The Experience Points Podcast

How do you find games? Or do they find you? Who are your trusted sources for video game news and what sort of effort do you put into finding strange or weird games? This week on the podcast, Scott and I wonder how we heard about The Walking Dead and whether or not Steam tags are absolutely useless. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and hey, maybe even give us a game recommendation or two!

Show notes:

- Runtime: 29min 37 sec

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Last week, an unassuming little game called Flappy Bird managed to ruffle some feathers. Sorry, I just had to do that. The entire saga is actually a fairly sad tale about the video games press, attitudes towards intellectual property, and the state of mobile gaming in general. Flappy Bird may be gone from the app store, but legal, financial, and ethical questions it embodied remain. Feel free to jump into the comments with your thoughts! - Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes- Find the show on Stitcher- Here's the show's stand-alone feed- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- Runtime: 32 min 03 sec

I have not finished Dark Souls. Can I still sit at the big kids table? This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I join in on the AV Club's discussion about Dark Souls and status symbol games. How did this brutally difficult game become not only popular, but a video game rite of passage? And how will it be remembered in ten years? Let us know in the comments below!

Show notes:

- Runtime: 33 min 04 sec

- "Why do games like Dark Souls become geek status symbols?," by Matt Gerardi & Drew Toal via AV Club

- "Android Netrunner - The Game Designer's Game," by Krystian Majewski via Game Design Scrapbook

- "Playing Dark Souls: Desperate Acts and Our Shared Humanity," by Jorge Albor via PopMatters

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Getting early access to a game used to be a pretty tall order. You might weasel your way into a limited beta, find a preview disk in a magazine, or poke around the shadier parts of the Internet. Today, it’s much easier: you can just buy your way in. Whether it’s through Steam or directly from the developer, increasing numbers of games are offering prospective players the chance to play the game before it’s official release. Of course this brings into the question the definition of release dates and what it even means to call a game “finished.” This week, we use Rowan Kaiser’s article on the topic to explore early access trend and what it means for customers, designers, and critics. Feel free to jump into the comments with your thoughts!- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes- Find the show on Stitcher- Here's the show's stand-alone feed- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- "Early Access exposes the lie that the best games should, or even can, be finished," by Rowan Kaiser, via Polygon- Runtime: 34 min 44 sec- Music by: Brad Sucks

Out of seemingly nowhere, a little unambitious game was included on both Scott and I's favorite games of 2013. That game was Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a simple coming-of-age story that manages to achieve, seemingly with ease, what so many Triple-A games try to accomplish. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I finally give the game the attention it deserves. Join us in the comments below!

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes

- Find the show on Stitcher

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 38 min 03 sec

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Much like the eponymous monsters for which it is named, The Walking Dead is back! This week, we have a thorough conversation on episode one of Telltale's second season of the Walking dead. For those of you who haven't played it, what are you waiting for? But seriously, you can listen to the first half of the show without fear of spoilers, as we use it as an opportunity to talk about adventure games, tweaks to the mechanics, and the state of the series in general. After that we jump right in with story details. We're looking forward to comparing notes with folks that made different decisions, so feel free to jump into the comments!- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes- Find the show on Stitcher- Here's the show's stand-alone feed- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- Runtime: 48 min 32 sec- Music by: Brad Sucks

The year has barely begun, but already the horizon is chock full of interesting titles, from competitive indie sword fights to face-crunching future-battles. This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I delve into our most anticipated games of 2014. There is a lot to be excited for if you are the optimistic type, so jump into the comments below and let us know what releases you eagerly await!

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes

- Find the show on Stitcher

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 32 min 40 sec

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Scott made Santa's shortlist this year and the jolly old man dropped off a beautiful Zelda-inspire WiiU on his doorstep. This week on the podcast, Scott and I explore some of the subtle and not-so-subtle elements of the WiiU interface. We also take our podcast ship on a tour through the "Miiverse" and try to understand the future of social platforms. Oh, and of course Mario makes an appearance.

Have a comment to share on your WiiU experience? Leave us a note in the comments below or shoot us an email! We love hearing from all of you, so make a New Year's resolution to get in touch!

Show notes:

- Runtime: 34 min 59 sec

- Music by: Brad Sucks

It's the last podcast of 2013 and it just so happens to fall on Christmas Day. In the spirit of giving, Hanah gives up some of her time to drop by and talk about gifts in games and some of the games that received her attention this past year. Presents, pirates, and pyromaniacs: we cover all this and more as we make plans for our cube-shaped utopia.

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes

- Find the show on Stitcher

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 26 min 39 sec

- Music by: Brad Sucks

Last week we talked about our favorite games of 2013. While these were our favorite experiences of the year, they were not necessarily the games that took up most of our time and attention. Sometimes rough edges and flawed experiments make for the most thought-provoking discussion, so we decided to dedicate an entire episode that didn’t quite make it on our final list for 2013. We cover everything from anti-heroes, to indie darlings, to esports, all of which kept our minds occupied throughout the year. As always, feel free to jump in with your comments on what made the biggest impression on you in 2013.

- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes

- Find the show on Stitcher

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed

- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.

- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.

Show notes:

- Runtime: 38 min 11 sec

- "On Videogame Reviews," by Tevis Thompson, via TevisThompson.com

- Music by: Brad Sucks