Waypoint Radio

​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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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​ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Camp and 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning: short discussion on statue genitalia from 45:30 - 46:40It'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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning for discussion of sexual violence and racist language, and spoilers for the first half of Red Dead RedemptionWith 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 City podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Haüs by Gunnar Montana, Hawkeye by Matt Fraction / David Aja et al., Halloween Unmasked Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

C/W: discussion of bestiality and homophobia at 1:36:50 - 1:38:15This 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning: We begin with the Trump/Toad DiscourseToday, 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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!---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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.