Waypoint Radio

We've got a long one today (partially to make up for Monday's short episode? Who could say!?) Danielle starts us off with her impressions of The Sinking City, Frogwares' new detective game set in a Lovecraftian flooded town. She and Austin discuss the game's racial politics and how they shift the lens through which Lovecraft wrote his original works, while Rob draws a through line from this game to the works of Dashiell Hammet. Then Patrick stares at a wall and groans about the existence of Mario Maker 2, a game he claims is canceled because "Dan Ryckert still exists." He then goes on to admit that he's become that which he hates and has actually made a level in the new game, and he liked it. We check back in on Rob's campaign in Steel Division 2 before Cado whisks us to the magical world of Wizards Unite, which turns out to look a lot like the world of Pokemon Go, which looks a lot like Brooklyn. Stick around to the end to hear us live react to what has to be one of the wildest commercials any of us have eve

Neon Genesis Evangelion is finally streaming, and with it comes our long promised rewatch of the series. On this episode we discuss the first seven episodes, from the different translations, to it's cinematic story-telling, from it's use of sexist anime tropes, to the deep exploration of its character's psyches. Danielle, Rob, and Patrick give their first time impressions while Cado and Austin shoot knowing glances back and forth. It's a long one, so strap in!Episodes Discussed: 1: Angel Attack, 2: Unfamiliar Ceiling, 3: The Silent Phone, 4: Rain, After Running Away, 5: Rei, Beyond the Heart, 6: Showdown in Tokyo-3, 7: The Works Of Man  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ah summer. A time for beaches, BBQs, and new game announcements... but not a whole ton of new games. Austin spent a weekend deep in TTRPG land, so it's up to Rob and Cado to talk about the games that have come out this week. We're fully into the summer lull, but Cado decided to take a vacation to the frigid new region in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's beta. Rob's back from vacation, and he brought a few billion friends with him as he dives into the new single player campaign for They Are Billions. They also takes us through the early hours of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which may lean too heavily on it's roots, and the campaign of Steel Division 2, which feels different enough from the first game that Rob is questioning whether it's interesting or exasperating.Discussed: Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, They Are Billions, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Steel Division 2.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We had so many E3 questions we decided to split our recording on Tuesday into two podcasts so we could do a real deep dive into what you wanted to know about this year's show. We dig into how inspiration can take many forms in game development, games that have purposefully tackled political issues in the past, our personal histories with E3, and what the future of the expo might hold. Patrick checks back in with more info on Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and shares a few anecdotes from his interview with the developers. Austin googles what Fall Guys is, and digs into the political readings of being able to recruit literally anyone in Watch Dogs: Legion.Discussed: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Mafia III, Watch Dogs 2, Spec Ops: The Line, Fall Guys, Watch Dogs: Legion, Blair Witch  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the Netflix release of Neon Genesis Evangelion around the corner, we're rereleasing our conversation on the landmark series' first two episodes from Waypoints 10. The team examines the first two episodes, with Rob, Patrick, and Danielle giving their first ever impressions of the series, struck by it's narrative structure and striking visuals. Then Austin leads them through a discussion of the show's predecessors, it's troubled production, and complicated readings. We will be back next week with a new episode of Waypoints discussing more episodes!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With E3 2019 behind us, the crew at Waypoint Radio turn their attention to what really matters: The games we played going to and coming from E3 2019. We dig into Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda, SteamWorld Quest, Slay the Spire, BattleTech: Urban Warfare and more! Plus, we begin to answer your questions about E3... but you'll have to tune in later in the week for the REAL deep dive into ol' Question Bucket.Games Discussed: PiXXL Cube, Dicey Dungeons, Slay the Spire, SteamWorld Quest, Cadence of Hyrule, Breath of the Wild, BattleTech: Urban Warfare, Atral Chain, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Daemon X Machina  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Twas the night after E3And all through the houseNot a producer was stirringNo clicks of a mouse.The mics had been packedIn the pelican with care,But podding must happenEven if Cado's not thereRob saw some VampiresThat filled him with dreadWhile Natalie had images Of Gooigi in her headAustin saw Linkin his little green capAnd Patrick was a Sharkthat mostly attackedAnd now E3 is overIt’s been quite a sight!Merry Gamer Christmas to all,And to all a good night.Discussed: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Marvels Ultimate Alliance 3, Maneater, E3, Control, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Cyberpunk 2077, Blair Witch, Monster Hunter: World Iceborne  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're nearly at the finish line. Day two of E3 2019 is in the books, and so is our podcast. Join Austin, Patrick, Cado, and Rob as they discuss how Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (aka Star Souls??) is actually rad, why we still don't know what to make of Marvel's Avengers even after watching someone play it, and more! Those more things include hands-on with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and impressions of Dying Light 2, Age of Empires II, Outer Worlds, and Psychonauts 2.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We have finally left the negative zone—E3 has officially started. Join Patrick, Cado, Austin, Rob, and The Joyous Gamer herself, Natalie, for a VERY LONG discussion about our first stay at the show. We start with Nintendo’s E3 announcements, including the surprise reveal of a sequel to Breath of the Wild, and what it means for Zelda’s role in the series. From there, a bunch of heavy hitters: Cyberpunk 2077, DOOM Eternal, Empire of Sin, Vampire Bloodlines 2, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Borderlands 3, and so much more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With just about all of the major conferences behind us, E3 2019 is now in full swing. Join the Waypoint Radio crew as they describe their hands on experiences with Ubisofts' Watch Dogs Legion and Roller Champions, plus their thoughts on Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Marvel's Avengers, and everything else from the Square-Enix's big event. What else was there at Square Enix's big event? Who could say. I'm writing this description at 2:14 AM, and you'll have to join us on this audio journey to find out.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Microsoft and Bethesda brought a ton to show during their press conferences last night. But no story felt more important (in the broad view) than Microsoft's continued support of Xbox Game Pass, the company's subscription based service. With the announcement of the company's new service featuring a catalog of games especially curated for the PC, Game Pass has become a hard-to-deny value. In our second E3 2019 episode of Waypoint Radio, we dig deep into the service, plus chat about Cyberpunk 2077, ​​Outer Worlds​, ​Doom: Eternal​, ​Keanu Reeves, and so much more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's Gamer Christmas Eve as Austin, Patrick, Cado, and Rob talk about the big E3 news that's already broken before E3 has even begun. The gang discuss the Google Stadia announcement and how it could transform game development and economics. They also dig into Destiny 2's upcoming expansion, Shadowkeep, and whether this is the kind of story and atmosphere that Destiny is capable of evoking. Other big changes are coming to Destiny as well, so the crew discusses the game's upcoming transition to free-to-play and what that could mean for the game's direction. Finally, there's leaks! Or are they spoilers? Can you spoil a game announcement, and should anyone care? Maybe not, and yet undeniably, at least a couple of us do.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rob may be back from vacation but he's definitely not all there on this loopy Waypoints. Patrick has gone back to Gareth Edwards' 2014 Godzilla and found an underappreciated gem whose perceived flaws may have resulted in an inferior sequel. Danielle can buy the giant monsters, but not the depiction of affordable family housing in San Francisco. Rob has the giggles, but maybe that's just because Bon Appetit's Youtube series are so funny.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dread it, run from it, E3 still arrives. Despite quickly deleting any email referencing the “electronic entertainment expo” in our inboxes, apparently that won’t stop gaming’s biggest event from happening, so we might as well yell into a microphone about it. Austin, Cado, and Patrick use the press conference schedule for next week to talk about expectations, rumors, and surprises set for next week. And yes, we spend a lot of time wondering about the new From Software game. We also touch on a few games we’ve been playing, including Gato Roboto, Slay the Spire, and a VR game where you’re, uh, a kayak assassin? Seriously.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As time marches inexorably on, the seasons change, and so we must change with them. In the spirit of growth that the summer brings, we are joined by Joel Fowler, Waypoint's former publisher, on his final day at VICE, to say good bye and talk about how awesome Bitterblack Isle from Dragon's Dogma is. Austin's been exploring space and time in Outer Wilds, while Danielle and Patrick have both been exploring space and death in Void Bastards. Cado updates us on the world of Pokémon (turns out it's full of shirts and sleep apps). We talk Mario Maker, Call of Duty, Death Stranding, and take two breaks. This episode is huge honestly, it's almost as if companies are getting a bunch of news out in anticipation of something!Discussed: Outer Wilds, Void Bastards, Mario Maker 2, This 'Mario Maker' Level Has Been Played 2.6 Million Times and Never Beaten, The Speedrunner Who Wasn’t: How a Community Dealt with an Elaborate Cheater,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Pokémon Shirts, Pokémon

Austin is out this week due to a Dental Procedure, which leaves Patrick, Rob, Cado, and Danielle to come to terms with their own oral hygiene. Does anyone go to the dentist enough? How long is too long between visits? Excuse me did Rob just say the word "decade?" The crew then shift to the lighter topic of horror games; Danielle has been playing the sea based Layers of Fear 2 and Patrick brings us the space station thriller Observation. Rob learns the horrors of "accidentally" declaring yourself emperor in Total War: Three Kingdoms, and Cado scratched his deck building game itch with the beta for Nowhere Prophet. We round out the horror show as we discuss Dante Douglas's new piece on Brigitte's riot police skin in Overwatch and the myriad problems that come with it.Discussed: Total War: Three Kingdoms (and Rob's review), Layers of Fear 2, Observation, Team Sonic Racing, Nowhere Prophet, Stop Turning Overwatch Characters Into Cops  See acast.com/privacy for privacy

​This episode contains spoilers for all of Game of Thrones!So. Game of Thrones is finally over. Through ups and downs, good seasons and bad, it seemed like the entire world was watching. And when something has that much attention, even the smallest change gets noticed. This week on Waypoints, Austin brings us an article on how the final seasons of Game of Thrones shifted storytelling styles, and we discuss how those changes manifested in a season that has a lot of people scratching their heads if they're not outright disappointed. He's also brought an article asking what happens to website traffic when a cultural phenomenon ends, and why so many sites, regardless of focus, ran articles on Game of Thrones. Rob then brings us an amazing interview with Magic Johnson on why he spectacularly quit his job with the Lakers, and the crew discusses why he can just up and do that. Discussed: The Real Reason Fans Hate the Last Season of Game of Thrones, What Time Does the Game of Thrones Traffic End?, Magic Johnson says

Austin returns from the world of “Los Angeles” to...not talk about any of the video games he played—well, except one! He’s joined by Rob, Cado, and Patrick to wonder why more people aren’t playing the new and excellent season of Life Is Strange, what to make of Microsoft and Sony partnering on cloud gaming, an update on Rob’s conquests in Total War: Three Kingdoms, and Patrick with some first impressions of the latest game from the developers of Stories Untold, a game where players, more or less, become the HAL 9000.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Motherboard’s Emanuel “I Should Honestly Get Paid For My Viral Tweets” Maiberg joins Patrick, Cado, and Rob us for a wide-ranging episode of Waypoint Radio, in which we discuss our uncanny ability to never hear about Homestuck despite being extremely online, the best way to tell a debt collector to screw off, what Patrick has to fear from Super Mario Maker 2, and the games that we’ve been playing, including Rage 2, Project Hospital, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and Total War: Three Kingdoms.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick welcome Motherboard's Jason Koebler discuss the strange and somewhat hard-to-credit tale of a young teenage boy who was lured into the alt-right via online communities, and how his mother helped him escape. It touches on the nature of online radicalization, the way young white kids can recast themselves as a persecuted class, and how that process can be stopped. Then, Danielle explains the wonder that is the Jason X plot, and Rob has read an essay on how the most common tools for teaching and learning may also be some of the worst.Discussed: What Happened After My 13 Year Old Son Joined the Alt-Right, Jason X, Why Books Don't Work  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.