Hey friends, we are down a few of our normal crew but pushing forward with the regularly scheduled nonsense.  We briefly revisit Outriders and talk about the expeditions and how generally bummed we are that the theme is so bleak because the gameplay is really good.  Outriders lead Tam to start playing Mass Effect Andromeda and maybe just maybe he will be able to talk about the story at some point since Bel has been waiting for this moment for years.  Bungie disappoints Destiny players by rolling out a shallow money grab instead of a transmog system and Bel talks about this.  Thalen talks about how Humble Bundle is also maybe awful now and IGN decided it wasn’t about charity anymore.  Kodra talks about the wild Strixhaven limited environment and how it has been reintroducing elements that have been missing from magic for a decade.  Finally we talk about virtual tabletops and more specifically Talespire but the larger question of what a virtual tabletop environment needs to have.

Topics Discussed:

  • Outriders Revisited
  • Tam and Kodra finally play Mass Effect Andromeda
  • Bungie ruins Transmog
  • Humble Bundle maybe awful now
  • Strixhaven’s Wild Limited Environment
  • Talespire Virtual Tabletop
    • Making a better Virtual Tabletop
    • Rogue-likes for Tabletop Adventures
Direct download: aggrochat_episode343.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:42am EDT

Tonight we have a show that is pretty much dominated by a discussion about Outriders.  Tam and Bel both attempt to avoid any outright spoilers but I feel like I still need to issue a warning.  This game has some deeply disturbing themes and we talk about these.  While we attempt to do so as gingerly as possible, I feel like I still need to provide a content warning to our listeners.  From there we talk about Stellaris and the third release of the game and how apparently it changes everything.  We also talk about Paradox and the history of long tailed support for games.

Topics Discussed

  • Outriders
    • Bleak Story
    • Endgame
    • Innovative Design
  • Stellaris
    • Third Edition
    • Reinventing the Game
    • Paradox Long Support
Direct download: aggrochat_episode342.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:53am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode341.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:50am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode340.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:04am EDT

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