State of the Save

FFVII talk starts at 42:15 WE TALK ABOUT ONE MAJOR SPOILER FROM THE ORIGINAL GAME (THE END OF DISC 1) RPG Summer is here! Join us as we play Final Fantasy VII: Remake. Michael returns to the game after playing the original, and Eric comes in to experience the Final Fantasy series for the first time. But, unfortunately, we have to talk about the turmoil in the gaming industry, including the Xbox la...

CW: Child Death and SA ------------------------------------------------------- It all comes down to this: It's the end of The Last of Us . Michael and Eric break down this legendary game's ending, debating its different sides, if Joel did the right thing, and if the final encounter was just a bit too difficult. We also announce the start of RPG SUMMER with FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, and Mic...

Summer Games Fest 2026 - All Announcements and Trailers: ⁠https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GOaSEL1chVhc7_IyWvlYPhB3rO4hMwCJ4HkZ5hs7Z-E/edit?usp=sharing⁠ NOTE: WE RECORDED THIS BEFORE THE XBOX LAYOFF AND STUDIO CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENTS! Summer Game Fest 2026 has come and gone. We cover all of the major shows from the past few weeks and break down our favorite reveals, trailers, and.....Tupac!?...

Summer Games Fest 2026 - All Announcements and Trailers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GOaSEL1chVhc7_IyWvlYPhB3rO4hMwCJ4HkZ5hs7Z-E/edit?usp=sharing LAST CALL FOR RPG SUMMER REQUESTS: ⁠⁠https://forms.gle/EscNFfQSHfTR1eMy7⁠ --------------------------------------------------- CW: Discussions of Suicide and Child Death ------------------------------------------------------- We continue our j...

SUBMIT YOUR REQUESTS FOR RPG SUMMER: ⁠https://forms.gle/EscNFfQSHfTR1eMy7⁠ Leave it to The Last of Us to completely screw up the naming convention of this show. It's time for a game known for its levity, the legendary The Last of Us. Is it still deserving of its place among gaming's best 13 Years later, or are the cracks starting to show? Find out what we think! (Just kidding, we're ho...

SUBMIT YOUR REQUESTS FOR RPG SUMMER: ⁠https://forms.gle/EscNFfQSHfTR1eMy7⁠ It's a BONUS SHOW! GET OVER HERE as we talk about Mortal Kombat II! We were defenders of the first movie, so with everyone saying that this one was the better movie, we decided to add to the discourse. Speaking of discourse, Eric finished Mixtape, a game that has been the target of some weird online culture war. Is it r...

SUBMIT YOUR REQUESTS FOR RPG SUMMER: https://forms.gle/EscNFfQSHfTR1eMy7 State of the Save returns to Perfect Dark to discuss the game's second half, and the wild turns it takes from UFOs and ancient alien wars to Presidential Clones and laptop turrets. We also talk about our plans for RPG Summer, how we got a working copy of The Last of Us, Pragmata, Stardew Valley Gamestop trying to buy eBay...

Perfect Dark talk starts at 45:00. Eric and Michael discuss the first half of Perfect Dark, the Rare N64 Classic that lives between the shadow of two monumental games of the FPS genre: Goldeneye and Halo. Does Perfect Dark earn its place as the 7th highest rated game on Metacritic, or is it the victim of a rapidly changing genre? We also talk about selling Metroid Prime 4: Beyond to buy better gam...

The cursed episode of State of the Save is here! Game disc errors, editing software crashes, random mid-show computer updates, it's all here! We give an update on what happened to The Last of Us episode, as well as make a pivot to our next game, Perfect Dark. We couldn't leave you all hanging, so what we have here is a random episode where Michael gives his final thoughts on Clair Obscur:...

Resident Evil 9: Requiem is here, and since Eric's copy of The Last of Us is late, we decide to gush over Capcom's newest game in the legendary survival horror franchise. Spoiler Warning around the 15-minute mark onwards, but yeah, we love this game. Join us next time for The Last of Us Episode 1, where we discuss the game up to when you enter Pittsburgh. Timecodes: 0:00 - Spoiler Free tho...

Here we go! It all came down to this: ~70 minutes of us talking about the legendary 71 Minute ending to the Metal Gear Solid Saga! Plus, we lay out the future of the show with our next game: The Last of Us! Prep shows work a bit differently now! Keep an eye out on our socials for a Video Prep Show hosted by Michael, breaking down what you need to know before playing along with us. Timecodes: 0:00...

It was the best of games, it was the worst of games. The coolest reveals, and the lamest reveals. The best action, and the worst action. Metal Gear Solid 4 is a tale of two games. What parts do Eric and Michael love and which ones make them wince? FIND OUT! Timecodes: 0:00 - Intro/State of Play announcements 12:15 - Distant Worlds: Final Fantasy Concert 14:20- Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patri...

The GameClub format has returned! It's time that we wrapped up the Metal Gear saga with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. This conversation covers the game's FIRST TWO ACTS! We briefly talk about the games we played over the Holiday break, with Michael talking about the flawed but ambitious Shadows of Doubt and the insane highs of completing Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Eric al...

It's time for our End of the Year Holiday Special! Join State of the Save, as we break down our favorite games of 2025, our personal Game Awards highlights, and the game's we're looking forward to most next year. Also, our GameClub format returns in 2026! Join uas as we finish our multi-year long Metal Gear saga with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots! Want to play along: Finish...

This week on State of the Save , Michael and Eric dive into two famously ambitious but undeniably flawed games: Hulk for the PlayStation 2 and Obsidian’s cult-favorite spy RPG Alpha Protocol . From chaotic superhero destruction to branching espionage gone off the rails, both titles spark a deeper conversation about what makes broken-but-bold games so fascinating. Michael also shares his time with...

In this episode of State of the Save , Michael finally plays Halo 3: ODST … but before he can even talk about the game, he drops a long-kept secret about his personal history with the Halo franchise that changes everything. Eric takes on Return of the Obra Dinn , the critically acclaimed investigative adventure from Lucas Pope. With its meticulous logic puzzles and unforgettable art style, it pull...

Michael and Eric return for another episode of State of the Save , diving deep into two wildly different retro experiences. Michael takes on Metal Gear Acid for PSP—a tactical, card-based spin on the Metal Gear Solid series with a plot twist no one will see coming. He also celebrates rolling credits on Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles and admits to falling into Monster Hunter Generati...

Eric and Michael revisit the golden PS2 era with two very different titles: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time , the groundbreaking Ubisoft action adventure, and The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age , EA’s cinematic RPG with, perhaps, too many ties to the legendary film trilogy. In this episode of State of the Save , the hosts explore what made these games unforgettable, from fluid parkour mechan...

It’s game swap time on State of the Save! This week, Eric planet-hops his way through Super Mario Galaxy , while Michael battles against the AI in NFL Blitz 2001 to figure out how the classic football game cheats . In a fun twist, the guys swap unexpected picks—Eric hands Michael an RPG, and Michael drops Eric into a once-beloved franchise that’s due for a comeback. Along the way, they dive into n...

Michael takes on Resident Evil: Revelations while Eric dives into Ace Combat: Assault Horizon —and the results are hilarious, confusing, and surprisingly deep. In this episode of State of the Save , the guys trade games in another Game Swap , share their takes on the latest Nintendo Direct announcements , and dig into Gears of War: Reloaded with some personal stories along the way. If you love ret...

It’s time for our very first Game-Swap ! Michael dives back into his Blockbuster rental nostalgia with Project: Snowblind , while Eric realizes the crew of Final Fantasy XV feels a lot like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in black coats. The swap continues with a portable spin-off and a questionable Call of Duty clone that alienated a fan base. Plus: Michael shares why UFO 50 is his current obses...

The horrors persist, but SO DOES STATE OF THE SAVE, with a new, sustainable show format. Hosts Eric and Michael reunite to swap video games they want the other to experience, bringing fresh perspectives, laughs, and plenty of friendly debate. In this comeback episode, we: Share the games we played during our hiatus Kick off our new "game trade” format Discuss Michael’s metal arm (not a bit!)...

3...2...1....RAAAAACE! It's time for Michael and Tanner to break down one of Nintendo's greatest and often forgotten franchises: F-Zero. In This Episode, we break down the history of the series from its inception all the way through F-Zero Maximum Velocity, as well as detailing our thoughts on each game. This is the biggest and most elaborate episode of State of the Save yet! I hope you al...

Michael continues breaking down his favorite games from every year while slowly realizing he left Arcade Racers behind in favor of Single-Player Fighting Games. Music: Jungle Mood — Peyruis [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/AE4AWGTNa-A⁠⁠ Free Download / Stream: ⁠⁠http://alplus.io/JungleMood⁠⁠ Metro — Scandinavianz [Audio Library Release] Music p...

It's a special solo show for State of the Save as Michael takes some time in-between GameClubs to go Year-By-Year to discuss his favorite games from each one. Plus, he gives an update on his progress in Baldur's Gate 3, also THERE'S A NEW F-ZERO! Music: Jungle Mood — Peyruis [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: ⁠⁠https://youtu.be/AE4AWGTNa-A⁠⁠ Free Downlo...