Electronic Wireless Show

Gamescom is over and the team have returned. Well, only one survivor has made it back to the podcast room - Alice B, who is here to tell us about Atomicrops, Empire of Sin, The Longing, and a whole lot more! Brendan, meanwhile has been monkeying around at home in Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey. Links: All our Gamescom 2019 coverage: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/gamescom-2019/ Angela Merkel is unwell: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/11/angela-merkel-sits-anthems-after-latest-shaking-episode The Longing is a 400-day game: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/game/the-longing/ The Eternal Cylinder looks wonderfully strange: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/08/16/the-endless-cylinder-launching-in-2020/ Seed is an ambitious MMO city builder: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/08/30/the-games-chasing-eves-vision-of-a-single-shard-mmo/ In Empire of Sin your gangsters can become serial killers: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/06/18/empire-of-sin-preview-e3-2019/ Spiritfarer is

Gamescom is next week, and it will see a few of the RPS treehousers zipping off to Cologne. In this pod, they prepare themselves for the mission ahead. Thumbs at the ready, maggots. Alice is looking forward to playing some Watch Dogs Legion, and seeing how much Laaaaahndaaaan they can fit into their game. Matthew is eager to see the Cyberpunk 2077 demo that was shown at E3, to see what’s what. Links: Matthew and Brendan played Mount and Blade 2 at Gamescom last year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ByrC0GoQrE& Matt played Watch Dogs: Legion at E3: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/06/14/watch-dogs-legion-does-a-good-lahndan-but-the-npcs-left-me-cold/ Desperadoes 3 looks interesting: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/08/21/desperados-3-announced/ Matt had problems with Cyberpunk 2077’s latest demo: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/06/12/cyberpunk-2077s-e3-demo-has-weak-gunplay-and-unimaginative-stereotypes/ The Longing is a 400-day game: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/24/the-be

Streets Of Rogue is a tiny immersive sim full of angry gorillas. We can’t stop playing it. This week, the pod squad are gathering to chat about why they think it’s so good. But also choose their favourite characters, from a drug-addicted investment banker to a tiny naked body snatcher. Also, it’s Astrid’s first appearance! Well, her first time on the main pod, anyway. Plus, a special patch notes quiz! Links: Astrid is our new video person: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/07/17/welcome-astrid-johnson-the-newest-member-of-rps-video/ We can’t stop playing Streets Of Rogue: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/08/02/august-cant-stop-playing-streets-of-rogue/ Brendan’s Streets Of Rogue review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/07/19/streets-of-rogue-review/ The moment Nate swore to play Final Fantasy: https://youtu.be/qIu_e75a6qs?t=2361 Man and mantis can be friends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0_NtUhOw_g Idles are the band that Astrid likes: https://www.youtube.com/user/Idlesband Foll

This week: the best cities in games. Alice B reckons the streets of Dishonored's Dunwall are perfectly safe. Brendan likes the upside-down buildings of the Hanging City from Outer Wilds. Meanwhile, Dave appreciates the big lights and fist fights of Kamurocho in Yakuza 0. We also talk about taxi murder-mystery game Night Call, the roguelike spaceship stormer Void Bastards, and another chaotic city in Streets of Rogue. Links: Everyday life in Yakuza’s Kamurocho: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/08/14/gallery-everyday-life-on-the-streets-of-yakuza-0/ The cat cafe is in Yakuza 6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsuUSUsvRuE Outer Wilds is good, have you played it yet? Hurry up: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/05/29/outer-wilds-review/ A landscape designer inspects the gardens of Dunwall: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/03/02/dishonored-garden-design/ Matt’s Resident Evil 2 review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/01/22/resident-evil-2-review/ New York is cool in the Division: https:/

Horses, that’s this week’s topic. Big galloping buddies full of teeth and flies. Alice B likes the creepy horse from Kingdom Come Deliverance, who appears behind you like a tall ghost. Brendan likes Argo from Shadow of the Colossus, even though it’s NOT ON PC YOU IDIOT. And Sin Vega joins us for the first time to sing the praises of the woman who runs around like a horse in real life. Which is ALSO NOT A PC GAME. Honestly, gang, you have one job. Links: Sin Vega is our new staff writer: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/07/03/welcome-sin-vega-rpss-newest-staff-writer/ Unknown Pleasures is Sin’s regular column: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/unknown-pleasures/ Woman who can gallop like a horse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhlWbnl_qM Ostwind is the game about the 13-year-old with a horse and a crossbow: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/08/03/best-new-steam-games-august-2017/ The battle nug from Dragon Age: Inquisition: https://youtu.be/VoQY0j4SkY4?t=31 The bog unicorn: https://youtu.b

Oh no. This week we're forcing game characters into romantic couples. It's the shipping forecast. Alice L reckons Chell from Portal and Lara Croft would make a good couple, raiding tombs together. Brendan disagrees, putting Lara into a doomed relationship with Adam Jensen from Deus Ex. And Nate thinks the Stardew Valley protagonist would have a four-month affair with the engineer from Factorio. We’ve also been playing stuff. Brendan is clawing through rubbish bins in Pathologic 2. Alice L is enjoying the waves of The Sims 4: Island Living. And Nate has been off to the Baltic in both real life and in Crusader Kings 2. Nice. Links: Dance, Voldo, Dance: https://youtu.be/XNGjSll2_Uc No, they still make Matchmakers: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/search?query=matchmakers Alice L flipping out in The Sims 4 Island Living: https://youtu.be/6NPSlsSUGyc Our Battlefleet Gothic Armada II review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/01/24/battlefleet-gothic-armada-2-review/ Pathologic 2’s spooky train summ

E3 2019 is finished! More importantly, we have almost recovered from E3 2019. To celebrate their convalescence, Alice B and Matt piled into the podcast studio for a 40-minute post-show chat about their favourite games from the show, their thoughts on the many E3 press conferences, and why it's all a bit cult-like, really. Games discussed: Ubisoft's roller derby-derived future sport Roller Champions, Obsidian's stop-getting-the-name-wrong open world RPG The Outer Worlds, and the turn-based tactics of Desperados 3. Plus we talk about Keanu Reeves, inevitably. Links: Roller Champions' E3 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PYfi7DqJZ8 Matt's The Outer Worlds preview from E3: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/06/17/the-outer-worlds-preview/ Matt's Desperados 3 preview from E3: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/06/19/desparados-3-preview/ Brendan and Matt's liveblogs of all the E3 press conferences: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/the-cheerer-and-the-jeerer/ All our E3 2019 coverage: https

E3 is getting started this weekend. Let us be your digital sherpa through the show. Matt and Brendan join Alice B to have a big group natter about the upcoming games. Halo Infinite has Brendan glancing furtively sideways. Alice B is pretending she hasn’t seen Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order when really she has. And Matt is bouncing his knee up and down with nervous excitement for his date with Cyberpunk 2077. Links: All the games confirmed for E3: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/?p=688727 Cyberpunk 2077 demo from last year: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/08/28/cyberpunk-2077-gamescom-2018-gameplay-video/ Halo Infinite is coming to PC: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/06/10/halo-infinite-announced-returning-to-pc/ Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is coming out in November: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/13/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-emerges-from-hiding-this-november/ Watch Dogs 2 was good but probably didn’t need guns: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/12/06/watch-dogs-2-review-pc/

In this Soundbyte, we’re talking sexy, sexy sex games, why they’re interesting, and the queer erasure that comes along with blacklisting them from websites like Twitch. Astrid speaks to Robert Yang, NYU arts professor and renowned gay video game developer about the homophobic portion of his audience. Christine Love talks about the importance of consent through dialogue in her BDSM visual novel Ladykiller in a Bind. And Kenzie Stargrifter shares her excitement about trans cyberpunk porn game Hardcoded. But let's ask them: what makes a good sex game? Links: Robert Yang’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/radiatoryang Hurt Me Plenty itch.io page: https://radiatoryang.itch.io/hurt-me-plenty Christine Love’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/christinelove Ladykiller in a Bind Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/560000/Ladykiller_in_a_Bind/ Kenzie Stargrifter’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/yoplatz Hardcoded Demo itch.io page: https://yoplatz.itch.io/hardcodeddemo My thoughts on Hardcoded: https://www

Let's chat about games about discovery! Matthew likes the oceans and scoundrels of Sea of Thieves. Alice B likes finding things in the smaller locale of Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture. And Brendan enjoys getting his flippers wet in Subnautica. But we’ve been playing some games that fit the theme too. Outer Wilds has got both Matthew and Brendan chewing their cheeks to tell people how good it is. Meanwhile Alice has been poking her head around another abandoned village in Draugen. Links: Sea of Thieves review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/03/23/sea-of-thieves-review-pc/ Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/04/15/everybodys-gone-to-the-rapture-pc-review/ Doom 2016 digress-o-review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/05/16/doom-review-pc/ Thi4f review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/02/24/thief-review/ Subnautica review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/24/subnautica-review/ Sub Culture is an old Ubisoft game: https://en.wikipedia.org/

This week: games you might have missed recently. Alice reckons you might like Glass Masquerades 2, a jigsaw puzzler about stained-glass windows. And Brendan wants more folks to try tiny chess game Pawnbarian. We’ve also been playing stuff. Alice is witholding her Life Is Strange 2 thoughts for another time, but Brendan is ready to spit with frustration at Pathologic 2. Links: Hurling is great: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE Pawnbarian is like Slay the Spire but chess: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/03/15/pawnbarian-is-slay-the-spire-with-less-math-and-more-chess/ John’s Baba Is You review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/03/14/baba-is-you-review/ Brendan’s Objects In Space review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/03/01/objects-in-space-review/ Glass Masquerades 2 is a stained-glass jigsaw puzzler: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/03/25/glass-masquerades-2-puzzle-game-released/ Skater XL is a skateboarding sim, but is it realistic? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2

We’re talking about good friends. Strong companions and fun-loving drinking buddies. Brendan reckons Biggs and Wedge from the Final Fantasies are a good pair. While Katharine enjoys the jibes of Aliya and her robot Six in Heaven’s Vault. But there's lots more. We’re also been playing stuff. Katharine has been rambling through Octopath Traveller, the Switch JRPG soon to be out on PC. And Brendan has been getting his head cut off in Mordhau. Links: The Biggses and Wedges throughout Final Fanatasy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N0L-F3bdMQ Final Fantasy XV’s good boys:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_xTph8Ib_c Alice B’s Heaven’s Vault review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/16/hevaens-vault-review/ Brendan’s Pyre review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/07/28/pyre-review/ Lara’s friendship with Jonah is just one thing Katharine noticed when benchmarking (supporter’s only): https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/01/21/the-weird-things-ive-noticed-when-benchmarking-video-games/ Brendan’s Y

"Time sinks". That’s what we're talking about this week. Games that eat up your precious minutes and hours and days. Nate says Civilization V is the worst contender. Alice B points a cannibalistic finger at Graveyard Keeper. And Graham turns the whole show into a sports podcast by talking about Football Manager. Links: The Yule Lads are terrifying: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icelandic_Christmas_folklore#The_Yule_Lads Graveyard Keeper is like Stardew Valley but in a cemetery: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/08/15/graveyard-keeper-farming-sim-out-now/ Football Manager is best played when you take it too seriously: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/02/the-joy-of-taking-football-manager-far-too-seriously/ Sunderland ‘Til I Die trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLU7aNFp65M Forager review: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/26/forager-review/ Spaceplan is the funny potato clicker game: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/08/11/spaceplan-is-cookie-clicker-launched-into-orbit/ Th

This week is all about treachery, traitors and multiplayer backstabbing. Graham tells the story of his traitorous actions in sci-fi strategy game Neptune’s Pride. Brendan enjoys the double-crossing of Eve Online. And Nate remembers the turncoat star fighters of Star Wars: Tie Fighter. Links: Have you played… Star Wars: TIE Fighter? https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/10/30/have-you-played-star-wars-tie-fighter/ The Neptune’s Pride chronicles: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/01/02/neptunes-pride-the-complete-epic/ Subterfuge is the same sort of thing but not on PC boooo: http://subterfuge-game.com/ EVE Online is a game of constant betrayal: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/09/29/how-eve-online-theft-ended-in-death-threats/ Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas characters modded into Resident Evil 2: https://youtu.be/Rnd7kB8gkTg?t=12 Nate’s Imperator: Rome review: Toca Boca looks like a full-colour migraine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DdfXVzhTDU Mario is a traitor: https://twitter.com/game

You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qIu_e75a6qs This podcast takes place in a real room in front of a real audience! At Rezzed in London, we thought it’d be fun to re-enact three of the most memorable scenes of PC gaming, exactly as you remember them. Three 100% faithful adaptations of the most notorious moments in our hobby. Honest. Links: Nate is our new writey man! https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/author/natecrowley/ He writes our Dwarf Fortress diary: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/dwarf-fortress-diary/ And a let’s play of Ancient Greek Punishment: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/05/lets-play-ancient-greek-punishment-teaches-typing-is-as-hellish-as-it-sounds/ Our favourite games at Rezzed: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/11/our-favourite-games-at-egx-rezzed-2019/ The first EGX Rezzed Olympics: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/12/the-first-annual-rps-olympics-at-egx-rezzed-2019/ The weird controllers of the RPS room at Rezzed: https://www.rockpape

That quiet sobbing is coming from the RPS treehouse. Alec has left us. And John is leaving later this month. The boards will creak no more with the weight of their knowledge. The last of the old guard is waving goodbye. But we grabbed them for one last podcast, and forced them to tell us their proudest work, and to pass on their wisdom of over a decade in games journalism. They might be off, but the treehouse they’ve built will remain. (If you're wondering "where is episode 77?" - it was a live podcast, but don't worry, we'll upload it soon) Links: Alec is already gone :( https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/04/09/thank-you-and-goodbye-alec-meer/ The secret history of Rock Paper Shotgun: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/the-secret-history-of-rps/ Telstar, the song that definitely started it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryrEPzsx1gQ RPS was once staunchly anti-ocean: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/22/no-oceans-call-for-worldwide-release-dates/ John’s interview with Peter Molyneu

Sometimes you change your mind about a game partway through. John realised the caves of Spelunky weren’t so bad after all. Alice B’s feelings on the castles of Dark Souls flip-flopped all over the place. And Brendan’s early scepticism about the Yakuza games was eventually washed away. We also have time to talk more about Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. And the Bloodlines sequel! John and Alice recently saw a demo for the vampirism RPG , and they are quietly excited to see how it turns out. Links: What is in Cuphead’s cup head? https://www.videogamer.com/features/what-is-in-cupheads-cup-head Yakuza Kiwami won Brendan over: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/02/11/yakuza-kiwami-pc-review/ The Twin Princes from Dark Souls 3 are horse s***: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk6mzf240Ew The best clips of Getting Over It: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2018/01/18/the-best-of-the-internets-attempts-at-getting-over-it/ Brendan’s review of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/03/27/se

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is the new demi-Souls from those sadists at From Software. It’s about being a ninja with a sword and a grappling hook for an arm. Matthew and Brendan have played a few hours. Here’s what they think of it so far. They've also been playing some of The Division 2. They like the bullet-dodging and don’t care much about its vague political hand-waving. The shooty robots are what matter most. Links: Matthew and Alice L play a bit of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rAJef6F4RY 7 ways Sekiro is cruel and kind: https://youtu.be/0U7LWvaFYhc Brendan’s review of The Division 2: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2019/03/19/the-division-2-review/ Where do you go after you Baumgartner? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvbN-cWe0A0

Warning: contains some icky eyeball chat... Be proud of your achievements! Even if they are just in a game. Matt is proud of getting all the achievements in Spelunky. Brendan is pleased he got through Alien: Isolation at all. And Alice B was proud of her victory over the deadly final boss in Fight Night Champion. We’ve also been playing stuff. Brendan clicks buttons in galactic sim Objects In Space. Alice is nosy in the 80s Britain of first-person snooper The Occupation. And Matt has been slicing up demons in action spectacle Devil May Cry 5. Links: Alien Isolation is scary: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/09/25/alien-isolation-game/ The eye bit in Dead Space 2 is horrible, but OK, if you must: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9crCGMh4j9g Spelunky speedrunning is impressive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLYBtpwiE_M OlliOlli 2 is good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmkspv2Do_s This is a waveboard: https://youtu.be/1kmsFu24ivE?t=30 Fight Night Champions’ final boss is not messing around: ht

LIES. Not a game is made without some use of smoke and/or mirror. Dave’s favourite lies come from Frog Fractions, which seems to be a child’s maths game. Brendan likes how enemies in shooters are programmed to miss. And Alice enjoys cheeky-but-friendly lies, such as the “chance to hit” something in XCOM. We’ve also been playing games. Alice and Dave have been frowning at Anthem. But we’ve also been liking Ape Out. Links: A good Twitter thread about developer trickery: https://twitter.com/Gaohmee/status/903510060197744640 Frog Fractions might be the best game of all time: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/10/25/frog-fractions-might-be-the-greatest-game-of-all-time/ Never heard of Frog Fractions 2 but here’s a cool game called Glittermitten Grove: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/01/05/frog-fractions-2-review/ The Frog Fractions 2 ARG spnned 23 other indie games and lasted two years: https://kotaku.com/the-two-year-mystery-is-over-this-is-frog-fractions-2-1790505179 The “permadeath” of Hellblad