Episodes
Halo Part 1: Halo Before the Ring
September 7, 2009
In anticipation of HALO 3: ODST, dropping into stores September 22, watch and see how it all began. In this first part of the series, see as college student Alex Seropian founds BUNGIE out of his basement to release Gnop!, and watch it grow from one-man boutique to the software titan that created MARATHON and MYTH. And then, at the 1999 Macworld Expo, Bungie unveils a brand-new title: a little game called HALO...
Halo Part 2: Evolving Combat
September 11, 2009
In anticipation of HALO 3: ODST, dropping into stores September 22, watch and see how it all began. In this second part of the series, watch how the demo for a Mac game called HALO drew the attention of Microsoft, and how Bungie would go on to create one of the most successful games in console history.
Halo Part 3: That Was Perfect... Now Do It Better
September 14, 2009
In anticipation of HALO 3: ODST, dropping into stores September 22, watch and see how it all began. In this third part of the series, Bungie gets to work on a sequel to their hit HALO, only to find that duplicating success is just as hard -- if not harder -- than being successful in the first place.
Halo Part 4: The Air is Thin, but the View is Good
September 18, 2009
In anticipation of HALO 3: ODST, dropping into stores September 22, watch and see how it all began. In this fourth part of the series, watch how the runaway success of HALO starts to divide its creators over its future, and the beginnings of how Bungie's baby became Microsoft's franchise.
Halo Part 5: Beyond Bungie... and Beyond
September 21, 2009
In anticipation of HALO 3: ODST, dropping into stores September 22, watch and see how it all began. In this fifth and final part of the series, HALO goes off to another studio to create HALO WARS, only to have it come back to Bungie for HALO ODST and HALO REACH, only for it to go off again into the world on its own...
Forza Motorsport: Kick the Tires and Light the Fires
October 5, 2009
Before you check out "Forza Motorsport 3", see how it all began when a newcomer to the racing market carved itself a niche as one of its premier titles.
Uncharted 2 Part 1: How Mammals Made Money
October 8, 2009
As you get pumped up for the release of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, discover how video game developers Naughty Dog (led by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin) evolved from two childhood friends with a dream into a company to be reckoned with.
Uncharted 2 Part 2: Pulp Realism
October 12, 2009
Before you go buy Uncharted 2, watch and see how Naughty Dog went from making zany platformers to photoreal adventure serials without missing a beat.
Tim Schafer: Sultan of Psychic
October 15, 2009
If you're wondering what all the hubub about Brutal Legend is about, check the history of creator Tim Schafer and his long legacy of innovative games, from the legendary Secret of Monkey Island all the way through to his heavy metal opus.
Call of Duty Part 1: Breaking Out
October 19, 2009
Before you kit up for Modern Warfare 2, watch and see how the Call of Duty series evolved. In this first episode, see how the frustrated makers of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault left to form their own company, Infinity Ward, and proceeded to shake up the entire genre with their debut title, Call of Duty.
Call of Duty Part 2: Seizing the High Ground
October 22, 2009
Episode 2: Before you kit up for Modern Warfare 2, watch and see how the Call of Duty series evolved. In this second episode, see how the success of Call of Duty led publisher Activision to pump out a number of spin-off titles before the original creators, Infinity Ward, blew the console world away with Call of Duty 2.
Call of Duty Part 3: Supporting Fire
November 5, 2009
Before you kit up for Modern Warfare 2, watch and see how the Call of Duty series evolved. In this third episode, see how the success of the franchise led to a different studio taking over the reigns of Call of Duty 3.
Call of Duty Part 4: Pressing the Advantage
November 9, 2009
Before you kit up for Modern Warfare 2, watch and see how the Call of Duty series evolved. In this fourth episode, see how Infinity Ward left the confines of World War II and took warfare to the modern day, and in the process, made shooter history.
Call of Duty Part 5: Declaring Victory
November 10, 2009
Before you kit up for Modern Warfare 2, watch and see how the Call of Duty series evolved. In this fifth and final episode, see how Treyarch took some of Infinity Ward's innovations and mapped them onto yet another Second World War game. And then, see the rise of the Modern Warfare 2 phenomenon from announcement to controversy and beyond.
Call of Duty Part 6: Appendix A
November 11, 2011
In this first Appendix to our Call of Duty run, watch and see the many changes that the Call of Duty brand went through after the release of Modern Warfare 2, up to the release of Modern Warfare 3. This episode will show you...
Silent Hill (Halloween Game Development History)
October 30, 2009
Silent Hill has faced man ups and downs but continues to push on. From the original Silent Hill on the Sony Playstation in 1999 all the way to its latest title Silent Hill: Shattered Memories it has continued to move forward in the horror video game genre. The series has garnered over 5 titles on multiple platforms; it even had a film adaption of the original. Silent Hill remains as one of the most psychologically thrilling title in the medium. Overall the horror elements, Akira Yamaoka's haunting score(s), Visually Stunning creatures and gameplay are just a few of the many key elements that make Silent Hill such a beloved and continuous franchise.
Valve Part 1: Unlikely Heroes (w/ Gabe Newell Interview)
October 29, 2009
From Half-Life to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has been one of the trailblazers in the video game industry. In this first episode of our retrospective, watch and see how two guys from Microsoft, with no entertainment experience, founded a gaming company at huge personal risk -- and ended up with one of the defining games of the medium gabe newell.
Valve Part 2: Half-Life's Afterlife
November 2, 2009
From Half-Life to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has been one of the trailblazers of the video game industry. In this second episode of our retrospective, watch and see how Valve's decision to open their code to the modding community led to a wealth of creativity and popularity, which in turn, made a successful game a smash hit.
Valve Part 3: The Trouble with Sequels
November 12, 2009
From Half-Life to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has been one of the trailblazers in the video game industry. In this third episode of our retrospective, watch and see how Half-Life's popularity led to an incredibly rocky development cycle, fraught with a lawsuit and one of the biggest hacks in gaming history.
Valve Part 4: Half Times Two
November 16, 2009
From Half-Life to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has been one of the trailblazers of the video game industry. In this fourth episode of our retrospective, watch and see how Valve's long-delayed Half-Life 2 is finally unleashed onto the world next to Steam, its digital distribution service.
Valve Part 5: Game Changer
November 19, 2009
From Half-Life to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has been one of the trailblazers in the video game industry. In this fifth episode of our retrospective, watch and see how Valve shook up the typical game production cycle by first releasing the short and quick Episode One, and then delivered the deal of the century with The Orange Box.
Valve Part 6: Beyond the Crowbar... And Beyond
November 23, 2009
From Half-Life to Left 4 Dead 2, Valve has been one of the trailblazers of the video game industry. In this sixth and final episode of our retrospective, watch how Valve finally left their Half-Life franchise behind to pursue a brand-new IP, Left 4 Dead, and then created amazement and controversy with its swift follow-up, Left 4 Dead 2.
Pandemic Studios: Containing an Outbreak
November 30, 2009
Before you check out The Saboteur this winter, watch and see the history behind its creator, Pandemic, from Activision spin-off to franchise leader to EA closure.
