This evening's show is a bit of an odd one, but we are living in very interesting times within other interesting times.  We start off with some discussion about choosing a game controller with a good D-Pad and how most just use 4 independent microswitches these days.  This leads into a discussion about Celeste and Kodra attempting B-Sides.  From there we talk about Crying Suns which effectively feels like a more mature version of FTL.  Then we deep dive into why Games are extremely important and what happens when “Players” start applying the same system breaking logic to the real world.  What we witnessed with the GameStop stock is precisely what gamers do best, evaluating a system, findings its weaknesses, and then exploiting the hell out of them for fun and profit.  This leads to one of the stranger conversations we have had but one that is nonetheless interesting.

Topics Discussed

• Controllers with good D-Pads
• • Missing Retail for Testing Controllers
• Celeste 3rd Anniversary
• • B-Sides
  • Classic 2
• Crying Suns
• • FTL 2.0ish
• Why Games are Important
• • GameStop Stock
  • Applying Game Breaking Principles to Real Life
  • Trolling the Stock Market
• Changing Demands and Goals
• • The Fall of industries like Diamonds
  • The Rise of Electric Cars

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

Topics Discussed

• Nerts - Competitive Solitaire
• Dragon Age Inquisition
• • Maybe the best Dragon Age
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
• • Maybe the best Warriors Game
• Nickelodeon Nostalgia
• • Nick Knacks on PopArena Channel
  • What was the Golden Age
• Should WoW and FFXIV Go Free to Play
• • Benefits of Free to Play
  • MMO Game Design Discussion
• Guild Wars 2 Discussion

Tonight we have a bunch of toppings that have been hanging around on the list for awhile.  We talk a bit about the announcement that Riot is making an MMORPG and our general thoughts about that.  Bel talks about the need for Attract Screens in game and this leads into a discussion about Tutorialization in games.  From there we venture forth into how exactly you teach a non-gamer how to play games and if games are too complicated right now.  Bel talks a bit about how much he misses F-Zero and why Mario Kart actually won the battle of the racing game that Nintendo cares about.  From there we talk about the vast array of experiments Nintendo is doing right now surrounding Mario.  Bel talks about revisiting Jedi Fallen Order and we wrap things up with a discussion about struggling to find a good tabletop cyberpunk game.

Topics Discussed

• Riot is Making an MMO
• Game Attract Screens
• Teaching Game Mechanics
• Gaming for Non Gamers
• Pining for F-Zero
• Why Mario Kart Won
• Mario Experimentation
• • Mario Legos
  • Mario Kart Live
  • Super Nintendo World
• Revisiting Jedi Fallen Order
• • Mouse and Keyboard
• Finding a Cyberpunk Tabletop Game
• • Genesys
  • Shadowrun
  • Cyberpunk
  • Storyteller games

Tonight we continue our tradition of recording the Games of the Year show.  Each year we pick three games that were the most significant for us during the previous calendar year.  Additionally we throw in some honorable mentions, and then a list gets compiled of those choices and roughly sorted into games with the least overlap to the games with the most picks. This year we surprisingly have a game that every single member of the podcast chose as either a pick or an honorable mention.  We talk about nineteen games in total.

Topics Discussed

• Games of the Year Picks
• • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Cryptic Sudoku
  • Cyberpunk 2077
  • Death Stranding
  • Half Life: Alyx
  • Ooblets
  • Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX
  • Ring Fit Adventures
  • Animal Crossing: New Horizon
  • Crusader Kings 3
  • Final Fantasy VII Remake
  • Ghost of Tsushima
  • Phantasy Star Online 2
  • Yakuza: Like a Dragon
  • Genshin Impact
  • Hades
• Honorable Mentions
• • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Disco Elysium
  • Guild Wars 2

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

Topics Discussed:

• Mechwarrior 5: Multiplayer
• Why Forced Stealth Missions are Bad
• • Revisiting the Topic
• Space Court
• VR and the Valve Index
• Half-Life: Alyx
• Games we Missed Playing this Year
• Trying Dragon Age Inquisition Again