Games

Our Favorite Games of 2018: Austin and Natalie Don’t Know How to Shut Up

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Welcome to Waypoint’s End of Year celebration! This year, we’re digging deep into our favorite games with dedicated podcasts, interviewing each other about our personal top 10 lists, and reflecting on the year with essays from the staff and some of our favorite freelance contributors. Check out the entire package right here!

God. We. So… So here’s the thing. We. Hrm. Incredibly deep breath.

When we first discussed doing this new end of year format, one of the things we liked about the focus on podcast discussions was that they would be a tight, focused way to critically dig into our favorites while still keeping the discursive flexibility of conversation between friends. The plan was for each of these to be between 30 minutes and an hour long, regardless of if we were doing an episode on a single game or one on our respective top 10 lists.

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Natalie and I went for nearly three hours. Look.

On the plus side: This means that we had ample time to dive into everything we wanted to talk about but didn’t have the chance to yet this year. We talk Red Dead Redemption 2, the critical apparatus of the game’s industry, and the terrible power of polish. We talk anime gacha games and the pull of comfort play. We talk about giant robots, queer bodies, and utopian ontologies. And, uh, we the final 45 minutes or so of the podcast going deep into Undertale spoiler territory.

I guess what I’m saying is: Thank you for your patience. And enjoy?

Discussed: Into the Breach, BattleTech, Monster Hunter: World, Hollow Knight, Hitman 2, Minit, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, Sea of Thieves, No Man’s Sky: NEXT, Heaven Will Be Mine, Picross 2, Ashen, Frozen Synapse 2, Slay the Spire, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Tetris Effect, Dead Cells, Undertale, Bloodborne, Danmachi Memoria Freize, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1–4, Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, Minecraft, Unexplored, Celeste

You can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you’re using something else, this RSS link should let you add the podcast to whatever platform you’d like. If you’d like to directly download the podcast, click here. Please take a moment and review the podcast, especially on iTunes. It really helps.

Interaction with you is a big part of this podcast, so make sure to send any questions you have for us to gaming@vice.com with the header “Questions.” (Without the quotes!) We can’t guarantee we’ll answer all of your questions, but rest assured, we’ll be taking a look at them.

Have thoughts? Swing by Waypoint’s forums to share them!