Hitpoint Pals

This week Caleb searches for an image of a gator staring down a cop car, and we all take a look at how the good people of our respective hometowns have adjusted (or not adjusted) to daily life in a pandemic. Also, China and India might have done medieval warfare in the Himalayas. We also recap highlights from EA Play and the PC Gaming Show, look forward to the new Star Wars Squadrons game, get up to date on Animal Crossing news, and recap the deal with Destiny 2's new three year plan. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 53: We crank out a jam-packed episode as we move deep into the cool zone - Caleb is out protesting and joins us at the halfway mark. Before that we reflect on rapid changes, from cancelling cops to cancelling COPS, and the cool and good new push to stop letting people get away with dumb bullshit (ahem Riot Games, Bon Appétit). We also review the PS5 showcase, Cam explains Tony Bologna, and we address JK Rowling's transphobic bullshit as the forthcoming presence of a high budget Harry Potter game looms. Patch Notes: Addressed the need for a new social hub in Seattle, players can now visit the Autonomous Zone, spanning multiple blocks of Capitol Hill Fixed a bug where COPS and another show called Live PD would continue to produce exploitative copaganda with no repercussions Buffed Covid-19 hospitalizations in 12 states and adjusted models to reflect 200,000 predicted deaths by September Lobby Chatter: Ratatouille // PS5 announcements // Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality // Expecto Transphobia // Tony Bologna // Tom Cotton and the Obelisk of Wokeness Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 52: Patch Notes 20.6.1 Changes to survival mode "Martial Law" Peaceful citizens now considered enemies Removed the NPC label “press” that protected media, and Reverted a change from update 1.1 protecting the freedom of speech Added new obstacles for citizens: helicopters, predator drones, police cars, chemical weapons Added new surveillance options on server side, players may be investigated and taken from their homes Fast travel options including rental bikes, subways, and rideshare limited or disabled Lobby Chatter Not snitching on cheesecake // Maneater & Jaws Unleashed // Wolfenstein 2 // The Sims // Destiny updates Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 51: If you scream on a roller coaster, do your germs just shoot backwards to whoever's behind you? Did elderly man and inexplicable presidential candidate Joe Biden fart on camera, and does that mean he's not racist? And where in Middle Earth is the Lake of the Ozarks? We're tackling the real and important questions. On, and the US celebrates 100,000 coronavirus deaths by opening back up. As always, we do live in a society. Patch Notes 20.5.5 Amusement parks in Japan reopened, screaming on roller coasters banned Joe Biden has a chance to fart on camera New Enemy Type: Cannibal rats Coronavirus deaths reach 100,000 in the US alone as states begin reopening Lobby Chatter Stalk Market woes // Factories // Hellpoint: The Thespian Feast // Pathologic Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Cloth masks, animatronic rat masks, Bionicle masks, it's mask shit only this week. You ever just post a video of yourself getting owned for not wearing a mask? We love this, and hope to see more videos like the Costco one because seeing empowered service workers rise up on these fools is just free serotonin. For some reason we have a discussion on doctors, and Joel maybe had chameleon eyes, but you can't trust your eyes so we're not sure. In other mask news, Bionicle: Quest for Mata Nui is a fan game in the works, and we give it a well deserved shoutout as well as form a prayer circle to keep Lego from sending a cease and desist. Patch Notes 20.5.4 Gunmen will now become violent upon being asked to wear a mask Added a new pseudonym for Chuck E. Cheese - Pasqually's Pizza and wings A fuckin black hole is visible from earth Lobby Chatter Bionicle: Quest for Mata Nui // Ghost of Tsushima // Destiny goofs // Terraria Journey's End Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

We define the word apotheosis to tell you about a real gamer moment, a true series of events that couldn't have written better by any accomplished author, something so mindbogglingly stupid we had to dedicate our entire Patch Notes segment to it; of course, it's the botched invasion of Caracas and attempted coup by an American private security company on the country of Venezuela. We loved to see it, loved to read about it, agree that coups should be diverse, and know in our hearts that the men who tried to do the coup grew up playing way too much Call of Duty. We also channel our inner art critics to discuss games announced at last week's xbox event, ruminate on historical settings unexplored by the Assassin's Creed franchise, talk some 4x grand strategy, and keep bashing The Dumb Guys. Patch Notes 20.5.3 New campaign: The Macuto Bay Raid Lobby Chatter Xbox, on // Assassin's Creed // Tony Hawk's Pro Skater // Civ VI, Old World // Xenoblade // Bungo // The Sims 4 Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

No new episode this week as we have become inundated with tasks, but for your listening enjoyment we have retrieved some classic Hitpoint Pals conversations for you. A rebroadcast of our conversation on Race in The Elder Scrolls from HPP 15, and Gaming and Climate Change from HPP 21. Catch you next week! Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

We reflect on owning a small business tyrant so hard he deleted his account, and that one time the state of Hawaii was told they were about to be nuked off the face of the planet. Cam reminds us how much the government hates poor people, and Travis gives some thoughts on finishing Final Fantasy VII Remake, without spoilers. Also, while playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Rebekah is reminded of the unstoppable passage of time. This leads to discussion of alien tiddies. Patch Notes 20.5.1 Mandatory Stay At Home patch reverted from certain US servers Kim Jong-un indefinitely removed from play Lobby Chatter A reckoning for university sports programs // Final Fantasy VII Remake completed thoughts (no spoilers) // Industries of Titan // Overcooked 2 and Destiny Raids // The Jensen Identity // Getting stuck in Gringotts as a child // Horny for aliens // She Kills Monsters Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Deranged folks gather in the streets, spreading disease and screaming about how their state governors are nazis. We examine these developments in our respective cities, from Eastern Washington and Portland, to Las Vegas, where the mayor offers the city's population up as an experiment. Patch Notes 20.4.4 People will now protest about hair, fish, satan Mayor of Las Vegas now offers population to COVID-19 as a science experiment Lobby Chatter Organizing a Rent Strike // Would a chocobo be better than $1200 // Pokemon Mystery Dungeon // Final Fantasy VII // Final Fantasy VII Remake // Animal Crossing update Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Somebody used After Effects to animate a fancy timeline for Donald Trump's weird Prezi-like video, a Balkanized United States conjures visions of the Long Chilean Empire, and who the fuck knows how to feel about November??? Travis can't stop thinking about Disaster Report 4, a game where you can be an Earthquake Pervert, Joel has been showing Travis all the secrets in Destiny 2, Cam and Rebekah are just glad to be rid of the goddamn eggs in Animal Crossing, and Caleb genuinely thinks we'd be better off in the world of Cyberpunk 2077. Patch Notes 20.4.3 Press briefings now feature fully produced propaganda videos Western States Pact enacted Bernie Sanders now endorses Biden Lobby Chatter Earthquake Pervert: The Game // Destiny 2 is Easter Eggs: The Game // Rereading Game of Thrones // Superman: Red Son // The wretched eggs are gone // Cyberpunk 2077 lust and regret Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

A balance change in the Democratic Primaries sees the number of presidential candidates reduced from two to one, with Biden now positioned as the nominee. This brings us to a conversation about a lack of distinction between the DNC and the GOP, with both parties now backing Republicans. Rebekah gives us an update from the Rent Strike front lines, and we discuss how the pandemic has been stunting productivity for everyone, and why we shouldn't feel bad about that. Patch Notes 20.4.2 DNC candidates reduced from two (2) to one (1) Lobby Chatter Rent Strike // Feeling bad about productivity // Persona 5 // Divinity Original Sin 2 // Civilization VI We also catch up on some of the games we've been playing: Animal Crossing, Persona 5, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and Civilization VI. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

With the GameStop curbside pickup experience, an employee who may or may not be wearing bags on their hands makes a fateful rendezvous with their customer outside the store. Joel gives us the details on his Persona 5 The Royal pickup experience, plus how the game differs from the original. In Patch Notes we talk through the growing rent strike movement, and hear about Cam and Rebekah's organization efforts in their building. Then we lament how we're up to our eyes in eggs in Animal Crossing, but fresh out of eggs IRL. Patch Notes 20.4.1 US COVID-19 cases increased to 200,000 Homeowners buffed Gamestop bags now equipable gloves Lobby Chatter Cam and Rebekah are organizing a rent strike // We hate the eggs!!! // MW2 Remastered // Mount & Blade: Bannerlord // Persona 5 Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Many months later, we return to Lore Moments to finish what we started. In part 2 of Lore Moments: Dark Souls we travel to Anor Londo to talk about the Lordvessel and the great souls the Chosen Undead must fill it with, the fallen city of New Londo and the ghosts that guard it, the time traveling escapades of the Chosen Undead to the city of Oolacile, the dragon Seath and his sorceries, and much much more. All of us collectively forget what happens in the second half of the Ornstein & Smough boss fight, and the podcast devolves into chaos as we scramble to look up YouTube videos. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

The 2011 game Dark Souls drops the player into a fantasy world on its last legs, a dying realm where the inhabitants are withering away and powerful demons run rampant. As the Chosen Undead, you're tasked with saving the world... maybe? But what is the world of Dark Souls, and what happened to it? Mechanically, Dark Souls is an unrelenting series of challenging encounters that unlock new areas to explore. There's no story to follow in a traditional sense, and most of what the game tells you about its world exists solely in item descriptions. To understand the lore of Dark Souls is to read pages of supplemental text, often vague and subject to interpretation. This is where we begin our journey, both into Lordran and into a new podcast: Lore Moments. On this episode we look into the concept of Dark Souls' undead and what it means to be hollow. What events created the depressing landscape the Chosen Undead wanders through, and what are souls? Also, what does estus taste like? Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

We look at the way corporations are somehow exploiting workers even worse during the crisis, and read company communications from a coffee chain, where employees are asked to keep working and to push "massive traffic" with a special pandemic sale. If you've been working during the crisis and would like to leak us company communications or other revealing information, send us a message or leave a voice memo at the link below. We then talk video games and hear from Caleb about Doom Eternal, and collectively recap our Animal Crossing experiences, including the horrors of being the second player on a shared island. Also, we listen to an update from an old friend, and Caleb recommends we watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Patch Notes 20.3.4 POTUS no longer pretends to care about workers, now openly advocates for mass sacrifice Stimulus package enabled to stabilize corporations, maybe people Oregon servers shut down due to social distancing exploit Lobby Chatter Doom Eternal // Animal Crossing // Audio Log // Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

We brought the show back because what else are we to do while on lockdown? We introduce a new show format and a new segment called Patch Notes where we talk about how cool it is to ride a hoverboard around campus, and a long overdue balance change is made in the NFL. Mentioned: TikTOscars Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Join us for our season finale as we reflect on the year of podcasts we did. Will has a big announcement, and some tough questions, like, "What if you went home to encounter a four foot version of yourself?" We also share our new year's resolutions and intentions, and give a small preview of what's to come from all of us at Hitpoint Pals. Mentioned: Lego Star Wars, Skyrim, Robin Seplut, Devil May Cry, The Witcher, Las Vegas, Gamer energy Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

On our penultimate episode of the year, Travis and Will have a game shoutout for AI Dungeon 2, an experimental text-based adventure that uses a database of choose your own adventure stories to respond to anything you say or do. Then we do some shoutouts for our favorite games of the year, including Sekiro, Resident Evil 2, and Ape Out. After a Dark Souls diversion, we take some time to reminisce over some of the decade's biggest Gamer Moments. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Mentioned: AI Dungeon 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Resident Evil 2, Ape Out, She was About to Blow My Dick --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Life is Strange 2 spoilers from 25:25 - 37:10. We begin with a declaration from Will that he is a born again Christian and things only get less pious from there. But first Travis and Will recap their experience watching the Playstation Awards, a Japanese broadcast translated on the fly and often indecipherable, to us but mostly to the stream chat. Meanwhile Rebekah has been playing Stardew Valley and finally learns how to fish! We give an indie game shoutout to split screen puzzler DYO, which makes use of the local co-op seam as a mechanic. And in recent game releases, Travis has nothing but praise for the way Life is Strange 2, Episode 5 interprets morality and culminates into a perfect ending shaped by your choices. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Mentioned: DYO, Parsec, Steam Remote Play, Life is Strange 2, The Call of the Wild (2020), Messiah, Deacons of the Deep, The Christ Centered Gamer --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 37: The crew speaks with members of Rebekah and Cam's D&D group on the finale of their campaign, and their takeaways from a story that lasted two years. Then we talk about a few games we've been playing, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, GRIS, and Betrayer. Before we can wrap, we get in some offhand mentions of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Cats. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: D&D, Jedi Fallen Order, GRIS, Betrayer, Sonic, Cats --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 36: Travis has been enjoying the satisfaction of positive feedback and repetitive tasks in Death Stranding, which we only discuss in vague terms since Will is eagerly awaiting the 2020 PC release, and doesn't want the game spoiled. But we fully discuss Caleb's time in Luigi's Mansion, where apparently Luigi looks really, really good. Also, Will has been playing narrative adventure The Council, a mystery game set in the Victorian era that gets real occult real fast. And we can't resist determining our Kojima names with Polygon's handy 11-page Kojima Name Generator, which raises questions about our current states of being as well as our childhoods. Discussed: Figure out your Kojima name with my simple, 11-page worksheet (Polygon) Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Death Stranding, Luigi's Mansion 3, The Council, Kojima Name Generator, Dubhacks, The Mandalorian, Red Dead Redemption 2 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 35: The divisive auteur theory changed the way we critique films, and could go on to impact the way we talk about video games as well. There are many figures known for their collective works as video game directors and producers, but is Hideo Kojima spearheading a new brand of gaming auteur, for better or for worse? That's our topic this week, which explores auteur theory and how it could apply to video game creators as much as filmmakers. But first, regular check-ins: Travis who has been playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Outer Worlds. Rebekah fills us in on becoming a professional dungeon master! And William discusses polygonal architecture. At the end of the episode, linguistics of the internet, and why boomers use so many ellipses. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Red Dead Redemption 2, The Outer Worlds, Unity, The Internet, Hideo Kojima --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 34: What do you do when your service corgi gets swept down a storm drain and into the creepy tunnels beneath the city? Will fills us in on that journey in the lo-fi horror game Lost in Vivo, which he enjoyed a lot. We then try to determine whether or not ghosts are real and share some paranormal or just plain odd encounters we've all had. Rebekah might have seen a ghost running at her, and Will once encountered a scene straight out of The X-Files. Travis also recalls his history of jobs in supposedly haunted workplaces. Then we discuss the co-op horror story Man of Medan before diving into all things jump scares, soundscapes, and sanity levels. What's the difference between survival horror and psychological horror? Which types of horror do we respond best to? Why do any of us subject ourselves to horror in the first place? Finally, we close with Rebekah's update on her Zines and Things tour, and then ruminate on the Crusader Kings III announcement, new Crusader Kings II features, and signs that sure look like a Paradox push to centralize their games within their own launcher, and probably sell micro-transaction mustaches. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Lost in Vivo, Man of Medan, Call of Cthulhu, Resident Evil series, various horror concepts, Zines and Things --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 33: Sony's Playstation 5 is a year away, and we just... aren't very excited about it. We get into the evolution of games hardware and the shrinking gap in technology leaps between major console generations. With the PS5 expected to be backwards-compatible with the PS4, we also touch on hardware architecture and compatibility, where the lack of the latter creates a need for remasters and remakes of aging games. Also discussed are the worlds of Red Dead Redemption and Dark Souls II, monetizing D&D, and whether or not polls are good? Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Red Dead Redemption, UNCAGED Anthology, Dark Souls II, PS5, Remasters, Democratic Debates --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 32: Will reads us a Steam review critical solely of gameplay time, and presents us with an open-ended question. How do we value games in relation to money spent and "content" time received? And how dependent are our opinions on an economic system where time is money? We discuss the "$1 = 1 hr. of gameplay" line of thinking, the stagnant $60 price tag, wages, physical discs, and the perceptions of studio prestige. We also do our weekly game check-ins, where Travis and Caleb have been exploring Destiny 2, Rebekah is prepping to run the Sunless Citadel, and Will is struggling with the realities of imperialism and classism in good ol' Victoria II. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Destiny 2, Victoria II, Dungeons & Dragons, data caps --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 31: Are subscription services the future? Does it make any sense to spend $60 on a game anymore? We're back from our hiatus to talk all things monthly payments, including Apple Arcade, which launched with a strong catalog of exclusives. Rebekah asks for advice on romance options in Stardew Valley, while Travis has enjoyed exploring The Oldest House in Control. Meanwhile, William is engrossed with the thick atmosphere in Metro 2033. In our thoughts and prayers, Rebekah gives us her thoughts on the film Hustlers, Travis is searching for this year's League of Legends Worlds theme, and William discovers autonomous horses in 80 Days. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Sayonara Wild Hearts, Mini Motorways, Control, Stardew Valley, 80 Days --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 30: How can a single player RPG be "dead?" We take a look at the tumultuous evolution of player-developer interaction over time, and the expectation players have grown to have for not just technical patches, but free content updates. A new culture has formed around reworking games that had less than stellar releases a la No Man's Sky, and the way players expect studios to fix bad games they paid for rather than move on to something new. We're calling out backseat developers and pondering over what our expectations should be when we buy a game. Discussed: Remnant: From the Ashes, No Man's Sky, Minecraft, Fortnite, Overwatch, Rimworld Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 29: William and Travis have been enjoying the surprise hit Remnant: From the Ashes, while Rebekah experiences an over the table dilemma in her D&D game. Mount & Blade II finally gets a tantalizing early access date, and megacorporations continue to reign unchecked. Also, thoughts on Life is Strange 2 - Episode 4, and the Popeye's chicken sandwich. Spoilers for Remnant: From the Ashes from 24:48 - 30:02 and Life is Strange 2 - Episode 4 from 30:02 - 34:40. Discussed: Remnant: From the Ashes, Death Stranding, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Life is Strange 2 Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 28: Examining the work of Amanda Phillips in Shooting to Kill: Headshots, Twitch Reflexes, and the Mechropolitics of Video Games, the valorization of the headshot from multiplayer lobbies to the esports stage, and the media propaganda that rationalizes police brutality with the narrative of split-second decision making. How does our interpretation of game mechanics color our attitude towards police violence? And with corporate greed allowing hate groups to flourish, how should the gaming community combat its most dangerous groups that celebrate police and white nationalist violence? We also look to the future, asking if motion controls and VR tech make shooters inherently more unsettling, and whether or not we'll all be uploaded to the cloud one day. Discussed: Rationalizing Brutality: The Cultural Legacy of the Headshot (Jacob Geller - YouTube) Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 27: The idea that video games are responsible for mass murders is still pushed by political figures and fans of the guns industry. On this episode we take a look at systemic violence in the United States and the intersection between capitalism, hatred, gun control, and yes, video games. If that sounds messy, well, it is. But we know that games are about much more than violence, and can have positive impacts on the world. We touch on the camaraderie and global sportsmanship of esports, the power of comfort games in times of crisis, and the social bonds online games forge between people around the world. Discussed: We Do Not Need To Defend Video Games From Politicians (Kotaku) No, Video Games Don’t Cause Mass Shootings. But The Conversation Shouldn’t End There (Time) Gamers Outreach Foundation Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 26: You guys ever heard of Mixer? Forgot about that. Will has been adventuring in what he calls "Stealth Souls," or Sekiro. We break down how effective Sekiro's stealth system is, then reminisce on Thief: The Dark Project's challenging but rewarding stealth mechanics, and wish more games would treat stealth with the depth it deserves. Also, we reflect on mobile, idle tie-in games like Mass Effect Datapad and the Black Flag Companion App. Games discussed: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Kind Words: Lo Fi Chill Beats to Write To, Thief: The Dark Project, Splinter Cell, Dishonored Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 25: Going to a Denny's at 3 in the morning is a classic American ritual, an experience shared by many and from which we derive a greater meaning. This week, we're talking about the shared experience of playing games, and the rituals we partake in before and during our gaming sessions and the purpose behind them. Gotta get that bad juju out of the d20 before the game starts, right? We wrap up our discussion on rituals in gaming with an online Discord and Twitch-based church complete with all the sermons, worship songs, and homophobia you'd expect of a traditional Christian church. Thanks to Amy for joining us this week, follow her on Twitter! Games discussed: Sky, Tetris Effect, South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Sims 4 Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 24: Some games we associate with so many positive memories that picking them up again feels like returning home, and there are psychological reasons behind the phenomenon. This week we discuss an article by Polygon's Astrid Johnson, who breaks down why a game like Breath of the Wild can evoke such a reaction. Cam Call joins us on the podcast this week and he's waiting on a card game stuck on a boat because of the new China tariffs. Also, Caleb's final thoughts on Metal Gear, Travis experiences triumph in The Climb, and You Are Jeff Bezos is a harrowing text adventure. Thanks to Cam Call for filling on this week. Follow him on Twitter! Show notes: The psychological reasons certain games feel like coming home (Polygon) Games Discussed: Metal Gear Solid, The Climb, You Are Jeff Bezos, Ticket to Ride, The Partisans Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 23: Rebekah has released a new and exciting zine called "Brave," and we kick things off by talking about the project and being passionate about independent publications. Then it's on to video game news. The "Den of Thieves" G2A came under fire again Monday when indie developer Mike Rose condemned Google ads directing people to buy his games from the grey market site. "Please, if you’re going to buy a game from G2A, just pirate it instead!" he tweeted. We discuss the fraud-enabling history of G2A, including our own experiences with the third party key marketplace, and how the website hurts indie developers disproportionately. Then it's onto reflections on the Steam summer sale and the long animals that raced every day, we think? The corgi was the longest boy most days. But it was another case of indie developers losing when Steam's confusing giveaway led users to remove indie games and smaller titles from their Steam wishlists. Finally, we talk about some of the games we've been playing, including Katana Zero, Mini Metro, VA-11 Hall-A, and Hypnospace Outlaw. Show notes: Shady Market G2A Offers To Pay Journalists To Run Pre-Written Article Defending Them This Year's Steam Summer Sale Was A Mess, Game Developers Say Games Discussed: Breath of the Wild, Katana Zero, Mini Metro, VA-11 Hall-A, Hypnospace Outlaw. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 22: We recorded this episode a few minutes after an earthquake shook Vegas, so Travis is on edge. But we dive right into The Outer Worlds co-director Leonard Boyarski's statement that the game will be "political," but not "politically-charged" and the misguided pandering developers often practice to reassure sensitive fans the game is worth buying. We also look at how The Last of Us handles complex moral issues, and how the developers of Mordhau are trying to find a great way to appease their racist community. Finally, we make mid-year reflections on 2019's best games, from The Outer Wilds to Resident Evil 2, and Caleb reflects on his time playing the Metal Gear Solid series, which leads to an attempt to explain Metal Gear Solid to Travis. Emphasis on attempt. Show Notes: The Outer Worlds co-director says it will be political, but not 'politically charged' The Last of Us Part 2 won't shy away from politics Mordhau Developers Address Controversy, Saying They Won't Add Gender Or Race Filters Games Discussed: Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, The Outer Wilds, Resident Evil 2 Remake, Scorn Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 21: Marianne Williamson is channeling powerful crystal energy. Beto o'Rourke wants to make sure you know he can speak Spanish. And the planet is rapidly advancing towards irreparable destruction. Meanwhile, we discuss an article about climate change from a gaming perspective, where beautiful digital recreations of nature are overshadowed by the dark reality that global warming is destroying the world we inhabit in real life, and 4K gaming and Stadia data centers will only heat us up more! After getting that existential crisis out of the way, we all weigh in on what games Bernie Sanders should stream on Twitch. Rebekah wants to see him indulge in an ultraviolent title like Mortal Kombat, while Travis wants to see him play Doki Doki Literature Club to address the need for accessible mental healthcare. To close we recap games we've been playing - braving the depths of Europa in Barotrauma, our multiplayer Crusader Kings 2 session, Caleb's adventures in Metal Gear Solid, Rebekah's experience with Dominion, and a rhythmic journey through Cadence of Hyrule. News Discussed: Gaming's Climate Dread in a 4K Streaming Ecosystem Bitcoin's Climate Impact Is Global. The Cures Are Local. Bernie Sanders' New Twitch Channel Needs Fewer Campaign Ads, More Bernie Sanders Games Discussed: Metal Gear Solid, Barotrauma, Crusader Kings 2, Dominion, Cadence of Hyrule Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 20: Making our post-E3 return, the Hitpoint Pals recap their favorite announcements from the showcase including Watch Dogs: Legion, Cyberpunk 2077, and Psychonauts 2. We then take a look at the decision by EA to sell Nazi character cosmetics in Battlefield V, and the dangers of normalizing Nazis as "just German soldiers." We look at the games Call of Duty: WW2, Hearts of Iron IV, and the Wolfenstein series and discuss how each of these games portrays the Axis powers, and how the cartooning of Nazis in media detracts from the atrocities of World War II, and the events leading up to the war that allowed those atrocities to happen. Show Notes: How games whitewash Nazism, and the responsibility developers have to history How Call of Duty: WW2 handles swastikas and female soldiers What Happens When Wolfenstein Comes Back at the Same Time Nazis Do? Games Have Always Tried to Whitewash Nazis as Just 'German Soldiers' Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 19: Following an exciting week of pre-E3 announcements, we gathered to unpack the week's news and then dive right into a special conversation about queerness in video games. Will and I do our best to follow along as Rebekah guides us through a discussion about the way that games are already queer, and tries to show us how the mere act of playing a game is a queer experience. By the end of the discussion, Will and I feel like we're college freshmen who have stumbled into a 400 level gender studies course, but it's an enlightening conversation nonetheless. Finally, we briefly preview the E3 conferences on the horizon, and prepare for the reveals, surprises, and disappointments in the days to come. News discussed: Google Stadia launches this November with $130 Founder's Edition (Engadget) Baldur’s Gate III is finally official, coming to PC and Stadia (Ars Technica) E3 Schedule (GamesRadar) Games discussed: Ashen, Dungeons & Dragons, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Crusader Kings: II, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 18: First things first, everyone saw Godzilla: King of the Monsters this weekend, so before we can get anything done we have to get our thoughts on big monster movie out of the way. Then it's a full fledged Kojimian nightmare as we remark on the latest Death Stranding trailer, our histories with Kojima games, and our hopes and skepticism about the upcoming "strand game." But then things get real dark. First we discuss the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare trailer and presentation summaries. Activision's "reboot" of the most loved Call of Duty game will feature brand new commentary on the realities of war while still making shooting guns feel cool. Then our conversation unravels into a larger criticism of imperialism, military grandstanding, international diplomacy, the corrupt loop of the military industrial complex, and straight up war crimes. But we wrap up on a lighter note with the games we've been playing, including Travis' adventures in The Outer Wilds, Caleb's revisit to Dead Space, Rebekah's Civilization VI conquests and D&D adventures, and William's surreal "Pathologic" trip. News discussed: Pokémon's new game lets you catch 'em all while you sleep Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a realistic reboot designed to make you feel uncomfortable Death Stranding: release trailer Games discussed: The Outer Wilds, Pathologic 2, Dead Space, Civilization VI, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 17: Will gives his his thoughts and praise for Total War: Three Kingdoms, and fills us in on the perils of hiring a high maintenance character like Lu Bu. Travis gives Life is Strange 2 some attention, and Rebekah's guilt about colonizing Zimbabwe in Civilization VI leads to a larger discussion about morality in strategy games. Then we move on to the news that Playdate is launching a handheld gaming platform with a crank, as well as the acquisition of another studio by THQ Nordic, who it turns out owns a lot more properties than we thought. Finally, we read some breaking news about the commissioner of the Overwatch League leaving Blizzard to join Epic Games, and discuss the staying power of Fortnite as well as a Kotaku article about shady business practices in esports. News discussed: Playdate Will be a Tiny Handheld Gaming System with a Crank THQ Nordic Aquires Yet Another Studio, has 80 Games in Development Overwatch League commissioner Nanzer to join Epic Games Games discussed: Total War: Three Kingdoms, Life is Strange 2, The Last of Us, Civilization VI, Breath of the Wild Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

You want a good girl, but you need the bad podcast. After eight seasons of highs and lows, HBO put a bow on Game of Thrones, a pop culture phenomenon that transcended genre to become a cornerstone of water cooler discussions. Despite its unavoidably nerdy status as a sword and sorcery story, the world fell in love with David Benioff and Dan Weiss's small screen adaptation of George R. R. Martin's sprawling novels, and episode upon episode became a must watch event as viewers tuned in following weeks (Tyrion's trial) or sometimes years (Jon Snow's death) of unresolved cliffhanger tension for relief in the knowledge of what happened next. Would Rob Stark succeed in the northern campaign? Would Daenerys ever cross the narrow sea? Over nine years we watched all the big pieces fall into place as Game of Thrones brought its saga to a close, although in a condensed fashion that left most fans feeling left out in the snow. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 16: Paradox's newest grand strategy title Imperator: Rome blends the best parts of Crusader Kings and Europa Universals, but the final product feels too heavily distilled to remain engaging over long gameplay sessions. We talk about how Paradox games generally launch feature lite, and what we're hoping to see added to Imperator: Rome in the future. Speaking of wanting new features, we also recap news stories about labor conditions in the games industry, against the backdrop of competitive multiplayer gamers' demands for constant balancing and new features, and how post-launch content now feels like a necessity rather than a bonus feature, even across the single player games market. In pop culture talk, we give our spoiler-lite impressions of Detective Pikachu, and look back on the controversial fifth episode of Season 8 of Game of Thrones. News discussed: CD Projekt Red Pledges To Be 'More Humane' To Its Workers Ubisoft has Three Unannounced AAA Titles Coming 2019 Games discussed: Imperator: Rome, Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Spider-Man. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 15: Reflections on The Elder Scrolls spark a discussion on how games treat race, and from there we dive into a rabbit hole that begins with a deep lore reading of the exclusively mono-racial identities in Tamriel, and ends with a sharp rebuke of Gamergate culture and the practice of labeling diversity as politics. We share some of our experiences as biracial Asian Americans who have all, at some point, been asked, "What are you?" Somehow we also manage to mention the reveal of Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and how a focus on survival could help steer the series back towards its tactical roots. Show notes: Mysterious Asians: How The Elder Scrolls Fails its Asian Players Ghost Recon: Breakpoint reveal (video) 'I'd Have These Extremely Graphic Dreams': What It's Like To Work On Ultra-Violent Games Like Mortal Kombat 11 How an Augmented Reality Game Escalated into Real-World Spy Warfare Games discussed: Rimworld, The Enigma Box, Battle Brothers, Mordhau, Ghost Recon: Wildlands Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 14: James Marsden's police car says "Green Hills." Then he yells, "SFPD!" Which is it, James Marsden? We look back on the first trailer for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog film, the criticism it received, and the surprising announcement by director Jeff Fowler that changes "will happen." We also touch on new hardware entering the VR market as well as some Borderlands 3 impressions, before chatting about the games we've been playing. But the moment we've all been waiting for, the Battle of Winterfell, came and went, leaving us with numerous questions. We cap this episode of the podcast with a solid hour of cathartic talk about The Night King, proprietary video players, and the themes of A Song of Ice and Fire. News discussed: Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer and redesign Valve Index is $999; Oculus Rift S, Quest release May 21 Borderlands 3 gameplay reveal Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford says game has no microtransactions, does have microtransactions Games discussed: Borderlands, Rimworld, Frostpunk, Assassin's Creed: Origins, Breath of the Wild Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 13: Rebekah and Cam join the podcast and fill us in on the D&D campaigns that they are currently running. In games we've been playing, we discuss the pensive farming game The Stillness in the Wind and the meditative city puzzler ISLANDERS. Plus, Travis enters the modern era of Assassin's Creed games with Assassin's Creed: Origins, and the leap of quality it brings to the series. Finally, Cam looks into the Satanic Panic that arose in the 80's, aimed at Dungeons and Dragons, and the wild story of a missing D&D player, a shady private investigator, and a pre-celebrity Tom Hanks. Games discussed: Where the Goats Are, The Stillness of the Wind, ISLANDERS, Assassin's Creed: Origins Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Travis and Caleb discuss Avengers: Endgame and the Marvel Cinematic Universe series as a whole, reflecting on 11 years of movies leading up to this moment. Is the film an effective follow-up to Infinity War and the other films preceding it? And what are we hoping to see in the MCU moving forward? This is a discussion of Avengers: Endgame in its entirety. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 12: Caleb discusses two games he has been playing on stream, Spec Ops: The Line, a military shooter that makes you feel bad about yourself, and The Darkness II, an action shooter where you're an antihero with Venom inside you. We also take a look at a story about a secret server for City of Heroes operating in the dark for an exclusive group of players secretly for six years, and the backlash the group has been receiving following the revelation of this server to the world. News: A Secret Server for the Dead MMO 'City of Heroes' Has Players in an Uproar (Motherboard) Games discussed: Spec Ops: The Line, The Darkness II, City of Heroes Hitpoint Pals is co-hosted by Travis Lien, William Suitt, Amy Rutherford, and Caleb Warwick. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 11: That disturbance in the force you felt was the Star Wars Episode XI trailer debuting. Equally as exciting was our first look at Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. We gathered around our mics for a special Star Wars edition of Hitpoint Pals. Games discussed: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, The Force Unleashed, Knights of the Old Republic, Game of Thrones - a Telltale Series. Hitpoint Pals is co-hosted by Travis Lien, William Suitt, Amy Rutherford, and Caleb Warwick. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 10: In games we played this week, Travis discusses the final episode of The Walking Dead: The Final Season and its sendoff to the series and Telltale Games as a whole. Amy starts a zoo in Zoo Tycoon 2, and takes us into the world of kinky Sims 3. Caleb continues his Dark Souls journey, and William revisits wholesome mouse RPG Ghost of a Tale. Then we try our hand at breaking down the biggest stories from the week, starting with an internet debate over a Forbes article about Sekiro, and whether the game should have an "easy" mode. Borderlands 3 is launching as an Epic Store exclusive, and Kotaku publishes an in-depth report on the troubled development of Anthem, shining a new but all too familiar light on the troubling workplace norms of game development at some studios. Lastly, we discuss the new trailer for the Todd Phillips "Joker" film. News discussed: Should Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice have an easy mode? (Forbes, Kotaku) Borderlands 3 is a 6-month Epic Store exclusive (PC Gamer) How Bioware's Anthem went wrong (Kotaku) Games discussed: The Walking Dead: The Final Season, Dark Souls III, Zoo Tycoon 2, The Sims 3, Ghost of a Tale. Hitpoint Pals is co-hosted by Travis Lien, William Suitt, Amy Rutherford, and Caleb Warwick. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Travis's first impressions of The Elder Scrolls: Blades early access release, plus William and Caleb have been playing the Dark Souls series. We also recap the week in gaming news, starting with Gearbox's reveal of Borderlands 3, then Sony's VR-heavy "State of Play" announcements, the Apple Arcade subscription platform for mobile games, and Daedalic is working on Gollum game. Plus, beloved Skyrim content creator Shirley Curry, the 82-year-old "Skyrim grandma," gets honored by Bethesda as an NPC in The Elder Scrolls VI. News discussed: Playstation "State of Play" recap (GameSpot) Gearbox announces Borderlands 3, Borderlands GOTY (Polygon) Apple announces "Apple Arcade" mobile games subscription service (Forbes) The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (VentureBeat) "Skyrim Grandma" to be NPC in Elder Scrolls VI (Kotaku) Games discussed: House of the Dying Sun, Dark Souls Remastered, Ape Out, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, Bayonetta, Dark Souls II Hitpoint Pals is co-hosted by Travis Lien, William Suitt, Amy Rutherford, and Caleb Warwick. Keep up with the show on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

This past week, two important things happened. The first was Google's Stadia announcement - a new platform to compete with Xbox, Playstation, Twitch, and God. The second was hamster discourse which resulted in Amy getting blocked by Chrissy Teigen on Twitter. We also talk about some games? News discussed: Google announces Stadia, a games streaming service (Kotaku) Epic Games Store says they will eventually stop paying for exclusives (PC Gamer) hamster thing with Chrissy Teigen I guess (Mashable) Games discussed: Zoo Tycoon 2, Cities: Skylines, Dark Souls, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Hitpoint Pals is co-hosted by Travis Lien, William Suitt, Amy Rutherford, and Caleb Warwick. Keep up with the show on Twitter! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message