The Experience Points Podcast

Between the recent news from Blizzcon and the final Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Nintendo Direct, it seems like everyone is itching for a fight. Blizzard has been doing some damage control after dunking on its own fans while Nintendo is pre-apologizing for the existence of DLC. And of course, Professor Layton is still nowhere to be seen. This week, we recap a few of the big news announcements and welcome our new mobile-only, pro-wrestling Pokemon overlords.

We pack our saddlebags and head out West this week to finally talk about Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a long game, so while the full debrief has to wait, today we'll share our first impressions, give some tips on hogtying insolent strangers, and accidentally kick a dog.

Since you're undoubtedly playing the game yourself, let us know your early thoughts by shooting us an email!

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 41m

- Music from the Red Dead Redemption 2 Official Soundtrack

We've been at this old podcasting game for nigh on a decade now. We've seen a lot of comings and goings over the years, so this week we do a little retrospective on some of the standout trends that have changed the medium over the past ten years. Somewhere, our Farmville plots are overgrown and our Xbox 360 HD DVD drives are gathering dust, but our progress bars and eSports careers are growing by the day.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we swing back into some games we've been playing. From the tall buildings of New York to the deep breaches of space-time, we take you on a journey of some recent hits and hidden gems. On our list today: Spider-Man, The Messenger, Into the Breach and the oddly named The MISSING: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 38m 57s

- Music by Brad Sucks

Brace your routers: another generation of streaming game services is careening across the web and towards your wallet. This week, we talk about Project xCloud, along with efforts from Google, Ubisoft, and others to make a push for delivering games on demand. Will this be the beginning of the end for the single-game purchase or are our intertubes too clogged up to meet our demands? Listen in for a chance to hear what two people who are in no way networking experts think.

Just look at the Sony Classic, a miniaturized version of the iconic PlayStation that's so small it has to be legally marked as a choking hazard. Which is perfect, because if there's one thing Sony wants us to shove down our throats, it's their back-catalogue of amazing games. This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss the games we think deserve a place on this system.

Oh, and we also come up with a concept for the mini that would have been WAY better than this thing.

Late last week, Telltale announced it was closing down the studio. It's never easy seeing so many people lose their jobs and some of the revelations about the questionable work environment make it even worse. The fact remains that Telltale had a huge influence on the adventure game genre as well as the larger game industry, so we're taking this week to look back on the company's run and recognize the company's impact.

Shocking revelations from Nintendo this past week with the news that Princess Peach is, in fact, a mushroom-person who is merely granted a human form using the powers of her royal crown. This week on the podcast, we discuss the latest news from Nintendo.

It's September, which means it's back to school and back to games! This week to do a check in on three current games we've been playing: Marvel's Spiderman, Donut County, and Into the Breach. Now that I look at it, I find the variety between those games extremely cool. Hopefully I can use this bounty to redirect my urge to binge on donuts into an urge to binge on games. My waistline will thank me.

Fishing? Who needs it. Crafting? No thanks. Alchemy? That's someone else's job.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we're discussing all the wonderfully crafted game systems we just never seem to care about. From skinning animals to make larger wallets to harvesting herbs to brew all kinds of potions. With so much to do, how could we possibly do all of it?