Dense Pixels - Video Game News and Reviews

SquareEnix has unloaded all of their western developers for a song...and it's so they can go full steam into Blockchain?! We certainly have our thoughts on that as well as Reggie Fils-Aime getting decidedly less cool. Sony is catching some heat for doing something Steam has been doing for years. Twitch is pissing off their creators for silly reasons. Finally, Micah talks about his very first viewi...

It's a surprising political gaming news show as the Governor of California may have flexed his political muscle improperly in the Activision-Blizzard lawsuit and Nintendo is the latest company accused of union-busting practices. We found what is likely to replace NFT's as the latest money-grab in gaming, and it's the return of an old foe. Brad has been playing not one, but two rogue-like deck buil...

Yes, there sure is another Kingdom Hearts game in development, but why (for the love of god!)? We also dance on the grave of NFT's in video games, hopefully not prematurely (for the love of god!). Activision-Blizzard employees have shown us how organizing works, and you are treated to an extended Post Office segment thanks to a light news week.   Subscribe to our YouTube channel:  Dense Pixels We...

I don't know if it's possible to do a true post-mortem on Elden Ring after a month, but Micah has earn a platinum trophy so we talk about why it's so special and why it's unlikely to be replicated. Geoff Keighley (and COVID) may have killed E3 forever. Another Microsoft studio is experiencing some turmoil. The game industry needs to figure out accreditation. Brad started - and finished - Hyper Lig...

On this week's show we talk the new PlayStation Plus tiers and why a lot of folks are approaching the news (or lack thereof) from the wrong standpoint. Brad is also relatively pleased with the olive branch extended by Polyphony for Gran Turismo 7. Grand Theft Auto Online is finding ways to get even more money from players, we aren't feeling WrestleMania this year, and yes, more Elden Ring talk. We...

We really hope you enjoyed last week's video game love-fest because we're back to the miserable news around the game industry. Sony gets a two-fer thanks to Polyphony making Gran Turismo 7 intentionally grindy and the exposure of sexual harassment within PlayStation. The Initiative has been dealing with a ton of turnover and we talk about what should be expected from the new Perfect Dark. We can s...

We're almost entirely ignoring the news this week because we just want to talk about Elden Ring. Micah is hooked, and he and Brad rave about what makes Elden Ring just so damn transfixing. Brad would have played much more, but he's also been sidetracked by Gran Turismo 7 - perhaps the most earnest game he's ever played. Brad discusses Puzzle Quest 3, we talk video game companies pulling out of Rus...

Brad is transfixed by Elden Ring in the first dozen hours he's spent with the game. The real question is - can Micah resist buying it during the show in the face of such praise? We got the surprise announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet which is coming out this year! The rumored features of PlayStation Spartacus is as underwhelming as we expected. And Gabe Newell is out here spitting hot truth...

This week, Carrie talks about her continued thoughts on Pokemon Legends Arceus now that she's completed it, and how they truly make you a Pokemon big game hunter. Of course we have thoughts on the Street Fighter 6 reveal and the new character designs they are rolling with. The SEC filings that Activision had to turn over for the merger have seen the light of day and we get some interesting tidbits...

We have a Cyberpunk 2077 next-gen update sighting...and it's here to download! We can't fathom why it's coming out just ahead of Horizon Forbidden West and Elden Ring, but at least it's here. We had a hell of a Nintendo Direct including exciting Splatoon 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Mario Strikers Battle League news! There's also NFT's backfiring on Team 17, possible Sony censorship, and is Street...

We impressions of new games this week! Carrie tells us if Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the beginning of new and exciting future for the Pokemon franchise. Micah discusses why Sifu will be a game truly in the eye of the beholder. We also discuss Grand Theft Auto V's astronomical success, Activision-Blizzard bleeding players, and why surely no developer would leave Ubisoft now! There’s a Nintendo Dire...

We're back to our regularly scheduled programming of industry-shaping acquisitions and NFT's! We discuss what Sony is actually buying in Bungie and generally about consolidation in the game industry. We also have a ton of NFT stories; both encouraging - like some early converts like Troy Baker and EA seeing the error of their ways - and massively depressing in what Ubisoft and Atari are bringing t...

We're settling down from the bomb that was dropped on the game industry last week, and we discuss some of the stories that have basked in the afterglow, like Phil Spencer's carefully-worded Call of Duty statement, the wild reactionary nature of stock markets, and Bobby Kotick's wild move to get better press for his beleaguered company. Brad raves about Nobody Saves the World, the best ARPG this si...

We spent A LOT of time on the seismic Microsoft acquisition of Activision-Blizzard: the details, what it means for these companies, and how Microsoft is going to find the value in this immense deal. As if that weren't enough, we also give you our individual top 5 games of 2021. What could be our number ones? The answer shouldn't surprise you!   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.dense...

We talk about perhaps the most acceptable(?) form of police misconduct that we've heard about. Konami find new and exciting ways to whore out their popular IP's for as many cynical Schrute-bucks as they can gather. Carrie has Walked to the End of Final Fantasy XIV, and Take-Two "Micah's" their way to mobile gaming dominance. Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon Su...

Holy hell we have NFT news to sort through this week, so we're definitely doing that. Brad also is a proud Xbox owner now so he and Micah talk the unbridled fun that is Halo Infinite multiplayer and why Forza Horizon 5 not being a great racing game really isn't a problem. Brad has been hooked on some unexpected Switch game in Unsighted and One Step from Eden. Ubisoft is reaping what they sowed, an...

Activision Blizzard employees seem on the cusp of the first big unionization effort in the games industry. You'll never guess what Activision corporate is trying to do in response! We have impressions of Loop Hero, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon, The Matrix Awakens, and Halo Infinite. We also talk about the Game Awards being relatively lackluster, and Brad walks Micah through what is probably going...

Final Fantasy XIV might have the best community in the video game universe. Activision can't stop collecting bad press with layoffs at Raven Software. A now-former Sony executive got to star in a low budget version of a Chris Hansen show, and we wax poetic over one of the greatest games of its day.   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon Subscribe to our YouTube ch...

Terrence is back after a slow news week that sees us talking about Mortal Shell, Darkest Dungeon, Hades, Days Gone, and Spider-Man in Marvel's Avengers. Mass Effect is going to become an Amazon show, and we're scared. Is Cyberpunk 2077 on a No Man's Sky-esque redemption arc? And we vote for The Game Awards live on the show!   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon S...

We of course dig deep into the Bobby Kotick story, why you should never trust a rich, white CEO, and how Activision's defense of him will cost them in the long run. We have a bevy of game impersonations including for the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy, Shin Megami Tensai V, Halo Infinite, Ruined King, the Steamworld series, and Outriders.    Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.co...

The future of monetization in games looks pretty bleak as the biggest publishers voice their support of the NFT bandwagon. We discuss why this is likely to be a historically bad idea. Devolver Digital is now publicly traded; how could this change their goals? We also give our take on the Shin Megami Tensei V kerfuffle, and how could WWE get it so wrong with Keith Lee?   Use our Amazon page to dona...

No one has any reason to miss one of the best under-the-radar games of two console generations ago! Bobby Kotick makes a meaningless gesture to appease the Activision board while finally making at least one meaningful reform. Nintendo finally nails Bowser but it might be a lean Switch Christmas. We also talk about our most embarrassing gaming moments and what games had our opinions fluctuating as...

We discuss why the Uncharted movie misses the point, how Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy benefitted from low expectations, why Fortnite had to die so that other Apple developers may prosper, the Switch Premium Online rocky start, and why overcoming fear is overrated.   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon Subscribe to our YouTube channel:  Dense Pixels We have a...

It may be our 400th episode, but it's business as usual for us, and for Ubisoft apparently as Micah shamelessly purchased and played FarCry 6. We also talk Back 4 Blood and put a bow on Metroid Dread. Carrie patiently explains to the olds on the pod what the hell an NFT is, Brad rages about Nintendo's greed, and Sony says "bet" to a company looking to step to them in the world of unlicensed access...

Brad got himself a Switch OLED and Metroid Dread...is the slight upgrade worth it and is Metroid still relevant in the golden age of more -vania-style games? We pick apart the tone-deaf defense EA put forward of their loot boxes in FIFA. We also discuss how we squeeze gaming in around all of life's other responsibilities.    Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon Su...