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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Grab your shovels and pack your bags because it’s (almost) time for Animal Crossing! Nintendo has dropped a new 25 minute(!) long direct detailing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Austin, Gita, and Cado are extremely excited to have a chill time on Nook's island. But first, the crew takes a quick trip to the Politics Corner to talk about the recent, absolutely bonkers Democratic debate. Cado played Wide Ocean, Big Jacket during the debate to help him calm down, a delightful game Patrick reviewed last week before he came down with the flu. Austin, Cado, and Patrick have also been checking out Corruption 2029, the not-as-flavorful follow up to 2018's Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden.

Discussed: Politics 3:04, Wide Ocean Big Jacket 13:24, Corruption 2029 24:14, Animal Crossing Direct 42:13, Covet Fashion 1:22:11, Destiny 1:24:25, No Man's Sky 1:25:17

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Over the past twenty years, The Sims has done its best to keep up with a rapidly changing world, and to be more inclusive in terms of what kind of people you can play as. From the first game's notorious same-sex kiss at E3 that lead to the game including same-sex romance in 2000 to The Sims 4's trans-masc icon Morgyn Embers, the franchise has always tried for a maximalist approach to play, including in customizing your character. Gita sat down to interview The Sims 4's executive producer and general manager, Lyndsay Pearson, and talked all about that, and also about their favorite conspiracy theories regarding the disappeared Bella Goth.

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Waypoint Radio is back with an all Brooklyn pod! Austin, Cado, and Gita shoot the shit about the games they're playing (lots of indie games), the primary (which is going to last forever), and which Dragon Age: Inquisition characters would work in a coffee shop. Cado's enjoying taking photos in Tales From Off Peak City, Austin gives us an MMO Minute FFXIV update, and Gita is de-stressing with... Darkest Dungeon? Stick around after the outro for an extended politics minute!

Discussed: Coffee Talk 6:25, Cook Serve Delicious 3 28:53, Tales From Off Peak City 44:29, Darkest Dungeon 52:31, Daemon X Machina 1:02:36, Final Fantasy XIV 1:04:01, Roadwardens 1:15:13, No Man's Sky 1:18:00

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Like Xehanort and his various vessels standing atop pillars of rock, the Lore Reasons crew has reconvened to talk about the latest entry into the expansive Kingdom Hearts mythos. The structure of the new Re Mind DLC left most of the crew cold, even if some moments and combat sections were legitimately joyous. None of them played Limit Cut, but we do a live watch of the secret endings! So come join us for one last dive and remember: May your heart be your guiding key!

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It's been a long year (read: week) but we've made it through! Patrick has been playing Outer Wilds, and Austin isn't letting him get away with not talking about it on the podcast. Rob is finally becoming one with The Force in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and the crew gets into an EU hole. After the break, Austin and Cado are checking out the new season of Apex Legends, and getting really excited about the train.

Discussed: Outer Wilds 13:30, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 24:03, Apex Legends 43:40, ScourgeBringer 59:28, Kunai 1:04:06

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If there's one thing the internet at large has said about Uncut Gems, it's that it's extremely anxiety inducing. People have posted their heart rates from fitbits showing the wild spikes, people talk about needing something to calm them down in order to get through it. Like much of the internet, it's easy to think this is mostly hyperbole, but after experiencing it first hand, we at Waypoint Radio can confirm they weren't joking. What really makes Uncut Gems special isn't just its expertly crafted, frenetic, and at times claustrophobic movie making, but also the critique of capitalism and all its influence on the people stuck within it. Join the Waypoint Radio crew as they discuss different readings of its message, the meta-textual casting, and which scenes made them the most anxious.

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Pre-Iowa Caucuses, the Waypoints crew considers where their allegiances lie in this Democratic Primary. They spend a slightly surprising amount of time discussing places where they find themselves adjacent to the Yang Gang, and Rob dreams of leading the Legions of Builders and Destroyers. But then the conversation shifts to Warren, Sanders, how the different candidates construe this political moment and its causes, and whose prescriptions seem capable of rising to it.

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The wait is finally over, Kentucky Route Zero is complete, and Austin, Patrick, and Cado are enthralled by its magical-realist setting, simple and beautiful imagery, and critique of capitalism through the lens of working class people.The crew digs into the game's seven year long release and their personal histories with the game. After the break, Cado and Patrick have played the Kingdom Hearts III Re: Mind DLC, and of course are still confused as to what the hell is going on. We may have to invite a certain Keyblade Master back for a future episode of Lore Reasons! Cado then takes us through Temtem, the totally-not-Pokémon game that has a lot of good ideas that should totally make their way back to Pokémon, and Patrick shouts out his new favorite Super Mario Maker 2 creator.

Discussed: Dental Stuff (Skip to next segment if you want to avoid) 2:11, Kentucky Route Zero 9:36, Kingdom Hearts III Re: Mind 1:01:14, Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme VS. Maxiboost ON 1:16:46, Temtem 1:20:01, Super Mario Maker 2 1:34:57

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We're happy to have new Tech desk hire Gita Jackson joining us for her first Waypoint Radio! She's already hard at work on The Sims beat and comes to chat about the tiny house expansion to The Sims 4, Modelland, and Vanderpump Rules. Rob is chomping at the bit to talk about Total War: Three Kingdoms' new expansion, The Mandate of Heaven, and how it might give a new player a better sense of what to watch in a Total War game than the original campaign. Patrick has dipped his toes in FE: Tokyo Mirage Sessions Encore, and was instantly met with one of the hardest decisions in gaming. He's also playing Outer Wilds, which he totally didn't mean to talk much about, but what do you expect when you utter Austin Walker's activation phrase?

Discussed: The Sims 4 3:49, Kingdom Hearts Project Xehanort 35:39, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Direct 46:44, FE: Three Houses DLC 53:28, Kentucky Route Zero 54:59, Total War Three Kingdoms: Mandate of Heaven 1:01:40, Tokyo Mirage Sessions 1:20:41, Outer Wilds 1:23:06, Question Bucket 1:27:38

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Disco Elysium, by and large, came out of nowhere for a lot of people, including us. A powerful story about the fallout of a failed political revolution and the people left in the rubble, portrayed through the lens of an alcoholic who’s just woken up from a bender so powerful it’s legitimately caused amnesia. And while a lot of games claim to embrace the idea of choice, few grant the player with the shocking granularity offered by Disco Elysium.

It’s also a hard game to talk about without really digging into what happens—because a lot happens. Disco Elysium might take place in a small location, relative to a lot of video games, but it’s utterly dense. It does not require more. Austin and I managed to tiptoe around a bunch of stuff on Waypoint Radio, but with both of us having recently finished the game, it seemed like a good idea to sit down and talk through the whole damn experience.

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Spoilers for Knives Out starting at ~ 1:02:17

Rob was gifted a ticket to watch 2015's breakout musical Hamilton, and left with many questions. Austin and Cado join him to discuss the legacy and fandom around Hamilton, and how each of them has had different trajectories with the musical. After the break, the crew gets into a spoiler filled discussion of Rian Johnson's Knives Out, how it toes the line between upholding and shifting genre conventions, and how expertly weaved this story of privilege and racism was told in the frame of a murder mystery.

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Spoilers for Batman: Arkham Knight at ~36:40

Somewhere, deep in each of our hearts, there's the fundamental truth to our inner-selves that takes the shape of a Pokémon. Lucky for us, we again have easy access to an official personality test that will reveal this form to us. We plumb the depths of Rob's soul with the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX intro, and finally answer who Rob's poké-sona is. We also talk about the games we've been playing, some news stories, and how barren the beginning of 2020 feels compared to last year. Stick around after the outro for some NFL talk (R.I.P. Ravens).

Discussed: AGDQ 2:53, Pokémon Direct 8:03, Rob's true self 13:32, Unannounced Batman Game 29:37, E3 38:54, Total War: Three Kingdoms 44:38, Dropmix 52:19, Star Wars the Old Republic 1:06:58, Final Fantasy XII 1:15:26, Final Fantasy XIV 1:25:04, Q1 Release Schedule 1:36:45

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The Waypoint Radio crew spent their holidays feastin' on Star Wars content and now they can't not talk about it! First, we discuss The Rise of Skywalker, and the ups and many many downs that movie had for each of us. After the break, we talk about The Mandalorian, and why Star Wars might work best in a serialized format. Also we talk about Patrick's twitter feed for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Discussed: The Rise of Skywalker 24:33, The Mandalorian 1:07:28

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Happy New Decade! The Waypoint Radio crew is back at it, starting this new year with a new energy, and that energy is chaos. Austin and Patrick both took their holiday break to dive into Disco Elysium, and share some of their favorite fashion tips. Cado finished Control after bouncing off of Destiny's new season, and then got back to the new season to find out, hey, it's actually good! Rob played a game from last gen, and everyone watched a bunch of tv and movies so expect a Waypoints or something soon!

Discussed: Disco Elysium 3:14, Destiny 2 29:13, Control 32:24, Batman: Arkham Asylum 42:46, Witcher 1:05:36, Super Mario Maker 2 1:08:57, Final Fantasy XIV 1:13:34, CATS 1:34:19

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Happy New Year! As 2020 gets started, we're looking back at our favorite TV, music, and movies of the last decade. Natalie Watson joins the Waypoint Radio crew and manages to will a new Kingdom Hearts III trailer into existence through sheer force of will.

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The last decade has been a wild one, so it's only fitting that we get some chaotic energy back onto the podcast to talk about it. Ex-Resident Keyblade Master Natalie Watson is back to talk about everyone's favorite games of the decade. The catch? Patrick says we're only allowed to talk for 10 minutes each! The runtime might not be 5 stars, but the takes definitely are.

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We're back on our bullshit, again! If there was one other genre (aside from Soulsbornes) that we had to talk about here at Waypoint Radio, it is of course the Immersive Sim. An we would be remiss if didn't bring back Danielle to talk about the best Immersive Sims of the last decade! Join Austin, Cado, Danielle, Patrick, and Rob as they drill down into genre definitions, defining moments, and the future of the genre.

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It wouldn't be a year that ends in r without the Waypoint Radio crew talking about the latest game by one of their favorite developers, From Soft. Just one thing, given our tendency for 5 star runtimes Patrick has imposed a rule: we only have 30 minutes to hash out which Souls like is our favorite of the decade! Join in as Austin, Patrick, Cado, and Rob discuss the highs and lows of FromSoft's games, and finally find out why Austin likes Dark Souls 2.

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FIWe're back to continue our recap of the best and worst of 2019. We recorded this episode well before any of us had even a twinkle of a list in our eyes. By this point you've probably read our personal lists, so here's a time capsule back to when we were just figuring things out. Just know that this 5 star runtime was brought to you by us being fully on our bullshit, and maybe drinking a little beer.

Discussed: Life is Strange 2 8:21, Total War: Three Kingdoms 10:14, FI 2019 29:24, Fire Emblem: Three Houses 47:39, Control 1:03:10, Daemon X Machina 1:23:22, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep 1:44:02, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint 1:47:03, Indivisible 1:52:05, The Outer Worlds1:57:37, The Outer Worlds Spoilers 1:58:45, Death Stranding 2:10:20, Pokemon Sword and Shield 2:18:50, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2:21:00, Phoenix Point 2:33:10, Mechwarrior 5 2:35:01

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2019, the year that felt as long as a decade. The Waypoint Radio crew is getting ready to drop their individual Game of the Year lists, but first, they have to remember what even came out this year. Join Austin, Cado, Patrick and Rob as they go over the years best games the most disappointing releases. We talked about games so long, we had to make it two podcasts!

Discussed: Resident Evil 2 5:06, Outer Wilds 16:47, Kingdom Hearts III 33:06, Anthem 36:58, Greedfall 45:40, The Waypoint Tech Corner 51:42, Sekirio: Shadows Die Twice 1:01:25, Metro Exodus 1:19:, Ace Combat 7 1:23:09, Apex Legends 1:24:00, Slay the Spire 1:27:47, Eliza 1:28:56, Telling Lies 1:45:29

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If Hideo Kojima needed two hours at the end of Death Stranding to explain the game through cutscenes, what chance do poor old Rob and Heather Alexandra, visiting from Kotaku, have to unpack the game's layers of strange brilliance, tacky sensibilities, and clunky self-importance? No chance at all, but that doesn't stop them from trying to work through their reactions to the game and many of the moments they were keeping under wraps to avoid spoilers. Now, in this spoiler cast, they are ready to run amok like a Beached Thing emerging from the Chiral ooze.

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We're kicking of our end of year podcasts with a new format! We asked for your questions that could be answered in 90 seconds or less, and you delivered! Listen in as Austin, Cado, Patrick, and Rob answer everything from favorite holiday drinks, to best indie game of the decade, to a lightning round mark of mastery makeup exam, all in under two minutes! Happy Holidays!

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The holiday season is fast approaching, and so today we have a grab bag of a joint Waypoint Radio/Waypoints episode! Rob starts us off with a detailed description of his delicious looking deep dish pizza, and his kinda sad looking but still delicious NYC style one. Patrick has a an addendum to our GOTY podcasts with late entry A Short Hike, a delightful game he might describe as "Animal Crossing, but you don't do anything that you would normally do in Animal Crossing." We go over the winners and announcements from The Game Awards. Austin presents us with the MMO Minute before Rob has to get something off his chest about The Mandalorian.

Discussed: A Short Hike 23:14, Devotion 46:22, The Game Awards part 1 1:04:55, The MMO Minute presented by Austin Walker 1:19:38, The Game Awards part 2 1:23:47, The Mandalorian 1:46:21, The Clone Wars 1:55:30

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It's the day before The Game Awards. Or, rather, it's the day before the game awards as I'm writing this. You're reading this the day after The Game Awards, which means this is our The Game Awards podcast with predictions and discussion that we recorded before the awards happen! Were we right about Green Day? Did our favorite games win any awards? Well only you know the answer to that. You and well, us in the future from now. Oh also Austin can finally talk about Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries. Rob and Cado ask him about his time at the wheel of a BattleMech while Patrick takes a nap.

Discussed: Mechwarrior 5: Mercenaries 3:50, The Game Awards 1:02:10

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We're deep into GOTY season, so we've been hitting the podcast recordings hard. Listen in as we casually drop references for podcasts that won't release for another three weeks, discuss the new Master Sword item that totally changes Super Mario Maker 2, and take a quick dip in the question bucket to bathe in the glory that is Waluigi.

Discussed: Super Mario Maker 2 2:04, Life is Strange 2 29:20, Final Fantasy XIV 32:54, New Bioshock Game 43:09, Question Bucket 1:04:49

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Rob Zacny interviews Paradox Chief Business Development Officer, Shams Jorjani. He's the last of Paradox's old corporate leadership, and has seen the company through a variety of high and low moments, helping to put out fires when needed, most notably during the acquisition of White Wolf when it was under scrutiny for their mishandling of queer history in a Vampire: The Masquerade source book. They also discuss worker compensation and mobility at Paradox, the focus on long term growth over quarterly profits, and why he's stuck it out at the same place for so long.

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The Waypoint crew is (mostly) back from break, and gearing up for the end of the year. Cado "finished" Pokemon Sword, and found the campaign's focus underwhelming, even if structurally this might be the most immersive Pokemon game to date. Patrick is excited about the new Mario Maker 2 update that was suddenly announced Monday, even if he wishes Nintendo had been more forthright about their roadmap for that game. Austin has some killer Final Fantasy XIV music to shout out, and then takes the crew on a casual lap of the question bucket.

Discussed: Pokemon Sword 10:46, Super Mario Maker 2 20:44, Spelunky 2 27:02, Souls Franchise 42:01, The Outer Worlds 47:33, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 1:03:10, Streaming Services that aren't Stadia 1:26:12

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We're on break but that doesn't mean the #content needs to stop! Cado is playing Pokemon Sword and questioning the sentience of Pokemon when they're in The Box (spoiler: they remember everything). Patrick finished Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and the crew takes a dive into the Star Wars canon, old and new. Rob has been playing the board game Gloomhaven, or rather, a version of it with... let's call it a house rule. After the break we dive deep into the Question Bucket to talk about who keeps it real the most (Rob, probably), cooking Turkey (why bother?), and how much Austin cares about Shenmue 3.

Discussed: Pokemon Sword and Shield 4:47, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 21:47, Resident Evil 2 52:38, Gloomhaven 54:16, Question Bucket part 1- 1:01:55, Half Life: Alyx 1:27:45, Question Bucket part 2- 1:42:35

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It’s Monday, and you know what that means. 'MECHS! We have a special BattleTech double episode for y’all today. First up, Rob sat down with Harebrained Scheme's Mitch Gitelman to talk about BattleTech lore and the ins and outs of trying to run an inclusive and diverse games company. After the break, Austin and Rob chat about Heavy Metal, the new BattleTech expansion that adds new 'Mech specific abilities, weapons, crew events, and more.

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It's been two years but he's finally back. Manveer Heir, who came on Waypoint Radio in 2017 to talk about his time working on Mass Effect: Andromeda, has returned to the podcast studio with Rashad Redic, an industry veteran whose worked on games such as Fallout 3 and Skyrim. Together they make up two thirds of Brass Lion, a new entertainment studio with goal to tell the stories of underrepresented and marginalized groups in their own voices, from their own perspective. Austin sat down to chat with them about their first game, Corner Wolves, their experiences in the industry, building a new startup, and the best hip-hop artists of all time.

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Spoilers for Afterparty from approximately 1:12:08 ~ 1:25:24

It's fall, time for sweaters, hot chocolate, and anime. Austin and Cado went to AnimeNYC, and they're back to report from the anime front lines. Patrick has been playing the new anime console, Google Stadia, and feels that the tech is more interesting than the experience. After the break, Rob takes us to hell in Afterparty, from the developers behind Oxenfree. Then Cado wraps back around to more anime with Pokemon Sword and Shield, when he explains what an EV is, and says the words "Egg Move." The crew takes a quick detour into a mini Waypoints episode to close it out. Stick around after the outro for Football Takes!

Discussed: My Hero One's Justice 2 6:26, One Punch Man: Hero Nobody Knows 8:02, Google Stadia 12:46, Afterparty 57:38, Spoilers for Afterparty 1:12:08, Pokemon Sword and Shield 1:25:24, Waypoints - 2:03:25

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We hear people like extra long pods for the weekend, so we’ve delivered! Austin and Patrick take us on their journey to reconnect with the Force in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Does a Lightsaber give off heat? Is this finally the game that Star Wars fans have been waiting for? After the break, Rob guides us to the front lines of Unity of Command 2, a strategy game that managed to improve on the perfection of it's prequel. Patrick can't talk Stadia yet, so he takes us through the wild Stadia AMA, where an employee actually said "I will personally deliver this to your house." We run down the announcements for XO19, including Dontnod's new game Tell Me Why, which will have a trans protagonist. And Cado talks through #gamefreaklied, and the many different reasons the outlash to Pokemon Sword and Shield have been so vitriolic.

Discussed: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 6:21, Unity of Command 2 1:03:12, Guildlings 1:22:27, Takeshi and Hiroshi 1:25:45, Stadia 1:28:44, XO19 1:35:49, Pokemon Sword and Shield 2:13:14

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Spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III from approximately 1:14:22 to 1:15:10

We’re in the eye of the storm, we've had one weekend of relative quiet before another crop of new games drop. For now though, Austin is living his best deliveryman life in Death Stranding. Rob is feeling cold on Need for Speed Heat, a racing game with less than stellar racing but a plot so wild he’s gotta to see it through. Patrick is feeling the burn with Ring Fit Adventure, especially in his deltoids (those overhead presses are no joke!) Cado is catching up by playing … Nier: Automata, a game he should’ve finished two years ago, and Outer Wilds, a game he wished he’d picked up sooner, and both games that will make you feel sad.

Discussed: Ring Fit Adventure 4:48, Need for Speed Heat 17:02, Death Stranding 46:50, Nier: Automata 1:08:48, Outer Wilds 1:15:10, The Outer Worlds 1:21:40, Pokemon Sword and Shield 1:28:20, Stadia 1:34:41, Radio Commander 1:40:01

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Waypoints returns as Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado discuss their need for more time off in light of an interesting analysis by the People's Policy Project. Why do US workers do so much more work every year than most of their peers? Looking beyond vacation time and holidays, what emerges is a series of socio-economic problems that too few people can get help for, from retirement to sick leave to family leave. And why do companies, who are so often worried about productivity, ignore studies that show working less hours in a week leads to more productivity? After the break, the gang tries to figure out what to make of Kamala Harris' proposed 10-hour school day. Is the right solution for the wrong problem? Does this proposal lean too heavily on private funding? And might some of the solutions we spoke to in the first half of the podcast target the root of this problem, rather than the symptom?

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The fall games season is still chugging along, but this week we're caught in a zone between embargo zones. Patrick is using this time to get fit with Ring Fit Adventure, the new Pilates exercise game from Nintendo. Austin is still on that Final Fantasy XIV grind, and has an ...appetizing story about a certain three headed dog, while Cado took a small FFXIV break to catch up on Nier: Automata. After the break, the crew dives back into The Outer Worlds and the ways the TTRPG origins of the genre have evolved and changed. Austin dipped into S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, and met some guy named Tuna.

Discussed: Ring Fit Adventure 15:05, Final Fantasy XIV 33:07, Nier: Automata 52:06, The Outer Worlds 56:24, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat 1:21:01, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 1:29:42, Blizzcon 1:47:45

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The Embargo Zone has been cleared (partially). We can finally talk about Death Stranding, the first game from Kojima Productions, Hideo Kojima's new studio. And to do it, we have Motherboard's own Emanuel Maiberg and Matthew Gault joining us. Austin and Cado have questions, and Rob, Patrick, Emanuel, and Matt have... some answers? There's BTs, BBs, Likes on Ladders, and a plethora of stories of Rob fucking up. We dive deep into the mechanics of the game before getting into early game spoilers at the 36 minute mark. After the break (around 1:20:05) we answer your questions on Death Stranding!

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It's finally happened. Austin Walker has finally finished Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Which means he's only got 100 quests to go before getting to the first expansion! Rob, Austin, and Patrick have all dove into The Outer Worlds, and they get deep into spoiler territory for the first area in the game, it's various choices, and how they play out in the long run. After the break we have on Motherboards Emanuel Maiberg to discuss the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the spectacle it presents, and the forever war. Then we check in with Luigi's Mansion 3, a game about acquiring large amounts of wealth for no particular reason.

Discussed: Super Mario Maker 2 0:33, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn 7:36, The Outer Worlds 15:44, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1:09:03, Luigi's Mansion 3 2:25:47

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The walls of the Embargo Zone are starting to crumble. Rob is back from Paradox Con and he's got some great stories to tell. No, not about Paradox games, but about... an anti-socialist game in a Berlin museum? Then, Austin and Rob have both been playing The Outer Wil... Worlds, the new fallout-like from Obsidian games. We then discuss the recent slew of delays, making spring 2020 suddenly an extremely crowded time. Cado and Austin drop by the MMOzone to talk about the crystals in Final Fantasy XIV, and the "shortcuts" you can take to get to the Waking Sands.

Discussed: Paradox Con 1:09, The Outer Worlds 14:53, The Last of Us 2 Delay 1:18:25, Crusader Kings III 1:30:14, MMO minute 1:41:04, Death Stranding 1:50:21, A Bewitching Revolution 1:51:22, Sea Salt 1:55:26

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Rob went to Paradox Con and was able to snag an interview with Johan Anderson, Creative Director at Paradox Development Studio. They talk about the company's IPO, failed game systems, his creative goals, and his long career making grand strategy games.

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The Embargo Zone continues, but luckily our question bucket overfloweth! First up, we touch on the letter from a handful of congress people to Blizzard, and the new kerfuffle regarding Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore in Japan. Austin and Cado take a MMOment to talk about their time in Final Fantasy XIV this past weekend, and Patrick has played more Valfaris. Then we take another dip into the question bucket, which it turns out was full of kickle juice. We take a break in the middle of all that to dunk on Michael Pachter and the ESA.

Discussed: Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE Encore 7:51, Watchmen 13:52, Final Fantasy XIV 21:29, Valfaris 43:39, Question Bucket 46:47, Michael Pachter 1:10:15, Question Bucket 2 1:18:05

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We’ve got a real bucket-full of questions from our listeners this week, but first! Austin has been playing more Card of Darkness, and is starting to see stacks everywhere he goes. Cado dipped back into Life is Strange 2, and found a surprising look at the complex backgrounds that make up Latinidad. Patrick has been running his mind through the gravity-bending Manifold Garden. Then, we answer your questions, from pizza preferences to fantasy archetypes, we'll answer 'em all!

Discussed: Card of Darkness 10:16, Life is Strange 2 16:45, Manifold Garden 26:10, Luigi's Mansion 3 36:00, Question Bucket 46:22

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You have now entered THE EMBARGO ZONE. Most of the crew is playing new things they can't talk about yet, so we spend some time talking about The Mangler, a movie about a ... laundry folding machine? That's possessed by demon energy? Luckily, Austin played a game out of embargo, Disco Elysium, a CRPG with interesting mechanics but a fuzzy point of view. Patrick has been playing more Valfaris, the Metal album art inspired Contra-like, and Cado is still playing Indivisible, where he's made a new friend with a badass pirate. Then we have our MMO Minutes as Cado and his team of community Raiders have finished the new Destiny 2 Raid, and Austin has unlocked his new job as a Bard in Final Fantasy XIV.

Discussed: Disco Elysium 28:55, Divinity Fallen Heros 1:11:58, Valfaris 1:13:51, Indivisible 1:20:48, Destiny 2 Shadowkeep 1:29:22, Final Fantasy XIV 1:30:52

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We're finally at the end of this long ass week. Rob is back from vacation to talk through his Ghost Recon: Breakpoint review, and the general reaction to that game. Austin checks back in with Final Fantasy XIV and the grind to the DLC. After the break, Cado and Austin have been checking out the tactical John Wick Hex, while Patrick has been fighting a fever in bed while playing Grindstone. Then we have a lengthy news section going over the PS5 announcement and Blizzard's response to the recent slew of Hong Kong protests from Hearthstone players.

Discussed: Ghost Recon: Breakpoint 1:22 , Final Fantasy XIV 14:31 , John Wick Hex 26:52 , Grindstone 38:47 , Warsaw 41:22 , Playstation 5 52:10 , Blizzard's reaction to the Hong Kong Protests 1:02:46

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The fall games season continues, server issues and all. Now that Austin has a bunch of free time, he's been seriously considering getting into that MMO that everyone's talking about... Final Fantasy XIV. Patrick tried out this other game you may have heard of, Destiny 2, and was immediately confused by the new player onboarding. Cado has been playing Indivisible alongside leveling for the new Destiny raid, a new "metroidvania-ish" "jrpg" with a really neat combat system and solid writing. Patrick's data-cap situation is getting out of hand, luckily the "iron maiden cover turned contra" game Valfaris wasn't too big of a download.

Discussed: Final Fantasy XIV, Destiny 2: New Light, Indivisible, Valfaris, Pilgrims, Apple Arcade Games, Data-caps, Untitled Goose Game

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The Waypoint Radio crew is staying in the spooky spirit this week, as Cado reports back from the Moon (still haunted) in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. Austin was going to try to join him, but he got spooked by the lack of clarity in Destiny's UI. Danielle brings us the horror of the gig economy in Neo Cab. Rob was both spooker and spookee in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, a game with problematic story, but extremely compelling mechanics. And Patrick regales us with the horrors of ISP data caps!

At the end of the podcast, we talk about a few big changes to the Waypoint Radio crew. Danielle is bidding farewell to her time at Vice, and Austin is stepping back from his editorial role. Austin will continue to host Waypoint Radio, but Danielle will be moving on to bigger and better things. We'll miss you, Danielle!

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September is over and that means it’s time to get SPOOKY. The crew checks back in on Untitled Goose Game to ask the hard questions: does revolution ever really end?Rob’s getting into the spirit by playing Ghost Recon: Breakpoint as the Panther, which apparently is the stealth class if you weren’t aware. Austin is getting spooked by the terrors of urban planning in Mini-Motorway, and Patrick is having a surprisingly un-spooky time with the Switch Lite. Stick around after the outro for the weekly NFL check-in.

Discussed: Untitled Goose Game, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Apple Arcade, What The Golf, Mini Motorway, Switch Lite, Close Combat: The Bloody First, Football

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As the fall game’s deluge rages on, Rob Zacny’s got his sights set on the beach, and totally not at all on that one player that ruined a perfectly good race in GRID. Austin is exploring new biomes and getting loot in Cube World, a game that most people figured would never come out, but Austin always believed. Patrick’s been running out of gas in the post-apocalyptic Overland, and Cado is just waiting for Shadowkeep to finally drop.

Discussed: Cube World, GRID, Overland, The Last of Us Part 2, Destiny 2:Shadowkeep, Link's Awakening

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Fall is finally here. The leaves are changing. There's a chill in the air. And the games harvest is plentiful. So plentiful, that Austin went back and played ... a racing game from 1990? He's got a contract out, can you help him understand the physics in F-Zero? Cado and Patrick then comisserate over the best god damn golf game of all time, Kirby's Dreamcourse. After the break, Patrick and Austin talk about the nuanced differences between EDM and pop music. Also Sayonara Wild Hearts. Austin talks about some game that has a goose in it, and Patrick takes us through his journey with Apple Arcade.

Discussed: F-Zero, Super Mario Maker 2, Kirby's Dreamcourse, Link's Awakening, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Untitled Goose Game, Apple Arcade, Destiny 2, Google Play Pass

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Content Warning for discussion of Sexual Assault from approximately 1:52:00 - 2:07:00

On this week's Waypoints, Austin watched all of Netflix's Mindhunter while he was on vacation and couldn't wait to talk about it with the rest of the crew. It's a look at the FBI during the late 70's, before the term "serial killer" existed, and how some of that methodology was invented. Rob brings us Arrival, Denis Villeneuve's 2016 movie about aliens landing on earth and language, communication, and trauma. Danielle visited Halloween Horror Nights and brings us the scoop on the design and craft of the various haunted houses. After the break, Austin, Patrick, and Rob discuss last week's NFL news, including a segment on Antonio Brown's sexual assault allegations.

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Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, you fail. This week, Rob has the misfortune of sharing with us the sad tale of the Krummetses. A humble bread/pastry (breastry? Pastread?) born of misunderstandings and faulty equipment. Luckily, Patrick has had a little more luck with The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, one of the weirder 2D Zelda games, finally dropping on Switch this week. Austin and Cado have been playing (surprise surprise) two new roguelike deckbuilders, Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale and Sign of the Sojourner, and Rob is still finding new surprises in Control. We regret to inform you: Cado will not be acquiring a destiny shirt this year.

Discussed: Link's Awakening, Control, Meteorfall: Krumit's Tale, Sign of the Sojourner, Borderlands III, Mutazione, Kind Words, Destiny 2

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It's fall, and even if the weather doesn't know it, the games industry sure does. Austin takes a quick dip out from his vacation to join us on this episode and talk about mechs, as he's spent some of his vacation playing Daemon X Machina. Rob and Patrick have also been playing Greedfall, a game about colonizing an island. Cado has been playing Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, a game about colonizing an island. Then after the break we dive into the latest Pewdiepie scandal, the new Death Stranding trailer, and that wild Nintendo Fit Ring thing. Also Control still slaps.

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Mild Kingdom Heart III spoilers from two minutes in through to 7 minutes in.

We've got some BREAKING NEWS on this pod, there's a NEW KINGDOM HEARTS III DLC TRAILER OUT! Listen in as Danielle, Patrick, and Cado react live to the new trailer while Rob pours himself some 15 year old scotch. He then regales us with tales of his new enormous speakers as he gently swirls the drink in his hand, ice lightly clinking against the cold glass. Danielle brings us tales from the woods of Blair Witch, and how great the dog is, while Cado's dealing with the cold in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Patrick is nearing the end of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and realizing how cordoned off the endgame is for the different houses. Then we take a dip in the question bucket, before Rob and Patrick spend 20 minutes talking about sports.

Discussed: Kingdom Hearts III Re Mind, Blair Witch, Iceborne, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Control

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So, Rob somehow got the keys to Nintendo. The Nintendo Direct this week is evidence of that, and we do a pretty extensive overview of all the wild new things this Rob Zacny led Nintendo is getting up to. Patrick and Danielle give us a history of Deadly Premonition and how good/bad it is. Motherboard's own Emanuel Maiberg joins us to give us his thoughts on the Star Wars Jedi Knight competitive scene, as well as thoughts on Gears 5. Cado spends probably too much time defending Taco Bell.

Discussed: Nintendo Direct, Deadly Premonition, Return of the Obra Dinn, Assassin's Creed, Pokemon, Doom 64, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, SNES on Nintendo Switch Online, Gears 5, Blair Witch

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It's Madden season! Which means it's time for Patrick, Rob, and Austin to confront pro football and all its ugly contradictions and compromises. First, they're as shocked as anyone by the "in his prime" retirement of star quarterback Andrew Luck. But should they be? What does Luck's decision reveal about changing attitudes among football players toward the game they play? There's a class element to it as well, but that's even more salient with the crass partnership between Jay-Z and the NFL. The gang discuss how Jay-Z has helped the league "move on" from its embarrassing standoff with allegedly blackballed quarterback Colin Kaepernick, and why it's a move that makes all the sense in the world for billionaire like Jay-Z. Making somewhat less sense is the long fight Antonio Brown waged on behalf of a beloved helmet. It was an odd hill to die on but on the other hand, how important are helmets really to keeping players safe? Finally, Rob and Patrick spent the summer mesmerized by the Chicago Bears' unprecedented search for a new place-kicker.

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Content Warning for discussions of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault - segment ends 27 minutes in.

In the past week, we've seen a slew of survivors of sexual assault and harassment in the games industry take to social media to speak about their traumas. As this wave of accusations began, Motherboard's Lauren Kaori Gurley spoke with three of the survivors. She's joined by Danielle, Rob, Patrick, and Cado as they discuss sexual harassment in the workplace and the power dynamics that surround it.

After the break, Danielle brings us the aptly seasonal Knights and Bikes, with a touch of nostalgia for times past and summer's end. Rob, Patrick, and Cado are playing Control, or is the game playing them? Then Patrick and Cado talk about the Pinball Roguelike Creature in the Well, and just how imprecise the Switch's analog sticks feel all of a sudden. Then we take a quick dip in the question bucket, and pour one out for all our lost save files.

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Three major embargoes dropped today, so we're gonna dive straight in! Rob brings us his thoughts on Control, and how it's wild lore is integrated in a satisfying way, much more satisfying than Destiny, a game he hasn't played since 2017, that has totally stayed the same since then and not at all delivered on any of it's lore. [/s] Then Austin talks about the parts ofAstral Chainthat he can talk about, which apparently don't include some of his favorite missions because embargoes can be weird! Patrick checks back in with Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. Cado played some Destiny, but you probably already knew that.

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Content warning for discussion of assisted suicide from approximately 1:20:00 - 1:24:00

The fall is almost upon us, and you know what that means! That's right, it's American Football season, and that means we're gonna try and guess the names of the recently revealed XFL teams based only on their team logos! Then we check in on Patrick as he tries to unravel the mysteries of evolution in Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. What is the difference between a branch and a stick? Patrick doesn't know, and neither do we. After the break, Austin checks back in with the surprising world of Remnant: From the Ashes, which has some well written narrative moments that he wasn't expecting. Then Cado tells us about the intriguing but frustrating Oninaki, which has an intense narrative setup, but doesn't ever feel good to actually play. Then we get lost in the woods with Danielle as she explores the new Blair Witch game. There is a dog, and you can pet it!

Discussed: XFL, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Remenant: From the Ashes, Astral Chain, Oninaki, Blair Witch

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We have a special bonus episode of Waypoint Radio, Austin and Patrick are joined by award winning composer Austin Wintory to talk about his next project, the FMV game Erica. They also discuss horror movie music tropes, the difference between scoring movies and scoring games, and some of Austin Wintory's favorite brands.

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There's a well known joke where you describe something in reference to Dark Souls. Hell, we've done plenty of that on this very podcast. But rarely are those games actually Souls-likes, and even rarer are the ones we enjoy. So imagine our surprise when the "Dark Souls but with Guns" game Remnant: From the Ashes landed with both Austin and Cado, so much so that our descriptions of the game basically sold Patrick on playing it! The Waypoint Radio crew discusses Remnant, Fire Emblem (is it hard enough?), Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and more on this episode of Waypoint Radio!

Discussed: Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Astral Chain, Vanquish, Age of Wonders: Planetfall, Remnant: From the Ashes, Nintendo Indie World stream, Session, Stadia, Idris Elba

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Summer is ending. The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler, and the games, oh boy, the games are coming. August isn't even over and we're already seeing the waves of fall releases starting to crop up, so we've got an episode jam packed with new games. From positive notes on Zachtronics' Eliza tomixed feelings on the Sega Genesis Mini, the deluge has begun!

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There are many components to a perfect tea time. The choice of tea itself is of upmost importance, of course, but its presentation and preparation is just as critical. Then, there is the discussion. What's a perfect tea time if not a lively conversation over a shared refreshment? The Waypoint Radio crew share their favorite discussion topics this episode, the way to get those support ranks up. So how about giant robots? What does it mean to live well? What is a sauce? What's good with game design? Yes, we've basically all been playing too much Fire Emblem. We talk about a few other games too though, don't worry, we won't tank this tea time!

Discussed: Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, Anodyne 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, System Shock 2, Oxygen Not Included, Griftlands, EVO 2019

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With Cado out on vacation and Austin back from one, it's only right for Waypoint Radio to spend this week traveling to new worlds. Danielle takes us to the world of Anodyne 2, the follow up to one of her favorite games of all time. Austin launches to space in Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, the Privateer-esque follow up to the 2015 space sim. And Rob and Patrick have moved permanently into the dorms at Garreg Mach Monastery in the world of Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Plus, the crew weighs in on the recent games journalist doxxing and what this might mean for the future of the ESA.

Discussed: The ESA, E3, Anondyne 2, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, Star Wars: Outer Rim, Die Hard: The Board Game, Fire Emblem: Three Houses

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ty Given the length of most games, it can sometimes be hard to parse their politics or meaning even from a few hours of play. Endgame twists can paint the entire narrative of a game in a different light, strengthening core themes at best, and undermining them at worst. So it's natural to wonder where a narrative might go even if it's opening hours seem to hammer home a specific point of view. We discuss how this feels in The Outer Worlds,​​ making new friends in ​​Fire Emblem: Three Houses, ​and just what is up with the Clancyverse on this episode of Waypoint Radio.

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Content Warning: Suicide, Suicidal Ideation, Sexual Violence, Descriptions of Gore, all applied towards minors.

We've finally done it. The Waypoint Radio crew has watched all of Neon Genesis Evangelion's original run and the End of Evangelion Movie. Through its highs and lows, from contemplative pacing to stylish action, from it's interesting lore to its mishandling of its themes, we've seen it all. It's a long one folks, so strap in, and best of luck.

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This week on Waypoint Radio we're getting political. Patrick, Cado, and Austin are all playing Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and we get into who picked the right house. Who's to say whether a monarchy or a ruling class is better? Rob's got some ideas that seem to be backed by historical knowledge, but Cado thinks it's Sophie's choice, honestly. We also discuss the messy tutorialization: why does it explain a combat mechanic during downtime? What's with all of these unexplained mechanics? Why do they turn off the enemy's attack range after the first mission? Then Austin and Cado talk about the games and panels they saw as last weekend's Game Devs of Color Expo. Come for the surreal RPGs, stay for the rubber fish controler. Rob's computer then breaks so the rest of the crew discuss the wild story of how Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 was translated by fans over the span of 20 years.

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It's anime day here at Waypoint Radio, as Austin is here to lead Patrick and Cado through his time with Fire Emblem: Three Houses. We then dive into the Joy Con Drift situation and Switch Model Number discourse. Patrick is playing super quick Mario Maker levels and checking out (the totally anime) Wolfenstein Youngblood, and we try our best to find Evangelion Mac n Cheese. Does it exist? (if it does please send to @a_cado_appears on twitter!)

Discussed: Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Joy Con drift, Super Mario Maker 2, Nowhere Prophet, Griftlands, Wolfenstein Youngblood,

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​Content Warning for this episode: discussion of suicide throughout.

Evangelion is a messy series. For all the craft and care put into the characters and arcs in the first half of the show, which was uneven in it's treatment of women even then, the back end has higher peaks and even lower valleys. And while lore dumps and twists are being deployed it's Evangelion's female characters that end up with the brunt of the low points. For as shocking as the reveal is that Rei was a series of clones all along, tied to it is the unfortunate flattening of Ritsuko's character, to a woman motivated solely by her relationship to a man. We see this same story played out with her mother, and this repeated cycle implies some greater hidden truth to the actions these characters have taken. Instead of allowing these characters to have a sense of agency they're locked into repeating the same mistakes, because "that's just how women are." We discuss this uneven treatment, the overly dramatic lore dumps, and that shower scene in this episode of Waypoints.

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It's a hot one as Rob, Danielle, and Cado are doing their best to cope. Rob's apartment is starting to ferment, Danielle's breaking legs, and Cado has been hiding at the movies but they've also made time for games. Danielle and Rob have both spent more time with Night Call and how you build a good mystery, while Cado is increasingly frustrated by the worldbuilding of Nowhere Prophet. Rob, meanwhile, tried to learn Coimbra, a complicated Euro-style boardgame, while slowly overheating.

Discussed: Night Call, Nowhere Prophet, Fireball Island, Coimbra

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With Austin still away on vacation, Patrick, Rob, and Cado decided to dive in to the question bucket and fish out the weirdest questions we've been sent. Little did we know that we'd be faced with questions that shake the very foundations of our beliefs. We question the nature of order and chaos, the ethics of jumping off of a Yoshi to save yourself, and wonder out loud what ever happened to Need for Speed? And finally, we enter into that eternal debate, one that's been asked and answered for as long as podcasts existed: Knife or Bat?

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Content Warning: Discussion of suicide from around 1:48:00 through 1:52:00 and 1:59:00 through 2:04:00

Neon Genesis Evangelion is often touted as a "thinking person's anime." Despite it's unevenness, it does tend to stay away from a monster of the week narrative and will often devote entire episodes to the mental states of it's main characters. What sometimes gets conflated with this fact is that all of this deep introspection lands or has narrative weight every single time it happens. At its best the show weaves​ plot and themes effortlessly, but sometimes just asking existential questions isn't enough to hand wave the ways characters have acted or been treated throughout the show. Can an existential line of questioning feel earned even if it ignores previous character growth? Does it cheapen earlier plot points when thematic elements begin overpower literal narrative? We tackle these questions and more as we discuss Episodes 20-21 on this week's Waypoints.

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There's a certain feeling that seems specific to modern Fire Emblem games, a sense of pride when you go into battle with your carefully leveled squad. You've come to know these characters intimately, watched their relationships with each other mature, and come to think of them as family. However, amongst the expansive cast of characters in Fire Emblem: Awakening, one particular character sticks out for having a great arc, and that's Donnel.

A farm boy wearing a pot on his head, he starts out so weak most people might ditch him for some of the game's heartier characters. The people that stick with him though get to watch their good good farm boy grow up to be an absolute killing machine​. His arc becomes the best example of the way you come to feel pride for these characters, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses​, is doubling down on this feeling with its totally new structure. We discuss the new Fire Emblem game, the noir narrative game ​Night Call,​ and new deckbuilding roguelike ​Nowhere Prophet​ on this episode of Waypoint Radio.

​Discussed: Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Night Call, Steamworld Quest, Super Mario Maker 2, Nowhere Prophet

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Do you remember when we said “wouldn’t it be cool if game franchises got traded every year?” Well, two community members (@RevRyeBread and @regresssion) decided to write a short fantasy draft game that we’re gonna play! Tune in as Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado choose their platforms and vie to fill out their rosters with the best gaming franchises. There’s drama, tension, and lots of dubious math! Stick around after the game as Austin and Cado do a nearly frame by frame breakdown of the new Gundam Battle: GUNPLA WARFARE trailer.

Played: bit.ly/videogamedraft

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We've returned this week revitalized by a new batch of episodes that, it turns out, we actually liked! The Waypoint Radio crew discusses the existential and physical horror of episodes 14-19 and ask, what is an Eva? Is it just a big Human? Is Gendo the original Wife guy? Why does their teacher just keep talking about the Second Impact? What are the Dead Sea Scrolls, and who is the Human Instrumentality Council? We discuss all this and more on this episode of Waypoints!

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It was a long weekend and that means we were all staring at our phones: Which is alright, because it turns out those have games on them now. Cado briefs us on the Capcom card game Teppen, the, uh, DOTA Autochess DOTA Underlords, and Austin is terrified of what an upcoming Gundam-builidng gacha game will do to his credit score. Back on consoles and PC, Patrick is disappointed by Sea of Solitude, while Rob offers high praise for F1 2019 and dire warning about Total War: Three Kingdoms: Do not pursue Lu Bu.

Discussed: Teppen, DOTA Underlords, Sea of Solitude, F1 2019, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Lucah: Born of a Dream

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Content Warning: discussion of the sexualization of children, sexual violence, and child pornography.

There is a long running trope of fan service in anime, where by characters (almost always women) are sexualized by the "camera" for the enjoyment of the (largely male) audience. Often it's deployed in irrespective of whatever plot point is happening at that moment, purely to titillate. ​Evangelion ​is no exception, however, it complicates it's own usage by attempting to explore the burgeoning sexuality of it's teenaged characters. But there's a notable difference between sexualizing characters for the viewer and characters having sexual thoughts. We discuss the messy way that episodes 8-13 deal with these issues and more on this week's Waypoints.

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The crew is at the top of their game in this episode about, um, NBA free agency, James Dolan's band, how FFXIV broke Austin, and the latest season of Riverdale. But also there are video games! We talk about them too! We talk about Mario Maker 2, and have some question about that boot that Mario uses (but Patrick doesn't). Rob talks about F1 2019 and its interesting but too-sparse narrative, before getting sidetracked by describing the plot of Draft Day. Cado's great too. Anyway, that's life under capitalism!

Discussed: FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, Super Mario Maker 2, F1 2019, Hardcore Mecha

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We've got a long one today (partially to make up for Monday's short episode? Who could say!?) Danielle starts us off with her impressions of The Sinking City, Frogwares' new detective game set in a Lovecraftian flooded town. She and Austin discuss the game's racial politics and how they shift the lens through which Lovecraft wrote his original works, while Rob draws a through line from this game to the works of Dashiell Hammet. Then Patrick stares at a wall and groans about the existence of Mario Maker 2, a game he claims is canceled because "Dan Ryckert still exists." He then goes on to admit that he's become that which he hates and has actually made a level in the new game, and he liked it. We check back in on Rob's campaign in Steel Division 2 before Cado whisks us to the magical world of Wizards Unite, which turns out to look a lot like the world of Pokemon Go, which looks a lot like Brooklyn. Stick around to the end to hear us live react to what has to be one of the wildest commercials any of us have ever seen.

Discussed: The Sinking City, Mario Maker 2, Steel Division 2, Wizards Unite, Hardcore Mecha

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Neon Genesis Evangelion is finally streaming, and with it comes our long promised rewatch of the series. On this episode we discuss the first seven episodes, from the different translations, to it's cinematic story-telling, from it's use of sexist anime tropes, to the deep exploration of its character's psyches. Danielle, Rob, and Patrick give their first time impressions while Cado and Austin shoot knowing glances back and forth. It's a long one, so strap in!

Episodes Discussed: 1: Angel Attack, 2: Unfamiliar Ceiling, 3: The Silent Phone, 4: Rain, After Running Away, 5: Rei, Beyond the Heart, 6: Showdown in Tokyo-3, 7: The Works Of Man

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Ah summer. A time for beaches, BBQs, and new game announcements... but not a whole ton of new games. Austin spent a weekend deep in TTRPG land, so it's up to Rob and Cado to talk about the games that have come out this week. We're fully into the summer lull, but Cado decided to take a vacation to the frigid new region in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's beta. Rob's back from vacation, and he brought a few billion friends with him as he dives into the new single player campaign for They Are Billions. They also takes us through the early hours of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which may lean too heavily on it's roots, and the campaign of Steel Division 2, which feels different enough from the first game that Rob is questioning whether it's interesting or exasperating.

Discussed: Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, They Are Billions, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Steel Division 2.

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We had so many E3 questions we decided to split our recording on Tuesday into two podcasts so we could do a real deep dive into what you wanted to know about this year's show. We dig into how inspiration can take many forms in game development, games that have purposefully tackled political issues in the past, our personal histories with E3, and what the future of the expo might hold. Patrick checks back in with more info on Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and shares a few anecdotes from his interview with the developers. Austin googles what Fall Guys is, and digs into the political readings of being able to recruit literally anyone in Watch Dogs: Legion.

Discussed: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Mafia III, Watch Dogs 2, Spec Ops: The Line, Fall Guys, Watch Dogs: Legion, Blair Witch

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With the Netflix release of Neon Genesis Evangelion around the corner, we're rereleasing our conversation on the landmark series' first two episodes from Waypoints 10. The team examines the first two episodes, with Rob, Patrick, and Danielle giving their first ever impressions of the series, struck by it's narrative structure and striking visuals. Then Austin leads them through a discussion of the show's predecessors, it's troubled production, and complicated readings. We will be back next week with a new episode of Waypoints discussing more episodes!

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With E3 2019 behind us, the crew at Waypoint Radio turn their attention to what really matters: The games we played going to and coming from E3 2019. We dig into Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda, SteamWorld Quest, Slay the Spire, BattleTech: Urban Warfare and more! Plus, we begin to answer your questions about E3... but you'll have to tune in later in the week for the REAL deep dive into ol' Question Bucket.

Games Discussed: PiXXL Cube, Dicey Dungeons, Slay the Spire, SteamWorld Quest, Cadence of Hyrule, Breath of the Wild, BattleTech: Urban Warfare, Atral Chain, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Daemon X Machina

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Twas the night after E3

And all through the house

Not a producer was stirring

No clicks of a mouse.

The mics had been packed

In the pelican with care,

But podding must happen

Even if Cado's not there

Rob saw some Vampires

That filled him with dread

While Natalie had images

Of Gooigi in her head

Austin saw Link

in his little green cap

And Patrick was a Shark

that mostly attacked

And now E3 is over

It’s been quite a sight!

Merry Gamer Christmas to all,

And to all a good night.

Discussed: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Marvels Ultimate Alliance 3, Maneater, E3, Control, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Cyberpunk 2077, Blair Witch, Monster Hunter: World Iceborne

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We're nearly at the finish line. Day two of E3 2019 is in the books, and so is our podcast. Join Austin, Patrick, Cado, and Rob as they discuss how Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (aka Star Souls??) is actually rad, why we still don't know what to make of Marvel's Avengers even after watching someone play it, and more! Those more things include hands-on with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and impressions of Dying Light 2, Age of Empires II, Outer Worlds, and Psychonauts 2.

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We have finally left the negative zone—E3 has officially started. Join Patrick, Cado, Austin, Rob, and The Joyous Gamer herself, Natalie, for a VERY LONG discussion about our first stay at the show. We start with Nintendo’s E3 announcements, including the surprise reveal of a sequel to Breath of the Wild, and what it means for Zelda’s role in the series. From there, a bunch of heavy hitters: Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM Eternal, Empire of Sin, Vampire Bloodlines 2, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Borderlands 3, and so much more.

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With just about all of the major conferences behind us, E3 2019 is now in full swing. Join the Waypoint Radio crew as they describe their hands on experiences with Ubisofts' Watch Dogs Legion and Roller Champions, plus their thoughts on Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Marvel's Avengers, and everything else from the Square-Enix's big event. What else was there at Square Enix's big event? Who could say. I'm writing this description at 2:14 AM, and you'll have to join us on this audio journey to find out.

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Microsoft and Bethesda brought a ton to show during their press conferences last night. But no story felt more important (in the broad view) than Microsoft's continued support of Xbox Game Pass, the company's subscription based service. With the announcement of the company's new service featuring a catalog of games especially curated for the PC, Game Pass has become a hard-to-deny value. In our second E3 2019 episode of Waypoint Radio, we dig deep into the service, plus chat about Cyberpunk 2077, ​​Outer Worlds​, ​Doom: Eternal​, ​Keanu Reeves, and so much more.

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It's Gamer Christmas Eve as Austin, Patrick, Cado, and Rob talk about the big E3 news that's already broken before E3 has even begun. The gang discuss the Google Stadia announcement and how it could transform game development and economics. They also dig into Destiny 2's upcoming expansion, Shadowkeep, and whether this is the kind of story and atmosphere that Destiny is capable of evoking. Other big changes are coming to Destiny as well, so the crew discusses the game's upcoming transition to free-to-play and what that could mean for the game's direction. Finally, there's leaks! Or are they spoilers? Can you spoil a game announcement, and should anyone care? Maybe not, and yet undeniably, at least a couple of us do.

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Rob may be back from vacation but he's definitely not all there on this loopy Waypoints. Patrick has gone back to Gareth Edwards' 2014 Godzilla and found an underappreciated gem whose perceived flaws may have resulted in an inferior sequel. Danielle can buy the giant monsters, but not the depiction of affordable family housing in San Francisco. Rob has the giggles, but maybe that's just because Bon Appetit's Youtube series are so funny.

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Dread it, run from it, E3 still arrives. Despite quickly deleting any email referencing the “electronic entertainment expo” in our inboxes, apparently that won’t stop gaming’s biggest event from happening, so we might as well yell into a microphone about it. Austin, Cado, and Patrick use the press conference schedule for next week to talk about expectations, rumors, and surprises set for next week. And yes, we spend a lot of time wondering about the new From Software game. We also touch on a few games we’ve been playing, including Gato Roboto, Slay the Spire, and a VR game where you’re, uh, a kayak assassin? Seriously.

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As time marches inexorably on, the seasons change, and so we must change with them. In the spirit of growth that the summer brings, we are joined by Joel Fowler, Waypoint's former publisher, on his final day at VICE, to say good bye and talk about how awesome Bitterblack Isle from Dragon's Dogma is. Austin's been exploring space and time in Outer Wilds, while Danielle and Patrick have both been exploring space and death in Void Bastards. Cado updates us on the world of Pokémon (turns out it's full of shirts and sleep apps). We talk Mario Maker, Call of Duty, Death Stranding, and take two breaks. This episode is huge honestly, it's almost as if companies are getting a bunch of news out in anticipation of something!

Discussed: Outer Wilds, Void Bastards, Mario Maker 2, This 'Mario Maker' Level Has Been Played 2.6 Million Times and Never Beaten, The Speedrunner Who Wasn’t: How a Community Dealt with an Elaborate Cheater,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Pokémon Shirts, Pokémon Sleep, Death Stranding, Draugan, Oculus Quest, Virtual Virtual Reality, Hollow Knight, Mobile Suit Gundam, Life is Strange 2: Episode 3, KIDS, Ape Out

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Austin is out this week due to a Dental Procedure, which leaves Patrick, Rob, Cado, and Danielle to come to terms with their own oral hygiene. Does anyone go to the dentist enough? How long is too long between visits? Excuse me did Rob just say the word "decade?" The crew then shift to the lighter topic of horror games; Danielle has been playing the sea based Layers of Fear 2 and Patrick brings us the space station thriller Observation. Rob learns the horrors of "accidentally" declaring yourself emperor in Total War: Three Kingdoms, and Cado scratched his deck building game itch with the beta for Nowhere Prophet. We round out the horror show as we discuss Dante Douglas's new piece on Brigitte's riot police skin in Overwatch and the myriad problems that come with it.

Discussed: Total War: Three Kingdoms (and Rob's review), Layers of Fear 2, Observation, Team Sonic Racing, Nowhere Prophet, Stop Turning Overwatch Characters Into Cops

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​This episode contains spoilers for all of Game of Thrones!

So. Game of Thrones is finally over. Through ups and downs, good seasons and bad, it seemed like the entire world was watching. And when something has that much attention, even the smallest change gets noticed. This week on Waypoints, Austin brings us an article on how the final seasons of Game of Thrones shifted storytelling styles, and we discuss how those changes manifested in a season that has a lot of people scratching their heads if they're not outright disappointed. He's also brought an article asking what happens to website traffic when a cultural phenomenon ends, and why so many sites, regardless of focus, ran articles on Game of Thrones. Rob then brings us an amazing interview with Magic Johnson on why he spectacularly quit his job with the Lakers, and the crew discusses why he can just up and do that.

Discussed: The Real Reason Fans Hate the Last Season of Game of Thrones, What Time Does the Game of Thrones Traffic End?, Magic Johnson says Lakers GM was 'backstabbing', Home Movies

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Austin returns from the world of “Los Angeles” to...not talk about any of the video games he played—well, except one! He’s joined by Rob, Cado, and Patrick to wonder why more people aren’t playing the new and excellent season of Life Is Strange, what to make of Microsoft and Sony partnering on cloud gaming, an update on Rob’s conquests in Total War: Three Kingdoms, and Patrick with some first impressions of the latest game from the developers of Stories Untold, a game where players, more or less, become the HAL 9000.

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Motherboard’s Emanuel “I Should Honestly Get Paid For My Viral Tweets” Maiberg joins Patrick, Cado, and Rob us for a wide-ranging episode of Waypoint Radio, in which we discuss our uncanny ability to never hear about Homestuck despite being extremely online, the best way to tell a debt collector to screw off, what Patrick has to fear from Super Mario Maker 2, and the games that we’ve been playing, including Rage 2, Project Hospital, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and Total War: Three Kingdoms.

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This week, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick welcome Motherboard's Jason Koebler discuss the strange and somewhat hard-to-credit tale of a young teenage boy who was lured into the alt-right via online communities, and how his mother helped him escape. It touches on the nature of online radicalization, the way young white kids can recast themselves as a persecuted class, and how that process can be stopped. Then, Danielle explains the wonder that is the Jason X plot, and Rob has read an essay on how the most common tools for teaching and learning may also be some of the worst.

Discussed: What Happened After My 13 Year Old Son Joined the Alt-Right, Jason X, Why Books Don't Work

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Spoiler Warning for Detective Pikachu from around 39 minutes to 43 minutes in.

With Austin away, it’s time to whip this long podcast into shape by, uh, spending two hours with Rob, Patrick, and Cado discussing the disappointing Rage 2 and the questionable ethics of spoiling Final Fantasy VII in 2019? Naturally. In the strategy corner, Rob explains his best attempts to destroy an empire in Imperator: Rome, while Cado updates us on why Destiny Is Good Again, and Patrick explains the “charm” of A Plague Tale: Innocence, a game where you use rats to eat your enemies alive. OH. ALSO. DETECTIVE. PIKACHU.

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It’s not true until you record a podcast about it, but yes: Natalie is leaving Waypoint. To send her off, we decided to, uh, talk about the latest Ghost Recon game for an hour?? After “doing our jobs” in which we “talk about video games,” the question bucket is opened for Austin, Natalie, Rob, Danielle, Cado, and Patrick, in which they answer everything from “What character, real or fictional, should become a keyblade master?” to “What boat are you?” Goodbye, Natalie. You’ll be missed.

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The Waypoint Radio crew have a few announcements! Read more about the website changes here: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/3k3b9k/waypoint-is-joining-the-new-vicecom

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It’s been a little more than a month since the release of the latest FromSoft game, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Given how often we reference Souls games already, are you REALLY surprised we dedicated a few hours to a full-on spoilercast with Austin, Patrick, Cado, and Joel? At this point, nearly everyone (good luck Patrick!) has finished the game, which gives us a chance to reflect on the journey, and where Sekiro fits in FromSoftware’s catalog.

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Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame throughout, and for Game of Thrones Season 8 Episode 3 at 1 hour and 52 minutes in.

When Austin and Rob weren’t looking, Patrick, Natalie, and Cado pulled off their own time time heist, smuggling themselves into the podcast room to spend nearly three hours talking about the epic conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame. And because we couldn’t help ourselves, we also had to discuss the latest Game of Thrones episode, “The Long Night.” Oh, and beware: the night is dark (too dark, honestly!) and full of spoilers!!!

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Today's podcast starts off course and then, somehow, takes an even more unexpected turn. Natalie brings us a live update fresh from her 6:30 AM showing of Avengers: Endgame and last week's Tribeca Film Festival Death Stranding panel. Rob whisks us way to the ancient world with Imperator: Rome. Then Austin and Patrick pause the podcast so that they can report a breaking story: the news that employees at Riot Games are threatening to walk out in protest of recently reported policies at the League of Legends developer. With that handled, the podcast returns for discussion of organized labor, classic gaming guilds, and, of course, everyone's favorite soda.

Discussed: Avengers: Endgame (No Spoilers, don't worry), Hideo Kojima, Norman Reedus, Death Stranding, Imperator: Rome, Riot Games, League of Legends

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Everything is interconnected, really.Frasier. St. Elsewhere. Friends. The Apocalyptic zombie-infested wasteland ofDays Gone. Wait, really? Maybe. We spend a solid hour of Waypoint Radio talking about Sony Bend’s first big game, on which many large hopes and dreams were hung, but the finished product just doesn’t deliver. Elsewhere (but not St. Elsewhere), we touch on the missed marks of Katana Zero, the delightful puzzling of Boxboy + Boxgirl, and some campy workplace hell in Yuppie Psycho. Then we go in on Mortal Kombat 11, which holds up the Kombat name in many ways—with a delightfully wacky story and characters, a wild time-traveling ending for Jax—and disappoints in some others, with the casting of famed TERF Ronda Rousey and rumors of unsound labor practices at the studio.

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Content Warning for discussion of drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, homicide, and death

Sometimes a new TV show launches and everyone likes it and wants to talk about it. Sometimes, it's even launched by your own company! This week we've been riveted by VICELAND's Dark Side of the Ring, a documentary series that revisits some of the more sobering, troubling stories in the history of pro wrestling. Sometimes they're stories about what happens in the ring, sometimes they're about what happens well outside of it, but we're fascinated by the ways that the performance of pro wrestling ends up impacting on the personal realities of its participants. We also end up talking about this review of George Packer's Richard Holbrooke bio, and what it reveals about centrist foreign policy, or the lack of it.

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Next week, we're launching Save Point 2019: a marathon gaming stream to benefit the Trans Lifeline. We interviewed Trans Lifeline's Executive Director, Elena Rose Vera, as she detail's the organization's mission and struggles. All donations to Save Point 2019 will be going directly to Trans Lifeline. Find out more: https://bit.ly/2Xz3xHM

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Even though Austin and Natalie have been playing a bunch of Dragon’s Dogma, Patrick and Cado somehow restrain them from spending an entire episode talking about a game from 2012 and also discuss the early details Sony revealed about the PlayStation 5, the rise of GamerGate politicians, the addition of Persona 5’s Joker to Smash, names.com, and more.

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The gang finally discusses Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its themes around race, class, values, and the weight of heroism. Does the movie lean on humor to the point of detracting from important character arcs? Does it miss an opportunity with Uncle Aaron's character? Is Jake Johnson's Peter B. Parker akin to the treatment the character received in Insomniac's Spider-Man for PS4? Next, Austin's been getting irate about this story of what happened when the IRS launched a special initiative to pursue payments from wealthy people who were wrongly exploiting loopholes in the tax code, and how those efforts were sabotaged. Finally, the gang is not sure what to make of Bernie Sanders' appearance on a Fox News town hall, but find some things worth discussing about the effort.

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Waypoint's Austin Walker sits down with Evan Husney, producer and co-creator of Dark Side of the Ring, VICELAND's new docu-series that digs into the human stories behind six tragedies of wrestling history. Evan previously worked with Waypoint on documentaries like our behind-the-scenes look at Superhypercube and our Waypoint Presents episode on Magic: The Gathering. Today, he talks to Austin about the inspiration and process behind the new show, and the remarkable response it's received so far.

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On today’s episode of Waypoint Radio, we are joined by rapper Open Mike Eagle, fresh off his tour with fellow-musician and nerd Sammus. Austin, Natalie, and Cado catch up with Mike about his latest ventures in television, including his new show, “The New Negros​,” which premieres this Friday, April 19th, 11PM ET, on Comedy Central. We talk everything from wrestling, being online, and Dark Souls, to things like burnout and Overwatch. Mike even gives us his hot take on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

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Lots of games have things in common with one another, but it’s not typically because they all share a mixture of themes related to colonialism and racism. And yet, that’s what happened with the XCOM-meets-Indiana Jones tactics game Pathway, the Lovecraft (but without ignoring the racism) adventure game The Sunken City, and the game about raising a cute bird that’s actually about destroying your oppressors, Falcon Age. Somehow, in all of this, we also manage to record live reactions to the new Star Wars trailer. It’s been a week.

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It's another episode of Waypoints where we find ourselves considering the strange expectations and position of a star athlete at different points in their career. First, we talk about the tell-all article at The Bleacher Report on the falling out between prodigiously talented Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his former coach, Mike McCarthy. Then, we have to ask ourselves, "Is Magic Johnson living the dream?" Finally, Austin discusses Kofi Kingston's WWE title belt, and its many meanings.

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This podcast contains spoilers for Kingdom Hearts III

At the start of this weird project, we asked a simple question: Why do you love Kingdom Hearts? Hundreds of you wrote in with answers that ranged from the humorous (it’s fun to watch Mickey run around with a key sword) to the serious (it was part of understanding their own identity). As we close out this season of Lore Reasons, we wanted to revisit those letters, answer a bunch of questions you sent in, and contemplate the future of Lore Reasons. No, we haven’t announced our next target of confusion, but maybe you can help?

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We've returned from our trip to Boston only to find an olympic swimming pool filled with discourse waiting for us. So, what else could we do but dive right in? Rob, Austin, and Patrick try to untangle their own feelings on difficulty and accessiblity in games, pushing at the boundaries of those terms until they find something that feels more representative and less reductive than the shorthand we've all been using in this conversation. They also bring more stories from the PAX East show floor, including more games about resisting Nazis, saving the earth, and... fighting in giant robots.

Discussed: Sekiro, Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, Bloodborne, Civilization, Thrustmaster Racing Wheel & Pedals, Through the Darkest of Times, We Are The Caretakers, Man of Medan, Rad, Hardcore Mecha, What the Golf, El Hijo, Photographs

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What do a women's college basketball star, the prison abolition movement, and ​The Occupation​ all have in common? Uhhhhh... it's Thursday, and they're all topics on Waypoints! First, Danielle was both fascinated and repelled by this profile of Oregon basketball star Sabrina Ionescu, whose sheer willpower, toughness, and intelligence have made her an all-time great in college basketball. But in focusing on Ionescu's drive and compulsion to greatness, do we also end up celebrating bad stereotypes about the nature of achievement and excellence? Next, Patrick has been listening to the second season of the Justice in America podcast, and in its finale is struck by the radical ways we can, and should, reimagine our systems of criminal justice. Finally, the gang are taking a closer look at White Paper Games' ​The Occupation​, and trying to figure out if it has a political perspective, or if its mixed metaphors only give it the appearance of political meaning.

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Join Austin, Natalie, Patrick, Rob, Cado, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and one of several time traveling incarnations of some guy named Xehanort for an in-person edition of Waypoint Radio! In addition to talking about the games they played at PAX East, everyone who participated in our Kingdom Hearts season of Lore Reasons will be subjected to a live Mark of Mastery exam, forced to reckon with the way-too-many hours they’ve spent trying to understand the mythology driving Square Enix’s mashup series. There is absolutely no way this can go wrong.

Discussed: Struggling, Falcon Age, Night Shift, Warsaw, Divinity: Fallen Heroes, Phantom Brigade

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It’s a disjointed week at Waypoint, with most of the crew headed to Boston for PAX East, but Austin, Natalie, Patrick, Rob, and Cado still found time to sit around some microphones and yap about the games we’ve been playing. Mostly, we’re still slowly but surely stabbing and shinobi’ing our way through Sekiro, but Rob checked in with Battlefield’s take on battle royale, and several of us have been exploring the post-apocalypse of Generation Zero. We also toss some serious skepticism at Google's ambitious streaming project, Stadia.

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You’ve been patient, and it’s finally here. A little over two months since the conclusion of Tetsuya Nomura’s Dark Seeker trilogy, Lore Reasons tackles Kingdom Hearts III. (Naturally, it took us nearly three hours.) Austin, Patrick, and Cado join our resident loremaster, Natalie, as we pilot our Gummi Ship through a bunch of narratively useless Disney worlds en route to one hell of an ending. And that secret movie? THE SECRET MOVIE? It’s all here. Let’s ride.

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It's time for Austin, Natalie, Patrick, and Rob to return to the secret origins of Waypoints: a chance to talk about animated TV shows. This week finds the gang catching up on ​The Dragon Prince ​at great length, and wrestling with some of their misgiving's about the morality the show is beginning to articulate, and the plot arcs that are unfolding at a breakneck pace. But first, they return to Rooster Teeth's ​GenLOCK​, to discuss the end of its first season, and what the show has revealed itself to be about. Are they just cool robots, or something more?

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Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice is out tomorrow but Austin, Natalie, and Patrick couldn't wait another second to talk about it! They talk about how the game's mechanics differ from previous FromSoft titles, how the game's focus on "posture" breaking combat changes the feeling of play, how the changes may impact its reception, and, uh, some really big chickens.

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It’s Monday and we have so very many games to talk about. After a brief recap of our weekends, which included hours of unboxing videos, racing wheel setups, F1, grappling, and EMT service, we get into it. We’re playing the definitely-political Division 2, the charming but maybe-politically-confused The Occupation, the wildly creative Hynospace Outlaw, and the brilliant puzzler Baba is You. Strap in for a long one today!

Discussed: The Division 2, The Occupation, Hypnospace Outlaw, Baba is You

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Seven weeks ago, we at Waypoint set out on a journey to untangle the lore of Kingdom Hearts. Partially, this was for our listeners who trust our expertise in all matters of the heart, but in honesty, it was mostly for ourselves. We, perhaps like you, had been plagued by questions about the Disney-Square collaboration. These were not novel questions, we know, and to series diehards they were simple: Why do so many people have the letter X in their names. Who was Xehanort, and what did it men to be norted? What's up with Mickey Mouse's shirt situation? How many different ways can you write out the sound "key"? What's more powerful, friendship or darkness? We learned, of course, that many of these questions were deeply connected. Especially the one about Mickey's naked chest.

What we didn't anticipate, though, were all of the complex questions that went beyond lore and into the realm of philosophical inquiry: If there are bodies, souls, and hearts, where does the person reside? If some people are drawn inexplicably to the darkness, does that relate some terrible truth about their eternal character? Should we think of the unfractured world (before the First Keyblade War) as an uncorrupted, Rousseauian state of nature or as a violent, Hobbesian land of unrepressed violence? And speaking of repression, what the hell is up with memories?

These are big questions, and we could not answer them alone. That is why Waypoint's intrepid lore master, Natalie Watson, and I followed the example of Sora and sought allies for this difficult journey. Which is why, joining us today are Waypoint columnist Cameron Kunzelman and games academic Michael Lutz, the co-hosts of Game Studies Study Buddies over on the Ranged Touch. Together, we dive into all of these questions and more. Though we left with even more questions to answer, the experience brought us clarity and provoked entirely new modes of understanding. We hope it does the same for you, and if you'd like to dig deeper on any of these topics, a good starting place is the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Discussed: The Aura (Benjamin), Neoplatonism, Forms (Platonic and Aristotelian), Existentialism, Identity (Code Switching, Gender Theory, Queer Studies), Dialectics, Ontological Pluralism, Panpsychism, Kingdom Hearts

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Wait, what is ​FORMULA 1 RACING doing on a Waypoint podcast? Well thanks to a slow night for Danielle's EMS work, she fell head-over-heels in love with Netflix's new ​Drive to Survive​ ​series. Listen to Danielle and Natalie get caught up in the drama of tire changes and team budgets in the most lavish motorsport in the world, while Rob tries not to hog the microphone or get everyone to sign up for F1 TV​. Meanwhile, the gang has been trying to figure out their exact level of dread for a Biden presidential campaign, with help from Jamelle Bouie's column on "The Trouble with Biden​". And oh, there is trouble.

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Join Austin, Natalie, Patrick and Danielle for a whirlwind tour of the games we’re playing, in mechs (Left Alive, Titanfall 2), in space (Objects in Space), and in… demon funtimes (Devil May Cry 5). We’re all anxiously awaiting Sekiro in different ways, really.

Discussed: Left Alive, Devil May Cry 5, Objects in Space, Titanfall 2

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Last week we were reminded of Troop-Cop, who was so troubled by protestors calling police fascists that he had no choice but to club the shit out of them, all in the service of a tacky clothing brand. It dovetailed well with an interesting graphic essay from Nate Powell on paramilitary aesthetics and their increasing popularity among reactionaries in the United States. Then, Danielle's been digging into the latest issue of Heterotopias, where she encountered an essay from María Bonete Escoto on the "slow violence" of environmental destruction portrayed in the Dishonored series. Patrick was delighted by the second episode of Netfllix's ​Losers​ series​, while Austin has an inside line on some illicit Gundam action.

Discussed: About Face by Nate Powell, Losers, Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team

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Waypoint doesn’t usually cover games ahead of release. Usually. But y’all know we have a real soft spot for the Souls games, and Natalie couldn’t resist spending a few hours of FromSoftware’s latest, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, at a recent press event. Austin and Patrick hopped on to grill Natalie about why she spent so much time trying to kill a dang fish, what makes Sekiro so distinctly different from previous Soulslikes in in ways beyond just combat and storytelling, and more.

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Austin returns to the podcast after a few weeks of thinking about mechs, and finding rest and relaxation by staying up until the wee hours of the morning while—well, thinking about mechs. He’s joined by Patrick, Cado, Rob, and Natalie to revisit Kingdom Hearts III as everyone nears the ending (no spoilers!), while also touching on Daemon X Machina, Betrayal Legacy, Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee, the medical world’s recent decision to inflate Patrick’s stomach, and the THQ Nordic/8Chan fiasco from last week.​ Oh, and for some godforsaken reason, we spend a long time talking about Joe Wright's Pan movie from 2015.

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We have some serious Friday energy on Waypoint Radio today, with another check-in on Metro Exodus, a rousing update on how good that gamefeel is in Trials HD, and Cado's experiences with a stylish new action game in Ape Out. Then we get serious about Pokémon, specifically the Pokémon Sword and Shield announcement. We discuss the starters in great detail, perhaps startling detail, and then take a quick dip in the question bucket to kick off the weekend.

Discussed: Metro Exodus, Trials Rising, Ape Out, Pokémon Sword and Shield.

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It's metrics versus the voice of the people today on Waypoints. Patrick just wanted to know which movies are worth seeing, but he's shocked by how much Rotten Tomatoes has become a front​ for the most asinine battles in the culture war. Meanwhile, Rob has been listening to Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast, particularly his series on the French Revolution​. It's a good telling of an incredibly complicated story, but does the framework of a story about revolutions, with protagonists and tragic heroes, have an inherently conservative bent? Finally, Danielle is fascinated by the strange ritual of the NFL Combine​, and the weird ways it attempts to use physical measurements to predict future performance.

Discussed: 'Captain Marvel' Review Bombers Have Dropped Rotten Tomatoes Audience Rating to Lowest in MCU', Revolutions Podcast: The Three Estates, 'I went through the NFL Combine. These were the most awkward parts.'

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We’re sailing into new territories on Waypoint Radio 222, with Captain Natalie at the helm, and Rob, Patrick, and Danielle along for a wild ride of mixed metaphors and new game scuttlebutt. Admiral Rob has a non-digital game to regale us about in Empire of the Sun. Commander Patrick has plenty of Anthem thoughts and notions on the Trials franchise, while First Mate Danielle has stories about Trials Rising and a very effective horror game in Devotion. Finally, Captain Natalie has a truly harrowing and exciting tale for us all in her Apex Legends segment.

Discussed: Empire of the Sun, Anthem, Trials Rising, Devotion, Apex Legends

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Austin's been on vacation this week, which by Austin's standards means he's been playing Anthem and needs to talk about it. Well, so have Patrick and Cado, so we decided it made the most sense to just sit down and work out our thoughts on BioWare's Iron Man + Destiny game.

Discussed: Anthem

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It's a hell of a way to run a government on Waypoints this week. Join Rob, Patrick, and Natalie as they discuss a number of eye-opening investigative reports that have left them stunned lately. First, Patrick has been mesmerized by the saga of how local and state government in Wisconsin gave electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn one of the most lopsided deals in US history. It's a story told at the highest level by an article in Bloomberg Businessweek​ and at the ground level by a dramatic episode of Reply All​ that shows how a community tore itself apart for the distant promise of a factory. Next, Rob and Natalie have been reading ProPublica's haunting report​ on the ​USS Fitzgerald ​collision. How does one of the most advanced ships, with the best equipment, in one of the most prestigious fleets in the US Navy, end up falling victim to such a routine and preventable accident? There's no one clear answer, but a lot of contributing factors that add up to a portrait of a navy rotting away from the inside.

Discussed: Inside Wisconsin’s Disastrous $4.5 Billion Deal With Foxconn, The Inside Story of an American Warship Doomed by Its Own Navy

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Kingdom Hearts III may be out, but look, we’re still working our way through a game from 2012, okay? Welcome back to Lore Reasons, our multipart deep dive into the story and larger mythology driving Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts series. We are not experts, but through the power of friendship (and ice cream), we can try. On today’s episode, we finally catch up to the modern timeline, as we make sense of Dream Drop Distance. We’ll be back in a few weeks with more episodes, including talking about Kingdom Hearts III. Stay tuned.

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During a week in which Activision unceremoniously laid off 800 people while simultaneously bragging about record revenue, we find ourselves confused and angry, yet quietly optimistic about the possibility of change. We also explain how economics works. Why pay for a college textbook? You’ve got us! Elsewhere, Patrick, Natalie, Cado, and Rob talk excitedly about the big announcements at Nintendo Direct—Mario Maker 2! Link’s Awakening! Tetris 99! Rune Factory 4!—and wildly speculate about Hollow Knight’s just-announced sequel. Also, is Metro: Exodus any good? Why can’t you put the language into Russian? Questions.

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Join host Natalie (aka Ronatalie Zacson), along with Danielle and Patrick for an especially animated episode of Waypoints, wherein we discuss glitter (the substance), Russian Doll (the TV series), and the AAF (the football league). First, we tackle Caity Weaver’s phenomenal investigation for the New York Times into glitter, discussing the shockingly secret industry. Then we talk about the dark, hilarious, off-kilter vibes of Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler’s Russian Doll, about a woman who keeps dying and repeating a particularly weird section of her life. Finally, we help Patrick decide on a team to root for in the AAF, a new football league with the potential to be a developmental league for the NFL. Many logos are considered.(edited)

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We’ve got a two parter on our hands this week—a two parter with a whole lot of time travel. First, Austin, Cado, Natalie, and Patrick sit down to talk Apex Legends, the latest from Titanfall creators Respawn Entertainment. Almost the whole team has been dropping into the Outlands, and it seems like we can't get enough. Then, after the break, Rob taps in for Patrick to talk Sunless Skies, the sequel to Failbetter Games's Sunless Sea. This game's got space trains, zombies, and demons, and it all takes place in...hell?? Next, Cado and Austin give their first thoughts on The Division 2 beta, a game that has in their marketing tiptoed around the politics they use as environmental decor.

Discussed: Apex Legends, Sunless Skies, The Division 2 Beta

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Welcome back to Lore Reasons: Kingdom Hearts, our dizzying exploration of Disney and Square-Enix's massive RPG crossover. When we first began to explore Sora's journey through the many worlds of Kingdom Hearts, our memories were fresh from watching cutscene compilations and explainer videos and our bodies were powered by the strength of overpriced beer. But now, weeks later, we have no memories, no beer, and, uh, nobodies. Fuck.

Join us as we respond to some very helpful corrections and then move through three whole games​ on this week's episode: ​358/2 Days​, ​Kingdom Hearts 2​, and ​Re:coded​. We learn more about Organization XIII, the many residents of Sora's heart, the digital world, and, uh... let me ask Natalie, our intrepid Lore Master really quick...

Okay. She says "And Riku was there." So, that.

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On this week's Waypoints, Danielle, Patrick, Austin, and Rob have been completely taken in by the story of a charismatic grifter. Ian Parker's "A Suspense Novelist's Trail of Deceptions​" unravels the long, and weird story of thriller writer Dan Mallory's history of audacious and bizarre deceit in the London and New York publishing industries, and the even stranger way that his peers and colleagues have handled that history. Later, the gang discuss Ron Howard's ​Solo ​and the "Star Wars stories" that we really want. Everybody hates robocalls​.

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So, listen, we recorded this while ​Respawn Entertainment--creators of Titanfall and ​Titanfall 2​--were teasing there soon to be released ​battle royale ​Apex Legends​. So blame ​that​ on the loose control that Austin keeps on today's episode of Waypoint Radio, which ranges in topic from yesterday's "Big Game" to M. Night Shyamalan​'s ​The Happening​. I know what you're thinking. Yes, we ​do​ have another podcast explicitly for that topic. Oh, well. Sometimes it goes like that.

We ​do​ eventually get to video games, though! Hear Austin and Patrick describe what we're enjoying (and not) about ​successor-to-Advance-Wars WarGroove​​​, Natalie give her ​Kingdom Hearts 3 ​update, and Rob introduce us to another detective board game called ​Chronicle of Crimes​. And yes, eventually, Austin does talk about how great ​Titanfall 2 ​is, and shares his hopes for ​Apex Legends​ while he's at it.

Discussed: The Happening, Super Bowl LIII, Apex Legends, Titanfall 2, WarGroove, Kingdom Hearts 3, Chronicle of Crimes​

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This wasn’t supposed to become a series. This wasn’t supposed to take more than a few hours. And yet, here we are. Lore Reasons, Waypoint’s multi-part investigation into Kingdom Hearts, continues ever forward, with Patrick, Natalie, Austin, and Cado steering their gummi ship towards the nearest sea salt ice cream shop in search of answers. We can’t guarantee you will learn anything about Kingdom Hearts, but we can guarantee we talk about it. A lot. On this episode, we cover Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories.

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We hope you'll join Patrick, Danielle, Natalie, Austin, and Rob on their astonishing journey through the tragicomic new Fyre Festival documentary from Netflix. Every time they think they've covered everything, Natalie remembers some fresh horror. Meanwhile, Patrick is intrigued by the notion that Bad NFL Officiating Is Good, Actually. Finally, Austin has mixed feelings about GenLOCK, the new military mech series from Rooster Teeth, produced by and starring Michael B. Jordan along with an unbelievably strong cast. Perhaps Austin is just being too picky about his preferred thematic devices, however, because Rob and Patrick are all amazement.

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After spending nearly two hours listening to Waypoint try to dissect the lore of Kingdom Hearts, you might be wondering “OK, but is the new one any fun to play?” Patrick and Natalie have spent some hours with Kingdom Hearts III, and are joined by Austin, Danielle, and Cado to dissect the latest Square/Disney crossover.

But Kingdom Hearts 3 ​isn't the only thing the Waypoint staff's been playing recently. While Danielle thoughtfully explores the zombie-infested police station of ​Resident Evil 2​, Austin has been pulled deep into its belly, his mind obsessed with the too-perfect structure of its hallways, puzzles, and boss fights.Thankfully, Cado is there to save him with the power of mechs, as the two explore the messy but fun ​Anthem ​demo. The crew also has thoughts on ​Life is Strange 2's latest episode, Metro Exodus' ​​sudden Epic Games PC exclusivity, and, uh, Natalie's bank account.

Discussed: Kingdom Hearts 3, Anthem, Resident Evil 2, Life is Strange 2​, Dating Apps, Sandwiches

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A few weeks back, Patrick joked we should take the lore of Kingdom Hearts seriously, and record a podcast about it. Natalie also took Patrick’s dare seriously, and Austin couldn’t resist coming along for the ride. The result is Lore Reasons, a podcast series meant to be a one-off experiment that’s suddenly become own monster of its own. In the first episode, we attempt to talk through the entire Kingdom Hearts timeline, but over the course of nearly two hours, only make it past Birth By Sleep and the opening of Kingdom Hearts. Buckle up, folks.

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Last week, Waypoint Radio's special guest Adam Conover​ made a request: Make the Friday podcast longer. Well, we're not saying this is our new ​policy​, but for Adam and everyone else desperate for more listening material, we hope this giant-sized, nearly three hour long episode provides adequate accompaniment on your journey through the weekend. Where are we going? So many places. Travel with us to a pair of post-apocalyptic futures; to a police station where zombie men in hats kick down doors; to the final days of the Roman empire; to a world of fighter jets, politics, and dog JPEGs. And, of course, to Portia. What's Portia? As you'll find out soon enough, I'm not sure anyone knows...

Discussed: Resident Evil 2, At the Gates, My Time at Portia, Ace Combat 7, Far Cry New Dawn, Metro Exodus, Warhammer 40,000: Gladius-Tyranids, Serenity, Weezer, Eco

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We go from artistic highs to moral lows on this episode of Waypoints! Rob, Danielle, and Natalie have been watching Alfonso Cuarón​'s ​Roma​, his sweeping-yet-intimate historical drama produced for Netflix. The gang is savoring the fim's beauty, technique, and sensitivity as well as some terrific performances from cast. At the other extreme, Rob has been reading about new information that's come to light about how Oxycontin was marketed, and what Purdue Pharma executives knew about its role in the escalating opioid epidemic, and all the people that enabled their recklessness.

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We have a very special guest on Waypoint Radio 215: Adam Conover from Adam Ruins Everything came through to chat about games, comedy, and Nintendo nostalgia! Join Adam—and usual co-hosts Danielle, Austin, and Natalie for a more freeform Friday podcast that tackles such questions as finding work-life balance among many tiring projects, asking "why, Nintendo?" and dipping into "true" Monopoly rules.

Discussed: Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Metroid, Monopoly, Adam Ruins Everything, Humans Who Make Games

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We need to get organized on this episode Waypoints, which means it's time to get advice from ​Tidying Up with Marie Kondo ​and learn all about both the KonMari method, and issues people have taken with the organization expert and her new reality show. Does she really hate books and mementos, or is that just a misunderstanding of what Kondo is trying to get people to do? Then, Rob has been reading an eye-opening article about the forces that have been preying upon and devastating rural communities for the last 30 years. It's a useful corrective to a lot of simplified narratives of rural stagnation that have been used to excuse bad actors and official indifference.

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In our latest Waypoint 101, Austin, Rob, Patrick and myself dissect the design ethos and over-the-top Ninjitsu stylings of Klei Entertainment's 2012 stealth platformer Mark of the Ninja. We talk about it's strengths—particularly it's very parsable design and complex puzzle-room approach to stealth, it's weaknesses, and it's story and style, and then dip into the question bucket to consider whether this Mark has aged particularly well, or is showing up a little long in the tooth or slow on the draw.

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With Lobby 1 in the rearview mirror, team Waypoint heads to a brand new space to podcast: the control room! That's right, friends, we now podcast with a dizzying variety of screens and buttons around us to dazzle the mind and stimulate the imagination. This week, Patrick is playing New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Natalie and Danielle are into a very cute adventure-platformer with... deep state conspiracy theories... Pikuniku, and a bunch of us have fun AGDQ stories. Natalie also has a bunch of Kingdom Hearts opinions to share, and there is a nice, deep dive into the question bucket.

Discussed: New Super Mario bros U. Deluxe, Pikuniku, Prey: Mooncrash, Bloodborne, Kaizo Mario, AGDQ, Kingdom Hearts(

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What does open world mean, anyway? Austin, Rob, and Patrick use Patty's recent story about Red Dead Redemption 2's world and systems feeling largely meaningless as a launching pad to work out their larger feelings on open world games, from what we ask and demand of them to where they should go in the future.

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Austin and Rob haven't slept, because Rob decided to clean his apartment at midnight Austin stayed up watching the entirety of Amazon's new series from Sam Esmail: Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts. What does this postmodern corporate horror story have to say about life and work, and how does it differ from Esmail's celebrated USA show, Mr. Robot? Does it suffer from using the "War on Terror" as a backdrop without interrogating it? Meanwhile, the gang has also been watching Nailed It on Netflix, which features plenty of horror shows of its own. Watching amateur bakers come to grips with complicated recipes, Patrick is reminded of his own culinary journey so far.

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​This past Sunday was the Waypoint Winter Classic, aka the meeting of Austin's Philadelphia "Big Dick Dick" Eagles and Patrick/Rob's Chicago "Did Jon Gruden Really Give up Khalil Mack?" Bears. The Eagles won, and the Bears lost...by a field goal. At the last second. And the ball hit the upright, then the crossbar. Doink. Double doink. Sigh. The group spends the first part of the podcast on a long football tangent, before turning to video games or whatever.

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It’s 2019, but we’re still looking back at 2018. We launched a super cool new podcast last year, Waypoints, that gave us an opportunity to discuss the slices of culture—politics, writing, theater, anime—that we were already obsessing about in private conversation. Some of our discussions were only about a single episode of a show or podcast, so it only seemed right to circle back and revisit some of the works that stuck with us, and how our feelings shifted. For this episode, that means digging even deeper into the classic TV show Twin Peaks and The City, a podcast about a garbage heap in Chicago, one that hides much darker problems.

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EDIT 12PM EDT: So, I found a few more clips that I've inserted, including one of Natalie playing a long section of Undertale after the Core, so if you want to avoid spoilers (or just getting really emotional) for Undertale stop listening after the gacha games segment!

Hey y'all, Cado here! I've collected some of the funniest moments from our recording sessions for our 2018 end of year content. I usually start a backup recording way in advanced as we're getting warmed up and ready to go, and a lot of the time some hilarious shit goes down.After the ad break Natalie and Austin discuss which gacha game Austin should play! Happy New Year!

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Time marches forward, as do video games. It used to be the case that video games went quiet after the holiday shopping period, but no more. Games like Resident Evil 2, Anthem, and Kingdom Hearts III are coming in the opening weeks and months of the new year, so it seemed like a good time for Austin, Patrick, and Rob to scroll through a likely inaccurate list of games coming in 2019 and speculate on what we’ll be playing in the future. Finally, Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown can get its time in the sun.

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Rob and Patrick deserve a medal for hopping on a podcast by themselves and talking about video games instead of the NFL North champion Chicago Bears the entire time. Somehow, though, they assembled a list of 10 video games they played this year, and walked through what impressed them the most. There’s anime. There’s war. There’s smug vampires. There’s mountain climbing. Heck, we even talk about a bunch of games that didn’t make our lists. Oh, and we did talk about the Bears.

Discussed: Celeste, Battletech, God of War, Vampyr, Spider Man, Tetris-Effect, Dead Cells, Monster Hunter World, Hollow Knight, Northgard, Frostpunk, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, Astro Bot, Mutant Year Zero, Foriza Horizon 4, Valkyria Chonicles 4, Amored Brigade

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In 2018, one game stood clear above the rest—at least for me. That is Subset Games tactical mech puzzler Into the Breach, a brilliant game of strategy, perfect information, and bleak narrative coherence. I wasn't the only one impressed by Subset's work: joining me to talk about how beautifully designed ITB is are Austin, Cado, and Natalie, all of whom had the game on their top ten list this year. We discuss the game's context in 2018, its subtleties of design, and our biggest triumphs (and heartbreaks) with the game's difficult-but-parsable action.

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God. We. So... So here's the thing. We. Hrm. Incredibly deep breath.

When we first discussed doing this new end of year format, one of the things we liked about the focus on podcast discussions was that they would be a tight, focused way to critically dig into our favorites while still keeping the discursive flexibility of conversation between friends. The plan was for each of these to be between 30 minutes and an hour long, regardless of if we were doing an episode on a single game or one on our respective top 10 lists.

Natalie and I went for nearly three hours. Look.

On the plus side: This means that we had ample time to dive into everything we wanted to talk about but didn't have the chance to yet this year. We talk Red Dead Redemption 2, the critical apparatus of the game's industry, and the terrible power of polish. We talk anime gacha games and the pull of comfort play. We talk about giant robots, queer bodies, and utopian ontologies. And, uh, we spent the final 45 minutes or so of the podcast going deep into Undertale spoiler territory.

I guess what I'm saying is: Thank you for your patience. And enjoy?

Discussed: Into the Breach, BattleTech, Monster Hunter: World, Hollow Knight, Hitman 2, Minit, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Sea of Thieves, No Man's Sky: NEXT, Heaven Will Be Mine, Picross 2, Ashen, Frozen Synapse 2, Slay the Spire, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Tetris Effect, Dead Cells, Undertale, Bloodborne, Danmachi Memoria Freize, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Minecraft, Unexplored, Celeste

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Don't you just the feeling of the sand beneath your feet and that lovely music made by the jingle of gold doubloons in your pockets? The roll of a great ship under your boots, and the sound of your crew's heels a-clicking as they dance a reel on the topdeck? But the call of the ​Sea of Thieves is unrelenting and like those skeleton crews of pirates long dead, your fate is a peripatetic existence to rival that of clever Odysseus. You'll long to point your toes for home, but you'd best stay ​en pointe ​because you never know when you'll have cross swords with another pirate or struggle against the tentacles of giant kraken. How could someone, hearing all of this, just kick back and say there's "not enough to do", or that ​Sea of Thieves ​was more a proof of concept than a full game? Let this crew of salty sea dogs, featuring Natalie, Austin, and Rob, discuss their unexpected love for ​Sea of Thieves ​with the Pirate Queen herself, Danika Harrod, in whose honor this episode description was composed.

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Spoilers abound, including spoilers for Undertale and Deltarune! You've been warned!

In today's 2018 wrap-up extravaganza, I had the pleasure of chatting with Cado about our personal top ten lists. We had plenty of solid overlap: Into the Breach, Life is Strange 2 (Episode 1), and Donut County all made appearances on both of our picks, as well as two games we each need to play (Dandara and The Return of Obra Dinn).

Plus, we had fun being extremely on our respective bullshit, with my obsession for immersive sims and weird puzzle games/platformers and Cado's affinity for fighting games and Destiny. It's an all-out love fest for the games that made 2018 a little bit better.

Discussed: Into the Breach, Life is Strange 2 (episode 1), Donut County, Destiny 2: Forsaken, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, All Our Asias, Dandara, Iconoclasts, Deltarune, Return of the Obra Dinn, BattleTech, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Monster Hunter: World, Hollow Knight, Prey: Mooncrash, Hitman 2, Minit, Assemblance: Oversight, Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Mario Tennis Aces, Sea of Thieves, No Man's Sky: NEXT

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The end of the year is nearly here—but it ain’t here yet. Even though we’ve basically figured out our game of the year lists and recorded dozens of hours of podcasts looking back on 2018, we managed to sneak in ooooooooone last podcast with Austin, Natalie, Patrick, Rob, and Danielle to talk about a bunch of games (Battlefield V! Gris! Below!) and take a few of your questions.

Discussed: Battlefield V, Gris, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Below

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Yes, Hollow Knight was released in 2017. No, Waypoint doesn’t care. It wasn’t until Hollow Knight arrived on Switch earlier this year that Patrick, Austin, and Natalie fell head over insect heels (do insects have heels?) for a game that captured our attention and imagination. Is it any surprise, given the way games like Dark Souls were invoked when talking about Hollow Knight? But the Dark Souls comparison, while apt and important, sells a terrific and ambitious game short, and that’s where this conversation comes in, a chance to spend a long time remembering our terrifying adventures in the deepnest, a deep love for the respectful stag, and so much more.

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Austin, Cado, and Rob nerd out over their shared love of BattleTech. With a discussion grounded in their own individual relationships and background to the franchise, the three MechWarriors revisit past glories, great moments, and consider the game's evolution over the course of the year.

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Few could have predicted a game about angsty teenagers would not only be good, but arguably an all-time classic. But lots of people, including lots at Waypoint, fell in love with Max Caulfield and Chloe Price during the first season of Life Is Strange. (In our canon, they kissed.) Life is Strange’s second season shifts the focus from Max and Chloe, reframing its themes of isolation and identity around an immigrant family in Seattle caught up in some serious shit. Only the first episode has been released, alongside an emotional prequel called The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, but it’s already captured the imaginations of Patrick, Cado, and Danielle.

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Nobody at Waypoint was a Monster Hunter fan before Capcom dropped Monster Hunter: World at the start of this year, but for a feverish few weeks in January, everyone was hunting Anjanaths like our lives depended on it. January was a long time ago, but it didn’t take long for Austin, Natalie, and Patrick to remember how the long-running series finally clicked for them. We remember what worked—the nightmarish sense of scale, how weapons became critical to player identity, the deep satisfaction from connecting a well-timed hit—and what left us wanting—the endless grind, the unexplained systems, the uncomfortable colonization themes—and hoping Capcom finds way to address them in the game’s inevitable sequel.

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​The concept of game cloning is about as old as games themselves, but there's new, tricky territory to cover here in 2018. Inspired by a few tweets and a GI.biz article profiling Voodoo—the mobile publisher behind Hole.io, a game that sure takes "inspiration" from indie darling Donut County—we discussed the situation this week on Waypoint Radio. Join Patrick, Natalie, Rob, and Danielle as they look at the complications that separate genre and mechanical inspiration, the ethics of farming game ideas with a big checkbook, and the fear that this could have a chilling effect on the spirit of sharing and creativity in the indie space.

Discussed: Hole.io, Donut County, Threes, 2048.

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The Waypoint gang has to work through their complicated feelings about the Slate Political Gabfest and, in particular, the worldview they bring to their work as expressed by their recent episodes on the passing of George H.W. Bush and the assault allegations against now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Is there a point where centrist punditry literally becomes one with parodies about it? Is the technical language of expertise more about gatekeeping and limiting political imagination than about describing and explaining the world around us? Finally, in our second segment, Rob has been watching the latest season of ​Hard Knocks ​and finds a fascinating portrait of a doomed coaching regime planning for a future that will have no room for it. Austin explains what a Herb is. Both topics center on Hue Jackson and the waning days of his tenure at the NFL's worst team.

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December is a big month for a lot of reasons. It’s only a few weeks until we get a few days off, and reset for the new year. The Chicago Bears are playing meaningful football for the first time in nearly a decade. And we’re also feverishly trying to play as many video games as possible, so we can figure out what our game of the year lists are. The problem? A bunch of last-minute games we didn't expect to like so much are forcing Austin, Rob, Natalie, Patrick, and Cado to throw up their hands and totally rethink their list. Who will be sacrificed in pursuit of a pure top 10 list?

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On Monday we made our predictions: At this year's Game Awards, we'd finally see the new Avengers game, we'd get a 15-30 second trailer for a new Dragon Age game with Solas voice over, and we'd probably be more bored than entertained by the proceedings. Were we right? Well... Not exactly, yup, and, shockingly, not at all, in that order.

Austin, Natalie, Rob, and Patrick talk through the highlights of the show (the Sonicfox, ​Dead Cells​, and Celeste ​wins; a new Obsidian RPG; Persona 5's Joker joining Smash Ultimate) and the occasional missteps (skipping through some key awards, the failure of the "big 3" to announce anything collaborative despite being on stage together). Plus, Austin offers up some early Ashen impressions, the crew debates the likely outcome of 2Milly's lawsuit against Epic Games, and, uh, Natalie has some thoughts ​about the Dread Wolf

​Discussed: Fortnite, Epic Games Store, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Far Cry New Dawn, Hades, The Outer Worlds, Ashen, Dragon Age, That Egg Fuck Solas, The Pathless, Psychonauts 2, Smash Bros. Ultimate, SonicFox, Celeste

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On a slightly out-of-control episode of Waypoints, Rob has been watching ​Ordeal by Innocence​ ​and enjoying a fresh take on a classic mystery genre: Which posh asshole is murdering other rich dirtbags on an English country estate? Meanwhile, Patrick is working through his feelings about a new parenting trend: Parents who eat lunch at school​ with their kids. And finally, Austin has everyone listen to the latest season of More Perfect​, a Radiolab podcast about the US Constitution. Dismay gives way to anger as we discuss the understanding of law, politics, and power that informs the podcast, and why it feels like such a poor answer to this moment in American political life.

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As the days pass on and the weather gets colder (then warmer, then colder again), we're finally leaving beyond the rush of big AAA fall games. Sure, we still found time to chat about new releases like ​Just Cause 4​, ​BattleTech: Flashpoint​, and ​(more) ​Darksiders 3​, but under this bright December sun, our focus has shifted: Today, we talk about video game industry news and rumors.

Will we see Dragon Age at the Game Awards? What does Sony's absence from E3 mean for their third party partners? How would you make your dream ​Avengers ​game? And hey, what the hell is Obsidian Studios working on?​ Listen in for our thoughts!

Discussed: ​Just Cause 4, Darksiders 3, THQ Nordic, Carmegeddon, Get in the Car Loser, BattleTech: Flashpoint, Broken Reality, Dropsy, Hypnospace Outlaw, Hitman 2, The Avengers, Dragon Age, Immersive Sims

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Join Danielle as she interviews Ark from New York Excelsior, our local Overwatch League team! NYXL is in town this weekend to meet fans and play a few exhibition games, and ArK stopped by Lobby 1 to chat about his experiences visiting NYC, his past in Nursing, and how that ties in to being a Mercy main. You can find ArK @Arkyjun on twitter, and the rest of the New York Excelsior team @NYXL.

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Content warning: discussion of bodies (especially women's bodies) and ideal beauty, and references to stalking and sexual assault in 80s movies.

When you look at Soulcalibur's Ivy Valentine, plenty of things may come to mind. She's a tall, dominating (in many senses) fighting game character with an exaggerated pin-up figure and a whip, and she's the subject of Kotaku editor Maddy Myers evolving feelings in a recent piece entitled The Inexplicable Sexiness Of Ivy Valentine. In this episode of Waypoint Radio, Danielle, Patrick and Rob gather to talk about the piece, sexualized ladies in games, depictions of desirable bodies in games and movies, and what it means to reclaim a character for your own, whether they were intended for your demographic or not.

Then we take a dip into the question bucket and ponder the need to "go back!" to previous iconic locations in games.

Discussed: Soul Calibur series, Dishonored, Say Anything, Blade Runner

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This week, Austin introduces the gang to ​Evangelion​ with the first two episodes, and places the series' in the broader context of mecha anime the preceded it. Why is ​Evangelion ​so much more explicitly horrifying than most Gundam shows, despite sharing their anti-war politics? And how about that penguin, huh? Danielle has also been watching SB Nation's video series on the history of MMA, "​Fighting in the Age of Loneliness" from Jon Bois and Chapo Trap House's Felix Biederman. An often riveting history of sports and martial arts, the series also attempts to put them in context of the political and cultural currents that flowed around them, to more mixed success. But first, Rob has been fascinated by the story of a tiny little burger joint that was destroyed by a rave review... only to learn just before recording that a far more familiar and ugly story of abuse was lurking under the surface the whole time.

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The First Purge is about the first purge, but it’s not actually the first Purge movie. It’s the fourth Purge movie, but set during the first purge in the Purge universe. Still following? No matter, Be Good and Rewatch It is here to help. Writer/director James DeMonaco, who helmed the past three movies, only worked on the script for The First Purge, with Gerard McMurray (Burning Sands) stepping in—a refreshing shift the franchise has badly needed. As we close out our discussion of the Purge series, Austin, Patrick, Rob, Danielle, and Natalie gather to break down a franchise that surprised, delighted, and disappointed us.

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CW: Discussion of Self Harm, Homophobia, and Transphobia during discussion of "The Missing" at 57-58 minutes in, to around 1:18:00 (time varies with ads, When you hear Patrick start talking about staying home instead of going out bowling you can skip 22 minutes and you will skip this entire section)

It was a long weekend in the US, so the Waypoint Crew has come back with plenty of games to chew on. Patrick has the less-than-thrilling Darksiders III, FromSoft's new VR game Déraciné​, and Swery's queer-themed platformer The Missing to discuss, as does Austin. ​Austin finally beat Battletech, but he's certainly not done with the game. And Danielle has a delightful Frog Detective game and some hands-on time in Hitman 2 to bring to the table.

Plus, there's a lot of chatter regarding "sticky" games and smooth ones you won't want to miss, unless you're about to hit your lunch break.

Discussed: Darksiders III, Déraciné, The Haunted Island: A Frog Detective Game, Battletech, The Missing, Hitman 2, Golf Peaks​

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This week's Waypoints has us returning to horror from a new angle. First, we consider the domestic horror of ​Channel Zero: The Dream Door ​and what it has to say about the baggage we all carry, and how the past's survival tactics can become deadly as they follow us through life. Then we take a look at ​The Ballad of Black Tom ​by Victor LaValle, which reimagines a famously bigoted Lovecraft story through the eyes of a young black man. How do the horrors that tormented Lovecraft—the vast indifference of creation, the limits of science and reason—change when they're juxtaposed against the daily life of a Harlem hustler and the pervasive cruelty of the society he inhabits?

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In this bonus episode Austin Walker interviews Ben Makuch, host of Motherboard's new podcast "Cyber", about cyber security, why we always seem caught off guard by each new cyber threat, and what responsibilities large companies like Facebook have in keeping people safe on the internet, followed by the first full episode of "Cyber."

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What, if anything, does a sequel owe its predecessors? While didn't realize it at the time, that's the question we chewed on during this nearly two-hour long episode of Waypoint Radio. Some games, like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate​, try to satisfy long time fan and newcomer alike. Others, like ​Fallout 76​, eject much of what made the series what it was in favor of new experimentation. Which one of these tactics is right? Or is the truth... somewhere in the middle?

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​This week's Waypoint Radio is about the anxieties surrounding commercial art and the way they can often overshadow art's cultural value, and how the latter often has more to do with personal meaning and artistic goals than performance in "the marketplace". Our first point of entry to this topic comes via an article by Liz Ryerson, over at the New and Improved Deorbital, called "There Are Not 'Too Many Games': What The Indiepocalypse Panic Ignores​​". Then we look at a gorgeous personal essay over at Unwinnable by Amanda Hudgins, "The Kentucky State Fair​", which ends up providing a way of considering one way of practicing what Ryerson is alluding to. More importantly, it's a story about the place you come from, and the ways you work and experiences can be a gulf between you and the people that you care about.

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For this week, we have an unusually music-centered episode as the gang welcomes Noisey's Colin Joyce to talk about Lil Peep's posthumous Come Over When You're Sober, Pt. 2. What does it imply about the what Peep's creative direction might have been, and do the circumstances, assumptions, and compromises around its production complicate its place in Peep's body of work? And then Rob has been listening to Let England Shake as the world observes the centennial of the end of World War I. What does PJ Harvey's Great War-themed album tell us about the nature of the war's remembrance, and how it ties into the self-conception of the British Empire and Commonwealth? And if Harvey's album suggests the insularity and self-deception that was shaken by the horrors and scope of the First World War, is she entirely in on the joke?

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Most horror franchises don’t survive the transition to a sequel, let alone a third movie. We were pleasantly surprised by the action-y, Punisher-esque turn of The Purge: Anarchy, but there were enough red flags to have us deeply concerned about where The Purge would go with its third entry, Election Year, a movie centered around protecting a bizarre Hillary Clinton stand-in, who promises to save the country, from her political opponents. Austin, Patrick, Danielle, Natalie, and Rob dive gathered around to dive into Election Year, and hope for better things from the final entry, The First Purge. (Spoiler: That one’s a much better movie.)

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The holidays are upon us, which means new video games are dropping fast and furious. That makes it the perfect time to spend a long time talking about...Vampyr? Rob spent the weekend with one of Patrick's favorites from earlier this year, much to his delight. In an episode that was supposed to be "short," Rob and Patrick join Austin to spend nearly two hours also discussing Tetris Effect, how every human being is actually connected, The Gardens Between, the many ways to creatively kill in Hitman 2, ​and what it's like to cheer for a good football team after years of despair. Oh, and we react to the absolutely wild Detective Pikachu trailer in real-time.

Discussed: Vampyr, Tetris Effect, Skin Deep, Hitman 2, Detective Pikachu, Syndicate, Payday 2

(I left in the team's entire live reaction to the Detective Pikachu trailer so if you'd like to watch along just hit play on the trailer when Patrick does his countdown! - Cado)

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​With the 200th episode of Waypoint Radio behind us, we turn back to our roots: The Question Bucket. Join Austin, Rob, Natalie, and Patrick as they answer your questions about all of the most important topics: Being disappointed by your favorite series. How to grit your teeth and send your creative work into the uncaring void of the internet. Peanut Butter.

We promised you that Sim City article from Ian Bogost, but we couldn't find it.

Discussed: Peanut Butter, Europa Universalis IV, Victoria II, Sim City, Real Lives 2019, Spent, Red Dead Redemption 2, Bridge, Dance Dance Revolution, Picross, Solitaire, Spelunky, Binding of Issac, Dark Souls, Hearthstone, Netrunner, Legend of the Five Rings, Magic: The Gathering, Slay the Spire, XCOM 2, Subterfuge, Battlefield, F.E.A.R, Destiny, Diablo Immortal, Paper Mario Franchise, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Galak-Z Variant S, Fantasy Life, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, The Heir to the Empire Trilogy, Total War: Medieval, Harry Potter series

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This week, Rob has convinced Austin to watch one of his favorite screwball comedies, ​My Man Godfrey​. This may been a poor choice! (Or the best choice - Cado)

​But the main focus in this episode is politics! You want election takes? We got 'em! But first, we need to explore some of the context and history of this political moment by taking a look at McKay Coppins' profile of Newt Gingrich and the brand of politics and the anxieties he represents.

Discussed: The Man Who Broke Politics (article at The Atlantic), 2018 election results, My Man Godfrey (Criterion Collection)

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Episode 200 of Waypoint Radio is here! And we worked hard to ensure that it is the quintessential episode. No special guests or new segments or live bands, no, this puppy is stuffed to the brim with the games we've been playing. Austin and Rob have both Red Dead Redemption 2 updates and a sort of Subterfuge post-mortem. Danielle has further thoughts on Call of Cthulhu and a very fun, very 90s-tastic racing game in Grip: Combat Racing. Natalie has her hands full with Dark Souls and Red Dead. And Austin has an extra-special robot game to share with all you replicants out there.

Discussed: Subterfuge, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grip: Combat Racing, Dark Souls, Call of Cthulhu, Inhuman Conditions: A Game of Cops and Robots

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Content warning for discussion of racism in horror games and movies, and a mention of rape in horror movies at 1:10:00-1:11:00.

H.P. Lovecraft, the author so well-known for his works of horror, his writings on monsters and madness and cosmic horror, was a radically, horrifically racist person, even for his time. So, how do we deal with that, when his influence is all over the horror genre, indirectly through popular tropes and immediately, in games inspired directly from his work, like this week’s Call of Cthulhu? Why are these tropes so enduring, and where do they come from? And how to we wrestle with works that we may enjoy, even if they come from this lineage? Danielle, Natalie, Rob, and Patrick sit down to discuss the new game, cosmic horror tropes, and Lovecraft’s influence in games.

Discussed: Call of Cthulhu, Bloodborne, works of H.P. Lovecraft.

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​In the second (and final) part of our Red Dead Redemption playthrough for Waypoint 101, we—ugh—survive the extremely long Mexico section of the game, and revisit the still-memorable finale and epilogue. Red Dead Redemption is a game that's aged weirdly in the eight years since its release, as Austin, Patrick, Natalie, and Rob discover over the nearly two hours spent picking apart the game's conclusion. Some things work, a lot of things don't, and much has changed since 2010. We also sneak in some talk about Undead Nightmare, the game's celebrated horror expansion.

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We have a monster-sized episode this week, as we've all been extremely on our bullshit. Rob was stunned by Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman, a powerful family tragedy set in Northern Ireland in the 1980s. Patrick's troubled by the swiftly evolving dystopia typified by this Planet Money episode on China's experiment in giving citizens "social credit scores". Danielle has been thinking about sexuality and kink as explored in Clive Barker's Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. And Natalie has been watching Laid-Back Campand thinking about the ways it depicts the relationship between self and nature, and how it relates to the historically troubled concept of the sublime. And then [CW: Arachnaphobia] there is an outtake from a conversation from our first attempt at starting the show, in which Natalie talks about various bugs invading her home, urban legends around rats and toilets, and lots and lots of spiders.

Discussed: Jez Butterworth's The Ferryman, Planet Money, Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, Laid -back Camp

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This week on Waypoint Radio: Austin and Rob are still living Subterfuge, Danielle is getting in to the Halloween spirit with some spooky indie horror games, and just about everyone is finally playing Red Dead Redemption 2. The team then dips into the question bucket to discuss the impulse to monetize or professionalize our hobbies, Danielle and Patrick make a quick and dirty list of their top 5 platformers, and we return to the Dishcourse to ask "What makes a good sandwich, contents or bread?"

Discussed: Subterfuge, Stay, Paratopic, Red Dead Redemption 2, Mega Man 2, Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country 2, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Banjo Kazooie, Mark of the Ninja, Super Meat Boy, Braid

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During our charity stream last week, Austin and Rob were sucked into participating a game of Subterfuge, a "simple" mobile strategy game built on alliances, betrayal, and taking over your life. It’s even invaded our podcast. Despite this, Patrick, Austin, Rob, Danielle, and Natalie ​found a way to discuss Fallout 76’s beta, Black Ops 4, Return of the Obra Dinn, Call of Cthulhu, Soul Calibur 6, and Unexplored. We’ll have thoughts on Red Dead Redemption 2 next week, as we only got access to the game a day before it came out.

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Patrick, Austin, Danielle, Natalie, and Rob gather to discuss the second film in The Purge series, The Purge: Anarchy, as part of a deep dive into the entire series. Warning: Spoilers abound. Warning: Rob is upset about how people employ tactics. Warning: This movie needed more Michael K. Williams.

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On this episode of Waypoint Radio: Austin, Natalie, Patrick, and Rob sit down to discuss the new article by Jason Schreier on Rockstar's crunch culture. They dive deep on what the new info out of Rockstar says about working conditions there, worker's rights in the gaming industry as a whole, and how they hope this new conversation can help bolster real change across the industry.

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It's Wednesday and that means Waypoints, where the site's staff and friends will bring something to share with each other and with you: a TV show, art exhibit, movie, album, or other thing from the universe of pop culture. to discuss, dissect, and enjoy.

This week, Patrick brings us an article that delves into Instagram's harassment problem, Rob revisits 'Looper' to find something less hard sci-fi, more crime movie, and Danielle is getting into the fall spirit by watching 'Haunting of Hill House,' a beautiful blend of very scary horror and family drama.

Discussed: Instagram Has a Massive Harassment Problem by Taylor Lorenz, Looper (Rian Johnson, 2012), Haunting of Hill House' (Netflix)

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Content Warning: short discussion on statue genitalia from 45:30 - 46:40

It's Waypoint Radio 195! Or something very much like it! Danielle, Patrick, and Rob are excited about video games! Rob's been playing Oxenfree, Danielle is still playing Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Patrick has discovered the future of gaming with Astro Bot, and it's virtual reality (or "VR" for short). But before they get into that, the gang just has to read this one Vulture article about the making of Red Dead Redemption 2 and offer a few measured observations. Are 100-hour work weeks good? Should writers offer some context and address some of the criticism faced by the high-profile creators they covers?

We also get ready for our streaming marathon for The Florence Project and interview Development & Research Director Amalia Luxardo about the organization's work on the immigrant detention crisis.

Discussed: Astro Bot, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Oxenfree

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On Waypoint Radio 194, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick talk about games where a major character was enough to pull them through some questionable gameplay. We start in on Assassin's Creed Odyssey giving Danielle some serious Xena: Warrior Princess vibes, talk through some good horror games that maybe ran a little long (like Soma and Alien: Isolation), and discuss Rob's time with the Gabriel Knight series. We have a horror corner, a Lucy Lawless Appreciation Moment AND a bonus dad corner this week, and a brief (and funky) dip into the question bucket to round things out.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Soma, Mass Effect, Dragon Age Origins, Assassin's Creed Origins, Alien: Isolation, Everyone's Gone to the Rapture, Gabriel Knight series, Thimbleweed Park, Deadly Premonition, D4, Remedy games, Alan Wake, Frozen Synapse 2, Xena: Warrior Princess.

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Content Warning for discussion of sexual violence and racist language, and spoilers for the first half of Red Dead Redemption

With Red Dead Redemption 2 right around the corner, the Waypoint crew: Natalie, Patrick, Rob, Austin, and Danielle (with Cado on production!) saddled up to revisit the first open-world game in the series, 2010's Red Dead Redemption. Here in our first episode of a two-part podcast, we played up until protagonist John Marston's journey to Mexico, and friends, what a journey it is.

We dive deep into one of Rockstar's least subtle intros, into the finicky mechanics, the one-note characters, the beautiful skyboxes and moments that work—as well as the elements that just plain don't.

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Content Warnings: Pregnancy-related body horror, harm to children.

It's Wednesday and that means Waypoints, where the site's staff and friends will bring something to share with each other and with you: a TV show, art exhibit, movie, album, or other thing from the universe of pop culture. to discuss, dissect, and enjoy.

It's been a week! Perhaps in preparation for such a week, Rob's been going back to Alan Furst's Night Soldiers series and vicariously taking part in the clandestine warfare of spies in 1930s Europe. Patrick's been reading about Mark Zuckerberg's reckoning with his monster, and the possibility that Zuck may still be surprised by who the real monster might prove to be. Danielle has very mixed feeling about A Quiet Place and the ways it combines horror-movie logic gaps with upsetting gender politics. Meanwhile, Austin has journeyed back to a residential black neighborhood in 1990s Chicago, which finds itself a dumping ground for the detritus of "urban renewal", and a system that doesn't really know what to do with bad actors.

Discussed: Alan Furst novels, Evan Osnos' Zuckerberg profile, A Quiet Place, The Citypodcast

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This week on Waypoint Radio: Austin, Danielle, Rob, and Natalie discuss Rob's recent reverie in Forza Horizon 4, Natalie had her dessert first in Super Mario Party, Danielle is catching up with Kassandra in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Austin has a surprising amount to say about Xbox Game Pass.

Discussed: Forza Horizon 4, Super Mario Party, Paper Mario series, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Life is Strange 2, Kentucky Route 0, Oxenfree, Xbox Game Pass

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Spoiler Warning for Life is Strange Season One.

It is not easy to write good, believable teen characters in any work of fiction, and that certainly goes for games. On Waypoint Radio 192, Danielle, Natalie, and Patrick talk about games that do teen writing and teen characters well—inspired by this week’s release of Life is Strange 2 (episode 1), and the series that each of us has an affinity for. We talk about LIS and its approach to dialogue, teen media that works, the shows and books we loved as real actual teens, and the dearth of AAA games that attempt realistic teen dialogue (with one notable exception!). Then we take to the question bucket and imagine immersive sims based on our lives, and Patrick gets an excellent dad corner moment.

Discussed: Life is Strange 2, Life is Strange, Gone Home, Night in the Woods, the X-Files, Daria, Twilight, Harry Potter, Gossip Girl, The Hunger Games, Donut County, The Last of Us: Left Behind

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Waypoint is in the midst of launching several new podcasts, including this Currently Untitled Waypoint Rewatch Podcast That You Should Definitely Help Us Name, where we pick a movie or TV series to watch, dissect, and closely read. Given we’re launching this podcast series in October, it only made sense to start with a genre near and dear to host Patrick Klepek's heart: horror!

To that end, we’re rewatching the entirety of The Purge series, a four-part series about a world where for one night per year, all crime is legal. It’s a goofy, over-the-top premise, but one that’s treated with more seriousness and sincerity than most genre fare, largely because it refuses to avoid the obvious class and racial tensions that would arise from such an event.

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This week, we've been trying to figure out what we make of Maniac, Netflix's reality-bending satire from True Detective Season 1 director Cary Joji Fukunaga, starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill (plus a generous supply of superb New York character actors. We see you, Arkady Ivanovich). Danielle has been to Kink Haüs, a show combining dance, music, and performance art to explore different themes around queer identity. Rob has been immersed in the Matt Fraction / David Aja Hawkeye series from 2012-13, and the ways it plays with various structural aspects of comics to achieve something wholly unexpected. Finally, Patrick has been getting spooky as he listens to the Halloween Unmasked podcast, in which film critic Amy Nicholson explores the background and context behind John Carpenter's classic horror movie, Halloween.

Content Warnings: Discussions of racial violence, homophobia, mental health, and self-harm.

Discussed: Maniac, Kink Haüsby Gunnar Montana, Hawkeyeby Matt Fraction / David Aja et al., Halloween Unmasked

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C/W: discussion of bestiality and homophobia at 1:36:50 - 1:38:15

This week on Waypoint Radio: Austin, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick sit down to discuss the sheep studying mechanics (among others) in Red Dead Redemption 2, how the first episode of Life is Strange 2 finds a new narrative flavor, just how annoying Socrates really is in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, and top it all off with a shout out to the Queerness and Games Conference.

Discussed: Red Dead Redemption 2, Life is Strange 2, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Queerness and Games Conference

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On Waypoint Radio 190, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick look at the image of the game developer. Spurred on by a recent Eurogamer piece examining early 80s EA advertising for "software artists," and the infamous 2008 New Yorker profile of Cliff Bleszinski, and the image of creatives in our field through the years.

Discussed: Seeing farther: the advert that changed the games industry (https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-09-16-seeing-farther-the-advert-that-changed-the-games-industry) The Grammar of Fun (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/03/the-grammar-of-fun), Halt and Catch Fire, SuperStore, Parks and Recreation

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Welcome to a brand-new Waypoint podcast! In Waypoints, the staff and friends will bring something to share: be it a TV show, art exhibit, movie, or other thing from the universe to discuss, dissect, and enjoy. On episode 2, Austin is listening to Serial Season 3, Rob watched Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru, Danielle got into the fall spirit early with a trip to Halloween Horror Nights, and Patrick has a lot to say about sports fandom.

Where you can find this stuff: Serial Season 3: anywhere you listen to podcasts. Ikiru: available for rent or purchase from Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, iTunes or as a part of the Criterion Collection, Halloween Horror Nights: https://www.halloweenhorrornights.com/, Hopelessly Devoted: http://www.nfl.com/labs/sidelines/hopelessly-devoted/hopelessly-devoted.html

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Content Warning: During our discussion of labor practices at games studios, the previews for Red Dead Redemption 2 come up and reference is made to a line about horse genitalia from the Kotaku preview piece. Skip minutes 52-54 if you'd like to avoid that, and stop the podcast as Austin begins doing the outro (1:11:22).

On today's Waypoint Radio, Austin, Natalie, Patrick, and Rob discuss the recent sudden closure of Telltale Games, how crunch culture causes a cycle of burnout that is physically unsustainable, and how unions and radical cultural change might be the only way forward. Then they talk about the games they've been playing over the past week, and how Rob totally didn't stab his friend in the back.

Discussed: Telltale Games closure, The Walking Dead: The Final Season, crunch, games unionization, Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon 4, Heat Signature, The Messenger, Undertale, War of the Ring

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Content Warning: We begin with the Trump/Toad Discourse

Today, Danielle, Natalie, Patrick, and Rob sit down to talk about the ways in which fandoms interpret works. Why is it that we can find the "horny" in just about any piece of media? When is it inconsequential fun, and when--as in the case of Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie--is the question of a character's sexuality something worth taking a little more seriously. Plus, we take a quick dip in the bucket to discuss a piece of lore from Quantum Break.

Discussed: Toad, Mario Franchise, Twin Peaks, Sesame Street, Harry Potter, Quantum Break

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Welcome to a brand new Waypoint podcast! In Waypoints, the staff and friends will bring something to share: be it a TV show, art exhibit, movie, or other thing from the universe to discuss, dissect, and enjoy. On episode 1, Rob has things to say about fascist propaganda, Natalie has entered Twin Peaks for the first time, Austin has things to say about The Dragon Prince, and Patrick has the Nic Cage new horror classic Mandy.

Where you can find this stuff: The Art of Influence Exhibit: Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Twin Peaks: Netflix or Hulu. The Dragon Prince: Netflix. Mandy: iTunes, most VOD services.

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On Waypoint Radio 187, Austin, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick discuss the epic troll Nintendo pulled on Animal Crossing fans in its recent Nintendo Direct. Really, we talk through all of the announcements from the presenttaion, including Luigi's ghostly form, Switch ports, and that big Animal Crossing on Switch reveal. Then we talk about games we've been playing, including the masque of Red Death, The Messenger, Frozen Synapse, and more. And, of course, there's a dip in the question bucket and some fun announcements!

Discussed: Nintendo Direct on 9/13, Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion 3, New Super Mario Bros 3 Deluxe, The Masque of Red Death, The Messenger, Frozen Synapse 2

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Danielle, Cado, Natalie and Rob sit down to talk lore in games, when it's done well, when it's done poorly, and just why it's so hard to get right. We start with Destiny, a franchise that has radically changed just how it handles lore, and go deep into design that encourages intriguing, rather than eye-rolling detail about a game's world and characters.

Discussed: Destiny, Destiny 2, Bloodborne, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Hollow Knight, Mass Effect, Life is Strange: Before the Storm, System Shock 2, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, BioShock, Prey, Dishonored, Spider-Man, Conservative radio pundits.

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Hey everyone, Austin here! As you may have heard, our sister site Broadly has launched a new podcast called Queerly Beloved all about LGBTQ communities, chosen families, and love--romantic and otherwise. To help them kick it off on the right foot, we wanted to share the first episode with you directly. Give it a listen, and if you like it, make sure to subscribe (and hey, leave a review telling them we sent you!)

Catch y'all tomorrow with a regular Friday ep of Waypoint Radio!

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Queerly Beloved ​is a new podcast series from Broadly. Co-hosted by Broadly editor Sarah Burke and Fran Tirado of the popular queer podcast Food 4 Thot, it’s a multifaceted portrait of LGBTQ chosen family—the people who help us figure out who we are and inspire us to live as our most authentic selves.

When Kelli, a self-identified butch dyke, fell deeply in love with dominating cabaret dancer Heather, she already knew she would soon lose her to cancer. But she had no idea that Heather would leave her a list of all her ex-lovers that would turn out to be exactly the queer community she needed while mourning.

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We have a little something special for Waypoint listeners today: an interview with Sarah Burke, co-host of our sister site Broadly's new podcast, Queerly Beloved. Queerly Beloved is a multifaceted portrait of LGBTQ chosen family—the people who help us figure out who we are and inspire us to live as our most authentic selves. Waypoint's own Danielle chats with Sarah about the new show, on creating media for queer folks by queer folks, and avoiding pitfalls in queer media. You can listen to the podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/queerly-beloved/id1435920470?mt=2

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On episode 185 of Waypoint Radio, the full team—Austin, Natalie, Cado, Patrick, Rob, and Danielle—talk about the many games they've been playing and discussing. There's some football. There's Call of Duty Black Ops 4. There's a whole lot of Shadow of the Tomb Raider. There's even some serious Valkeryia Chronicles IV chatter. And then, there are some fabulous Waypoints.

Discussed: The Bears/Packers NFL game on 9/9/18, Marvel's Spider-Man, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Valkeryia Chronicles IV, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, Planet Money Podcast, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Exhibit: Into the Light by James Turrell, The Twilight Zone episode: The Lonely, The Giant Robot Series That's a Civics Lesson in Disguise (article on VRV), The Great British Bake Off, Destiny.

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Rob and Waypoint Freelancer Dia Lacina get together to discuss Dia's review of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, titled 'Shadow of the Tomb Raider' Tries, but Fails, to Tackle Its Own Colonialism. Dia reads her review, which goes in on the ways in which the game seems to want to contend with the negative elements of the colonialist power fantasy at the heart of the franchise, but lacks substance in so many elements. Then she and Rob buckle down for an in-depth, spoiler-inclusive discussion of the game and it's mixed messages.

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Content warning for some ableist language.

Danielle, Natalie, Rob, and Patrick settle in for an in-depth discussion of "puddlegate"—the kerfuffle that occurred when some gamers thought the new Spider-Man game on PS4 had downgraded visuals compared to its E3 showing. We talk about tech fetishism, elitism, and entitlement, alongside social media frenzies and the media's role in it all. Then, we hit the question bucket and sign off for the weekend.

Discussed: Marvel's Spider-Man, PC gaming, Detroit:Become Human, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Yakuza, The Witcher 3, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Bad Company 2, Red Faction 2, Dead Cells.

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Austin and Patrick get together to read and discuss Patrick's review of Spider-Man, out this week. Patrick reads his piece, where he praises the game's excellent swinging mechanics, surprisingly nuanced story, and overall world, while throwing some shade at its boring side-quest design.

Discussed: Spider-Man, Batman: Arkham Asylum

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Patrick, Austin, and Danielle hold court live from their panel at PAX West 2018, with a fierce discussion of Gundam, a not-great-seeming game called the Quiet Man, better games like Spelunky 2 and Get in the Car, Loser, thoughts on Streets of Rage 4 with Jeff Gerstmann, and a LIVE question bucket session.

Discussed: Get in the Car, Loser! The Quiet Man, Spelunky 2, Gris, Windjammers 2, Streets of Rage 4, Gundam

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Content warning for abuse, starting at 1:07:18 in the episode.

Welcome to the shadows, in Waypoint's deep dive on Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Austin, Rob, and Joel dig into the game's aesthetics, politics, characters and scenarios of this cyberpunk RPG.

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Content warning for discussion of gun violence.

On Episode 182, Patrick, Austin, and Danielle discuss the shooting this weekend in Jacksonville, Fla, where a gunman opened fire at a Madden tournament. We talk about gun violence in America and the increasingly infuriating political landscape surrounding it, then break for a discussion of games and Waypoints for the week.

Discussed: the shooting in Jacksonville on 8/26, Call of Duty, Mobile Suit Gundam: 0080 War in the Pocket, Almost Human, Goldeneye 007, Guacamelee 2, Heaven Will Be Mine, Bad North, The Myth of John McCain (Splinter article), Citations Needed episode 47, Larry King Tries to Voice Sonic the Hedgehog (video), Streets of Rage 4.

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In episode 181 of Waypoint Radio, we get very excited about good game tutorials. Danielle, Rob, and Patrick discuss what makes a good tutorial and in-game learning experience, with special attention paid to games they're into right now: Bad North, Dead Cells, and F1 2018. Then they look at some historic examples and take a dip in the question bucket. Note: episode contains a content warning for discussion of Nazi imagery in games.

The King's Bird, Bad North, Dead Cells, F1 2018, Valkeryia Chronicles, Phantom Doctrine, NHL 17, Madden, NCAA Football, the game of football, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, PUBG, Zelda: skyward sword, warioware, Brothers in Arms, GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, STALKER, NOLF, Wolfenstein, Hearts of Iron IV.

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Happy Thursday... and happy BONUS podcast day, too! Yesterday on Twitch, we revived the old "VICE Gaming's New Podcast" format to to talk about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (Fromsoft's upcoming ninja-action game), which Austin got about an hour of hands-on time with a couple of weeks ago. But that wasn't our only conversation: We also dig into the announcement of the Dark Pictures Anthology, a new series of short horror games by the creators of Until Dawn, the new Daemon X Machina trailer, and other Gamescom news. We also outline our desire for our futures: To live in an RV, play games on the road, and record podcasts and streams from diners. Please, help us make that dream come true.

As a heads up: This is cleaned up Twitch audio, not our traditional podcast setup. Which means that: 1. There's some more background noise. 2. You'll also hear the audio of the game trailers we're commenting on. This happens a few times, so hopefully it isn't too distracting!

Games Discussed: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice​, ​Man of Medan (The Dark Pictures Anthology)​, ​Daemon X Machina​, ​Cyberpunk 2077​, ​Devil May Cry 5​

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Content warning for discussion of transphobic language from approximately 38:38 to 41:33.

On episode 180 of Waypoint Radio, Danielle talks about her real-life fighting game, Austin falls down a tactics hole, Rob and Austin are both living out cold-war woes in Phantom Doctrine, and Patrick has become a true Dead Cells Connoisseur. Then, we dip into the question bucket and close out on waypoints from the worlds of film, TV, comics, and other podcasts.

Discussed: grappling, Telltale's The Walking Dead season 4, Phantom Doctrine, Valkyria Chronicles 4 (demo), Mech Corps, Frozen Synapse 2, Frozen Cortex, F1 2018, Dead Cells, console wars and "edgy" marketing, FlameCon, Slow Burn podcast, Nightmare on Elm Street part 2, The Americans.

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Patrick reads his recent article, One of Counter-Strike’s Leading Analysts Wants You to Know Alex Jones Rules, before joining Rob to discuss what drew him to reporting on this particular esports analyst, the ongoing professionalization of esports broadcasting, and the harsh reaction to the piece from certain segments of the esports community. Towards the end, they talk about how publishing this piece resulted in a bunch of old photos from Patrick’s college days surfacing, photos with offensive captions that Patrick regrets writing.

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In Episode 179 of Waypoint Radio, Rob, Patrick, and Danielle discuss the games that we may have gotten a little *too* obsessed with. Rob regales everyone with his sim-racing and Max Payne Antics, Danielle has over 600 hours in Into the Breach, and Patrick has had his share of super-hard platformers to stream to the world. Then we dip in the question bucket and bid the weekend hello.

Discussed: GT Legends, GTR 2, RACE 07, Into the Breach, Spelunky, Max Payne 2, Unity of Command, Killer7, Lost, Destiny, Star Wars, Doom books, Prey

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Content warning for discussion of misogyny in film towards the end of the episode.

On Waypoint Radio today, Patrick, Natalie, Rob and Danielle do a little show and tell on the games they've been digging into lately, including We Happy Few, The Final Station, Rome 2's latest expansion and Breath of the Wild. There's also a SECRET SURPRISE anime game from Natalie, and a whole bunch of excellent Waypoints,

We Happy Few, Sir, You Are Being Hunted, The Final Station, Rome 2: Rise of the republic, Breath of the Wild, Hollow Knight, Is it Wrong to Pick Up a Girl in a Dungeon, Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, The Exorcist (TV series), Gaslight, The Philadelphia Story, Mamma Mia, The Aviator

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Content warning for discussion of abuse.

In this transmission from Waypoint Radio, Natalie, Rob, Patrick, and Danielle discuss depictions of abuse in video games: starting with the recent Captain Spirit. They discuss the problems with "redemption arcs" in popular fiction and two major examples in The Witcher series, as well as pop culture characters and real-life figures who contended with abuse in their lives.

Discussed: The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, The Witcher 3, The Witcher series, The Return of the Jedi, The Last Jedi, Lolita.

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We're visited by New York Rob, aka Rob Zacny, to tell his tales of the city. Joining him are Natalie, Austin, and Danielle, all of whom have excellent games and Waypoints to share from the weekend, including Hollow Knight, WarioWare Gold, Dead Cells, and Evo 2018.

Discussed: Hollow Knight, WarioWare Gold, Dead Cells, Evo 2018, The New Museum, My Fair Lady.

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On today's episode of Waypoint Radio, Rob, Patrick, Austin and Danielle gather to discuss games that attempt the herculean task of ending a series on a satisfying note. There are many threes today: The Banner Sage 3, Mass Effect 3, Dark Souls 3, and more, and, of course, a discussion that encompasses fan labor.

Discussed: Banner Saga 3, Mass Effect 3, Dark Souls 3, BioShock, The Witcher 3, Animorphs, The Walking Dead (Telltale), Metal Gear Solid V, Sherlock Holmes, Half Life, The Leftovers, Herotodus, Fast Lane, Nightmare on Elm Street

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It's a New York crew episode today, as Austin, Natalie, Cado and Danielle huddle up in Lobby 1 to share our weekend adventures. Natalie and Cado went to the Overwatch League Finals, while Danielle and Austin hung out in space—on the many planets of No Man's Sky and it's big Next update. Then we talk Waypoints and make our way to the end of Monday afternoon!

Discussed: Overwatch League, No Man's Sky NEXT, Mission Impossible: Fallout, GLOW season 2, Destiny 2

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It's a whole new panel of Waypointers today, as Natalie Watson, Cado, Rob, and Danielle discuss games where difficulty made them make the ultimate decision: do we git gud, or git outta here? Then we dive in to a very meaty question from the bucket concerning work/life balance, school, career, and burnout.

Discussed: Bloodborne, Hollow Knight, Xcom 2, Xcom: War of the chosen, Salt and Sanctuary, Stardew Valley, Into the Breach, Warhammer: Total War 2, Battletech, Destiny, labor in the games industry, mental health and burnout.

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We're deep into our games of choice this week, as the summer swims along. Austin is deep into the clouds of No Man's Sky, Danielle is having a lot of fun with sound effects and new characters in Sonic Mania Plus. Rob is attending to his many wargaming duties. And Patrick, who had a tweet go viral in a rough way this weekend, sought solace in in Hollow Knight.

Discussed: No Man's Sky Next, Sonic Mania Plus, Twitter trolls, Hollow Knight, Fields of Despair, Paths of Glory, Twilight Struggle, King of Dragon Pass, Octopath Traveler, The Guns of August, Horror movies, Farscape, 0-8th MS Team, Sorry to Bother You, bad corporate movie theater drinks, The Rain, Dark, My Hero Academia,

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In today's Waypoint Radio, we talk about our extensive interview with Sean Murray of Hellop Games (the creators of No Man's Sky), about the game, PR and hype, its politics, and the controversy that the team dealt with at launch.

Discussed: No Man's Sky, Space Jam on the Sega Saturn, Dream Daddy, Joe Bernstein's piece 'Alt-Right Troll To Father Killer: The Unraveling Of Lane Davis'

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On today's Waypoint Radio, the crew of Austin, Danielle, Patrick and Rob is all here to discuss our Switch adventures with Octopath Traveler, Hollow Knight and Captain Toad, and the impressive RTS stylings of Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak. Then we take a dip in the question bucket and head home on Waypoints.

Discussed: Octopath Traveler, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak, Hollow Knight, Sonic Mania, The Endless, Game Developers of Color Expo games: The Last Stop, Solace State, Becker Derby, Zarvot, Omino, Margin Call, Shadowrun: Dragonfall.

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On today's Waypoint Radio, Austin, Patrick and Rob chat about recent news in the world and the world of games, including the Mueller investigation, goings on at ArenaNet, and the Reddit kerfuffle at KotakuInAction. We also talk about the Ancestors: Legacy developers and one amazing typo in the code of Aliens: Colonial Marines.

Discussed: KotakuInAction, ArenaNet, Galak-Z: Variant S, Ancestors Legacy, Aliens: Colonial Marines

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On Today's Waypoint Radio, we start out talking about games like Six Ages and Prey: Mooncrash, along with the true cinematic gem Skybound. But soon enough, we work our way towards the topic of last week's incident at ArenaNet, where two developers were fired for their comments on Twitter, and what that means (and could mean) in the current fraught state of the industry.

Discussed: Skybound, Hollow Knight, Prey: Mooncrash, Six Ages, Labor in the game industry, ArenaNet, PK Dick's Electric Dreams, Rian Johnson and The Last Jedi, Billions

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With much of the Waypoint crew out today, we have an extra special bonus episode of Waypoint Radio for you! We've compiled some of the best bits of Hot Mic Mornings: our new morning talk show where we discuss everything from snackfoods to Animorphs to... laptop stories, and wrapped it up for a holiday podcast episode. We'll be back Monday for your regularly scheduled Waypoint Radio!

Discussed: sauces, Disney Afternoon cartoons, Animorphs novels, Joel Fowler's musical education, Lays snack foods, laptops, Donkey Kong, and much, much more.

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Rob and Danielle are off for the holiday weekend, and they've left Austin and Patrick behind to suffer in this bug-hot heatwave. Yet these insects who suffer in this muggy clime find cool solace in the melancholic ruins of Hollow Knight's abandoned bug kingdom, and in a quiet moment they turn to the dusty scrolls cataloging victors of contests long past in order to scrabble together some soothing conversation of more temperate times. Won't you join, and listen? Or does the heat not yet reach your bones? Heh heh heh HEH heh....

Oh, um, sorry. What I meant to say was, Austin and Patrick talk about Hollow Knight, the E3 Game Critic Awards, and answer a question about important media experiences sparking familial connections.

Games Discussed: Hollow Knight, Resident Evil 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Anthem, Cyberpunk 2077, Marvel's Spider-Man, Wargroove, Witchmarsh, Fortnite, Tetris Effect, Dreams, Ori and the Will of the Wisps.

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On this late-but-great edition of Waypoint 101, Austin and Rob are joined by regular Waypoint freelancers Cameron Kunzelman and Dante Douglas for a deep dive on Mad Max, Avalanche's 2015 open world game based on the post-apocalyptic, car-crazed world. They dig into the game's world, characters (including... character names) and politics, with a healthy dose of Waypoint forum discussion. Please note that there is a content warning for a brief discussion of violence and misogynistic content in the game.

Discussed: Mad Max, Mad Max: Fury Road

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It's June, and the world is falling apart, but the games are good (mostly), and we all have new and ongoing games to chat about. Austin is playing Mario Tennis: Aces and Danielle held back completely from using a "Love" joke on the podcast. He also played the unfortunate New Gundam Breaker. Rob checks in with Manhattan Project and Ancestor’s Legacy. Patrick is deep into Vampyr lore and enjoying some Hollow Knight on Switch. Danielle has kind words for OnRush, Prey, and the very latest from DontNod, Captain Spirit. Then, we have a lot to say about a rather heavy bucket question about politics in games.

Discussed: Captain Spirit, Hollow Knight, Manhattan Project, Ancestor’s Legacy, New Gundam Breaker, OnRush, Prey: Mooncrash, Vampyr, The Division, Mario Tennis Aces, politics in AAA games.

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Today on Waypoint Radio, we talk about completionism—playing games so much, you do EVERYTHING there is to do. Or find every single item or story bit. Or just generally... complete the whole thing. Stick around as well for a quick promo for Science Solved It—Motherboard's podcast about wild science stories.

Discussed: Into the Breach, Vampyr, Mass Effect, The Witcher series, Prey, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Tekken, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, Nier

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Team Waypoint survived E3! Well, mostly. Austin is sick, but that doesn't stop us from casting a pod about several games we saw at E3—and a few we've been playing since. We check in on Spiderman, an entirely seperate Cthulu detective game from the one discussed during the show, Mario Tennis: Aces, and Prey: Mooncrash!

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Finally, E3 is over... But before we left the show floor for the final time, we got together to discuss our last day in LA (and video games).

Discussed: The Plague Tale: Innocence, Pokemon Let's Go, StarLink, Rage 2, Reggie, Greedfall

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We got together to discuss our exciting day two (or... five) of E3, including highlights from The Last of Us Part II, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Call of Duty, Dying Light 2, and way, way more!

Discussed: Dying Light 2, Galak-Z Variant S, Zone of the Enders Mars, Resident Evil 2, Rage 2, Metro Exodus, Total War: Three Kingdoms, Cyberpunk 2077, Captain Spirit (Life is strange), Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Last of Us Part II, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Donut County, Wattam, Outer Wilds, Yakuza Kiwami 2

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On the first official day of E3 we saw many, many games. Among them, Anthem, Cyberpunk 2077, Ooblets, Ori and the Will the Wisp, Battlefield V, and many, many more. We were also blessed by the appearance of one LA Rob, a man so badass we had to mention him in the podcast title.

Discussed: Kids, Ooblets, Knights and Bikes, Super Meat Boy Forever, Ori and the Will o The Wisp, Anthem, The Sinking City, Battlefield V, Destiny 2, Control, Ghosts of Tsushima, Cyberpunk 2077

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Austin and Patrick recall their VICE Gaming's new podcast days and talk Nintendo Direct and their look at the new Fromsoft Samurai Soulslike, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Discussed: Daemon Ex Machina, Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Fire Emblem: The Three Houses, Fortnight, Chance the Rapper, A bunch of indies, Overcooked 2, Killer Queen Black, Hollow Knight, Octopath Traveler, The World Ends with You, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

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Patrick, Rob, Austin and Danielle gather after a rousing day of press events and appointments to talk about Square Enix, Ubisoft, and Sony's big press events. We go in on labor issues and Beyond Good and Evil 2, romance in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, THAT KISS in The Last of Us 2, the excitement over the Resident Evil 2 reveal, and hopes and fears about Death Stranding. Plus much, much more.

Discussed: Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Kingdom Hearts 3, The Division 2, The Crew 2, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Sable, Sinking City, Night Call, Overkill's The Walking Dead, Hitman 2, Sega games on PC, The Last of Us 2, Watch Dogs (series), Ghosts of Tsushima, Control, Resident Evil 2, Death Stranding, Marvel's Spiderman.

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We put on a monster pod tonight, with our impressions from the Xbox, Bethesda, and Devolver press events. We talk about Halo Infinite, Doom Eternal, Gears 5, Fallout 76, Prey (of course), and much, much more!

Discussed: Halo Infinite, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Fallout 76, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, Crackdown 3, Metro: Exodus, Kingdom Hearts 3, Forza Horizon 4, The Division 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Session, Devil May Cry 5, Cuphead, Jump Force, Dying Light 2, Just Cause 4, Gears of War 5, Cyberpunk 2077, Rage 2, Doom Eternal, Prey, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Starfield

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On our first day of E3—or day negative two—we discuss EA's press event. We talk Anthem, Battlefield V, Sea of Solitude, and much more, as well as general E3 plans and wackiness. We'll be podcasting each day from E3, so stay tuned!

Discussed: Anthem, Battlefield V, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Unraveled Two, Sea of Solitude, Command and Conquer

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In our pre-E3 extravaganza, Austin, Rob, Ptarick and Danielle discuss hopes and fears for E3, one of the biggest, loudest expos for games each year. They discuss nightmare scenarios, dream games, and the hilarity that ensues when this many people crowd a convention center with too many games!

Discussed: Metal Wolf Chaos, Prey, Bloodborne, Front Mission 5, our E3 hopes and fears

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Please note, this podcast carries a content warning for discussion of sexual violence and brutal misogyny.

Patrick reads his review titled 'Agony,' a Game About Dehumanizing Women, Isn't Just Bad, It's Toxic, and he and Rob discuss the game. They detail the many ways in which the game isn't just poorly designed—a sort of first-person trip through hell—it also has real problems with women.

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Austin, Danielle, Patrick and Rob discuss such monuments of game culture as Space Asshole, the structure of We Happy Few, the new expansion for Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock, and the Vampiric era of London.

Discussed: We Happy Few, Fallout 4, Vampyr, Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: Broken Alliance, Remember Me, BioShock Flotilla Framed Collection, Yuku’s Island Express, Red Faction Guerilla, Game Night, O70 Shake, I,Tonya.

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Danielle, Austin, Rob, and Patrick tackle the heavily fraught issue of the game industry's talent exodus, where terrible labor practices have frustrated many talented developers and caused them to look elsewhere for their careers. They talk contract vs. full-time positions, pay, harassment issues, and the myths that keep young workers coming to the industry, despite a lack of protections.

Discussed: Simon Parkin's piece on Gamasutra titled The Great Video Game Exodus, the resources page on game workers unite: https://www.gameworkersunite.org/resources

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Patrick returns from a week of “vacation” where he made appearances on video game podcasts to ask for advice on how to get rid of the squirrels in his attic. Elsewhere, Austin and Rob could not disagree more on State of Decay 2, Austin gives us his impressions on Days Gone and other games from his recent trip to LA, and Patrick praises Capcom’s approach to re-visiting old, difficult games in the latest Mega Man collection.

Discussed: PUBG, Fortnight, Vacation Simulator, Firewall Zero Hour, Days Gone, State of Decay 2, STALKER, Mega Man Collection, Skyrim, squirrels (not a movie, just the rodent), The Terror (AMC series), Wizard of Legend

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In a sci-fi extravaganza, Austin, Rob, and Danielle discuss a host of questions around androids, AI, robots, and other forms of intelligence. We talk games, movies, and novels that tackle these with grace (and those that do it less so) and dip into some good, heavy question bucket offerings.

Discussed: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Neuromancer, Person of Interest, Moon, Destiny 2, Player of Games (novel), Mass Effect, Asimov's Foundation series, Ascentury (playable at ascentury.net), Soma (with spoilers!)Mass Effect 3 ending (spoilers for the series!), Farscape, Babylon 5, Stellaris, works of China Mieville

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In a meaty 2-hour-long Waypoint Radio, Rob, Austin and Danielle get down to business talking about E3 Judges Week, slightly broken games that we love (like State of Decay 2 and STALKER), and the ARG Danielle fell all the way down last week.

Discussed: Dreams, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Kingdom Hearts 3, STALKER, Battletech, State of Decay 2, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Asemblance: Oversight, Michal Clayton, Jessica Jones Season Two, Sky Rogue

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On today's Waypoint Radio, Danielle and Rob talk about games that really capture the essence of activities they love. We've got grappling, swimming, and... flying up for grabs. Then they take some question bucket time and waypoints to close out the show. Note: we had some audio issues on Danielle's end this week, please bear with us!

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On today's Waypoint Radio, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick continue some of the impassioned beverage discussion from last week, concerning coffee and water (this time, it's really about coffee), Rage 2's existence, and the disappointment of Total War: Britannia. We take a nice dip into the question bucket after that and close on some Waypoints!

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Austin, Rob, and Danielle get together to discuss their personal top ten lists: their favorite games of all time, and look for trends and outliers. In the process, you'll understand that these are, without a shadow of a doubt, the most Austin, Rob, and Danielle lists you'll ever hear about. Thanks to Skyridge on the Waypoint forums for the thread that inspired the topic!

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Today, Austin, Rob, Patrick and Danielle discuss a very serious matter, brought on by a reader's related query: coffee or water. Oh, they talk about other things too, including Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Battletech, the TV show Barry, and much more. But the core question remains.

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With all the hyper-focussed pods we've been casting lately, we decided to go ahead and have a good, old-fashioned, Monday-style Waypoint Radio episode (on a Friday) and talk about what we've been playing. Austin, Patrick and Danielle chat about Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Monster Prom, Into the Breach, Swords of Ditto, Far Cry 5 and much more!

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Austin and Patrick dive deep into the furthest reaches of God of War, for a whopping spoilercast. There are questions asked and answered, observations about Norse mythology, and... not very many dad jokes. As this is a full spoilercast, beware: there are *many* spoilers ahead!

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After a full fortnight of Fortnite, the Waypoint crew (Patrick, Danika, Austin, Rob and Danielle) discuss their adventures on the battlefield. The Battle Royale genre may just be getting started, and so are we.

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After read of the piece, Austin and Rob discuss Rob's review of Battletech: a grueling, fast-paced tactics game based on the classic franchise. Just remember one thing: this game is all about attrition.

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Join Waypoint Senior Editor Rob Zacny and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker as they discuss Rob's review of Frostpunk, a post-apocalyptic city builder from 11-Bit Studios, makers of This War of Mine. Rob reads his piece, which interrogates the mechanics and politics of the icy, complex game, and how it reminds him, in surprising ways, of his own history.

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You may have noticed that we've been digging BattleTech around here. Between Rob Zacny's review earlier today and last Friday's livestream, giant robots have very clearly been very much on our minds. You'll be able to hear more of my thoughts on the game on Friday's episode of Waypoint Radio, which features Rob Zacny and I doing a huge deep dive into the game. Suffice to say, I love it.

Which is why I jumped at the chance to chat with the game's composer, Jon Everist, and to exclusively feature the above behind-the-scenes look at his process for composing and recording the game's incredible score. In the past, the games of the BattleTech universe (titles like MechAssault and MechWarrior 2) relied on wailing metal guitars to sell a the fantasy of the mech piloting. But in ​BattleTech​, Everist offers a breadth of musical language to communicate a sense of triumph, hardship, and adventure. The game sounds sparse in some moments, with analog synths and distorted strings providing nearly-ambient backing to your life as a mercenary. And in other moments, when the galactic politicking comes to a hard point, the orchestra swells to support the weight of the moment.

When you're done listening, go read Rob's review right here, check out our exclusive behind-the-scenes video here, and check out the soundtrack over at Jon Everist's Bandcamp or on Spotify.

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After a massive 4/20 stream involving Spy Party, Battletech, and building various Nintendo Labo projects, Austin, Patrick and Danielle have plenty to talk about. But there's much more than that on this cast, which includes thoughts on Swords of Ditto, David Cage's latest controversy, and... 60s board games.

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With Austin at a work event, Danielle, Patrick and Rob discuss their own uneasy relationships with hype—say, around a game as big as the new God of War—and how they navigate the joys and sorrows of buzz around big games.

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Austin, Patrick and Danielle got together to discuss the hulking behemoth of the moment: God of War. They stay away from spoilers, but get at the games themes, combat and sheer size. Then they chat up the Zelda-with-a-twist antics of Minit and get some quality question bucket time.

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Danielle, Patrick, Rob, and Austin gather to discuss the topic of game marketers occasionally telling a more interesting story than the game that's being sold. They touch on Far Cry 5, Dead Island, No Man's Sky, Bioshock Infinite and more, with a dash of stories about raves in empty Toys R' Us stores for flavor.

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Waypoint’s Patrick Klepek gives us his review of Sony’s latest entry in the long, bloody God of War series. Watch as he unpacks how a story about Kratos, a violent man who doesn’t deserve redemption, tries to reconcile his past.

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During PAX East 2018, Waypoint's own Joel and Rob sat down with Celtics forward Gordon Hayward: himself a competitive League of Legends player—to talk about esports, basketball, and using games as a healthy, competitive outlet while injured.

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Austin, Rob, Danika, and Patrick led a rousing discussion from the Waypoint Radio Live panel this PAX East, with talk of all the games from the show floor - including Phantom Doctrine and Due Process. They also ate some mysterious food, including the mythical McGoosta!

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Rob Zacny tackles MLB The Show 18 and then talks to Austin about sports, politics, religion, and every other damn thing.

Read along right here: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/gym5yy/mlb-the-show-18-dreams-of-escape-from-politics-and-damn-its-tempting

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​Heads up: We get into spoiler territory for A Way Out from around 20:35 until 36:00. ​

Everyone on the panel has finished A Way Out so it's time for some final thoughts on the game overall before we dive into a spoiler-rich discussion of the last act and different endings. The gang also digs into the Fortnite phenomenon, as Patrick unpacks the degree to which the game has taken over teenage and young adult culture. Speaking of feeling out of touch with the culture, why do streamers keep using that slur? Judging from the quality of the almost-daily public apologies we're getting, a lot of them still seem shaky on why they shouldn't.

Here's Patrick's piece​ on Fortnite​'s tremendous popularity in schools: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/59j9pk/teachers-and-parents-share-stories-from-inside-the-fortnite-phenomenon

Here's the Twitter thread​ Austin mentioned about how the FGC took steps to reform some attitudes and behaviors: https://twitter.com/HoldenShearer/status/980404490938482688

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Danielle, Austin, Rob and Patrick have been playing a whole bunch of games lately that are more fun to, well, make our own fun in. Like Sea of Thieves, and A Way Out—but also, in streaming Far Cry 5, Bloodborne, and Into the Breach. We talk improv, role play, and all the ways we like to make our own fun in games, and then, read a slew of listener stories about the way they play.

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Austin reads his review of Far Cry 5 and discusses the game with host Rob Zacny. New changes to the structure are welcomed, but Far Cry 5, Austin says, has no confidence and no heart.

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Austin, Patrick, Rob and Danielle gather around the proverbial campfire to discuss Far Cry 5, a game that does very little with its political ambitions (and fire mechanics), A Way Out, a prison break game that is a little broken, and more tales from Sea of Thieves. Then, we all get into endorsements (which we still need a more original term for.)

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Danielle, Austin, Rob and Patrick took some time today to discuss their week of writing stories about the relationship between guns and games. We interviewed game developers who never shoot in games, an academic who studies the relationship between games and violence (and lack of strong correlation), and wrote and edited critical pieces on games as cultural objects, customizable trophies, and much, much more. We also discuss Canadian pizza, because, of course we do.

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Finally, Austin and Danika have a chance to process Drake’s recent takeover of Twitch, while Danielle and Patrick scratch their heads. We talk through our early hours with the surprisingly delightful Sea of Thieves, and introduce a new segment at the end: recommendations from the group. You’ve been, uh, warned.

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As people who play games, we often take the notion that games don’t correlate to real-life violence for granted. But what’s the science behind that statement? How did we get there? To learn more, I spoke with Villanova University professor of psychology Patrick Markey, co-author of the 2017 book Mortal Kombat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong.

Like most of the country, all of us at Waypoint spent the last month processing the horror of yet another school shooting, while simultaneously admiring the bravery of the student survivors from Parkland, Florida rising up, demanding change, and pushing back.

In the lead up to this weekend’s March for Our Lives event, Waypoint is publishing a series of stories this week about gaming’s relationship with guns. To be clear, we’re not suggesting playing games, even violent games, causes real-life violence, but as Austin said in a piece earlier from today, “that doesn’t mean that the way guns and violence are portrayed in our favorite hobby cannot test our consciousness or that we cannot be critical of their depiction.”

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Austin, Patrick, Rob and Danielle discuss the sad news that is the end of Toys R Us, the store that has always held a special place in our gaming childhoods. We also discuss recent news about Luigi's bulge. It's a very special Friday episode of Waypoint Radio!

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Sci-fi, Tarkovsky, gender politics, World War II, STALKER, centrism, subs vs. dubs... this Metro 2033-focused episode of Waypoint 101 has it all! Join Austin, Danielle, and Rob for a in-depth and wide-ranging discussion of 4A Games' 2010 adaptation of Sergei Glukhovsky's 2005 post-apocalyptic novel.

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Austin, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick are all about playing mecha tactics game Into the Breach lately, though some have caught the bug worse than others. Austin talks Far Cry 5, Patrick also played Florence, and Rob is all about the low-fi beauty of Command Ops 2. Then, we take a nice, refreshing dive into the question bucket.

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Waypoint published a piece this week about a professor who’s cataloged more than 2,000 soda machines in video games, which got Danielle, Rob, and Patrick thinking about the different ways games choose to represent the most innocuous parts of real-life. It’s always handy to have an excuse to get very nostalgic about flushing toilets in Duke Nukem 3D.

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Austin, Danika, Patrick and Danielle recount their stories of weekend triumphs, fending off creatures in Hunt: Showdown, wrecking Anjanaths and dragons in Monster Hunter, playing BioShock again and eagerly awaiting Prey DLC. There's also some solid reality show talk and a shred of good advice (we hope!) for new writers.

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Patrick, Austin and Danielle ponder games that have crossed the thin red line from beloved to hated, and how to define where that line actually gets drawn, after all. It's a slightly quicker, but still meaty pod for a stormy Friday!

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Austin, Rob, Patrick and Danielle dig into the politics, performances, and problems of Marvel's latest film, Black Panther. During our spoiler-filled discussion, we cover everything from the disrobing of Michael B. Jordan to the frustrating (centrist?) answers the movie offers in response to some of its big questions. Wakanda forever? Wakanda forever.

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The follow up to 'FTL' isn't the game you might have expected. But it's still a must play. Listen to Austin Walker read his review of the latest from Subset Games, and be sure to stick around for the conversation he and host Rob Zacny have afterwards!

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It's an especially monday Monday, but that didn't stop Patrick, Austin, and Danielle from discussing their latest adventures. Patrick's playing Moss, a very cute VR game about the adventures of a mouse named Quill. Austin is all about Into the Breach, a mecha strategy game from the FTL developers. And Danielle is all about Where the Water Tastes Like Wine, but with a few disclaimers (like the fact that Austin did contract work on it). Then they dip into a serious, forward-looking question bucket.

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Most games let you be a “good” person because that’s just how things usually go, but what if more games pushed players outside moral and ethical comfort zones? This week, Rob wrote about how games can uncomfortably reflect who we are as people, which Rob, Patrick, Austin, and Danielle used to more broadly discuss why games don’t ask more from players.

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance, an open world medieval RPG set during the Holy Roman Empire, launched earlier this week, and it's already an enormous hit. Waypoint hasn't covered the game yet, partially because we've struggled over how to over a game whose creative director has both publicly and forcefully supported GamerGate and made highly questionable statements about the game's "historical" accuracy regarding representing people of color. Maybe we shouldn't cover it all? On the podcast, Austin, Patrick, and Danielle decided it was time to have a public conversation about all this.

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It's a rousing pod today as Austin, Rob, Patrick and Danielle talk about Monster Hunter, "theatrical" minigolf, Dynasty Warriors 9, Civilization 6, All our Asias, and the PS1 aesthetic, and enjoy a refreshing dip in the question bucket.

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Things have been rough lately. The last couple of years have made it incredibly clear that aspects of American culture that many convinced themselves were latent or diminished were only lurking quietly in the background. We've also seen new forces mobilized, driven by fear and nihilism, to dehumanize others—especially those in the margins.

So, uh, where do video games fit into this?

Well, that's the question I was asked by the NYU Game Center, who invited me to give a guest lecture titled "Making and Playing Games in a Time of Political Struggle."

Thanks again for the NYU Game Center for hosting me, Frank Lantz for the post-talk interview, and to everyone who came out, asked questions, and offered their support and interest!

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Austin, Danika, Patrick and Danielle discuss a whole slew of interconnected stream celebrity issues, first, looking at Twitch and Mixer's new rules. We also look into the curious cases of Dr DisRespect and Logan Paul.

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​In today's episode of Waypoint Radio, Danika, Austin, Patrick and Danielle discuss Superbowl antics, Monster Hunter, and the excellent pixellated platformers we're playing—including Celeste and Dandara, a Metroid-y Soulslike—before shifting over to Yakuza chat. There will be dads, and especially dads in white pants.

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A lot of video game villains are cartoonish and over-the-top, but as Danika Harrod argued in a piece on Waypoint this week, sometimes games go too far in trying to make the point that evil people are evil. Danielle, Rob, and myself huddled around some microphones to use Danika’s piece as a launching pad for a broader discussion about how games use villains, prompting us to discuss everything from BioShock Infinite to Resident Evil: Code Veronica.

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In our latest Waypoint 101 excursion, Patrick, Rob, and Austin tackle the grim London of Zombi. Originally ZombiU, an early Wii U game later adapted to other platforms, the game impressed the panel with its tension, early digital video aesthetic, and fresh, high-stakes take on surviving one of video games' most tired settings: the zombie apocalypse.

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Monster Hunter: World is a very good game, but as Austin pointed out in his review last week, it’s a game that “offers intricate environments, lively creatures, kinetic combat... and a dash of colonialist fantasy." Austin, Patrick, and Rob talk about what to do with complicated (and often contradictory) feelings regarding a video game you’re enjoying, while checking in on Rob’s attempts to survive the zombie hordes in the strategy game We Are Billions.

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This new world offers intricate environments, lively creatures, kinetic combat... and a dash of colonialist fantasy. Waypoint's Austin Walker shares his thoughts. You can read (and watch!) the full review at https://tinyurl.com/waypointmonhun

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​On Waypoint's day off last week, a series of investigations into Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream broke out of France, outlining allegations of a deeply toxic studio culture. (There are good write-ups on both Kotaku​ and Eurogamer​.) Austin, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick consider this means for one of 2018's more high-profile games, and what we're supposed to with this information when eventually playing Detroit: Become Human. Elsewhere, we discuss our time with The Red Strings Club, Celeste, and They Are Billions.

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With Monster Hunter: World on the horizon, it seemed like the perfect time to discuss the reasons why some games—or game series—have proven tough for us to wrap our heads around. Sometimes, it’s design. Other times, it’s the community around the game. Austin, Danielle, and Patrick hopped on microphones to use Monster Hunter as a starting point for this larger question, which dragged in everything from Dark Souls to Darkest Dungeon. (The embargo is up on World next week. Stay tuned for more!).

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We had a special treat this week at Waypoint HQ, with the whole team in town for meetings, streams, and this very podcast. So Patrick, Austin, Rob and Danielle talked about “forever” games, thanks to two pieces Patrick wrote this week, on a Mario Maker Creator who has spent close to 2000 hours playing his almost-impossible creation, and on a Die Hard Desert Golf fan who found the elusive ending to his favorite game. We chat about our very own “forever” games, from the endless appeal of immersive sims to the promise of near-infinite space in No Man’s Sky, and Patrick gets a very special surprise at the end!

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Waypoint loves video games, which is why Austin, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick spend the first 20 minutes of this podcast talking about The Thing and the 80s anime Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Of course. Later, we discuss the defense-oriented brawler Way of the Passive Fist, re-visiting Breath of the Wild and Horizon: Zero Dawn through DLC, the good boys of Yakuza 0, and more.

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With a few different Waypoint editors taking some time off this week, Danielle and Patrick are joined by one of our more regular writers, Cameron Kunzelman, to break down my piece arguing Assassin’s Creed should ditch its sci-fi trappings. Somehow, we end up talking about the Hellraiser movie that takes place in space, a bizarre D&D campaign called Spelljammers, and why we get hung up on the notion of “it’s good for a video game.”

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2018 is here! At least, it should be. This podcast description was written in 2017, so if something happens between now and then, apologies. Maybe it was the alien alloys? In any case, before everyone returns to the office and begins formulating another year of hot takes, Austin, Rob, and Patrick returned to The Question Bucket. Yes, we still have questions from more than a year ago. No, we didn't get to all of them. Sorry.

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There are so many games we've yet to finish from 2017, but in a few days, 2018 will be here. Though we've spent much of this week taking stock of the year that was, now's a chance to think about what we'll be playing and talking about in the months ahead. Austin, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick looked through the calendar and came up with four games we'll be hot taking in 2018. (Yes, we're aware one of the games we discussed, Psychonauts 2, has already been delayed out of 2018. Oops.)

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Everyone knows video games have to make money somehow, but the question over how games make money became one of the central arguments in 2017, as various big name publishers brought one of the most popular ways to monetize mobile and free-to-play games—loot boxes—into the mainstream. Now, governments around the world are looking into whether loot boxes should stick around. Austin, Rob, and Patrick got together to break down the past, present, and future of loot boxes.

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