Games of Note: #5 - X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994)

Surprise! we're not dead (yet)!

In this episode we discuss X‑Men: Children of the Atom, Capcom 1v1 fighter, driven largely by artist Katsuya Akitomo, and Marvel’s desire to expand its footprint in the early ’90s. Developed by key members of the Street Fighter II team on the CPS‑2 arcade board, the game embraced mutant abilities with super jumps, air combos, multi‑tiered stages, and a more explosive style than Capcom’s previous fighters, all under close visual supervision from Marvel.

Released in arcades between 1994 and 1995, it received mixed results in Japan but strong enthusiasm from Marvel and Capcom USA, later seeing several home ports of varying quality. More importantly, it laid the foundation for the entire Marvel vs. Capcom series and helped popularise the modern crossover fighter, influencing how franchises, fanbases, and IP mash‑ups are approached across games and entertainment today.

Show Notes

• Kotaku's detailed oral history of the game: Link
• Check out some of the sprites via Fighters Generation: Link
• Detailed move sets of each character in the game: Link

About Games of Note

Games of Note is a video game podcast hosted by game designer Will Luton & biz dev consultant Wayne Emanuel, where we discuss not if a game is good or bad, but the impact it had on the culture and business of video games.

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In our first ever 'Side Note', we discuss a number of video games that were directly affected by 9/11 and the Iraq War, titles that were delayed, altered, or cancelled in response to the events.

Show Notes

• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 - VATSIM group statement condemning people from recreating 9/11 within the games: Link

• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 - Animation of the character attempting to press a detonator as you approach them remains intact 2:40 (pause at 2:44): Link

About Games of Note

Games of Note is a video game podcast hosted by game designer Will Luton & biz dev consultant Wayne Emanuel, where we discuss not if a game is good or bad, but the impact it had on the culture and business of video games.

Follow us:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | RSS

Contact Us:Email: gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com

Bluesky |TikTok | YouTube Shorts

Games of Note: #4 - Dear Esther (2012)

In this episode, we dive into Dear Esther, the pioneering 2008 Half-Life 2 mod turned 2012 standalone title, often hailed as the first “walking simulator.” Forgoing combat, puzzles, and win-loss mechanics, it invites players on a solitary, poetic stroll across a mist-shrouded Hebridean island, exploring themes of loss and bereavement.

We discuss its roots in thechineseroom’s early research mods, unpack the debates over its legitimacy as a “game,” and celebrate how its success reshaped the indie scene and proved games could be profound, emotionally driven art.

Show Notes

• Antlion Soccer (Source/Half-Life 2) - a football mod but instead of a ball you use the gravity gun from Half-Life 2 to push the Antlion enemies into a goal: Link

• Korsakovia (Source/Half-Life 2) - a survival horror with a similar approach as Dear Esther with ambiguous story telling: Link

• Conscientious Objector (idTech4/ DOOM3) - a DOOM3 mod of the opening levels but your shotgun bullets are replaced with rubber bullets due to it being cheaper for the UAC: Link
• Dr Pinchbek paper on this mod called ‘Conscientious Objector: Pacifism, Politics and Abusing the Player in Doom 3’: Link

• PCGamer interview with Dr Pinchbek: Link
• Dr Pinchbek summary of the project from his blog: Link

About Games of Note

Games of Note is a video game podcast hosted by game designer Will Luton & biz dev consultant Wayne Emanuel, where we discuss not if a game is good or bad, but the impact it had on the culture and business of video games.

Follow us:

⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠RSS⁠⁠⁠

Contact Us:Email: gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com

⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Shorts⁠⁠