Stay ConnectedWhat’s good, Internet? Join Waypoint’s Rob Zacny, Patrick Klepek, Renata Price, Natalie Watson, and Ricardo Contreras two times a week, as they break down the biggest stories in video games, talk about their favorite media, and unfairly compare everything to Dark Souls.
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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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