Colette & Matt Have Entered the Chat

Colette is on assignment this week, so video game miniaturist and social media hurricane Sky Burkson returns to discuss his latest project for Summer Games Done Quick, Sony's idiotic blunder with their hit "Helldivers 2," the announcement of the "Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition," ACTUAL OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION that the Switch 2 exists, what we want from the June Direct, and why Capitalism...

Since 2017, a small collective of "Super Mario Maker" enthusiasts have been trying to complete every single player-created level — a quest to truly "beat" a game with hundreds of thousands of uncleared stages. But when Nintendo announced that the servers for Wii U games would be taken offline in April 2024, the urgency reached new heights. Team 0% began to grow from its humble beginnings of about...

A handful of third-party games were showcased on Nintendo's short-but-sweet Indie World on Wednesday, and on second glance, there are some bangers coming up (including multiple cat games!). We run down the full list, and share our impressions of new releases and demos. Meanwhile, Colette bought a cheap ticket back to the post-apocalyptic glory of the original "Fallout," on the heels of the critica...

The Triple-i Initiative, a loose collective of successful indie development teams, ran a showcase on Wednesday full of announcements, sequels, updates, and DLC. We run down the games that caught our attention, joined our wish lists, or got a hard pass. Also, some regulatory changes in the EU have big implications for the future of iOS, specifically around emulation. And our favorite game of 2023,...

After years of monetizing through premium features and publicly dismissing the prospect of ads, Discord will soon roll out its new "Sponsored Quests," as reported by The Wall Street Journal. But unlike algorithmic news feeds or mid-chat interruptions, these ads will be centered around video game discovery and Discord's livestreaming features. We discuss how — if done responsibly — this model could...

A fascinating Polygon interview with Xbox honcho Phil Spencer kicks off a discussion about about why AAA games are SO expensive to make, and the pressure it puts on them to succeed across platforms. We break down how this relates to the indie space, and debate what players actually want from game experiences in 2024. Plus, a surprise trivia challenge puts Colette and Matt's video game knowledge to...

The long awaited 1.6 update for "Stardew Valley" has hit PC, and Colette wasted no time in diving back into her favorite cozy game. We discuss her experiences so far, and react to the absolutely HUGE amount of new content in the patch notes. And if you need more farming in your life, "Lightyear Frontier" has just released into Early Access and Game Pass. Matt has been gorging on this peaceful new...

"Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection" contains the two original games fans have been salivating over for decades. They look great. They run great. So why does everyone hate them? Plus, a group of "Mario Maker" enthusiasts are attempting to beat all 41,000 player-created levels in the entire game before Nintendo shuts down the Wii U servers in April. And they're already 99% there, with only t...

The Switch emulator Yuzu has been in development since 2018, allowing hobbyists to play Nintendo software on PCs and Steam Decks, often at higher resolutions and frame rates. But the trappings around Yuzu — including a Patreon that raked in $30,000 per month, and specific updates encouraging users to emulate "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" —  have finally triggered the wrath of Nintendo's lawyers. T...

Colette is on assignment this week, so Matt flies solo to rundown Nintendo's February Partner Direct, which looks like a banger — depending on what kind of games you like. New games, new footage reveals, Xbox exclusives crossing the divide, the return of some Rare classics, and a surprising amount of demos, including "Pepper Grinder" and "Unicorn Overlord." Also, Underwater games galore (!) and a...

Colette shares her early impressions of "Persona 3 Reloaded," the remake of the 2006 Atlus classic that updates and streamlines in all the best ways. Also, is Colette a min/maxer now???! Plus, Matt launches a demo for the highly anticipated "Homeworld 3," but it's missing a key element. Also, a $2 game with bad reviews is actually...great? Join our Discord community:  https://discord.gg/5xz84...

Reuters is reporting that Tencent and FromSoft have a mobile spinoff of "Elden Ring" well underway. So, how would a Genshin-style Souls-like actually work? We discuss the continued convergence of platforms and IP, and the future dominance of mobile for game devs. Plus, Xbox influencers are crying about exclusives becoming cross-platform, and our "Silent Hill" correspondent Colette shares her impre...

Sony revealed a variety of 1st and 3rd party games, sequels, and DLC on its January 2024 State of Play livestream. We discuss the items that piqued our interest using our patent-pending scale of "How Many Fucks Given?" Plus, the ever-expanding Kojima-verse, and why the "Silent Hill" franchise is returning in a big way, including a brand new free game you can play right now. Also, Colette's first b...

The only story in video games this week is the explosive debut of "Palworld," an open world survival craft-em-up where you also use magic balls to capture (and enslave) adorable creatures that look ... a LOT ... like other Pocket Monsters you may be familiar with. Colette and Matt share their hands-on review of the oft-dubbed "Pokemon with Guns," and the experience of playing it online with our co...

Colette is back to discuss the mind-blowing way a 13-year-old reached the "end" of NES "Tetris." On December 21, BlueScuti (aka Willis Gibson) became the first person to reach the breakneck mathematical end of "Tetris" for the NES, which causes the game to crash. While this made headlines around the gaming world, other "Tetris" pros quickly learned from Gibson's strategy, and one actually reached...

Miniature artist and video game connoisseur Sky Burkson returns to the show to fill in for Colette. And while we set out to talk about some video game news, we veer into a wide-ranging and deeply philosophical discussion about the artistic process, and the ethics of AI art, which has reared its head in nearly every industry — including video games. We discuss the very purpose of (capital "A") Art,...

We're back after a long and virus-infused holiday break to dive into the latest Switch 2 rumors which predict that...The Switch 2 will definitely happen! Also, what are Square Enix's "aggressive" plans to use AI in game design? And, the difference between using tech to eliminate drudgery vs. eliminating workers. Plus: The first iteration of Mickey Mouse (as Steamboat Willie) has entered the public...

Farming MMO "Palia" came out for Nintendo Switch after some time in the PC oven, and it has everything we want from this kind of game. So...why is it so bad? Also, to the surprise of no one, "Dave the Diver" is GREAT! Plus: A huge data breach at Insomniac/Sony reveals interesting conversations about the future of the games business. We say BUH-BYE to  one of the industry's most disliked CEOs, and...

🎵 It's the most wonderful time of the year 🎵 when we rank our absolute favorite video games of 2023. We reveal our 5 favorites to each other, and to you in real time! Get ready for a few surprises, and of course some obvious choices. Plus: E3 is officially dead. We mourn the loss of the trade show institution, and discuss what has replaced it. Colette shares her memories of being on the ground a...

We woke up WAY too early to recap the Wholesome Snack showcase and pluck out the cozy, adorable, and beautiful games that caught our attention. Don't worry, they're not ALL farming sims. From communal city builders to 2D-3D cats, we've got the scoop on all things Wholesome. Plus: Crabs with guns and a boomer (magic) shooter that respects its roots. We'll be back next week with our reactions to The...

For possibly the first time ever, Colette and Matt attempted to play a video game together. It was a spectacular failure, but not for the reasons you'd suspect. Plus: Would you want your OWN voice to be the protagonist in your next game? EA's new patent bets you will. We discuss the complications of AI voice synthesis in games and other media. Also, the economics of Game Pass in a world of platfor...

It's that time of year when we gather with family and friends, only to sneak away and grind out a few levels between the mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. We asked our listeners what they've queued up over the long Thanksgiving weekend, and  discuss the legacy (and current second-hand market) of the Nintendo (3)DS. Plus: What would it take to fork over $60 on the "Super Mario RPG" remake? Colette's...

"You can play 'Hades' on a telephone via Netflix" is a sentence we never thought we'd say, but it's happening. We continue to be fascinated by Netflix's innovative approach to game licensing, and the convergence of platforms (console, PC, mobile, and streaming) that make this all possible. Plus, "Persona 6" is happening, Amazon lays off 180 in its gaming division, the Game Awards nominees are in,...

We fell asleep for a week and woke up to an unhinged amount of video game news, including the green light for a live action "Legend of Zelda" movie, "GTA 6" announced, a new "Mass Effect," more Switch 2 rumors, and the surprise launch of the Steam Deck OLED, which is actually more than a pretty screen. Plus, the thing that finally got Colette hooked on "Genshin Impact," Matt's space cruise continu...

SMB Wonder is an extraordinary game, full of absolute joy and unbridled creativity...except for one REALLY annoying part. Meanwhile, Colette looks back at the legacy of Alan Wake in preparation for the sequel, and some other spoopy games for the season. And Matt prepares to board a community-driven space cruise ship in Elite: Dangerous . Email us with what you're playing and we'll read it on the s...