The Forecast

On today’s episode #193, Amazon is not as artificially intelligent as expected, the CFPB is taking a look at transactions in video games, and a group of us went to PAX East.  Also, Helldivers 2 war updates with Caleb, Crash goes indie, and - of course - we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #192, Paul Atreides sees a narrow path, TikTok sees the beginnings of a ban in the US House of Representatives, and PS5 pro specs are leaked? Also, Helldivers are still uniting under the flag of liberty, D&D celebrates 50 years, and - of course - we’ve been playing games.

Flashback Episode 17: So Friggin' Strong

On today’s episode #191, Sam Altman asks for a little bit of money while Nvidia sees a record valuation, Madame Web finds itself in the company of other great films, and Sony makes a bold statement. Also, Helldivers is taking the internets by storm, Microsoft and Sony are somewhat working together, and - of course - we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #190, our game of the year goes into open beta, TikTok and UMG get in a fight over music rights, and Disney makes a huge investment and a surprise announcement. Also, Steam Next Fest is happening, Microsoft will soon found Super Earth, and - of course - we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #189, literally the entire video game world is laying people off, Palworld is destroying the internet, and - in case you didn’t see it - we crowned Starfield as our GOTY. Also, Todd Howard makes an incredible new game, Pantheon is the animated series you need to watch from 2023, and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s special edition episode #188, we dive into the games we loved playing this year and battle over our top 10 to ultimately crown one our 2023 Game of the Year.

Jake like, likes Kingmaker. Alex gets excited about John Wick. Caleb talks Haptix. Aaron transitions things. Owen interviews the Washington Justice. #GOTsux

On today’s episode #187, E3 is officially dead, more layoffs plague the the games industry - this time at Hasbro, and we slowly read through every nominee and winner for the Game Awards. Plus, A24 has made the video game movie deal of the century and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #186, Aaron is out and Cait is in so we return to rating lists, there is controversy over what is or isn’t considered an “indie game”, and we have more game delays as always. Plus, with the strike over we have a bunch of TV shows to talk about, OG Fortnite has brought the game back to life, and we’ve been playing a bunch of games.

On today’s episode #185, the SAG-AFRTA strike ends after nearly four months with some notable concessions from the studios but some concern remaining in the grey area of AI, Formula One (a sport we have probably never covered on this podcast) has to deal with the repercussions of overestimating Vegas attendance and underestimating the savant-like nature of one of their drivers, and the Game of the...

On today’s episode #184, new breaks on the former FTX CEO Sam-Bankman Fried, the International prize pool for the biggest esports tournament in the world was lackluster this year, and Layoffs and delays again plague the video game development community. Also, Extra Life game day is happening this Saturday - so stop by, join us for some fun, and donate if you can!

On today’s episode #183, Pumpkin Spice takes over everything in the United States in the fall, Sony decides that the PS5 needs a smaller, sleeker design, and ChatGPT is used again to write something it shouldn’t. Also, we played another one shot - this time with 10 people - and Extra Life game day is happening in two weeks.

On today’s episode #182, the writer’s strike comes to a conclusion after 148 days, Backerkit takes a stance after Kickstarter makes an unpopular choice, and many, many video games are unplayable lately. Also, Aaron wants more people to start Cultural Appreciation nights, which we’ll talk about in our film section.

On today’s episode #181, Unity decides to backtrack on a controversial price hike for their software amid backlash from developers, Neuralink begins open recruitment for their recently approved BCI implants, and we’ll take a look at the list of who is striking in the US today. Also, announcements from several showcases, we tried out another one-shot, and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #180, the SAG-AFTRA board unanimously votes to give an interactive media strike to members, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem was so successful it’s getting a video game sequel, and Apple reps for their next event. Also, Baldur’s Gate III has dropped out of the top 10 highest-rated games of all time list, Starfield makes some weird choices, and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #179, we cover national news for Alex because he keeps seeing headlines but scrolling, and Charles Martinet is replaced by Chris Pratt as the voice of Mario. Plus, we played an RPG that we couldn’t pronounce, Overwatch 2 gets an absolute gem of a rating on Steam, and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #178, Twisted Metal on Peacock of all streaming services has a 94% audience score while EVE Online gets a new board game. Plus, Baldur’s Gate III was released to nearly universal acclaim, the LotR novels are passed by the total amount of dialogue in Baldur’s Gate III, and of course, we’ve been playing Baldur’s Gate III.

On today’s episode #177, the brother of the guy from Ancient Aliens talks UAPs with Congress while the division between SAG-AFTRA and AMPTP deepens. Plus, Activision Blizzard lays off 50+ people from their esports division, Frosthaven hits a special rank on Board Game Geek, and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #176, we talk a lot about Final Fantasy but since we’re hipsters it’s not about the most recent game. Plus we dive into Dave the Diver, remakes, remasters, development hell, and of course, we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #175, the best movie of the summer so far features a callback to multiple video games in the franchise and the FTC is pushing back against the Microsoft / Activision merger/acquisition. Plus, CDPR has opinions on your opinions of Cyberpunk 2077, BlizzCon announces that it will be streamed free this year, Tim is getting ads to go to work in American Truck Simulator, and of course...

On today’s episode #174, all of the major summer games showcases happened and we’re going to spend the entire podcast talking through the good news, and the bad. Plus, Sports Illustrated’s video games section notes that ‘Starfield being 30fps on Xbox is a complete non-issue’, it’s been four years since MP4 was announced, October officially has too many games released, and of course, we’ve been pla...

On today’s episode #173, the Summer Games festival is right around the corner with everyone anticipating more delays on top of those that have already been announced. Plus, Diablo IV reviews are in with the game looking spicy and of course - we’ve been playing games.

On today’s episode #172, Tears of the Kingdom lets fans get lost in an incredible world, while the source code for Overwatch 2 PVE is lost. Plus, Gloomhaven moves down the list again and of course - we’ve been playing games.

The Last of Us and Wii Sports make the hall of fame class of 2023, while Respawn and Arkane both launch titles that struggle to even land on their feet. Plus, the writer’s strike means we had to personally write our script for this week and of course, we’ve been playing games.