Waypoint Radio

Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather today to record their final podcast of 2021, so of course the first thing they talk about is COVID. After sharing stories about their booster shot symptoms and discussing the way this pandemic just keeps happening, they turn their gaze to The Game Awards. Having already lambasted Geoff's weak response to the culture of abuse at Activision-Blizzard on a previous podcast (that will release sometime in the next two weeks), they take a look at some of the game trailers that have them the most excited, anxious, and confused about the games we might play in 2022. After the break, Patrick has been playing Moncage, a puzzle game that's all about perspective, and Cado has been dropping in a whole new way with Babble Royale, the surprise Scrabble-meets-Battle-Royale that dropped for free this week.Discussed: COVID 2:10, The Keighlies 17:49, A Bit Keighley More 58:51, Moncage 1:06:21, Babble Royale 1:12:14, Solar Ash 1:22:21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've got a special treat for y'all on Waypoint Radio today- a glimpse into our Waypoint Plus feed and the discussions on The Matrix Franchise we've been having. Special guest Gita Jackson joins Rob, Patrick, and Cado to dissect the 9 short animated films that make up The Animatrix, the lore and story implications they have, and how transmedia marketing became a diluted standard operating procedure after The Matrix.Discussed: Final Flight of the Osiris 8:17. The Second Renaissance 20:21. Kid's Story 1:08:41, A Detective Story 1:27:59, World Record 1:33:09, Beyond 1:48:02, Matriculated 1:59:25, Program 2:15:41, The Animatrix and the Transmedia Blitz 2:24:41 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Patrick, and Cado come together on this Keighly’s Eve to talk about the things that, well, The Game Awards probably won’t talk about. We catch up with the continuing stories coming out of Activision-Blizzard, and the current strike and strike fund to combat against horrible working conditions and the layoffs that happened at Raven Software. After the break, Rob and Cado are taking to the stars in CHOPVS. Er, sorry CHORVS. Wait no, I’m hearing word that it’s actually Chorus? An arcady open world space shooter with some questionable marketing decisions around their name, but some pretty fun (well for Cado at least) arcady space shooting action. Patrick’s been diving into the XBOX Demo Festival and checked out a few new games, and Rob is playing a game from 2017 that he didn’t know had been unlisted from the store, Forza Motorsport 7. Then we take a quick dip in the question bucket to see how deep the roast-your-own-coffee rabbit hole goes.Discussed: Activision-Blizzard 4:13, Chorus 34:36, Xbox Demo Fest 57:04, Overpass 58:23, Loot River 1:00:26, Nobody Saves the World 1:03:47, STALKER 2 1:08:05, The Matrix Awakens - An Unreal Engine 5 Experience 1:13:25, Forza Motorsport 7 1:20:07, The Question Bucket 1:30:57 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick is falling dangerously close to a genre he swears he’ll never touch… MOBAs. He’s been checking out Arcane, but instead of talking about it, Natalie, Rob, and Cado derail him into an extended news segment? Then, Cado’s living his best hacker life in Midnight Protocol, a tactical hacking game you control completely from a command line prompt. After the break, Patrick is back on his platforming bullshit with Solar Ash, the new game from developer Heart Machine that’s one part Jet Set Radio, one part Shadow of Colossus, and a whole bunch of parts awesome. Rob’s rallying the troops in Company of Heroes 3 multiplayer alpha, the latest in the storied RTS franchise which is now getting a little bit better about giving newer players tools for learning. Then we dip into the question bucket and get to the bottom of Who is dune?Discussed: Midnight Protocol 19:14, Solar Ash 37:42, Company of Heroes 3 45:47, The Question Bucket 1:09:34 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back! After our half week break we’re here and ready to talk about… HDMI splitters and their accidental “perks” if you know what I’m saying. Of course a story about a TV from Patrick was going to lead us into an entire segment on the structure of our entertainment systems and how hard it is to digitally back up our physical media collections. Then, Patrick has wrapped up the end of Unpacking, and find that thankfully the game didn’t skew as dark as he once feared it might. After the break, Cado has been checking out Get In The Car, Loser!, an RPG that tells the story of a queer road trip to defeat the Machine Devil while the Divine Order is on your tail, with an interesting Valkyrie Profile-esq battle system and hilarious writing. Rob on the other hand, has more questions than answers as he dives once more into the world of Sherlock Holmes with Frogware’s Sherlock Holmes Chapter One. Watson is a ghost? You have to equip your thoughts??? Then we round out the pod with a dive into the question bucket with a lot of followups to the water-refill-at-the-drive-thru debate.Discussed: Unpacking 27:44, Get In The Car, Loser! 43:58, Sherlock Holmes Chapter One 56:06, Question Bucket 1:15:05 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well folks, it’s come to this. Through highs and lows, Impacts and Near Impacts, Fantastic Fights and Groan inducing Fan service, the time has come to put a cap on our time with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Join as special guest Gita Jackson joins Rob, Patrick, Austin, and Cado to talk about the final impact this series has had on each of us, both intellectually and emotionally, both positively and negatively. It’s time to say goodbye.This podcast is brought to you by Waypoint Plus.We're offering 25% off annual subscriptions to Waypoint+ between Friday, November 26th and Monday, November 29th. Just go to vice.com/waypoint and apply code WAYPOINTHOLIDAY.If you’re upgrading from monthly to annual just be sure to click "Already have an account? Sign in" at checkoutIf you’re giving as a gift to a friend or family member, go to vice.com/waypointgift and apply WAYPOINTHOLIDAY promo code for 25% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Austin, Patrick, Rob, and Cado as they re-enter and re-examine the world of Evangelion once again. What starts as something familiar begins to shift, has us asking why this work is revisited, what all the differences amount to, and where we think Evangelion might go from here.This podcast is brought to you by Waypoint Plus.We're offering 25% off annual subscriptions to Waypoint+ between Friday, November 26th and Monday, November 29th. Just go to vice.com/waypoint and apply code WAYPOINTHOLIDAY.If you’re upgrading from monthly to annual just be sure to click "Already have an account? Sign in" at checkoutIf you’re giving as a gift to a friend or family member, go to vice.com/waypointgift and apply WAYPOINTHOLIDAY promo code for 25% off. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got some real chaos energy on this pod, so get ready! We sprinkle emails in amongst some games we’re playing, like Patrick checking out the orb game Exo One, a chill game about being a space orb that is sometimes not an orb. Natalie and Cado have been checking out Voice of Cards, the card based RPG that maybe didn’t need to be card based at all. Rob is suffering through his time with Battlefield 2042, wondering if a co-op crew might be the answers to his multiplayer woes. Then we fully dive into the Question Bucket to figure out some fast food drive through faux pas, getting into Team Fortress 2 in the year of our lord 2021, and what Class Archetypes the crew kins.Discussed: Exo One 10:24, Voice of Cards: The Dragon Isle Roars 22:16, Dungeon Encounters 37:41, Battlefield 2042 48:59, The Question Bucket 1:08:19 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather today to talk about the allegations of abuse at Activision-Blizzard. They discuss the ways corporate structures aid abusers, the possibility of ousting Bobby Kotick, and what levers of power workers have to enact lasting change. Then we go stream spoiler mode for Inscryption, the digital card game that ends up being more than meets the eye. After the break, Patrick checks in with Halo Infinite, the latest Halo game from 343 Industries, which takes the Halo franchise open world for the first time. Then Cado and Patrick have a quick check in with Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, a game that is harder than Cado remembers, and uglier than Patrick would like.Discussed: Abuse at Activision-Blizzard 1:08, Inscryption 33:47, Inscryption Stream Spoilers 35:17, Xbox Response to Activision 56:06, Halo Infinite 1:05:18, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl 1:33:02 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today we are sharing an episode from one of VICE's newest series -- A Show About Animals. This season, we tell the strange and wonderful story of the wildly famous Koko the “talking” Gorilla. In the early 1970s, a grad student named Penny Patterson set out to investigate a big question: is language unique to humans? So she begins an ambitious experiment -- with the help of a young gorilla named Koko. Pretty soon, Penny says Koko is learning sign language. But, of course, that’s not the whole story. You can listen to our weekly series, A Show About Animals, in all the places you get your podcasts. A Show About Animals is hosted and reported by Arielle Duhaime-Ross and produced by Julia Nutter and Pete Lang-Stanton. Our associate producer is Leily Rezvani. Sound design and original score by Pran Bandi, with additional support from Steve Bone. Annie Aviles is our executive editor. Our executive producer and VP of Vice Audio is Kate Osborn. Special thanks to Maximo Anderson for fact-checking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natalie and Rob went on a tear through Inscryption on last week’s stream, and so now the whole crew has to talk about how awesome this game is. Then special guest Austin Walker joins Cado and Patrick to talk through their time in the Elden Ring network test, and try to contain their hype as they discuss what worked and what questions still remain unanswered about the full game. After the break, the crew talks about the first two episodes of Otherside Picnic, the Roadside Picnic inspired anime about two women who find each other (and quite possibly themselves) in a creepypasta infused version of The Zone.Discussed: Inscryption 3:30, Elden Ring 26:32, Xbox Back Compatibility 1:02:09, Otherside Picnic 1:05:13, Shin Megami Tensei V 1:42:36, Question Bucket 1:45:25 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The crew is fully on their bullshit this week, some of it good, some of it great, and some utterly disappointing. First up, Cado is becoming the pilot he always hoped he could be in Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation: Code Fairy, a game about a group of young women that form a secret elite squad of Zeon pilots that were always just off to the side of the original Gundam anime’s story. It’s got a convincing weight to it that has Cado chomping at the bit to play the next volume (or maybe hop into the multiplayer game it’s mechanics come from). Patrick regales us mere mortals with tales of his time in Elden Ring, the upcoming From Soft open world game. He’s enjoyed his time checking out all sorts of fun bullshit in the surprisingly dense world. After the break, Rob is back from an extremely uneven review event for Battlefield 2042. Even looking past the technical issues the event had, the main game modes he played left a lot to be desired, that is until DICE let him at Battlefield: Portal, a build your own game mode with an intricate amount of fine tuning available, with assets and maps from across Battlefield’s history. Stick around near the end of the podcast for an Anime Announcement, and Cado and Patrick yelling a bit about Natalie and Rob’s Inscryption run.Discussed: Mobile Suit Gundam Battle Operation Code Fairy 2:42, Elden Ring 19:31, Battlefield 2042 55:14, Guardians of the Galaxy 1:45:46, Monday Pod Announcement 1:53:18, Inscryption 1:57:12  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Waypoint Radio crew welcomes Motherboard senior editor Jordan Pearson onto the show to talk about gaming NFTs. We discuss how some of the current trends portend a grim future, the NFT games that already exist and how they operate, and what a AAA developer might do with this technology. Come along and listen as we collectively stare into the abyss! After the break, Rob, Patrick, and Cado talk about two recent sci-fi epics: Foundation and Dune, and how they both tackle the way empires oppress people on different timescales.Discussed: Games and NFTs 5:19, Foundation and Dune 53:00 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got an extra beefy episode today, because guess what, it’s JRPG time! Gita Jackson joins the pod to talk Shin Megami Tensei V, a game we totally don’t call “the dark souls of Pokemon” in any serious way but it was too cursed to not get out of my head I’m sorry. It is, however, a traditional JRPG in a lot of ways that most other franchises have moved on from, for better and for worse. After the break, Rob and Patrick have been revving up their engines in the new Forza Horizon 5. Patrick is enjoying it as a first time Horizon player but Rob has a bone to pick both with some electronic break models and the ghost of Cado’s drivatar haunting his races. After the outro stick around to hear Patrick and Cado, then Patrick and Austin, gush over the 15 minute Elden Ring gameplay video. #potboygangDiscussed: Shin Megami Tensei V 9:32, Forza Horizon 5 52:35, Darkest Dungeon II 1:29:59, Question Bucket 1:36:58, The Elden Ring Minute 1:58:50 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back and boy, do we have GAMES to talk about! Natalie is taking the traditional Animal Crossing walk of shame, as all her villagers berate her for being gone so long, but the real problem with being away for so long is much worse, and flower shaped, and might have its roots in some real life, uh, tendencies that everyone except Patrick share. Patrick is finding time for gaming with his kid in Zookeeper World, a solid match three game. Rob has the answers to all of our organizational worries, just play hybrid Basebuilder/ARPG Riftbreaker, at least you can make a neatly organized base! Natalie and Cado have been having pretty different experiences with Eastward, a beautifully produced action RPG that shines in it’s world building and story but lacks something in its combat. Patrick has been bitten by the Inscryption bug, he and Cado try their best to communicate how cool the game is without any major spoilers, and Natalie and Rob may have been intrigued by this discussion enough to stream it. Then, Natalie checks in with the latest from Apex Legends before the crew takes a tiny baby dip into the question bucket.Discussed: Animal Crossing 12:34, Zookeeper World 24:51, Riftbreaker 31:57, Eastward 41:24, Inscryption 55:05, Apex Legends 1:12:18 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Patrick, and Cado are joined by special guest Yussef Cole to talk about Guardians of the Galaxy, a surprisingly not horrible action game that has flown over expectations by being just … fine. Patrick and Yussef break down the game’s workable combat, and the way side stories let these characters breath in a way the movies don’t. After the break, Rob has been enjoying a dip into history, both his own and that of medieval Europe in Age of Empires IV, an RTS that not only throws back the clock with its setting, but some of it’s RTS design choices as well. Cado has finally finished Metroid Dread, and is about as high on the movement and combat as he is low on the overall map structure. This leads us into a discussion over MercurySteam's crediting practices and labor practices across the industry.Discussed: Guardians of the Galaxy 2:54, Age of Empires IV 54:11, Metroid Dread 1:23:28, Labor in the Games Industry 1:33:55 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The bucket calls to us, and we must answer. We’re doing a heft dive into the question bucket today, but first! We hit some news stories, like “Does Tom Holland Age?” and “Hey, wtf is up at Bungie?” Patrick is also getting back into VR with Resident Evil 4 VR. After the break, we take a quick look at the trailer for Haunted Chocolatier, the newly announced game from the creator of Stardew Valley, and get into the new home Chocolatier fad that Rob has the skinny on. Then we dive into the question bucket to answer some questions about… well fish, that’s why we’re diving obviously. Discussed: News 5:06, VR 36:01, Resident Evil 4 VR 40:47, Question Bucket 1:04:34 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a new Monday in October, which means we’re one week closer to the spooky apex of the season. We’re slowly ratcheting up the spookiness this week by immersing ourselves in S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. We discuss the early game as Patrick continues to play on stream, and we start to reach some of the scarier moments of the game. Rob is being Rob by reaching back in time to play Medal of Honor Airborne, a game that has Rob considering a path that Military FPS games could’ve taken in a different world. Cado’s playing … well a roguelike deck builder of course. Inscryption is his game of choice for this spooky season, with some immaculate scary vibes, even though it’s missing one or two Content Warnings up front. After the break, Rob, Patrick, and Cado wrap up their Ted Lasso discussion and hit on the “surprise” villain of season two, and just how off the extra episodes ended up landing for us.Discussed: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 1:40, Medal of Honor Airborne 13:56, Inscryption 21:37, Elechead 41:50, Ted Lasso 46:48 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The WPR crew is back from their day off on Monday recharged and ready to discuss the finer points of … the best way to make a PB&J. The crew talks about their time with Back 4 Blood, the new iteration on the Left 4 Dead formula made by some of the people who created it. While it has an uneven first showing, as with most co-op games it’s often better with friends. After the break, Natalie and Cado dive into their time with Deltarune Chapter 1+2, and discuss the ways the game continues to play with themes set up in Undertale in new ways. Then, Rob is colliding into his past as a matchbox kid by checking out Hot Wheels Unleashed, an almost too brutal arcade racer that has a bizarre home decoration component? And Patrick wraps up his time with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and finds the back half challenging in a satisfying way that the first half was not.Discussed: Back 4 Blood 13:42, World Flipper 43:18, Deltarune 50:30, Hot Wheels Unleashed 1:04:13, Kena: Bridge of Spirits 1:25:01 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The fall game season is in full swing! Gita is on today's pod to talk all things Remedy, but first! We talk about Far Cry 6 and the Ubisoft franchise fatigue so many of us have felt at one point or another. Patrick has been checking out Metroid Dread, a good game that is limited by the conventions that the Metroid franchise introduced to games as a whole. After the break, Gita has been diving back into the world of Alan Wake Remastered, and ended up taking a tour through many other Remedy games. Then there's the Cado Destiny Minute, where they discuss the new vaulting announcement and how Destiny 2 is one of the only MMOs that gets rid of content.Discussed: Far Cry 6 1:15, Metroid Dread 32:24, Alan Wake Remastered 56:38, Destiny 2 Vaulting 1:34:06 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The SPOOKS never end! The podcast is haunted by the spirits of Waypoints past, and one particularly tenacious intern is making a surprise appearance! Natalie is back on Waypoint Radio today to talk about her Waypoint hiatus, how she was briefly in the world of e-sports, and her current job in game dev. Then the whole crew dives into the question bucket to talk buying the same game multiple times, moon trips, and favorite life hacks. Oh also Rob played a Poirot mystery game.Discussed: Death Stranding 28:44, Agatha Christie: Hercule Poirot - The First Cases 37:22, The Question Bucket 48:23 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE'RE TAKING OVER! Special Guest Cameron Kunzelman was lured him onto the podcast to supposedly talk about Sable, which he reviewed for Waypoint but instead Patrick took it upon himself to take over Just King Things and rebrand it "KingPoint." Listen as the crew dives into everything Steven King, and who knows, we might even talk about a few video games.Discussed: Sable 6:58, Unsighted 52:36, Demon's Souls 58:02, The Question Bucket 1:02:12 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got special guests Natalie Flores and Moises Taveras join Patrick and Cado to talk all things Life is Strange. But first, we’ve got some ranting to do about a certain film lineup that is truly cursed. After the break, we dive deep on all things Life is Strange, from the series history with queerness to our own personal head cannons. We go full spoilers for the entire franchise to contextualize the latest entry, True Colors, and ask the hard questions like “who would ever choose Ryan over Steph?”Discussed: Mario Movie Cast 3:30, Life is Strange True Colors Spoilercast 16:58 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got special guest Dia Lacina on the show today to talk about Lost Judgment, but somehow also stumble into yet another discussion of S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl. Patrick’s dipped a toe into the Guardians of the Galaxy video game, which begs the question: why? And Cado’s been playing Sable, a visually stunning platforming exploration game where you set out to try on different hats (both literally and figuratively) in a beautiful post-post-apocalypse with your trusty hover bike.Discussed: S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl 2:24, Guardians of the Galaxy 21:08, Sable 33:43, Lost Judgment 51:22, The Question Bucket 1:23:08 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Video games! They're happening, and we're playing them. Patrick is checking out Kena: Bridge of Spirits and finds a game that's been ripped from the early aughts in everything but art style, and that might be ok? Cado has been playing Eastward and learns that maybe his taste in pacing has changed. Rob's learning everything he needs to be his most productive self with a new tech purchase. After the break, we discuss next month's project: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Which game are we playing? What mods are we using? Listen in and let us know you're thoughts!Discussed: Kena: Bridge of Spirits 6:29, Eastward 23:35, Deltarune 44:35, Rob's Surface Pro 48:27, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 101 1:07:56, The Question Bucket 1:45:27 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re all caught in it so we might as well talk about it! Deathloop has it’s hooks in the entire Waypoint Radio crew to the point that we invited on a special guest just so we could talk about it more. Moises Taveras joins Rob, Patrick, and Cado to talk about the game’s stellar mix of roguelike and immersive sim systems. After the break, Patrick shares his ending thoughts on Life is Strange: True Colors, and discusses how the franchise’s arc with supernatural powers seems to be waning, even though the general writing is getting sharper. Then Rob checks in with the opening hours of Lost Judgment, a game that bewilderingly opens on a story that feels like a 90’s after school special.Discussed: Deathloop 17:43, Life is Strange: True Colors 1:17:17, Lost Judgment 1:34:39 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And then there were three! Rob, Patrick, and Cado reconvene for a new sort of waypoint podcast, part games, part pop culture. With only three people left as full time staff we’re going to start splitting up game talk and putting in more discussions of the film/tv/whatever that’s been inspiring us lately, this week: Patrick and Rob give their early Deathloop impressions, as they both learn the ins and outs of the time loop, and try to decipher which proper noun is the one their trying to kill. After the break, the whole crew has been watching Ted Lasso, the different ways the show’s second season has been uneven.Discussed: Deathloop 12:40, Eastward 38:50, Judgment 39:44, Ted Lasso 42:30 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I may have rewritten this description four times at this point, because it's hard to sum up my feelings today. This is Austin’s last podcast as host of Waypoint Radio. We're all going to miss him on these podcasts, from his incisive analysis to jovial enthusiasm, he put so much of himself into Waypoint and Waypoint Radio over the last five years. And now he's moving on to greater and better things, but not without one last episode. We'll miss you Austin!Discussed: Judgement 1:54, Patrick Key Update 15:21, World Flipper 19:09,Tales of Arise 49:55, Life is Strange: True Colors 1:08:09, OPUS: Echo of Starsong 1:23:32, Dice Legacy 1:34:04,WarioWare: Get It Together! 1:48:34, KeyWe 1:55:33, The Question Bucket 1:57:49, The Matrix Resurrections 2:32:11, Austin's Farewell 2:49:04 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick lost his keys. There’s apparently some bears paraphernalia and a beer opener on the ring. Please email [email protected] if you have found some keys matching this description. Thank You.Discussed: Pokemon Unite 11:41, Psychonauts 2 26:07, Genshin Impact 34:48, Cursed to Golf 54:28, Golf Club Wasteland 1:06:51, Question Bucket 1:21:20, Midnight Suns 1:43:19 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a slow week for new releases, but there’s plenty of new Elden Ring news to talk about! First, Cado walks Austin and Patrick through the new Destiny 2 announcements, and how the new structure of Destiny is shaping up after a year of continuous narrative. Austin and Patrick are excited by the implications of new Elden Ring previews, what they mean for invasions and co-op, and the possibility of rolling deep with pot boys. Then Patrick talks us through the Blasphemous 2 announcement and the interesting localization effort around the original game. After the break, Cado is feeling a lot of familiar feelings while playing No Longer Home, a narrative game that takes cues from Kentucky Route Zero and lives up to those references through it’s naturalistic dialogue system. Patrick has dove even further into the recesses of the mind in Psychonauts 2, and finds a more interesting core message after it’s perfectly adequate opening hours. Then we move on to the question bucket for more gift giving gone wrong (or sometimes very right) stories.Discussed: Destiny 2 8:09, Tencent 25:29, Elden Ring 40:07, Blasphemous 2 53:14, No Longer Home 1:02:53, Psychonauts 2 1:15:36, Dodgeball Academia 1:28:32, Question Bucket 1:31:18 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick has some BREAKING NEWS to share, as the CEO of Unity has responded to complaints from employees about parts of the company working with the US military. Rob and Austin jump in to talk about labor organizing and the reasons certain strategies have fallen out of use in the US. Then the WPR crew talks through the Gamescom opening night live, but not before losing their minds at the latest Fortnite event, a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. After the break, Austin, Rob, and Cado took on some freelance work for the uhhhh … Weyland-Yutani corporation? They talk about their surprisingly good time in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, a co-op misson based third person shooter that finally fills the almost too obvious niche of “Left 4 Dead but in the Aliens universe.” Then Patrick and Austin set out to explore the universe in Jett: The Far Shore, an exploration based game with deeply interesting world building.Discussed: Unity CEO responds 0:48, Fortnite March Through Time 41:42, Gamescom 45:22, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 1:04:06, Jett: The Far Shore 1:29:04 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning at 1:22:00 for discussion of Violence against a pregnant woman, Death, Incest, and DruggingYou ever have one of those days where nothing can go right? Well what if you had to have that day over and over again. Sound familiar? No, I’m not talking about the seminal time loop dark comedy Groundhog Day, a time loop I’d rather be stuck in than play another loop of Twelve Minutes. The whole Waypoint Radio crew played through it and boy do we have a meaty spoiler segment for you. Before that, we dipped into the Question Bucket to hear more Christmas stories, and a follow up to a question on getting into rogue likes. That was right after Rob took us through his aesthetically dense but mechanically mediocre experience with The Ascent. Austin is hopeful for the studio behind Foreclosed, a cyberpunk game that has great storytelling and visual style, but lacks a special something in it’s action sequences. Patrick and Rob took us through their mind palace as they explored Psychonauts 2, but not before we talk about Patrick’s article on Unity’s non-gaming ventures and how workers at the company feel about its military contracts.Discussed (in actual order) : Unity 2:06, Psychonauts 2 35:35, Foreclosed 50:32, The Ascent 53:27, Twelve Minutes Spoilercast (see above for Content Warnings) 1:22:00 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s some big news in this pod! We kick things off with two special announcements, then dive right into the game's we've been playing. Austin’s started the next Waypoint 101 game Super Metroid, Patrick and Cado joined him on stream so they discuss the early hours of the game. Then, Rob and Patrick discuss some of the less convincing moments in Twelve Minutes, an adventure game with some interesting time looping mechanics but questionable plot points. After the break, Austin is getting out of the country on Road 96, a game about teenagers hitchhiking out of a country during a politically turbulent moment. Austin and Cado are then learning the dark arts in Black Book, a deck builder that isn’t a roguelike for once, and has a great atmosphere and interesting mechanics around learning local folklore. Then we take another dip in the bucket for more Christmas lore, and a premonition from pods of Waypoints past. Discussed: Super Metroid 13:56, Twelve Minutes (Light Spoilers) 21:01, Road 96 54:27, Black Book 1:16:16, The Question Bucket 1:29:19 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gita Jackson is on the pod today to tell Rob, Cado, and Patrick all about the different dates they've been on while delving into Boyfriend Dungeon. The crew discuss the content warning controversy around the game, how the visual novel genre has handled similar content in the past, and what “play with care” can mean for different people. After the break, Patrick checked out Axiom Verge 2, the sequel to the 2015 indie Metroidvania that leaves something to be desired. Rob is checking out Humankind, whose “Civ but not” tech trees seem to eschew the way cultures and history can build on top of each other by allowing you to jump between playing different real world civilizations depending on the era you’re in. Cado’s finished up the most recent Destiny 2 season, and feels like the Vanguard could’ve been implicated in some of the hatred towards The Fallen that the season focused on. Then in the question bucket we talk about LARPing.Discussed: Boyfriend Dungeon 0:59, Axiom Verge 37:43, Humankind 52:30, Destiny 2 1:08:53, The Question Bucket 1:23:29 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s hot as hell in NYC this week, which is apt for this particularly hellish episode! Austin, Rob, and Cado discuss some of their recent games of Hell Let Loose, and the different ways the tactical layer can (and will) break down. Then Austin and Cado check out Jupiter Hell, an isometric ranged combat based “traditional” roguelike, which translates FPS mechanics into its tile and turned based gameplay. After the break, we enter the atomic hell of the exclusion zone in Chernobylite, where Austin and Rob are finding ways to make the zone a little more cozy. Then Austin introduces us into a whole new hell of … librarians that turn unsuspecting visitors into books? Library of Ruina’s deck building and card game mechanics may seem inscrutable at first, but at least you have a sick soundtrack to listen to while you figure them out! Then the crew takes a dip in the question bucket to learn about what Pokemon Rob is, Bread, and parents who love Christmas pranks.Discussed: Hell Let Loose 4:14, Jupiter Hell 27:50, Chernobylite 45:47, Banners of Ruin 1:03:50, Library of Ruina 1:08:35, The Question Bucket 1:24:13 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Very special guests Em and Jackson from Abnormal Mapping join Austin and Cado to discuss the hot new game that everyone’s playing: The New York Times Crossword. Thanks to Chris Remo’s new video series, everyone on the pod has been learning the nuances and tricks the NYT like to employ, from esoteric clues that appear again and again to the specific clue construction logic that allow just enough space for multiple interpretations that might still fit in the puzzle. After the break, Cado and Jackson have been checking out Splitgate, the “Halo meets Portal” multiplayer game that has recently blown up, despite it having released a few years ago. Em’s been checking out Final Fantasy XIV, and is having a better time with the new A Realm Reborn changes than either Austin or Cado did with the original content. We also dip into the question bucket to figure out “what kind of Pokemon are you?”Discussed: The New York Times Crossword 5:33, Halo 4 29:29, Splitgate 40:22, Apex Legends 58:05, Final Fantasy XIV 1:16:57, Back 4 Blood 1:34:00, Question Bucket 1:45:15, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster 1:48:27 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gita Jackson joins Rob and Cado today to talk about Neo The World Ends With You, a worthy successor to the original The World Ends With You, whose episodic structure and focus on character writing makes it feel like playing a CW show. After the break, Cado fills in the crew on Gengar's fall from grace as the new patch hits in Pokemon Unite. Then Rob and Gita talk infrastructure games and how roads and bridges can cause all sorts of headaches in City Skylines. Then, Cado joins the other scavengers in the Exclusion Zone in Chernobylite, and talks about how the zone looks and feels great, but the base building aspect is maybe not all the way there. Then they take a quick dip in the question bucket and talk jobs and the myriad ways management can (and will) undercut workers' ability to organize.Discussed: Neo The World Ends With You 8:05, Pokemon Unite 47:22, City Skylines 1:02:55, Hell Let Loose 1:08:55, Chernobylite 1:10:26, The Question Bucket 1:23:26 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin and Cado have joined Rob in the trenches, and they’re having a hell of a time! Commander Rob is joined by a few new squaddies in Hell Let Loose, and someone messed up and let Cado get behind the wheel of a tank. After the break, Patrick is exploring his own cyberpunk hell in The Ascent, an extremely divisive top down shooter with a very slow start. Austin and Rob are scavenging a new exclusion zone in Chernobylite, Cado is doing a dance of deductions in The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, and the question bucket has all sorts of new music stories in it.Discussed: Hell Let Loose 7:02, The Ascent 39:45, The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles: 59:14, Chernobylite 1:03:52, Question Bucket 1:11:37, Death’s Door 1:53:12 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It can be difficult to give game recommendations to people, but every once in a while a game lines up so purely with a person’s tastes it almost felt like it was made for them. This is the case with Hell Let Loose, a World War Two military shooter with a chain of command system that Rob described “[like] an RTS, but your units are other people.” Austin and Cado accidentally convince the rest of the crew to download Pokemon Unite, even as they complain about their less than ideal patch notes. After the break, we get a quick update from Patrick on the current situation at Activision-Blizzard. Austin has been checking out Highfleet, an extremely stylish game set in a Dieselpunk Eastern Europe. And Patrick checks back in with quick updates on Death’s Door and Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City. Then we get some clarification on Patrick’s cruel band class rejection from the Question Bucket.Discussed: Hell Let Loose 6:24, Pokemon Unite 41:10, Activision-Blizzard Walkout 55:40, Death’s Door 1:22:17, HighFleet 1:24:46, Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City 1:39:27, Question Bucket 1:44:34 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin and Cado are still playing Pokemon Unite, and do some live research into some of it's more hidden forms of microtransactions. Patrick is living his best music playing life with Ragnarock, a VR drum rhythm game with a slightly frustrating boost mechanic. After the break, Cado's been playing The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, the historical fiction entry into the Ace Attorney franchise that has only just been released outside of Japan despite the first game being six years old at this point. Austin has been checking out Chernobylite in early access, a first person exploration shooter that takes cues from games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R, but with base building akin to State of Decay. Then the crew takes a quick dip in the question bucket and discuss how to get into rogue-likes, even if the structure seems to not be your cup of tea.Discussed: Pokemon Unite 1:28, Ragnarock 35:31, The Great Ace Attorney 58:09, Death’s Door 1:23:46, Chernobylite 1:28:56, Question Bucket 1:32:26 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning for discussion of Misogyny, Sexual Harassment, and Suicide from 7:28 - 46:49The video game industry has historically been a boys club. Men have often claimed video games as something women weren't interested in or weren't good at. In recent years that line of thinking has shifted towards inclusivity on the community side of things, but within the industry many of the old company structures are still in place, and still undervaluing and endangering women. This week, the state of California brought a suit against Activision-Blizzard for being "breeding ground for harassment". Austin, Patrick, and Cado discuss what the suit has alleged, the ways in which things haven't changed in the industry, and the ways individuals can help push for change.After the break we dive back into Boomerang X, and talk about it's wild final boss. Patrick and Austin are enjoying Death's Door, even if they both thing some of the level design could use some fine tuning. And of course, Cado is playing the PokeMOBA, Pokemon Unite.Discussed: Activision-Blizzard 7:28, Boomerang 46:49, Death's Door 1:13:29, Black Skylands 1:33:09, Ragnarok 1:35:28, Pokemon Unite 1:36:11 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII Remake: Episode: INTERmission at ~1:24:05It’s been a very sports filled week for the Waypoint Radio crew. Basketball is good, Space Jam is bad, and Rob’s getting back behind the wheel with F1 2021, with it’s new “Longshot-eqsue” story mode: Braking Point. Patrick’s looking within in Psychonauts 2, and Austin is looking back by revisiting Dark Souls. Skyward Sword HD continues to frustrate everyone, Austin and the crew take a short detour into Colombian children’s books while discussing Cris Tales, a new “Mario RPG-like” that references many Colombian cultural touchstones. Cado has wrapped Final Fantasy VII: Episode INTERmission, and has left with more questions than answers. Then we dip into some more audiophile and food talk in the Question Bucket.Discussed: F1 2021 10:18, Psychonauts 2 36:48, Dark Souls Remastered 52:28, Skyward Sword HD 57:31, Cris Tales 1:10:13, Final Fantasy VII Remake Episode:INTERmission 1:22:20, Spoilers for INTERmission 1:24:05, Question Bucket 1:42:43 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s not often that you hear someone describe a first party Nintendo game as “Well… it’s interesting.” But that’s one of the opening remarks Patrick has for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. Cado finished Boomerang X and Patrick said he did but, well, I’ll let him defend himself. Rob’s recent foray into the Company of Heroes franchise has culminated in a new release, Company of Heroes 3. The question bucket gets us into a long conversation about cables, and then Valve dropped the Steam Deck.Discussed: World Flipper 1:04, Genshin Impact 4:42, Skyward Sword HD 7:49, Boomerang X 45:02, Company of Heroes 3 1:02:48, Question Bucket 1:43:07, Steam Deck 2:13:12 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a bit of a slow time out in video game land but don't worry, the Waypoint Radio crew are here to entertain. Between Rob's new entertainment center, Patrick's kid's birthday party excursion, and Cado's new Midi controller, they've got plenty of excuses for not playing anything new this weekend. So instead they dig into their weekends, how the Resident Evil 101 is going so far, and Rob's return to Company of Heroes. Then they dive back into the food bucket and Rob one of his favorite food websites.Discussed: What's Good 3:59, Halloween Reboot 17:57, Lost Judgement 20:37, Resident Evil 36:07, Company of Heroes 52:10, Boomerang X 1:27:10, The Question Bucket 1:28:14 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin, Patrick and Cado are back from a long break spent traveling and seeing family, which meant gaming on the go. They've all been playing lots of stuff on their Switches, and bumping up against some of the frustrating issues the now four year old console has. As luck would have it, Nintendo happened to announce a new Switch model this week, but it wasn't quite the hardware upgrade anyone was hoping for. Join the Waypoint Radio crew as they compare some of the games they're playing on Switch to their PC versions and break down how the "4k Switch" rumour mill might have originated.Discussed: The Switch (OLED) 4:51, Boomerang X 36:43, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin 56:46, Dark Souls Remastered 1:10:20, Elden Ring 1:32:03, Ender Lilies 1:34:21, Mario Golf: Super Rush 1:35:24 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the Friday before a longish holiday for us folks here at Waypoint Radio, and you can feel that slightly manic “day before break” energy in the air. Rob, Patrick, and Cado gather round the old podcasting mics to talk Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (those are different things), Golf, Mario Golf (different things!), Flatland, Flatland vol.2 (very different things), and take a real deep and luxuriating dive into the Question Bucket.Discussed: Sheriff of Nottingham 23.34, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade 29:40, Mario Golf: Super Rush 57:22, Flatland Vol. 2 1:17:46, The Question Bucket 1:22:48 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning at 1:16:55 for discussion of Suicide and HarassmentThe height of summer is here, and what better way to beat the heat than some video games! Rob is finding his Battle Royale sea legs by diving head first into Fortnite. Could this mean the return of a certain Battle Royale duo? After the break, Patrick is bringing color back into the world with Chicory, a paint based zelda-like where you use color to complete puzzles. Austin's been spending his time in the sun golfing with the mushroom kingdom in Mario Golf: Super Rush, but wonders if it wouldn't be a bit more fun to enjoy the results of a swing rather than running between them. Rob and Patrick return to Dark Deity to consider their favorite characters and how the game uses overpowered characters to form a smoother difficulty curve. Then Patrick and Austin discuss the real life tragedy and legacy of programer Near, and the cruelty of online harassment.Discussed: Fortnite 11:22, Chicory 33:29, Mario Golf Super Rush 41:35, Ender Lilies 54:58, Dark Deity 1:05:37, Content Warningf for Suicide and Harassment 1:16:55 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer temps are climbing, Austin and Patrick are beating the heat in the dank cavelike temples of Phantom Abyss, an asynchronous multiplayer puzzle platformer where each level is can only be beaten once, and the ghosts of other players lead you to their (and possibly your) demise. Austin is also checking out Scarlet Nexus, an action game with an extremely anime story that has us asking "how anime is too anime?" After the break, we get our second dose of anime with Rob who brings us Dark Deity, a Fire Emblem inspired tactics game that might benefit from being a little less like Fire Emblem. Patrick is exploring a new space of creativity that Nintendo has once again botched online support for in Game Builder Garage, and then we take a soup-dip in the Question Bucket.Discussed : Phantom Abyss 10:52, Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance 22:24, Scarlet Nexus 37:58, Dark Deity 1:00:37, Game Builder Garage 1:13:52, Question Bucket 1:29:17 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a hefty sports/politics minute (look, it was a busy weekend!), the Waypoint Radio crew is here to talk about one of their favorite things, roguelike deckbuilders. Rob is playing Roguebook, a new game designed by Richard Garfield (of Netrunner/Magic: the Gathering fame), which presents a new take on the deckbuilding genre of video games: what if all the cards? After the break, Austin, Patrick, and Cado report back on their time fighting "Chaos?" in Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Austin has also been checking out Wildermyth, an RPG with proc-gen narrative told through the shifting personality traits of your characters. Then we do a quick wrap up on some of our favorite Steam Next Fest demos before entering an especially cursed Question Bucket.Discussed: Sports 0:00, What's Good 5:51, Roguebook 22:59, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin 40:30, Wildermyth 1:00:13, Unsighted 1:12:38, Norco 1:14:33, Question Bucket 1:28:06 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E3 is over! The Waypoint Radio crew is here to wrap up the best announcements from the final two days of E3, and a slew of demos they've played. First up, Austin, Cado, Patrick, and Rob do a blow by blow recap of the stellar Nintendo Direct. Cado and Patrick are excited to return to the Metroid universe with Metroid Dread, a follow up to the great Metroid Fusion. Austin and Cado share a few war stories in preparation for Advanced Wars 1+2: Re-boot Camp, and everyone has thoughts on the new Breath of the Wild 2 trailer. After the break, Rob takes us on the harrowing experience of surviving a medieval siege in Siege Survival: Gloria Victis, and then Patrick and Austin take us through a demo-palooza as they check out different Steam Next Fest and Xbox Demos for upcoming games.Discussed: Nintendo Direct 6:31, Metroid Dread 19:16, Advanced Wars 1+2: Re-boot Camp 38:17, Breath of the Wild 2 47:29, Steam Next Fest 59:56, Siege Survival: Gloria Victis 1:07:57, Sable 1:14:18, Death Trash 1:24:02, They Always Run 1:27:57, Dark Deity 1:35:00, Tunic 1:41:04, Project Haven 1:45:54 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.