When Should A Game Be Episodic?

Image courtesy of TelltaleGames.com

Time is getting shorter for everyone. As technology progresses and entertainment becomes easier to obtain, it becomes much more difficult to portion out time for everything. So it's a natural progression for television shows, which are broken down into episodic chunks, to become more popular since they are easier to digest over small, broken out periods of time. Even games are moving in this direction. The popularity of episodic is on the rise, with talented developers like Telltale Games making engrossing stories that players can pick up over time. However, the trend is starting to move towards games that don't necessarily need this type of broken out form. So when is it right for a game to be episodic?

Gamers Source #20 - Important Video Game Research And New Nintendo Mysteries

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Hello and welcome to The Gamers Source, your destination for weekly gaming information. This week the Pew Research Institute released a very interesting report on teens and gaming while Nintendo has dropped some minor tidbits on its future. So, without further ado, the news...

Gamers Source #20 - Important Video Game Research And New Nintendo Mysteries

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•  Batman: Arkham Knight Take Your Time Review
• Entwined Take Your Time Review
• Whispering Willows Take Your Time Review 

This is How the Batman Died: Not With a Whimper, But a Bang - The Batman: Arkham Knight Take Your Time Review

Quick Note: Though the Batmobile can be hit or miss at times, the city of Gotham has never been bigger nor felt more alive. Whether beating up thugs or tearing up the streets in the car, it feels good to be the Bat. A few story beats fall flat, but this is by far one of the best Batman stories told by Rocksteady and one of the most fun open world experiences out there.
 
At the start of development of Arkham Knight, Rocksteady set out to make the largest, best Batman game the studio thought possible to end the trilogy with a bang. After reaching 100 percent completion in the game and letting the ending movie and credits wash over me, it dawned on me just how successful the studio was in creating that game. Though Arkham Knight has a few misses, this is the perfect game for Rocksteady to go out on and the perfect game to make you feel like you ARE the Batman.

Gamers Source #19 - More Xbox Gamescom Details and PS4's Vote to Play is Live

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Hello and welcome to The Gamers Source, your destination for weekly gaming information. This week, the news is early! More details about Microsoft announcements from Gamescom emerge and Square Enix updates the world on its Collective initiative. So, without further ado, the news...

Gamers Source #19 - More Xbox Gamescom Details and PS4's Vote to Play is Live

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Gamers Source #18 - Xbox At Gamescom In 15 Minutes

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UPDATE: In this podcast I mention Xbox having cross buy functionality between specific games on Xbox One and Windows 10. Microsoft has corrected this statement, so I will as well - this functionality is specific to DLC for Cross Buy games for now. As time goes on, Microsoft will continue to listen to fans as to what it is desired. This correction completely changes my thoughts on Microsoft's plans. This is a half measure, placing Microsoft still behind the much better Cross-Buy systems that Sony has in place. And now, to the original text...

Hello and welcome to The Gamers Source, your destination for weekly gaming information. This week, the news is early! Gamescom was this week, and Xbox had an excellent conference with lots of gameplay shown as well as some terrible news about Konami. So, without further ado, the news...

Gamers Source #18 - Xbox At Gamescom In 15 Minutes

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Whispering Willows is Solid, But Missing Some Heart - The Take Your Time Review

Quick Note: Mechanically sound with an interesting premise, Whispering Willows fails to elevate itself above a generic adventure game. The ability to Astral project is a great mechanic, and the story has all the makings of an exciting tale, but ultimately the game comes off as bland and forgettable.


Adventure games have a long history, dating back to when games started to grow into a viable past time. Though there was a slow fade in the late 90's/early 00's where the genre seemed to be dying off, adventure games are alive today and more diverse than ever before. With games like the heavily narrative based Telltale's The Walking Dead, re-releases of classics like Grim Fandango, and brand new games built to emulate the classics, like Broken Age, it's really hard to recommend the bland and simple Whispering Willows over these examples and others like them.

Gamers Source #17 - China Lifts its Console Ban and Wii U Passes 10 Million Units Sold

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Hello and welcome to The Gamers Source, your destination for weekly gaming information. This week, Square Enix has announced two different versions of Dragon Quest XI, Nintendo announced that the Wii U has finally sold over 10 million units and China lifts its console ban. So, without further ado, the news...

Gamers Source #17 - China Lifts its Console Ban and Wii U Passes 10 Million Units Sold

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