Wardcast

We return for the second half of our honorable mentions bracket, here to decide our top ten honorable mentions this year. Join us as we duke it out over our favorite niche, obscure, and underrepresented games from 2018! Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

New in 2018, it’s our latest and greatest end of the year show: The Honorables! It’s here where we discuss all the overlooked and underappreciated games that we played this past year and find our favorites in a double elimination bracket. Each host submits a list of ten games comprised of up to fifty percent games that didn’t make it into our Best Games Played list and the rest chosen from any other game we played this year. Join us in part one as we find out which games blaze a path through the upper bracket and which games have to find new life in the lower bracket next episode. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

We’re back with the Wardcast Best Games Played for the third year running, here to discuss and debate the ten best games played for 2018. The rules are simple: each host brings their personal ten favorite games from this past year. Any game played during 2018 is eligible regardless of release date. We’ll eliminate games one by one in a fight to the death, until we uncover the true winners. Join us as we share our superhottakes, explore the wonders of warketing, and challenge our warring marmies on our journey to the best games played. Awards include Most Majestic, Deepest Dive, Greatest Mechanical Reach, Greatest Redemption, Clearest Purpose, Freshest Storytelling, Best Antics, Best Remix, Most Charming, and Best Evolution. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

For our final regular roundtable of the year, we decide to do some mop-up on any and all games we missed out on talking about this year. Alex glows about the sunlight in his hands, Will takes us down to Fartburg, Dylan chats about the GameCube Plug ‘n Play, and we end with a bombshell of an announcement. Games include Star Wars, Satan’s Hollow, Golly! Ghosts!, Total Nuclear Annihilation, Bubble Bobble, Wild Riders, Super Monkey Ball, Gunblade, X-Men: Children of the Atom, Final Fantasy XV, Dragoon, Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand, Dark Souls Remastered, Spike City, Part Time UFO, Dr. Mario, Mega Man 11, N++, Super Mario Sunshine, You Are Jeff Bezos, Tetris Effect, Jackbox Party Pack 5, and Space Hell (Working Title). Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Dylan is joined by Patrick Klepek — senior reporter at Waypoint and champion of The Quiet Man. Patrick discusses his thoughts on a previous article he wrote about being both an Internet personality and a reporter, his relationship with his fans, and the eternal search for authenticity, as seen in things like the Thrillist article about trying to find the best burger in America. (We’d also be remiss if we didn’t include this additional information that came about about the owner of Stanich’s — the restaurant discussed in the Thrillist piece — and his history of domestic abuse.) We also talk about the continued democratization of both games media and game development; Jessica Price’s article, “In search of real criticism," and our rejection of the idea that there is no good contemporary games criticism; and Patrick’s favorite games he’s played this year as well as his personal spin on a game of the year list. Games include The Quiet Man, Yoku’s Island Express, Moss, Astro Bot Rescue Mission, and Vampyr. Go

This week, Dylan is joined by the team at Space Mace Games — Zachary Johnson, Robert Frost, and Tommy Sunders — developers of Joggernauts! The guys chat about the game dev scene in Minneapolis, what it was like developing for the Switch and creating a relationship with Nintendo, their art pipeline for the game, the importance of doing the convention circuit, and working with their publisher, Graffiti Games! Games include Joggernauts, Ghost Dentist VR, Breaker, and Red Hot Ricochet. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

On a reflective episode, Dylan is joined by Kahlief Adams — host of Spawn On Me! We discuss some podcast inside baseball — including how to run shows that include social and political topics, our goals for 2019, and awesome opportunities we’ve had from being podcasters, which wouldn’t be possible without the many mentors and friends Dylan and Kahlief wish to thank for helping them along the way. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Kevin Regamey — co-founder and creative director at Power Up Audio — swings in to talk all things audio design. Kevin discusses audio solutions they’ve provided to games in the past and present, including Towerfall Ascension, Crypt of the NecroDancer, Tooth and Tail, Celeste, Descenders, Super Meat Boy Forever, and Tunic. We also converse about other great examples of modern audio design, such as Spider-Man’s exertion-based dialog performance, dynamic interruption systems, dialog hierarchies, and 2D sound occlusion. And we make sure to make mention of Kevin’s small contribution to Homestuck, how audio can provide accessibility options to a player, the usage of formants in Celeste, and Reel Talk — Kevin’s audio design feedback show. Games include Red Dead Redemption II and A Way Out. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

This week, Dylan is aided by the impeccable talents of experience designer Nelson Johnson and video game attorney Noah Downs. Together, they tackle a big topic: the conversation revolving around Rockstar’s labor practices on the heels of Dan Houser stating that the team worked 100 hour weeks during the development of Red Dead Redemption II. We discuss top level management’s role in building a culture of overwork and blind acceptance of the treatment of their developers, and we imagine what the future could possibly look like with an organized work force. We also talk about horse crashes, marble streams, Noah’s time at TwitchCon, and Nelson’s new podcast, the Video Game Book Club. Games include Red Dead Redemption II, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Half-Life. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

In the lead up to Best Games Played, we decided to dedicate most of an episode to talk about God of War, a game that recontextualizes a historically gratuitous and overwrought franchise, revealing greater depth that was first hinted at with its predecessor, God of War III. It contains a suite of skill sets that combine for some interesting combat experiences, all wrapped within one of the best narratives we’ve played this year. So in case it wasn’t obvious, this episode will spoil the entirety of God of War. Listen at your own risk! Games include God of War, Thumper, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Kingdom Death: Monster, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Monster Hunter: World, and Part Time UFO. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Frank DiCola — artist on puzzle game Where Shadows Slumber and founder of Game Revenant — returns to the podcast after the release of their game on iOS. Frank lets us how the game’s been doing since he last joined us at MAGFest. He also chats about strategies to promote a mobile game on the Apple App Store, how and when to respond to negative reviewers, and the New York City indie and game convention scene. Games include Where Shadows Slumber. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

In an emergency roundtable, we’re joined by Justin Mitchell and Robby Ciszek to talk Metroidvanias in eternal development, stories of childhood friends stealing our games, and the future of consoles. The indiepocalypse strikes back — with an article by Polygon realizing that (gasp!) there are too many games, GameIndustry.biz providing a poor solution to the problem, followed up by Zach Gage and Brandon Keogh’s thoughts on the matter. We also discuss an update on the Telltale saga, our thoughts on a Harry Potter RPG, and more. Games include Thumper, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Super Dodge Ball, River City Ransom, Super Mario Bros. 3, Chasm, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Dragon Quest: Builders, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Joining us this week is Kevin Snow — narrative designer and creator of Southern Monsters. With Hurricane Florence still a fresh memory, we talk about the threat of natural disasters making you feel financially exposed — especially when you work freelance. Kevin further talks about their work on Where the Water Tastes Like Wine; the spectrum of narrative design in games, from holistic design to scene and dialog writing; their games writing influences, including Twine works from Porpentine and Michael Lutz; and their games criticism work on Waypoint and CapsuleCrit. Games include Subserial Network and Extreme Meat Punks Forever. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

This week, Matt “2Mello” Hopkins — composer, sound designer, and artist — joins us to discuss the ins and outs of audio. From working on soundtracks and compilations to differentiating composition work from sound design, we run through the gamut of audio work in games, including Mello’s conscious effort to take a step away from the industry due to its pervasive labor issues. Mello also discusses his podcast, The Sample Study, his dream of becoming a sample historian, and the joys and stresses of running a podcast. Games include Marvel’s Spider-Man; Subsurface Circular; Get in the Car, Loser!; and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

In a busy week in the games industry, we start off discussing the unfortunate closures of Capcom Vancouver and Telltale Games. We discuss the legacy these studios left behind, the mismanagement at Telltale that led to its fate, and the ever increasing need for labor representation in games. In other news, another Nintendo Direct passed us by, bringing with it new announcements and new questions. What does Peachette mean for the Mario canon? When’s Tom Nook coming to Smash? Who’s going to pay for Nintendo Switch Online? The PlayStation Classic is here to feed on your childhood nostalgia, and we squeeze in some last minute games before we close the gate on considerations for Best Games Played 2018. Games include Mega Man 11, Super Mario Bros. 3, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner M∀RS, WitchWay, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, Destiny 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Donut County. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Adriel Wallick — organizer of Train Jam — joins the cast to talk anything and everything about trains, from running Train Jam to working with Amtrak, as well as all the traveling she does nationally and internationally via trains and not trains. We also discuss a fear of heights and a hatred of clowns, associating music albums with particular games, young millennials and old millennials killing industries with gusto, and a short return to talking about how great Infinity War is. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

We wish Alex a happy birthday this week with a celebratory car towing and a PAX story time, including plane movies, convention security measures, Metal Wolf’s chaos, the tale of The Quiet Man, and Riot’s culture of sexism. We express disappointment in We Happy Few, excitement for Untitled Goose Game, and Switch it up with added talk about some good ol’ ROMs before Nintendo pulls them all from the digital shelves. Games include Untitled Goose Game; Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!; Metal Wolf Chaos XD; Samurai Gunn 2; Kids; Knights and Bikes; Wilmot’s Warehouse; King of the Hat; God of War; We Happy Few; Okami HD; Darksiders III; Mechs vs. Minions; Enter the Gungeon; Dead Cells; Super Mario Odyssey; Kero Blaster; Mother 3; The Urbz: Sims in the City, and Destiny 2. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

On a very special episode, Dylan reconvenes his Train Jam team from this past spring. Joining him are Keaton White, managing director for Abyssal Arts; Matt Gambell, founder of Skatanic Studios; and Craig Barnes, freelance composer. We start the episode as we always do, with a transatlantic weather check. We then move on to to discuss everyone’s current projects: Keaton’s team is currently releasing their first game, City of the Shroud, an episodic strategy game with fighting game-style combat. Matt talks about his success with his first game: RPG Tycoon, while currently pitching his second game, Living the Deal. Craig discusses his most recent projects: making music for Nano Golf and Streets of Rogue. We round out the episode talking about our experiences working on our Train Jam game, Track Trek, our time at GDC, and more! Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

At the Cat Theatre, Dylan Ilvento, Kahlief Adams, Austin Walker, and Felix Kramer convene the first ever Hidden Gems of PAX West. We talk about pizza mechs, dancing reapers, and a whole lotta golf — follow along with the panel slides here. From the panel description: “Whether it’s your first PAX or your fifteenth PAX, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by just how much the show has to offer. Let us help you out by pointing you in the direction of everything cool, new, and unexpected. Using our collective knowledge of game development and game criticism, we’ll share and discuss some of the biggest surprises on the show floor that you won’t want to miss.” Games include Zarvot, Pizza Titan Ultra, What the Golf?, The World Next Door, Thousand Threads, Darq, UFO 50, Wattam, Black Future ‘88, Fork Parker’s Crunch Out, Felix the Reaper, Star Renegades, and Solace State. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!

Join us as we welcome to the show experience designers Ruthie Edwards and — for the first time ever — Nelson Johnson! We discuss the ageless Ash Ketchum, Ruthie’s New York City summer full of game fests — from Practice to PlayNYC, and what a Waluigi game could look like. Next episode: Hidden Gems returns for PAX West! Join Dylan Ilvento, Kahlief Adams, Felix Kramer, and Austin Walker as they showcase everything cool and unexpected at the show! Games include Zen Pinball 3D, Detective Pikachu, Pokémon Quest, Dead Cells, Mafia III, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Killer Queen Black, Flight Simulator, Chef Umami, Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker, Cities: Skylines, Mario Party, WarioWare Gold, Holy Potatoes! A Weapon Shop?!, Potatoman Seeks the Troof, Domestic Dog, and Dig Dog. Got a question for the show? Join us on Discord at ward-games.com/discord or email us at contact@ward-games.com!