Shall We Play a Game?

After their debut on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” JJ and Chris continue their serial review of “Fallout 4,” a podcast miniseries that is now beginning to approach the length of the real “Serial.” Did Chris betray the Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad, or the Institute? Why is JJ more forgiving of the narrative failings of Bethesda and BioWare games than of indie games like “Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture”? Does he secretly find pleasure in the mundanities of inventory management? A mildly spoiler-y discussion of our (still unfinished!) playthroughs of “Fallout 4.”

Peter Suderman–a senior editor for Reason magazine, a cultural critic for Vox, and a Bethesda superfan–talks about his first 40 hours in the Commonwealth. Are the crafting menus and inventory systems in “Fallout 4” obtuse, or a subtle nudge to promote player creativity? JJ divulges why he has built a bureau to house weapons in the middle of a Sanctuary street. Then, Chris and JJ review “Cibele,” Nina Freeman’s autobiographical vignette about sex and virtual worlds. They (politely?) disagree.

“Fallout 4”: Our favorite sidequests and companions after two weeks in the Commonwealth. Plus, Ian Bogost on his new book, “How to Talk About Videogames.” It’s a double album. Forgive us? It’s still much shorter than “Fallout 4.”

“Fallout 4” is almost out, and we’ve played it. Or some of it. JJ and Chris have each put about 20 hours into “Fallout 4,” which will be released on Tuesday. We have some impressions. We try not to spoil the game, because it’s virtually impossible that you’ve played any of it. Then, Chris talks to Kotaku’s Evan Narcisse about “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” to find out if he should have spent last week playing Lara Croft’s newest adventure instead.

JJ and Chris are prepping an episode about “Fallout 4” and “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” so here is a remix of two of our favorite segments, plus some new listener mail: Slate books and culture columnist Laura Miller talks about her “Don’t Starve” obsession; JJ plays “This War of Mine” and compares it to his experiences as a war correspondent; and (and this is new) a listener with suggestions for games that Jesus would love.

Tina Amini, the recently departed deputy editor of Kotaku, joins the show to talk about her playthrough of the newly released “Halo 5: Guardians,” the second “Halo” game from 343 Industries. Then, Bob Whitaker, a historian of Britain at Louisiana Tech and the host of the YouTube series “History Respawned,” talks to Chris about the historical accuracy of “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” Spoiler: Victorian London needs more prostitutes.

In an unprecedented feat for Shall We Play a Game?, we have a release-day review of “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate,” the newest entry in Ubisoft’s long-running game of historical tourism, if tourists spent most of their time murdering. Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo shows up, too, to talk about why he can’t stop playing these games. Plus, listener mail–about whether a video game could found a major world religion.

Chris Delay and Mark Morris of Introversion Software drop by to talk about their acclaimed simulator “Prison Architect,” which finally exited Steam’s Early Access program this month. With the growing discussion of mass incarceration in the United States, do Americans experience the game in a different context than players in other countries? And why are prisons so fascinating?

JJ and Chris review “The Beginner’s Guide,” the new game from Davey Wreden of “The Stanley Parable.” Like last week’s episode, the first part is spoiler-free, followed by a more thorough discussion of the game and what we think it means. Yes, this is a 25-minute podcast about a 90-minute game. Trust us, we could have gone longer.

With only 30 shopping days left before Halloween, JJ and Chris review “Soma,” the new game of psychological–or is it philosophical?–horror from Frictional Games, the makers of 2010’s terrifying “Amnesia: The Dark Descent.” The first half is spoiler-free, but just before the 11-minute mark we begin discussing the plot and the different choices we made during our playthroughs.

JJ and Chris review “The Taken King,” the Peter Dinklage-less expansion for Bungie’s “shared-world shooter.” A year ago in The New York Times, Chris wrote that “Destiny” was “beautiful but vacant.” Can “The Taken King” turn skeptics into fans? Then, Chris talks to Michael W. Clune, the author of “Gamelife,” a memoir of his 1980s childhood and the computer games he played during it. Clune, a professor of English at Case Western Reserve, says people are wrong to compare his still-current video game habit to his heroin addiction, the subject of his previous memoir, “White Out.” SHOW NOTES: Chris’s review of “Destiny” in The New York Times Michael W. Clune’s “Gamelife” Gabriel Winslow-Yost’s review of “Gamelife” in the New York Review of Books

Who will be the first gamer president? With Gen-X candidates like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio touting their video game bona fides as they seek the White House in 2016, Olivier Knox--the chief Washington correspondent for Yahoo News and briefly a nationally ranked "Battlezone" player--joins the show to discuss the politics of "Gauntlet," the potential for congressional hearings about iPhone games, and the evolving relationship between American politicians and interactive entertainment. SHOW NOTES: Olivier Knox’s Yahoo News page

Does "Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain" make any sense to newcomers? Does that even matter? Chris and JJ begin their serial review of Hideo Kojima's new game. Plus, an audio “Let’s Play”: JJ narrates a playthrough of the turn-based tactical RPG “Shadowrun: Hong Kong.” SHOW NOTES: Chris says JJ got the avatar-creation joke in the prologue to “The Phantom Pain” backward. To which JJ says, “Are you saying I didn’t quite understand what was going on in the hospital?”

JJ and Chris are newcomers to the “Metal Gear Solid” series, so we turn to two experts. Jason Schreier, the news editor at Kotaku, has played more than 40 hours of “The Phantom Pain” already. He explains what he likes about the series in general and the new game in particular. Then, Ashly Burch, a voice actor and writer, talks about the new book she wrote with her brother, Anthony (the lead writer of “Borderlands 2”), about Hideo Kojima’s 1998 game for the PlayStation. SHOW NOTES: “Metal Gear Solid” by Ashly Burch and Anthony Burch

JJ and Chris disagree on the merits of The Chinese Room's new walking simulator. Plus, Chris talks to Arkane's Harvey Smith about bringing Corvo to Xbox One and PlayStation 4--and letting him speak in "Dishonored 2." If you were hoping to hear JJ's thoughts on "Shadowrun: Hong Kong," patience, grasshopper. Consider this one a double album.