The Experience Points Podcast

I have ventured into movie theater, with my family no less, and have lived to tell the tale.  I couldn't escape The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's gravitational pull.  How did my wallet and my psyche fare?  You'll have to be the judge as we discuss both that movie and a couple other big transmedia happenings in the video game world.

We are back with our 800th (numbered) episode! This week on the show, we celebrate the only way we know how - talking about video games. This time we round out the Polaris List with debrief on Slay the Spire and Outer Wilds, then go for a ride with Donkey Kong Bonanza and Pragmata. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been listening to us over the years. We see you and we appreciate you! Show Notes: Music by Brad Sucks

We couldn't let March pass us by without doing our annual Journey debrief!  We're well over a decade of debriefs on this game and it's very much become a symbol in my year.  Forget about New Year's Eve; my year hasn't truly begun until I've made the trek up the mountain and talked about it with Jorge.

Won't someone think of the children!? This week on the EXP Podcast we open up a loot box and discover both misguided and righteous regulatory attention. And here I was hoping for a Switch 2.   Show notes: - "PEGI Revises its age ratings," via Game Developer - "Valve argues mystery boxes are 'widely used' in the tangible world," via Game Developer  - Music Brad Sucks

This week, we talk about Microsoft's rumblings about their next console and how Sony is rumored to be staying far away from those tremors.  But what will it all mean in thousands of years?  Perhaps some far-future technology will be able to piece together our console war in the way that we piece together Roman board games today.

We are back this week with two very different animal-themed video games: one about the trauma of war and dark magic inflicted on children... and the other about cats and butts! Join us for a debrief on two long-awaited games, neither of which you should play with your kids.   Show notes: - Music Brad Sucks

Could it be that the reason this was so late in posting was because I got obsessed with Overwatch and finally launched by esports career?  No; just boring life stuff getting in the way.  If only I had another multiplayer live service game to motivate me, one with wacky robots and cartoonish characters.  And I'm not talking about Fortnite, although Epic and Microsoft most certainly are.  Yes it's another week of palace intrigue in the world of video games and we are here to further add to the whispers while we await some of 2026's large releases.

For the past four years Polaris, a non-profit group of game designers, have been polling luminaries in the field to create possibly the most important Top 10 list of video games - not of the best games, no, but the most inspiring. This week on the podcast, we walk through the 10 most influential games of all time! Show notes: - The Polaris List  - Music from Brad Sucks

As we slowly come out of our winter slumber (or perhaps stupor?) it's time to take stock of the year ahead of us.  It still feels like everything is orbiting around the massive and erratic gravitational force that is GTA 6, but there are hints and whispers about what else may be in store for us.  Stylish bullet hell, horror, and maybe even a wacky walking sim have all caught our eye, as has the ever-present potential pleasant surprise.

This week on the show we take one last look at the games of 2025 that wowed, surprised, and inspired us. While these great games didn't make our best games of 2025 list, we can't fully embrace the year ahead until we give each of these gems a proper shout-out. Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

We did it; we put one foot in front of the other and reached the summit of 2025.  And what did we find at the top?  The best games of the year, of course!  This week, Jorge and I recap our personal top three and reflect on the themes of the year.  And to you, the listener: Thank you so much for joining us this week and throughout the year!

Grab a champagne glass, take your seats, and get your hands ready for applause it's time, once again, for the annual Gamey Awards! This year we've got Dinos, Donkeys, Daddys, and so much more. We hope you enjoy another low-stakes review of a year full of great games and great husbands.   Show Notes: Music from the Claire Obscur: Expedition 33 Official Soundtrack and Brad Sucks

Well the weather outside is frightful, but these trailers are so delightful.  Actually, no: they're mostly gruesome grimdark gore-fests served up by Keighley, the preview demon.  In any case there are a ton of them, so this week we go through some of the biggest announcements from The Game Awards 2025.  Now let us enjoy the rebirth of early 2000s video game edge lords.

We are off to two islands this week - one in the windy north of Japan to seek revenge in Ghost of Yōtei, and the other is Isla Sorna, y'know, the one with dinosaurs. Sword fights and massive prehistoric carnivores? What more could you want!? Show Notes: Music from the Ghost of Yōtei OST and Brad Sucks

Like a phoenix rising from the bargain bin of a Fry's electronics, Steam Machines are back.  And they've brought controllers and VR glasses with them.  This week we debrief on the latest Valve hardware announcements and review what is shaping up to be an exceedingly strange time in the video game hardware market.

We are back from the thoroughly miserable round of sicknesses, but at least we've brought back another fun conversation about video games. This week on the EXP Podcast, we dive into recent games including Keeper, Baby Steps, Silent Hill F, and of course Hades II. Welcome back to the show!   Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

Like a glowing boon sent by your favorite uncle from Olympus, Hades 2 has bestowed its favor upon us.  This week we dig into on of our most anticipated games of the year and experience some para-social pride around what Supergiant Games has accomplished.  And of course: death to Chronos.

New announcement are coming thick this time of year, and what better way to take a Silksong/Hades/Silent Hill break than with weird Kojima trailers and the hairiest hero there is. Join us as we chat Death Stranding, Wolverine, Battlefield 6, Saros, and more! Show notes: - Music from Brad Sucks

Well, it's finally here: Silksong!  This week we take a break from scrambling after beads and trying to understand just what type of creature Hornet is in order to share our thoughts on the game.  I'd like to say that by the time you listen to this we'll likely have seen credits, but let's be honest: we'll be in the middle of a dastardly run-back to a boss that has a third form we have yet to see.  What can you do though?  That's just a bug's life.

Wallets are getting thinner, and there are only so many services I can maintain. Are live service games one of them, in this economy? This week on the podcast, we discuss the state of always-on (and always paying) live service games, some hardware rumors, and movie news! Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

With the summer is wrapping up, it's time to talk about a great crop of games we're squeezing in prior to the fall rush.  We're still on our journey to spread the chiral network of course, but we've picked up genealogy and bike racing as well.  We've also dusted off some old classics, although it seems that we still don't know what sort of animal Klonoa is after all these years.  Maybe some fall semester zoology classes are in order.

This week on the podcast we visit the beautiful city of Lumiere, eat (and wield) a baguette, take a boat ride on a weirdly large creature, and analyze a painting. Join us on a full debrief of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - including a deep spoiler section on the divisive ending! Show notes: - Music from the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Soundtrack

This week we get a report from the field about Gen Con 2025.  Despite a microscopic demonic onslaught, Jorge was able to see some of the newest table top games.  What have we discovered?  Well, the Souls-like genre seems to be transcending the boundaries of video games.  Prepare to sit across the table from your old friend, Patches.

Fumito Ueda, the creator of Shadow of the Colossus, has called it folks. The age of game mechanics is over! Pack it up folks, we're all out of ideas. This week on the podcast, we chat about philosophy, the creation of art, and some video game movie news that has us both excited and miserable! Show notes: - "'The age of game mechanics is over', claims Shadow of the Colossus director Ueda from" VideoGamesChronicle - Music from Brad Sucks

It's hard to argue that times have been tough in the video game industry as of late.  Since we last talked Microsoft has laid of thousands and shuttered entire studios.  This comes at a time when the Stop Killing Games movement is gaining greater visibility due to the increasingly ephemeral nature of so many releases.  After taking stock of some of the Microsoft aftermath, we we take a look at Video Games Europe's response to the petition and what it could mean as an alternative way to think about how games can survive games in a long term way.

Beaches, Homunculi, and strange birth stories - it's an eclectic group of games this week as we debrief Ender Magnolia, To a T, and venture briefly back into the Kojima's world of Death Stranding 2! Show Notes: - Music from the To a T reveal & announce trailers

Forget weather patterns and school schedules; the real mark of summer is a shotgun blast of game announcements.  This week we pick up the pieces of Summer Game Fest as well as some of the adjacent company-focused announcements.  A slew of Souls-likes, combative muppets, and a very cool looking Big Walk are all on the horizon.

This week on the EXP Podcast, we discuss the announcements out of Sony's State of Play - recording just a day before Summer Games Fest, so there's a bounty coming! Today it's why James Bond lacks character, what's so unsettling about Silent Hill F, and much more!

Grab your baguette, it's time to le rip and le tear your way through hell.  This week we jump into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Doom: The Dark Ages.  Two games that, while seemingly very different, share a similar commitment to their mechanical and aesthetic themes.  Who knew the mass destruction of an entire age group and jaunt through the realm of the old gods would be so much fun?

Pull your pants up, put away your smoker, and tuck the kids into bed folks it's time to play a dad game! This week on the podcast, we dive deep on what makes a quintessential "dad game," why Remedy's upcoming FBC Firebreak might fit the bill, and what we look for in game for parents with very little free time. Show notes: - "Remedy says it's made a Control shooter 'for Dads'" from VideoGamesChronicle - Music from Brad Sucks 

We turn out back for just one week and everything falls apart: Xbox prices are sky-rocketing.  Marcus Fenix is doing the roadie run onto the PlayStation.  One of the biggest releases of the year and maybe even the last ten years is now delayed.  This week we try to pick up the pieces and figure out how they all fit together.

We are late bringing this one in but on the bright side, the ripple effects of the tariff policies and the shaky economy are still rocking the games industry anyway! This week we revisit the Switch 2 console after the announcement hype has died down. Some things change but Nintendo isn't one of them.   Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

We're back from spring break and ready to talk about some of the games we've played over the past couple weeks.  Our stops include new destinations like the swamps of South of Midnight, the shifting rooms of Blue Prince, and fungus fields of Avowed.  There's even a return to Hollow Knight's creepy-crawly caverns as we look to wrap up the year's early months.

Nintendo unveiled all the juicy details about the Switch 2 this week and in classic Nintendo fashion the news came with a great deal of excitement, bafflement, and surprise. And all of this recorded even before the Tariff's delayed the release of the already expensive console even further! Join as we run down our surprises and disappointments.   Show notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

Our annual springtime ritual continues!  It's the time of year when our eyes are watering and we can't quite tell if it's due to the return of seasonal allergies or because of the sheer majesty of thatgamecompany's 2012 masterpiece: Journey.  As always, we share our thoughts on this year's playthrough and we also review a bit of the 2012 video game landscape, review what we were playing, and put Journey in context with other big releases of the year.  Hope to see you in the desert next year!

This week on the podcast we venture through the raggedy outer reaches of Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector to the monster filled dunes and valleys of Monster Hunter Wilds. Two vastly different games with enough fascinating and sometimes infuriating designs to chew through. Join us on our adventure and be sure to download the amazing Mr. Broccoli in your Wilds campaign! Code: F99PE4N38B64  Show notes: - Intro from Monster Hunter Wilds - Outro from the Citizel Sleeper 2 OST

A blurry tree here and little upsell there can't be so bad, can it?  But what happens when these little annoyances build into something that truly irritates people into action?  This week we have ugly Pokemon and triple-digit game prices are top of mind as we talk about some recent dust-ups in both the fan and financial circles.

This week on the podcast we share a lot of mixed feelings about two of last year's biggest RPGs. What compels us to finish games like these? Who knows!? Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

What with the hectic holiday season and all the game of the year madness, we were so busy talking about games that we didn't have time to talk about games-adjacent things like Secret Level.  The streaming anthology series takes direct inspiration from some very well known (and not so well known) games, so we sat down to debrief on what makes a good short-form cross-media game story.  Honestly, we're still having nightmares about the Pac-Man episode.

The Switch 2 announcement is here and it made a splash, but it's one of those tiny little splashes you see at the Olympics. Classic Nintendo, no notes. Join us this week as we discuss, dissect, and have a laugh with the Switch 2 announce trailer.

It's the beginning of the year and it's nothing but endless possibilities stretching out before us!  This week we continue our tradition of looking at this year's scheduled (and perhaps not so scheduled) releases and call out what we're most looking forward to.

This week to take one last look backwards at 2024 and some of the amazing games that didn't quite make out Top 3. Happy near year everyone!   Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

We've made it around the sun once more and we have a handful of great games to prove it.  But which games will be our favorite of year?  And will Jorge and I maintain our drift compatibility and choose the same game as our GOTY?  All this, along with more Balatro pro tips, in this week's show.

The most prestigious video game award show is back, celebrating once again not just the greatest bummers and mood lifters, but also the best Waifus/Husbandus, the most elegant games, and of course the gameyest. The 2024 Gameys are here!

Thanks to the recent 30th anniversary of the original PlayStation launch, there's been plenty of retrospectives about the system and the era it ushered in.  This week, we dig into Eurogamer's extended interview with Former Sony CEO Shawn Layden.  Layden's tenure at Sony spanned the pre-PlayStation era all the way through the PS4 and he offers some candid thoughts about the state of the industry, development costs, and why he may be the last of the console warriors.  Plus, he floats the concept of triple-A development being akin to building a massive cathedral and now I'm obsessed with the image of a stained-glass Dual Shock.

According to Microsoft you probably have an Xbox in your pocket. So what's an Xbox again? This week on the podcast we chat Microsoft news and venture into the future... of television with the Mass Effect TV series. Show Notes:   - Music by Brad Sucks

Leave it to Nintendo: we turn our backs for just a couple of weeks and they exponentially increase their wackiness.  Well I can officially tell this to our favorite baffling company: Chill out, we're awake and we have ready access to the Internet!  Your clock and your music app is very cute, but shouldn't you be working on a new console or something?  Wake me up once you're ready to tell me what the Super Mario Odyssey team has been working on.

Sick kids are on the mend so it's back to the gaming mines for us. This week on the show, we fight our way through fog to bring you debriefs on the Silent Hill 2 Remake, Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Balatro mobile, and the Plucky Squire! Show notes: Music by Brad Sucks

I can't believe we missed out on the most important PlayStation Pro news when we talked about it a couple weeks ago.  Yes, your long nightmare of dealing with disorganized lose paper is over: Sony has created a solution and it only costs $1000.  But hurry: there's only 12,300 in existence, so act quickly or else you'll have to go crawling back to Clippy.  We dig into this as well as more stories on Professor Layton, Microsoft R&D, and Nintendo's secret police this week.

This week on the podcast, we discuss two of the most charming love-letters to video games of all time, both of which are not just loaded with nostalgia, but also amazing games (or games-in-games) all on their own! Show notes: - Music from the Astro Bot Launch Trailer and the UFO 50 Launch Trailer