Game music composer and console restoration expert Christa Lee joins this year’s monster hunting party, taking on evils like foreshadowing, deceptively powerful industry figures, and ranking the Silent Hill series.

Questions this Specdracular:

  1. What do we think of all the Silent Hill stuff that got announced? (03:35)
  2. What games best use technological constraints to their advantage? (09:59)
  3. When does a game seem perfect for you, but still doesn’t work? (15:58)
  4. What’s the right way to do foreshadowing in a video game? (23:09)
  5. The Fightening Return of Questions Deemed Too Stupid for the Dirtbag (29:36)
  6. What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in a video game? (39:50)
  7. Should video games even have unwinnable scenarios? (46:05)
  8. Who are the most surprisingly powerful people in the video game industry? (53:06)

LIGHTNING ROUND: Ranking the Silent Hill series (01:00:39)

Recommendations and Outro (01:12:32)

THE INSERT CREDIT SILENT HILL SERIES RANKING:

  1. Shizuoka, Japan
  2. Silent Hill 3
  3. Silent Hill 2
  4. Siren Series
  5. Silent Hill
  6. P.T.
  7. Silent Hill 4
  8. Silent Hill f
  9. Silent Hill Play Novel
  10. Silent Hill The Arcade
  11. Silent Hill 2 Remake
  12. Silent Hill Shattered Memories
  13. Silent Hill Pachislot
  14. Silent Hill Origins
  15. Silent Hill Homecoming
  16. Silent Hill Townfall
  17. Silent Hill Downpour
  18. Silent Hill Book of Memories

A SMALL SELECTION OF THINGS REFERENCED:

Recommendations:

Tim: Have already put a “Skip Intro” on Star Trek: The Next Generation if you’re someone who has the ability to make that happen inside Paramount+ by the time this episode airs

Brandon: Virtuosic Hair Metal Band T-Ride, buy from CastleMania if you’re gonna buy any of these rereleases coming up

Christa: Insmouse no Yakata, get your VirtualBoy ribbons fixed at SoundRetro.co, Furuhata Ninzaburō, Mikey and Nicky (1976)

Jaffe: Consider phone banking for the Environmental Voter Project, Wishlist Demonschool and Hyper Gunsport on Steam, Welcome to the Fantasy Zone

Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Tim Rogers, Brandon Sheffield and Christa Lee. Edited by Esper Quinn. Original Music by Kurt Feldman.