LBR Podcast Network

On this weeks podcast the hosts ask the question, does every form of multiplayer need to be competitive? Or do games have to earn the right to be considered an esport? Which games have done it well and which games well, lose that edge from the start?

This week in the video game industry the HTC Vive slashes its prices by $200, but is still a bit too pricey for consumers. The Shenmue 3 trailer leaves quite a bit to be desired by fans of the series. To no ones surprise the SNES preorders were a disaster as they went up with no real announcement until it was all over. In addition, Quake Champions finally shows up on steam as an early access game.

This week in esports Microsoft announces its plans to host weekly League of Legends tournaments at it's stores around the US. England wins the FIFA interactive World Cup. Plus, The Gwent Masters is announced. Optic Gaming runs into some hard times as they are disqualified from the Eleague CSGO premier. And PUBG encounters a great reception at Gamescom.

It’s been about 2 months now since Stormblood’s launch and the rest of the hosts have finally clawed their way through Doma and Ala Mhigo. On this episode the hosts let loose all their criticisms, praises and theories surrounding the MSQ.

On today’s Final Encounter Cast the hosts reminisce to the cartoons of old. They talk about what made cartoons of the 90s so great and how modern day reboots could serve to learn from them, but avoid trying to replicate them. Other headlines include; Microsoft Office Championship, yes you heard that right. Blizzard re-branding back to Battle.net and a famous professional athlete suing riot over a skin likeness in League of Legends.

The price of video games is something that's always been a hot topic of debate. Even in a world where physical copies are starting to give away to more digital downloads, gamers find themselves spending more money than ever. Join the Checkpoint crew as they talk about and analyze the diverse pricing strategies and practices of the video game industry.

Starcraft Remastered is now live and the classic game play has been kept entirely intact. On Steam PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds reaches 600,000 concurrent players, nipping at the heals of DOTA2. Undertale finally see's it's release on both the PS4 and the Vita. Lastly, Sonic Mania is out and for the first time in 20 years fans everywhere agree, Sonic is awesome again.

In Esports this week the Call of Duty Champions have been crowned in Optic Gaming. On the Overwatch side, the match-ups for the World Cup are now set for Blizzcon in November. Plus, Cloud 9 acquires Laser Kittenz for their Contender League Roster and Lunatic Hai have signed to compete in the Overwatch League.

Stormblood has all but played out in most players minds, the MSQ is finished, the entire raid tier has already been overcome. When can we expect Patch 4.1 and what comes along with it? The LBR cast compares what SE has promised and what...Blizzard is bringing in their next patch. The differences are staggering. We also take your calls and emails and have a special guest read an LBR fanfic!

The older we get, the less games we seem to be willing to try out. We’re fine with dishing out bucks for what we know and love, but what stops us from trying something new? From looking to break the mold? The FEC crew talk about their tastes and what want and look for in games. Other headlines include; The release date for Horizon Zero Dawn DLC, a team up between Square Enix and AMD, plus Valve announces a brand new game in development.