The Waypoint UK Podcast

The 16-bit era, honestly. So many good times. Good times that we’re both reviving and ruining on this episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast by putting Sega’s Mega Drive—Genesis, if we must—against the Super Nintendo in a points-based battle to the death. Only nothing actually dies. Save, perhaps, for the respect any listeners had for the people assembled to do this.   Why we’re doing this: because the SNES Mini is a thing, and it’s out in September at the same time as the Sega Genesis Flashback, another diminutive system pre-loaded with a bunch of games (the differences being the Flashback has a slot to play original cartridges, and the SNES line-up out of the box is so, so much better). It’s war, again! Sort of. Look, it’s enough for us to talk about punching bins to get roast chickens.   On the podcast alongside senior ed Mike (hi) are Ian Dransfield and Steve Burns, two former games journalists with plenty of opinions on Sega and Nintendo’s machines of the early 1990s (and before, and beyond). Warning: there will be mention of Altered Beast. Just the worst. There is also some bad language other than Altered Beast. Sorry.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

No messing about, straight to business. This episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast finds Mike (me, hi) chatting about some of the best games of 2017 so far in the company of two marvellous guests—VideoGamer.com’s content editor Colm Ahern and Fandom gaming editor Sam Loveridge. They’ve played a bunch of games. I’ve played a bunch of games. Let’s talk a bunch of games.   And we do.   Up for discussion: a range of titles both massive, bona-fide blockbuster of proportion, and a handful of strange and small affairs that might qualify as hidden gems. Among them: Detention, Horizon Zero Dawn, What Remains of Edith Finch, Night In the Woods, ARMS, Breath of the Wild, Monument Valley 2, Injustice 2, Prey and more. From point and click to point and shoot, we cover several bases (in conversational butteriness). Like and subscribe, yo! Am I doing this right?  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Growing up. We all do it. And the games industry is doing it, too. Kids who lived and breathed games in the 1980s and ‘90s are now 30- and 40-somethings, perhaps with kids of their own. The time they once had to enjoy video games has been compromised, irreversibly altered. So: how do you, how do we, deal with that? And just what is the best way to nurture a future Mario Kart champion? Answers, people. We have some of them here.   Waypoint’s senior editor Mike, himself a father of two, is joined for this episode by Ellie Gibson (Dara O Briain’s Go 8 Bit, The Guardian, Eurogamer, Scummy Mummies) and Gareth Dutton (Making Games Is Fun, Chat Very Good), both of whom also have two children. They’ve also both contributed to Waypoint/VICE in the past, too, with words, photographs and presenting skills, so it’s a treat to have them on the podcast.   Discussed: what games are good to share with kids, and which should we shield them from; how our time with games changed once these small people came into our lives; how the industry has evolved to better appreciate the parent gamer; the increasing attraction of so-called casual games; and a whole lot more.   It’s an hour, thereabouts, of terrific chat, with just an occasional swear so, probably, don’t actually play this within earshot of an impressionable minor.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s almost time for E3—so that’s what we’re talking about on this episode of the fortnightly Waypoint UK Podcast.   On the show: regular host Mike Diver, alongside E3 veteran Steve Burns (back for a second show running, after our Max Payne 3 special) and bright-eyed newbie Tom Regan, who’ll be flying out to LA for the first time in 2017 to cover the terrific cacophony of New Video Game Stuff.   We talk about expectations for the Scorpio, where Nintendo goes with the Switch, Sony’s potential VR push, whether certain big-hitters will show up at all, who the expo is really for in 2017, and the absolute state of the toilets.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast is (almost) entirely focused on Max Payne 3, as Rockstar’s 2012 instalment in the Remedy-created noir shooter series.   This podcast contains spoilers, obvs.   Waypoint’s Mike Diver is joined by Steve Burns and Ed Smith – two people with a lot to say on the state of Payne by his third run out, both positive and negative. We look at the character, the relationships he builds – and sees torn down – the settings of the game, how it actually plays, what it cost to make (and we don’t just mean in terms of money), and much more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our guests on this fortnight’s Waypoint UK Podcast are games writers, critics, presenters, all-round games media renaissance types Kate Gray and Andi Hamilton. Both of whom do plenty of other things beyond send us the occasional article. But right now, we’ve got them locked in a room at VICE’s London HQ, microphones turned on and tea going tepid. There are biscuits, at least.   Prey, newly suited and rebooted by Dishonored developers Arkane, is almost out—and we’ve been playing it. Well, as much of it as we can. Pretty good, basically. But is it any more than simply BioShock in space? Which, bizarrely, is actually the UK marketing angle. Yes, and no. Listen, and learn.   We also get into our favorite Alien series games, what with Alien: Covenant being right around the multiplex corner. Imagine if your only experience of the Alien movies was Prometheus. Painful, huh—but a pain that Kate lives with day in, day out. (Kate, seriously, watch more...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Right. Persona 5’s been out a while, and Nier: Automata and Breath of the Wild, too. So for this episode of the UK podcast, Kate Gray and Sayem Ahmed are, alongside the regular nasal noise of Mike discussing as many pros and cons about those games as is possible in about an hour and a quarter.   There are so many spoilers in this podcast, seriously guys, so many spoilers. So if you don’t want spoilers, for any of the above games, go and listen to something else.    Sayem, alas, can’t join us “in the studio”, so do forgive the audio quality on his Skype call. But as the man who interviewed the directors of both Persona 5 and Nier: Automata for Waypoint, he’s absolutely the right dude to be talking about these awesome games, right now.   Kate, meanwhile, has plenty to say about Zelda. As do I (and yes, I have a bit of a cold), especially on its unexpected really dark side. And there’s more besides! We address some...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of the fortnightly Waypoint UK Podcast, senior ed sort Mike Diver and regular co-conspirator Kate Gray are joined by Paul Kilduff-Taylor of Oxford’s Mode 7 Games, to discuss the studio’s forthcoming releases: Frozen Synapse 2 and Tokyo 42.   The former is the sequel to Mode 7’s breakout hit of 2011, a simultaneous tactics strategy game that’s honestly easier to play than it is to properly explain, which earned massively celebratory reviews from the likes of Edge and Eurogamer. Well done, that game. Frozen Synapse 2 promises to deliver “open-world tactics” when it comes out later in 2017, and looked pretty grand from the whole five minutes of it that I saw at this year’s Rezzed.    Probably out before that is (the pictured above) Tokyo 42, made by the two-man team of SMAC Games and the first game to be published by Mode 7. Now this I did play a fair chunk of at Rezzed, and while my keyboard control skills are...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hey, you. Welcome to a bonus Waypoint UK Podcast, recorded live at London’s Rezzed show—a wonderful place where a plethora of indie video games, and their makers, come together with players to have three days of sharing, caring and, hopefully, just a little raving.   On this podcast, James Brown of Boneloaf, makers of mirth-filled multiplayer beat ‘em up Gang Beasts, and Rex Crowle and Moo Yu from Foam Sword, who are producing the wonderfully cute Knights and Bikes, join us—“us” being Mike Diver and Waypoint regular Kate Gray—to talk about all manner of stuff. Stuff like: getting your game out there, dealing with publishers, the indie community, Brexit’s potential impact, and the sacrificing of family pets.   As we chat a little about Brexit, expect a swear word or two. Sorry about that. It's almost entirely Mike's fault.   Do also listen out for terrible regional accents and just the occasional pop and fizz in terms of audio quality, as...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Note! There are spoilers for Horizon Zero Dawn's story in this episode. Mute it between 1:08 and 1:12 if you want to avoid that.   On this episode, Mike (me, hi) is joined by Waypoint’s On the Level columnist Ed Smith—also a regular writer for Edge, and editor at Bullet Points Monthly—and Sam Loveridge, gaming editor at Fandom in the UK.   Sam’s been playing a decent chunk of Mass Effect: Andromeda—although, it’s worth noting that this podcast was recorded before the game was released, so she’s coming at it mostly from a preview perspective. Ed, meanwhile, gives us his thoughts on Ubisoft’s latest open-worlder (without towers!), Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Spoiler: he didn’t like it very much.   Also up for discussion: Nier: Automata, a little Breath of the Wild, Stories Untold, Night in the Woods and Persona 5. We also find time to have a look at the UK’s forthcoming BAFTA Games Awards, and what does, or...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

You might have noticed that a new video games console launched earlier this month. We certainly did, at VICE’s London office. So I invited a couple of Nintendo experts from the games media world over, and had a good chinwag about Switch, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and much more besides.   Lending their voices to and articulating their opinions on this podcast are Simon Miller, freelancer extraordinaire and a returning guest, and newcomer to the ‘cast Rob Leedham, UK editor of Stuff magazine.   Don’t fret, Zelda players—we don’t get super spoilery or anything. If we had, Simon would have pounded us. We definitely do mention DOOM, though. In March 2017. Because we’re at the very vanguard of video game releases.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's February. And February means Valentine's. Which for some people is a Very Good Thing. For others, Not So Much. But what it definitely means is that we can talk about love and snogs and honks and bonks in video games, over the years, in episode five of the Waypoint UK Podcast. Waypoint senior editor Mike Diver is joined by regular contributor around these parts Kate Gray, beside radio presenter, gaming enthusiast, The Football Ramble host and Monkey-Island-tattoo-haver Pete Donaldson. Up for discussion: Kate's new column for Waypoint, Kiss and Tell. Bagpiping (don't Google it). Ladykiller in a Bind. To shag or not to shag when offered the chance to shag in role-playing games. The greatest love affairs of gaming past and present. What Master Chief looks like under all that armor. And games that are actually out on February 14th, none of which seem to have a lot to do with copping off (more blowing things off, things like ballsacks). Follow our guests on Twitter at @hownottodraw...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The latest episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast—as always hosted by the site’s senior editor Mike Diver (who is me, hello)—welcomes Laura Kate Dale of Let’s Play Video Games and several freelance gigs and Julian Benson of Kotaku UK to go over what it takes to break news in the gaming industry, when publishers and PRs are doing whatever they can to keep information under wraps.   Is reporting on new console—the Nintendo Switch, for example—and software leaks a legitimate public service, or does it comprise a kind of spoiler for gaming fans who like to be surprised at high-profile system launches? What boundaries do gaming journalists forever fear crossing—and which do they stride across without concern for “blacklisting” or any other professional relationship fallout? What happens when a developer shows you something off the record, but it’s just too good to keep quiet about? When is breaking an NDA okay? What do you do when you have a console in your house, boxed, but...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this bonus episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast, senior editor Mike Diver is joined at VICE’s London office by Alice Bell of Videogamer, Chris Bratt of Eurogamer, and Alysia Judge of IGN to discuss some of 2016’s most impressive video games.   You can absolutely expect to hear conversations about Overwatch, Watch Dogs 2, Dishonored 2, XCOM 2, other games that aren’t sequels, Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Inside, Event[0], Uncharted 2 (not a typo) and The Flame and the Flood. And more! It lasts for an hour and 20 minutes! It’s a lot of podcast!  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s not often you get to sit down for a full hour with someone who’s not only seen the games industry grow and blossom over the past four decades, but who’s actively influenced and directed its course. But here we are: the new Waypoint UK Podcast is 60 minutes in the company of Ian Livingstone.   Ian’s career began in the mid-1970s, when he founded Games Workshop. Working initially from a London flat, he helped popularize Dungeons & Dragons in the UK and Europe, with Games Workshop the sole licensed importer of the game at the time. To me, personally, he’s most loved as the co-creator of Fighting Fantasy, a series of game books that spearheaded the choose-your-own-adventure genre in the 1980s and ‘90s. (How I devoured those books as a kid.)   Ian’s worked extensively in video games, too—it was under his guidance at Eidos Interactive that the Tomb Raider and Hitman franchises took their first steps. With 2016 representing the 20th anniversary of Tomb Raider, we discuss...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.