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It's time for our last show of 2024 - and the end of our Games of Year countdown! This week, we'll get into our top 5 favorites with a roster of guests including Trone Dowd, Steve Guntli, Brendan Hesse, Kevin Erhard and Phil Keeling of Pixel Lit, Emmett Watkins, Jorge Albor, and TL Foster! Did your favorite game(s) make the cut? Listen and find out! Question of the Week: What's your personal Game of the Year for 2024? Vidjagame Apocalypse theme by Matthew Joseph Payne. There's a lot of chat this week, so here's a quick timestamp cheat sheet if you'd like to skip ahead to unveil each entry: 0:02:32: #5 with Trone Dowd and Steve Guntli 0:30:16: #4 with Brendan Hesse 0:45:12: #3 with Kevin Erhard and Phil Keeling 1:11:03: #2 with Emmett Watkins and Jorge Albor 1:28:47: #1 with TL Foster and Brendan Hesse
The wait is over! We continue with the second half of the GOTY countdown we started last week, and reveal our Top 5 Games of 2023! We've once again invited a rotating panel of guests to help out, including Jesse Cox, TL Foster, Tony Wilson, Brendan Hesse, Ryan Harig, Steve Guntli, and Jorge Albor. Did your favorite game make the cut? Listen and find out! Question of the Week (Month?): What's your personal Game of the Year for 2023? There's a lot of chat this week, so here's a quick timestamp cheat sheet if you'd like to skip ahead to unveil each entry: 8:48: #5 with Jorge Albor 29:33: #4 with Brendan Hesse and Steve Guntli 48:08: #3 with Steve Guntli and Anthony Abatte 1:09:29: #2 with Ryan Harig and Brendan Hesse 1:33:52: #1 with Jesse Cox, TL Foster, and Tony Wilson
Our two-part countdown of 2021's best games concludes this week with our five favorite games of the year, with help from special guests Micah Seff; Steve Guntli and Woody Ciskowski of Wii Universe; Kat Bailey of IGN and Axe of the Blood God; Leif Johnson; Jorge Albor of Experience Points; Tony Wilson of Framework; and Greg Moore. Which games captivated us enough to merit almost two hours of chatter? Start listening and find out!
It's time once again to look back on another great year for games and pick our favorites, and this year we're breaking from tradition: Instead of one gargantuan show to mark the end of the year, we're splitting our top 10 across a more digestible two episodes, with this week's show covering entries 10 through 6. But don't fret - we're still going big on these, with a rotating lineup of guest hosts including Brendan Hesse, Steve Guntli, Woody Ciskowski, John Brandon, Anthony Abatte, Jorge Albor, and Tony Wilson. And come back next week, when we'll tear through 5 through 1!
It's the end of the worst year in recent memory, but a great year for games - so let's take one last look back and anoint our 10 favorites! Clocking in at just under 4 hours, this year's show features appearances from Jorge Albor, Kat Bailey, Chris "Cbake" Baker, TL Foster, Steve Guntli, Leif Johnson, Micah Seff, Tony Wilson, and Kayla Zumbaum. It's a veritable explodaganza of long discussions about amazing games, so join us as we fondly remember the best parts of the worst year!
With Spelunky 2 out this week, we're rejoined by Experience Points' Jorge Albor for a look at five games that started life as freeware projects before moving on to commercial success. Then it's on to PlayStation 5 news, Paradise Killer, Fight Crab, Ubisoft Forward's reveals, and whether the Xbox announcements changed your next-gen plans.
With Spelunky 2 out this week, we’re rejoined by Experience Points‘ Jorge Albor for a look at five games that started life as freeware projects before moving on to commercial success. Then it’s on to PlayStation 5 news, Paradise Killer,... Read more
There are a lot of things The Last of Us Part II does well, but one thing it's particularly good at is simulating a guitar with a touchpad. As a tribute, we grabbed Jorge Albor of Experience Points for a look at some of the best in-game instruments (in non-musical games), after which we'll properly delve into The Last of Us Part II, as well as EA news, Mixer shutting down, and your favorite E3-ish announcements so far.
The Last of Us Part II does a lot of things well, but one thing it’s particularly good at is simulating a guitar with a touchpad. So we grabbed Jorge Albor of Experience Points to help us pay tribute with... Read more
As you'll hear, there is no regular podcast this week. In light of the ongoing protests against racial injustice and police brutality, we recognise that our team is currently not diverse enough to contribute significantly to the discussions. Instead, we're using this week to recommend other podcasts that have already commented on the deeper issues at hand, and that you might find worth listening to on an ongoing basis. Please give a listen to: Spawn On Me: A Lesson In Blackness by Khalief Adams, Parris Lilly, Blessing Adeoye Jr, Cameron Hawkins and streamers Pikachulita and Zombaekillz (More from Khalief and Blessing on Kinda Funny Games Daily June 6, 2020) Throwndown 287: We've Been Here by Torrence David, Andre Tipton and Richard Bailey Jr Techish: #BlackLivesMatter, Profiting off Black Culture, Deleting Trumps Tweets, Space X Launch by Abadesi Osunsade and Michael Berhane EXP Podcast 575: A Conversation Only Somewhat About Games by Scott Juster and Jorge Albor
Our ongoing series on the greatest games of the 2010s continues! After covering five of Mikel's picks last week, this week's show focuses on five of Matt's nominees, with Jorge Albor of Experience Points along for the ride. Then it's on to Sony skipping E3, the Epic Games Store's success, and the games you're most looking forward to this year.
Our ongoing series on the greatest games of the 2010s continues! After covering five of Mikel’s picks last week, this week’s show focuses on five of Matt’s nominees, with Jorge Albor of Experience Points along for the ride. Then it’s... Read more
It's time for our seventh annual end-of-year show, in which we invite a rotating panel of guests to help us count down our top 10 games of the year! This year's show clocks in at just under 4 hours(!), and features appearances from Chris "Cbake" Baker, Carolyn Petit, Greg Moore, Steve Guntli, TL Foster, Leif Johnson, Kayla Zumbaum, and Jorge Albor! Join us, why don't you? Here's a quick cheat sheet with timestamps, if you want to jump around and hear which games made the list: 0:04:10: #10 (w/ Leif Johnson, Jorge Albor)0:18:51: #9 (Kayla Zumbaum, TL Foster0:39:32: #8 (Leif Johnson, Jorge Albor)1:05:21: #7 (Steve Guntli)1:21:48: #6 (Greg Moore, TL Foster)1:36:24: #5 (Chris Baker, Carolyn Petit)1:56:40: #4 (Steve Guntli, John Brandon)2:14:54: #3 (Just Chris, Matt, and Mikel)2:34:18: #2 (Carolyn Petit)2:56:32: #1 (Greg Moore, Steve Guntli, TL Foster)
This week, Jorge Albor of Experience Points Podcast returns as we take a look at five examples of a strange modern gaming trend: semi-interactive sequences that make you stagger, stumble, or crawl helplessly while dramatic things happen around you. We then take a deep dive into Death Stranding, breathe a sigh of relief at the Sonic movie redesign, and dig into your favorite oddball games. QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What's a modern gaming trend that bugs you? ALSO: Want to update your feed while we try to get our site working? Plug http://vidjagameapocalypse.libsyn.com or http://vidjagameapocalypse.libsyn.com/rss into your podcast app of choice!
This week, Jorge Albor of Experience Points Podcast returns as we take a look at five examples of a strange modern gaming trend: semi-interactive sequences that make you stagger, stumble, or crawl helplessly while dramatic things happen around you. We... Read more
With Mortal Kombat 11 revealing the return of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as (old) Shang Tsung, Jorge Albor of Experience Points rejoins us this week to talk about videogame heroes who've aged dramatically over the years, going from young rookies to old pros in the span of a series. Then it's on to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, rumors of new Switches, and your thoughts on Stadia.
With Mortal Kombat 11 revealing the return of Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as (old) Shang Tsung, Jorge Albor of Experience Points rejoins us this week to talk about videogame heroes who’ve aged dramatically over the years, going from young rookies to old... Read more
Welcome to our sixth annual end-of-year roundup, when we gather together a bunch of games-industry guests and count down our favorite games of the year. This year's show is one of our biggest yet, weighting in at a hefty 3.5 hours and featuring appearances from Brett Elston, US Gamer's Kat Bailey and Mike Williams, MacWorld's Leif Johnson, Experience Points' Jorge Albor, Ubisoft News' Youssef Maguid, Anthony Acosta, and Thirty Twenty Ten's Diana Goodman.
#42 "You can see the cabbage in it."Roundtable 2017.08.30 It's a slightly experimental show this week, as we try to see what a two-topic episode looks like. Also, Martha defends her love of coleslaw, Stephen still doesn't really like VR, and Mark has almost completely lost his voice.Discuss this week's episode on Reddit in r/gamedev here. Video Game Immersion 0:05:54 Stephen McGregorGamingOur pal and VR innovator Andrew Fladeboe.Representation and Embodiment in Virtual Reality - Jorge Albor, PopMattersWould You Kindly Read This Article on Gaming's Greatest Plot Twist? - Mike Diver, ViceOur recent episode of Nice Plays: OneShot - Nice Games Club, YouTubeEnhancing VR Immersion with the CPU in Star Trek: Bridge Crew - Cristiano F, Intel DevelopersCognitive Flow: The Psychology of Great Game Design - Sean Baron, Game DeveloperWhy Sonic the Hedgehog is awful, and always has been - Ryan Brown, MIrrorRequiem, a “roleplaying” mod for The Elder Scrolls: SkyrimMark is up to 118 shrines in Breath of the Wild. Stephen is not happy. Main Menus and First Impressions 0:39:27 Mark LaCroixUI / UXWhy do console games require a button press before showing the main menu? - StackExchangeGame Design: Splash Screen - Jesse Freeman, MediumThe Ten Commandments Of Video Game Menus - Kirk Hamilton, KotakuWe didn't get a chance to talk about it in the episode, but here is a cool brea… - Mike Fahey, Kotaku
Pair an unstoppable hunter with one of the most threatening power tools ever devised, and you've got a recipe for sheer terror. This week, Jorge Albor of EXP Podcast joins us to talk about hulking, chainsaw-wielding badasses who chased us through classic horror games, after which we talk Starlink: Battle for Atlas, more WWE 2K19, Red Dead Redemption 2's crunch hours, and your most beloved monster protagonists.
Pair an unstoppable hunter with one of the most threatening power tools ever devised, and you’ve got a recipe for sheer terror. This week, Jorge Albor of EXP Podcast joins us to talk about hulking, chainsaw-wielding badasses who chased us... Read more
It's the end of June, which means it's time to sit down and take a hard look at the games that came out over the past six months, and pick our five favorites from the madding crowd. Jorge Albor of rival podcast Experience Points joins us to chat about the games that stole our hearts, plus we'll look at your favorite announcements from E3! (Oh, and uhhh Mikel's back, I guess?)
It’s the end of June, which means it’s time to sit down and take a hard look at the games that came out over the past six months, and pick our five favorites from the madding crowd. Jorge Albor of... Read more
This week on the podcast, our very own Jorge Albor creates a new genre: "big small games." Don't worry, it actually makes sense. We've been laboring under the majestic weight of sprawling epics like Dragon Age: Inquisition and Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, so we decided to take a break with some games that have a smaller scope. We talk about Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Infamous: First Light, Monument Valley and the overall concept of going for design depth rather than breadth. Have any favorite games that fit somewhere between free indie and blockbuster status? Let us know in the comments!
Nels & Jesse traveled to the Game Developer's Conference and talked to a ton of our favourite Netrunner players. First, Anthony Burch of Hey Ash Watcha Playin' and lead writer of Borderlands 2 and Paul Dean of Shut Up & Sit Down discuss their recent arrival to the game. Next Charlene Putney and Theresa Duringer discuss their strategies and perspectives. NYU's professor arrives next to Frank Lantz talk about The Local Meta and his thoughts on the game. Penultimately, Jorge Albor, Mathew Kumar and Emily Flynn-Jones get together after a GDC Netrunner meetup. And finally, we are joined again by Leigh Alexander, who runs us through the myth of Enby-chan.
I have not finished Dark Souls. Can I still sit at the big kids table? This week on the EXP Podcast, Scott and I join in on the AV Club's discussion about Dark Souls and status symbol games. How did this brutally difficult game become not only popular, but a video game rite of passage? And how will it be remembered in ten years? Let us know in the comments below! Show notes: - Runtime: 33 min 04 sec - "Why do games like Dark Souls become geek status symbols?," by Matt Gerardi & Drew Toal via AV Club - "Android Netrunner - The Game Designer's Game," by Krystian Majewski via Game Design Scrapbook - "Playing Dark Souls: Desperate Acts and Our Shared Humanity," by Jorge Albor via PopMatters - Music by: Brad Sucks
Known for innovation in mechanics and storytelling, an interest in games that ally themselves with the language and beats of cinema, and a sometimes greater commitment to artistic ambition than to perfect execution, David Cage and Quantic Dream have returned with another somewhat controversial title built on their vision of the modern adventure game, Beyond: Two Souls. This episode Nick Dinicola, Eric Swain, and Jorge Albor discuss the game and how it might be "an evolution of of the point-and-click adventure game that never happened".
This week's podcast was inspired by Katie, an intrepid reader who recently left a comment on something Jorge wrote way back in 2008 (talk about a deep cut!). Jorge's post came at the beginning of this generation's co-op boom and Katie's response provides a good starting point to discuss the ways in which the trend has affected the way we play games. How have different styles of collaborative gameplay distinguished themselves from one another? What happens to in-game storytelling when another player is along for the ride? Is the co-op trend a fad and how will it change in the coming years? We touch on all these topics and look forward to hearing from you in the comments! - Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes - Find the show on Stitcher - Here's the show's stand-alone feed - Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format. - Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right. Show notes: - "Coop Mode," by Jorge Albor, via Experience Points (you may have heard of it) - Runtime: 32 min 16 sec - Music by: Brad Sucks
This week Nick and I are joined by Jorge Albor and Scott Juster of the Experience Points podcast to discuss how video games fare as live action properties. Some of these films are homages, some are there to support their franchise, some are both. Most are better than what we have seen on the big screen.
While those of us who write in the Multimedia section focus a good deal of our time on video games, quite a number of us also have a certain fondness for games of a non-digital sort. Rick Dakan, Jorge Albor, and myself got together a few weekends ago to discuss our boardgaming habits, the difference between the Eurogame and Ameritrash (sorry, Rick), and how being a computer gamer might relate to being a board gamer.
This week Jorge Albor and I are joined by game designer Matthew Gallant to discuss Riot Games's free-to-play sensation, League of Legends. There is much to talk about here, from Riot's successful business model to its varied gameplay offerings to its management of its very large and (*ahem*) very complicated community. We consider this video game and the nature of such "eSports" from just about every angle.
Due to some technical difficulties on my end, Jorge Albor quite graciously (and quite last minute) filled in as host for this episode. This is probably for the best, as he probably did a better job at moderating this conversation than I ever could have. (For those unfamiliar with Jorge, you really should check out he and Scott Juster's weekly gaming podcast at ExperiencePoints.net-it's well worth your time.) So, this week features a host of new voices alongside Jorge, some of whom identify as gamers and some of whom do not, as the Moving Pixels podcast attempts to explore the concept of the so-called "girlfriend on a couch game." As a phrase coined by journalists to describe a particular kind of game, the "girlfriend on a couch game" seems like one in need of some discussion. We decided, though, not to discuss "girlfriend on a couch games" but instead to see if we could find out what kind of spectators these supposed games are geared for by talking to some "girlfriends on couches" themselves. Not all of the folks here are technically "girlfriends," though, some are wives on couches, little sisters on couches, partners on couches, friends on couches, and we were even joined by a husband on a couch. What resulted was a lively and interesting discussion of participation and spectatorship (and how they might intersect) in video games. Many thanks to all of our guests, who include: Dawna Perry, Jamie Dunston, Adrian Dunston, Nicole Martin, Jean McLachlin, and Sarra Williams. And, as always, thanks to Nick Dinicola for producing the podcast. It was a fun and enlightening afternoon of gaming discussion, as you will soon discover below.
Time moves fast in the world of video games. Technology changes (remember Rumble Paks?), franchises rise and fall (just ask Guitar Hero!), and it's hard to predict what will gain popularity (Minecraft, anyone?). With the recent release of Gears of War 3, Jorge and I decided we would take stock of what we consider to be one of most important franchises of the last five years. This show is less about the games' specific story and more about their narrative within the industry. We talk about everything from the influence of cover to blurred genres distinctions, and close with some thoughts (and hopes) regarding Epic's future. As always, thanks for listening and feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments!Discussion starters:- How does Gears differ from other big franchises of last few years?- Is the series' influence understated, properly recognized, or exaggerated?- What are your hopes for Epic's future projects?To listen to the podcast:- Subscribe to the EXP Podcast via iTunes here. Additionally, here is the stand-alone feed.- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here. Or, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format.- Subscribe to this podcast and EXP's written content with the RSS link on the right.Show notes:- Run time: 41 min 20 sec- "No Glory for Gears," by Jorge Albor, via PopMatters- "'Gears of War 3:' A Triumphant Past, a Familiar Present, and an Uncertain Future," by Scott Juster, via PopMatters- Music provided by Brad Sucks