XP Bar

No funny description today. Just discussions of the Hitman 3 release drama, cumulonimbus gaming via Stadia, Immortals and the Rise of the Subtitle, that Monster Hunter demo that made me think my Switch was broken, big chunky Hori controllers, Super Mario Bros. and Kaizo Super Mario Bros. Gaiden, and Timothy Olyphant's run in with Colombian drug lords.

The Masked Singer continues to dominate all discussion on this, the latest episode of the XP Bar. But once we tear ourselves away from costumed conundrums, there's still plenty of time to talk about: Tucker's bizarre melting walls, Michael's 76 different falls (out), and Christian's arcade cabinet withdrawals. And we complain about the Dead Space fiction and how Steven Soderbergh is really wringing those HDMI 2.1 cables dry.

We're Back! The Bar is dusty and the mugs are full of bee carcasses but we're here to talk about video games. Or, rather, Christian is here to talk about video games and Michael and Tucker are here for emotional support.

Zach returns from the eye mines to regale us with his thoughts on The Last of Us Part 5 Minus 3. Tucker doesn't quite agree with those opinions which creates mild friction, i.e. good podcast fun! Christian has thoughts as well but he takes the moral high ground on the whole thing which I think is honorable if not a little crass. Michael didn't play the game but he has the strongest opinions of all. Sports Bar is back?!?

I AM THREATENED BY LADY BICEPS

A video game tragedy in three parts. Act 1, wherein Michael plays Yakuza 0 and Civ VI and emerges relatively unscathed, yet fearful for the future and despondent about the world he is leaving to his children. Act II: Wherein Tucker realizes his life was a lie in a manner similar to a MGMT music video or something of the sort. Act II features guest appearances by Danganronpa 2 and Max Payne, as well as a certain Trials of Mana character we all know and love! Act IIV is where it all comes together, baby. Christian must reclaim his father's crusted jewel by playing through 17 different game series, including Gears, Rage (Streets of), Hawk (Tony of), and Paper Mario. And then we talk about remasters for a while.

Tucker ranks the original 151 Pokemon from best to worst why not

Tie thine horsey upon thine post, ye shaggy muck farmer! And step into this old timey podcast tavern/pizza buffet! What's old is new again here in the XP Bar! Ys 1? Sure! That's a video game we could talk about! The Trials of Mana and Final Fantasy VII remake duology of April 2020? What a great thing for the sounds coming out of our mouths to be about! And Gears Tactics even? What dark majiks have thou spun to create such a trough of greasey gaming opinions? Now go and vanquish the endew dwagon!

The XP Bar's essential workers trudge on in to deliver the world what it needs most in these trying times: video game complainin'. We also ogle the Sega Master System, ponder how guns work in video games (via Singularity), fawn over Isabelle's cute little foot pads, and then circle the wagons on the whole "video game industry eating itself" thing.

Touching microphones is so in right now but we do you one better by talking into them! "What about?" you ask in your reedy, alluring voice. Well dish up some of this action: Christian got an Xbox 1 X and he's using it to play Xbox 360 games from 2006 and SNK games from the 90s! And he played through a bunch of Half-Life stuff as we ponder our own half-lives! Michael played one of several Wrath of Cortex games and he doesn't give a flip what you think about that situation! And Tucker is experiencing a Crisis on just one Earth but it's this Earth bub and it's our home so let's all take a walk once in a while ok?