Thursday, June 30, 2016

Overwatch and Anger Issues

Yea, that's basically what I'm like.
So I've gotten real salty about Overwatch.

After playing some competitive mode matches today, I can say, without a doubt, Overwatch has made me more angry than any game I've played in the past ten years. My most recent surge of hatred came from playing a ranked match in a team with absolutely no one communicating.

All team-based games require some communication to excel. If you ever watch the post-game League of Legends videos that show team chat during combat, you'll see the entire squad constantly shouting. It's not just the excitement getting to them. Communicating, even over communicating, is paramount. Being on the same page means you can single-target down the biggest threats, alert teammates of enemy positions, and rotate as a team for key objectives.

League of Legends is a game with some higher-level strategy, where a lot of matches are won and lost by smart rotation and objective play, not just fast-button action. League also has communication tools built into the game, letting you receive and share information at a reasonable pace.

Overwatch features none of these tools. You can tell your teammates that your ultimate is ready, but you can't ping where or when you plan on using it. You can't ping enemy movement, since there's no mini-map, and you can't quickly encourage someone to swap characters without typing in chat. You need to be on mic.

At the same time, this isn't a simple shooter, despite what so many Overwatch players believe. Few people can hard carry in a massive and collaborative game of Rock Paper Scissors. So when I enter a match where no one communicates, even in chat, it feels like I'm playing alone, but with really terrible AI. For a game that relies so heavily on team play, that's a tragedy.

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

EXP Podcast #384: Party Like it's 1996

Prepare to get fragged by this guy.
Well, Quake, you've had a good run but it's really time to calm down and grow up.  You're not a teen anymore, so you'll have trade your nail gun for a briefcase and rocket jump your way into some adult responsibility.  All of this is a roundabout way of saying that Quake came out 20 years ago.  To mark this occasion, we give ourselves over to a Wikipedia black hole and talk about the other video game highlights of 1996.  For the full experience, you should probably be listening to Jamiroquai on loop during this whole podcast.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.





Show Notes:

- Runtime: 41 hour 8 mins
- Music by Brad Sucks

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

EXP Podcast #383: E3 2016 Debrief

Yes, Norman, we're happy you're back too.
Kratos is a daddy, Norman Reedus got naked for Hideo Kojima, and Link can climb now. It's time for our annual E3 debrief! It was a big show this year, with some amazing highlights, from Snoop Dog getting high at an EA event to me wishing I was high to play a virtual reality dinosaur game.

There was a ton of news, and we want to know what you think about it! Are you intrigued by the Xbox One S? Are you happy to see The Last Guardian actually get a release date? Let us know in the comments or, hey, shoot us an email. We're listening.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.





Show Notes:

- Runtime: 1 hour 4 mins
- Music by Brad Sucks

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

EXP Podcast #382: Movie Night with Warcraft

Two worlds.  One home.  Countless shoulder pads.
Dammit Leeroy, you were supposed to make a good Warcraft movie.  We hate to break it to you, but it seems like Warcraft is joining the pantheon of cringe-worthy movies based on video games.  Hey, it's not all bad though!  It gives us a chance to dig into what makes a good video game inspired movie and take a short walk down memory lane to reminisce on the many gems of the silver screen.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.





Show Notes:

- Runtime: 38 mins 29 secs
- Music by Brad Sucks

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Overwatch: Turret Trouble

In this edition of Overwatch: we keep our hands clean my letting machines do the fighting and Scott almost accidentally buys 50 loot boxes.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

EXP Podcast #381: For Your Health

Protect me at all costs!
Med kits and healing rays are the topic of this week's EXP podcast. What games have the most interesting healing mechanics? And why can't you damn Overwatch players just protect the Mercy already, yeesh. Christopher Gile fuels our conversation this week. Be sure to check out his Health 101 piece over on Gamasutra.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.





Show Notes:

- Runtime: 29 mins 18 secs
- Music by Brad Sucks

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Rocket League: Hoop Dreams

It's time to join the Warriors band wagon and talk smack about Lebron James with some Rocket League Hoops.


Thursday, June 2, 2016

Playing the Pacifist in Dark Souls III

Wow. I look good.
My latest PopMatters article is live, and it's all about playing the Dark Souls III peacemaker.

I actually completely forgot to promote Dark Souls III article here nearly a month back when I wrote about the social elements of the game. In that piece I praise the act of invasion in Dark Souls as though it were a form of acting. I, the invader, play the villain. From that perspective, even if I die, I played my part.

It's funny that my latest playthrough is non-violent, but still fulfills the same role. When summoned into someone else's world to help with a boss or an invader, and I simply take hits with a massive shield, I like to think I make an impression. It's a strange thing to see in a game so filled with gloom.

I think this is partially why From is willing to go so dark with Dark Souls. When the story and setting are melancholy and dire, every time someone joins your game dressed as Smough, an Abyss Watcher, or as a pacifist cleric, levity breaks up the tone.  For a moment, Lothric becomes a bit more friendly, and hopefully, you're given the courage to soldier on.

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

EXP Podcast #380: Playing Nice in Overwatch

They're all waiting to upvote you.
When's the last time you gave a hearty thumbs up to an opponent who successfully trounced your entire team?  If the answer is probably somewhere between "never" and "one time by accident," Blizzard is trying to change that.  We're continuing our Overwatch discussion by talking about the things that help keep peace between teammates and opponents.

- Here's the show's stand-alone feed
- Listen to the podcast in your browser by left-clicking here, right-click and select "save as link" to download the show in MP3 format, or click play below.





Show Notes:

- Runtime: 32 mins 52 secs
- Music by Brad Sucks