Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast

We were spoiled last week, what with lots of new PlayStation 5 details to obsess over. But Sony has another piece of PS-themed hardware that's worthy of next-gen attention, and no, we're not talking about a third handheld (which is surprising, since we talk about Vita constantly). PlayStation VR was launched just about three years ago, and some five million units later, it has quietly found its wa...

We've been calling Sony's next-gen console PlayStation 5 for quite some time now, but we weren't sure that's what it would actually be named. Now, we know PS5 is indeed PS5, and along with that news comes lots of fresh details straight from the horse's mouth. From the console's release window to the nature of DualShock 5, there's a whole lot to talk about, and we do just that. Also: Activision-Bli...

We recorded this week's podcast, flipped off the microphones, and went on Twitter, where we discovered a surprise piece of late-breaking news: Shawn Layden is leaving Sony. Layden used to be CEO of the American branch of PlayStation, and most recently held the position as Head Honcho of PlayStation's fully-owned, first party studios. So let's discuss his departure (albeit briefly, because we don't...

The silence surrounding The Last of Us: Part II has been somewhat deafening, what with PlayStation 5 hurtling toward us on the horizon and PS4's most important and anticipated exclusive still unreleased. Our patience has been rewarded with precious new information, however, including the game's release date, and there's a whole lot to discuss, including for all you Joel fanboys and fangirls out th...

It may be hard to believe, but it's been nearly seven years since Borderlands 2 launched, and so with Borderlands 3's recent arrival, you may expect fans to be delighted. Some are, no doubt, but many others aren't, and such a situation calls much into question: Are there too many loot-based shooters? Can a game like this compete on the modern market? Is Borderlands 3 simply too late? Chris and Col...

A rather interesting piece of industry news went largely unreported last week. It seems the Creative Director of Bethesda-owned Tango Gameworks' Ghostwire: Tokyo has randomly left the studio mere months after introducing and showcasing her game at E3. This was clearly unplanned and obviously spur-of-the-moment, so what gives? We speculate. Also: Thriving publisher Capcom has revealed an all-new Re...

Capcom's recent resurgence hasn't only been fueled by Street Fighter, Monster Hunter, Devil May Cry, and slick retro collections. Resident Evil -- known as Biohazard in Japan -- has itself been a lynchpin since RE7 shocked us the gaming world early 2017 (not to mention RE2's wonderful remake earlier this year). Now, the Japanese publisher is teasing a new Resident Evil, but it's unclear just what...

Every once in a while, a game comes along that you think is one thing, but ends up being something entirely different. (This is especially true for those of us who do our best to avoid preview coverage for titles we're excited about.) Sometimes, this is a good thing. Other times, it isn't. With Remedy's newest game Control -- the dev's first adventure on a PlayStation platform in 16 years -- it's...

Today's episode was already shaping up to be a sizable one. After all, there's THQ Nordic-related news galore to get through, not to mention the conspicuous exit of two prolific producers from BioWare, new NPD sales data, and much more to discuss. But then a meteor struck: Insomniac Games has been purchased by Sony, the first acquisition PlayStation's first party has made in more than eight years!...

While they share some commonalities, Microsoft and Sony are chasing next-gen victory in fundamentally different ways. Sony's doubling-down on everything that made it a resounding winner this go-around -- including a full embrace of its proprietary ecosystem -- while Microsoft seems more eager to lower barriers and spread the love. In a recent interview, the head of Xbox's first party studios candi...

The popular gaming convention PAX West chose to host the first-ever live show in Sacred Symbols' history. We were excited, and so were many of you. Oh, but wait, never mind! Weeks after confirming our panel, the powers-that-be at PAX uninvited us from the show without explanation and with no recourse for fans. It's completely unacceptable, and we dedicate the beginning portion of our show to what...

Sony-owned Media Molecule is hiring for a most unusual task: The studio is seeking small dev teams to create experiences inside the Early Access version of its PS4 exclusive Dreams. And they're willing to pay. The question, of course, is what that says about the state of Sony's absurdly long-in-development sandbox, and if we're now officially entering Insane Territory. Is there something here we s...

Resistance is futile: The future of video game distribution is digital whether you like it or not. But we're an agile sect of consumers, and even the most stubborn among us can change our buying habits. Corporations entrenched in the ever-stagnant status quo, on the other hand, will inevitably be less fortunate. GameStop in particular seems destined to be consumed by creative destruction, but can...

Our beloved industry has a decades-long tradition of declaring a Game of the Year, which usually occurs in December or January. But such decisions can be quite overwhelming, especially with 12 months' worth of content to go over. So we thought we'd do things just a little bit differently. While you can count on a "proper" Game of the Year episode when you'd usually expect it, we thought we'd throw...

The free market is a splendid thing. And sometimes, it's even a little scary. Today -- unplanned and at the tail end of our episode -- we discuss the eGirl Phenomenon on the back of the Gamer Girl Bathwater controversy. Just what in the actual hell is going on out there? We discuss (and we don't even judge anyone that much). If you're not into perverted stuff, though, that's okay, because most of...

 Until recently, we've been left to wildly speculate about PlayStation 5.  And boy, have we speculated! But since spring, Sony has been more than willing to talk about its next-gen machine, though it still declines to name it publicly. In a wide-ranging Wall Street Journal article, sources both at Sony and familiar with their internal happenings describe a gaming machine with great capabilities, o...

Did you know words are important and have specific meanings? The gaming industry learned these essential lessons this past week, when a mistranslated and misunderstood Japanese interview concerning Final Fantasy VII Remake made it seem like the dev team was ordered to make one of the character's breasts smaller. And so we spiraled into madness... except... that's not what was said at all. Oh well!...

E3 2019 is behind us, but -- like the persistent radiation of Chernobyl -- its effects still linger. Indeed, there's much to discuss in the afterglow of the show, and we do just that, revisiting The Avengers, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Cyberpunk 2077. We also touch on Square Enix's plans for its own subscription service, the future of Amazon Game Studios, Konami's surprise new Contra game, and...

It's early June, which can mean only one thing: The NHL playoffs are nearly over, and it's time to hunker down for several long, lonely months without hockey. But something else happens in early June each year that's especially pertinent to this podcast's audience: E3! And isn't it so strange -- serendipitous, even -- that our very first E3 show would also be our fiftieth core episode? Fate's funn...

It's the week before E3, and all through LA, games keep on leaking much to publishers' dismay. A third Watch Dogs is coming. New Destiny DLC, too. And Modern Warfare's being rebooted, though that one didn't leak, it's true. So to welcome E3, we thought we'd cook up a game. One that replaces 'Predictions,' which have become stale and lame. "Fill in the blank!" Colin loudly declared. "Tell me your t...

E3 2019 is right around the corner, and Sony ain't gonna be there. But that doesn't mean the company is being quiet. Quite the opposite! Likely in anticipation of big Xbox-related moves and announcements at the annual convention, PlayStation has loosened its spigot even more than it already had in recent weeks, talking PlayStation 5 (or whatever the hell it's going to be called), not to mention Pl...

In recent days, word emerged of a most unusual alliance: It seems Sony is teaming up with longtime arch-rival Microsoft across a series of initiatives that could have significant impact on both entities' future gaming success. Indeed, the announcement was such a surprise -- and seemed to have so much impact for both companies -- that Sony employees were internally fretting that plans for PlayStati...

This week, the seemingly endless march of open world something-or-the-others continues with the release of Bethesda's and Avalanche's Rage 2. How have we been enjoying the FPSRPG's opening hours? We go into all the highs and the lows. The last seven days have also provided fertile soil for news, especially on the back of Sony's second State of Play stream. PS4's Medievil remake finally has a relea...

SEGA never stops trying to make Sonic the Hedgehog relevant again. Indeed, the storied games publisher even announced a foray into feature films some months ago. But now, that mere announcement has been given life and motion, and... well... the results are highly disturbing. But with the filmmakers' decision to heed fans' calls for design changes, have we reached Peak Entitlement? Let's chat about...

PlayStation 4 is getting kinda jealous. After all, we've been heaping all this attention on its successor over the last couple of weeks, and it thinks we've forgotten about it. So let's prove it wrong with a heaping helping of PS4 news and info! For starters, new PlayStation 4 sales figures have been announced, and with PS4's all-new exclusive Days Gone now released, you'll be pleased to know that...