YoVideogames!

While we wait on Nintendo's upcoming Direct - let's talk about the rest of showcase season. Did Xbox pull off a victory? Did Sony make a strategic decision to hold back their biggest announcements? Did Ubisoft show they still make big games besides Assassin's Creed? I was able to attend the Xbox Games Showcase in person and Matt was able to attend Summer Games Fest in person. And that let us form...

Keighley tempered some hopes this past Sunday, saying this years Games Fest was going to be smaller. Personally, I think it took some balls to say it outright, rather than trick people into expecting huge news. Though that does beg the question - if he is tempering expectations: just how little will be announced? Also we talk about expectations for Xbox, namely that they had better melt some faces...

Sony kept its promise and held their State of Play on the very last day of the month they said it would happen. That can't possibly mean anything. For some, there were delightful surprises. Let's talk about those...

We gather here today to celebrate and mourn beloved IP dead and gone. Maybe to return (probably not though, who are we kidding).

Is the cost/benefit of cross over marketing worth it? Are these hit shows, movies, book series etc leading to more game sales? Are they expanding the brand value? I would argue that that isn't their purpose, or at least not the main purpose. Let's talk about why!

Plenty of industry news this past week and little of it good. Each of the big three had there own storm to weather. With Nintendo holding off investors, Sony fighting an army it created, and just this morning Microsoft announcing further studio cuts - there are storms ahead for each.

Remember that time we said E3 is dead and it seemed we were nuts? Granted we called it a little early, but still... Well... Sure looks like exclusivity is heading that way too.

Matt doesn't love Bethesda gameplay in general but Bethesda Fallout games hold a special place in his heart as examples of mediocre at best gameplay. But the Fallout Tv series just recently inspired a massive amount of people to play the games... So the Fallout story must be pretty good... But does that make up for poor gameplay? Are there other examples where this is the case?

This week's episode is all about the newest industry trend: extremely short marketing windows. Have you noticed that the window between announcement/first trailer and release has been getting shorter the last year or two? Turns out - it's an industry trend. We discuss the details and speculate on the pros and cons while also talking about diminishing returns of exclusivity.

I love multiplayer games. So, the last 15 years or so have been pretty great for me personally. But it is getting hard to deny that they have cornered themselves. In many ways, multiplayer as a concept is getting a little tired and the methods used to make them the hyper profitable juggernauts they are today - are drying up. This week's episode we are talking about the possibility of multiplayer s...

It's all but certain that Nintendo is launching a Switch 2 in 2025. I'd like to hope maybe they do it Holiday 2024, but it's doubtful. An odd thing about Nintendo and the final year of each console generation? They're almost always pretty dry years... And if 2024 is any indication? Switch 2 is coming EARLY 2025 at the latest.

For most of us, the original Xbox was a bit of a blip. It had good games but compared to the other consoles it seemed bulky, inept, unrefined even. During its first few years most gamers would have argued it was a forgettable system - even if they loved Halo. But what if it had never happened? If Microsoft looked at the game industry in the late 90s and decided it wasn't worth jumping into? Would...

Continuing our What If series with another Nintendo Alt History: we're exploring the timeline where GameCube was a success. Do we get the Wii? The Switch? Does Nintendo pursue their "Blue Ocean" strategy at all? Does Xbox have the same level of success? All questions connected to Nintendo's less than stellar GameCube generation.

Is anyone doing alt-history for videogames? Is that a thing?  This week we're talking about alternate history. There's no denying that Pokemon is a juggernaut and there is a real good reason Nintendo bought 33.3% of the company. But what if they had bought the company outright? Would Pokemon be what it is today? If not, what would be different? Better? Worse? 

Suicide Squad... Foam Stars... Skull and Bones... Many fail. Crushed beneath the expectations and disappointments of gamers. But Helldivers? They do it right. Again. And Again. And Again. For (Managed) Democracy. For Liberty (in accordance with the government of Super Earth). And to protect our way of life. What lessons should other live service games take from this? What lessons will execs inevit...

Nintendo continues its crusade against emulation and more lay offs announced. 2024 has had a rough start for the gaming industry, and we might still be at the top of the drop. Licensed games will be cancelled, and more talent shifting will happen over the next year. What does that mean for the first parties? Third?   Let's talk about the news (and Star Wars here and there)

Nintendo had a Partner Direct, and while there might not have been anything mind blowing - there was a little something for everyone. Which highlights how Nintendo is playing its own game. Especially when you contrast it to the news coming out of Sony and Microsoft these days. 

Was today's (feb 15th) extra special Xbox podcast with Phil Spencer, Matt Booty, and Sara Bond as important as anticipated? No. No world changing news. Was it a nothingburger? Also no. There was valuable information and insight to be had. So let's jump into it together!

Sony had a special State of Play for FF7 Rebirth and dropped a demo. Plus EVO announcements came out. Lots to be excited about!

Well, everyone's cards seem to be on the table now. Did our predictions for Sony stand up? Let's find out.

Xbox put all its cards on the table right away this year. Let's talk about their Developer Direct, and then jump into what we hope/expect to see from Nintendo and Sony.

Chances are you have a favorite voice actor and may not even know their name. Voice acting can sometimes be treated like the step child of acting, but the truth is: good voice acting transcends and evolves the medium, just as good film acting, or stage acting expands their mediums.  Here's a few of our personal favorite Voice Actors, some you most certainly know, all of whome you have heard before...

As a fun retrospective of the games that stuck with us over time, we decided to do an episode about the last decade. Our personal Top Game from each year going back to 2013. We surprised ourselves with several of these. There are of course expected picks for regular listeners but anyone new may be thrown for a loop. Shine on!

Happy New Year! We're starting off strong by having an extra long and extremely cool conversation with musician and composer Alex Moukala all about game music. He gives us a peak behind the curtain on the process of composing for games, as well as how he analyzes music he loves to inspire his own compositions.  Projects Alex calls out during the episode: Game Music Foundation - https://gamemusic.n...

We don't want to talk about the leaks, so we won't, but one conversation that the recent leaks have started is very interesting. Are game budgets getting too big? What exactly is making them jump so high? Maybe it's time to cut the games in half and get smaller games out more often.