The Experience Points Podcast
A weekly video game podcast from the co-writers of ExperiencePoints.net

It's time to sum up the year in the most traditional way: by having animated discussions about superfluous game mechanics, waifus/husbandos, and the most "gamey" games of the year. This is the episode that most exemplifies our "serious but not humorless" take on medium and it is one we look forward to all year. Thanks as always for listening!

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_687_-_Gameys_2022.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:41pm PDT

It's time to dive into all the adorable, terrifying, and black goop filled goodness from the Keighley's 2022 Game Awards extravaganza!

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_686_-_Game_Awards_2022_Debrief.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:27pm PDT

Oh snap, it's time to get obsessed with a new card game! What's that you say? You think you're fully saturated by Marvel already? Well check out these foil-variant chibi avengers cards and then despair at your own weakness as you begin another game. Yes, this week we talk about Marvel Snap and its impact on the current gaming landscape.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_685_-_Marvel_Snap_Chat.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:47pm PDT

It's time to deck the halls... STEAM DECK the halls! This week on the EXP Podcast, we dive into Scott's latest handheld device - the Steam Deck.

 

Notes:
- Music by Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_684_-_Steam_Deck_Debrief.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:26am PDT

Ah: Feel that brisk chill in the air? Smell that seared flesh? Hear that deafening groan of the world serpent? That's fimbulwinter baby and we are 100% here for it. This week to have an initial discussion about God of War Ragnarök's opening hours. Pull up a seat next to the fire and let's work through some father figure issues together.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_683_-_GOWR.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:38pm PDT

Back after some rough colds, we bring with us a tiny yellow Play Date, which is great for sick days! Also, Scott has made a great accomplishment in the Lands Between.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_682_-_Date_Night_in_the_Lands_Between.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:02am PDT

Google decided to shut down Stadia, so unfortunately all those games you may have bought are evaporating in what you might call a cloud-like manner. Don't worry though: something has appeared to fill the spiritual void: it's Mario's new voice. This week we talk about the artistic and moral tightrope that is the Super Mario Bros. Movie as well as the postmortem view of Stadia.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_681_-_Hello_Mario_and_Goodbye_Stadia.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:56pm PDT

Cheating has thrown chess and competitive fishing into an existential crisis! Maybe shouldn't bother with real-world sports anymore anyway...

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_680_-_Chess_Cheating__Fishy_Business.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:27pm PDT

It's officially Fall, which means we have precious few weeks to wrap up some of the other games we've been playing before the end of year release bounty arrives. This week we come with a pretty wide selection, both thematically and mechanically. We explore the goofier side of cult-life with Cult of the Lamb. We have a snack at the end of the world with Kirby and the Forgotten Land. And we get side eye from our significant others as we painstakingly scrub through full-frontal sex scenes in Immortality.

Direct download: exp_podcast_679_-_imortality_cult_kirby.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29pm PDT

This week on the EXP Podcast, we check in on Kojima's podcast - apparently there's a robot? We also dive into some news and games from Nintendo and Sony. Where will it take us? Let's fall out of the sky with Link and aim for somewhere good.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_678_-_New_Games__Kojima_Check-in.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:03pm PDT

We couldn't move past Gamescom without taking a look at some of the announcements that got our attention. But really, we should all acknowledge the elephant in the room Hideo Kojima's new podcast. We implore you: find room in your heart for two podcasts. But if you can't, we get it: morbid curiosity alone is enough to check out Kojima's new show. Just know that, after it's revealed that his podcast was just an elaborate way to get all your Internet-connected devices trapped in a massive botnet dedicated to forming a strand-based compute cluster for optimizing egg recipes while listening to mp3s of Bauhaus vinyl records, we will welcome you back with open arms.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_677_gamescom_2022.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:50pm PDT

We journey the land of dream and wander backwards through games to find the source text upon which they're based. Some have changed wildly, many for the better!

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_676_-_From_the_Source.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:33am PDT

Sometimes you just make one of those wholesome internet finds that completely derails your afternoon in the best way possible. My most recent example is my realization that a bunch of old video game manuals and guides have been lovingly digitized on Archive.org. Not only has this enabled me to pump those sweet nostalgia chemicals into my brain, it allows me to harass my family about how cool retro game art was with complete visual aids. This week we dive into some of our favorite instruction manuals and game guides and attempt to not sound a million years old.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_675_-_Manual_Nostalgia.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:05pm PDT

This week on the EXP Podcast, we say goodbye to a rarely used features on the PS5: Accolades. Is praise for your opponents dead?

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_674_-_Goodbye_Accolades.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:46pm PDT

Corporate machinations make for some strange arguments. This week in bizzaro mergers and acquisitions land, Microsoft is trying to downplay any potential regulatory roadblocks to the Activision deal by threading a hilarious needle: Call of Duty (while clearly valuable enough to be worth billions of dollars) isn't important enough to put them into anti-monopoly danger. Sony is of course twisting the knife and claiming Call of Duty is an "essential" franchise within the gaming sector and beyond. Regardless of who wins, we decided to take it as an opportunity to talk about the long-running franchise, its current influence, as well as what other franchises seem essential in today's landscape.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_673_-_essential_cod.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:28pm PDT

Get our your cat ears and ready your fursona, it's time to talk about Stray, a game all about being a cat, hanging out with robots, and knocking things off shelves.

Show Notes:

* Music from the Stray OST

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_672_-_Stray_Debrief.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:52am PDT

Well it figures: we voice our doubts about God of War Ragnarok's release date and Sony turns around and dunks a 2022 date right in our faces. We were both totally surprised by the news, which got us thinking about other big and unexpected video game releases from past years. This week, we talk about some of the events that have slipped by our prognostication prowess and why they were such memorable surprises.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_671_-_Surprise.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:21pm PDT

This week on the EXP Podcast, it's co-op puzzlers, action puzzlers, and a curiously-named RPG from the early 90s. We are chatting about some games we've been playing!

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_670_-_Neon_White_Live_Alive_and_We_Were_Here_Forever.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:13pm PDT

For all its troubles, E3 has still managed to leave a vacuum in its absence. But just like nature, the game industry abhors a vacuum and plenty of summer previews have rushed in to take place. This week we talk about Summer Game Fest, the Xbox showcase, and various other announcements. We also get very philosophical about space, much to nobody's surprise.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_669_-_summer_games_fest_2022.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:22am PDT

Sonic fans are back at it again, this time demanding Sonic go...slow? Also on this week's podcast, we chat about Resident Evil coming to Netflix with a new live-action TV series and some of the cool looking games from Sony's most recent State of Play!

Show Notes:

* Music by Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_668_-_Another_Sonic_Facelift.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:44pm PDT

By the time you're done reading this sentence, someone has purchased Mario Kart 8. This week, we take a look at the NPD group's list of 2022's best selling games to date. Figuring out true sales numbers is an imperfect science these days, but if this is even somewhat accurate, it means that a whole lot of you out there are could be best described as "Tarnished."

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_667_Top_Sellers_So_far.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:09pm PDT

It's episode 666 (mark of the beast!), which means it's time to throw the horns and get down with the devil. This week on the podcast, we chat about devilish and demonic video games.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_666_-_Straight_to_Hell.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:31pm PDT

The Iron Giant is back and this time it's personal. But first, he's going to go on a late night Jack in the Box run with Shaggy. This week, we talk about the MultiVersus announcement, what it says about media megacorp crossovers, and who we think we could take in a video game fight. Watch your back, Kojima.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_665_-_Multiversus_madness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:42pm PDT

It's time again for us, our children, and our children's children to throw ourselves into the castle that is Rogue Legacy 2. It's been ages since the last game game out - and over 420 episodes, so there are some major changes. But does it reignite our passion and meet the standards of today's Rogue-lites?

All this and more in this week's debrief!

Show Notes:
- Music from the Rogue Legacy 2 OST

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_664_-_Rogue_Legacy_2_Debrief.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:25pm PDT

After watching the recent Batman movie, we came to a couple conclusions: 1) Batman's gamer tag is probably "V3ngence_420" and 2) there are some very interesting parallels between this latest cinematic take on the caped crusader and recent video game portrayals. This week we dive into the movie as well as various Batman games and how they've built on such an iconic character.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_663_-_The_Batman.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:00pm PDT

An update to the last podcast, Sony has updated their subscription policies and offerings and it's honestly getting better. Also, Netflix had a very bad week. Will they really invest heavily in gaming in the near future? Subscribe to find out!

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks
Direct download: EXP_Podcast_662_-_The_Forever_Streaming_Wars.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:21pm PDT

This week we're dipping into some recent and headlines around game difficulty as well as the difficulty of putting on a physical event in the year 2022. Games like Eldin Ring and Tunic are still very much top of mind and their popularity has brought people to revisit how best to navigate the balance between challenge and letting players experience all a game has to offer. Back on the release and conference front, we talk about some MIA Nintendo games as well as the increasingly unpredictable future of everyone's favorite reason to escape from LA: E3.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_661_-_Difficulty_and_Delays_in_the_news.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:39pm PDT

This week on the EXP Podcast, we fight hordes of monsters in the bullet-hill homage to Castlevania - Vampire Survivors. We also revisit and share some closing thoughts on Tunic and Elden Ring. Now, on to the Pacifist Pete run!

Show Notes:
- Music by Brad Sucks and Vampire Survivors

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_660_-_Vampires_Maps_and_Miquella.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:49pm PDT

The video game subscription scene got a bit more crowded this week after Sony revealed their new PlayStation Plus tiers. It's clear they're leaning into the retro angle as well as streaming games, but how does it compare to what Microsoft and Nintendo are doing? This week we do some analysis as well as grapple with the tangled web of monthly recurring bills that has come to comprise the bulk of our entertainment budgets.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_659_Playstation_plus_premium.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:06am PDT

This week on the EXP Podcast, we get into Tunic - an adorable little homage to Zelda that actually seems pretty difficult. We also get back on the Elden Ring horse (Torrent, I guess), and explore what makes this game, or all Souls games, special.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_658_-__Oops_All_Castles.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:52pm PDT

Every year, Jorge and I play Journey on the anniversary of its release. We don't always talk about it since, honestly, if you took a drink every time we mentioned Journey on any randomly-selected show you'd probably be rushed to the hospital before the episode ended. However, this year is special: we are celebrating a decade of Journey! We're ten years in and still finding new things to appreciate about one of the medium's truly outstanding works. We hope you can join us in continuing the discussion and perhaps even go with us on next year's trip through the desert?

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_657_-_Journey_decade_debrief.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:26pm PDT

It's back to the beginning to discuss some of the best intros. Inspired by this Top 13 list, we talk about our own favorite introductions and why if you're new to the Souls franchise and playing Elden Ring you should really jump into holes.

 

Show notes:
* Music by Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_656_-_The_Best_Intros.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:07pm PDT

Gather round, fellow Tarnished, and let us trade tales of accidentally falling off cliffs, getting one-shotted by weird tree monsters, and compulsively picking berries. Elden Ring is here and it's time to do an initial debrief on our early hours with the game. It appears to be a massive undertaking, so we will likely do subsequent check ins as we progress. For now though, let's enjoy a moment of peace in our very own site of lost grace.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_655_-_Elden_Ring_debrief_part_1.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:52pm PDT

The Elden Ring is almost here, which means we are just biding our time with some video games and honing reflects and patience. This week on the Podcast, we speculate about what's coming in Elden Ring and follow-up with some thoughts on Sifu, the new Kung-Fu inspired brawler, and Subnautica, an older but fascinating deep-sea survival game.

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks
Direct download: EXP_Podcast_654_-_Sifu_Subnautica_andThe_Elden_Wait.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:33pm PDT

What if they made a Pokemon game where Pokemon actually roamed the countryside? What if you could actually interact or be attacked by wild Pokemon? What if catching 'em all involved stealthy, precision pokeball tosses? Sometimes we think about the alternate history or hypothetical tangents our favorite franchises and genres could take. This week, we use Pokemon Legends: Arceus as a starting point to discuss what happens when an established idea or approach takes an unusual turn. Is it everything we hoped for or should we be careful about we wish for? All I know is that, no matter what the future holds, I have an army Bidoofs at my disposal.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_653_-_Pokemon_what_if.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:54pm PDT

Just when you thought tipping your barista 20% was spending big, Microsoft shocked the industry spending well over 60 billion (yes, BILLION) on an acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. Now Sony's getting in with a Bungie acquisition. This week on the podcast, we talk about the big industry buyouts!

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_652_-_Big_Industry_Buyouts.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:47pm PDT

Time to jack in! Now that all the game of the year and new year's talk is out of the way, it's time to get back to what really matters: The Matrix. Between Resurrections' divisive reception and the recent Unreal 5 demo, Neo and friends have been top of mind. This week, we debrief about how video games and the Matrix intersect and evolve together. Whether we still know kung fu is up for debate.

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_651_-_The_Matrix_Resurrections.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:50pm PDT

We are back from our short year-end hiatus ready to blast forward into 2022. Which means it's time to talk about some of our most anticipated games of this year, many of which may not come out, well, ever! From little indie darlings to major blockbusters, this is shaping up to be another great year to play all kinds of diverse and interesting games.

Show Notes:

* Music by Brad Sucks

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_650_-_The_Year_Ahead_2022.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:11pm PDT

It's 2022, but we haven't quite finished the last crumbs of 2021 yet. This week, we partake in the annual tradition of delicious leftovers: games that we didn't quite get to on our games of the year show. I wonder what a Lombax's favorite dessert is and whether it's easy to microwave?

Direct download: EXP_Podcast_649_-_2021_Leftovers.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:11pm PDT