Episode 141 - Distended and Flabby - Space Station Silicon Valley

That’s a hit podcast for groovy cats. You just don’t dig it. Welcome back to the podcast and to the final month of the year! Today, we’re going to be talking about Space Station Silicon Valley, a fairly strange puzzle platforming game from 1998 from a developer that would go on to become Rockstar North. When I say “fairly strange,” I’m predominately talking about its concept: you play as a robot’s CPU and are able to jump into and control a variety of robot animals which you then use to accomplish different tasks. That rules. That’s just an objectively cool idea on paper. Unfortunately, whether it’s an inexperience with the medium, pressure to release a game that fits in with other bestselling titles of the time, or just plain bad decision making, the final product just does not do service to the idea behind it. The game is bloated, overlong and full of tasks and missions that don’t take advantage of the mechanics the game sets up. Some other strange decisions include the games tone, writing and music, but these are all things that need a bit more set up we get into in the episode. The game still holds some nostalgia value, and the concept alone is worth at least looking into it, but the strongest lesson you’ll probably take from this title is how to squander a very good idea. We’re going to be talking about early 3D game frustrations this game does not succeed in avoiding, level and mission design in a game where theoretically anything is possible, and we debate on what the main characters’ names are (and do actually get it right!). The way our preparation works, we usually have games planned for October and November well in advance, October due to the Halloween theming and November holding the games we were excited to do earlier in the year and needed to find space for. Because of this, December usually ends up being a pretty wild time where we end up choosing games that are either recent suggestions or, like Space Station Silicon Valley, distant memories of games we have had in the back our minds for one reason or another and just never got around to. Does this game still hold nostalgia value for you? Let us know in the comments or over on our Discord! Next time, we’re closing out the year with a similarly long lost childhood title, Snowboard Kids 2, and then we’re preparing for the NOCLIP Awards at the end of the year, so we hope you’ll stick with us for that!