EXP Podcast #734: The 2023 Gamey Awards

Happy new year!

The most prestigious and important video game awards ceremony is back again. From the best doofus', to awards in elegance, to the best waifu/husbandu, we are once again celebrating the end of the year with the Gamey Awards!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

• Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #723: Alan Wake II Debrief

I know I left my wallet around here somewhere.

Just in time for the end of the year, we reach the end of another story: Alan Wake II!  This week we debrief on a game created by and for humanities nerds.  Nothing like contemplating the death of the author while rocking out to Norse mythology inspired heavy metal!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 42 min 57 sec

- Music from the Alan Wake II soundtrack

EXP Podcast #722: Florida Men

What do you mean don't pre-order?

We're head to Vice City, where the sun is shining, drugs are plentiful, and you might get eaten by an alligator. Also, we retroactively predict the Game Awards winners.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

• Intro from the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer
• Outro by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #721: Nostalgia for Sale

Captain Price doing his Groundhog's Day thing

This week we emerge from our holiday haze and talk about the ways in which some large publishers are trying to foster a fuzzy feeling by appealing to a sense "the good old days" of established games and franchises.  This kind of packaged nostalgia is clearly popular; just ask the people paying actual currency to play the original version of World of Warcraft.  But what does it mean that we're drawn to these time capsules and does it mean we're headed toward a looping cycle where we reset franchises once every seven to ten years?  If so, then I can't wait for my Cow Clicker remake.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 37 min 29 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #720: The Legend of Zelda Movie Magic

"I'm ready for my close up!"

Do you feel that tingle of excitement? No, not that weird green dude. It's Nintendo's latest announcement that Legend of Zelda is getting a big screen adaptation and it's... live action!?

This week on the podcast, we foretell both the bright and dark future this announcement portends. Also, what storyline should the Zelda movie focus on? Who knows, they're all weird!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

- Feel It Now PS5 Trailer

- Pokémon Concierge Trailer

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #719: Alan Wake 2, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and 2 much 2 play!

You'll need two Spider-men for all these games.

2023's absolute deluge of games continues this week and we hanging on for dear life!  This week we web sling our way around Spider-Man 2, piece together the mystery of Alan Wake 2, welcome a special end-credit guest in Lies of P, and conclude our trip in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 38 min 45 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #718: Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Same Bowser... same.

We also knew all the mushrooms would catch up to Mario. This week on the podcast, we take a wonder seed trip into Super Mario Bros. Wonder!

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

 

 

Show Notes:

- Intro from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder launch trailer

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #717: Chants of Sennaar, Cocoon, and more!

Carrying the weight of several worlds on your shoulders

This week we talk about a game all about language and a game completely devoid of the written word!  Chants of Sennaar and Cocoon are in the rotation this week and both games have impressed us.  While they're quite different, both of them drop you right into a world without much explicit hand holding, so we have a good time unpacking the various mysteries contained within.  Plus: a little extra Lies of P and Sea of Stars analysis as we continue to dig in to those games!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 41 min 27 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #716: Clouds & Sheep

"Please don't turn me into a sheep..."

This week on the podcast, we leap into Sony's cloud gaming news and marvel at the lengths Baldur's Gate 3 players will go for the perfect run.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #715: Switch 2 Scuttlebutt

Looking for Switch clues in magical tomes

Rumors abound this week as we all collectively start to piece together clues about the Switch's successor.  I'm going to out on a limb and say that there will be a Mario game and a convoluted friend request system - maybe together?!  On top of that, Jorge and I do some strategizing about how to introduce turn-based RPGs to the next generation.  Suffice to say it's a high pressure situation.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 39 min 15 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #714: Unity, Games Pricing, And DLC

Watch more movies!

It's a debacle at Unity, some surprising Breath of the Wild DLC news, the high cost of games, and a step into the closet with Hideo Kojima! 

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #713: Xbox Leaks and Gaming Grab Bag

First one to the finish line gets one of those new Xbox controllers

Even after a busy spring and summer, video games refuse to take a break and just chill.  There's just so much to play and it can get distracting.  Maybe that's what happened over there at Microsoft - someone was so distracted trying to master their mech in Armored Core that they forgot to properly secure all the links in their public court filings.  This week it's a gaming grab bag and a rare look at what goes on in the Xbox team's internal pitch meetings.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 40 min 41 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #712: Raising the Bar

Should I buy into the hype?

It's a great year for gaming. But is it... too good? This week on the EXP Podcast, we ask whether great games like Baldur's Gate 3 or Tears of the Kingdom should raise the standards for what we expect out of games or if doing so sets the bar too high.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 53 min 48 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #711: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Debrief

Watch that first step - it's a doozy

After several months of traversing the gloom, scarfing down endura carrots, and harvesting dragon scales, both Jorge and I have seen credits in Tears of the Kingdom.  I won't even pretend to say we've "finished" it, as there are more korok seeds in this game than there are grains of sand of beach.  Regardless, we do a deep dive on both the late game mechanics as well as the time-bending plot.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 53 min 48 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #710: Pikmin 4, Dave the Diver, and Baldur's Gate 3

Love your job, and never
work a day in your life.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we spend some time with mer-people, pikmin and their strange dog (?), and the D&D cast of Baldur's Gate 3. Join us for a discussion of even MORE great games of 2023!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #709: Gaming Subscription Silliness

Look at all these cool Xbox Live Gold subscription holders.

Pop quiz: do you know the various subscription tiers for your game platforms?  And more importantly: do you know which ones you're automatically being charged for every month?  Well here's a hint: it's not Xbox Live Gold, that one's riding off into the sunset.  This week, we play that exact game and quiz each other about what each major console platform is pitching and which ones we've bought into.  Let's just say things get convoluted fast.  On the bright side, we rediscover some members of our Nintendo family and also give Sony some free naming ideas!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 48 min 47 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #708: Memorable Endings

This week on the EXP Podcast, we revisit some of video games' best, and worst, endings - from the multicolored conclusion to Mass Effect 3 (and Elding Ring) to the touching conclusion to some great narrative games like Life is Strange. 

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- "The Video Game Endings We'll Never Forget, For Better Or Worse," from Kotaku and Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #707: Tears of the Kingdom and Nintendo News Catchup

More large and in charge than ever.

Hello!  Remove that gloom effect, because we're back from the depths after a few weeks.  Well it's not really the depths, it's just that Jorge and his family acquired a new little korok and were doing some much needed bonding.  We ease back in by catching up on what's been going on in Hyrule and what's been going on over at Nintendo.  Apparently Mario is getting bigger than ever.  And I truly mean elephant-sized.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 32 min 54 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #706: Street Fighter 6 Debrief

How I feel playing any fighting game.

The games are coming hot and fast - with big titles seemingly launching every week and more news than we can catch in a bucket. This week on the podcast, we decide to get out of the house instead and hit the streets... in Street Fighter 6!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Intro from the Street Fighter 6 Announce Trailer and Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #705: PlayStation Showcase and Project Q Reactions

It's like Macgyver created a handheld.

This week we talk about the recent PlayStation Showcase.  But first, stick with me for second here, gang: what if I took a dual sense and chopped it in half...wait, no let me finish...and then stuck a big screen in the middle and then Tears of the Kingdom Ultra Hand-style just mashed all of it together!  We call it Project Q and it's going to revolutionize toilet-based gaming in the home.  What's that?  Fine, we'll sweeten the deal with some ear buds.  Are you happy now?

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 39 min 34 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #704: Hyrulian Love

"This better not be a love potion link..."

Grab your bugs, horns, and fire peppers because this week on the EXP Podcast, we're brewing a love elixir for Zelda!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 39 min 24 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #703: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom debrief

Link rehearsing for his community theater Hamlet production

It's a big week around these parts!  And when I say parts, I also mean the various pieces of scrap wood and ancient tech I'm using to fashion a crude over boat.  Yes, it's time to talk about The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!  We debrief on our initial few hours in the game and talk about how it fits int he broader open-world landscape.  Spoiler: we're having a great time so far, although maybe it's good we didn't pursue engineering in school.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 39 min 24 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #702: Jedi Survivor Debrief & Nintendo Leaks

Beep boop!?

This week on the podcast, we explore a galaxy far, far, away in Jedi Survivor, wonder why the Jedi Council is training an army of child soldiers, and briefly discuss some classic Nintendo wildness.

Oh, and see you on the other side of Breath of the Wild 2!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #701: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Debrief

Can't wait for the Criterion Collection edition.

This week, Scott ventures out into the theater and reports back on the latest cinematic adventure.  That's right, it's the The Super Mario Bros. Movie!  Seeing is how it's based on a Japanese game franchise and created by Illumination's French studio, can I call this a foreign film?  In any case, and despite a distinct lack of John Leguizamo, there is plenty to talk about, so grab your popcorn and your fireflowers and join us.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 40 min 02 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #700: The Gamey Tournament of Champions

"This way to date night!"

700 hundred official episodes is no small feat! We are celebrating the accomplishment by hosting the first ever Gamey Awards Tournament of Champions! It's time to settle once and for all who the best Waifu/Husbandu is. Why is Incineroar a genuine contender? And what is the gameyest game?

A special thanks to our small family of listeners, especially those who've stuck around over the years. We love making this podcast every week and we hope you keep enjoying our serious but not humorless conversations about games for years to come!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #699: Self Selection and the Switch

 But you can't have a cool rooftop party without the Switch!

When playing a cross-play multiplayer game, what do you do when the an entire platform's worth of players gets left behind?  Well, if you're playing Rogue Company, maybe you rejoice?  This week we use the recent end of Switch support on a cross-play multiplayer game to talk about the ongoing search for your preferred video game community.  What's the slow-pitch, dad-squad, beer-league softball equivalent in video games?  Because those are some folks I could really get along with.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 39 min 57 sec

- "Switch Shooter's Shutdown Has Xbox, PS5 Fans Happy They May Face Fewer Kids," by Zack Zwiezen, via Kotaku

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #698: Tchia, RE4 Remake, and More

And now Free Bird!

This week on the podcast, we bask on the sandy shores of Tchia, a darling little Breath of the Wild homage, trudge back into Resident Evil 4, and touch on a couple more games that are actually pretty damn great as well!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music from the Tchia OST

EXP Podcast #697: The Last of Us the TV Show Debrief

Oh we're definitely replacing the drywall in here.

Bad news: you have to live in a brutal post-apocalyptic zombie hellscape.  Good news: The Internet's latest crush, Pedro Pascal, is your companion and protector!  This week we talk about HBO's The Last of Us.  Roughly ten years after the first game's release, we revisit the game's bleak world and see how it fares in the world of prestige television.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 50 min 1 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #696: Return to Journey Ritual

Just back from the dry cleaner

It's time again for the yearly Journey replay ritual, in which we wander the sands of Thatgamecompany's magnum opus and think on the slow inexorable passage of time. Ain't the human condition grand!?

This time though, we are even joined by an interesting new wanderer.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #695: Grab Bag Season

Just thinking about the end of the world

We've got some pretty hefty games on the horizon this spring, so we're spending the last few weeks of winter doing a bit of a sampler.  We have a wide variety to talk about this week, ranging from the manic Hi-Fi Rush to the meditative Season.  And then we throw some survival horror in the middle there for good measure!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 33 min 39 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #694: Back to the Bad

Same feeling Piranha, buddy.

This week on the podcast, we revisit some games that not only didn't age well, but maybe were never good to begin with.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 37 min 40 sec

- "Post-Cringe: Forspoken and the Self-Sabotage of the Smirking Protagonist," by Austin Walker, via Clockwork Worlds

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #693: Cringing at the Camera

Contemplating the next zinger.

I've long since abandoned trying to be cool, which is hopefully a good defense mechanism against being "cringe."  But Marvel, Star Wars, and now Forspoken seem to have something to prove when it comes to how their characters approach the worlds in which they live.  People pick up on this and often labeling it as cringey dialog; hackneyed tries at being witty or sarcastic.  But what's really behind our negative reactions to these try-hards?  This week we use an article by Austin Walker to explore whether the audience-facing winks we see so often are actually a defense mechanism; one that lets writers try to mock their own work before anyone else can beat them to it.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 37 min 40 sec

- "Post-Cringe: Forspoken and the Self-Sabotage of the Smirking Protagonist," by Austin Walker, via Clockwork Worlds

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #692 - Dead Space Remake & FF7 Holidays

Close talkers are the worst!

This week we re-board the Ishimura to take a violent and viscera-filled visit to the Dead Space Remake. Is it one of the best horror games of all time? Absolutely! We also make a brief pit stop to check in on a new holiday in Japan: Final Fantasy 7 Day!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 45 min 14 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #691: God of War Ragnarök Debrief

The very last "bring your kid to work day?"

After a very long, Gamey and GOTY-filled Fimbulwinter, we're finally looping back to one of our favorite games of 2022: God of War Ragnarök!  We discussed it in a few previous shows, but this time we go fully into spoilers and geek out over everyone's Greek lout.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 45 min 14 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #690: The Year Ahead 2023

GOTY?

The year is well under way and there is going to be an absolute glut of games dropping this year. With barely any lulls in major releases, we are looking ahead at our most anticipated games of 2023 and some of the games we might play... if they come out this year!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #689: 2022 Game of Year Leftovers

If anyone knows about leftovers, it's Kirby.

I'm still totally fine with people saying "Happy New Year" at this point in the year, so you better believe I'm still good with game of the year discussions!  This week we wrap up the season with some of the best games that didn't quite make our top 3 this year.  And you know what, I won't even judge you for the Christmas tree I still see in the corner over there.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Run time: 37 min 40 sec

- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #688: 2022 Games of the Year

Me at the beginning of 2022 vs me at the end.

Before we put 2022 behind us, it's time to share our favorite games of the year. That's right, it's the GOTY cast! This was a truly great year for such a wide variety of games, in part due to the dearth of Triple-A games taking up all our time. Stay tuned next week for the last of 2022 leftovers!

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.

 

Show Notes:

- Music by Brad Sucks