Markers on the Map: A Gaming Adventure

The Samurai Jack of all trades. This week, we delve into the multiple modes of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, this year's admittedly great followup to last year's disastrous entry. But it has a huge problem, and we'll discuss that first. Will this be a return to form for the series at the end, or will it continue a downward spiral? After that, we go back to Ghost of Yotei, now that we've both finished...

Put it in a mech suit. This week, we're back with some very early impressions on Kirby Air Riders, thanks to the Global Test Ride dropping just before recording! We've also got some opening thoughts on Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, the action game prequel to Tears of the Kingdom. Does it show as much promise as Age of Calamity? Only time will tell. Then, we dive deep into Metal Gear Solid...

The horrifying anthology returns! Join us for full spoilers on this year's mystery game. Many games owe features and mechanics to this pioneer of the genre, brought to us on modern consoles and officially released in North America for the first time ever courtesy of WayForward and Limited Run Games. Many haunts, randomized rooms, and a pulse-pounding theme are just the beginning of this short, but...

Silent Hill, but make it Pokemon. This week, we take a big look at the long-awaited Pokemon Legends Z-A, where we return to the grand world of X and Y's Lumiose City. In this installment, Pokemon becomes real-time and brings a whole new perspective to the series. Mega Evolutions, great side quests, and quality of life improvements you could only have dreamed of back in the day highlight these open...

The Gameland Before Time. This week, we've both got a ton to say about Ghost of Yotei, and most of it is complete praise. Sucker Punch's followup does so much right in terms of gameplay, character and story development, side content, and art style that it's so easy to pick up and enjoy. Atsu's tale of revenge gets more and more intriguing with each and every encounter. We're also talking quite a b...

Where's everyone going? Space? This week, some opening thoughts on Ghost of Yotei, Sucker Punch's follow-up to one of the best games ever made, Ghost of Tsushima. This time, the player takes the role of Atsu, who sets out to find the Yotei Six in 1600s Ezo. We've got spoiler-free thoughts on the first few hours, including mission and world design, combat mechanics, and the interesting flow of the...

The "f" stands for "I tell ya what." This week, join us for an introduction to Silent Hill f, a new installment in Konami's long-running franchise with a melee-based twist. A dark tale taking place in 1960s Japan is just getting started. We've also got some more thoughts on our continuing Borderlands 4 journey, now complete with frame rate fixes and field-of-view updates. And somehow still a broke...

Kairos is calling. This week, it's the big Borderlands 4 intro. Nearly the whole episode has us delving into the latest massive open-world adventure from Gearbox. There's a lot to unpack including moment-to-moment gameplay which is better than ever, upsetting performance issues, and some truly inexcusable item-holding side content. And what's Borderlands without a wild selection of some of the mos...

Kratos Kong and the Borderlands Curse, a Virtual Boy exclusive. This week, join us for a discussion on one of Nintendo's longest and most varied Nintendo Directs! They've got everything from a whole bunch of announcements, products, DLC, and new games to celebrate Mario's 40th anniversary, to an actual release date for Metroid Prime 4. Things like Hades 2 and the Mortal Kombat Kollection are final...

Star-Crossed Snake Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. This week, we continue our long discussion on Metal Gear Solid Delta, with a few spoilers, but nothing too heavy. The pairing of story and gameplay takes center stage as we both have thoughts upon finishing up the game this past week. What's different, what's the same, and what we liked and didn't highlight the initial wrap-up. We've also got a look at...

"What a thrill." Holy reference, Gameland. This week, we delve into the opening mission of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, a modern update to Hideo Kojima's 2004 PS2 Classic, Metal Gear Solid 3. We go in depth with the Virtuous Mission and what sets this new version apart from the original - namely, control schemes and graphics. The timeless tale of Big Boss returns, and new players get the b...

Part of a balanced breakfast. This week, we're taking a big first look at the story and gameplay in Mafia: The Old Country, Hangar 13's follow-up to the original Mafia trilogy. We've also got some comparisons and lingering thoughts on Mafia: Definitive Edition to go along with it. We also discuss some final thoughts on Lies of P and how a Soulslike with an easy mode really changes the game. Trust...

King of the Hearts, I tell you what. This week, join us for an intro to Lies of P, the Pinocchio Soulslike we never knew we needed. A harsh world that feels like Bloodborne meets a fairy tale is made all the better with an interesting take on difficulty modification, a unique weapon and handle system, and quality of life improvements to obnoxious elements like weapon durability. If only Breath of...

Would Plok also enjoy Sabrina's Strawberry Daydream Refresher? This week, we continue our discussion on Donkey Kong Bananza. There's a whole bunch of new powers and additions to DK's moveset. There are many varied challenges, arenas, puzzles, and bosses to tackle... not to mention hundreds of Banandium Gems to collect across a seemingly endless underground world. Character moments, incredible desi...

A new competitor in the "games with destructible environments" category. This week, it's finally here: Donkey Kong Bananza. Join us for our introduction for one of the best games in recent memory. It's a new frontier for 3D platformers with DK and Pauline mixing smooth movement with wild destruction. It's a little of that Nintendo magic usually reserved for Mario given new life in the form of a su...

A mind full of No Man's Sky. This week, we finally delve into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the year's best games and one that's sure to be up for tons of awards. The modern realization of a turn-based RPG takes us into a world of devastation and complexity, where parrying mechanics, character abilities, and a wild skill system are just the start. After that, we go under the sea to revisit 2...

Games got us to this point. This week, we've returned from the hallowed halls of what was once the location of E3 for another epic adventure at Anime Expo. We cover four days of fun, including awesome things we saw, dope items we picked up, and some absolutely incredible panels including one extremely relevant to something we always discuss on this very show. Gaming presence was bigger than ever t...

The sequel to Daryl Game. This week, it's finally upon us: Death Stranding 2. Join us for a massive introduction to the world of Hideo Kojima's latest masterpiece, from its gameplay systems, traversal and social mechanics, world-building, and more. A bigger and even better delivery game is here in the PS5's greatest technical and graphical showcase. It's a return to the world of connections first...

Snow Games and the Seven Bidoofs. This week, jump into some full thoughts on Jurassic World Evolution 2, the mission-based sequel to the park builder extraordinaire. With a short campaign, we take a look at what sets this one apart. After that, we delve into Bleach Rebirth of Souls for a look at what makes a solid anime fighter. A great cast and gameplay make sure this one doesn't disappoint. And...

Fake energy drink, real fun. So here's the Inside Story - Bowser's Inside Story, that is, as we take a look at the Nintendo DS' classic third installment of the Mario and Luigi RPG series. We're also returning to Mario Kart World for a little bit of Knockout Tour, one of the series' new modes. After that, we give you just a sneak peak at some Jurassic World Evolution 2 and Bleach: Rebirth of Souls...

But can it run Doom? Join us for our first impressions on the Nintendo Switch 2, the long awaited sequel to the Nintendo Switch. With so many cool new features and a highly premium feel, this is one of the greatest console releases of all time. And what's a console without a fantastic launch title? We've got some thoughts on the incredible Mario Kart World. Just think, that's only half the episode...

The A-Team of our day. A pair of two modern Doom games highlight this week's foray into FPS madness. First up, Doom 2016 brings us into the modern Doom era with a memorable and frantic campaign that started this whole new trilogy and is a true classic in every sense of the word. After that, we return to the Dark Ages with a completed campaign and some comparisons between 2016 and Eternal - the mos...

Biker Mice From Mars, seriously. Join us as we discuss some closing thoughts on this initial run through Rockstar's Bully, including mechanics, the open world, and more. After that, we finally dive into Balatro, where the deck can and will be broken almost immediately. Synergies, strategies, and the luck or lack of luck that can destroy your run highlight this chill (yet addictive) roguelike. Plus...

Medieval Doom featuring spaceships and robots. Let's introduce a few games here. First, comes Doom: The Dark Ages, id's new prequel to Doom 2016 and its sequel, the legendary Doom Eternal. It's a game that takes a little of what makes the others so good and gives it a unique identity, primarily from its incredible new shield mechanic. And then we take you back to the PS2 glory days with Rockstar's...

Every good show has a season in space. Welcome to the third season of Markers on the Map! If you're new to the show, we set the stage each season with some lore, and delve into this constantly-shifting game industry, from the latest and greatest to the almighty classics that paved the way. This week, we've got Switch 2 pre-order stories, some familiar season premiere Fall Guys talk, and the return...