Tonight we continue our tradition of recording the Games of the Year show.  Each year we pick three games that were the most significant for us during the previous calendar year.  Additionally we throw in some honorable mentions, and then a list gets compiled of those choices and roughly sorted into games with the least overlap to the games with the most picks. This year we surprisingly have a game that every single member of the podcast chose as either a pick or an honorable mention.  We talk about nineteen games in total.

Topics Discussed

• Games of the Year Picks
• • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Cryptic Sudoku
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Death Stranding
  • Half Life: Alyx
  • Ooblets
  • Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX
  • Ring Fit Adventures
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizon
  • Crusader Kings 3
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake
  • Ghost of Tsushima
  • Phantasy Star Online 2
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  • Genshin Impact
  • Hades
• Honorable Mentions
• • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Disco Elysium
  • Guild Wars 2

Tonight we start the show with discussion about Mechwarrior 5 and the multiplayer sessions that have been happening among AggroChat folks.  We also talk a bit about the extremely confusing world of intellectual property when it comes to this game.  From there we revisit the topic of why forcing a stealth mission is a bad idea when you are not expecting it.  Grace talks about a short game she discovered called Space Court where you preside over a Court in Space.  Tam talks about getting the Valve Index and finally maybe finding the killer app in the form of Half-Life Alyx.  From there we dive into a discussion about the games that we have missed during 2020 and didn’t have time to play, which segues into a discussion about Bel giving Dragon Age Inquisition another shot and how maybe Kodra would like the games that are not the first one.

Topics Discussed:

• Mechwarrior 5: Multiplayer
• Why Forced Stealth Missions are Bad
• • Revisiting the Topic
• Space Court
• VR and the Valve Index
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Games we Missed Playing this Year
• Trying Dragon Age Inquisition Again

Tonight we start the show talking about Monster Sanctuary a blend of Pokemon and Metroidvania.  From there we talk about the periscope through which we view the media and how it can be wildly different for two people who are in regular communication.  We talk about the problems with Cyberpunk 2077 and then Bel shares his experience playing through the campaign and finishing the game.  From there we talk about the Nintendo Direct and more specifically the games Cyber Shadow and Calico.  Lastly Bel talks a bit about his down cycle with World of Warcraft and how he is lacking the drive to keep playing.

Topics Discussed:

• Monster Sanctuary
• Media Landscape Periscopes
• Cyberpunk 2077 Issues
• Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay
• Nintendo Direct
• • Cyber Shadow
  • Calico
• WoW Malaise

Tonight we had most of the crew and started off with a topic that had been bumped.  We talk for a bit about Yakuza: Like a Dragon and how it is a bit of a fresh start for that series.  From there we have a somewhat impromptu discussion about Watch Dogs Legion and the thoughts Tam and Bel had while playing it.  From there we discuss Spider-Man: Miles Morales and some of the thoughts Tam had specifically about the integration of Puerto Rican culture into that game.  From there we dive into another discussion about the PlayStation 5 since Tam finally got his last week.  We wrap things up with some discussion about The Game Awards and the big Disney Investor call and all of the things that were announced in both.

Topics Discussed

• Yakuza:  Like a Dragon
• Watch Dogs Legion
• Spider-Man Miles Morales
• Tam and the PlayStation 5
• The Game Awards 2020
• Disney Investor Call
• • Star Wars
  • Marvel

Tonight a sequence of scheduling conflicts happened and we wound up with what felt like a fairly classic show given we were down to the cast members from the early years of this podcast.  We start the show with a bit of a micro topic as Bel talks about the nonsense he is doing called Catfriend Television where he uploads security camera footage of the neighborhood cats to youtube.  From there we talk about the severe drought of PlayStation 5 units, the battle with the scalpers and Tam maybe finally joining the ranks of those who managed to snag one.  Bel talks about the problem happening right now with the Shadowlands expansion in WoW with folks mass abandoning heroics because they didn’t get the thing they were chasing to drop.  Finally we talk a bit about Lancer a pen and paper RPG that Ashgar has wanted to play for quite some time and finally managed to run a game.

Topics Discussed

• Catfriend Television
• PS5 Stock Misery
• World of Warcraft Shadowlands
• • A Heroic Problem
• Lancer RPG Session
• • Bad Idea Mechs

Tonight we sit down to record a show…  with multiple topics but wind up only actually talking about one.  Shadowlands, the latest World of Warcraft expansion released this past week and Bel and Grace have been playing it.  We take a dive into all things afterlife as we talk about the vague sense of not being quite certain if we like it or not.  There might be some minor story spoilers so please be warned.  For the most part we limit revelations to the things that are talked about in the Afterlives series of videos, but Bel has finished the main story quest and Grace is about halfway through.  We share our feelings about what appears to be Blizzard trying to create a Final Fantasy XIV expansion.

Topics Discussed

• World of Warcraft
• • Shadowlands Expansion
  • Deep Dive into the Cosmology

Tonight we are down an Ashgar but work our way through a series of topics from the list.  First up Bel can in fact confirm that the PlayStation 5 exists and talks about his early experiences.  From we talk a bit about Bugsnax and how it is this weird Muppet Pokemon game that also has deeply disturbing Bioshock style undertones going on.  Tam talks a bit about puzzle shooter Superliminal and Kodra talks about What Remains of Edith Finch.  We talk a bit about parkour ninja game Ghostrunner and Bel shares some of the recent changes to Destiny 2.  Finally we wrap up with some extemporaneous viewing suggestions…  Duck Tales, Animaniacs, Mandalorian and the Ashens series of movies.

Topics Discussed:

• The PlayStation 5
• • Thoughts on the Controller
• Bugsnax
• Superliminal
• What Remains of Edith Finch
• Ghostrunner
• Destiny 2 Updates
• What Makes Compelling Worldbuilding
• Viewing Suggestions
• • Duck Tales
  • Animaniacs
  • Mandalorian
  • Ashens Movies
  • • Ashens and the Quest for the GameChild
    • Ashens and the Polybius Heist

Tonight we start off the show with a brief discussion of the console releases this week and how none of us actually managed to get one yet.  Bel has one that is still shipping and Tam has had zero luck even getting to that point in the process.  Bel talks a bit about Destiny 2 Beyond Light and how it is a solid expansion but cannot make up for three years of content that was removed from the game.  The “sunset” has had some pretty negative impact on the game and even Bungie agrees that they maybe went too far.  We talk a bit about the first major Genshin Impact patch and how it added way more content than we were expecting.  Finally we dive into a discussion about games and hobbies and seeking out a place for creative expression.  We also talk about the differences between creating something that is physical and tangible that you can hold in your hand versus something that takes place solely online.

Topics Discussed

• Console Releases
• • Sams Doesn’t Understand Preorders
• Destiny 2 Beyond Light
• • Good Expansion
  • Bad Idea removing so much content
• Genshin Impact Patch 1.1
• • City Reputations
  • Way More Content than Expected
• Games and Hobbies
• • Creative Expression
  • Creating Tangible Things

Huge apologies for last week, but we realized entirely too late that our show recording would in fact fall on Halloween and we would be down to like two people.  As a result we took the week off and now return with one of those shows that just has a random assemblage of topics.  We talk a little bit about N7 Day actually having announcements and the impending re-release of the Mass Effect Trilogy that is likely to disappoint.  We talk about the Star Wars Christmas special and the plans to make a brand new version which will as a result immediately become the best version.  We talk a very brief bit about the Mandalorian in a relatively spoiler free manner.  Bel talks a bit about the new guidance from Blizzard making key broadcasting software a bannable offense and putting an end to a specific kind of multi-boxing.  Tam talks about Knights and Bikes as it is this mashup of Night in the Woods and Castle Crashers.  We talk about the early days of the internet and Hypnospace Outlaw that attempts to revisit a twisted version of that.  From there we end up on this side topic about GameFaqs and the early days of printing off long form Ascii guides.  We wrap up with some talk about Disco Elysium and playing Mario Kart when there are skill gaps.

Topics Discussed

• Happy N7 Day
• • Mass Effect Trilogy re-release
• Star Wars Christmas Special
• The Mandalorian Season Two
• Blizzard Bans Key Broadcasting Software
• • Partial End of Multi-Boxing
• Knights and Bikes
• Hypnospace Outlaw
• Early Internet and GameFaqs
• Disco Elysium
• Mario Kart Multiplayer with Skill Gaps

Tonight we are down several folks because of various reasons.  Grace and Tam are both travelling and Ammo was off celebrating her birthday.  As a result we go forward with one of the smaller casts we have had in awhile.  Tonight we talk a bit about Genshin Impact and the recent Resin adjustments that have been announced.  Bel talks about his experiences with the World of Warcraft Exile’s Reach new player starter island.  This goes a bit into the awkward fit that it causes combined with the level squish that came in with the Shadowlands pre-patch.  We then get into a discussion about games that support asymmetrical difficulty or what is generally referred to as a “handicapping system”.  We talk about how this can maybe make it easier to play games with your young children that can’t quite manipulate the moves that well yet.  Kodra and Thalen share their progress with Ring Fit and we delve into a discussion about the recent D&D 5th Edition games that have entered early access.  Finally we talk a little bit about Spiritfarer and the charming life of being a friendly grim reaper.

Topics Discussed:

• Genshin Impact
• • Adjustments to the Resin System
• World of Warcraft
• • Exile’s Reach Starter Island
  • Impacts of the Level Squish
• Asymmetrical Difficulty
• • Handicap systems
  • Pokken Tournament
• Ring Fit Progress
• 5th Edition D&D Early Access
• • Solasta
  • Baldur’s Gate III
• Spiritfarer