This week Mitch and I tackle the 2013 controversial Devil May Cry entry, DmC. Developed by one of our favorite studios, Ninja Theory, and published by Capcom, DmC was trash talked for 3 years until its release.  The beginning of the trash talk started with a trailer that was revealed at the Tokyo Game Show in 2010 It’s a flimsy trailer with no actual gameplay and sported the redux of Dante’s look for Capcom’s pursuit of the Western market. The soundtrack bumps though!  With 3 years until release, Ninja Theory received death threats and was trashed online due to the direction the much adored series looked to be heading in.  I mean, listen, the artistic direction of old Dante to the new anemic, Hot Topic commercial Dante is jarring - even I, who is incredibly forgiving of design like this, do not like it. This wasn’t Ninja Theory’s decision but they were blamed for all of it - Capcom headed all of these decision and NT was really just guns for hire here.  The game released and was met with great reviews and yes, it’s a good game with an “meh” skin on it.  Anyway, enjoy our discussion and how much we enjoyed seeing where Ninja Theory shines in the development. They did the best they could with what they were given and they get all the credit for that. 

Hello all, Mitch and I sit down to talk about a gem of a game that Ninja Theory developed way back in 2010. The game sold poorly but was well received by critics. While the game is a just-ok buddy puzzle action game, the ending is what truly sets it apart for its contemporaries. I hope you enjoy!

Hello all, A super duper special episode today - I sit down with Danny Nanni who is an Associate Gameplay Designer (Combat) at THE Bungie. Danny works on Destiny 2 and also pursues indie efforts in his free time. We talk about games we enjoy and game development as a whole. I am so grateful for Danny's time and you can read up on him over at his WEBSITE. Also, don't forget to read more of a write up over on SUBSTACK.

hello all! Welcome back, happy spring, and I hate allergies. This week Jesse and Mitch talk about movies, games, and nostalgia. The focus on the episode is 2012's The Darkness 2 which still kicks ass and you should play it. Don't forget to check out Mitch over on Divided by Werewolves as well.

Hello all! Back at it again with an oddity that is a mixed bag but somehow sold incredibly well? Congrats, Konami! Lords of Shadow is WEIRD and its development equally so. Enjoy the usual nonsense until we talk about Castlevania - for a full write up head to jessebartel.substack.com

Hello all, We are back with Jerry Oltion to talk about the 1997 novels based on the PC hit Shadow Warrior. Shadow Warrior was the end of the build engine era right before Unreal and Half Life would arrive a year later. Jerry was on previously to discuss his contribution to the Unreal novels in 1998 and we step just one year back in time to talk about a tonally different beast. Enjoy and don't forget to find me on Substack. You can also find Jerry on his website.

Hello all, Welcome to this week's episode where show regular Mitch Reeves talks to me (Jesse Bartel) about how great Max Payne 3 is. Also we are old! Yes this is a long episode because we talk about nonsense and also the main topic. What can I say? We are men of many talents - just not useful ones! Don't forget to keep updated on my Substack: jessebartel.substack.com Thank you for listening (or trying to!).

Hello all! This week Mitch and I talk about the forgotten, underselling (undersold?) game of 2012 - Spec Ops: The Line. This game is a commentary on modern military shooters and also a commentary on violence in video games. The Line haunted me since I first played it so I it was great to discuss in detail the insanity of its narrative. Remember to read more of my work over on Substack!

This week Mitch Reeves joins Jesse Bartel to talk about the final Gears game on the Xbox 360 developed by Polish company People Can Fly. While Judgement is an uneven and rather boring entry to the series, there are aspects to like about it. Can we get a Padduk story, please? Mitch and Jesse also talk about the games they have recently played and movies recently watched. It wouldn't be an episode if we didn't talk about SEGA, right? Don't forget to listen to Divided by Werewolves which is Mitch's other podcast. HAPPY NEW YEAR

This week Mitch Reeves and I sit down to shoot the breeze and discuss Gears of War 3. 12 years later and the game truly is a love letter to its characters and wraps up all our questions involving the Queen and her own motives for survival. Tighten your durag and check your Lancer - let's get this party started. Remember to follow along on my Substack.

Hello all, Today is a special podcast/video-cast (experiment, honestly)! Jesse sat down with Wolfe MacReady to live-react to one of the biggest failures in television history.  Released in 1978, this special came out 1 year after A New Hope. Ostensibly it is about Chewbacca’s wife (Malla), his father/father-in-law (Itchy) and his $*@! awful kid, Lumpy as they get ready for a Wookie holiday called Life Day. Unclear yet if it is a Federal Holiday.  In between the Wookies yelling at each other, there are segments feat. 70s icons lost to time and drugs.  The version we viewed can be seen HERE. You will notice that there are segments removed and Wolfe and I think that is to keep the Disney-bots away. The only segment that was pulled from this corpse and archived was the animated section where Boba Fett was first introduced to the viewers. It’s also the only redeeming part of the special and can be viewed on Disney Plus (Mickey don’t break my legs please).  Coincidentally, there was a documentary released today that covers this shit-show. The doc is called A Disturbance in the Force and you can watch it HERE (for $$ of course but not a lot!). The doc confirms what I assumed. The Special is just a mutation of the 70s’ love for variety shows and their use for brand awareness. For its time, it wasn’t that weird of a concept but poor management and lack of any world building led to this.  Bea Arthur’s part kinda slaps, though. 

The wheels of time haven't stopped podcast veteran, Mitch Reeves, or myself, from replaying games from our youth. Mitch and I are back at it to talk about Gears of War 2 because it recently turned 15 (and we are closer to death). Enjoy the witty banter and chainsaw sounds. You can find more of my stuff HERE And you can find Mitch's other podcast HERE

This week I talk to Jerry Oltion and we discuss the novels based around the 1998 video game phenomenon, Unreal! Jerry and I talk about the process of writing, Star Trek, and how the 90s were for the industry. You can see Jerry's work HERE and don't forget to subscribe to this podcast and my Substack.

I sit down with Lucas Lowman to discuss the very bad sequel to Silent Hill. We also just wanted to see whatever movie Malcolm McDowell thought he was in. Remember to subscribe to my Substack: https://jessebartel.substack.com/

Join me (Jesse) and Wolfe MacReady as we watch STAR WARS Legos Terrifying Tales and never stop commenting on it. We start the movie a few mins in after some banter - we do a countdown to give everyone a heads up. Enjoy!!

Jesse and Wolfe sit down and discuss the surprisingly great Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales short. We also discuss her latest Kickstarter Project: Giving Up the Ghost. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wolfelikeme/giving-up-the-ghost-wolfe-macreadys-first-feature-film

In the first episode of the Damage Per Podcast, Jesse sits down with Mitch to discuss movies and video games.