Waypoint Radio

Content Warning: discussion of the sexualization of children, sexual violence, and child pornography.

There is a long running trope of fan service in anime, where by characters (almost always women) are sexualized by the "camera" for the enjoyment of the (largely male) audience. Often it's deployed in irrespective of whatever plot point is happening at that moment, purely to titillate. ​Evangelion ​is no exception, however, it complicates it's own usage by attempting to explore the burgeoning sexuality of it's teenaged characters. But there's a notable difference between sexualizing characters for the viewer and characters having sexual thoughts. We discuss the messy way that episodes 8-13 deal with these issues and more on this week's Waypoints.

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The crew is at the top of their game in this episode about, um, NBA free agency, James Dolan's band, how FFXIV broke Austin, and the latest season of Riverdale. But also there are video games! We talk about them too! We talk about Mario Maker 2, and have some question about that boot that Mario uses (but Patrick doesn't). Rob talks about F1 2019 and its interesting but too-sparse narrative, before getting sidetracked by describing the plot of Draft Day. Cado's great too. Anyway, that's life under capitalism!

Discussed: FFXIV: A Realm Reborn, Super Mario Maker 2, F1 2019, Hardcore Mecha

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We've got a long one today (partially to make up for Monday's short episode? Who could say!?) Danielle starts us off with her impressions of The Sinking City, Frogwares' new detective game set in a Lovecraftian flooded town. She and Austin discuss the game's racial politics and how they shift the lens through which Lovecraft wrote his original works, while Rob draws a through line from this game to the works of Dashiell Hammet. Then Patrick stares at a wall and groans about the existence of Mario Maker 2, a game he claims is canceled because "Dan Ryckert still exists." He then goes on to admit that he's become that which he hates and has actually made a level in the new game, and he liked it. We check back in on Rob's campaign in Steel Division 2 before Cado whisks us to the magical world of Wizards Unite, which turns out to look a lot like the world of Pokemon Go, which looks a lot like Brooklyn. Stick around to the end to hear us live react to what has to be one of the wildest commercials any of us have ever seen.

Discussed: The Sinking City, Mario Maker 2, Steel Division 2, Wizards Unite, Hardcore Mecha

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Neon Genesis Evangelion is finally streaming, and with it comes our long promised rewatch of the series. On this episode we discuss the first seven episodes, from the different translations, to it's cinematic story-telling, from it's use of sexist anime tropes, to the deep exploration of its character's psyches. Danielle, Rob, and Patrick give their first time impressions while Cado and Austin shoot knowing glances back and forth. It's a long one, so strap in!

Episodes Discussed: 1: Angel Attack, 2: Unfamiliar Ceiling, 3: The Silent Phone, 4: Rain, After Running Away, 5: Rei, Beyond the Heart, 6: Showdown in Tokyo-3, 7: The Works Of Man

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Ah summer. A time for beaches, BBQs, and new game announcements... but not a whole ton of new games. Austin spent a weekend deep in TTRPG land, so it's up to Rob and Cado to talk about the games that have come out this week. We're fully into the summer lull, but Cado decided to take a vacation to the frigid new region in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne's beta. Rob's back from vacation, and he brought a few billion friends with him as he dives into the new single player campaign for They Are Billions. They also takes us through the early hours of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which may lean too heavily on it's roots, and the campaign of Steel Division 2, which feels different enough from the first game that Rob is questioning whether it's interesting or exasperating.

Discussed: Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, They Are Billions, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Steel Division 2.

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We had so many E3 questions we decided to split our recording on Tuesday into two podcasts so we could do a real deep dive into what you wanted to know about this year's show. We dig into how inspiration can take many forms in game development, games that have purposefully tackled political issues in the past, our personal histories with E3, and what the future of the expo might hold. Patrick checks back in with more info on Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, and shares a few anecdotes from his interview with the developers. Austin googles what Fall Guys is, and digs into the political readings of being able to recruit literally anyone in Watch Dogs: Legion.

Discussed: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Mafia III, Watch Dogs 2, Spec Ops: The Line, Fall Guys, Watch Dogs: Legion, Blair Witch

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With E3 2019 behind us, the crew at Waypoint Radio turn their attention to what really matters: The games we played going to and coming from E3 2019. We dig into Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Ft. The Legend of Zelda, SteamWorld Quest, Slay the Spire, BattleTech: Urban Warfare and more! Plus, we begin to answer your questions about E3... but you'll have to tune in later in the week for the REAL deep dive into ol' Question Bucket.

Games Discussed: PiXXL Cube, Dicey Dungeons, Slay the Spire, SteamWorld Quest, Cadence of Hyrule, Breath of the Wild, BattleTech: Urban Warfare, Atral Chain, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Daemon X Machina

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Twas the night after E3

And all through the house

Not a producer was stirring

No clicks of a mouse.

The mics had been packed

In the pelican with care,

But podding must happen

Even if Cado's not there

Rob saw some Vampires

That filled him with dread

While Natalie had images 

Of Gooigi in her head

Austin saw Link

in his little green cap

And Patrick was a Shark

that mostly attacked

And now E3 is over

It’s been quite a sight!

Merry Gamer Christmas to all,

And to all a good night.

Discussed: Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Marvels Ultimate Alliance 3, Maneater, E3, Control, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Cyberpunk 2077, Blair Witch, Monster Hunter: World Iceborne

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