Hitpoint Pals

Join us for our season finale as we reflect on the year of podcasts we did. Will has a big announcement, and some tough questions, like, "What if you went home to encounter a four foot version of yourself?" We also share our new year's resolutions and intentions, and give a small preview of what's to come from all of us at Hitpoint Pals. Mentioned: Lego Star Wars, Skyrim, Robin Seplut, Devil May Cry, The Witcher, Las Vegas, Gamer energy Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hpp/support

On our penultimate episode of the year, Travis and Will have a game shoutout for AI Dungeon 2, an experimental text-based adventure that uses a database of choose your own adventure stories to respond to anything you say or do. Then we do some shoutouts for our favorite games of the year, including Sekiro, Resident Evil 2, and Ape Out. After a Dark Souls diversion, we take some time to reminisce over some of the decade's biggest Gamer Moments. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Mentioned: AI Dungeon 2, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Resident Evil 2, Ape Out, She was About to Blow My Dick --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hpp/support

Life is Strange 2 spoilers from 25:25 - 37:10. We begin with a declaration from Will that he is a born again Christian and things only get less pious from there. But first Travis and Will recap their experience watching the Playstation Awards, a Japanese broadcast translated on the fly and often indecipherable, to us but mostly to the stream chat. Meanwhile Rebekah has been playing Stardew Valley and finally learns how to fish! We give an indie game shoutout to split screen puzzler DYO, which makes use of the local co-op seam as a mechanic. And in recent game releases, Travis has nothing but praise for the way Life is Strange 2, Episode 5 interprets morality and culminates into a perfect ending shaped by your choices. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Mentioned: DYO, Parsec, Steam Remote Play, Life is Strange 2, The Call of the Wild (2020), Messiah, Deacons of the Deep, The Christ Centered Gamer --- Send in a voic

Episode 37: The crew speaks with members of Rebekah and Cam's D&D group on the finale of their campaign, and their takeaways from a story that lasted two years. Then we talk about a few games we've been playing, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, GRIS, and Betrayer. Before we can wrap, we get in some offhand mentions of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Cats. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: D&D, Jedi Fallen Order, GRIS, Betrayer, Sonic, Cats --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hpp/support

Episode 36: Travis has been enjoying the satisfaction of positive feedback and repetitive tasks in Death Stranding, which we only discuss in vague terms since Will is eagerly awaiting the 2020 PC release, and doesn't want the game spoiled. But we fully discuss Caleb's time in Luigi's Mansion, where apparently Luigi looks really, really good. Also, Will has been playing narrative adventure The Council, a mystery game set in the Victorian era that gets real occult real fast. And we can't resist determining our Kojima names with Polygon's handy 11-page Kojima Name Generator, which raises questions about our current states of being as well as our childhoods.  Discussed: Figure out your Kojima name with my simple, 11-page worksheet (Polygon) Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Death Stranding, Luigi's Mansion 3, The Council, Kojima Name Generator, Dubhacks, The Mandalorian, Red Dead Redemption 2 ---

Episode 35: The divisive auteur theory changed the way we critique films, and could go on to impact the way we talk about video games as well. There are many figures known for their collective works as video game directors and producers, but is Hideo Kojima spearheading a new brand of gaming auteur, for better or for worse? That's our topic this week, which explores auteur theory and how it could apply to video game creators as much as filmmakers. But first, regular check-ins: Travis who has been playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and The Outer Worlds. Rebekah fills us in on becoming a professional dungeon master! And William discusses polygonal architecture. At the end of the episode, linguistics of the internet, and why boomers use so many ellipses. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Red Dead Redemption 2, The Outer Worlds, Unity, The Internet, Hideo Kojima --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp

What do you do when your service corgi gets swept down a storm drain and into the creepy tunnels beneath the city? Will fills us in on that journey in the lo-fi horror game Lost in Vivo, which he enjoyed a lot. We then try to determine whether or not ghosts are real and share some paranormal or just plain odd encounters we've all had. Rebekah might have seen a ghost running at her, and Will once encountered a scene straight out of The X-Files. Travis also recalls his history of jobs in supposedly haunted workplaces. Then we discuss the co-op horror story Man of Medan before diving into all things jump scares, soundscapes, and sanity levels. What's the difference between survival horror and psychological horror? Which types of horror do we respond best to? Why do any of us subject ourselves to horror in the first place? Finally, we close with Rebekah's update on her Zines and Things tour, and then ruminate on the Crusader Kings III announcement, new Crusader Kings II features, and signs that sure look like a P

Episode 33:  Sony's Playstation 5 is a year away, and we just... aren't very excited about it. We get into the evolution of games hardware and the shrinking gap in technology leaps between major console generations. With the PS5 expected to be backwards-compatible with the PS4, we also touch on hardware architecture and compatibility, where the lack of the latter creates a need for remasters and remakes of aging games. Also discussed are the worlds of Red Dead Redemption and Dark Souls II, monetizing D&D, and whether or not polls are good? Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Red Dead Redemption, UNCAGED Anthology, Dark Souls II, PS5, Remasters, Democratic Debates --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 32:  Will reads us a Steam review critical solely of gameplay time, and presents us with an open-ended question. How do we value games in relation to money spent and "content" time received? And how dependent are our opinions on an economic system where time is money? We discuss the "$1 = 1 hr. of gameplay" line of thinking, the stagnant $60 price tag, wages, physical discs, and the perceptions of studio prestige. We also do our weekly game check-ins, where Travis and Caleb have been exploring Destiny 2, Rebekah is prepping to run the Sunless Citadel, and Will is struggling with the realities of imperialism and classism in good ol' Victoria II. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Destiny 2, Victoria II, Dungeons & Dragons, data caps --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 31: Are subscription services the future? Does it make any sense to spend $60 on a game anymore? We're back from our hiatus to talk all things monthly payments, including Apple Arcade, which launched with a strong catalog of exclusives. Rebekah asks for advice on romance options in Stardew Valley, while Travis has enjoyed exploring The Oldest House in Control. Meanwhile, William is engrossed with the thick atmosphere in Metro 2033. In our thoughts and prayers, Rebekah gives us her thoughts on the film Hustlers, Travis is searching for this year's League of Legends Worlds theme, and William discovers autonomous horses in 80 Days. Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Support the show by letting us know how we're doing with a review! Discussed: Sayonara Wild Hearts, Mini Motorways, Control, Stardew Valley, 80 Days --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 30: How can a single player RPG be "dead?" We take a look at the tumultuous evolution of player-developer interaction over time, and the expectation players have grown to have for not just technical patches, but free content updates. A new culture has formed around reworking games that had less than stellar releases a la No Man's Sky, and the way players expect studios to fix bad games they paid for rather than move on to something new. We're calling out backseat developers and pondering over what our expectations should be when we buy a game. Discussed: Remnant: From the Ashes, No Man's Sky, Minecraft, Fortnite, Overwatch, Rimworld Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 29: William and Travis have been enjoying the surprise hit Remnant: From the Ashes, while Rebekah experiences an over the table dilemma in her D&D game. Mount & Blade II finally gets a tantalizing early access date, and megacorporations continue to reign unchecked. Also, thoughts on Life is Strange 2 - Episode 4, and the Popeye's chicken sandwich. Spoilers for Remnant: From the Ashes from 24:48 - 30:02 and Life is Strange 2 - Episode 4 from 30:02 - 34:40. Discussed: Remnant: From the Ashes, Death Stranding, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Life is Strange 2 Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 28: Examining the work of Amanda Phillips in Shooting to Kill: Headshots, Twitch Reflexes, and the Mechropolitics of Video Games, the valorization of the headshot from multiplayer lobbies to the esports stage, and the media propaganda that rationalizes police brutality with the narrative of split-second decision making. How does our interpretation of game mechanics color our attitude towards police violence? And with corporate greed allowing hate groups to flourish, how should the gaming community combat its most dangerous groups that celebrate police and white nationalist violence? We also look to the future, asking if motion controls and VR tech make shooters inherently more unsettling, and whether or not we'll all be uploaded to the cloud one day. Discussed:  Rationalizing Brutality: The Cultural Legacy of the Headshot (Jacob Geller - YouTube) Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter!  Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Ca

Episode 27: The idea that video games are responsible for mass murders is still pushed by political figures and fans of the guns industry. On this episode we take a look at systemic violence in the United States and the intersection between capitalism, hatred, gun control, and yes, video games. If that sounds messy, well, it is. But we know that games are about much more than violence, and can have positive impacts on the world. We touch on the camaraderie and global sportsmanship of esports, the power of comfort games in times of crisis, and the social bonds online games forge between people around the world. Discussed:  We Do Not Need To Defend Video Games From Politicians (Kotaku) No, Video Games Don’t Cause Mass Shootings. But The Conversation Shouldn’t End There (Time) Gamers Outreach Foundation Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter! Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a

Episode 26: You guys ever heard of Mixer? Forgot about that. Will has been adventuring in what he calls "Stealth Souls," or Sekiro. We break down how effective Sekiro's stealth system is, then reminisce on Thief: The Dark Project's challenging but rewarding stealth mechanics, and wish more games would treat stealth with the depth it deserves. Also, we reflect on mobile, idle tie-in games like Mass Effect Datapad and the Black Flag Companion App. Games discussed: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Kind Words: Lo Fi Chill Beats to Write To, Thief: The Dark Project, Splinter Cell, Dishonored Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter!  Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 25: Going to a Denny's at 3 in the morning is a classic American ritual, an experience shared by many and from which we derive a greater meaning. This week, we're talking about the shared experience of playing games, and the rituals we partake in before and during our gaming sessions and the purpose behind them. Gotta get that bad juju out of the d20 before the game starts, right? We wrap up our discussion on rituals in gaming with an online Discord and Twitch-based church complete with all the sermons, worship songs, and homophobia you'd expect of a traditional Christian church. Thanks to Amy for joining us this week, follow her on Twitter! Games discussed: Sky, Tetris Effect, South Park: The Stick of Truth, The Sims 4 Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter!  Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, and our producer Travis Lien. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/hpp/message

Episode 24: Some games we associate with so many positive memories that picking them up again feels like returning home, and there are psychological reasons behind the phenomenon. This week we discuss an article by Polygon's Astrid Johnson, who breaks down why a game like Breath of the Wild can evoke such a reaction. Cam Call joins us on the podcast this week and he's waiting on a card game stuck on a boat because of the new China tariffs. Also, Caleb's final thoughts on Metal Gear, Travis experiences triumph in The Climb, and You Are Jeff Bezos is a harrowing text adventure.  Thanks to Cam Call for filling on this week. Follow him on Twitter!  Show notes:  The psychological reasons certain games feel like coming home (Polygon)  Games Discussed: Metal Gear Solid, The Climb, You Are Jeff Bezos, Ticket to Ride, The Partisans  Keep up with the show and send us your questions on Twitter!  Hitpoint Pals features the voices of our host William Suitt, Rebekah Markillie, Caleb Warwick, a

Episode 23: Rebekah has released a new and exciting zine called "Brave," and we kick things off by talking about the project and being passionate about independent publications. Then it's on to video game news. The "Den of Thieves" G2A came under fire again Monday when indie developer Mike Rose condemned Google ads directing people to buy his games from the grey market site. "Please, if you’re going to buy a game from G2A, just pirate it instead!" he tweeted. We discuss the fraud-enabling history of G2A, including our own experiences with the third party key marketplace, and how the website hurts indie developers disproportionately. Then it's onto reflections on the Steam summer sale and the long animals that raced every day, we think? The corgi was the longest boy most days. But it was another case of indie developers losing when Steam's confusing giveaway led users to remove indie games and smaller titles from their Steam wishlists. Finally, we talk about some of the games we've been playing, including Kata

Episode 22: We recorded this episode a few minutes after an earthquake shook Vegas, so Travis is on edge. But we dive right into The Outer Worlds co-director Leonard Boyarski's statement that the game will be "political," but not "politically-charged" and the misguided pandering developers often practice to reassure sensitive fans the game is worth buying. We also look at how The Last of Us handles complex moral issues, and how the developers of  Mordhau are trying to find a great way to appease their racist community. Finally, we make mid-year reflections on 2019's best games, from The Outer Wilds to Resident Evil 2, and Caleb reflects on his time playing the Metal Gear Solid series, which leads to an attempt to explain Metal Gear Solid to Travis. Emphasis on attempt.  Show Notes: The Outer Worlds co-director says it will be political, but not 'politically charged' The Last of Us Part 2 won't shy away from politics Mordhau Developers Address Controversy, Saying They Won't Add Gender Or Race Fil

Episode 21: Marianne Williamson is channeling powerful crystal energy. Beto o'Rourke wants to make sure you know he can speak Spanish. And the planet is rapidly advancing towards irreparable destruction. Meanwhile, we discuss an article about climate change from a gaming perspective, where beautiful digital recreations of nature are overshadowed by the dark reality that global warming is destroying the world we inhabit in real life, and 4K gaming and Stadia data centers will only heat us up more! After getting that existential crisis out of the way, we all weigh in on what games Bernie Sanders should stream on Twitch. Rebekah wants to see him indulge in an ultraviolent title like Mortal Kombat, while Travis wants to see him play Doki Doki Literature Club to address the need for accessible mental healthcare. To close we recap games we've been playing - braving the depths of Europa in Barotrauma, our multiplayer Crusader Kings 2 session, Caleb's adventures in Metal Gear Solid, Rebekah's experience with Dominion