This week on Cat Context we eat a lot of virtual candy from the Candy Box and get the inside scoop on what it’s like to go from game player to indie game developer.

Recently occasional special guest Mangle from gamer to full-time indie developer, and now people all over the world are playing his first mobile title, Flower Pot. We sit down with him to talk about “life on the other side”. Does making games change how you play them? Is the app store over-saturated with indie titles? Can developers use their powers for good and make money?

Mangle tells it like it is, gives some tips on designing your first game, and makes the rest of us feel just the tiniest bit bad for our “entitled gamer” moments. (Just a bit. Not much.)

Also under discussion this week is viral sensation Candy Box! We try to figure out why it caught on so quickly with many players, and what lessons it might have for MMOs.

As always Liore is joined by the most excellent Arolaide and Ellyndrial.

Send your questions or comments to podcast@lioreblog.com, tweet @Liores, or call our voice mail at (347) 565-4673 and be entered to win a copy of the Humble Bundle – Blendo Games edition on the next podcast! (That includes Atom Zombie Smashers, 30 Flights of Loving, and more!)

It would be downright awesome if you gave us a vote on iTunes. :)

* The website for Flower Pot and the Flower Pot iTunes Store link
* Candy Box, the addictive viral browser game
* Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years

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This week on Cat Context we talk about the launch of action MMO Defiance, realize that it’s tough to discuss Bioshock Infinite without giving away story spoilers, and argue over the entertainment quality of the Dead or Alive movie.

Defiance launched on April 2 with the associated television show to come soon. Elly has been enjoying the game, and wants everyone else to like it too. Meanwhile, Liore and Aro have been playing Bioshock Infinite and while both appreciate the technical aspects apparently we had totally different conclusions about the plot. We don’t want to give away any spoilers though, so mostly we talk about how much we’d like to talk about it. Also this week in Games on Film we watch DOA: Dead or Alive, and unsurprisingly argue over whether it’s any good or not.

Also, Aro plays Saints Row 3 with a toddler! Elly seriously cannot stop Borderlands 2! Liore dies a lot in Don’t Starve!

As always Liore is joined by the most excellent Arolaide and Ellyndrial. This week’s movie suggestion was mostly from J3w3l — thanks! Folks can email us at podcast@lioreblog.com, tweet @Liores, or call our voice mail at (347) 565-4673.

And don’t forget that we’ll be LIVE in two weeks for the Cat Context birthday podcast!

It would be downright awesome if you gave us a vote on iTunes. :)

* Our Twitch TV channel
* DOA: Dead or Alive movie for free on YouTube
* The website for iOS game Flower Pot
* The trailer for SyFy’s Defiance
* Free Music Archive page for the birthday ad,Surfing With My 2 Little Brothers by Party People in a Can
* Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years

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This week on Cat Context we talk about Remember Me’s difficulty finding financing, argue over whether the Super Mario Brothers movie is any good, and discover the limitations of SWTOR’s free-to-play plan.

Remember Me had an uphill battle because its lead character is a woman. In that spirit, we talk a bit about our favorite women in games, how much we identify with our characters, and the effect that romancing Garrus can have on straight gamer dudes. (Hint: none at all.) We also launch a new segement: Games on Film! This week it’s 1993′s Super Mario Brothers. How did this movie happen, and did anyone actually read the script beforehand? Is Mario’s last name really “Mario”? Aro and Elly think the movie is delightfully awful whereas Liore actually kind of liked it. Go fig.

Also, Aro gets angry about SWTOR’s f2p system! Elly plays more phone games! Liore + Kerrigan, TLF!

As always Liore is joined by the most excellent Arolaide and Ellyndrial. This week’s call is from Doone — thanks Doone! Folks can email us at podcast@lioreblog.com, tweet @Liores, or call our voice mail at (347) 565-4673.

It would be downright awesome if you gave us a vote on iTunes. :)

* Super Mario Brothers movie for free on YouTube
* Two articles on SMB the movie from GameInformer and Den of Geek
* A huge list of DOS games that we don’t know for sure are very good
* Polygon on the Remember Me difficulties
* Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years

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It was Daylight Savings on Sunday, but we managed to stay awake long enough to talk about always-on DRM in the wake of SimCity and the latest Neverwinter MMO beta weekend.

Unsurprisingly none of us are in favor of always-on DRM, whether it’s EA’s servers or Games for Windows Live or whatever. We sigh and roll our eyes a lot over the SimCity launch debacle, talk about why cloud saving your city can be a bad idea, and Liore yells at everyone to stop buying EA games. Also, all three of us were in the Neverwinter MMO beta and all three of us didn’t like it! Aro thinks the graphics are straight out of 2003, while Elly can’t stop waving two fingers in the air. Is this better or worse than Dungeons and Dragons Online?

Also, talk about Popori butts in TERA! Sleepless nights with SimCity 4! More talk of phone games!

As always Liore is joined by the most excellent Arolaide and Ellyndrial. We weren’t able to get to calls and comments this episode, but many thanks and we’ll play them all next time! Meanwhile, email us at podcast@lioreblog.com, tweet @Liores, or call our voice mail at (347) 565-4673.

It would be downright awesome if you gave us a vote on iTunes. :)

* RPS on why a server connection may not be necessary in SimCity.
* Polygon’s rapidly plummeting SimCity review score page.
* Liore took video of the Neverwinter MMO character creator.
* Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years

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It’s Retro Game week on Cat Context! We’re talking about some of our favorite hits from the past, and sorting out whether they were actually amazing or if we’re just nostalgic.

Retro gaming is where Aro is a champion, and she helps us cover all our bases by talking about old console games, modern day emulators, and how great retro games have a great story. Liore talks about her Tamagotchi and playing System Shock 2, and Elly is a grump who says he likes retro games, but we don’t believe him. Star Wars Galaxies is often referred to as a game that died before its time, but is it that great or is it all nostalgia? All three of us tried out the SWGEmu and are amazed at how less satisfying it is now. Also, Elly and Aro fight over which Final Fantasy game is best, which really shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Also, Elly and Liore get defensive about playing TERA! Talk about the Neverwinter and Firefall betas!

As always Liore is joined by the most excellent Arolaide and Ellyndrial. What’s your favorite retro game? Email us at podcast@lioreblog.com, tweet @Liores, or call our voice mail at (347) 565-4673.

It would be downright awesome if you gave us a vote on iTunes. :)

* The SWGemu website
* System Shock 2 on GoG
* Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years

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This week on Cat Context we talk about Tiny Tina, argue over convenience changes in MMOs, and then mock Liore for playing World of Warcraft. (Hey!)

Elly owns at least 6 copies of Borderlands 2, so we figured he’d be a good person to ask about the Tiny Tina racism controversy. One thing is certain — when people in the game industry start to lose their jobs over raising difficult questions it’s bad for all of us. Meanwhile in RIFT, Trion Worlds removed falling damage and everyone freaked out. Liore is in favor of the removal, while Aro and Elly argue that falling damage adds flavor to virtual worlds. They’re wrong, but it’s always interesting to hear different perspectives. We also talk about some other big quality of life changes in MMOs in the past, and whether they too upset a delicate game ecosystem.

Also, Liore defends TERA! Aro reminisces about Sega Genesis! Elly plays something called “Battle Cats”!

As always Liore is joined by the most excellent Arolaide and Ellyndrial. What’s MMO are you looking forward to in 2013? Email us at podcast@lioreblog.com or call our voice mail at (347) 565-4673.

It would be downright awesome if you gave us a vote on iTunes. :)

* PC Gamer on the Tiny Tina controversy
* RIFTJunkies on the removal of falling damage
* Break music is “Good Enough (Geminis Psychosis Mix)” from the 1995 Wipeout soundtrack
* Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years

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