Rob and Patrick are joined by Phoenix Labs' Bob Colayco to discuss Lakers fandom vs. Bulls fandom, the Bubble Championship, the Bulls late-season run for the playoffs, and of course, the latest instalment of the Green Bay Packers' performance of Hamlet, starring Aaron Rodgers.

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Rob has a bad case of senioritis as he hosts one last podcast before his vacation. He's got big plans for this break, such as getting caught up on Resident Evil 2 and 3 so that he can fully appreciate the masterpiece Patrick describes now that he has played more of the remake. Ren discusses what happened with Bleak Faith's stolen Elden Ring animations. The gang talks about level design signposting, asset rips, platform capitalism, and of course, Rob's exposure to Roblox.

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My Turn returns to the well of beautifully shot, dreamlike psychological horror with Robert Egger's The Lighthouse. The film follows two lighthouse keepers, played by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, as they descend into madness while tending a remote lighthouse. The film, and our hosts, ponder the role of masculinity, labor, and eldritch horror in The Lighthouse's nuanced depiction of the two worst men you can imagine. Following a brief question bucket, Cado picks our next movie, and Patrick, true to The Lighthouse's subject matter, absolutely loses his shit about it.

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Rob, Ren, and Patrick discuss the season finale of The Last of Us and unpack the rushed feeling that characterized the second half of the season. But first, Patrick has gone back to Resident Evil 4 and could not be happier to be back there. Plus, Rob discusses arctic survival game The Pale Beyond and Ren discusses action roguelike Mortal Sin, which has terrific art and a great feel to its combat.

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Patrick has been lured back into the deep embrace of Destiny 2, and in true Destiny fashion, has become one with the cheese. We wrap up our coverage of the Lightfall campaign and discuss difficulty spikes, community expectations, and where Patrick might swing to next on his Destiny journey. But first, Ren’s bringing us a new take on Sekiro-like combat with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Then Patrick checks in on Dead Cell’s new Castlevania DLC. After the break, Rob’s curious about some of the announcements at Paradox’s recent announcement stream, and then we dive into the bucket to ask “how many Boston squares are you willing to walk for good food?”

Discussed: Wo Long Fallen Dynasty 0:32, Dead Cells Castlevania DLC 39:15, Destiny 2 Lightfall 48:00, Paradox Announcement Show 1:27:37, Starfield Delay 1:40:27, Question Bucket 1:40:27, Outro and Announcements 2:00:44

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With Rob still out, Patrick and Ren discuss the latest episode of The Last of Us, and whether the level-like structure of the adaptation, nearing its finale, is causing problems. Elsewhere, Cado's played King of the Castle, a new party game that pits your friends against each other for some goofy Game of Thrones-style machinations, and Ren explains a very weird Olympics “esport” situation. Before a big dip into The Question Bucket, Patrick and Cado briefly swing back into the later half of Destiny 2's newest expansion, Lightfall.

Discussed: The Last of Us 09:51, King of the Castle 31:39, The Olympics Esports Games 47:00, Destiny 2 Lightfall 1:08:10, The Question Bucket 1:16:23, Outro and Announcements 1:40:08

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A new Destiny expansion means our resident Destiny “expert” (aka Cado) is unleashed, but wait…is that a grappling hook? (Patrick’s been playing it, too.) But first, Ren’s checking out a tactical roguelike called The Last Spell, where you defend a town trying to cast the, uh, last spell. After the break, we wade into the JRPG discourse, and Patrick has beaten Hi-Fi Rush and embraced Zwan. Then, we head into the question bucket to decide if a listener will become more like Rob (computer in living room) or more like Patrick (computer in office).

Discussed: The Last Spell 04:13, Destiny 2 - Lightfall 23:29, Resident Evil 4 Remake 1:08:12, Japanese Developers' thoughts on the phrase JRPG 01:10:14, Hi-Fi Rush 01:22:43, The Question Bucket 01:32:01

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It’s a big week for Waypoint, with two games primed to be favorites. The mech-centric Phantom Brigade is dropping, so Ren checked in with the latest early access build before 1.0. Patrick’s played a bit of Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe…and yep, it’s a Kirby game! Cado’s shuffling cards and playing poker in Aces and Adventures, where the Aces (game mechanics) are neat, but the Adventures leave much to be desired. Then, the crew talks about the last two episodes of The Last of Us, and speculate on where it’s all going.

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With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror (sorry, Austin!), Rob and Patrick turn towards the next great sporting event: the XFL! It’s mostly an excuse to talk about surprisingly controversial beer snakes, before discussing sports’ relationship with long COVID, confusing Manchester City with Manchester United, and ponder several listener questions, including the whether a former Columbus Blue Jacket mascot, Boomer, looks too much like a penis.

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A specter is haunting Waypoint Radio—the specter of BioShock Infinite. That game’s influences are all over Atomic Heart, whose Russian origins (and sex robots) are its own discourse. After the break, we touch base on the ongoing Activision Blizzard acquisition, and the surprising raises across some of Japan’s larger gaming companies. Elsewhere, Rob’s reviewed Company of Heroes 3, and Patrick is happy to report Metroid Prime still whips. Then, a developer writes in to clear up why a studio wouldn’t make their own game engine.

Discussed: Atomic Heart 0:40, Microsoft Continues to Try to Acquire Activision 1:04:09, Big Gaming Companies Give Raises? 1:11:37, Metroid Prime Remake 1:35:35, The Question Bucket 1:44:49, Firaxis loses Studio Heads 1:53:42, The Question Bucket Again 2:01:45, Outro and Announcements 2:09:02

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Happy new VR headset to all who celebrate, though mostly Patrick, who’s reviewed Sony’s PlayStation VR2. Elsewhere, Rob’s murdering and tending gardens in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Ren’s checking back in with the perhaps too brutal Darkest Dungeon 2, and all of us were happy for the big boy to show up in the latest episode of The Last of Us. Before we jet, Patrick weighs in on beating Dead Space, and we revisit pranks in The Question Bucket.

Discussed: PSVR 2 1:39, Like a Dragon: Ishin! 31:26, Darkest Dungeon 2 1:04:40, The Last of Us Episode 5 1:18:15, Dead Space 1:43:49, The Question Bucket 1:48:37

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Patrick’s gone, time for 5-star runtimes about tactics, cover and concealment mechanics, and a game taking up Rob’s time, Broken Arrow. Then, Cado and Ren are having the cyber-noir time of their lives Shadows of Doubt, a detective game mashing up procedural generation with voxels. Later, Rob and Patrick have a joint conversation with the creative directors of the original Dead Space and its new remake. After the break, Ren takes us to the magical world of Wild Hearts, Koei-Tecmo’s attempt at a Monster Hunter-like that’s actually got something to say. Finally, Rob’s soaking in the Pacific Northwest vibes from Pacific Drive, aka STALKER in a station wagon.

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Austin Walker joins Rob and Patrick to preview the upcoming Super Bowl and the ways it could go catastrophically wrong for Austin, ponder how many buffalo wings are too many buffalo wings, and discover Austin’s history with the Eagles is more complicated than family. And because we can’t help ourselves, we end up chatting a bit about the recent media layoffs, Waypoint+, and Waypoint’s Ongoing Game of the Year, Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

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A Nintendo Direct made just for us?! Beyond a lengthy breakdown of the new Zelda trailer, we talk at length about the coverage of Hogwarts Legacy and the notion of accountability. After the break, Rob’s spending his “bachelor” time catching up on The Last of Us, so we spoil the first four episodes, discussing violence as storytelling and the endless delight of Pedro Pascal. Finally, a quick lightning round of our favorite Steam Next Fest games!

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My Turn has proved unpredictable, so it’s only natural that Patrick ended this cycle on The Green Knight, the 2021 film starring Dev Patel as pre-knighthood Gawain of the mythical roundtable of Camelot. The Green Knight is rife with actions turned into symbolism, otherworldly visuals, and a sense that magic and nature are one in the same. And ext time, it’s YOUR turn. Stay tuned for a poll!

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Rob’s parking garage is falling apart thanks to a cold snap, but still found another way to experience weather in Against the Storm, a roguelite city builder with beaver people. Ren’s checked out Your Only Move is Hustle, a turn-based fighting game that plays like an old stickfight animation, and Patrick’s bopping beats in Rhythm Sprout. Naturally, Rob’s found yet another way to talk tanks, thanks to The Great War: Western Front. After the break, we take a dive into the question bucket to talk pranks, gentrification, and coastal food fights.

Discussed: Against the Storm 15:17, Your Only Move is Hustle 20:45, Rhythm Sprout 26:44, The Great War: Western Front 32:13, The Question Bucket 58:33

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E3 is apparently happening, but some of the biggest companies aren’t attending, an unannounced Titanfall game got canceled, and 343 Industries is apparently starting from scratch. But don’t worry, we cut through the doom and gloom to bring you a special interview with John Johanas, director of the colorful upbeat rhythm action game Hi Fi Rush, about making music games and how Zwan (??) ended up on the soundtrack. After the break, Ren is checking out Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder, Rob’s back on the boats with Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnought, and Patrick and Rob reflect on playing both versions of Dead Space.

Who's Gonna Be at E3 01:48, What's going on with Halo? 14:04, Titanfall Single Player Game Canceled 23:53, HI-Fi Rush Developer Interview 28:35, Nadir: A Grimdark Deckbuilder 56:36, Ultimate Admiral Deradnought 01:01:41, Dead Space Remake 01:01:41, Outro and Announcements 01:44:12

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Winter’s usually slow, but not now—we’ve got games! Ren’s checking out Freelancer, a chaotic roguelike mode added to the Hitman world, and Rob is returning to his established love of tall ships with Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts. Cado’s checked out a preview for the Like a Dragon: Ishin remake and might just need to play the rest of the Yakuza games. After the break, Patrick dives into the latest, surprisingly divergent episode of The Last of Us, and Cado’s playing A Space for the Unbound, a slice-of-life magical realist game set in a small town in Indonesia that’s equal parts charming and foreboding. Then, in the question bucket, we ponder how deep Patrick is willing to go to live the Kirkland Signature lifestyle.

Discussed: Hitman:Freelancer 0:37, Like a Dragon: Ishin 8:52, Ultimate Admiral Dreadnoughts 21:06, Season: A Letter to the Future 44:28, The Last of Us EP. 3 47:54, A Space for the Unbound 1:08:03, The Question Bucket 1:26:04

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Today’s episode is extra meaty, in more ways than one, with Rob and Patrick discussing how good it feels to turn a space zombie into chunks in the Dead Space remake. Then, Ren has stories from the end of the world in Season, an emotional game about memories. Later, we reflect on the Xbox Developer Direct, which gave us new looks at Redfall, and dropped Patrick’s early GOTY contender, Hi-Fi Rush. Then, we dip in the bucket and consider what a Patrick/Rivers Cuomo interview would be like.

Discussed: Dead Space Remake 2:40, Proletariat Union Vote 1:04:38, Season 1:11:02, Spoilers for the Opening of Season 1:36:54, Xbox Developer Showcase 1:50:00, Hi-Fi Rush 2:00:12, The Question Bucket 2:21:14

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Rob’s got contractors coming, and we discuss solutions for his too-much-everything problem. Patrick’s finished A Plague Tale: Requiem, and what starts as a wrap up delves into needing to spoil the ending in every way possible. Then, we have a special interview from Patrick, where he talked to several devs behind the Dead Space remake about their history with horror and what defines “violence” in Dead Space. After the break, we dive into the question bucket to figure out what each person’s magically-enlarged mount would be.

Discussed: Marvel’s Midnight Suns 28:17, A Plague Tale: Requiem 30:48, Spoilers for A Plague Tale: Requiem 33:11, Rainworld 49:43, Interview with Dead Space remake devs 1:06:20, The Question Bucket 1:36:05

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The Bears are not back—they’re actually eliminated from the playoffs and have the first pick in the draft. But Rob, Patrick, and the Sports! podcast have returned with the NFL playoffs in full swing to discuss the tragedy of Damar Hamlin, what we misunderstand about football’s relationship to violence, the joy of watching aging men fail to be elite athletes, and more.

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Another round of layoffs has hit tech and gaming companies, the largest being Microsoft firing 10,000 employees this week. We discuss the cycles of yearly cuts in both games and tech and the underlying systems and practices that fuel the seemingly unending churn of labor being undervalued and peoples lives being upended. After the break, Rob’s disappointed to find that life on the high seas is a bit too monotonous in Sailing Era, we briefly tip our hats to the end of Stadia, and answer the question on everybody’s mind: does good steampunk exist?

Microsoft Layoffs 3:42. Sailing Era 58:37, High on Life 1:21:58, Stadia 1:29:22, 1:40:51 The Question Bucket

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Waypoint is going back to the fridge for more olive, and in this case olives are minutes of Andrei Tarkovsky movies! Ren's choice is Nostalghia, which has been called one of Tarkovsky's most personal films. Join us as we discuss time, memory, and the strange physics of carrying a lit candle across bodies of water.

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It’s 2023, which means we’re finally doing the Last Podcast of 2022! Last year, we asked listeners for Game of the Year Categories and y’all responded in droves…but our top ten list podcast went a little long. (C’mon, that never happens!) Learn which games we went goblin mode for, our favorite under 10 hours, what everyone’s favorite little guy in the margins of Pentiment was, the games we swear we’ll get back to in 2023 (but won’t), and much more!

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This week on waypoint! Rob's back and better than ever (for now), and so of course we get to hear about how much COVID sucks. Speaking of things sucking, Ren leads us on a look at Wizards of the Coast updating their Open Gaming License, the agreement that allowed games like Pathfinder to exist when D&D 4th edition shit the bed, which Wizards is basically threatening to undo in a 1.1 update. Patrick got early access to the first episode of HBO's The Last of Us, and has the scoop on how the already "cinematic" game translates to the small screen. Then we dive into the question bucket to discuss eating pizza off a plate. Like while it's still on there. Like just chomping down on the pizza while it's still on the plate.

26:34 Wizards Updates the OGL, 57:28 Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous, 01:11:27 The Last of Us TV, 1:33:53 God of War Ragnarok, 1:38:20 The Question Bucket

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We’re emerging from our holiday cocoons! Join Patrick, Ren, and Cado as they talk through the holidays and the things they did (or wished they did). Then, a special interview from Rob: last time Josh Sawyer was on to talk Pentiment, Rob found out they had the same college professor. Now, we’ve invited that professor, Dr. Edmund Kern, alongside Dr. Winston Black, Josh’s classmate who consulted on Pentiment. They talk about applying their knowledge to consulting on the game, how medieval peasants are just like us, and the ways people figured out how to talk about “heretical” subjects without getting got.

Discussed: Fire Emblem Engage 28:23, Chained Echos 44:06, Signalis 53:02, The Calisto Protocol 51:41, 1:01:44 Interview with Dr. Edmund Kern, Dr. Winston Black, and Josh Sawyer, 2:10:43 The Question Bucket

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2022 is over, so what better way to send the longest year in history with the longest podcast of the year! Rob, Ren, Patrick, and Cado have gathered around their podcast mics to hash out their favorite games of 2022! Did Cado number their list? Who put Elden Ring the highest? How many narrative bangers are on Ren’s list? Listen to find out the answers to these questions and more!

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This is a re-release of a Waypoint After Dark episode from the early days of Waypoint+. You can get ad free pods and more exclusives at Waypointplus.com

Join Austin, Rob, and Patrick as they celebrate a successful first week of Waypoint Plus and answer all your questions about the service, their upcoming E3 plans, and more! Please note: This episode was recorded live on twitch.tv/waypoint, and was edited by Austin while Cado is on vacation, so please excuse any audio weirdness!

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As was foretold in ages long past, four tarnished have gathered around a lost grace to finally talk about how busted Moonveil is. Austin Walker joins Ren, Patrick, and Cado for this special Elden Ring spoiler cast, where we talk about what was arguably one of 2022’s biggest games, and we don’t just mean map size. We talk through our headcanons, favorite ashes, narrative stylings, and more!

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This is a re-release of our exclusive Waypoint+ podcast, Waypoint After Dark. You can subscribe to Waypoint + at www.waypointplus.com

Welcome dear listener to the first episode in our new series: Waypoint After Dark. Tonight we're joined by Rob Zacny, Austin Walker, and Patrick Klepek as they explain how we got here, reminisce over the past 5 years at Waypoint, and talk through that one time they almost launched a subscription service before this. Then they find a few choice quora questions to really get the mental juices flowing.

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It’s the holiday season and we here at Waypoint are giving y’all our first gift! We’ve had the chance to interview Robert Ashley, creator of one of the seminal video game podcasts: A Life Well Wasted. After nearly a decade, he’s releasing a new episode and we’re here to ask how it feels to return to a project after so long, how the podcast got started in the first place, and how being online has changed since the podcast started. Before we dive in though, Ren’s got new updates on her Dwarf Fortress fort, Patrick’s not feeling particularly high on High on Life, and Rob’s wishing there were maybe a little more strategy in Triangle Strategy. 

26:44 Dwarf Fortress, 34:57 High on Life, 44:08 Cyberpunk 2077, Triangle Strategy 45:04, Interview with Robert Ashley 53:59, The Question Bucket 2:10:49

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Last week the FTC surprised everyone when they actually took action towards stopping the Microsoft/Activision merger. So much so that Rob had to reach out to an expert to get into the nitty gritty about what this really means. He interviewed Matt Stoller, author of “Goliath: The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy,” and they discussed the history of monopolies in the US, and how Microsoft history weighs heavily on the FTC’s decision. But first, Ren has stories to tell from her time playing way too much Dwarf Fortress, including a late breaking story of a young dwarf that just loves to carry gems around. Patrick’s wrapped on Immortality, and while he’s had a great time with the game, he does wonder if it wouldn’t have benefited from something akin to Return to Monkey Island’s hint system. After the break, we dip into the question bucket to hear more pronunciation goofs, and our worst, potentially job-losing gaming habits.

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It’s finally here, the biggest release of 2022, a game decades in the making: Dwarf Fortress is finally released! Cado’s been checking the game out and is finding it much easier to parse after trying once back in 2008. Then we break the news that much to our surprise the FTC has actually filed a lawsuit to block the Microsoft/Activision merger. After the break, we check in with Patrick’s end of year sprint as he’s finishing Metal Hellsinger and starting Immortality. Then we dip into the question bucket to hear all about everyone’s personal “pseudonym” type mispronunciations. 

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Patrick and Cado welcome Ren back to the land of the living this week as she’s finally destroyed all the Covid in her body. Which is great timing because they both needed someone to explain the recent drama between Nintendo, licensed and unlicensed Smash Bros tournaments and one particularly over zealous CEO. Then Ren tells us of her time exploding heads with magic abilities in Warhammer 40k: Darktide. After the break, Cado and Ren chat about finishing SIgnalis, a game that seems destined for Patrick’s “Best 2022 game I played in 2023” slot. Then we revisit the world of Pillars of Eternity, the 2015 game that Ren fell into in the depths of being sick.

Fortnite 11:03, Super Smash Bros. Tournament Drama 15:46, ActiBlizzard Union vote in Albany 27:07, Warhammer 40k: Darktide 34:50, Signalis 49:17, Patrick's end of year dilemma 59:00, Pillars of Eternity 1:03:41, The Question Bucket 1:11:31

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Oh, boy. What change a few weeks—and injuries— can bring, like the Chicago Bears briefly having one of the most exciting quarterbacks in football, before bookmarking tankathon.com. Rob and Patrick convene through microphones over a season that feels increasingly over, while breaking down that other sport they call football and the United States’ surprise entry into the next round of the World Cup. We try to answer important questions, such as: What is offsides? Why are they spraying mist at that dude’s injured butt? We’re experts, after all.

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Suddenly it’s December! While we plan our end of year content, the Waypoint crew is catching up with and putting to rest a few final releases before it’s time to finish off our year in the content mines. Cado’s been playing Pokemon Violet and has found the charm far outweighs the technical issues. Rob and Cado were pleasantly surprised by Need for Speed: Unbound, who’s art direction and push-your-luck mechanics have made a solid first impression. After the break, Patrick and Rob have been checking out The Calisto Protocol, a spiritual successor to the Dead Space franchise that has some odd quirks to its melee combat system. Then the crew takes a dip in the question bucket and wonders, what is the daddiest of dad games?

Discussed: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 3:22, The Game Awards Announcements Leak 28:11, Need for Speed Unbound 31:05, The Calisto Protocol 53:54, Marvel’s Midnight Suns 1:46:17, The Question Bucket 1:49:39

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While recovering from stuffing ourselves, we figured we’d stuff your ears with an extra long podcast! Patrick spent the break disappointed by Somerville, a game with an interesting opening but less intriguing gameplay. Rob’s getting down in the muck with WRC Generations, the final game before the license goes to Codemasters. Then, Rob interviewed Obsidian’s CEO Feargus Urquhart about the studio’s rocky past, transition into Microsoft, and burnout. Then, we close out with a Thanksgiving-sized dip into the Question Bucket.

Discussed: Sommerville 17:01, Midnight Suns 26:36, WRC Generations 32:09, FTC to possibly block Activision - Microsoft Merger 42:50, Interview with Feargus Urquhart 56:27, The Question Bucket 1:55:31

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It’s Cado’s turn, and what better way to follow up a movie about American liberalism than with a movie about the American film industry! We follow the Channing Tatum thread from White House Down to the Coen brother’s 2016 film-epic comedy Hail, Caesar! Join the Waypoint crew as they discuss this sprawling comedy about communism, faith, and a declining empire wrapped in a series of film pastiches from the Golden Age of the American Studio system.

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The creators behind Waypoint favorite XCOM are turning their tactics expertise towards the Marvel universe—except now, it’s got cards. Of course, we jumped at the chance to check out the game early and interview game director Jake Solomon. Join Patrick and Rob as they interview Jake and get a (surprisingly honest!) answer to why XCOM + superheroes didn’t work, and discuss everything from making the move to card mechanics, to why of all the storylines and comic events Marvel has done, they chose the obscure “Midnight Sons.”

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The podcast opens with a question: what did Rob actually vote for after voting against Big Liquor in the midterms? Elections have consequences. After catching up on the news—Control 2, Blizzard dropping out of China, the increasingly messy Doom situation, and Pokémon’s tech issues—Rob and Patrick discuss first impressions of the superhero tactics game, Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Elsewhere, Ren “Master Chief” Price has been surprisingly charmed by Warzone 2.0, and in the Question Bucket, we go dumpster diving.

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One podcast, extra large, coming right up! It’s Pentiment release week and we’ve got a hankering for some 16th century murder mysteries! First up Rob talks to Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer and Adam Brennecke about working at Obsidian, dealing with crunch, and of course Pentiment. Then Rob and Ren go deep on their experience with the game so far, and just how deep they’ve been hooked. Patrick and Cado join in for a dip in the Question Bucket that has us imagining a different world, one where maybe open world design didn’t follow its current trajectory. Finally, Patrick and Rob couldn’t wait until next week, so enjoy a mini-Sports! Update as the Bears are, maybe, possibly, actually back.

Discussed: Interview with Josh Sawyer and Adam Brennecke 1:23, Pentiment 36:35, Question Bucket 1:38:44, Sports! 2:05:29

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Patrick and Rob return to the world of sports, where we finally have an answer to the eternal question: are the Bears back? Beyond trying to grapple with the existential crisis that is seemingly having a real quarterback, they introduce a new segment, Sports 101, in which they answer sports questions for non-sports people, marvel at the unraveling of the Indianapolis Colts, and answer questions like: how’s it feel to watch Aaron Rodgers suck?

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Motherboard’s Matthew Gault joins the Waypoint crew for a lengthy breakdown of God of War Ragnarök, after Patrick and Matthew have spent 15 hours looking for answers on how to right the wrongs of the past in Midgard. Elsewhere, Ren’s spent time with a beautifully violent game (Ghost Song) and a beautifully hard game (The Iron Oath). Towards the end, we process the latest developments at Disco Elysium studio ZA/UM, and Rob pours one out for the end of The Project CARS franchise, Then a very quick dip into the Question Bucket.

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This week: It’s Rob’s turn and he’s taken us from the dystopia of Escape from New York to the future that liberals want, White House Down. An intensely late aughts movie in its liberal worldview, it somehow manages to find enough charm and humor to pull most of the Waypoint crew to its side. What can we say, Channing Tatum is just too darn cute!

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It's a fall full of gaming sequels and we've been playing them! First up, Ren's checking out Bayonetta 3, which builds on the mechanics of Astral Chain for better and for worse. Patrick's checking out Sonic Frontiers, and has found a surprisingly interesting game, even if it isn't a particularly good one. After the break, Rob's been bitten by the golf bug, and is also playing a game from this decade by checking out PGA Tour 2k23. He’s also got a newfound respect for the Sniper Elite series after diving into Sniper Elite V.

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Rob’s back this week to learn why he was canceled last week, and also to report that his household has been Marvel Snap’d like the rest of us. Ren takes us through Activision’s efforts to union bust, then Patrick updates us on Microsoft’s attempt to buy Activision. After the break, Patrick has been playing God of War: Ragnarok and asking just how “Dad” is Kratos? Then we dive into the question bucket for some new and exciting forms of backlog shaming.

Discussed: PSVR 2 News 3:47, Activision Union Busting 16:12, Microsoft Acquisition of Activision 34:31, Marvel Snap 43:46, God of War: Ragnarok 1:02:17, The Question Bucket 1:45:52

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The air is crisp and everyone’s in costumes, which means we’ve decided our video game podcast should talk about Halloween III: Season of the Witch. (Seriously!) Ren’s celebrating spooky season with two horror games—the original Silent Hill and Saturnalia—and you’ll be surprised which has the more awkward control scheme, while Patrick’s been checking out Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, which is spooky because the rabbids wear the clothes of Mario characters. Then, we dive into the Question Bucket to discuss free food vs free clothes for life, tell a few more excellent ghost stories, and talk about Patrick’s haunted PS5.

Discussed: Marvel Snap 12:50, Hellena Taylor Charities 22:48, Halloween 3: Season of the Witch 22:17, Silent Hill 44:01, Saturnalia 55:41. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope 1:13:24, Rimworld 1:20:26, The Question Bucket 1:32:18

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It’s the Pod before Halloween and we’re getting SPOOKY! Gasp in horror at Patrick and Cado playing Marvel Snap, the new card game from some ex-Hearthstone devs. Scream at the thought of The Witcher’s Sex Cards being included in the remake that was just announced. Then shiver down to your bones as we talk about a litany of spooky games including Signalis, Scorn, and Vampire the Masquerade: Swan Song!

Discussed: Marvel Snap 1:08, The Witcher 1 Remake 22:08, Rocksteady Games Co-Founders Suddenly Leave 37:38, Signalis 43:50, Scorn 56:55. Vampire the Masquerade: Swan Song 1:02:45, Potionomics 1:24:07, The Question Bucket 1:38:14

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We streamed for three days and raised $80,000 for charity, and somehow still have games to talk about! First, we catch up with news we missed, including the controversy surrounding Bayonetta 3’s voice actors and the new Silent Hill games, expensive figures, and what it means to remake a classic video game. After the break, Patrick was a good games journalist and actually played several early hours of God of War Ragnarök, while Rob ignored his copy of Victoria 3 to…play the original X-COM? Then, we dive into a ghost-filled Question Bucket! Stay after the outro for a quick Sports! check in, where Patrick and Rob continue to suffer for their Bear fandom.

Discussed: Victoria 3 6:51, Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy 22:49, Silent Hill Announcements 28:44, Bayonetta 3 Voice Acting Dispute 47:46, God of War: Ragnarok 1:02:37, X-COM: UFO Defense 1:12:56, The Question Bucket 1:30:58, The SPORTS! Mini Check in 1:42:18

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This episode was recorded during Save Point 2022.

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You picked it so we watched it! It’s time for the Waypoint crew to head back into the oeuvre of John Carpenter in his pre-The Thing era with Escape from New York! Join us as we talk about the seemingly unending ways this movie influenced games, its oddly flat characters, and wonder where Kurt Russell’s snake tattoo might end. You also will not guess which movie Rob picked next.

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Rob’s back! And he’s brought a bunch of cleaning anxieties with him! Luckily the video game news cycle has the perfect way to distract us all from our own anxieties with more bizarre phone requirements for a different Activision-Blizzard title, the conclusion of Nintendo’s union busting case, and a game on Stadia that will die along with Stadia because it can’t exist anywhere else. After the break, Ren and Cado tell tall tales of their space pirating adventures in Mauraders, Patrick’s doing puzzles and dealing with a rat plague (again) in A Plague Tale: Requiem, and we get a new trail to follow in the mystery of “Rob’s Mysterious Childhood Coffee Cake.”

Discussed: Rob's Long Weekend 01:54, Phone Requirements hit Modern Warfare 20:50, Nintendo Union Busting 27:57, Stadia Game Dying with Stadia 33:24, Marauders 38:59, Card Cowboy 58:10, A Plague Tale: Requiem 1:06:53, The Question Bucket

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While Rob’s spending time with family, we’re sneaking in a fun announcement: Save Point is back next week, baby! But first, we discussed the Mario trailer, and Cado did an incredible thing: went to an event to play a video game! Unfortunately, so far, Forspoken left a lot to be desired. Elsewhere, Patrick has wrapped up (and loved) Return to Monkey Island. After the break, Ren’s vibing to Season, a game where you document the final moments of a doomed world, and both Ren and Cado basically lost a weekend inside a dice hole to Slice and Dice.

Discussed: Mario Movie Trailer 5:07, Save Point 2022 14:27, Crisis Core Remaster 17:45, Forspoken 27:18, Return to Monkey Island 47:06, Season 51:23, Slice and Dice 1:01:42, The Question Bucket 1:14:37

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Record a sports podcast, they said. Record a sports podcast with a good friend, they argued. Record a sports podcast when it’s clear you might be the worst team in football, they roared. And so, Rob, Patrick and Sports! continue forth by reassessing the Chicago Bears, dunking on longtime grifter Brett Favre, what Tua Tagovailoa’s concussion(s) say about a naturally violent sport, and let you all pitch us on what should be our next sports obsession.

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Overwatch 2 is out, and launch day woes aside, Blizzard somehow ended up with headlines suggesting they hate poor people. Elsewhere, Patrick, Cado, and Ren all played demos from the Steam Next Fest and talked about their favorites, and after the break, Cado laments the booster pack economy of Moonbreaker, a tactical miniatures game from the Subnautica devs. A dip into the Question Bucket gets us to consider the existential dread of IKEA.

Discussed: Overwatch 2 Launch Day 5:19, CD Project Red Announces Witcher Sequels 23:07, Our Favorite Steam Next Fest Demos 34:25, Moonbreaker 1:01:00, The Question Bucket 1:19:10

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It’s been a busy week for gaming news, from shakeups at ZA/UM, the studio behind Disco Elysium, to rumors of a Horizon Zero Dawn remake, and the acquisition by Fandom of various websites, including Giant Bomb and GameFAQs. After the break, Rob realizes he might’ve have made a mistake the first time he played Isonso, Patrick is enjoying working through trauma via dream dodgeball in Desta, and Ren is praying that more indie horror devs let vibes carry them instead of chases and puzzles in The Fridge is Red. Then, a quick dip in the Question Bucket has us contemplating what we’d do with infinite baked goods.

Discussed: ZA/UM 0:39, Fandom Acquisitions 12:06, Horizon Zero Dawn Remake 23:06, Pokemon Unite 34:00, Isonzo 43:18, Desta 55:22, The Question Bucket 1:13:32, Outro and Announcements 1:52:49

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The Waypoint Radio crew discusses the death of Stadia, yet another Google product killed unceremoniously. Patrick’s definitely not getting into legal trouble by talking about a Sonos speaker on pod. Ren’s been slowly influencing the world economy in Terra Invicta, a sci-fi strategy game that has you lead one of several shadowy international organizations on the eve of an alien invasion. Cado’s going medieval in Inkulinati, the tactical strategy game that has you battling as the various creatures in the margins of a medical illuminated manuscript. Then a quick dip in the question bucket has the crew discussing the worst game they played all the way through.

Discussed: Stadia is Dead 1:39, Sonos Update 19:41, System Shock 28:41, Terra Invicta 33:29, Rollerdrome 55:06, Inkulinati 1:02:23, The Question Bucket 1:21:39

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The USCS Carver is ejecting it’s escape pod directly into your podcatcher! Tune in as we round out our first “leg” of My Turn with Ren’s choice: the classic space-horror thriller Alien (1979). The crew discusses how the film does an amazing job characterizing the crew of the Nostromo without needing to give everyone a back story, how it handles the gendered nature of its violence, and what the movie might’ve been like if Meryl Streep had been cast as Ripley. 

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E3 has announced its plans for next year’s show and the Waypoint crew is wondering if it’s still worth it for big developers to attend the show. Rob’s back at it again in Isanzo, the latest historically based FPS to catch his attention. Ren’s checking out Roadwarden, which blends modern TTRPG sensibilities with good, unadorned writing and terrific art. Patrick’s returning to times long past in Return to Monkey Island, which has surprised him in more ways than one. Then of course, the question bucket will somehow end up with us talking about rewatching Steven Spielberg’s 2001 sci-fi movie A.I. 

Discussed: E3 is Back? 1:18, Update on the GTA VI Leak 16:55, Isanzo 19:40, Roadwarden 44:07, Return to Monkey Island 58:04, Last of Us trailer 1:16:10, The Question Bucket 1:23:46

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We were so optimistic about the Bears! But as usual, it didn’t last. Your response to the first episode of our sports podcast was so overwhelming that we couldn’t help but return ASAP. Patrick and Rob pour a few beers, recap the misery of losing to the Packers yet again, and use it as a launching point to examine what it means to “root” for a sports team that continually sucks. Why do this? We also listen to a bunch of utterly depressing voicemails.

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A shorter episode somehow spends 15 minutes on Cado’s new pets, parasitic wasps meant to eat moth eggs. Yuck. If that sounds nightmarish, just wait; Ren takes us into the chrome-infused hell of the very fast Hyper Demon. Cado’s also vibing with the absurdist Betrayal at Club Low, a new Cosmo D joint, and Patrick is surprised by Shovel Knight Dig, a Shovel Knight spin-off that’s gotten its hooks (or shovel?) in him. Then, we get into a spooky question bucket where we talk about Ghosts, Aliens, and Alien Ghosts.

Discussed: Hyper Demon 15:41, Betrayal at Club Low 32:49, Return to Monkey Island 46:40, Shovel Knight Dig 47:29, The Question Bucket 54:26, Outro and Announcements 1:10:40

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Grand Theft Auto VI footage has leaked, and Rob, Patrick, and Cado discuss how leaks impact development and employee mental health. In another surprise, the crew (especially Rob) are very into Fortnite. After the break, Rob and Patrick had an uneven experience with Square Enix’s tactics game The DioField Chronicle, and Cado’s delighted by Unexplored 2 playing with familiar roguelike mechanics in new ways. In the Question Bucket, we discuss franchises that should get a haunted house, and of course, the answer is 1942’s Cat People.

Discussed: GTA VI leak 4:46, Fortnite 33:30, Diofield 48:29, Steelrising 1:15:48, Unexplored 2 1:16:46, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty 1:28:54, The Question Bucket 1:34:26, Outro and Announcements 2:19:52

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Welcome to Waypoint’s new sports (?!) podcast that sets out to disprove the notion that people with lives dedicated to pixels jumping across the screen can’t also be unhealthily interested in what nerds condescendingly refer to as “sportsball” every Super Bowl. In this first episode, Patrick and Rob unpack their generational ties to Chicago sports fandom, the ways in which being emotionally wound up in events you ultimately can’t control generate community, and naturally, assume the Chicago Bears will—finally—be good this year.

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Natalie’s back! After a long time away in the land of game dev she’s returned with tales from…Disney Dreamlight Valley? But first, we catch up with the news this week, starting with the wave of layoffs hitting G4 and Fanbyte, and how gaming media in general has churned through so much good talent. Then, we check in on the latest Nintendo and Sony announcements, before rounding out the pod with a deep dive into the question bucket that has us dreaming up our ideal gaming spaces.

Discussed: Layoffs across gaming media 18:36 , Nintendo Direct 29:01, Sony State of Play 47:24, Disney Dreamlike Valley 1:01:15, The Wandering Village 1:26:14, The Question Bucket 1:32:58, Outro and Announcements 2:19:48

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My Turn returns with Cado bringing a controversial pick: 2012’s Prometheus. A prequel to the Aliens franchise, we get Ridley Scott’s most cynical views on humanity, hubris, and faith, but without, uh, some of the careful plotting that makes Alien a masterpiece. We discuss our history with the xenomorph, the wild marketing campaign (fake TED talks!), and the bizarre sequel that completely reframes the movie’s cliffhanger.

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Content Warning for discussion of gross bodily fluids from approximately 1:49:11 to 2:15:43

Summer is ending, and what better way to kick off Spooky Season than Demons and Heavy Metal? Patrick has been spending time in Metal: Hellsinger, the rhythm shooter that artfully blends heavy metal with skeleton killing. Then, Ren brings us a look at Gloomwood, a Thief-inspired boomer shooter, which then leads us into a discussion about why Thief’s magic hasn’t been recaptured (yet). After the break, we learn Rob’s checking our next 101, System Shock, and enter into a lengthy Question Bucket that’ll likely make you squeamish.

Discussed: Metal: Hellsinger 2:10, Gloomwood 14:49, System Shock 46:47, Tiny Kin 56:44, Question Bucket 1:01:48, Gross Bodily Fluid Zone 1:49:11, Gross Zone Over 2:15:43, Outro and Announcements 2:23:17

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Content Warning for Discussion of Suicide during the Kiwi Farm's segment (starting at approx. 22:02 through 50:39)

We’re back after a long weekend followed by an eventful week. First up we talk about the recent news that Cloudflare is finally dropping Kiwi Farms, the infamous harassment forum. After the break, we check in on Splatoon 3, the follow up to Nintendo’s popular competitive shooter, and have a conversation on what makes for good spectator sports in gaming. Rob’s been playing Two Point Campus, the follow-up to Two Point Hospital that sees the franchise take it’s on the nose (and at times toothless) satire and point it at the for-profit educational system. Then, Patrick takes us back in time to Revolutionary France to play as… an automaton fighting against Louis XVI's own army of killer robots against as he attempts to suppress the revolution.

Discussed: Cloudflare Drops Kiwi Farms 22:02, Splatoon 3 50:39, Two Point Campus 1:11:55, Steelrising 1:38:21, The Question Bucket 2:01:15, Outro and Announcements 2:09:05

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Rob hosts this weeks My Turn, and he’s brought us the new prequel to last week’s movie: Prey. Set in the 16th century, the movie follows Comanche wannabe hunter Naru and her quest to prove her prowess to the rest of her tribe. What follows is one of the better examples of a new creator understanding not just the surface level story beats of the original material, but deeply understanding it’s themes and creating something new and exciting for a franchise that’s had many subpar sequels.

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Rob’s out, so we’re making him watch Prometheus next week. Happy anniversary! We also talk about Nintendo Direct rumors, Konami’s new “game,” and Patrick’s new son, the Home Dept skeleton. After the break, Rob, Patrick, and special guest Matthew Gault gather to discuss the new remake/remaster/whatever of The Last of Us Part I, Naughty Dog’s flagship zombie-killing Dad game, and how the failures of Part II make Part I shine.

Discussed: News 17:51, TinyKin 39:57, Question Bucket 47:49, The Last of Us Part 1 1:26:27

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On the eve of another day long stream, 3/4 of the Waypoint Crew took a break from their regularly scheduled setup to talk video games, and we roped in Motherboard managing editor Emanuel Maiberg to boot. We’ve all played a bit of Immortality, Sam Barlow’s new love letter to cinema that is a deft examination of exploitation and the process of making movies. Rob’s feeling a need for speed that isn’t quite being manifested in the way he’d hoped in F1 Manager 2022. Emanuel’s deep dive into the Dawn of War franchise has got Rob reconsidering Dawn of War III. And then a quick dive into the bucket reveals that we’ve all got something to say about Ice and the ways you make it.

Discussed: Immortality 0:51, F1 Manager 2022 48:21, Dawn of War III 1:10:25, Question Bucket 1:28:05

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There’s a lot of news out in the gaming world this week, and at some point between Gamescom opening night reveals and new Bioshock movie news, Sony decided to raise the price of the PS5. After discussing some of our favorite new reveals at Gamescom, Patrick brings us dire news of the Saints Row reboot, and how it’s missed the mark on what made the humor of prior entries into the franchise work. Cado’s been playing I Was a Teenaged Exocolonist, a visual novel life sim with, you guessed it, a card based mechanic. Then we take a leisurely stroll through the question bucket and accidentally send Ren tumbling down a Final Fantasy X-2 hole.

Discussed: News 0:51, PS5 Price Increases 2:57, Gamescom Opening Night 6:18, I Was A Teenaged Exocolonist 59:32, Neon White 1:13:11, The Question Bucket 1:19:19, Outro and Announcements 1:55:41

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Welcome to the first episode of My Turn, our new movie podcast where each week one of the Waypoint staff picks a new movie that is related in some way to the movie from the previous week, culminating in a vote where you, our listeners, get to choose a movie to cap of the run. To start us off, Patrick has picked 1987’s Predator, an action horror sci-fi film that ends up being surprisingly subversive to its own genre tropes. 

Next week: Prey (2022)

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The Embracer Group is embracing game companies again and…Lord of the Rings? Patrick takes us through its effort to consume all. Then, Rob digs into the Total War: Warhammer III called The Immortal Lords, which dares to ask: how many sieges is too many sieges? After the break, Patrick has been checking out We Are OFK, which sadly is no Sayonara Wild Hearts, before Cado and Ren debate playing as (and against) Bridget in Guilty Gear Strive. And in the question bucket, we debate if Napoleon was the Predator of 18th century Europe.

Discussed: Embracer Group 0:41, Total War: Warhammer 3 18:53, Neon White 56:12, We Are OFK 56:52, Guilty Gear Strive 1:10:27, The Question Bucket 1:24:05, Outro and Announcements 2:14:28

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This week, Patricks kicks off with a discussion of how the industry exploits game guides writers, even while they keep some gaming sites afloat. Then, we roll into new games territory with Rollerdrome, a rollerskating game with guns, and Ren checks in with the (disappointing) Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to a game near and dear to her heart. Cado’s also dropped into Fortnite simply to watch Goku hit Darth Vader with a Kamehameha, and share thoughts and prayers on the next Destiny 2 expansion. Later, we take a quick dip in the bucket to ask what game enemies still scare us no matter how many times we see them.

Discussed: Video Game Guides Writers 02:12, Rollerdrome 44:52. Soul Hackers 2 55:21, Thymesia 1:08:03, DBZ Card Games 1:18:53, Fortnite 1:27:09, The Question Bucket 1:43:27, Outro and Announcements 1:55:48

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It’s been a regular feature on Waypoint’s streams this year, but still we wonder, how deep does Rob’s love for Warhammer 40k really go? He’s gathered a cadre of fellow Warhammer 40k enthusiasts, including Motherboard’s managing editor Emanuel Maiberg, staff writer Matthew Gault, and special guest: Nextlander’s own Vinny Caravella! They journey through each-other’s Warhammer origin stories, discuss their favorite bits of lore, and agree that the tabletop game is too much for them, but hey at least there’s a ton of video games to check out.

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We’ve got a very special waypoints for y’all today! Friend of the pod Adam Conover is joining the Waypoint crew to talk about the recent Warner Media/Discovery merger. We discuss how the merger might affect one of the better streaming libraries out there in HBO Max, the callousness of television execs when making decisions to cancel shows, and how the exponential growth mentality of the industry will kill some of its best works. Then we dig into the games Adam’s been playing recently, his recent obsession with CRT TVs, and detour for a quick dip in the question bucket.

Discussed: Warner/Discovery Merger 3:09, 1:07:30 The Game’s Adam’s been playing, The Question Bucket 1:22:44, Outro and Announcements 1:52:51

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Episode 500 is here with a surprise: Waypoint+ now offers ad-free versions of the podcast! Then, Ren talks through an exciting EVO 2022, and how Bridget in Guilty Gear Strive mirrors a shift in the broader fighting game community. After the break, Patrick checks in with Cult of the Lamb, a charming roguelike with surprising sim elements, such as getting to brainwash people! For evil! Then, Rob tries to explain the madness of canceling a Planet Fitness subscription, while totally justifying some additional racing wheel accessory purchases.

Discussed: Intro and special Announcement 0:19, EVO 2022 8:03, Bridget Comes to Guilty Gear Strive 31:20, Cult of the Lamb 47:45, Alone in the Dark (2008) 1:00:16, Rob Time 1:14:38, Question Bucket 1:36:07

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Cado's back! They've brought stories of mountains, horseback rides, and funnel cakes. But first, we discuss the lawsuits Bungie is bringing against users who have harassed its employees. After the break, Ren has been checking out an overhaul mod for 2018's Battletech called Battletech Advanced 3062, which adds infantry, vehicles, and more 'Mechs to the already great tactics game, and Patrick is checking in with the Live a Live Remaster, the first official western release of the cult classic game that holds up to its cult status.

Message @Patrick Klepek

Discussed: Bungie Sues Harassers 4:45, Cado's Vacation 33:48, Pokemon Direct 44:03, Citizen Sleeper DLC 51:33, BattleTech Advanced 3062 1:04:04, Live a Live 1:33:41, South of the Circle 1:48:17, The Question Bucket 2:01:23, Outro and Announcements 2:06:34

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Special guest Trone L. Dowd from the Vice News team joins the Waypoint crew today to talk about balancing news writing with games writing, wrestling, and the games he’s been playing! As of this recording Cado is still out, which means the crew is gonna take a chance to totally blow up their opinion of a game (MultiVersus)  without letting them defend themselves! But that’s ok, because they have control of the podcast description and can say that maybe they had come off a little bit strong in their original assessment but hey, at least Ren admits that Cado’s read of the floaty nature of the game is sound! (Thanks Ren!). Back in the non-Cado land, Trone talks about Diablo Immortal’s monetization in relation to the industry’s ability to self regulate, Ren checks in with Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Patrick is back to his Neon White grind.

Discussed: MultiVersus 2:07, Bear and Breakfast 23:47, Diablo Immortal 40:32, Neon White 1:01:32, Rob’s New Racing Game Purchase 1:05:25, WWE 2K22 1:11:29, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 1:23:24, Moderating Call of Duty 1:31:27, The Question Bucket 1:40:51, Outro and Announcements 2:03:17

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We have the first details on 'Grand Theft Auto VI,' and consider what it means for a (supposedly) kinder, gentler Rockstar Games to make a GTA game. This gets us thinking about the unfolding madness in VR Chat, how it relates to Rockstar's own metaverse in Grand Theft Auto Online, and that wild Oculus Quest price hike. Elsewhere, Ren's getting headbutted by bears in Caves of Qud, and Rob has discovered a level of racing sim that may even be too much for him.

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With Cado exploring the Colorado wilderness, everyone else gathers around to hear stories of Patrick...stalking his neighborhood for a chance to look into other people's garages? Huh. Elsewhere, we discuss Stray breaking its containment field and being discovered by a huge audience that's going to think all video games are about cats, Ren channels Danielle Riendeau and digs into the latest Into the Breach update, and Rob is, somehow, talking about the Civil War again.

Discussed: Into the Breach 8:14, Grand Technician: The Civil War 21:00, Neon White 50:23, Stray 58:46, Powerwash Simulator 1:07:03, The Question Bucket 1:18:11

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Patrick returns! He's brought a tidy little knapsack of news, from new unionization efforts at Activision-Blizzard, Unity’s CEO putting his foot in his mouth (again), and Minecraft coming out anti-NFT. We circle back to Stray and talk more about its particular form of platforming, Ren is forced to pay Mario a 50-cent fee to use her 3DS again, and the question bucket forces us to ask a very weird question: is the conclusion of the O.J. Simpson trial a spoiler?

Discussed: News 11:16, Stray 47:48, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series 1:08:07, Moss Book 2 1:17:06, Shin Megami Tensei Soul Hackers 1:21:13, The Question Bucket 1:34:07

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Meow! Meow meow mrrrow. Meow mmeow *hiisss*. Mrow mrow Stray, mew meow meow meow. Rob meow meow Gran Turismo 7 meow meow. Meow, meow meow meow The Question Bucket.

Discussed: Stray 1:02, Gran Turismo 7, The Question Bucket 1:04:35

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The release schedule is slow so we're taking a big old shlorp from the question bucket! Acast destroyed my description and now we're streaming so that's all for now, enjoy the podcast!

Discussed: Gwent Rogue Mage 1:05, Inscryption Kaycee's Mod 14:23, Company of Heroes 3 26:38, The Question Bucket 57:26, Outro and Announcements 1:56:57

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Content Warning - Racial Slurs and Threat of Rape in a movie clip at 2:51:39

In memory of James Caan, Rob asked Nextlander's Alex Navarro to record a new segment discussing the late actor's career, from his defining role in The Godfather to his many turns as a tough-guy character actor. Then, listen along to the first ever episode of our Waypoint+ show Mannhunting, where special guests Dia Lacina and Alex Navarro join Rob as they work through the filmography of director Michael Mann, starting with the 1981 film Thief. You can subscribe to Waypoint + for more Mannhunting at waypointplus.com

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This week we're serving up a heaping scoop of everyone's favorite summer snack, podcast-cream! Ren and Cado have been deep in the food-court automation mines in Last Call BBS, the final game from Zachtronics, which is an excellent tribute to a specific age of computing and trying to pass on the nostalgia you feel for that time to a person who might've never experienced it. But first, we discuss the resurrection of E3 and what a Reed Pop owned show might look like. Then Patrick takes us on his unexpected journey into the world of online claw machines.

Discussed: E3 is Dead, Long Live E3 5:53, Last Call BBS 19:28, Clawee 41:47, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Shredder's Revenge 58:54, Question Bucket 1:10:47, Outro and Announcements 1:21:27.

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This week we're discussing Patrick's article talking to Call of Duty Developers after a mass shooting, managing a Motorsport franchise (it's hard!) and the new tricks they taught an old Meat Dog in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak. Then we receive some good news and unveil a new Rob power in the Question Bucket.

Discussed: COD Game Devs reactions in the wake of a mass shooting 1:04, Motorsport Manager 49:13, Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak 1:19:42, Neon White 36:50, The Question Bucket 1:58:46

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We open this week's episode by discussing the overturning of Roe v Wade, and where we're finding places to take action and find respite in the face of the ever mounting attack on basic human rights. Afterwards we dive into some of the games we've been playing recently, from Cado's speedrunning uhhh.... optimization in Neon White, to Ren's brush with a hot new genre called "a deckbuilding roguelike" in Gordian Quest. Stick around after for a quick dip into the question bucket!

Discussed: Roe v Wade 4:10, The Quarry/Until Dawn 31:21, Neon White 47:21, Gordian Quest 1:02:53, ID @ Xbox Demos 1:21: 04, Raid World 1:35:34, Question Bucket 1:38:35

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Not-E3 continues this week with the Steam Next Fest! Patrick and Cado checked out a bunch of different demos on stream, so they go over what they played and what their impressions are. Then, special Dragon's Dogma Correspondent Austin Walker joins to talk about the announcement of Dragon's Dogma II, and go over a bit of the ten-year road to this new game. After the break, Ren checks in with Dread Delusion, a Morrowind and King's Field-inspired open world RPG with a striking visual style, and Rob's checking in with the alternate-history Steelrising to explore the question "What if Louis XIV had an army of automatons to protect him during the French Revolution?

Discussed: Steam Next Fest 04:59, Metal: Hellsinger 08:26, Beneath Oresa 16:49, Signalis 24:52, Nine Sols 25:41, Moonscars 26:51, Deadlink 28:06, Melatonin 28:44. Stalcraft 30:04, The Dragon's Dogma Zone 34:49, Landlord of the Woods 51:34, Dread Delusion 54:34, Starship Troopers: Terran Command 1:03:06, Steelrising 1:05:00, Question Bucket 1:08:57, Outro and Announcements 1:38:42

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Gamer's Christmas is upon us, in a new but not wholly unfamiliar form. Rob, Ren, Patrick, and Cado all gather round the traditional gamer's yule monitor to discuss the announcements of this year's not-quite-E3-but-basically-E3 season. But first, Patrick has a tale to tell, a story of wheeling, dealing, and high stakes email ignoring as he finds himself in the middle of a veritable Deals whirlwind that might have knocked a Sonos speaker off of a truck. After the break we have a special section from our stream with Nextlander's Alex Navarro and Brad Shoemaker, who joined us to talk over the Xbox/Bethesda showcase!

Discussed: Patrick's Sonos Saga 1:29, Summer Game Fest 12:24, Nextlander x Waypoint Discuss the Xbox Showcase 1:16:12, Outro and Announcements 1:49:44

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CW: Discussion of Suicide at approximately 1:31:42

It's been a banner year not just for narrative games, but for games with themes surrounding labor, surviving under late capitalism, and the self, from Norco, to Citizen Sleeper, to Hardspace Shipbreaker. It should come as no surprise that today we're talking about the Apple TV+ show Severance, which slots neatly and expertly into these same themes. Come for Patrick’s Sonos-buying update, stay for our Spoiler-Lite impressions, and then get ready to deep dive in our Spoiler-Full discussion of this excellently constructed dark comedy about separating your work life from the rest of your life—literally.

Discussed: Patrick's Sonos Update 01:06, Severance Spoiler-Lite Discussion 26:20, Severance - Spoilercast 59:08, CW Discussion of Suicide 1:31:42-1:33:11, Outro and Announcements 2:17:53

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This week, Patrick has a very Dad weekend, Ren tries out sucking blood in V Rising, and we have an extended discussion around free to play monetization around Diablo Immortal. Then after the break, Patrick, Ren, and Cado go full spoiler mode to talk about Citizen Sleeper, a table top RPG inspired narrative game that got it's hooks in all of us with it's unique and fascinating systemic depiction of surviving with a disabled body under capitalism, and the ways community can be built in places you might not expect them to flourish.

Discussed: Patrick's Dad Weekend 3:43, V Rising 14:14, Diablo Immortal 30:38, Citizen Sleeper Spoilercast 48:48, Outro and Announcements 1:56:56

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We've got a particularly Waypoint episode for y'all today, from scamming the rich out of their money for the greater good in Card Shark, to talking about recent grad student unionizations, to talking about learning on the job in Hardspace Shipbreaker. Of course, it wouldn't be a podcast these days without a bit of an update from Rob on his home appliances, luckily y'all have sent in plenty emails to help him on this journey.

Discussed: Card Shark 2:17, School Debt and Unionizing Grad Students 16:33, Hardspace Shipbreaker 31:08, Appliance update 50:21, Elden Ring 1:15:27, Question Bucket 1:26:11, Outro and Announcements 1:31:39

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Rob's been having some bad luck with home appliances recently, and as unfortunate as that is at least it makes for some good Content(tm). Before we get to that though, Rob, Patrick, Ren, and Cado discuss the current wave of unionization efforts across the US, including the ones beginning to crop up in the video game industry. Then, Patrick and Ren have been checking out the thematically resonant Hardspace Shipbreaker, a game about dismantling ships for scrap under contract for a corporation, and has some great writing and pointed criticism of labor practices and physical labor under late stage capitalism. After the break, well, we deal with a break, the potential breakdown of yet another large home appliance in Rob's house. Then, Rob tries to distract us from this tragedy with tales of his campaign in Daemonhunters, which is... almost certainly on the start of a death spiral. Then we enter the Cado Corner, where they talk about Multiversus, the Warner Bros. attempt at a platform fighter that doesn't feel particularly well tuned for the high speed play it's movement would suggest. On the bright side, Cado's been having a great time in the new Destiny 2 sea... wait no, not that, we're actually gonna talk about Roller Champions, the new free-to-play roller derby meets basketball game that actually feels really fun to control.

Discussed: Raven Software Union 0:34, Hardspace Shipbreaker 31:00, Rob's Fridge Debacle 54:40, Warhammer 40k Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters 1:23:19, Multiversus 1:35:22, Roller Champions 1:49:52, Phil Spencer Union Response 1:58:36, Outro and Announcements 2:01:07

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This week we're bringing you our thoughts on Halo, the Paramount + TV show based on the immensely popular Halo video game franchise. Join as Patrick, Rob, Ren, and Cado discuss the ways this show landed in very different ways for each of them, why it probably shouldn't have been about Master Chief, and how more interesting characters are pushed to the side because of that choice. Then we answer listener questions like "does Cortana still have a dump truck in this" and "what would you do on a date with Master Chief."

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Rob has invited Leyla and Soren Johnson, CEO and Design Director at Mohawk Games respectively, onto Waypoint Radio this week to chat about their time in game dev- from Soren's time at Firaxis as lead designer on Civilization IV and Leyla's time in the State Department to transitioning into running their own studio and creating games alongside a dedicated fanbase in early access. They also chat about their 4X game Old World and it's new expansion Heroes of the Aegean, and trying their best to design from different historical perspectives that people might not expect.

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Join Rob, Ren, and Patrick as they answer listener questions submitted to Patrick's new "question bucket google form." Have you ever wondered if Patrick's ever had hypothermia? If Rob would rather spend a life at sea or a life underground? How about if Ren likes power tools or hand tools better? Get all this and more, and follow us on twitch.tv/waypoint to get notified when we go live next!

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It's Friday the 13th so we're kicking things of spooky style. The Waypoint Radio crew discuss the new Alan Wake 2 details, Bethesda's double delay situation, and Rob's new induction stove (which comes with its own set of built in curses). After the break, Patrick drops a cursed plan for... coverage of the next Avatar movie? In slightly (but only slightly) less cursed news, Rob and Ren have been checking out Warhammer 40K - Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters, a new Tactics game with heavy Gear Tactics vibes that makes a great first impression. (Also, the “Inquisitor is hot” per one Renata Price.) Patrick and Ren both dipped into Iron Lung, a submarine based horror game that does some interesting things with space and perception.

Discussed: Alan Wake 2 1:58, Bethesda Delays 7:38, Rob's New Induction Range 32:53, Dunkaccino 43:43, Avatar Plans 51:46, Warhammer 40 - Chaos Gate: Daemonhunters 55:32, Peglin 1:26:27, Knotwords 1:36:27, Iron Lung 1:44:07, Rogue Legacy 2 2:01:49, Loot River 2:04:06, Outro and Announcements 2:06:03

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We've got a special double interview pod today! First up: Patrick chats with Panic's Cabel Sasser and Arisa Sudangnoi about the development of the Playdate, the boutique handheld with a crank. They go over how the project started, what working on one thing for nearly a decade is like, and personal crank stories. Then, Rob and Patrick sit down with filmmaker Neill Blomkamp to talk about his involvement with Gunzilla Games and their new Battle Royale game Off the Grid. They touch on the transition from film to game production, Neill's background in games, and how they plan to imbue their multiplayer game with narrative.

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Much how Rob Zacny Predicted, it's becoming clearer that it will be a Banner Year for Narrative Games, and profound everyman Patrick Klepek is here dipping his toes into the game Renata and Cado definitely didn't bring to the table because they were both too busy doing other things: Citizen Sleeper.

Rob's also taken a break from commiting insurance fraud to play that hot new game that everyone's talking about, Guardians of the Galaxy. Then we dive back into the question bucket, where some questionable suggestions are made to Rob with regards to the purchase of a new oven.

Discussed: Citizen Sleeper 3:40, Steam Deck 41:17, Guardians of the Galaxy 48:02, The Embracer Group Acquisitions 1:06:03, Outro and Announcements 1:19:53, The Question Bucket 1:24:33

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Rob, Patrick, Ren, Cado and special guest Gita Jackson gather around their pod mics on this cold dark night to discuss The Thing, the classic film that inspired 2002's The Thing video game, Patrick's choice for our next Waypoint 101! We talk body horror, cinematic tension, box office flops, intimacy and the lack thereof between men, and the best dog actor of all time.

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There comes a time when even the most laid-back people will find something that irks them to no end, and Patrick has found that thing this week. Are your monitors level? Are they the right distance apart? Are they perfectly aligned? Probably not, but hopefully it won't be too distracting. Thankfully the news that Sega is pulling old Sonic games in order to re-release them distracted Patrick long enough for us to launch into a conversation about emulation and "stealing." After the break, Ren reports in from the Overwatch 2 Beta currently underway, and finds the changes from 1 deeply underwhelming. Rob's checking out Dune: Spiceworld and enjoying the sowing part more than the reaping. Cado's finding zen in the art of card stacking with Stacklands, a card based rogue-like village builder with chill beats to make small piles of cards to. Then the crew dives into the question bucket to help Ren out with that whole Halo gun situation.

Discussed: Patrick's Monitor Woes 1:12, Emulation and Piracy 28:54, Overwatch 2 53:27. Dune: Spiceworlds 1:37:28, Stacklands 1:43:57, Question Bucket 1:52:27, Outro and Announcements.

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Rob chats with Greg Foertsch, ex-Firaxis art director and founder of Bit Reactor, about his time on Gettysburg!, XCOM, and other seminal strategy games after getting an internship at Microprose right out of art school. Greg reminisces on his time at Firaxis, learning to turn a computer on, and how making games has changed drastically since Gettysburg! was developed.

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We've got a chock full episode for y'all this week, from Rob wondering about one of his recent purchases (Steam Deck) to Rob updating us on an old one (Speaker Update!) We're all still plucking away at Elden Ring, but Rob in particular has a new perspective on his build choice. After the break, we talk about the recent allegations of a union related firing at Nintendo of America, and how even if unionization isn't happening yet, the way contractors are treated may mean it's around the corner. Rob's jumping on to the recent point and click adventure game wave with Chinatown Detective Agency, of which the opening hours left Rob a bit unimpressed with it's puzzles (but to a puzzlemaster, aren't all puzzles simple?) Then Patrick tells us about his time with the Playdate, the new handheld crank-based console from Panic, the company that made that one FTP client back in the day. You know the one, with the little truck? Yeah that one. Stick around after the outro for some musings on US timezones, and how we should all just have our own Time Box (tm).

Discussed: Steam Deck 1:49, Elden Ring 5:27, Steam Deck Again 20:25, Rob Speaker Update 24:19, Nintendo Union Busting? 45:00, Chinatown Detective Agency 1:08:05, Playdate 1:25:08, Outro and Announcements 1:44:03

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Ren has invited Yuts, writer and lead developer on NORCO, onto the pod today to talk about the origins of NORCO as a side-scroller, different literary styles, what we mean when we say "the american south" today, hope, and other equally fascinating and bummer topics.

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Lore Reasons is back for a very special mini-sode! The Kingdom Hearts 20th anniversary event dropped some new announcements so we had to get Austin, Natalie, Patrick, and Cado back on mic to live react to the announcements! The crew then does a bit of lore sleuthing to see how much they remember about Kingdom Hearts, what the deal with those hoodies is, and which person with an X in their name is which.

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Rob Zacny, some would say, is a man of taste. And as any man of taste would be, he's incredibly discerning, especially when it comes to his Audio Equipment. Join Ren and Patrick as their whisked away on a tale of audio shops, conspiracies (!?), and audio speaker maintenance. After the break, Ren checked out Gundam Evolution, a new character based team FPS that has surprisingly good Mech-feel. Then she says some objectively wrong things about DOTA 2 that really made this producer question her judgment. Patrick has to address one point of clownification, er, clarification before our NORCO spoilercast drops later this week on Waypoint Plus, and then the crew takes a dive into the question bucket, where we learn that yes, in fact, Renata can be wrong (see: previous DOTA 2 statements).

Discussed: Rob Zacny's Audio Saga 1:51, Gundam Evolution 51:54, NORCO 1:20:07, Gettysburg 1:26:04, The Question Bucket 1:28:08

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We kick off this weekend with a lengthy discussion of remote vs in office work. COVID has changed how many companies deal with remote work, but some companies are trying to return to the world before. Riot Games is one of those companies, and as Patrick has reported, has taken some poor measures with regards to their employees safety. After the break, Ren, Patrick, and Cado have all been checking out NORCO, the sci-fi? magical realist? point and click adventure that is causing waves and garnering quick Disco Elysium comparisons. Then we check back in with Rob, who's taken his exploration of the Halo franchise to a new level with Halo Wars. Does it have good Halo-feel? Should he be playing with a controller? Was there enough lore? We might answer a few of these questions so tune in!

Discussed: Riot Games return to office policies 0:32, Max Payne 32:12, NORCO 46:57, Weird West 1:10:29, Halo Wars 1:19:05, Acti-blizzard announcement 1:44:52, Outro and Announcements 1:47:47

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As we return to a more regularly scheduled podcasting, the Waypoint Radio crew emerges to find that the return of the immersive sim may be upon us. Rob's been digging into Weird West, a third person isometric view CRPG styled immersive sim, and has found that a few of those gold ingots he dug up might be pyrite. Ren's been checking out Abermore, a first person Thief inspired immersive sim, that had a troubled development, but still has interesting ideas despite it's unpolished nature. After the break, Patrick talks us through his article on his relationship to E3 and the recent news that there will be no E3 2022. He's also been playing Ghostwire: Tokyo, and ended up finishing it in fact. He's not sure why, but he did!

Discussed: Weird West 0:44, Abermore 31:53, The Death of E3 59:29, Ghostwire: Tokyo 1:11:36, Question Bucket 1:22:34

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In what was certainly not supposed to be an episode of Waypoints, Rob, Patrick, Ren, and Cado all gather up to discuss the first episode of Halo, the Paramount Plus live action TV series based on the FPS juggernaut. Along the way, we learn that Ren has all of the Halo lore crammed into her skull alongside the assertion that "4 and 5 had good campaigns, actually." The crew discusses the production on the show, how it reads differently depending on your previous knowledge of Halo, and talk about how it compares to previous live action Halo media.

Forward Unto Dawn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTGqNRhm_qQ

Discussed: 0:00 Halo TV Show Episode 1

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Content warning for discussion of alcohol from 2:38 - 9:58

We are all in NEW YAWK CITY???? Getting set up for a STREAM! To raise money for TRANS LIFELINE!!! On this pod though we talk about Norco, little dip of Elden Ring, and a day early discussion of Gran Turismo 7's credit problem.

Discussed: Norco 33:56, Elden Ring 44:05, Gran Turismo 7 47:26

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Content Warnings for detailed discussions of sleep disorders and injuries from hyper-flexibility 0:00 - 29:35

We're currently setting up for our livestream (March 26th!) and yet we still found time to record one last remote podcast. Ren, Patrick, and Cado (or Ricardo? who could say) gather round their mics today to gawk at the opening hours of Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin and the bizarre choices that seem to have been made from coming in way too hot. After the break Patrick takes us through his time with Ghostwire: Tokyo, a game with a lot of style but little substance. Then we dive into the pizza bucket. that's right, a whole bucket of pizza to swim around in.

Discussed: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin 29:35, Ghostwire: Tokyo 1:18:19, The Pizza Bucket 1:40:25

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Pizza. Keyboards. Tunic? Mechs. This podcast has it all and well, it was a hell of an edit. So we're running into stream time, so enjoy this very light teaser for the most Friday Energy pod we've recorded in a while.

Discussed: Keebchat 34:06, Tunic 48:43, Phantom Brigade 1:04:18, Outro and announcements 1:49:46

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On this special episode of Waypoint Radio, Patrick interviews the ... director? creative visionary? Well, he might not know what to credit himself as but his name is Andrew Shouldice and he was solo dev on the isometric action adventure game Tunic, until he wisened up and got some help! They chat about moving from solo development to team based development, how Tunic's cute fox protagonist came to be, and how finding hidden secrets in video games as a kid influenced the design of Tunic's world.

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Gita Jackson is back on the pod to join Patrick, Ren, and Cado on their long adventure into the depths of everything Elden Ring. We talk about Elden Ring's immense reach compared to other FromSoft titles, moments of dubious boss balancing in the late game, and that ever present cycle of difficulty and accessibility discourse that we return to with each new iteration of the Souls formula, and the ways we all approach difficulty differently in isolation and within community.

Discussed: Elden Ring 8:23, Mechanical Spoilers for a boss fight and a specific area quirk 33:23 - 46:24

Steve Saylor on accessibility and Elden Ring youtu.be/FOQFu7OKJ5o

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Patrick, Renata, and Cado all saw a movie this weekend, but first they have to talk about what Cado spend 23 hours doing over the weekend. That's right, it's Raid Time in Destiny and Cado went full gremlin mode. After that, we get into Matt Reeves' The Batman, discussing how surprisingly funny it is, it's issues with character motivations, and how much it really loves cops.

Discussed: Destiny 2 Raid 3:06, Raid Encounter 1 Spoilers 7:36 - 14:02, The Batman 36:43, Outro 1:58:39

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The crew have been having some computer issues, where for some reason or another their computers won't sleep correctly. I think they should probably stop giving them coffee right before bed, but apparently it has something to do with rogue usb devices. Patrick, Ren and Cado then continue their talk of Elden Ring, and consider where different people can find the Role Playing in a RPG video game. After the break, Rob takes us on a journey of discovery in Gran Turismo 7, where the cars are beautiful and Rob's Racing Wheel driving is not.

Discussed: Elden Ring 19:54, Elden Ring Quest Spoilers 45:02 - 46:31, Gran Turismo 7 51:13, Announcements and Outro 1:24:22

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Ren and Cado have introduced the world of the Wired to the Waypoint crew. They discuss Serial Experiments Lain on today's pod, a late 90's anime that is surprisingly precinct about the malleability of information in online contexts and the formation of identity in a hyper-connected world. After the break, Rob's been considering the supply chain, and how we've ended up where we are now (spoiler: it's capitalistic greed!) Then, finally, after being wrongly cast aside last podcast, Patrick is here with his impressions on his time so far with the Steam Deck.

Discussed: Serial Experiments Lain 1:53, The Supply Chain 38:28, Steam Deck 1:10:16

Planet Money Podcast - Of Boats and Boxes, American Prospect - How We Broke the Supply Chain

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We open this pod with a short discussion on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the reactions from a few developers that are headquartered in and nearby the affected regions. Then, Ren and Patrick have awoken as Tarnished and seek a better horse in Elden Ring. Ren's enjoying her time but wishes some of From Soft's design ethos was more evident in the open world (and that damn horse), and not just in specific (spectacular) moments. After the break, Cado is exploring a different kind of fucked up swamp in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, the latest expansion which adds a bevy of new mechanics and a more engaging campaign than past Destiny 2 dlcs. Rob's been checking out Grid Legends, an racing game with delightfully charming FMV storyline, and the racing is ok too.

Discussed: Ukraine 0:44, Elden Ring 6:40, Small quest spoilers 32:42 - 34:09, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen 57:06, Grid Legends 1:27:53, Outro and Announcements 1:53:37

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Patrick interviews Dimitri Pascaluta, writer and host for theScore Esports. They chat about Dimitri's Counter Strike skins, how the CS skin market has exploded during the pandemic, and how that left him with a collection worth about "a down payment on a house."

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You can thank new Waypoint crew Ren for that title, btw. Rob and Ren have been streaming Total War: Warhammer 3 over on our channel and experiencing all sorts of foul taints, like the foul taint of a hard counter faction setting up shop right next to you, or the taint of realizing the game was trying to get you to not have to fight them right away once you've already spent most of your stream fighting them. Cado's been dealing with the foul taint of corporations in Citizen Sleeper, a node-based RPG set on a space station in a future where people rent their minds to corporations to pay off debts, with strong indie TTRPG roots and great worldbuilding. After the break, Patrick makes the hard decisions in Infernax, a 2D pixel art metroidvania with story branching choices. Then the crew dive into the Question Bucket for more Branded Jeep mayhem.

Discussed: 0:55 Total War: Warhammer 3 0:55, Citizen Sleeper 41:07, Infernax 1:00:23, The Question Bucket 1:11:16, Outro and Announcements 1:29:17

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We have special guest Matthew Gault on pod today to talk about Horizon: Forbidden West. He and Patrick have both put time into it, but they're both starting to experience fatigue around this particular open world design philosophy. If what you've wanted is a prettier, bigger Horizon: Zero Dawn though, this game seems made for you. After the break, Cado puts the end cap on Pokemon Legends: Arceus, confirming his suspicions that the narrative doesn't satisfyingly address the conflict between colonizers and indigenous people that they've based their story on. Then there's a quick dive into the question bucket for some deliberations over being a "Rob Zacny type," accidental boat purchases, and video game branded jeeps.

Discussed: Horizon: Forbidden West 12:53, Pokemon Legends Arceus 1:10:38, Spoilers for final mission in Arceus 1:14:24 - 1:16:22, The Question Bucket 1:27:10

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Our brand new gen-z correspondent Renata Price is on the show today to tell us that gamers age 15-25 did Not like the Nintendo Direct. However, us 30 somethings were hootin' and hollerin' about the various remakes and something called "mouthful mode." Patrick and Cado have both checked in on new MMO du jour Lost Ark, a South Korean produced MMO that's been making waves in its home country for a few years now. After the break, Rob takes us on a journey through his medieval monarch machinations as he checks out the new Crusader Kings III Expansion: The Royal Court. Then we answer some questions and really get deep into the ergonomics of bath sitting.

Discussed: The Nintendo Direct 0:48, Lost Ark 29:13, Vampire Survivors 40:26, Crusader Kings III 50:11, Outro and Announcements 1:29:50

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Patrick and Rob are having heating issues, and are absolutely not going to commit any crimes at all to fix them. Patrick's been checking out Bloodborne PSX, a game that controls too well to have ever actually been on the PS1. Speaking of controls, Patrick and Cado check in with King's Field IV, and find that after some cough cough controller rewiring cough cough, there's a lot of Souls DNA in this PS2 game, more than they'd assume without Miyazaki at the company. Then Rob, Patrick, and Cado put Back 4 Blood to bed after finishing the finale finale on stream last week. Then a quick dive in the Question Bucket is followed by a hefty discussion of this week's NFL controversy.

Discussed: Bloodborne Demake and Kings Field IV 29:02, Back 4 Blood 48:18, The Question Bucket 1:16:17, NFL Talk 1:45:25, Outro and Announcements 2:05:41

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Rob and Patrick have been parkouring it up in Dying Light 2 this week. Or rather, kinda parkouring it up while they get enough levels to unlock the full parkour suite? They go in deep on the structural problems with the latest from Techland, reminisce about Dying Light and Dead Island, and bemoan the trajectory that first person open world design has taken. Cado is of course still living his best(?) Pokémon life in Pokémon Legends Arceus, mostly because he's finally getting around to unlocking the best rideable Pokémon. Patrick and Cado then dive into the question bucket and remember some uncomfortable truths about an old fighting game.

Discussed: Dying Light 2 1:46, Pokémon Legends Arceus 1:03:27, Mina the Hollower 1:20:10, The Question Bucket 1:25:15, Outro and Announcements 1:58:53

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Welcome back to Waypoints! What's usually a very video games light show actually gets interrupted by breaking news: Sony is going to buy Bungie, the studio behind the Halo and Destiny franchises. Next, Cado and Rob talk through the Expanse as it closes out it's final season, and track how the show has changed season to season, and the difference between the Syfy and Amazon Prime eras. After the break, Patrick introduces the crew to Yellowjackets, the new Lost-esque show that people have been raving about. Then Rob tells us about his new Motorsports obsession. What's that? Rob's already into Motorsports? Ok maybe but not these Motorsports!

Discussed: Sony Buys Bungie 2:15, Halo TV show 27:16, The Expanse 31:41 , Yellowjackets 54:43, Rob's Motorsports Mania 1:25:46

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Natalie is back after a long time away from the pod, and brings us news from post-COVID life. Patrick has been playing fast and loose with his computer upgrade, but the PC gods have decided to give him a second chance. Then the crew dives into some news updates, checking back in with the unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard, and talking through the new Star Wars game announcement out of Respawn. After the break, Cado's pleasantly surprised to find that Pokemon Legends Arceus is a dramatic departure from Game Freak's usual structure. Natalie is living her best plant girl life in Strange Horticulture, an indie game about plants, witches, and cults. Then we dive into the Question Bucket to decide which X-man we'd least like to cook dinner for us.

Discussed: COVID talk 9:06, Patrick's Costco PC 16:34, Activision Blizzard Unionization 27:03, Respawn Star Wars Announcement 31:01, Pokemon Legends Arceus 40:39, Strange Horticulture 1:17:40, Structural spoilers for Strange Horticulture 1:25:35 - 1:38:04, The Question Bucket 1:38:51, Outro and Announcements 1:54:37

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Boy oh boy is it football season. To start off the pod, Patrick and Rob dive deep into the weekend's playoff games. Then they discuss recent developments in the Microsoft Activision acquisition, as workers at Ravensoft begin the process of forming a union. After the break, Patrick checks back in with his final Halo Infinite thoughts, and then he and Cado go full spoiler mode for Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye.

Discussed: NFL and Gambling 1:31, Gambling talk ends 4:34, Microsoft Activision Acquisition Updates 32:58, Halo Infinite 1:01:16, Vampire Survivors 1:19:21, Outer Wilds Echoes of the Eye 1:27:21, Spoilers for Outer Wilds Echos of the Eye 1:30:26, Outro and Announcements 2:08:32

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What was originally a slow news week got suddenly extremely busy when Microsoft announced their intention to acquire Activision-Blizzard. Rob and Patrick wrote a lengthy piece for the site and go over some of the nuances of the announcement, how we got here, and whether or not the FTC will do anything to stop what seems like a fairly obvious step towards monopoly. After the break, Patrick is enjoying the grind in Nobody Saves the World as much as he didn't enjoy the end of Halo Infinite. Cado ran into a fan in Valorant, and accidentally ended the game in a 3 vs 1 clutch. Rob's "Old Game I'm Revisiting" this week fits right in with the rainy weather.

Discussed: Microsoft Activision Merger 1:31, Nobody Saves the World 54:35, Valorant 1:05:58, Alan Wake 1:13:33, Anchorhead 1:28:07, Outro and Announcements 1:29:53

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2022 is barely two weeks old which means there isn't a lot of new games yet, so we look towards the future to consider: "You think that's actually gonna come out this year?" But first, Patrick is sweeping through some 2021 indie platformers, Rob's rediscovering Halo: Combat Evolved, and Cado's griping about the latest Valorant season.

Discussed: Coffee Talk 1:11, Filmechanism 22:36, Below the Ocean 29:47, Halo MCC 34:32, Need for Speed: Shift 40:43, Valorant 44:42, Ubisoft NFTs 57:05, Games of 2022 1:03:02, STALKER 2 1:03:17, Pokemon Legends: Arceus 1:09:41, Hogwarts Legacy 1:16:11, Grand Turismo 1:20:30, Elden Ring 1:23:13, Advanced Wars Reboot Camp 1:25:00, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora 1:27:52, Breath of the Wild 2 1:30:03, Warhammer 40k: Darktide 1:35:38, Midnight Suns 1:40:04, Weird West 1:42:10, Triangle Strategy 1:44:04, Stray 1:45:02, Homeworld 3 1:46:02, Starfield 1:47:42, Outro and Announcements 1:48:54

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The most of the WPR crew is getting back into the swing of things by wrapping up some games of 2021, but not before Rob and Patrick can talk about the end of the NFL's regular season. Cado however is going way back, to 2018, to check out Death Crown: the 1-bit art style and short match times made this RTS the perfect fit for a weekend full of other obligations. Patrick is closing the loop on Outer Wilds: Echos of the Eye, an ultimately welcome addition to what was a fantastic base game, even if the DLC does at moments rub the wrong way against the base game's structure. Then a surprise guest, a certain "mech-spert" if you will, joins us to talk about these Armored Core Rumors. After the break, Rob's been checking out WRC 10, a rally racing game in a franchise he's been largely (and maybe erroneously) ignoring.

Discussed: NFL Minute 4:31, Death Crown 23:50, Echos of the Eye 35:39, Echo's location Spoilers start 42:34, Spoliers end 43:20, Armored Core Leaks 55:05, NFL Aside 1:16:50, Lake 1:17:57, WRC 10 1:29:27, COVID talk 1:45:57, Outro Announcements 1:50:41

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We're back from the holiday break and we're here to share our experiences being tiny little gremlins. Patrick was the least gremlin of us all at first, playing through The Forgotten City in a normal, non-gremliny amount of time. Cado was his usual MOBA gremlin self, just a bit more than usual over the break. Rob's become a nog gremlin, as well as a tactical naval combat gremlin in Highfleet. Patrick re-entered Halo gremlin mode with Halo Infinite, just on Normal mode this time, while Rob is gremlining it up over in the Master Chief Collection.

Discussed: The Forgotten City 2:42, Cado's Gremlin Zone 25:08, Cado's Cruise Zone 31:23, Hightfleet 50:47, Halo Infinite 1:19:01, Halo MCC 1:38:19

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As the year comes to a close, Rob, Patrick, and Cado gaher one last time to talk about how cool Inscryption (last time this year, at least). Then they clear out the question bucket for 2021 by trying to decipher the contents of a company christmas "dinner," genres they would be into in an alternate universe, and whether or not this image is loss.

Discussed: Inscryption 3:52, The End of Year Question Bucket 41:34

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GOTY Season. The time when many games media people really reflect on the year that was, and the game that they played through it. But what if instead of a list of just our favorites we talked about the ones we stuck with too long, the ones that we wished we played more, or the ones that caused the most discourse? This year, we asked you, our listeners, to submit your GOTY categories, and we sat down with 20 of the best to take a look back at 2021 from a slightly different point of view.

Discussed: Art of Rally 17:26, F1 2021 25:25, Suzerain 31:48, Hell Let Loose 35:00, Loop Hero 36:38, Mundaun 39:35, The GOTY GOTYs 46:19

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Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather today to record their final podcast of 2021, so of course the first thing they talk about is COVID. After sharing stories about their booster shot symptoms and discussing the way this pandemic just keeps happening, they turn their gaze to The Game Awards. Having already lambasted Geoff's weak response to the culture of abuse at Activision-Blizzard on a previous podcast (that will release sometime in the next two weeks), they take a look at some of the game trailers that have them the most excited, anxious, and confused about the games we might play in 2022. After the break, Patrick has been playing Moncage, a puzzle game that's all about perspective, and Cado has been dropping in a whole new way with Babble Royale, the surprise Scrabble-meets-Battle-Royale that dropped for free this week.

Discussed: COVID 2:10, The Keighlies 17:49, A Bit Keighley More 58:51, Moncage 1:06:21, Babble Royale 1:12:14, Solar Ash 1:22:21

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We've got a special treat for y'all on Waypoint Radio today- a glimpse into our Waypoint Plus feed and the discussions on The Matrix Franchise we've been having. Special guest Gita Jackson joins Rob, Patrick, and Cado to dissect the 9 short animated films that make up The Animatrix, the lore and story implications they have, and how transmedia marketing became a diluted standard operating procedure after The Matrix.

Discussed: Final Flight of the Osiris 8:17. The Second Renaissance 20:21. Kid's Story 1:08:41, A Detective Story 1:27:59, World Record 1:33:09, Beyond 1:48:02, Matriculated 1:59:25, Program 2:15:41, The Animatrix and the Transmedia Blitz 2:24:41

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Rob, Patrick, and Cado come together on this Keighly’s Eve to talk about the things that, well, The Game Awards probably won’t talk about. We catch up with the continuing stories coming out of Activision-Blizzard, and the current strike and strike fund to combat against horrible working conditions and the layoffs that happened at Raven Software. After the break, Rob and Cado are taking to the stars in CHOPVS. Er, sorry CHORVS. Wait no, I’m hearing word that it’s actually Chorus? An arcady open world space shooter with some questionable marketing decisions around their name, but some pretty fun (well for Cado at least) arcady space shooting action. Patrick’s been diving into the XBOX Demo Festival and checked out a few new games, and Rob is playing a game from 2017 that he didn’t know had been unlisted from the store, Forza Motorsport 7. Then we take a quick dip in the question bucket to see how deep the roast-your-own-coffee rabbit hole goes.

Discussed: Activision-Blizzard 4:13, Chorus 34:36, Xbox Demo Fest 57:04, Overpass 58:23, Loot River 1:00:26, Nobody Saves the World 1:03:47, STALKER 2 1:08:05, The Matrix Awakens - An Unreal Engine 5 Experience 1:13:25, Forza Motorsport 7 1:20:07, The Question Bucket 1:30:57

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Patrick is falling dangerously close to a genre he swears he’ll never touch… MOBAs. He’s been checking out Arcane, but instead of talking about it, Natalie, Rob, and Cado derail him into an extended news segment? Then, Cado’s living his best hacker life in Midnight Protocol, a tactical hacking game you control completely from a command line prompt. After the break, Patrick is back on his platforming bullshit with Solar Ash, the new game from developer Heart Machine that’s one part Jet Set Radio, one part Shadow of Colossus, and a whole bunch of parts awesome. Rob’s rallying the troops in Company of Heroes 3 multiplayer alpha, the latest in the storied RTS franchise which is now getting a little bit better about giving newer players tools for learning. Then we dip into the question bucket and get to the bottom of Who is dune?

Discussed: Midnight Protocol 19:14, Solar Ash 37:42, Company of Heroes 3 45:47, The Question Bucket 1:09:34

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We’re back! After our half week break we’re here and ready to talk about… HDMI splitters and their accidental “perks” if you know what I’m saying. Of course a story about a TV from Patrick was going to lead us into an entire segment on the structure of our entertainment systems and how hard it is to digitally back up our physical media collections. Then, Patrick has wrapped up the end of Unpacking, and find that thankfully the game didn’t skew as dark as he once feared it might. After the break, Cado has been checking out Get In The Car, Loser!, an RPG that tells the story of a queer road trip to defeat the Machine Devil while the Divine Order is on your tail, with an interesting Valkyrie Profile-esq battle system and hilarious writing. Rob on the other hand, has more questions than answers as he dives once more into the world of Sherlock Holmes with Frogware’s Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. Watson is a ghost? You have to equip your thoughts??? Then we round out the pod with a dive into the question bucket with a lot of followups to the water-refill-at-the-drive-thru debate.

Discussed: Unpacking 27:44, Get In The Car, Loser! 43:58, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One 56:06, Question Bucket 1:15:05

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Well folks, it’s come to this. Through highs and lows, Impacts and Near Impacts, Fantastic Fights and Groan inducing Fan service, the time has come to put a cap on our time with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Join as special guest Gita Jackson joins Rob, Patrick, Austin, and Cado to talk about the final impact this series has had on each of us, both intellectually and emotionally, both positively and negatively. It’s time to say goodbye.

This podcast is brought to you by Waypoint Plus.

We're offering 25% off annual subscriptions to Waypoint+ between Friday, November 26th and Monday, November 29th. Just go to vice.com/waypoint and apply code WAYPOINTHOLIDAY.

If you’re upgrading from monthly to annual just be sure to click "Already have an account? Sign in" at checkout

If you’re giving as a gift to a friend or family member, go to vice.com/waypointgift and apply WAYPOINTHOLIDAY promo code for 25% off.

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Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado as they re-enter and re-examine the world of Evangelion once again. What starts as something familiar begins to shift, has us asking why this work is revisited, what all the differences amount to, and where we think Evangelion might go from here.

This podcast is brought to you by Waypoint Plus.

We're offering 25% off annual subscriptions to Waypoint+ between Friday, November 26th and Monday, November 29th. Just go to vice.com/waypoint and apply code WAYPOINTHOLIDAY.

If you’re upgrading from monthly to annual just be sure to click "Already have an account? Sign in" at checkout

If you’re giving as a gift to a friend or family member, go to vice.com/waypointgift and apply WAYPOINTHOLIDAY promo code for 25% off.

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We’ve got some real chaos energy on this pod, so get ready! We sprinkle emails in amongst some games we’re playing, like Patrick checking out the orb game Exo One, a chill game about being a space orb that is sometimes not an orb. Natalie and Cado have been checking out Voice of Cards, the card based RPG that maybe didn’t need to be card based at all. Rob is suffering through his time with Battlefield 2042, wondering if a co-op crew might be the answers to his multiplayer woes. Then we fully dive into the Question Bucket to figure out some fast food drive through faux pas, getting into Team Fortress 2 in the year of our lord 2021, and what Class Archetypes the crew kins.

Discussed: Exo One 10:24, Voice of Cards: The Dragon Isle Roars 22:16, Dungeon Encounters 37:41, Battlefield 2042 48:59, The Question Bucket 1:08:19

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Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather today to talk about the allegations of abuse at Activision-Blizzard. They discuss the ways corporate structures aid abusers, the possibility of ousting Bobby Kotick, and what levers of power workers have to enact lasting change. Then we go stream spoiler mode for Inscryption, the digital card game that ends up being more than meets the eye. After the break, Patrick checks in with Halo Infinite, the latest Halo game from 343 Industries, which takes the Halo franchise open world for the first time. Then Cado and Patrick have a quick check in with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, a game that is harder than Cado remembers, and uglier than Patrick would like.

Discussed: Abuse at Activision-Blizzard 1:08, Inscryption 33:47, Inscryption Stream Spoilers 35:17, Xbox Response to Activision 56:06, Halo Infinite 1:05:18, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl 1:33:02

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Today we are sharing an episode from one of VICE's newest series -- A Show About Animals. This season, we tell the strange and wonderful story of the wildly famous Koko the “talking” Gorilla. 

In the early 1970s, a grad student named Penny Patterson set out to investigate a big question: is language unique to humans? So she begins an ambitious experiment -- with the help of a young gorilla named Koko. Pretty soon, Penny says Koko is learning sign language. But, of course, that’s not the whole story. 

You can listen to our weekly series, A Show About Animals, in all the places you get your podcasts. 

A Show About Animals is hosted and reported by Arielle Duhaime-Ross and produced by Julia Nutter and Pete Lang-Stanton. Our associate producer is Leily Rezvani. Sound design and original score by Pran Bandi, with additional support from Steve Bone. 

Annie Aviles is our executive editor. Our executive producer and VP of Vice Audio is Kate Osborn. 

Special thanks to Maximo Anderson for fact-checking.

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Natalie and Rob went on a tear through Inscryption on last week’s stream, and so now the whole crew has to talk about how awesome this game is. Then special guest Austin Walker joins Cado and Patrick to talk through their time in the Elden Ring network test, and try to contain their hype as they discuss what worked and what questions still remain unanswered about the full game. After the break, the crew talks about the first two episodes of Otherside Picnic, the Roadside Picnic inspired anime about two women who find each other (and quite possibly themselves) in a creepypasta infused version of The Zone.

Discussed: Inscryption 3:30, Elden Ring 26:32, Xbox Back Compatibility 1:02:09, Otherside Picnic 1:05:13, Shin Megami Tensei V 1:42:36, Question Bucket 1:45:25

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The crew is fully on their bullshit this week, some of it good, some of it great, and some utterly disappointing. First up, Cado is becoming the pilot he always hoped he could be in Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy, a game about a group of young women that form a secret elite squad of Zeon pilots that were always just off to the side of the original Gundam anime’s story. It’s got a convincing weight to it that has Cado chomping at the bit to play the next volume (or maybe hop into the multiplayer game it’s mechanics come from). Patrick regales us mere mortals with tales of his time in Elden Ring, the upcoming From Soft open world game. He’s enjoyed his time checking out all sorts of fun bullshit in the surprisingly dense world. After the break, Rob is back from an extremely uneven review event for Battlefield 2042. Even looking past the technical issues the event had, the main game modes he played left a lot to be desired, that is until DICE let him at Battlefield: Portal, a build your own game mode with an intricate amount of fine tuning available, with assets and maps from across Battlefield’s history. Stick around near the end of the podcast for an Anime Announcement, and Cado and Patrick yelling a bit about Natalie and Rob’s Inscryption run.

Discussed: Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy 2:42, Elden Ring 19:31, Battlefield 2042 55:14, Guardians of the Galaxy 1:45:46, Monday Pod Announcement 1:53:18, Inscryption 1:57:12 

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The Waypoint Radio crew welcomes Motherboard senior editor Jordan Pearson onto the show to talk about gaming NFTs. We discuss how some of the current trends portend a grim future, the NFT games that already exist and how they operate, and what a AAA developer might do with this technology. Come along and listen as we collectively stare into the abyss! After the break, Rob, Patrick, and Cado talk about two recent sci-fi epics: Foundation and Dune, and how they both tackle the way empires oppress people on different timescales.

Discussed: Games and NFTs 5:19, Foundation and Dune 53:00

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We’ve got an extra beefy episode today, because guess what, it’s JRPG time! Gita Jackson joins the pod to talk Shin Megami Tensei V, a game we totally don’t call “the dark souls of Pokemon” in any serious way but it was too cursed to not get out of my head I’m sorry. It is, however, a traditional JRPG in a lot of ways that most other franchises have moved on from, for better and for worse. After the break, Rob and Patrick have been revving up their engines in the new Forza Horizon 5. Patrick is enjoying it as a first time Horizon player but Rob has a bone to pick both with some electronic break models and the ghost of Cado’s drivatar haunting his races. After the outro stick around to hear Patrick and Cado, then Patrick and Austin, gush over the 15 minute Elden Ring gameplay video. #potboygang

Discussed: Shin Megami Tensei V 9:32, Forza Horizon 5 52:35, Darkest Dungeon II 1:29:59, Question Bucket 1:36:58, The Elden Ring Minute 1:58:50

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We’re back and boy, do we have GAMES to talk about! Natalie is taking the traditional Animal Crossing walk of shame, as all her villagers berate her for being gone so long, but the real problem with being away for so long is much worse, and flower shaped, and might have its roots in some real life, uh, tendencies that everyone except Patrick share. Patrick is finding time for gaming with his kid in Zookeeper World, a solid match three game. Rob has the answers to all of our organizational worries, just play hybrid Basebuilder/ARPG Riftbreaker, at least you can make a neatly organized base! Natalie and Cado have been having pretty different experiences with Eastward, a beautifully produced action RPG that shines in it’s world building and story but lacks something in its combat. Patrick has been bitten by the Inscryption bug, he and Cado try their best to communicate how cool the game is without any major spoilers, and Natalie and Rob may have been intrigued by this discussion enough to stream it. Then, Natalie checks in with the latest from Apex Legends before the crew takes a tiny baby dip into the question bucket.

Discussed: Animal Crossing 12:34, Zookeeper World 24:51, Riftbreaker 31:57, Eastward 41:24, Inscryption 55:05, Apex Legends 1:12:18

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Rob, Patrick, and Cado are joined by special guest Yussef Cole to talk about Guardians of the Galaxy, a surprisingly not horrible action game that has flown over expectations by being just … fine. Patrick and Yussef break down the game’s workable combat, and the way side stories let these characters breath in a way the movies don’t. After the break, Rob has been enjoying a dip into history, both his own and that of medieval Europe in Age of Empires IV, an RTS that not only throws back the clock with its setting, but some of it’s RTS design choices as well. Cado has finally finished Metroid Dread, and is about as high on the movement and combat as he is low on the overall map structure. This leads us into a discussion over MercurySteam's crediting practices and labor practices across the industry.

Discussed: Guardians of the Galaxy 2:54, Age of Empires IV 54:11, Metroid Dread 1:23:28, Labor in the Games Industry 1:33:55

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The bucket calls to us, and we must answer. We’re doing a heft dive into the question bucket today, but first! We hit some news stories, like “Does Tom Holland Age?” and “Hey, wtf is up at Bungie?” Patrick is also getting back into VR with Resident Evil 4 VR. After the break, we take a quick look at the trailer for Haunted Chocolatier, the newly announced game from the creator of Stardew Valley, and get into the new home Chocolatier fad that Rob has the skinny on. Then we dive into the question bucket to answer some questions about… well fish, that’s why we’re diving obviously. 

Discussed: News 5:06, VR 36:01, Resident Evil 4 VR 40:47, Question Bucket 1:04:34

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It’s a new Monday in October, which means we’re one week closer to the spooky apex of the season. We’re slowly ratcheting up the spookiness this week by immersing ourselves in S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. We discuss the early game as Patrick continues to play on stream, and we start to reach some of the scarier moments of the game. Rob is being Rob by reaching back in time to play Medal of Honor Airborne, a game that has Rob considering a path that Military FPS games could’ve taken in a different world. Cado’s playing … well a roguelike deck builder of course. Inscryption is his game of choice for this spooky season, with some immaculate scary vibes, even though it’s missing one or two Content Warnings up front. After the break, Rob, Patrick, and Cado wrap up their Ted Lasso discussion and hit on the “surprise” villain of season two, and just how off the extra episodes ended up landing for us.

Discussed: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 1:40, Medal of Honor Airborne 13:56, Inscryption 21:37, Elechead 41:50, Ted Lasso 46:48

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The WPR crew is back from their day off on Monday recharged and ready to discuss the finer points of … the best way to make a PB&J. The crew talks about their time with Back 4 Blood, the new iteration on the Left 4 Dead formula made by some of the people who created it. While it has an uneven first showing, as with most co-op games it’s often better with friends. After the break, Natalie and Cado dive into their time with Deltarune Chapter 1+2, and discuss the ways the game continues to play with themes set up in Undertale in new ways. Then, Rob is colliding into his past as a matchbox kid by checking out Hot Wheels Unleashed, an almost too brutal arcade racer that has a bizarre home decoration component? And Patrick wraps up his time with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and finds the back half challenging in a satisfying way that the first half was not.

Discussed: Back 4 Blood 13:42, World Flipper 43:18, Deltarune 50:30, Hot Wheels Unleashed 1:04:13, Kena: Bridge of Spirits 1:25:01

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The fall game season is in full swing! Gita is on today's pod to talk all things Remedy, but first! We talk about Far Cry 6 and the Ubisoft franchise fatigue so many of us have felt at one point or another. Patrick has been checking out Metroid Dread, a good game that is limited by the conventions that the Metroid franchise introduced to games as a whole. After the break, Gita has been diving back into the world of Alan Wake Remastered, and ended up taking a tour through many other Remedy games. Then there's the Cado Destiny Minute, where they discuss the new vaulting announcement and how Destiny 2 is one of the only MMOs that gets rid of content.

Discussed: Far Cry 6 1:15, Metroid Dread 32:24, Alan Wake Remastered 56:38, Destiny 2 Vaulting 1:34:06

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The SPOOKS never end! The podcast is haunted by the spirits of Waypoints past, and one particularly tenacious intern is making a surprise appearance! Natalie is back on Waypoint Radio today to talk about her Waypoint hiatus, how she was briefly in the world of e-sports, and her current job in game dev. Then the whole crew dives into the question bucket to talk buying the same game multiple times, moon trips, and favorite life hacks. Oh also Rob played a Poirot mystery game.

Discussed: Death Stranding 28:44, Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot - The First Cases 37:22, The Question Bucket 48:23

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WE'RE TAKING OVER! Special Guest Cameron Kunzelman was lured him onto the podcast to supposedly talk about Sable, which he reviewed for Waypoint but instead Patrick took it upon himself to take over Just King Things and rebrand it "KingPoint." Listen as the crew dives into everything Steven King, and who knows, we might even talk about a few video games.

Discussed: Sable 6:58, Unsighted 52:36, Demon's Souls 58:02, The Question Bucket 1:02:12

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We’ve got special guests Natalie Flores and Moises Taveras join Patrick and Cado to talk all things Life is Strange. But first, we’ve got some ranting to do about a certain film lineup that is truly cursed. After the break, we dive deep on all things Life is Strange, from the series history with queerness to our own personal head cannons. We go full spoilers for the entire franchise to contextualize the latest entry, True Colors, and ask the hard questions like “who would ever choose Ryan over Steph?”

Discussed: Mario Movie Cast 3:30, Life is Strange True Colors Spoilercast 16:58

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We’ve got special guest Dia Lacina on the show today to talk about Lost Judgment, but somehow also stumble into yet another discussion of S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. Patrick’s dipped a toe into the Guardians of the Galaxy video game, which begs the question: why? And Cado’s been playing Sable, a visually stunning platforming exploration game where you set out to try on different hats (both literally and figuratively) in a beautiful post-post-apocalypse with your trusty hover bike.

Discussed: S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl 2:24, Guardians of the Galaxy 21:08, Sable 33:43, Lost Judgment 51:22, The Question Bucket 1:23:08

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Video games! They're happening, and we're playing them. Patrick is checking out Kena: Bridge of Spirits and finds a game that's been ripped from the early aughts in everything but art style, and that might be ok? Cado has been playing Eastward and learns that maybe his taste in pacing has changed. Rob's learning everything he needs to be his most productive self with a new tech purchase. After the break, we discuss next month's project: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Which game are we playing? What mods are we using? Listen in and let us know you're thoughts!

Discussed: Kena: Bridge of Spirits 6:29, Eastward 23:35, Deltarune 44:35, Rob's Surface Pro 48:27, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 101 1:07:56, The Question Bucket 1:45:27

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We’re all caught in it so we might as well talk about it! Deathloop has it’s hooks in the entire Waypoint Radio crew to the point that we invited on a special guest just so we could talk about it more. Moises Taveras joins Rob, Patrick, and Cado to talk about the game’s stellar mix of roguelike and immersive sim systems. After the break, Patrick shares his ending thoughts on Life is Strange: True Colors, and discusses how the franchise’s arc with supernatural powers seems to be waning, even though the general writing is getting sharper. Then Rob checks in with the opening hours of Lost Judgment, a game that bewilderingly opens on a story that feels like a 90’s after school special.

Discussed: Deathloop 17:43, Life is Strange: True Colors 1:17:17, Lost Judgment 1:34:39

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And then there were three! Rob, Patrick, and Cado reconvene for a new sort of waypoint podcast, part games, part pop culture. With only three people left as full time staff we’re going to start splitting up game talk and putting in more discussions of the film/tv/whatever that’s been inspiring us lately, this week: Patrick and Rob give their early Deathloop impressions, as they both learn the ins and outs of the time loop, and try to decipher which proper noun is the one their trying to kill. After the break, the whole crew has been watching Ted Lasso, the different ways the show’s second season has been uneven.

Discussed: Deathloop 12:40, Eastward 38:50, Judgment 39:44, Ted Lasso 42:30

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I may have rewritten this description four times at this point, because it's hard to sum up my feelings today. This is Austin’s last podcast as host of Waypoint Radio. We're all going to miss him on these podcasts, from his incisive analysis to jovial enthusiasm, he put so much of himself into Waypoint and Waypoint Radio over the last five years. And now he's moving on to greater and better things, but not without one last episode. We'll miss you Austin!

Discussed: Judgement 1:54, Patrick Key Update 15:21, World Flipper 19:09,Tales of Arise 49:55, Life is Strange: True Colors 1:08:09, OPUS: Echo of Starsong 1:23:32, Dice Legacy 1:34:04,WarioWare: Get It Together! 1:48:34, KeyWe 1:55:33, The Question Bucket 1:57:49, The Matrix Resurrections 2:32:11, Austin's Farewell 2:49:04

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Patrick lost his keys. There’s apparently some bears paraphernalia and a beer opener on the ring. Please email gaming@vice.com if you have found some keys matching this description. Thank You.

Discussed: Pokemon Unite 11:41, Psychonauts 2 26:07, Genshin Impact 34:48, Cursed to Golf 54:28, Golf Club Wasteland 1:06:51, Question Bucket 1:21:20, Midnight Suns 1:43:19

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It’s been a slow week for new releases, but there’s plenty of new Elden Ring news to talk about! First, Cado walks Austin and Patrick through the new Destiny 2 announcements, and how the new structure of Destiny is shaping up after a year of continuous narrative. Austin and Patrick are excited by the implications of new Elden Ring previews, what they mean for invasions and co-op, and the possibility of rolling deep with pot boys. Then Patrick talks us through the Blasphemous 2 announcement and the interesting localization effort around the original game. After the break, Cado is feeling a lot of familiar feelings while playing No Longer Home, a narrative game that takes cues from Kentucky Route Zero and lives up to those references through it’s naturalistic dialogue system. Patrick has dove even further into the recesses of the mind in Psychonauts 2, and finds a more interesting core message after it’s perfectly adequate opening hours. Then we move on to the question bucket for more gift giving gone wrong (or sometimes very right) stories.

Discussed: Destiny 2 8:09, Tencent 25:29, Elden Ring 40:07, Blasphemous 2 53:14, No Longer Home 1:02:53, Psychonauts 2 1:15:36, Dodgeball Academia 1:28:32, Question Bucket 1:31:18

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Patrick has some BREAKING NEWS to share, as the CEO of Unity has responded to complaints from employees about parts of the company working with the US military. Rob and Austin jump in to talk about labor organizing and the reasons certain strategies have fallen out of use in the US. Then the WPR crew talks through the Gamescom opening night live, but not before losing their minds at the latest Fortnite event, a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. After the break, Austin, Rob, and Cado took on some freelance work for the uhhhh … Weyland-Yutani corporation? They talk about their surprisingly good time in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, a co-op misson based third person shooter that finally fills the almost too obvious niche of “Left 4 Dead but in the Aliens universe.” Then Patrick and Austin set out to explore the universe in Jett: The Far Shore, an exploration based game with deeply interesting world building.

Discussed: Unity CEO responds 0:48, Fortnite March Through Time 41:42, Gamescom 45:22, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 1:04:06, Jett: The Far Shore 1:29:04

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Content Warning at 1:22:00 for discussion of Violence against a pregnant woman, Death, Incest, and Drugging

You ever have one of those days where nothing can go right? Well what if you had to have that day over and over again. Sound familiar? No, I’m not talking about the seminal time loop dark comedy Groundhog Day, a time loop I’d rather be stuck in than play another loop of Twelve Minutes. The whole Waypoint Radio crew played through it and boy do we have a meaty spoiler segment for you. Before that, we dipped into the Question Bucket to hear more Christmas stories, and a follow up to a question on getting into rogue likes. That was right after Rob took us through his aesthetically dense but mechanically mediocre experience with The Ascent. Austin is hopeful for the studio behind Foreclosed, a cyberpunk game that has great storytelling and visual style, but lacks a special something in it’s action sequences. Patrick and Rob took us through their mind palace as they explored Psychonauts 2, but not before we talk about Patrick’s article on Unity’s non-gaming ventures and how workers at the company feel about its military contracts.

Discussed (in actual order) : Unity 2:06, Psychonauts 2 35:35, Foreclosed 50:32, The Ascent 53:27, Twelve Minutes Spoilercast (see above for Content Warnings) 1:22:00

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There’s some big news in this pod! We kick things off with two special announcements, then dive right into the game's we've been playing. Austin’s started the next Waypoint 101 game Super Metroid, Patrick and Cado joined him on stream so they discuss the early hours of the game. Then, Rob and Patrick discuss some of the less convincing moments in Twelve Minutes, an adventure game with some interesting time looping mechanics but questionable plot points. After the break, Austin is getting out of the country on Road 96, a game about teenagers hitchhiking out of a country during a politically turbulent moment. Austin and Cado are then learning the dark arts in Black Book, a deck builder that isn’t a roguelike for once, and has a great atmosphere and interesting mechanics around learning local folklore. Then we take another dip in the bucket for more Christmas lore, and a premonition from pods of Waypoints past. 

Discussed: Super Metroid 13:56, Twelve Minutes (Light Spoilers) 21:01, Road 96 54:27, Black Book 1:16:16, The Question Bucket 1:29:19

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Gita Jackson is on the pod today to tell Rob, Cado, and Patrick all about the different dates they've been on while delving into Boyfriend Dungeon. The crew discuss the content warning controversy around the game, how the visual novel genre has handled similar content in the past, and what “play with care” can mean for different people. After the break, Patrick checked out Axiom Verge 2, the sequel to the 2015 indie Metroidvania that leaves something to be desired. Rob is checking out Humankind, whose “Civ but not” tech trees seem to eschew the way cultures and history can build on top of each other by allowing you to jump between playing different real world civilizations depending on the era you’re in. Cado’s finished up the most recent Destiny 2 season, and feels like the Vanguard could’ve been implicated in some of the hatred towards The Fallen that the season focused on. Then in the question bucket we talk about LARPing.

Discussed: Boyfriend Dungeon 0:59, Axiom Verge 37:43, Humankind 52:30, Destiny 2 1:08:53, The Question Bucket 1:23:29

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It’s hot as hell in NYC this week, which is apt for this particularly hellish episode! Austin, Rob, and Cado discuss some of their recent games of Hell Let Loose, and the different ways the tactical layer can (and will) break down. Then Austin and Cado check out Jupiter Hell, an isometric ranged combat based “traditional” roguelike, which translates FPS mechanics into its tile and turned based gameplay. After the break, we enter the atomic hell of the exclusion zone in Chernobylite, where Austin and Rob are finding ways to make the zone a little more cozy. Then Austin introduces us into a whole new hell of … librarians that turn unsuspecting visitors into books? Library of Ruina’s deck building and card game mechanics may seem inscrutable at first, but at least you have a sick soundtrack to listen to while you figure them out! Then the crew takes a dip in the question bucket to learn about what Pokemon Rob is, Bread, and parents who love Christmas pranks.

Discussed: Hell Let Loose 4:14, Jupiter Hell 27:50, Chernobylite 45:47, Banners of Ruin 1:03:50, Library of Ruina 1:08:35, The Question Bucket 1:24:13

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Very special guests Em and Jackson from Abnormal Mapping join Austin and Cado to discuss the hot new game that everyone’s playing: The New York Times Crossword. Thanks to Chris Remo’s new video series, everyone on the pod has been learning the nuances and tricks the NYT like to employ, from esoteric clues that appear again and again to the specific clue construction logic that allow just enough space for multiple interpretations that might still fit in the puzzle. After the break, Cado and Jackson have been checking out Splitgate, the “Halo meets Portal” multiplayer game that has recently blown up, despite it having released a few years ago. Em’s been checking out Final Fantasy XIV, and is having a better time with the new A Realm Reborn changes than either Austin or Cado did with the original content. We also dip into the question bucket to figure out “what kind of Pokemon are you?”

Discussed: The New York Times Crossword 5:33, Halo 4 29:29, Splitgate 40:22, Apex Legends 58:05, Final Fantasy XIV 1:16:57, Back 4 Blood 1:34:00, Question Bucket 1:45:15, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster 1:48:27

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Gita Jackson joins Rob and Cado today to talk about Neo The World Ends With You, a worthy successor to the original The World Ends With You, whose episodic structure and focus on character writing makes it feel like playing a CW show. After the break, Cado fills in the crew on Gengar's fall from grace as the new patch hits in Pokemon Unite. Then Rob and Gita talk infrastructure games and how roads and bridges can cause all sorts of headaches in City Skylines. Then, Cado joins the other scavengers in the Exclusion Zone in Chernobylite, and talks about how the zone looks and feels great, but the base building aspect is maybe not all the way there. Then they take a quick dip in the question bucket and talk jobs and the myriad ways management can (and will) undercut workers' ability to organize.

Discussed: Neo The World Ends With You 8:05, Pokemon Unite 47:22, City Skylines 1:02:55, Hell Let Loose 1:08:55, Chernobylite 1:10:26, The Question Bucket 1:23:26

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Austin and Cado have joined Rob in the trenches, and they’re having a hell of a time! Commander Rob is joined by a few new squaddies in Hell Let Loose, and someone messed up and let Cado get behind the wheel of a tank. After the break, Patrick is exploring his own cyberpunk hell in The Ascent, an extremely divisive top down shooter with a very slow start. Austin and Rob are scavenging a new exclusion zone in Chernobylite, Cado is doing a dance of deductions in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, and the question bucket has all sorts of new music stories in it.

Discussed: Hell Let Loose 7:02, The Ascent 39:45, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles: 59:14, Chernobylite 1:03:52, Question Bucket 1:11:37, Death’s Door 1:53:12

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It can be difficult to give game recommendations to people, but every once in a while a game lines up so purely with a person’s tastes it almost felt like it was made for them. This is the case with Hell Let Loose, a World War Two military shooter with a chain of command system that Rob described “[like] an RTS, but your units are other people.” Austin and Cado accidentally convince the rest of the crew to download Pokemon Unite, even as they complain about their less than ideal patch notes. After the break, we get a quick update from Patrick on the current situation at Activision-Blizzard. Austin has been checking out Highfleet, an extremely stylish game set in a Dieselpunk Eastern Europe. And Patrick checks back in with quick updates on Death’s Door and Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City. Then we get some clarification on Patrick’s cruel band class rejection from the Question Bucket.

Discussed: Hell Let Loose 6:24, Pokemon Unite 41:10, Activision-Blizzard Walkout 55:40, Death’s Door 1:22:17, HighFleet 1:24:46, Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City 1:39:27, Question Bucket 1:44:34

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Austin and Cado are still playing Pokemon Unite, and do some live research into some of it's more hidden forms of microtransactions. Patrick is living his best music playing life with Ragnarock, a VR drum rhythm game with a slightly frustrating boost mechanic. After the break, Cado's been playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, the historical fiction entry into the Ace Attorney franchise that has only just been released outside of Japan despite the first game being six years old at this point. Austin has been checking out Chernobylite in early access, a first person exploration shooter that takes cues from games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R, but with base building akin to State of Decay. Then the crew takes a quick dip in the question bucket and discuss how to get into rogue-likes, even if the structure seems to not be your cup of tea.

Discussed: Pokemon Unite 1:28, Ragnarock 35:31, The Great Ace Attorney 58:09, Death’s Door 1:23:46, Chernobylite 1:28:56, Question Bucket 1:32:26

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Content Warning for discussion of Misogyny, Sexual Harassment, and Suicide from 7:28 - 46:49

The video game industry has historically been a boys club. Men have often claimed video games as something women weren't interested in or weren't good at. In recent years that line of thinking has shifted towards inclusivity on the community side of things, but within the industry many of the old company structures are still in place, and still undervaluing and endangering women. This week, the state of California brought a suit against Activision-Blizzard for being "breeding ground for harassment". Austin, Patrick, and Cado discuss what the suit has alleged, the ways in which things haven't changed in the industry, and the ways individuals can help push for change.

After the break we dive back into Boomerang X, and talk about it's wild final boss. Patrick and Austin are enjoying Death's Door, even if they both thing some of the level design could use some fine tuning. And of course, Cado is playing the PokeMOBA, Pokemon Unite.

Discussed: Activision-Blizzard 7:28, Boomerang 46:49, Death's Door 1:13:29, Black Skylands 1:33:09, Ragnarok 1:35:28, Pokemon Unite 1:36:11

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Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode: INTERmission at ~1:24:05

It’s been a very sports filled week for the Waypoint Radio crew. Basketball is good, Space Jam is bad, and Rob’s getting back behind the wheel with F1 2021, with it’s new “Longshot-eqsue” story mode: Braking Point. Patrick’s looking within in Psychonauts 2, and Austin is looking back by revisiting Dark Souls. Skyward Sword HD continues to frustrate everyone, Austin and the crew take a short detour into Colombian children’s books while discussing Cris Tales, a new “Mario RPG-like” that references many Colombian cultural touchstones. Cado has wrapped Final Fantasy VII: Episode INTERmission, and has left with more questions than answers. Then we dip into some more audiophile and food talk in the Question Bucket.

Discussed: F1 2021 10:18, Psychonauts 2 36:48, Dark Souls Remastered 52:28, Skyward Sword HD 57:31, Cris Tales 1:10:13, Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode:INTERmission 1:22:20, Spoilers for INTERmission 1:24:05, Question Bucket 1:42:43

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It’s not often that you hear someone describe a first party Nintendo game as “Well… it’s interesting.” But that’s one of the opening remarks Patrick has for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. Cado finished Boomerang X and Patrick said he did but, well, I’ll let him defend himself. Rob’s recent foray into the Company of Heroes franchise has culminated in a new release, Company of Heroes 3. The question bucket gets us into a long conversation about cables, and then Valve dropped the Steam Deck.

Discussed: World Flipper 1:04, Genshin Impact 4:42, Skyward Sword HD 7:49, Boomerang X 45:02, Company of Heroes 3 1:02:48, Question Bucket 1:43:07, Steam Deck 2:13:12

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It's a bit of a slow time out in video game land but don't worry, the Waypoint Radio crew are here to entertain. Between Rob's new entertainment center, Patrick's kid's birthday party excursion, and Cado's new Midi controller, they've got plenty of excuses for not playing anything new this weekend. So instead they dig into their weekends, how the Resident Evil 101 is going so far, and Rob's return to Company of Heroes. Then they dive back into the food bucket and Rob one of his favorite food websites.

Discussed: What's Good 3:59, Halloween Reboot 17:57, Lost Judgement 20:37, Resident Evil 36:07, Company of Heroes 52:10, Boomerang X 1:27:10, The Question Bucket 1:28:14

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Austin, Patrick and Cado are back from a long break spent traveling and seeing family, which meant gaming on the go. They've all been playing lots of stuff on their Switches, and bumping up against some of the frustrating issues the now four year old console has. As luck would have it, Nintendo happened to announce a new Switch model this week, but it wasn't quite the hardware upgrade anyone was hoping for. Join the Waypoint Radio crew as they compare some of the games they're playing on Switch to their PC versions and break down how the "4k Switch" rumour mill might have originated.

Discussed: The Switch (OLED) 4:51, Boomerang X 36:43, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin 56:46, Dark Souls Remastered 1:10:20, Elden Ring 1:32:03, Ender Lilies 1:34:21, Mario Golf: Super Rush 1:35:24

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It’s the Friday before a longish holiday for us folks here at Waypoint Radio, and you can feel that slightly manic “day before break” energy in the air. Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather round the old podcasting mics to talk Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (those are different things), Golf, Mario Golf (different things!), Flatland, Flatland vol.2 (very different things), and take a real deep and luxuriating dive into the Question Bucket.

Discussed: Sheriff of Nottingham 23.34, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade 29:40, Mario Golf: Super Rush 57:22, Flatland Vol. 2 1:17:46, The Question Bucket 1:22:48

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Content Warning at 1:16:55 for discussion of Suicide and Harassment

The height of summer is here, and what better way to beat the heat than some video games! Rob is finding his Battle Royale sea legs by diving head first into Fortnite. Could this mean the return of a certain Battle Royale duo? After the break, Patrick is bringing color back into the world with Chicory, a paint based zelda-like where you use color to complete puzzles. Austin's been spending his time in the sun golfing with the mushroom kingdom in Mario Golf: Super Rush, but wonders if it wouldn't be a bit more fun to enjoy the results of a swing rather than running between them. Rob and Patrick return to Dark Deity to consider their favorite characters and how the game uses overpowered characters to form a smoother difficulty curve. Then Patrick and Austin discuss the real life tragedy and legacy of programer Near, and the cruelty of online harassment.

Discussed: Fortnite 11:22, Chicory 33:29, Mario Golf Super Rush 41:35, Ender Lilies 54:58, Dark Deity 1:05:37, Content Warningf for Suicide and Harassment 1:16:55

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As summer temps are climbing, Austin and Patrick are beating the heat in the dank cavelike temples of Phantom Abyss, an asynchronous multiplayer puzzle platformer where each level is can only be beaten once, and the ghosts of other players lead you to their (and possibly your) demise. Austin is also checking out Scarlet Nexus, an action game with an extremely anime story that has us asking "how anime is too anime?" After the break, we get our second dose of anime with Rob who brings us Dark Deity, a Fire Emblem inspired tactics game that might benefit from being a little less like Fire Emblem. Patrick is exploring a new space of creativity that Nintendo has once again botched online support for in Game Builder Garage, and then we take a soup-dip in the Question Bucket.

Discussed : Phantom Abyss 10:52, Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance 22:24, Scarlet Nexus 37:58, Dark Deity 1:00:37, Game Builder Garage 1:13:52, Question Bucket 1:29:17

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After a hefty sports/politics minute (look, it was a busy weekend!), the Waypoint Radio crew is here to talk about one of their favorite things, roguelike deckbuilders. Rob is playing Roguebook, a new game designed by Richard Garfield (of Netrunner/Magic: the Gathering fame), which presents a new take on the deckbuilding genre of video games: what if all the cards? After the break, Austin, Patrick, and Cado report back on their time fighting "Chaos?" in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Austin has also been checking out Wildermyth, an RPG with proc-gen narrative told through the shifting personality traits of your characters. Then we do a quick wrap up on some of our favorite Steam Next Fest demos before entering an especially cursed Question Bucket.

Discussed: Sports 0:00, What's Good 5:51, Roguebook 22:59, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin 40:30, Wildermyth 1:00:13, Unsighted 1:12:38, Norco 1:14:33, Question Bucket 1:28:06

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E3 is over! The Waypoint Radio crew is here to wrap up the best announcements from the final two days of E3, and a slew of demos they've played. First up, Austin, Cado, Patrick, and Rob do a blow by blow recap of the stellar Nintendo Direct. Cado and Patrick are excited to return to the Metroid universe with Metroid Dread, a follow up to the great Metroid Fusion. Austin and Cado share a few war stories in preparation for Advanced Wars 1+2: Re-boot Camp, and everyone has thoughts on the new Breath of the Wild 2 trailer. After the break, Rob takes us on the harrowing experience of surviving a medieval siege in Siege Survival: Gloria Victis, and then Patrick and Austin take us through a demo-palooza as they check out different Steam Next Fest and Xbox Demos for upcoming games.

Discussed: Nintendo Direct 6:31, Metroid Dread 19:16, Advanced Wars 1+2: Re-boot Camp 38:17, Breath of the Wild 2 47:29, Steam Next Fest 59:56, Siege Survival: Gloria Victis 1:07:57, Sable 1:14:18, Death Trash 1:24:02, They Always Run 1:27:57, Dark Deity 1:35:00, Tunic 1:41:04, Project Haven 1:45:54

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It's Gamer Christmas yet again, but things are very different this time around. Austin, Rob, Patrick, and Cado have all gathered in one place to celebrate the launch of Waypoint Plus, oh and to watch some E3 streams! Rob's excited for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2, Austin and Patrick are ready for Elden Ring, and Cado is ready to continually forget to unmute his mic.

You cann find out more about Waypoint Plus at vice.com/waypointplus

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Ok so let’s get right to it. Austin, Patrick, and Rob have a great podcast here, lots of fun stuff like Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart, Necromunda: Hired Gun, and Overboard. It’s all great stuff, but more importantly there’s a question at the end of the podcast and they can’t stop me from weighing in because I write the descriptions. I stand with Craig. It’s ridiculous how repulsed society is to Craig’s issue. And no, using bread is not the same thing. Even ignoring people with celiac disease, the texture is extremely different and depending on what’s on the plate isn’t necessarily preferable. #imwithCraig

Discussed: Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart 09:30, Necromunda: Hired Gun 43:29, Overboard 1:11:03, Operation Tango 1:18:50, Stonefly 1:23:17, The Question Bucket 1:31:17

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Join Austin and Patrick as they dive deep on Capcom’s latest entry in their long running horror franchise. Mutant Mold! Babies! Giant Vampire Women! They cover it all and answer listener questions such as: Which of the four lords would you marry? Which Ninja Turtle would each of the four lords be? Why does Resident Evil always go buck wild in the last act?

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We have a special bonus pod for y'all this Tuesday! Join as Gita Jackson and special guest Emily Lipstein talk about the new Sims 4 game pack, Dream Home Decorator. They discuss the community's reactions to the game pack, how old TLC home renovation shows were buckwild, and the moments this new game pack lean into some of that surprise factor from that style of reality TV.

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We’ve got big exciting news at the top of this podcast! But I won’t spoil it here, I love a good surprise! After the announcement the Waypoint Radio crew check in on DragonQuest’s latest announcements, Austin’s hatred of the narrator from Biomutant, Rob’s action hero turn in The Evil Within 2, and the beginning of a new Sonic cycle. Patrick’s also been checking out Wild at Heart, aka: the game where someone wanted to make Pikmin but didn’t work at Nintendo so they made their own. Cado and Austin checked in on Unexplored 2, the follow up to one of Austin's favorite roguelikes, who's new mechanics hew less Rogue and more Indie RPG in an interesting way.

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Discussed: Exciting Announcement 00:00, Dragon Quest Fest 18:59, Biomutant 27:04, The Evil Within 2 1:04:20, Sonic Cycle 1:10:30, Knockout City 1:13:31, Wild at Heart 1:14:06, Unexplored 2 1:22:53, More Sonic News 1:31:16

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Sometimes you start a project thinking it would be fun to learn a new skill. Well Gita is doing exactly that in Final Fantasy XIV, but every time she learns one crafting class she realizes that things would be more efficient if she just learned to craft everything. Patrick is finding little to like in Biomutant, and leaves us with a short preamble for Friday’s podcast. Gita is checking back in with Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, and finding the changes to be ... revolutionary. After the break, Patrick is deep in the world of dodgeball with Knockout City, a surprisingly fun game that had the weirdest launch trailer. Gita has been living life in the apocalypse in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, a game that doesn't pull any punches mechanically and philosophically. And of course, wherever there's a new Destiny 2 raid, there's Cado. He recounts his experiences revisiting the Vault of Glass, the first Destiny raid that has been remastered for Destiny 2. (Spoilers for the Vault of Glass in this segment

Discussed: Final Fantasy XIV 6:42, Biomutant 14:45, Disco Elysium: The Final Cut 30:42, Knockout City 44:39, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne 57:53, Destiny 2 Vault of Glass 1:17:31

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Rob’s seen the future, and it looks a lot like the past. He’s had a hands-off preview of Deathloop, the first person assassin’s Groundhog Day game with a strong late 60’s, early 70’s Spy genre aesthetic. Austin, Patrick, and Cado come along on the ride as he describes what he’s learned about the loop, the gaps that are still missing, and what the hell The Prisoner is. After the break, Austin and Patrick are having a blast in Resident Evil Village, Cado’s stuck recreating Tom Hanks flick The Terminal in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey, and Rob is living his best life as a winemaker in Hundred Days - Winemaking Simulator.

Discussed: Deathloop 2:59, Resident Evil Village 43:24, Elite Dangerous: Odyssey 55:43, Hundred Days 1:05:08, Question Bucket 1:19:51

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On Friday, May 14th, 2021, IGN posted an article listing organizations that are providing aid to Palestinian citizens currently being harmed by Israeli attacks on Gaza and the West Bank. What followed over the weekend was an egregious breach of editorial independence, and an outpouring of support for Palestine in the Games space that makes it clear that the industry has changed for the better in some ways. Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, Cado, Gita, and special guest Emanuel Maiberg as they discuss what happened at IGN, what's being done to the Palestinian people, and ways the conversation around Palestine has changed. After the break we go on a quick MMO minute as Gita is getting into Final Fantasy XIV and Austin checked out the Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis beta, Patrick is getting into Remnant: From the Ashes to check out it's next gen update, and Rob has finally given up on The Evil Within to start The Evil Within 2.

Discussed: Palestine 1:30, Final Fantasy XIV 1:08:48, PSO 2 New Genesis 1:22:23, Remnant From the Ashes 1:26:23, The Evil Between 2 1:34:51, Destiny 2 1:45:56

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E3 is going Virtual this year and the Waypoint Radio crew is here to figure out what the hell that means. Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado as they discuss the latest from the ESA and what the nature of this year's show might be. Rob brings us news from the war against chaos, he's enjoying his time with Warhammer 3! Austin is struggling with Hood: Outlaws and Legends, the new Robin Hood based PvPvE game that looks like it should be Payday 2 : Sherwood Forest edition but falls short, and Patrick checked out ... Roblox? Cado's enjoying the new Destiny season (but what else is new?).

Discussed: E3 2021 3:33, Game Builder Garage 19:24, Warhammer 3 20:50, Resident Evil Village 31:44, Roblox 54:59, Hood: Outlaws and Legends 1:25:44, Destiny 2 Season of the Splicer 1:39:20

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Special guest Dia Lacina joins Austin, Patrick, and Cado to go full spoiler mode for NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... They discuss the game’s focus on the role of the caretaker, the homages to other games, the creation of the self and of the other, and answer your burning NieR questions!

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Rob, Gita, Patrick and Cado are joined by special guest Matthew Gault to talk about Resident Evil VIII. They try to figure out how to pronounce Lady Dimitrescu’s name, talk about how every RE game falls apart by the second half, and which ones manage to stick to our memories despite that. After the break, Gita takes us on a tour of the new Apex Legends mode: Arenas. A 3 vs 3 round based mode that gets you right in the action and may just be the answer for people who bounced of the original battle royale mode. Then we take a length dip in the question bucket, get down to some taco etymology, and jobs we’ve had the pleasure to ollie out of.

Discussed: Resident Evil 8 1:31, RE 8 Lore Spoilers 42:36, Apex Legends: Arenas 46:43, The Question Bucket 1:08:58

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Austin is returning to the conversation from last pod on Returnal, and enjoying the runs a bit more than Patrick did. Rob’s trying to be a jack of all trades in MLB the Show ’21, but may just end up being master of none. Cado’s savoring the last throes of cold weather by surviving the elements in Scavengers. Then the crew takes a healthy dip in the food trough, er, the Question Bucket, to talk about weird food habits and reveal Rob’s game writer origin story. Stick around after the outdo music for a special Rob and Patrick NFL Draft minute!

Discussed: Returnal 11:58, Returnal Structural Spoilers 20:00, Returnal Level Spoilers 29:54, MLB the Show ’21 52:08, Scavengers 1:11:32, The Question Bucket 1:27:56

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It’s warming up which normally means doing more outdoor activities, but since we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic, each of the Waypoint Radio crew have taken up different substitutes to match their outdoor proclivities. Austin has taken to gardening in NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., Patrick is going on long walks of the same rooms over and over again in Returnal, and Cado is taking photos in New Pokemon Snap. Then they go on an extended dive into the question bucket to talk about maligned games, pizza portions, and more!

Discussed: NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... 2:21, NieR Replicant ending B spoilers 9:46, Nier: Automata Spoilers 14:19, New Pokemon Snap 35:14, New Pokemon Snap first level Spoilers 50:05, Famicom Detective Club 1:09:53, Returnal 1:24:19, Rain On Your Parade 1:41:45, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion 1:44:31, The Question Bucket 1:46:51

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In an odd twist of fate, this year’s Oscars are actually relevant for a video game podcast (not that that’s stopped us in the past.) Rob talks us through the Academy Award winning Colette, which was made as supplemental material for Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, a VR game that didn’t get a lot of buzz. Patrick has been checking out Returnal, a roguelike third person shooter from the creators of arcade styled classics like Super Stardust HD and Resogun. After the break, Austin takes us on a gardening tour as he nears the end of his side quest grind in NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.... Cado lost some time to Naraka: Bladepoint, a melee combat focused Battle Royale with solid combat design that works better than it sounds. Then the crew dives into the Question Bucket to learn about kettle chicken, halloween scares, and ramps. No, not those ramps!

Discussed: The Oscars 6:56, Colette 11:31, Returnal 18:57, NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... 54:53, Nier Replicant spoilers 57:48, InkSlinger 1:18:35, Lake 1:26:45, Naraka Bladepoint 1:33:48, The Question Bucket 1:50:30

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The time is finally here, that’s right, the release of 2021 that everyone’s been waiting for, the new Mortal Kombat movie is out and Patrick is here to let us know how many robots are in it. Unfortunately, MK’s robot score has nothing on Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139..., which has both robots and side quests galore. Austin and Patrick are here to spoil the decade old game. After the break, Rob’s learning to love the subtly episodic structure of Judgement, and we take another food filled dive into the Question Bucket.

Discussed: Mortal Kombat 1:48, Nier: Replicant ver.1.22474487139...19:30, Nier: Replicant Light Spoilers 24:32, Judgement 50:31, Judgement Spoilers 51:28, Question Bucket 1:04:01

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Austin’s starting this week off strong by getting into organization. He’s finding out if he’s up to the job in Wilmot’s Warehouse, a game that swings back and forth from anxiety-inducing collection runs to calm, no limits organizing. Gita is back on the show to talk about the newest from Paradox Games, Stellaris: Nemesis. The crew discusses how add ons to 4x games can often be frustrating to get to, and how they all wished Stellaris had a bit more Crusader Kings III in its DNA. After the break, Cado puts on his best hacker voice to jack into the world of Midnight Protocol, a hacking game with diegetic controls where you type text commands to hack your way through node based maps. Then he takes some time to rock out with Unbeatable, a two-button rhythm game with a killer soundtrack and stylish visuals. Then the crew dives into the question bucket to talk about the places they’ve played games when maybe they shouldn’t have.

Discussed: Wilmot’s Warehouse 8:26, Stellaris: Nemesis 20:45, Midnight Protocol 38:29, Unbeatable 53:41, Question Bucket 1:01:21

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Join Patrick, Austin, and Cado as they discuss the poor decisions Sony’s made recently. Patrick is tempting fate by downloading the Final Fantasy XIV PS5 beta, Austin’s wondering if 34 different endings is really worth acting like an asshole in Ashwalkers [spoilers: it's not], and Cado is vibing aesthetically and mechanically with lo-fi strategy deckbuilderToverblade. Then the gang dive into the Question Bucket and reminisce about times they enjoyed meals on the road, you know, before the pandemic

Discussed: Final Fantasy XIV 6:31, Nier: Replicant 20:03, Shadow Man Remastered 24:44, Playstation Shop Closure 30:10, Sony is Remaking the Last of Us 51:52, Ashwalkers 1:08:10, Toverblade 1:28:16, Question Bucket 1:37:53

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It was inevitable. Austin fell deep into a new roguelike deck builder so of course Cado and Rob had to check it out. Trials of Fire ate up a fair amount of Austin’s Sunday with it’s engaging hex based tactical combat, with mechanics that allow for easy card recycling so it very rarely feels like you have a wasted turn. Rob continued down his crime drama hole with Judgement, but is finding some of the combat encounters a bit too repetitive. Patrick is learning to take control over his life in Say No! More, the comedy game that has a strong mid-nineties comedy game feel. Then we dive back into the Food, er, Question Bucket to find new untold terrors.

Discussed: Trials of Fire 15:49, El Shaddai 39:36, Before Your Eyes 51:05, Judgement 56:07, Say No! More 1:06:14, Question Bucket 1:18:13

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We've got all the HOTTEST news UPFRONT in this podcast, Patrick is here to announce a game delay with a tweet, Rob is bringing the FRESHEST takes on Star Wars: Republic Commando, and Austin is catching up on the lasest season of Riverdale. After the break, Patrick breaks down Nintendo's latest twist on the "battle royale" genre, Pac-Man 99, Cado's giving Outriders a second chance, Patrick checks in with new indie game Before Your Eyes which has an interesting experimental control mechanism, and Rob's living his best crime drama life in Judgement. Then we go for a dive in the Food Bucket!

Discussed: Star Wars: Republic Commando 9:57, Riverdale 25:06, Pac-Man 99 33:26, Outriders 46:56, Aron's Adventure 55:23, Before Your Eyes 59:49, Cozy Grove 1:09:12, Judgement, Question Bucket 1:19:34

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Sometimes you go for a wrestling finisher only to be countered, and have your own finisher used on you. Such is the situation with MLB the Show ’21, a Sony developed game that went multi-platform last year, in a shocking turn of events is now available on Microsoft’s Xbox Gamepass. Join Patrick, Austin and Cado as they discuss the bizarre circumstances. Cado’s also learned that there continues to be story after the credits in Monster Hunter Rise, Austin’s learning to love the builds in Outriders, and Patrick is wishing for higher definition photos in Fantasian.

Discussed: MLB the Show '21 15:08, Monster Hunter Rise 27:22, Outriders 32:54, Apple Arcade 1:00:38, Fantasian 1:04:34, Looking for Heals 1:32:23

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We’ve got a real meaty episode for y’all today! Patrick has been playing NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139... and learning to mind the sheep. Rob's checking out Endzone: A World Apart, which is absolutely not a game about Football. Austin's dipping back into No Man's Sky to check out the Expeditions update, which introduces a new communal and limited time challenge mode to the already expansive universe. The crew takes a dip in the question bucket, and unlock all new ways to consider the structure of a sandwich.

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Rob is starting white boy summer early by watching Aaron Sorkin flicks The Social Network and  Steve Jobs. Monster Hunter fever continues as Cado joins the fray, he and Austin talk through just how new player friendly this game is (spoiler: it’s not!) After the break, Rob and Austin have been checking out Genesis Noir, a crime story told through the lens of the beginning of the universe. Austin grabbed his favorite wrench and got to work in Mech Mechanic Simulator, but found the flavor of that world a bit lackluster. Then we dip into the question bucket and talk about developing critical skills.

Discussed: The Sorkinverse 3:22, Monster Hunter Rise 32:52, Genesis Noir 49:31, Mech Mechanic Simulator 1:06:57, Slay the Spire 1:17:41, Question Bucket 1:21:22

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A gargantuan release hits today, and the Waypoint Radio crew is gearing up for the hunt! Join Austin, Patrick and Cado as they discuss Monster Hunter Rise, the new Switch game that introduces new movement abilities, monsters, and pals to help out on your hunts. After the break, Patrick checks in on It Takes Two, the new game from Hazelight studios, which follows their co-op formula estabilshed in Brothers and A Way Out. Then Cado and Austin do a "quick" check in with the return of the Final Fantasy XIV minute!

Discussed: Monster Hunter Rise 2:55, Resident Evil 43:53, It Takes Two 47:05, Final Fantasy XIV 1:00:38

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As the gap between big releases widens, the Waypoint Radio crew find themselves filling the time by diving deep into the Snyderverse. Austin is supplementing his Snyderverse dive with a dip into Batman: Arkham Origins, the (unfairly?) maligned prequel that seems better than some of the lauded sequels to Batman: Arkham Asylum. Rob has been checking out The Evil Within since its addition to Game Pass, and is starting to regret it. Patrick actually played a new game named Cozy Grove, a life-sim that he’s gelling with due to its narrative nature and daily limits on play. Cado is still playing Bravely Default 2, though at this point he’s not even sure why. And we take another dive in the briny bath of the Question Bucket to finally learn what a pickle actually is.

Discussed: The Snyderverse 0:24, Batman: Arkham Origins 25:15, Life is Strange True Colors 37:15, Riverdale 42:20, The Evil Within 46:11, Trash the Planet 56:02, Cozy Grove 1:02:34, Bravely Default 2 1:10:51, Destiny 2 1:19:24, The Question Bucket 1:35:24

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Rob is out on vacation this week which naturally means we spend an inordinate amount of time talking about the Zach Snyder DC movies??? Then, Austin and Patrick bring us Adios, a narrative focused game where you spend time talking to your would be murderer. Austin has been checking out Mundaun, the Swiss folklore based horror game with fully pencil drawn textures which, alongside killer sound design, are used to great effect to unsettle the player. After the break, Cado checks in with Magic: Legends, the new free-to-play Diablo-like based in the Magic: the Gathering universe. Patrick has been playing Fatum Betula, a horror game that is also a love letter to PS1 era aesthetics.

Discussed: The Snyderverse 2:20, Adios 30:19, Mundaun 45:52, Magic: Legends 53:30, Fatum Betula 1:09:33, Maquette 1:38:10, Question Bucket 1:39:57

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Ok so here's the situation. Sometimes when you're a space noble, you fall in love. Sometimes you marry that person for love, but or political reasons, but either way your sphere of connections grows. And sometimes, being related to someone ends up being, lets say, a complication when war is declared over what's a pretty simple breakdown of communication. Austin, Rob, and Cado have been enjoying the early hours of Star Dynasties, a game that could be described as "Crusader Kings III in Space," where the focus on political intrigue and character relationships leads to some wild circumstances. Also we dive into the question bucket with some important pickle follow up info, and the most important question we've ever received about bread.

Discussed: The Evil Within 2 0:39, Slay the Spire 10:13, Star Dynasties 12:10, Question Bucket 1:07:09

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Content Warning for Minor Injury and mention of Blood ~ 59:39 - 1:00:09

After a long hiatus, our regular Friday shows are back! Rob is checking out the latest addition to Total War: Three Kingdoms, Austin and Patrick have thoughts about good structure but meh everything else of Curse of the Dead Gods, and the crew takes a lengthy swim in the question bucket, answering questions about pickles, horror games, salad dressings, and more!

Discussed: Total War: Three Kingdoms 6:03, Welcome to Waypoint 19:35, Curse of the Dead Gods 28:57, Question Bucket 45:30, Content Warning: Blood 59:39, Fantasian 1:22:56, Miniature Rooms 1:25:15

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Here we go again, once more into the breach, on and on the Waypoint Radio crew has got Loop Hero fever, and the only cure is to loop some more. Join as Austin, Gita, Cado, Patrick, and Rob share their revelations, frustrations, and explorations of this latest indy darling that has you building community as the world falls apart around you, again and again and again. After the break, Rob finally tells us about King Arthur: Knights Tale, an XCOM style game set in a grimdark Arthurian legend, Patrick has been checking out Gnosia, whose loops aren't what you would expect from, well, something called a loop, and we take a dive into the question bucket, to talk about smelly cheeses, salad dressings, things of that nature.

Discussed: Loop Hero 12:22, Maquette 42:56, King Arthur Knights Tale 58:34, Dragon Quest XI S 1:09:34, Gnosia 1:16:55, The Knick 1:28:55, Question Bucket 1:31:51

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“RESET: The Unauthorized Guide to Video Games” is a new show on VICE TV that aims at taking a deep look at the culture and community around video games. Each episode, host Dexter Thomas is joined by a selection of Waypoint Radio hosts, Motherboard writers, and industry professionals for the RESET Roundtable, a panel discussion on that specific episode’s topics. This podcast is the full recording session from the two episodes “The Covid One: Our Year of Gaming” and “The Top Ten Games of the 2010s”

Discussed: The Covid One 3:06, Top Ten 53:12

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Light Spoilers for Haven at 52:46

Spoilers for Bravely Default at 1:07:49

There’s Elden Ring leaks! Pokemon Fans are Upset! Outriders is bad! We’ve got a meaty episode today, as Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado all gather around the warmth of new leaked Elden Ring footage to satiate their Souls needs. Then they talk about the new Pokemon announcements and the backlash to some of the footage that was shown. After the break, Austin and Patrick delve into the world of Outriders, and find the gameplay lacking and the storytelling odd. Patrick’s feeling the love while playing Haven, a game that handles relationships and sex through text better than the usual awkward sex scenes we see in video games. Rob’s been playing Art of Rally, a beautiful game with a flat geometric shape focused art style, but with enough differences in handling between cars to keep things interesting. Then Cado takes us to the world of Bravely Default II, a simple world with clear and obvious stakes, but whose mechanics are complex and interesting enough to keep him trudging through the only ok story. Then stick around for a food based question bucket!

Discussed: Elden Ring 0:18, Pokemon Direct 9:05, Outriders 30:58, Haven 40:20, Art of Rally 54:03, Bravely Default II 1:04:30, Fights in Tight Spaces 1:15:53, Little Nightmares 2 1:20:21, The Art and Making of Control 1:22:26, Question Bucket 1:29:42

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“RESET: The Unauthorized Guide to Video Games” is a new show on VICE TV that aims at taking a deep look at the culture and community around video games. Each episode, host Dexter Thomas is joined by a selection of Waypoint Radio hosts, Motherboard writers, and industry professionals for the RESET Roundtable, a panel discussion on that specific episode’s topics. This podcast is the full recording session from the two first episodes, “Esports Economy” and “Making the Game.”

Discussed: Esports 2:43, Making the Game 1:10:05

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The U.S. Army needs recruits, and they're looking to Twitch to find them. With the Army’s new e-sports team, they hope to attract young, tech-savvy enlistees by streaming video games online. But they haven’t found a fully receptive audience. And this isn’t the first time the military has slid into our gaming consoles. VICE News Correspondent Dexter Thomas Jr. digs back in military gaming history to explain how we got here. 

Reporting from Dexter Thomas Jr. and Michelle R. Carney. Produced by Sophie Kazis. 

VICE News Reports is produced by Jesse Alejandro Cottrell, Jen Kinney, Janice Llamoca and Julia Nutter. Our senior producers are Ashley Cleek and Adizah Eghan. Our associate producers are Sam Eagan, Sophie Kazis, and Adreanna Rodriguez. Sound Design and music composition by Steve Bone and Kyle Murdock. 

 

Our executive Producer and VP of Vice Audio is Kate Osborn. Janet Lee is Senior Production Manager for VICE Audio. Production coordination by Steph Brown. Fact Checking by Nicole Pasulka.

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The Waypoint Radio crew is back and better than ever! We’ve got a full house this episode, as Austin, Gita, and Cado talk about the very intriguing Project Triangle Strategy demo and how it’s trope filled story is possibly saved by strong tactical gameplay and wildly impactful narrative choices. Patrick is finally able to give his final word on Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Rob is living la vida Babylonian in the ancient city builder Nebuchadnezzar. Austin then takes us on a wonderful journey with AI Dungeon, and Rob’s internet rebels against his Valheim opinions.

Discussed: Nintendo Direct 5:10, Project Triangle Strategy 7:00, Skyward Sword HD 39:54, BlizzCon 48:41, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury 1:00:41 , Nebuchadnezzar 1:04:02, AI Dungeon 1:11:52, Valheim 1:25:36

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“RESET: The Unauthorized Guide to Video Games” is a new show on VICE TV that aims at taking a deep look at the culture and community around video games. Each episode, host Dexter Thomas is joined by a selection of Waypoint Radio hosts, Motherboard writers, and industry professionals for the RESET Roundtable, a panel discussion on that specific episode’s topics. This podcast is the full recording session from the two first episodes, “Fandom” and “Regulation.”

Discussed: Fandom 1:10, Regulation 58:22

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Content Warning for descriptions of Military Combat and Serious Injury from 31:14 - 1:25:23

“RESET: The Unauthorized Guide to Video Games” is a new show on VICE TV that aims at taking a deep look at the culture and community around video games. Each episode, host Dexter Thomas is joined by a selection of Waypoint Radio hosts, Motherboard staff, and industry professionals for the RESET Roundtable, a panel discussion on that specific episode’s topics. This podcast is the full recording session from the episodes “War Games part 1” and “War Games part 2.”

Discussed: War Games 1 2:58, War Games 2 1:15:23

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This week, we talk Stadia and Google’s inevitable shuttering of projects, the Mass Effect remaster and what it means to play a choice heavy RPG again this far out from its original release, Cado and Austin talk about the Dark-Souls-Like-but-not-quite Nioh 2, Patrick is excited to talk about Bower’s Fury some other time, and Austin’s going ham on Steam demos.

Discussed: Stadia 8:16, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition 22:01, Nioh 2 43:40, Bower’s Fury 1:01:32, CyberShadows 1:03:47, Black Book 1:06:48, Jupiter Moons Mecha Prologue 1:13:01, Tasomachi 1:14:28, Balan Underworld 1:16:53, Rogue Book 1:23:45, 13 Sentinels 1:24:58

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“RESET: The Unauthorized Guide to Video Games” is a new show on VICE TV that aims at taking a deep look at the culture and community around video games. Each episode, host Dexter Thomas is joined by a selection of Waypoint Radio hosts, Motherboard writers, and industry professionals for the RESET Roundtable, a panel discussion on that specific episode’s topics. This podcast is the full recording session from the two first episodes, “Preservation” and “Finish Him.”

Discussed: Preservation 4:25, Finish Him 1:28:38

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The GameStop situation has ... escalated since we last checked in on it. So this week we have Motherboard staff writer Edward Ongweso Jr, who's done some stellar reporting on what is actually going on behind the Redditors and the public breakdowns from hedge fund managers, to discuss who is really benefiting from this situation and consider if it's even possible for the "house" to lose. After the break, Austin checks in with the world of assassination, and has a heaping of praise fort Hitman III's Berlin level (as Cameron Kunzleman has for the site). Edward and Rob continue to find interesting political intrigue in Suzerain. Patrick is checking out the latest in the world of Mario by playing Super Mario 3d World and Bower's Fury, and finds a compelling distillation of Mario Odyssey's flaws without some of the fluff.

Discussed: GameStop Stocks 00:00, Hitman III 39:44, Suzerain 49:09, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury 56:07, The Medium 1:06:07

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This week we have special guest Blake Hester to talk about the oral history of Guitar Hero now live on the site. Rob hosts as they discuss the Red Octane/Harmonix split, manufacturing plastic instruments, and more tidbits about the history of Guitar Hero that were left on the cutting room floor.

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The Waypoint Radio crew has been watching in awe as a short squeeze on GameStop stock breaks historic records. Cado and Patrick are having fun being scared by a Giant Vampire Woman in the new Resident Evil VIII demo. Rob's dealing with a broken government, and also he's playing Suzerain. Austin's finding the zen in repetition with Loop Hero.

Discussed: GameStop Stocks 0:58, Resident Evil VIII Demo 13:52, Suzerain 40:39, Loop Hero 56:51, Omori 1:05:31, Cyber Shadow 1:16:17

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Light Spoilers for the Hitman Franchise throughout.

It’s Hitman day! Special Guest Cameron Kunzelman joins Cado, Patrick, and Rob to talk about the latest escapades from Agent 47 as he travels the world killing the rich and famous. Cam's frustrated with all this story getting in the way of good killlin', Patrick is finding out how fun it is to throw random objects at people, and Rob's starting to see the seams of the clockwork levels and can't look away.

Discussed: Hitman 3

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There comes a time in every PC owner’s life where you have to make some tough decisions. Well, for the better part of the last two years, one Rob Zacny has been slowly stemming the oncoming waves of failing computer components but his PC has finally bitten the dust. That means he’s spent the last week exploring the world of Cloud Gaming, and found that landscape treacherous. Austin’s way of saying “new year, new me” is to finish off some old games, revisiting Hitman 2 and Star Wars The Old Republic to finally put those to bed. Patrick is learning the beauty of HDR with new forms of streaming games to his phone, Cado is becoming his best hacker self in EXAPUNKS, and Rob is finally in on a little known rogue like deck builder called Slay the Spire.

Discussed: Rob’s Streaming Adventures 3:12, Hitman 2 40:04, Star Wars: The Old Republic 43:00, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim 56:19, Demon’s Souls 1:01:50, Persona 5 Strikers 1:03:00, Slay the Spire 1:13:04

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Light spoilers for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim at 25:56 - 28:30

After 2021's wild first week, the Waypoint Radio now crew comes to you with a calmer vibe. First up, Gita has been checking out the new Reigns: Beyond, where instead of a monarch you are the captain of a space expedition. Patrick's been getting back in touch with his Anime side by playing 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and brings a wonderful japanese culinary treat to the crew's attention. After the break, Cado's back on some Star Wars bullshit by finally getting back to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and understanding some of the finer points of lightsaber flourishes. Then they all take a dip in the question bucket and find Rob's Poke-sona.

Discussed: Reigns:Beyond 6:29, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim 17:38, 13 Sentinels Spoilers 25:56 - 28:30, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 37:52, Question Bucket 48:46

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Austin, Patrick, and Cado start this podcast off by talking through their feelings on the events of January 6th, when white supremacists stormed the US Capitol building. After the break, Patrick is learning the limits of streaming services by playing Assassin's Creed: Valhalla on Stadia, Austin's checking in on new Monster Hunter Rise demo, and we take some time to reminisce about Flash games.

Discussed: US Current Events 1:25, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 21:32, Detective Season 1 33:12, Monster Hunter Rise 37:37, Super Meat Boy Forever 52:03, Flash Games 57:28, Carto 1:16:31, Airborne Kingdom 1:19:57, Exapunks 1:23:48, Cyberpunk 2077 1:26:15, Politics Moment 1:32:37 - 1:33:16

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We’re Back! After a hopefully restful and relaxing break, Rob, Gita, and Cado are here on this most auspicious of Mondays. We avoid the Great Slack Crash of 2021 by podcasting through it and talking about our breaks and how we spent the time. Gita got back into the God of War series and began to draw connections to the works of Michael Bay, and Cado got really into the “dead” Android: Netrunner card game while looking for his cyberpunk fix, and somehow ended up playing X-Wing instead.

Discussed: God of War 5:11, Android: Netrunner 29:55, X-Wing 48:00

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The crew at Waypoint Radio have decided to ring in the new year with one final look back at the last one. Join Austin, Gita, Patrick, Rob, and Ricardo as they each pick a piece of media, a podcast, or what have you that stuck with them through the hell year of 2020. Happy New Year! (Stick around after the show so you can finally understand that joke from our Hot Takes episode!)

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The time has finally come to put an end to 2020, and as with any end of year extravaganza on a gaming podcast, that means it's GOTY time. Join Austin, Gita, Patrick, Rob, and Ricardo as they discuss the one game they loved this year, the one that stood out over the rest, the one that challenged them to overcome, the one that brought them comfort during this hellish year, or the one that put a mirror to our reality and stood in defiance of it.

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Never have I ever played a game of "Never Have I Ever" like this! Listeners chimed in with their weird, amazing, and unique gaming experiences and we played never have I ever with them! Come along as Austin, Gita, Patrick, Rob, and Ricardo all share their oddest gaming experiences, from brute forcing RPGS, having parents call a game company, to being taken under the wing of an altruistic online stranger in a multiplayer game, get ready for a hilarious holiday hoopla!

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If you're a longtime listener you'll remember that a few of the staff have a, lets say, complicated relationship with Aaron Sorkin. So in a year where he releases both a movie and a West Wing reunion special, there was a non-zero chance that we'd need to podcast about him. Join Rob and Gita as they discuss The West Wing Reunion, a special that has the cast of The West Wing slip into their old roles with ease, with writing that magnifies some of Sorkin's odd characterizations of the woman in the show. After the break, they discuss The Trial of the Chicago Seven, where Sorkin's editorial choices of what to include from this historic event and what to alter lay bare his unimaginative neoliberalism while simultaneously attempting to co-opt a moment where staunch leftists were harassed while the country watched along.

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Light Spoilers for all games discussed

Welcome back to Waypoint's Holiday Hootenanny 2020! Somehow, despite our best attempts, we ended up going so long on our year in review recording that we needed to split it into two podcasts, who'd've guessed! Join Austin, Gita, Patrick, Rob, and Cado to talk about all the games we played this year, from the biggest AAA let downs to our indie darlings.

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2020 has been a wild decade, quite possibly the longest decade of the last century. Given this, we need a bit of a refresher as we form our Game of The Year lists. Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, Gita, and Ricardo as they go month by month through 2020 and talk about all the games they've played!

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We asked you for your hottest take inducing questions and you came through! Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, Gita, and Cado as they weigh in on everything from making whisky into ice cubes to the best game in a franchise to Ham vs. Turkey, all with a 90 second timer! So grab your favorite winter drink, snuggle up under a blanket, and warm yourself by the heat of these hot takes!

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Austin, Gita, and Cado are in the digital studio today to discuss "gaming's biggest night," The Game Awards. They go over their favorite announcements and discuss some of the awards, how they're chosen, and what Game Direction really means. Austin and Gita delve deep into Dragon Age: Inquisition romance options, Cado laments yet another Kingdom Hearts character making it into Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the whole crew gets really excited about black-kid-riding-a-bike-and-recording-video-and-sound-and-exploring-mysterious-ruins-game Season. After the break, Austin has been exploring the local ecosystem of a mediterranean island in Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, Cado's been braving blizzards and frozen caves in Unto the End, and the crew discuss their early (and possibly final) impressions of Cyberpunk 2077.

Discussed: The Game Awards 1:26, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure 39:59, Unto the End 48:12, Monster Sanctuary 58:25, Cyberpunk 2077 1:01:52

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Spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2 starting at 1:06:30

Space is the place this week as we take a trip to Mars to terraform it. Gita's our captain as we dive into sim-builder Per Aspera, where you play as an AI tasked with making Mars habitable to humans, all the while considering your place in the expansion of humankind across the universe. Patrick decided to say fuck it to his ISP and run Cyberpunk 2077 on two different streaming platforms just to feel something. After the break, the crew discusses The Mandalorian, George Lucas's deep lore, and just how hot Pedro Pascal is.

Discussed: Per Aspera 2:03, The Pathless 26:01, Cyberpunk 2077 29:03, The Star Wars Hour 1:06:53

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Content Warning for mention of suicide from approximately 55:56 to 57:24

One of the most "hyped" games of 2020, with highly problematic marketing, is finally hitting stores this week and Rob Zacny is here to tell us all about it. Join us as he takes Austin, Cado, and Patrick through the "cyber" "punk" future of Cyberpunk 2077. From a poor first impression to interesting side quest set in a flat world, we discuss all the details of this CDPR RPG. After the break, Cado's learns to love the grind in Demon's Souls, Patrick is enjoying freedom in The Pathless, and Austin is checking out a different kind of Souls like called Morbid: The Seven Acolytes.

Discussed: Cyberpunk 2077, Content Warning: Suicide 55:56 - 57:24, Souls Games 1:28:20, The Pathless 1:32:58, Morbid: The Seven Acolytes 1:41:39, Solasta: Crown of the Magister 1:46:42, Signs of the Sojourner 1:51:12

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Join Austin, Patrick, and Cado for a chill time talkin' bout games. Austin and Patrick have a lengthy discussion on Immortals: Fenyx Rising, what it pulls from Breath of the Wild and how sometimes more isn't necessarily better. After the break, Patrick has finally taken the plunge into Umurangi Generation, Cado's got mixed feelings for Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and we take a quick dip in the question bucket!

Discussed: Immortals: Fenix Rising 12:09, Chronos: Before the Ashes 56:03, Umurangi Generation 1:03:11, Spider-Man: Miles Morales 1:16:45, Twin Mirror 1:22:32, Question Bucket 1:38:11

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We're back from our break to talk about how the whistles from all-star really do go with everything. But first- Gita is back on the pod to talk about Empire of Sin, the new mobster tactics game from storied developers Romero Games. Then the crew talks Fuser, the DJ game from Harmonix that makes DJing fun and nearly effortless. After the break we have our now recurring Demon's Souls minute as Cado sinks deeper into the early game. Austin has been checking in with 13 Sentinels, the adventure/RTS game featuring mechs, alien robots, and time travel.

Discussed: Empire of Sin 10:32, Fuser 27:58, Demon's Souls 50:01, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim 1:22:37

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It’s Thanksgiving week here in the US so we’re serving up a feast of gaming for you! First up, Rob takes us along his Demon’s Souls journey through rage, bargaining, and (finally) ass kicking. Austin’s been playing Marvel’s Spiderman: Miles Morales and feeling nostalgic about being able to be outside in NYC. After the break, we talk about Patrick’s highly controversial article on PS5’s Activities feature and discuss open world game design, Cado talks about his time in the new Destiny 2: Beyond Light raid, and Austin checks back in with Link and the gang in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity 

Discussed: Demon’s Souls 1:09, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales 27:06, Demon’s Souls Part 2 36:20, PS5 Activities 43:36, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity 1:11:41, Destiny 2: Beyond Light 1:21:25, Phantom Brigade 1:28:04

(title reference: https://kotaku.com/the-demons-souls-troll-that-made-me-rage-quit-1691764441)

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Austin and Patrick are on their most Waypoint of Waypoint bullshit: Demon's Souls bullshit. But this time, Rob's coming along for the ride! Join as the crew talks through the remake's aesthetic and mechanical differences to the original, and check in with Rob on his new found fandom. After the break, Rob has also been checking out the latest from Zachtronics, Mobius Front '83, a tactics game that feels sparse compared to Zachtronics games usual complexity. He's also been checking out Destiny 2, and Cado has QUESTIONS.

Discussed: PS5 2:15, Demon's Souls 16:51, Mobius Front '83 39:02, Destiny 2 59:18, IO Interactive 1:16:50

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The five star runtime continue with a special double crew pod this week! First up, Austin, Cado, and Patrick talk through Rob’s newfound Demon’s Souls appreciation, comparing other third person melee combat to Souls combat, and take a quick dip in the question bucket. In our second half, Rob is joined by special guests Emmanuel Maiberg and Matthew Gault to talk about Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War and it’s various divergences and stances on the actual Cold War.

Discussed: Question Bucket 1:21, Demon’s Souls 3:41, The Pathless 52:13, Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War 1:16:06, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla 2:2820

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We've gone and hit a five star runtime with today's podcast, and for good reason! First up, Austin, Rob, Patrick, and Cado talk all things next gen, from Rob's issues with Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, to Patrick's time with Demon's Souls on the PS5. Cado sneaks a bit of PC gaming in before that though, and talks through the great new DLC for photography game Umurangi Generation. After the break, Austin, Cado, and Gita sit down to talk about the new Destiny 2 expansion Beyond Light, their first impressions of the campaign, some of their favorite lore, the new stasis powers, and everyone's favorite fallen NPC.

Discussed: Umurangi Generation Macro 4:46, Demon Souls 10:57, Godfall 1:02:16, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 1:14:50, Teardown 1:22:30, Hades 1:25:30, Destiny 2: Beyond Light 1:29:28

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We've got a meaty episode for y'all today, Join Austin, Rob, Patrick, and Cado as they debrief after the election results. Then Patrick talks about his time with Bugsnax, a game with a surprisingly touching story about community alongside it's absurd and hilarious food monster catching mechanics. After the break, special guest Matthew Gault joins us to talk all things Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, from choices made about the main character's gender to how much mythology the game leans on. Also if you're seeing this on Monday, we talk about the upcoming Destiny 2 mini-event happening around 9:50 pm EST!

Discussed: Politics 0:50 Bugsnax 24:09, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla 46:43, Destiny 2 1:51:08, Yakuza: Like a Dragon 1:53:55, Ace Combat 1:56:05

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It's been a long week in the US, and the Waypoint Radio crew is ready to talk about it. Austin, Gita, Patrick, Rob, and Cado gather around for a Politics Minute about the election and beyond. Then, Rob brings us his impressions on the new series of Xbox's, Patrick and Gita have the latest on the PS5, and Austin has been playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Discussed: Politics Minute 4:52, Xbox Series X 37:08, Marvel's Spiderman: Miles Morales 58:19, Astro's Playground 1:18:32, Yakuza: Like a Dragon 1:54:06

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Rob welcomes special guest Duncan Fyfe to do a deep dive on how adventure game behemoth Sierra Games was brought to its from an unlikely reason. You can read Duncan’s full article on this story here: How Sierra Was Captured, Then Killed, by a Massive Accounting Fraud

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We’ve got a stacked episode for you today! First up, Rob, Patrick, Gita, and Cado talk about the PS5 and give their impressions on the Dualsense controller. Then, Gita takes us through the new Sims 4 expansion that takes you to a mountainous getaway with hiking, onsen, and more. After the break, Austin, Rob, and special guest Matthew Gault do a deep dive on Watch Dogs: Legion, breaking down how the game’s mechanics seem to be at odds with it’s narrative goals.

Discussed: PS5 4:17, The Sims: Snowy Escape 33:12, Watch Dogs: Legion 46:37

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Content warning for the sounds of bugs in the post pod (Halloween 3 clip)

We've got a spooky episode for y'all today! First, Rob leads the crew into the Streangreal world of Ace Combat 7 and learn that not all Ace Combat games are created equal. Patrick has been checking out the Oculus Quest 2, and Cado's been diving back into Pokemon with The Crown Tundra DLC.

Discussed: Ace Combat 7 5:57, Ace Combat 7 Spoilers 18:49, Pokemon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra 32:42, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit 44:54, Oculus Quest 2 50:38, Ghostrunner 1:20:50

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Mechanical and light story spoilers for Amnesia: Rebirth from approximately 23:45 to 27:36

We're getting into the Halloween spirit this episode! Patrick has been playing Amnesia: Rebirth, Austin, Rob, and Cado join him to do a deep dive into the game and the ways it navigates horror game tropes and its precursors. After the break we join Rob as he makes is very own city in the sky in Airborn Kingdom, Austin and Cado are exploring magical land and beating back an all consuming empire in Tenderfoot Tactics, and Patrick has a special story about a pizza place.

Discussed: Amnesia: Rebirth 3:26, Amnesia: Rebirth spoilers 23:45, Fire Emblem: The Shadowdragon and the Blade of Light 52:10, Airborn Kingdom 58:59, Tenderfoot Tactics 1:09:19, Promesa 1:17:50, Disc Room 1:20:17

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Introducing a new podcast, VICE News Reports. Episode 2: The Bubble.

We take you inside the NBA/WNBA bubble told through exclusive recordings.

To salvage their 2020 seasons amid the pandemic, the WNBA and NBA create a “bubble” where players and staff are walled off from the rest of the world. We follow two players, Monique Billings, a starting forward for the Atlanta Dream, and Udonis Haslem, captain of the Miami Heat, during their first months inside the Bubble.

New episodes of VICE News Reports drop every Thursdays. Subscribe, rate and review here: apple.co/vicenewsreports

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Join Austin, Gita, and Cado as they talk about the latest season of Blaseball and the games they've played over the weekend. First up, Gita's been checking out the murder mystery game Lucifer Within Us, a game with a Phoenix Wright-esq contradiction system, but laid out in a timeline based on multiple people's testimony, and set in a futuristic religious society that has the technology to recognize that demons are real. Then, Austin and Cado go over their Genshin Impact lineups and convince Gita to probably keep playing past the bad stealth section. After the break, Cado has been checking out Tenderfoot Tactics, an open world tactics RPG where the world and nature interact with your abilities to create dynamic combat arenas. Then Gita checks in with Astrologaster and asks the stars some hard questions about comedy.

Discussed: Blaseball 5:55, Lucifer Within Us 9:26, Genshin Impact 16:05, Tenderfoot Tactics 53:50, Astrologaster 1:08:51

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We’re back from our short break refreshed and with plenty of new games to talk about! First up though, the PS5 UI was released and we have some questions about the future of guides based coverage. After the break, Austin has been talking to spirits in Phasmophobia, a co-op horror game that has you and three friends trying to find proof of ghosts in various haunted locales. Patrick finally made it out of the underworld in Hades, Austin, Rob, and Cado discuss the messy choices of Star Wars: Squadrons’ casting for the Galactic Empire.

Discussed: PS5 UI 9:48, Phasmophobia 46:08, Iron Harvest 1:08:29, Star Wars Squadrons 1:14:16, Lightstream 1:31:59, Hades 1:35:11, Watch Dogs Legion 1:38:37, Xuan Yuan VII 1:47:13, From Soft Games 1:50:41

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We've had a wave of Hades fever here at Waypoint Radio, so much so that we're doing a spoilercast! Supergiant Games has used their knack for evocative narrative, killer third person isometric action, and beautiful art and design in a roguelite package that has pulled everyone from our most hardcore roguelike players to people who've never touched the genre. Join Austin, Patrick, Gita, Cado, and special guest Jason Koebler as we dive deep into what makes Hades want to delve the depths of the underworld again and again. We have mechanical spoilers throughout, and story spoilers start after the break (approximately 1:22:31)

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It's been a wild weekend so we spend more than a minute on a Politics Minute. Join Rob, Patrick, Gita, and Cado as they talk about recent events and check in on how everyone's doing. Afterward, Patrick explains the Super Mario Bros. 35 curse that precludes him from ever winning, Gita tells us about IRL Among Us, and Cado and Rob share war stories from their time in Star Wars: Squadrons.

Discussed: News 1:21, Super Mario Bros. 35 12:22, Among Us 22:35, Star Wars: Squadrons 45:11, Tell Me Why 1:01:23

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2020 has been a wild year, so of course this is when the long meme'd Steve (from Minecraft) has finally and actually received his invitation to Smash. Join Austin, Rob, Patrick, and Cado as they discuss the news and how it broke twitter. Then, Rob's been flying through a galaxy far far away in Star Wars: Squadrons, a game that pulls it's influence from classics like Tie Fighter. After the break, Austin has a fever, and the only cure is more anime. He's been playing Genshin Impact, an action-RPG gatcha game with strong inspiration from the elemental mechanics in Breath of the Wild.

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You're hearing this on Friday, but we recorded it on wednesday, still partially recovering from Save Point 2020, so it's a weird one! Join Austin, Rob, and Cado as they talk about the new publisher and studios from ex-Blizzard employees, becoming lawyers, and more bad bosses. Also we talk about this creepy mask in the post pod.

Discussed: Ex-Blizzard Employees form new company 7:49, No Man's Sky Origins 28:55, Umurangi Generation: Macro 33:56, Dragon Dogma's Anime 42:15, Hades 42:24, Star Renegades 54:23, Risk of Rain 2 57:55, Emails 1:01:05

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We weren't supposed to be here. After a long and amazing Save Point stream, we were all planning on snoozing our alarms and taking a well deserved rest. Turns out, Microsoft had other plans. About as close as you can get to the "Disney buys Fox" of video games, this acquisition has myriad ramifications that we discuss on this episode.

Discussed: Microsoft Buys Zenimax 1::32, Lab Zero Implosion 31:31, Hades 35:50, Co-op Shooters (they're fun!) 45:17

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Save Point 2020 is running from September 16 - September 20th, this year we're raising money for National Bail Out. Go to http://savepoint.stream for a schedule and to watch and donate!

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Sometimes a game comes along and you think it's ideal, a perfect expression of it's component mechanisms, and that nothing more should be added. Then, as Patrick learned this week, sometimes a sequel drops and it's somehow an improvement on what seemed like a closed loop. Spelunky 2 is that game, and Austin and Patrick have been playing it! Join them as they talk through the new mechanics, their time with the original, and the possible rekindling of old rivalries. After the break, Gita and Cado have been checking out the raids in Destiny 2 and talk about the experience of raiding for the first time, Austin has another update on his Crusader Kings III dynasty and his murderous offspring, and Cado's been feeling nostalgic playing Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 and listening to "Superman" by Goldfinger on loop.

Discussed: Spelunky 2 3:15, Destiny 2 raids 40:11, Crusader Kings III 48:50, Star Renegades 1:16:34, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2 1:35:06

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Perhaps you expected a shorter episode. It’s a pre-next-gen season, AAA games are slowing down. But that just means we have more time for indie games! Join as Austin, Patrick, Gita, and Cado talk about all the news surrounding next-gen consoles that dropped this week, from Xbox console pricing to the future of Digital vs Physical game sales. Then after the break, Austin has a wild story from Crusader Kings III, Gita brings us post-apocalyptic vibes from Wasteland 3, Cado and Austin have both been playing the Sherlock-consulting-detective-by-way-of-vaporwave Paradise Killer and roguelike time shifting RPG Star Renegades. Make sure to stick around to the end of the podcast for an exciting announcement!

Discussed: News 10:42, Crusader Kings III 53:32, Paradise Killer 1:21:33, Wasteland 3 1:43:44, Gordian Quest 1:57:41, Star Renegades 1:59:42, Special Announcement 2:24:24

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It's Labor Day here in the US, meaning that the Waypoint Crew is enjoying some well earned time off. Luckily for you dear listener, we've pre-recorded a mailbag episode for you to enjoy! Join Austin, Rob, and Cado as they dive deep into the "food rivalries and bad bosses" question bucket!

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It's a-me, a surprise Nintendo Direct! Austin, Patrick, Gita, and Cado gather this week to discuss the 35th anniversary Mario Direct that dropped early Thursday morning, filled with a variety of Mario news, from a new compilation to Mario Battle Royale. Then, Patrick and Cado have smashed back into the world of Marvel's Avengers to find that the game is secretly about Ms. Marvel more than you'd expect, and lament that it didn't go more in that direction. After the break, Gita brings us to a galaxy far far away, but not so far that you can't go there with your Sims! She has her impressions on the new Star Wars Stuff Pack in The Sims 4!

Discussed: Mario 35th Anniversary Direct 0:17, Marvel's Avengers 30:39, The Sims 4: Star Wars: Journey to Batuu 1:07:07

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It's finally here, the day Gita, Rob, and Austin have long been anticipating: Crusader Kings III day! Come and hear the tale of intrigue, deception, and baths, then check out Gita's review. After the break, Gita taps out and Patrick joins to talk about Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, an RPG originally released in 1997, now finally coming to the west. Patrick did an interview with one of the original developers that's a touching look at a life of game development. And in-between there, we sneak in a segment on the RTS Iron Harvest, and it's throwback campaign.

Discussed: Crusader Kings III 0:41, Iron Harvest 59:51, Moon 1:06:12, Captain Tsubasa 1:31:16, Control: AWE 1:44:02, News + Emails 1:51:30

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I never wanted this for you. I work my whole life - I don't apologize - to take care of my family, and I refused to be a fool, dancing on the string held by all those bigshots. I don't apologize - that's my life - but I thought that, that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the string. Senator Corleone; Governor Corleone. Well, it wasn't enough time, Mafia. It wasn't enough time.

Discussed: Captain Tsubasa: Rise of New Champions 6:32, Mafia: Definitive Edition 25:55. Outriders 1:03:52, Tell Me Why 1:19:47, Windbound 1:43:46, Emails 1:52:32

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Content Warning: Descriptions of Sexually Explicit Acts

Introducing VENT Documentaries from VICE UK: Young people from London, telling you the stories they care about. In this episode, Khalil grew up with homophobic parents, so he had to learn about being gay on his own. From making Sims characters have gay sex to signing up to online sexting forums, Khalil tells the sometimes hilarious, sometimes graphic and sometimes painful story of what it’s like to come into your queerness on the internet. 

Subscribe to VENT Documentaries wherever you listen to podcasts:

Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7FpQDTtYnVsCvztk3wmflP

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/vent-documentaries/id1501178221 

Acast: play.acast.com/s/ventdocumentaries

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Join Austin, Patrick, and Cado on this comic filled podcast. They talk the DC related announcements, the rocky Avengers beta, and do some important red-color-scheme superhero disambiguation.

Discussed: Avengers Beta 26:12, Gotham Knights 53:35, Suicide Squad 1:02:36, News 1:10:53, Emails 1:27:32

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In this whirlwind world of ours, sometimes you don't have time for a full meal. There's a million and one meal replacements out there, but what if you need to make an impression? When the stale cheerio smell of Soylent won't do, try BrefEx! The smells of a full two egg breakfast to make sure whomever smells you breath next will think "now there's a person who's the salt of the earth!" Now in new "pancake stack" flavor!

Discussed: Control: Ultimate Edition 3:39, Apple vs Epic Continues 14:37, Nintendo Indie World Stream: 22:39, Spiritfarer 28:04, Star Renegades: 45:27, Othercide 54:49, Slay the Spire 1:00:41, Emails - aka The Food Zone- 1:02:03

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Eco. Economy. Ecology. Rob Zacny has Opinions on both on this podcast! First, Austin, Rob, Patrick, and Ricardo sit down and unpack the Apple/Epic Games beef, what the stakes are, and who stands to gain from the legal battle. After the break, Rob checks in from the skies over Michigan, but first his game has to load. He's got his preview up for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a game that is ridiculously detailed, but pushes his computer in an unexpected way. Patrick has been checking out Blasphemous, one of the only 2D souls-likes he's actually checked out, and Austin is dipping back into Remnant: From the Ashes, and convincing Patrick that he needs to play it. Then the crew answers listener questions such as "how many ketchup packets should they give you at whataburger?"

Discussed: Epic Sues Apple 1:20, Microsoft Flight Simulator 39:14, Take on Helicopters 1:05:33, Blasphemous 1:14:22, Remnant: From the Ashes 1:18:07, Emails 1:25:29

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Austin has a hypothetical for you. Say he's gonna buy an Xbox Series X. What sorta games we talkin' about here? The Waypoint Radio crew discuss recent news of next gen delays, the finer points of ancient grecian military strategy, and the next Control DLC featuring everyone's favorite gaming novelist, Alan Wake.

Discussed: Risk of Rain 2 4:36, Rogue Legacy 2 7:11, A Total War Saga: Troy 31:05, News 49:39, Control: AWE DLC 1:14:14

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Welcome to T-ēmptor, VICE's new podcast where Austin Walker describes the new Tech he's buying while simultaneously enticing the rest of the staff to buy it too. This week, Gita, Rob, and Ricardo join him to take a look at the new (circa 2019) leather bound laptop that he's purchased. Also we're talking about video games, like that one about Napoleon Bonaparte's sister that's also anime (Banner of the Maid), that one about delivering mail and hitting people with sticks (Thousand Threads), a new phone game set in the Game of Thrones universe (Game of Thrones: Tale of Crows), and more!

Discussed: Horizon: Zero Dawn PC 1:32, Death Stranding PC 12:04, Laptops 23:09, Banner of the Maid 37:24, Necrobarista 50:16, Thousand Threads 1:03:33, Game of Thrones; Tale of Crows 1:15:26, Good Sudoku 1:19:06

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We've got GAMES for y'all. Austin is back and brings us tales of internet outages and frog based edutainment. Patrick is enjoying the new party game du jour Fall Guys, and Cado has been chilling in the afterlife with Necrobarista. Keep an ear out for a false ending, because we couldn't release an episode today without talking about Spelunky 2!

Discussed: Frog Fractions Game of the Decade Edition: Hop's Iconic Cap DLC 7:47, Banners of Ruin 26:13, Fall Guys 30:49, Necrobarista 53:22, Hex 1:05:13,News 1:12:02, Spelunky 2 1:33:09

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Hello Internet! Your friendly neighborhood podcast producer is back from vacation having played basically no games! Luckily, Gita has accidentally taken up the shlooter mantel and played Destiny 2, and well, let's just say the quest system is a lot! Patrick has been enjoying Carrion, and Rob has been just wrecking the competition in F1: 2020, apparently having upgraded his battle station so much he had to up the difficulty.

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Sports! They’re happening, sort-of. And that’s why we’re talking about sort-of sports games. Austin, Gita, and Rob revisit the league politics of Blaseball and secrets the baseball sportsbook simulator has been yielding. Rob’s playing F1 2020, which is less a game about Formula 1 in 2020 than it is about expectations that existed for F1 in 2019. Another game that’s revealing its secrets to Gita is Sudoku, which she’s finally learning to love via Zach Gage’s Good Sudoku. Austin is also unleashing the beast in Carrion, but thinks maybe more leashes might be a good thing for that game.

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On this episode, Austin, Gita and Patrick talk about the huge Nintendo leak and the ethical quandary it represents. After the break, Gita and Austin talk delivering mail in Thousand Threads, watching cats play with yarn balls in The Sims, and rooting for the worst team in Blaseball.

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Microsoft announced a slew of games and the Waypoint Radio crew is here to talk about it! We go over the games announced, Patrick tells a college story, and we discuss the particulars of MJOLNIR armor functionality.

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Nintendo announced a surprise direct! Get ready to kill god, cause there’s Shin Megami Tensei news! Austin, Gita, and Cado have been playing Ooblets, and have a discussion about how Ooblets would wear pants. Patrick is playing Paper Mario: The Origami King, and is starting to recognize patterns even if he's still bad at geometry. Gita takes us to the ToTALy TwiSTEd world of SINoAlice, and we learn that Yoko Taro has been trolling us the whole time.

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Austin, Cado, and Patrick gather this week to talk Paper Mario: The Origami King, what each of them looks for in an RPG, how Patrick is bad at geometry, and how the game takes a bit too long between introducing new mechanics. Austin’s been playing Lithium City, a game self described as “The Last Flash Game” with a killer look, soundtrack, and level mechanics that are gone as quickly as they arrive. Patrick has also been playing Deadly Premonition 2, and the crew talk about some of the game’s issues and an apology from the developer. Then, as always, Cado is here with the Destiny Download, ready to shout about eggs or something.

Discussed: Paper Mario: The Origami King, 8:32, Lithium City 41:09, Deadly Premonition 2 46:51, Aria Chronicle 1:11:50

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We've got special guest Matthew Gault on to talk with Austin and Patrick about Ghost of Tsushima, the samurai game from Suckerpunch. They discuss the line between authenticity and homage, the game's dated take on open worlds, and how haikus weren't a thing yet. After the break, Rob joins in to talk about a few Ubisoft games that he got hands on time with.

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So, Rob may have let this podcast get away from him just a bit. What we thought would be a quick 2 hour tour of Naughty Dog’s zombie game du jour turned into a total 6 hour deep dive into the few highs and many, many lows.with Cado and special guest Maddy Meyers along for the ride, the crew discusses vague character motivations, repetitive didactic morals, and “universal" truths that are anything but.

Articles Discussed:

'The Last Of Us Part 2' Is A Game About Healing, Not Just Violence by Sam Greer

As Naughty Dog Crunches On The Last Of Us II, Developers Wonder How Much Longer This Approach Can Last by Jason Schreier

Their World by Yussef Cole

The Cisgender Voyeurism of The Last of Us Part II by Waverly

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It’s one of the most talked about games of the year, a swan song for the current generation of consoles from one of the most lauded AAA developers. So of course we here at Waypoint Radio spent nearly 6 hours carefully and thoroughly dissecting why, despite almost universal acclaim, we found the game lacking in the way it presents it’s story, the narrative pitfalls it continually runs afoul of, and some of the real world parallels that didn’t sit right with us. Joining Rob, Patrick, and Cado are special guests Emanuel Maiberg from Motherboard, and Maddy Myers from Polygon, both here to finally get it all out, and put this all behind us.

Articles discussed:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/video-games/news/the-last-of-us-part-2-ellie-evolution/

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It's summer, so why don't y'all cool yourselves in the crisp waters of our question bucket! We dive deep for questions, stay deep for answers, and come back to the surface with some truly cursed knowledge. We talk about the Chicago Bulls, donuts, PR, and more!

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Spoilers for one of the endings of Signs of the Sojourner from approximately 50:18 to 54:25

Do you hear that? That noise in the distance? That’s the Pokémon Hype Train, and conductor Cado is bringing it into the station! He goes over the recent announcement of the PokéMOBA Pokémon Unite and his time in Pokémon Cafe Mix, a very cute mobile puzzle game with some less than stellar signposting around it's microtransactions. Rob has been playing Desperados 3, a real time isometric stealth game that doesn't quite scratch his stealth game itch. Austin is checking out Signs of the Sojourner, a narrative focused game that's a new twist on the "roguelike deckbuilder" whose mechanics are emotionally brutal (in the best way). And finally, Patrick has been playing Mr. Driller DrillLand, a switch port of the gamecube game that never made it state-side.

Discussed: Pokémon Unite 12:19, Pokémon Cafe Mix 20:24, Golf on Mars 30:29, Desperados 3 32:42, Signs of the Sojourner 43:14, Cyberpunk 2077 1:04:29, The Last of Us Part II 1:17:21, Mr. Driller DrillLand 1:23:12, CrossCode 1:27:23

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Content Warning: Discussion around recent abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault allegations from approximately 14:33 - 53:15. Specific reference to abuse within families from 46:28 - 48:29

Over the past several days a still increasing number of victims in the video game industry, from streamers and influencers to developers, have spoken out about their abusers. We discuss how this current wave of allegations came about, the systemic issues that enable abuse, and the hope for a safer future. After the break we catch up with Patrick, who's back from paternity leave with stories of playing games not for content, imagine that!

Discussed: Video Game Industry Abuse 14:33, Gears Tactics 57:56, Divinity Original Sin 2 1:02:26, Hades 1:14:52, Humankind 1:23:05

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It's Announcement Season in the world of video games! Austin took a deep dive into the Steam Game Festival over the weekend and played a bunch of game demos, including the absolutely wild sounding Paradise Killer, a first person mystery game with outrageous characters and killer music. Then both he and Rob talk about dipping a toe back in to Greedfall to find the water is not fine, it's kinda putrid honestly. Gita has relaxing with the calming and meditative Among Trees, going to a place few of us have been in the last couple of months. Then Cado fills us in on the latest Pokémon and Super Smash Bros news!

Discussed: The Last of Us Part II 5:41, Iron Harvest 11:21, Chaos Galaxy 17:19, Paradise Killer 22:48, She Dreams of Elsewhere 30:43, Space Crew 31:51, Greedfall 33:17, Among Trees 1:15:52, Pokemon Presents 1:25:02, Super Smash Bros Ultimate ARMS fighter announcement 1:32:06

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Cado is back so OBVIOUSLY we’ve got to talk Destiny and its new season, but first: special guest Emanuel Maiberg is joining the crew and tells us how Call of Duty: Warzone has become a new place for him to relax and socialize. Gita has been playing Hades and is enjoying how that game delivers narrative in a roguelike setting. After the break we enter the Chill Zone. Emanuel has been chilling out with SnowRunner, a game where you get an increasingly large series of trucks stuck in mud and snow. Austin's finding zen in the art of ship deconstruction with Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and Cado is seeking bliss by becoming a Hanafuda master in Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics.

Discussed: Warzone 3:12, Hades 18:12, SnowRunner 34:40, Hardspace: Shipbreaker, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics 1:00:38, Destiny 2: Season of Arrivals 1:06:09

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Come one and all to see the latest curiosities and wonders of the electronic entertainment industry. While back in the Industrial Age we would have had to gather in exhibition halls to see the latest ludological wares, now we can watch things like the PC Gamer Show and the Future of Games show from the comfort of our own homes. What tickles our nostalgic fancy, and what offends our aesthetic sense? The answer won't surprise you!

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Spoilers for the ending of The Last of Us (Part 1) at approximately 2:23:56 - 2:30:25

We have a truly five star runtime today! Special guest Patrick Klepek joins Austin, Gita, Rob, and Cado to go over the PS5 reveal event, discussing each game shown, picking our favorites, and firing Patrick for besmirching an Arkane game. After the break, Rob and Patrick lead Austin and Cado through their time with The Last of Us II, a game who’s repeated use of extreme violence seems to amount to little by the end of its runtime.

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Gita and Cado spent their weekends streaming to raise money for various bail and mutual aid funds, and talk about that experience and how important mutual aid is. Austin has started playing a secret game that Rob is really excited for him to check out, something about victorian cops and wolves? After the break, Cado and Austin re-cap Destiny’s lackluster first “live event” and the general vibe of where Destiny is in it's "it's fine, it's bad, it's good again!" cycle. Austin is playing Xenoblade Chronicles and enjoying the through lines between its lore and mechanics, and Gita has finally dipped her toe into Valorant and is enjoying the new Spike Rush mode.

Discussed: Golfing With Your Friends 2:36, Austin's Secret Game 16:29, Destiny 2 48:15, Xenoblade Chronicles 1:00:04, Valorant 1:10:53

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As protests continue, Austin, Rob, and Cado discuss the ever growing demand for the defunding and abolition of police. In games news Rob had some hands on time with Total War Saga: Troy, a game that eschews the mythological trappings that surround the Trojan War to mixed results. Austin and Cado are back at it again in Valorant, and discuss the changes made for launch and having to learn new agents due to the influx of new players. Cado's been spending time in Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, and has found the tutorials and assists particularly well done. Rob's checking out Telltale's Batman: The Enemy Within and finds its reexamination of the Wayne family a compelling story that few other Batman properties have touched on.

Austin's first Valorant ace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoOfgyPWit4

Discussed: Total War Saga: Troy 21:06, Valorant 39:22, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics 39:22, Batman: The Enemy Within 1:28:06, Xenoblade Chronicals 1:32:21

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Rob, Cado, and Gita sit down to talk about the past week’s protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police and the myth of there being a “correct way” to protest. After the break, Gita and Rob discuss the two different versions of Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill A Mockingbird that they attended way back when theater was still a thing, and how the different casts dramatically change the reading of Sorkin’s script.

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We're back at it again talking about Umurangi Generation this week. Gita is taking her first foray into it, and Cado and Austin have "finished" the game but are both far from done with it. Gita is also undertaking a staggering project in The Sims 4, and then we answer a food question.

Discussed: Umurangi Generation 2:57, Totem 23:40, Sludge Life 28:08, The Sims 4 33:45, Question Bucket 44:42

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Spoilers for Umurangi Generation from aprox. 1:06:27 to 1:15:13

The Sims has a new expansion coming out and our resident Sims expert Gita is on the case. She teaches Austin and Ricardo a special lesson on Sims sexual activity (woohoo isn't sex!) and lays out all the new info on the Eco Lifestyle Expansion, which introduces the first "antagonist" to the Sims 4 in the form of pollution. After the break, Austin and Ricardo have been playing Umurangi Generation, a new photography game from an indigenous creator that has a great vibe Jet Set Radio inspired aesthetic and a strong emotive core.

Discussed: The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Expansion 1:36, Boral Tales 29:01, Umurangi Generation 42:08, If Found 1:21:33, Pirates Outlaws 1:24:29

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Austin, Gita, Ricardo, and Rob gather around their mics this week to talk about video games, but first! What is the nature of Sheev Palpatine's desires? Is becoming Emperor of the Galaxy enough? What drives him once he reaches this goal? Austin has been having some Star Wars thoughts that we gotta work through. Gita spent time being on streams and thinking about the boom of new, inexperienced streamers breaking onto the scene and what experimentation they might bring with them. After the break, Cado's been playing Tonight We Riot, the leftist beat-em-up game about liberating your fellow workers and fighting back against corporations with some really great group dynamics, and Boreal Tale, a mystery-horror-adventure game with an enhanced PS1-era aesthetic and a VHS magical realism narrative. Rob is revisiting Alien Isolation and realizing that hiding from the alien isn't always the right call, sometimes you just gotta walk right past it.

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Rob and Gita both had hands on time with Crusader Kings III, a game about kings, crusades, and offing your heirs so you don't have to play the one with a 5 intrigue stat. They take Austin and Cado through the new game and how this one might be the perfect one for the Crusader Kings-curious to finally hop on. Then after the break, they dive back into the question bucket and discuss sequels that should've been made. If you have a question for us, send them in to gaming[at]vice.com with Question in the subject line.

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We’re welcoming Gita back on the podcast this week so she can help Austin, Ricardo, and Rob answer YOUR questions! We’re diving deep and taking questions from when we still had a website up to things after social distancing happen. If you want to ask us a question, be it long or short, serious or funny, you can send them all to gaming@vice.com

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The Next Gen is here and it... looks a lot like the last gen. Austin, Cado, and Rob discuss the recent Xbox Series X presentation, with plenty of trailers and not a ton of gameplay. Then, Austin takes us on a wild ride through Troubleshooters, an SRPG made by korean developers that has a maximalist approach to mechanics that matches its larger than life anime story and characters.

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As we get further and further into quarantine, more and more digital events are being held to replace the ones made impossible by social distancing. One such event was this past weekend's INDYCAR iRacing Challenge, where real life racers gathered to race, simulation style, in their favorite sport. One of the many differences between iRacing and real life Indycar is the danger factor, which has led to some wild drama as drivers take each other out and break the agreed upon structure that comes with taking a virtual race seriously. Rob regales us with the details and we discuss the ramifications of drivers breaking this unspoken contract, Austin takes another dip into the West Virginian wasteland in Fallout 76, and Cado is learning some hard truths in Valorant.

Videos referenced: The Full INDYCAR race, The Pagenaud POV

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We’ve got a game packed week because Austin went on a bit wild this week with new games! First up, Rob and Austin discuss Cloudpunk, a new cyberpunk adventure game with a cool aesthetic and interesting world building but more than a few writing pitfalls. Cado’s now on the XCOM Chimera Squad train, but he’s trying his best to not kill anyone, which is harder than you’d think in a game about cops. Austin is disappointed with the Streets of Rage 4 soundtrack, and it’s having an adverse effect on his time with a game he’s otherwise enjoying.

Discussed: Cloudpunk 3:27, XCOM: Chimera Squad 36:35, Gears Tactics 53:43, Horizon's Gate 1:08:38, Gundam VS Maxiboost ON 1:18:46, Streets of Rage 4 1:21:03, The Flower Collectors 1:31:27

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Spoiler Warning for Final Fantasy VII Remake and original Final Fantasy VII

It's finally time. Or it's happening again? What is time? This isn't just a question about the hours and days blending together while we are all in a pandemic, but also questions we attempt to answer about Final Fantasy VII Remake. Austin, Cado, Patrick, and special guest Matthew Gault gather once more to discuss the differences between the original and Remake, that wild ending, and how you pronounce "Cait Sith"

Discussed: Final Fantasy VII Remake

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Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peanut?

I shall wear the thousand credit shields, and walk upon B long.

I have heard the Chrysalids singing, each to each.

I do not think that they will sing to me.

I have seen them riding cityward on the bus

Combing the white hair of the muton blown back

When Jett blows the smoke white and Omen's black.

We have lingered in the garage over by B

By venom-girls wreathed with poison red and green

Till teammate voices wake us, and we drown.

Discussed: XCOM Chimera Squad 3:34, Valorant 1:29:08, Question Bucket 1:41:11, Animal Crossing New Horizons 1:49:01

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Content Warning for discussion of Suicide at approximately 1:10:05

Rob and Austin have finally been freed from their shackles and are allowed to legally talk about Gears Tactics, which reveals just how much XCOM: Enemy Unknown owed to the Gears franchise in it’s design. Gita has been spreading religion in Civilization VI, and Austin has been playing two very different FPS games in Receiver 2 and Valorant.

Gears Tactics 11:52, Civilization VI 37:02, Receiver 2 56:30, Valorant 1:20:29, Question Bucket 1:29:24, Animal Crossing New Horizon 1:59:35

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This week, Gita is back to chat Animal Crossing New Horizons and The Sims 4, Rob wishes he could talk about tactics but that's illegal, Austin has been delighted by tactical exploration RPG Horizon's Gate, and Cado's been relaxing to the chill meditative vibes of In Other Waters.

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Hey y'all, Cado here with a new bonus podcast from the Vice Audio team! The Distance features short, first-person stories from all over the world about how the pandemic is changing the way we live. You can check out more episodes here : The Distance

German LARP enthusiast Gerrit Reininghaus and his friends imagine fictional worlds where we don’t live in isolation.

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Cado and Austin are playing the Stalk Market in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, with more sophisticated and elaborate tools coming out each day to help you maximize profits. Rob's household is getting into Animal Crossing as well, but one super-smart dog has things to say about that. Rob is finally into the new Control DLC which he's likened to a "webisode" set in The Oldest House. The crew then talks about the recent rumors about a Resident Evil 4 remake, and how the term "remake" can carry many different conotations. Then we answer a few listener questions! If you'd like to ask us a question send an email to gaming@vice.com.

Discussed: Animal Crossing New Horizons: 2:35, Final Fantasy VII Remake 17:45, Control 32:48, RE4 Remake Rumors 41:46, Question Bucket 57:35

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We’ve got a whopper for y’all today! It’s been a minute since we’ve had a politics minute so we have a uhhh…50 minute segment where we talk about American politics? But don’t worry, because we somehow manage to also talk about Animal Crossing, Control, Final Fantasy VII, Treachery In Beatdown City, Sourdough Starters, and how great it would be to be a cat! 

Discussed: Politics 1:09, Animal Crossing 51:23, Animal Crossing “Spoilers” 52:37, Control, Control and The Foundation spoilers 1:06:38 - 1:13:36, Final Fantasy VII Remake 1:20:07, Treachery in Beatdown City 1:28:00, Jet Lancer 1:34:08, Frostpunk 1:37:41, Question Bucket 1:47:29

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Early spoilers starting at approximately 1:00:28

Content Warning for discussion of transphobia, homophobia, sexual assault, and sexual coercion starting at approximately 1:13:21

There are few games, few RPGs, as well known as Final Fantasy 7. For all of the popularity the Final Fantasy franchise had amongst RPG fans, it was 7 that broke through to a wide audience worldwide. So of course the announcement of a remake of this classic game caused a lot of excitement and worry. Would it live up to the original? Should this even be attempted? Join Austin, Patrick, Cado, and special guest Matthew Gault from Motherboard as they discuss Final Fantasy VII Remake, the new battle system, the structural changes made from the original, how the story fits into a modern context. We also answer listener questions!

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Exactly one year ago today, Rob and Austin released their Be Good and Rewatch It episode on the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma. By sheer coincidence, with two of the regular Waypoint Radio crew out of commission, we decided today to record a podcast on this year's Emma. Join Austin, Rob, Cado, and special guest Natalie Watson as we discuss the film's stellar sets and cinematography, the excellent soundtrack, and the varying adaptation decisions that both land and miss in spectacular fashion. Stick around after the outro for Rob and Natalie's baking corner!

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In a times of peril and great strife, we look to one man’s cooking habits as a sign post of our society. Is his starter healthy? Is his dough rising? How many loafs has he made this week? Rob regales us with a cooking update as Cado curses everyone with a disturbing cooking video. Patrick then takes us through the visually stunning but mechanically lacking Resident Evil 3 remake, who’s area design and ammo distribution defangs it’s horror elements. Rob is replaying Control, but not the new DLC, because much like two of the powers he missed in his first playthrough, he missed the fact that he had a new skip ahead save file for his move from Xbox to PC. We also discuss the recent rumors about a Mario-paloza coming to the Switch, and Patrick takes us through the confounding ending of Ori of the Will of the Wisps. Stay safe everyone.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons 16:32

Resident Evil 3 25:21

Control 56:52

Vampyr 59:29

Gordian Quest 1:08:05

Deep Sky Derelicts 1:10:23

The Room VR 1:14:05

Ori and the Will of the Wisps 1:21:49

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You asked and we answered, welcome to our Animal Crossing: New Horizons deep dive! You sent in a ton of questions about Animal Crossing, from questions of about our favorite villagers to the tension NookMiles introduce to Animal Crossing’s slow life pace. But first, we go over the contents of Nintendo’s surprise Mini-Direct, from Xenoblade Chronicles, to XCOM 2 on Switch, to upcoming Animal Crossing events!

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It’s finally happened. After decades of waiting, Valve has finally released another Half-Life game, but no, it isn’t the fabled Half-Life 3. Half-Life Alyx dropped today, and Patrick has the goods for us. Special guest Emanuel Maiberg from Motherboard joins the crew to talk about Half-Life’s legacy, Alyx’s strengths, and whether or not Half-Life is just… a slightly better Quake 2? Then Rob shares his hatred for the Marauder from Doom Eternal, Austin and Cado go over their first days of rapid expansion in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and we dunk on Gamestop for it’s shitty retail practices.

Discussed: Half-Life: Alyx 3:42, Doom Eternal 51:18, Animal Crossing: New Horizons 1:18:53, Gamestop 1:39:50

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Hey everyone, Cado here. Since this is our 300th(!) episode I just wanted to give my thanks to everyone who’s been listening, whether you're a longtime fan or if this is your first episode, thanks for hanging with us. If you’ve been here for a while, thanks for coming along on this journey with us. Getting to make this podcast week in and week out for the past almost two years, and listening as a fan for the two years before that, has been such an amazing experience. I love working on Waypoint Radio because of this amazing space it fills, a games podcast that is sometimes serious, often hilarious, and always authentic. One where you can have a room full of queer people of color and it isn’t a special episode, it’s just Monday. One where we take the time to give each topic its full due, even if we end up with some five star runtimes. So thanks, for supporting us, for welcoming and allowing my voice on the podcast, and most of all for listening. Here’s to 300 more!

Discussed: Thanks for Listening 00:00, Doom Eternal 21:24, Stellaris 1:05:32, Dialect 1:47:03, Frostpunk: Last Autumn 1:51:24, Mysterium 1:55:35

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It's finally time, one of the most anticipated events of 2020 is finally here: Animal Crossing: New Horizons embargo day! Gita wrote a review for the site, and Austin, Patrick, and Cado are here to ask the important questions, like "Who are your neighbors? Where is Kapp'n? Who died and left that gravestone?" We also talk about out new social distancing hobbies, the games we're playing before Animal Crossing hits, and even take a quick dip in the question bucket!

Discussed: The Quarantine Zone 00:00, Animal Crossing: New Horizons 16:23, Archero 51:34, Roundguard 56:15, Movies in the time of Covid-19 1:00:17, State of Decay 2 1:11:41, A Monster's Expedition 1:17:12, The Question Bucket 1:20:04

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Hello Internet! The Waypoint Radio crew is back to talk about Video Games, but first we process the last tumultuous week in current events and politics. No, You didn't dream it, Sarah Palin was on The Masked Singer, and she did rap Baby Got Back. After the break, Patrick and Austin have been playing Ori and the Will of the Wisps, kicking off a slew of new releases coming out for the next month. Rob is checking out Frostpunk's The Last Autumn dlc, which fundamentally changes the game by setting it before the winter came. Cado is checking out the new Destiny 2 Season where the Cabal are doing their best impression of Gundam's Zeon forces by dropping a space station onto the Last City. Austin's been enjoying his time in the "gulag" in Call of Duty: Warzone, a one on one section of their new 150 player squad based battle royale. Stay safe everyone!

Discussed: Politics and Current Events (including COVID-19 talk) 00:00, Ori and the Will of the Wisps 43:49, Call of Duty: Warzone 1:08:05, Frostpunk: The Last Autumn 1:18:08, Destiny 2: Season of the Worthy 1:31:21, Roundguard 1:39:41, World Flipper 1:45:40

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Hey everyone, just a quick update regarding Monday's episode. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming on Friday!

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Content Warning for discussion of suicide from approximately 1:00:47 to 1:02:40

So, we’ve survived Super Tuesday here in the states, but with breaking political news breaking just as we hit record, we’ve got a pretty lengthy ten minute politics minute upfront (see below for specific timestamps!) But don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty of games to talk about after the break! Patrick and Cado checked out the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo, and found that they're enjoying the new action based combat, Rob has been playing Yes, Your Grace, a game where you play a King answering the please of his citizens, with an interesting setup but some questionable handling of some heavy themes. Then, Austin and Cado discuss Murder by Numbers, a new picross game that wears it's Phoenix Wright influence on its sleeve (in a good way!) They're both also playing Grandblue Fantasy Versus, the new anime-fighter from Arc System Works, and Cado has mixed feelings about maining three cat bros and their large tree wife.

Discussed: Politics 00:00, Final Fantasy VII Remake Demo 25:09, Yes, Your Grace 50:51, Spoilers for Yes, Your Grace 59:59 - 1:02:40, Ash of Gods Redemption 1:14:20, Murder by Numbers 1:21:17, Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment 1:30:56, Journey to the Savage Planet 1:31:47, The Last of Us HBO 1:34:33, Granblue Fantasy Versus 1:38:15, Granblue Fantasy 1:46:58

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This pod is TOO POWERFUL! We’ve got a full house today, with Super Tuesday around the corner we’ve got a lot of nervous energy to work through, so lets play some games! Patrick is still digging through the world of Dreams and Cado explains Destiny’s latest balance controversy. After the break, Austin talks about taking his first steps into Granblue Fantasy, Rob is having a healthy helping of strategy games with Death Crown and Circle Empires, and Gita is visiting everyone’s favorite anime school in Fire Emblem: Three Houses new Ashen Wolves DLC. There's also a TON of other content in this 5 star runtime pod, including our collective incredulousness at Rob's recording situation.

Discussed: Politics 2:33, Dreams 9:30, Destiny 2 13:56, Valorant 24:12, GDC Canceled 30:34, GeForce Now 43:52, Granblue Fantasy 54:45, Death Crown 1:18:47, World of Horror 1:23:12, Circle Empires 1:30:01, Corruption 2029 1:42:21, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Ashen Wolves DLC 1:49:12, Stellaris 2:09:38, Dwarf Fortress 2:12:57, Total War: Three Kingdoms 2:14:01, Politics round 2 2:25:22, The Rob Situation 2:39:25

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Rob made a trip all the way to NYC just for this week's episode! No, he didn't record with us in house, but he did get to see an early look at Baldur's Gate 3, the next isometric RPG from Larian Studios. He's excited by the game's apparent freedom in combat, where physics, spell effects, and a bit of creativity can go a long way. After the break, Patrick has been checking out the weird parts of Dreams, where Mickey can kill Goku and the food can look good enough to eat.

Discussed: Baldur's Gate 3 1:25, Dreams 33:22, Candyman trailer reaction 1:11:38 (Content Warning for the sounds of horror movie violence from 1:14:34 - 1:17:05)

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Outer Wilds came out in 2019, at a time when politics in the US were at their most divisive. And yet, this game managed to be full of hope, and tell a story about community, crisis, and coming to terms with finality. A game where you explore a clockwork solar system might not seem like the best structure to deliver a narrative, but the folks at Mobius Digital managed to make a world that feels alive and full of history, even as it dies time and time again. Join Austin, Patrick, and Cado as they discuss their time exploring the solar system, having existential crises, and finding hope in the future. Stick around after the outro for some game news and a politics corner!

Discussed: Outer Wilds 00:00, Games News 1:55:05, Politics Talk 2:05:45

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