EXP Podcast #478: The Famous and Forgotten

"We already know who you are Cliff!"

With the closure of Boss Key games, it looks like the once famous/infamous  "bad-boy" of video games Cliff Bleszinski is taking some time off the stage. This week on the EXP Podcast, we ponder the strange phenomenon of video game developer celebrity and the shifting cultural figureheads of our gaming landscape. I also make an egregious misrepresentation of The Roots - sorry about that.

- 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:

- "Bleszinski’s fall and the perilous fame game" by Colin Campbell via Polygon
- Runtime: 36 mins 10 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #477: Blockchains and Buybacks

It's a me: the blockchain!

Quick: tell me everything you know about cryptocurrency and the buying and selling of video games!  Joke's on you: while you've been struggling to put together an explanation that is simultaneously cogent without making you sound like a snake oil salesman, I've mined all those precious digital coins you covet so much.  I'm off to buy all the sweetest games.  Maybe if you're lucky, I'll sell them to you.  Yes; this week we're talking about a trifecta of topics we have only a vague grasp on: blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the used games market.  Join us in trying to figure out this exhausting new world!

- 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:

- "Reselling your digital games will soon be a reality, but what does that mean?" by Colin Campbell via Polygon
- Runtime: 34 mins 01 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #476: Nintendo Switch Online Inspection

Now I can start training for the Balloon Fight esports league.

Well they finally did it: Nintendo has blocked the doorway to online play with a guy in a Waluigi hat stationed in front to collect your hard earned money.  Buying your way in isn't outrageously expensive (especially compared to club Sony and the Microsoft discotheque), but will it be worth it?  This week, we dive in to the announcement and dissect what we'll see once we get past the velvet rope.

- 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:

- Runtime: 39 mins 39 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #475: Rules of Parley

Do I start the parley or do you?

I declare Parley! Which I think means you have to stop what you're doing and listen to this episode. This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss the unspoken rule of Parley in Sea of Thieves that is making the waters a little more sailor-friendly.

But we don't end on those salty shores. What other forms of unspoken rules have you experienced in games? And was that born from the community or did developers encourage that behavior? Reach out and parley with us, won't you?

- 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:

- Runtime: 46 mins 22 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #474: God of War first impressions

Kratos: motivational speaker and life coach

After years of asking "Are we there yet?" everyone's favorite dad has pulled the metaphorical car over and dumped us into the mythical Norse wilderness.  That's right, this week we talk about our first impressions of God of War.  Grab your axe, grow out your beard, and brush up on your fatherly wisdom!

- 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:

- Runtime: 37 mins 42 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #473: Power Hungry

"This IS my happy face."

The yearly "beefcake" parade of video game protagonists is in full swing. In just two days, we get to become as Gods and rip arms off Viking deities. But are the power fantasies God of War provides really all that satisfying? How complex and interesting are the power fantasies video games provide and what other kinds of power can we find in games? This week on the podcast, we're inspired by Cameron Kunzelman's take on the breadth of power fantasies.

- 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:

- Runtime: 35 mins 20 sec
-  "Games Need More Power Fantasies Beyond Beefy Dudes with Big Guns" by Cameron Kunzelman via Waypoint
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #472: Overwatch Retribution Ruminations

Is that John Marsten in Overwatch?

Overwatch's latest event is out, so it's time to see what those crafty omnics are up to.  It seems like they've been taking some tips from zombies.  Additionally, perennial husbando candidate Jeff Kaplan shared some thoughts about Overwatch's story and extended cast.  What is the best way to have a canonical story in a multiplayer game?  Is Mercy correct when she tells us that heroes can never die?  What would happen if Hanzo just disappeared?  All this and more in this week's show!

- 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:

- Runtime: 36 mins 43 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks