Thank You! We Hit 2K Downloads on Substack With Damage Per Podcast

Thanks for listening to us talk about nonsense!

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO MAKE ART

Hello all!

Just wanted to thank you all for listening to Damage Per Podcast. We just hit 2k downloads on Substack alone (I don’t check other hosting sites analytics because…lazy). I am so grateful!

I started this podcast as an experiment without a focus but after a few months, I set my sights on going back to older games (mostly) and revisiting them or finally cleaning up my/our backlog.

I have also been blessed with a great co-host! This podcast wouldn’t be what it is without my partner-in-crime,

Mitch 💀

. I assumed this would mostly be me talking into a mic with rotating friends but Mitch and I clicked and to keep it simple, we kept going.

Right now we are finishing up the last of the Gears games. I am excited to say that the first several months of next year will be focused on Remedy’s catalog. Mitch and I plan on taking looking at Alan Wake 1&2, Control and Quantum Break.

Here are our top 5 podcast episodes from this year by number of downloads - descending order (CLICK THE HEADERS TO BE LINKED)

Episode 16: Dante’s Inferno but 14 Years Later (AKA 9 CIRCLES OF CUCK)

We do find the main attraction to be all of the hubbub around the game and not the actual game itself. I think the art direction is killer - some of the best, nauseating depictions of hell’s circles I’ve seen. The gameplay is familiar to a fault but fun and just when you think it might overstay its welcome, the credits roll. 

Speaking of credits - why do we see Dante’s dong at the end of the game? There was so much…body stuff in the game but boy, did they go for it. 

Primed for a sequel that never happened, Dante’s Inferno lived on as a big ??? for everyone. Sequel development was a ghost story with tidbits popping up on LinkedIn but ultimately left in the dirt to die. Jonathan Knight, the game’s director, left the weird world of triple-A gaming after this and now works for the New York Times and their game division (crosswords and all that). 

Visceral Games, who developed Dante’s Inferno (and Dead Space) would go on to be relegated to the Battlefield mines and eventually would be shut down (even after EA said they would keep their jobs). But the creepy babies in both Dante’s Inferno and Dead Space certainly make sense.

Episode 15: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2 (AKA SENUA IS BIG MAD NOW)

Hellblade 2 was released at the end of May 2024 and was met with a “meh” and I’m (and I guess “we”) are confused. The game is a remarkable vehicle for storytelling, mood, location and moments that made me NAUSEOUS.

Listen, I get if the game is just not for you and even calling it a “game” is up for debate. But if you liked the first there is zero reason you would hate the 2nd entry. It has more Senua! ABSOLUTE GIRLBOSS!

Tameem over at Ninja Theory claimed that he didn’t want these games to be “fun” but compelling and I think that is exactly where they land. Hellblade(s)offer a unique and nuanced look at mental illness with gameplay that pushes the player into uncomfortable territory.

Episode 10: Castlevania Lords of Shadow but 14 Years Later (where my boi Alucard at?)

This week Mitch and I talk about one weird-ass game - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. Developed by Mercury Steam and published by Konami in 2010, Lords of Shadow was meant to reboot the Castlevania franchise. In terms of sales, it sure did but in terms of legacy? It’s an odd one. I think LOS is a game that’s more fascinating to talk about than play but I did have a fun time playing through it.

LOS made enough money and was only a 60 person development project so Konami green-lit a sequel. LOS 2 would arrive in a couple of years and not sell as well. It also didn’t have as many favorable reviews causing Komani to kick Mercury Steam to the curb. Luckily, Nintendo picked up MS and now they work on the Metroid games. Win/win? IDK!

Episode 19: SPOOOKY Time w/Blair Witch (2019) VIDJO JAME

This week Mitch and I take on Bloober Team’s Blair Witch game that, upon internet searching, caused GRIEF for horror fans. Mitch and I don’t see it because we both enjoyed our time with Ellis and Bullet as they lose their minds in Burkittsville, MD.

Recently, Bloober put out the remake for Silent Hill 2 (which Mitch adores btw) and one could see how they were inching their way towards a Silent Hill-esque project.

I love the Bloober story. They are a small Eastern European game studio that put out horror games that had a little jank but clearly there was love for the horror genre behind it. And now? Well, they got that big paycheck and they are working on a brand new game that was revealed in the Xbox Showcase this month. It is titled Chronos: The New Dawn

Tackling the Blair Witch IP is not an easy task because what IS Blair Witch as a property? It’s really about getting lost in the woods where time shifts and a bit of lore built in. As Mitch states in the podcast, there really isn’t a reason (story-wise) a sequel needed to be made but due to the $$ it brought it, it’s a well that IP owners go back to. Lionsgate is currently holding Blair Witch for ransom.

Episode 17: Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 but 10 Years Later (AKA WTF GUYS)

Taking criticism from the first game, Mercury Steam tried to differentiate itself from the “God of War Clone” comparison and added stealth segments that grind the game’s pacing to a halt. The fact that Dracula is capable of taking down massive bosses but can’t take out thicc guards is beyond me. Sneaking around as a rat? I’m the Prince of Darkness!

Even with those horrible moments aside, the 2nd game fails to deliver after the first amazing hour of gameplay. It puts its best foot forward with the intro sequence and then we take control of Dracula in the modern city. I had visions of Blood Omen 2 where we would be able to run around the city and feast on innocent folks. But no, we are thrown into bland corridors and parking garages.

I was ok with the game until the end when I was getting frustrated with the pacing. It took its toll on me.

With that said, there are great set pieces such as the Puppet Master boss sequence. It makes zero sense why we are fighting him but it was memorable so that’s something!

Even though Lords of Shadow 2 did OK with sales, Konami shut it all down. Dave Cox, the producer, was let go and he went on to work at 505 Games.

Mercury Steam, the developer, was contracted by Nintendo and ended up making Metroid Dread. Good endings for everyone!

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Thank you for listening!