Wide Flank: Happy Gaming

That’s all folks. Wide Flank has gone on an indefinite hiatus.For your pleasure, here's a sneak peek of Sean and Alon letting it all hang out on the latest episode of GLHF.

Sean and Alon welcome game designer and artistic soul Ethan Anderson to discuss his pachinko-esque number-go-up 'em up, Nubby's Number Factory!Clock into the number factory to hear how Ethan designs to encourage player intent and how he balances said intent with chance. Plus! Drop the ball and discover the game's inspirations, from Rube Goldberg to Kid Pix to quotas in a bagel shop. And finally, what makes a game evergreen?Follow Ethan at:Discord: https://discord.com/invite/KygdTUKTvETikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mogdogblogBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mogdogblog.bsky.socialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mogdogblog—TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Intro00:01:32 - Numbers guys00:03:05 - “The next Balatro”00:08:43 - Randomness, chance, intent, and viability of runs00:19:07 - When do you stop? And evergreen games00:27:01 - The juice00:31:58 - Circle of trust00:35:13 - Growth of the game00:39:56 - Visual aesthetic00:47:32 - Pulling from real life00:50:16 - The music and being territorial00:58:13 - How to stay focused and how to rest—SHOW NOTESNubby's Number Factory: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3191030/Nubbys_Number_Factory/[Now Playing] Nubby's Number Factory & Luck be a Landlord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkvbL3JnLlwAngelFire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AngelfireBalatro: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/The Binding of Isaac: https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/Cookie Clicker: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1454400/Cookie_Clicker/Counter-Strike 2: https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/GeoCities: https://www.cameronsworld.net/Kid Pix: https://kidpix.app/Luck be a Landlord: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1404850/Luck_be_a_Landlord/Slay the Spire: https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/—WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

It's time to decide our next Game Club!Shall we race against the clock in a voyage around the globe in 80 Days, or against thirty gaudy characters designed by SEGA for Nintendo in 2003's F-Zero GX?It's safe to say our Shadows will Die a lot more than Twice in FromSoftware's Sekiro, but maybe we want to LIVE twice with Tux and Fanny!And then there's the oxymoronically ubiquitous cult classic DELTARUNE: will Alon be able to get the game's window to display properly?Come on down to the Wide Flank Discord NOW to vote on the next Game Club game: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSign up for the Patreon and join the ranks of the High Council to submit games for future mini Clubs: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankHappy Gaming!—TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Cold open00:00:35 - Intro and veto discussion00:04:44 - Sean’s ranking game00:07:16 - 80 Days00:21:19 - Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice00:35:12 - Tux and Fanny00:48:16 - F-Zero GX01:01:31 - DELTARUNE01:15:26 - More veto discussion—SHOW NOTESAnamanaguchi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AnamanaguchiAround the World in Eighty Days: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_Eighty_DaysBloodborne: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BloodborneDark Souls: https://store.steampowered.com/app/570940/DARK_SOULS_REMASTERED/Days of Thunder: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_ThunderDjent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DjentEarthBound: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthBoundF-Zero (1990): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-Zero_(video_game)Forza: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ForzaJules Verne: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_VerneKlax: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klax_(video_game)Mario Kart: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_KartA Minecraft Movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Minecraft_MovieMischief Makers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischief_MakersMoby-Dick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-DickNapoleon Dynamite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_DynamiteNeed for Speed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Need_for_SpeedPearl Jam: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_JamThe Prodigy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prodigy"Rubbing Is Racing": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2yOmw781hcSmite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smite_(video_game)The Oregon Trail (game series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oregon_Trail_(series)Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_Thousand_Leagues_Under_the_SeasUndertale: https://store.steampowered.com/app/391540/Undertale/Wipeout: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wipeout_(video_game_series)—[Game Club] Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4WLp8EEeFM[Game Club] Kirby's Dream Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOf1K6ArZtA[Game Club] Wave Race 64: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE9AC9oeSqw[mini Club] Eternal Darkness, Mischief Makers, Killer7, Hylics 2, and Star of Providence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HySfv-jHPg0—WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

This month's Game Club is, was, and shall forever be: HAL Laboratory's 1994 Kirby-soaked golf-em-up, Kirby's Dream Course!Sean and Alon go for the pin and dive deep into a studio's long-gestating exploration of the mechanics of golf, discovering what happens when that pink puffball we all know and love floats onto the green.Is Kirby's Dream Course a hole in FUN?Fore!—TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Cold open00:00:31 - Admin stuff00:01:11 - Where do we start?00:02:33 - Is this golf?00:09:33 - What’s Kirby's Dream Course?00:11:22 - The punishment for messing around and how do players learn (and get better)00:24:39 - Tension building00:26:57 - Not chilling and playful learning00:27:59 - Adaptation of golf or Kirby or… Special Tee Shot00:41:06 - Overdesigned?00:45:53 - Golf caddie00:47:26 - The power and the guide00:50:38 - Multiplayer00:54:27 - What it sounds like00:56:33 - Information in HAL golf games01:01:55 - What’s a Kirby Nintendo game?01:11:43 - ROM hacks01:13:36 - Outro—SHOW NOTES[Dev Talk] Axyz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYt-bpBG570[Dev Talk] Once Upon A Galaxy with Andrew Parnell https://youtu.be/Is9l9kDa_lI?si=m09BfXMaiu0xWG4LTelemelt https://telemelt.com/The Jeff Gerstmann Show https://www.youtube.com/c/TheJeffGerstmannShowHal's Hole in One Golf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal's_Hole_in_One_GolfEarthbound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthBoundGolf (NES/Famicom) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf_(1984_video_game)Jumbo Ozaki no Hole in One Professional https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Jumbo_Ozaki_no_Hole_in_One_ProfessionalKula World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kula_WorldMarble Madness https://archive.org/details/arcade_marbleMario Golf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Golf_(video_game)Mario Tennis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_TennisSpecial Tee Shot https://snescentral.com/article.php?id=0037Super Billiards https://www.myabandonware.com/game/super-billiards-mxo—LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

For your pleasure, here's a sneak peek of Sean and Alon letting it all hang out on the latest episode of GLHF.Subscribe to Wide Flank on Patreon for the full episode! https://www.patreon.com/wideflankJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Sean and Alon are joined by Adam Saltsman, co-founder of Finji, designer of Canabalt, and creator of Flixel.On today's episode, we're discussing Dust Bunny – Adam's 12.5th PICO-8 release since last October!Hopping off from Dust Bunny, we explore the immediacy of the PICO-8 development environment, designing by playing, and the intimate relationship between designers and players.Find Adam at:Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/adamatomic.bsky.socialitch.io: https://adamatomic.itch.io/Finji: https://finji.co/—TIMESTAMPS:00:00:00 - Intro00:01:06 - Describe PICO-8 and designing with PICO-800:10:15 - Adam’s design process (for Dust Bunny specifically)00:18:40 - A curve of discovery and the designer player relationship00:34:00 - 12.5th PICO game (a quarter of the way to a full UFO50)00:40:04 - 90% bad ideas00:46:45 - What do you do to rest?00:50:05 - Outro and Adam’s links—SHOW NOTESDust Bunny: https://adamatomic.itch.io/dust-bunnyPICO-8: https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.phpCave of Cards: https://adamatomic.itch.io/caveofcardsCeleste: https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?pid=11722Dark Souls: https://store.steampowered.com/app/570940/DARK_SOULS_REMASTERED/Desktop Dungeons: https://store.steampowered.com/app/226620/Desktop_Dungeons/Doom: https://archive.org/details/doom-playDungeon Synth album that Adam mentioned: https://cthulugans.bandcamp.com/album/stay-falseElden Ring: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1245620/ELDEN_RING/Mirror's Edge: https://store.steampowered.com/app/17410/Mirrors_Edge/Mole Mole: https://adamatomic.itch.io/mole-molePrince of Persia: https://archive.org/details/msdos_Prince_of_Persia_1990PuzzleScript: https://itch.io/games/made-with-puzzlescriptQuake: https://freebie.games/games/quake/play/Rat Dreams: https://adamatomic.itch.io/rat-dreamsSokoban: https://www.sokobanonline.com/Super Mario Maker: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/super-mario-maker-2-switch/Tetris: https://play.tetris.com/UFO 50: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/Wipeout: https://retroonline.net/DOS/WipeoutZachtronics: https://www.zachtronics.com/—WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Number go up.Deckbuilding and Bagbuilding.Menu games and Parkour games.—TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 - Intro and number go up (Balatro)00:04:55 - Describe Nubby's Number Factory and Pachinko00:11:15 - How does number go up differ from any good roguelike run?00:15:03 - What do you love about deckbuilding games (bagbuilding, push your luck)?00:18:56 - One thing that’s holding up Sean00:20:53 - Describe Luck be a Landlord and what’s inferable00:32:29 - Aesthetics00:37:58 - Consistency and skill (and defining bagbuilders)00:45:13 - Art’s subjective, right?00:46:52 - What drew Alon to Luck be a Landlord00:52:44 - Is Nubby’s a menu game or a parkour game?00:58:28 - Real life anxieties and anti-capitalism01:00:34 - What Sean likes about these games (number games)01:07:27 - Outro—SHOW NOTESNubby's Number Factory + Luck be a Landlord Bundle https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/51462/Nubbys_Number_Factory__Luck_be_a_Landlord/[Now Playing] Slay the Spire & Balatro https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwl9TyquyeMBalatro https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/Slay the Spire https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/Angry Birds https://www.angrybirds.com/Pachinko: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pachinko?variant=zh-cnThe Binding of Isaac https://store.steampowered.com/app/250900/The_Binding_of_Isaac_Rebirth/Star of Providence https://store.steampowered.com/app/603960/Star_of_Providence/Rube Goldberg Machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machineZaga-33 https://smestorp.itch.io/zaga-33Party House (UFO 50) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1147860/UFO_50/Counter-Strike https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/Apex Legends https://store.steampowered.com/app/1172470/Apex_Legends/League of Legends https://www.leagueoflegends.com/Cookie Clicker https://cookieclicker.eu/cookieclicker/Number Munchers https://archive.org/details/msdos_Number_Munchers_1990Gizmos and Gadgets https://archive.org/details/msdos_Super_Solvers_Gizmos_and_Gadgets_1993Holedown https://holedown.com/Breakout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakout_(video_game)The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woman_in_the_DunesVampire Survivors https://poncle.itch.io/vampire-survivors—LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

It's the crossover event of the century! Book-to-film adaptation freaks Shane and Bennett from the Reel Rap podcast join Sean and Alon for a triple header of mediums.Book... Movie... Game...M... Q... EA...Bond... James Bond...That's right, we're talking about Ian Fleming's 1957 novel, its 1963 film adaptation, and *its* 2005 game adaptation: *From Russia With Love*.—Timestamps:00:00:00 - Reel Rap Intro00:01:15 - Wide Flank Intro00:02:58 - Start with the book00:04:43 - What’s Ian Fleming into?00:09:52 - The book to movie to game00:20:48 - Different Bonds for different mediums00:26:54 - Are we gonna talk about the videogame?00:41:31 - I wanna be Bond00:45:32 - The casting / Klebb and Kerim00:50:10 - Misogyny00:54:21 - Not knowing what’s going on01:01:04 - The movie is kinda trash too01:11:24 - More misogyny01:14:25 - The prose01:20:05 - Ratings lol01:30:04 - Outro—Show Notes:Canyon Passage (ft. Hoagy Carmichael) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canyon_PassageTinker Tailor Soldier Spy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker_Tailor_Soldier_Spy—REEL RAP LINKSListen to Reel Rap: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reel-rap/id1792646198Follow Shane: https://x.com/crealoya—WIDE FLANK LINKSJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankThe rest: https://linktr.ee/wideflank

Wwwwelcome to New Cool, the show where Sean and Alon bring each other a games-and-play-adjacent topic that's new, cool, or both!On today's episode, Alon splashes around in the visual splendor of the original film adaptation of Super Mario Bros. while Sean contemplates mindfulness through Ball.DISCORD: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJPATREON: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankTHE REST: https://linktr.ee/wideflankTimestamps:00:00:00 - Intro / Admin00:03:14 - Alon’s Topic (Super Mario Bros. [1993])00:31:22 - Sean’s Topic (Ball [1980])Show notes:Super Mario Bros: The Morton Jankel Cut (VHS Extended Rough Cut 1.0) -https://archive.org/details/super-mario-bros-1993-the-morton-jankel-cut-extended-vhs_202207Game & Watch: Ball 3D Simulation by Itizso -https://itizso.itch.io/nintendo-ballVFX Artists React 99: Super Mario Bros, Bourne Ultimatum - https://youtu.be/QiF5oQtHnyA?si=KTlpUp8Qogeokz0W

Sean and Alon tear through another crop of five delightfully different video entertainment products for less than an hour apiece:Blaž Urban Gracar and Ferran Ruiz Sala's adaptation of acclaimed pen and paper puzzle book, LOK DigitalTaito's 1983 classic spy simulator Elevator ActionTonda Ros' roguelike print-em-up and game du jour, Blue PrinceHAL Laboratory's Kirby-branded mini golf game, Kirby's Dream CourseJay Ma and Matthew Davis' turn-based bug shover Into The Breach—Now's your big chance to decide which of the five games we played we'll be covering for the next Game Club! Come on down to the Discord and place your vote: https://discord.gg/ACbDjNhMpJWant to submit games for future mini Club episodes? Join the ranks of the High Council by subscribing to the Wide Flank Patreon and you'll gain access to an exclusive channel on the Discord: https://www.patreon.com/wideflankTHE REST: https://linktr.ee/wideflank—Timestamps:00:00:00 - Intro / Admin00:04:01 - Sean’s Plan for the Order of the Games00:09:11 - LOK Digital00:21:14 - Elevator Action00:34:32 - Blue Prince00:47:59 - Kirby’s Dream Course00:59:56 - Into the Breach—Show notes:LOK Digital: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2207440/LOK_Digital/Elevator Action: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator_ActionBlue Prince: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1569580/Blue_Prince/Kirby's Dream Course - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby's_Dream_CourseInto the Breach: https://store.steampowered.com/app/590380/Into_the_Breach/Elevator Action showed me what games could be: https://ravi64.com/elevator-action-everyday-fun/XP Arcade: Elevator Action: https://retroxp.beehiiv.com/p/xp-arcade-elevator-action30 years of Kirby: HAL, experimentation, and Kirby: https://retroxp.substack.com/p/30-years-of-kirby-hal-experimentation