Between The Joysticks

Would you kindly listen to this episode of PlayStation Pals? We are not visiting Rapture this episode but both the Pals are going deep underwater this episode. Nick has swam to the depths of Cauldron Lake to get to the bottom (and ending) of Alan Wake 2 and reviews it. Jon is busy diving to keep Bancho happy in the indie hit, DAVE THE DIVER. Finally the Pals made some bold predictions at the begin...

The PlayStation Pals have both beaten Spider-Man 2 so we spend a lot of time gushing about the game, spoiler-free. Nick has gotten stuck in The Dark Place and shares his early impressions of Alan Wake 2. With the slate of big releases cooling down, we can finally talk about the 6 games we think will be nominated for the coveted Game of The Year. Finally we have a battle between two of the pretties...

You have heard about what others think of Spider-Man 2 but what do your resident PlayStation Pals think? We are in a video game renaissance right now but we cannot help looking into what the next big games are from the big 3 console makers. Finally our Video Game Character Battle Royale rages on and we also talk about a few games that we squeezed in before we started swinging around New York. All...

We are on the cusp of swinging around New York and we get into the hype of it all by talking about both the reviews and our predictions for the imminent Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Sony is updating the design of the PlayStation 5 and we have thoughts on it. Nick has performed surgery on his PS5, listen to find out if it was a success or not. Finally we continue our Video Game Battle Royale. Who came ou...

We really appreciate you listening to us week by week but the PlayStation Pals need more - announcing our new Battle Pass! We are now going to monetize the podcast every month after you pay an initial fee and please also spend money on our microtransactions! Not really but we discuss the video game industry - the layoffs, the drive to be the next big live service game, development costs and much m...

Our Video Game Character Battle Royale continues as we announce the results of last week’s bout, defend two more combatants and announce the future match ups. Nick returns to Cyberpunk 2077 to get lost in tactical espionage action in the expansion, Phantom Liberty. Jon has finished the fight as a Solstice Warrior and completed Sea of Stars and reviews it. Finally Jon and Nick revisit both their Pl...

Many will enter but who will come out on top? You decide! Jon and Nick are given fighters to champion from the realm of video games and give their arguments on why they should come out on top. Microsoft, coming off a big win with Starfield, had a horrible week when they mistakenly uploaded internal documents publicly. CD Project Red finishes their redemption arc with Cyberpunk 2077 as the new 2.0...

The PlayStation Pals were right. Not 24 hours after talking about the possibility of a State of Play we got one! Nick and Jon talk about the competing showcases of September, the State of Play and the Nintendo Direct. Also some drama is following one of the most prolific game engines, Unity. We talk about it all and how it might affect some of your favorite current and upcoming games. Finally the...

Long time no see but even with a few days between podcasts and just 4 things Jon and Nick have a lot to talk about. We have dueling gigantic RPG’s as Nick updates us about his completion of Act 1 in BG3 and Jon talks about the reviews and internet discussion surrounding Bethesda’s return with Starfield. IGN is showing a lot of footage of Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 and it has gotten Nick excited to play...

The PlayStation Pals return for Season 2 with their longest podcast yet! This is mainly due to us catching you up on all the games Nick and Jon have played over the past month and also gushing about Sabotage Studio’s latest game, Sea of Stars. Nick has traveled to Faerun in Baldur’s Gate 3 and comes back overwhelmed. Jon pets Torgal and reviews Final Fantasy XVI. Finally, we catch up on all of the...

Nick gives a quick update on the status of the show and where it is going next. What will happen in Season 2 of PlayStation Pals? Will Jon embrace his dark side and become a fully fledged Xbox player? Tune in next month to find out! Questions or comments? Please send emails to playstationpalspod@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter @PSPalsPod Subscribe to us on Youtube @PlayStationPals

We are moving formats to a Microsoft Xbox podcast because one of the co-hosts is a traitor. Since we are an Xbox show now we talk about one of the biggest Xbox releases of the year, Hi-Fi Rush. We also talk about PlayStation Blog’s article on the 13 unmissable games of the second half of the year. We determine if they are missable or not. Finally we go retro to discuss the original Sonic The Hedge...

We bring back an old favorite topic - the Defcon Level! You might think this is out of nowhere but Nick makes his case. Fall continues to look absolutely amazing for games with Armored Core VI and Sea of Stars making their own cases for why you should play them. Finally we are heavy with video game adaptations this week as both Twisted Metal and Resident Evil: Death Island are out and we share our...

San Diego Comic Con is here and influences a news heavy podcast. Spider-Man 2 shows off its story, Sony and Microsoft play nice over Call of Duty, Xbox removes Games With Gold and a rumored PlayStation 5 Pro kicks off the show. Finally we talk about the rise in AAA digital only releases and in our last segment, get into our underoos and rank all of the upcoming superhero video games on the horizon...

I hope you are ready because we are back with another podcast that features a Jon rant about his favorite topic… Xbox Game Pass. Of course this is brought on because Microsoft’s year and a half long acquisition of Activision Blizzard appears to be reaching its conclusion. Nick has completed Final Fantasy XVI and reviews it. Finally we take a look at some news items with a new game announcement, a...

Jon and Nick talk about one of life’s biggest questions… do you play Smash Bros with items on or items off? A debate for the ages. We also take the time to update our Top 10 favorite PS5 games of all time with some huge changes to the list. Finally as fall begins to creep closer we look at 3 games that have started their push for why you should pick them over the myriad of games coming this fall....

We are back to battle Eikons, cast Firaga and ride Chocobos as a new Final Fantasy game is out and we have our early impressions of it. Annapurna won’t let the E3 season die as they too have a showcase with a few interesting titles sprinkled throughout. Also the FTC goes to court with Microsoft and Nick pulls some interesting quotes / reveals from it. Finally Jon brings another trivia game to tort...

Did we say “E3, not E3” was over? Nintendo enters the fray as they officially wrap up the showcase season and flesh out what the rest of the year looks like. Jon and Nick cover the showcase and what looks to be one of the busiest second half of the year in an already busy 2023 for video games. Nick has hit the streets in Street Fighter 6 and talks about it. Finally we talk about the new industry s...

We move into Year 2 of the podcast and what a week to kick it off! Xbox has a lot to prove in its showcase as it highlights the games that are coming and shows off Bethesda’s next big RPG, Starfield. Jon and Nick talk about the show as well as the highs and lows from the Xbox, Ubisoft & Capcom showcases. In a shocking twist, Jon has FINALLY completed Elden Ring and has become an Elden Lord! Yay! P...

We move on to the next showcase of the “E3, not E3”, Summer Game Fest. Join Nick and Jon as they review the showcase, talk about all the announcements and look into the future of the few “E3, not E3” showcases that are upcoming. We talk all about that Spider-Man 2 release date, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth trailer and all of the new game announcements of the show. Thanks for listening! Intro: Summer G...

We finally got there. We bring our Top 10 Favorite Games of All Time and it takes a long time to get through but let me tell you, it's worth it. From there we preview the next big “Not-E3, E3 Event” from Geoff Keighley, Summer Game Fest. Finally we touch on the games we have been playing including a little known Zelda game that has been the hype of the internet, review Capcom’s RE4 Remake and give...

The Sony Showcase has arrived and it was underwhelming to say the least. Join Nick and Jon as they talk about the much anticipated showcase and give their thoughts on all the announcements and lack of announcements from the show. Thanks for listening! Intro: Jim Ryan, President and CEO of SIE 6 Things: - PlayStation Showcase Review - New Games from Haven / Bungie / Firewalk Studios - 3 Highlights...

I cannot believe it happened. We are getting the long awaited PlayStation Showcase. Are you screaming in joy? I know I am. Jon and Nick talk about the announcement as well as the next entry in the Mortal Kombat franchise which has a very interesting roster. We also get into our Top 20 favorite games of all time and touch on a few more news items of the week. Finally we have some exciting announcem...

The lead up to the rumored Sony Showcase is driving us crazy, but we take the time to talk about the last time PlayStation had a showcase all the way back in 2021. Sony 1st party studios are in the news as we mourn the loss of PixelOpus and celebrate 20 years of Guerrilla Games. Jon finds time to check out the indie title, Tunic and we talk about the 1st year of PlayStation Plus Extra games. If th...

This is your calling card. The Phantom Thieves are here to steal your heart! In this very special bonus episode we travel to Shujin Academy to discuss how a ragtag team of high school students and a talking cat lead to one of the greatest JRPG games of all time! If you have not played or completed Persona 5 there will be spoilers throughout the entire episode. Now let's form a contract and unlock...