Waypoint Radio

​Austin is playing the extremely long and anime Xenoblade Chronicles X. Danielle is finishing up Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Patrick is working his way through the back half of The Evil Within 2. Rob? Rob's playing Dead Space. If you're wondering why Rob's game of the year list sounds like it came distinctly from 2008, you have your answer. Elsewhere, we turn to the mailbag to discuss conflicts between established games writers and YouTube culture, what genres we've had to leave behind as we got older, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Waypoint Radio Live, we're joined by none other than Scott Rogowsky from trivia app sensation, HQ.Austin and Danika talk to Scott about his beginnings in stand-up comedy, the transient bliss of HQ, grappling with new found fame, what exactly counts as cheating (no googling!), and the development of the HQ community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Waypoint Senior Editor Rob Zacny reads his latest, which tackles Call of Duty: World War II, a game that sends the series back to its roots, and casts a modern warfare gaze on a past that suddenly seems mythic. Find the full article at: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/pa37bn/watching-history-fade-away-in-call-of-duty-wwii Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though the holidays can be stressful, time off from work means there's way more time for games! So, there's that. Danika, Austin, Rob, and Patrick reconvened after Thanksgiving to discuss what everyone played over the brief break, ranging from Battle Chef Brigade to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp to ZombiU (yes, ZombiU!) to Yakuza 0. Because Patrick didn't play any games, however, he was forced to express my ongoing anxiety about having purchased a robot cleaner. Rob didn't make Patrick feel any better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First up, an apology. Though we’ve tried to find a way to make Waypoint 101 run on a schedule, the bandwidth of Waypoint’s staff makes that really tough. That said, we’re happy to present this three-hour (!!!) podcast in which myself, Danielle, Austin, and Rob talk through the second half of Wolfenstein: The New Order and make sense of the sequel, The New Colossus. We tried to keep things short, but managed to talk for nearly four hours, anyway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Video games have been especially busy lately, which means we’ve only had time for one or two questions at the end of most podcasts. With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up for many, including everyone at Waypoint, we figured it was a good time to get our hands dirty in The Question Bucket. This helps explain why Danielle, Rob, and myself went on an extremely long tangent about garage culture, and how people lose their minds after moving to the suburbs. We talk about video games sometimes, too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new Star Wars video game launched this week, but Battlefront II isn’t on our minds right now. Instead, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick used the launch of Electronic Arts’ loot box simulator to look back at their individual histories with Star Wars video games. If you want to hear about Danielle’s special “flight pants” while playing Shadows of the Empire, or how Dark Forces forced Patrick to understand how computers work, this is the podcast for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin has recorded a bonus podcast for those of you who don't have time to swing by the site to read his latest article, "The New 'Need for Speed' Sees a Future Where Loot Boxes Are in Control." You can find that story (and many others) at waypoint.vice.com, and read it here: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/9kqvzp/the-new-need-for-speed-sees-a-future-where-loot-boxes-are-in-controlWe'll be back as usual this Friday with more Waypoint Radio! Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Because it’s 2017, it’s impossible to go a day without something big, which is why Patrick, Austin, Danika, and Rob spend a big chunk of the podcast discussing why some people end up harassing developers when they’re upset about a game. Later, Danika discusses her time with Horizon: Zero Dawn’s big DLC, The Frozen Wilds, Rob relays the confusion of entering the world of 4K with the Xbox One X, and Austin accidentally becomes a speedrunner. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We welcome special guest Adam Conover from Adam Ruins Everything for a chat about Dark souls, fairness in games, and how much fun it is to ruin common misconceptions. We also talk seriously about comedy, Louis C.K., and sexual harassment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With half the team missing or wounded, Austin and Rob have to conduct an after-hours stealth podcast. Austin's been playing some Need for Speed: Payback and the Longshot narrative campaign from Madden 18, while Rob is really surprised by how much War of the Chosen turned him around on X-COM 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11-time UFC Flyweight champion (and prolific game streamer) Demetrious Johnson joins Danielle and Austin today for a chat about Battlegrounds, fighting games, and MMA. “Mighty Mouse” came prepared, with plenty to say about streaming platforms, esports casting, and the business of putting on a good show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an epic spoilercast that lasts almost—but not quite—as long as the film itself, Austin, Rob, and Danielle dig deep into the world of Blade Runner 2049. There are no holds barred here, as they go into the cinematography, politics, race and gender issues and deeply individual reads of the movie, along with a little dose of everyone’s history with the series.So strap into your spinner (or, uh, audio device) and prepare for a long, spoiler-y journey into Los Angeles, 2049. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This morning, Sony held an event in Paris to make a bunch of surprising (and not-so-surprising) announcements about video games. While we won't be able to play most of them until next year, there was plenty to talk about, especially when it came to some "interesting" trailers for The Last of Us Part II and Detroit: Become Human. Austin, Patrick, and Danielle talk through Sony's news before touching on how much fun we've having with Super Mario Odyssey. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Between Super Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins, it’s one of the biggest weeks for video games in a long time. What connects all three of them is that once you start a new game, they have to introduce themselves. Patrick, Danielle, and Austin use the powerfully dark introduction from Wolfenstein II, the botched introduction from Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and the trope-y introduction from Super Mario Odyssey as a launching pad for a larger discussion about each game, and what it means to design a video game's first impression.​ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

272 moons later, I've "beaten" Super Mario Odyssey, but it feels like I've only scratched the surface of Mario's latest, a breathlessly creative adventure equal parts surprising and bewildering—in a good way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend, allegations of sexual misconduct by the owner of the popular gaming forum NeoGAF surfaced. Patrick spent the weekend looking into the story,which turned into a lengthy examination about the last 48 hours at NeoGAF, including comments from NeoGAF's owner, the woman who raised the original allegations, and the moderators who helped run the site. Austin, Danielle, and Patrick have complicated feelings about NeoGAF, so a podcast seemed the best way to work them out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Earlier this week EA shut down Visceral Studios, leaving many to wonder about the future of linear, AAA single player games. It’s a complex topic, which is why we’re grateful that we got to sit down and talk about it with Manveer Heir, a 12 year veteran of the industry who worked on games including Mass Effect 3, Andromeda, and Wolfenstein (2009). We also dig into issues of representation, toxic work cultures, harassment, and talk about how to make the games industry a better place. We’re optimistic, we swear—it’s just gonna be a lot of work! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following a weekend where an ex-Naughty Dog employee alleged they were sexual harassed, Austin, Danika, Rob, and myself took stock of the various (and often inappropriate) ways different actors responded to the situation. Elsewhere, we discussed a bizarre but extremely good trivia app called HQ, and after telling a great joke, I shared some initial impressions of South Park: The Fractured But Whole, a game that's likely to be disappointing, even to South Park fans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re trying something different with the Friday episodes of Waypoint Radio. One, Danielle is the host! Two, the discussion is framed around a single topic. That doesn’t mean we won’t talk about games we’ve been playing (or big news), but generally, this is the new format. In the future, we’ll be announcing topics in advance, so you can weigh in with questions. On today’s episode, the future of the immersive sim genre (aka Deus Ex, Dishonored, Prey) is explored by Danielle, Rob, Austin, and Patrick. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though the beta for Star Wars: Battlefront II just started, it's only added fuel to the fire for a conversation that's dominated the last few weeks of games: loot boxes. Rob, Danielle, and myself weigh in on whether some players are being overdramatic, or if the industry is overreaching in a way that'll quickly backfire. In The Question Bucket, we mull over how boring it can be to play a "bad" character in a video game, the ongoing debate over whether you can like a game when its creators are shitty, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's taken too long, but the second installment in Waypoint 101, where we revisit old games and have a community discussion about them, is here. Austin, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick have played through the first six chapters of Wolfenstein: The New Order, in anticipation of the game's sequel, The New Colossus, arriving later this month. (And also because the real world is, weirdly, full of Nazis again?) There are abundant spoilers, obviously, as we discuss how The New Order was perceived when it arrived in 2014, catching most by surprise, and how 2017's political context has changed perceptions of the game. We'll be back with a second, final episode in two weeks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're the kind of person who gets a nostalgia hit listening to the sign-on sound from old AIM clients—yes, the one where the door opens—you're going to enjoy our long conversation about the recent announcement AIM will shut down later this year. Austin, Rob, and Patrick discuss the awkward teenage crushes that played out over the messaging service, before using BuzzFeed's recent piece about the origins of the alt-right website Breitbart as a means of re-examining GamerGate, three years after it all started. (Since this podcast was recorded, the VICE employee mentioned in BuzzFeed's story has been fired. Also, Austin's Internet magically turned back on.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If games are the furthest thing from your mind right now, no one could blame you. It's why Austin, Danielle, Rob, and Patrick couldn't start Waypoint Radio without reflecting on the (still unfolding) events in Las Vegas, where a mass shooter killed at least 58 people and wounded 500 others on Sunday night. There aren't words for a moment like this, but we try to find them. Elsewhere, we discuss Golf Story, Forza Motorsport 7, Danielle's love of a visual novel about gay baseball players, and answer a Question Bucket email about games based on our favorite albums. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does it really count as the 100th episode when we publish two episodes a week? Is that cheating? Whatever, we’re going with it. Danielle, Danika, Austin, Rob, and Patrick all jumped on microphones today to discuss the nuances of the unreleased film Skybound, a movie where (wait for it) the ground disappears, for an uncomfortably long time. After that, we reminisce about Vice Gaming’s New Podcast, before opening up The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Danielle still on vacation, Rob, Austin, and Patrick huddled together for a quiet, easy episode of the podcast, where Austin would tell us about the surprisingly smart sci-fi Hitman-like game, Echo, and Rob would update on his terrible drinking habits. Instead, both happened, and a question about how to effectively protest took us down a long and winding road about the politics of golf courses, Trump's tweets about the NFL, the exploitation of black athletes, and more. It's a doozy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss the odd threat against Epic Games about PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds vs Fortnite, the crappy humor of South Park, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​With Austin back from vacation, he joins Patrick and Rob to discuss his experience accidentally playing a fog game of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds with a complete stranger, resulting in Austin chasing down another player, ala Jason Voorhees. Elsewhere, Rob recounts this weekend's botched attempt to play a board game, thanks to a woeful misreading of a bottle's label, and what motivated Patrick to murder an entire bar in Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Austin and Danielle both on vacation, the ol’ Waypoint Radio microphones are only pointed at Patrick and Rob today. Fortunately, there’s plenty to talk about, as we work through our feelings on the campaign in Destiny 2, and whether Bungie should seriously consider ditching a “campaign” for Destiny 3, or whatever they call the next one. Elsewhere, we gush over the new Dishonored 2 add-on, Death of the Outsider, and answer a reader question about the best kinds of games to play when you don’t have much time to game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a full crew on Waypoint Radio today, with Austin, Patrick, Danielle, and Rob huddling around a microphone to discuss our thoughts on the weekend's big, crappy event: while streaming PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the most popular YouTube personality, PewDiePie, used the N-word. Heads up: Several times during the whole podcast, Austin says the word in full. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It seems like Destiny 2 is the game Bungie had originally promised with Destiny in 2014, but hey, better late than never, right? The state of Destiny is slightly more complicated than that, of course, and to break down our initial reactions, Austin, Rob, and Patrick are joined by Giant Bomb’s Abby Russell. There’s also some discussion of a place called “Buffalo Wild Wings.” (Some people recommend you get the honey BBQ wings there.) (Also, there are some mild Destiny 2 story spoilers, but they are vague.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 93, recorded live from Seattle during PAX West 2017! Danika, Austin, Danielle, and Patrick recount their donuts and grievances, chat about cool games from the PAX show floor, and attend to not one, but TWO question buckets straight from the audience. Forgive us, father, for we are about to sin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin and Patrick hold down the fort with discussion of two strategy games: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle and Xcom 2's new content. Then, there's a beautiful dive into the question bucket with an unpacking of our previous takes on Taylor Swift's new single. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You know it's a good episode when, right out of the gate, we're talking about pop singles, the political platforms of the pop singers behind them, and questions about why Carly Rae Jepsen isn't more popular. Elsewhere, Austin and Patrick have been playing Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (it's good), and Rob and Danielle join us for a long discussion about how Valve's handled the non-existence of Half-Life 3, in the wake of a Half-Life 2: Episode Three synopsis emerging from a former Valve writer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​As the fall gaming season approaches, and games like Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle and Destiny 2 loom, we take a deep breath and talk about...No Man's Sky. Look, there's a new update out, and Austin needs to get some things off his chest. Elsewhere, Patrick's finished Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and Has Some Thoughts on Puzzles (Danielle is halfway done), and Rob recounts a losing battle in Warhammer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin is out on a Summer Friday, so Patrick, Rob, and Danielle get down to business to talk about good August games. They touch on Madden's very Friday Night Lights-esque story mode, new content (including ghost trolls!) for Total War: Warhammer, and the pleasures of Uncharted: Lost Legacy as well as the very dark cyberpunk of Observer. Then, they take a dive into the question bucket and get ready for the weekend. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Not a full episode today, just a couple of quick announcements:1. Waypoint 101 is coming back and (unsurprisingly?) we're going to be diving headfirst into Wolfenstein: The New Order over the next month or so!2. Waypoint is going to be on your television. Seriously. Tonight at 9PM ET—and every Wednesday night for the next eight weeks—tune into Disney XD to watch Waypoint Presents, a documentary series that takes you into some of the most interesting stories in the world of gaming.Spread the word about both, and as always, hit us up on Twitter @waypoint! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin, Patrick, and Danielle gather to discuss their weekends: starting with the new patch for No Man's Sky and the tragic events in Charlottesville this weekend. Then, they pivot to some lighter fare: the first few hours of Volition's open world in Agents of Mayhem and Danielle's newfound case of Sonic Mania. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin and Patrick are off getting jersed and on assignment, so Danielle, Rob, and intern Natalie held court—on Natalie's final day as our intern. We chat about PUBG, TitanFall 2, and Tacoma, before dipping into the bucket for a serious dip. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Polygon video producer Nick Robinson was suspended last Friday, “pending a thorough Vox Media inquiry” regarding allegations of serial sexual harassment. You might not be surprised we Have Some Thoughts. Patrick, Austin, Danielle, and Rob used this moment to discuss the confusing world of power dynamics in the social media age, what it’s like to have a favorite creator accused of something grotesque, and why we should avoid demanding “receipts” from people who come forward with stories of harassment. Elsewhere, we celebrate our recent chicken dinner in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Danielle gushes over Atomic Blonde, and Rob tells us why Battle Brothers is giving him pause. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk Titanfall, Prey, Battlegrounds and Magic Legos on Waypoint Radio Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a throwback to VICE Gaming's New Podcast, aka the old version of Waypoint Radio, it's just Patrick and Austin on the podcast today. After running through the major games coming out this month, starting with Tacoma later this week, Patrick confesses to having my heart broken in Dream Daddy, which leads to a discussion about how we should judge content cut from a game. In The Question Bucket forces us to examine why people, like Austin, are wrong about Super Mario Sunshine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apologies in advance to all residents of Los Angeles who are fans of the city they live in, but the opening moments of this podcast are not kind. As it turns out, Austin has some thoughts on cities, yours included. Elsewhere, Austin discusses his opening hours with the latest from Epic Games, Fortnite, Rob catches us up on his time with Darkest Dungeon, Patrick reminisces about getting everyone killed in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and Danielle tells us what #ResistJam is all about. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's podcast begins on a somber note, as we say goodbye to Waypoint's UK editor, Mike Diver. Mike was, unfortunately, let go as part of a recent VICE internal reorganization, but Waypoint wouldn't exist without all the hard work he's put in over the years. We wish Mike nothing but the best. ​Elsewhere, Patrick shares his confusion and joy over the the new dad-focused visual novel, Dream Daddy, while Rob, Danielle, and Austin discuss their hours with the newest game from Supergiant, Pyre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Rob Zacny's Subterfuge campaign finally comes to an end, we discover what depths a group of humans will go to stab one another in the back. Elsewhere, Rob, Austin, and Patrick discuss our hours with the fun (but limited) Destiny 2 beta, and what it doesn't tell us about the finished game. Things get heated towards the end, when a debate over mustard, ketchup, and mayo breaks out, with Danielle "Susan Collins" Riendeau casting a decisive vote. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Austin busy being a "boss" who has "responsibilities," it's left to Danielle, Patrick, and Rob to discuss the latest developments in the game that's slowly killing Rob's life, Subterfuge, before we talk about some of the events at EVO 2017 this weekend, including the way Capcom's botched rolling out its surefire hit, Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. Elsewhere, Patrick continues to wonder why so many people are obsessed with Kingdom Hearts, and discuss some early hours with Splatoon 2. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's like the saying goes: if there's a long running wrestling franchise with deep customization options that leads to people making deformed Kirbys, Austin will be there. Patrick, Danielle, and and Rob are there to help him through this, as we discuss Edmund McMillen's new platformer, The End is Nigh, and Rob's latest scheming in Subterfuge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the weekend, popular YouTube creator VideoGameDunkey, known for his funny and biting videos about games, published a 9-minute critique about games criticism. Dunkey pointed his criticism at huge websites like IGN and Kotaku, lamenting review scores, the race to be first, a disconnect between a website's voice and an individual reviewer's opinion, and more. This prompted a lengthy discussion between Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Danielle, before we touched upon Rob's revenge fantasies in Subterfuge and Danielle's time with Hollow Knight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though gaming might not be moving at the same pace ​as earlier in the year, there's plenty to talk about. After Austin and Patrick provide an update on our (lack of) chicken dinner in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, he discusses his time with the updated Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, while Patrick laments his inability to jump properly in the Crash Bandicoot remaster. Plus, Rob reveals the fascinating subtlety of pitching in MLB The Show 17, and Danielle updates us on Breath of the Wild's DLC. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the second episode of Waypoint 101, our semi-regular podcast where we, as a group, play through an older game, something we've always wanted to get around to or something worth another visit. Our first series has tackled Sega's Binary Domain, an underrated sci-fi shooter with a story that takes some surprisingly dark turns. We talked about the game's first three chapter last month, and we've returned to discuss the game's conclusion. ​Join Patrick, Austin, and Rob as we discuss our favorite topic: sad robots. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.