The Easy Allies Podcast

This year’s digital E3 has come and gone, and there was no way to watch absolutely everything from the show. We search our heads and hearts for hype levels surrounding Nintendo, Xbox, Ubisoft, Square Enix, Capcom, and Devolver, along with the PC Gaming Show and Wholesome Direct. 00:00:50 - Corrections 00:02:44 - E3 ‘21 Impressions 00:13:13 - E3 ‘21 Nintendo Direct 00:36:43 - E3 ‘21 Xbox Showcase 0...

Elden Ring is real, and E3 is just kickin’ off. The opening to the Summer Game Fest, including Day of the Devs, gives us plenty of announcements to review, not to mention Battlefield 2042. 00:00:51 - Corrections 00:02:24 - Elden Ring gameplay reveal 00:15:34 - SGF Kick-Off announcements 00:33:54 - SGF Kick-Off updates 00:54:11 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:59:14 - SGF Kick-Off extras 01:07:06 - Da...

E3 is upon us! Whatever form this year’s show will take, Ubisoft, Microsoft, Square Enix, Nintendo, and many more are getting ready to make big news. We handle our expectations with care while going down the event list, day by day, unlikely announcement by unlikely announcement. 00:01:18 - Corrections 00:03:25 - Silver Lining 00:04:38 - Ubisoft at E3 00:17:26 - Microsoft at E3 00:27:57 - Square En...

Four big, eagerly-anticipated, pre-E3 game updates lead us right into recording, including Dragon Quest, Horizon Forbidden West, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Dying Light 2. As we rank their significance, two heavy handheld rumors tease exciting announcements later this year. 00:01:28 - Corrections 00:03:28 - Silver Lining 00:05:46 - Dragon Quest 35th Anniversary Special 00:17:37 - Sonic Central 00:26:4...

As usual, Geoff Keighley plans to kick off “E3” this year, but what should we expect? We brace for another weird summer as Timesplitters re-appears, WB Games gets broken up, more publishers submit financial reports, and Apple v Epic makes us chuckle some more. 00:00:41 - Corrections 00:03:23 - Silver Lining 00:04:16 - Timesplitters studio formed 00:15:36 - Summer Games Fest Kick-Off 00:30:02 - WB...

With updates on the next Vive and PSVR, we start with a look at upcoming VR tech. Then it’s earnings time has several publishers end their fiscal years, the Video Game Hall of Fame inducts 4 more titles, and the silliness of Epic v Apple continues. 00:01:01 - Corrections 00:05:13 - Silver Lining 00:06:51 - PlayStation 5 VR update 00:20:18 - Ubisoft earnings call 00:39:01 - Japanese Publisher Reven...

While we’re unqualified to examine the court case between Epic and Apple, the documents released from it are fun to peek at. We chuckle at financial reports and private emails while pondering a return to Sunset Overdrive, Game Builder Garage’s surprise announcement, the best-selling Star Wars games ever, and our favorite moments from Giant Bomb. 00:00:00 - Opening 00:00:59 - Corrections 00:03:49 -...

Ratchet once again shows off the power of the PS5. As we marvel at the details, Marvel might be working with Netherrealm on a new fighter, a lost Castlevania demo returns from the dead, and Riot enforces their Jibber Jabber policy in potentially disappointing ways. 00:00:55 - Corrections 00:03:48 - Silver Lining 00:04:44 - Ratchet & Clank State of Play 00:17:57 - Riot Games shuts down Chronoshift...

Sony goes for the rare gaming-news hat-trick by keeping the PS3 and Vita stores open after a rumor and announcement rile up their fans. Also, Blizzard loses Jeff Kaplan, and Amazon loses their LOTR MMO, but Oculus gains a Showcase. 00:00:47 - Corrections 00:02:50 - Silver Lining 00:04:24 - Jeff Kaplan leaves Blizzard 00:15:47 - Sony keeping PS3 and Vita stores open 00:28:09 - Oculus Gaming Showcas...

Tarts and Strudels go head to head in a bloodbath of gaming hype-checks as we look at the next 3 months of big releases. Also, Resident Evil announced even more projects, and Sony might want to remake The Last of Us already. 00:00:47 - Corrections 00:02:12 - Silver Lining 00:03:38 - Resident Evil Showcase 00:24:34 - Q2 2021 Preview - April 00:38:36 - Q2 2021 Preview - May 01:07:03 - A Word From Ou...

There is lots of good news to celebrate this week. Pac-Man fans battle for free, E3 begins the road back to relevance, MLB The Show comes to Xbox, and Kojima gets “Abandoned.” 00:00:58 - Corrections 00:05:21 - Silver Lining 00:06:30 - Pac-Man 99 Announced 00:18:37 - E3 is back 00:39:39 - MLB The Show on Game Pass 00:47:26 - A Word From Our Sponsors 00:53:32 - Abandoned and Hideo Kojima 01:04:13  -...

Sony’s actually going to shut down the PS3, PSP, and Vita stores, which wasn’t confirmed until this week. As we all weighed what to hurriedly buy and download, Platinum announced a shmup, the Ever Given mystifies our panelists, and two PGA Tour franchises face off on the green. 00:01:19 - Corrections 00:03:05 - Silver Lining 00:05:56 - Sony’s actually shutting down stores 00:19:10 - Sol Cresta ann...

Spring has sprung for the Future Games Show while Amazon takes another crack at creating a new IP and Australia panics over Disco Elysium. Then it’s a round of pure speculation as rumors circle about Microsoft buying Discord and Sony shutting down old-gen marketplaces. 00:00:39 - Corrections 00:02:07 - Silver Lining 00:04:09 - Future Games Show Spring Showcase 00:20:24 - Microsoft wants to buy Dis...

Sony made big moves this week, acquiring Evo and partnering with Jade Raymond to create Haven Studios. We try to foresee the outcome of these investments, while getting excited about Forspoken and the next chapter of Life is Strange. 00:01:08 - Corrections 00:02:40 - Silver Lining 00:03:41 - Sony buys Evo 00:17:53 - Life is Strange: True Colors 00:33:52 - Forspoken 00:44:04 - A Word From Our Spons...

Microsoft now officially owns Bethesda and, following recent statements from Phil Spencer, we speculate what franchises will be exclusive to Xbox forever. Also, Paragon gets a second life as Predecessor, Valve halts development on Artifact, and the Ninja Turtles are back for another brawl. 00:00:52 - Corrections 00:04:03 - Silver Lining 00:06:03 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge 0...

As the week ends we’re now anticipating open-world Pokémon adventures and co-op Aliens shooters we didn’t even know existed. We’ll be enjoying these later this year while we lament the “reorganization” of Japan Studio and our lack of Hololens 2 headsets powered by Microsoft Mesh. 00:00:44 - Corrections 00:02:48 - Silver Lining 00:05:12 - Aliens: Fireteam Announced 00:15:51 - Pokemon Direct Updates...

It was a big week for Final Fantasy VII and Diablo fans, with remake updates and mobile spin-offs celebrating the best of each beloved series. Also, Sony is hard at work developing the next-generation of PlayStation VR, and BioWare gets a break from fixing Anthem. 00:00:44 - Corrections 00:01:53 - Silver Lining 00:04:06 - PlayStation State of Play 00:40:43 - FFVII Mobile Games 00:54:46 - A Word Fr...

This week our expectations were put to the test. How much can Nintendo fit into a 50 minute Direct? How should we feel about our first look at the new Mortal Kombat movie? And is someone, anyone, getting ready to announce a new Silent Hill game? 00:00:40 - Corrections 00:03:40 - Silver Lining 00:05:37 - Splatoon 3 00:12:39 - Project Triangle Strategy 00:19:05 - Zelda: Skyward Sword HD 00:25:21 - P...

Final Fantasy XIV blasts off for the moon with Endwalker, and WBIE’s new patent all but guarantees a return trip to Monolith’s Mordor. What’s less certain is when we’ll get to play the Sands of Time Remake and when the creator of Terraria will get his Google account back. 00:00:51 - Corrections 00:02:15 - Silver Lining 00:03:23 - FF XIV Endwalker Revealed 00:11:55 - WBIE’s Nemesis Patent 00:27:03...

We relish in the opportunity to chuckle at Google and Amazon’s development efforts after Schreier eviscerates Amazon and Google stops making games. At the same time it’s nothing but good news for multiple Warhammer franchises, Gearbox Entertainment, and the Mass Effect trilogy. 00:00:44 - Corrections 00:02:18 - Silver Lining 00:03:36 - Total War: Warhammer III 00:10:15 - Gearbox Acquired 00:23:22...

GameStop shares and Xbox Live prices are going up. Or are they going down? We search for answers while lamenting Vicarious Visions getting absorbed by Blizzard, catching up on the Borderlands movie cast, and pondering Gabe Newell’s battle for your brain. 00:01:03 - Corrections 00:03:39 - Silver Lining 00:07:36 - GameStop Stock Squeeze 00:25:36 - Xbox Live Price Increase 00:40:06 - Vicarious Vision...

Resident Evil gives us chills by how creepy Village feels and how weird Re:Verse looks in their recent Showcase. After replaying the Maiden demo a few times, we discuss Capcom’s plans for a successful 2021, the EU’s fines for companies that geo-block, and the big gaming investments of 2020. 00:01:02 - Corrections 00:03:46 - Silver Lining 00:06:07 - Resident Evil Village Showcase 00:36:21 - Capcom...

Lucasfilm re-invests in games so we share our excitement as Indiana Jones rides again and Ubisoft opens up the galaxy far, far away. Also worth speculating: new trademarks made by Square Enix, a very quick end-screen of upcoming Sony exclusive release dates, and some games you might not have heard of among Twitter’s biggest stats of 2020. 00:00:39 - Corrections 00:03:13 - Silver Lining 00:04:41 -...

It’s time to look ahead at the next three months of releases using a time-honored tradition of ridiculous breakfast food comparisons; a Q1 2021 preview with sprinkles and spreadable frosting. Also, Amazon reveals its list of the top 100 best-selling products from last year and we try to find something on it to analyze that isn't a gift card or a game exclusive to Switch. 00:01:03 - Corrections 00:...

This has been a strange and sometimes uncomfortable year to sort through, but before we tackle another 12 months we need to sort through the biggest headlines and most interesting stats of 2020. Also, Tencent picks up another handful of studio stocks and Star Citizen delays something yet again. 00:00:58 - Corrections 00:03:17 - Silver Lining 00:04:53 - Biggest Headlines of 2020 00:47:01 - A Word F...