Sony manages to be the talk of the town this week in more ways than one... First, we delve into the ridiculous Playstation 5 Pro announcement : a $700 system with NO DISC DRIVE and NO STAND included. Luckily, Astro Bot also released this week and has easily won the hearts of all of us who have played. Brad talks about new indie hotness, Shogun Showdown , and Krispy finally has his opportunity to talk about his extensive time with Star Wars Outlaws ; a game he is thoroughly enjoying! Of course, t...
Sep 13, 2024•2 hr 11 min•Season 2024Ep. 809
What a wild (and not great) week it has been in the world of video games! Sony shut down Concord less than two weeks after it launched to middling critical reception and tragic concurrent player counts. On top of that, Hideaki Itsuno - the famed designer behind classics like Power Stone, Devil May Cry, and Dragon's Dogma - announced that he is leaving Capcom after 3 decades. Despite all of the doom and gloom, new and exciting games continue to trickle out. Nick gives us his early impressions of ...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 55 min•Season 2024Ep. 808
After recapping the latest (and Silksong-less) Nintendo Direct presentation , Nolan shares some exciting news with the community and ultimately opens the door for one of the most bizarre conversations we've had since "Zip-Whip-Pee." Nick digs deep into the rewarding and addicting systems of Black Myth: Wukong while also scoffing at the most ridiculous requests ever put to paper in a video game embargo (one which we are happily not beholden to). Brad and Krispy go onto to rave about Tactical Brea...
Aug 30, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Season 2024Ep. 807
We have good news and bad news. The good news is that Krafton swooped in and SAVED Tango Gameworks from closure AND acquired the rights to Hi-Fi Rush so a sequel is all but confirmed. The bad news is that Gamescom kicked off with a rather disappointing Opening Night Live AND Silksong remains as elusive as ever. Regardless, there are some announcements that caught our attention such as Dying Light: The Beast , Blur's new anthology tv series for Amazon Prime called Secret Level , and the reveal of...
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Season 2024Ep. 806
The bad news keeps on comin. This week, Bungie was hit with a significant round of layoffs and even an internal project cancellation which has called the future of Destiny and the studio into question. Not to be outdone, Gamestop suddenly and unexpectedly shut down Game Informer magazine; A shocking turn of events for a company that has relied on the publication to prop up their business for many years. On a less depressing note, Brad talks about World of Goo 2 which, despite the long gap betwee...
Aug 09, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Season 2024Ep. 805
It's release week for Deadpool & Wolverine and Comic-Con so movie-talk does manage to worm it's way in at the top of the show! After that, Nick talks about a delicious new survival-horror game, CONSCRIPT , which captures the overwhelmingly bleak backdrop of World War 1 through a top-down Resident Evil lens. Brad takes a deeper dive into Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure now that the full game is out (and FREE on Netflix apparently!) and Krispy talks about his time with Final Fantasy XIV: D...
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 50 min•Season 2024Ep. 804
July might feel like a bit of a lull in the world of video games but there is plenty of fun to be found if dig a little deeper. Brad has now spent a good chunk of time with the full release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess . As it turns out, despite some rough edges, the game is... pretty darn cool! Chris Davis played through the first full episode of Fallen Aces ; A retro FPS mixed with lite immersive sim elements that leans into comic books and classic detective stories to deliver somethin...
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr 46 min
The calm before the storm. We take a breather this week to talk movies and do some much needed 2024 catchup ! Brad finished up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and expresses some concerns over the recent demo of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess . Nick and Chris Davis talk Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Nolan takes us on virtual migration to (the) New York City where he and Bernadette attended a major Pokemon Go event this past weekend. Chris Davis reveals that...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 44 min•Season 2024Ep. 802
With the year half in the bag, we take some time to talk about what lies ahead in the second half of the year. With zero overlap, we each highlight 3 games that we are excited to play in the coming months . The discussion takes us to some expected and unexpected places; From Star Wars: Outlaws to The Plucky Squire to... Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (?!). Of course, we fill in some of the gaps with help from the community. Needless to say, 2024 has been an impressive year thus far and the best app...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Season 2024Ep. 801
Believe it or not, this week marks our 800th official episode! It's an episode full of impressions, drama, and even a couple pacts / agreements that may surprise you. We talk the long awaited Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring to find out if the game really is too hard or if they design was elevated to support the increased challenge! Brad talks about a couple new demos from Steam Next Fest including Arranger: An Role-Puzzling Adventure and Dungeons of Hinterberg , and Chris Davis' c...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 48 min•Season 2024Ep. 800
Nintendo came out swinging this week with a new Direct presentation full of surprises! We recap the highlights which include the reveal of Mario & Luigi Brothership , The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom , and of course, the re-reveal of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond ! Nolan shines a spotlight on a demo for a fun new deck-builder called Dice & Fold and Brad talks about Dragon Age Inquisition: Trespasser ; a game he delved back into in the immediate aftermath of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard re...
Jun 21, 2024•2 hr 7 min•Season 2024Ep. 799
It's a big week. Krispy has finally blessed us with Destiny 2 footage to coincide with the recent release of Destiny 2: The Final Shape ! Not only that, Krispy takes us on a journey through the history of Destiny which has culminated in one of the game's most exciting and successful expansions! Brad talks about his experience with the demo for The Alters ; an upcoming game from 11-Bit Studios which seems to combine survival gameplay with an intriguing narrative that involves cloning. In the 2nd ...
Jun 14, 2024•2 hr 36 min•Season 2024Ep. 798
It's that special time of year once again... where the mess of showcases and preview events run amock without the comfort and organization of E3. Chaos aside... it's still an exciting time for anyone looking to know what the future of gaming has in store. With that in mind, we run through a long list of Summer Game Fest predictions put together by Chris Davis and discuss the highlights from last week's Playstation State of Play and Silent Hill Transmission events. But before we get to all that, ...
Jun 07, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Season 2024Ep. 797
Summer Games Fest approaches and some serious rumors are starting to circulate. We set aside some time at the top of the show this week to address some whispers regarding the next round of Resident Evil remakes , an impending Astro Bot announcement , and more! Krispy does an excellent job of selling us on the latest game from Simogo called Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and a conversation about Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 leads to a deeper debate about what dictates success in this industry. Housekeep...
May 31, 2024•2 hr 19 min•Season 2024Ep. 796
Indie-May continues! We revisit Animal Well and focus a little more on what that game looks like once you have peeled back a few layers of the proverbial onion; More specifically, after the credits roll. Brad goes to town on Dread Delusion as it subverts expectations in both good AND bad ways. Despite that, Brad is very clearly all in on the game. Nick circles back to Stellar Blade which has, at this point, established itself as an uncompromising horny game with some rock solid mechanics to boot...
May 24, 2024•2 hr 9 min•Season 2024Ep. 795
The video game industry landscape continues to shift and collapse as everyone tries to time their layoffs to blend in with the outrage aimed almost entirely at Xbox. While the AAA space might be in turmoil at the moment, May is shaping up to be an absolutely incredible month for indie releases! We try our best (and mostly succeed) to not spoil Animal Well ; but with a game built around discovery and experimentation, it proves difficult. As a lover of classic survival horror, Nick is ecstatic to ...
May 17, 2024•1 hr 59 min•Season 2024Ep. 794
It's yet another sad day for the industry - Unfortunately just another week of mass layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations thanks to out-of-touch, overpaid executives and bad management. On the morning of May 7th, Microsoft officially (and unexpectedly) closed down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, and Alpha Dog studio . As a result, hundreds of talented folks are suddenly unemployed and the future of promising IP like Hi-Fi Rush, Evil Within, and Prey are now in ind...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Season 2024Ep. 793
The calm before the storm that is May. We have a smaller crew this week but we assure you... it's not short; it's not boring; and most importantly... it's not organized! Brad kicks things off with a little candy interrogation followed by some random movie talk before we buckle down to talk about video games. Nick shares his early impressions of Stellar Blade and is surprised by how much substance there actually is in a game that seems more interested in being titillating. Brad also returns to Ei...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 49 min•Season 2024Ep. 792
We've got a short show for you this week but it's no less important! Brad - resident Suikoden fanboy - finally got his hands on the modern day spiritual successor, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes ! It's a game that feels light on modern conveniences yet it remains relevant and important to the fans. In the Fantasy Critic segment, we cover some exciting new pick-ups following some big announcements and release-date reveals! PSA: We experimented with a new pre-show format this week by doing 'Tra...
Apr 26, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Season 2024Ep. 791
We took a week off of podcasting but dipped our toes into the wild world of Content Warning and the results were hilarious to say the least! Chris Davis revisits Shadows of Doubt now that it is approaching its 1.0 release later this year; It's an interesting discussion that delves into the strengths and weaknesses of making games using procedural generation. Brad talks about Inkbound , the next game from the creators of Monster Train and of course, we spend a little more time with Dragon's Dogma...
Apr 19, 2024•2 hr 18 min•Season 2024Ep. 790
Despite Team Ninja's apparent unfamiliarity with real world horses... Brad is happy to report that the world may have it all wrong about Rise of the Ronin ! Despite an all too familiar open-world design philosophy, the game has proved to be fun, addicting, and surprisingly competent in the storytelling department! Krispy returns to share his thoughts on Dragon's Dogma 2 and Chris Davis has continued his love affair with Vanillaware thanks to U nicorn Overlord . Finally, Nick talks about his firs...
Apr 05, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Season 2024Ep. 789
Can you believe it has been 12 years since the release of Dragon's Dogma?! As we finally delve into Dragon's Dogma II , one of our most anticipated games of the year, we revel in just how impressive it is despite the formula having changed very little. To Brad's point, the game hasn't changed much but WE have changed a lot in those 12 years. In this episode we also take some time to check in on our Community Fantasy Critic Leagues now that we are a quarter of the way through the year and Chris D...
Mar 29, 2024•2 hr 27 min•Season 2024Ep. 788
This week is all about revisiting some of the big games that have been keeping us busy while we patiently await the launch of Dragon's Dogma 2! Nolan dives DEEP into the depths of Balatro; A game that has successfully pulled his attention away from Like a Dragon! Nick's complicated feelings about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth grow more complicated by the day but Brad's love of Unicorn Overlord has only grown deeper now that the full game is out. In other news, Brad goes off on Princess Peach Showtim...
Mar 22, 2024•2 hr 15 min•Season 2024Ep. 787
This may not be an official Final Fantasy VII Rebirth special but it may as well be as it accounts for more than 50% of the episode! Most of us have all spent a decent chunk of time with this hotly anticipated follow up to Final Fantasy VII Remake and while the game certainly has some ROUGH edges in places, it still manages to live up to the hype! Quite honestly, Rebirth is a baffling game; Capturing the spirit and variety of the original game in the most fanciful, expensive way possible... whil...
Mar 08, 2024•2 hr 13 min•Season 2024Ep. 786
With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looming on the horizon, Nick and Ed both bring other FF7 games to the forefront. Ed shares his thoughts on Crisis Core Reunion and Nick revisits the remake in the form of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission ; the DLC starring Yuffie. While we manage to squeeze in a fair amount of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth talk, Brad jumps on the opportunity to nerd out over the demo of Unicorn Overlord ; a demo which is actually just the first 7-hours of the actual game! Ni...
Mar 01, 2024•2 hr 16 min•Season 2024Ep. 785
We're down a chair this week but it has little effect; Even this early in the year, there is so much to talk about! After Brad officially challenges Nick to play more Japanese games in 2024 , the Fantasy Critic talk leads straight into a discussion about Balatro ; one of the year's first niche indie darlings! Later, Nick tries to decipher Ultros but it proves more difficult than he imagined. In the 2nd segment, Brad dives deep into the complicated reception of Aspyr's remaster of Tomb Raider 1 -...
Feb 23, 2024•2 hr 6 min•Season 2024Ep. 784
We open the show this week with the reveal of our community's top 10 games of 2023! After that, we are finally able to play and talk about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League ; Rocksteady's long-awaited follow-up to the Arkham series and their first (and hopefully last) foray into GAAS. Krispy has played the entire campaign and has plenty to say about it; Both positive and negative! Brad talks more about Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth this week but he focuses entirely on one aspect... a mini ...
Feb 16, 2024•2 hr 12 min•Season 2024Ep. 783
This week, we discuss not ONE, but TWO, Sony State of Plays ! First, we delve into all of the new info about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Nolan gives us his thoughts after playing through the brand new demo! After that, Brad takes another journey into the wackly world of Yakuza with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and to nobody's surprise, he loves it. In the second half, Nick finally broaches the subject of Konami's handling of the Silent Hill revival after having a few days to contemplate. It'...
Feb 09, 2024•2 hr 20 min•Season 2024Ep. 782
Despite the strong start to the year in terms of good game releases, it's been an overwhelmingly shitty week for the industry thanks to an abundance of layoffs and Embracer's continued reign of terror which has now led to the cancellation of a new Deus Ex game. We do our best to remain positive though amidst the chaos. In the first segment, we catch up on Fantasy Critic and talk predictions ahead of Sony's first big State of Play for 2024. In the second segment, Nick and Brad revel in the sheer ...
Feb 02, 2024•2 hr 11 min•Season 2024Ep. 781
Its 2024 and we are kicking things off with some indie gems and some closer looks at a few big games coming to Xbox later this year. Chris Davis gives us his thoughts on last year's Trepang2 which has us all spiraling about the state of Monolith and the potential (or lack thereof) for a return of the FEAR franchise. Brad talks about two games that seem tailor made for him; Cobalt Core has DNA from both card-based deck builders and FTL; Kingsvein is a super dynamic and systems driven strategy gam...
Jan 21, 2024•2 hr 23 min•Season 2024Ep. 780
