Electronic Wireless Show

The crew were in San Francisco last week for the Game Developer's Conference, where they spoke to developers and gambled on the results of the annual awards show. Now they’re back to tell you all about their Stateside adventures. Between sessions of Far Cry 5, of course. Adam chatted to Civ IV creator Soren Johnson about his upcoming 4X game. John spoke to Paul Neurath, the creator of Ultima Underworld II. And Brendan was at the awards ceremony at the Independent Games Festival, where he quizzed Tim Schafer. None of these people actually feature in the podcast, but look at all the names we've dropped! Links: All our GDC 2018 coverage so far: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/gdc-2018 Have you played… Ultima Underworld II? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/14/have-you-played-ultima-underworld-ii/ The Fe and SteamWorld people are the same now: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/25/steamworlders-merge-with-fe-folks-to-create-thunderful/ Emily Short’s interactive fiction columns: https://w

With the release of Warhammer: Vermintide 2, we decided to celebrate the lovable dirtbag of videogames. The lowly, filthy, wonderful rat. Adam respects the helpful rats of Dishonored, who take the blame for all unusual noises. Matt likes the swag-carrying Loot Rat of Vermintide 2, who scurries away as you pursue it. And Brendan vents his disappointment at the Rat King of Dark Souls 2, who’s just a normal rat with a posh accent. But who among the three of our hosts is a rat themselves? Find out (and play along) in our squeaky quiz. Links: Dishonored 2 review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/11/14/dishonored-2-review-pc/ A Plague Tale has the best rats: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/02/08/a-plague-tale-innocence-rats/ Vermintide 2 is grimdark ultraviolence at a spectacular scale: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/03/09/vermintide-2-is-grimdark-ultraviolence-at-a-spectacular-scale/ Warhammer expert on why we all love the Skaven: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/09/01/total-war-war

Best pals John and Brendan discuss friendship in videogames. What characters feel like close buddies to them? John felt a kinship with Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins and a lesser attachment to Lydia from Skyrim. Whereas Brendan was habitually close to an undead woman in Dark Souls who sold him poisonous arrows. John also enthuses about animated adventure Chuchel and recommends Ion Maiden, a new retro shooter from 3D Realms. Brendan, on the other hand, comes up with some fictional scenarios between iconic videogame characters. Would J C Denton get along with Adam Jenson? Listen to find out. Links: The Ridealongs: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/ridealong/ Agony aunt Anna Rayburn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Raeburn Alistair from Dragon Age: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Alistair Lydia vs a Gate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTMwjYgJsFQ The life and death of Lydia in Skrim: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/21/skyrim-lydia-death/ Stardew Valley review: https://www.rockpapers

This week the team is snowed in. So let’s talk about the weather. Blizzards, thunderclouds, sandstorms and, er, night-time? All of it classifies as weather to us if it appears in a game. Adam likes being warm while looking out at the frosty cold in survival game The Long Dark. And Brendan likes the blizzards of Viking strategy game Northgard and the foggy, windless days of sailing sim Sailaway. John, however, thinks the weather should stop. There’s no reason why everything should be covered in smog, nor our hands and feet detached from the cliffside by Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s annoying rain. But we've also been playing lots. Assassin's Creed: Origins, Vagante, All Walls Must Fall, Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength, Street Fighter V, and Where The Water Tastes Like Wine - all come under scrutiny. Links: The joy of Witcher 3’s great outdoors: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/06/16/the-joy-of-the-witcher-3s-great-outdoors/ Adam and Brendan’s road trip in The Crew: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/201

This week the gang are talking JRPGs, or Japanese role-playing games to use words. Does a game have to be made in Japan to be a JRPG? Or does it just need bright colours and turn-based battles? We seek to understand the true meaning of the genre by stumbling over dozens of games and deciding whether or not they’re allowed into the JRPG treehouse. Katharine reckons if it isn’t made in Japan, it can get out. Adam thinks the US-made Anachronox counts. And Brendan is happy to apply the label to Undertale, or anything with lots of townspeople to speak to. Links: Spawn point - The best JRPGs for beginners: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/02/16/spawn-point-the-best-jrpgs-for-total-beginners/ Have you played... Anachronox? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/09/30/anachranox-retro/ It’s on GOG if not! https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/03/15/the-wait-is-over-anachronox-is-on-gog-com/ Final Fantasy XV is coming to PC soon: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/16/final-fantasy-xv-pc-release-date

We're talking morality. Paragons, renegades, sith, jedi, and everything in between. Matt thinks the decision to reprogram the Geth in Mass Effect 2 is full of complexity. Brendan prefers the moral drudgery of being an Arstotzkan border guard in Papers, Please. Whereas John enjoys being bad in Knights of the Old Republic. We also play a game in which John and Matt are put through the confessionals of Catherine. Who is "Lawful" and who is "Chaotic"? Thanks to Tom Frederick for suggesting the topic of 'morality'! Links: Killing the Geth in Mass Effect 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiaedZF72gg Bastard of the Old Republic, part one: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/02/22/bastard-of-the-old-republic-on-eurogamer/ Have you played… Soma? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/17/have-you-played-soma/ Soma’s safe mode has no monsters: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/12/01/soma-safe-mode-update-released/ Who is HK-47? http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/HK-47 Functionalism??????? https://www.youtu

They lurk, they creep, they skulk and weep. This week the team is talking about their favourite monsters in games. Alice reckons you can’t beat a good Dark Souls skeleton. And Katharine tells us about a demon in Okami. Meanwhile, Adam ponders the gameiness of movie monsters like the sex curse of It Follows. But we’ve also been playing monstrous things. Slay the Spire gets more praise from Alice the acrobatic stabber. Adam has been tracking a gigantospider in Hunt: Showdown. And Katharine has been acting most monstrously, playing games on a Nintendo. Links: The RPS verdict on DOOM: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/06/07/doom-pc-review-2/ Final Fantasy’s bomb: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Bomb_(creature) Official Rock Paper Shotgun policy as regards to skeletons: https://twitter.com/rockpapershot/status/960861687887908864 Dark Souls has some good skeletons: http://darksouls3.wiki.fextralife.com/Root+Skeleton Look, these ones are wheels: http://darksouls3.wiki.fextralife.com/Skeleton+Wheel Ok

We're talking about remakes, remasters and recurrent nightmares. What would we like to see remade? Katharine wouldn’t mind a spruced up Deus Ex. Brendan thinks a rejigged Assassin’s Creed could work (how perverse). While Adam doesn’t want any of his loves remade, lest they pollute his fond memories (OK, maybe Pathologic 2). However, the real question is what games from today will be remade in the distant future? Links: Remaking old adventure games is bad, says Ron Gilbert: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/22/when-is-it-ok-to-remake-a-classic-game/ Okami HD review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/12/18/okami-hd-review-pc/ Pathologic remake confusingly renamed Pathologic 2: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/08/31/pathologic-remake-renamed-pathologic-2/ Have you played… Doom II? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/05/24/have-you-played-doom-ii-hell-on-earth/ How Doom’s Glory Kills maintain momentum: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/07/15/doom-glory-kills-mechanic/ Everything yo

The answer is no, by the way. But there are so many examples of bad survival games that it’s important to remember the good ones. Adam wraps himself up in the Long Dark, while Matt gets sea sickness from Subnautica. But it’s not all barbequed pork chop and pointy sticks. Brendan is enjoying card game roguelike Slay the Spire. Adam is climbing a mountain in tough platformer Celeste, and Matt is second guessing the intentions of the cyberpunk heroes of The Red Strings Club. And, bonus: We've also got Quickfire Questions with Charlie Cleveland of Subnautica developers Unknown Worlds Entertainment. Links: The Long Dark is survival at its brutal best: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/01/09/the-long-dark-sandbox-review/ Subnautica review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/24/subnautica-review/ The Forest is beautiful and terrifying: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/01/18/the-forest-review-early-access-2/ Zelda’s hardcore survival island: https://tay.kinja.com/breath-of-the-wilds-eventide-isla

We speak to Charlie Cleveland, director on underwater survival game Subnautica about why there are no guns in their game and why "terror" is a better way to describe the depths than "horror".

It's a party podcast this week and you are all invited. Adam likes the shouting and panic of co-op chef game Overcooked. Alice enjoys throwing people around paddling pools in Jelly Stompers. And Brendan will always adore the playdough wrestlers of Gang Beasts. But it's also a minigame special. We've got two new quizzes. One called Pure Steamin' and the other called, er, Patch Alice. What a good party.

Listen up, 2018! The team have a list of demands and they're not leaving until you've delivered. Or until the one hour playtime is up, whichever comes first. Adam wants more surprises and creativity from big developers, but also Pathologic 2. Alec desires something that will confound and delight him as much as Twin Peaks. And Brendan wants a large city to explore, maybe Cyberpunk 2077. Our listeners also shout their demands, making the list quite a long one. But you had better deliver, 2018. Or else. Links: Dead Cells was our game of the year: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/12/25/best-pc-games-of-2017/25/ Steam's 100 bestselling games of 2017: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/02/biggest-steam-games-2017/ Platinum self-publishing games of their own: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/03/platinumgames-self-publishing/ Have you played... Anatomy? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/10/23/have-you-played-anatomy/ The games that channel Twin Peaks: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/20

The team discuss the worst games they've played in 2017. John thinks the misogyny of House Party puts it firmly in the bin, and Brendan is still wiping the red dust from his eyes after woeful survival game Rokh. But Matt can't bring himself to call any game terrible, not even Star Wars Battlefront 2. It's not all negative vibes, however. We've also been smiling at pretty and poignant Gorogoa, climbing a mountain in Getting Over It, and shooting our way through Destiny 2's Curse of Osiris expansion. Links: Edith Finch is good, actually: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/24/edith-finch-secret-stories/ Star Wars Battlefront 2 multiplayer review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/21/star-wars-battlefront-2-multiplayer-review/ Mass Effect Andromeda review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/20/mass-effect-andromeda-review/ Don't play Agents of Mayhem: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/08/15/agents-of-mayhem-review/ Or martian survival game Rokh: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017

The pod squad chat about some of the most overlooked and underappreciated games of this year. Katharine thinks head-in-a-sack sim Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice might qualify, while Adam praises the unsettling tales of Stories Untold. Brendan just wants more people to slap in skinny biffing game Absolver. We've also been playing the magical realist family chronicle What Remains of Edith Finch and naval tactical battler Mare Nostrvm. Links: Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/08/12/hellblade-senuas-sacrifice-review/ Stories Untold review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/02/28/stories-untold-review/ The joy of Absolver's fight clubs: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/21/absolver-social-combat/ Absolver's most insulting move is a slap: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/09/11/absolver-slap-how-to-learn/ Get Even review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/06/30/get-even-review/ Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com

The team look at some upcoming games of 2018. Adam is looking forward to smashing big robots with other, bigger robots in Battletech. Matt wants to make trousers from dinosaur skin in Monster Hunter World. And Brendan forgot all about the surreal isometric detective game No Truce With The Furies. We've also got some chat about viking strategy Northgard and some more love for FTL follow-up Into The Breach. Plus, our quiz Patch Adam is back! Links: Surreal detective game No Truce With The Furies: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/02/13/no-truce-with-the-furies/ Turning dinos into pants in Monster Hunter World: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/09/01/monster-hunter-world-preview-pc/ Anthem looks borrrrring: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/06/11/anthem-e3-2017-reveal-trailer/ But Frostpunk looks good: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/06/26/frostpunk-preview-survival/ The Crew 2 is accidentally a transformers game: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/06/12/the-crew-2-e3-gameplay-trailer

Let's talk about "running away". Ie. games that encourage you to flee from danger, rather than face it. Adam runs from the soldiers of ARMA. Brendan scarpers from poor odds in For Honor. And Alice only *pretends* to run away in Playerunknown's Battlegrounds. We also have some Quickfire Questions with Zach Barth of Zachtronics about their alchemy-based puzzler Opus Magnum. Links: How do Alien Isolation's lockers work? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/12/18/alien-isolation-lockers/ Overwatch's cowardly hacker, Sombra: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/11/04/overwatch-hero-sombra-finally-revealed-in-animation/ Outlast 2 review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/04/24/outlast-2-review/ Have you played... Metal Gear Solid V? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/09/20/have-you-played-metal-gear-solid-v-the-phantom-pain/ Have you played... Company of Heroes? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/03/28/have-you-played-company-of-heroes/ How Rimworld generates great stories: https://www.rockpape

We like Opus Magnum, the new alchemy-based puzzler from Zachtronics. So we decided to have a chat with developer Zach Barth about it. We also talk to him about researching life in China, his short stint at Valve and the reasons he sold his studio.

The team have accidentally overdosed on EA games, and they don't like it. You could say they're in a ... critical condition! Ha ha ha. But seriously, don't buy the new Need For Speed. Links: Need For Speed Payback is really very terrible indeed: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/14/need-for-speed-payback-review/ ‘We don’t attempt to be too serious’, says Need For Speed developer: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/08/25/need-for-speed-payback-preview/ Have you played… Burnout Paradise? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10/21/best-burnout-game/ EA respond to loot crate concerns: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/10/13/ea-respond-to-star-wars-battlefront-2-loot-crate-concerns/ Battlefront 2 cuts hero unlock costs: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/14/star-wars-battlefront-2-hero-unlock-costs-reduced/ For Honor ups steel rewards after threatened boycott: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/04/02/for-honor-update-increases-steel-rewards/ A Way Out, the co-op prison escape game:

The team assemble to pass judgement on the latest shootwar, Call of Duty WWII. John says single player is better than usual and our multiplayer reviewer Matt says he misses the jetpacks. Meanwhile, Brendan has concocted a war-based quiz game. There's also time to horse around in the ancient Egypt of Assassin's Creed Origins, which has psychic eagles, glittering unicorns and a nice photography mode. Links: Call of Duty WWII single player review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/03/call-of-duty-ww2-review/ Call of Duty WWII multiplayer review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/08/call-of-duty-ww2-multiplayer-review/ Wolfenstein 2 review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/10/26/wolfenstein-2-the-new-colossus-review-pc/ Assassin's Creed: Origins review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/01/assassins-creed-origins-review-pc/ The photo mode is real good: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/11/02/assassins-creed-origins-photo-mode/ But the animals are weird: https://www.rockpape

Oh no, Brendan is sick. That means there's no new episode this week. But we don't want to leave you hanging, so we've ventured down to the dusty audio archives and pulled out a recording of an old misadventure. Arma 3 is a realistic military sim. But one of its mods, Altis Life, is a strange world in which players become police officers, ambulance drivers and outlaws. In this Ridealong, Brendan joins one of the island's bandits on a cross-country jaunt that ends, unsurprisingly, in bloodshed. Links: A written version of the Arma 3 ridealong: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10/16/altis-life-my-ridealong-with-a-rebel/ All our Ridealongs: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/ridealong/