Daily XP Grind

Hello again! This week we discuss the reason for the seaon -- and also our respectively roguelikes. It's gonna be wild, so strap in! Joe loses sleep over Slay the Spire, while Al tries to build the perfect loop in Loop Hero!

This is 100% not a joke: by the time we recorded this, got it edited, and uploaded, I forgot what we talked about. Like, completely. So, this episode is named after my favorite Friends episode. You know the one. Joe plays Persona 5 Strikers, and Al get brutal in Rimworld. I think.

So, uh, hi! This episode is... well, it shouldn't come as any surprise, to anyone who's been listening to us up until now. Joe talks about, let's see, *checks notes* Persona 5? Again dude? Come on. And Al... well, let's not talk about what Al did. Again.

Hello everyone! Sorry this one's late, Al and I are both adjusting to our new work schedules. That also means we haven't had a ton of time for games, but fear not, the circus that is the 2021 news cycle provides. Also, Joe definitely said "Gamespot" on purpose, like, a dozen times. As a joke. He didn't forget the name of the store for 10 minutes in the middle of talking about it. Definitely not. This week Al wraps up with Cyberpunk and teaches some intro finance; Joe marvels at the new RE trailer and catches up on some old favorites.

What do y'all do to get up early, and enjoy your mornings? Seriously, please, tell us your secrets. Work wants us in way early and we're still trying to figure out how to cope. This week, Al plays a little more Cyberpunk, and Joe reminds himself why he stopped play Farcry 4 the last three times.

It's been a minute out here. We're back for the new year! And I think we can all agree, it couldn't have come too soon. This week we catch you up on our gaming over the past month and a half. Welcome to 2021.

Sorry about our two week long lapse, but both of our households have been out with the plague. Some of us are still recovering, but we're all safe. (Almost) back to business as usual. In this episode, Al discusses Griftlands, a roguelite deck builder, and Joe discusses some of the finer points of playing games and sleeping a bunch while quarantined.

Alright gang, this is the last one from Spook-tober. Maybe the season got away from us a little there, but in the interim we played some games that were at least, thematically appropriate. Joe discusses the first leg of his Nuzlocke journey, while Al plays a number of dark and gritty roguelikes. Also, what's your pump-up song?

We're not sure how we missed so many weeks during Spook-tober, but now we're back to talk about all the frightening things we've played this month! Not really. This is an intervention for Al's addiction to Oblivion. Also, we played some Resident Evil games and stuff. The real horror this time around is in video game history!

Joe's celebrating 100 followers on Twitch! To help him celebrate, tune in this Sunday, 10/25, at 8PM CST to watch him bake a beautiful holiday dessert with Al -- and get pie'd in the face, like, a whole lot! 

Sorry for being distant the past week, and for sounding distant in this minisode! (At least, Joe's audio sounds pretty fuzzy) We had to sneak one in under the wire to commemorate the End! Of Persona 5. Enjoy. We're gonna sleep now. Happy Spook-tober!

This week we're gearing up for Spook-tober the only way we know how: by talking about completely unrelated stuff. If you wanna see us play a specific spooky game, tell us about it via email! dailyxpgrind@gmail.com

To all our American listeners, HAPPY LABOR DAY! To all our non-American listeners, HAPPY LABOUR DAY! And to all our listeners in autocratic regimes, sorry y'all have extensive union busting. WE would never engage in that here. *cough* DELTA *cough* This week, Al braves the upcoming storm with Risk of Rain 2, while Joe wallows in the bittersweet past with Pokemon Blue. For real, Happy Labor Day, y'all. Check out our Multiplayer Monday streams over at twitch.tv/BasicBeech !

Hey, thanks for bearing with us! This week, Al and Joe discuss the nuances of fine dining in Wisconsin; also, Al plays.... something, and Joe revisits (yet again) Persona 5!

We're here to touch base and reassure you that we haven't abandoned the feed! While you wait patiently for Monday's release, please, like, share, and flood our inbox! Love you! -Al and Joe

Hey! This one was supposed to go up yesterday, and we appreciate your patience. It's also a little shorter than usual, which we'll explain, I promise. Al plays D2, Joe plays P5, Knight to C3, I1, you suck my Battleship.

This title makes more sense when you know that a lot of Persona 5 is set in or around subways. Not that we make any mention of that, whatsoever. This week, Joe plays more P5, and Al digs into a little more FarCry 5. In retrospect, we should have done this one for Cinco de Mayo

Well, we don't know how much longer we'll be in the podcast biz. We're already in the process of transitioning to a different market. Granted, the work might be... harder... but we were made for this. Apparently. Joe plays Pokemon Blue, while Al plays Far Cry 5. None of this has to do with our title or why you should tune in.

Hey! This week, Al dives deep into Diablo II to recapture some nostalgia, meanwhile Joe is celebrating his birthday with Persona 5, plus some more Pokemon. Also, nice.

Circumstances got away from us, so this week's episode is a little shorter. Now, prepare yourself for combat!... or, y'know, playing an albino monster man assassin.

Muggy midwest months mean meandering monologues. We're trying to beat the heat and bring the hyucks but man, it's not going well. Al and Joe tagteam Resident Evil 5. (Boy we sure like Resident Evil games). It's good to be back, and inarticulate as ever.

It's casual Monday, and that means we're back with our regularly scheduled episodes. Well, at least this regularly scheduled episode. We'll see how it goes. In this one, Al and Joe try to catch you up on over a month's worth of gaming. Al's household has been bonding over Roblox, while bachelor Joe celebrates his title as Pokemon Champion of Alola.

We've been on hiatus for a while, and we'll be back to regular episodes soon, but there are more important things going on in the world right now. People are gathering worldwide to protest the murder of George Floyd, and the ingrained, systemic racism that led to it. In response, these protesters have been met with police brutality on an unprecedented scale. We're here to offer our support and solidarity to people protesting the virulent racism, and disgusting acts of police brutality, that our BIPOC citizens are met with on a daily basis. We also recognize there are more important voices in this fight than a couple of cishet white doofusses from the midwest. Here are some places to educate yourself on the issues: Account of Floyd's murder: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52861726 More about the Black Lives Matter foundation: https://blacklivesmatter.com/about/ Mapping Police Violence, non-profit with useful stats: https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/

Sorry for the late content!  It's been a hectic week for Joe getting ready for the move, and working out of town.  Alex, on the other hand, spent his week not just out of town, but out of reality with Half-Life: Alyx!

Not a full episode today, but we wanted to touch base for some video game history. Plus, get a sneak peak at a side project we started a few months back.

Heeey, maaan. We're back this week to discuss some far-out replays we've had going on during the past week -- namely, Al re(rere)-playing Resident Evil 3, and Joe resurfacing old gripes about Pokemon Moon. But come on guys, y'all know the real reason for this week's episode: we're celebrating the holiday. That's right -- it's Crispin Glover's birthday today.

Inappropriately enough, we're back this week to talk about a game that opens with a pandemic. Al and Joe both play Resident Evil 3 remake, (the 3make, as it were) and discuss the shadier points of voter suppression. (Hint: all of it is shady). There's also some side questing.

Welcome back, friends! This week we're sheltering in place, on our own personal island(s?). Well, Al is, anyways. Joe's island hopping like an irresponsible cretin who doesn't wanna miss his spring break cruise, even as the world burns. This week Al is foraging in a free market in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, while Joe is... STILL PLAYING POKEMON EMERALD NUZLOCKE?! ARE YOU S****ING ME? Stay safe, y'all.

Things are getting pretty ruff and rowdy out there, but we're here to help you through this dire times. By talking about video games. It's kind of our thing. This week, Al tries his hand at hacking in Watchdogs, while Joe strays ever further into the weeds in his Pokemon: Emerald Nuzlocke Run.

This week we're offering a fresh take on our main quests from last week, and a crash course for preparedness during this global soft-lock. Speaking of soft-locking, Al's back at it with Shadowrun Returns, and Joe is trying to learn from his mistakes during his ongoing Pokemon Emerald Nuzlocke Quest.

After a brief delay, Al and Joe are back, and they're unintentionally going green for St Patrick's day in this episode!  Joe takes on a personal challenge in Pokemon Emerald.  Meanwhile, Al slinks his way through the dirty streets of Seattle to find the Emerald City Ripper in Shadowrun Returns.

We're back this week with brand new games! Well, new to us. Well, not new to us. But new to the cast, OK? Ok. Al continues his streak of war crimes in the classic Age of Empires 2. Joe is the man who stares at goats while playing some Goat Simulator.

We really want to do better by you guys, and that is why, we're once again asking for your likes and shares. We will beat out Capcom. Al and Joe work collabo this week, to bring you the most factually accurate episode to date, and to like, play games and stuff. What kind of games? Crafting games. And some others.

Yuuuck. And welcome! This week, Al gets pseudo-retro in Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove, while Joe eats up the whole town in Donut County.

We're hopping into the way back machine this week to catch up on some classics. Well, as much as games from the 2000-aughts can be considered classics. Joe's back on that sphere grid grind in Final Fantasy X, and Al has started a relatively recent retrospective of The Witcher. Like the series. Of games. Also, in case it wasn't clear at the end there, Al totally won this week. Enjoy!

This week is round 2 of Al mastering the land around him in Stardew Valley, and Joe mastering the sky above in Spider-man. Honestly it's been a pretty slow week, and we're all sick and stuff, but that's what happens during winter in Wisconsin.

Getting back on track this week with some newer... older... games. You know, not quite the oldies, but contemporary classics, you might say. If you were kind of a d**cher. Al's brewing beers and seducing citizens in ConcernedApe's Stardew Valley. Joe has been slinging webs and beating up baddies in Marvel's Stan Lee's Disney's Sony's Spiderman (2018, if that wasn't clear).

Hey, internet! We have a shorter episode this week to get back in the swing of things. The initial release was slated for January 6th, but we had some tech issues this week and also, hey, it's the New Year. Give this one a listen, and pretend we're still predating WWIII, yeah? Got a new episode coming next week, provided the bombs don't drop!

Welcome to Season Two! You won't believe the radical changes we've made (basically none) to the shows format and hosts! But hey, new tunes! ...Oh sorry, that's next week. Well we're still here, anyways. This week, Al gets feudal in Nioh, and Joe takes on his most tenacious frenemy in Fallout 4. Season two, bay-bee!!

As Al and Joe gaze out over the twilight setting on season one of this strange and mesmerizing podcast, we pause to reflect. Also play video games. That is kinda the whole point, y'know. Al delivers the goods in The Messenger, while Joe plays Jenga with hauted Japanese ruins in Tomb Raider (2013).

In this, our triumphant return, Al and I recount the fading history of the past era (that is, we talk about the past few weeks); revisit some Spook-tober frights, and talk turkey, pre-emptively. Al gets the portal police involved in Nuclear Throne, while Joe takes down a tyrant in Resident Evil 2 (2018).

This week, Al played Dead Space, and Joe played the 2018 Resident Evil 2. Spookiness abounds! Woooo!

Welcome to another spooook-tober! Enter at your own peril! And by "enter" we of course mean listen. Al manages a menagerie of monster menaces in Monster Sanctuary, and Joe slays slimy slaver subordinates in Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor. And aside from awful amounts of abhorrent alliteration, WTF is kind of horrible this week too. Tune in for more scares this month! Two more 'til 50!

We're back! Here, but also, Pandora! This week Joe talks about our experience with Borderlands 3's first few levels, Al goes over black market dino deals in Jurassic World: Evolution, we have an award-winning Dreamcast game narrated by Leonard Nimoy (that you definitely haven't heard of) in WTF video games, and we even have a relatively mild trip through video game history!

This week, Al played something, Joe played something, blah f**kin' blah. None of that matters because we stumbled onto... I don't even know what. The deep web, but of video games? The birth of a new segment? Sexy times with a brutal dictator? All of the above? Anyways, we'll be back next week probably.

Al beat Slay the Spire. And that's the last thing that happened in either of our lives. In totality. Like, it's the last thing either one of us accomplished, or ever will accomplish, because we are dead; nothing more than ancient, forgotten skeletons now. I guess what I'm trying to say is, video game history this week was rough. See you next time.

We're back! After a busy week off (I swear this is the last time either of us are planning on moving for at least... a month) we're a little tired, a little loopy, but have a lot of games to catch you up on. Al contests calamitous kaiju in Into the Breach, while Joe busts buff baddies as Batman in Arkham Asylum.

In this episode, Al explores the finer points of civic planning. And... that's it. The rest is babbling delirium -- but if you're familiar with our show, you know that's nothing new. Also there's some side questing or whatever. It's good to be back.

Hey, I know we're supes bad about our random, un-announced hiatuses, but we had a really good excuse this time: Joe turned 30 and we had to mourn his youth. In this weeks episode, we catch you up on the past three weeks of games, spanning fun beat-em-up arcade action to serious, somber, scenes. Al main quests Slay the Spire, and Joe does the same in Sea of Solitude.

Al continues his otherworldly trend this week with Space Rogue, while Joe cooks up some conversations (and potions) in Oblivion. Plus a massive, rather one-sided mountain of side questing this week.

Hey gang! After a week off, we're back and better than ever. Well, we're definitely back anyways. Al exonerates (or perhaps extradites) an extant, extraterrestrial ex-patriot in Star Trader: Frontiers, while Joe fondly re-plays a nostalgic game (that still sends him into hysterics) with Resident Evil: 4.