Waypoint Radio

Waypoint Senior Editor Rob Zacny reads his latest, which tackles Call of Duty: World War II, a game that sends the series back to its roots, and casts a modern warfare gaze on a past that suddenly seems mythic. Find the full article at: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/pa37bn/watching-history-fade-away-in-call-of-duty-wwii  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Though the holidays can be stressful, time off from work means there's way more time for games! So, there's that. Danika, Austin, Rob, and Patrick reconvened after Thanksgiving to discuss what everyone played over the brief break, ranging from Battle Chef Brigade to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp to ZombiU (yes, ZombiU!) to Yakuza 0. Because Patrick didn't play any games, however, he was forced to express my ongoing anxiety about having purchased a robot cleaner. Rob didn't make Patrick feel any better.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

First up, an apology. Though we’ve tried to find a way to make Waypoint 101 run on a schedule, the bandwidth of Waypoint’s staff makes that really tough. That said, we’re happy to present this three-hour (!!!) podcast in which myself, Danielle, Austin, and Rob talk through the second half of Wolfenstein: The New Order and make sense of the sequel, The New Colossus. We tried to keep things short, but managed to talk for nearly four hours, anyway.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Video games have been especially busy lately, which means we’ve only had time for one or two questions at the end of most podcasts. With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up for many, including everyone at Waypoint, we figured it was a good time to get our hands dirty in The Question Bucket. This helps explain why Danielle, Rob, and myself went on an extremely long tangent about garage culture, and how people lose their minds after moving to the suburbs. We talk about video games sometimes, too.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new Star Wars video game launched this week, but Battlefront II isn’t on our minds right now. Instead, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick used the launch of Electronic Arts’ loot box simulator to look back at their individual histories with Star Wars video games. If you want to hear about Danielle’s special “flight pants” while playing Shadows of the Empire, or how Dark Forces forced Patrick to understand how computers work, this is the podcast for you.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Austin has recorded a bonus podcast for those of you who don't have time to swing by the site to read his latest article, "The New 'Need for Speed' Sees a Future Where Loot Boxes Are in Control." You can find that story (and many others) at waypoint.vice.com, and read it here: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/9kqvzp/the-new-need-for-speed-sees-a-future-where-loot-boxes-are-in-controlWe'll be back as usual this Friday with more Waypoint Radio! Enjoy!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Because it’s 2017, it’s impossible to go a day without something big, which is why Patrick, Austin, Danika, and Rob spend a big chunk of the podcast discussing why some people end up harassing developers when they’re upset about a game. Later, Danika discusses her time with Horizon: Zero Dawn’s big DLC, The Frozen Wilds, Rob relays the confusion of entering the world of 4K with the Xbox One X, and Austin accidentally becomes a speedrunner.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We welcome special guest Adam Conover from Adam Ruins Everything for a chat about Dark souls, fairness in games, and how much fun it is to ruin common misconceptions. We also talk seriously about comedy, Louis C.K., and sexual harassment.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With half the team missing or wounded, Austin and Rob have to conduct an after-hours stealth podcast. Austin's been playing some Need for Speed: Payback and the Longshot narrative campaign from Madden 18, while Rob is really surprised by how much War of the Chosen turned him around on X-COM 2.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

11-time UFC Flyweight champion (and prolific game streamer) Demetrious Johnson joins Danielle and Austin today for a chat about Battlegrounds, fighting games, and MMA. “Mighty Mouse” came prepared, with plenty to say about streaming platforms, esports casting, and the business of putting on a good show.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In an epic spoilercast that lasts almost—but not quite—as long as the film itself, Austin, Rob, and Danielle dig deep into the world of Blade Runner 2049. There are no holds barred here, as they go into the cinematography, politics, race and gender issues and deeply individual reads of the movie, along with a little dose of everyone’s history with the series.So strap into your spinner (or, uh, audio device) and prepare for a long, spoiler-y journey into Los Angeles, 2049.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This morning, Sony held an event in Paris to make a bunch of surprising (and not-so-surprising) announcements about video games. While we won't be able to play most of them until next year, there was plenty to talk about, especially when it came to some "interesting" trailers for The Last of Us Part II and Detroit: Become Human. Austin, Patrick, and Danielle talk through Sony's news before touching on how much fun we've having with Super Mario Odyssey.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Between Super Mario Odyssey, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Assassin’s Creed: Origins, it’s one of the biggest weeks for video games in a long time. What connects all three of them is that once you start a new game, they have to introduce themselves. Patrick, Danielle, and Austin use the powerfully dark introduction from Wolfenstein II, the botched introduction from Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and the trope-y introduction from Super Mario Odyssey as a launching pad for a larger discussion about each game, and what it means to design a video game's first impression.​  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

272 moons later, I've "beaten" Super Mario Odyssey, but it feels like I've only scratched the surface of Mario's latest, a breathlessly creative adventure equal parts surprising and bewildering—in a good way.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Over the weekend, allegations of sexual misconduct by the owner of the popular gaming forum NeoGAF surfaced. Patrick spent the weekend looking into the story,which turned into a lengthy examination about the last 48 hours at NeoGAF, including comments from NeoGAF's owner, the woman who raised the original allegations, and the moderators who helped run the site. Austin, Danielle, and Patrick have complicated feelings about NeoGAF, so a podcast seemed the best way to work them out.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Earlier this week EA shut down Visceral Studios, leaving many to wonder about the future of linear, AAA single player games. It’s a complex topic, which is why we’re grateful that we got to sit down and talk about it with Manveer Heir, a 12 year veteran of the industry who worked on games including Mass Effect 3, Andromeda, and Wolfenstein (2009). We also dig into issues of representation, toxic work cultures, harassment, and talk about how to make the games industry a better place. We’re optimistic, we swear—it’s just gonna be a lot of work!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Following a weekend where an ex-Naughty Dog employee alleged they were sexual harassed, Austin, Danika, Rob, and myself took stock of the various (and often inappropriate) ways different actors responded to the situation. Elsewhere, we discussed a bizarre but extremely good trivia app called HQ, and after telling a great joke, I shared some initial impressions of South Park: The Fractured But Whole, a game that's likely to be disappointing, even to South Park fans.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re trying something different with the Friday episodes of Waypoint Radio. One, Danielle is the host! Two, the discussion is framed around a single topic. That doesn’t mean we won’t talk about games we’ve been playing (or big news), but generally, this is the new format. In the future, we’ll be announcing topics in advance, so you can weigh in with questions. On today’s episode, the future of the immersive sim genre (aka Deus Ex, Dishonored, Prey) is explored by Danielle, Rob, Austin, and Patrick.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Though the beta for Star Wars: Battlefront II just started, it's only added fuel to the fire for a conversation that's dominated the last few weeks of games: loot boxes. Rob, Danielle, and myself weigh in on whether some players are being overdramatic, or if the industry is overreaching in a way that'll quickly backfire. In The Question Bucket, we mull over how boring it can be to play a "bad" character in a video game, the ongoing debate over whether you can like a game when its creators are shitty, and more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's taken too long, but the second installment in Waypoint 101, where we revisit old games and have a community discussion about them, is here. Austin, Rob, Danielle, and Patrick have played through the first six chapters of Wolfenstein: The New Order, in anticipation of the game's sequel, The New Colossus, arriving later this month. (And also because the real world is, weirdly, full of Nazis again?) There are abundant spoilers, obviously, as we discuss how The New Order was perceived when it arrived in 2014, catching most by surprise, and how 2017's political context has changed perceptions of the game. We'll be back with a second, final episode in two weeks.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.