AggroChat #137 - The Diablo 2 Game Show

Tonight we wrap up season 3 of AggroChat with the November/December AggroChat Game Club Title Diablo 2.  This pick was made by Grace and is largely an attempt at seeing just how well this game still holds up as compared to the titles we are used to.  Join us as we talk about reconciling our memories of the game with the reality of playing it again.  Additionally we get into a bunch of slantwise connected discussions during the process.  

Direct download: aggrochat_episode137.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:34am EDT

AggroChat #136 - Star Wars Gone Rogue

This week we are recording a bit of a special show in that we have a bunch of gaming stuff to talk about… but also Rogue One happened.  So as a result we are dividing the show in essentially two parts.  The first part we talk about a bunch of gaming topics, and in the second part we give an intermission of sorts to let folks know we are about to delve into a spoilery discussion of the new Star Wars film…  Rogue One.  For those really cautious our spoilery discussion begins around 56 minutes into the podcast.

On the non-spoiler side of the table we talk about The Dawning event in Destiny and how awesome the Sparrow Racing League is.  This causes a brief offshoot conversation about how we actually grip our controllers.  A few of the crew have been playing Hex the digital CCG that many of us backed eons ago in kickstarter so there is some discussion about its current state.  Bel talks about the Warcraft community Icecrown Challenge charity event.  Bel also talks about his experiences playing Let it Die the Darksoulsian Rogue-Like set in a Neo Tokyo setting.  Finally wrapping up the pre Star Wars discussion is some talk about the 2nd edition of the 7th Sea Pen and Paper game.

Topics Discussed - Destiny - The Dawning - Sparrow Racing League - Controller Grips - Hex - Hearthstone - World of Warcraft - Icecrown Challenge - bit.ly/icecrown2016 - Let It Die - 7th Sea - Star Wars: Rogue One

Direct download: aggrochat_episode136.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:52am EDT

AggroChat #135 - Looks Like A Kahuna

Tonight we got a bit of late start, but once things got rolling we recorded a proper show.  Last week we had pushed off the topic of Pokemon Sun and Moon because we literally ran out of time.  We start recording around 9 pm CST and when it is past midnight…  we know we are in trouble.  So we talk a bit about the game and things that folks have noticed about it.  Several of us are not terribly far along… others have beaten the game.  Grace talks about her addiction to Justice Monsters Five and how no other games really matter at all.  

Bel goes on a discussion about his feelings about various streaming options and why he is moving towards Beam.  Bel talks about how this is the year that he stopped browsing steam, because there is just too much random stuff out there.  This spawns a conversation about games that get lost in the mix…  like Obsidian’s recent release of Tyranny.  This oddly spawns another contorted shift as Bel talks about that he figures out why he doesn’t really enjoy Halo games.  We shift gears and talk a bit about Final Fantasy XIV and the Alexander Turn 11 fight.  Finally we wrap things up with some talk about the new Star Wars Destiny Collectible Card Game.
Discussion points: Pokemon Sun and Moon - Justice Monsters Five - Twitch vs Hitbox vs Beam - Browsing Steam - Tyranny - Bel and Halo - Final Fantasy XIV - Alexander Turn 11 - Star Wars Destiny
Direct download: aggrochat_episode135.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:52am EDT

AggroChat #134 - Bivouacking Boy Band

Belghast laments the feeling of not exactly knowing what day it is… as we return from our Thanksgiving break to start the show once more.  This week there really is only one game we could be talking about that that is Final Fantasy XV which has all of us playing it…  in completely different styles.  We try our best to talk about non spoilery elements of the game, and mostly talk about the look and feel and play style.  Additionally we talk a bit about The Game Awards and some of the announcements and games footage that was shown there.  Similarly we talk a bit about the Playstation Experience and a few of the games that were shown there as well.  Finally we wrap up with some discussion about Moebius Final Fantasy and how it has become Tam’s new sleepytime game.

Final Fantasy XV - The Game Awards - Death Stranding - Metal Gear Solid - Silent Hill - Hideo Kojima - Mass Effect Andromeda - Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment - Playstation Experience - Marvel vs Capcom 3 - Marvel vs Capcom Infinite - Licensing Difficulties - Last of Us 2 - Uncharted The Lost Legacy - Moebius Final Fantasy
Direct download: aggrochat_episode134.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:17am EDT

AggroChat #133 - Leadership and Games

This week we have a bit of a strange cold open as we talk about our recent system building experiences and the fact that next week we are actually going to need to record a proper sound check.  From there we delve into World of Warcraft and talk about our experiences with the new Karazhan Raid and Trials of Valor, as well as experiences with progression and wrapping up the Emerald Nightmare.  Belghast talks about his experiences in Starfall Prophecy the new Rift raid, and Tam discusses his experiences in Dishonored 2.  Finally we get around to the discussion that named this show as Tam talks about a recent class project.

Things Discussed - Impromptu Building New Systems - WoW - New Karazhan Raid - Trial of Valor Raid - Rift - Starfall Prophecy Expansion - Dishonored 2 -Tam’s Class Project
Direct download: aggrochat_episode133.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:46am EDT

AggroChat #132 - The Cthulhu Game Show

Tonight is the tale of a game that we put off recording the show for weeks in the hopes of clearing up some technical difficulties.  So while we do talk about Cthulhu, the show morphs into a general discussion about the preservation of video games, and what happens to these older titles that don’t quite function as intended on modern platforms.  Additionally we talk a bit about emulation and how it might be the saving grace for especially the early cd based systems.  We talk about this weird time in early FPS games where folks were willing to take chances and make something not entirely in the Call of Duty model.  Given that this is the second of those games we have made a game club title…  it seems like there was something interesting happening that it would be awesome to see again.

Topics Discussed - Technical Difficulties - Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth - Early FPS Titles - Early CD Rom games - Games Preservation - Emulation - December Game - Diablo II
Direct download: aggrochat_episode132.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:49am EDT

AggroChat #131 - Blizzcon Boop

Tonight we wind up delaying the Cthulhu show another week because of continued technical difficulties with that game, which is probably a good idea since we had a lot of other stuff to talk about anyways.  We start off with Bel getting griefed by the rest of the cast as he tries to do the intro, and it just sorta flows from there.  This week was Blizzcon and we talk about some of the exciting stuff to come out of it.  Then we get into a length discussion about our changing attitudes towards Guild Wars 2, and finally wrap things up with some discussion about the new Volo’s Guide to Monsters release.

Topics Discussed: Blizzcon - Overwatch - Sombra - ARG - Diablo 3 - Anniversary Event - Necromancer - World of Warcraft -  Micro Holidays - Argus - Nighthold raid - Tomb of Sargeras raid - Starcraft 2 - Deepmind integration - This is how we make Skynet - Hearthstone - Mean Streets of Gadgetzan - Heroes of the Storm - Varian - Ragnaros - Guild Wars 2 - Fractals - World Events - Mad King’s Labyrinth - Dungeons and Dragons - Volos Guide

Direct download: aggrochat_episode131.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:12am EDT

AggroChat #130 - Ra Ra Rasputin

This week we have a significantly smaller crew because Tam and Kodra actually enjoy going out into the real world sometimes.  They got invited to a Halloween party, and we are left holding down the fort.  The show is dedicated to the Ra Ra Rasputin video that Tam infected us with this week, and our inability to get it out of our heads.  As far as actual commentary we talk Stellaris, the disappointment of Festival of the Lost, the insanity that is the retribution artifact hidden appearance, and some discussion of the Nintendo Switch among other topics that pop into the stream of consciousness that is our podcast.

Topics Discussed - Ra Ra Rasputin - https://youtu.be/WhPvJOnHotE - Stellaris Leviathans - Expansion - Destiny - Festival of the Lost - World of Final Fantasy - World of Warcraft Hidden - Artifacts - Emerald Nighmare - Karazhan Attunements - Nintendo Switch
Direct download: aggrochat_episode130.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:16am EDT

AggroChat #129 - Deckbuilding MMO Design

Tonight we have another in a long line of shows where we go into it not really having a clue what we are going to talk about… then wind up discussing topics for a couple hours.  This week we start off talking about Diablo… the largely forgotten Blizzard game and the beginning of Season 8.  We then veer off into tinfoil hat territory as we talk about some of the popular rumors surrounding Diablo 4.  We talk about how much we are enjoying the new Co-Op PVE mode in Overwatch, and how we wish it was a permanent addition.  We also shift course into a discussion about how games seem to have an obligatory e-sports friendly design these days.  We also discuss our recent progress in the World of Warcraft Emerald Nightmare raid, and now much we are looking forward to Karazhan landing this coming week.  Finally we get into a lengthy discussion about the deckbuilding style of MMO design, namely with Guild Wars, Guild Wars 2, Secret World and to some extent Rift.

Topics Discussed - Diablo 3 Season 8 - Diablo 4 Tinfoil Hat Theories - David Brevik - Bill Roper - Co-Op Overwatch - Designing For E-Sports - Co-Op Gameplay - Pokemon Sun and Moon Demo - World of Final Fantasy Demo - WoW Emerald Nightmare Raid - Guild Wars 1 Ability System - Deck Building MMOs

Direct download: aggrochat_episode129.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:28am EDT

AggroChat #128 - Warrior of Moderation

Tonight we were down Thalen and Grace, but continued on… all the while typhoon rains battered Tam and Kodra.  The core goal of this week’s show was to discuss the Final Fantasy XIV 3.4 Soul Surrender patch, and the changes to the game and world that were hinted by it.  Additionally we talk about some of the changes coming to FFXIV in 4.0 that were announced at Fanfest.  However in addition to this big topic we landed on some discussion about the awesome Geek Girl Con that took Kodra away from us last weekend, as well as Tam venturing into Destiny this week and talking about some of his experience.  Squeezed somewhere in the middle is a discussion about why Legion feels different and what Bel calls the “Kunark Effect”.  Finally one last note… Bel is on a brand new computer and with it a different editing environment.  If you hear anything bizarre please let us know.


Topics Discussed - Geek Girl Con 2016 - Destiny Taken King and Rise of Iron - Legion and the Kunark Effect - Final Fantasy XIV patch 3.4 and Fanfest

Direct download: aggrochat_episode128.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:51am EDT

AggroChat #127 - Gaming Summer Flings

Tonight we talk about a bunch of stuff… starting off with our most recent trip into Guild Wars 2. Since the launch of this game a few of us have been searching trying to figure out exactly why people were so engaged with this game.  Finally after seeing Fractals and the updated version of dungeons we get it.  Additionally we talk about the Rise of Iron changes to Iron Banner, and a general sense of getting much better rewards in game.  Then we talk about the games we left on good terms including a bunch of blasts from the past.

Things Discussed - Guild Wars 2 - Busy Books - Dungeons and Dragons Online - Fractals of the Mists - Exploration Mode - Dungeons - World Events - Destiny Rise of Iron - Iron Banner - Faction Packages - The Taken King - Leaving Games on Good Terms - Final Fantasy XIV - City of Heroes - The Secret World - World of Warcraft - Star Wars the Old Republic - Fallen Empire - Eternal Throne trailer

Direct download: aggrochat_episode127.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:22am EDT

AggroChat #126 - The Tales of Maj'Eyal Show

It is time once again for the AggroChat Game Club and during the month of September the pick fell on Ashgar.  He wanted to choose a classic rogue-like game, but wanted to try and choose one of the more accessible ones.  As a result we are playing Tales of Maj’Eyal or Tales of Middle Earth as it was originally known.  The game is an open source title that runs on the T-Engine, however I believe most of us played through on the Steam release.  What makes the game unique is that it has a number of variable difficulty settings that make it more or less rogue-like.  So join us as we delve into a fairly nostalgic trip into the re-imagined past.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode126.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

AggroChat #125 - Recycled Assets

This week we kick off the show with a bizarre dream Belghast had about an AggroChat road trip, and it sort of just devolves from there.  We discuss a lot of things, including a lengthy discussion about how whales subsidizing other players… is absolutely not just a thing for free to play games and is in fact evidence in Magic the Gathering as well.  Other topics range from board games as video games, to the Rise of Iron Destiny expansion.  We also talk about the madness that was Mythic+ mode in World of Warcraft and our recent experiences with that game.  Was a fun show to record that meandered like mad, so if that is your thing…  this is the recording for you.


Topics Discussed - Kodra Child Prodigy - Commander Keen - Rad Rogers - 20XX - Armello - Broken Board Games - Talisman - Adventure Games - Fantasy Flight Games - Living Card Games - Magic the Gathering - Rise of Iron Expansion - Mythic+ - WoW Things

Direct download: aggrochat_episode125.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:39am EDT

This week we finally get around to discussing the August AggroChat Game Club title, The Witness.  The game has been called a bunch of things, but the most common assessment has related it to Myst.  We discuss why this is probably a bad comparison among other things.  This absolutely clicked with some of our team, and others bounced super hard off of the title.  Much discussion is had however and that was the entire point of doing a Game Club so it feels like this title was an absolute success.  Join us as we delve into the game in a spoilery journey into The Witness.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode124.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:49am EDT

AggroChat #123 - Purposeful Piddling

This week we have a bizarre show that somehow covers a lot of content without us actually realizing it.  Since Tam and Kodra attended Pax West last week we went into a discussion about all of the stuff they saw there.  From there we branch out into a discussion about Guild Wars 2 and Tam recently picking the game up after talking to a friend about it.  We largely discuss how the game has improved since launch and that Tam, Ash and Kodra are enjoying in it.  Finally we wrap up the evening talking about World of Warcraft Legion and some of the experiences Grace and Belghast have after hitting the new level cap and experiencing World Quests.


Things We Discussed - Pax West 2016 - Dishonored 2 - Prey - 20XX - Open Sorcery - Thornwatch - Star Wars Destiny CCG - Hacknet - Elder Scrolls: Legends - Raging River Card - Elder Scrolls as MTG Colors - Duelyst - Speedrunners - Ultimate Chicken Horse - Pax Dev - Pax Panels - Guild Wars 2 - Heart of Thorns - World of Warcraft - Legion - World Quests

Direct download: aggrochat_episode123.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:17am EDT

Tonight we are down a Tam thanks to Pax West Shennanigans, and in theory at least we will be talking soon about those experiences.  However for the time being…  we talk a bunch of stuff but mostly World of Warcraft Legion.  Right now Ashgar, Belghast and Grace are playing… and talk about their experiences with the launch, and the revisions to the game.  The long story short is that we all seem to be enjoying ourselves.  The main story is still frustrating, but the sub stories are amazing.  We also talk a little bit about the game of the month Tales of Maj’Eyal, largely related to a few tips for getting started and things that players should really avoid getting bogged down in.  Finally Kodra talks about his experiences with Dues Ex and Necropolis in recent play sessions for both.

Things Discussed - World of Warcraft - Legion - Class Halls - Spec Fantasy - Leveling Content - Tales of Maj’Eyal - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Necropolis

Direct download: aggrochat_episode122.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:40am EDT

AggroChat #121 - Fizzylock’s Telekinetics

This evening we were originally planning on recording the AggroChat Game Club show for The Witness.  However as we got close to recording events happened, and we will be rescheduling that later this month.  That said the September game is announced in this show, and from that point onwards we charted a destination through madness.  This is one of those super meandering shows, that covered a bunch of only semi-related topics.

Things We Talked about: Tales of Maj'eyal - September Game of Month - Nethack - Vampire the Masquerade/Requiem - Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Final Fantasy XIV - The Rising Year 3 - Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Deus Ex Go - Sweetness and Lightning Anime - New Game Anime - Game Development Industry - Orange Anime - Breaking Events - WoW Legion Launch - The Sleeper - Raiding in Everquest - Fires of Heaven - Green Dragons of WoW

Direct download: aggrochat_episode121.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:47am EDT

AggroChat #120 - Can’t Go Back Home

It feels like every week I say “something weird happened” when describing our podcast.  I might simply be that we have no real “normal” state to fall back on, and that everything is essentially new and strange.  That said I feel like this week is on an island of its own.  After last week’s podcast I had a listener pull me aside and comment that it sounded like it physically pained us to talk about Warcraft.  I personally didn’t realize this until I went back and listened a bit, and I can absolutely see how someone could have that take away.  More often than not we just have super confused feelings about the game, and  tonight we delve into this…  and it leads to a whole sequence of topics including the loss of “junk culture” and the businessification of things we love.  For some of us you definitely can’t ever truly go back home.


Topics On The Show:  Listener Comment - Conflicted Feelings About Warcraft - Why Tam Hates WoW - Loss of Junk Culture - Businessification of Comics and Games - Hobbyism and Creative Industries -Metal Gear Solid 5 - Overwatch - Last Bastion Cinematic

Direct download: aggrochat_episode120.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:43am EDT

AggroChat #119 - Still Not Prepared

This week we inadvertently have a show about things that are not quite prepared in one way or another.  First up we talk about our frustrations with the Broke Shore cinematics for both the Alliance and Horde in World of Warcraft.  We also talk about the positive things that this event is bringing, but mostly frustrations about the turn in the story.  We talk about the fraught PC launch of No Man’s Sky and how Belghast is the only member of our crew able to actually get it running on his machine.  However since he could we talk at length about his experiences.  All of the NMS talk got Kodra amped to play some Starbound on our private server.  We talk a little bit of Diablo Season 7 and how we were not quite prepared for it with everything else going on… so we ended up rolling an army of demon hunters for speed clearing.  Finally we talk about how Final Fantasy XV seems to be delayed once more, as details have been leaked on how to update the date on the big retail standees.  So much not preparedness to go around, caused us to record an extremely long show.


Things we discussed:  Frustrations with Broken Shore Cinematics - WoW Legion Event - Legion expansion in general - Starbound Launch - No Man’s Sky PC Frustrations - First Several Hours with the Game - Diablo Season 7 Launch - Final Fantasy XV and VIII

Direct download: aggrochat_episode119.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:49am EDT

AggroChat #118 - The Cities: Skylines Show

After putting it off a week due to folks travelling, this week we record the July AggroChat Game Club show for our title of the month Cities: Skylines.  In this episode we talk about just how deep the rabbit hole of simulation goes with this would be king of city and mayor simulators.  In many ways this show is the tail of many failed cities and a handful of successful ones.  It is also when we learn just how bad of a mayor Belghast would be.  This title is the heir to the Sim City lineage, so we ask the question how it stacks up.  We also ask the question if city simulation is really that fun?  Additionally we get into a side tangent about wastewater management.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode118.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:45am EDT

This week we are down both Ashgar and Kodra, and in part as a result… and part because we just adore her we talked our friend Neph into joining us.  Before we start recording a podcast we generally try and scribble down a rough list of topics to use as an outline of where to leave the conversation next.  After fifteen minutes of dead air… we finally start coming up with a few things and this weeks show is a result.  We talk about the concept of “Peak Pokemon” and the glee that the media seems to have at heralding the downfall of the game.  With Grace on my side we revisit the discussion about the Legion class changes, and our happiness to completely bury the concept of the Garrison and get out into the world and see it again.  We do a deeper dive into the deepest dungeon in Final Fantasy XIV and Tam and Neph’s experiences leveling alts this week there.  We talk a little bit about Dragon Age Inquisition, and my discovery of how Damage over Time classes work.  So for a show where we didn’t think we had much to say… we certainly said a whole lot of it.

TOPICSPeak Pokemon - World of Warcraft - Class Changes - Death to Garrisons - Disappointment in Game - Final Fantasy XIV Deep Dungeon - Yokai Watch - Dragon Age Inquisition - DoT Classes

Direct download: aggrochat_episode117.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:41am EDT

AggroChat #116 - Legion and the Deep Dungeon

This week we had a really strange sequence of events that lead to quite literally half of our crew being out for one reason or another.  Of all of them I think we happen to be the most jealous of Grace who managed to score tickets to the Final Fantasy Symphony tour thing that is roaming the country.  This was the week of big patches with both the 3.35 patch in Final Fantasy XIV bringing us the Palace of the Dead, and World of Warcraft getting 7.0.3 containing all of the Legion class changes and new Transmog system.  Additionally we saw the actual launch of Starbound and with it something unusual in the early access community…  significant changes being patched into the final version.  So this week we have a whole slew of topics related to all of those points.

Final Fantasy XIV 3.35 - Palace of the Dead - World of Warcraft 7.0.3 - Legion Class Changes - Survival Hunter - Outlaw Rogue - Starbound Launch - Pre-Launch is Launch - Overwatch Healing Sniper

 

Direct download: aggrochat_episode116.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

AggroChat #115 - Murder Hobo: The Video Game

This marks the second week of the majority of our cast being completely enthralled by the apparent phenomenon that is Pokemon Go.  So as you would expect this weeks episode is a hefty bit of our hosts recounting their recent experiences.  Pokemon Go is a story engine, and we have many stories to tell as a result.  Additionally we talk a bit about Augmented Reality gaming in general, and whether or not Pokemon Go is the "Everquest" or the "World of Warcraft" of this genre.  This week also saw us "getting the band back together" as it were and raiding for the first time in months in Final Fantasy XIV.  We discuss our feeling about raiding again and the hopes of what we might accomplish in the coming months.

Grace and Bel made their way into the Legion Beta finally for World of Warcraft so we discuss a bit in the way of the set up for that expansion.  Bel talks at length about his experiences playing a Demon Hunter and why he thinks this might be a class Tam would actually like.  Tam deftly deflects and turns the discussion back around to the story of Final Fantasy XIV and our feelings about what seems to be the wrapping of this expansion.  In other news we discuss two similar gaming experiences in Necropolis and the brand new chapter of the Monster Hunter saga.  Finally we get into a length discussion about the ramifications of Pokemon Go and what it might mean for Nintendo and accepting that the mobile platform is actually viable.

Topics:  Pokemon Go, Augmented Reality Gaming, Everquest or World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV Raiding, Legion Beta, Demon Hunter, Final Fantasy Story, Necropolis, Monster Hunter, Nintendo Mobile Gaming, Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode115.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 8:59am EDT

This week the world has caught a horrible case of pokemonitis… and our stalwart AggroChat crew have not been immune.  Instead of hanging out at home… we seem to have all been roaming our respective neighborhoods looking for invisible critters.  So as a result we recorded a show that is almost entirely Pokemon Go talk.  Towards the end we discuss our return to Final Fantasy XIV this week and our attempt to “get the band back together”.  My Pokemans…  Let me show you them!

Show Topics

  • Pokemon Go
  • Final Fantasy XIV
Direct download: aggrochat_episode114.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:10am EDT

To say we went off the rails while recording this show is to put it mildly.  Not sure what was going on.. If it was just the general slap happy nature of being a long holiday weekend for all of us… or if something was in the water.  It starts with me almost botching the introduction… and winds through a long series of tangents that I have no way of really properly mapping without thoroughly relistening to the show and documenting all the topic changes.  We talk Harry Potter, and the new American Houses.  However we also talk a whole bunch about where we ourselves fit into the Pottermore sorting hat quiz.  I am apparently the only one that was surprised I sorted Gryffindor.

 

From there we get into a lengthy discussion about the Steam Discovery Queue and how sometimes it just gives the equivalent of a shrug emote.  We also talk about how Steam is starting to feel like the various mobile app stores, with a slew of clone games for pretty much any genre.  We delve into a topic about how MMOs actually make you less of a well rounded player.  Namely that when you are playing an MMO… it becomes extremely hard to pull yourself away for those single player experiences.  This devolves into brief discussions of Riders of Icarus, ArcheAge and Final Fantasy XIV.  We talk about how cool it would be to get the band back together of sorts in that game.  Finally we go into a long discussion about LARPing… or more so the kind of LARPing Kodra is used to that doesn’t quite sync with a bunch of the experiences we had with it.

 

Loose List of Topics

  • Harry Potter Stuff
  • Ilvermorny
  • The Sorting Hat
  • Steam Sale
  • The Discover Queue
  • MMOs are bad for the well rounded gamer
  • Riders of Icarus
  • ArcheAge
  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • What Kodra Means by LARPing
  • What the rest of us have experienced in LARPing
Direct download: aggrochat_episode113.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:22am EDT

Tonight we talk about the only game legally obligated to say that it is inspired by Saban's Power Rangers...  Chroma Squad!  This was the June 2016 AggroChat Game of the Month and Thalen's latest Game Club pick.  At some point we got completely out of order on the whole round robin rotation and we are now just going with it.  Do you have a fond memory of the Power Rangers and other Sentai shows from the 90s?  Do you hate the Power Rangers and have a love of Tactical Combat games that make fun of them?  In both cases this might be a game for you, so tune in as we talk about the finer points of this game and film season after season of cardboard mech suit combat!

Direct download: aggrochat_episode112.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:44am EDT

It is not really often that things work out just perfectly and AggroChat lands on one of the hosts birthdays.  This evening it happened to coincide perfectly with that of Belghast turning 40… so there was some discussion of that happening.  Also we dove into E3 and all of the stuff that we could remember about the show.  Below is an extremely partial list of the topics we discussed, because quite frankly we were whipping through games so fast… and I was exhausted…  so I failed miserably to try and log our discussion.  Additionally we talk Blade and Soul, Gundam Breaker 3, Ronin and some talk of the Four Job Fiesta.

 

Incomplete List of Topics

  • E3
  • Death Stranding
  • Madness of Hideo Kojima
  • Horizon: Zero Dawn
  • Virtual Reality
  • Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
  • Majoras Mask
  • Skyward Sword
  • Link Between Worlds
  • For Honor
  • Death of XBox One Exclusives
  • State of Decay 2
  • Dishonored 2
  • Skyrim Remastered
  • Blade and Soul
  • Gundam Breaker 3
  • Ronin
  • Final Fantasy V
Direct download: aggrochat_episode111.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:13am EDT

This week we are down quite a few people, since it seems like everyone is travelling over the summer. This week we have Bel and Tam in their correct places, and Kodra and Thalen have been travelling as well but were able to sort out how to join the podcast.  This is another one of those weeks where we thought we had nothing to talk about… then wound up podcasting for two hours withou stop.  Tam is super excited about the new Mirror’s Edge, and it continues his trend of trying to do ninja things….  Without actually playing a ninja.  We talk about how the ninja genre really never quite made a fully successful transition to three dimensional.  From there we talk about how Tom Clancy games have gotten more and more paranoid over the years.

 

Kodra and Tam discuss a new to them miniature game they have been playing called Bushido that sounds suspiciously like the Legend of Five Rings setting.  Which spawns a brief conversation about Magic the Gathering and spoiler season.  Which leads its way into a discussion about Warhammer and how they went from completely fearing licensing games… to seemingly giving anyone with a heartbeat the right to make Warhammer 40k games.  I spend some time returning to Rift and talk about how well they are messaging fights these days.  Which leads to a discussion about Final Fantasy XIV in a not great light.  I also talk about my experience watching the Warcraft movie and finally we wrap things up with a discussion about he start of the Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Mirror’s Edge
  • Ninja Games
  • Tom Clancy
  • Bushido
  • Magic the Gathering
  • Warhammer Licensing
  • Total War Warhammer
  • Rift
  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • Warcraft Movie
  • Four Job Fiesta
Direct download: aggrochat110.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 8:46am EDT

After taking a break for the Memorial Day weekend, AggroChat is back with the slightly belated May Game Club show for Dishonored.  This was a Belghast pick and in part due to a conversation between he and Tam about stealth mechanics in games.  This is the only stealthy game that Belghast has managed to complete, and in truth the game is really even more amazing on a second play.  This is as usual a complete spoilers show where we talk about the various endings and choices that the game gives you for both high and low chaos modes.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode109.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

This week we are down to a much smaller core for the AggroChat podcast with Thalen off exploring Japan and making us all jealous, and Grace needing to deal with some family stuff.  The irony is there was a time when three members of the podcast was the norm but it is funny how much smaller the group feels when we are down a few now.  For years I wondered if we would ever get used to recording with as big of a group as we often do... and I guess the answer to that is a resounding yes.  As far as the show... this is yet another one of those "do we have anything to talk about?" episodes that ends up developing a life of its own.

Topics Discussed

  • Tanking in WoW and FFXIV
  • Mark of the Ninja
  • Ronin
  • Tenchu
  • Ninja Gaiden
  • Nintendo Articles of Incorporation
  • Rom Hacks
  • Overwatch
  • Fan Fiction
  • Harry Potter
  • Idol Master Xenoglossia
  • BabyMetal
  • LadyBaby
  • Cleveland
  • Infinity Showdown
  • Uncharted
  • Goldeneye

 

 

Direct download: aggrochat108.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:10am EDT

This week we welcome back our sometimes host Inky... and I apparently get her confused with one of the other Pacman ghosts.  The title of this episode doesn't really relate to the discussion other than it was a hilarious line that slipped out there somewhere along the way.  This week folks played a lot of Stellaris in both single and multiplayer configurations.  We delve into this game and its relation to other 4X games, and why this one clicks for some better than the normal fare.  We take a whirlwind trip through Fallout 4 and The Sims, before discussing Twitch Streaming.  I talk for a bit about my revised experiences with the new Doom reboot, and why I consider it far better than my early multiplayer experiences.  Grace talks about her return to Final Fantasy XIV and how much she loves healing butts.  This kicks off a conversation about MMOs and Raiding and winds up with Inky and I pining for Hellgate London again.  Finally we wrap things up with a discussion about Uncharted and the whole "cinematic game" trend of the 2000s.

Topics Discussed

  • Adorable Birbs
  • Stellaris
  • Fallout 4
  • Master of Orion
  • Crusader Kings
  • The Sims 4
  • Stardew Valley
  • Animal Crossing
  • Twitch and Streaming
  • Doom
  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • Destiny
  • World of Warcraft
  • Raiding
  • Hellgate London
  • Uncharted

 

 

Direct download: aggrochat107.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:58am EDT

This evening Ash, Bel, Grace, Kodra, Tam and Thalen talked about a whole bunch of topics... but the largest amount of that time was devoted to Overwatch.  Over the last week a bunch of us have played the game and we had commentary on it.  Mostly several of us enjoy the game that is... but mourn the game that could have been with Titan.  We also talk about looter shooters in general and the problems The Division has been having with both rampant cheating, and bad loot design.  We spend quite a bit of time talking about Diablo 3 Season 6 and the rush that Grace and Belghast have been participating in.  Tam spent some time playing Always Sometimes Monsters, which lead into a conversation about the Steam Suggestion Queue.  Kodra has been playing Elite Dangerous again, which brings up a discussion of Eve Online.  Thalen has recently started the Stick of Truth, and we get into a discussion about the arrival of Ryzom on Steam.  This spawns a lengthy conversation about dead MMOs and the sequence in which we played various games.  Somewhere in there we also had a bit of a conversation about the Marvel Comics Universe.  This is one of the most rambling episodes we have recorded... but also the most true to our real life conversations.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Overwatch
  • Destiny
  • The Division
  • Looter Shooters
  • Diablo 3 Season 6
  • Always Sometimes Monsters
  • Steam Suggestion Queue
  • Elite Dangerous
  • Eve Online
  • Stick of Truth
  • Ryzom
  • Dead MMOs
  • Hellgate London
  • City of Heroes
  • Everquest
  • Final Fantasy XI
  • Mobile MMOs
  • Marvel Comic Universe
Direct download: aggrochat106.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:06am EDT

This week we discuss the April 2016 AggroChat Game of the Month title... Gone Home.  This was a pick by Grace, and honestly one that probably a handful of us would have never played.  However it also holds the special designation as being one of the few Game Club titles that we all universally liked.  We talk about the design of the game, and the narrative, as well as the context.  This game is the quintessential 90s game.  It is set in 1994, the year Belghast graduated from High School and with Grace and Thalen not being far behind that also.  For us it was this trip down memory lane that added so much to the experience.  In any case, as is always the case if you have not played Gone Home and intend to... spoilers are plentiful.

Direct download: aggrochat105.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:12am EDT

Tonight we had a bit of a strange show, that traversed a wide number of topics.  First Ashgar talks about a game that he and Belghast played at Pax South called Stories: The Path of Destinies and how it is a good game in spite of largely being overlooked because of the horrible title.  Belghast goes into a discussion of the “Sherpa” culture in Destiny and how it shapes player's actions in random groups. Kodra talks about Eterna the logical successor to Folding, which strives to solve the medical problem of properly sequencing RNA… and at the same time being a good puzzle game.  We get into a length discussion about level design constructs and what makes a universally good design.  Finally we delve into the topic mentioned last week, as we try and decide if there are more good Star Wars games than bad ones.  We also get into a discussion about what the best Star Wars story was.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Stories: Path of Destinies
  • Sherpa Culture in Destny
  • Eterna
  • Level Design Constructs
  • Good Star Wars Games
  • Best Star Wars Story
Direct download: aggrochat104.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:51am EDT

This past week marked the second anniversary of the AggroChat podcast.  For two years we have been coming together every week to discuss whatever we happened to be playing.  So this is a great time to thank you our listeners for putting up with our rambling.  We still very much feel like we don’t know what we are doing, but keep doing it anyway.  This week we discuss the Overwatch Beta weekend that finally some of us managed to get into.  Belghast contrasts his experiences in Overwatch with the Doom multiplayer weekend as well.  Grace talks about the Wildstar Faction changes and how they are essentially the worst of both worlds.  Ash and Bel talk about the Ratchet and Clank reboot, and how this is the way that all reboots should work.  Kodra has continued to dig further into the world of Dark Souls and has some thoughts about it as it relates to learning Raid Boss encounters.  We all get sidetracked on a discussion about good movie ports, and how we probably need to have an entire show about good Star Wars video games versus bad ones.  Finally we wrap things up more or less with a lengthy discussion about how important it is to like the way your character looks in a game.

Show Topics

  • Overwatch Beta Weekend
  • Doom Multiplayer
  • Wildstar Cross Faction Letdown
  • Ratchet and Clank Reboot
  • Good Movie Ports
  • Dark Souls
  • Importance of Looking Good in Games
Direct download: aggrochat103.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:24am EDT

Tonight we welcome back to the show Inky, and talk a bunch of topics.  Tam discusses his experiences playing the latest XCom and how each of the AggroChat facsimiles fared throughout the missions.  Inky talks about playing the beta of the upcoming Fallout 4 survival mode.  We delve into a discussion about Funko Pops, Disney Infinity and Amiibo.  Belghast talks about the upcoming patches for The Division and Destiny and the positive and negative of each.  We all share the love of the new Rogue One trailer, and how it makes is happy to be Star Wars fans.  Finally Inky talks about a game has has been playing Submerged, which is something in the “walking simulator” genre.

 

This Weeks Topics

  • XCOM
  • Fallout 4 Survival Mode
  • Funko Toys
  • Disney Infinity
  • Amiibo
  • Division / Destiny Patches
  • Rogue One Trailer
  • Submerged
Direct download: aggrochat102.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:12am EDT

AggroChat #101 - Unicorns and Predictability

This week we seem to have worked out the technical difficulties we had last week, and I regret to inform you that Chipmunk Belghast has left the building.  Episodes 99 and 100 both had their issues and I believe those are finally behind us.  Tonight we talk about both the esoteric and the tangible and lead off with a discussion about Randomized Loot versus Predictable loot... and apparently Belghast really enjoys chasing unicorns.  From there we dive into a conversation about the insane grind at was getting the extra bank tab in Diablo 3 Season 5.  We press forward into a discussion about Belghast aparently deciding he really likes good PVP and Grace talking about the divisiveness of the latest Wildstar world event.  Kodra restarts Dark Souls and with Tam they contrast it with Bloodbourne.  We talk about the latest craze that seems to be Nintendo discovering there is an internet and mobile gaming with Miitomo.  Finally we talk about Adeptcon and the new Infinity Rule Book, and the Shadows Over Innistrad Magic the Gathering Expansion.

All the Topics!

  • Unicorns
  • Random Loot Drops
  • Predictable Loot Drops
  • Diablo 3 Season 5 Grind
  • Destny Crucible and Iron Banner
  • Wildstar Arcterra World Event
  • Dark Souls
  • Bloodbourne
  • Miitomo
  • New Infinity Rules Book
  • Shadows Over Innistrad
  • Magic the Gathering
  • Pauper Format

 

Direct download: aggrochat101.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:37am EDT

Last night we recorded episode 100 of the AggroChat podcast, and also wrapped up our Undertale AggroChat game club show.  It signified our switch to a new way of recording the show... and is often the case with trying something new.  Things wen't horribly wrong.  Essentially every voice by my own was recorded sounding great... and when I spoke it sounded like a voice scrambler.  At first I thought the show was a complete loss however this morning after copious amounts of edits I managed to get the show at least in a listenable state.... albeit my voice sounds like a hilarious chipmunk voice modulator.

So join us for a slightly screwed up show as we talk about UnderTale.  Several fans on twitter urged us to release this show in "as is" condition.  I posted a snippet of what it originally sounded like on twitter and I think it is a slight miracle that we managed to get it that listenable.  Thanks again for sticking with us through 100 shows, and especially being willing to deal with bizarro issues when they arise.

Direct download: aggrochat100.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:46am EDT

This week we suffered some setbacks.  Firstly we were late getting started by about an hour, and then once we started...  we kinda mostly sounded like robots.  We muscled through for this week but hopefully by next week we will have acquired a new infrastructure for recording the show that sounds better.  The worst part is however.... the conversation this week was really interesting.  We dug int the whole Faction Wall question currently happening in Wildstar and how we generally as a group feel like games are better without them.  We also delved into everyones continued addiction to Stardew Valley.  Ended up being a fairly short show as far as AggroChat episodes goes, but a pretty content dense one.

Direct download: aggrochat99.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:10am EDT

This evening we had a pretty strange show as far as subjects go.  It feels like we can never just talk about how much we like this or that game without delving into deeper subjects.  First up we talk Stardew Valley and how it has seemed to take the internet by a storm... or at least most of our social circles.  Next up we talk The Division and instead of getting into a discussion about what we liked about it.... we ended up getting into a discussion about the morality of dispatching extrajudicial executions.  Eventually we do however get into a thread about the things we really enjoy about the game.  We also talk a bit about the bad news of the week relating to the cancellation of Everquest Next and the severe layoffs at Carbine for Wildstar.  This spawns a discussion about MMOs in general and their viability for the future.  Finally we talk about the new Flamestrike event going on in Infinity allowing players to participate in a larger campaign through the internet.

Topics Discussed:

  • Stardew Valley
  • The Division
  • Wildstar News
  • Everquest Next
  • Infinity Flamestrike

 

Direct download: aggrochat_episode98.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:27am EDT

Tonight we ended up recording a pretty strange episode as far as our normal AggroChat episodes go.  We talked about the weirdness that happens when you play a game that requires a very special controller, and that manufacturers future is up in the air.  We delve into the feeling of rehashing old content, and when exactly that stops being fun.  That leads into a lengthy discussion about the pitfalls of Early Access... and gives us the title of this episode.  Belghast talks a bit about his experiences with the Master of Orion reboot early access, and Kodra talks about the newish trend of persistent board games as he and some friends start Kingdom Death.

Topics

  • Master of Orion Reboot
  • Warframe Patch
  • Custom Controllers in Games
  • Rehashing Old Content
  • Pitfalls of Early Access
  • Persistent Board Games
  • Kingdom Death
Direct download: aggrochat_episode97.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:16am EDT

Tonight we welcome back Grace to the fold as she has returned safely from her trips out into the hinterlands.  Additionally it was a little close but we actually got Tam this week who finished his Infinity Tournament in crazy record time.  As a result we talk a little bit about the new Infinity Tournament scoring system and his experiences.  Then we delve into a length discussion about crafting systems.... but more importantly the way Warframe seems to make a mad amount of grinding seem completely reasonable.  Then I finally manage to understand why people are so enthralled with Dragon Age Inquisition.... because I absolutely hit my click point.  We also get into a long discussion about when grinds feel bad, talking about Limited Time Chase items in MMOs that stop dropping after a period of time.  Finally we get into a discussion about Sleeping Dogs as Tam revisits it on his backlog list.

Topics

  • Infinity Tournament Scoring Rules
  • Warframe Crafting and Grinds
  • Warframe Sorties
  • Dragon Age Inquisition
  • Limited Time Chase Item Grinds
  • Sleeping Dogs

 

Direct download: aggrochat_episode96.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:16am EDT

And just like that… we are back!  Belghast once again has a voice, and without really intending to we have recorded what is almost a double episode.  The whole November/December Fallout 4 extravaganza has caused us to get woefully off schedule when it comes to the AggroChat Game Club.  We didn’t end up recording the Fallout 4 show until mid January… and then Aquaria was technically the January game but we didn’t actually record the show until now.  What happened in the meantime is there was another game that sprung up and has become a bit of an unofficial “Game of the Month”, namely Warframe.  As a result we record a contorted show that doesn’t really follow the traditional GameClub show format.

Join us as we talk about…

  • Aquaria
  • The Division Beta
  • Warframe - Heavy Spoilers
Direct download: aggrochat_episode95.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:30am EDT

Tonight was a bit of a struggle to record.  Going to leave this as a disclaimer that Belghast is pretty sick, and somehow managed to come home with the Pax Pox from Pax South.  As a result there are several points during the show where his voice kinda falls apart.  Additionally we are down a handful of people this week, with Grace being busy and Ashgar being worked to death on call this weekend.  In any case Belghast, Kodra, Tamrielo and Thalen talk about a bunch of stuff, namely Pax South,  the Vancouver Magic Grand Prix, and MMOFPS Progression contrasting Destiny and Warframe.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Pax South 2016
    • Pax Pox
    • Ultimate Chicken Horse
    • Code Names
    • Pushfight
  • Grand Prix Vancouver
    • Magic the Gathering
    • Oath of the Gateswatch
    • My Little Pony Card Game
    • Hearthstone Format Changes
  • MMO FPS Progression
    • Destiny
    • Warframe
    • Defiance
    • Third Person Point of View
  • Final Fantasy Explorers
  • Elder Scrolls Online Revisited

 

Direct download: aggrochat_episode94.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:57am EDT

Once again it is time for us to record our “Games of the Year” show, and this time around we did it slightly differently.  Last year we tried to come up with some title that represented the podcast as a whole, but it ended up being pure madness to get us all to agree on something.  This time we instead each picked three games to add to the list and now we are recording a show about all of those games.  Of note… this is not necessarily show about games that were released in 2015, but instead a show about games that were important to us during the calendar year.

This is being divided into two parts to cover the gap as myself and several others will be attending Pax South.  In this second part we talk about:

  • Tales of Zestiria
  • Witcher 3
  • Destiny - The Taken King
  • Diablo 3 Seasonal Play
  • Infinity Updated Ruleset
  • Fallout 4
  • Ori and the Blind Forest
  • Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward
  • Various Honorable Mentions
Direct download: aggrochat_episode93.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Once again it is time for us to record our “Games of the Year” show, and this time around we did it slightly differently.  Last year we tried to come up with some title that represented the podcast as a whole, but it ended up being pure madness to get us all to agree on something.  This time we instead each picked three games to add to the list and now we are recording a show about all of those games.  Of note… this is not necessarily show about games that were released in 2015, but instead a show about games that were important to us during the calendar year.

 

This is being divided into two parts to cover the gap as myself and several others will be attending Pax South.  In this first part we talk about:

 

  • Hand of Fate
  • SubNautica
  • Secrets of Grindea
  • There Came an Echo
  • Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
  • Beginners Guide
  • Assassin's Creed Syndicate
  • Hatoful Boyfriend
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X
  • Undertale
Direct download: aggrochat_episode92.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:28am EDT

We realized that it had been a really really long time since we've had a normal show.  With the holidays and a handful of theme shows...  it has been amazing to have all of these special guests hanging out with us, but it had been far too long since we just did a normal "games we are playing" type show.  This week also is the return of our normal lineup of Ash, Bel, Grace, Kodra, Tam and Thalen.  Tonight we talk about....

  • Magic: The Gathering - Oath of the Gatewatch
  • Diablo 3 - Season Five Launch
  • Warframe - Co-Op Space Ninjas
  • Undertale - a few more start playing
  • Victor Vran - Secrets and Objectives Diablo-like
  • Kingdom - Combat without fine control

Next week we will begin our "Games of Last Year" show where we finally get around to talking about the games we though were our favorites from 2015.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode91.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:39am EDT

Firstly let me lead off this post with a quick note...  I screwed up.  We had a discussion last week about potentially switching to the Season/Episode format for our show numbers.  After the discussion we decided to go with continuing the bigger numbers is better format.  Before the show I go out and double check to make sure what episode we are on... and apparently I look at the wrong episode.  As a result I absolutely announced this week as 89 when it should have been 90.  I feel strange about edits... largely because the format of our show is intended to be like listening in on an existing conversation.  So for the time being I've decided to let my screw up stand...  feel free to mock me.

On the week of Star Wars the Force Awakens release we actually had planned on recording a show on our feelings about the movie.  The thing is... that we all for the most part loved the movie so much that we did not want to add to the spoilers on the internet.  As a result we put off the show until a point where we felt it was "fair game".  Upon coming back to work after New Years it seems like the internet has declared Star Wars spoilers open season, so as a result we decided to go ahead and record the show.  What ended up happening is a show really unlike what I expected.  It was far more critical than the hour and a half gush fest that I expected...  but still from the point of fans talking about fandom.

Tonight we also welcome back Dallian and Neph for yet another "big show" which are starting to seem far more common this year.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode90.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:50am EDT

In November AggroChat decided to try a new experiment.  There was a game coming out that month that all of us wanted to play, so when Tam went to make his choice he opted to go with Fallout 4.  That said we all agreed that we would need more than a month to play the game, and ultimately we spend a little over two months with the game.  Any Bethesda game is massive, and simply takes a sheer volume of hours to sift through the content… and even then there is pretty much no chance you will ever experience all of it.

For this show we once again pulled in Inkybrushes who we had on the recent Villians show, and called back a regular host from our early days Dallian.  The majority of the cast had beaten the game with at least one ending, and a few managed to get multiple endings.  The funny thing is… for a game that we all universally liked, we all had a bunch of negative comments as well.  I guess that is the nature of our podcast, that we end up focused on the things that frustrated us and often miss some of the things we really enjoyed.  This is a full spoiler deep dive into the storyline and various game elements, so if you have not played the game and intend to, I highly suggest you skip this show until a later date.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode89.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:26am EDT

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