Bullet Time

On this episode of Coyote Time, Wyatt and James chase time-displaced simians in Sony Interactive Entertainment’s 1999 game Ape Escape. The two talk the game’s innovative control scheme, Sony’s abundance of platform mascots, Jungle music, and for some reason Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. Wyatt on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6T1h6vYa2fYylsCtaXObw hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, special guest Sam Webster returns to bond with James over James Bond with Eurocom’s 2012 shooter 007 Legends. A playable celebration of the super spy’s 50 years film history, retold in the style of a COD: Modern Warfare inspired FPS starring Daniel Craig. The two talk setpieces, awkward stealth, slippery ice and unfortunate casting choices. Sam on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPsqX_D5zx717G_DDChMyg hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Coyote Time, Wyatt and James take a trip to Vibe Island with Tose’s 2005 game Super Princess Peach. This game marked the first star-turn from video games’ perennial damsel-in-distress ahead of her return to the spotlight in this year’s Princess Peach: Showtime! The pair discuss how this early experiment compares, changes made to the platforming formula for a less game-savvy audience, and the unknown developer behind this interesting entry to the Mario canon. Wyatt on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6T1h6vYa2fYylsCtaXObw hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, we venture into bio-mechanical nightmares with Ebb Software’s 2022 adventure game Scorn. Special guest Sputnik34 joins James and guest host Kevin from PixelLit to chop it up on HR Giger, awkward combat, and handsome squidwards. Sputnik on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Sputnik34 PixelLit: https://www.pixellitpod.com/ hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this brand new series Coyote Time, video maker Wyatt Joseph joins James on an exploration of the platformers that missed their marks. In this inaugural episode, the two join forces to tackle Traveller’s Tales 2004 game Crash Twinsanity. An ambitious rework of Naughty Dog’s famous franchise, how does the game hold-up in light of Crash’s recent reinventions? Wyatt on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6T1h6vYa2fYylsCtaXObw hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, we take a zero-tolerance approach to crime in Rocksteady Studios’ 2006 shooter Urban Chaos: Riot Response. Special guest Sam Webster and returning guest host Tehsnakerer join James to look at the oft-forgotten first game from the developers behind the Batman Arkham series. Is it good satire? Is it a good shooter? Was it the 15th best game published by Eidos that year? Listen to find out answers to all that and more! The Cellar [Taigen Moon]: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCellarTaigenMoon Sam on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdPsqX_D5zx717G_DDChMyg TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, returning special guest ChariotRider welcomes TehSnakerer and James to DreamWorks Interactive’s 1997 game Trespasser, the third entry in the Jurassic Park franchise. Although a technical marvel for its time, were Trespassers developers so preoccupied with whether or not they could make the game that they didn’t stop to think if they should? ChariotRider on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRpDbrcXS-giiD0PkZLC5Kw ChariotRider on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChariotRiderYT TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: ⁠https://twitter.com/HotCyder⁠ Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, we go on a bug hunt with Gearbox’s 2013 shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines. Kevin and Phil from Pixel Lit join James on an expedition through one of the most notorious FPS games of recent memory, in an effort to discern who was really responsible for its development, what went wrong, and whether the final release holds appeal a decade on from release. PixelLit: https://www.pixellitpod.com/ hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, Returning guest Mitch Cramer from YouTube channel HeavyEyed, and returning guest host Tehsnakerer join James to liberate mars in 2001’s Red Faction. The three talk about destructibility, the game’s rapid pace, and the state of written video game reviews at the turn of the millennium. Mitch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/heavyeyed Mitch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/heavyxeyed TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, we go head-to-head with Nintendo Software Technology’s 2006 shooter Metroid Prime Hunters. Special guest @Darkfry (host of podcast Video Gems) joins James and guest host Ben to examine this spinoff of a Metroid spinoff, and in a first for the podcast a fully actualised portable FPS game. The three discuss annoying platform sections, cool bounty hunters, and how great a big touch screen is for first person shooters. Darkfry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarkfryYT HeyItMeBen: https://twitter.com/HeyItMeBen hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

In this special series finale, James and Tehsnakerer present their Free Radical Design Ltd power rankings. Once and for all, they’ll decide which game covered in the mini-series deserves to be remembered by future generations. TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

Our Free Radical Design mini-series comes to a close with 2016’s Homefront: The Revolution. James and guest host TehSnakerer dissect this open-world reboot that passed from THQ to Crytek before landing in the hands of a now rebranded Dambuster Studio. The pair rank its place in the pantheon of Ubisoft collectathons, the state of AAA shooters, and answer what if any TimeSplitters DNA exists in the title (outside of its well-known easter egg). TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

Our Free Radical Design mini-series reaches its first major casualty with 2008’s Haze. Special guest AboveUp joins James and guest host TehSnakerer to dissect what went wrong with the supposed Halo Killer that ended up killing its developers. Listen to hear a mild-mannered podcast host get radicalised into a gamer, thanks to Haze’s tortured development, charmless gameplay asides, and a lost era of games development. AboveUp on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Aboveup AboveUp on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AboveUp TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/@Tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

Our Free Radical Design mini-series reaches its titular game with 2005’s TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. Special guest Charlie from YouTube channel Purposeless Rabbitholes joins James and guest host TehSnakerer to go long on this end to the TS Trilogy. The three cover everything from their favourite MP characters, Future Perfect’s many mechanical flourishes, how EA mucked up Free Radical’s chances to go mainstream, and hopes for a potential fourth game in the series. “We must ignore black face in order to get TimeSplitters 4” - TehSnakerer, 2023 Charlie on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCK0_aNgcZI_PrJIUiqedHA Charlie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PRabbitholes PixelLit: https://www.pixellitpod.com/ TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

Our Free Radical Design mini-series goes deep into a psychic conspiracy with 2004’s Second Sight. Special guest Minimme joins James and guest host TehSnakerer to chat about this title’s narrative ambitions, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, and main character John Vattic’s sheer nerd power. A spoiler warning that the game’s very neat plot twist will be spoiled after the 1:15:00 mark. Minimme on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/minimme Minimme on Twitter: https://twitter.com/minimme TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

Our Free Radical Design mini-series continues with TimeSplitters’ immediate sequel, aptly titled TimeSplitters 2. Special guest MrHammers joins James and guest host TehSnakerer to discuss multiplayer map memories, who’d win in a hypothetical deathmatch, the games of 2002, and James makes a case for why this title should be the Tetris of FPS games. Hammers on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MrHammers Hammers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrHammersYT Chris Chapman (Retrohistories): https://www.youtube.com/@retrohistories TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

For this new mini-series, we take a look at the work of Nottingham based Free Radical Design Ltd. Formed by ex-Rare staffers responsible for the groundbreaking GoldenEye 007, we travel back in time to their very first solo release: 2000’s Timesplitters. James and guest host Tehsnakerer do their best to avoid comparing this game to its successor, debate its credentials as a boomer shooter, celebrate its flair of user-generated content, and talk about school trips of years gone by. TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, we go to war on vicious cultists with 1997’s Blood, the first (person) shooter from Monolith Productions. Special guest Chris Franklin from the YouTube channel Errant Signal joins James and guest host Kevin to dig into the game’s horror influences, Blood’s place in the shooter canon, its Nightdive remaster, and whether Blood is better than Duke Nukem 3D. Chris on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ErrantSignal Chris on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Campster PixelLit: https://www.pixellitpod.com/ hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, special guest and horror expert* Pim from YouTube channel PimsCrypt joins James and guest host HeyItMeBen to venture into the horror of MercurySteam’s 2007 shooter Clive Barker’s Jericho. As the three explore the terrifying realm of the box, they discuss Miyamoto’s toilet design, the Xbox 360 era, and Ben grades James on his metacritic score retention. *in relation to our two hosts. Pim on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pimscrypt/featured Pim on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PimsCrypt HeyItMeBen: https://twitter.com/HeyItMeBen hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder

On this episode of Bullet Time, special guest Mitch Cramer from YouTube channel HeavyEyed forms a new G-Unit with James and guest host TehSnakerer to discuss Swordfish Studio’s 2009 shooter 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Along the way, the three celebrate the game’s arcade sensibilities, NBA2K16 Livin' da Dream, and what prestige shooters could have benefited from Fiddy's inclusion. James also promotes the 2018 crime film Den of Thieves. Mitch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/heavyeyed Mitch on Twitter: https://twitter.com/heavyxeyed WREPS2GOG: https://www.youtube.com/c/WREPS2GOG TehSnakerer: https://www.youtube.com/user/tehsnakerer hotcyder: https://twitter.com/HotCyder Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/hotcyder