The Experience Points Podcast

We have journeyed the highest peak in midgard and battled the fiercest emissaries of Odin himself to bring you this week's episode. Today on the EXP Podcast, we review  God of War .  When you and your son are ready, turn up the volume and listen close to the full debrief, spoilers and all.

With the closure of Boss Key games, it looks like the once famous/infamous  "bad-boy" of video games Cliff Bleszinski is taking some time off the stage. This week on the EXP Podcast, we ponder the strange phenomenon of video game developer celebrity and the shifting cultural figureheads of our gaming landscape. I also make an egregious misrepresentation of The Roots - sorry about that.   Show Note...

Quick: tell me everything you know about cryptocurrency and the buying and selling of video games! Joke's on you: while you've been struggling to put together an explanation that is simultaneously cogent without making you sound like a snake oil salesman, I've mined all those precious digital coins you covet so much. I'm off to buy all the sweetest games. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll sell them to y...

Well they finally did it: Nintendo has blocked the doorway to online play with a guy in a Waluigi hat stationed in front to collect your hard earned money. Buying your way in isn't outrageously expensive (especially compared to club Sony and the Microsoft discotheque), but will it be worth it? This week, we dive in to the announcement and dissect what we'll see once we get past the velvet rope.

I declare Parley! Which I think means you have to stop what you're doing and listen to this episode. This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss the unspoken rule of Parley in  Sea of Thieves  that is making the waters a little more sailor-friendly.   Show Notes:   - Runtime: 46 mins 22 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

After years of asking "Are we there yet?" everyone's favorite dad has pulled the metaphorical car over and dumped us into the mythical Norse wilderness. That's right, this week we talk about our first impressions of God of War. Grab your axe, grow out your beard, and brush up on your fatherly wisdom!

The yearly "beefcake" parade of video game protagonists is in full swing. In just two days, we get to become as Gods and rip arms off Viking deities. But are the power fantasies  God of War  provides really all that satisfying? How complex and interesting are the power fantasies video games provide and what other kinds of power can we find in games?   Show Notes:   - Runtime: 35 mins 20 sec -  " G...

Overwatch's latest event is out, so it's time to see what those crafty omnics are up to. It seems like they've been taking some tips from zombies. Additionally, perennial husbando candidate Jeff Kaplan shared some thoughts about Overwatch's story and extended cast. What is the best way to have a canonical story in a multiplayer game? Is Mercy correct when she tells us that heroes can never die? Wh...

This week on the EXP Podcast, we set sail on the  Sea of Thieves!  Bounty, plunder, adventure, and swashbuckling abound. But is there really enough to sink our scurvy-ridden teeth into? And if these waters are shallow, what treasure awaits the  Sea of Thieves  players when the crew at Rare give it the update it deserves? All this, and more, as we monkey around per usual.   Show Notes: - Runtime: 4...

This week we're on the run from the law and the only thing that can save us is meticulously choreographed quicktime events. It's our in-depth debrief on A Way Out. We cover everything from virtual Connect Four to Mexican geography, so grab this crude file and start chiseling through this cell wall.

Everything old is new again! This week on the EXP Podcast, we talk about some of the old classics we've been playing, from the  Journey  anniversary celebration to some high-heel-action in  Bayonetta .    Music from  Bayonetta and  Journey  OST.

Looking for the hottest scoops on the 100% confirmed characters in the upcoming Smash Bros. for Switch? Well then you've come to the right place. After watching the latest Nintendo Direct, we can conclusively say that we'll be enjoying a Solaire vs. Professor Layton death match come fall. Join us as we recap the big announcements and provide some insightful analysis on the rest of the Nintendo new...

In a time where in-game purchases, DLC, and loot boxes are everywhere, does warning consumers about gaming monetization provide much value? The  ESRB thinks so ! This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss why the ESRB wants to make some labelling changes and what types of notifications we'd like to see on our games.

You can save it and you can waste it. You can spend it and you can save it. You can kill it and you can cherish it. Once it's gone though, there's no getting it back. That's right, this episode is about the time! Stinging after a particularly brutal time-related defeat in Monster Hunter World, Scott takes stock of his life choices while Jorge yearns for the cheesy early days of Destiny.

Our blades are sharp and our bellies are full with cat food. You know what that means? It's time to go a-huntin'! This week on the EXP Podcast, we dive deeper into  Monster Hunter World  and review some of the game's more complex offerings.   Show Notes:   - Runtime: 45 mins 06 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

Valentine's day is here, so stop stuffing your face with chocolates and throw away those flowers: it's time to play some video games with your main squeeze.  But what type of co-op game will help you make a love connection and what type will leave you brokenhearted?  This week, we do our best to ensure Cupid's arrow flies true.

The first three signs of the video game apocalypse have arrived. "And so it will be, that false peace, false heroes, and falses hats herald the end of days." This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss this year's ill portents and what could  possibly  be inside Toad's head? And more importantly, is it edible?

2018 is still getting ramped up when it comes to video games, but that just gives us a chance to play some games we missed from previous years. Of course, there's also the huge, feathery lizard in the room: Monster Hunter World! We've both spent some initial time with it and have some thoughts on everything from its menus to its culinary cats.

We are back from a one-week break, where we busied ourselves by constructing a massive functional Jaeger mecha out of cardboard. Then we come back to  Nintendo's big announcement  stealing our thunder! This week on the EXP Podcast, we chat about liquid snake, paper cuts, shitty kids toys, and a whole lot of Nintendo news.     Show Notes: - Runtime: 39 mins 32 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

It's not every day when you see a new genre emerge. Kart racing, fighting games, and now perhaps battle royal? This week we start off with a visit to our favorite vaguely post-apocalyptic eastern-European island and eventually travel to the limits of how we categorize some of our favorite types of games.

It's time to put the old behind us! 2017 was a  great year for games , but who's to say 2018 won't be even better. With  God of War ,  Wattam , and maybe even  Red Dead Redemption  around the corner, there are a ton of games to look forward to. This week, we count down our most anticipated games of the new year.

2017 was such a buck wild year for games, there's no way we could cover all of our top picks in a single podcast. Luckily, we had the chance to dig into all the delicious leftovers and highlight more of the year's outstanding games!

One of the best years in gaming is coming to a close. Seriously. Throw a dart at a pile of 2017 games and you're likely to hit an absolute classic. Polygon even called 2017 " the best year in games since 2007 ," and that brought us  The Orange Box ,  BioShock ,  Super Mario Galaxy ,  Rockband , and  Mass Effect  - and it's true. In other words, it was really difficult to cull down our favorite gam...

It's that time of year: the time where we gather together to celebrate the wonderful absurdity that is the video game industry.  2017 has been an outstanding year for games, but which game will win the coveted title of The Gamey-est  Game of the year?  Bust out the liquor and eggnog and listen in to find out.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we review the much-lauded  Nier: Automata , a game that hides far more in its rusty, goofy-looking robots than you might expect. Love it or hate it, this is a one-of-a-kind game, so this is a debrief I've been eager to release. Give it a listen! When you're done, definitely look up the soundtrack - it's pretty great.   Show Notes: - Runtime: 64 mins 38 sec - Music fro...