Waypoint Radio

Not every video game comes together the way you'd want, and the best of intentions can end up being exactly that: intentions. That feeling drove a lot of conversation today on the podcast. Over the weekend, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker and Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek spent time with We Are Chicago, a narrative-driven game hoping to illustrate the racial and socioeconomic struggles of African-Americans living in the South Side of Chicago, an area tragically known for its violence and crime. It, uh, doesn't really work, to say the least. Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau joined us for that, alongside new thoughts on what defines a Souls-like, and more from The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you get Senior Reporter Patrick Kelpek and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker in a room, Souls talk is gonna happen. We might end up fighting over the merits of Dark Souls 2 longer than one should, but that's the way it is. All this Souls talk was spurred by Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau discussing her time with Nioh, which prompted a much longer breakdown and analysis of the core DNA behind a Souls game, and whether we can come up with a collective definition for the genre. We also dip into The Question Bucket, and Austin reveals the three-part young adult novel series that he's been working on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Super Bowl was this weekend, and while a just universe would have allowed a team other than the New England Patriots to win for once, 2017 has shown that world is not ours. Congrats, Patriots fans. You won another one. Back in the world of podcasts, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau was battling sickness this morning, so Social Editor Danika Harrod joined Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker to give an update on the search for Donnel in Fire Emblem: Heroes, react to the beta for Ghost Recon Wildlands, discuss how Nioh seems to be separating itself from Dark Souls, and dip into The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We made it through January, y’all. That might seem like much, but we’ve gotta start somewhere. Fortunately, your reward is an avalanche of new games to play. Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker returns to the podcast, after playing several hours of ​​Horizon: Zero Dawn earlier this week. We talked about entering the land of robot dinosaurs with Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau, before breaking down initial impressions of the Dark Souls-inspired Nioh, breaking down our (read: Austin's) Fire Emblem: Heroes gambling habits. And no episode of Waypoint Radio would be complete without a thorough trip to The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a politically tumultuous weekend, one must find solace elsewhere. You know, like talking about how Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek was able to help a dominatrix find the will to punish her clients in Yakuza 0. And that's not even the weirdest thing... Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker is not with us today—he should be back on Friday—but we didn't skip a beat; we found a great replacement to join Patrick and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau: game critic and Overwatch fanatic Nico Deyo. (She wrote some fan fiction for us over the holidays!) Besides discussing my #1 dad coffee cup and early hours with Yakuza 0, we have Nico walk us through the latest developments in Overwatch fandom, and dip into The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a soggy, gray week here in Brooklyn, but all those clouds mean that it's been a fantastic time stay in and to play video games. Waypoint managing editor Danielle Riendeau has been boxing her way up the rankings in Punch Club​, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker's has dug into the difficult police work of ​Swat 4​, and Patrick Klepek—well, Patrick is playing the best game of them all: vacation. In his stead is ​Waypoint Radio's producer, Tim Barnes, who hasn't played a game since Jedi Power Battles ​on the Dreamcast​. Can you blame him for putting the controller down? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If real-life news is bumming you out, it's a good time to be a video game fan; what's usually a slow period has quickly turned into an avalanche of great releases. After spending the last week diving into Resident Evil 7 in VR, senior reporter Patrick Klepek hopped on the microphones with Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau to discuss Capcom's successful return to survival horror's roots. Later, we examined the surprising ways Gravity Rush 2 uses class to tell an interesting story in a world of floating cities. Sadly, there wasn't time The Question Bucket today, but don't worry, we'll strap on our gloves later this week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, Donald Trump was sworn in as President. For the time being, at least, this is the new reality. Because of that, it felt fitting to podcast about politics again. On Monday's podcast, we couldn't get through the swampy bucket of questions people had submitted, so we're getting dirty again. After watching Trump take the oath, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau, and myself decided to strap on some microphones to dive back in. And though Trump is on our minds, our hourlong discussion is not merely about our new President, it's about how today's new political realities will change the culture of games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is not where many of us expected to be in early 2017, but here we are. In just a few days, a man who openly questioned the legitimacy of our nation’s first black President, Donald Trump, will take the oath of office. As you can imagine, this has weighed on us at Waypoint. Rather than keep those thoughts and anxieties private, we decided to open up. Last week, we asked you so submit questions for the podcast, questions that examined our relationship with politics. This doesn’t just mean our reaction to Trump, but how our politics influences the way we play, cover, and discuss games, the kind of media we consume—we cover a lot of bases. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The slow start to 2017 is coming an end, with Nintendo unveiling price, release date, and other super important details for its new home console, Switch. You can catch up on everything over here. Plus, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker had a chance to go hands-on with the machine! On the podcast, we talk through our reactions to everything Nintendo's announced, and I try to hold back my jealousy that other people have played Switch. I'll just have to watch that Super Mario Odyssey footage again and puzzle over New Donk City. Plus, we take a dip into The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With its clever narrative framing device, a collection of fantastic acting performances, and a deeply expressive combat model, Hanger 13's Mafia 3 wound up being one of the biggest surprises of 2016. At least that's what I, Waypoint Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker, and Fullbright co-founder Steve Gaynor believe. Since we we hadn't yet had our fill of talking about the game, we decided to record a little bonus podcast where we could talk to our heart's content about the game. And uh, spoiler warning, because we go all in on this one. We chat about everything from the game's dynamic gunfights and cinematic car chases to its handling of race and history. We talk about the continuity of open world games that Mafia 3 exists in—yes, including Far Cry 2. We consider the impact the game will have on future designers—including on Gaynor, himself. We even dig into the secret post-credits ending, and talk about what implications about the future of the series that stinger... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yes, yes, it’s Monday, but hey—podcast! Unfortunately, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau is sick, which means it’s just me and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker holding down the podcast fort. We check in with Austin about how he’s 35 hours into The Witcher 3 but not anywhere near the end, discuss how CD Projekt RED does world building in subtle ways, tease our upcoming impressions of Gravity Rush 2, dig into the surprising approach to developing Frog Fractions 2, and dig back into The Question Bucket to mull the way we make arguments on the Internet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's official: Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker have until the release of Cyberpunk 2077 to finish The Witcher 3. That still may not be enough time. Yep, we're still talking about a game from 2015! (One that I managed to finish that year, mind you.) But that's just how Waypoint rolls. As we stretch our legs into 2017, I talk about my time with Let It Die, Danielle gives us the low down on "real" wrestling, we all mull how to tackle finishing lengthy games like The Witcher 3, and we dip into The Question Bucket to discuss when it's okay to stop playing games you aren't enjoying. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year, from your friends at Waypoint Radio! Today, Waypoint Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker and Social Editor Danika Harrod join me in a discussion of games that just barely slipped our top ten lists this year, along with Danika's top picks of 2016. We all have strong opinions about The Last Guardian, games that hit us right there, and the value of fanfiction, with a nice dip into the question bucket for our first taste of reader mail in 2017. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's time to say goodbye to 2016, and to do that, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker, Senior Editor Mike Diver, and myself grabbed our microphones to talk about the past year in games. Turns out there were a lot of good ones released in 2016! This isn't a traditional game of the year podcast. Waypoint, as a site, isn't coming up with an overall top 10 list. Instead, each writer has their own list of games, better reflecting the different stuff we all played this year. On the podcast, we run through some of the awards we came up with, and use that as a vehicle to talk about most of the games that made a personal impact. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you're reading this, I'll hopefully be slumped over on the couch, a holiday drink in hand, doing something productive, like trying to beat Area X in Rez. That's because we're technically off this week, but since we love you, we recorded two podcasts before departing for break. Today's podcast features Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker, and myself doing what needs to be done: cleaning up The Question Bucket. It's sloppy in there, you know? We don't usually get a chance to answer more than a question or two during a regular podcast, but that's over. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The year is almost over, folks. And while the crew at Waypoint is scrambling to finish up all of their work, especially for our upcoming game of the year features, we managed to podcast. Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau returned for this episode, who once again joins me and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker. Beyond giving an update on my ongoing frozen outlet crisis, Austin talks about his hours with Dragon Quest Builders, I explain what a USPS shipment page has to do with the reveal of Frog Fractions 2, we discuss Blizzard’s reveal that Tracer is canonically gay in Overwatch, and we get surprisingly serious during The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s our last week in the office—or in my case, a room in my house with a desk—which means it’s time to start figuring out what our favorite games of the year are. That involves using every spare minute to spend time with games we loved and games we might have missed out on. Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau isn’t with us for this episode, so it’s back to basics with Waypoint Radio: me and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker. We try and figure out what happened in Final Fantasy XV, whether Austin needs to finish The Last Guardian, what it would even mean to bring back Duke Nukem in 2016, and get down ‘n dirty with The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As chilly temperatures descend on much of the United States, it's a good time to sit inside and just listen to a podcast. Thankfully, we've got what you need. We've got that podcast for you. Though Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau has left us for a brief vacation, social editor Danika Harrad joins me and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker to, yes, talk about Avatar: The Mobile Game, our first impressions of Super Mario Run, the release of Nintendo Switch patents, and dip into The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is it possible that we're finally getting a week without the release of a major game? Though some on staff might argue the release of Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel has been the reason to slog through the rest of 2016, most of us can probably take a breather here. To kick off the week, Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau huddled around the warmth of microphones to discuss my closing hours with Final Fantasy XV, gaming franchises that we've always wanted to play but have somehow missed, and a series of excellent queries from the depths of from our true friend, The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look, take a breath. It's Friday. I know, it took a long time for Friday to arrive, and it'd be nice if Friday just gave you a heads up that it was going to be late, but look: Friday's here, and Friday means it's time for another episode of Waypoint Radio, too. See? Everything's great, everything's fine. As always, Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau got together to discuss the week's news (Danielle got to interview Shigeru Miyamoto!), what we've been playing (Final Fantasy XV! Super Mario Run!), and take a dip into The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Warning: This episode's audio is a little messed up. We'll be good to go next episode! Thanks for your patience. Even though our video game backlogs are already intense, 2016 does not give a damn; as of this week, the latest game from Ico and Shadow of the Colossus designer Fumito Ueda, The Last Guardian, has arrived. I’m sure you’ve all beaten Final Fantasy XV by now, right?! (I'm only 10 hours in...oops.) To discuss Ueda’s latest (and more), Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau managed to stream our first live podcast on Twitch. (The archive is here​.) That’s right! Keep an eye on Twitter (@waypoint​) on Monday and Friday morning, if you want to watch us chat it up live. In addition to The Last Guardian, we talked about the weirdness of Cindy’s... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love 'em or hate 'em, there's a reason so many of us watch Geoff Keighley's awards show every year. In addition to the trailers for some of the biggest games, you can never be quite sure what you're in for. Sometimes it's a trainwreck, and other times it's genuinely moving! This year's watchers included Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau. After reacting to Nolan North's decision to get passive aggressive about the voice actors strike and Hideo Kojima's latest Death Stranding trailer, we talk about our time with Final Fantasy XV, Dishonored 2, and make a quick trip to The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chances are your 2016 backlog is getting a little intense, but it's about to get even longer, with Square Enix preparing to release their long-anticipated Final Fantasy sequel, Watch Dogs 2 hitting PC, and The Last Guardian hitting next week. Feel free to slow down, video games. We're in this together, though, and that includes Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau. On this episode, we discuss experiences with JRPGs, Austin's first hours with Final Fantasy XV, and see what The Question Bucket has in store. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Surviving Thanksgiving is no easy feat. If you’re reading this, you did it! (Hopefully that awkward conversation with the uncle who voted for Trump went okay. Good job.) Give yourself a pat on the back, and know that a reward is on the way: another edition of Waypoint Radio. Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau recorded this in advance, so we decided to slap on some gloves and reach into The Question Bucket. If you sent a questions months ago, don’t fret; we start digging into our backlog on today’s episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though our regular Monday episode of Waypoint Radio went live last night, we recorded a special bonus podcast, as well, where we break down today’s big investigation into Sleeping Dogs 2. If you missed our story on the now-abandoned plans for a sequel to one of gaming’s cult classics, read up on it before listening to a discussion between myself, Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we prepare for having a few days off later this week, you'll have to forgive us for delivering the podcast later than usual! Thankfully, though, it means you'll have access to an hour of the group dipping into The Question Bucket on Friday, as everyone nurses their food hangovers. But on today's episode, Editor-In-Chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau discussed our experiences as Emily Kaldwin in Dishonored 2, why two Nintendo fan games have disappeared from the nominations for this year's The Game Awards, and use The Question Bucket to talk about how the three of us ended up being full-time games writers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world still turns, the sun still rises, and we’re still podcasting. In fact, games are so busy right now that we’re having to push discussions back because there’s just so much going on. If you’re looking for us to dig into Dishonored 2, that’ll have to wait until Monday (sorry!), but on this week’s podcast, editor-in-chief Austin Walker, myself, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau​ discuss how we became active participants in the Frog Fractions 2 ARG (we think, anyway), using Pokémon​ Sun and Moon to relax, and, of course, something brand-new from The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With gaming’s fall season in full swing, the Waypoint crew has more than enough to play (and talk about). And though Waypoint’s tastes usually skew towards smaller, more personal games, we’re pleasantly surprised by how interesting some of gaming’s biggest releases are. In addition to myself, Waypoint Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker and managing editor Danielle Riendeau huddled around the warm of a microphone to discuss Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Watch Dogs 2, a tiny bit of Dishonored 2, and the politically-aware platformer Even the Ocean. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Though the election of Donald Trump doesn’t have an immediate effect on what we’re doing here at Waypoint, it got us thinking about our mission statement. Editor-in-chief Austin Walker, myself, and managing editor Danielle Riendeau hopped in the podcast bunker to discuss this and more. ​In addition to Trump, we talk about Dishonored 2, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and Nintendo's recently released NES Classic. Oh, right! We also have a podcast name: Waypoint Radio. It took us a while to settle on a name, but after several weeks of podcasting, we’re finally there. You don’t have to worry about the podcast feed changing with the new name—it’ll download in the same place it always has. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey everyone. Editor-in-chief Austin Walker, here. Just wanted to share with you an editorial I wrote in the wake of last night's US general election. This isn't a full episode, but I'd appreciate a listen, regardless. Looking forward to talking to y'all as part of our normal schedule on Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

​Take a deep breath, everyone. One way or another, this election is almost over, which is why myself, Waypoint EIC Austin Walker, and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau​ spent the opening minutes of this week’s Monday podcast breathlessly talking about this… https://twitter.com/MrLukeJohnston/status/795609403789635584 ...before we avoided talking about any of the “real” announcements at this weekend’s BlizzCon—a Diablo remake coming to Diablo 3, the formal announcement of hacker character Sombra for Overwatch—and mulled what Blizzard’s decision to embrace regional eSports teams, ala the NFL or NBA, for Overwatch means. (You can read more details over here.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The podcast has been silent for the past week, thanks to the launch of Waypoint, but we're back! We're resuming our twice weekly episodes starting today, and that means I'm joined by both EIC Austin Walker and managing editor Danielle Riendeau to kickstart your weekend. On today's episode, Austin and Patrick embrace Titanfall 2's campaign with a warm hug and lament how many people probably won't play it, while Danielle eulogizes the Wii U. (It had been reported the Wii U was ending production soon, but that might not be the case yet.) We also dive into Bethesda's recent decision to limit early access to games for the press, and, of course, put our hands into The Question Bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In less than a week, Waypoint will be kicking off a ridiculous 72-hour livestream to celebrate the launch of our new website. Before we get there, though, it’s time for a podcast, this time with the added bonus of managing editor (and talented writer) Danielle Riendeau. On today’s podcast, Danielle explains why she’s fallen hard for Mafia III, Austin dives deep into board gaming’s past, and I celebrated being able to beat a boss in Dark Souls 3. Go me! We also ventured into The Question Bucket to mull gaming’s relationship with the writing process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VICE Gaming became Waypoint in a week of huge gaming news, with Rockstar dropping the first trailer for their long-anticipated Red Dead Redemption sequel, Nintendo providing details on their next piece of hardware, and voice actors officially going on strike. What a week! To break it all down, we invited other members of the Waypoint crew into the podcast bunker, including publisher Joel Fowler and social editor Danika Harrod. Besides the news, we explain why it’s so hard to build a website. Fonts? Logos? Bad ideas for names? Bazinga? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s not often that video game news breaks over the weekend, but with Rockstar teasing a new Red Dead Redemption game and reports some of the most high-profile voice actors in games may be going on strike in the future, there’s plenty to discuss in VICE Gaming’s New Podcast. Over the course of an hour, Austin and I go over the missed storytelling opportunities in Gears of War 4, wonder what tempted Austin into playing The Elder Scrolls Online for several hours this weekend, and answer a listener question about the constant delays for big-budget games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the VICE Gaming team hurriedly working behind-the-scenes on a bunch of secret stuff, stuff you’ll learn about soon, we still found time to record another Friday podcast. And in a surprise twist, someone found a table Austin Walker to record on this week. When you’ve got a nice table to put your laptop and microphone on, you know it’s gonna be a good podcast. This week, Austin and Patrick consider what Gears of War 4 might suggest about the future of Xbox hardware, use Mafia III to consider how open worlds can help (and hurt) storytelling, wonder why Oculus has put Palmer Luckey into hiding, and turn to The Question Bucket to discuss whether gaming fans (and media) spend too much time on topics like representation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Monday, which means that VICE Gaming's Patrick Klepek and Austin Walker are back in the bunker and ready to talk about video games. While Austin dives headfirst into the (unfortunately shaky) virtual worlds of PlayStation VR, Patrick finds himself trapped in the violent void of Thumper, where driving rhythm and cosmic horror collide. Their only means of escape is a reader question: How should developers tackle race and identity in games? Games discussed: Batman Arkham VR, Job Simulator, Wayward Sky, Thumper, Mafia III, Watch Dogs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Deus Ex to Dishonored, Harvey Smith has worked on some deeply influential video games. As he jets across the world to promote Dishonored 2’s release on November 11, Smith stopped by VICE Gaming’s New Podcast to chat with us. With October in full swing, we kick things off by discussing how horror has influenced his approach to game design, before drilling down into the process of making a sequel. Smith hasn’t worked on back-to-back sequels since Deus Ex: Invisible War, a game that wasn’t exactly well-received back in 2003. Fortunately, Dishonored 2’s looking really promising. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another Monday, another podcast. Austin Walker hunkered into the bunker for an hour of conversation about the perils of tweeting at brands, my decision to cancel a PlayStation VR pre-order, and if Twitch is the MySpace or Facebook of streaming. We also reached out into the The Question Bucket, which had us thinking about why people give you weird looks for using handhelds in public, and if VR could cause another "violent game" scare with the public. You can listen to the new podcast through the embedded player below: Alternatively, you can also subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We promised another episode of VICE Gaming’s still-untitled new gaming podcast, and here it is! As the weekend approaches, we spent an hour discussing Austin Walker’s interview with the senior writer on Mafia III about race, reports that No Man’s Sky has been reported to a European advertising authority for misleading marketing, and introduce The Question Bucket. Interaction with you is a big part of this new podcast, so make sure to send any questions you have for us to [email protected] with the header “Questions.” (Without the quotes!) We can’t guarantee we’ll answer all of your questions, but rest assured, we’ll be taking a look at them. See you on Monday! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the newest podcast by VICE Gaming, co-hosted by Austin Walker and Patrick Klepek! The plan is to record on Monday and Friday mornings, so we can track and discuss the full week of gaming, without worry that we’re going to miss a major story. We’d love to stream each episode, allowing people to tune in and submit questions, but we’re still working out the tech to make that happen. Stay tuned! Podcast gods willing, that could happen this Friday. What we don’t have is reader questions, but you can solve that right now. Each episode, we’ll choose one excellent, insightful question to be the focus of an episode-ending segment. You can submit potential topics to [email protected] with the email header “Questions.” But wait, doesn’t VICE Gaming already have a podcast? That’s true! Our UK editor, Mike Diver, has been hosting a monthly podcast for a while, but as VICE Gaming grows, so will our library of podcasts.... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.