Colette & Matt Have Entered the Chat

Valve surprises us (again) this week as we discover it's been nurturing the ingredients for a long-term plan that could potentially bring Steam games to every possible platform, including your phone. How it found time to do this while developing an entire ecosystem of new hardware, we'll never know. TL;DR - Gabe for president, please. We also discuss Colette's very first foray into the vast univer...

With this year’s Golden Joystick Awards in the books and Sandfall Games winning a slew of awards for Expedition 33, as well as Megabonk’s dev “John Megabonk” withdrawing himself from a nomination, Matt and Colette dive deep into the “indie” darlings to question what exactly an indie game is, and what separates it from a  traditional title. Is it still indie if there were angel investors or a trust...

After months of rumors and leaks, Valve has officially announced 3 new hardware products that could transform console gaming and VR: A new Steam Controller (modeled after the Steam Deck's form factor), a new Steam Machine console, perfect for couch gaming, and the Steam Frame, a new inside-out, wireless VR headset that can run games natively and stream them from your PC. These three devices, on to...

Matt Leone has been a video game journalist since he was 10 years old printing fanzines' on his grandparents' computer. Very few people read those, but very MANY people have read his incredibly in-depth oral histories of the industry's most influential games and franchises: Street Fighter II, Final Fantasy 7, Crash Bandicoot, Morrowind, and more. In them, he tracks down everyone who touched develo...

Colette embarks on her second playthrough of Silent Hill f,  which she claims is the best Silent Hill since 2. Meanwhile, Embark (the studio) launches Arc Raiders. Matt recounts his time during the server slam, and why this game could be the next big thing. Also, remember ICQ? Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ   Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtu...

After years of mobile-first strategy, Netflix has announced its foray into game streaming with a focus on couch co-op party games - including a heavy hitter. We discuss why this makes a ton of sense for the streamer. Plus: The lingering secrets in "Expedition 33," why the new side-scrolling beat-em-up "Absolum" hits so hard, and the triumphant release of dopamine generator "BALL x PIT," which mixe...

So Nintendo uploaded a thing to their YouTube channel with ZERO context, and the Internet has been wondering what's the point. But details in the Nintendo Today app have new clues. PLUS: We are hopelessly addicted to Megabonk, because it's Vampire Survivors in 3D with jumping! Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ   Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtu...

Xbox Game Pass just got significantly more expensive and subscribers are freaking out (and canceling in droves).The value proposition — unlimited access to 500+ games for $30/month — is still unprecedented. But as the cost of streaming and living rises across the board, and the hours we have to enjoy remain the same, that equation quickly gets more complicated. We break down the value of Game Pass...

Colette played 4 hours of "Silent Hill f" in one sitting. So, is it good? (yes) And Matt has a spiritual awakening thanks to digital fur babies (some of whom are dead). Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ   Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColetteAndMatt Email us with what you're playing and we'll read it on the show!  HaveEnteredTheC...

Hey, uh...Nintendo? Yeah. Could we have a quick word? Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ   Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ColetteAndMatt Email us with what you're playing and we'll read it on the show!  HaveEnteredTheChat@gmail.com   Follow and subscribe to Colette: https://bsky.app/profile/itscocobee.bsky.social https://www.t...

Hey! There's a new game out called Silksong, and apparently it's good? Deranged Metroidvandia fanatic Sky Burkson returns to the pod to school us on how Hollow Knight became a genre-defining (refining?) game, and why the long wait for its sequel turned into an Internet-breaking cultural phenomenon that's definitely not for everyone. Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ &...

Seven years of hype for "Hollow Knight: Silksong" literally took down Steam and Nintendo eShop servers when the game debuted this week as millions of fans rushed to buy and play the sequel. And we couldn't be happier for the small, devoted indie team that made it. Meanwhile, "No Man's Sky" released its 6.0 update called "Voyagers" that allows players to build their own custom corvettes, which lead...

Colette has finished "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" (and on her second playthrough) and Matt has watched all of the game's cinematics. And one thing is certain: We have been forever changed by this unbelievable work of art. This week, we go full spoiler mode on the plot, lore, characters, theories, cultural impact, and existential meaning of this extraordinary game, and why a French surrealist feve...

Gamescom and the Future Games show came out swinging this week, with roughly 4 billion trailers - most of them featuring dudes with guns wearing helmets. We barely scratch the surface as we scramble to catch up, but a few items did catch our eye. Plus, Colette digs in on a new isometric co-op extraction shooter with huge potential, and Matt goes hard on Cyberpunk 2077. Join our Discord community:&...

If you've read a video game article on the Internet in the last two decades, chances are it was written by Luke Plunkett. His tenure at Kotaku spanned 17 years, and all the highs and lows of the digital media rollercoaster. When the bottom eventually fell out, he and other games media refugees co-founded Aftermath, a worker-owned video game news and commentary site, whose business model eschews ad...

Nintendo shared 25 minutes of 3rd party games in its first Direct since the launch of the Switch 2, and it was a fascinating mix of ports, sequels, demos, and new IP. We run down everything that was announced and share our reactions to one of the worst video game titles in history. Plus: A psychological horror game where you can't leave your house (aka real life) and building a town on the back of...

Hundreds of NSFW games were removed from Steam last week after Valve quietly changed some policies around adult content. But journalists realized it was actually the payment processors — Visa and Mastercard — who refused to complete transactions around certain kinds of porn. Digging deeper, it was revealed that a small Australian conservative activism group was taking a victory lap around Steam's...

"Donkey Kong Bananza" lets you go anywhere and punch anything, with almost no limitations, cooldowns, or stamina meters. Everything about it is bad game design. So what makes it such a perfect video game? Matt unpacks the joy in DK's ridiculous feel and physics. Plus: The difficulty ramps up as Colette approaches the end of "Expedition 33," and we discuss what it feels like to be cremated (aka liv...

Nine years after its initial release, "Stardew Valley" has dethroned "Portal 2" as the highest-rated game on Steam. We discuss this huge achievement and the business of providing long-term value to players in a world of short-term thinking. But it's impossible to kick off the pod without discussing Microsoft's latest round of layoffs, with 9,000 people out of the job, many in the Xbox division. Th...

We're taking the week off, but hope you'll check out Matt's new improv comedy podcast for kids and families! Listen to the first episode here, share it with the kids in your life, and subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts: https://www.talesfromthecloudsea.com/ Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84B9RRJ   Subscribe to the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.co...

"Overwhelmingly Negative" describes every time you turn on the news, AND Capcom's 7th best-selling game of all time. Despite selling 10 million copies at $70 each, "Monster Hunter Wilds" has officially crossed over to "Overwhelmingly Negative" reviews on Steam, an extraordinary achievement reserved only for the crappiest games and developers. So where did it all go wrong for Capcom's flagship fran...

Holy f$@ ing s& !*balls, stop whatever you're doing and play this demo and then get sad because you're done with the demo and you wish the game was out DEAR GOD WHEN WILL IT COME OUTTt We discuss our new obsession with BALL x PIT. Also, that new Donkey Kong game looked fine, but then they showed more of it and OMG GIVE IT TO ME NOW. Plus: Matt launched a new podcast for kids and he swears it's rea...

Konami had their own games showcase this week, which no one knew or cared about, until... ...a remake of the original Silent Hill was announced. Colette screams into her microphone with the Blooberific details. And Matt shares his impressions of the Switch 2 hardware, user experience, GameChat, and of course the beefiest Mario Kart game ever. Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5x...

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The most popular video game in the world this week isn't Fortnite or Minecraft. In fact, you've probably never heard of it. But 9 million people were playing it concurrently. For context, Steam had 11.5 million concurrent players across ALL GAMES that same day. So, WTF is going on with "Grow a Garden," a game inside Roblox that a teenager whipped up in 3 days? Also: Cloud streaming just got slight...