EXP Podcast #533: Super Mario Maker 2 Debrief

Not even close to Kaizo

This week on the EXP Podcast, we duck, dive, and dodge our way through the endless levels available in Super Mario Maker 2. We are both big fans of the first game on this show and we're thrilled not just to talk about the new features and experiences available in the latest game - but to invite you to try our levels as well!

Find Scott's levels Mario Maker code SWD-HY5-1HG and my levels at JH4-TKG-DRG. If you've got some levels to try, send us an email!

- 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.

- Runtime: 42 min 34 sec
- "The 10 Best Summer Video Games, Ranked," by Dom Nero and Cameron Sherrill, via Esquire
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #532: Summer Gaming 2019

Sun's out?  Guns out!

The sun is shining, the fireworks are popping, and I'm desperately trying to avoid the genetically engineered ultra-mosquitos released by one of the many tech CEOs/super-villains that live on the west coast.  That's right, it's summer and with it comes a specific set of games that just feel right during those long warm days.  Seasonal gaming is a topic we've covered before, but this time to dissect a recent Esquire list and revisit some of our historical summertime picks.

- 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.

- Runtime: 32 min 55 sec
- "The 10 Best Summer Video Games, Ranked," by Dom Nero and Cameron Sherrill, via Esquire
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #531: Final Fantasy VII Debrief Part 3

What!? Who saw this coming!?

From the red stone bluffs of Cosmo Canyon to the strange "underwater" ruins of the Forgotten City, we continue our journey through Final Fantasy VII in Part 3 of our ongoing debrief. This week we experience one of, if not the, most important deaths in video game history. But is it how we remembered?

If you want to catch up on our debrief, you can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

- 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.

- Runtime: 52 min 15 sec
- Music from Final Fantasy VII OST
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #530: The Live Game Long View

The Gears crew launches the war on micro-transactions

It wasn't so long ago that we were seriously questioning the future of the single player game.  "All those multiplayer live games are taking our precious single player games!" we wailed.  Fast forward  a couple years and single player, predominantly story-based games are thriving on both the indie and big publisher sides of spectrum.  But, as Daniel Friedman points out, games like Anthem, Destiny, and Apex Legends are struggling to keep the pace and find the space needed to compete against the Fortnite juggernaut.  Take a break from grinding through your battle pass and take a listen!

- 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.

- Runtime: 34 min 04 sec
- "No Gear Packs, no season pass for Gears 5," by Owen S. Good, via Polygon
- "Single-player games might be safer bets than live games in 2019," by Daniel Friedman, via Polygon
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #529: E3 2019 Debrief

I'd be spooked too!

The yearly gaming extravaganza of E3 has come and gone! But was it really that extravagant? With EA, Activision, Sony, and Microsoft all absent from the show floor, we had a lot more space to sit on couches and think about the handful of 2019 games that we're excited to see. Join and let us know what games you were excited by (or disappointed by) from E3 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.

- Runtime: 53 min 51 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #528: A Swarm of Games

I told you to take that cheese out of your pocket.

This week we make use of the calm before the E3 storm to check in on some of the games we've been playing.  Space-faring AI, paper craft dinosaurs, samurais, t-blocks, and a whole shit ton of rats all make an appearance.  It's been a pleasantly surprising year so far and we're not even halfway done.

- 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.

- Runtime: 45 min 25 sec
- Music by Brad Sucks

EXP Podcast #527: Playdate Debate

You had me at "crank"

The hottest next-gen console is here. It's small, yellow, and has a crank.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss the strange little gaming console called the Playdate, a tinny little console that will launch with 12 games by some indie gaming luminaries. It's a boutique item for a niche audience, but is it right for us? And would we really want to shell out $150 just to get one?

- 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.

- Runtime: 37 min 50 sec
- "The dangers of in-game data collection," by Patrick Stafford via Polygon
- Music by Brad Sucks