YoVideogames!

A list of projects Sony has in development has leaked and while there is hub-bub about the Horizon Zero Dawn remake - there is plenty other stuff in there to talk about too. Episode starts with some aside talk where I admit in an international bar fight I am choosing a Texan or an Australian - yes even over soccer hooligans. Not gaming related but important nonetheless.

Weird week! E3 is coming back and they are doing the exact thing so many people have screamed about. It's like someone ACTUALLY read what people want and thought "Yeah, let's do that!"  Plus, Cyberpunk tie-in anime Edgerunners debuted this week and... it has actually spiked interest in Cyberpunk 2077 again? 

Hey doods! This week's episode is a bit special. We have Nicholas De Leon, from Consumer Reports, on the show to talk about his recent article. Matt has been in the market for a new chair, and of course he has been eyeing all the sexy gaming chairs out there. As chance would have it, one of our Patrons is a writer for CR and was working on a deep dive to figure out just what goes into a good chair...

We expected some announcements at TGS, but to have both a Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play surprise announced, on the same day, within a few hours of each other? Wild. Add to that - both were pretty good presentations!

343 is having some Halo problems. Again. And they have broken their Co-op promise. Again. 

If you're a long time listener you have heard us say that story in games don't matter. This episode is about how that opinion has thawed. And actually, how AAA games especially, have changed my opinion totally. Games *might* be a top tier medium for storytelling...

Last night, Gamescom 2022 opening night occurred in Germany. And to celebrate? Keighley did two hours of trailers and announcements! While it wasn't a whole lot of gameplay - I have to say: There were quite a few games that piqued my interest. For that alone I gave it a solid B.

Inflation is really cutting into the profit margin for game consoles. So much so that Meta (Facebook) has increased their upcoming Meta2 VR headset by $100. This is especially true in Japan where the Yen is being hit very hard. Speculation there is that Sony and Microsoft may increase the price of their consoles. But what about Nintendo? Well, Nintendo will go their own way as usual.

EVO is finally back and under new management! Matt was able to go this year to meet up with many of the doods and be a part of Sony's first year running EVO. Let's get into the good and the bad - plus all the announcements!

Multiversus seems to really be causing a split in the fgc over the fate of free to play being good or bad. We've said in the past that it would probably be overall good for fighting games to go the f2p route - even though we don't typically like f2p.

We had been trying to move a little further away from news-centric episodes but today several delay bombs dropped and we had to talk about it. Does this point to a major hole in project management for studios?

We knew things were getting serious when Microsoft bought Activision (and that is being finalized now) but Sony buying Bungie, and for a staggering amount, has really kicked the buying war into gear. Tune in and follow us on a journey of what could be if all the big 3rd parties get snapped up.

Yesterday (7/11) Matt celebrated the second most important day of his life - that's right, his birthday! He's a man now and we decided to reflect on his favorite birthday gaming memories. Can you think of the best games you've ever gotten as a birthday gift?

Rockstar announced it has killed its remaster of GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption. A mixed bag because we both sort of looked forward to RDR coming back but we have mixed feelings about remasters and remakes in general. Is this a sign that remakes, remasters and the dreaded re-re-remasters are finally slowing down industry wide?

Today's episode is all about the Nintendo Partner Mini Direct to round out our Not E3 Gamer Holiday! The title is a reference to an old meme. Would you like to know more?

It wouldn't be announcement season without at least one good leak and this year it is a big one. The entire roster, and art for Street Fighter 6 has leaked. We talk about who's returning and whether bringing back all of the original 8 is a good thing or stagnant. Shine on!

First thing - this episode my audio mixer seems to have died. So, I am quieter than Matt even after post processing. It is not your audio, please do not crank up volume. I'll get a replacement before next week's episode. Apologies! That being said, you can still hear me, it just sounds like Matt is closer. ANYWAY - with the exception of a rumored Nintendo (and Squeenix) presentation coming - we ha...

Welcome to Not E3 week! Last week Sony had a really great State of Play. This weekend is Summer Games Fest and Microsoft's event. So we are taking the downtime this week to reflect on E3 and how this time of year retains its importance even without an event to centralize the news and frenzy.

I'm sure everyone at Sony is pretty happy with how that State of Play went. Of course you had the big three announcements, but it is hard to pick out a weak showing in the entire half hour. Join us as we discuss our favorite announcements and speculate on what we might expect from these games as Sony finally takes the next gen seriously!

In 1982, a melt down occurred in the video game industry. The next decade saw a market flooded with consoles and an absolute tsunami of bad software. Another shock had come. This time instead of coming for Atari, it came for Sega and resulted in one of the lamest years in gaming history. Our episode today references this wonderful post on Mega Drive Shock: https://mdshock.com/2022/05/09/a-second-a...

Sony confirmed a list of games that will be on its GamePass competitor - PSN Premium. The highest of the three tiers, it will include older games from PS3 down to PS1. While it is an astonishingly small number of ps1 and 2 games that have been announced, overall it looks like a selection of good games from every generation. Especially PS4 - where if you are new to the Sony console ecosystem, Premi...

So, it turns out that Nintendo is not a great company to work for - shocking. But apparently it is even worse for contractors (or associates as Nintendo calls them). Now, it is not exactly a well kept secret that tech companies use a TON of contract labor to avoid hiring more full time employees. It's a way to save on benefits packages, save the hassle of the often long hiring and firing process,...

It's a battle of the bastards in this episode. Yuji Naka has sued Square Enix over being removed unceremoniously from his position as director of Balan Wonderworld. In a shocking twist, notorious d%khead Yuji Naka may be the hero of this story. We top this episode off with the news that Square Enix has sold its western development teams which comes with renewed hope that we will see a Legacy of Ka...

It's not a great title for SEO but I genuinely love Business Suit Blanka and it makes me laugh so I am keeping it. This week sees some news finally drop, from Sony's cool less known update to PS5, to Microsoft having a shockingly good quarter. And because BS Blanka is cool we had to get into a couple cool cross over moments we remember.

Normally this would be when teases and rumors start flying for in the build up to E3, but since E3 is dead - I guess the rumor season will have to evolve. Today's episode is about the unexpected news Nintendo just dropped and how it is easier than ever to find an audience. Question of the day is whether an early teaser trailer, sometimes years before a games release, or the rumor mill is better?