Hey Folks!  Sorry for no show last week but Bel was not able to record.  If you follow him on social media you might have an idea of the weekend he had.  Additionally we should probably talk about how this is going to be our last show of the year.  Time and space has conspired to make it so our recording days for the next two weeks are Christmas Day and New Years Day which yeah…  are not going to be days we record on.  So instead we will see you again in the new year with our traditional “Games of the Year” show.

 

Tonight however we start off by talking about how generally hard it is to actually play Final Fantasy XIV.  From there Bel talks about the Bungie 30th anniversary event and what he has been doing instead of FFXIV since he finished the MSQ.  From there we talk a bit about Warframe and how the beginning of a new year tends to be when Ash revisits the game.  We talk briefly about the Game Awards 2021 and how Tunic finally has a release date.  Tam talks about his experiences playing Summoner in FFXIV Endwalker.  We then talk about crossing the uncanny valley with the Matrix Awakens Unreal 5 Tech Demo.  Finally we wrap things up talking about how freaking cool the Neon Kamigawa Lands are and how probably hard it will be to get our hands on them.

Topics Discussed

  • Not Being able to play FFXIV Endwalker
    • Ceasing Sale of Product
  • Bungie 30th Anniversary Event in Destiny 2
  • Warframe
  • Game Awards 2021
    • Tunic Release Date
    • FFXIV Winning Awards
  • Summoner in FFXIV
  • Matrix Awakens Unreal 5 Tech Demo
  • Neon Kamigawa Lands
Direct download: aggrochat_episode371.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:21am EDT

Tonight we start the show with a discussion of the Endwalker Head Start…  which may or may not have started depending on if you can make it through the queues.  We talk about our early struggles with the game and some general impressions in a fully non-spoilers way.  From there Kodra talks about his process of learning how to speedrun Celeste.  A topic that has been on our list for awhile is a discussion about Homebrew and House Rules and why this exist or when they go wrong.  Ash talks a bit about Fuga: Melodies of Steel and how it appears to be a passion project for CyberConnect2.  We wrap up with a discussion of New World’s latest patch on PTR and how they are making it impossible to avoid the Watermark Grind.

Topics Discussed

  • Endwalker Early Access
    • Nearly 400% increase in Steam over Shadowbringers
    • Five Hour Queues
    • Early Impressions
  • Learning to Speedrun Celeste
  • Homebrewing
    • When Designers Get it Wrong
    • House Rules and Negotiation
    • Enhancing Fun
  • Fuga: Melodies of Steel
  • New World December Update
    • Killing Value of High End Crafting
    • Forcing the Watermark Grind
Direct download: aggrochat_episode370.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:35am EDT

Hey Folks!  Tonight we are down Grace and Ammo but push on with our ever growing list of topics.  We start with some discussion about the Stellaris expansion where you can become the Crisis at the end of the game featuring some interesting asymmetrical gameplay.  From there Bel talks a bit about the current failed state of New World and the degenerative gameplay of “pay for dungeon runs”.  From there we talk about the importance of numbers and whether or not we as players should actually see them.  We wrap things up with a discussion about Game Dev and how what is meant by a beta has changed over the years, specifically with the “very alpha” Star Citizen.

Topics Discussed

  • Stellaris
    • Becoming the Crisis
    • Aquatic Races
  • New World
    • Failed State of the Game
    • Buying a Seat in a Dungeon Run
    • Patch 1.1 Lost the game over 200k players
  • The Importance of Numbers
    • When you want to see them
    • When you maybe don’t
  • Game Dev
    • Star Citizen
    • Betas and Alphas
    • Gamer brain vs Dev brain
  • Kodra Streaming Speed Runs
  • Bel Revisiting Cyberpunk 2077
Direct download: aggrochat_episode369.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:55am EDT

Tonight we are down a few people for various reasons and Bel is hanging on by a thread because he managed to schedule his Covid booster on Friday.  We start off with a discussion of the Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker delay and how in theory we would have all been playing the game in another world.  In news we never thought we would cover, Fallen Earth has come back from the dead and is actually better than any of our memories.  From there we discuss Guardians of the Galaxy, that game we all thought would be another Avengers Flop but has apparently turned out to be pretty dang good.  Bel talks a bit about the Outriders New Horizon patch and the changes it made ot the game including a full transmog system.  Finally Tam discusses his experiences with Star Citizen and how it is way more of a fleshed out game than he ever expected at this point.  Additionally we talk about the free trial that is going on right now.

Topics Discussed

  • Final Fantasy XIV Delay
  • Fallen Earth rises from the grave
    • Better than our memories
  • Guardians of the Galaxy
    • Not another Avengers Failure
    • Fjording the Uncanny Valley
  • Outriders New Horizon
    • Balance Improvements
    • Cosmetic Transmog System
  • Star Citizen in 2021
    • Free Trial Period
Direct download: aggrochat_episode368.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:40am EDT

Our general policy of just winging it has bit us in the butt several times in a row.  Belghast solved the fading in and fading out thing, but this apparently introduced a whole new issue.  As a result the audio levels are all over the chart for this episode from barely audible to booming loud.  This left us with the challenge of trying to determine if it was even worth releasing at all.  After some cleaning up the show is in a more manageable state but be warned…  It is not good.  As a result we are going to have to reinstitute our previous policy of doing a soundcheck before diving into the show. 

 

Tonight Bel talks a lot about his experiences in the end game of New World.  After that we talk a bit about Sable and a pilgrimage to find which mask represents you in the world.  Thalen shares with us DIE a comic and board game about what would have happened if the Dungeon and Dragons Cartoon kids were sucked back into that world again.  Finally we talk a bit about the emotional rollercoaster that is Unpacking.

Topics Discussed

  • New World
    • Being Level 60
    • Syndicate Losing our PVPers
    • The Priest Camp
    • The Zerg
  • Sable
    • Which Mask Represents You?
  • DIE
    • Zumanji meets D&D Cartoon
    • Board Game
  • Unpacking
    • Emotional and Literal Baggage
Direct download: aggrochat_episode367.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

Last week we brought you the Epilogue show for the patch content following the release of Shadowbringers that brings that core story to a close.  This week we dive into the content following that, namely patches 5.4, 5.5, and 5.55 that serve as the prologue to the events that we will be experiencing starting November 19th with the release of Endwalker.  I feel like we probably know less about what is going to happen going into this expansion than we have previously, but we talk about what takes place and what we do know about the future.  We also talk a bit about our mixed feelings regarding specifically the villains that we are going into this expansion with.

Topics Discussed

  • Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers
    • Patch 5.4 - Futures Rewritten
    • Patch 5.5 - Death Unto Dawn - Part 1
    • Patch 5.55  - Death Unto Dawn - Part 2
    • Discussion of the Endwalker Media Tour
Direct download: aggrochat_episode366.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:40am EDT

About a month ago we were being nostalgic about that time when we used to do a spoiler show for a Final Fantasy XIV expansion, and then do a final show talking about all of the content that releases after the expansion and leading into the next.  We had a few folks that were not caught up and we set a date in time of wanting to record this show on the 30th, just ahead of the Endwalker release mania.  Last night we recorded this show and quickly realized there was no way that we were going to cram it all into a single episode.  So as a result I bring you the Shadowbringers Epilogue show today covering patches 5.1, 5.2, and the wrap up of the Shadowbringers related story in 5.3.  

Next week we will bring out the Endwalker Prologue show because really the 5.4, 5.5, and 5.55 content is teeing up the beginning of the next expansion more than resolving anything related to Shadowbringers.  I hope you as listeners enjoy both of these shows and it should go without saying that these are going to be full spoiler episodes as we cover everything we can remember that happened in each of the patches.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode365.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:39am EDT

Tonight without really meaning to, we recorded an entire show that is nothing but New World topics.  Firstly we talk about Belghast and Eliyon being the first in the company to hit level 60 and some of the realities of doing max level content.  We talk about how Minda is now a famous server because of a dramatic event that took place as the last Covenant guild on the server threw the fight for Mourningdale.  From there we talk a bit about the general economic woes of the game and how everything is either massively valuable or utterly worthless.

Topics Discussed

  • Paizo Unionization Recognized
  • Hitting 60 in New World
  • Jade and the Great Territory Throw
  • New World Economy Woes
  • Comparisons with Everquest
Direct download: aggrochat_episode364.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:43am EDT

Tonight apparently there is something funky going on with Bel’s Mic and he fades in and out at weird times.  First off we talk a bit about Paizo and their efforts to Unionize.  Bel talks a bit about having reached level 80 in all of his battle jobs in Final Fantasy XIV.  From there we talk about Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous, Unsighted, and revisit Wildermyth.  We talk a bit about what happens when you make cataclysms happen 100 years earlier in Stellaris.  Then we finish things out with some New World updates.

Topics Discussed

  • Paizo Unionization Efforts
  • Bel Finishes FFXIV Battle Jobs
  • Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous
  • Unsighted
  • Wildermyth
    • Ballad of Brey and Royhen
  • Stellaris
    • Adventures in Turning Up the Crisis
  • New World Updates
Direct download: aggrochat_episode363.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:36am EDT

Tonight we return to some discussion about New World and how the promised server moves don’t seem like they are going to work out as we thought.  The end result is the server queues are gone from Minda but we have a handful of people isolated on servers in a different region.  We talk about some of Kodra’s woes in attempting to run PVP Faction missions solo.  From there we talk a bit about Tabletop Simulator and some of the interesting ways it allows you to play board games virtually during the pandemic.  We talk a bit about Tales of Arise and some of the issues it has with not really explaining clearly where a player should go next.  We wrap things up with some discussion of Kodra finally beating Celeste and moving on to the modded version of the game including Glyph.

Topics Discussed:

  • New World
    • Awful Server Move Strategy
    • Issues with Solo PVP
    • Good Systems
  • Tabletop Simulator
    • Virtual Miniature Gaming
    • Magic Commander/EDH
    • Playtesting
  • Tales of Arise
  • Beating Celeste
    • Moving on to Modded Celeste
Direct download: aggrochat_episode362.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:42am EDT

Tonight we are back after taking last week off for Tam’s wedding.  We also record an exceptionally long show because we got into the topic…  and were not watching the clock terribly closely.  So it clocks in at around an hour and forty minutes of talking about Amazon’s New World release and all of the good and bad that comes with that.  While this makes for an interesting show…  it makes for some pretty boring show notes.

Topics Discussed

  • New World Launch
  • Infrastructure Woes
  • Great Game Though
  • Server Transfers
Direct download: aggrochat_episode361.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:23am EDT

This evening we are down a Grace and went through a whole carnival of tech issues before the show, and as such were delated getting started.  Bel starts the show off talking about finding a batch of WoW Screenshots he thought were lost, and it turns out that no…  he likely deleted them on purpose due to the cavalcade of raid drama documented.  The Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 66 was a seven-hour-long presentation talking bout the new job skills and various other system changes.  We spend a good chunk of the night talking through some of the changes including the complete revamp of the Summoner class.  From there we talk about Deathloop as Tam shares some of his thoughts about the game while Bel talks about almost refunding due to any sort of a single-player save system.  Finally, we share the news that there will be no AggroChat next week due to reasons that involve most of the show’s cast.

Topics Discussed

  • Hard Drive of Horrors
  • Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter 66
    • Job Actions Trailer
    • The New Summoner
    • Thoughts for Endwalker
  • Deathloop
    • Proving we do like Jazz
    • Interesting Take on Genre
    • Bel Bemoans Lack of Saves
  • No Show Next Week
Direct download: aggrochat_episode360.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:28am EDT

Tonight we start the show off with Kodra talking bout Celeste and making it past the Farewell segment of the game.  We talk about the conclusion of the Epic versus Apple lawsuit and how it is pretty bad for both companies, but especially bad for Epic.  From there we talk about our impressions of the games shown off at what would have been the Sony E3 show if that happened.  This leads into a discussion of Tam recently trying out Avengers and how it is still not a good game after all this time.  We talk for a bit about Pathfinder Secrets of Magic book and martial spellcasters in general.  Finally, we have a bit of a discussion between Thalen and Kodra about Super Mario Maker with children.

Topics Discussed

  • Celeste
    • Farewell to Farewell
  • Epic versus Apple Conclusion
    • Bad for both
    • Ruling against Epic
  • Sony Playstation Play Showcase 2021
  • Avengers is Still Bad
  • Secrets of Magic
  • Super Mario Maker with Kids
Direct download: aggrochat_episode359.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:37am EDT

Tonight we are surprised to have with us Kodra and his five-day-old daughter.  Gotta get that podcasting started early.  This evening Ash and Tam talk about attending Pax Prime during a Pandemic and the oddities that come with that.  After that, we dive into a topic that we somewhat previewed at the end of last week’s show, but Magic the Gathering goes to some really odd places in 2022.  It seems that Wizards of the Coast is finally taking advantage of the fact that they exist in a game setting that can travel to all sorts of dimensions.  Bel talks for a bit about his adventures with the Gamesir X2 controller that turns an Android phone into something resembling a Nintendo Switch.  Finally, we talk about how the mechanics of “Real-time with pause” is generally awful and talk about some of the games that would have been made better with a proper turn-based mode.  Lastly, a quick topic as Kodra talks a bit about the 2.3 updates for VVVVVV and how he hopes to try speedrunning some other modes.

Topics Discussed

  • Attending PAX During Pandemic
    • Interesting games
  • Magic in 2022
    • Cyberpunk Kamigawa
    • Art Deco Gangland
    • Street Fighter
    • Fortnite
  • Gamesir X2 Android Controller
    • PS5 Remote Play
    • Xbox Game Pass
    • Steam 
  • Real-Time with Pause Sucks
    • Pathfinder
    • Pillars of Eternity
    • Dragon Age: Origins
  • VVVVVV 2.3 Released
    • Kodra can speed run more modes
Direct download: aggrochat_episode358.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:42am EDT

Tonight we talk about several things that Blizzard claimed were impossible, making their way into the 9.1.5 patch.  Is this fan service or an act of desperation in trying to stem the hemorrhaging of players?  From there we talk about how other games have done a better job of making sure that players’ feedback was heard and understood.  Thalen talks about the release of Psychonauts 2 and how it has been a long time coming.  Kodra discusses the frustrations of the game featuring callbacks to a virtual-reality-only game that very few players have been able to experience.  From there we talk about Marvel Crisis Protocol, a skirmish scale miniatures game as well as the revolving door of miniature games that have come and gone from game stores.  Finally, we preview a topic for next week, as we talk about all of the weird places that Magic the Gathering is going to go this coming year.

Topics Discussed

  • Blizzard Eats Crow
    • Undoing Covenant Restrictions
    • Undoing Conduit Energy
    • Fanservice Racial Changes
    • Too little too late
    • Why we still can’t play Blizzard games
  • Psychonauts 2
    • Connections to previous games
    • Collectable platformers
  • Marvel Crisis Protocol
    • Marvel Skirmish Miniatures
    • Coming and going of Miniature games
Direct download: aggrochat_episode357.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:20am EDT

Tonight we start off with the travails of Belghast attempting to heal things on Scholar.  Kodra chimes in with his own experiences in the same class.  Bel talks a bit about getting to the bottom of the weird obsession that seems to be taking place with hitting +99/+99 aetherpool as fast as humanly possible in Palace of the Dead.  This leads to some discussions of WoW mindsets showing up in FFXIV players.  Bel and Ammo talk a bit about The Diadem and super chill leveling gatherers.  We talk at length about Wildermyth and how it does an excellent job of replicating the tabletop RPG experience in a digital interface.  Finally, we talk a bit about Art Software and Ash’s explorations of what works for him with Ammo and Bel chiming in a bit towards the end.

Topics Discussed:

  • Bel Trying to Heal Stuff
  • Gotta get 99/99 Fast
    • WoW Mentalities in FFXIV
  • The Diadem
  • Wildermyth
  • Adventures in Art Software
Direct download: aggrochat_episode356.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:15am EDT

Tonight we start the show with some discussion of copyright trolls trying to prove how broken our system is by copyrighting a Magic the Gathering deck.  From there Grace talks about her experiences with the Kickstarter Kitfox game Boyfriend Dungeon.  We revisit The Ascent as Bel, Grace, and Thalen have now played the game and relate their experiences of how it is not really Diablo but also really enjoyable.  Ashgar and Kodra share their experiences of playing Bullet <3 in co-op and the challenges it presents.  Bel talks a bit about the most recent controversy in FFXIV of people freaking out about Cruise Chaser not being a PVP mount and instead sold on the store.  We talk a bit about Moonfire Faire and the bear friend mount.  Finally, we wrap things up with a discussion of Katana Zero and Kodra’s experience playing it.

Topics Discussed:

  • Copyrighting your Magic Deck
  • Boyfriend Dungeon
    • The Joys of Smooching Swords
  • The Ascent
    • Grace, Bel, and Thalen have played now
  • Bullet <3 Co-Op
  • Cruise Chaser Controversy
  • FFXIV Moonfire Faire
  • Katana Zero
Direct download: aggrochat_episode355.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:56am EDT

Tonight we start off with Bel confessing his love for a class that he never expected to like in FFXIV, the Dancer.  From there we talk a bit about FFXIV in general and how weird the Bozjan Front is.  Tam shares with us a game that is actually way more in the wheelhouse of Bel, Grace, and Thalen and is effectively Cyberpunk-themed Diablo.  The Ascent is a game that was shown at E3 and actually the final product is pretty great.  A topic that has been hanging on the list for a while is some discussion of Civilization 6 multiplayer and contrasting it to previous versions of the game.  More specifically Kodra shares his experiences playing with asymmetrical difficult levels.  We talk a bit about MTG Arena leaning into its computer game nature and doing some things that absolutely would break paper magic.  Finally, we talk some about the board game Bullet Heart.

Topics Discussed

  • Final Fantasy XIV
    • Dancer
    • Bozjan Southern Front
  • The Ascent
    • Cyberpunk Diablo
  • Civilization 6 Multiplayer
    • Assymetrical Difficult Settings
  • Magic Arena
    • Historic Horizons
  • Bullet Heart
Direct download: aggrochat_episode354.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:04am EDT

Tonight we had the whole gang back and start the show talking about how Bel was apparently replaced by a totally different person as he both healed a few dungeons and ran raid content in FFXIV as a mage class.  From there we talk a bit about Blaugust which is starting the day this show releases.  The rest of the show is sort of a rapid-fire remembering of games that had dropped off our radar over the years or that we just plain forgot about.  We talk about MMORPGs gone by, games that had DLC releases, or just games that we started but never actually got back around to playing.  We dive a bit into Genshin Impact and the most recent content release as well as apparently the ability to play your pc/mobile account on the PlayStation 5.  Lastly we finish the show with a discussion of Ghostrunner, a movement puzzle platformer game featuring a deep cyberpunk aesthetic.

Topics Discussed

  • Bel Heals and Does Castery Things in FFXIV
  • Blaugust 2021 is Here
  • Great Games that dropped off our radar
    • Games we forgot about
    • Games we have returned to
    • Games that got good when we weren’t looking
  • Genshin Impact
  • Ghostrunner
Direct download: aggrochat_episode353.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:53am EDT

Hey Friends, it is time for a bit of real talk before I get into the podcast show notes.  We had a discussion last night about whether or not we should talk about the horrific Blizzard situation on the show.  I’ve made my comments pretty clear on my blog, but it also sorta felt gross and weird to engage in a conversation without anyone other than cisgender men.  Real-world emergencies deprived us of both Ammo and Grace last night, and I hope both of those situations got better.  It might come up again in the coming weeks but only if everyone on the show is up for talking about it.

As far as the topics we did discuss we talked a bit about Monster Hunter Stories 2 on the Nintendo Switch and how I apparently completely misunderstand the genre of that game.  Tam talks a bit about returning to Star Trek Online years later and the pattern of play that the game has fallen into.  We also go down a list of games that have quietly been holding on with a steady player base but get very little fanfare.  Kodra talks about his experience streaming Celeste and invites everyone to participate in those streams.  We close out the show with a discussion about Cyberpunk 2077 because Tam decided to give it a shot and Bel feels at least partially vindicated.  It is a mixed bag of a game but an extremely interesting one.

Topics Discussed:

  • Monster Hunter Stories 2
  • Star Trek Online
  • Quietly Successful MMORPGs
  • More FFXIV Discussion
  • Kodra Streams Celeste
    • Speed runs
  • Cyberpunk 2077
    • Horrible Representation and Great Representation
    • Easy to bounce early
    • Extremely detailed and interesting game
Direct download: aggrochat_episode352.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:21am EDT

This year has probably had more missing shows than pretty much any to date.  Last week storms blew through and Belghast lost internet for a good chunk of the night so we did not record.  This week however we recorded a slightly longer than average show as a result.  We start with Bel and Grace exploring Rune II and how it is a flawed game but also enjoyable.  Tam shares his experience of playing Final Fantasy 7 Intergrade and the adventures of Yuffie.  This bleeds into a discussion about Yakuza Like a Dragon and how Final Fantasy is going realtime and Yakuza is seemingly going to menu-driven combat.  Kodra and Thalen share their experiences playing the new Forgotten Realms-themed Magic the Gathering set.  Then we dive into a discussion about Final Fantasy XIV since a large number of us are active once again.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Rune II
  • Final Fantasy VII Intergrade
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  • Adventures in the Forgotten Realms
  • Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter
    • Returning to the game
    • Systems within Systems
    • Bel Breaking his Tanking Block
  • Final Fantasy XI Nonsense
Direct download: aggrochat_episode351.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:53am EDT

Hey Friends! We made it to 350 episodes!  Which seems like a big number but as Thalen puts it… it is a new record over last week's new record.  We break into a brief discussion about the era of big box games which brings us into a discussion of the era of pack in “feelies”  From there Bel talks about his return to Final Fantasy XIV and the forming of the Super Dungeon Friends community.  We also talk about the weird events this weekend happening on Cactuar the server we all play on.  We talk about the Co-Op game It Takes Two and the platformer Iconoclasts.  We also talk a bit about D&D Dark Alliance and Mario Golf Super Rush.

Topics Discussed

  • Big Box PC Game Era
    • We Miss Feelies
  • Returning to FFXIV
    • Super Dungeon Friends
    • Weird Weekend on Cactuar
  • It Takes Two
  • Iconoclasts
  • D&D Dark Alliance
  • Mario Golf Super Rush
Direct download: aggrochat_episode350.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:46am EDT

Tonight we start the show missing several people and then Kodra sneaks in while recording and claims to have been there all along.  We start out with a discussion of the Windows 11 announcement and the odd requirements it seems are going to be required to upgrade into it.  From there we talk about Grace’s adventures with Subnautica: Below Zero which I legitimately thought was an expansion pack and not a whole new game.  Bel talks about the trend of WoW personalities switching to Final Fantasy XIV and the videos associated with them.  We talk a bit about MMORPG Tycoon 2 and Lum’s delightful tweet thread making us want to play it.  Bel talks about his nonsense setup and how Sony Remote Play is so much better with a PS5…  and how TMACDev REPL4Y is even better than that.  Finally we close out the show with some talk about Ratchet and Clank and Kodra’s observations given this is his first game in that series.

Topics Discussed

  • Windows 11 Announcement
    • Leaked Build
    • Scalping TPM Modules
  • Subnautica: Below Zero
    • What a difference a story makes
  • WoW personalities playing FFXIV
    • The “quitting wow for ffxiv” video trend
    • What has lead to this point
    • Medieval Marty
  • Lum plays MMORPG Tycoon 2
    • Make bad MMOs for fun and profit
  • Sony Remote Play
    • Better on PS5
    • TMACDev REPL4Y
  • Ratchet and Clank Observations
Direct download: aggrochat_episode349.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:42am EDT

Be warned, if anything sounds weird…  Bel is recording from a new gaming rig which seems to have brought back the whine for now.  Hopefully he can resolve that in the coming weeks.  We start the show talking about Mechwarrior 5 and the recent Mercs expansion.  We also talk about how it has essentially destroyed the mod that folks were running to get around inconsistencies in the base game.  This has lead to some mixed opinions among the AggroChat crew.  From there we talk briefly about The Outer Wilds and Biomutant before settling into a longer conversation about Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis.  Finally we wrap things up with a discussion about Ratchet and Clank and how Tam and Kodra are not as fluent in this universe.

Topics Discussed:

  • Mechwarrior 5
    • Mercs DLC Update
    • The end of Modding
  • The Outer Wilds
  • Biomutant
  • Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis
  • Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
Direct download: aggrochat_episode348.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:48am EDT

Hey Friends! We are back again because Bel's life has calmed down a little bit, or at least enough to be able to reasonably make our normal recording slot. Tonight we have a whole stack of things to talk about and not enough show to fit it into. So first up we talk about R-Type Final 2 which has been bouncing for a few shows and how it is very true to the PS2 original game. From there Grace talks about her recent experience finishing Subnautica and starting the Below Zero sequel. From there we talk a bit about E3 2021 so far and most specifically further information coming out about Elden Ring. This is another Dark Souls game that is not called Dark Souls. Bel also talks a bit about how weird it is that UbiSoft is working on an Avatar game... aka the big blue people and not the great sorta-anime series. Ash talks about his experience with Chicory and we talk a bit about what it is like to survive Snowpiercer the City Sim in Frostpunk.

Topics Discussed

  • R-Type Final 2
  • Subnautica and Below Zero
  • E3 2021
    • Wholesome Games Direct
    • UbiSoft Forward
    • Devolver Digital Forwarder
    • Gearbox Showcase
    • Elden Ring
    • Avatar Open World Game
  • Chicory A Colorful Tale
  • Frostpunk
Direct download: aggrochat_episode347.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:28am EDT

Tonight we have a second show in a row, which given the state of Bel right now is pretty miraculous.  We are down a Kodra for assorted reasons but we have one of our shows where we have only the thinnest of topics and make a show out of them.  Bel talks about experiencing how polarizing Army of the Dead is apparently as we discuss the expectations of genre films.  From there we talk about Diablo games on the phone and more Mass Effect discussion.  We clear the deck of the topics we have had for a while as we go through the limits of accessibility, scaling content and how rough catch up in games can be at time.

Topics Discussed

  • Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead
  • Phone Diablo Games
    • Raziel
    • Anima
    • Foam Diablo?
  • Mass Effect 2
    • Hover Tank Bad
  • The Limits of Accessibility
  • Scaling Group Content
  • Catch Up Mechanics
Direct download: aggrochat_episode346.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:48am EDT

Tonight we prove that we totally do exist and you get to listen to a very tired Bel.  Bel gives a slight explanation of why we did not record the last two weeks and why nothing is certain in the coming weeks either.  We talk a bit about how we are in this weird new era of “Must See TV” which is a phrase that only us “olds” will know but Disney is absolutely creating destination television again.  From there we talk about the Mass Effect Legendary re-release and how Bel is coming to love Jennifer Hale’s Shepard.  We talk a bit about the news coming out for FFXIV Endwalker and how Dark Knights are no longer the TRUE edgelords.  Finally we talk a bit about PSO2 New Genesis Beta.

Topics Discussed

  • New Era of Must See TV
  • Mass Effect Legendary Edition
  • Demon’s Soul Remake
  • FFXIV Stuffs
    • Bring on the Edgiest Lords
  • PSO2 New Genesis Beta
Direct download: aggrochat_episode345.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:13am EDT

Hey Folks!  Tonight we are back with what ended up being a pretty topic heavy show.  Pretty sure Grace is recovering this week after the stress of last week and having to be first in the host announcement order.  Genshin Impact has added player housing and Ammo talks about the “Serenitea Pot” which is confusing as hell to listen to if you have no clue what is being said.  From there Kodra and Thalen talk about their experiences with little ones and Pokemon Snap.  Bel talks about Returnal a game that is a mishmash of Hades, Nier, Metroidvania and a little bit of Dark Souls thrown in for good measure.  From there we talk about Star Trek Discovery and a broader discussion about various Trek shows.  Finally Kodra shares some of his experiences pugging content in Elder Scrolls Online.

Topics Discussed:

  • Ash is a Furry
  • Housing in Genshin Impact
  • Pokemon Snap
  • Returnal on PS5
  • Star Trek Discovery
  • Pugging in Elder Scrolls Online
Direct download: aggrochat_episode344.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:09am EDT

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

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode339.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:04am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode338.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode337.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:01am EDT

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 
Direct download: aggrochat_episode336.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:46am EDT

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?
Direct download: aggrochat_episode335.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:47am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode334.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:36am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode333.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:34am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode332.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:02am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode331.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:56am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode330.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:54am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode329.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:19am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode328.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:18am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode327.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:09am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode326.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 12:32pm EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode325.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode324.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:36am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode323.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:47am EDT

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
Direct download: aggrochat_episode322.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:20am EDT

Huge apologies for last week, but we realized entirely too late that our show recording would in fact fall on Halloween and we would be down to like two people.  As a result we took the week off and now return with one of those shows that just has a random assemblage of topics.  We talk a little bit about N7 Day actually having announcements and the impending re-release of the Mass Effect Trilogy that is likely to disappoint.  We talk about the Star Wars Christmas special and the plans to make a brand new version which will as a result immediately become the best version.  We talk a very brief bit about the Mandalorian in a relatively spoiler free manner.  Bel talks a bit about the new guidance from Blizzard making key broadcasting software a bannable offense and putting an end to a specific kind of multi-boxing.  Tam talks about Knights and Bikes as it is this mashup of Night in the Woods and Castle Crashers.  We talk about the early days of the internet and Hypnospace Outlaw that attempts to revisit a twisted version of that.  From there we end up on this side topic about GameFaqs and the early days of printing off long form Ascii guides.  We wrap up with some talk about Disco Elysium and playing Mario Kart when there are skill gaps.

Topics Discussed

  • Happy N7 Day
    • Mass Effect Trilogy re-release
  • Star Wars Christmas Special
  • The Mandalorian Season Two
  • Blizzard Bans Key Broadcasting Software
    • Partial End of Multi-Boxing
  • Knights and Bikes
  • Hypnospace Outlaw
  • Early Internet and GameFaqs
  • Disco Elysium
  • Mario Kart Multiplayer with Skill Gaps
Direct download: aggrochat_episode321.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:17am EDT

Tonight we are down several folks because of various reasons.  Grace and Tam are both travelling and Ammo was off celebrating her birthday.  As a result we go forward with one of the smaller casts we have had in awhile.  Tonight we talk a bit about Genshin Impact and the recent Resin adjustments that have been announced.  Bel talks about his experiences with the World of Warcraft Exile’s Reach new player starter island.  This goes a bit into the awkward fit that it causes combined with the level squish that came in with the Shadowlands pre-patch.  We then get into a discussion about games that support asymmetrical difficulty or what is generally referred to as a “handicapping system”.  We talk about how this can maybe make it easier to play games with your young children that can’t quite manipulate the moves that well yet.  Kodra and Thalen share their progress with Ring Fit and we delve into a discussion about the recent D&D 5th Edition games that have entered early access.  Finally we talk a little bit about Spiritfarer and the charming life of being a friendly grim reaper.

Topics Discussed:

  • Genshin Impact
    • Adjustments to the Resin System
  • World of Warcraft
    • Exile’s Reach Starter Island
    • Impacts of the Level Squish
  • Asymmetrical Difficulty
    • Handicap systems
    • Pokken Tournament
  • Ring Fit Progress
  • 5th Edition D&D Early Access
    • Solasta
    • Baldur’s Gate III
  • Spiritfarer
Direct download: aggrochat_episode320.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:04am EDT

Sometimes a show happens without us really realizing it.  That was absolutely the case for this evening's show because we had what felt like a very limited number of topics that filled up the full hour.  We start off the show with some further discussion of Genshin Impact.  Last week we thought we had been pushed up against a wall, but it turns out that was just the foothills leading up to the sheer cliff that is being resin locked on progress.  From there we talk about random video game cravings and the games that we either return to periodically or consider comfort gaming.  We wrap things up with a discussion of the games that we are looking forward to on the horizon be it literally like with Horizon Zero Dawn Forbidden West or the release of the new console generation.  Whatever the case it seems like we have a very packed November ahead of us.

Topics Discussed

  • Genshin Impact
    • The limiting factors of Resin
    • Limited Progress
  • Random Game Cravings
    • We talk about comfort gaming
    • We also talk about out of the blue game cravings
  • What we are looking forward to next
    • Release of the next generation of consoles
    • Horizon Zero Dawn 2
    • The Packed November
Direct download: aggrochat_episode319.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:38am EDT

Earlier this afternoon a large chunk of the AggroChat crew spent a few hours playing Among Us, a two year old game that is now suddenly the most popular thing on the planet.  So of course we lead off the show talking a bit about that experience and how we are making tentative plans to do this as a regular thing.  Maybe at some point we should even offer it up as a stream.  From there Bel talks about a bumped topic from last week and the delay of the World of Warcraft Shadowlands expansion to an undetermined time in the future.  The pre-patch starts this coming week which means the expansion likely lands in November.  However we discuss some of the core problems this expansion cycle has had and the frustrations the players have brought up.  This leads to a further discussion of Genshin Impact and how much Bel has been playing it.  This time Thalen also was able to chime in as he recently started and had some general thoughts to share.  Finally we wrap things up with a discussion about how Games Workshop once again should really stop being afraid of the internet and how their actions are just going to lead folks to pirate copies of their products.

Topics Discussed

  • Among Us
    • Playing with AggroChat and Friends
    • Repeat Impostor Problem
  • Shadowlands Delay
    • Problems with Expansion
    • Problems with BFA
    • Problems with MMORPGs in General
  • Genshin Impact
    • Bel Plays a Nonsense Amount
    • Thalen has thoughts from playing
    • Switch Version needs to Hurry
  • Games Workshop Fears Internet
    • Removing Digital Copies of Books
      • Will Lead to Pirate PDF copies
      • 3D Printing Models
    • Ways that Corvis Belli does this better
Direct download: aggrochat_episode318.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:24am EDT

Tonight we have an extra long show, because we tried to limit it down to three topics…  but still had too much to say to fit within the normal allotted hour.  This week we also have bonus friend Nephsys as we talk about Genshin Impact and how it came seemingly out of nowhere and conquered many of our lives.  From there we talk about Star Wars Squadrons and how it seems to be the Star Wars Starfighter game that Tam had been waiting for.  Finally we wrap up with some more discussion of Hades as many escape attempts have been made.  This time around we talk about more specific strategy and player experiences.

Topics Discussed:

  • The Importance of Inverted Y
  • Genshin Impact
    • How is this game this good?
  • Star Wars Squadrons
    • Tam gets his Star Wars Flight Sim on
    • Not Arcade Enough for Bel
  • Hades
    • Many Escapes This Week
    • The marvels of Design
Direct download: aggrochat_episode317.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

Tonight we have a show that basically is Bel carpet bombing the trello with current events topics.  First up we talk about the acquisition of Zenimax by Microsoft and our thoughts about that.  From there we discuss the wildly tinfoil hat theory that Microsoft is going to acquire Sega next.  We also talk about how poorly the Xbox One performed in Japan and how it seems Microsoft is attempting to fix that with their TGS 2020 showing.  Kodra talks about playing Pokken with his son and how it is a fighting game that allows you to look awesome without frustrations.  We end up spinning off a side discussion about Fighting games in general and how they expect you to learn the characters.  Ashgar talks about Monster Hunter Rise and how the main line Monster Hunter series seems to be borrowing heavily from Monster Hunter World…  also Doggos.  Finally we talk briefly about the flaws in the RTX 3080 design, at least in some of the add-in board partner cards attempts to save money.

Topics Discussed:

  • Microsoft Acquisition of Zenimax
    • Rumors of a Sega Acquisition
    • Xbox Series Sold Out in Japan
    • TGS 2020 Microsoft Show
  • Dreamhaven founded by Mike Morhaime
    • Spotty track record of Blizzard Spinoffs
    • Irvine Area Studios
  • Pokken with your child
    • Fighting games are bad at teaching fighting games
    • Fighting game story modes
  • Zendikar Rising Commander
    • Extreme Value but likely not a permanent change
  • Monster Hunter Rise Announcement
    • Hunting with Doggos
  • Flaws in the RTX 3080 third party cards
    • Why we should maybe wait a bit
 
Direct download: aggrochat_episode316.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:51am EDT

Ring Fit Adventure released just shy of a year ago at this point, and it is only now finally reliably available in stores.  As a result of several of us finally getting our hands on it we talk a little bit about the experience of using it.  From there we talk about the PS5 Price Reveal and pre-order debacle.  This moves into discussing the RTX 3080 launch as well and the application of bots from Bounce Alerts snagging most of the stock in both cases.  Hades from Supergiant games has finally officially released and and we talking about the game that was described by Tam as an “Escape Room”.  From there Tam talks about finding gold in the Steam suggestion queue in Swords n Magic n Stuff.  Finally we talk a bit more about Final Fantasy XVI and speculate on when we might actually get to see it.

Topics Discussed:

  • Ring Fit Adventure
    • Tricking us into exercise
  • The PlayStation 5 Price Reveal
    • Pre-Order Debacle
    • RTX 3080 Pre-Order Debacle
    • Bounce Alerts Bots
    • Trolling Ebay Flippers
  • Hades
    • Rogue-Lite Games
  • Swords ‘n Magic and Stuff
    • Bad Name, Solid Game
    • Bel Want’s Minecraft Meets Sims
  • Final Fantasy XVI
    • Similarities to Vagrant Story
    • Return to Fantasy
Direct download: aggrochat_episode315.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:56am EDT

Tonight we had some technical difficulties and as a result got to a bit of a late start…  which caused us to lose track of the timing.  As a result we recorded a pretty long show, but I think it was one of our better discussions.  We start with Kodra explaining why he is the fiercest four year old you know and talking about Crusader Kings III some more.  From there Bel talks about effectively being done with Avengers and why it has driven him to deep dive into the Ms Marvel comic series.  From there we discuss the Sportscardification of Magic the Gathering and the crashes of Comic Books and Sports Cards and why it feels real similar to the state of premium collector focused products.  Thalen talks about breaking down ships for fun and profit in Hardspace: Shipbreaker.  We talk about when Quick Time Events feel good rather than something to be avoided, and then dive into the cognitive overhead of trying to return to a game after a long absence.  Finally we talk about the Games as a Subscription model and how it may or may not change the game industry.  Specifically we talk about the dueling business models of the Xbox Series S/X and the PlayStation 5.

Topics Discussed

  • Crusader Kings III
    • The struggles of succession
  • Marvel Avengers
    • Being mentally done with the grind for now
  • Marvel Comics Unlimited
    • How Marvel Made me Deep Dive into Ms Marvel
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker
  • The good at bad of Quick Time Events
    • God of War
    • Ghost of Tsushima
    • Shinmue
  • Returning to Games
    • The struggle of trying to pick something back after leaving for awhile
    • Games left unfinished
    • Reminders in Games
  • Games as a Subscription Model
    • Microsoft vs Sony Business Models
    • The overwhelming value to players.
    • What does this do for publishers?
Direct download: aggrochat_episode314.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:56am EDT

Tonight we start the show off with a bit of a retraction.  Bel has found out that a lot of the weird mouse and camera interactions seem to have been caused by running RTX Voice while playing Avengers.  As a result Bel talks about his experiences playing Avengers and how the story really shines but the gameplay is adequate but not as smooth as it could be.  From there we talk about using things for alternate purposes, primarily how good cosmetic items work for hobbies.  We talk a little bit about the phenomena that is Fall Guys and both how charming it is and how bizarrely it has lit the streaming world on fire.  Finally we wrap up with a long discussion about Crusader Kings III and the story generator that it is.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Avengers Release is Not Bad
    • Issues with RTX Voice
  • Repurposing Items
    • Cosmetic Items for Hobby and Crafting
  • Guys Falling
    • Cute Beans Fall Down
    • Streaming Success
  • Crusader Kings III
    • Story Generation
    • Cannibalism for Fun and Profit
Direct download: aggrochat_episode313.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:34am EDT

Tonight we are back after having a week off due to scheduling.  Bel is super excited to talk about Amazon’s New World, which finally leaves NDA.  He goes into a deep dive of his experiences so far with the assorted systems of the game.  From there we have a reasonable segue into a discussion about Guild Wars 2 and getting used to the WvW pvp system.  We also talk a bit about other games like Final Fantasy XIV and how it handles PVP.  We have a random aside where Bel talks about how he tends to avoid using mounts in Open World games, and finally Ash talks about how he has come to peace with the Blue Mage in FFXIV.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Amazon’s New World
    • Deep Dive into Systems
  • Guild Wars 2 WvW System
    • Final Fantasy XIV PVP modes
  • Frog Fractions ???
    • When a DLC is a new game
  • Bel Ignores Mounts in Open World Games
    • Ghosts of Tsushima
    • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Making Peace with the Blue Mage
    • How Ash Learns to Accept the Systems
Direct download: aggrochat_episode312.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:10am EDT

Bel spent a few hours playing the Avengers Beta and has some things to say about it.  There are what he feels to be fundamental problems with the game that are not likely fixable before the September 4th launch.  Kodra gives some recommendations for a few Sudoku games that allow you to play some of those interesting edge case games.  We pick up a conversation from last week and talked about Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition and more directly the update cycle for physical games and how it doesn’t exactly work.  Warframe announced a major change at Virtual TennoCon and we talk about the Helminth and how it is going to shake up the meta.  Finally Bel talks quickly about the Tony Hawk Pro Skater Warehouse Demo and how the game feels exceptionally good.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Avengers Beta is Bad
  • Good Sudoku and Miracle Sudoku
  • Warhammer 40,000 9th Edition
    • The Physical Game Update Cycle
  • Warframe Helminth
    • Gotta Collect Em All
  • Tony Hawk Pro Skater Warehouse Demo is Good
Direct download: aggrochat_episode311.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:23am EDT

Due to improper planning and the fact that last week was Belghast’s wedding anniversary so we called it for the evening.  Tonight we are back and with a proper show chock full of goodness.  Actually just prior to the show Tam carpet bombed the trello with like two dozen topics, so we will probably be in business for several weeks.  Kodra participated in the very first GenCon Online and has lots of things to talk about regarding it.  During the middle of this discussion we break into a side tangent about how we feel like Shadowrun would work well using the World of Darkness Storyteller system.  Grace and Bel revisit Horizon Zero Dawn on the PC and talk about how much better the game feels with a mouse and keyboard.  Ash talks about playing Gundam EX vs Maxiboost ON and this leads to a side discussion about Gundam Breaker.  Bel talks about finishing Death Stranding and how emotionally connected he was to the characters in the game.  Finally we dive into a discussion about games and companion apps and how a lot of tabletop gaming and the company fear of the internet shoots them in the foot.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • GenCon Online
    • Shadowrun should be a Storyteller Game
  • Horizon Zero Dawn on PC
    • So much better with mouse
  • Gundam EX vs Maxiboost ON
    • Gundam Breaker
  • Death Stranding
    • Emotional Feels
  • Rise of the Companion App
    • Fear of the Internet
Direct download: aggrochat_episode310.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:01am EDT

Bel starts the show off with a discussion about the challenges of playing classic games on modern televisions and how his journey has led him down a rabbit hole that ended up with the Retro Freak.  From there we talk about what happens when the expectations of gamers leads to toxic expectations.  Namely this came into scope over the last few weeks with the reaction to two recent Nintendo Directs.  From there we drive into a discussion about making your own goals in a game and how Tam has found that effective in Guild Wars 2.  This leads to a discussion about when games bribe you to behave a certain way.  Finally we close the show out with Kodra talking about making meta events happen, and oftentimes folks are willing to flock to a zone if you manage to do all the early phases.

Topics Discussed

  • Retro Games on a Modern Television
    • The Retro Freak
  • When Expectations Turn Toxic
    • Nintendo Fans Are Extreme
    • Gamer Identity
  • Guild Wars 2
    • Making Your Own Goals
    • Games Bribing You
    • Making Metas Happen
Direct download: aggrochat_episode309.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:06am EDT

This evening we record an entire show where we basically talk about three games.  The first of these is Ooblets which came out this week in early access and how it is a blending of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Pokemon and a Card Battler.  From there we talk about Ghosts of Tsushima and how it presents Samurai gameplay in a new high fidelity light.  Additionally we talk a bit about Kurosawa mode which offers you a unique black and white/film grain way of playing the game.  Finally Bel talks about his adventures being a post apocalyptic fedex driver in a world seemingly run on twitter likes…  aka Death Stranding.  He talks a bit about the odd social aspect of the game where other players can only have a possible positive impact without ever causing any negatives.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Ooblets
    • Early Access
    • Dance Battles
  • Ghosts of Tsushima
    • Ghost Mode
    • Samurai Mode
    • Kurosawa Immersion Mode
  • Death Stranding
    • Beautiful World
    • Interesting Social Mechanics
Direct download: aggrochat_episode308.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:14am EDT

Tonight Belghast completely botches the intro to the show and has to record a second one, and it is absolutely not like the rest of the crew let this slide calmly.  We start the show talking about Cross Code and how it is now available on consoles, and was quite possibly the best roleplaying game of 2018.  Bel dives into a discussion about how connection based matchmaking is destroying any joy that can be found in crucible. This leads into a whole discussion about the best sorts of matchmaking we have played under and also a long discussion about how peer to peer connections are problematic.  We talk about the concept of what if we could choose the length of a game before starting it.  This also leads to a discussion of how more games need clearly identified difficulty settings and allow players to understand the ramifications of that choice.  From there we dive into a discussion about how it is oftentimes hard to find information that is more or less considered to be common knowledge in a given community.

Topics Discussed

  • CrossCode on Consoles
  • Skill Based Matchmaking vs Connection Based Matchmaking
    • How to Ruin and Iron Banner
  • Peer to Peer Connections are Problematic
  • Variable Length Games
  • Why We Need to Stop Caring about how others play games
  • The challenge of finding gaming ancestral knowledge
Direct download: aggrochat_episode307.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:35am EDT

This is one of those shows when we had a long list of things to talk about, but we just sorta started on one topic and it developed a mind of its own.  First up we talk about Bel and his insane grinding nature when it comes to the Four Job Fiesta.  From there we reprise a topic that got bumped last night and talk about the unique nature of Guild Wars 1 almost trading card game like skill based system.  From there we dive into a discussion about the changes that were made with Guild Wars 2, and how they may have taken some wrong advice from the data at the time.  This dives into a discussion of what makes up a role in a game and how exactly games tend to message that.  We go through a whole series of leaps and wind up in a discussion about how freedom to change your build feels really good in games like Guild Wars 2 and Diablo 3.  It even descends into a discussion about what exactly makes up the nature of a “Character” in a game, and if it should just be a cosmetic choice and everything of importance be account bound.

Topics Discussed

  • Bel and grinding in Final Fantasy V
  • Guild Wars 1 Card Based Spells
  • Guild Wars 2 and Abolition of Roles
  • Taking the Wrong Queue from Data
    • People who like only Tanking or Healing
  • The Secret World - When a game has wrong choices
  • What makes a Role a Role
    • And how is it messaged?
  • Freedom of Choice is Really Important
  • What makes a Character a Character?
Direct download: aggrochat_episode306.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:18am EDT

Tonight we have an assorted topic type show, but the main discussion ends up centering around games and game value.  What makes one game feel like a valuable experience and another game just seems like a waste of time.  We talk a bit about the Phantasy Star Online 2 America Day holiday and how they have a really strange impression of our country.  Kodra talks about his adventures in the deeply edge case Sudoku.  We also have a discussion about when the right time to group is in a game versus largely solo play.  In the middle of all of this there are several references to Guild Wars 2 and Destiny 2 for reasons.



Topics Discussed

  • Phantasy Star Online 2 “America Day”
  • When to play a game with friends
    • What point do you transition from solo to group play
  • Kodra’s adventures in edgecase Sudoku.
  • What makes up game value
    • Getting the most out of a game
    • The length of AAA Games
  • Side Discussion about Guild Wars 2
  • Side Discussion about Destiny 2
Direct download: aggrochat_episode305.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:17am EDT

Tonight we start off with a discussion about Destiny and unintentionally the storyline a bit as Darkness has finally arrived.  Bel talks about the degenerate gameplay of the AFK Forge and how it more or less brought the game to a halt.  We also talk about the gear sunset as Bungie tries to do MTG Standard but for Destiny.  From there we talk about Guild Wars 2 and how Tam thinks it is the best mount system.  Bel and Grace disagree, but we continue from there about some general discussion about the game and more specifically the Dragon mount grind.  Lastly we wrap up with a quick discussion of the EA Play 2020 event, Star Wars Squadrons, Cross Play for All Platforms and that EA is probably still evil in spite of them really wanting us not to think that.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Destiny 2
    • The Darkness is Here
    • Degenerate AFK Forge
    • Weapon Sunset
      • MTG Standard for Destiny
  • Guild Wars 2
    • Ideas about Flight
      • Tam’s Soliloquy of Love
      • Bel and Grace’s disagreement
    • The Dragon Mount Grind
    • General Guild Wars 2 Discussion
  • EA Play 2020
    • Sweet Star Wars Game
    • Cross Play For All
    • Probably Still Evil
Direct download: aggrochat_episode304.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:44am EDT

This show has a wide variety of topics that don’t really connect up.  Bel starts with talking about how easy it was to reinstall steam after losing a hard drive, and how impossible it has been to install either Origin or Epic Game Store as they appear to be in a state of limbo, both installed and not uninstallable at the same time.  Grace talks about her recent adventures in figuring out what she wants to play on her brand new Switch without peer pressure of playing a specific title.  This goes into a side topic about Pinball games and also a side topic about a missing style of Arcade Racing games.  We dive into a topic of virtual tabletops and iTabletop specifically as well as a run down of the various options we have tried over the years.  Finally we land on some discussion of Not-E3 and the wide variety of shows surrounding it the biggest being the PS5 reveal.

Topics Discussed

  • Why Steam is Best Storefront
    • Limbo of Origin and Epic Game Store when a hard drive dies
  • Pressure Free Switch Exploration
    • Grace gets a Switch
  • Talking about Pinball Games
  • Talking about the missing style of Racing Games
  • iTabletop and Virtual Tabletops
  • Not-E3
    • Talking about some of the wide variety of shows happening this year without E3
  • Sony PS5 Reveal Show
Direct download: aggrochat_episode303.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:15am EDT

Tonight we start off with a discussion of Dungeon Defenders Awakened and how it is a less complete version of the original game.  We talk about whether or not this is going to be a good idea for the long run.  From there Bel talks about his experiences with Minecraft Dungeons and how it generally feels like an unfinished and unbalanced mess.  From there we talk about how PSO2 has a lot of interesting systems and some decent tutorials, but does not do a great job of leading players to them.  Lastly we have a discussion about a return to Guild Wars 2 and experiencing how much better they are at telling its story.

Topics Discussed

  • The Death of a Hard Drive
  • Dungeon Defenders Returns
  • Minecraft Dungeons
    • Unfinished Feeling and Grindy
  • PSO2 Bad Presentation of Good Tutorials
  • Guild Wars 2
    • How they learned to tell a story
Direct download: aggrochat_episode302.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:32am EDT

Tonight we welcome our good friend Nephsys along for this ride because she more or less got kidnapped into the podcasting channel.  We start the show with some discussion about being back in Final Fantasy XIV and the current event where they bribe us to do unpopular content.  One of those content types is Rival Wings, and Bel talks about how it is PVP that he actually enjoys.  From there we break into a discussion inspired by a conversation that happened while watching the cutscenes of Praetorium, which is what games would you like to forget so you could experience them fresh again for the very first time?  We talk for a bit about the afterglow of watching your friends get into something that you really liked.  Finally we nestle into the main topic of the week which is the somewhat awkward North American PC launch of Phantasy Star Online 2.

 

Topics Discussed

  • Mogrocks for Mounts in FFXIV
    • Rival Wings is Fun
  • Forgetting a Game to Play it Fresh again
    • The Afterglow of Friends Experiencing Games
  • Phantasy Star Online 2 NA PC Launch
    • The systems within systems
    • Figuring things out
Direct download: aggrochat_episode301.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:47am EDT

Tonight we sit down to record our three hundredth episode, and more or less are doing it the old fashioned way.  We had no notes and ownly a loose outline in Bel’s head and what ends up happening is one of the most enjoyable shows we have ever recorded.  We for the most part explain the long and contorted origins of AggroChat and how we wound up recording a podcast.  We’ve told bits and pieces of this tale before, but never in one entire sequence also talking about when various cast members joined the crew.  There are several points where we get derailed along the way, but I guess that is also par for the course.

Topics Discussed

  • The Origins of AggroChat
  • When Various Cast Members Joined
  • Our Most Listened Episode
  • A Bunch of Others Stuff
  • None of us Took Good Notes
Direct download: aggrochat_episode300.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

Tonight we start off with what has become a regular side topic of us talking about our lives dealing with the pandemic.  From there we dive into Cloudpunk a game about a digital dog and delivering packages in a blade runner landscape.  Bel dives into a discussion about how Modern Consoles are effectively turning into Gaming PCs and the weirdness of cross generational purchases for Microsoft games.  Bel also waxes nostalgic about Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and how he is greatly looking forward to the upcoming remaster of 1+2 coming this September.  We end up getting off on a side jaunt into Elder Scrolls games, and then transition into a talk about Sodoku.  Finally we talk some about the announcement of a brand new Paper Mario game and the new footage available for Ghosts of Tsushima.

Featured Topics

  • Life in the Pandemic
  • Cloudpunk
  • Modern Consoles are just PCs
    • Cross Generational Games
    • Ease of Use of Consoles
  • Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2
  • Apparently an Elder Scrolls aside
  • Sudoku and Puzzle Games
  • A New Paper Mario
  • Ghosts of Tsushima
Direct download: aggrochat_episode299.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:05am EDT

We start the show with what has disturbingly become a tradition for us as we talk about what life is like in this weird time we happen to be living.  For some of us I believe it is week eleven and for others week nine, but really what exactly is the passage of time anyway.  The first topic is a bump from last week as Tam talks about discovering Rampage the Board Game, otherwise known as Terror in Meeple City in its most modern incarnation.  This leads down a rabbit hole of talking about classic monster movies and many agreeing that the correct place to start is with the OG Godzilla from 1954.  From there Bel dives into a topic from the Aggronaut blog, of if grinding is actually fun.  This leads to a whole other discussion of how each of us appear to have a vastly different description of what that even means.  For Kodra it means grinding his face off over and over against hard content, but for Grace and Bel it largely means repetition of largely mindless content.  Tam on the other hand has to have a purpose and his brain has to be engaged.  Finally we talk about the integration of PVP into otherwise PVE games and why developers seem to be stuck on that concept.  This leads to some discussion of a recent outing in Sea of Thieves when Tam finally gets people interested enough to try it, but they get griefed over and over by some jerk ruining an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Topics Discussed

  • Rampage the Board Game
    • Terror in Meeple City
    • Classic Monster Movies
    • Mechagodzilla
  • Is Grinding Fun?
    • World of Warcraft
    • Farming Content
    • Phantasy Star Online 2
    • Grinding Hard Content
      • Hollow Knight
  • Do PVP and PVE Mix Well?
    • No
    • Why Devs are Obsessed with It
    • Why its a Bad Idea
    • Why Sea of Thieves ruined the experience
Direct download: aggrochat_episode298.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:00am EDT

Tonight we start off the show with a special announcement.  Cat Context was effectively the podcast that inspired Bel to go out and try and do the same thing with some of his friends.  After a three year absence, this week we get a brand new Cat Context episode that can be found hosted on Aggronaut.com.  Today Kodra is going to be playing some Hollow Knight randomizer since there are a bunch of new updates and he has been given an entire day for gaming.  From there we get into a topic that has been skipped a few times due to the potential length regarding easing into a learning curve and how Infinity is trying this with Code Zero.  Bel segues into a discussion about what happens when the servers go offline and a game goes dark and the concern that there will be an entire generation of games that are eternally lost.  Finally we wrap things up with some talk about the Mario Maker 2 Final Update and the interesting things that level builders are doing with it.

Topics Discussed:

  • Cat Context Podcast
  • Hollow Knight Randomizer Updates
  • Easing into the Learning Curve
    • Infinity Code Zero
    • Magic the Gathering
    • Warhammer 40k
    • Timeless Games
  • Lost Generation of Games
    • What happens when a game permanently goes offline
    • The age of private servers
  • Mario Maker 2 Final Update
    • Fun with World Maker
    • What makes a quintessential Mario game
Direct download: aggrochat_episode297.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:15am EDT

We welcome Grace back after a few weeks away and talk a bit about life in pandemia.  Bel talks about the introduction of RTX Voice and its nonsense ability to filter out background noise from your microphone.  Kodra and Thalen talk a bit about gaming with youngsters focusing on Mario Kart and Katamari or “The Ball Game”.  Ash talks a bit about how bad the storytelling is in Phantasy Star Online 2.  We shift over to some talk about flying in Eorzea and some general talk about alting in Final Fantasy XIV.  Finally we wrap up with Sea of Thieves as Tam has been recently exploring this title and how PVP apparently doesn’t matter as much as it once did.

 

Topics Discussed:

  • Life in Pandemia Updates
  • RTX Voice
  • Games with 3 Year Olds
    • Mario Kart
    • Katamari
  • PSO2’s Terrible Storytelling
  • Flying in Eorzea
    • Alting in FFXIV
  • Sea of Thieves
Direct download: aggrochat_episode296.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

This is the first show of our seventh year of AggroChat, because we are apparently bad at tracking time and said nothing about our anniversary last week.  We start off with another “Bel was dumb” story as he ventured forth to battle the boxpocalpyse. From there we wind around a bit through a few topics and land on another exploration of levels in video games as a concept being a bad idea.  We talk about a bunch of ways that games do this and how some have figured out meaningful horizontal progression. Next up we talk about the effective death of Kotaku with the departure of Jason Schreier and this leads to a larger discussion about the odd place that “video game journalism” finds itself in and the rigors of trying to fill content for the 24 hour news cycle.  We go down the rabbit hole that is Star Wars Galaxies crafting system and contrast it against a few other approaches like that of the original Everquest II system. Finally some brief discussion as Tam finds Beat Saber and the shockingly good work out it ends up being.

Topics Discussed

  • Bel and the Boxpocalypse
  • We’ve outgrown the concept of levels
    • WoW’s leveling buff
    • Marking progression horizontally
  • The Death of Kotaku
    • The challenges of gaming content creation
  • The Brilliant Madness of Star Wars Galaxies crafting
  • Beat Saber
Direct download: aggrochat_episode295.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:48am EDT

Tonight we are back, and we start off with an apology that logistics did not work out last week to get the band together.  We start off with some discussion of the Stellaris group that has been playing as a weekly game night thing. From there Bel talks about his sojourn back into World of Warcraft Retail and his new practice of naming his Hunter pets after people.  Ashgar talks about his recent experiences with Phantasy Star Online 2 and how both him and Tam bought a SADBox to play it. From there we dig into the meat of the show as we give a global spoiler warning that we are going to be talking about plot points in Final Fantasy VII.   We tried to stay away from any specific plot points from the Remake, but the original is discussed an awful lot. Finally we wrap things up with some brief talk about the new PS5 Controller design and how we all generally like it.

Topics Discussed:

  • Stellaris Group Play
  • World of Warcraft Retail
    • Naming Pets after People
  • Phantasy Star Online 2
    • SADbox for everyone
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake
    • Misremembering The Game
  • PS5 Controller
    • Fully On Board With This
Direct download: aggrochat_episode294.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:01am EDT

Tonight we have special guest Nephsys who was hanging out with us on voice chat before the show and we didn’t want to lock her out in the cold when we all popped into the podcasting channel.  This week was one of those weeks when we did not think we had much to talk about, but ultimately filled a show anyways. Up first is some discussion of Stellaris and the weekly pick up game that appears to be happening in lieu of in person board game night.  There is much discussion about the vast changes that happened over the course of the games lifespan. From there we talk a bit about a love letter to Mega Man Battle Network that is called One Step from Eden. Then after that discussion Bel completely loses his place in the list of topics and goes off into an impromptu discussion of Animal Crossing thinking he needs to fill air time.  Finally he sorts things out again and returns to some talk about Dragalia Lost and its recent updates before closing out the show.

Direct download: aggrochat_episode293.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:25am EDT

Just a heads up, Bel had a bit of technical difficulty and the humm that he has been trying to isolate and get rid of is way worse than normal.  He has however ordered some expensive usb power isolation nonsense that is hopefully going to help with this in the coming weeks. Tonight we are still living in Pandemia so we talk a brief bit about that.  From there Bel talks a bit about Doom Eternal and the tweaks it has made to the formula of Doom 2016. Kodra has now beaten Ori and the Will of the Wisps and is now sad as a result. We talk about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo and how we are generally excited for the upcoming game.  While on the topic of demos we talk about the newly released Trials of Mana demo and how Ash and Bel are really looking forward to this game. We finish out the show with a discussion about Animal Crossing New Horizon and how apparently it is a cultural phenomenon already and we are mostly on board with doing nonsense for Tom Nook.

Topics Discussed

  • Life in Pandemia Updates
  • Doom Eternal
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps Beaten
  • Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo
  • Trials of Mana Remake Demo
  • Animal Crossing New Horizon
    • Unattended Fruit Trade Island
    • Charming Nonsense for Tom Nook
Direct download: aggrochat_episode292.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:02am EDT

This evening we thought we would start the show with a discussion of what life has been like for each of us in the time of Covid19.  We’ve all sorta been juggling trying to maintain a relatively normal life while still remaining safe and sound. As part of this discussion we talk about the various things getting cancelled, like E3 and wondering if this is the end of that show as a whole.  Kodra and Ash talk about their adventures in Ori and the Will of the Wisps and how maybe it is on par with Hollow Knight. Bel talks a bit about his problem with Destiny Seasons and how expiring content keeps him from wanting to engage. Kodra discusses his recent journey into Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Dicey Dungeons.  Finally Bel talks about how he has reached an end with his sojourn into Spiders games with Bound by Flame being the one that he just can’t bring himself to play.

Topics Discussed

  • Life in the time of Covid19
    • What day to day life is like so far
  • Goodbye to E3
  • Ori and the Will of the Wisps
  • The Destiny Seasonal Problem
  • Kodra and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
  • Dicey Dungeons
  • Mars War Logs
  • Bound by Flame
Direct download: aggrochat_episode291.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:39am EDT

Another week of sick Bel trying to get through a show without going into a coughing fit and more or less succeeding.  Tonight we talk about The Touryst a wonderful but misspelled visual puzzle exploration game for the Nintendo Switch. From there Bel talks about a poorly named game called Atom RPG that he stumbled across which plays like you remember Fallout 1 and 2 playing.  Ash talks about playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX and his enjoyment of the game in spite of the poor reviews. Tam talks about a project that he is taking on to convert the Star Wars roleplaying systems to Pathfinder 2.0. Bel talks a bit about the Halo Combat Evolved shadow drop and a really brief discussion about Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo.

Topics Discussed:

  • The Touryst
  • Atom RPG
  • Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX
  • Star Wars Conversion
    • Porting to Pathfinder 2.0
  • Halo Combat Evolved Shadow Drop
  • Final Fantasy 7 Remake Demo
Direct download: aggrochat_episode290.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:15am EDT

Tonight we are down a bunch of people and Bel is sick so we have a bit of a chill show with a handful of topics.  First up Bel talks a bit about his recent experience with the various Everquest Emulator server options. First he explores Project 1999 or the most old school and legit of projects allowing you to see just how brutal the game used to be.  Realizing that was not for him he however explores EZ Everquest a server that takes a complete opposite approach and in theory turns the game into a Raiding RTS. From there we talk a bit about the impending localized release of Phantasy Star Online 2.  Kodra experiences Sayonara Wild Hearts which we have talked a bit about before in the past. We get into a length discussion about the Pathfinder Game Mastery Guide which is effectively Dungeon Master School, teaching you the elements other than what it is like to follow a predescribed module.  Bel gets into a discussion of the various streaming options and how GeForce Now differs from them, and the frustrations about Bethesda and Blizzard pulling out. This leads into a discussion about who is going to be the next Bioware, Bethesda or Blizzard… and we talk a bit about Larian and CD Project Red.

Topics Discussed

  • Everquest Emulator Servers
    • Project 1999
    • EZ Everquest
  • Phantasy Star Online 2
  • Sayonara Wild Hearts
  • Pathfinder Game Mastery Guide
    • Dungeon Master School
  • GeForce Now and other game streaming
    • Bethesda and Bioware Pulling Out
  • Who is the next Blizzard or Bioware?
    • Larian Studios
    • CD Project Red
Direct download: aggrochat_episode289.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:37am EDT

First off big thanks to @devoradordeflan for letting me use their artwork to illustrate the first topic on today's show card.  We kick off with a discussion about something that is bringing me life, aka the Doom Eternal community and the Animal Crossing community creating artwork highlighting the apparent friendship between Doom Guy and Isabelle.  From there we go into a topic about Learning vs Memorization in games and we discuss Rogue-Likes, Bullet Hell Shooters and Platformers as some examples. We talk a bit about the pacing of Fire Emblem and how Kodra keeps comparing it to Persona 5.  Kodra also has played a lot of Bloodstained and doesn’t really get the hype and as such we talk about the bad port that is the Switch version and how maybe he just likes Hollow Knight better. Ash starts a topic about 504 the Board Game Generator and Kodra talks about how it is effectively a career worth of ideas left on the cutting room floor.  Finally we talk a bit about how great the server emulator communities are with Bel talking about his recent journey back into City of Heroes and talk with his similar sojourn into Star Wars Galaxies.

Topics Discussed

  • Isabelle and Doomguy Friendship
    • Unity Between Two Fanbases
  • Learning vs Memorization
    • Rogue-Likes
    • Bullet Hell Shooters
    • Platformers
  • Pacing in Fire Emblem
    • Comparisons with Persona 5
  • Bloodstained
    • The Bad Switch Port
    • Comparisons to Hollow Knight
    • Talking about past Casltevania
  • 504
    • Board Game Generator
  • Emulator Server Communities
    • City of Heroes Homecoming
    • Star Wars Galaxies Legends
    • Everquest 1999
Direct download: aggrochat_episode288.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:30am EDT

After having to miss last week we had more topics than realistically could fit into a show and only actually made it through three of them. The first is the launch of Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem and how maybe early access isn’t actually a game launch in certain circumstances. We talk about the myriad problems with the online components of the game and the struggles with an indie trying to buy server capacity for high volume bursty connections. Thankfully there is an offline mode which allows us to talk a bit about why the game is worth the struggle. From there we talk about the impending Final Fantasy XIV 5.2 patch and the most recent live letter previewing features coming up for the game. Lastly we talk about returning to an alternate future where the NGE didn’t kill Star Wars Galaxies as Tam convinces Belghast to play Star Wars Legends.

Topics Discussed:

  • Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem
    • High Capacity Launches are Hard for Indies
    • Going from 1000 to 65,000 concurrent users in a day
    • The solid underlying single player experience
  • Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter
    • 5.2 Patch
    • Catching up
    • Free Company Leveling Up
  • Star Wars Galaxies
    • Star Wars Legends Server
    • Piloting Rebel Starships
    • Tam talks Bel into Playing
    • NGE and Combat Update



Direct download: aggrochat_episode287.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:32am EDT

Tonight we talk a bit about some technical difficulties that almost prevented us from recording the show.  As a result if anything sounds weird we are on a different server, and will likely be on yet another different server next week.  Grace was able to join us so we finally get to talk about Paper Diablo aka Book of Demons. Throughout the weekend I saw the strangest comments over our staff slack channel about a game called What the Golf and Tamrielo finally explains what the hell is up with that.  Kodra and Tam talk a bit about the close of Kentucky Route Zero. Bel talks about diving further into Spiders games and playing Technomancer and how once again their ambition outstrips their technical prowess. Ash talks about CrossCode and we wrap things up with a random topic about the perils of opening a Game Store.

Topics Discussed

  • Book of Demons
  • What the Golf
  • Kentucky Route Zero
  • The Technomancer
  • CrossCode
  • Perils of Opening a Game Shop
Direct download: aggrochat_episode286.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:47am EDT

Tonight we start the show by letting you off the hook and explaining a reference that originally I was just going to make the show title without explaining. Bel has been playing an obsessive amount of Greedfall and it is the sort of experience that the deeper he gets into the game the more his opinion of it improves.  Tam has been playing Elsinore a game where you recast Hamlet with the goal of trying to get Ophelia to survive. In many ways he says this is the game that he wished Return of the Obra Dinn had been. Bel talks about TemTem the not-Pokemon MMORPG which will likely give the storied franchise a run for its money because it is really well done.  Kodra takes our advice and explores Into the Breach and has an “Oh Crap It’s 2 am, how did that happen” moment. Finally Bel is astonished that Theros Beyond Death brings back Underworld Dreams at Uncommon rarity.

Topics Discussed:

  • The Mighty Ferrite Bead
    • What it does do
    • What it cannot do
  • Greedfall
    • Improving Opinion
    • Games that Sucker Punch You
  • Elsinore
    • Obra Dinn with Better Story
  • TemTem
    • As close to a Pokemon MMORPG you can get without being sued
    • Legitimate Competition for Pokemon
  • Into the Breach
    • Oh Crap It’s 2 am
  • Theros Beyond Death
    • Underworld Dreams is Uncommon?
Direct download: aggrochat_episode285.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:34am EDT

Tonight we start off with a discussion about Awesome Games Done Quick 2020 which just concluded and raised a little over 3 million dollars for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.  From there we talk about Pax South 2020 and the interesting things Ashgar has encountered while being there. Bel goes into a diatribe about the Witcher games not doing a great job of explaining the cast of characters.  2020 is a year of game delays so far and we talk about a few of them and why we are mostly okay with them. We then close out with a long discussion about Fire Emblem: Three Houses which leads its way into a discussion about Tactics versus Strategy.

Featured Topics

  • Awesome Games Done Quick - January 2020
  • Pax South 2020
    • Indie Games
    • Small Publishers
    • Tabletop Gaming
  • The Witcher Problem
    • Related to the Destiny Problem
  • 2020 The Year of Delays
    • Wishing it meant no crunch time
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
    • Tactics vs Strategy
    • Perfect Information vs Learned Insight
Direct download: aggrochat_episode284.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:08am EDT

As we work on our “Games of the Decade” show, one of the things that kept coming up was whether or not to put tabletop games on the list.  After some back and forth we decided that really the tabletop show was a show of its own, because this decade changed the status quo significantly.  There is a certain amount of hyperbole in the show title, but in truth this is the decade when D&D and Settlers of Catan started being sold at Walmart and Target, and you can’t get much more mainstream than that.  We talk about the meteoric explosion of tabletop gaming and some of the factors we feel potentially triggered it. It was a wildly meandering show and we found it impossible to come up with a bullet point list of what we discussed.  We almost completely missed miniature wargaming, which may end up being its own show at some point.

Topics Discussed

  • Pen and paper
  • Board games
  • Card games
  • Pop culture references
Direct download: aggrochat_episode283.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:40am EDT

It is that time again, time for another games of the year show.  As is usually the case we fire up a google form and have each member of the AggroChat cast pick their top 5 picks for the year.  This then gets collated into the final list that we talked about during the show. This time around we had thirteen different titles to talk about, with the highest voted title getting 5 different votes from staff members.  Since we have talked at length about most of these games, the resulting discussion ends up being more a trip down memory lane than a deep dive.

Topics Discussed:

  • 2019 Games of the Year Show
    • Trials of Mana
    • Anthem
    • The Outer Worlds
    • Devil May Cry 5
    • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
    • World of Warcraft Classic
    • Greedfall
    • Fire Emblem: Three Houses
    • Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
    • Jedi Fallen Order
    • Untitled Goose Game
    • Baba Is You
    • Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Direct download: aggrochat_episode282.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:03am EDT

Bel is back but still sick and hoping his voice holds!  Tonight we have a short reprise of the Star Wars Rise of the Skywalker discussion from last week since Bel didn’t get to participate.  This tiptoes around being spoiler so your mileage may vary. From there we talk about A Short Hike a charming game about meeting animal friends while trying to get mobile phone reception.  Tam talks about his experience with the Battlefront 2 campaign mode and a bit of him replaying SWTOR campaigns. Bel talks about Video Games being ported to the small screen and how they are more “inspired by” than accurate.  The Witcher however has a shot for shot recreation of a battle from the first game and we dive into that. Bel also has been playing a ton of Witcher 3 and is completely enthralled with the game now. Kodra talks about his experience with Slay the Spire and then we talk some more Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Topics Discussed

  • Star Wars Discussion Reprised
  • A Short Hike
    • Animal Crossing With a Point
  • Star Wars Battlefront 2 Campaign
  • Revisiting SWTOR Campaigns
  • Video Games Adapted to Screen
    • Witcher Shot for Shot Recreation
  • Revisiting Witcher 3
  • Slay the Spire
  • Pokemon Sword and Shield
    • Merits of Shift vs Set
Direct download: aggrochat_episode281.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:31am EDT

Tonight we are down several folks including Belghast, so as a result Tamrielo is filling in with the role of leading the festivities.  There is some confusion and this show is announced as 281 only to realize after recording that it is in fact 280. Tonight the AggroChat crew talks about their feelings regarding the final movie in the Star Wars Skywalker Saga.  The opinions run the gambit from enjoyed it quite a bit to absolutely hated the experience and this leads to a pretty balanced discussion about the movie that the future of Star Wars.

Topics Discussed:

  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Direct download: aggrochat_episode280.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 1:25pm EDT

Tonight we kick off the show talking about the first week of Destiny 2 Season of Dawn and all of the new content that appeared.  From there we talk about the big shadow drop of Warframe Empyrean and the ability to crew giant spaceships. We spend the rest of the show talking about various things that were announced during the fifth Game Awards.  It was a two hour long commercial that confirmed that once again Microsoft is terrible at naming things.

Topics Discussed:

  • Destiny 2
    • Season of Dawn
  • Warframe
    • Empyrean
    • High Space Piracy
  • The Game Awards 2019
Direct download: aggrochat_episode279.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:18am EDT

Tonight we start the show with Bel talking about Darksiders Genesis and how it doesn’t really fit into the Diablo mold.  Bel also talks about his recent experience with the vastly different Wolcen as it nears entering early access. We talk about the large free update to Mario Maker 2 that among other things introduces the Master Sword powerup.  We discuss the Turn Based mod for Pathfinder Kingmaker which leads into a discussion about Turn Based and the Pause/Action RPGs. Tam talks about his recent journey into Star Trek Online and Ash talks about One Step from Eden. Finally Bel and Thalen talk a bit about the upcoming Season of Dawn in Destiny 2 and the end of the Season of Undying.

Topics Discussed

  • Darksiders Genesis
  • Wolcen Post Alpha
  • Mario Maker 2 Update 2
    • Link In Mario Maker
  • Turn Based Pathfinder Kingmaker
    • Turn based vs Action/Pause RPGs
  • Star Trek Online
  • One Step from Eden
  • Destiny 2 Season of Dawn
Direct download: aggrochat_episode278.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:41am EDT

Tonight we have a show with a running theme about launches of varying degrees of success.  We get the memes out of our system about the Cybertruck and how Bel would absolutely drive one.  We talk about the concerning launch of the Google Stadia and the challenges of cloud gaming in general.  We talk about the announcement of Half Life Alyx… and how we all became way less interesting when we heard it was VR.  We talk about the launch of Pokemon Sword and Shield and how Ash is frustrated about the lack of the eternal PokeDex, but otherwise it is a solid game.  Grace and Bel talk about the rocky start to Diablo 3 Season 19 and the various bugs that they are encountering. Bel and Thalen talk about the Vex Offensive entering the Final Assault in Destiny 2, and how players were expecting it to be something different.  Finally Bel talks a little bit about returning to and playing a bit of the Anthem Cataclysm events.

Topics Discussed

  • Cybertruck
    • Object Still Loading
  • Google Stadia
    • Challenges of Cloud Gaming
    • Unknown Market
    • XCloud / Playstation Now / Parsec
  • Half Life Alyx
    • Half Life 1 ½ 
    • The Failure of VR
  • Pokemon Sword and Shield
  • Diablo 3 Season 19 Issues
  • Destiny 2 Vex Offensive Final Assault
    • Fans Expected Fatebringer 2.0
  • Anthem Redux
Direct download: aggrochat_episode277.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:27am EDT

Tonight we talk about the new Hollow Knight randomizer and also some discussion of games that have randomizers in general.  From there Kodra talks about the return of the DoubleClicks at Geek Girl Con and how chill and awesome of a convention that is each year.  We dive into a discussion about a game we swore was vaporware but actually is freaking awesome… Jedi Fallen Order. We dive a little bit into some talk of the importance of space in games, but it mostly just ends up looping back around to some more Jedi Fallen Order discussion.

Topics Discussed:

  • New Hollow Knight Randomizer
    • Randomized Games
  • Return of the Doubleclicks!
    • Geek Girl Con 2019
  • Jedi Fallen Order
  • Importance of Space in Games
  • More Jedi Fallen Order Talk
Direct download: aggrochat_episode276.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

Tonight we talk about the epic conclusion of a two year long D&D campaign and the setting changing ramifications that come about in this Final Fantasy inspired setting because of it.  From there we dive into the recent Warframe Patch and all of the changes brought about by it. We talk about the Blizzard Shadiness and provide a bit of an update in that department before diving into a discussion of the things that came out of BlizzCon 2019.  We talk Diablo IV, Overwatch 2, and that time when the Lich Queen broke Azeroth and sent us all to the Shadowlands.

Topics Discussed

  • Two Year D&D Campaign
    • Final Fantasy Theme
    • Epic Boss Conclusion
    • Commissioning Artwork
    • The Future of the Setting Going Forward
  • Warframe Patch Update
    • A Rival System 
    • Kuva Lich
  • Blizzard Shadiness
    • Bel’s Greater Theory of how we got here
  • BlizzCon Updates
    • Diablo IV
    • Overwatch 2
    • World of Warcraft Shadowlands
Direct download: aggrochat_episode275.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:27am EDT

We start things up with some discussion of the end of Untitled Goose Game going fully spoiler and also discussing the meta narrative.  Ash talks about PDXCon, specifically Crusader Kings and Stellaris. We talk a bit about Fallout First subscription and how it doesn’t deliver on Private Servers at all in a manner we expected it to.  Lastly we spend the remainder of the show talking about The Outer Worlds the new Fallout-like RPG from Obsidian the crafters of Fallout New Vegas. In closing we are going to be down several folks next week so as a result we are skipping it and picking back up on the 9th.

Topics Discussed

  • Untitled Goose Game Ending
    • Spoilers Beware
    • Meta Narrative
  • PDXCon
    • Crusader Kings III
    • Stellaris Federations rework
    • Surviving the Aftermath
    • Age of Wonders Planetfall Revelations
  • Fallout First
    • Not Actually Private Servers
    • Fallout 76 Money Grab
  • The Outer Worlds
    • Fallout New Vegas
    • Bioshock
    • Dystopian Fiction
    • Capitalism Gone Way Too Far
    • Comparisons to Fallout
    • Firefly References
Direct download: aggrochat_episode274.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 11:00am EDT

Tonight once again we are naming the show off of probably the shortest topic.  Before that however we talk about Blizzard and their continued shadiness with cancelling the NYC Nintendo Overwatch launch party and protests organizing for BlizzCon.  Riot also apparently decides to make one of every game genre with League characters. Ash tries to start something by claiming Ori and the Blind Forest is better than Hollow Knight.  Kodra says he is looking for a new game to replace the fun grind of WoW Classic. He has been playing some ESO with controller and liking it a lot. Bel throws out Lord of the Rings Online and the Deed system as a similarly meaningful grind.  Bel also throws out Destiny 2 and Thalen backs him up in that there is just an insane amount of stuff to do. Finally we wrap up with the titular topic about Billy Mitchell and getting all of his high scores invalidated.

Topics Discussed:

  • Bad Guy Blizzard Update
  • Riot Takes on All Genres
  • Ash picks a Fight with Kodra over Ori and Hollow Knight
    • Replaying Ori on Switch
    • Hollow Knight and replayability
  • In Defense of Grinding
    • Boycott of WoW Classic
    • Elder Scrolls Online with Controller
    • LOTRO and Deed Grinding
    • Destiny 2 Directed Grinding
      • Thalen Backs Bel Up
  • Donkey Kong Score Dispute
    • High Scores Invalidated
    • Regular Show Episode
    • Billy Mitchell Loses Many Lawsuits
Direct download: aggrochat_episode273.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:28am EDT

Tonight we are down a bunch of folks because it is in fact starting to be that time of the year.  We have a bit of a roll over topic largely talking about the potential effects that World of Warcraft Classic has had on other projects.  This was spurred by a new game from Raph Koster that got initial funding, and continues through a series of discussions about what MMORPGs have lost from the classic era.  We also talk about why none of us are currently playing WoW Classic and the Boycott of Blizzard. Finally we wrap up with some discussion about Supergiant’s game Hades.

 

Topics Discussed

  • WoW Classic and its effect on game projects
    • Raph Koster’s new game
    • Brad McQuaid keeps creating the same game
  • What is missing from Modern MMOs
    • The absence of downtime activities
    • Bel’s weirdly small total played number in Destiny 2
  • Ideas surrounding an MMORPG that spans PC, Mobile and Console all integrated and working together.
  • Boycott of Blizzard
    • The Hong Kong Situation
    • Blizz Not Understanding the Boycott
    • The hypocrisy of Blizz’s stance
  • Hades
    • Diablo and Rogue Legacy had a Child
    • Narrated Patch Notes
Direct download: aggrochat_episode272.mp3
Category:gaming -- posted at: 10:32am EDT