Waypoint Radio

Turns out the reports of its death weren’t exaggerated, as the ESA announced that E3 2023 was officially canceled mere minutes after we stopped our original podcast recording. Rob and Cado are flying solo this episode and certainly thought it was gonna be a short one, but it seems that the Five Star Runtimes ethos has a full grasp on both of them. Cado’s been living their best hacker life in DROP - System Breach, a fast paced puzzle game that manages to get stellar “hacker feel” out of a controller based game. Rob’s thinks MLB The Show’s new Storylines feature on the Negro leagues is almost a home run, despite getting into a pickle rounding third base. After the break, we learn that Rob’s partner has some hidden AV sicko tendencies, chat about how Destiny 2’s current storyline stacks up to previous seasons, and take a dip in the Question Bucket to talk about control schemes and wild PC rigs.Discussed: RIP E3 00:18, DROP- System Breach 40:36, MLB The Show 23 54:35, Marvel’s Midnight Suns 1:42:14, Destiny 2 1:5

Rob's back from his vacation, and he returns a changed man. He's taken advantage of his position as King of Executive Function to make some Extremely Key Hardware Upgrades while no one was around to judge him. Ren checked out the City Enviroment builder Terra Nil where you're tasked with reversing the effects of climate collapse. After the break, Patrick's checking in with T'chia, an indie Breath-of-the-Wild-like with a really interesting possession mechanic, and Rob's continued to be on one in The Great War: Western Front. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Counter Strike 2 is real, proving that Valve can at least count to 2. Patrick has a delightful interview with lead Storyteller developer Daniel Benmergui, then Ren finally lets the rest of the Waypoint crew know what Redfall is like to play. Then we take a quick dip in the bucket and learn that most of today's crew is clumsy as hell. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Cado’s back from moving hell, with a broken phone and sore arms. We also take a moment to remember Lance Reddick. who passed last week, and his roles in TV and games that touched us. Then, Ren and Patrick recount their time with the beta for Exoprimal, where you don an exosuit and kill a crapload of dinosaurs. Oh, and Patrick’s been click-click-clicking around the Diablo IV beta, as well. Finally, we check in with the latest game to hurt Ren’s brain, Post Void, a lil’ Destiny 2, and Bayonetta Origins before dipping into the bucket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob and Patrick are joined by Phoenix Labs' Bob Colayco to discuss Lakers fandom vs. Bulls fandom, the Bubble Championship, the Bulls late-season run for the playoffs, and of course, the latest instalment of the Green Bay Packers' performance of Hamlet, starring Aaron Rodgers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob has a bad case of senioritis as he hosts one last podcast before his vacation. He's got big plans for this break, such as getting caught up on Resident Evil 2 and 3 so that he can fully appreciate the masterpiece Patrick describes now that he has played more of the remake. Ren discusses what happened with Bleak Faith's stolen Elden Ring animations. The gang talks about level design signposting, asset rips, platform capitalism, and of course, Rob's exposure to Roblox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Turn returns to the well of beautifully shot, dreamlike psychological horror with Robert Egger's The Lighthouse. The film follows two lighthouse keepers, played by Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, as they descend into madness while tending a remote lighthouse. The film, and our hosts, ponder the role of masculinity, labor, and eldritch horror in The Lighthouse's nuanced depiction of the two worst men you can imagine. Following a brief question bucket, Cado picks our next movie, and Patrick, true to The Lighthouse's subject matter, absolutely loses his shit about it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob, Ren, and Patrick discuss the season finale of The Last of Us and unpack the rushed feeling that characterized the second half of the season. But first, Patrick has gone back to Resident Evil 4 and could not be happier to be back there. Plus, Rob discusses arctic survival game The Pale Beyond and Ren discusses action roguelike Mortal Sin, which has terrific art and a great feel to its combat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick has been lured back into the deep embrace of Destiny 2, and in true Destiny fashion, has become one with the cheese. We wrap up our coverage of the Lightfall campaign and discuss difficulty spikes, community expectations, and where Patrick might swing to next on his Destiny journey. But first, Ren’s bringing us a new take on Sekiro-like combat with Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. Then Patrick checks in on Dead Cell’s new Castlevania DLC. After the break, Rob’s curious about some of the announcements at Paradox’s recent announcement stream, and then we dive into the bucket to ask “how many Boston squares are you willing to walk for good food?”Discussed: Wo Long Fallen Dynasty 0:32, Dead Cells Castlevania DLC 39:15, Destiny 2 Lightfall 48:00, Paradox Announcement Show 1:27:37, Starfield Delay 1:40:27, Question Bucket 1:40:27, Outro and Announcements 2:00:44 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Rob still out, Patrick and Ren discuss the latest episode of The Last of Us, and whether the level-like structure of the adaptation, nearing its finale, is causing problems. Elsewhere, Cado's played King of the Castle, a new party game that pits your friends against each other for some goofy Game of Thrones-style machinations, and Ren explains a very weird Olympics “esport” situation. Before a big dip into The Question Bucket, Patrick and Cado briefly swing back into the later half of Destiny 2's newest expansion, Lightfall.Discussed: The Last of Us 09:51, King of the Castle 31:39, The Olympics Esports Games 47:00, Destiny 2 Lightfall 1:08:10, The Question Bucket 1:16:23, Outro and Announcements 1:40:08 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new Destiny expansion means our resident Destiny “expert” (aka Cado) is unleashed, but wait…is that a grappling hook? (Patrick’s been playing it, too.) But first, Ren’s checking out a tactical roguelike called The Last Spell, where you defend a town trying to cast the, uh, last spell. After the break, we wade into the JRPG discourse, and Patrick has beaten Hi-Fi Rush and embraced Zwan. Then, we head into the question bucket to decide if a listener will become more like Rob (computer in living room) or more like Patrick (computer in office).Discussed: The Last Spell 04:13, Destiny 2 - Lightfall 23:29, Resident Evil 4 Remake 1:08:12, Japanese Developers' thoughts on the phrase JRPG 01:10:14, Hi-Fi Rush 01:22:43, The Question Bucket 01:32:01 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a big week for Waypoint, with two games primed to be favorites. The mech-centric Phantom Brigade is dropping, so Ren checked in with the latest early access build before 1.0. Patrick’s played a bit of Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe…and yep, it’s a Kirby game! Cado’s shuffling cards and playing poker in Aces and Adventures, where the Aces (game mechanics) are neat, but the Adventures leave much to be desired. Then, the crew talks about the last two episodes of The Last of Us, and speculate on where it’s all going. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror (sorry, Austin!), Rob and Patrick turn towards the next great sporting event: the XFL! It’s mostly an excuse to talk about surprisingly controversial beer snakes, before discussing sports’ relationship with long COVID, confusing Manchester City with Manchester United, and ponder several listener questions, including the whether a former Columbus Blue Jacket mascot, Boomer, looks too much like a penis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A specter is haunting Waypoint Radio—the specter of BioShock Infinite. That game’s influences are all over Atomic Heart, whose Russian origins (and sex robots) are its own discourse. After the break, we touch base on the ongoing Activision Blizzard acquisition, and the surprising raises across some of Japan’s larger gaming companies. Elsewhere, Rob’s reviewed Company of Heroes 3, and Patrick is happy to report Metroid Prime still whips. Then, a developer writes in to clear up why a studio wouldn’t make their own game engine.Discussed: Atomic Heart 0:40, Microsoft Continues to Try to Acquire Activision 1:04:09, Big Gaming Companies Give Raises? 1:11:37, Metroid Prime Remake 1:35:35, The Question Bucket 1:44:49, Firaxis loses Studio Heads 1:53:42, The Question Bucket Again 2:01:45, Outro and Announcements 2:09:02 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy new VR headset to all who celebrate, though mostly Patrick, who’s reviewed Sony’s PlayStation VR2. Elsewhere, Rob’s murdering and tending gardens in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Ren’s checking back in with the perhaps too brutal Darkest Dungeon 2, and all of us were happy for the big boy to show up in the latest episode of The Last of Us. Before we jet, Patrick weighs in on beating Dead Space, and we revisit pranks in The Question Bucket.Discussed: PSVR 2 1:39, Like a Dragon: Ishin! 31:26, Darkest Dungeon 2 1:04:40, The Last of Us Episode 5 1:18:15, Dead Space 1:43:49, The Question Bucket 1:48:37 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patrick’s gone, time for 5-star runtimes about tactics, cover and concealment mechanics, and a game taking up Rob’s time, Broken Arrow. Then, Cado and Ren are having the cyber-noir time of their lives Shadows of Doubt, a detective game mashing up procedural generation with voxels. Later, Rob and Patrick have a joint conversation with the creative directors of the original Dead Space and its new remake. After the break, Ren takes us to the magical world of Wild Hearts, Koei-Tecmo’s attempt at a Monster Hunter-like that’s actually got something to say. Finally, Rob’s soaking in the Pacific Northwest vibes from Pacific Drive, aka STALKER in a station wagon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Austin Walker joins Rob and Patrick to preview the upcoming Super Bowl and the ways it could go catastrophically wrong for Austin, ponder how many buffalo wings are too many buffalo wings, and discover Austin’s history with the Eagles is more complicated than family. And because we can’t help ourselves, we end up chatting a bit about the recent media layoffs, Waypoint+, and Waypoint’s Ongoing Game of the Year, Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Nintendo Direct made just for us?! Beyond a lengthy breakdown of the new Zelda trailer, we talk at length about the coverage of Hogwarts Legacy and the notion of accountability. After the break, Rob’s spending his “bachelor” time catching up on The Last of Us, so we spoil the first four episodes, discussing violence as storytelling and the endless delight of Pedro Pascal. Finally, a quick lightning round of our favorite Steam Next Fest games! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Turn has proved unpredictable, so it’s only natural that Patrick ended this cycle on The Green Knight, the 2021 film starring Dev Patel as pre-knighthood Gawain of the mythical roundtable of Camelot. The Green Knight is rife with actions turned into symbolism, otherworldly visuals, and a sense that magic and nature are one in the same. And ext time, it’s YOUR turn. Stay tuned for a poll! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob’s parking garage is falling apart thanks to a cold snap, but still found another way to experience weather in Against the Storm, a roguelite city builder with beaver people. Ren’s checked out Your Only Move is Hustle, a turn-based fighting game that plays like an old stickfight animation, and Patrick’s bopping beats in Rhythm Sprout. Naturally, Rob’s found yet another way to talk tanks, thanks to The Great War: Western Front. After the break, we take a dive into the question bucket to talk pranks, gentrification, and coastal food fights.Discussed: Against the Storm 15:17, Your Only Move is Hustle 20:45, Rhythm Sprout 26:44, The Great War: Western Front 32:13, The Question Bucket 58:33 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.