Blake Hester and Jacob Geller explore the world of dark, violent, and nihilistic video games.
Welcome to the debut episode of Something Rotten, a Max Payne 3 retrospective.
Join us as we begin to crack open the themes, gameplay, and production of this standout Rockstar title, talking about the first three chapters of the game. Topics include: How Max Payne 3 was made, how the game tackles addiction, why playing on PC is better than console, and the narrative weight of dense story telling. Spoilers ahead.
Something Rotten is a five episode series, and we encourage you to play along with us.
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We're joined by special guest and Game Query co-host AJ Moser to talk about Max Payne 3 chapters 4-6. Listen and play along as we discuss this game's treatment of certain characters, fan service, its similarities to Hotline Miami, and the ways it dips into cruelty and brutality.
We're joined by writer, PR person, and all around good guy Javy Gwaltney as we continue our play through of Max Payne 3. Join us as we cover chapters 7 - 9, touching on what it's like to play this game as a sober person, the ways the game submits to brutality, and whether or not Rockstar wants to have its cake eat it, too. This section of the game is dark, bleak, and at times hard to play.
We're joined by YouTuber Zac Frazier on our penultimate episode of Something Rotten. Join us as we discuss the game's best setpieces, worst level design, and the most brutal moments of this already bleak game.
Here it is! The final episode of Something Rotten, our Max Payne 3 retrospective. Join Blake and Jacob as they wrap up their thoughts on this game, talking about such topics as its gross view of Brazil, why the last two chapters are some of the best, and the ways it throws away its themes of sobriety and addiction when they're no longer narratively convenient.
We are happy to announce that this is NOT the end of Something Rotten! In the near future we will return with a new season of the show. Next time, please join us as we dissect the ugly world of the Kane & Lynch games. Details to come soon!
<p>Something Rotten returns! Join Jacob and Blake as they dive into the ugly, ugly world of the Kane & Lynch games. For the first episode, we're talking chapters 1-8 of Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. If you want to play along with us, we highly encourage you to do so, and to write in questions, comments, or observations. Send those to blakehester94@gmail.com</p> <p>Support Something Rotten: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/blakehester" rel="" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/blakehester</a></p>
<p>We're joined by Reid McCarter of Bullet Points Monthly, who in a surprising turn of events, actually likes this game. We discuss why Reid thinks Dead Men, actually is great, why Blake had to throw in the towel, and mentally prepare ourselves for our journey through Kane & Lunch 2: Dog Days.</p> <p>Follow Reid on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/reidmccarter" rel="" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/reidmccarter</a> </p> <p>Bullet Points Monthly: <a href="https://bulletpointsmonthly.com/" rel="" target="_blank">https://bulletpointsmonthly.com/</a> </p> <p>Support Something Rotten: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/blakehester" rel="" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/blakehester</a></p>
<p>We continue our trek through the Kane & Lynch games. Finally, after suffering through the first game, we've made it to its sequel, Dog Days. And we love it. Join us as we discuss this game's unique — and nauseating — visual aesthetic, its approach to violence, and why this game stands high above its predecessor. </p> <p>Support Something Rotten: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/blakehester" rel="" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/blakehester</a></p>
<p>We're joined by the wonderful Cole Henry to finish our discussion of Kane & Lynch: Dog Days. Come along as we discuss how the game wraps up, its best levels, and whether it's a good or bad thing that we never saw another game quite like this. </p> <p>Follow Cole: <a href="https://twitter.com/cole_is_online" rel="" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/cole_is_online</a></p> <p>Cole's writing on Dog Days: <a href="https://medium.com/@colehenry21/cruelty-and-handheld-lo-fi-filmmaking-in-kane-lynch-2-dog-days-ed70d93240b4" rel="" target="_blank">https://medium.com/@colehenry21/cruelty-and-handheld-lo-fi-filmmaking-in-kane-lynch-2-dog-days-ed70d93240b4</a></p> <p>Support Something Rotten: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/blakehester" rel="" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/blakehester</a></p>
<p>We finally end our trek through the dirty, violent, ugly worlds of the Kane & Lynch games. This time we're joined by you! We're answering a ton of listener questions about what other developers we think could make a Kane & Lynch, the games' morbidity, and Dog Days' influence on other games. Lastly, stick around until the end to hear what games we're playing in Something Rotten season 3!</p> <p>Support Something Rotten: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/blakehester" rel="" target="_blank">https://www.patreon.com/blakehester</a></p>
