Dense Pixels - Video Game News and Reviews

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...

Sora is in Smash Bros Ultimate...yay. Also we cover the Nintendo Direct from a couple weeks back and marvel at how Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo are now definitively the best casting of the Mario Brothers ever. We have impressions galore of Deathloop, Eastward, Lost Judgment, Paradise Killer, Hot Wheels Unleashed, and Deltarune Chapter 2! The gays have also won over the Japanese development marke...

This week Micah was too busy curing the world of racism to play Deathloop, the hosts analyze the first ever Dense Pixels Derby, we discuss whether we should be excited about a Star Wars game developed by Quantic Dream, the best ever wrestling entrances, and why we should never see another video game-based movie.   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon Subscribe to...

Deathloop is an Arkane Studios game through and through, but Brad is actually digging it! Micah is also in love with Tales of Arise. The decision has been handed down in the Epic vs Apple trial and they somehow both lost! Micah and Carrie geek and speculate about what we'll see in Spider-Man 2. And we get to the bottom of who was to blame for the major incident at Monza this weekend.   Use our Ama...

We're back to a bad news week again, from the (now former) CEO of Tripwire Studios showing his whole ass on social media to Sony harkening back to their days of PS3 hubris. We also have trouble brewing at Paragon Studios, Sonic Colors' Switch port going awry, Brad's inability to control 200 mph race cars, and why AEW probably made the smartest wrestling decision of the next several years.    Use o...

Brad has spent a week in a sim racing rig and has has to learn how to drive again! Micah learns about red cards in soccer. Turns out all the kowtowing the video game industry has done to China continues backfiring to some extent as the Chinese government continues its crackdown on kids and gaming. The Activision and Unity stories churn forward in predictable fashion. And we discuss the benefits Te...

Micah talks about his early impressions of 12 Minutes as Brad and Carrie taunt him with their knowledge of things to come. Epic Games gets called out on their BS by the Among Us devs. Roblox is exposing children to a labor practice that's been banned in the US for a century. Unity engine is being used for a whole lot more than games, and their employees are starting to ask questions. Todd Howard c...

Even more notable departures were announced at Blizzard this week. Have we finally turned the corner in the industry (and also why you shouldn't make game characters in real people's likeness). We also discuss the validity of Game Pass from the developer side of things in the wake of two interesting tales. And a narrow but deep Post Office has us discussing why AEW is a small wrestling company, ga...

Turns out the feeling of absolute power does corrupt absolutely. We discuss the latest Blizzard revelations and the latest gaming visionary to come under fire for bad behavior. We also discuss the out-of-left-field Knuckles casting news, the best video game sound effects, accessibility in gaming, and the incredibly deep waters of sim racing.   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densep...

Boy, did the Blizzard situation end up in real tangible consequences in a hurry! We discuss the latest development and why we are going to continue seeing new developments from this story in the weeks to come. Brad gives his findings from the great Game Pass cloud streaming experiment, Micah attempts to fly a plane, Persona 5 Royal left Micah stunned (for the wrong reasons), Turn 10 Studios didn't...

What an incredibly frustrating week as we dive into the depravity happening at Activision Blizzard. Why does this keep happening? And why does this situation feel like impactful change could come much faster than it did with Ubisoft? We also talk Pokemon Unite, Monster Hunter Stories 2, Gran Turismo Sport, Final Fantasy XIV, and notable offerings from EA Play Live.   Use our Amazon page to donate...

Brad and Micah talk through the slow burn aspect of Persona 5 and whether or not it's a feature or drawback of the game. We also talk surprise of the over the moon response to the Steam Deck, why Netflix could actually be a player in the video game space, and why xDefiant could be the multiplayer shooter for Brad.   Use our Amazon page to donate to the show:  www.densepixels.com/amazon Subscribe t...