User:Squirminator2k/PortsCenter

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PortsCenter
PortsCenter title card
Creator: Ben Paddon
Pilot: 24th October, 2011
Latest: 24th August, 2018
Episodes: 59 (including pilot)
Links: PortsCenter at FilmJoy

PortsCenter is a webseries which looks at interesting and unique ports, conversions and re-releases of video games. The pilot episode launched on 24th October, 2011 and the show was successfully Kickstarted in August 2012 following an unsuccessful Kickstarter the previous year.

Production

The show is created, hosted, edited and written by Ben Paddon, better known to the Worms community as Squirminator2k. The original intent was to produce a season of 13 episodes, however the show continued and has grown steadily in popularity. The first season ended up being 24 episodes long. A second season of 15 episodes ran in 2014. The third season ostensibly started in 2015, with three episodes produced in 2015 and one in 2016. "Season 4-ish" began in June 2017.

The show was added to the Retroware roster shows - part of the Screenwave Media network - from August 2013 to December 2014. The show moved to Chainsawsuit Original in 2015. In October 2017, after a short stint on the spinoff channel Chainsawsuit Games, it moved back to the main channel, which was renamed FilmJoy.

The opening theme and title sequence used from episodes 001-043 was created by chiptune-rock artist Professor Shyguy. A new title sequence was used from episodes #044-050, utilizing a short piece of music from the game being covered, but the original title sequence and theme returned for episode #051. As of episode #043, an instrumental version of Professor Shyguy's song "Keywords & Dubstep" is used to close out episodes.


Links to Team17 and the Worms series

Worms

  • Episode #012 looks at the entire Worms series, from the game's initial release up to Worms Reloaded, omitting handheld releases. Special attention is given to the console ports of Worms, Worms Armageddon and Worms World Party. Worms: The Director's Cut is also briefly touched upon.
  • Episode #018 focuses entirely on Worms: The Director's Cut and speaks on a technical level about the enhancements added to the game. The episode features usage of WormPrefs, the Sheep-on-a-Rope in use, and of Ben using the Graffiti Mode to draw what he describes as "a massive cock." This episode also includes footage from Worms 2, captured by GreeN.
    • Episode #024 corrects an error mentioned in this episode with regards to the game's customization features.
  • In episode #029, the PlayStation and Saturn ports of the original Worms are cited as examples of console ports that are identical to their PC counterparts, while the PlayStation version of Worms Armageddon is cited as an example of a port that has been cut down due to technical limitations. This is also explicitly stated to be the only mention of the franchise in 2014.
  • Footage from the Worms table of Addiction Pinball is seen in episode #034.
  • Footage from the Amiga CD32 port of Worms appears in episode #041.
  • Episode #054 is a list of "Fun Facts About Great Ports", and includes mention of the "Domestic" and "Dino" terrain styles seen in the console ports of Worms Armageddon not seen in the PC version.
  • Episode #055 once again references Worms Armageddon, this time referring to the N64 port and the difficulty Infogrames had getting projectile weapons to function in the game. The episode refers to the now-lost developer's blog that existed on the WA website circa 1999.
  • Episode #056 includes footage from Worms Armageddon as an example of a hand-drawn animation style.
  • Episode #058, about video game demos, contains footage from Worms: The Director's Cut, Worms Armageddon, Worms '07, Worms Ultimate Mayhem, and Worms Blast. It also makes mention, though not by name, of the Worms Battle Pack and Worms Triple Pack compilations.

Other connections

  • Episode #010 takes a look at the MS-DOS port of Team17's cult platform game Superfrog.
    • Episode #037 follows on from this episode to look at the 2013 update, Superfrog HD.
  • Team17 are mentioned in jest during episode #003 as the only company who cared about the Amiga circa 1994.
  • Episode #007 looks at the Amiga port of Mortal Kombat, the music for which was produced by Allister Brimble who provided the music for many of Team17's early titles.
  • Episode #039 looks at various ports of Lemmings, including Team17's own ports for the PSP and PlayStation 2, as well as their PlayStation 3 pseudo-sequel.
    • Footage from the PSP version of Lemmings later reappears in episode #049, which talks about remakes.
  • The aforementioned episode #041 includes footage from the CD32 version of Ultimate Body Blows.
  • Footage of Yooka-Laylee, developed by Playtonics and published by Team17, appears in episode #051.
  • Episode #053 looks at The Haunted Mansion for the Game Boy Advance. Though the final episode doesn't mention it, the game features music by former Team17 musician Allister Brimble. The episode also features footage of The Escapists 2 on the Nintendo Switch.
  • Episode #056 once again returns to the Lemmings franchise, and includes plenty of footage of the PSP, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 games developed by Team17. It also includes footage of Team17's 1994 beat 'em up Ultimate Body Blows.
  • As well as containing footage from various Worms games, episode #058 mentions a technical glitch in the CD32 demo of Superfrog, as well as footage from or trailer clips a number of Team17 titles old and new: Alien Breed Evolution, All Terrain Racing, Body Blows, and Overcooked. It also contains footage of Parachute Joust, a public domain game released by the company's predecessor, 17-Bit Software.

In addition to this, Ben is a credited beta tester for Worms 4: Mayhem and Worms Reloaded, and has contributed to the as-yet unreleased v1.5 update for Worms: The Director's Cut.

External links

Retrieved from "https://worms2d.info/?title=User:Squirminator2k/PortsCenter&oldid=25218"
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