Markers on the Map: A Gaming Adventure

It's time to bring the noise. On the mid-season finale of Markers on the Map, join us on a journey to the year 2005 set up by our newest lore cutscene. We find ourselves in a generation where gaming was different, where hundreds of games dropped constantly, with no DLC or battle passes in sight. Movie tie-ins, platforming collect-a-thons, and the reinvention of first-person shooters - so many sixt...

Markers on the Map's hottest episode is Gameageddon Part 2. This episode has everything. It has lore flashback to set the stage for next week's milestone episode. It has a big introduction to Super Mario Bros Wonder, a game so full of joy we'll be bringing multiple episodes on it come next year. It has a look at Hot Wheels Unleashed 2's many changes and improvements. It's even got a call to the Ga...

In this issue, Peter and Miles are on their way to heal video games. This week, it's finally here: Spider-Man 2, and we have some spoiler-free early impressions of Insomniac's followup to their 2018 and 2020 masterpieces. So much has improved in all the right ways, and Spider-Man 2 is sure to be a game of the year frontrunner. We've also got a bunch of positive things to say about the Modern Warfa...

Season of the Glitch. After two years, the Gamekeeper brings you the newest installment of his Tales from the Map! Full spoilers are here for this year's top secret game, as well as the DLC of another game. We explore the plot and mechanics of a product that's been discussed for thirteen years now. Trapped between light and darkness, a seemingly normal vacation is turned into a horrifying case of...

A brand new record! This week, in preparation for the upcoming specials and the advent of October's wild games release schedule, we tackle the long-running list of games we've meant to talk about for weeks and weeks. This includes things like Need for Speed Unbound, Saints Row, the Pokemon DLC, Lost Judgment, and a whole bunch more. Seriously, it's a lot. We also briefly discuss the new Sonic Fron...

Starting October off with some spooky audio woes! This week, we delve into Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and our experience playing the latest installment in the franchise for the first time. We go into positives, negatives, and everything in between as we begin our Spawn Battle Pass journey. We also take a quick look at Foamstars through its open beta. Is it like Splatoon? Kind of, but there's a...

In the words of Trombone Champ, "Trumpet... the coward's trombone." This week, we delve into some of the best modern couch co-op games. We start with a long look at the fourth and fifth waves of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's DLC tracks, full of new courses and old favorites. Then, we head into madness with Vampire Survivors' truly addicting co-op mode. After that, we get a little silly with Trombone Champ...

New gaming meals featuring Live Service Sandwiches and Microtransaction Milkshakes. This week, the showcase crossover we never knew we needed: a Nintendo Direct and a Playstation State of Play on the same day! Join us as we discuss new games and updates, like Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Princess Peach Showtime, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Spider-Man 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and so much mo...

Sea of Stars does get a mention in this one. This week, it's a little different as we tackle a few topics in the current landscape of gaming. First, we take a look at the reception and criticisms of Starfield, which currently dominates game discourse. Later on, we talk about EA's patch for Jedi Survivor and how it makes a good case for waiting a few months for a AAA game to be fixed instead of buy...

The Markers on the Map Jumbo Coloring and Activity Book. This week, our special Launch Lineup segment returns for a third round - the Game Boy Advance. With its mid-2001 release date, a handful of interesting games were released alongside Nintendo's latest portable device. From Super Mario Advance to Castlevania, we'll take a brief look at each of them. After that, we discuss some of the new featu...

A real Sekiro moment! This week, we're taking the first steps into the world of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon. The long awaited entry in From's mech series takes us away from the stylings of Soulslikes, but still retains some of that signature difficulty. Frustrating boss encounters and a staggering amount of customization are just a few of the things we delve into in one of the year's biggest...

Dear video games, make Lego Rock Band 2. This week, we're finally taking a look at World War Z: Aftermath, an incredibly fun and satisfying game in a very oversaturated genre: co-op shooters. With tons of content and a variety of locations, it's a fantastic time. Before that, we get a lesson in finding antimatter in No Man's Sky from one of our characters, as well as remembering the hidden gem tha...

Red Dead Redemption on PS4 costs what?! This one's got a little bit of everything. We have a big discussion on remakes and remasters and whether they're a good thing for gaming companies to release. We also return to Horizon: Forbidden West for some trophy cleanup and a run through the Burning Shores DLC expansion. After that, we've got some news stories like Keith David taking over the role of Za...

Did they have video games? The shelves were full. This week, we discuss the Diablo games leading up to Diablo 4, namely Diablo 3 and Diablo 2: Resurrected. We do also discuss a lot of Diablo 4 as the series continues its evolution, for better or worse. Each game is different, and each has a ton of positives as well as their fair share of negatives. We're also talking about the upcoming Nickelodeon...

Three tangents! Ah, ah, ah! Two of them are gaming-related, though. This week, we return - after over two years - to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, for a new take on the modern classic RPG. Ichiban's story begins to unfold with twists and turns as one of us delves into the game for the first time. We've also got a few tangents, as noted. A new game comes to Apple Arcade with an interesting start. A string...

Marvel as we dodge spoilers in the most creative way. This week, we're returning to spoiler-free impressions of God of War Ragnarok, this time, from a different point of view. The good, the bad, and the strange design choices of it all are front and center in the return to Kratos' second journey in Norse mythology. Plus, we've got some stuff we forgot to talk about in regards to Final Fantasy XVI,...

Clive doesn't actually wear a hat. But if he did, it'd be Eikonic. This week, we've got a long overview of Final Fantasy XVI, Square Enix's complete reinvention of the series as a character action game. Powers, bosses, quests, and more come up in this long segment. We're also looking at Square Enix as a whole, and their massive quantities of game releases. We've also got some truly awesome announc...

In the words of the show, "that's gaming-related!" This week, we're back from a trip to Anime Expo, so we spend a bit of time discussing all the cool stuff we did there, including some Street Fighter 6 and Persona-based goodness. It was a great time, and we had to bring some of that into the episode! But that's not all - there's been a massive Nintendo Direct since we last recorded and we picked t...

The Launch Lineup returns! This week, we're tackling some wild topics like Joy-Con drift and the struggle of returning to a difficult game you've conquered in the past that you just can't seem to get back into. Then, we take an in-depth look at Final Fantasy XVI's opening hours and combat by way of the game's fantastic demo. We wrap this week up with the return of the Launch Lineup, and this time,...

This episode asks the question, "what does XP taste like?" This week, we're looking at three more Summer Games Fest showcases, Xbox, Ubisoft, and Capcom. New reveals like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and Clockwork Revolution lead the way in massive presentations full of updates. A huge portion of Starfield is front and center, a new Star Wars game brings...

Geoff Keighley returns. This week marks the beginning of Summer Games Fest 2023, and we start with the big show, as well as Devolver's much-anticipated "Return of Volvy." We're talking about brand new updates and reveals like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Sonic Superstars, Remnant 2, Mortal Kombat 1, John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, Lies of P, Alan Wake 2, Spider-Man 2, and of course, Final Fa...

Okay, but JP is a bit ridiculous, right? This week, we take the entire episode to delve into our first impressions of the long awaited Street Fighter 6. We give our thoughts on World Tour, Battle Hub, and Fighting Ground, as well as some initial takes on the game's seven new characters. We discuss new central mechanics like the Drive system and custom characters as we take the first steps into thi...

In the words of those who expected GTA6 at the Sony show, "what, no GTA6?" This week, we take a look at Sony's latest Playstation Showcase and go in-depth with two of the bigger segments - Metal Gear Solid Delta, a remake of Snake Eater, and Spider-Man 2's 10-minute gameplay reveal. After that, we discuss a few more games from the show like Bungie's Marathon, Remedy's Alan Wake 2, Foamstars, Final...

We gotta Ultrahand it to games, they've been pretty great lately. This week, we take a first look at The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the followup to one of the highest-rated games of all time. And you know what? It's actually a lot better than Breath of the Wild. Then, we discuss the newest season of Fall Guys, which puts a big emphasis on the game's new creative mode. There's also a li...

Stop with the live services, I beg of you! We're back with a small lore cutscene to set the stage. Then, we get right into it this week, with Star Wars Jedi Survivor, a game that shares DNA with Fallen Order, and even improves on it in a few areas. It's a massive game, but not without its flaws. We're also looking at the introductory hours of SpongeBob's Cosmic Shake, and the joys of finally getti...