SDGC - Super Deluxe GamesCast

We return after several weeks off to talk about some motherlovin' video games, positive changes within Square Enix, and reliable reports (we swear) of new Nintendo and Playstation hardware coming late 2024. Time is an illusion.

It's been a few weeks since our Final Fantasy 16 review, and having had some time to digest Finn and Derek return to talk about if they still feel the same way about the game as they did the last time we heard each. This is a companion piece to our Pre-Review and Review podcasts, which you should listen to gain the full context of this recording.

Derek, John, and Finn are joined by frequent guest (and podcast friend) Grant Stoner to discuss Final Fantasy XVI (again? surely not?), accessibility in gaming, and the latest verdict in the battle between the FTC and Microsoft.

Finn, John, and CJ share their final thoughts on one of this console generation's most anticipated games yet. Does Final Fantasy XVI soar or stumble? This is a follow-up to our Pre-Review discussion, which together with this Review fully captures the context of our time with the game.

Curious responses on a Capcom investor call lead us to speculate what dormant Capcom games and franchises could see a comeback this generation... although most of it might just be hopes and wishes. Also, we talk about how live service games have broken people's brains, and the futility of trying to develop a Forever Game.

Spoiler alert my good buds: yes they can.

Finn, John, and Derek are a healthy chunk of the way through Final Fantasy XVI, and are ready to begin weighing in on the game. In this "Pre Review" we'll talk about our feelings on the game so far, including story elements, characters, and gameplay. Story details are kept as abstract as possible. Initial impressions may change when it comes time for our final review, which we are ai...

It's Final Fantasy XVI launch day, and somehow the podcast quit playing in order to drag itself together for a show. We talk a bit about what we've been playing (guess what), the death of E3, the projected end of the console generation, and our favorite reveals from Wednesday's Nintendo Direct.

To celebrate the launch of Season 3 of Castle Bravo, we're bringing you an earlier episode where CJ joins Derek and Charlotte to talk about King Kong Escapes. You can find the full library of episodes over on its own feed at Castle Bravo: A Godzillaverse Retrospective. We return to Ishiro Honda and the rest of the Dream Team as they take another crack at a King Kong movie for Toho. Produced in...

We're joined by new friend of the show 8bitDee to... I mean, basically talk about Final Fantasy XVI, and the Final Fantasy XVI pre-launch event, and the new Square Enix CEO introducing himself at that event, and other things along that theme. It's a one-game kinda show today, so you already know if you're in or out.

Justin and Derek sit down with the newly-released retro-style "boomer shooter" FPS and talk about the onslaught of Warhammer 40k games and the virtues of a dedicated taunt button.

Look man there's some games coming out this month, by posting time two of them will already be out, but when we recorded this they basically weren't. Anyway, no news we just talk about this loaded up June. Okay we find like 10 minutes to talk about the Playstation Showcase we missed covering the week before but whatever dude.

It's a Double Guest Spectacular as we're joined by journalists Grant Stoner and Veerender Jubbal to talk about journalism and activism and the often frustrating uphill process of trying to do either. Don't worry we talk about some fun videogame stuff too, a Zelda game just came out after all.

We're joined this week by longtime friend of the show Matt Storm to talk about how huge payraises for Capcom employees have led to skyrocketing success. Also, we toss out some ideas of what we might see and what we hope we see from the summer-long deluge of announcements and showcases.

We fail the "minutes til Final Fantasy" test HARD and spend a significant amount of time talking about the pixel remasters. Then, we discuss the current conversation about Redfall's poor reception and the future of Microsoft as a publisher, the tales of whose impending death we think may be a little overdramatic.

Now that the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters have finally hit consoles, John and Derek are ready to judge them as most people will play them. Can these remasters be for more than just diehard fans of the original 6 games? Which games in the collection are most worth your time? Can we actually make John talk about Final Fantasy 6 last? These games were played and reviewed on PC, Playstation, AND Nint...

We're joined by journalist and long-time friend of the show Sam Tolbert to discuss the CMA blocking Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard. Also, we discuss the Verge's leaked information about the ROG Ally, and what impact it could have on the chunk of the market the Steam Deck carved out for itself.

This week it's John, Jeff and Justin joined by special guests and friends of the show, Cam and Darren, as the crew helps John celebrate the arrival of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on consoles. Yes, you read that right - it's hard to believe it actually happened. Also on the tap this week are our reactions to the Street Fighter VI showcase, and some brief thoughts on the Super Mario Br...

Calamity strikes minutes before the live show and the crew are forced to pull it together on the fly. Multiple people show up partway through. We run the intro two and a half times. Despite this nonsense, we actually manage to get some good talking time in about two of this year's most anticipated games: Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom, and Final Fantasy XVI.

This week's very special guest is Jasmine of VRWithJasmine - an influencer, content creator, and VR advocate focused on educating people on some of the best VR experiences out there and helping folks get started in an exciting new interactive space. CJ also returns from Los Angeles with a lightsaber in hand to talk about the Jedi Survivor preview event. Follow VRWithJasmine: VR with Jasmine -...

Finn and John tell us about the best and worst (but mostly the best) on display at PAX East 2023, including all the games and teams that received Socky awards. But first, of course, we have to gush about the Resident Evil 4 remake some.

John and Finn are busy at PAX East, but the rest of the crew is here to talk about some of those electronic games. We experiment with a mini-headlines segment. Nightdive Studios brings in a promising new employee right before being bought by... ATARI? And the Unreal Editor for Fortnite promises to change the game for aspiring developers.

After 90 (NINETY) hours of game, John is finally able to weigh in on Octopath Traveler 2. Listen in as he and Derek weigh in on what this sequel needed to do in order to improve over the original, and whether or not it met those expectations. Review code provided by Square Enix, as usual. Thanks to Square for the opportunity to review this game.

**NOTE: Contains spoilers for episodes 9 and prior of the 'The Last of Us' It's the final episode as Jeff, John, Justin and Britt react to the season finale of The Last of Us, as well as giving their thoughts on the series as a whole and its significance as a landmark video game adaptation.

It's an all-good-vibes show this week as we're joined by friends of the show Cam Hawkins and SarahOfMars to talk about what we've been playing, Sarah's trip to the abandoned basketball court they built Super Nintendo World in, and the upcoming wave of game-to-screen adaptations.