Waypoint Radio

Not every video game comes together the way you'd want, and the best of intentions can end up being exactly that: intentions. That feeling drove a lot of conversation today on the podcast.

Over the weekend, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker and Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek spent time with We Are Chicago, a narrative-driven game hoping to illustrate the racial and socioeconomic struggles of African-Americans living in the South Side of Chicago, an area tragically known for its violence and crime. It, uh, doesn't really work, to say the least. Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau joined us for that, alongside new thoughts on what defines a Souls-like, and more from The Question Bucket.

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If you get Senior Reporter Patrick Kelpek and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker in a room, Souls talk is gonna happen. We might end up fighting over the merits of Dark Souls 2 longer than one should, but that's the way it is.

All this Souls talk was spurred by Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau discussing her time with Nioh, which prompted a much longer breakdown and analysis of the core DNA behind a Souls game, and whether we can come up with a collective definition for the genre. We also dip into The Question Bucket, and Austin reveals the three-part young adult novel series that he's been working on.

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The Super Bowl was this weekend, and while a just universe would have allowed a team other than the New England Patriots to win for once, 2017 has shown that world is not ours. Congrats, Patriots fans. You won another one. 

Back in the world of podcasts, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau was battling sickness this morning, so Social Editor Danika Harrod joined Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker to give an update on the search for Donnel in Fire Emblem: Heroes, react to the beta for Ghost Recon Wildlands, discuss how Nioh seems to be separating itself from Dark Souls, and dip into The Question Bucket.

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We made it through January, y’all. That might seem like much, but we’ve gotta start somewhere. Fortunately, your reward is an avalanche of new games to play.

Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker returns  to the podcast, after playing several hours of ​​Horizon: Zero Dawn earlier this week. We talked about entering the land of robot dinosaurs with Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau, before breaking down initial impressions of the Dark Souls-inspired Nioh, breaking down our (read: Austin's) Fire Emblem: Heroes gambling habits. And no episode of Waypoint Radio would be complete without a thorough trip to The Question Bucket.

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After a politically tumultuous weekend, one must find solace elsewhere. You know, like talking about how Senior Reporter Patrick Klepek was able to help a dominatrix find the will to punish her clients in Yakuza 0. And that's not even the weirdest thing...

Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker is not with us today—he should be back on Friday—but we didn't skip a beat; we found a great replacement to join Patrick and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau: game critic and Overwatch fanatic Nico Deyo. (She wrote some fan fiction for us over the holidays!) Besides discussing my #1 dad coffee cup and early hours with Yakuza 0, we have Nico walk us through the latest developments in Overwatch fandom, and dip into The Question Bucket.

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It's been a soggy, gray week here in Brooklyn, but all those clouds mean that it's been a fantastic time stay in and to play video games. 

Waypoint managing editor Danielle Riendeau has been boxing her way up the rankings in Punch Club​, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker's has dug into the difficult police work of ​Swat 4​, and Patrick Klepek—well, Patrick is playing the best game of them all: vacation. In his stead is ​Waypoint Radio's producer, Tim Barnes, who hasn't played a game since Jedi Power Battles ​on the Dreamcast​. Can you blame him for putting the controller down?

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If real-life news is bumming you out, it's a good time to be a video game fan; what's usually a slow period has quickly turned into an avalanche of great releases.

After spending the last week diving into Resident Evil 7 in VR, senior reporter Patrick Klepek hopped on the microphones with Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker and Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau to discuss Capcom's successful return to survival horror's roots. Later, we examined the surprising ways Gravity Rush 2 uses class to tell an interesting story in a world of floating cities. Sadly, there wasn't time The Question Bucket today, but don't worry, we'll strap on our gloves later this week.

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Today, Donald Trump was sworn in as President. For the time being, at least, this is the new reality. Because of that, it felt fitting to podcast about politics again.

On Monday's podcast, we couldn't get through the swampy bucket of questions people had submitted, so we're getting dirty again. After watching Trump take the oath, Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau, and myself decided to strap on some microphones to dive back in. And though Trump is on our minds, our hourlong discussion is not merely about our new President, it's about how today's new political realities will change the culture of games.

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This is not where many of us expected to be in early 2017, but here we are. In just a few days, a man who openly questioned the legitimacy of our nation’s first black President, Donald Trump, will take the oath of office. As you can imagine, this has weighed on us at Waypoint.

Rather than keep those thoughts and anxieties private, we decided to open up. Last week, we asked you so submit questions for the podcast, questions that examined our relationship with politics. This doesn’t just mean our reaction to Trump, but how our politics influences the way we play, cover, and discuss games, the kind of media we consume—we cover a lot of bases.

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The slow start to 2017 is coming an end, with Nintendo unveiling price, release date, and other super important details for its new home console, Switch. You can catch up on everything over here. Plus, Managing Editor Danielle Riendeau and Editor-in-Chief Austin Walker had a chance to go hands-on with the machine!

On the podcast, we talk through our reactions to everything Nintendo's announced, and I try to hold back my jealousy that other people have played Switch. I'll just have to watch that Super Mario Odyssey footage again and puzzle over New Donk City. Plus, we take a dip into The Question Bucket.

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