This is one of the weirder shows we have recorded in a while in part because we went into it somewhat tentative as to whether or not we really had a full show.  Instead we wound up recording for over two hours.  We go through a lengthy discussion of Magic the Gathering in both the paper and online varieties.  This includes some talk about the new expansion Hour of Devastation, but also some general discussion about the history of Magic as a whole.  We get into another long discussion about Warframe and the upcoming “open world” area.  Ashgar has been playing some Final Fantasy XII and we talk a bit about our experiences with the game.  From there we travel into Final Fantasy XIV and talk about how we are experiencing this early drop off from Stormblood.  Finally we wrap things up with a discussion about Warhammer 40,000 and how they seem to have finally decided to move the story forward.

Topics Discussed

  • Sealed Hour of Devastation
  • Magic the Gathering
  • Open World Warframe
  • Final Fantasy XII
  • Final Fantasy XIV
  • 40k Moving the Story Forward
Direct download: aggrochat_episode165.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:15am EDT

Tonight we talk about a bunch of assorted topics.  Firstly we talk about the issues with leveling second jobs in Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood.  We reprise our discussion about how they should have introduced a new tank this expansion.  We talk a bit about the new raid Omega and why we generally think it's better than Alexander was.  From there we get into a discussion about phones and mobile gaming, and the game Grace is currently playing where you collect interesting fish with hats.  We venture forth into a discussion about the Diablo 3 Necromancer and the upcoming Season 11.  Thalen and Ashgar have been hanging out with space ninjas and we get into a discussion about Warframe.  Finally we go into a lengthy discussion about Warhammer 40,000 and how much the game has improved.

Topics Discussed:

  • FFXIV:  Leveling DPS is Butts
  • Omega Raid
  • Mobile Gaming
  • Diablo 3:  Fun with your dead friends
  • Space Ninjas
  • 40k gets good
  • Amonkhet - Nicol Bolas
Direct download: aggrochat_episode164.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:26am EDT

SubNautica was the June AggroChat Game Club game and this one happened to be Grace’s pick.  It is an extremely unique member of the survival / builder genre of games and ends up doing a lot more than simply focusing on combat with crappy weapons.  Join us as we talk about the things we liked and the things that frustrated us.  We had a smattering of different opinions which generally leads to good discussion.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode163.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:14am EDT

This week we totally lied to our listeners because for various reasons we chose not to record the subnautica game of the month show.  There was a significant patch in that game this week and we wanted to give time to experience the changes.  Also we had a lot of things we wanted to talk about with Stormblood since we have now played a significant amount of it, with at least one of us having hit the level cap.  We also talk about The Secret World legends and their “launch” this past Friday.  We wrap things up with a discussion of Warhammer 40,000 and the redesign of the ruleset, in which Tam actually has some good things to say about it.  We also get into a lengthy discussion of 40k things that have disappeared…  like Zoats and Squats.

Things Discussed

  • Final Fantasy XIV - Stormblood
  • Secret World Legends
  • Steam Summer Sale
  • Warhammer 40,000 8th Edition
Direct download: aggrochat_episode162.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:57am EDT

This week we talk about our early experiences with the Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood head start and the numerous technical difficulties.  We talk about our feelings regarding the Red Mage and Samurai so far.  We also delve into the E3 2017 conferences:  Microsoft, Devolver Digital, Bethesda, Sony, Nintendo and UbiSoft.  We highlight a whole bunch of games, too many to list in a blurb.  Of these one of the more important ones was the discussion around Beyond Good and Evil 2 and how Ubisoft had claimed they would not be showing it.  Finally Ashgar talks about his experiences playing Disgaea 5 on the Nintendo Switch.

Topics Discussed

  • Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood
  • E3 2017 Conferences
  • Microsoft
  • Devolver
  • Bethesda
  • Sony
  • Nintendo
  • UbiSoft
  • Games, Comic Books and Continuity
  • Disgaea 5
Direct download: aggrochat_episode161.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 1:25am EDT

This week ushers in the return of Tam who has been in world traveller mode.  We begin the show with talk about the madness that is the RoboSquid Armada… or our attempt to bring back the challenge to low level World of Warcraft by restricting ourselves to green gear and attempting dungeons at the minimum level.  From there we delve into a discussion of the Electronic Arts E3 press conference and how they are bringing roleplaying to sports games.  Also discuss the forced two player prison escape experience of A Way Out, and the huge tease that was the Anthem “reveal”.  Since Tam has been on the road he has been playing a lot of Fire Emblem so we delve into a length discussion about that franchise specifically.  Finally Ashgar and Kodra have been playing Hollow Knight so we do a bit of a dive into why they feel it is the best metroidvania out there.

Topics Discussed

  • RoboSquid Armada
  • Making Warcraft a Challenge
  • EA E3 Press Conference
    • Star Wars Battlefront II
    • A Way Out - from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
    • Roleplaying in Sports Games
      • NBA Live 18 - The One
      • Madden NFL 18 - Longshot
      • FIFA 18 - The Journey
    • Need for Speed Payback
    • Anthem
  • Fire Emblem
  • Hollow Knight
Direct download: aggrochat_episode160.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:43am EDT

This week we once again have Grace as a medical issue has kept her away a few weeks.  Tonight we have a relatively short show, at least as far as AggroChat shows go.  Thalen has reached the point where he is doing The Taken King and talks about the shock that happened when suddenly Cayde-6 developed a personality…  and is in fact Robot Mal.  We get on a tagent talking about the changings coming soon in Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood, and our thoughts about what might be tweaked during the expansion.  Grace and Bel talk a bit about their recent alt madness in World of Warcraft, and specifically how Bel has leveled and geared a character in a single week.  Kodra talks a bit about Elder Scrolls Legends and why he likes it much better than Hearthstone.  Finally we talk a little bit about the recent phone game craze that is Magikarp Jump.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Destiny: Personality Changes in Taken King
  • Stormblood Changes
  • World of Warcraft
  • Deathknight Madness
  • Elder Scrolls Legends
  • Magikarp Jump
Direct download: aggrochat_episode159.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:52am EDT

Tonight we sit down to talk about our May game of the month…  Wolfenstein Enemy Territory.  This was Kodra’s pick but in truth Belghast also has been a huge fan of this game since playing through it at release.  We talk about how this game operates on two different levels for two slightly different audiences.  We also attempt to dive into some of the symbolism and subtleties lying just beneath the surface.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode158.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:49am EDT

Last week we screwed up a bit in that we completely missed a topic.  Kodra has been drafting an awful lot of Amonkhet via Magic Online, so this week we talk at length about that.  We also talk at length about Destiny and the Destiny 2 gameplay reveal information.  Belghast talks about his feels and how much he loves the game, and Tamrielo provides the dissenting view of how hard he bounced off of it and how he wanted more than gunplay and occasional space magic.  Regardless we all seem to have a certain measure of hope about the Destiny 2 launch.  We talk a bit about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the slightly increased availability of the Nintendo Switch.  Finally we discuss Fire Emblem and Disgaea and the weird world that they are.

Topics Discussed: Magic the Gathering, Magic Online, Drafting Amonkhet, The Game Room, Destiny, Destiny 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo Switch, Fire Emblem, Disgaea

Direct download: aggrochat_episode157.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:24am EDT

Since this will be releasing on Mother's Day, the crew wants to wish all of the mothers that listen to the podcast a very happy one.  After a few slim weeks we once again had the full crew, which is always something to be celebrated.  I find it funny how when we have what feels like a limited amount of things to talk about, it also seems like we delve into some of the more interesting discussions.  The shows title this time comes from a game breaking bug that was introduced recently in Stellaris.  We talk a bit about Bel’s experiences starting Knights of the Fallen Empire, and this leads into an interesting talk about our thoughts regarding sequels and whether or not we want the previous cast of characters to continue.  We also talk about concerns regarding the Diablo 3 Necromancer expansion, and that ultimately leads to some discussion about Destiny 2 and the currently lack of a PC pre-order option.

Topics Discussed:  Stellaris - Knights of the Fallen Empire - Star Wars Galaxies - Sequels and Continuing with Characters - Replayability - Fallen London - Infinity - Diablo 3 - Playing Catch up in WoW - Diablo 3 Necromancer Expansion - Destiny 2

Direct download: aggrochat_episode156.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 7:33am EDT