Cat Context Podcast

This week Liore, Arolaide, and Ellyndrial.. huh, talk about video games? Weird! Overwatch is celebrating its first anniversary, and Aro reports on the eternal quest for cool skins in lockboxes. She also tried Heroes of the Storm as part of an Overwatch promotion, and has strong feelings on her first MOBA experience. Activision and Bungie announced Destiny 2, and we are… a little excited? Elly is unsure why the game decided to go through the Battle.net launcher, while Liore thinks it’s a smooth marketing plan. Liore played 30 hours of Persona 5 over a three day period, and she’s not ashamed! She talks about why the game is so good and how many monsters look like giant wangs (hint: more than 0). This podcast is also available as an unedited video: * Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years * Aro’s Etsy store

This week Liore, Arolaide, and guest Vajra discuss the role of story in video games. The discussion was inspired by this article — you might want to read it before listening so you know exactly what we’re shouting about. Is the pursuit of a good story hindering game development? Does environmental storytelling really count as a story? Have game writers, thus far, created anything better than a Twilight novel? This podcast is also available as an unedited video: * Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years * Aro’s Etsy store

It’s been three weeks, so how are we feeling about Mass Effect: Andromeda? This week Liore, Arolaide, Ellyndrial, and friend Corranhorn get together to talk about the highs and the lows of forming new colonies in space. This episode does touch on some story spoilers from the first third of the game, and our general impressions of Andromeda and the characters you meet. We don’t give away a ton of early story points, but be aware if you’re very sensitive to spoilers! Is the open world a good idea? Is the Tempest basically a space school bus? And most importantly, which companions are we snuggling??? We answer all the important questions, and talk about how the realities of Andromeda meet or neglect our expectations. (Also, Liam is the worst.) This podcast is also available as an unedited video: * Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years * Aro’s Etsy store

HEY GUYS, GUESS WHAT GAME IS LAUNCHING THIS WEEK? That’s right, it’s time for Mass Effect: Andromeda, otherwise known as Spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace. We recorded this the day before the game launched, so it seemed appropriate to discuss all things Mass Effect. We’re sharing our list of the best and worst companions, including a discussion of why Jacob is just so boring. Also, does anyone remember Vega, because Liore sure forgot about him. We also take on some of the tepid reviews of Andromeda, and discuss how they’ve tempered our expectations, but also how janky animations are not the only reason we love this series. Also, enjoy Aro’s list of Top Five Garruses! Elly’s partner revises his companion list for more Garrus! And Liore… well, it turns out Garrus is one of the few characters she DIDN’T kill in Mass Effect 2. This podcast is also available as an unedited video: * Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years * Aro’s Etsy store

2017 has been a pretty action-packed year for video games thus far! Aro and Elly have been playing new release Horizon: Zero Dawn, and although they both have only put a few hours into it, they seem pretty pleased so far. The two talk about first impressions, and Elly even has a couple of sweet weapon tips. All three of us… have NOT bought the Nintendo Switch. The gang talk about why they passed on the Switch launch experience, and whether they really need a console that lets you play Zelda while at a hipster rooftop wine party. We also discuss the fate of our current portable game devices.. including something called a Vita? Huh. Sony says they’ve never heard of it. We didn’t even intend to talk about Mass Effect: Andromeda, but of course we did. 11 days, people. Eleven days! CALIBRATE YOURSELVES. Also, Aro is actually finishing Mass Effect 3! Elly is kind of over WoW again! Liore gets real mad about Bethesda games, even though she wants to love them! This podcast is also available as an unedited video: * Free Music Archive page for our theme, in THE crowd by The Years * Aro’s Etsy store