Get to know the people that make great videogames
8 days ago on Sup Holmes (now oniTunes) we welcomedMichael Molinarito the program. Michael has been developing games since high school, starting the theTeam Fortressfan gamesT.F. Larry: Guard Dutyand its sequelT.F. Larry: Reinstatement. Inspired by the increasing quality of CGI special effects in films such asSpider-Man, a lifelong passion for Basketball, and of course, a love of videogames, Michael set out into the world of videogame development.
This led to a career of balancing more personal projects likeHow My Grandfather Won The War,[Together],…But That Was [Yesterday], andBasketBellewith work at Namco Bandai’s now defuncted iOS division. It sounds like Michael learned a lot from his time at Namco, mostly about hownotto do things. From being blocked off from utilizing Namco’s most iconic I.P.s, to seeing the creator of such hits asMr. Drillershuffled into positions far below his worth (mywords, not Michael’s), there were many fore-tellers of doom to be seen, and Michael was their to witness them all first t first hand. After rapping up work onRocket Fox, the iOS studio at Namco-Bandai was closed, and Michael was off on his own. That led him to Adult Swim Games and the releaseSoundoger+— a love letter to high intensity rhythm games likePump it Upand pacifist bullet hell shmups likeIkaruga.
We discussed all these things, plus Michael’s thoughts on theimportance of streamingand local multi-player in his life, the joy of discovering new ways to experience games (like theGreen Demon challenge inSuper Mario 64), suffering the bad fortune of being in the first batch ofSteam Greenlight games, and a lot more. Thanks again to Michael for appearing on the show, and be sure to tune in next week when we Adult Swimember continues with the Crazy Viking Studios, creators ofVolgarr the Viking.
