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It's not been a good week for PlayStation's vaunted first party studios. For starters, Insomniac's long-in-development licensed Marvel title Wolverine (first revealed to the public way back in 2021) has lost both its game and creative directors, an ominous sign that something has gone seriously wrong behind-the-scenes. Meanwhile, two Sony-owned teams -- Firewalk and Neon Koi -- have been shuttered outright, ending any glimpse of a return for the troubled service game Concord, and stymying mightily Sony's glacial mobile initiatives. Between blowing billions on Bungie, the disaster of the aforementioned Concord, the cancellation of a slate of fare (including The Last of Us Online), and a trickling first party pipeline, what exactly is going on at Sony? And who's responsible for this mess, anyway? We have an enormous amount to discuss. We wrap things up with listener inquiries, of course. What are some of our favorite defunct gaming websites? Should the Tales JRPG series be played in a certain order? Is Sonic experiencing a sales (and critical) renaissance? Can we stop with all the flagrant tipping, already?
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It's now obvious that Sony shouldn't have purchased Bungie back in 2022, but considering the transaction did indeed occur, both parties have to make the best out of a less-than-promising situation. After instituting a significant reduction in headcount, poaching key employees for posts within PlayStation proper, and even swiping an entire team and drafting it into PlayStation Studios, Sony has made another play, ingesting Bungie's Creative Studios to help shepherd the wider brand's future service games. How will this entire ordeal play out in the end? We're years away from finding out, but that doesn't stop us from speculating. Plus: Spider-Man 2 is getting a Nixxes-led PC port in early '25, Amazon Prime's God of War project receives a massive personnel overhaul, a recent interview with Guerrilla has some fans longing for more Killzone, and more. We wrap things up (as always) with listener inquiries. Have we reached a dead end with game design? Are 60 frames plenty, or should we ultimately strive for 120? How might Sony celebrate PlayStation 2's 25th anniversary next year? Are we able to convince a skeptical fan that -- yes, indeed! -- 'tchotchke' is a real word?
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Dustin is still roaming aimlessly around Japan (he'll be back next week), and the news has been slow in our beloved industry, leaving me (Colin) and Chris up to our own devices. And yet, there are still a few interesting tidbits to discuss. For starters, PS5's Astro Bot is getting weekly -- and totally free -- content over the next month-plus, while the Until Dawn film has been given an April '25 release date for its arrival in theaters as rumors surrounding a sequel to the 2015 game continue to percolate. Plus: Helldivers 2 received another major update, Sony revealed an in-person PlayStation concert series, Dino Crisis is locked to PS+ Premium for some reason, and Bandai Namco is reportedly exploring headcount reductions leveraging a shady Japanese corporate tradition: Oidashibeya, an evolution of another tactic called madogiwazoku. Listener inquiries tie things up on the back end, per usual. If Donald Trump wins the presidency, will gaming consoles in America be strapped with a tariff? Are we amped about the revival of the long-dormant and once-popular Backyard Sports series? Could Metaphor: ReFantazio appeal to JRPG fans that don't like Persona? Will Colin ever wake up after being put to sleep by a Dragon Age: The Veilguard-related question?
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The long-awaited remake of Silent Hill 2 has finally arrived on PlayStation 5, and it's a hit. Players around the world are loving it, providing audiences with the very first acclaimed title from Polish studio Bloober Team. Indeed, many (including some on this show) questioned whether these guys were even up to the task, and reasonably so: Bloober's average Metacritic score across 11 previous PlayStation releases is a 65. But it's here, it's great, and we're excited to talk about it, along with other horror-themed fare in the form of Until Dawn Remake, too. Other news this week includes rumblings of a potential Concord F2P comeback, Ubisoft possibly being taken private, SEGA's surprise announcement of Alien: Isolation 2, the delisting of LittleBigPlanet 3 from the PSN, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Are scalpers merely serving a necessary purpose on the free market? Should everyone cut Assassin's Creed: Shadows a little bit of slack? Has Atlus overcome Square Enix as the industry's most prolific JRPG publisher? Will the New York Jets ever stop ruining Colin's life?
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Last week, many tried -- and most failed -- to get their hands on the extremely limited PlayStation 5 Pro 30th Anniversary Edition, of which only 12,000-ish units were made. But the crush on PlayStation Direct for regular Pro units and other 30th anniversary accoutrements all at the same time led to a lot of disappointment. What did each of us come out of the scuffle with, and how do we think Sony can better manage special events like this, where loyalty and engagement should matter a whole lot more than random queue placement. Plus: PSN goes down for a surprising amount of time, HBO's second season of The Last of Us gets a trailer, something seems up between Sony and Square Enix, Dragon Quest's creator isn't too happy about censorship, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. With some distance now established, what are our overarching thoughts on the PlayStation Portable? Where is Capcom's Pragmata hiding, and will it ever come out? Are in-game Photo Modes actually popular? Can we contain our laughter at watching someone playing Heavy Rain without doing any of the QTEs?
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With a fresh State of Play now behind us, it felt like a good opportunity to publish this week's Sacred Symbols early for our paying audience on Patreon. And yes: There's cause for celebration. After years of dormancy, Sony-owned studio Sucker Punch has finally revealed its sequel to 2020's Ghost of Tsushima. It's called Ghost of Yotei, and it launches exclusively on PlayStation 5 in 2025. But the recent presentation was chock-full of other games, too, including lingering remasters from times past, like Soul Reaver and Lunar. And -- yes, indeed! -- the rumors surrounding Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered are real, too. From Hell Is Us and Fantasian Neo Dimension to LEGO Horizon Adventures and a new Yakuza title, we've got a lot to discuss. We wrap things up with listener inquiries, as is our tradition. Is the games industry missing a vital source of positive energy by eschewing live events? Will Square Enix ever port the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy to modern hardware? Could Helldivers 2 be in the midst of a major comeback? Do the New York Jets have Colin feeling a special sort of way?
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It seems like just yesterday that PS5 Pro was officially revealed, so in that context, we have some weird news for you: It's time to talk about PlayStation 6. Some of the first hard reporting on Sony's future console has emerged from newswire Reuters, and there are some interesting details within. But we have plenty of time to look backwards, too, because Vita classic Freedom Wars is being ported to PS5, as-is Horizon: Zero Dawn (though some people think we don't exactly need the latter one). Other news this week includes fresh information about Concord's demise, a ton of new PlayStation 30th Anniversary console and accessory announcements, rumors of Marathon's price point, and more. Listener inquiries end the show, as usual. Is it time for some 7th console generation revisionist history? Are naysayers going to be dead-wrong about the demand for a new Pro console? Will the price of next-gen consoles stagger or surprise? Can loud gulpers and chewers ever own their own behavior and stand down?
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It's been an exciting week in the world of PlayStation. On the software front, Team Asobi's Astro Bot has arrived on PS5, and everyone loves it, us included. We gush about it in the What We're Playing section of the show, and encourage all of you to give it a try if you haven't already. Meanwhile, over in hardware territory, the long-lingering PlayStation 5 Pro has been officially revealed for a November release. Some people are excited about the machine (the three of us will each be buying our own for launch), but many others aren't pleased at the high price, the lack of a disc drive, and even what the machine can do. Who's right? It turns out everyone is! Capitalism will sort this whole thing, one way or another... but something tells us PS5 Pro will be just fine. Other news this week includes John Garvin's most recent Days Gone-related Twitter episode, a slight increase in the cost of a new DualSense, a fresh approach for future Destiny 2 content, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why would a band ever turn down an opportunity to have their music in Grand Theft Auto VI? Could Ubisoft 'go private' and repair its deepening financial woes? How can we justify buying a game at launch when the product is always cheaper and in better shape later on? Are everyone's cats and dogs safe and sound?
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The situation with Concord couldn't be any more dire. By the time this podcast is published, Sony's beleaguered hero shooter would have already been pulled offline, with every purchaser refunded. It marks the tragic end of a project that barely got off the ground at all, and certainly represents the biggest black eye PlayStation first party has ever experienced in its near-30 year history. We spend a lot of time going over everything that went wrong, and all such a failure implies: Poor vision, lacking leadership, and utter directionlessness. It's as if Sony execs completely lost sight of what's important, and no: It has nothing to do with Concord being multiplayer. Other news this week includes Hideaki Itsuno's exit from Capcom after three decades, layoffs plaguing a bunch of studios (including a PlayStation second party that hasn't even released its game yet), and more. Listener inquiries round things out, as always. What's the deal with this Wukong exclusivity drama? Should we be happy or concerned about Annapurna investment in Remedy's future projects? Are we suffering from a glut of "ugly characters" in video games? Is Chris prepared to hear a fact about the cast of Foamstars from which he may never be able to recover?
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It seems all any of you want to talk about is Concord, Sony-owned studio Firewalk's dead-on-arrival service shooter, and easily one of the biggest commercial bombs in PlayStation first party history. We have a lot to say about it, and you can find that chatter in the What We're Playing section. But there's a ton of other news this week, too, including more PS5 Pro leaks that show us what the console actually looks like, further trials and tribulations at Bungie, the announcement of Sony's MENA Hero Project incubation effort, Blue Protocol's cancellation, Foamstars going free-to-play, a looming strike at French studio Spiders, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. What can Sony do to ensure Fairgames doesn't fall into the same traps Concord did? Should PlayStation Studios be pursuing single player-friendly games-as-a-service, a la MiHoYo titles? Do we criticize or commend Konami for seemingly changing very little in MGS3 remake Metal Gear Solid Delta? What did Colin think of a particularly eldritch video Chris recommended, ranking Sonic's most attractive characters?
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What we assumed would ultimately happen has come to pass: Machinegames' upcoming Indiana Jones title is indeed coming to PlayStation 5. Between Minecraft, Call of Duty, and Bethesda -- not to mention Xbox Studios itself -- Microsoft has quickly become one of Sony's biggest third party partners, and we suspect things are still just getting started. Other news this week includes the announcement of Borderlands 4, new Mafia and Dying Light games, word of Sea of Thieves' meteoric success on PS5, impressive Silent Hill 2 Remake gameplay footage, tons of Astro Bot spoilers, pricing details for Until Dawn Remake, and more. As usual, listener inquiries help us round things out. How come rank-and-file developers never get the blame for bad games? Can Chris guide a new Destiny 2 player through the trials and tribulations of figuring things out? Which upcoming PlayStation-aligned game-as-a-service has the most potential? Has Colin yet again offended the sensibilities of the Irish?
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We're getting into the late summer now, and it's no surprise that the news is beginning to pick up, starting with word of more Xbox games migrating to PlayStation. By our next episode, we should have at least one more Microsoft-centric title lined-up for PlayStation 5, a sign of the times as -- ultimately -- much of that catalog finds itself elsewhere. Meanwhile, problems are brewing in Sony's games-as-a-service initiative. On one hand, Concord's release is imminent, and the excitement level is precariously low. It's unclear whether Firewalk can really pull this thing off. On the other hand, we have second party title Helldivers 2, which has been tinkered with to such a degree that players are being rebuffed en masse. Can Arrowhead turn it around and keep a good thing going? Other news this week includes Dragon Age: The Veilguard's release date, the revival of Tango Gameworks, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Part III's potential move to Unreal Engine 5, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. How bad can the Borderlands film actually be? What kind of power does Fortnite wield these days? Is controller drift caused by faulty hardware or aggressive players? Did Chris really think he could win a breakdancing gold medal at the Paris Olympics?
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We're pleased to present to you a decidedly old-school-coded episode of Sacred Symbols, recorded in the traditional 1v1 fashion. And we've plenty to keep us busy, starting with Sony's quarterly financials showing a thriving games division hampered by slowing console sales. But with PS5 Pro around the corner (and the inevitable first true price cut for the core hardware), can we count on things picking up once more? Meanwhile, as we've long-assumed, Santa Monica Studio is indeed working on a new IP, its first since the original God of War launched in 2005 (and only its second, period). When can we expect its reveal? Plus: Our first look at The Last of Us on HBO's second season, PC specs for God of War: Ragnarok, the closure of one-time Sony second party Ready at Dawn, PlayStation 4 still drawing ports like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor after 11 years, and more, followed by listener inquiries. What are our expectations for Insomniac's Wolverine? Can the heyday of Guitar Hero and Rock Band after be recaptured? Could The Last of Us Online quickly have become Sony's most expensive game ever? Did Dustin's absence inadvertently cause the Japanese stock market crash?
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While Sony may have purchased Bungie with specific end-goals in mind, it's clear -- some two years later -- that the deal hasn't improved PlayStation whatsoever. In fact, it's becoming increasingly nebulous why the acquisition was made at all, with Bungie hemorrhaging money, laying off hundreds, shedding high-end talent, and churning through funds that could be better spent by Sony's actually reliable stable of teams. With further layoffs, the creation of a new spin-off first party squad, and drama galore, there's plenty for us to get into on this topic alone. But there are other things to discuss, too: Firesprite is seemingly making a PlayStation 6 game, Until Dawn Remake got an ESRB rating, Activision's compelling white paper makes a great case for skill-based matchmaking, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Do we have any nostalgia for pandemic-era gaming? Would Sony have been wise to rely more heavily on established IP for their games-as-a-service push? With studio failures aplenty, is it even worth getting into game dev at this point? How has Colin been dealing with Boar's Head's darkest days ever?
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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:28:15 - San Diego Live show!
0:29:55 - where baby?
0:36:39 - Will CCDF work at LSM?
0:45:46 - Boar's Head listeria outbreak
0:53:52 - Stolen pet waste basket
0:59:22 - Mega Man figure jar
1:03:51 - Cleaning in the shower
1:07:50 - New PSVR2 and PS5 pricing
1:14:33 - Astro Bot Dualsense
1:16:44 - Until Dawn Remake gets rated
1:20:43 - Voice actors strike
1:23:12 - Skill Based match making works
1:32:51 - Legacy of Kain returns?
1:42:57 - Alien Hominid 1 and 2 remastered
1:46:20 - Armored Core and Silent Hill sales and downloads
1:47:37 - What are we playing?
2:08:23 - Bungie Layoffs
2:52:06 - Firesprite's future game
2:59:00 - New PS Plus games
3:03:31 - Gaming with Biden and Trump
3:06:23 - PlayStation's creativity
3:12:34 - Pandemic gaming
3:19:58 - New vs old IP for live service
3:26:43 - Why pursue a career in games?
3:38:06 - Requirement to keep games going
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Anything can happen, but it seems likely that Firewalk's upcoming hero shooter Concord is essentially dead-on-arrival upon launch in late August. But with less than a month to go until release, what more can really be done? Making it free-to-play in the pre-release environment is an admittance of defeat and a sacrifice of what paying customers you managed to garner at all, while delaying it just... well... delays the inevitable (just ask Kill the Justice League). Does this game have a chance? Did Sony make a mistake by buying Firewalk at all? Why don't publishers pursue projects that fill a specific need, as opposed to copying what already exists? Other news this week includes details about Helldivers 2's Escalation of Freedom update, more tantalizing rumors concerning PS5 Pro, College Football 25's meteoric success, Ubisoft's fumbling Assassin's Creed Shadows statement, three fresh China Hero Project announcements, and more. Listener inquiries wrap things up, per usual, on topics like the best time of day to game, catching up on series you may have missed, forgetting games you've already played but don't remember, and the preposterousness of defrosting bread and there somehow being no water left behind.
Tickets to Sacred Vs Dukes live show: https://bit.ly/sacreddukes
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:09:50 - Frozen bread again for some reason
0:13:39 - I vs. Me
0:31:24 - Political secrets
0:40:00 - deadass
0:46:51 - Colin goes to Vegas
0:48:31 - Summer Olympics
0:57:25 - Entertainment during delivery
1:08:27 - PSVR2 PC app
1:12:47 - PS5 Pro settings appear
1:20:47 - New PS5 beta firmware
1:23:37 - NCAA is huge
1:32:07 - Ubisoft's statement on AC Shadows
1:48:53 - WB buys Player First Games
1:52:13 - Humble Games closing?
1:59:57 - More Mega Man coming?
2:07:08 - SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos
2:08:08 - Capcom physical games
2:10:12 - Tales of Xillia Remastered?
2:11:36 - What are we playing?
2:41:32 - Helldivers 2 update
2:54:32 - Concord info and woes
3:09:27 - New games from China Hero Project
3:17:07 - Space Marine 2 gutcheck
3:23:20 - Favorite time to game
3:29:35 - Games we forgot
3:34:52 - Loot lexicography
3:40:51 - Series to get into from scratch
3:45:46 - Staggered release dates
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We're truly in the doldrums of summer when it comes to console gaming, at least when considering news, releases, and other notable happenings. But we have a show to do nonetheless, and there are still a series of interesting tidbits worth discussing. Nexon's Bungie-inspired shooter The First Descendant has found itself in some controversy around in-game art, Amazon's Fallout TV series received a ton of Emmy nominations (with Twisted Metal on Peacock receiving one of its own), Sony will show off a slew of games on the show floor at Beijing's ChinaJoy '24 convention, Black Ops 6's beta details have been revealed, and more. We round things out with listener inquiries, as we usually do, this week approaching topics like our game of the year so far for 2024, immersion, playing games with our spouses, and the generational gap (in player age) when it comes to the hardcore space.
Tickets to Sacred Vs Dukes live show: https://bit.ly/sacreddukes
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:41:47 - Snark Tank dash cam crash update
0:46:10 - F Cancer
0:48:56 - Where was Dustin on Saturday?
1:13:28 - Dustin's baby publicity
1:29:50 - Too similar?
1:38:14 - Sony at ChinaJoy
1:42:03 - Black Ops 6 beta details
1:49:39 - New Emmy nominations
1:54:07 - Crash 5 cancelled?
1:58:19 - First Descendant copies Destiny?
2:03:59 - Gamers love microtransations
2:11:32 - AAA console games bomb on iOS
2:20:49 - Valve's low employee count
2:24:01 - What we're playing
2:44:29 - GOTY so far?
2:54:20 - Gaming nostalgia
3:13:18 - Immersion problems
3:21:24 - Gaming with your significant other
3:26:30 - Gaming demographics
3:37:45 - DEI layoffs
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The next PlayStation Studios game in the pipeline is Concord, and we're all interested to see how it pans out. But by opening up its imminent beta weekend to all PS+ subscribers instead of those who pre-ordered the game, it's obvious that the pre-release energy for this title simply isn't there. Will a mass of people going hands-on change its trajectory? Or do things seem a little bit dire for Firewalk's maiden voyage? Plus: Bloodborne for PS5 appears on PlayStation Stars in a cruel tease, Zenless Zone Zero hits 50 million players in only a week, Arc System Works is toiling away on a 3D Double Dragon game, Sony gets into bed with PalWorld studio Pocketpair, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! What do we think of the extensive changes Microsoft made to Xbox's Game Pass program? We've talked a great deal about AI, but how do we feel about its distant cousin procedural generation? Which changes do we want to see instituted most in Firaxis' Civilization VII? Will Chris trade his PSVR2 to a listener for standing room concert tickets?
Tickets to Sacred Vs Dukes live show: https://bit.ly/sacreddukes
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:22:41 - Happy Birthday Emily
0:28:45 - Lockmort's patronage
0:30:40 - Stretch our legs
0:34:00 - Heat
0:35:11 - Chingers
0:44:55 - Marriage advice
0:54:53 - New team name
0:57:02 - Trade offer
1:00:51 - Concord beta
1:16:55 - Bloodborne PS5
1:22:24 - Double Dragon reboot
1:26:18 - Zenless Zone Zero success
1:29:58 - Ys X release date
1:32:43 - What the Sigma Star Saga?
1:33:54 - What we're playing
2:02:07 - Pocketpair’s Sony Partnership
2:10:23 - Software and hardware sales data
2:19:55 - New PS Plus games
2:26:25 - Xbox Game Pass price increase
2:44:53 - Stigma to lower difficulties
2:52:15 - Legendary fights
2:56:01 - How much AI is ok?
3:12:56 - Civ VII dreams
3:20:09 - Right-wing grifters
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Days Gone came to PlayStation 4 more than five years ago, and though it sold very well, a sequel hasn't been greenlit, and will almost certainly never be. So why are we still talking about it? Because the civil war that fractured Bend Studio after Days Gone's release has left a sour taste in some folks' mouths. Fair enough. But ultimately, we've all got to move on, and a public airing of grievances -- while personally satisfactory, no doubt -- solves very little. We discuss. Other news this week includes the cancellation of Netflix's in-development Horizon TV series, Sony confirming it will have a presence at Tokyo Game Show for the first time since 2019, reports of SEGA's Crazy Taxi reboot being an MMO, and more. We wrap up our snug lil episode with inquiries from the audience, per usual. If we had complete immunity as the President of Gaming, how would we abuse our power? Are we attracted to the speedrunning scene? How is Elon Musk's Neuralink already changing the way people interact with games? Is Dustin a fake PlayStation fan?
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:32:14 - Six years of Sacred
0:38:44 - 126 degree party
0:51:31 - Angry Colin?
1:01:12 - Dustin exposed/canceled?
1:12:20 - The Getaway issues
1:17:27 - Days Gone Drama
1:29:53 - Horizon Netflix canceled
1:36:22 - New PlayStation collectibles
1:40:39 - Sony at TGS
1:47:53 - Dead Rising details
1:54:16 - Star Wars Outlaws goes gold
1:56:27 - Crazy Taxi reboot
2:04:57 - What we're playing?
2:25:37 - Presidential Gaming immunity
2:33:28 - Castlevania speed run
2:40:04 - Waiting to play games
2:41:48 - Neuralink gaming
2:52:27 - Game within games
2:57:04 - Goodbye to goodbyes
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Good news emanates from South Korea, where developer Shift Up announced that PS5-exclusive release Stellar Blade has surpassed a million copies sold. To the rational thinking person, this is obviously a great accomplishment for a niche and provocative release on a single platform, and yet there are know-nothings debating its success. Thus, we correct the incorrect while also talking about Stellar Blade's future, including DLC, a PC port, and -- ultimately! -- a sequel. Other news this week includes details for Concord's upcoming closed and open betas, the surprising return of Capcom zombie-killing classic Dead Rising, fresh PSone-era collections for the likes of Fear Effect and Fighting Force, percolating rumors about PlayStation 3 emulation finally coming to PS4 and PS5, and much more. As always, we wrap things up with inquiries from you, the audience. What do we think about a Guerrilla producer's desire to get Aloy in Smash Bros? Is poor media literacy stopping gaming from reaching its true potential? Which random PlayStation 2 games would we like to see ported to modern hardware? If we could go back to the 17th century and permanently scar a peasant child with a video game experience, which one would we choose?
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Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:13:04 - Independent wrestling promoter
0:15:22 - Bread
0:34:26 - Rotating third chair?
0:45:31 - Chips in the microwave?
0:54:12 - Taking a game back in time
1:05:09 - Concord beta details
1:16:27 - Astro Bot's dev team is 60 people.
1:33:49 - PS3 emulation rumors
1:47:35 - Smaller news items
1:58:00 - What we're playing
2:26:41 - Stellar Blade sells over 2 million
2:38:04 - PSVR 2 woes
2:59:39 - Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster
3:08:14 - Limited Run Games announcements
3:15:38 - New PS Plus games
3:27:33 - Retro PlayStation Podcast
3:33:43 - Smash-like PlayStation game
3:50:39 - Media literacy in gaming
4:04:09 - Stranded PS2 games
4:15:17 - Boss Rush mode
4:20:17 - Fixing the amount of games
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Nintendo and Microsoft both had rock-solid presentations during this faux-E3 time of year, and it has some PlayStation fans on their back foot. Why does it seem like Sony is dragging its feet when its competitors are going full steam ahead? Isn't there anything to say? And while many (including some of us on this show) make the argument that its lack of communication doesn't particularly matter in the long run -- PlayStation 5 is doing great as-is -- the consternation is nonetheless growing in the vacuum of silence. Plus: Dragon Quest III HD-2D and a Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Collection are both en route to PS5, as is Hironobu Sakaguchi's Fantasian, while the seventh China Hero Game, Evotinction, is slated for release later this year, Shovel Knight prepares his triumphant return, Bluepoint reconfirms it's working on an original title, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Did developer Game Science really get shaken-down for $7 million by a DEI consultancy? Will Hollow Knight: Silksong ever actually come out, or is it a myth? Whatever happened to the reconstituted Telltale Games? Has Colin gained full royal status, complete with new honorary titles?
Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:30:51 - Happy Juneteenth Dustin
0:43:53 - Dustin's demise
0:49:39 - Around the NFL RIP?
0:53:18 - Dog pee scandal
1:01:06 - Expectations are the thief of joy
1:03:04 - Corrections
1:08:14 - Horizon at a Nintendo Direct
1:14:33 - Bluepoint's original IP
1:24:51 - Uncharted 2 movie
1:28:45 - PS Portal Update
1:30:58 - Sony will not be at Gamescom
1:33:16 - Sony owned company skipping PS5 publishing
1:39:17 - TimeSplitters rated for PS4 and PS5
1:50:46 - Jedi: Survivor rated for PS4
1:52:02 - Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP release date
1:55:02 - Beyond Good & Evil 20th Anniversary Edition
1:57:05 - Tomba! 2 is being remastered
2:02:24 - What We’ve Been Playing
2:32:13 - Dragon Quest III HD-2D
2:53:37 - Fantasian is coming to PlayStation
3:04:42 - Evotinction
3:10:41 - Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection
3:19:15 - Shovel Knight news
3:28:07 - How long can Sony keep it low key?
3:39:01 - Does Sony need more games?
3:52:38 - Games journalism ethics
4:07:29 - Toxic Silksong fans
4:16:02 - Where is Telltale Games?
4:18:52 - What happened to video game reviews?
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