Waypoint Radio

The Waypoint Radio crew discusses the death of Stadia, yet another Google product killed unceremoniously. Patrick’s definitely not getting into legal trouble by talking about a Sonos speaker on pod. Ren’s been slowly influencing the world economy in Terra Invicta, a sci-fi strategy game that has you lead one of several shadowy international organizations on the eve of an alien invasion. Cado’s going medieval in Inkulinati, the tactical strategy game that has you battling as the various creatures in the margins of a medical illuminated manuscript. Then a quick dip in the question bucket has the crew discussing the worst game they played all the way through.Discussed: Stadia is Dead 1:39, Sonos Update 19:41, System Shock 28:41, Terra Invicta 33:29, Rollerdrome 55:06, Inkulinati 1:02:23, The Question Bucket 1:21:39 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The USCS Carver is ejecting it’s escape pod directly into your podcatcher! Tune in as we round out our first “leg” of My Turn with Ren’s choice: the classic space-horror thriller Alien (1979). The crew discusses how the film does an amazing job characterizing the crew of the Nostromo without needing to give everyone a back story, how it handles the gendered nature of its violence, and what the movie might’ve been like if Meryl Streep had been cast as Ripley.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E3 has announced its plans for next year’s show and the Waypoint crew is wondering if it’s still worth it for big developers to attend the show. Rob’s back at it again in Isanzo, the latest historically based FPS to catch his attention. Ren’s checking out Roadwarden, which blends modern TTRPG sensibilities with good, unadorned writing and terrific art. Patrick’s returning to times long past in Return to Monkey Island, which has surprised him in more ways than one. Then of course, the question bucket will somehow end up with us talking about rewatching Steven Spielberg’s 2001 sci-fi movie A.I. Discussed: E3 is Back? 1:18, Update on the GTA VI Leak 16:55, Isanzo 19:40, Roadwarden 44:07, Return to Monkey Island 58:04, Last of Us trailer 1:16:10, The Question Bucket 1:23:46 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were so optimistic about the Bears! But as usual, it didn’t last. Your response to the first episode of our sports podcast was so overwhelming that we couldn’t help but return ASAP. Patrick and Rob pour a few beers, recap the misery of losing to the Packers yet again, and use it as a launching point to examine what it means to “root” for a sports team that continually sucks. Why do this? We also listen to a bunch of utterly depressing voicemails. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A shorter episode somehow spends 15 minutes on Cado’s new pets, parasitic wasps meant to eat moth eggs. Yuck. If that sounds nightmarish, just wait; Ren takes us into the chrome-infused hell of the very fast Hyper Demon. Cado’s also vibing with the absurdist Betrayal at Club Low, a new Cosmo D joint, and Patrick is surprised by Shovel Knight Dig, a Shovel Knight spin-off that’s gotten its hooks (or shovel?) in him. Then, we get into a spooky question bucket where we talk about Ghosts, Aliens, and Alien Ghosts.Discussed: Hyper Demon 15:41, Betrayal at Club Low 32:49, Return to Monkey Island 46:40, Shovel Knight Dig 47:29, The Question Bucket 54:26, Outro and Announcements 1:10:40 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Grand Theft Auto VI footage has leaked, and Rob, Patrick, and Cado discuss how leaks impact development and employee mental health. In another surprise, the crew (especially Rob) are very into Fortnite. After the break, Rob and Patrick had an uneven experience with Square Enix’s tactics game The DioField Chronicle, and Cado’s delighted by Unexplored 2 playing with familiar roguelike mechanics in new ways. In the Question Bucket, we discuss franchises that should get a haunted house, and of course, the answer is 1942’s Cat People.Discussed: GTA VI leak 4:46, Fortnite 33:30, Diofield 48:29, Steelrising 1:15:48, Unexplored 2 1:16:46, Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty 1:28:54, The Question Bucket 1:34:26, Outro and Announcements 2:19:52 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Waypoint’s new sports (?!) podcast that sets out to disprove the notion that people with lives dedicated to pixels jumping across the screen can’t also be unhealthily interested in what nerds condescendingly refer to as “sportsball” every Super Bowl. In this first episode, Patrick and Rob unpack their generational ties to Chicago sports fandom, the ways in which being emotionally wound up in events you ultimately can’t control generate community, and naturally, assume the Chicago Bears will—finally—be good this year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Natalie’s back! After a long time away in the land of game dev she’s returned with tales from…Disney Dreamlight Valley? But first, we catch up with the news this week, starting with the wave of layoffs hitting G4 and Fanbyte, and how gaming media in general has churned through so much good talent. Then, we check in on the latest Nintendo and Sony announcements, before rounding out the pod with a deep dive into the question bucket that has us dreaming up our ideal gaming spaces.Discussed: Layoffs across gaming media 18:36 , Nintendo Direct 29:01, Sony State of Play 47:24, Disney Dreamlike Valley 1:01:15, The Wandering Village 1:26:14, The Question Bucket 1:32:58, Outro and Announcements 2:19:48 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My Turn returns with Cado bringing a controversial pick: 2012’s Prometheus. A prequel to the Aliens franchise, we get Ridley Scott’s most cynical views on humanity, hubris, and faith, but without, uh, some of the careful plotting that makes Alien a masterpiece. We discuss our history with the xenomorph, the wild marketing campaign (fake TED talks!), and the bizarre sequel that completely reframes the movie’s cliffhanger. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning for discussion of gross bodily fluids from approximately 1:49:11 to 2:15:43Summer is ending, and what better way to kick off Spooky Season than Demons and Heavy Metal? Patrick has been spending time in Metal: Hellsinger, the rhythm shooter that artfully blends heavy metal with skeleton killing. Then, Ren brings us a look at Gloomwood, a Thief-inspired boomer shooter, which then leads us into a discussion about why Thief’s magic hasn’t been recaptured (yet). After the break, we learn Rob’s checking our next 101, System Shock, and enter into a lengthy Question Bucket that’ll likely make you squeamish.Discussed: Metal: Hellsinger 2:10, Gloomwood 14:49, System Shock 46:47, Tiny Kin 56:44, Question Bucket 1:01:48, Gross Bodily Fluid Zone 1:49:11, Gross Zone Over 2:15:43, Outro and Announcements 2:23:17 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Content Warning for Discussion of Suicide during the Kiwi Farm's segment (starting at approx. 22:02 through 50:39)We’re back after a long weekend followed by an eventful week. First up we talk about the recent news that Cloudflare is finally dropping Kiwi Farms, the infamous harassment forum. After the break, we check in on Splatoon 3, the follow up to Nintendo’s popular competitive shooter, and have a conversation on what makes for good spectator sports in gaming. Rob’s been playing Two Point Campus, the follow-up to Two Point Hospital that sees the franchise take it’s on the nose (and at times toothless) satire and point it at the for-profit educational system. Then, Patrick takes us back in time to Revolutionary France to play as… an automaton fighting against Louis XVI's own army of killer robots against as he attempts to suppress the revolution.Discussed: Cloudflare Drops Kiwi Farms 22:02, Splatoon 3 50:39, Two Point Campus 1:11:55, Steelrising 1:38:21, The Question Bucket 2:01:15, Outro and Announc

Rob hosts this weeks My Turn, and he’s brought us the new prequel to last week’s movie: Prey. Set in the 16th century, the movie follows Comanche wannabe hunter Naru and her quest to prove her prowess to the rest of her tribe. What follows is one of the better examples of a new creator understanding not just the surface level story beats of the original material, but deeply understanding it’s themes and creating something new and exciting for a franchise that’s had many subpar sequels. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rob’s out, so we’re making him watch Prometheus next week. Happy anniversary! We also talk about Nintendo Direct rumors, Konami’s new “game,” and Patrick’s new son, the Home Dept skeleton. After the break, Rob, Patrick, and special guest Matthew Gault gather to discuss the new remake/remaster/whatever of The Last of Us Part I, Naughty Dog’s flagship zombie-killing Dad game, and how the failures of Part II make Part I shine.Discussed: News 17:51, TinyKin 39:57, Question Bucket 47:49, The Last of Us Part 1 1:26:27 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the eve of another day long stream, 3/4 of the Waypoint Crew took a break from their regularly scheduled setup to talk video games, and we roped in Motherboard managing editor Emanuel Maiberg to boot. We’ve all played a bit of Immortality, Sam Barlow’s new love letter to cinema that is a deft examination of exploitation and the process of making movies. Rob’s feeling a need for speed that isn’t quite being manifested in the way he’d hoped in F1 Manager 2022. Emanuel’s deep dive into the Dawn of War franchise has got Rob reconsidering Dawn of War III. And then a quick dive into the bucket reveals that we’ve all got something to say about Ice and the ways you make it.Discussed: Immortality 0:51, F1 Manager 2022 48:21, Dawn of War III 1:10:25, Question Bucket 1:28:05 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a lot of news out in the gaming world this week, and at some point between Gamescom opening night reveals and new Bioshock movie news, Sony decided to raise the price of the PS5. After discussing some of our favorite new reveals at Gamescom, Patrick brings us dire news of the Saints Row reboot, and how it’s missed the mark on what made the humor of prior entries into the franchise work. Cado’s been playing I Was a Teenaged Exocolonist, a visual novel life sim with, you guessed it, a card based mechanic. Then we take a leisurely stroll through the question bucket and accidentally send Ren tumbling down a Final Fantasy X-2 hole.Discussed: News 0:51, PS5 Price Increases 2:57, Gamescom Opening Night 6:18, I Was A Teenaged Exocolonist 59:32, Neon White 1:13:11, The Question Bucket 1:19:19, Outro and Announcements 1:55:41 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first episode of My Turn, our new movie podcast where each week one of the Waypoint staff picks a new movie that is related in some way to the movie from the previous week, culminating in a vote where you, our listeners, get to choose a movie to cap of the run. To start us off, Patrick has picked 1987’s Predator, an action horror sci-fi film that ends up being surprisingly subversive to its own genre tropes. Next week: Prey (2022) Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Embracer Group is embracing game companies again and…Lord of the Rings? Patrick takes us through its effort to consume all. Then, Rob digs into the Total War: Warhammer III called The Immortal Lords, which dares to ask: how many sieges is too many sieges? After the break, Patrick has been checking out We Are OFK, which sadly is no Sayonara Wild Hearts, before Cado and Ren debate playing as (and against) Bridget in Guilty Gear Strive. And in the question bucket, we debate if Napoleon was the Predator of 18th century Europe.Discussed: Embracer Group 0:41, Total War: Warhammer 3 18:53, Neon White 56:12, We Are OFK 56:52, Guilty Gear Strive 1:10:27, The Question Bucket 1:24:05, Outro and Announcements 2:14:28 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Patricks kicks off with a discussion of how the industry exploits game guides writers, even while they keep some gaming sites afloat. Then, we roll into new games territory with Rollerdrome, a rollerskating game with guns, and Ren checks in with the (disappointing) Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to a game near and dear to her heart. Cado’s also dropped into Fortnite simply to watch Goku hit Darth Vader with a Kamehameha, and share thoughts and prayers on the next Destiny 2 expansion. Later, we take a quick dip in the bucket to ask what game enemies still scare us no matter how many times we see them.Discussed: Video Game Guides Writers 02:12, Rollerdrome 44:52. Soul Hackers 2 55:21, Thymesia 1:08:03, DBZ Card Games 1:18:53, Fortnite 1:27:09, The Question Bucket 1:43:27, Outro and Announcements 1:55:48 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a regular feature on Waypoint’s streams this year, but still we wonder, how deep does Rob’s love for Warhammer 40k really go? He’s gathered a cadre of fellow Warhammer 40k enthusiasts, including Motherboard’s managing editor Emanuel Maiberg, staff writer Matthew Gault, and special guest: Nextlander’s own Vinny Caravella! They journey through each-other’s Warhammer origin stories, discuss their favorite bits of lore, and agree that the tabletop game is too much for them, but hey at least there’s a ton of video games to check out. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve got a very special waypoints for y’all today! Friend of the pod Adam Conover is joining the Waypoint crew to talk about the recent Warner Media/Discovery merger. We discuss how the merger might affect one of the better streaming libraries out there in HBO Max, the callousness of television execs when making decisions to cancel shows, and how the exponential growth mentality of the industry will kill some of its best works. Then we dig into the games Adam’s been playing recently, his recent obsession with CRT TVs, and detour for a quick dip in the question bucket.Discussed: Warner/Discovery Merger 3:09, 1:07:30 The Game’s Adam’s been playing, The Question Bucket 1:22:44, Outro and Announcements 1:52:51 Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.