Yes, this is something of a make-up episode, since we have been tardy lately. Comically so! But that won't stop us from discussing things that we stick with, even if we don't think they're super great.

Related: we appreciate that YOU stick with us, even when we aren't super great about being on schedule.

Discussed: Caprica, Snake Pass, Battlestar Galactica, The Bridge (FX series), Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears, The Young Pope, Nier, Nier: Automata, The Last Express, Ashes (comic), The paintings of Mark Tansey at the Broad Museum

Danielle would like to apologize for the tardiness of this episode. But! There is a lot of good stuff here, as we discuss games that have made us fall in love with the format all over again. It’s an all-gaming Idle Weekend!

You can find Norco: Faraway Lights (one of our Weekend Projects) here: yutsi.itch.io/norcodemo

Discussed: Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Nier: Automata, Afghanistan 11, Dead Space, Persona 4, Norco: Faraway Lights

Both Rob and Danielle are playing a LOT of games: so many that there aren't even any letters in this episode. This week features a freewheeling discussion of Ghost Recon: Wildlands, genre-jumping in long-running franchises like Resident Evil and Zelda, and open-world design. We only barely mention The Witcher 3 in this one!

Discussed: Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Resident Evil, Dead Space, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Kona, The Campaigns of Napoleon by David G. Chandler, They Can't Kill Us All by Wesley Lowry

It's a very special Idle Weekend, because, not only is Danielle at PAX, but Rob is finishing his first week as an editor at Waypoint! We talk PAX, open-world solutions and games that deal with death in this special, blitz-edition of the show. Note: please don't yell at Danielle for her somewhat crappier-than-usual audio, her travel mic isn't as amazing as her home mic.

Discussed: PAX, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy VIII, Life is Strange, The Witcher 3, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Americans, The Expanse, Olen Steinhauer's mysteries

Today, we are joined by Waypoint Editor in Chief, mech enthusiast and friend of the show Austin Walker, for a whopping 2+ hour idle weekend extravaganza. We talk deconstruction in games, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and The Wire, amongst other things. Stay tuned for a *VERY SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT* at the end of the show!

Titanfall 2, Dishonored 2, Get Out, Breath of the Wild, Stories Untold, Galatea, Aisle, Star Wars: Rogue One, Battlestar Galactica, The Wire, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Life is Strange, Hitman, Alan Wake, The Wire, The Magnificent Seven, Flight

This weekend, we welcome special guest Evan Narcisse to the show, to talk comics, games and books. We're especially interested in conflict in games and comics that *doesn't* come from cartoon bad guys, but instead, a slightly more realistic—and complex worldview. There's a lot of Archie in this one.

Also! Here's the link Evan talks about when we discuss one very special episode of The Expanse Season 2: http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-expanses-executive-producer-tells-us-everything-tha-1792685368

Discussed: Archie Comics, Riverdale, The Lego Batman Movie, Dishonored 2, Life is Strange, Horizon Zero Dawn, Get Out, Legion, The Expanse

This weekend, we talk about our fatal flaws in gaming: sometimes, we need to learn to just use our goddamn BFGs. In other media, we're both digging Legion, and the violent stylings of one John Wick.

Discussed: Hearts of Iron IV, Doom, Dark Souls III, Alien: Isolation, Prey, terrible childhood fables, fitness, agile development, Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman '66, Batman (1989), Batman Returns, Batman v. Superman, Legion, John Wick Chapter 2

This weekend, we get too real about aging, athleticism, and the brutal pain of stat decay, in games and in real life. But don't worry, we manage to have some fun too. And we apologize for the lower-than-usual sound quality—to make up for it, there's a post-episode mini-gush about how much we want to wear cowboy hats and watch Westerns together.

Discussed: Punch Club, Pitch, Sid Meier's Pirates, Overwatch, A Normal Lost Phone, Emily is Away, Tombstone, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

It's time to talk Batman! Well, sort of. Rob is having second thoughts about Batman: Arkham Origins, which prompts a discussion on games that give a very particular kind of feedback during play. Also, Superman Returns is an underrated movie.

Discussed: Batman: Arkham Origins, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Street Fighter V, Metal Gear Solid IV, GTR, Crazy Taxi, BioShock, BioShock 2, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy X, Mafia 3, Papers Please, Superman Returns, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rob is protesting the unlawful executive order on travelers from Muslim countries, so I'm doing a short mailbag episode centered on self-care and giving yourself the space you need to get through the damned day. Keep Weekending, friends.

Discussed: Kingdom Hearts, self-care, The Witcher 3

Games are fun to play and all, but watching—that's where it's at. At least, for some games. This weekend, we're all about the spectator sports, from speedrunning to Hitmanning to eSporting.

Discussed: StarCraft, Overwatch, League of Legends, MMA, Hitman (2016), Final Fantasy VIII, Lady Killer in a Bind, Revolutionary Girl Uetena, Far Cry 2, Neptune's Inferno James, Hidden Figures

There's a lot of existential dread in the world right now, and I think we're all feeling it. It even seeps into our favorite escape, in the form of choice paralysis and gaming guilt. Things get REAL in this episode, about our lives, the place of games, fear of mortality and over-exertion. But don't worry, we also get to fun synth-singing, our favorite games, and our mutual love of sports in other media.

Discussed: The Witcher 3, Mafia 3, Battlefield 1, Star Wars, Yowamushi Pedal, The Natural, Pitch, Creed, Halt and Catch Fire, Hadyn

This weekend, we chatted about the worst—and best—frustrations we've experienced in games, inspired by recent explorations of the great-but-so-unpolished The Last Guardian. Control schemes, systems running beneath the hood, and talk of movies loved and hated round out our weekend projects. So watch where you point that camera, bub.

Discussed: The Last Guardian, Black and White, Resident Evil, Dishonored 2, Thief, Myth, Overwatch, Harry Potter, John Wick, La La Land

This weekend, we're talking about self-care games: what we play when we need to chill out, ease our anxieties and have a breather. So what do we like best? Catching em' all, shooting zombies, and just taking off in a beautiful car, man.

Discussed: Project Gotham Racing, the Self-Care Jam, Sniper Elite: Zombie Army, Pokemon, Dynasty Warriors, X-Com, Dishonored 2, The Witness, Mass Effect, The Witcher 3, Life is Strange, Ultimate General: Civil War, Yuri on Ice, Six Frigates

The Weekenders are here to wish you a very merry Whatever You Celebrate! And also, to count down their most favorite games of 2016. Enjoy!

Discussed: Homeworld: Deserts of Karak, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Dishonored 2, Overwatch, Hearts of Iron IV, Commander: Great War, Even The Ocean, Total War: Warhammer, Event[0], Darkest Dungeon, Mafia 3, Doom, Quadrilateral Cowboy, Banner Saga 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Twilight Struggle, Firewatch, Battlefield 1