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Tonight we start off with a brief reprise of last week's Diablo 3 Season 23 topic.  Because of the changes to followers this is pretty much the easiest season yet to complete in full.  We talk briefly about the Diablo 2 technical alpha going on and how it is mostly just D2 but prettier.  Grace talks about her experiences with Cozy Grove which is effectively Animal Crossing but Ghost Bears.  Tam and Thalen talk about their experiences with Super Adventure Box in Guild Was 2.  Bel talks a bit about Games Preservation and more specifically the release of a demo copy of the long rumored Castlevania Resurrection.  Finally we go down a topic path that has been sitting on our list for awhile and talk about directed gameplay versus guided gameplay. Topics Discussed Easiest Diablo 3 Season Ever Overpowered Followers Diablo 2 Technical Alpha Cozy Grove Animal Crossing but Ghost Bears Super Adventure Box A Platformer Kodra Doesn’t Love Games Preservation Castlevania Resurrection Nintendo PlayStation Missing Content from different industries Freeform versus Guided Gameplay Bel Wants out of the Car Directed Gameplay in Sandboxes

Tonight once again a discussion happened off air and we sorta reprise this a bit at the beginning of the show as we talk streaming services.  From there we talk about Dorf Romantik and how it doesn’t include any Dwarves at all but is still awesome.  From there we talk about Deep Rock Galactic which we are pretty sure is a Dwarf game.  Kodra and Bel talk about Magic the Gathering Arena on the Phone with the recent launch of the iOS version. Tam talks about his experiences with the Outriders launch.  Bel and Grace talk about the launch of Diablo 3 Season 23 and the joy of emanate with follower equipment.  Finally we wrap with some discussion about Warhammer Fantasy and the High Elves army. Topics Discussed: Streaming Services Dorf Romantik Deep Rock Galactic Magic the Gathering Arena Iphone Launch Android Experience Outriders Rough Launch Good Game Diablo 3 Season 23 Fully Equippable Followers Warhammer Fantasy High Elves

Hey Folks!  We missed last week because Bel was knocked a little bit down after his second Covid-19 Vaccination, but all is well and we are back this week.  We end up running quite a little bit over on this show.  We start talking about the unrealistic expectations of gamers and the nonsensical $10,000 MMO Kickstarter.  We talk about what the Disney Plus Marvel One Shot series are doing and how we have never quite seen this sort of thing before.  We talk relatively spoiler free about Falcon and Winter Soldier, and then say goodbye to Duck Tales.  From there we talk about Elder Scrolls Online and the semi-spontaneous return to the game and all of the content we have been playing. Topics Discussed: The $10,000 MMO DreamWorld Discussion about unrealistic expectations in gaming Disney Plus Marvel Shows Television version of a “Event Book” Falcon and the Winter Soldier Expectations for Star Wars Oneshots Goodbye Duck Tales Elder Scrolls Returning to the Game Jesters Festival Extreme Amount of Content Oddities of Guild Traders Dark Anchor Leveling Nonsense

Tonight we recorded a relatively short show since we knew Sunday we would be losing an hour of time as we “spring forward”.  Tonight we have a handful of topics that have been floating around our list for a while.  Firstly we talk about folks being shocked that Roblox is apparently valued at 38 billion dollars during the initial public offering.  We talk about the concept of invisible games, or the games that media and gamers just aren’t talking about but are massive.  From there we talk about the importance of judgement free difficulty settings.  Tam talks a bit about exploring No Man’s Sky in Virtual Reality and how the game has changed over time.  Finally as we wrap up we talk about just how phenomenal WandaVision was and how all of you should go out and watch it.   Topics Discussed: Games that Games Media Don’t Talk About Why Roblox is worth 38 billion dollars Dungeon Fighter Online Mobile Games Games Need Difficulty Settings Challenges playing with Kids Judgement Free Difficulty Settings Accessibility Needs No Man’s Sky in VR Valheim in Space? Watch WandaVision No spoilers just talking about it being good

Tonight we have a bit of an odd show at the end of a painfully long week.  We talk about Outriders some more and how odd it is that they are patching the demo and being completely transparent about it.  Since more folks have played it there are some fresh impressions to go along with that. This breaks out into a broader discussion of live service games and the looter shooter genre.  From here we sorta make a trip down into comfort gaming and revisiting old familiar stories as a way of regulating mood.  Tam and Kodra talk about how they are wired a little differently and their version of this is playing some sort of game where they can enter a flow state and find peace and calm in the challenge. Topics Discussed Outriders Patching the Demo More thoughts about the game Concerns about the setting Broad Discussion about Live Service Games What makes success Are regular story drops achievable? Comfort Gaming Revisiting a story in a time of need Tam and Kodra wired differently Flow state games Using media to regulate moods

Tonight we start off with one of those discussions that almost happened before we started recording.  Tam has reached the point where he was ready to tangle with the fourth boss in Valheim, which disturbingly spawns right above where most of us have made our home.  Tam tells the tale of this battle and the heavy losses that were incurred.  From there we talk about Haven which is a co-op JRP style game featuring the relationships and interactions of an established couple.  Finally we wrap things up with some discussion of the Outriders demo and how Bel is excited about it and Ash is tentatively excited as well due to is similarities to Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer. Topics Discussed More Fun in Valheim Tam vs Moder vs Kodra vs Sol Haven Charming game with realistic coupling Outriders Demo Cover Mechanics are a Lie Fun Aggressive Gameplay Unintentionally Racist Character Creator Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Comparisons 

Tonight we start off some discussion about the unseasonable weather that has caused a few of us to experience negative 15 fahrenheit days.  From there we discuss BlizzConline and how we went into it with extremely lowered expectations.  We discuss the things that were announced namely Diablo 4 new class and Burning Crusade Classic.  From there we venture forth into a discussion about Valheim a game that Bel has played for awhile but failed to recruit other players into until Tam and Kodra did this thing.  The entire AggroChat crew seems to have reached a critical mass and is exploring this norse land of mystery.  Finally we briefly talk about WandaVision and how weird the show must be if you don’t at least have a summary understanding of the characters. Topics Discussed Thawing Out from Hell Freezing Over BlizzConline Anduin is the Arthas? Diablo 4 Rogue Diablo 2 Remastered Burning Crusade Classic Lost Vikings Returns Diablo Immortal Mobile Game Woes Valheim Survival Done Better Low Fidelity but Gorgeous Building a City Adventures and Shenanigans Bel Ruins Everything WandaVision Zero Spoilers - What is this like if you don’t already know the characters?

We assure you that we are in fact not a cat…  but maybe some of us are cats.  Tonight we start the show off with a discussion that probably should have happened last week but completely missed the list.  Final Fantasy XIV announced its next expansion and in Endwalker we are going to the Moon.  We talk about this.  This sorta leads its way into a discussion about Guild Wars 2 and drop in drop out grouping.  We also talk a bit about how Google seems to slowly be killing Stadia but shuttering the studio that was supposed to be making first party games.  Last we talk about Eli and hitting his first 12 sads out of 10 RPG ending….  which is fitting given Kodra’s propensity for finding those games. Topics Discussed FFXIV Endwalker Sage healers Possibly a Scythe melee class Issues attaching to game Guild Wars 2 Drop in Drop Out Group Play The Death of Stadia Google kills first party studio Leaning into selling service to Game Studios Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Eli’s first 12 sads out of 10 ending Harrowing tale of Cookie and Bookworm

Tonight we are down an Ashgar but start off the show with some discussion about Bel’s adventures in Hardcore Minecraft.  Grace also had never played Minecraft prior to this week and she shares her initial thoughts and just how much cultural knowledge about the game had seeped in from other sources.  A topic that didn’t happen last week but we talk about how Gabe Newell and Elon Musk want to put computers in our brains.  Tam shares his experiences with that Death based Puzzle game Hitman 3.  Kodra talks about his son and Let’s Go Pikachu and this leads to some discussion about Pokemon Snap.  Finally we have a lightning round of quick topics including that the Dark Angels are good, a preface for next week's discussion about Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker, Diablo 4 not releasing in 2021 and Doctor Snuggles a Nickelodeon show we deleted from our memory banks. Topics Discussed Hardcore Minecraft Life After Death Grace plays Minecraft for First Time Horrific Machines Gabe Newell and Elon Musk want Computers in our Heads Addiction to the cutting edge The cost of technology adoption Hitman 3 A puzzle but someone dies Let’s Go Pikachu Pokemon Snap Quick Topics Dark Angels Surprisingly Good Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker No Diablo 4 in 2021 Doctor Snuggles

This evening's show is a bit of an odd one, but we are living in very interesting times within other interesting times.  We start off with some discussion about choosing a game controller with a good D-Pad and how most just use 4 independent microswitches these days.  This leads into a discussion about Celeste and Kodra attempting B-Sides.  From there we talk about Crying Suns which effectively feels like a more mature version of FTL.  Then we deep dive into why Games are extremely important and what happens when “Players” start applying the same system breaking logic to the real world.  What we witnessed with the GameStop stock is precisely what gamers do best, evaluating a system, findings its weaknesses, and then exploiting the hell out of them for fun and profit.  This leads to one of the stranger conversations we have had but one that is nonetheless interesting. Topics Discussed Controllers with good D-Pads Missing Retail for Testing Controllers Celeste 3rd Anniversary B-Sides Classic 2 Crying Suns FTL 2.0ish Why Games are Important GameStop Stock Applying Game Breaking Principles to Real Life Trolling the Stock Market Changing Demands and Goals The Fall of industries like Diamonds The Rise of Electric Cars

Tonight we talk about a few things that have been on the list for awhile along with some new fresh topics.  First off Kodra talks to us about Nerts and the world of competitive solitaire.  From there Bel talks about how Dragon Age Inquisition has won him over and how he thinks that it might be the best Dragon Age game so far.  Ash talks about Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity and how it also might be the best Warriors game to date.  Thalen shares with us Nick Knacks on the PopArena YouTube Channel and its exploration of classic Nickelodeon television.  We also debate what we consider our Golden Age of Nick.  We dust off a topic that has been on the list for awhile where we talk about whether or not it is the time for World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV to go Free to Play.  This leads into a general discussion of MMO mechanics over the years and lends its way to some talk about Guild Wars 2. Topics Discussed Nerts - Competitive Solitaire Dragon Age Inquisition Maybe the best Dragon Age Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Maybe the best Warriors Game Nickelodeon Nostalgia Nick Knacks on PopArena Channel What was the Golden Age Should WoW and FFXIV Go Free to Play Benefits of Free to Play MMO Game Design Discussion Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Tonight we have a bunch of toppings that have been hanging around on the list for awhile.  We talk a bit about the announcement that Riot is making an MMORPG and our general thoughts about that.  Bel talks about the need for Attract Screens in game and this leads into a discussion about Tutorialization in games.  From there we venture forth into how exactly you teach a non-gamer how to play games and if games are too complicated right now.  Bel talks a bit about how much he misses F-Zero and why Mario Kart actually won the battle of the racing game that Nintendo cares about.  From there we talk about the vast array of experiments Nintendo is doing right now surrounding Mario.  Bel talks about revisiting Jedi Fallen Order and we wrap things up with a discussion about struggling to find a good tabletop cyberpunk game. Topics Discussed Riot is Making an MMO Game Attract Screens Teaching Game Mechanics Gaming for Non Gamers Pining for F-Zero Why Mario Kart Won Mario Experimentation Mario Legos Mario Kart Live Super Nintendo World Revisiting Jedi Fallen Order Mouse and Keyboard Finding a Cyberpunk Tabletop Game Genesys Shadowrun Cyberpunk Storyteller games

Tonight we continue our tradition of recording the Games of the Year show.  Each year we pick three games that were the most significant for us during the previous calendar year.  Additionally we throw in some honorable mentions, and then a list gets compiled of those choices and roughly sorted into games with the least overlap to the games with the most picks. This year we surprisingly have a game that every single member of the podcast chose as either a pick or an honorable mention.  We talk about nineteen games in total. Topics Discussed Games of the Year Picks 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Cryptic Sudoku Cyberpunk 2077 Death Stranding Half Life: Alyx Ooblets Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX Ring Fit Adventures Animal Crossing: New Horizon Crusader Kings 3 Final Fantasy VII Remake Ghost of Tsushima Phantasy Star Online 2 Yakuza: Like a Dragon Genshin Impact Hades Honorable Mentions Horizon Zero Dawn Disco Elysium Guild Wars 2

Tonight we start the show with discussion about Mechwarrior 5 and the multiplayer sessions that have been happening among AggroChat folks.  We also talk a bit about the extremely confusing world of intellectual property when it comes to this game.  From there we revisit the topic of why forcing a stealth mission is a bad idea when you are not expecting it.  Grace talks about a short game she discovered called Space Court where you preside over a Court in Space.  Tam talks about getting the Valve Index and finally maybe finding the killer app in the form of Half-Life Alyx.  From there we dive into a discussion about the games that we have missed during 2020 and didn’t have time to play, which segues into a discussion about Bel giving Dragon Age Inquisition another shot and how maybe Kodra would like the games that are not the first one. Topics Discussed: Mechwarrior 5: Multiplayer Why Forced Stealth Missions are Bad Revisiting the Topic Space Court VR and the Valve Index Half-Life: Alyx Games we Missed Playing this Year Trying Dragon Age Inquisition Again

Tonight we start the show talking about Monster Sanctuary a blend of Pokemon and Metroidvania.  From there we talk about the periscope through which we view the media and how it can be wildly different for two people who are in regular communication.  We talk about the problems with Cyberpunk 2077 and then Bel shares his experience playing through the campaign and finishing the game.  From there we talk about the Nintendo Direct and more specifically the games Cyber Shadow and Calico.  Lastly Bel talks a bit about his down cycle with World of Warcraft and how he is lacking the drive to keep playing.   Topics Discussed: Monster Sanctuary Media Landscape Periscopes Cyberpunk 2077 Issues Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Nintendo Direct Cyber Shadow Calico WoW Malaise

Tonight we had most of the crew and started off with a topic that had been bumped.  We talk for a bit about Yakuza: Like a Dragon and how it is a bit of a fresh start for that series.  From there we have a somewhat impromptu discussion about Watch Dogs Legion and the thoughts Tam and Bel had while playing it.  From there we discuss Spider-Man: Miles Morales and some of the thoughts Tam had specifically about the integration of Puerto Rican culture into that game.  From there we dive into another discussion about the PlayStation 5 since Tam finally got his last week.  We wrap things up with some discussion about The Game Awards and the big Disney Investor call and all of the things that were announced in both. Topics Discussed Yakuza:  Like a Dragon Watch Dogs Legion Spider-Man Miles Morales Tam and the PlayStation 5 The Game Awards 2020 Disney Investor Call Star Wars Marvel

Tonight a sequence of scheduling conflicts happened and we wound up with what felt like a fairly classic show given we were down to the cast members from the early years of this podcast.  We start the show with a bit of a micro topic as Bel talks about the nonsense he is doing called Catfriend Television where he uploads security camera footage of the neighborhood cats to youtube.  From there we talk about the severe drought of PlayStation 5 units, the battle with the scalpers and Tam maybe finally joining the ranks of those who managed to snag one.  Bel talks about the problem happening right now with the Shadowlands expansion in WoW with folks mass abandoning heroics because they didn’t get the thing they were chasing to drop.  Finally we talk a bit about Lancer a pen and paper RPG that Ashgar has wanted to play for quite some time and finally managed to run a game. Topics Discussed Catfriend Television PS5 Stock Misery World of Warcraft Shadowlands A Heroic Problem Lancer RPG Session Bad Idea Mechs

Tonight we sit down to record a show…  with multiple topics but wind up only actually talking about one.  Shadowlands, the latest World of Warcraft expansion released this past week and Bel and Grace have been playing it.  We take a dive into all things afterlife as we talk about the vague sense of not being quite certain if we like it or not.  There might be some minor story spoilers so please be warned.  For the most part we limit revelations to the things that are talked about in the Afterlives series of videos, but Bel has finished the main story quest and Grace is about halfway through.  We share our feelings about what appears to be Blizzard trying to create a Final Fantasy XIV expansion. Topics Discussed World of Warcraft Shadowlands Expansion Deep Dive into the Cosmology

Tonight we are down an Ashgar but work our way through a series of topics from the list.  First up Bel can in fact confirm that the PlayStation 5 exists and talks about his early experiences.  From we talk a bit about Bugsnax and how it is this weird Muppet Pokemon game that also has deeply disturbing Bioshock style undertones going on.  Tam talks a bit about puzzle shooter Superliminal and Kodra talks about What Remains of Edith Finch.  We talk a bit about parkour ninja game Ghostrunner and Bel shares some of the recent changes to Destiny 2.  Finally we wrap up with some extemporaneous viewing suggestions…  Duck Tales, Animaniacs, Mandalorian and the Ashens series of movies. Topics Discussed: The PlayStation 5 Thoughts on the Controller Bugsnax Superliminal What Remains of Edith Finch Ghostrunner Destiny 2 Updates What Makes Compelling Worldbuilding Viewing Suggestions Duck Tales Animaniacs Mandalorian Ashens Movies Ashens and the Quest for the GameChild Ashens and the Polybius Heist

Tonight we start off the show with a brief discussion of the console releases this week and how none of us actually managed to get one yet.  Bel has one that is still shipping and Tam has had zero luck even getting to that point in the process.  Bel talks a bit about Destiny 2 Beyond Light and how it is a solid expansion but cannot make up for three years of content that was removed from the game.  The “sunset” has had some pretty negative impact on the game and even Bungie agrees that they maybe went too far.  We talk a bit about the first major Genshin Impact patch and how it added way more content than we were expecting.  Finally we dive into a discussion about games and hobbies and seeking out a place for creative expression.  We also talk about the differences between creating something that is physical and tangible that you can hold in your hand versus something that takes place solely online. Topics Discussed Console Releases Sams Doesn’t Understand Preorders Destiny 2 Beyond Light Good Expansion Bad Idea removing so much content Genshin Impact Patch 1.1 City Reputations Way More Content than Expected Games and Hobbies Creative Expression Creating Tangible Things