In Act One we covered the ancient history, now in Act Two we jump to the new universe where half-man Klaus, and Galea are the only living beings to make the jump. One of the Trinity processors makes the jump with them and because Klaus and Galea are administrators to its system it serves them here; giving these two the powers of gods...

Oh shiiii-- Did you see this coming? Did you know we were gonna try and explain one of the most dense and convoluted games entailing 25 years of writing and rewriting? Yes! Yes? Oh. Well okay, I guess it's no surprise. We've wanted to do this for a bit, but now... We begin our tale with ancient history. The discovery of The Conduit. An impossible machine, long buried on earth, and with its discovery the birth of a utopia... Or so it seems.

To celebrate American Independence Day, we're doing a fun one this week: just chatting about the American games industry over the years. We also find out that I know maybe more about Rollerblading than any of us ever knew (even me).

We're back! I moved across the country and had to catch up on Nintendo's presentation, so what's the verdict? To me: pretty good. Maybe even great really. I swing back and forth on it. Matt likes it too, though he points out that clearly Nintendo isn't "firing on all cylinders". What does this mean for the back half of 2024? While not a banner year, it looks like 2024 will be far from the desert I feared it would be... Well, except for Sony.

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 an opinion about whether they better in person than in a direct?

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 because they have burned every tiny bit of goodwill anyone has left for them right down to the nub. So, is Summer Games Fest 2024 going to be a bummer? Will Xbox make me trip over my own erection in excitement? Does hentai actually have good story or are we all just lying to ourselves? Only one way to find out.

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 shirnking as a part of the gaming landscape. And what might inject a fresh take on multiplayer games in general.

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 the Gamecube have done better? Would the Dreamcast had a follow up? I'd argue Microsoft, and the Xbox, had a far deeper impact on gaming, and even the world at large, than we think.

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 inevitably ignore? Let's talk about everything we love about Helldivers 2!

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 are 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. Shine on!

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.net/gamemusic-foundation/ Chrono Trigger Main Theme Cover by Tournament Arc - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYK8M9DUbdc Second Stone: Legend of the Hidden World (gameplay and in game music) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdLMCtAPwmM If you want to learn more about music in games, composition, or just hear more of Alex's work - he's on YouTube (AlexMoukalaMusic) and Twitter (@alex_moukala)

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.

Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays, or what not! Here's a two hour episode all about our particular favorite games that game out this year. If you're traveling home and need something to keep your mind off all the inane and invasive questions you'll get asked at dinner - we're here to help! 2023 was an all time incredible year for gaming. So much so, that Matt actually had a top 25! Expect an extra episode for Patrons only coming later this week!

More layoffs, more studios closing, and E3 declares themselves dead (finally). Let's talk how things might be reborn moving forward!

Deep in the gaming doldrums we caught a bit of a breeze this week as the GTA6 trailer leaked early. And we finally have something that looks next gen. It's coming 225 (or later, let's be honest) and so 2024 continues to look ugly post Q1, but who knows - maybe TGA has some surprises for us!

Sweet baby Keighley stepped in a semi soft turd this week when he decided to defend TGA decision to categorize Dave the Diver as an indie game. He said "indie" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but that can't be true, right? There has to be a definition of what makes a game independent... Right?

Do a quick google on Sony first party games coming out in 2024. Not seeing anything? Neither are we and that adds to what seems like a bit of a slide in outlook for Sony going into next year.

Golden Joystick, Game Awards, BAFTAs - what do they all have in common? Bullshit categories. Who picks them? How are they organized? Why is it seemingly nonsensical? Now that The Game Awards has announced its nominees - let's go through some categories and try to figure this out!

News broke that The Legend of Zelda will be adapted into a live action feature film. TLoZ will be directed by Wes Ball, who helmed all three Maze Runner films, as well as Kingdom of the Apes (releasing soon). He's a filmmaker with a background in VFX, so I think it is safe to say that the majority of this film will be green screen and visual effects heavy. But what else can we extrapolate about the coming film?

2023 has been a banner year for gaming and it isn't even over! It's a good problem to have, but it is almost definitely a result of the bullwhip from the pandemic. Sony especially doesn't seem to be talking about much coming in 2024. Add in the layoffs that have been happening and we have to ask: are we in for a weak 2024?

You ever play a game that is just... good? Good graphics, well made, nothing particularly wrong with it - but it's just... Fine? That's how Matt is feeling about Spiderman 2. Maybe it's because it is a sequel that came too quick, or maybe it's the realistic graphics. We're diving into what's missing. Oh and console wars. We are gonna talk about the banality of console wars some too.

Today was marred by the tragic news of fLoE passing. He was a well known personality in the FGC and a common sight at tourneys. He was taken too young, and our thoughts are with his family. As seems natural, while talking about fLoE we got onto the subject of icons in fighting games, which led into what makes a game iconic. How would you replicate that? 

A 10 outta 10 episode on 10/10 get it?  I wish there was some cool story as to how this topic came about but it really was a "you're a ten outta ten" joke that made Matt go down a rabbit hole of ten out of ten games from ten different consoles. I did my best to throw at least a couple curve balls for the long time listeners while Matt brought the culture of retro games.

Matt's been shouting it from the rooftops and singing it on every corner, but if you've missed it: he loves Lies of P. The clever adaptation of Pinocchio into a grimdark soulsborne action fantasy has us thinking what other public domain stories could make for a great game - and what genres would they fit. 

Tokyo Game Show has just wrapped up. We talk about the surprises of the show, some news about exclusivity for 3rd parties, industry speculations, and Kamiya leaving Platinum.

We waited to record until we were able to read the big Microsoft Leak for ourselves. Personally, I feel it is a big nothingburger. And so far as I can tell, the only people hyping this as a big deal are engagement farmers on Twitter. That being said: there is some value to what this confirms about how Microsoft, and by extension executives think about mergers, acquisitions and the future of gaming et al. So, let's dig into it!

It's my birthday episode! And the planned topic was "what makes a game 'cinematic' and what are the best cinematic games out there." But then a few big pieces of news dropped - and we knew we wanted to talk about that too. So, the first half of this episode is about Unity, Embracer Group and ESA (E3) news, while the back half is about the planned topic. It sounds eclectic but it actually works pretty well.

It's been a bit of a packed year for games. Maybe that's because the Pandemic caused a crunch that is only now whip lashing onto the market. Who knows but one side effect has been: many games, good games, have come out and been forgotten in the pack.

Bioware is on the chopping block if Dragon Age doesn't do well. It seems like a lot of third parties face oblivion when a single game isn't an over the top success, much less a failure. Are there certain genres that have become doomed for third party devs? A first party can pump out a triple AAA block buster single player game and if it is middling at best, that developer will probably get another shot. But if you're owned by EA? You might be in a soup line the next quarter.   *** I realize I misspoke later in the episode, when talking about THQ Nordic games I'd like to see - I say I'd like to see less games like BattleField and more mid budget single player shooters/3rd person shooters. I know THQ Nordic does not make Battlefield, I just had a jumbled train of thought. Oops lol

Maaaaaaaan there was some cool stuff shown for the opening night of Gamescom 2023, but there was also a whole lot of awkward, huh? This week we are talking about our favorite moments, bold trailers, and awkward interviews from the opening night live show kicking off Gamescom 2023!

This week we are talking about sequels and what we expect from a franchise as it moves forward. I also try to sell Matt on Baldur's Gate 3 but to little effect - THE MAN HATES FUN (kidding).

Everyone is back from EVO 2023 and by all accounts it was a big W for the FGC. I didn't get to go this year, so I had Matt fill me in on some of the best parts. Between new Tekken 8 fighters, MK1 news, and promising looks at Project L - the future looks bright for the FGC!

Yes - you should try to enjoy things. But also sometimes it's fun to talk about the stuff that is overrated in hindsight and maybe even some stuff that has been hated on so much that when you actually look at it... It's fine. Maybe even good! Who knows let's take a look.

Today I'm playing the inspiration for this episode - Amnesia: The Bunker. Matt sold it to me as a perfect shot of survival horror, coming in at 5-6 hours and never overstaying its welcome. But is that the perfect length for survival horror? And what is the perfect length for other games? As always, we have opinions :P

Larian Studios, makers of the Divinity games, have had a massive win with regards to Baldur's Gate 3! A triumph some may call it, and now: some fans say every RPG should follow its example. The thing is BG3 is the result of a perfect storm, and while we love that it has succeeded - not every game should, or even can, follow its path.

This week's episode ranges from 70's gay porn aesthetics (my mustache, we are talking about my mustache) to an intro to Xenogears lore. It's Matt's Birthday episode, so he gets to take us on a journey into any topic he wants!

Are critics out of touch? You look at Rotten Tomatoes for instance and critics give Indy 5 a 69%(nice) while the audience gives it 88%! Does that mean the critics are wrong? I say it means they are looking for different things and in todays media landscape an aggregate score means nothing. But that leaves out another class of pseudo critic - the content creator; whose whole brand can be built on loving or hating "the thing".  And that presents a problem for audiences be it games or movies. If much of the content out there is built around tearing apart or overhyping - how do you just enjoy things anymore?

FF16 has been out for a few days now and overall it is getting a positive response. However, there does seem to be a portion of gamers who are mad the game isn't "true" open world, and it lacks traditional RPG elements. Some even claim it doesn't have classic Final Fantasy elements. We'd argue none of these points were promised, but also they are in fact in the game. And we'll go even further to say there's a strong case against open world in Final Fantasy, and maybe even games in general moving forward.

Every game should have a demo. Yes it means development might be a little longer but it already takes 5 years nowadays to complete a triple A game. Polishing a demo won't add that much to that kind of timeline and the benefits far outweigh that extra work.

All the showcases are done and now we get to say how we really feel! We feel... pretty good! There were shocking surprises, and maybe not enough gameplay for our tastes but overall it looks like 23/24 is going to be a very good time to be a gamer.

Square Enix is facing down some lack luster pre-order numbers for FF16. Granted, I don't think that means anything because in the digital age - do many people really care about pre-ordering a game? I'd say only your most hardcore audience. That being said, looking at previous sale numbers, it does seem like making FF16 a PlayStation exclusive will hurt the game long term, and if we know that, then why do it?

Poor release apology statements, released as images, are so prevalent these days that they are their own category of meme. It seems like once a month we see a statement with a remix of "we're sorry - we'll do better!" Currently, the response is to bully studios over the poor releases, but someday we will have to start voting with our wallets and stop buying new releases altogether, I guess.

Sony brought out an expansive number of announcements and trailers, but very little  concrete release dates and even less actual gameplay. I wouldn't say this blew my balls off, though there was still a decent amount to be intrigued, or even excited by. Let's get into it!

This week's episode is wide ranging and inspired by how seemingly pointless the reviews are for Tears of the Kingdom, both positive and negative. Between reviewers  often pumping out inane, sometimes bought and paid for reviews, and review bombing - do things like meta critic even matter anymore? Do critics matter in general, anymore? The big questions.

We've talked about story before, and how in the past story was seldom important to a game - often an after thought. We've changed our opinion on that over time, especially in recent years as games have become more story driven and cinematic. But does gaming have auteurs? As games become more and more like films, will we see more game directors emerge with distinct styles, and voices? And have there really been many in gaming's past?

New data suggests that the $70 price tag for next gen games has actually hurt overall sales and could lead to decreased profits for everyone. So, are games worth the money? Is the market too saturated or capped? When games like Redfall or Jedi Survivor are being released in a rough state - are AAA games a gamble for the first couple months?

Looks like Sony has lost and the Activision Microsoft deal is all but done. So, what are the possibilities? Yeah, okay, sure. We know they are going to mostly pump out COD year in and year out til they get their ROI. BUT what if they didn't? What if those ten studios they are getting brought back old IP or made some new stuff? Let's just imagine!

Nintendo had its Indie World Direct this morning and presentations like this are always good windows into where the Indie world is going. We believe there's two types of indie devs - chargers and chasers. Chargers are the guys who seem to be in the right place, at the right time with an idea lots of people wanted and they didn't even know it. This is your Stardew Valley, or your first Battle Royale. Chasers are the guys who are making games that, while possibly wonderful, are chasing the trend established by the other guys but in their art style.  This might be the best time ever to be an indie dev, no matter which type you are. There's more tools, and platforms for your game than ever. That should be wonderful for us as consumers too, right?

Is it here?! Super Mario Bros dominating at the box office. Last of Us crushing it on streaming services. Are we finally having our Marvel moment for video game adaptations? And if we are, what comes next?

So, E3 is truly and wholly dead this time, right? With nothing on deck to replace it, and no one left to save it. Plus RE4R was fantastic, but maybe some changes took away more than they added. Add to that: Lily Gao is being harassed by the worst of the RE community over her performance. This week is a round up of mini topics because it seems like so much happened in the last week.

Community driven creative development is always a big win! If only because it means the industry is seeing what people actually want, but also because it increases the longevity of a game when you have a community that can, and is, building new content for it. We saw this with Counterstrike, Far Cry, Crysis, and even the birth of the Battle Royale from Arma 3 mods. Now that the Unreal Editor has been released - are we on the verge of new game genres like the moba or battle royale?

We all saw this coming. We had a good time last week talking about lame, but beloved villains. Of course we have to do it for our beloved heroes.  So, lets talk about why our favorite heroes are lame, and maybe why that is good.

Sorry for the delay this week - I was sick and sounded awful! This week we have decided to slaughter a sacred cow. We're going after beloved villains. A good villain should be a solid foil to your hero and they don't always have to be memorable for the game or story to be good. That being said, sometimes in the course of trying to make a villain memorable, or seem more daunting, the creator will take an otherwise fine villain and turn him LAME.  

The Yoshi P commentary really stirred the hornets nest.  The early 2000's were the wild west of the digital age. Other, more poetic, writers have said that before, and sometimes it's the only way to explain it. People from all over the world were just starting to interact with each other via online gaming, forums, or even Myspace (tm). Add to that: gaming journalism, while not new, was still sorta niche. Gaming hadn't quite exploded yet and G4, gaming magazines, websites were all targeted toward a very niche, sheltered audience made of edgy, horny, dudes. To say there were common jokes, terms, and themes that today would be viewed as ignorant at best - would be a massive understatement. The point is: if you look back and haven't changed, or can't confront that past - you might be an as*%^le. Or Adam Sessler, apparently. (I don't know that, I haven't read his tweets. Don't get mad Adam, it's just a joke.) This week's episode is all about that wild a time in the early oughts' gaming media/culture. And we aren't pretending we were above it. Both of us have regrets, and were plenty stupid.  So, if you take only a single thing away from this episode, let it be this: F&^% G-Fuel.

I have a few friends who really love VR. The conversation usually goes in circles, beginning and ending with "how to make VR worth it". Today, former Nintendo USA CEO Reggie Fils-Amie tweeted an infographic from statista showing projections that VR will remain niche in the coming years. His commentary was " Until there is a 'must play' experience, this will be true." So what is that must play experience?

Sony released it's first State of Play for 2023 and there were a couple surprises outside of the presentation too. Let's hop in and talk about Sony's outlook for 2023!

Whole lotta GaaS games are getting the axe! Many companies who went all in on live services games are now in hot water. At one point it was considered the golden goose, with an EA CEO famously saying: "If you make a single player title and don't have micro transactions - you're a [expletive deleted} idiot." Of course they went on to get lootboxes all but banned and brought intense scrutiny to microtransactions in general. Truly the villain we needed - we thank them for their service. So, was it EA who shot the golden goose? Ubisoft or Square getting greedy? A mix? Let's discuss!

It turns out Nintendo won't be light on releases this year. Both of us were delightfully surprised by this direct. But the direct being so big is probably why they didn't want to bother going to E3. Perhaps the back half of 2023 will be light on releases...

Free to play games may be running out of GaaS and E3 won't have any of the first party publishers attending. Bubbles are bursting all over and who's to say whether it is a good or a bad thing long term. Join us as we talk about the reckoning!

For the first time in years - Microsoft seems to have a little something for everyone. Personally we were delightfully surprised by the new Tango Gameworks shadow drop - Hi Fi Rush. While this line up isn't the most exciting line up we have ever seen, it is fun. And it points to Microsoft having a very good E3 this year. Let's talk about their first six months of 2023!

Ubisoft is a sinking ship. And not just because of the latest Skull and Bones delay. It just seems like it cannot get out of their own way. From unexpected bombs like Rainbow Six Extraction, to a road map littered with GaaS titles, it can't help but feel like we are watching a once legendary publisher in its death throws.

25 years ago began possibly the greatest year in gaming. 1998 saw the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time, Half Life, Resident Evil 2, Banjo Kazooie and much much more. Has there ever been a year as great for as many genres all at once? Has there ever been another year where every publisher was pushing their slate this hard? 

The first six months of 2023 has some very exciting releases. But oddly enough - the back half of 2023 is a blank calendar... Does this mean E3 2023 is going to be epic? Or will there be nothing of note?

You ever miss an old trend? Maybe a game, or genre that used to dominate. Like I miss couch co-ops. I've said it before, I'll say it again but I do. Well today's episode is all about those dead trends we think could come back or at the very least that we want to come back.

It's that time of year, again. Where we compile our top ten games from the year and make an argument for why you should play them if you haven't. This was a pretty solid year for gaming and so we actually have a top twelve. Matt did the rankings, so there are a couple surprises for me when it comes to which games made what number, but overall all of my personal favorites made the top ten and I'm happy.

Can't avoid it anymore. We're talking AI art and AI driven game development today. Mostly about it sucking, but I am open to counter arguments.

It's the worst kind of surprise. We've been waiting and hoping and everything has been lining up to be a winner, but instead it's a big wet fart. Today's episode is inspired by Callisto Protocol and all the games we got hyped for, that had everything going for them, but let us down hard anyway.

This week we invite you to come back with us... to the 70s. Yes! Shag carpeting, in your pants and your home! A time of TVs with dials, wood paneling, and whacky as hell box art. A time when giants walked among us... and did coke and partied in jacuzzis during work hours. We're are talking a little about Atari. Atari was wild.

It's that time of year where we devote an entire episode to the things we are most thankful in gaming this year. If you're in the states you may be travelling or otherwise in need of some company this week - let us be that for you! As always, we are thankful for you. Thank you!

Today's episode is all about games that started strong and tapered off. Maybe it held a whole lot of promise, or had such a strong intro it just couldn't live up to it. Maybe the game is still good by all accounts. It's an evergreen episode, and subjective - so let us know which you agree/disagree with or maybe one you feel strongly about! Sorry in advance for the awkward pause. I am sick with a sinus cold and literally forgot the word "sponsor". Matt steps in to save me an dmaybe you'll get a good laugh about it.

I don't know if this ever happens to you, but have you ever loved everything about a game - the puzzles, the story, the environment - and then the combat sorta drags it down? Whole game a ten but you just don't care much for the combat? Today we are talking about games that are better without it.

Bayo 3 had a bit of a forced wrap up, or so it seemed to many fans. Just a quick bow tie outta no where. And this motivated our topic of the episode, how rare it is for game series to "end" at all. So, spoilers ahead if you haven't beaten Bayonetta 3, but join us for a talk about good endings!

Matt's got a heart ache. He's been feeling this way for a while... But he might, maybe, JUST MAYBE, be over Zelda. What does that mean? Does he hate it now? Does he hate joy? Is this like when he stopped liking Kingdom Hearts!?

Apparently it is the early 2000's again. We have Final Fantasy news, we have Silent Hill news and of course we have Resident Evil 4 (remake) news! Sure seems like Silent Hill 2 remake is made for Matt and I, because we haven't played the original (or at least I don't remember it much). As far as RE4R goes, we are both pretty excited. It looks like some of our favorite aspects of 4 have survived the serious filter, and the game visuals look incredible. 

Matt got in to the SF6 closed beta and today we are talking about his thoughts on the game. It sounds a lot like the dev team focused on what fans wanted (I know incredible concept). If the beta is anything to go by, this could be a big game changer for the series, but maybe for fighting games period.

A list of projects Sony has in development has leaked and while there is hub-bub about the Horizon Zero Dawn remake - there is plenty other stuff in there to talk about too. Episode starts with some aside talk where I admit in an international bar fight I am choosing a Texan or an Australian - yes even over soccer hooligans. Not gaming related but important nonetheless.

Weird week! E3 is coming back and they are doing the exact thing so many people have screamed about. It's like someone ACTUALLY read what people want and thought "Yeah, let's do that!"  Plus, Cyberpunk tie-in anime Edgerunners debuted this week and... it has actually spiked interest in Cyberpunk 2077 again? 

Hey doods! This week's episode is a bit special. We have Nicholas De Leon, from Consumer Reports, on the show to talk about his recent article. Matt has been in the market for a new chair, and of course he has been eyeing all the sexy gaming chairs out there. As chance would have it, one of our Patrons is a writer for CR and was working on a deep dive to figure out just what goes into a good chair, and what might make for a great gaming chair. This seemed like a really good opportunity to talk about an important bit of gaming paraphernalia that has used streamers and youtubers to great effect in targeting gamers.  We reference two articles from Consumer Reports pretty heavily in this episode. You can read them here: Best Gaming Chairs Deep Dive: https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics/gaming/best-gaming-chairs-a5718517198/ Best Office Chairs Deep Dive: https://www.consumerreports.org/office-chairs/best-office-chairs-a1524389651/ I said thank you maybe three hundred times this episode, mostly because every time we thought we were ending we would think of one last question, but ONE MORE TIME - Thanks Nicholas, it was great to have you on. You can pick his brain about gaming chairs, laptops, and routers even more by hitting him up on his twitter https://twitter.com/nicholasadeleon

We expected some announcements at TGS, but to have both a Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play surprise announced, on the same day, within a few hours of each other? Wild. Add to that - both were pretty good presentations!

343 is having some Halo problems. Again. And they have broken their Co-op promise. Again. 

If you're a long time listener you have heard us say that story in games don't matter. This episode is about how that opinion has thawed. And actually, how AAA games especially, have changed my opinion totally. Games *might* be a top tier medium for storytelling...

Last night, Gamescom 2022 opening night occurred in Germany. And to celebrate? Keighley did two hours of trailers and announcements! While it wasn't a whole lot of gameplay - I have to say: There were quite a few games that piqued my interest. For that alone I gave it a solid B.

Inflation is really cutting into the profit margin for game consoles. So much so that Meta (Facebook) has increased their upcoming Meta2 VR headset by $100. This is especially true in Japan where the Yen is being hit very hard. Speculation there is that Sony and Microsoft may increase the price of their consoles. But what about Nintendo? Well, Nintendo will go their own way as usual.

EVO is finally back and under new management! Matt was able to go this year to meet up with many of the doods and be a part of Sony's first year running EVO. Let's get into the good and the bad - plus all the announcements!

Multiversus seems to really be causing a split in the fgc over the fate of free to play being good or bad. We've said in the past that it would probably be overall good for fighting games to go the f2p route - even though we don't typically like f2p.

We had been trying to move a little further away from news-centric episodes but today several delay bombs dropped and we had to talk about it. Does this point to a major hole in project management for studios?

We knew things were getting serious when Microsoft bought Activision (and that is being finalized now) but Sony buying Bungie, and for a staggering amount, has really kicked the buying war into gear. Tune in and follow us on a journey of what could be if all the big 3rd parties get snapped up.

Yesterday (7/11) Matt celebrated the second most important day of his life - that's right, his birthday! He's a man now and we decided to reflect on his favorite birthday gaming memories. Can you think of the best games you've ever gotten as a birthday gift?

Rockstar announced it has killed its remaster of GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption. A mixed bag because we both sort of looked forward to RDR coming back but we have mixed feelings about remasters and remakes in general. Is this a sign that remakes, remasters and the dreaded re-re-remasters are finally slowing down industry wide?

Today's episode is all about the Nintendo Partner Mini Direct to round out our Not E3 Gamer Holiday! The title is a reference to an old meme. Would you like to know more?

It wouldn't be announcement season without at least one good leak and this year it is a big one. The entire roster, and art for Street Fighter 6 has leaked. We talk about who's returning and whether bringing back all of the original 8 is a good thing or stagnant. Shine on!

First thing - this episode my audio mixer seems to have died. So, I am quieter than Matt even after post processing. It is not your audio, please do not crank up volume. I'll get a replacement before next week's episode. Apologies! That being said, you can still hear me, it just sounds like Matt is closer. ANYWAY - with the exception of a rumored Nintendo (and Squeenix) presentation coming - we have had our totally not E3 but sorta E3 announcement train roll through. Today's episode has us talking some highlights and what game we were totally surprised by. Shine on!

Welcome to Not E3 week! Last week Sony had a really great State of Play. This weekend is Summer Games Fest and Microsoft's event. So we are taking the downtime this week to reflect on E3 and how this time of year retains its importance even without an event to centralize the news and frenzy.

I'm sure everyone at Sony is pretty happy with how that State of Play went. Of course you had the big three announcements, but it is hard to pick out a weak showing in the entire half hour. Join us as we discuss our favorite announcements and speculate on what we might expect from these games as Sony finally takes the next gen seriously!

In 1982, a melt down occurred in the video game industry. The next decade saw a market flooded with consoles and an absolute tsunami of bad software. Another shock had come. This time instead of coming for Atari, it came for Sega and resulted in one of the lamest years in gaming history. Our episode today references this wonderful post on Mega Drive Shock: https://mdshock.com/2022/05/09/a-second-atari-shock-the-decline-of-the-16-bit-console-era/

Sony confirmed a list of games that will be on its GamePass competitor - PSN Premium. The highest of the three tiers, it will include older games from PS3 down to PS1. While it is an astonishingly small number of ps1 and 2 games that have been announced, overall it looks like a selection of good games from every generation. Especially PS4 - where if you are new to the Sony console ecosystem, Premium offers a mix of the best games from last gen.

So, it turns out that Nintendo is not a great company to work for - shocking. But apparently it is even worse for contractors (or associates as Nintendo calls them). Now, it is not exactly a well kept secret that tech companies use a TON of contract labor to avoid hiring more full time employees. It's a way to save on benefits packages, save the hassle of the often long hiring and firing process, and it reads as temporary cost on your earnings, rather than the fixed cost of staff. Being a contractor can be brutal, and often there is a sort of social hierarchy within the companies that separate FTE from Contractors. I know from experience. This is one of the worst/most extreme examples I have ever heard of though. So strap in cus it gets a bit weird.

It's a battle of the bastards in this episode. Yuji Naka has sued Square Enix over being removed unceremoniously from his position as director of Balan Wonderworld. In a shocking twist, notorious d%khead Yuji Naka may be the hero of this story. We top this episode off with the news that Square Enix has sold its western development teams which comes with renewed hope that we will see a Legacy of Kain game again someday!

It's not a great title for SEO but I genuinely love Business Suit Blanka and it makes me laugh so I am keeping it. This week sees some news finally drop, from Sony's cool less known update to PS5, to Microsoft having a shockingly good quarter. And because BS Blanka is cool we had to get into a couple cool cross over moments we remember.

Normally this would be when teases and rumors start flying for in the build up to E3, but since E3 is dead - I guess the rumor season will have to evolve. Today's episode is about the unexpected news Nintendo just dropped and how it is easier than ever to find an audience. Question of the day is whether an early teaser trailer, sometimes years before a games release, or the rumor mill is better?

Slow news week means evergreen-ish topic. I haven't seen Sonic yet. To be honest, I had no plans to see Sonic but Matt loved it and we decided to talk about what made it a good adaption in an attempt to sell me on it.  

Matt has been going through some retro games lately and he's been wanting to talk about what it's like finding games that have real staying power versus others that age like moldy old cheese. With back logs being a big selling point GamePass and Sony's TotallyNotGamePass - how much of that backlog has even aged well I wonder?

Sony officially announced its GamePass competitor today! It is NOT called Codename: Spartacus - which would have been super cool - but instead is called PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium (sometimes called Deluxe). We dive in with a comparison of the offerings and a small debate on which is better value: GamePass or Sony's PPP. Shine on!

We got another great suggested topic, this time from Myles! The evolution of genre in gaming. He uses the example of SRPGs and how they have grown due to incorporating new genre elements - like dating sims in their case - to freshen things up. I'd hazard a guess that literally every series shifts genres here and there, but those shifts can be interesting reactions, or miscalculations about cultural trends or audience desires. Shine on!

Our topic today was suggested by Kaiber132. If you had a friend ask you what game they should start with - maybe they got a pc for work but it also has gaming capability, or maybe they just want a new hobby... What games do you recommend to get them into it?

Sony held a State of Play on short notice, and even more of surprise: almost every game shown was Japanese developer focused. Now, personally there were only a couple games that piqued my interest but it was very cool that half of the games shown were new announcements.

Does Nintendo hate the Smash community? Or maybe they just hate tourneys? This week we talk about the (not entirely unexpected) bombshell that Nintendo will not be at EVO this year.

Street Fighter 6 has been officially announced, and with a cool new logo that everybody loves! The debate now is: how long until it comes out? I say they haven't even started but Capcom has been known recently to announce a game and release within the year. Plus we talk Horizon Forbidden West and even a little Peacemaker. Shine on doods!

This last week was one of the best Nintendo Directs in a long time, and exemplified what makes Nintendo the powerhouse that it is. Anyone worried it would be left behind by mergers and acquisitions can rest easy. 

Yeah okay, Platinum is probably hopping on the Live Services train. But can we talk about the more important thing - Shinji Mikami thinks RE4 remake needs to make the story better. Is this the first time he has ever missed the mark? In this essay I will--

It's like someone heard us cracking jokes at the slow news week last week and decided to drop bombs this week. According to sweet baby Keighley: this is just the beginning. So what further bombs can be dropped? Okay I'll say it - Microsoft buys Nintendo. Do it you cowards, ruin everything!  

After the bombshell last week, I suppose we should have known this week would be pretty slow. Tune in for theme park talk, a debate on what a full head of hair is, and our casting choices for a Ghost of Tsushima live action film. Shine on!

Phil Spencer just keeps collecting those Ws. He earned himself a big promotion today, just after the news broke that Microsoft bought Activision/Blizzard. Normally we aren't big fans of less competition and umbrella corporations, but in this instance it may actually be an all around good thing for consumers. Give a listen to find out why.

This episode is all about anticipation. 2022 is set up to be one of the most memorable years in gaming. Not only because the line up of announced games is incredible, but because there are probably some surprises too. Oh and E3's imminent demise while Geoff "I got Diamonds" Keighley sups on its corpse

First episode of 2022! We've never really gotten into crypto, because we aren't experts and this isn't that type of podcast, but Square Enix released a newsletter that has made it absolutely clear that the industry wants to go toward NFTs in games. So, strap in. Or on. Or whatever. And let's talk about digital diamonds and artificial scarcity!

It's that time of year where we talk about the best games, or rather our favorite games, that came out the last 12 months. In this episode you'll hear all about our favorite gaming moments and a healthy amount about time paradoxes.

Our episode today is inspired by a community suggested topic from Emneon Advance. We talk last minute gifts that ended up fantastic and then games we associate with the holidays but wouldn't expect to.

You never really know what you're going to get out of the Game Awards. This year we got a fantasy about Geoff Keighley going Die Hard at Activision. Next year? Who knows. Oh and of course a few games worth talking about :P

That's right. This whole episode is about turning a game series into a hotwife for some other developer. We've touched on it before, but we have never done a full episode on it. With there being so few indy developers left, these dreams are highly unlikely but it is very fun to think of the perfect dev for a specific IP. Shine on!

Five long running fighting games ended their DLC runs this year. Does that mean we are ready for a big refresh? New franchises? New games at the least? Maybe not for Smah, but maybe for the others. This episode is the second remote episode we had to do because I will be out of town working an event for the next seven days. You might notice that the file is named "take two". That's because I am cursed and we had loads of desync and other issues. You shouldn't notice in the audio versions, but in the video, I solved like 80 percent and the last ten minutes I left to the lord.

Happy Thanksgaming to all who celebrate! It's that time of year where many will be travelling to see family and we will all wish we could sneak away to relax and play games instead of talking to Uncle Chet about whatever the f*&% he's into on Facebook this year. And this year there's a couple cool things that were announced just in time for our thanksgaming episode! Multiversus is a promising WB Smash clone that will be free to play (buy characters and skins and stuff a la KI) and Project L is shaping up to be a crown jewel assist based fighting game.  Happy Holidays doods, we are thankful for you and hope you all have a safe and fun Thanksgaming!

Speaking as someone who is a bit of a butterface (minus my hero's jawline) - I gotta say I am upset by how accurate this title is to the topic of the episode. That's right! This week we are talking games that were a let down at face value but ended up being excellent once you dive deeper. Starting with Marvel's Avenger's follow up - Guardians of the Galaxy!

That's not even some slightly perverted joke. We genuinely talk about both in this episode. This month we are trying to keep it all positive and talk specifically about the stuff we are thankful for. Hop into this first ThanksGaming episode and hear me gush about Back4Blood and Matt feel deep deep feelings for his N64 switch controller. Most importantly, all this month I am just going to remind you that we are thankful for you.  Shine on doods!

Today we talk about the Academy Museum in LA, the Lucas museum and how publishers like to throw devs under the bus for decisions they clearly have no say in. *cough cough* Crystal Dynamics *cough cough* Square Enix. It's a real roller coaster of topics.   Shine on!

Short answer: probably not. But it sure can seem like it. This is mostly a movie talk because I have been on a kick of watching older and lower budget movies - plus saw Dune and just really wanted to talk movies.

Facebook went on a crusade to bring RE4-VR up to modern sensibilities. So... Can't wait for that? And it turns out Mercury Steam (made Metroid Dread) is a crappy place to work as a dev - how do you ask? Well dive on in and we will tell you! Shine on doods!

Sora in smash, sure, we gotta talk about it, but we all know what had to happen now that they released a trailer for Welcome to Raccoon City. We went down and forced Mike to be on the second video episode. So let's talk good things coming to an end, and all the good things we hope for this new movie. Be sure to check out the video for this episode on YoVideogames YouTube!

This episode is sponsored by MANSCAPED - Use code: YOVG at check out for 20% off and FREE worldwide shipping! This episode, besides explaining the new sponsor, is about Smash *finally* calling it quits on the roster, blue point getting bought, a new segment called DUMB ARGUMENTS and our sponsored segment Bush or No Bush.

This week's episode topic comes from DoodSauce! We're talking games from 8th gen consoles (ps4, Xbone) that we expect to be remade to death. Plus IATSE strike, Activision gets sorta punished, and Nintendo lies about 4K Switch!

Lotta people amped about Bayo 3, and maybe even Chocobo GP - but you know we're a Banjo Kazooie house, right?

We've talked about how to fix games, but this episode we are diving into a new series idea: games we want to remake and how!

Sony comes out swinging with updates and a couple surprises. Many of the games won't be out for a couple years - is this just a hook to keep people hanging on?

Surprisingly - we didn't get a ton of suggestions for our positive only episode. So, we addressed the couple we got and then hit a few big ones. There was a minor amount of taking the piss out of them. Truly, a herculean feat.

It's a news heavy episode - Gamescom, Activision BS, and more!

Microsoft pissed off fans when it announced, in the name of transparency, that Co-Op and Forge modes wouldn't be available at launch for Halo Infinite. Is the delay a ploy to keep people on game pass? Or is it really the best thing for the game? Let's talk the double edged blade that is transparency.

As block buster games grow ever bigger, the pool of triple A genres seems to shrink. What do I mean? Well, it seems like certain genres of games are becoming relegated entirely to the indie scene and we have some theories as to why.

The last two episodes were a bit too serious. So this episode we took all the questions and topics we were tweeted and had a good time talking about them! 

If you thought you already saw the bottom of the Blizzard/Activision barrel GUESS AGAIN. Let's talk about the guys who failed upwards.

Today we talk about the Switch Pro-- I mean Steam Deck and our hand held hopes and dreams. Then we bring it down by talking about the latest example of Activision being awful. Truly this is a roller coaster episode. Shine on!

It's Matt's Birthday Episode! So jump in and listen to all the topics we can't make a full episode out of. Also, pornhub released most searched terms by state. So that too. Shine on!

Assassin's Creed Infinity is the next in a long line of infinite games. It's the latest it what is sure to be a forever growing list of live service games. Of the infinite ideas for a title, of the myriad of ways you can communicate the on going, ever living, never ending nature of your new money-milking game - why do they all keep using the word "infinite"? Because marketing is full of dudes with no imagination and a finite supply of ideas as it were.   Anyway, we talk about live service games, Switch OLED and the soon to be undying AC game that's coming.   Shine on!

Sony talked mad trash about Microsoft's acquisitions run. Guess what Sony is doing now? Also, we finally defined what we feel would make us successful in life.  

It's the doldrums. Every year just after E3, there's little news and less to speculate about. It's a good time to talk about San Dimas.

Do you think E3 2021 was enough to save E3? Let's talk highlights, surprises, and let downs! Shine on!

We're on the eve of E3 2021 and the world could go topsy turvy. Why? Because, even though it is virtual this year - it might be an epic year. Maybe they are going all out BECAUSE it's virtual. Last week we focused entirely on Nintendo, this week we run down the other bingo cards and talk some fresh Nintendo and Microsoft rumors.

We tried live streaming the podcast for the first time ever - whether you watched live or are listening later, let us know how you like this.   In this episode we make our predictions for Nintendo's E3 2021 line up. Everything from solid bets to dream shots. Shine on!

This week we have our buddy Mike, Actor, Writer, resident RE expert, on the show to do a deep dive into RE8 with us. We talk connections to the series at large, and our thoughts on how this game compares to the others. Beware, spoilers abound!

Is Geoff Keighley upstaging E3? Do I WANT Geoff Keighley to upstage E3? Sure seems like it. This episode is all about Summer Gamefest and whether it is yet another nail in E3's coffin.    Shine on!

This week's episode is all about indulging the rumors surrounding this years E3. Some of it baffling, some of it exciting. Matt is joined by special guest and good friend, Mike Damiani of Easy Allies - Shine on!

Epic is doing a favor for everyone and standing up against evil goliath Apple! At least, that's what they'd like you to believe. How true is that image? And what does this mean for us, the consumers? Here's our thoughts on it.

Is this title about a video game? No. Do we talk almost entirely about videogames? Yes. So what didn't I know? You'll find out about 3/4's in. Enjoy the mystery JJ Abrams.

Sony back peddled real dang hard on that shutting down the PS3 and Vita store idea. They back peddled right after sales boosted hard - which has led to conspiracy theories that it was a calculated move... Oh and we talk about the Resident Evil Demo too.

In the year 2021, a small, relatively common microchip was in short supply. This caused a shortage on many electronics but was most notably noticed in Next Gen Gaming Consoles. The shortage of consoles was further exacerbated by scalpers buying and holding the systems to sell at insane prices. This led to next gen games having to choose between delay or releasing to sit on shelves because no one had a console to play them on... This is the Cross Gen Years.

E3 is alive!? Konami will have something to show!? States might fully reopen? Is June hyped up or can we really hope? Join us for talk of expected announcements, the two jokes that were so messed up people refused to film them for Assist Me, and all our hopes for the summer.

Remember licensed movie games? They're sorta rare now but at one time they were guaranteed to follow any major motion picture as part of their marketing scheme. Like a soundtrack (remember those!?). This episode we talk about the best, the worst, and the never was that we wish would have happened.

This episode starts off with confirmed Switch Pro details but then we get into the meat of the episode. It turns out the PS3 and PS4 have a built in expiration dates. And that leads into Piracy as a way to preserve old games that may otherwise disappear.

Other than Activision Bobby getting a huge payday at the worst possible time, it's been a slow news week. We spend this episode debating whether esports events will make a comeback and more importantly whether I will ever be as attractive as Sam Elliot. Plus a bonus topic are there any directors that have perfect filmographies?

I started this episode by making Matt promise to stay positive about Bethesda being bought by Microsoft. We mostly did it. Mostly.   Continuing the pandemic trend of not editing out our tangents and letting you have the longer, more meandering episodes - let me know if you'd like us to go back to 1 hour, strictly on topic style.

Sony's State of Play had a couple surprises, but none quite as big as a confirmed Switch Pro being leaked. It's a roller coaster of emotion for me as I finally see more of Kena, and learn Ember studios might be dirtbags. Jump in and ride with me, doods!

Sony has a state of play coming tomorrow and they shadow dropped a few interesting trailers today. We talk trailers, VR, and some Nintendo gossip from a terminally ill man 0.o

It's all Nintendo Direct talk today... and bears... and spiders... BUT MOSTLY ALL DIRECT.

Sonic 2 officially announced. Means this pandemic might be bookended by video game movies. Last of Us 2 has Craig Mazin as its writer which is promising news and as we recorded this Pedro Pascal was announced as playing Joel - something both Matt and I think is a great move. Yep, this episode is all about the video game movies (and Tv series) that are coming soon and updates both promising and upsetting.

We start off strong with laser tag, shitty human behavior, debate on the use of nuclear energy and then move into gaming mysteries with a segue as subtle as a brick to the face. If you hear children screaming... Well... keep it to yourself. :P   Shine on doods!

Last week, before the madness of the stonks - there was an equally mad event. Microsoft doubled the price of its Gold Membership. It... didn't go well. Also we talk about Gamestop's meteoric climb in the stock market. Neither of us are experts, so take our thoughts here with a big ol' grain of SAHLT.

Today we speculate about Resident Evil day and the news it holds as a lead into the real topic Simping. Also, I start a deeply one-sided feud with some wholesome man puppet named Arlo. A line has been drawn.   Shine on!

The Harry Potter RPG got pushed back... I think a lot of games are side eyed staring at Cyberpunk and now they wanna push their games back and maybe cancel last gen versions. Don't even blame them, but it does beg the question... What other 2021 games will be pushed back to next year?

This episode is all about the games we wish we would have played when they came out. We plan to correct these mistakes this year!

2020 has been a bit of a sh*t-show. But it has also been a pretty solid year for games. Especially Indie games. And even with all the great games we caught, there were some that flew under the radar.

'Member that special holiday gift? The year you got your all time favorite game? Member?   Let's talk holiday memberberries!

Two guesses as to what this episode is about... Yep! The Game Awards. And CDprojektRed's most epic ride to the bottom.   Shine on, and buckle up!

With everything that's been said about the game awards, and the clusterf***ck of a year that is 2020, we're having a hard time caring too much about them this year. We keep trying to get back to talking about it, but instead we talk Star Wars, Mario/Nintendo Land and Immortals!   Universal Theme Park Mario Land Pictures: https://themeparkuniversity.com/universal/breaking-super-nintendo-world-to-open-at-universal-studios-japan-february-4-2021/

Slow news week so we get to do an evergreen topic. Having fun talking about timeless art styles we love, and calling out a couple recent games we think will age well.   Shine on!

It's a long title. Basically, we are trying to predict which game or games came out this year that will be influential/will be included on a games of the decade list in 2029.   Internet was not terribly reliable for this one due to very high winds and so there is some distortion on my side of the conversation which is weird. Sorry.

Next Gen has launched - Matt has some hands on time, and gives us some insight into whether it's worth the money to get one right now. Also, which controller is better, which performs better side by side. And of course... Does it do 60fps all the damn time like we deserve!?

This week's episode is all about the games we feel defined, pushed, and influenced this generation.

Everyone is anxious, and tired, and juuuuuust needs a distraction.   SO HERE IT IS! Nothing too serious, just us chatting about game predictions, possible surprises next gen, Sean Connery movies and more!

The last week has had a few things happen that seemed to rock the gaming world. Namely, a massive wave of DMCA strikes, and even more evidence of crunch at CD Projekt Red.   This has led to some pretty wild statements over DMCA and copyright in general - so we get into it a little bit to maybe shed a little more light on the situation.

From Pokemon Source Code to the Death of Quibi - we round up on some of the news that came out this week.

Genshin Impact has been a major success... Is it because of Sex Appeal? Is that the most important piece of a free to play success? We talk waifus, Japanese tastes, and waxed b*ttholes.

Some big news this week! RE movie reboot cast announced, CD Projekt Red going into into crunch, and MSI has been caught scalping their own products.   But also, I entered a short film into a competition. I entered my short "Good Cop, Bad Cop" into the My Rode Reel 2020 competition in the comedy category. I'd appreciate it if you'd give it a watch here: https://myrodereel.com/watch/9488   And if you dig it, please take a minute to vote for the short - I'd greatly appreciate it!   Shine on!

We're finally doing my birthday episode. Which means we go off subject and talk about movies.  Specifically, comedy movies. BUT FIRST: we talk Smash News!

Microsoft bought Bethesda... And that can mean big changes in the gaming landscape.

Sony delivered a strong counter to Xbox by announcing a solid (if expected price) as well as a surprisingly reasonable Digital Only price. Add to that, they delved a little deeper on games we saw earlier this year - and it proved to be a pretty awesome presentation. For our live, more in depth commentary - head over to Youtube and catch the stream archive here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrzqikNH7ms   Today's episode is our recap as well as Matt's big brain theory on what Nintendo/Capcom's announcement today spells for the future of the Switch.

This week's episode sees some news worth talking about from Nintendo and Xbox!   Plus: BLOPS Cold War, Bill & Ted, DLSS AI powered Up-scaling, and more!   Check out the DLSS comparison images here: https://imgsli.com/MzM1Ng https://imgsli.com/MzM2OQ

Gamescom was... a little bit of a disappointment. There was ONE thing that excited us - Sable! So, we talk about that but then we move on to a question Kaiber asked on twitter.   "Do you think you can judge a game before you finish it?"   Also, I take a minute to commit film nerd blasphemy and rip a tiny bit on Kubrick. So, buckle up them buttholes and listen here!

You know what's two hours long and ranges in topics from CoD Cold War, to Netflix Video Game Docuseries High Score? This episode of the podcast. 

Love them or hate them, E3 and Evo were both touchstones for the gaming summer. And without them - gaming news has become a somewhat uncontrolled trickle instead of Gaming Christmas. Will these events be reborn post-pandemic, or are they dead and ready to be replaced?

This episode catches us up on a couple big talking points - Microsoft pushing back Halo, and basically launching with out any first party games, and Sony's recent State of Play.

Doodsauce suggested a topic on Discord that got us talking: What does a dev have to say to get you extra salty?   Me and Matt? Salty? Never!   Expect salt, tangents, and MORE SALT.

Normally we shorten the intro talk - mostly cus its us bullshi**ing and "warming up" kinda, and also they don't tend to be on topic, so I edit them down, but on this one I figured: quarantine is dragging on, maybe you'd just like to have the extra content and the conversation was good. Bout 25 minutes in we finally get to the topic which is: choosing favorite developers and throwing them into creating a game in a genre totally outside their previous catalog.

Xbox shows up with a boat load of games to announce - and while none of them are necessarily show stoppers - there are plenty to be excited about.

As we wait for next week, with a possible Nintendo Direct and Microsoft's big summer first party show - we find ourselves discussing Art with a capital A, story as a driving force for future games instead of game play, and whether remakes will take over here like they did in Hollywood.

An evergreen topic approaches! And yet, it's also topical for the time.   Today we are talking about satisfying climaxes, and what makes them so!

Nobody likes it, we all have to face it. Just gotta get over it. Does criticism have value? And if so, what? How do you address it? The last week has forced everyone in gaming to look one of the ugliest aspects of the industry right in it's eyes.

It's been an eclectic week - NGPX news, along with the announcement for a moba no one expected, and we discuss some thoughts on Last of Us 2.

We begin with a quarantine update on how we are surviving, or not. I might be losing my mind. But we jump into the real topic soon: Sony's ghosting its babygirl VR, right? No word about it, not real example of it surviving into next gen - that sh*@ is DED.

Sony for once has a pretty awesome presentation - we get to look at games, games, and more games! No hard release date, and no price point for the new console is a bit of a let down. But I am sure that once July roles around, we'll get both.

We start today's podcast with a brief statement of support for the protests currently sweeping the US and many other nations. We understand that for our listeners this podcast is an escape, however brief, from their daily lives. So, the rest of the episode is a normal episode all about choosing a director, and their filmography, to pick characters to populate a fighting game. Naturally there are tangents all about film, and culture.    Enjoy! Be safe, be kind, walk tall and shine on!

Today's episode is a lighter discussion about game ideas we want to see so bad, we'd give the whole damn thing away. Maybe you have an idea for a game, and it's a good one, so you're holding it close in case you ever get to make it... But then you have that idea you want to see so bad you'd give it to anyone who'd make it!    Here's a couple free ideas devs!

AI is being used more and more in games. More than I even knew. Games like Dark Souls use it for their bosses, so they learn the most common mistakes we make, and then they take advantage of it. It keeps the difficulty high, no matter how many times we play it. It's sort of genius. But what about for social games? What would it be like to haggle with Tom Nook if Tom figured out you're a shady dick, or a naive bumpkin? Would it be too real if that Fire Emblem Waifu turned out to be fickle, or vacuous and you've wasted your time because she got bored (that b***h, you're amazing!). That's what we talk about today!

What you see, isn't always what you get on a tech demo. Today we talk the good, the bad, and the possibly meaningless of Unreal 5 tech demo.

Okay.   So it wasn't very game play oriented, but there were a few gems that pleasantly surprised us.   And we have a wholesome new way to gauge our interest in games.

Naughty Dog got raw dogged by a disgruntled employee.   While we don't talk specifics of the leaks themselves, we do get into the circumstances, and the different types of leaks - like controlled, uncontrolled, and market test leaks. Sometimes companies do this on purpose.

How to define a perfect game? Well, to steal from James Gunn (and modify slightly): A game that sings from start to finish with no obvious mistakes or flaws to their structure or gameplay.   What games fit that description? You might be surprised, but some games we don't even like are on there.

*SPOILERS*   Listen at your own risk - Matt and Max have an in depth, spoilery as hell conversation about FF7R.   Shine on!

Rumors big and small. We're stuck indoors and everyone is losing their sh*t - so naturally there's all sorts of rumors coming out.

RE3R is out, and with its release there's been a veritable flood of leaks about RE8, the freaky monsters we may see, and of course squeaks on the problems of RE3 R.   It's a longer one today. We hope you're all keeping safe during this weird as hell time. Shine on!

What is the sweet spot for game length? Does it differ by genre? Is there a sweet spot at all?   News about RE3R's playtime has some fans deciding to abandon ship. So, we get into it over game length pros and cons.  

Remember back in the day when Box Art, and maybe the copy on the back was all there was to sell you on a game? Remember all those wonderful covers, and hype as hell descriptions of the game/story?   Remember how sometimes they'd turn out to be utterly full of crap? We remember.   Let's talk old school bamboozlin'!

Confirmed spec lists for both systems paint a picture of what we can expect this holiday season.

Today we went extra long to make up for the late upload.   We talk E3 cancellation, Corona Virus, and an update to our Resident Evil Main Line game rankings.   If you're self quarantined or stuck inside due to weather, let us keep you company!

Sometimes the first time you try something, it sucks. Like brussels sprouts or commitment. But then you go back to it, and it's actually pretty great.   Today we're talking all about that. Games we didn't like the first time we played them, and for what ever reason, tried again only to find we love them.

Corona Virus has possibly killed GDC - what events are next?

A tiny spark of controversy regarding a net code patch in SF5 pushes us into a conversation about cap com in general. Also: Next gen could cost (starting at) $500. We get into what would make us pony up the cash.

Today we talk about: How the health and fitness industry is targeting gamers. It's only going to get more prevalent but how the hell did it get this way?

Evo announced this year's line up and there's a few shocking choices.

It's a twofer! We talk about quality of life in gaming, and then get into how Disney Games could make a return.   Plus: I rile Matt up about LotR :P   Shine on!

No one likes em, and these ones hit particularly hard in the wallet.

This episode is about comfort games.   It is also about CES because I brought it up and ended up talking about it for too long to just be an intro topic... I am sorry.  

This is just, like, our opinion, man.

I didn't watch them. Genuinely felt there would be no surprises. i guess I was both right and wrong. Matt fills me in!

Heyooooo!   Today we talk Sony's latest State of Play, plus we debate what (if any) are the consequences of celebrities taking interest in starring in games.   Shine on!

We've talked about reviving dead series before, and always intended to discuss how we would modernize old IP. So, we finally gave that an episode.   This one is a long one, with many tangents. Enjoy!

Let's get mushy, and positive!   Shine on doods!

Mini Lorecast for the Donkey Kong Country Series

Once again we tried something new! We tried to record while watching live to have our live reactions on the podcast as well as a small round up after.   Also, we recorded this as a video. So watch when it's up and let us know if you like the format!   Shine on!

Matt's home! Let's catch up with some of his misadventures!   Also, trying something new. Podcast as a video will be up on YoVideogames Youtube.

Hey hey hey! Today's episode is a bit different. Mike and I delve into the specifics of how we write screenplays with a beginning discussion on how we would execute an adaptation of the first game in the RE series.   It's all main story questions, and story beats, with a few key scenes talked about. Enjoy!

October is flying by! With Matt disappearing on a trip for a couple weeks, we wanted to do some spoopy talk early.   Shine on!

  What makes a console name good? Personally I think they've dropped the ball. Playstation 5? Really? Let's pump that up, now it's the Playstation Vendetta! Microsoft Xbox 2? nah f*** that! Microsoft Xplode! Just collect the money!   Anyway, hey I'm back from my honeymoon. :P

Hey doods!   Andrew is on his honeymoon, so I took advantage and got Mike from Easy Allies in on some Zelda talk! Enjoy and shine on!

It's our 200th episode! Thank you so much for listening. I hope you enjoy our take aways from Sony's fall update as well as our ad hoc Rambo and Ad Astra reviews!   Shine on doods!

Remake dos and don'ts! They're talking about a Princess Bride remake and that spawned this whole conversation about the dos and don'ts of remakes in games (and movies).   I 100 percent forgot to mention that I want a Silent Hill remake :/

It's my birthday! We talk movies this episode. Sometimes videogame movies. I tried to stay totally on topic. It didn't always work.   Enjoy!

Yesterday gave us an impressive Nintendo Direct full of great game announcements and updates, as well as surprising shadow drops.   Where was this gusto at E3? Who knows. But at least we got it here!    

I couldn't help myself.   What's the episode about? Who cares with a genius pun like that for a title!?   Ok, ok. It's about making the jump from 2D to 3D, or rather which amazing 2D franchises failed to make the jump well. Is it because their mechanics just don't work? Or has it just not been done right yet?     Shine on doods!

Things we got excited for at gamescom! And some tangents...

Today we talk about how it seems to be the loop that a successful game leads to arrogance, which leads to a plateau that eventually spells the downfall of our favorite series.

Controversy. Announcements! EXCITEMENT!   It's EVO baby!   Enjoy our round up - and once again, sorry I couldn;t make it this year. But next year lets grab a drink!

It's FGC Christmas! Usually EVO has a few exciting announcements for the FGC and there's been a lot of crazy ass rumors spreading about this year - So we try to give you some realistic predictions to either temper your expectations or get you hype for what announcements may actually come!   Shine on Doods!    And those of you going to EVO, have fun and i'm sorry I won't be there to shake your hand!

That is to say: no idea survives the marriage of commercial and creative pursuits. No triple A game, no movie, no song - makes it to your hands without having been censored or diluted in some way. It's a hot button issue right now to get riled up about censorship, but the truth is - this is how it's always been and always will be. And it's not always a bad thing.   We tend to side with the creators/developers in most things, however we do have to admit sometimes (SOMETIMES) the executives make the right call.   Here's the thread that sparked this discussion:  https://www.resetera.com/threads/dev-speaks-out-about-censorship-in-games.130401/    Buckle up, this is a long AF one!

Super Nintendo Land - or what I have called Super Nintendo Entertainment Land (SNEW for short) had a few models leak this week. And the park looks cool as hell!   Add to that a little controversy from pokemon fans, one that will ultimately mean nothing, and we have what's called a slow AF news day. But a fun conversation nonetheless. Shine on doods!

Nintendo announced the Switch Lite! FINALLY. And it has a few people riled up. I think it's cool if only somewhat late but this announcement mixed with it being Matt's Birthday week - led us into a conversation about switch lite, good gifts, and matt's fond gaming memories growing up. Dig in and shine on!

Today we talk about whether exclusivity still matters, if it actually costs companies money, and what exclusive would need to be announced to make us buy a system.

Last episode was named "Final Thoughts" but I was sick and we left a ton out to accommodate that. So, here is some additional thoughts - namely what was missing from E3 2019.

This year was terribly exciting or awfully underwhelming depending on who you talked to about it. Here's our final thoughts on this year's E3!

For the first time ever, I made a E3 Predictions Bingo card. And apparently I did well.   We rate the cards you guys submitted before going over mine and then letting Matt lay down his own predictions based only on the floor plan o.O   Shine on and enjoy E3 2019!

Just a quick episode on our thoughts of what is to come for the back half of 2019 and all of 2020 for Fighting Games. Matt is convinced a winter is coming - but I'm holding out hope that there will be surprises at E3!

For legal reasons, we could not include the songs in the actual podcast but there is a youtube playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXEmGfsFKKYkWGBsvpq0OHDFeGtTC1bIz   Enjoy and Shine on!

Ever buy a piece of game related merch that you ended up regretting? Seen some game merch that made you cringe? What about game merch you love and don't regret buying? Maybe something you'd definitely save in a fire? Let's talk about it!

In today's episode we talk about what we would like to go back and change in our gaming lives while growing up. Games we wish we would have played, or systems we wish we would have owned or avoided and why.

This episode was suggested by Emneon, on Patreon. Thanks dood! With e3 fast approaching, we wanted to do a fun evergreen episode before the storm of news, and announcements that inevitably come this time of year. Let me know what your beloved, but hated, games are on twitter!

MK11 released and it looks cool, has a badass story mode, and pretty damn good online!   It also has what seems to many to be the most atrociously tedious (and maybe predatory) system for unlocking new costumes, brutalities, and other such content. So we do a deep dive into MK11's release and reception!

Originally this episode was titled PS5 & Salty B's but I toned it down for iTunes.   That'll be a lot funnier once you listen to the episode.

CONTROVERSY! And other buzz words!   Do you like hard mode? Do you think easy mode ruins games? This is for you.

A story about real game journalism, and why companies fight so hard to prevent it.   Featuring Bioware, EA and Anthem!

Did Nintendo change the MF game!? Sony drops out of E3 and puts on a (sorta lame) direct. But then maybe Sony changed the game cus now Nintendo is releasing a Switch Pro (probably). Oh and now Apple is in both the video streaming AND cloud gaming racket.

In a surprise to no one, Google confirmed their new gaming platform is cloud based. They're calling it: The Netflix for games. But with a stupid name. And ambiguous pricing. And probably a load of data mining. Then we talk about the Nintendo Indie Direct (Nindie Direct).  

Is Google cannonball-ing into the gaming world? Next week we'll know for sure, but right now we speculate as to whether there's room for four consoles.

I almost named this episode "RE Worst to Burst" But I didn't. You're welcome. Now that the remake is out and we have all had time to digest, we wanted to discuss where it ranks. What better way than to rank all the mainline games, including remakes and originals!   Shine on!

THQ Nordic PR blunder or master plan? Titty Jiggle! And Bouncy Pokemon in glorious 3D!    Let's do it!

First: A conspiracy theory. Then: Our thoughts on the current state of triple A games.

This is a tale of corporate douche-foolery, heroic leadership, Nintendo's pretty good direct, and Pornhub. Like ten minutes of Pornhub. Just talking about it. For ten minutes. ENJOY!  

Year end financials have been released and the winners are... not surprising. But there is one interesting twist - Apex Legends. Lets discuss.

With RE2R and KH3 coming out, it was easy to almost miss the news: Gamestop stock plummeted to 2005 levels. Why? Because they couldn't find anyone to sell to. This could spell the end of Gamestop - and how bad would that be?

With games constantly being updated post launch, are game scores, or even their reviews - particularly relevant?   Today's episode is pretty long, and I might even rant a little.   Shine on!

Today we talk the scummy ish that happened in the last week. From Randy Pitchford to the dangers of some creep at ALA.   Let's go!

Let's talk Next Gen. Specifically what quality of life improvements we want to see.

Starting the new year off right, with an in person episode! Its been a while since we recorded in person, so we wanted to start the new year off with a positive (mostly) and fun free form conversation of what we are looking forward to this year.   Shine on doods!

The holidays can be kinda awkward. Sometimes, it can mean long drives with family that annoys you, or flights where you're bored. other times you just need to hide away for a couple hours and get your head straight.   Maybe you need a distraction for these times.   And that's when we slip in, like an unexpected (but totally appreciated) slutty person at the bar.   Let us be your holiday hook up. Don't make it weird.   Shine on!

Today we talk the heist of a century (for KH3 fans), the difference between two styles of PR, Chinese Ironman, and what Matt thinks a vagina sounds like when wet.   So... Pretty normal episode honestly.   Shine on!

Recap big moments of the game awards and then we jump into talking about guest characters. What makes them good, what games need them and what makes them bad.

Here's a super long talk about sitcoms, the game awards, and our expected announcements. Plus! A new icecream bet, wherein my cynicism, and Matt's (no shit) optimism is immortalized forever.   Enjoy and shine on!

Today we go balls deep on the Cowboy bebop Live action remake, the future of SciFi, and the Bethesda Fire Department putting out the garbage fire that is Fallout 76!   I sound terrible because I'm sick. Again. It's not my fault I swear.   Shine on!

We had to talk about some big pieces of news this week, but we wanted to end on a positive note - and give thanks for the doods, and games over the last year.   Happy Thanksgiving (to those that celebrate) and safe travels.   Thank you, and Shine on Doods!

We cover a broad range in this episode. I'm not gonna lie, I had a few options for titles. Maybe even ones I'll use later. But the topics would gradually change and grow into something else and I was left with a difficult choice. A choice I solved as wholesomely as possible.   5 bibles.

Alright, I don't nail the titles every time. Point is, this episode is about Blizzard's recent garbage storm. And hoo-hahs, as Matt calls them.

This week we discuss the latest installment of Smash Me, and passion projects as a whole.   We get cut short due to other commitments, but hopefully we will finish this discussion in a future episode.

Not every episode title is a sex pun. Not every sex pun is particularly clever. We take what we can get.   New smash leak: if it's legit, it's exciting as hell! If not, we're STILL excited. because Smash Ultimate is gonna be great!    

Rockstar recently bragged that they spent several 100 hour weeks crunching to finish Red Dead Redemption on time. There was some backlash to this, and the effects that can have on their team. Some even calling for a boycott. Here's our thoughts on that subject. And on Hyena clitoris. Our thoughts on Hyena Clitoris' is also in this episode.   So... Shine on!

WSJ has basically confirmed that Sony has been working on the next gen console. Which has caused all sorts of rumors to fly around. When will it release, what will be its launch titles, and even what will microsoft do to fight back. We discuss it all, right here!   Shine on dudes!

There was a pretty big leak from WB games a couple days ago. One Kenny lost his mind about... Nope. Not MK but Harry Potter! Let's hear it for all out witches and wizards out there - we finally have a leak to be amped about! We talk about all the info leaked and speculate what else could be in the game. Then we segue, totally naturally, into game violence. Because we, again naturally, wanted to talk about Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. We talk the differences of 80's violence as compared to today, as well as make a few comparisons between the show and the game.

Things covered in this episode: Poor French accents Red Dead Redemption 2: a tale of animating horse nuts Raccoon Sex and a dick's magnum opus.

Hey, TGS is literally just around the corner. It's time we discuss what could be going down. Plus a little about our hopes and dreams for the show. Plus a healthy dose of tangents and insanity - like you've come to expect!

SNK is pumping out games lately. Are they block busters? No. But they are consistently good games. Good games, good volume? Good show old sport. We're here for it. With TGS around the corner - what else could be coming our way??

When you're bustin nut-stalgia and then it hits you... this is game is crap. Maybe it's the graphics. Maybe you remember the gameplay as waaaay better than it was. Whatever it is - today is the day you realized... you were wrong.

Today we go into it with our thoughts on sci fi, influences for Cyberpunk, the gameplay we watched and some announcements from Gamescom. Oh... and I WON the bet! Ice cream is coming my way!

Hey. I know - I KNOW. This isn't the MK lorecast. That's coming. Just got delayed so we can add Kenny back in. For now, here's a fun episode about niche games we like and wish we could get others amped up about too.   Shine on!

Hey, we're back!   So much happened last week. I mean, that Smash Direct had to be the greatest Nintendo Direct of all time, and then Red Dead game play trailer and finally an absolutely insane game play dump for Doom Eternal! Gamescom is coming up and there are supposed to be even more new announcements! It's like everyone is dumping their final games of this console generation :P

As I promised to some of you last year - here it is. The panel in podcast form. It was so great to see and meet so many doods, hopefully next year all of you can make it!

My brother Phil joins me today, since Matt is out of town. He still hasn't totally gotten used to being on a podcast but this episode we end up on a deep dive in Mortal Kombat.   And we talk about Centaur Rule 34. Whatever.      

This episode we discuss life's big questions like - is Nathan Fillion too old to play Nathan Drake? Is Stephen Lang the right fit for Sully? Does it even matter when the fan film was awesome?   Oh and apparently Comicon sucks big donkey balls to attend. We talk about that too - but guys more importantly are the Hemsworth Brothers the right fit for Solid and Liquid Snake in a Metal gear Movie?

Matt is back from Chicago and the doods adventure to Galloping Ghost Arcade! Sounds like I missed out, but I'll make a visit asap to find out. This week we talk about the arcade and more importantly, our favorite snacks for gaming. Depending on what point in time! It gets weird. Real weird.   Shine on!

It's hot and sticky in California! We're obviously in hell, so let's talk punishment.   This week we get into it about what makes a good or bad punishment mechanic in a game. What is the difference between unforgiving and just plain not fun?   Shine on Doods!

Remember that hard rule Matt has about sticking it to developers and publishers that mess up - by not buying their games and letting them fail? Here's a few exceptions to that rule. Maybe an amendment to take it case by case.   Shine on doods!

Hey doods! Welcome to our post e3 2018 episode! As promised it's a long one. I'm the only member of YoVideogames that caught the conplague - of course - so it's coming out  a little late, but here it is.   We talk best eyes on games (minus cyber punk, because we couldn't get eyes on, but also because it's everyone's number one probably), then we talk our best played and our best in show!   Shine on doods!

It's pride month! As repeatedly requested, and promised, here is our Top 5 LGBTQ Characters. First, a disclaimer: I'm sure we got some stuff wrong, or glossed over something important. Please know that our ignorance is not willful or malicious. We look forward to learning more - so please call us out and correct us.   That being said - I'm sure everyone knows who my number one character is. I won't apologize, but I promise I didn't harp on it too much :P   Shine on doods!

E3 is so close we can smell it. The con stank. MMMM smells like... well - hot garbage honestly. But that means it's hard to talk about anything else!   So we clear our plate of all the small things we can't devote an entire episode to. Topics swing from Momocon, to David Cage, to Pink Flamingos and more.   Sit back, relax and let us whisper sweet nothings into your ear holes.   Shine on!

E3 gets closer and closer by the day, and with it - the crushing disappointment (and yet oddly sweet victory) of Capcom dropping the ball. I'm getting the icecream this year damnit! (But also, I won;t be mad if I'm wrong).   So today we talk a little about e3 but MOSTLY about video game theme parks. Oh, and maybe a tiny Matt-Rant against KH3 :P   Shine on doods!

The Ice Cream bet is on.   Join us for a proper E3 discussion, and a long one at that.   Shine on doods!

I was sick last week - apologies for the missed episode. But I'm back! And it's time to review Dad of War (No Spoilers). Plus we talk E3, Xbone and game sales to date, and some stories from the heart of LA.   It's good to be back!

Matt and I haven't finished God of War yet, so we'll be doing a full episode on it later - but for now we get into what games/franchises we wish would get a style shift like God of War.   Take a listen and as always Shine on doods!

E3 draws ever closer and it begs the question... Is it even a good time to announce your game? What if you aren't a first party? Personally I think 6 months is a good timeline - but Makes a few good points about why it can spell disaster for a game. Enjoy and Shine on doods!   Correction: In the episode we say Wii Sports sold 50(ish) million copies compared to GTA 5's 90(ish) Million. In actuality - Wii Sports sold 80+ Million copies.

Hey Doods! Today we have a couple listener requested topics. First about the death of Toys R Us and Second about the lost art of the final boss battle. Both great topics that led to awkward stories and good debate! If you have a request - hit us up on twitter, discord or Patreon. We're always open to your ideas, Shine on Doods!

Today's topics were suggested by NYCrownlessKing on twitter. So, shout-out to the (occasional) gentleman from the east! We get into it about the somewhat surprising news that Shadow of War is removing its microtransactions several months after its release, and other news. Plus we get into some E3 talk (because, duh).   Shine on doods!

Sea of Thieves is finally out! How long have I been talking about this damn game? Well it's out and I played it and I dig it pretty hard but it has also caused me some confusion. We'll get into that and more because SoT does something that is somewhat new for online games - Lateral progression. Haven't heard of it? It means there is no leveling and only cosmetic rewards. You'll always be on an even playing field - a year in or starting fresh.

This isn't an episode about dumping on things - This is an episode about admitting we don't understand the appeal of certain games or genres, and inviting someone to tell us what they love about something. Except Labo. That thing is insanity and I refuse to give it a chance. Ever. :P Shine on doods!

The announcement that surprises no one, and yet has somehow stirred up a hornets nest is finally here. Smash is coming to Switch! There's debate on whether or not it is a new entry into the series, or if it is a port. We get into that, plus some new character predictions, a couple wish list new characters, and wish list ports plus some E3 predictions. Lube up and join in - SHINE ON DOODS!

Hey there dood. Thanks for tuning in! This episode we talk about how multiplayer became the big selling point because of last generation, but now - could multiplayer be on the wane as a selling point for a game? Unless of course it's entirely multiplayer, but even then, are we at a point where arena shooters and co-op dungeon crawlers will be retired for a while? Lube up the ear holes and as always - SHINE ON!

It seems like Matt has had this one brewing deep in him for a while, and he's finally collected his thoughts. How did the game industry become the dumpster fire it is today? Personally I think it's for the same reason any creative industry can be torturous, but give a listen and see what you think. Let us know on twitter!

Believe it or not, this has been a request from time to time ever since we did it on the live show once. So here it is, a complete marry, f#%$, kill episode with all our favorite characters. It only gets weird for a second. Enjoy doods and shine on!

Hey doods, sorry for the delay. It's been one of those weeks (car died, working late etc etc etc) but today we're talking about the big news - Atari. That's right. Atari circa 1976 was a wild place and today we delve into that, and round things off with our favorite relationships in games!

Hey doods, welcome back! This week's big news is MVCI getting the snub from EVO's final stage. Not exactly a slap in the face to capcom, but possibly a death knell for the game and possibly mvc as a series for a bit. Maybe not the most surprising but it is devastating for the doods that love the game. This is another remote episode because I got out of work very late and there was no other choice. I miss the normal equipment as well, but we are working on getting Matt a better audio set up for his stream, which will have the side benefit of a much better sound when we have to record remotely.   Shine on doods!

This week on the YoVG podcast - rumors afloat of Microsoft buying EA, plus confirmation that Gamepass will now include Xbox first party titles on release day. Is this the future of gaming or a terrible idea!?

We're still slogging through the slow news month, but there is some cool stuff on the horizon. Dad of War on 4/20 (ha), Fable 4 rumors (all but for sure), and Matt's hands on time with the Nintendo Playstation at Retro Con in LA. Plus we get into what our "price" is. Jump in doods and shine on!

We're still balls deep in a slow news month, but stop by for a talk about our favorite peripherals through the years and a fun anecdote about hookers. Shine on doods!

Hey doods! Another long one here. We get into a discussion about Yakuza 0 now that Matt is finally playing it (watch it on his stream!) and then, the time finally came, Matt gave in... and we talk about all the movies we didn't do an official review for in 2017. Dig in, and Shine on!

Happy New Year! New Equipment came in, hope you're enjoying the difference. Let's start the year off right with an in depth discussion of our favorite games from last year. Shine on doods!

What makes the most memorable villains when it comes to looks? Today we discuss some of our favorite villains, and why they are so great when it comes to design. We're still waiting on the new equipment (should be here in a few days), so yet again I have to ask you to bear with the shaky quality. Soon, we won't have to worry about that ever again. Hopefully. Hey! Why aren't you on the official discord? Get on it. Do it. I'll wait here. Shine on!

We're back in full swing! Originally this was going to be a Top 5 all time type episode but honestly, this is such a fluid subject, there's no way to be totally honest about it. Too many characters are super badass, and I would change my mind twenty minutes after we finished recording. So we adjusted. This is our list of Great Character's with Great Design, and why they connected with us. Shine on doods!

Hey Good lookin'! Been a spell, I know, but we are back. I apologize for first the technical difficulties slowing us down, and then soon after the wildfires mucking things up, but we are stronger than ever, with better equipment and hopefully less fire troubles. Hope you doods have been well. Shine on!

Happy Thanksgiving! And for all our doods outside the US, I hope you're just enjoying your week. Shine on!

It's time for part two of our report card series for this year. We're talkin' first party publishers and the credibility of that big leak that recently happened. Join Matt, Phil, and I as we get into a real talk about this year's game releases.

The year is drawing to a close. All but one or two major titles have been released. It's time... for the 2017 Third Party Publisher's report card! Next week, we'll be doing first party, so stay tuned for that. We are joined again by Phil, and the problems/troubleshooting continue. Honestly no idea what is going on, maybe the mixer is going bad? I'll solve it before next week.

Hey doods! Happy Halloween. Hope you all had a safe celebration, for those of you who partake. Those that don't, I hope it was a good Tuesday? Anyway, it's another Top 5 episode! Matt hates em, I love em, and my brother was a guest for shits and giggles. He knows vastly more about lore and games than I do, so he had some interesting picks, and all the story reasons to back them up. If you guys dig his input, even though he kept not speaking into the mic, let me know and I'll get him to be a regular on the show.   Shine on doods!

Big news in gaming this week. NeoGAF might be DOA after another round of alleged sexual harassment from its owner and Nintendo has yet again taken a step backward and mishandled a situation. It's a bit of a real talk episode, so dig in and Shine on!

EA shut down Visceral Games this week. They were the makers of Dead Space and what could have been an interesting single player Star Wars game. This prompted a conversation about companies dead and gone, as well as who we miss most.

Matt has had some strong words for lootboxes in the past, but now with the news that Battlefront 2 and several other games (even single player only) will have gameplay effecting rewards found only in paid for loot boxes, he had to get some thoughts off his chest. I'm not that bothered by it, but I do think it's a mostly crap practice. I have fun playing devil's advocate to rile him up even more though.

Hey doods, we are all out of town this week, but Matt and I recorded a quick episode rather than let you go without! Shine on!

Atlus screwed up again. The Japanese side of the company went ahead and tried to shut down an emulator that was working on bringing Persona 5 to PC. Then when that blew up in their face, as can be expected, they had Atlus USA try and PR their way out of it. So, let's draw even more attention to that, and talk emulators pros and cons!

So, we had to talk about it. It was a little underwhelming this year, but there were a few good things we had to bring up. Thanks for bearing with my new schedule guys, I'll be back on my game soon!   Shine on!

Doods! We're a little burned out today, but don't worry we are gonna be back in tip top shape soon. We had fun this episode, throwing a bit of shade at gaming journalism. Inspired by an amazing video where a game journalist can't perform basic moves to pass the Cuphead tutorial, and reminiscent of Polygon's Doom(2016) playthrough, we just had to talk about it.

100 episodes!? Hot damn. Thanks for continuing to listen doods! Enjoy this extra long episode, and shine on!

Whoa, 99 episodes!? We have a cool topic planned for episode 100, but to ramp up for that, today we're talking breaking points. When's the moment, or what's the thing that makes you say NOPE to a game? Let us know on twitter/youtube/wherever. Shine on Doods!

Microsoft has more disappointing news after the mild upsurge of hope from E3. What do these further delays, when added to Microsoft's cancelling of previous (read: most) major games?

Time to round out last weeks episode! This week we are talking about 5 people we want to see in/involved with/back in charge of game development. I'm sure you can guess a couple names and maybe there will be some surprises too. Shine on doods!

Some people are bad at making games, some are shady, and some just don't belong in the media. Today we talk about 5 people we think don't belong in game development!

What's that title mean? Nothing. It's just the easiest way to describe what we talk about this week. As I've probably updated you to death, I've been balls deep in dealing with my brother's wedding happening this weekend and so this week's episode of the podcast is just us having a relaxed gaming discussion, without a specific topic in mind. I wanted to talk about horror games, Matt wanted to talk about RPGs, so we got us one could do both. It's a relaxed episode, but a good one. Shine on doods!

Everyone (except Matt) caught EVOla. Kinda horseshit, really, but them's the breaks. So we did this episode over skype and I'm coughing a LOT, which is why I am so damn quiet, cus I muted the mic pretty often to save your sweet baby angel ears. Anyway, Matt goes down to Comicon and skipped Hall H entirely. "what the f*%k!?" I hear you cry into the night... I know. Instead, he got hands on time with MVCI, Sonic Mania and a wonderbread Squaresoft RPG that I honestly can't remember the name of at the moment. So gather round dear listeners and shine on!

Our post EVO 2017 episode is full of stories and favorite moments from this year's fighting game tournament in Las Vegas. Evo was run incredibly well this year, maybe for the first time, definitely for the first time I've gone. I have to imagine that is because it was all in one location and Mandalay Bay probably assigned an event coordinator to the tournament. Whatever the reason, minus confusing/obscure panel locations, the even was wonderful. Finals were exciting and surprisingly enough SM4SH was the most exciting for me. Come hang out and hear some stories!

Last week we talked about the developers that have kept it together over the years, and even got better. This week, however, it's Matt's birthday... And he wants to shit all over the developers that are stagnant at best and going slowly to crap at worst. Shine on doods! And hopefully we meet loads of you at EVO!

Some game developers have really shit the bed with time, and we'll talk about them next episode. Today we are staying all positive and talking about the guys that have grown from humble beginnings and now kill it! So let's dive in, and as always shine on doods!

SNES Classic was announced! No one is surprised, except that it happened at kind of an odd time. Although maybe this is a perfect time, because it's the lull between E3 and ComicCon. It'll have everyone's attention for the moment. The system will come with 21 games, less than the NES classic, and it'll be more expensive by 20 bucks. However, it has a very solid line up of games, including the never officially released StarFox 2! This then prompts a conversation of what systems we wish would get a classic re-release in this fashion. Come hang out!

Now that we have had some time to digest; Matt and I discuss our favorites and least favorite games we saw/played at this year's E3. Also, we spend a solid amount of time discussing Nazis and killing them in Wolfenstein. Enjoy doods, and as always let us know what you think on Twitter!

Welcome back tot he round table! Steeb has ducked us for the final day of E3, but it's ok because the wonderful waifu JaeJae replaces him and does it well! Luna and Benny, the two dooddogs also join us and annoy the hell out of me by bumping all the equipment, and barking. Anyway, JaeJae probably had the best day of us all, so listen to find out why and as always SHINE ON!

Tonight's roundtable ranges from VR to Asscreed and talking Steve out of VR porn. Everyone is exhausted, and Kenny even seems asleep at a couple points, but I can't blame him. The crowds have made it difficult to see everything and harder still to play anything. We're coming up on the last day of E3, so hopefully our luck proves strong. Shine on doods!

It's day one! You can tell we are exhausted and excited. We talk about the stuff we spent the most time with today and what are plans are for tomorrow. Audio quality isn't as good as normal because this is a big group in a noisy environment. I did my best, and day 2 I'll tweak even more to make it work, better. Shine on!

Pokemon released a direct today! Pre e3 and we think that means Nintendo won;t waste time going over stuff we have already seen, and instead focus on announcing and showing games we are jonesin' for. We'll see what happens but for now enjoy as we dig into our memories of what is possibly every kid's first RPG. Shine on doods!

Memorial Day weekend was busy. There was some news items. None more disappointing than FF7 remake being pushed back by 3 another 3 years. We spend the bulk of the episode on that, but also talk Friday the 13th: the game, Samurai Jack and Matt's Fanime Panel with Mike from Easy Allies. Shine on doods!

Honestly, f*%# game delays, right? I know it's not the end of the world, and I know a lot of the time it's for the better, but it's still a major let down when it happens. This is me grieving over the delay of RDR2 btw.

It's that time of year! Christmas? NAY! E3 is a month away and that means we have a month to get all worked up on the possibilities for the coming year. Matt and I spend 2 freaking hours throwing out our predictions, our hopes, and our dreams. Kick it with us as we plead with whatever higher power there is to give us an amazing show this year. Shine on!

I was in the mood for some film talk, so we talked about popular games heavily influenced by moves or other popular art. Examples include Metal Gear Solid, Skies of Arcadia, Contra, and more. I also got to call Matt a whore like three times in Spanish so this is a real win for me. We had a lot of fun recording this episode and we ran a little bit long, but shine on and enjoy the ride!

When did collectors editions start? Today we talk about the origins of collectors editions and the best and worst we can recall. Today's topic was suggested by MorteRenatus on our talk show (YoVG Live). We had a lot of fun, and you doods hopefully will too! Have a great topic idea? Hit us up on twitter, the talk show or email. Shine on!

This episode is long as hell. We talk about Gaming Mascots, debate Tetris (and how it can totally eat a dick IMO) and wonder if mascots exist/matter in modern gaming. We also talk about MVCI a little. Yeah it's a weird one, I know. It is also pretty fun. Shine on doods!

Look, I get it, we talk about Nintendo too much maybe. This episode we talk in more detail about franchises that have been left in the dust and what we envision they could do today. I promise we will lay off Nintendo talk for a couple episodes after this. For now, as Easter has just passed, let's talk about resurrecting games we miss like Fzero, 1080, and maybe even Metroid! Shine on doods.

Matt and I talk the positives of Persona 5, and about China's game market. Due to a technical difficulty, I had to cut that conversation completely. I'm not kidding. It happened. We then go on to talk about the different philosophies between east & west game development. Shine on!

On the day of this recording, Atlus Games released a very thinly veiled threat against Streamers and Youtubers about their new game Persona 5. It prompted us to have a long conversation about their PR suicide and the new age of game journalism. The reality is, Atlus is perfectly within its legal rights to make these demands really. However, the reality also is, this threat does nothing but hurt them. See streaming is, in many ways, a free way for companies to advertise their games and get word of mouth to spread for free. Both Twitch and Youtube offers a very real and easy avenue to build a games hype and community. So by attacking the very people your customers are most likely to listen to about your game, you're strangling those avenues of free marketing. Doesn't seem complex but unfortunately much of Japanese business is based on old world (20+ years ago) thinking and mentality. It must be hell on the younger creatives at those companies. Lord knows western branches of these companies are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to explaining this thought process to stubborn, often downright backwards, executives in Japan.  In other news, Jim Sterling pisses a few people off, and Yookalaylee gets crapped on by the reviewers it was sent to. Granted, none of those reviewers were particularly interested in the first place which is why Playtonic went crowd funded in the first place isn't it? Backers haven't gotten the game yet of course (which in my opinion is a bit of a dick move) so we don't know how the audience the game was intended for will react. Shine on, and as always thank you to our Patrons for helping improve the show, and keep us ad-free.   If you're interested in being a patron or finding out what it is, check out The YoVideogames Podcast Patreon!

75 episodes deep and no sign of stopping! Today we talk about the 5 best consoles of all time (to us). Surprisingly Matt and I only intersect once on the list, and at vastly different ranks. Matt likes to say my list is hardcore casual. Let me know what you guys think. Shine on!

This week we talk Franchise Killers! Matt was inspired by a Youtube video by Game Sack and we basically decided to record the conversation we were having because of said video. We also announce our Patreon being live and do our first Patron of the Month shoutout, and talk about our new producers. We are bumbled and amazed by the support you guys have shown us. Thank you, shine on!

We've been wanting to discuss this for a while, and we finally had the opportunity to have YoVG hype-man Kenny on again, so we busted it out! Today we talk about the games that mattered most to us at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years old. It's a fun topic and comes with lots of insight into YoVG on a personal level. We were going to have Steve on as well but he ended up ducking on us. This episode is a little longer than normal and the audio may be different from normal because I lugged all the equipment down to Max's, and we had to hold the microphones in our hands. You'll probably hear Max's stream in the background several times. Shine on!

The Nintendo Switch was released March 3rd, and we've now had some alone time with it. So here is our love & hate episode. Personally I'm really happy with the system. Matt is too, however he does;t see the point of buying it until holiday season 2017. As requested, here is our definitive Switch launch impressions. Is it perfect? No. But is it pretty damn cool? Hell yeah and we think it's got real potential to boot. Shine on doods! 

This week begins a wonderfully exciting month for us and a terrifying month for our wallets. It seems like March has tons of great games (at least one exciting title a week) and of course there is the switch launch on the 3rd. Join Matt and I as we give a state of the union of sorts. We discuss upcoming games, thoughts on the future, and prioritize what we need to buy, and what we want to buy this month. Plus matt tries to explain some messed up parts of Nier's story, and it sounds insane. Shine on! 

If we've talked about this before, we have never gone this in depth in the conversation. Ever wonder what Matt is most passionate about in gaming? Yeah, it's music! I'm woefully ignorant about the giants in gaming music, but I learned a lot this episode and I hope you do too! Shine on, doods.

So even though I've played all the MGS games, I apparently forgot which game this quote is from. It's a fail, but be gentle! Anyway, today is our 69th episode! So let's talk romance in video games. Many will disagree, but Matt and I are on the same page. When romance is the goal of the game, it's kind of crap. I think it works well as a driving force sometimes, but honestly is it really necessary? I think this follows the thought process in film that a romantic subplot is the best way to have character growth. I don't necessarily agree but I will say it is the easiest way to show growth. Jump in and let me know what you're thoughts are.

So we've done games to film and films to games, but today we get to talk about the sometimes crappy, sometimes amazing BECAUSE they're crappy tv shows based on games. Interestingly enough almost all of these came out in the 90's... It was the best of times for this apparently. Granted it may have been the only way to reach a mass audience of kids in the US. So let's dig in, and hear me tell one awkward story after another. This is another Skype episode as we try to fine tune this before we have a special guest on in the near future. Shine on!

What is the role of combat and violence in gaming? Can you make a game compelling and exciting without direct violence? More importantly, if you can do that, can the game hold an audiences attention for longer than a couple hours? Today we dig into the games that can make this work, and what games we think could definitely do it with some work. Also dudes, let us know how this episode sounds. Honestly, I'm not sure about the quality. Sounds like there is some compression but overall it sounds pretty good and doing an episode over Skype when we have special guests could open the podcast up quite a bit. In any case, your feedback always helps and I deeply appreciate it. Shine on!

NeoGeo made an arcade board that can only be described as a beast. More importantly they are a classic part of any arcade and pizza parlor. Matt and I discuss the games we love most, and share some arcade stories. If I could own one arcade cabinet, it would be a NeoGeo with Metal Slug, Puzzle Boggle, and a couple others on it. Shine on!

The Switch event has happened. Nintendo is doubling down on motion controls. Essentially the switch is the WiiU pro. Or rather, this is the culmination of all of Nintendo's systems. Mostly we talk about the viability of motion controls moving forward, but we talk a lot about the Switch specifically. Shine on Doods!

Is ye olde Microsoft pulling a Konami? They've cancelled a bunch of high profile, promising games. Not only that, but they seem to be doing it to projects that are far along. Latest on the chopping block was Scalebound, but plenty have come and died before it. This has us worried about Cuphead, and it has me moderately worried about Sea of Thieves. Not that it will get cancelled; that it won't get the love it should, now that it's apparent Microsoft gives no f*&ks. Let's get knee deep in it! 

How in the hell do you keep game series, especially long standing series fresh!? Today we talk about how game companies have approached this very problem and what we think the key is. As always, we want to hear you're take, so let us know! We talk about a few different series but spend the most time on Resident Evil and Various Nintendo franchises. This shouldn't be surprising considering it's us, but we do go over various other series' as well. Such as, Metal Gear Solid, Uncharted, Devil May Cry and more. Happy New Year doods! 

It can get real when you're talking relationships, so... that happens. But more importably this is also a fun episode in defense of dating sims. Near the end we are joined by Elyse, the host of Brain Dump, a science podcast. Matt wants me to play devil's advocate on this one, and I do my best, but honestly I don't really care how anyone gets their rocks off. Nor do I really care whether you enjoy simulated relationships. In a world where I only have so many f*%ks to give; I choose not to give one here. Shine on and have fun!

A new Star Wars film has come out this year (Rogue One) and it has us wondering... Where are all the damn Star Wars games lately? All we have on PS4/Xbone thus far is Battlefront. Granted we have a couple to look forward to like the Bladerunner-esque Star Wars game by the writer of Uncharted 1-3. So expect a highly stylized and cinematic game in the next few years. However we muse what exactly happened to the franchise (gaming wise) and then discuss what we would want from a future Star Wars game.

In the final episode of the Zelda Lorecast we talk about Timeline C. I know it's a surprise, so I'll let it sink in... Good. Thanks for sticking with us, and I hope you've enjoyed the lore cast. Give us some feedback about the next lore cast you want to hear and please rate us on your favorite outlet. Shine on!

Mike, still tied to the chair, gets his ball gag removed to continue talking Zelda! This time we delve into Timeline B: the cannon timeline (In Matt's opinion). I'll be honest, the lore for Zelda is pretty dark considering the targeted audience. I imagine Matt gleefully giving his childhood friends nightmares by explaining the background to these whimsical fairy games... I like it.  I hope you guys are enjoying this as much as I did recording this. Shine on!

Hyrule has been created! Skyward Sword should be ignored now as we move into OoT and Timeline A. This is our favorite timeline so I'm just gonna let you guys jump right in. Enjoy part two of the Zelda Lorecast!    Shine on!

Mike Damiani from Easy Allies joins us once again to go balls deep into Zelda Lore! For the introductory episode we cover the creation myth, then talk Skyward Sword and how it's story throws that mythos out of whack. Mike has some great insight about how the story of LoZ has evolved because of interesting retcons and in some cases just flat out dumb additions. This episode begins the four part series. Next week we talk Ocarina of Time in depth, and lead right into timeline A. Shine on! 

As a second part to our previous Games on Film episode, today we talk movies that would or did make great games! If you watch our live show on thursdays, you know we dig movies as much as games, so we can get lost in this stuff. I enjoyed talking about this, and probably missed plenty of stuff, so let's talk on twitter. Enjoy and shine on!

Our Zelda LoreCast is coming up very soon, but with the imminent release of FFXV we want to have our retrospective on the series out there. Anyway, we talk favorite games in the series and remenisce on just what it is makes it good! 

Today is the day we piss off a whole lot of souls fans. How hard is too hard? Where is the line between difficult and virtual molestation? I can understand the addiction to accomplishing a hyper difficult task. I just don't think that's what I'm looking for in a game or if I even get that from a hyper difficult game. We talk about bad ports, and jankiness that lend to the difficulty of a game and whether that even counts as the game being hard, or the game being built like ass. Honestly, I really do want feedback here because I'm sure many of you, especially the hardcore gamers, love games that offer above and beyond hard settings. Tell me why! Clear this up for me and I'll get Matt to do a cam show somehow.

SO we've touched on it. Now let's take the whole damn thing! We talk games to movies, movies to games etc. Does this involve a lot of Star Wars talk? Yes. Do I regret it? Not ever. We also talk Uwe Boll and Blood Rayne so expect some lesbian sex and gratuitous nudity talk. This mostly just a recorded conversation we've all debated and talked about on every road trip we have ever gone on. 

Kenny (@unrooolie) is on the show finally! He's hyped about VR, so we dig right into that. Kenny and I hope it goes ham in the roller coaster industry & Matt remains cautious, but optimistic. On top of that we get into the YoVG vacation to Orlando. I won't lie guys... This leads into a conversation about Harry Potter. We end the episode by getting deep into the YoVideogames Lore you could say. We talk about how we met, who hung out where and Matt someone getting a grown man to storm out of a store. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the orgasmic voice of the Hype-man, and all around cool dude, Kenny

Matt has been waylaid by the hurricane and couldn't get home in time to record this episode so I took your guys advice and asked Elyse on the show. For those of you that don't know of her, she's an educator at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and a casual gamer. She loves adventure games and shooters with a special place in her heart of goofy characters and engrossing stories. We talk about the game that got her into games, and what her current favorites are and why. Naturally, since she is in fact a scientist I ask the tough questions like "What games have accurate dinosaurs?" "How likely would you be to survive DinoCrisis?" and more. It's a fun episode guys, hope you enjoy. Let us know what games you want us to explore for the next lorecast! Shine on, dudes!

This episode marks the end of the timeline! At least until RE7 comes out and we find out what turns they take there. We talk RE4 (duh doi, son), and bring it up to date from there. Plus we get some Capcom gossip and talk about how Microsoft dropped the biggest ball ever. Let's dig in, enjoy and shine on dudes!

The RE Retrospective continues! Today we delve into the aftermath of Umbrella's fall. The games that cover this part of the timeline are arguably the weakest in the series, although it has one of the most popular installments in the series: Code Veronica. So let's podcast and chill. You bring the snacks, I'll bring a condom. Enjoy!

Resident Evil Lore continues! Mike, known for his role as Albert Wesker on the Assist Me web series sticks around to get balls deep into the history, production, and lore of one of our most beloved franchises. Today we talk Raccoon City. This encompasses several games, so we could talk about it for hours, but we do our best to get you the details and some of our favorite fun tidbits. Sit back, and get comfortable. We're gonna have a four way with your ear holes, zombie-files!

It's finally here! We talk lore, we talk production (some) and we talk trash! Welcome to part one of four for the RE Retrospective featuring special guest Mike (Wesker on Assist Me). Shine on!

Nintendo courts Apple and Sony goes Pro all while Microsoft beats its meat and passive aggressively tweets at Sony. What do I mean? I mean Nintendo leaned harder into mobile with Super Mario Run at the Apple Press event today while Sony talk for forty minutes about HDR and 4k TVs. All while Microsoft quietly dances by themselves and plans its Scorpio debut! This is a real opportunity for Microsoft to get some ground back. Let's see if they drop the ball!

We have a special guest! Mike is one of the badass trail blazers from Easy Allies. They're the group of Game Trailers guys that turned to Patreon after Defy Media laid everyone off. He's been in the media aspect of the gaming industry for 8 plus years. Today we talk about the transition from corporate network to independent journalism as well as Zelda, magic, NX rumor comparisons, and speed running. The last half hour we get more in depth into Easy Allies, and the challenges they face. It's an interesting talk, and a lot of fun, so sit back and get in on this! Follow Mike on Twitter @mbdamiani Check out the Easy Allies website!   BTW: I had to get Mike's audio levels set properly on the fly, I apologize for the peaking and distortion at the beginning. 

Let's go down a rabbit hole to get caught up and lost in some Gamescom highlights. We get into RE7, Mafia 3, Nioh, and Nier. We also spend time with Red Dead theories. It's another long one, so grab a snack, and let's skip to the third date where we make sweet love to your ear holes. 

No Man's Sky has been polarizing upon its release. I didn't follow the game at all and I guess that's a blessing because thus far I really like it. I have some criticism but nothing major. Now that I hear there was supposed to be multiplayer, Starships to explore, and portals to find I realize why everyone is so mad. None of that exists as of now. Matt still has no interest, but I think he would get five or six hours of enjoyment from it. After that we move onto FFXV. It's been delayed and I can't understand why anyone cares. Personally I think it's an overcooked game and has very little chance of being any better than okay. Matt thinks it'll be an 8 out of 10 and has good reasons to back it up so there is still hope. Honestly, if you love Final Fantasy, you're going to love the game no matter what. Today's episode is long as hell. Cards on the table: there are some tangents and I didn't pay attention to the time. We'll be back to our usual 1 hour episodes next week but hopefully you enjoy the weird this week! Shine on!

This year marks big anniversaries for various beloved franchises. The problem is, there seems to be a distinct lack of recognition from most companies. Except Sega (Whhaaaa?) & Capcom. We talk some history, & shoot ideas for revitalizing these franchises! Strap in dudes, this is a long one. (Ha puns)

Let's talk small developers and publishers! When it comes to smaller / low budget games it can be fifty/fifty on quality. That being said, smaller developers have the freedom to explore subjects and gameplay major publishers find too niche. We round out the episode with what hooks us on games and then finish up by answering listener questions. As always when you ask, we do our best to answer! Shine on!

I missed out on a lot of stuff while dealing with family emergencies. Matt's going to fill me in on what I missed. So this might be our first episode without a single subject. Thanks for your patience, and support during my horrid week. This isn't a normal episode but this is a pretty normal conversation. Around an hour in we start getting into KILLING JOKE SPOILERS, so be careful if that matters to you. Shine on dudes!

We are back fresh from EVO 2016! Here's our favorite moments, thoughts on the event, and speculation as to how it can improve and grow in the future! I messed up though guys. I left the previous settings while recording another project and so Matt's channel is up a little louder than normal. He clips a few times and there is distortion. It's not terribly often, but forgive me. I am getting better with all this and I thank you guys for your patience while I learn. Shine on!

What is it that makes mobile so successful? If Pokemon Go continues to do this well, and is followed up by Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem mobile... Will Nintendo be incentivized to jump deeper into mobile? If the NX ends up being weak and gimmicky I can only assume Nintendo will look to the growing mobile trend in Japan as a sign to move out of consoles. Matt is scared that's going to happen. Honestly though, I'm not sure it'd be a bad thing. Come hang out and find out!

We're back to our evergreen episodes: today we dig into some history! We talk Western game development, pong, the 70's, and which on elf us is Smokey, and which one of us is Bandit! This is our second episode on the new equipment and I continue to tweak and play to get the best settings. I'm still working on soundproofing, so today you are treated to the soft barks of my neighbors dog yet again. Enjoy and don;t forget to let us know what you think!

First episode on the new equipment! Thank you so much to everyone that donated. Donations accounted for close to half the cost of the new equipment. Honestly guys any support, monetary or otherwise, means the world to us. Anyway, here is our final thoughts on E3: our best in show, disappointments and surprises. Shine on!

Kickstarter has been discussed here before, but now we have some updates on Mighty Number 9. There is a lot of promise to consumer funded games when you consider Game developers are no longer beholden to conservative and often baffling publishers. Things can get shady though, and we dive into that today.

Overwatch is Blizzard's arcade shooter. Already beloved, Matt and I wonder if that will last and discuss what makes Overwatch so popular. Then we talk Rule 34. So... There's that. It's gonna get weird guys. Shine on!

Dood! What is best in life? Emotional experience or gameplay experience? Is the emotional roller coaster what draws you to a game or makes you love it? Or is it the gameplay itself, the running, gunning, adventure, and puzzles that do it for you? Today we talk this and more about Uncharted 4 vs Doom (2016)!

Gaming Events like E3, and Playstation Experience are popular now but where did they come from and where are they going? We talk past, present and what we hope will be the future of gaming conventions and tournaments. 

Let's talk Game Melons! That doesn't mean boobies (though it could). No, we're talking about games we loved in the day but did not age well. For what ever reason you go back now and the game does't hold up. I dump on a couple of big games here, but trust that I did it from a place of love. Shine on!

  Star Fox Zero was a let down in Matt's opinion. Granted he has been expecting this since playing the game at E3 last year. He has some good to say about the game, but overall found it a groan worthy experience. This sparked a conversation about aging franchises and how to revitalize them or if they even can/should be revitalized. Let us know what your thoughts!   Shine on!

Platinum Games! They were born from Capcom's Clover Studios, where they made off beat action games. After cutting ties with Capcom 10 years ago, they became one of the hardest working and most consistent studios in the business! Let's talk history, best games, and some nonsense to celebrate their ten years in the business and my first retro coach of Bayonetta!

Fandoms and communities in the gaming world come with their own intricacies, rules, etiquette and quirks. Do they add value to gaming in general? Are they valuable to game developers and publishers? Are they ignored? Matt has had his run ins with hard core fans losing their collective heads over one of his opinions. I on the other hand have had almost entirely good times with the different communities I've run into or hung out with. I don't know if I'd consider myself involved in any of them, but I do think I am a part of them in some way. Matt and I get into the quirks and values of gaming communities. Let us know your experiences on Twitter or Youtube!   Shine on!

Today's episode was born of the recent Rockstar debacle involving one of it's star producers. We take a minute to go into exactly what it is that producers do in the game industry, before discussing the details of this particular snafu. It makes us wonder just what will happen to the upcoming Red Dead game and what Rockstar's fate will be over all. Check it out!   Shine on!

With the news surrounding Final Fantasy 15, it was time we talked about our favorite RPGs. Be they action or turn based (or in Matt's case John Cena based). Do you have a favorite RPG? Was it the first you ever played? Is it the standard by which you judge all other RPGs? We hit that and more in this week's episode!   Shine on!

Yo! Videogames Hype Man and Dood Extraordinaire Steve joins Matt and I today to discuss the latest clash between PC-bros and Anti-SJWs! Overwatch developer Blizzard just agreed to remove a victory pose from the game for one of its female characters after a user reported that they found the pose sexual and out of character. This sparked a deeper conversation about possible hypersensitivity and whether or not it should be addressed.   Find Steve on twitter @INFINITE_SGE and give him love for being on the show!   Shine on Doods!

Is it a bad move to include an Easy Mode to your game? Does it defile the spirit of the game? Are you just a prick? We talk about all this and more on todays episode of YoVG Podcast! Shine on dudes!

Ring the bells! Gather your loved ones! Dress all in black! E3 is dying before our eyes. It's only a matter of time until it's gone. Activision is the latest in the list of 3rd party publishers to pull out of E3(the others being Disney, EA and WarGames) With that loss, it seems like no one cares anymore. Today we share stories from our favorite times at E3 and then discuss possible ways to save it, if it should be saved at all.   Shine on!

As we come to the end of our LoZ retrospective, Matt and I wanted to discuss some final thoughts and feelings on this now 30 year old franchise. We are currently going through Twilight Princess HD on Man Mode on my stream (that is: hero mode plus Ganondorf amiibo for 4x damage, and only boss hearts). And with a new Legend of Zelda looming this holiday season we wanted to address our favorite moments and what makes a Zelda game great. Matt is a die hard Zelda fan, surprise, and I'm more casual about it, another surprise. Thing is, I think for every gamer, casual or hard core, Zelda holds a special place. I give my reasons and Matt gives his. Let me know on Twitter what your favorite Zelda moments are! As always, Shine on!

Microsoft, or rather Phil Specter believes consoles will go the way of regular hardware updates (think XBONE, then a year and XBONE PLUS comes out) rather than 5 year generations. I don't like the sound of that, honestly. Means consoles will get a hell of a lot more expensive long term and honestly may kill the interest in consoles entirely. In addition to that beautiful idea, we talk about Windows/XBONE Spring 2016 line up. SPOILER: it's not that exciting.   Shine on dudes!

Main Characters... Do they have to be compelling in order to make the game great? Do they have to be white males to do well in wide release? Market research apparently says generic white males sell best but I have a hard time believing that when there are so many examples of female, and  minority protagonist games performing wonderfully. Metroid being an example, or GTA San Andreas as another.    Let us now what you guys think, and as always, Shine on dudes!

Today let's get into some fighting game talk. Max gets a chance to join us and it couldn't be for a better episode. And with Street Fighter V being released just a couple days ago (two days after recording), this topic couldn't be more on point. We talk about what makes a fighting game great and what can be done to create a new IP that does well. I'm sure you guys have lots to say about this, so be sure to hit me up on twitter or Matt on Youtube. Especially, give a shout to Max and let him know we appreciate him on the show! Enjoy, and Shine on!    

(The following is my opinion in retrospect, with time to reflect. Matt doesn't have that opportunity. So, when I say my understanding of his opinion, please know I am only saying it in it's most boiled down form.) Censorship is generally a shady proposition in my opinion. I don't like the idea of someone else deciding for me what I can or cannot see. I play devils advocate to Simmons this episode, but especially after the fact, I feel the need to clear something up. That is: Art should never be censored. However, again in my opinion, something like a game totally about rape, is not art and I will never be bothered by it being censored. Simmons feels that if you censor anything, even something he considers to be revolting work, it can lead to serious problems in the future. I have to agree that censorship is a dangerous road, but I have a hard time reconciling the idea that we should just allow some honestly disgusting stuff to exist. Namely, a game about rape, or involving children in sexual exploitation, drawn or otherwise. I guess thats the debate though. It's a hell of a gray area. All of that being said, I am open to the idea that I'm wrong here. Let me know what you think. It's a heavy episode dudes, but worth the debate!   Shine on!

Game Development is surrounded by a veritable cloud of opinions. Buzz words and PR BS make it difficult to get a grip on the process of development and it leaves itself open to rampant speculation. I need to learn more about the process, so it's time to bust up some of those myths and clear up the misunderstandings.

Working on Maximilian's Assist Me Web series was a big part of my life for a few years. It became the first passion project our group of friends would work on together. Matt was out of town this weekend, but it turned out Mike Young was in town. He played various characters on the show and designed their costumes, as well as a ton of the writing for the series. I've wanted to have him on the podcast for a while so we decided to tell some stories, or at least our side of the stories from the various Assist Me productions. If you guys end up digging this bonus episode, I'll try and get Max and Simmons in on an episode to get their favorite/horror stories from the production. I'm sure they have plenty of insane things Mike and I missed/didn't see/don't remember.   If you haven't seen Assist Me, but are interested, check them out over on Max's Youtube Channel!   Shine on!

Remember when you were a kid and you loved a game (or even a movie) so much that you played it over and over and over again? Then, you grew up and somewhere along the line, someone came to you and said "Buy this, it's just like that thing you loved." And you did. You bought that game/movie/nudiemag. Was it like how you remembered? No. Someone took a huge dump on your memories right? Maybe it's your fault though. Let's talk about nostalgia. It has pros and cons like anything. Maybe it is responsible for us not giving the love to games that deserve it, and maybe it's responsible for how we overlook the peanuts in a pile of crap we bought and played.   As always SHINE ON! And share and like and junk.

Is there a development company or publisher you trust? By that I mean, you'll take what they say at face value, and trust that they are being upfront. Personally, i think it is perfectly fine to try and put your company in the best light. However, the urge to do that can lead to out right lies, some small, others massive. The quick example of a small lie? "We are delaying the game to make it look better/change a dynamic." And then it is delayed by a month or two. We all know that is just a tactic to put out a fire and fix an unexpected bug last minute. the game won't be drastically improved or changed because that simply isn't enough time to do anything of note. That being said, there are a few companies we feel to be trustworthy overall. Let's dig in!   As always, SHINE ON DOODS!  

How do you feel about Twitch? It's become a pillar of the gaming community, and an undeniable outlet for creatives. It's arguably replacing YouTube when it comes to gaming. Even to the point that YouTube has tried to launch it's own streaming service for gaming. So let's talk about our personal experience with streaming and what effect we think it will have on games in the future. Will single player thrive or fall? Personally, streaming has opened me up to games I never would have played, so I remain optimistic.   As Always, Shine on Doods!

Oculus Rift dropped the line on its price tag finally ($599). Not surprising but a bit eye-popping! That price includes two games (Lucky's Tale and Eve: Valkyrie) and an Xbone controller. As a peripheral, this means you'll also have to drop a grand on a gaming PC. Now, I'm optimistic about the potential for VR today but holy hell... I won't be getting one of these for a long while if ever.   Let's debate the value of VR and if it's worth the money!   Shine on Doods!

Happy New Year! We forget to say that, but we mean it. You guys have been awesome and we look forward to growing and playing more games next year! In this episode we go over what surprised us most this year, as well as our biggest disappointments. Of course, our answers are skewed because we are a small operation and we are telling you the truth as we see it. We didn't play all the games that deserved to be played and we probably missed something fantastic. Let us know. Matt and I wish you all the best for the New Year and as always SHINE ON DOODS!

Do you remember that time you held out hope for miracles? Well, we're in the season for just that kind of hope! So, now's the time to list our Miracle Games. Will these games ever happen? I'd say probably not... Hell, definitely not for most of these. We're dreamers, folks. Come dream with us! We're not just going to name the games we want to see, but we are going to debut our (sometimes) insane ideas for where these games could go. Let me know what you guys think, as always on twitter @Phunkmachine.   Shine on and Happy Holidays!

Honestly, I haven't been interested in the Xbox One. I was a big fan of the 360. I was even a fairly big fan of the Original Xbox. However, the Xbox One has had a total of zero first party games that got me excited enough to buy the system. It has a far superior controller compared to the PS4 but on any other front it seems Sony is kicking Microsoft's butt this generation. Can they make a come back? I think so. Matt thinks they'll only ever get to second place at best, but I have hope that they could give Sony a challenge. How do they do it? Beefing their first party titles, of course. Phil Spencer has said that's just what he intends to do, so we'll see. For now, we wait. I hope they go back to their classic IPs, and Matt hopes they'll throw money at old, forgotten, but beloved IPs. That will win us back and I think gamers everywhere will benefit from the battle between Sony and Microsoft.   Shine on!

Everyone wants to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Is Square Enix going to drop the ball? More importantly, are they going to try and screw us? The latter seems pretty likely at the moment. What we can't figure out is how this company hasn't learned to be transparent yet! FF7 remake - Let's talk about the Possible Pros an episodic release presents: It could be indulgent in environments, and cinematic presentation. It may mean we can see the first episode within the next two years. It may mean they won't cut anything, even mini-games.   Cons: It may mean cutting the world map. It may mean not being able to return to previous areas. There's no clear definition by Square about what constitutes a "full length" game. PR people tend to be full of crap, so nothing is assured. After that, Matt fills us in on his game of show, and a couple other fun games that look like they have a lot of potential!   As always dudes, please rate and subscribe!   Shine on!

Ever wonder what makes a game bad? Can those games still be fun? Matt and I determine a quick criteria. 1. Controls 2. Design 3. Mechanics Then we go at it over UNDENIABLE classics like Blasto. And other games he mentioned that don't really matter because Blasto had Phil Hartman.   Ok I'll tell the truth. I just now watched game play from Blasto and I'll be honest... it's pretty awful. Anyway, let us know what you guys think are some terrible games!   Shine on Doods!

Do I have shooters in my list? You bet your sweet buns. Does Simmons have an obscure, mostly untranslated, Japanese game on his list? You bet those toasty tots. Does this list have a little bit for everybody? You better believe it, toots! I'm a casual gamer. Everyone knows that now. I won't always have the deepest insight into a game's design. I'm competitive as all hell, so multiplayer games tend to draw me in. What I tried to do with my list was show a wide variety of games I loved and love still and think you'll love too. Sure, most of you have probably played most of these games, but if you haven't, here you go! If you have, let's talk about it! Matt, as always, has a shocking amount of information about the games he picks and even the games I picked. My favorite thing about this episode is the moment we finished recording, Matt and I kept talking about the games and I wanted to change a few of my answers because I remembered others that should be on the list. I know you guys are going to have a field day with this, and honestly I want to hear what games you dig, and I'm always open to suggestions on what to play, so hit me up in the comments or on twitter!   Click here to check us out on iTunes! Click here to check us out on Stitcher! Click here to check out our Youtube!

Matt doesn't find Western RPGs interesting. Worse yet, he calls them boring. Oblivion? Yawn. Skyrim? *jerks off* Fable? "Oh Fable's good." HA caught him. I guess I don't have to Fus Roh Dah in his face... Or wear all this war paint. I mean, I definitely don't need this axe, but if we're honest I like it more than what's normal. Anyway, this episode is all about new releases in time for the holidays. Such titles as Battlefront, Black Ops 3, and of course Fallout 4. The truth is, Matt isn't particularly excited about any of them. I'm pretty happy with Black Ops, but that may just be because I took a few years off the Call of Duty train. Battlefront is just OK. Heroes versus Villains mode can be a lot of fun. Otherwise, all of my comments from the beta still stand. That, combined with the glaring slap in the face that is a final price of $100 to get the full game (eventually) and we've got a bone to pick with EA. Now, when it comes to Fallout 4 I'm finding two camps. You really don't care or you're amped as hell. Truth is, I don't feel either of those extremes. I enjoyed Fallout 3, and I've heard good things about 4. So, I'm going to rock it out. I'll let you know ASAP.  Though, considering my plan to make Bill Cosby as my character, I think I'm going to have an inappropriate amount of fun. Hit me up on twitter and let me know what you think! Shine on Doods! Check us out on iTunes! Check us out on Stitcher! Check out the YoVideogames Youtube channel!

So, Call of Duty Black Ops 3 came out. I wanted to share how delightfully surprised I am. It isn't a total pile of garbage. The net code is pretty good, the guns are cool, and I will literally power-slide the shit out of any problem. (UPDATE: there were some problems the day after we recorded this, but Treyarch released a patch the same night and cleared it up. Again, they seem to be on their shit this time around... I remain positive.) After that, we move on to saving a popular franchise. Simmons has a pitch for how to save Resident Evil. Honestly it wouldn't be that hard except they may have to cut ties with all the bullshit they've done previously. Including much of the convoluted and often confusing story. Now, this isn't impossible. They did it for RE4 and that turned out FANTASTIC. It's one of my all time favorite games. Simmons describes his story, and to me it sounds an awful lot like Tomb Raider (2013). And you know what? I dig it. It's a good idea. I loved Tomb Raider. Imagine if it had been darker and more horrific than adventure in tone. That game would have kicked ass as a survival horror. Anyway, check it out Doods! Remember to rate, comment and subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher.   Check us out on iTunes! Check us out on Stitcher! Check out our Youtube channel! Follow Andrew on Twitch!

Sony had its big press conference at Paris Games Week! Guess what? Basically nothing new was said. Matt and I did a live reaction on Twitch but now we've had a few days to digest. We have to say... our initial reactions are pretty spot on. There were a couple things to be excited about, namely Wild and Horizon; As well as some mind numbing presentations that had the crowd checking their phones or rolling their eyes. Check us out on iTunes Check us out on Stitcher Take a look at our YouTube

Nintendo has been quiet this holiday season and we haven't heard anything about Zelda WiiU in forever. Matt and I have some thoughts on what's coming. Check us out on iTunes and Stitcher!

Konami has one of the worst reputations in gaming. They've driven away several of their star creators and have displayed a general lack of interest in expanding their videogame division. Now that Kojima has walked; this is the end. Light the fire Doods. We're cookin' Konami Burgers tonight.

Online Gaming: Love it or hate it, it's here to stay. But is an Online element absolutely necessary for a game to succeed? That's what we talk about today.

Sega could have been beautiful! Or at the very least still relevant. Today we talk about our Nostalgia for classic gaming and Matt fills me in on just what happened to one of my favorite companies.