The Experience Points Podcast

The yearly gaming extravaganza of E3 has come and gone! But was it really that extravagant? With EA, Activision, Sony, and Microsoft all absent from the show floor, we had a lot more space to sit on couches and think about the handful of 2019 games that we're excited to see. Join and let us know what games you were excited by (or disappointed by) from E3 this year!   - Runtime: 53 min 51 sec - Mus...

This week we make use of the calm before the E3 storm to check in on some of the games we've been playing.  Space-faring AI, paper craft dinosaurs, samurais, t-blocks, and a whole shit ton of rats all make an appearance.  It's been a pleasantly surprising year so far and we're not even halfway done.

The hottest next-gen console is here. It's small, yellow, and has a crank.    This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss the strange little gaming console called  the Playdate , a tinny little console that will launch with 12 games by some indie gaming luminaries. It's a boutique item for a niche audience, but is it right for us? And would we really want to shell out $150 just to get one?

Your favorite game is more than likely watching and reporting on everything you do, but is that a problem?  I guess it depends on how much of a pro you are when it comes to pulling off 360 no-scopes and how strongly you feel about being identified as someone who likes to "do the Dew."  This week we explore the murky world of data mining and in-game telemetry.  It's a largely invisible part of our...

It's time to win big $$$ at the Goldan Saucer this week folks! This week on the EXP Podcast, we continue our ongoing debrief of  Final Fantasy VI , catching up with heroes as they flee Midgar in pursuit of Sephiroth. If you're playing along, this episode ends once we wrap up all the events at the coolest casino in video games. Show Notes: - Runtime: 51 min 58 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

This week we dig into two recent news stories: The Valve Index VR system and the Sonic movie. While I'm a bit skeptical of each one in isolation, I just realized that combining the two would be a transcendent experience. Or one that might make you violently ill. I guess those things aren't mutually exclusive...

The father of handheld gaming was once a boy... a Game Boy. This week on the EXP Podcast, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Nintendo's Game Boy, discuss some of our most memorable experience with the hardware, and appreciate the console that ushered in a new era of portable gaming. Show Notes - Runtime: 39 min - Music by  Brad Sucks

Much like the World Cup, the Olympics, the movies themselves, Star Wars makes a strong showing on our podcast every few years. We're due to return to that far, far away galaxy and what better time to return? Details on Jedi: Fallen Order are coming in hot and the trailer for Episode 9 has all of us searching our feelings for answers. Listen in for some extremely nerdy references to lore and half-b...

Grab your materia and ready your chocobo listeners, we're headed to Gaia! This week on the EXP Podcast, we kick off the first in an ongoing debrief of  Final Fantasy VII . If you are playing along with us (and you really should!), this episode reviews the beginning of the game through escaping Midgar. It's a renowned introduction to a game world - and for good reason. Give it a listen and send us...

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, the katana are thirsty for blood, and we're playing some video games! This week we do a quick check in on some of the games we've been playing over the past few weeks. It's been a busy first quarter of the year apparently, as we're covering everything from FAR: Lone Sails, The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince, Baba is You, The Division 2, and (of cours...

OnLive is dead. Long live Google Streaming! We are back after a short hiatus to bring you thoughts on Google's announcement of Stadia, a games streaming service that looks is aiming to transform the way we buy, play, and sell video games. There's a lot to be excited about! But, we also have some big concerns - many of which are related to Comcast. Show Notes: - Runtime: 45 min 36 sec - Music from...

Despite all my rage, I am still just an massive silverback gorilla in a cage. What's this? A single weakened bar? Well this should get interesting. This week, we debrief on Ape Out. Do yourself a favor: support your fellow primates and play this game.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we say goodbye to Reggie, who will now spend all of his retirement getting good at  Smash Bros. Ultimate , hitting the competitive circuit, and making children cry when they dunked on by Isabelle. Also, the  Detective Pikachu  movie is coming out and it raises more questions than answers. - Runtime: 37 min 21 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

Behold the modern battlefield: a dusty techno-future teeming with mercenaries and killer robots.  And then, from the heavens falls a mighty obelisk.  As it slots perfectly into place, the plateau you've been standing on evaporates.  The remnants rain down mercilessly on your opponents and you think to yourself: "Maybe I should go make some Mario levels instead."   This week we do a check in Apex L...

Time is a flat circle and in this timeline, we're playing  Resident Evil 2 ... again. As of today, we'll also be playing  Final Fantasy 9  again, which is great because it gives us a JRPG to play while we wait for  Final Fantasy 7  - the game that came out  before  FF9 but whose remake will come out first and may or may not be a significant departure from what the game actually was ORIGINALLY! Phe...

Sometimes, you just accidentally stumble backwards into a podcast theme.  What do Anthem, Travis Touchdown, and apologetic Nintendo execs all have in common?  They're cool dudes in cool suits of course!  Listen in for some impressions on Anthem, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, and some Metroid Prime 4 news.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we debrief the artfully crafted  Gris , one of our top contenders for  prettiest game of 2018 . The first game from Nomada Studios,  Gris  brings a ton of inspiration from  Journey , drawing not just themes, but almost entire sequences - so you can imagine why Scott and I would be so interested in this game. Check out the podcast then try out the game and let us know...

We've finally reached the end of the long, dusty trail partners.  But what did we find at the end of our journey?  A dead end?  Redemption?  A nice pre-fabricated house?  This week, we do a full debrief on Red Dead Redemption 2.  We cover everything from the UI to spoiler-filled character arcs, so saddle up!

2019 is here and the future is bright! Well, at least for games. This week on the EXP Podcast, we look at some of our most anticipated games of 2019 - from underground platformers to weird space indies, there are many, many, games to look forward to this coming year. What are you most excited to play? - Runtime: 38 min 27 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

2018 is over but before it's out of site we're going to take a quick look in the rear view mirror.  As always, there were some great games that didn't make it into our GOTY-cast.  This week, we give them their due and ponder another important question: should we call this show "The Leftoveys" or have I truly snapped?

The best games of 2018 are here! This week on the EXP Podcast, we kick-off 2019 with a discussion of our top 3 games from 2018. Some of these choices are predictable and some might surprise you.  There have been a ton of great games this year, so honing down our favorites took some serious work. Let us know your top games of 2018! Also, be sure to toon in next week when we discuss some of the left...

It's late December and you know what that means: it's Gamey season!  There are many contenders, but only a select few will contend for the illustrious title of being the Gamey-est game of 2018.  But don't worry, there are plenty of other categories to go around.  Husbandos, gear grinders, roommates and more are all up for grabs!

Geoff Keighley hosted his annual Game Awards show again this year, which is half awards show and half massive promotional event. Not only has the show gotten more lavish since its inception, but more publishers are using the platform to make huge announcements. Today on the EXP Podcast, we go over some of the more exciting game trailers and updates from the show. Journey with us to the far reaches...

There's never been a better time for people that love cards but lack table space.  With the release of Artifact, Valve is wading into the collectible card game market and retrofitting some of the traditional economic models onto their own marketplace.  This week we do a survey of the landscape and weigh the pros and cons of converting our retirement funds into rare foil cards. 

Fallout 76  released a couple weeks ago and fans are, well,  not happy with it . News came out today that Bethesda  can't even bag the game right . Today on the EXP Podcast, we discuss some of the failures of the latest Fallout and how the game could be victim to its own franchise history.  Show Notes:   - Runtime: 33m 19s - Music by  Brad Sucks