Half-Glass Gaming [Episode 36] : The Berlin Interpretation

We kick off this episode all full of fury, as Josh has quite a bit to say about bumper stickers. If you thought our billboards conversation back in Episode 11 was intense, buckle up! We’ve even got the origin story of the “My other car is a _____” bumper stickers. We also touch on Ayn Rand’s obsession with the color yellow, Bronson Pinchot’s glory days (the 1980s), and the mysterious allure of Steve Buscemi. And before we settle in, we recommend a little indie game called Siralim.

After the break, we dig deep into the roguelike video game genre, which is unique in that a congress of game developers actually met in Berlin to create a hard definition for the term. This would become known as “The Berlin Interpretation.” Why Berlin? Oktoberfest, obviously.

With such a concrete definition already established, we’re able to definitively answer questions like “Why is ToeJam & Earl a roguelike when Skyrim isn’t?” or “How roguelike is Diablo III?”

We also take a peek into the evolution of the genre, from the pre-Rogue origins to the Western decline and resurgence, as well as the Japanese Mystery Dungeon craze in the 1990s. We then look at the post-Spelunky indie roguelike boom and recommend some of our favorites from the genre’s long history.

Get ready for some ear-tingling action: Half-Glass Gaming’s 36th episode is here!