The Experience Points Podcast

This week we take a break to read the video game news and learn of many mysterious disappearances.  Alan Wake has vanished, Red Dead Redemption 2 is no where to be found, and Destiny 2 is no where to be found on Steam, and Peter Parker is apparently hiding under the pseudonym "Nathan Drake."  Time to get to the bottom of all this.

The further adventure of Scott and Jorge in Hyrule continues! This week on the podcast, we take on cursed dragons, question the logic of putting children into seats of power, and discuss the social habits of the bad-ass Gerudo warriors. 

You know, the most tragic thing about What Remains of Edith Finch is that all the tragedy could have been avoided with a competent architect and a proper building inspection.  Structural issues aside, there are still plenty of things to talk about in Giant Sparrow's latest narrative-driven game.  Strap in: it's one where we discuss the very nature of the medium itself.  Plus there's some Wendigo t...

This week on the EXP Podcast, we journey to find the dark soul, deep in the Ringed City. It's the last time we delve into a Dark Souls game. What does this foray hold besides numerous deaths? Where will the adventure lead us? What will we do if it leads us to Midir?  

You won't find more stalwart defenders of video games as an artistic medium than Jorge and me, but even we have our moments of feeling self conscious.  How does one describe the plot of Metal Gear Solid or talk about the hour the spent trying to shape a virtual brow line without feeling just a tad embarrassed?  This week we revisit the concept of game shame, recount sick burns from loved ones, and...

eek, bringing you a riveting discussion of big ol' horses, the Hylian Real Estate market, and Zoran biology. We've also got some serious questions about Link's moral fiber and tardy appearance in Hyrule.   Runtime: 51 mins  Music: "On Horse (Day)" and "Champion Mipha's Theme"   from  The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Official Soundtrack

Microsoft revealed some more information on their Xbox One refresh, project Scorpio.  This kind of mid-cycle upgrade is still a new thing in the console space, so we use the new information as a starting point to check in on the PlayStation 4 Pro, the state of 4K and HDR, and the current console exclusives.  Additionally, we almost talk ourselves into buying a Game Boy camera and printer.

The gaming industry has suffered another loss, this time in the form of (in)famous peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz. What have we gained from their past creations? And what have we now lost, that is, besides controllers seemingly made from rubbish found at some estate sale? All this and more in this week's episode!  

Nothing like waking up from a century-long nap to get you in the mood for wandering the wilderness.  What's that?  You're hungry?  Well don't you worry; we've got enough strange mushrooms and fiery peppers to keep you fueled up and ready to survive even the fiercest blizzard.  Here, take this sword.  Don't get too attached to it though; it'll break if you sneeze too hard. Yes, it's time for part 1...

Greetings from Mount Olympus, where I preside with the other Bloodborne  Platinum Trophy owners over the casuals down on the muck you call Earth. This week on the EXP Podcast, I deign to speak with Scott about trophies and the place of achievements in gaming culture today. You may give it a listen, but take care, lest my seraphim-like voice shatter your feeble mind.   Show Notes: - Runtime: 34 min...

Sharpen up your kusarigama and pack plenty of salt: we're talking about Nioh.  This week we get into our podcast stance and apply all our ki in an attempt to understand the game's numerous complex mechanics.  But mostly we just talk about evil yokai and pancakes.

The Nintendo Switch is out and playable for those not living in Atlantis, a radio tower, or some combination of the two. This week on the EXP Podcast, we check-in on the public reaction and look ahead at some coming games.      Show Notes: - Runtime: 29 mins 28 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks .

You know that old abandoned house in your neighborhood?  Well it's probably just a sad, empty echo of happier times that no one is particularly interested in revisiting.  Then again, it might be an elaborate shell; an ornate elevator to a secret underground bunker where (at this very moment) Valve is hard at work designing the new...thing...that will consume all our lives.  Erik Wolpaw's departure...

This week we are inspired by a Waypoint article  arguing that Nioh  proves that Dark Souls  has created a genre. If so, what does that genre include and what should we call it? Does it bring any value to games to classify genres like this? These are important questions, but not half as important as this one: What ever happened to the Bro-Shooter?

What are you running from, Mario?  A horde of rabid koopas?  The long arm of the law?  The unyielding, existential terror of modern existence?  Whatever it is, he sure likes running.  This week, we do a very rare mobile game debrief and talk about Super Mario Run .

You've waited nearly a decade, and we made you wait a little longer, but finally our debrief for The Last Guardian  has arrived. How does the game measure up against Ico and Shadow of the Colossus , two of our favourite games of all time? Was it worth the wait? And more importantly, did we see Trico poop? All this and more on this week's episode!

We're almost a month in to 2017.  We'll ask the question we always ask at this time: How are your New Year's resolutions doing?  Hopefully most of them revolved around "playing video games" because there are quite a few exciting things in store for this year.  In this week's show, we take a look at what the rest of the year has in store for us.

The Nintendo Switch got its full reveal last week in what I think we can all agree was a very strange press conference. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I discuss the many revelations, from the hardware tucked away inside those tiny controllers to the bizarre real-world version of Mario.

Did you see that?  Probably nothing.  It's late and you haven't slept for a while.  That shadow wasn't really moving, inching towards you slowly, but with intent.  Oh what's this?  Someone has rummaged around in your pantry and eaten all your jellied eels.  Who would do such a thing.  You consider this puzzle for a few peaceful moments and then look up to find your view filled by a rapidly approac...

2016 is over at long last. Before we ready ourselves for the cold nuclear winter ahead of us, let's take a look back at the notable games that didn't make out 2016 Game of the Year list. They might not have topped our personal charts, but all of these are games are worth your attention for one reason or another.   Show Notes:   - Runtime: 36 mins 55 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks

As the year draws to a close, it's time to hunker down and talk about our favorite games from 2016.  Robots, demons, and even a little timeline trouble dominated the last 12 months.  It was a great year for games, but we forced ourselves to each pick our three favorites.  Break out the champagne and settle in for a year-end debrief!

When last we spoke, we left you with a cliffhanger that totally wasn't caused of a weird technical issue.  But don't worry, the moment you're all waiting for is here: the award for the gamey-est game of 2016.  Please hold your applause until the end.

Happy holidays everyone! It's time again for the second annual Gamey Awards. One of the most prestigious and sought-after awards in the games industry. Will this be the first year an AI wins the Waifu/Husbandu award? What game might actually be Frog Fractions 2 ? Is your best buddy in Final Fantasy XV ? All this and more in the premier EXP event! Quick note on this episode. We did have to leave yo...

Hey everybody, it's E3N: your fun-loving Robro, inter-planetary guide, and remorseless killing machine!  We've finally finished Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare and it's time to debrief.  Strap in for some angry Martians, incompetent captains, and shaky cameras.

Somehow Sony turned their small-ish fan event into a major venue for big video game news. This year's PlayStation experience brings us a bunch of new trailers, announcements, and (tangentially) another bizarro look into Kojima's latest, Death Stranding .  Show Notes: - Runtime: 35 mins 12 sec - Music by  Brad Sucks