The Experience Points Podcast

Knock knock: there's a delivery for you...a smart delivery! Now that we've seen the recent announcement of the first batch of Xbox Series X games, it's time to take stock and partake in some recreational speculation. Vikings, fancy cars, and grotesque body horror: There are more games than you can swing an enchanted barbed wire bat at.

Once again we've sprung another leak, this time from Naughty Dog and Nintendo. Should we be surprised? The games industry is one of the leakiest ships at sea, right? This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss these new leaks, some memorable old ones, and what information we would actually want to see in the future.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 36 min 58 sec

- "The Last of Us Part 2 leaked by hackers, reports say," by Michael McWhertor, via Polygon

- "Massive Nintendo Leak Reportedly Includes Wii Source Code, Developer Materials, And N64 Test ROMs,"by Ethan Gach, via Kotaku

- Music by Brad Sucks

Are we alone in the universe? Who knows, but one thing is for sure: virtual space is teeming with extraterrestrial life forms. This week, inspired by recent video of declassified UFO footage, we turn our eyes to the sky and look for aliens and how they're represented in the games we play.

All aboard the train to Midgar folks, Final Fantasy VII Remake has arrived! This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss our first impressions on the game, the changes it's made to the originals, and the ways it remains the same. We also have an exciting new update out for Mario Maker and Scott is getting his Joy-Con suped-up!

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 36 min 01 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

Oh hey, it's your favorite neighbors! You know: the two weirdos who stay inside and play video games all day and then talk about said video games. After a small preview last week, we're returning to Animal Crossing: New Horizons for a formal debrief. There's a surprising amount of analysis and design for a game about a quaint animal town, so we hope you give it a listen. But if you get sick of us, just know that the ability to craft a good fence means you can craft a good neighbor.

Put those down those turnips and revolt against the tyranny of Tom Nook's exessive dialogue bubbles! Or maybe we need to relax and let the Turnips be? This week on the EXP Podcast, Animal Crossing has us asking big questions about patience, frustration, and why we can't just eat spaghetti with our hands.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 40 min 11 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

We made it through March! Hope everyone is still hanging in there. We are still waiting out the global pandemic in our neck of the woods, so we're taking the opportunity to talk about how the social distancing rules are impacting some big games. We've also had some time the play Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal during our stint in the great indoors. Take a well deserved break and think about better things. Like punching demons in the face!

This week on the EXP Podcast, we load up the truck and take a little ride on the Kentucky Route Zero. This is a game nearly a decade in the making. It's a surreal, folkloric exploration of a great many ideas and it transcends space and time. All that is to say, this little review of ours isn't easy - and hell, sometimes, neither is playing the game. We hope you at least enjoy the ride.

Show Notes - Runtime: 46 min 08 sec - Music from the Kentucky Route Zero OST

The world seems pretty wild right now, right? The COVID-19 situation has escalated quite a bit in the recent weeks and we hope everyone is doing as well as can be expected. We decided there's no way to do a normal show under the circumstances, so consider this podcast a virtual check in from us to you. We're physically incapable of avoiding all video game talk, so you'll still get plenty of that; there's just some more real life stuff mixed in. Pull up a virtual chair and hang out. Stay safe out there!

This week on the EXP Podcast we get a fresh start! Inspired by an article from Polygon by Nicole Carpenter, we are talking about the age-old practice of save-scumming - the practice of loading up an old save file to redo your actions and get the optimal (or at least different) outcome. Nicole uses it to save a horse - but we can think of many more malicious - and positive - ways to use such godly powers!

Show Notes - Runtime: 33 min 24 sec - "I'm Reckoning With My Save Scumming Ways by Nicole Carpenter via Polygon - Music by Brad Sucks