The Experience Points Podcast

Kratos is a daddy, Norman Reedus got naked for Hideo Kojima, and Link can climb now. It's time for our annual E3 debrief! It was a big show this year, with some amazing highlights, from Snoop Dog getting high at an EA event to me wishing I was high to play a virtual reality dinosaur game.

There was a ton of news, and we want to know what you think about it! Are you intrigued by the Xbox One S? Are you happy to see The Last Guardian actually get a release date? Let us know in the comments or, hey, shoot us an email. We're listening.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 1 hour 4 mins

- Music by Brad Sucks

Dammit Leeroy, you were supposed to make a good Warcraft movie. We hate to break it to you, but it seems like Warcraft is joining the pantheon of cringe-worthy movies based on video games. Hey, it's not all bad though! It gives us a chance to dig into what makes a good video game inspired movie and take a short walk down memory lane to reminisce on the many gems of the silver screen.

Med kits and healing rays are the topic of this week's EXP podcast. What games have the most interesting healing mechanics? And why can't you damn Overwatch players just protect the Mercy already, yeesh. Christopher Gile fuels our conversation this week. Be sure to check out his Health 101 piece over on Gamasutra.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 29 mins 18 secs

- Music by Brad Sucks

When's the last time you gave a hearty thumbs up to an opponent who successfully trounced your entire team? If the answer is probably somewhere between "never" and "one time by accident," Blizzard is trying to change that. We're continuing our Overwatch discussion by talking about the things that help keep peace between teammates and opponents.

We did it! Scott and I have linked the flame (maybe), and beaten Dark Souls III. How does it hold up to Bloodborne? Did I ever figure out Sorcery? Has Scott stopped spamming R1 attacks all day in PVP? These questions and more in our epic Dark Souls III debrief.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 1 hr 8 mins

- Music from the Official Dark Souls III Soundtrack

- You Died: The Dark Souls Companion by Keza MacDonald and Jason Killingsworth

- "Praise the Sun: On Yoga & Dark Souls," by Charlene Putney via Existential Gamer

- "Dark Souls and doughnuts – what video games taught me about vegan cookery," by Kat Brewster via The Guardian

- "Getting Social with Dark Souls," by ME (deal with it) via PopMatters

Horse warfare or robot warfare? You must choose a side. Unless you're like us and are holding out for robot horse warfare. The recent Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare trailers whipped the Internet in a frenzy, so we're here to help. And by help I mean reveal our new pitch for a basketball dating sim starring Prince.

Never count out Blizzard. Right when we think they can't take up more of our time, they come out with Overwatch. But will Overwatch replace other competitive games? Should we thinking about Overwatch as a lifestyle? All this and more!

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 35 mins 52 secs

- Music by Brad Sucks

- "Should 'Overwatch'Just Cut Bastion from the Game Entirely?" by Paul Tassia via Forbes

After dozens of hours, a whole bunch of graph paper, and more than a little frustrated cursing, we've come to the end of The Witness. Then again, maybe you never really finish The Witness. I know I'm still seeing line puzzles hidden within every day objects. In any case, it's time to debrief and discuss what we learned about technological hubris, metaphysics, and maddening line puzzles.

Welcome, Ashen One, to another Experience Points Debrief. This week on the podcast, Scott and I eat some ember and get fired up about Dark Souls III. This is a hefty game, and it will take us both some time to complete our journey through Lothric, but we want to bring you some early thoughts on the game as we regain our footing in the Dark Souls universe. There are some tough new lessons to be learned after Bloodborne, oh yes. Namely don't stick your face in treasure chests that aren't yours.

Show Notes:

- Runtime: 36 mins 54 secs

- Music by Brad Sucks, Dark Souls III OST

Ah college: a place where young minds realize their potential and where young wallets are mercilessly emptied by a combination of questionable self restraint and an unfeeling academic bureaucracy. While you're out of luck if you spend your book money on booze, you might be able to pay your tuition with the very skills you have cultivated during all those hours in which you played games instead of studying. Inspired by Blizzard's recent Heroes of the Dorm college tournament, we dive into the collegiate side of eSports. Money, fame, endorsements; everything is fair game as we lament college careers we never had.