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Kiwi Talkz

Kiwi
Kiwi Talkz
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200 episodes

  • Kiwi Talkz

    #202 - Featurecast Interview On Terminator 2D No Fate, Composing, Brad Fiedel, Sound Design....

    07/03/2026 | 1h 4 mins.
    Featurecast is a DJ turned video game composer, he is most associated with @BitmapBureau and his most recent work was his stellar work on Terminator 2D No Fate.

    #terminator #terminator2 #terminator2dnofate

    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 - Intro
    00:19 - How The Name Featurecast Came About
    04:05 - Working With Bitmap Bureau
    08:57 - Learning To Make SFX While Doing It
    10:50 - Getting Creative Freedom On Terminator 2D No Fate
    14:30 - Scrapping Music And Starting From Scratch/Reviews Praising The Soundtrack
    15:45 - Trusting Your Gut
    16:00 - How Featurecast Composed For Terminator 2D No Fate
    18:10 - Researching The T2 Score/Recreating The Score For T2D No Fate
    20:58 - Easter Eggs From T1 & T2 Score/T1000 Death
    22:31 - Having The T2 Score On Loop To Prepare/Different Genres In The Music
    24:15 - Melody/Terminator Film Scores Don’t Have Melody
    26:50 - Blurring The Line Between Music & Sound Design
    28:00 - Later Terminator Movies Didnt Capture Brad Fiedels Musical Identity
    29:30 - Different Time Signatures/Police Station Time Signature/Future Level 3
    31:20 - Writing & Mixing At The Same Time
    34:56 - Making The Soundtrack Loud For Bitmap Bureau Games
    36:00 - Playing The Game For Inspiration On The Music
    38:05 - Music In The Escape From Hospital Level/Bitmap’s Custom Engine
    40:10 - Recording The T1000 SFX/Creating SFX/Finding Your Own Way Of Doing Things
    43:01 - Not Wanting To Be Influenced By Other Music
    44:25 - Going Back And Listening To Your Own Music/LEGO Breakfasts
    46:28 - It’s Not What You Know But Who You Know
    48:12 - No Longer DJing In Clubs/Patreon/Mashups
    51:49 - Q+A - What Drives Composition For Licensed Material
    53:22 - Dealing With Imposter Syndrome
    54:00 - Playing Music For The Devs The First Time
    57:14 - Q+A - What Is Your Favourite Moment From Terminator 2
    59:08 - Q+A - What Are Your 3 Favourite VST Instruments
    1:00:42 - Changing VSTs For Every Project
    1:03:26 - Closing Comments
  • Kiwi Talkz

    #201 - Jay Epperson Interview On Retro Studios, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Mario Kart 7, Concept Art.....

    28/02/2026 | 1h 1 mins.
    Jay Epperson is a concept artist who is probably most famous for his concept art on Donkey Kong Country Returns and especially on Tropical Freeze.
    #nintendo #donkeykong #donkeykongcountry
    Thanks to the Patreon Producers for making this happen Stipe, Borkey, Magic8

    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 - Intro
    00:35 - How Jay Went From Being An Illustrator To Becoming A Concept Artist At Retro
    04:50 - Interview Process At Retro/Getting Artists To Draw In Interviews
    07:22 - Coming In As A Concept Artist Towards The End Of DKC Returns
    10:20 - Retro’s Environmental Artists Were Smart
    11:13 - Jay’s Art Is In The DK Theme Park
    13:15 - Working With Designers
    16:10 - Doing Concept Art On Tropical Freeze
    18:42 - Choosing Vikings Over Aliens For The Concept
    19:57 - Tikis Vs Snowmads/Reusing Assets
    21:20 - Why The Ice World Is The Last Level
    22:00 - Sales On Wii U/Coming Up With The Different World Themes
    25:06 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Juicy Jungle World
    29:27 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Water World
    31:11 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Mangroves World/Cut Concepts
    32:38 - CONCEPT ART REEL - Savannah World
    33:18 - Showing Portfolios To Potential Employers Without Breaking NDAs
    33:50 - There Arent Limitations On The DK IP
    34:35 - Referencing Rare’s Work
    35:33 - Nintendo Japan Were Hands Off On Concept Art
    36:22 - Working On Mario Kart 7/Jay Isn’t Included In The Credits
    38:30 - Jay’s Outlook “My Next Piece Will Be My Best Piece”
    40:25 - Japan & Retro Testing Mario Kart 7
    41:06 - Jay Reviews DK Bananza
    25:29 - Jay Thinks DK Bananza Is A One Off
    47:00 - Jay Doesnt Like K Rool’s Character Design
    50:39 - DK’s New Look
    52:22 - Why Jay Left Retro Studios
    53:20 - Retro Studios Is One Of The Best Studios To Work For
    54:00 - Retro Studios Art Team/Metroid Prime 4
    55:35 - Nintendo Are Art Forward Not Technology Forward
    56:35 - Will Retro Work On Donkey Kong Again?
    57:35 - Will Retro Work On Metroid Prime 5/Would Jay Work On DK Again If Retro Asked
    59:40 - Closing Comments
  • Kiwi Talkz

    #200 - Denis Dyack Interview On Nintendo, Eternal Darkness, Deadhaus Sonata, AI, Epic Lawsuit......

    14/02/2026 | 2h 16 mins.
    Denis Dyack is a legend in the industry and one of the few devs who has been exposed to both the Japanese and Western way of designing games. He is the man behind Legacy Of Kain and Eternal Darkness. I spoke with him in 2023 and he returns to promote his new game Deadhaus Sonata
    #nintendo #legacyofkain #epicgames
    My first interview with him is here https://youtu.be/Txt85DT68rQ
    WEBSITE - https://deadhaussonata.com/
    TWITTER - @DDyack
    TWITTER - @DeadhausGame

    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 - Intro
    00:00 - Whats Changed In 3 Years Regarding Deadhaus Sonata
    05:02 - Deterministic Systems/Quantum Theory
    12:00 - Why Taking A Break Benefited The Project/Celestial Clock
    14:50 - Weather Physics/Zelda: BOTW/History
    20:20 - The Game Will Live Forever/Stop Killing Games
    25:20 - The Different Engines Used For Deadhaus Sonata/Unreal Engine 5
    27:40 - Why Unreal 5 Games Are Badly Optimised/The Industry Is In Dire Straits
    34:20 - GTA 6’s Impact On The Industry/AAA Games Are Too Big In Size
    37:29 - Denis’s Thoughts On Resident Evil/Pitching A Game To Nintendo
    42:00 - Western Publishers Only Care About Graphics
    44:00 - Embracers Demise/Why Pitching Games Now Is So Hard
    47:28 - Game Devs Are Terrified Of Nintendo Treehouse
    51:20 - How Marketing Teams Look At Games/Lack Of Innovation
    53:50 - Getting Investment For Games/Denis Couldnt Get Funding
    58:30 - U.S. Culture/Talent/ Japan’s Advantage Over The Rest Of World In Game Development
    1:01:50 - Darwinism/People Misunderstand AI
    1:12:20 -Technology Doesnt Save Time
    1:19:30 - Why Nintendo Will Easily Survive The Dire Times InThe Industry
    1:22:15 - AI In Games Can Beneift Gamers
    1:24:20 - Prophecy Of Tothe
    1:28:09 - Silicon Knights Demise Deeply Hurt Denis/Society Is Crumbling
    1:29:30 - Making Up With Epic & Tim After The Lawsuit
    1:32:10 - Working With Tanabe/Friendship With Iwata
    1:35:00 - Exploitation In The West/Denis Is A Japanese Developer
    1:38:00 - Why Miyamoto/Kojima Are One Of A Kind
    1:41:11 - Denis Was Crushed When Miyamoto Wasnt Impressed By Realistic Graphics
    1:44:10 - Denis Changed Deadhaus Sonata Art From Realistic To Stylized
    1:46:15 - Criticism Of Game Trailers/CGI Trailers
    1:48:48 - Q+A - Who Came Up With TV Change Effect In Eternal Darkness
    1:50:30 - Q+A - What Would A Hyperthetical Sequel To Legacy Of Kain Be
    1:57:53 - Q+A - Nintendo’s Approach To Marketing On Eternal Darkness
    2:00:02 - Eternal Darkness On NSO/Possible Remake And Sequel
    2:02:10 - Worldbuilding In Legacy Of Kain & Eternal Darkness/Narrative Games
    2:07:41 - Q+A - Adding Transitions In Eternal Darkness Because The Gamecube Loaded Too Fast
    2:10:00 - Consoles Are All The Same Now/AAA Is Now A Bad Moniker
    2:13:45 - Closing Comments
  • Kiwi Talkz

    #199 - Alpha 7 Interview On Witcher IV, Witcher III, Motion Capture, CD Projekt Red, Poland and more....

    27/12/2025 | 1h 13 mins.
    Alpha 7 is a professional mocap studio that was spun off from owner Maciej Kwiatkowski from working with CD Projekt RED( He played Geralt in the Witcher from 1 through to III.) Staff as follows Maciej Kwiatkowski, Madeline Page and Michal Derlicki
    #cdprojektred #witcher #cyberpunk2077

    SOCIAL MEDIA INSTAGRAM
    MACIEJ - @maciej_kaskader
    MADELINE - @madeline_maddie_page
    MICHAL - @derlickimichal
    WEBSITE - https://alpha7.pro/

    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 - Intro
    00:50 - Mocap Performers Training Regime
    03:21 - Gameplay Sessions/Behind The Scenes Of Mocap
    04:44 - Advantages Of Mocap Over Shooting On Location
    05:45 - Differences Between Mocap In Film & Video Games
    07:50 - Motion Capture Changes From Witcher I To Witcher IV
    11:21 - Becoming Geralt In The Witcher
    14:35 - How The Game Industry Changed In Poland After Witcher III/CD Projekt RED
    18:00 - Poland Has An Advantage Over America Now In Terms Of Development Costs
    21:23 - Working On The Witcher IV Trailer
    25:09 - How They All Met/You Need To Be A Good Actor To Do Mocap
    31:35 - Males & Females Playing The Opposite Gender In Mocap
    36:55 - Explaining Motion Capture Is Hard To Do Through Words/Gollum
    37:50 - Most Challenging Characters To Work On
    42:28 - Doing Mocap Despite Being In Pain
    43:39 - How Alpha 7 Started
    49:21 - Q+A - What Equipment You Need To Do Mocap At Home
    52:50 - Q+A - What Is Special About Working With CD Projekt Red
    58:55 - Q+A - Benefits & Drawbacks Of AI In Motion Capture & Game Development
    1:05:45 - Where To Follow Alpha 7/Gaming Industry Advantages Over Hollywood
  • Kiwi Talkz

    DK Bananza Review With Former Donkey Kong Country Devs!!!

    20/12/2025 | 1h 3 mins.
    I am joined by Kynan Pearson (Senior Designer on DKC Returns) and Ted Anderson (Environmental Artist on DKC Returns & Tropical Freeze) to review DKC Bananza
    #donkeykongbananza #donkeykong #donkeykongcountry
    TED ANDERSONS UPCOMING GAMES https://store.steampowered.com/app/3565460/Tahitian_Driftin/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/3968340/Foolish_Earthlings/ TED ANDERSONS GAME STUDIO PROMOTION IN AUSTIN TEXAS INFO IS HERE https://www.oddwoodbrewing.com/

    TIMESTAMPS
    00:00 - Intro
    00:39 - 2D Sections In DK Bananza
    02:45 - Voxel Tech Limiting DK Bananza/Destructible Terrain
    06:15 - Animal Transformations/Nintendo’s Design Philosophy Evolution
    17:29 - DK Bananza Is A Beautiful Mess/Honouring Rare’s Contributions
    22:00 - DK Bananza Music/David Wise’s Absence Is Felt
    26:15 - Nostalgia In Nintendo Games
    27:10 - Favourite Layer Debate spoilers
    30:20 - Void Kong
    31:53 - The Final Boss/Ending ***SPOILERS***
    37:50 - Nintendo Universe Merging
    40:51 - Mario & DK Crossover
    42:50 - DK Bananza Was Built On The Foundation Of Odyssey
    43:49 - DK Bananza Control Scheme
    51:20 - Voxel Terrain/Camera Issues
    53:33 - Art Direction Of The Final Boss
    55:30 - Void Kong Boss Fight/Ending Build Up
    58:07 - Pauline Singing Mechanics
    01:00:28 - Donkey Kong Film
    01:02:03 - Closing Comments/Pixel Arcades

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About Kiwi Talkz

Podcast with various Video Game developers as well as other people involved in entertainment such as TV/Film
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