Episodes
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The 16-bit era, honestly. So many good times. Good times that weâre both reviving and ruining on this episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast by putting Segaâs Mega DriveâGenesis, if we mustâagainst 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 weâre doing this: because the SNES Mini is a thing, and itâs 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). Itâs war, again! Sort of. Look, itâs 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 Nintendoâs 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.
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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 guestsâVideoGamer.comâs content editor Colm Ahern and Fandom gaming editor Sam Loveridge. Theyâve played a bunch of games. Iâve played a bunch of games. Letâs 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?
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Growing up. We all do it. And the games industry is doing it, too. Kids who lived and breathed games in the 1980s and â90s 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.
Waypointâs senior editor Mike, himself a father of two, is joined for this episode by Ellie Gibson (Dara O Briainâs 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. Theyâve also both contributed to Waypoint/VICE in the past, too, with words, photographs and presenting skills, so itâs 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.
Itâs an hour, thereabouts, of terrific chat, with just an occasional swear so, probably, donât actually play this within earshot of an impressionable minor.
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Itâs almost time for E3âso thatâs what weâre 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, whoâll 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, Sonyâs 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.
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This episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast is (almost) entirely focused on Max Payne 3, as Rockstarâs 2012 instalment in the Remedy-created noir shooter series.
This podcast contains spoilers, obvs.
Waypointâs Mike Diver is joined by Steve Burns and Ed Smith â 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 â and sees torn down â the settings of the game, how it actually plays, what it cost to make (and we donât just mean in terms of money), and much more.
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Our guests on this fortnightâs 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, weâve got them locked in a room at VICEâs 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 outâand weâve 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, huhâbut a pain that Kate lives with day in, day out. (Kate, seriously, watch more...
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Right. Persona 5âs 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 donât want spoilers, for any of the above games, go and listen to something else.
Sayem, alas, canât join us âin the studioâ, 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, heâs 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 thereâs more besides! We address some...
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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 Oxfordâs Mode 7 Games, to discuss the studioâs forthcoming releases: Frozen Synapse 2 and Tokyo 42.
The former is the sequel to Mode 7âs breakout hit of 2011, a simultaneous tactics strategy game thatâs 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 âopen-world tacticsâ when it comes out later in 2017, and looked pretty grand from the whole five minutes of it that I saw at this yearâs 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...
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Hey, you. Welcome to a bonus Waypoint UK Podcast, recorded live at Londonâs Rezzed showâa 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 âem up Gang Beasts, and Rex Crowle and Moo Yu from Foam Sword, who are producing the wonderfully cute Knights and Bikes, join usââusâ being Mike Diver and Waypoint regular Kate Grayâto talk about all manner of stuff. Stuff like: getting your game out there, dealing with publishers, the indie community, Brexitâs 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...
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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 Waypointâs On the Level columnist Ed Smithâalso a regular writer for Edge, and editor at Bullet Points Monthlyâand Sam Loveridge, gaming editor at Fandom in the UK.
Samâs been playing a decent chunk of Mass Effect: Andromedaâalthough, itâs worth noting that this podcast was recorded before the game was released, so sheâs coming at it mostly from a preview perspective. Ed, meanwhile, gives us his thoughts on Ubisoftâs latest open-worlder (without towers!), Tom Clancyâs Ghost Recon: Wildlands. Spoiler: he didnât 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 UKâs forthcoming BAFTA Games Awards, and what does, or...
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You might have noticed that a new video games console launched earlier this month. We certainly did, at VICEâs 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 âcast Rob Leedham, UK editor of Stuff magazine.
Donât fret, Zelda playersâwe donât get super spoilery or anything. If we had, Simon would have pounded us. We definitely do mention DOOM, though. In March 2017. Because weâre at the very vanguard of video game releases.
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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...
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The latest episode of the Waypoint UK Podcastâas always hosted by the siteâs senior editor Mike Diver (who is me, hello)âwelcomes Laura Kate Dale of Letâs 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 consoleâthe Nintendo Switch, for exampleâand 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 crossingâand which do they stride across without concern for âblacklistingâ or any other professional relationship fallout? What happens when a developer shows you something off the record, but itâs 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...
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On this bonus episode of the Waypoint UK Podcast, senior editor Mike Diver is joined at VICEâs London office by Alice Bell of Videogamer, Chris Bratt of Eurogamer, and Alysia Judge of IGN to discuss some of 2016âs most impressive video games.
You can absolutely expect to hear conversations about Overwatch, Watch Dogs 2, Dishonored 2, XCOM 2, other games that arenât 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! Itâs a lot of podcast!
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Itâs not often you get to sit down for a full hour with someone whoâs not only seen the games industry grow and blossom over the past four decades, but whoâs actively influenced and directed its course. But here we are: the new Waypoint UK Podcast is 60 minutes in the company of Ian Livingstone.
Ianâs 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, heâs 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 â90s. (How I devoured those books as a kid.)
Ianâs worked extensively in video games, tooâit 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...
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The VICE Gaming Podcast is no more. Since we moved over to our own website proper, the one youâre looking at now, we thought weâd best rename what weâre doing over here. So here we are: the debut Waypoint UK Podcast. Makes sense, right?
This episode of the UK podcastâa monthly affair for the time being, although weâd love to make it more regular if you guys want it more oftenâfocuses on the newly released Football Manager 2017, the latest entry in the hugely successful boss sim franchise from London-based Sports Interactive.
On the podcast this month, beside Waypoint senior editor Mike Diver, is Grant Appleyard, senior producer on Football Manager 2017 and a Sports Interactive veteran having joined the studio in 2001. Also joining us is VICE Sports UK editor Jim Weeks. We talk about our own Football Manager memories, the gameâs amazing depth, and just how recent political eventsâBrexit, the election of Trumpâcould be simulated in this and future...
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VICE Gaming's UK editor Mike Diver is joined by Steve Burns, deputy editor at Videogamer.com, and VICE's own Joel Golby to talk about PES vs FIFA and all things virtual kicking, No Man's Sky and whether or not we're quite ready for it - we recorded this just before it came out - and also if we're into the Amazon-thrashing Nintendo Classic Mini. (We are, a bit.) Expect some swearing because sometimes grown men do that sort of thing (sorry).
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VICE's Mike Diver and Digital Spy Gaming Editor Sam Loveridge discuss the best and worst bits of E3 2016. The food: junk. The toilets: OK if you weren't a guy. The games: there were several, like Horizon Zero Dawn, God of War, The Last Guardian, Forza Horizon 3, Sea of Thieves, the new Zelda. Expect us to be talking about this, and more. Follow Sam on Twitter at apacherose3, Mike at MikeDiver, and VICE Gaming at VICEGaming.
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VICE Gaming editor Mike Diver welcomes journalists and presenters Kate Gray and Steve Burns to VICE's London office to discuss some of the best video games of 2016 so far, plus some titles that we're looking forward to between now and Christmas. Expect chat about Hitman, Oxenfree, Pro Evolution Soccer, DOOM, Uncharted 4 and triangles, the scariest shape of them all.
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For the fifth VICE Gaming Podcast, editor Mike is joined by another Mike, Bithell, the creative force behind Thomas Was Alone and Volume, and State of Play's Daniel Fountain, developer on the BATFA-winning Lumino City. Join us for indie games chat - on meeting expectations, on the race to embrace virtual reality, and what it takes to even get an indie game made and out there to buy.
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