Remap Radio

Are you ready to spread some freedom, son? The Remap crew is, with Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado dropping into their individual hellpods to discuss, of course, Helldivers 2, alongside the increasingly murky futures of both PlayStation and Xbox. We also share early thoughts on Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, and whether Don’t Nod has pulled off another Vampyr.Discussed: Playstation and the arc of the games industry 5:39, VGD Union complaints against DontNod (https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/stjv-union-claims-don-t-nod-mismanagement-causing-staff-burnout) 53:45, Yoshitaka Murayama passes 1:09:08, Helldivers 2 1:11:28, Banishers: Ghost of New Eden 1:40:21, Xbox Exclusivity News 2:03:07, Outro and Announcements 2:40:08See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The gang considers their upcoming demobilization from service in the console wars as they reckon with rumors that Xbox will be ditching console exclusivity in the future and bringing major titles like Starfield and Indiana Jones to the PlayStation. Patrick and Janet have been playing loads of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Finally, Patrick and Rob dig into some emails.2:35 - Console Wars and the Xbox59:55 - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League1:34:15 - MailbagSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We begin where we always do: talking about the latest drama in F1. Unexpected, right? Wow! Anyway, we also found time to discuss our reactions to PlayStation’s State of Play showcase, make sense of the latest layoff news from several companies, mope about the cancellation of an unannounced Deus Ex game, and more. We also dig into Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown’s endgame, puzzle over the output of the studio Dontnod, and briefly touch on Suicide Squad.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when a game you’ve spent the last five years making doesn’t take off? Immortals of Avenum, last year’s magic-infused shooter with elements of Call of Duty and Doom, was hardly a hit. It was the opposite. Remap liked it, but most people didn’t play it. The developer behind Immortals of Aveum, Ascendant Studios, was soon hit with layoffs. But Ascendant isn’t dead, and CEO Bret Robbins, once the creative director for Dead Space, came through Remap Radio to talk about what happens when you realize that bad news is on your doorstep.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s a familiar story this year: layoffs. Sometimes the number is bigger, sometimes the number is smaller, but it’s a tragedy all the same, and Patrick, Janet, Rob, and Cado are here to try and unpack the horror of it all. Elsewhere, we talk through our time with, and the toxic conversation around, 2024’s surprise hit, Palworld. In happier news, Patrick and Rob have utterly fallen for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, while Janet is less high on the Jungle Book-inspired The Cub.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The full crew—Rob, Patrick, Janet, Cado—is back. We recorded this ahead of the Xbox Direct, but there’s still plenty to chew on, including Square Enix openly talking about using generative AI in a game, Ubisoft+ training people to become comfortable with not owning their games, and more. We also unpack Home Safety Hotline, Trepang2, the endgame of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and consider a deep question: so, how long should you hold onto a document?Discussed: Ubisoft+ 9:59, Thunderful lays off 30% of its employees 38:12, Square Enix uses AI in Foamstars 45:40, Epic vs Apple suit 1:01:13, Home Safety Hotline 1:30:56, Prince of Persia:The Lost Crown 1:46:20, The Question Bucket 1:59:04See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick and Rob get together to unpack the stark realization that the Green Bay Packers may, in fact, have done it again, while talking through the shocking amount of high-profile coaching firings in the NFL and the series of blowout games that ultimately defined NFL’s Wild Card weekend. We also consider what it would mean to meet the athlete who broke your heart.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Janet joins Patrick and Cado for the first time since the holidays, as we wade through a surprisingly busy January, including the news that SAG-AFTRA has signed a controversial AI deal, more than 2,000 people have already been laid off in the games industry, and more. Plus, Patrick and Janet are extremely high on the new Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and we unearth and reckon with some surprising trauma related to Janet’s time with Metroid Dread.Discussed: Layoffs Continue Across the Games Industry 27:55, SAG-AFTRA Deal with AI Voice Company 47:02, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown 1:15:50, The Question Bucket 1:59:03See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In the 90's Google changed the way people found things on the internet, and now they're incorporating AI to "help" people by showing them answers without needing to actually go to the website that they scrapped that information from. Patrick is joined by Alex Donaldson, Owner of RPGSite.net to go over the changes and track the history of Google's influence over the entire internet and more specifically game websites.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick, Rob, and Cado convene after winding down 2023 to reflect on how absolutely nothing went wrong over their respective breaks. Things? Done. Drinks? Drank. Vacations? Taken. No notes. But we do have notes on beating Alan Wake II in the wake of James McCaffrey’s passing, indulging our fullest selves in many hours of the overlooked Immortals of Aveum, and basking in the power of a Steam Deck while sick. (And don’t worry, Janet will return next week.)Discussed: James McCaffrey Passes Away 27:26, Alan Wake 2 35:30, Immortals of Aveum 52:51, Mobile Suit Baba 1:19:53, The Question Bucket 1:50:01 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There has never been a doubt here on Sports!, but folks, Da Bears are back. Though out of playoff contention, the arrow on the team is pointing up, with Justin Fields playing better and control of next year’s first overall pick in the draft. But questions remain about the coach, the ceiling of Justin Fields, and how long Patrick can convince his daughter to stay at a cold Bears game until they need to go home. Rob and Patrick kick off 2024 answering these and more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

You didn’t think we could record this discussion of a year like 2023 in a single session, did you? You know us! Join Patrick, Janet, Cado, and Rob as they work through the second half of their top 10 lists, as they begin to diverge and converge in increasingly interesting ways. And let us take this moment to also thank you, Remap supporter, for everything you’ve done this year. We wouldn’t be here without you, and we’re so glad the end of Waypoint was not the end of all this.Discussed: Patrick's #6 8:31, Janet's #6 13:28, Cado's #6 26:22, Rob's #6 31:08, Patrick's #5 40:53, Janet's #5 41:06, Cado's #5 53:25, Rob's #5 1:04:45, Patrick's #4 1:10:53, Janet's #4 1:21:48, Cado's #4 1:22:17, Rob's #4 1:22:46, Patrick's #3 1:34:35, Janet's #3 1:51:44, Cado's #3 1:53:55, Rob's #3 2:04:28, Patrick's #2 2:007:39, Janet's #2 2:07:51, Rob's #2 2:22:25, Patrick's #1 2:32:44, Janet's #1 2:36:15, Rob's #1 2:55:28, Cado's #1 3:05:53See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s that time of year again, and it’s certainly been an interesting year for this group of people. Join Patrick, Janet, Cado, and Rob as we talk through the year that was without individual top 10 lists, round-robin style. Here’s how it works. Starting at number 10, we rotate from person to person. But if someone else has the game mentioned higher on their list, we pause the discussion until we reach the highest point. It’s a little confusing, but it’ll make sense—promise!Discussed: Patrick's #10 27:42, Janet's #10 32:47, Cado's #10 33:13, Rob's #10 40:08, Patricks #9 48:12, Janet's #9 1:06:09, Cado's #9 1:14:04, Rob's #9 1:15:12, Patrick's #8 1:18:52, Janet's #8 1:25:51, Cado's #8 1:32:03, Rob's #8 1:40:19, Patrick's #7 1:47:19, Janet's #7 1:47:20, Cado's #7 1:56:59, Rob's #7 2:01:45See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s time to close out the year with Janet, Patrick, Cado, and Rob, as we discourse on what The Game Awards means in a world where events like E3 are going away, try to make sense of Kojima teaming up with A24 for a Death Stranding movie, and more. We also spend a lot of time unpacking our thoughts on Alan Wake 2, and run through a bunch of other games, including Lunacid, The Last Train Home, Station to Station, Cryptmaster, and, yes, more. We conclude with thanking you for supporting the launch of Remap, while dipping into The Question Bucket.Discussed: The Game Awards 2:51, Kojima is making a Movie with A24 30:51, The Day After Devs Implode 39:34, Total War Devs Apologize 53:32, Google vs Epic outcome 1:04:08, Alan Wake II 1:12:32, Highland Song 1:39:05, 40k Rogue Trader 1:51:21, Lunacid 2:02:06, Cryptmaster 2:10:42, Station to Station 2:18:03, The Last Train Home 2:23:06, The Question Bucket 2:30:19See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back, Ren! Remap Radio recorded ahead of the The Game Awards, but we still had plenty to talk about, between the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer, Bungie seemingly imploding, and the unnerving layoffs at League of Geeks. Elsewhere, we’ve been playing some video games. Specifically, Patrick wishes Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora had the courage of its convictions, while Ren, Patrick, and Rob (finally) gush over Alan Wake II. We’re late, but who’s counting?Discussed: A single question 1:07, League of Geeks layoffs 9:45, Bungie's studio has bad vibes 23:06, GTA VI Trailer 38:26, Day of the Devs 1:13:38, Frontiers of Pandora 1:17:48, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew 1:36:05, Alan Wake II 1:46:35, The Question Bucket 2:13:41, Outro and Announcements 2:29:48See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we close the book on the latest batch of 101s, we turn our attention to Squaresoft’s classic, Final Fantasy Tactics. Patrick joins Cado to discuss playing the game live on stream the last few months, and, among other things, tries to understand why people hate Algus so much. The two also discuss why Final Fantasy Tactics is so revered among Final Fantasy and non-Final Fantasy fans alike, whether the “updated” localization is actually any better, and much more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With Thanksgiving behind us, Janet Garcia once again joins the Remap Radio crew to discuss everything from how hot Walton Goggins is to Bethesda’s decision to individually respond to negative Starfield reviews on Steam in the weirdest way possible. We also touch on Dragon’s Dogma II getting a release date, the discourse over publishers paying for YouTube coverage, and more. Elsewhere, Janet’s been playing a lot of mobile games, Patrick and Cado have poked around at the Super Mario RPG remake, and, uh, Rob bought an iPhone? And he likes it a lot?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Remap might be on vacation this week, but our podcasts aren’t, and recently, Patrick’s been busy talking to some video game developers. In this episode, Patrick catches up with Hi-Fi Rush game director John Johanas, who’s been on either a Waypoint or Remap podcast three times this year?! That’s a record. This time, John and Patrick discuss what it means to leave a project behind. Elsewhere, Patrick chats with two creatives—producer David Erosa and creative director Enrique Cabeza—who helped make one of Remap’s 2023 favorites, Blasphemous 2.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Now that the SAG-Aftra strike is finally over, we're finally releasing the final, exremely apt episode of My Turn: Armageddon. The end of the world is fast approaching and humanity's last line of defense depends on a group of Rowdy Oil Drilers. Come with us and cringe at the late 90's slurs, laugh at the ridiculous premises, and revel in a dramatic reading of Roger Ebert's absolute extinction-level-event of a review.https://nordvpn.com/remapradioSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob and Patrick are delighted to welcome Aftermath co-founder Luke Plunkett on Sports! to discuss what it means to “retire” from playing sports recreationally, the chaotic and frustrating rise of overly nuanced replay reviews in every sport, and preview the NBA season. By preview, of course, we mean talk about how nobody actually watches the first months of basketball.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the holidays nearly upon us, Janet Garcia rejoins the Remap crew—yes, including Rob!—to chat about Patrick’s time with the new Steam Deck OLED, what to make of the video game industry’s response (or lack thereof) to the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and more. We’re playing plenty of video games, too, including Thirsty Suitors, The Talos Principle 2, WarioWare: Move It!, and…The Knights of the Old Republic? Finally, The Question Bucket has us weigh in on recent layoffs from a different angle: how to handle the sudden disruption that is losing your job.Discussed: Steam Deck OLED 1:27, Meg Jayanth Dropped from Golden Joysticks 37:30, Thirsty Suitors 1:02:22, Talos Principle 2 1:21:22, WarioWare Move It 1:35:13, KOTOR 1 1:43:05, The Question Bucket 1:53:33, Outro and Announcements 2:15:32See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob couldn’t join us for Remap Radio this week, but he’ll be back next week! Thankfully, Janet Garcia is back with the rest of the crew to talk through the endless parade of video game news, like more layoffs, a live-action Zelda movie, GTA 6 on the horizon, serious questions over live service games, surprising new game media adventures, and more. There’s an equally endless parade of games, as well, including Jusant, Fashion Dreamer, World of Horror, and others.Discussed: Layoffs at Ubisoft Montreal 16:18, Aftermath Launches 20:11, Live Service Games at WB and Sony 46:18, The Legend of Zelda Move Announced 1:08:03, Fashion Dreamer 1:20:37, World of Horror 1:39:47, Steam Deck OLED 1:51:29, Jusant 1:59:53, The Question Bucket 2:14:16See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re thrilled to welcome back Janet Garcia, in which we spend a depressingly long time unpacking the shocking and wide-ranging layoffs at Bungie, and what it says about a year of incredible games clashing with a year of incredible labor turmoil. In-between discussions of 90s Chicago sports, we talk about the highs and lows of Super Mario Bros. Wonder multiplayer, trying to crack long RPGs, and more exploits in buying unnecessary arcade machines.Discussed: Rolling Layoffs at Sony hit Bungie 21:49, Baldur's Gate 3 51:34, Super Mario Bros. Wonder 1:07:58, The Question Bucket 1:23:13, Outro and Announcements 1:41:10See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick kicks off Remap’s game developer interview series with Cocoon, a game of the year caliber puzzle game about guiding a little insect friend through a dangerous journey. Lead audio director Jakob Schmid and lead art director Erwin Kho join Patrick in a wide-ranging conversation about everything from being traumatized by movies like Alien and Fire in the Sky at young ages, to realizing you basically grew up next to your creative partner and didn’t even know it. They also talk a whole lot about what it was like building one of this year’s best games.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re excited to welcome Janet Garcia (Pen to Pixels, Kinda Funny, MinnMax) to Remap Radio this week, because there’s just a gauntlet of gaming bangers to talk about, between the arrival of a brand-new Remedy game, Alan Wake 2, and spending lots of time with Spider-Man 2. Patrick has issues with how Super Mario Bros. Wonder plays when kids are involved, and the group discovers that the purchase of a Ms. Pac-Man machine will not solve all of life’s problems.Discussed: Alan Wake 2 13:46, Spider Man 2 1:16:46, Super Mario Wonder 1:47:13, The Question Bucket 1:52:45See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick and Rob are joined by YouTube creator and DIY enthusiast Chris Decker to discuss what it’s like to propose building your own heated driveway and have your wife believe it’s not possible. But Chris pulled it off, and by the end, convinces Rob and Patrick they should dream big, too.Check out Chris' channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf6UALBweRXITTshQKo9WNASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re once again joined by Carli Velocci, this time to reveal why we started working with Carli in the first place: Remap has a new website! We’re publishing words again! There are changes coming to the tiers! But it’s all good and exciting news, and to celebrate, we’re doing something exciting: opening up The Question Bucket again! But we still have plenty of games to talk about, including Patrick cheating to beat Blasphemous 2, and Carli working through mixed feelings about Devolver’s Wizard With a Gun. But hey, at least Spider-Man 2 seems real good!Discussed: The New Remap Radio Dot Com 5:14, Analogue Pocket 34:43, The Question Bucket 36:24, Forza Motorsport 7 1:15:35, Total War Pharaoh 1:19:48, Blasphemous 2 1:30:14, Wizard with a Gun 1:44:01, Spider Man 2 1:55:38, Steam Next Fest Demos 2:02:30, Outro and Announcements 2:08:38See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick, Cado, and Rob gather to discuss the biggest change to Remap since launch. We have a website, we’re bringing back writing, and there are some changes coming to our backing tiers. (Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense.) We’re releasing this After Dark to everyone, so you can understand how we got here, what we’re doing, and where it’s all going. We’re really excited!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Bears have won a game! Do we want them to win more? The answer is a bit more complicated than you might expect, but oddly enough fans of other teams are even more conflicted about what constitutes a "good" outcome if your team is not competitive in the current NFL landscape. Can you only get a good quarterback by being bad? How do you feed and water a young NFL quarterback? Maybe a veteran being plugged into a good team is the winning play but, hang on, look how Russell Wilson in Denver has panned out. That could have been the Bears! Finally, Rob and Patrick talk about the most overpowered play in the NFL right now, and then belatedly process the shock of the brutal ending to the Cubs season. Finally, listener questions, and a countdown to regular season Bulls games.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gaming critic and editor Carli Velocci joins the crew this week, which thankfully now includes the newly recovered Ricardo Contreras. After talking through Carli’s journey in gaming media, we have another slew of bummer news stories in the video games industry, including layoffs at Telltale. In more positive developments, John Riccitiello has been booted from Unity and some developers at CD Projekt RED are trying to unionize. Elsewhere, Cado’s also been digging Cocoon, while Patrick’s not very high on the new Soulslike, Lords of the Fallen. Fortunately, Rob is extremely into Robocop: Rogue City, and Carli cannot stop playing The Mortuary Assistant.Discussed - Telltale hit with Layoffs 34:15, CD Projekt workers Unionize 43:05, Paradox has written off Lamlighter's League 49:38, Lamplighter's League 57:53, Redfall Update 1:17:02, John Riccitiello out at Unity 1:25:02, Cocoon 1:34:26, The Mortuary Assistant 1:47:24, Lords of the Fallen 2:01:39, Robocop: Rogue City 2:14:00, Outro and Announcements 2:29:36See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cameron Kunzelman, Georgia's foremost expert on Assassin's Creed, swings by to discuss the latest installment. First, however, the gang discuss criminal investigations of Ubisoft executives in France and more layoffs across the industry, as well as the ongoing fallout from EA's layoffs at Bioware. Then, Rob talks about his time with Forza Motorsport, Patrick emerges from his Cocoon delighted with his experience, but thinks Gunbrella could have used a bit less gun. Finally, Patrick and Cameron get into what Assassin's Creed Mirage is attempting to accomplish in a franchise that his grown unwieldy with its own scale and success.Discussed: 9:00 - Ubisoft Executives, 17:44 - More Industry Layoffs, 38:29 - Forza, 1:12:44 - Cocoon, 1:24:34 - Gunbrella, 1:24:12 - Assassin's Creed MirageSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It's Dragon's Dogma 2 day at Remap as the gang welcome back Austin Walker and bid farewell to Ren but first they have to have a little sports talk. Then they will discuss Dragon's Dog—Wait, what's this? A Jack Ryan, Jr. series of novels? What is the latest news of the Clancy-verse? With those subjects dealt with the gang tackles the wave of layoffs in the industry, including the massive bloodletting at Epic, and talk about the (regrettably unsuccessful, since recording) unionization drive at a Corsair factory in Georgia. But after the news that gang is well and truly ready to talk about Dragon's Dogma.... actually did you know Ren and Austin attended the event together and enjoyed the cool early autumn air outside before playing Dragon's Dogma 2? What are your late summer / early autumn treats? How do you feel about crocs? How do you think it would go with some weird AI-generated Chicago Bears merchandise? As the show crosses the two hour mark, the conversation finally gets Ren and Austin into their actual demo session. Can they talk about the game before Austin has to leave for other commitments? Can Austin get a word in about Armored Core and Cyberpunk? Listen to find out!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob returns to the podcast ready to talk about the latest and greatest in…uh, Empire: Total War mods? Before all that, though, we break down the massive set of Xbox leaks, use Microsoft’s misreading of Baldur’s Gate 3’s breakout potential as a way to discuss the state of Xbox software, and try to figure out the pyramid scheme that is Embracer. Elsewhere, Patrick’s been really digging Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, and Ren’s quickly breaking apart Lies of P.Discussed: Microsoft Megaleak 5:27, Embracer Group Layoffs 48:21, Cyberpunk 2077 1:12:20, Lies of P 1:47:28, New Forza Game 2:07:57, The Question Bucket 2:12:36See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s only two weeks into the NFL season, but it’s already time to say goodnight to the losing Chicago Bears. Listen as Patrick and Rob come to terms with returning to a familiar cycle in Chicago: rooting for your team to lose. We discuss the nature of successful organizations, before talking through the delights of Tua Tagovailoa, the shaky Eagles, and COACH PRIME BABY!!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick, Cado, and Ren unpack the mess Unity created after its latest destructive path to profitability, before talking through the newest Nintendo Direct. Elsewhere, the crew discusses its time with Lies of P, Time Bandit, Gunbrella, and beating the latest Armored Core multiple times. Finally, in The Question Bucket, we try to understand super mario rap (dirty).Discussed: Unity Makes a Mess of Monitization 11:32, Nintendo Direct 44:38, Armored Core VI 1:02:32, New Game Plus Spoilers for AC VI 1:06:42 , Back to Spoiler Free AC VI 1:11:06, Time Bandits 1:24:05, Gunbrella 1:32:12, Lies of P, The Question Bucket 1:52:09, AC New Game Plus spoilers again but for a joke this time 2:08:48 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We’re delighted to welcome Strange Scaffold founder Xalavier Nelson Jr. to Remap Radio this week. You might remember him from Patrick’s interviews from Summer Games Fest earlier this year—he’s fantastic. With Rob at Disney, Xalaiver joins Patrick, Cado, and Ren as they discuss the perils and stresses of game development, being a boss, and Strange Scaffold’s upcoming Max Payne-style game, El Paso, Elsewhere. Plus, Cado and Ren have been playing the colorful space tactics game Cantata, and Ren’s checked out the linguistics-focused Chants of Sennar.Discussed: See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The gang meets to discuss Starfield some more and the odd blacklisting of UK critical sites. Patrick and Rob get to some of their major impressions and metagame a bit about how they think it will be received by critics. Then Remap tackles the Bioware layoffs and the strange messaging around them given EA's avowed ambitions for the studio. Plus, Rob is high on the Making of Karateka, Ren is getting into the new Six Ages game, Lights Going Out. Plus: Immortals of Aveum... not bad at all!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob and Patrick have been playing Starfield and recording their impressions and experiences along the way in a series of one on one conversations. This episode covers their opening hours with the game, some early confusion, and their early engagement with some of the game's major systems.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patrick and Rob have managed to avoid thinking about the heartbreak of another season of Chicago Bears football, but week one is almost here, so the two work through their feelings by breaking down every division in the NFL. They also manage to convince themselves that, no, the Bears are not back and might not ever come back, so they distract themselves with conversations about running backs, the sheer amount of ads in American sports, and more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A new Armored Core is here, and both Patrick and Ren have spent time with FromSoftware’s latest entry. Is this MechaSouls, a true Armored Core sequel, or something else? After checking in with Microsoft announcing it’s going to sell cloud streaming rights to Ubisoft as part of the ongoing Activision Blizzard sale, we host a lengthy conversation with the ex-VICE Motherboard folks about their new journalism venture, 404 Media. After a dip in The Question Bucket, our trio of Baldur’s Gate 3 adventurers swap tales of divergent storytelling, a bounty of glitches, and more.Discussed: Armored Core VI 6:48, UK Blocked Microsoft-Activision Merger 39:29, Interview with 404 Media 1:02:34, The Question Bucket 2:25:42, The Baldur's Gate 3 Act 1 Spoiler Zone 2:52:38See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Remap crew, well-known for their spicy takes that take three hours to unpack, tries to untangle the ongoing conversation about Baldur’s Gate 3, the realities of AAA game development, and how the current (and broken) media ecosystem fuels a toxic discourse. After, we learn more about Rob, Ren, and Cado’s adventures in Baldur’s Gate 3, Ren and Patrick go sicko mode on Blasphemous 2, and Patrick discovers a series of excellent card and board games made for kids. Finally, a question about media literacy sends us to the philosophy zone.The Discourse Around Baldur’s Gate 3 1:54, Blasphemous 2 1:01:50, Kid Boad/Card Games Made By A Parent with Their Kid 1:20:52, The Question Bucket 1:33:07See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob and Patrick are joined by critic at large Rowan Kaiser to question what new ingredients could be added to a 6-way Cincinnati chill (spoiler: delicious garbage), unpack what the hell happened to college football in the past few weeks (spoiler: greedy TV details derailing regional history), consider What Exactly James Harden Is Doing (spoiler: being James Harden), and spend considerable time examining the history of women’s soccer and how it relates to the toxic backlash the women’s team experienced at this year’s World Cup (spoiler: it’s complicated).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It seems the world has Baldur’s Gate Fever, and that doesn’t exclude the Remap Radio crew. Patrick chose an ideal week to be off so that Ren, Cado, and Rob could be their best goblin like CRPG selves. But first, Rob went looking for other spaces to find tactical bliss and ended up returning to Xenonauts 2. Then we get deep into zen and the art of cable management as Rob describes his weekend as the King of Executive Function. Then we time travel back to last week when Patrick was still around and he HAD to chat with Ren about Atlas Fallen because it’s just That Good. Finally, we dig into Baldur’s Gate 3, our characters, and where the TTRPG systems bend when being programmed vs. being run by a human being. Stay after the outdo for a special Spoiler Section where we go deep into Act 1, including a time where Cado got seemingly stuck (but only for a few days).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The crew is back with a veritable bevy of games. Rob and Cado checked out The Banished Vault, a resource management game that pulls heavily from board games in that same genre. Patrick checks back in with Final Fantasy XVI and finds the game becoming more and more uninteresting as the focus moves away from the story it started to tell in it's opening hours. After the break, Ren's been playing Blood West, a solid immersive sim set in the Wild West that unfortunately (but not surprisingly) falls afoul of some problematic usage of Indigenous folklore. Rob and Cado talk about their time in The Expanse: A Telltale Series. And finally we end in an extra beefy question bucket full of stories about that velvet curtain at the back of the video store.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The crew meets under sweltering conditions to discuss how they're coping with the heat and how much they are suffering for their gaming. With her Steam Deck laboring under such conditions, Ren has been playing a bunch of retro-style games including HROT and Demon Lord: Reincarnation. Ren, Cado, and Patrick discuss Remnant 2 as a shockingly great co-op game, and Patrick is delighted by Viewfinder. Then the gang digs into the Question Bucket.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The whole crew is back, which kicks off with the state of play of Activision and Microsoft, a discussion about the state of esports in light of Overwatch League’s likely demise, and Corsair buying the mechanical keyboard company Drop. At the break, Patrick checks in with Hi-Fi Rush director John Johannes about the lack of Zwan music in the game’s DLC, meeting fans in person, and more. In the world of playing games, Ren and Patrick are checking out (and liking!) Remnant II, while Patrick is less satisfied with how Oxenfree II ended up. Finally, The Question Bucket returns to mull refrigerator smells.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With the gang and their friends still wondering where their severance is, they get exciting news about some well-deserved bonuses for their former bosses. Then, they talk about the ruling in the Microsoft-Activision merger case, Home Depot's Halloween lineup, Oxenfree 2, Tyranny, and Aliens: Dark Descent.Support the show: https://www.remapradio.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shift+F1 and NoClip's Danny O'Dwyer comes to chat with Patrick and Rob about the Enhanced Games, pro cycling, the other football, celebrity team owners, and Irish sports. We probably talked about even more stuff but honestly it just turned into a good sports hang-out and bounced around a lot with increasingly little structure. Oh but there was a really good listener-submitted quiz that the gang took on pro cycling terms! That was great.Support the show: https://www.remapradio.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jordan Minor, author of the upcoming book Video Game of the Year (featuring both Patrick and Austin!), joins the rest of the Remap Radio crew to discuss Steam trying to grapple with AI art, and what it means to create in a world of creation-focused algorithms. Elsewhere, we chat about Jordan plotting video game history through his book, Patrick’s played (and enjoyed!) the Pikmin 4 demo, Ren’s dumping many more CRPG hours into Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Tyranny, while Jordan wonders what Pokémon can learn from Cassette Beasts. In The Question Bucket, we consider the nature of nostalgia and whether video game leveling systems make any sense.Support the show: https://www.remapradio.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This is one of the first interviews Patrick recorded as a member of Remap Radio, finally reaching your ears! Patrick and Cado recall their time with Citizen Sleeper as an introduction to Patrick's interview with Gareth Damian Martin, the lead developer behind Citizen Sleeper. They talk about how Citizen Sleeper 2 isn't what you might expect out of a sequel, how it differs from the original both in setting and mechanics, and where both game's narrative inspiration comes from.Support the show: https://www.remapradio.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.