The Experience Points Podcast

Forget Siri, Google Now, and Alexa: BT is the only AI assistant you'll ever need.  He'll help you with turn by turn directions while crushing your enemies.  This week we're doing a Titanfall 2 debrief.  Between the new single-player campaign, swords-wielding titans, Harambe-themed multiplayer networks, there is plenty to discuss.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we forlorn souls visit the cold and lonely painted world of Ariandel, AKA Dark Souls 3  DLC. What do we find there in the rotten world? Why, quite possibly the best boss in all of the Soulsborne franchise. Join us, won't you?

As consummate professionals, Jorge and I are always on the lookout for others striving to be the best in their fields.  That's why we are fascinated by the upcoming esports estorm that is professional Overwatch.  Blizzard seems intent on fostering regional rivalries and after watching the World Cup exhibition and learning about the forthcoming location-based Overwatch teams, we are hooked.  I want...

While your reeling under the weight of the recent presidential election, we bring you this belated discussion of the Nintendo Switch. Consider it a memory of an earlier, more peaceful time, when all we did was go to rooftop parties and play videogames.    Show notes: Music by Brad Sucks Run time: 35 mins 16 secs

Hey, I don't want to alarm anyone, but this esports thing is getting wild.  So wild in fact, that Jorge ventured into the belly of the beast to bring us a report.  This week, we talk about the League of Legends 2016 World Championship.  Enjoy stories about the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and the sweet smell of stadium chicken tenders.

The world of sports and the world of gaming have never been so intertwined. We've got real life announcers adding color commentary to Madden  patches and professional soccer players raising a fit over in-game FIFA stats. What's going on here? And more importantly, when are Americans finally going to care about soccer!? This week on the show, we kick around the influence games and sports have on ea...

Consider this an old west time capsule, amigos.  It was buried under the digital soil during a simpler time; a time before we knew about Red Dead Redemption 2.  Essentially, Jorge and I got super excited and we recorded this the day after Rockstar began tweeting cryptic pictures of Red Dead Redemption 2.  Since we still don't know too much about it, feel free to partake in our child-like hope and...

If you're a fan of bizarre or surreal television, then we have a game for you! This week on the EXP Podcast, we debrief on Virginia , a narrative-based game that's part Twin Peaks  and part X-Files . Is this short little game worth your time? And more importantly, what's the buffalo and the weird racist cult? All this and more in our journey to the Old Dominion.   Show Notes: - Runtime: 34 mins 15...

Fall is well underway and that means gearing up for new games.  This week, we take a look at two of our most anticipated titles that couldn't be more different from one another: Super Mario Run and Titanfall 2.  Join us as we wistfully imagine a world where we tweet Mario levels while using Titans as farming equipment.

I recently went on an extended vacation. While I was gone, Sony dropped the big news that Project Neo would actually be called the PS4 Pro. And not only is this fancy new piece of hardware selling for $399, it's launching this November. What does this mean for early adopters and folks who don't make the upgrade? Will VR games take a hit on old hardware? All this and more on this week's podcast!  ...

Almost all modern games share something in common, regardless of genre and style: patches!  Whether it's a single-player sci-fi epic like No Man's Sky or an annual sports franchise like Madden, the game released on launch day is often significantly different than the one we play a week, month, or even year later.  In this episode we talk about the good, bad, and wacky sides of version updates.

Before we head into the busy fall season, we're wrapping up summer with a relaxing news update.  Well, it was relaxing until we stumbled upon Miyamoto-san's secret time travel abilities.  How else can you explain Nintendo's plans to put out a Mario Maker game that doesn't allow you to upload courses to the Internet?  Clearly 1987 Miyamoto-san has usurped his modern self and taken over Nintendo.  A...

This week on the EXP Podcast, Kotaku's Nathan Grayson has us exploring the very depths of Overwatch 's elo hell. Down there in the cold, dark abyss, one man sought to lower his rank to zero. And like some mortal man who sought to count himself among gods and demons, he achieved his dream. What does that mean for us? And what does it tell us about the worst fans of Overwatch ? All this and more!  ...

Behold!  We have consulted the most ancient of tomes and conjured an auditory apparition for your amusements.  Some may seek to explain this feat by turning to the actions of humankind and their feeble attempt to use technology to harness the great cosmic forces.  We know better though.  We know podcasts are governed by an older logic, one governed by laws untouched and untouchable by simple morta...

This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I take to the skys and poke strange alien creatures with sticks. We're back to No Man's Sky . Does the game live up to the hype? Is it possible to understand the breeding habits of the pyramid-headed freaks that litter my starting world? Why do Sci-Fi games have universally bad UI? All these questions and more in our latest debrief.     Show notes: Music fro...

If you're tired and need a break from space mining, here's a little piece of history for you. That's right: it's the last podcast recorded before No Man's Sky ushered in the new era of prosperity/despair in which we now find ourselves living (I'm writing this pre-release). Since we PC players are still waiting on the go-ahead from mission control, we decided to have a pre-release conversation arou...

This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I look at friendliness by the numbers. Thanks to a recent survey by research firm Quantic Foundry, we have some data about the ideal way gamers like to play with other people. Some of the results are actually surprising, but are they accurate? And what does this say about games that bridge the competitive/cooperative divide? And what about VR? All this and m...

What if you knew the exact number of minutes you spent in BioShock's hacking minigame? How about precise amount of damage done by Ryu's fireball? Do you ever dare look at your Spelunky death count? This week we're talking about "the quantified self" as it relates to video games. Don't worry, we haven't sipping the Soylent, we're just wondering what the numbers mean and whether we should be paying...

A game has done the unthinkable. It's made thousands of people go outside.  Pokémon Go has become a cultural phenomenon overnight. Your parents, your neighbors, even your coworkers can be found wandering the streets in search of some rare Snorlax. What has the world come to? What can explain all this madness!? This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I venture into the tall grass to find out.  

This week we reach the triumphant conclusion of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.  We go into all the grave-robbing, clock-smashing, jeep-winching antics.  And before you ask, yes we did make a cheap pun about Drake's butt being a "theif's end."  I mean, how could we resist?

Blizzard has filed a lawsuit against Bossland, a German-based software company that sells access to cheat programs for Overwatch  players. The company actually offers this service for other multiplayer games as well, but does cheating in Overwatch  mean something different? Why do people cheat at all? And most importantly, how are Lebron James and Big Boss involved? All this and more on today's EX...

Well, Quake, you've had a good run but it's really time to calm down and grow up.  You're not a teen anymore, so you'll have trade your nail gun for a briefcase and rocket jump your way into some adult responsibility.  All of this is a roundabout way of saying that Quake came out 20 years ago.  To mark this occasion, we give ourselves over to a Wikipedia black hole and talk about the other video g...

Kratos is a daddy, Norman Reedus got naked for Hideo Kojima, and Link can climb now. It's time for our annual E3 debrief! It was a big show this year, with some amazing highlights, from Snoop Dog getting high at an EA event to me wishing I was high to play a virtual reality dinosaur game.  There was a ton of news, and we want to know what you think about it! Are you intrigued by the Xbox One S? Ar...

Dammit Leeroy, you were supposed to make a good Warcraft movie.  We hate to break it to you, but it seems like Warcraft is joining the pantheon of cringe-worthy movies based on video games.  Hey, it's not all bad though!  It gives us a chance to dig into what makes a good video game inspired movie and take a short walk down memory lane to reminisce on the many gems of the silver screen.

Med kits and healing rays are the topic of this week's EXP podcast. What games have the most interesting healing mechanics? And why can't you damn Overwatch players just protect the Mercy already, yeesh. Christopher Gile fuels our conversation this week. Be sure to check out his Health 101  piece over on Gamasutra.    Show Notes:   - Runtime: 29 mins 18 secs - Music by  Brad Sucks