Waypoint Radio

You’ve been patient, and it’s finally here. A little over two months since the conclusion of Tetsuya Nomura’s Dark Seeker trilogy, Lore Reasons tackles Kingdom Hearts III. (Naturally, it took us nearly three hours.) Austin, Patrick, and Cado join our resident loremaster, Natalie, as we pilot our Gummi Ship through a bunch of narratively useless Disney worlds en route to one hell of an ending. And that secret movie? THE SECRET MOVIE? It’s all here. Let’s ride.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's time for Austin, Natalie, Patrick, and Rob to return to the secret origins of Waypoints: a chance to talk about animated TV shows. This week finds the gang catching up on ​The Dragon Prince ​at great length, and wrestling with some of their misgiving's about the morality the show is beginning to articulate, and the plot arcs that are unfolding at a breakneck pace. But first, they return to Rooster Teeth's ​GenLOCK​, to discuss the end of its first season, and what the show has revealed itself to be about. Are they just cool robots, or something more?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sekrio: Shadows Die Twice is out tomorrow but Austin, Natalie, and Patrick couldn't wait another second to talk about it! They talk about how the game's mechanics differ from previous FromSoft titles, how the game's focus on "posture" breaking combat changes the feeling of play, how the changes may impact its reception, and, uh, some really big chickens.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s Monday and we have so very many games to talk about. After a brief recap of our weekends, which included hours of unboxing videos, racing wheel setups, F1, grappling, and EMT service, we get into it. We’re playing the definitely-political Division 2, the charming but maybe-politically-confused The Occupation, the wildly creative Hynospace Outlaw, and the brilliant puzzler Baba is You. Strap in for a long one today!Discussed: The Division 2, The Occupation, Hypnospace Outlaw, Baba is You  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Seven weeks ago, we at Waypoint set out on a journey to untangle the lore of Kingdom Hearts. Partially, this was for our listeners who trust our expertise in all matters of the heart, but in honesty, it was mostly for ourselves. We, perhaps like you, had been plagued by questions about the Disney-Square collaboration. These were not novel questions, we know, and to series diehards they were simple: Why do so many people have the letter X in their names. Who was Xehanort, and what did it men to be norted? What's up with Mickey Mouse's shirt situation? How many different ways can you write out the sound "key"? What's more powerful, friendship or darkness? We learned, of course, that many of these questions were deeply connected. Especially the one about Mickey's naked chest.What we didn't anticipate, though, were all of the complex questions that went beyond lore and into the realm of philosophical inquiry: If there are bodies, souls, and hearts, where does the person reside? If some people are drawn inexplicab

Wait, what is ​FORMULA 1 RACING doing on a Waypoint podcast? Well thanks to a slow night for Danielle's EMS work, she fell head-over-heels in love with Netflix's new ​Drive to Survive​ ​series. Listen to Danielle and Natalie get caught up in the drama of tire changes and team budgets in the most lavish motorsport in the world, while Rob tries not to hog the microphone or get everyone to sign up for F1 TV​. Meanwhile, the gang has been trying to figure out their exact level of dread for a Biden presidential campaign, with help from Jamelle Bouie's column on "The Trouble with Biden​". And oh, there is trouble.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join Austin, Natalie, Patrick and Danielle for a whirlwind tour of the games we’re playing, in mechs (Left Alive, Titanfall 2), in space (Objects in Space), and in… demon funtimes (Devil May Cry 5). We’re all anxiously awaiting Sekiro in different ways, really.Discussed: Left Alive, Devil May Cry 5, Objects in Space, Titanfall 2  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last week we were reminded of Troop-Cop, who was so troubled by protestors calling police fascists that he had no choice but to club the shit out of them, all in the service of a tacky clothing brand. It dovetailed well with an interesting graphic essay from Nate Powell on paramilitary aesthetics and their increasing popularity among reactionaries in the United States. Then, Danielle's been digging into the latest issue of Heterotopias, where she encountered an essay from María Bonete Escoto on the "slow violence" of environmental destruction portrayed in the Dishonored series. Patrick was delighted by the second episode of Netfllix's ​Losers​ series​, while Austin has an inside line on some illicit Gundam action.Discussed: About Face by Nate Powell, Losers, Mobile Suit Gundam: 08th MS Team  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Waypoint doesn’t usually cover games ahead of release. Usually. But y’all know we have a real soft spot for the Souls games, and Natalie couldn’t resist spending a few hours of FromSoftware’s latest, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, at a recent press event. Austin and Patrick hopped on to grill Natalie about why she spent so much time trying to kill a dang fish, what makes Sekiro so distinctly different from previous Soulslikes in in ways beyond just combat and storytelling, and more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Austin returns to the podcast after a few weeks of thinking about mechs, and finding rest and relaxation by staying up until the wee hours of the morning while—well, thinking about mechs. He’s joined by Patrick, Cado, Rob, and Natalie to revisit Kingdom Hearts III as everyone nears the ending (no spoilers!), while also touching on Daemon X Machina, Betrayal Legacy, Pokemon Let’s Go Eevee, the medical world’s recent decision to inflate Patrick’s stomach, and the THQ Nordic/8Chan fiasco from last week.​ Oh, and for some godforsaken reason, we spend a long time talking about Joe Wright's Pan movie from 2015.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We have some serious Friday energy on Waypoint Radio today, with another check-in on Metro Exodus, a rousing update on how good that gamefeel is in Trials HD, and Cado's experiences with a stylish new action game in Ape Out. Then we get serious about Pokémon, specifically the Pokémon Sword and Shield announcement. We discuss the starters in great detail, perhaps startling detail, and then take a quick dip in the question bucket to kick off the weekend.Discussed: Metro Exodus, Trials Rising, Ape Out, Pokémon Sword and Shield.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's metrics versus the voice of the people today on Waypoints. Patrick just wanted to know which movies are worth seeing, but he's shocked by how much Rotten Tomatoes has become a front​ for the most asinine battles in the culture war. Meanwhile, Rob has been listening to Mike Duncan's Revolutions podcast, particularly his series on the French Revolution​. It's a good telling of an incredibly complicated story, but does the framework of a story about revolutions, with protagonists and tragic heroes, have an inherently conservative bent? Finally, Danielle is fascinated by the strange ritual of the NFL Combine​, and the weird ways it attempts to use physical measurements to predict future performance.Discussed: 'Captain Marvel' Review Bombers Have Dropped Rotten Tomatoes Audience Rating to Lowest in MCU', Revolutions Podcast: The Three Estates, 'I went through the NFL Combine. These were the most awkward parts.'  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re sailing into new territories on Waypoint Radio 222, with Captain Natalie at the helm, and Rob, Patrick, and Danielle along for a wild ride of mixed metaphors and new game scuttlebutt. Admiral Rob has a non-digital game to regale us about in Empire of the Sun. Commander Patrick has plenty of Anthem thoughts and notions on the Trials franchise, while First Mate Danielle has stories about Trials Rising and a very effective horror game in Devotion. Finally, Captain Natalie has a truly harrowing and exciting tale for us all in her Apex Legends segment.Discussed: Empire of the Sun, Anthem, Trials Rising, Devotion, Apex Legends  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Austin's been on vacation this week, which by Austin's standards means he's been playing Anthem and needs to talk about it. Well, so have Patrick and Cado, so we decided it made the most sense to just sit down and work out our thoughts on BioWare's Iron Man + Destiny game.Discussed: Anthem  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's a hell of a way to run a government on Waypoints this week. Join Rob, Patrick, and Natalie as they discuss a number of eye-opening investigative reports that have left them stunned lately. First, Patrick has been mesmerized by the saga of how local and state government in Wisconsin gave electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn one of the most lopsided deals in US history. It's a story told at the highest level by an article in Bloomberg Businessweek​ and at the ground level by a dramatic episode of Reply All​ that shows how a community tore itself apart for the distant promise of a factory. Next, Rob and Natalie have been reading ProPublica's haunting report​ on the ​USS Fitzgerald ​collision. How does one of the most advanced ships, with the best equipment, in one of the most prestigious fleets in the US Navy, end up falling victim to such a routine and preventable accident? There's no one clear answer, but a lot of contributing factors that add up to a portrait of a navy rotting away from the inside.Dis

Kingdom Hearts III may be out, but look, we’re still working our way through a game from 2012, okay? Welcome back to Lore Reasons, our multipart deep dive into the story and larger mythology driving Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts series. We are not experts, but through the power of friendship (and ice cream), we can try. On today’s episode, we finally catch up to the modern timeline, as we make sense of Dream Drop Distance. We’ll be back in a few weeks with more episodes, including talking about Kingdom Hearts III. Stay tuned.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

During a week in which Activision unceremoniously laid off 800 people while simultaneously bragging about record revenue, we find ourselves confused and angry, yet quietly optimistic about the possibility of change. We also explain how economics works. Why pay for a college textbook? You’ve got us! Elsewhere, Patrick, Natalie, Cado, and Rob talk excitedly about the big announcements at Nintendo Direct—Mario Maker 2! Link’s Awakening! Tetris 99! Rune Factory 4!—and wildly speculate about Hollow Knight’s just-announced sequel. Also, is Metro: Exodus any good? Why can’t you put the language into Russian? Questions.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join host Natalie (aka Ronatalie Zacson), along with Danielle and Patrick for an especially animated episode of Waypoints, wherein we discuss glitter (the substance), Russian Doll (the TV series), and the AAF (the football league). First, we tackle Caity Weaver’s phenomenal investigation for the New York Times into glitter, discussing the shockingly secret industry. Then we talk about the dark, hilarious, off-kilter vibes of Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler’s Russian Doll, about a woman who keeps dying and repeating a particularly weird section of her life. Finally, we help Patrick decide on a team to root for in the AAF, a new football league with the potential to be a developmental league for the NFL. Many logos are considered.(edited)  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’ve got a two parter on our hands this week—a two parter with a whole lot of time travel. First, Austin, Cado, Natalie, and Patrick sit down to talk Apex Legends, the latest from Titanfall creators Respawn Entertainment. Almost the whole team has been dropping into the Outlands, and it seems like we can't get enough. Then, after the break, Rob taps in for Patrick to talk Sunless Skies, the sequel to Failbetter Games's Sunless Sea. This game's got space trains, zombies, and demons, and it all takes place in...hell?? Next, Cado and Austin give their first thoughts on The Division 2 beta, a game that has in their marketing tiptoed around the politics they use as environmental decor.Discussed: Apex Legends, Sunless Skies, The Division 2 Beta  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Welcome back to Lore Reasons: Kingdom Hearts, our dizzying exploration of Disney and Square-Enix's massive RPG crossover. When we first began to explore Sora's journey through the many worlds of Kingdom Hearts, our memories were fresh from watching cutscene compilations and explainer videos and our bodies were powered by the strength of overpriced beer. But now, weeks later, we have no memories, no beer, and, uh, nobodies. Fuck.Join us as we respond to some very helpful corrections and then move through three whole games​ on this week's episode: ​358/2 Days​, ​Kingdom Hearts 2​, and ​Re:coded​. We learn more about Organization XIII, the many residents of Sora's heart, the digital world, and, uh... let me ask Natalie, our intrepid Lore Master really quick...Okay. She says "And Riku was there." So, that.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.