Games of Note podcast is where we discuss not if a particular game is good or bad, but the impact it had on game design & and the culture of video games. Hosted by Will Luton (game designer) & Wayne Emanuel (game bizdev consultant), we'll be discussing the most well-known to the most-obscure, but in one way, they are Games of Note!
Games of Note: #5 - X-Men: Children of the Atom (1994)
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 (https://www.polygon.com/2021/4/14/22336505/x-men-children-of-the-atom-an-oral-history)
Check out some of the sprites via Fighters Generation: Link (https://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters2/magneto-a.html )
Detailed move sets of each character in the game: Link (https://wiki.supercombo.gg/w/X-Men:_Children_of_the_Atom)
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 (https://open.spotify.com/show/3r8K8y2ki15X2aVeqWdHZU) | Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/games-of-note/id1821658792) | RSS (https://anchor.fm/s/1081d3dd8/podcast/rss)
Contact Us:Email: gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com
Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/gamesofnote.bsky.social) |TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote) | YouTube Shorts (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x9FZVaecIqQYWFtmqJVyQ)
9 Aug 2025
Side Note - Games Affected by 9/11 (Part 1)
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 (https://web.archive.org/web/20020320042448/http://www.flightsim.com/cgi/kds?%24=main/notams01/vatsim1.htm )
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 (https://youtu.be/tUuCMJMj6bc)
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 (https://open.spotify.com/show/3r8K8y2ki15X2aVeqWdHZU) | Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/games-of-note/id1821658792) | RSS (https://anchor.fm/s/1081d3dd8/podcast/rss)
Contact Us:Email: gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com
Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/gamesofnote.bsky.social) |TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote) | YouTube Shorts (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x9FZVaecIqQYWFtmqJVyQ)
31 Jul 2025
Games of Note: #4 - Dear Esther (2012)
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>
Previous thechineseroom mods / experiments:
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: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Antlion-Soccer (https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Antlion-Soccer)
Korsakovia (Source/Half-Life 2) - a survival horror with a similar approach as Dear Esther with ambiguous story telling: https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Korsakovia (https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Korsakovia)
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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c45mzfRF_U (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_c45mzfRF_U)
Dr Pinchbek paper on this mod called ‘Conscientious Objector: Pacifism, Politics and Abusing the Player in Doom 3’: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-89222-9_22 (https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-89222-9_22)
Media
PCGamer interview with Dr Pinchbek: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-story-of-dear-esther/ (https://www.pcgamer.com/the-story-of-dear-esther/)
Dr Pinchbek summary of the project from his blob: https://www.danpinchbeck.co.uk/esther
<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.
You can find all of our episodes below:
Podcast Directory (https://shows.acast.com/games-of-note) | Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/games-of-note/id1821658792) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3r8K8y2ki15X2aVeqWdHZU)| RSS (https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68484944b0b18fac07d3926f)
We're always eager to hear your thoughts on this episode or the podcast in general. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to us through any of the following channels:
Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/gamesofnote.bsky.social) | TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote) | YouTube Shorts (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x9FZVaecIqQYWFtmqJVyQ)
Games of Note Socials
Email: gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com (mailto:gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com)
Discord: https://discord.gg/U4jdGEXw (https://discord.gg/U4jdGEXw)
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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote (https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
17 Jul 2025
Games of Note: #3 - FarmVille (2009)
Games of Note: #3 - FarmVille (2009)
FarmVille became one of the most iconic and widely played social games of all time, introducing timer-based mechanics, shared worlds, and cooperative play to the masses; with 300 million total players and over $1 billion in revenue, it peaked at 35 million daily users in March 2010, marking the rise of “appointment gaming” and drawing in a casual audience far beyond the traditional core gamer demographic—effectively making it a near-casual MMO.
<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.
You can find all of our episodes below:
Podcast Directory (https://shows.acast.com/games-of-note) | Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/games-of-note/id1821658792) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/3r8K8y2ki15X2aVeqWdHZU)| RSS (https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/68484944b0b18fac07d3926f)
We're always eager to hear your thoughts on this episode or the podcast in general. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out to us through any of the following channels:
Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/gamesofnote.bsky.social) | TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote) | YouTube Shorts (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4x9FZVaecIqQYWFtmqJVyQ)
Games of Note Socials
Email: gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com (mailto:gamesofnotepodcast@gmail.com)
Discord: https://discord.gg/U4jdGEXw (https://discord.gg/U4jdGEXw)
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gamesofnote.bsky.social (https://bsky.app/profile/gamesofnote.bsky.social)
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote (https://www.tiktok.com/@gamesofnote)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
3 Jul 2025
Games of Note: #2 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
Hosts Will Luton and Wayne Emanuel examine Castlevania: Symphony of the Night's design and influence on both the Castlevania series and the Metroidvania genre, exploring its cultural and business impact.
19 Jun 2025
Games of Note: #1 - Shenmue (1999)
Hosts Will Luton and Wayne Emanuel examine Shenmue's groundbreaking mechanics and its impact on the RPG genre, despite falling short of expectations, in this episode about the game's legacy.
19 Jun 2025
Games of Note: #0 - An introduction to Games of Note
Hosts Will Luton and Wayne Emanuel introduce Games of Note, a video game podcast exploring the cultural and business impact of games, sharing their backgrounds and gaming preferences in this introductory episode.
Reach and audience
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YouTube views
6,612
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100
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Quality
16
Social presence
0
YouTube
65
Engagement
0
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