The Experience Points Podcast

Spec Ops: The Line  made a surprisingly large splash in the critical games sphere considering its trouble development and relatively low set of expectations. Critical Distance gathered up a huge collection of the best writings on the game, which you can find  right here . Also, Brendan Keogh wrote  a book about it ! With themes that attempt to deconstruct both American military violence and video...

I had some extra time during the holiday break, so I decided to take deep dive into my backlog with two of the most popular franchises of this console generation: Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect.  As a teaser, I'll say that I'm only planning on finishing one of the two... I'm extremely late to the party, but I just couldn't keep my thoughts to myself.  I sprung the topic (as well as the terrible...

Alas, the year has come to an end! With 2013 around the corner, what better time to look back on some of our favorite games from the past year. In Experience Points tradition, Scott and I discuss each of our three favorite games of 2012. What makes our lists? Will we continue the trend of sharing the same Game of the Year? Listen and find out! Also, what are your favorite games of 2012? Or even yo...

This week, Jorge and I return from top secret mission with classified info on Call of Duty: Black Ops II .  This show (which is for your ears only) covers everything from multiplayer dynamics to geo-political commentary, so there's something for everyone.  BlOps 2 (as we affectionately call it) offers some intriguing changes to both the mechanical and thematic aspects of the series, so there is pl...

Image from  Telltale Games At least, Lee's story has come to end. After the fifth and final episode of  The Walking Dead  (Season 1, I hope), we have so much to talk about. What decisions did you make in the end? And, more importantly, does the game satisfy our expectations? Join us this week on the podcast as Scott and I dissect  The Walking Dead , Episode 5, and discuss the game's many accomplis...

We mentioned in our   200th episode  that the Experience Points Podcast would try out some new things. Well here is one of our first experimental podcasts. At the heart of this one is a great story by   Drew Dixon  about his time with  Day Z . Initially I wanted to explore why good people do bad things in video games. Instead, I learned more about how reflecting on ethical dilemmas, even ones that...

Alright, so we haven't actually been doing the podcast for two hundred years, but it's still been a pretty long time!  Two hundred episodes ago, Jorge and I started the podcast.  It's been more fun than we could have imagined.  This week, we get a little bit meta and talk about the show on the show.  Don't worry: it's not just self congratulation.  We're looking to switch some things up and try ou...

Peter Molyneux is at it again! This time with a massive experiment involving millions of cubes, a mindbogglingly persistent player base, and an almost mythological promise that could only come from the eccentric mind of the infamous game designer. So what is in the heart of  Curiosity - What's Inside the Cube ? Is it a prize that can literally "change your life", or is it an exploitative train wre...

This week, we are pleased to welcome Jim Crawford to the podcast!  Jim is a game designer whose latest work, Frog Fractions , teaches us all about the hidden wonders of math.  Well, it actually does a lot more than that, but you really owe it to yourself to play it (it's free!).  Jim was kind enough to come on the show and chat with us about everything from design philosophy, the role of nostalgia...

Master Chief fan art by Ling Yun via  Deviant Art What do Master Chief, James Bond, John Carter, Luke Skywalker, and Shakespear have in common (besides huge egos)? They are all lasting cultural icons that show no sign of disappearing from popular consciousness anytime soon. Can we consider all of these "pulp" works in a sense? Join us this week on the podcast as Scott and I discuss  Halo 4 , the s...

You didn't think we'd let Dishonored sneak by without talking about it, did you? This week, we dedicate an entire episode to the game. It's dense in the most positive sense: with multiple solutions to even the most mundane obstacles, an open-ended upgrde system, and a surprisingly massive (albeit hidden) amount of lore, everyone's playthrough will be slightly different. For example, one of us was...

Happy Halloween listeners! The witching hour is tonight, and as a means to satiate the hunger of the elder gods, we submit to you this aural offering. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I enter the haunted crypts, blood hallways, and creepy forests of  Slender ,  Amnesia: The Dark Descent ,  Home , and more. What we bring back might terrify you, or at least entertain you with our insight into...

This week we have the pleasure of welcoming Nels Anderson back the podcast. You may know him from one of his many appearances on the podcast...but it's much more likely you know him as the lead designer of this year's breakout hit, Mark of the Ninja! Design philosophy, player choices, and teleportation: we cover a huge array of topics and have a great time doing so. We hope you enjoy it and, as al...

Image from  Telltale Games We are back again with another visit the zombie-infested South. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I discuss episodes 3 and 4 of  The Walking Dead . This podcast jumps right into spoilers, so if you are looking for more general insight into how the series tells its story, check out last week's podcast.  As always, we encourage you to leave your thoughts and your own...

We've caught the fever. You know: the one that starts with a mild cough and ends with you chewing the flesh off your friends and loved ones? That's right, we've been playing Telltale's excellent adventure series, The Walking Dead. This week, we devote a good chunk of time to the series' interesting design and mechanical choices before heading into spoiler country to discuss the details of episodes...

Every now and then a game comes along that attempts to address a delicate and rare issue. Minority studio's debut title  Papo y Yo  does just that. The platforming-puzzle game of sorts is quite explicitly about a young boy and his alcoholic and abusive father. While the game might be "a bit on the nose" for some, it actually reveals quite a bit of narrative depth and artistry. Join us this week on...

Over the past year, Kickstarter has made a huge impact on the video game scene.  Whether it's huge success stories (like Double Fine's campaign) or one of the dozens (hundreds?) of projects that never get off the ground, the crowd funding site has established a new way to create, market, and distribute games.  Even so, there's still plenty of ambiguity surrounding the Kickstarter model: questions...

Ah, remember the good ol' days? Back when you would have to blow on your games to make them work? When  Battle Toads  was so difficult you would cry, but keep playing anyway? When the "hottest graphics" were about as detailed as your Lego castle? Do you miss those days? Could that charming haze be the tell-tale sign of nostalgia glasses? This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I discuss the power...

Have you ever been playing a game and suddenly come across something that is a little bit..."off?"  I'm not talking about an NPC clipping through a wall or the weirdness you find in a Suda51 game; I'm talking about the little (or not so little) details that take you out of the experience.  For example, Sam Machkovech wrote a recent article about how, as resident of Seattle, Deadlight's depiction o...

The Japanese RPG as a distinct entity still exists, despite the rise and prominence of the "Western RPG" market. Some games, like Xenoblade Chronicles, might even move the genre forward while reinvigorating the joy we once had in playing the latest JRPG. This week on the podcast, Michael Abbot of  The Brainy Gamer  joins us to discuss " Why We JRPG ". As always, thanks for listening, particularly...

What does the way we play games say about our real life behavior? It's a question  Lore Sjöberg  poses in a recent article about the way our external psychology manifests itself in our virtual avatars. We touch on everything from behavioral quirks to personal notions of justice, so hopefully by the end you have a better idea of what makes Jorge and me tick. Feel like a little bit of therapeutic sh...

Gamescom has come and gone, and with an amazing turnout at that! The yearly European game conference brings out all sorts of good news and this year, the news mostly concerns brand new games on the horizon. Join us on the EXP Podcast this week to discuss downpours, puppetry, armies of Pomeranians, and so much more. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Also, be sure to check...

How important is competition? What does the thrill of victory (and the agony of defeat!) teach us? Ian Bogost sparked these questions in  a recent essay about the importance of competition , and we use his piece as a starting point to hash out the merits of having games with clear winners and losers. We also go on liberal tangents about the Olympics, dodgeball, and the effects of public leaderboar...

We made the call and you answered. By post, pigeon, and pyschic connection, you sent in questions for the show. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I answer them. We touch on game ideas, to DS favorites, and even the latest Kickstarter craze, the Ouya. As always, if you have questions or topics you want to hear discussed on the show, you can contact us at any time at experiencepoints[at]gmail....

Last weekend, Jorge, Hanah, and I went on a field trip to California Extreme. Best described as "a classic arcade games show," it's a celebration of historical video and pinball games and a chance to literally play with history without having to worry about running out of quarters. After spending some time on the show floor, we regrouped to talk about our some of the standout games, our arcade wis...