In this special, early Christmas Day release, Ben and Tao upload themselves into neural noir, cyber arthouse, psychological horror, Observer. As they detangle the convoluted murder mystery, Ben finds his inner Luddite, Tao imagines cyber-limbed, animal-spliced, Super Tao, and discussion veers into dangerous political territory, sordid subject matters, and extensive deliberation over dystopian futurism. Story spoilers late in the pod, but it’s a short game, so either play it first or don’t complain! Content Warning: PEGI 17. This is seriously dark and very explicit. Sorry. Also, Tao’s cat miaows offensively in the background. Clarifications:
Observer music is by composer Arkadiusz Reikowski
The main character is called Daniel Lazarski
The upcoming ‘cyber renaissance’ game from Greedfall devs, Spiders, is called Steelrising (apparently at Spiders, titles either rise or fall…)
The film Ben references on the theme of uploading consciousness is Transcendence, a 2014 American science fiction thriller directed by Wally Pfister and written by Jack Paglen.
Anon is a 2018 British-American science fiction thriller film written and directed by Andrew Niccol starring Clive Owen
Audio extracts:
'Figment' by Simon Park (from Dawn of the Dead)
Multiple tracks from Observer OST by composer Arkadiusz Reikowski
Love Actually (2003) feat. Hugh Grant
Iron Harvest OST
The Coup - Pork and Beef
Saw (2004) - and its soundtrack by Charlie Clouser
So You Wanna Be A Boxer(Bugsy Malone Soundtrack) by Paul Williams (1976)
ANON (2018) feat. Clive Owen
Soylent Green (1973)
The Herbaliser - Very Mercenary
The Simpsons - ‘tis a fine barn
Fitter Happier by Radiohead
Paranoid Android by Radiohead
Elysium
A Touch of Frost by Ray Russell
Harrison Ford has lost his family (My Wife! My Family! Compilation) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-vjbuodBEU
Alien Isolation OST by Christian Henson
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
Steelrising trailer by Spiders
David Fincher’s Se7en (1995)
Transcendence (2014)
The Matrix (1999)
Halo 2 Mjolnir Mix by Marty O'Donnell feat. Steve Vai
HCS Raleigh 2021
Slade - Merry Christmas Everybody
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E33 Observer