Bad End

Remember when we thought games could be art? BAD END remembers. This episode, we're hanging out with Dan Solberg, who recently finished putting together DED LED - a free zine/compilation of articles from the now-defunct website called "Kill Screen" that we all used to write for. We also talk about Fortnite, gamers, Dragon Quest, and Nier. Check out DED LED here: https://dedled.itch.io/dedled 6:48 - Nier: Automata 16:00 - Fortnite, WoW, and lasting virtual worlds 42:23 - Dragon Quest XI 49:43 - DED LED, Kill Screen's legacy Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

Videogame maker and critic Tim Rogers (@108) is here, so naturally this is the longest episode of BAD END to date... and folks, tim rogers voice IT's LONG. We talk about Dragon Quest 11, Donut County, God of War, videogame criticism, dealing with internet comments and Bioshock. 1:11 - Tim Rogers' Wikipedia Page and "New Games Journalism" 17:20 - God of War and The Perfect Videogame Length 25:00 - Donut County 30:14 - Dragon Quest XI 47:15 - On Internet Commenters 1:01:00 - On Videogame Review Systems 1:18:25 - Bioshock Infinite 1:28:35 - The Last of Us 1:35:42 - The Art of Videogame Translation 1:59:35 - Getting Ahead of The Commenters Music is "Taboo" by Seiho

This week, in the process of discussing Magic The Gathering: Arena, we solved gamergate sorta!!! We also talk about Dead Cells and the ESSENCE of platformfeel, then we got a couple special sections as we rag on enthusiasts, and then finally, run a couple ASMRs through your sweet headphone cans. Buckle up your Clarks Desert Boots, put on your Sennheisers or Audio Technicas, and get ready for Bad End 30! 2:49 - MTG Arena (in which we solve gamergate) 26:39 - Dead Cells and the essence of the 2d platformer 38:24 - Getting mad about PC and enthusiast culture 52:20 - ASMR corner Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho

It's BAD END 29 and this one is a frickin banger yall, we got special guest and film/games critic extraordinaire Astrid Budgor to talk about shooter games, indie games, and Christopher Nolan films with us. We also talk about how crappy Crafting has become as a thing you do in games, and discuss 'gamer humor' in its many iterations. Lots of funny in-jokes about gamer stuff in here so don't miss it!! 3:54 - Mothergunship 14:06 - Holedown 27:40 - No Man's Sky NEXT 40:25 - Metal Gear Solid 1, 2 48:10 - OWL Finals 59:25 - Reader Mail: The value of games 1:07:16 - Reader Mail: The Dark Knight (Chris Nolan hate train) 1:14:36 - Reader Mail: Why does crafting suck? Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

Summer is actually boring as hell so far games-wise, but luckily we've got special guest Nicole (@sweetpotatoes) Carpenter to talk us through the upcoming Overwatch League Playoffs. Listen for some utterly captivating chatter about esports, energy drinks, mobile gaming, frames per second, and affiliate marketing. 4:20 - Fern Flower 19:00 - Prey 34:29 - Sonic Mania Plus 47:08 - Overwatch League Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

WE ARE BACK brahs!! This episode, we're talking about hella games, dude! Grab your surfboard and chill with us as we slip slide into conversation about Yoku's island express and the use of genre in games, then some discussion of Mario Tennis Aces, which is very much a tennis game that feels good to play. Then we talk about Cultist Simulator and ~~diversity in games, thanks to some good-vibe reader mail. 7:30 - Yoku's Island Express 37:55 - Mario Tennis Aces 53:00 - Cultist Simulator 1:07:53 - Reader Mail - Diversity in Games Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

In this episode, we make the crucial mistake of asking: "Why do we play videogames?" It's clearly not for competent social commentary, as Detroit: Become Human shows us. It's not necessarily for compelling experiences, as House Flipper shows us. And it might not necessarily be to choose-our-own adventures, as The Witcher 3 shows us. Join us in BAD END 26 as we wrestle with (and ultimately fail to) come to terms with all these questions and more. 2:30 - House Flipper 16:35 - Detroit: Become Human 42:35 - Fortnite / PUBG reader mail 57:37 - The Witcher 3 reader mail Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

New week, new idols to burn to the ground. Josh thinks strategy games are for egomaniacs, Caty trash talks the Walking Dead, and Kyle criticizes the original Star Wars films. We also got some reader mail and took the opportunity to criticize nerd culture, which is proving to be one of our favorite hobbies. 1:34 - Frostpunk (do strategy games suck?) 14:30 - State of Decay 2 (actually surprisingly good?) 27:27 - Quick God of War rant (the ending sucks) 31:55 - Maple Story 2 34:58 - Battlefront 2 43:48 - Rage 2 46:19 - Paratopic 50:55 - Reader mail: Frustrations with pop culture Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho

To be honest with y'all, this episode might as well be the God of War special. But it goes places! We talk taste, criticism, AAA gamerdom, and (thanks to a dope bit of reader mail)the futile hunt for Gamer Legitimacy. 8:09 - God of War 55:30 - Spy Party 1:06:09 - Halo 3 Online 1:12:59 - Reader Mail Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho

Upon learning that Kyle has never heard of Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, arguably THE most popular gamer of our time, we had to grill him about it. But that's not until the second half - before that, we discuss Sea of Thieves and ~monetization, as well as the lasting appeal of PUBG in the BR zeitgeist. Final note: If you're a streamer listening to this... don't do racial slurs on stream anymore lol 6:03 - Sea of Thieves 25:00 - PUBG's new map 53:10 - Kyle doesn't know who Ninja is??? Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

We were at the Game Developers Conference(at least Kyle and Caty were), so we grabbed a mic and talked with friends for a few minutes. Come hang out and meet some cool cats while we talk games, conference vibes, and social anxiety. Featuring @juliemuncy23, @ChelleEhrhardt, @metallicaisrad, @AndMoser. Music: TABOO by SEIHO

Alright folks Caty's back and we're ready to be serious games critics again. This week we're talking about the new Jason Rohrer joint, that one game written by Games Twitter, and the card dungeon crawler thing that just came out. Let us know if you have any input on the title too - our agent is telling us we should try to be more SEO friendly. 6:36 - One Hour One Life 22:20 - Where the Water Tastes Like Wine 36:10 - Slay the Spire 48:25 - Into the Breach 1:02:24 - Kyle's Mobile Corner Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho

Caty's gone, so Kyle and Josh went back to basics and had some good old fashioned BOYS TIME!! So whip out your slightly-loose-fitting jeans, tighten up that bowtie, take a sip of that IPA, curl that moustache, and let's have some MAN FUN! 6:17 - Cultist Simulator 12:48 - Subnautica 23:02 - Pillars of Eternity 31:15 - Dragonball FighterZ 34:31 - The Things Us Gamer Boys Like Music: "Classic Man" - Jidenna ft, Roman GianArthur

Caty, Josh, and Kyle team up with games critic Yussef Cole to talk about Cuphead, difficulty in games, LABOR, and not one, not two, but THREE games about climbing a mountain. 3:47 - Cuphead 10:25 - Celeste 39:55 - Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy 53:40 - On outsourcing and the global game development industry Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

So for some reason, we got our hands on an advance copy of Red Dead Redemption 2 and we're reviewing it this episode! Very cool game. We also discuss Celeste and AGDQ, so come get in on this early #discourse and learn more about one of the biggest releases of the YEAR. 7:38 - AGDQ 2018 21:18 - Celeste sidebar 34:28 - REVIEW: RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A PARODY REVIEW AND WE DID NOT ACTUALLY PLAY RDR 2 PLEASE DONT SUE US ROCKSTAR

The gamers have stopped being heinous for a moment, so for this episode, we look to the future and assess the state of gaming in 2018. With Renowned Games Reporter Matt Kim in tow, we discuss what's "On Tap" (as we say in the biz) for the industry in the coming year. 4:35 - Doki Doki Literature Club 11:14 - Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy 22:00 - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 39:35 - I am Setsuna 41:14 - Nier: Automata 47:15 - Gorgoa 52:39 - 2018 Predictions: PUBG 57:22 - 2018 Predictions: Videogame journalism pessimism 1:09:18 - 2018 Predictions: Nintendo's challenges, Lootboxes 1:19:01 - 2018 Predictions: The PUBG of 2018 1:22:20 - 2018 Predictions: RIP 3DS 1:27:10 - Kyle is dumb 1:31:23 - A Gamer's Wish for 2018 Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

This ain't your little brother's GOTY special, so sit back and enjoy a fine recap of the pretty damn not-bad Gaming Year that was 2017. Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho

Whatever happens this episode, it's been a true pleasure to podcast to such fine listeners. In this sixteenth BAD END installment, we talk Animal Crossing, Destiny 2, and tying up loose ends at the end of the year. Then, for the second half, we hunker down and rate the controversies of the year. So buckle the hell up folk's. 4:00 - Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp 21:12 - Caty's year-end marathon, Kyle's Steam Sale purchases 34:00 - Mario Odyssey post-credits 39:10 - Controversies of the year 41:18 - ME:A 46:32 - HZD 54:18 - pdp 59:09 - Hellblade Permadeath 1:07:55 - EA Battlefront stuff again 1:33:30 - Destiny 2, FINALLY ADDRESSING OUR EMAILER Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

Mario. Wolfenstein. Pokemon. Destiny. Star Wars. We're real gamers, and we're here to h*ckin' prove it! Join us as we discuss whether these games are actually good, and then listen to us laugh about people who think buying loot crates is gambling. 2:44 - Super Mario Odyssey 30:10 - Destiny 2 35:43 - Magikarp Jump 43:20 - Wolfenstein 2 The New Colossus 1:00:26 - EA WENT AND DID THAT!!! #gambling Intro/Outro music is TABOO by Seiho Break music is 3 31 from the Persona 3 OST

IT'S VIDEO GAME TIME KIDS. Josh is headed out of town for a couple weeks and BAD END will be out until mid-November, but we wanted to devote some time to talk over our hype on the Fall deluge of games, from Wolfenstein to Mario to Assassin's Creed. Also, don't forget to vote on Twitter (@badendpodcast) to determine who gets to give the official BAD END review score for each of these games! 0:41 - Super Mario Odyssey 7:48 - Assassin's Creed Origins 18:45 - Wolfenstein: The New Colossus Music: Super Mario World - Overworld Theme (GFM Trap Remix) Zelda Lost Woods (Trap Remix)