Indie Devs Play

In the latest episode of Indie Devs Play, hosts Jonathan Ridgway and Josh Watts dive into Streets of Rage II. They riff on 1992’s gaming landscape. Discussing new IPs (Super Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat, Kirby’s Dream Land, Virtua Racing), big releases (Sonic 2, Street Fighter II, Final Fantasy V), and the arcade-to-console transition that shaped design and difficulty.
The conversation covers Streets of Rage 2’s improvements over earlier beat-’em-ups: distinct playable characters, combo and special-move systems (that cost health), tight audiovisual feedback, stage variety, and co-op appeal. The hosts discuss difficulty design, how older game genres influenced modern AAA action (from Arkham-style combat to modern hybrids), and the value of in-game signposting versus player discovery.
Chapters
00:00:00 - Start
00:01:14 - Gaming in 1992
00:09:15 - Do Sequel Numbers Scare Players Away?
00:19:39 - From Arcades to the 3D Revolution
00:25:06 - How Streets of Rage 2 Took Shape
00:26:33 - Fighting-Game Depth in a Beat-’Em-Up
00:31:12 - Animation, Impact, and Game Feel
00:35:30 - Beat-’Em-Ups’ Influence on Modern Games
00:40:25 - Difficulty, Challenge, and Player Expectations
00:50:19 - Guiding Players Without Taking Over
00:55:13 - Exploration, Clues, and the Joy of Discovery
00:58:08 - What’s Next: Amnesia: The Dark Descent
 
Indie Devs Play Discord: https://discord.gg/qJAk72KS7p
Indie Devs Play Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/indiedevsplay
References: Streets of Rage, SEGA, SEGA Mega Drive, SEGA Genesis, Ancient, Yuzu Koshiro, Yu Suzuki, Super Nintendo, SNES, Super Famicom, SEGA Master System, Sonic the Hedgehog, Final Fantasy V, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Nintendo Game Boy, Dragon Quest V, Chunsoft, Spike Chunsoft, Enix, Mario Paint, Sensible Soccer, WWF Super Wrestlemania, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, WWF Smackdown!, WWF Attitude, Ultima VII: The Black Gate, Ultima IV, Super Mario Kart, Shin Megami Tensei, Kirby’s Dream Land, Virtua Racing, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Cop, Virtual-On, Virtua Striker, Mortal Kombat, King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow, Sierra Entertainment, Leisure Suit Larry, Half-Life, Valve, Vivendi, Activision Blizzard, Space Quest, Police Quest, Microsoft, Wolverine, Fable 2, Fable 3, Monster Hunter, Monster Hunter Rise, Rugrats Adventure Game, The Flintstones Fashion Cave Math, Penny Falls, Coin Pusher, OutRun, Super Mario 64, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Yakuza, Sifu, River City Girls, Double Dragon, Final Fight, Golden Axe, Capcom, Tecmo. 

In the latest episode of Indie Devs Play, Josh and Jonathan discuss their playthrough of Super Mario 64, placing it in the context of 1996 gaming (from Tamagotchi to Tomb Raider and Pokémon).
They break down what made Super Mario 64 revolutionary: the analogue-stick movement, camera and control innovations, hub-world level design, varied objectives and mechanics (ground pound, tail-spin, flying cap), plus moments of brilliant tutorialization and a few jarring design choices.
References: Super Mario Brothers, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Switch, Nintendo, Wii, Super Nintendo, Game Boy Pocket, Tamagotchi, Pokemon Red/Blue/Green, Duke Nukem 3D, Street Fighter 2 Alpha, Mario Kart 64, Spyro the Dragon, Crash Bandicoot, Shigeru Miyamoto, Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Tomb Raider, Virtua Fighter 3, Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, Sakura Wars, Persona, Broken Sword, Atari Jaguar, 3DO, Sega CD, Virtual Boy, Gabe Newell, Dan Houser, Tim Schafer, Super Mario Brothers 2, Super Mario Allstars, Super Mario World, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Odyssey, Quake, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda, Portal 2, UFO: Unfortunately Fortunate Organisms, Kid Klown in Crazy Chase, Spyro 2: Gateway to Glimmer, Star Fox, Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes, Pokemon Trading Card Game, Duke Nukem Forever, Biohazard, Blockbuster, Choices, Netflix, Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers, BLEACH, New Sakura Wars, Shounen Jump, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars.

In the latest episode of Indie Devs Play, Josh and Jonathan discuss their playthrough of Fable: The Lost Chapters, as well as taking a look at RPGs released from 2000 to 2004 during the development of Fable and the challenges of designing video games with morality systems.
Run of Show
00:00:00 - Start
00:01:54 - Gaming News Summary
00:03:00 - Fable Info
00:03:45 - RPGs released from 2000-2004
00:10:48 - Fable: The Lost Chapters
01:02:00 - Morality Systems
Indie Devs Play Discord: https://discord.gg/qJAk72KS7p
References: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, Nintendo Switch 2, Summer Game Fest, Nintendo Direct, Diablo II, Deus Ex, Baldur’s Gate II, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, Final Fantasy X, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Neverwinter Nights, Kingdom Hearts, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Fable II, Fable III, Lionhead Studios, Big Blue Box Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Tangled, Mass Effect, State of Play, Orbitals, Super Mario 64, Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, Peter Molyneux, Zelda Direct, Ranma ½, YuYu Hakusho, Cowboy Bebop.

In the latest episode of Indie Devs Play, Josh and Jonathan discuss their co-op playthrough of Halo: Combat Evolved as well as taking a look at 2001 in gaming and the challenges with remastering or remaking an older game.
 
References: Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Final Fantasy X, Grand Theft Auto 3, SSX Tricky, Ico, Super Smash Bros Melee, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Sega Dreamcast, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Animal Crossing, Super Monkey Ball, Devil May Cry, Jak and Daxter, Black & White, Pro Evolution Soccer, Red Faction, Game Boy Advance, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, Sonic Adventure 2, Silent Hill 2, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Shenmue 2, Pikmin, Final Fantasy Chronicles, Baldur’s Gate II, Metacritic, Doom, Call of Duty, Alien, 
 
Run of Show
00:00:00 - Start
00:00:58 - 2001 in Gaming
00:07:18 - Halo: Combat Evolved (PC/Xbox)
00:47:30 - Remasters and Remakes
 
Join the official Indie Devs Play Discord! https://discord.gg/qJAk72KS7p

In the latest episode of Indie Devs Play, Josh and Jonathan discuss their experience playing the roguelike deckbuilding indie game Balatro, as well as some of the video games competing with Balatro for Game of the Year in 2024.
Run of Show
00:00:00 - Start
00:00:49 - GOTY 2024 Nominees
00:08:52 - Balatro (PC/Switch)
References: The Game Awards, DICE, GDC, BAFTA Games, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Golden Joystick Awards, Astro Bot, Black Myth: Wukong, Trauma Center, Nintendo Wii, Steam, Nintendo Switch, Slay the Spire, Risk of Rain, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Stellar Blade, Helldivers 2, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, LocalThunk, Playstack, LÖVE engine, Poker, Gambit, Chess.
Indie Devs Play Discord: https://discord.gg/JdKmhpXmrU

In the latest episode of Indie Devs Play, Josh and Jonathan discuss their co-op playthrough of Portal 2 as well as taking a look at 2011 in gaming and designing puzzles for games that aren’t of the puzzle game genre.
Run of Show
00:00:00 - Start
00:00:57 - 2011 in Gaming
00:09:04 - Portal 2 (PC)
References: Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Danganronpa, Mass Effect 2, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Pokemon Nintendo 64, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Mega Man Legends, Dead Island, God of War, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Minecraft, Dark Souls, Dead Rising, Doom, Limbo, Bastion