4Player Podcast: Recent Episodes

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A lot has transpired in the world of gaming since our last recording. Summer Game Fest brought us a bundle of exciting announcements - including Resident Evil Requiem - and the Nintendo Switch 2 officially launched! We give some initial thoughts on the new hardware and Mario Kart World and do a quick recap of the SGF highlights. On top of that, Krispy takes us on a deep dive into Dune: Awakening, Chris Davis talks The Precinct, and Brad talks about exciting new demos for Mina the Hollower, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Absolum, and Baby Steps!

• Impressions - Dune: Awakening (9:20)
• Impressions - Demos: Mina the Hollower, Absolum, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, & Baby Steps (37:50)
• Impressions - The Precinct (1:31:05)
• Impressions - Mario Kart World + Nintendo Switch 2 (1:27:00)
• News - Resident Evil Requiem Announcement (1:45:50)
• News - Summer Games Fest Recap (2:03:00)

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With E3 a thing of the past, Brad officially dubs early June as "Gamer Hanukkah" (more commonly known as Summer Game Fest) - A week (or more) long celebration of the gaming industry that comes with a boat load of big gaming announcements and reveals! We devote the entire first segment to talking about our expectations and dreams for the event, including the possible reveals for Resident Evil 9, a remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, IO Interactive's new James Bond game (Now titled "First Light"), and more! In the second segment, Brad talks about Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo - a game that might quell the wait for Mina the Hollower - and Chris Davis brings impressions of two new (and upcoming) indie games: Deliver at all Costs and Hell is Us (demo).

• Discussion - Summer Game Fest Predictions (1:25)
• Impressions - Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo (53:50)
• Impressions - Deliver at all Costs (1:12:40)
• Impressions - Hell is Us Demo (1:29:10)
• 4Player Minute (1:42:40)

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Brad's home has been invaded by Covid once again but not even that can stop Brad from digging into the hotly anticipated new deck-builder, Monster Train 2! Nick shovels more "Nick-slop" in the form of lo-fi indie horror game, Labyrinth of the Demon King and Chris Davis delves deeper into DOOM: The Dark Ages! We also talk Mission Impossible and try our best to convince Krispy to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33!

• Banter - Movie Talk (2:25)
• Impressions - Monster Train 2 (18:50)
• Impressions - Labyrinth of the Demon King (38:05)
• Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (47:00)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (1:08:35)
• 4Player Minute (1:22:20)

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Don't let the episode title fool you, it's not all doom and gloom this week... DOOM: The Dark Ages is out and we dig into what it gets right and wrong; Regardless of it's faults, it's still great to see DOOM thriving in the year of our (dark) lord, 2025. Brad suspects that Mercury Steam may have lucked into creating a hidden gem with their latest IP, Blades of Fire, and Krispy can't say enough great things about Skin Deep (Blendo Games new joint).

Please Note there that there is a hiccup in Brad's audio in the 2nd segment around the 1-hour mark that doesn't get resolved for approx 20 minutes. We apologize for the error... It was TOTALLY NOT NICK'S FAULT

• Impressions - Blades of Fire (12:46)
• Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (30:35)
• Impressions - Skin Deep (1:00:05)
• 4Player Minute (1:20:20)

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Next week is gonna be big but the calm before the storm comes in the form of more in-depth impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; An undeniably impressive RPG for the modern age that wears nostalgia on it's sleeve. Brad makes a strong case for playing Bionic Bay and Nick talks about the experience of replaying The Last of Us: Part II alongside season 2 of the HBO adaptation. Of course, we also take a moment to celebrate Giant Bomb's newfound independence in the wake of last week's game's media calamity.

• Discussion - But what DOES Chris Davis watch? (9:54)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (24:55)
• Impressions - Bionic Bay (44:20)
• News - Giant Bomb Reclaims it's Independence! (55:28)
• 4Player Minute (1:09:00)

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On Brad's birthday episode, we talk about games journalism being culled in the name of "brand safety" - a concept completely foreign to us here at 4Player. We also dissect the shiny new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, analyze some outrageous claims from Chris Davis that relate to our Game of the Year lists, and let Brad get his nerd on when talking about StarVaders.

• Discussion - Ongoing 'The Last of Us' HBO impressions (2:35)
• Impressions - Warframe (11:50)
• Impressions - StarVaders (21:15)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 + GOAT List Controversy (39:30)
• News - Reactions to the 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Trailer (1:04:20)
• News - Games Jounalism (and all Media) is Under Fire Once Again (1:16:20)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

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This Week on the Show:

• Discussion - Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Chaos (4:05)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (15:15)
• Impressions - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (56:50)
• Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:09:50)
• Impressions - Marathon Alpha (1:23:20)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

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This week's discussion topics:

• First Thoughts - The Last of Us Season 2 (7:55)
• Impressions - Nubby's Number Factory (15:40)
• Impressions - South of Midnight (27:20)
• News - Nintendo Switch 2 price expected to rise due to tariffs (46:50)
• Impressions - Blue Prince (53:52)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:25:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:43:00)

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• News - Nintendo Reveals Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware and Launch Details (4:15)
• News - Nintendo Announces Mario Kart World & Donkey Kong Bananza (27:45)
• Impressions - Atomfall (58:00)
• Impressions - Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (1:19:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:26:50)

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After an unplanned two week haitus from recording, we return to the studio to talk through our early impressions of Assassin's Creed Shadows! Despite the series rocky history, Nick (and much of the general audience) is finding the game to be surprisingly satisfying! Brad is taking a break from Monster Hunter Wilds to play... Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate! Chris Davis played a bunch of Dragons Dogma 2 (for reasons?) but his experience is anything but average. We also check in on the latest Fantasy Critic drama and go for a new record with the length of our 4Player Minute.

• Impressions - Assassin's Creed Shadows (6:40)
• Impressions - Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (33:30)
• Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (59:50)
• News - Metroid Prime 4 Trailer Shown at Nintendo Direct (1:22:00)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:26:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:35:20)

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Things in 2025 are starting to heat up and it's getting hard to keep up. This week, we delve into Split Fiction, a game that expands upon the strengths of it's predecessor (2021's hit, It Takes Two) in some really fun and interesting ways. We also deliver our reactions to the batshit insane trailer for Death Stranding 2 and discuss the release date which is coming sooner than any of us expected. Of course, we devote plenty of time to Montster Hunter Wilds and squeeze in some Like a Dragon talk to boot.

• News - Death Stranding 2 Trailer + Release Date (3:32)
• Impressions - Split Fiction (16:20)
• Impressions - Yakuza: Like a Dragon (41:20)
• Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds (50:42)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:23:50)
• 4Player Minute (1:31:00)

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The time has come. The long awaited sequel, Monster Hunter Wilds, is out in the... wild! Brad and Krispy take our first (of many) deep dives into the game's new systems and mechanics and assess where it stands in relation to the series other critically acclaimed games. Chris Davis has finished our Game of the Year videos so he kicked his year off with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza and Nick talks about his love for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2; Despite new found addiction to gambling the game seems to be instilling in him! Despite all that, we still find time for some truly unexpected tangents related to Shrek, finding dirt on John Lithgow, and... whales?

• Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds (20:39)
• Impressions - Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza (1:05:00)
• Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:24:30)
• 4Player Minute (1:40:40)

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Between dramatic dips in internet, discord instability, and Nick's unprecedented noobism when it comes to podcast production, this week's live recording was about as messy as it gets... but the show must go on! Regardless, we've got some big games to talk about including the long awaited release of Avowed from Obsidian and the obligatory Yakuza release for the year titled, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza! Nick played a Yakuza game, finally finished Metaphor Refantazio, AND he talks briefly about his time with Spirit of the Samurai; The game he was tasked with trying after coming in last place during our 2024 Fantasy Critic competition!

• Impressions - Metaphor Refantazio (17:07)
• Impressions - Avowed (23:30)
• Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (47:15)
• Impressions - Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza (56:20)
• Impressions - Spirit of the Samurai (1:12:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:27:50)

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It feels like 2025 is off to somewhat of a slow start in the world of gaming but that changes as we move deeper into February. Brad spills the beans on the first surprise hit of the year, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2! He also brings a game that stands at the opposite end of the video game spectrum, Lonely Mountains Snow Riders. We continue to press Chris Davis about his midhandling of the Dino Crisis series and Krispy's love affair with Yakuza reaches new heights now that he has finally finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon!

• Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (11:15)
• Impressions - Lonely Mountains Snow Riders (58:00)
• Impressions - Yakuza: Like a Dragon (1:08:10)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:00)

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David makes a sudden and somewhat chaotic return to the podcast this week to talk about the latest news involving the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the surprise announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4! On top of that Chris Davis talks about his time with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black which was announced and shadow dropped at the same time. In the second segment, Brad talks about his addiction to Lorn's Lure; a game about climbing megastructures that seems like it was absolutely made for Brad specifically. David brings his usual randomness to talk about his frustration with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and... Clock Tower Rewind?

• News - Ninja Gaiden 4 Announced
• Impressions - Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
• News - Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement
• Impressions - Lorn's Lure
• Impressions - Donkey Kong Country Returns HD
• Impressions - Clock Tower Rewind
• 4Player Minute (Filibuster Edition)

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As is customary, we jump start a new year by revisiting the old one! It's time to run through a bunch of meaningly award categories that we made up for fun! We even introduced a new set of "Wild Card" awards that are complete surprises for everyone at the table! So join us as we celebrate 2024 in all of it's glory. Our discussions cover everything from Dragons Dogma 2 to Silent Hill 2 to 1000x Resist... and everything in between.

• Best World / Level Design (6:45)
• Best Storytelling (23:05)
• Best Gaming Moment (43:30)
• Wild Card Award #1 (1:08:13)
• Break | Best Soundtrack Picks (1:21:10)
• Best New Enemy / Boss Design (1:24:10)
• Best New Character (1:36:30)
• Biggest Surprise (01:48:30)
• Wild Card Award #2 (2:01:10)
• Break | Best Soundtrack Picks (2:15:10)
• Biggest Disappointment (2:16:30)
• I Won't Quit You, I Promise (2:33:20)
• The Spotlight Award (2:41:30)

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This week, we found some time to squeeze in a semi-regular show in between our Fantasy Critic draft and our upcoming game of the year awards show! Brad talks about Slitterhead, the next game from the original creator of Silent Hill... and it turns out, it exudes some serious PS2 energy (which is not necessarily a bad thing). We also take a moment to speculate about the upcoming reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Xbox Developer Direct.

• Impressions - Slitterhead (10:00)
• Rumor - Nintendo to Announce Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday (29:05)
• Rumor - New Game Announcement at Xbox Developer Direct on Jan 23 (44:20)
• 4Player Minute (57:50)

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As is customary nowadays, we kick off another new year by drafting games into our Fantasy Critic League rosters! If you are unfamiliar, think of it as Fantasy Football but for video games where scores are tallied based on each game's review aggregate score on Open Critic. Of course, this also gives us a great opportunity to talk about a bunch of great looking games that you can expect to hear us playing and talking about throughout the year!

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We bring 2024 to a close with some film banter right out of the gate followed by impressions of two new entries in sibling franchises. Chris Davis delivers his impressions of Metro: Awakening, marking the first time the franchise has delved into the VR space, and Nick talks about STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl now that recent patches have finally rendered the game playable! In the second segment, Brad takes us through the final results of our 2024 Fantasy Critic competition including announcing the winners in each of our community leagues! Thanks for sticking with us in 2024. We'll see you in 2025!

• Chit Chat: Film talk (2:40)
• Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (17:12)
• Impressions - Metro: Awakening (22:00)
• Impressions - STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl (46:00)
• 2024 Fantasy Critic Wrap-Up (1:06:13)

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What a week! The Game Awards came and went but they left a trail of insane game announcements in their wake. We try our best to cover the highlights including Okami 2, a new game from Fumito Ueda, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and more! Unfortunately, we eventually ran into some poorly timed internet troubles so our broadcast (and this recording) took a hit. When we get those sorted out (for now), we jump into impressions of Marvel Rivals and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!

• Chit Chat: Brad Interrogates Nick about 'Dexter: Original Sin' (3:00)
• Recap - Highlights from The Game Awards (12:20)
• Technical Difficulties
• Impressions - Marvel Rivals (27:28)
• Impressions - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (49:55)

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It has been awhile since an unexpected discussion topic reveals some unusual truths about the group... That changes this week as we learn some interesting fears that Brad has about sleeping. But of course, we are here to talk about video games so we revisit some big recent releases like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Metaphor ReFantazio! On the new game front, Brad talks about new, fast-paced indie game called Echo Point Nova and Chris Davis (and Nick) talk about their early impressions of STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl!

• Quick Mention - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2:55)
• Impressions - Echo Point Nova (23:45)
• Impressions - Metaphor ReFantazio (36:40)
• Impressions - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (1:00:40)
• Fantasy Critic Update (1:39:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:46:48)

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It's the week of Thanksgiving here in the states so we decided to take a little podcasting detour to talk about the games that we are most thankful for! These aren't necessarily our favorite games of all time but they all mean something important to us for one reason or another! Whether it helped shape our current tastes in games or put us on a new path in life, the impact these games had on us cannot be understated.

Please Note: We had an internet hiccup early on during the stream so there is shift in audio quality around the 16 minute mark.

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With Nolan officially out on paternity leave (congratulations!), we press forward into the wacky world of video games once again! We re-visit Dragon Age: The Veilguard to discuss how the game is progressing and examine Nick & Brad's drastically different playstyles. Chris Davis expresses his enjoyment of Life is Strange: Double Exposure after the first three episodes but braces himself for the tides to shift (if the reviews are to be believed). Brad also brings back the UFO50 minute with two new games from the collection and hypes up I am your Beast, the next game from the developer of El Paso Elsewhere! Oh... and we also dig a little bit into the controversary surrounding The Game Awards GOTY nominations.

• Nolan's big news! (1:38)
• Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (10:30)
• Impressions - Life is Strange: Double Exposure (36:30)
• Impressions - I am your Beast (59:30)
• The UFO 50 Minute (1:09:00)
• News - The Game Awards Announces their GOTY Nominees (1:19:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:39:00)

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Time to get back on the podcasting horse... It IS Brad's week to shine as there is a new Dragon Age game AND some major Castlevania content to discuss so he is firing on all cylinders! We take our first deep dive into Dragon Age: The Veilguard and find that Bioware has managed to put together a polished, fun, and addicting game despite having an undeniable resemblance to modern God of War. In the second segment, Brad goes full nerd while discussing the crazy new Castlevania DLC for Vampire Survivors and Chris Davis revisits Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 now that he has spent some time with the co-op campaign.

• Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (5:15)
• Impressions - Vampire Survivors Castlevania DLC (1:04:00)
• Impressions - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (1:22:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:36:00)

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The stars have aligned on this very Hallowed Eve; Blessing this episode with a bevy of sweet horror games to talk about! Krispy continues to tackle his backlog of life-changing games and talks about his time with Signalis! Brad brings two new indie-horror games to the table with The Closing Shift and Tormenture; Both of which defy expectation but in completely different ways. Nick discusses his first night of playing The Outlast Trials with the community and delivers his early impressions of this year's reboot of Alone in the Dark (RIP Pieces Interactive). Of course, we also talk a little about the critical reception of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the looming Beta of Monster Hunter Wilds!

• News - Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd Reviews are Out! (10:30)
• Impressions - Signalis (19:40)
• Impressions - The Closing Shift (37:10)
• Impressions - Tormenture (46:40)
• Impressions - The Outlast Trials (1:08:00)
• Impressions - Alone in the Dark (1:24:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:42:10)

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We're running a little late this week but we have a lot to talk about! After a little detour to talk horror films and general spooky season stuff, Krispy takes us back to 2019 now that he has finally played (and loved!) Death Stranding: Director's Cut! It's a fun discussion that puts a lot of us in the mood to revisit the game ahead of the looming sequel. Brad gives his first impressions of the Silent Hill 2 Remake now that he's played a significant chunk of it and Chris Davis shares some thoughts on his time with the story campaign of Mech Warrior 5: Clans. Of course, we've got another does of UFO 50 highlights and some Fantasy Critic talk mixed in there for good measure.

• Halloween Season Chatter (2:40)
• Impressions - Death Stranding: Director's Cut (17:55)
• Impressions - Mech Warrior 5 Clans (48:45)
• Impressions - UFO 50 (1:05:10)
• Impressions - Silent Hill 2 Remake (1:15:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:49:30)

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The surprises keep on coming. Not only did Creative Assembly announce the development of Alien Isolation 2, but Bloober Team's remake of Silent Hill 2 AND the new IP, Metaphor ReFantazio released to stellar reviews! Nick digs deep into Silent Hill 2 Remake and praises it as a faithful and worthwhile adaptation of one of the best horror games ever made. While Metaphor ReFantazio has not officially released, a lengthy prologue demo that carries over to the full game gives us a detailed look at what to expect from the next game from the Persona team! Brad also highlights two more games from UFO 50 and highlights a spooky horror game making the rounds this Halloween season called Ten Bells.

• News - Creative Assembly Announced Alien Isolation 2 (13:55)
• Impressions - Silent Hill 2 Remake (19:05)
• Impressions - UFO 50 (45:00)
• Impressions - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (57:05)
• Impressions - Metaphor ReFantazio (1:14:35)
• Impressions - Ten Bells (1:33:50)
• 4Player Minute (1:46:00)

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I was so tempted to name this show the "Piss Filter" show but alas, it is Chris Davis' birthday so this episode is named in his honor! How did Chris Davis spend the days leading up to his birthday? By playing through two 20-year old games (read: bonafide classics!): Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater! Brad and Nolan deliver some early impressions of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and then highlight 4 seperate games from UFO 50 that have their hooks in deep! There has also been some intense developments with our ongoing Fantasy Critic league so stay tuned!

• Banter - Spooky season has begun (7:18)
• Impressions - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (21:08)
• Impressions - UFO50 (47:20)
• Impressions - Resident Evil 3 / Metal Gear Solid 3 Double Feature (1:22:30)
• Fantasy Critic Update (1:29:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:38:30)

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After a week off to play Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies together (seriously, check it out), we return to the podcast studio to talk about the latest and greatest in the gaming industry. First up, Sony debuted a new State of Play presentation which, among other things, revealed Ghost of Yotei to the world (the long awaited sequel to Ghost of Tsushima). After a few minor technical hiccups, we get back on track with impressions of UFO 50; an impressive collection of (50) games designed and built around the specs for a imaginary piece of retro gaming hardware! Krispy and Nick gush over Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 and Chris Davis finally got his hands on Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered! Of course, Warhammer also has Krispy spiraling towards an inevitable (and expensive) future in the tabletop space.

• Impressions - Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies (2:00)
• News - Highlights from the Playstation State of Play (15:08)
• Impressions - UFO50 (31:05)
• Impressions - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (1:01:30)
• Impressions - Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered (1:28:10)
• 4Player Minute (1:44:05)

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Sony manages to be the talk of the town this week in more ways than one... First, we delve into the ridiculous Playstation 5 Pro announcement: a $700 system with NO DISC DRIVE and NO STAND included. Luckily, Astro Bot also released this week and has easily won the hearts of all of us who have played. Brad talks about new indie hotness, Shogun Showdown, and Krispy finally has his opportunity to talk about his extensive time with Star Wars Outlaws; a game he is thoroughly enjoying! Of course, this also leads to bewildering discussions about "Space Jizz" (you read that right) and eventually, more of Chris Davis's hilarious homebuilding shenanigans.

• News - Sony unveils the Playstation 5 Pro system and it is absurd (2:30)
• Impressions - Astro Bot (28:00)
• Impressions - Shogun Showdown (57:25)
• Impressions - Star Wars Outlaws (1:04:45)
• Fantasy Critic Update (1:32:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:40:00)

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What a wild (and not great) week it has been in the world of video games! Sony shut down Concord less than two weeks after it launched to middling critical reception and tragic concurrent player counts. On top of that, Hideaki Itsuno - the famed designer behind classics like Power Stone, Devil May Cry, and Dragon's Dogma - announced that he is leaving Capcom after 3 decades. Despite all of the doom and gloom, new and exciting games continue to trickle out. Nick gives us his early impressions of Star Wars Outlaws which has been competing heavily with Black Myth Wukong for his time. Nolan walks us through his experience with the Quest 3 VR headset over the weekend and Brad talks about a cool new "Mesoamerican Fantasy RPG" called Arco. During the 4Player Minute, Chris Davis stuns with a shocking revelation about... Mattress shopping?

• News - Sony shuts down Concord less than 2 weeks after release (2:50)
• News - Hideaki Itsuno leaves Capcom (13:05)
• Impressions - Star Wars Outlaws (19:10)
• Impressions - Meta Quest 3 VR headset (39:30)
• Impressions - Arco (57:50)
• Impressions - Black Myth: Wukong (1:10:20)
• 4Player Minute (1:18:55)

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After recapping the latest (and Silksong-less) Nintendo Direct presentation, Nolan shares some exciting news with the community and ultimately opens the door for one of the most bizarre conversations we've had since "Zip-Whip-Pee." Nick digs deep into the rewarding and addicting systems of Black Myth: Wukong while also scoffing at the most ridiculous requests ever put to paper in a video game embargo (one which we are happily not beholden to). Brad and Krispy go onto to rave about Tactical Breach Wizards; The next game from the developer of Gunpoint which some describe as "a DnD campaign gone horribly right." Krispy also dabbled in the early access builds for Abiotic Factor and Deadlock.

• News - Recap of Nintendo Direct (1:40)
• Nolan's Special Announcement (24:25)
• Impressions - Black Myth: Wukong (37:00)
• Impressions - Tactical Breach Wizards (58:35)
• Impressions - Abiotic Factor (1:21:34)
• Fantasy Critic Update (1:43:50)
• 4Player Minute (1:52:30)

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We have good news and bad news. The good news is that Krafton swooped in and SAVED Tango Gameworks from closure AND acquired the rights to Hi-Fi Rush so a sequel is all but confirmed. The bad news is that Gamescom kicked off with a rather disappointing Opening Night Live AND Silksong remains as elusive as ever. Regardless, there are some announcements that caught our attention such as Dying Light: The Beast, Blur's new anthology tv series for Amazon Prime called Secret Level, and the reveal of Mafia: The Old Country. After we discuss the highlights (and lowlights) of the show, Brad gives his thoughts on Steamworld Heist 2 and Thrasher!

• News - Krafton Acquires Tango Gameworks along with Rights to Hi-Fi Rush (10:34)
• News - Highlights from Gamescom ONL (16:20)
• Impressions - Steamworld Heist 2 (50:35)
• Impressions - Thrasher (59:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:19:30)

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The bad news keeps on comin. This week, Bungie was hit with a significant round of layoffs and even an internal project cancellation which has called the future of Destiny and the studio into question. Not to be outdone, Gamestop suddenly and unexpectedly shut down Game Informer magazine; A shocking turn of events for a company that has relied on the publication to prop up their business for many years. On a less depressing note, Brad talks about World of Goo 2 which, despite the long gap between releases, manages to end up just as great and just as flawed as it's predecessor. Chris turned off his brain to play Earth Defense Force 6 and Brad did something similar with a hilarious little game called Thank Goodness You're Here.

• News - Bungie hit with layoffs / cancellations (8:25)
• News - Gamestop abruptly shuts down Game Informer (18:00)
• Impressions - World of Goo 2 (25:55)
• Impressions - Earth Defense Force 6 (43:20)
• Impressions - Thank Goodness You're Here (56:55)
• Impressions - CONSCRIPT (1:13:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:21:30)

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It's release week for Deadpool & Wolverine and Comic-Con so movie-talk does manage to worm it's way in at the top of the show! After that, Nick talks about a delicious new survival-horror game, CONSCRIPT, which captures the overwhelmingly bleak backdrop of World War 1 through a top-down Resident Evil lens. Brad takes a deeper dive into Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure now that the full game is out (and FREE on Netflix apparently!) and Krispy talks about his time with Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail which has hit a proverbial reset button on the story with this latest expansion. Sony dropped the price of the PSVR2 finally and Chris Davis revisits Pacific Drive and talks late game developments.

• Movie Talk (1:45)
• Impressions - CONSCRIPT (17:05)
• Impressions - Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (31:50)
• Impressions - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (51:20)
• News - Sony drops the price of the PSVR2 dramatically (1:09:07)
• Impressions - Pacific Drive (1:13:04)
• 4Player Minute (1:28:10)

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July might feel like a bit of a lull in the world of video games but there is plenty of fun to be found if dig a little deeper. Brad has now spent a good chunk of time with the full release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. As it turns out, despite some rough edges, the game is... pretty darn cool! Chris Davis played through the first full episode of Fallen Aces; A retro FPS mixed with lite immersive sim elements that leans into comic books and classic detective stories to deliver something fresh! Finally, Nick also found himself playing a game focused around a detective but with a very different wrapper. Nobody Wants to Die is a futuristic, cyberpunk adjacent detective thriller running in Unreal Engine 5 (herefore referred to as a "Triple I" game)!

• Movie Talk (6:40)
• Impressions - Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (13:35)
• Impressions - Fallen Aces (40:55)
• Impressions - Nobody Wants to Die (1:06:30)
• 4Player Minute (1:31:20)

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The calm before the storm. We take a breather this week to talk movies and do some much needed 2024 catchup! Brad finished up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and expresses some concerns over the recent demo of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Nick and Chris Davis talk Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Nolan takes us on virtual migration to (the) New York City where he and Bernadette attended a major Pokemon Go event this past weekend. Chris Davis reveals that he played Resident Evil 1 this past weekend... for the very first time and Nick highlights an exciting new indie Survival Horror game called Holstin which blends classic Resident Evil with more modern entries like Resident Evil 4!

• Movie Talk (3:30)
• Impressions - Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (27:40)
• 2024 Catchup - Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth / Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (40:35)
• Pokemon Go Event with Nolan (50:10)
• Impressions - Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Demo (1:05:00)
• Impressions - Holstin Demo (1:19:40)
• Chris Davis Played Resident Evil 1 for the FIRST TIME (1:26:00)

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With the year half in the bag, we take some time to talk about what lies ahead in the second half of the year. With zero overlap, we each highlight 3 games that we are excited to play in the coming months. The discussion takes us to some expected and unexpected places; From Star Wars: Outlaws to The Plucky Squire to... Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (?!). Of course, we fill in some of the gaps with help from the community. Needless to say, 2024 has been an impressive year thus far and the best appears to be in our future.

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Believe it or not, this week marks our 800th official episode! It's an episode full of impressions, drama, and even a couple pacts / agreements that may surprise you. We talk the long awaited Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring to find out if the game really is too hard or if they design was elevated to support the increased challenge! Brad talks about a couple new demos from Steam Next Fest including Arranger: An Role-Puzzling Adventure and Dungeons of Hinterberg, and Chris Davis' continue to talk up his time with Rise of the Ronin. Nick played through Still Wakes the Deep; a game with some serious vibes that can't help but paint a bleak picture for the team's next high-profile project. Things get a little tense during the Fantasy Critic update but it culminates in one of the most interesting trades / agreements we've made thus far.

• Off-Topic: Fast food shenanigans (3:00)
• Impressions - Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (9:15)
• Impressions - Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure - Demo (30:10)
• Impressions - Dungeons Of Hinterberg - Demo (37:50)
• Impressions - Still Wakes the Deep (58:40)
• Fantasy Critic Drama (1:12:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:20)

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Nintendo came out swinging this week with a new Direct presentation full of surprises! We recap the highlights which include the reveal of Mario & Luigi Brothership, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and of course, the re-reveal of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond! Nolan shines a spotlight on a demo for a fun new deck-builder called Dice & Fold and Brad talks about Dragon Age Inquisition: Trespasser; a game he delved back into in the immediate aftermath of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard reveal last week.

• Recap - Nintendo Direct ft Mario & Luigi Brothership, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metroid Prime 4, and more! (3:35)
• Impressions - Dice & Fold Demo (44:45)
• Impressions - Dragon Age Inquisition: Trespasser DLC (56:45)
• Impressions - Quick mentions from Chris Davis - Alan Wake 2: Nightsprings DLC, Indivisible, Rise of Ronin (1:15:20)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:34:48)
• 4Player Minute (1:45:35)

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It's a big week. Krispy has finally blessed us with Destiny 2 footage to coincide with the recent release of Destiny 2: The Final Shape! Not only that, Krispy takes us on a journey through the history of Destiny which has culminated in one of the game's most exciting and successful expansions! Brad talks about his experience with the demo for The Alters; an upcoming game from 11-Bit Studios which seems to combine survival gameplay with an intriguing narrative that involves cloning. In the 2nd half of the show, we recap the highs and lows of this year's Summer Game Fest including the re-reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (formerly Dreadwolf), Perfect Dark, Star Wars Outlaws, and more!

• Impressions - Destiny 2: The Final Shape (8:30)
• Impressions - The Alters Demo (45:40)
• Reactions to the Re-Reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (1:03:44)
• Recap - Summer Game Fest (1:25:50)
• 4Player Minute (2:14:50)

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It's that special time of year once again... where the mess of showcases and preview events run amock without the comfort and organization of E3. Chaos aside... it's still an exciting time for anyone looking to know what the future of gaming has in store. With that in mind, we run through a long list of Summer Game Fest predictions put together by Chris Davis and discuss the highlights from last week's Playstation State of Play and Silent Hill Transmission events. But before we get to all that, Nick and Nolan talk about a hot up-and-coming new Metroidvania called Nine Sols and Brad shares his thoughts on a charming new arcade shooter called Minishoot Adventures!

• Housekeeping (1:40)
• Impressions - Nine Sols (6:15)
• Impressions - Minishoot Advenures (30:45)
• Recap - Playstation State of Play and Silent Hill Transmission Highlights (44:30)
• Summer Game Fest Season Predictions (1:13:30)
• 4Player Minute (2:09:00)

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Summer Games Fest approaches and some serious rumors are starting to circulate. We set aside some time at the top of the show this week to address some whispers regarding the next round of Resident Evil remakes, an impending Astro Bot announcement, and more! Krispy does an excellent job of selling us on the latest game from Simogo called Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and a conversation about Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 leads to a deeper debate about what dictates success in this industry.

• Housekeeping (1:40)
• Rumors - The latest on the next Resident Evil projects (9:25)
• Rumors - Playstation preparing to announce the next Astro Bot (22:05)
• Impressions - Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (38:40)
• Impressions - Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (1:07:30)
• 4Player Minute (1:51:20)

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Indie-May continues! We revisit Animal Well and focus a little more on what that game looks like once you have peeled back a few layers of the proverbial onion; More specifically, after the credits roll. Brad goes to town on Dread Delusion as it subverts expectations in both good AND bad ways. Despite that, Brad is very clearly all in on the game. Nick circles back to Stellar Blade which has, at this point, established itself as an uncompromising horny game with some rock solid mechanics to boot. Also... we ask the age old question... what will Chris Davis play next?

• Housekeeping / Chit-Chat (1:30)
• Impressions - Animal Well (30:08)
• Impressions - Dread Delusion (39:38)
• What will Chris Davis Play Next?!?! (1:03:40)
• Impressions - Stellar Blade (1:20:25)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:37:36)
• 4Player Minute (1:52:38)

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The video game industry landscape continues to shift and collapse as everyone tries to time their layoffs to blend in with the outrage aimed almost entirely at Xbox. While the AAA space might be in turmoil at the moment, May is shaping up to be an absolutely incredible month for indie releases! We try our best (and mostly succeed) to not spoil Animal Well; but with a game built around discovery and experimentation, it proves difficult. As a lover of classic survival horror, Nick is ecstatic to share his thoughts on Crow Country while Brad hypes up V Rising which just hit 1.0 and offers one of the most genuine and addicting Vampire power fantasies out there. In the 2nd segment, Chris Davis entices Krispy to play Star Ocean: The Second Story R with an impressive but unexpected pitch.

• Impressions - Animal Well (13:10)
• Impressions - Crow Country (35:25)
• Impressions - V Rising (42:00)
• Impressions - Star Ocean: The Second Story R (1:10:40)
• News - Playstation now has TWO CEOs... Hurray! (1:02:00)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:22:00)
• News - Assassin's Creed: Shadows to be Revealed on May 15th (1:26:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:00)

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It's yet another sad day for the industry - Unfortunately just another week of mass layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations thanks to out-of-touch, overpaid executives and bad management. On the morning of May 7th, Microsoft officially (and unexpectedly) closed down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, and Alpha Dog studio. As a result, hundreds of talented folks are suddenly unemployed and the future of promising IP like Hi-Fi Rush, Evil Within, and Prey are now in indefinitely in limbo. Of course, Sony is also in a hell of their own making (albeit a temporary one) thanks to a wildly misguided decision regarding Helldivers 2. It's a lot to unpack this week but it's not all doom and gloom; Nick takes the time to share his thoughts on the wacky world of INDIKA.

• News - Microsoft suddenly shutters Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, & Alpha Dog Studio (2:30)
• News - Sony stirs up controversy surrounding Helldivers 2 (43:35)
• Impressions - INDIKA(53:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:15:20)

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The calm before the storm that is May. We have a smaller crew this week but we assure you... it's not short; it's not boring; and most importantly... it's not organized! Brad kicks things off with a little candy interrogation followed by some random movie talk before we buckle down to talk about video games. Nick shares his early impressions of Stellar Blade and is surprised by how much substance there actually is in a game that seems more interested in being titillating. Brad also returns to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and his enjoyment is only getting more and more intense as time goes on. Throw in a little bit of random Baldur's Gate 3 talk along with some of our usual chaos and you've got yourself a podcast!

• Housekeeping (2:00)
• Brad takes the Wheel (6:20)
• Impressions - Stellar Blade (21:35)
• Impressions - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (53:40)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:20:20)
• 4Player Minute (1:27:30)

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We've got a short show for you this week but it's no less important! Brad - resident Suikoden fanboy - finally got his hands on the modern day spiritual successor, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes! It's a game that feels light on modern conveniences yet it remains relevant and important to the fans. In the Fantasy Critic segment, we cover some exciting new pick-ups following some big announcements and release-date reveals!

PSA: We experimented with a new pre-show format this week by doing 'Trailer Talk' LIVE as a group before recording the show and we expect it to become part of the routine going forward! It's a lot of fun so make sure you tune in at 8:00pm so you can catch up on the latest game trailers!

• Housekeeping (3:20)
• Impressions - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (5:25)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (40:00)
• 4Player Minute (58:00)

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We took a week off of podcasting but dipped our toes into the wild world of Content Warning and the results were hilarious to say the least! Chris Davis revisits Shadows of Doubt now that it is approaching its 1.0 release later this year; It's an interesting discussion that delves into the strengths and weaknesses of making games using procedural generation. Brad talks about Inkbound, the next game from the creators of Monster Train and of course, we spend a little more time with Dragon's Dogma II. During the Fantasy Critic and 4Player Minute segments, we talk a little about the recent news regarding Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed codename Red, and impressions of the new Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime.

• Housekeeping (2:30)
• Impressions - Content Warning (8:35)
• Impressions - Shadows of Doubt (24:35)
• Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (51:00)
• Impressions - Inkbound (1:01:20)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:35:35)
• 4Player Minute (1:48:00)

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Despite Team Ninja's apparent unfamiliarity with real world horses... Brad is happy to report that the world may have it all wrong about Rise of the Ronin! Despite an all too familiar open-world design philosophy, the game has proved to be fun, addicting, and surprisingly competent in the storytelling department! Krispy returns to share his thoughts on Dragon's Dogma 2 and Chris Davis has continued his love affair with Vanillaware thanks to Unicorn Overlord. Finally, Nick talks about his first impressions of the titillating new action game, Stellar Blade, now that Sony has released the demo.

• Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic (7:50)
• Impressions - Rise of the Ronin (13:00)
• Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (39:30)
• Impressions - Stellar Blade Demo (1:14:00)
• Impressions - Unicorn Overlord (1:36:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:52:45)

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Can you believe it has been 12 years since the release of Dragon's Dogma?! As we finally delve into Dragon's Dogma II, one of our most anticipated games of the year, we revel in just how impressive it is despite the formula having changed very little. To Brad's point, the game hasn't changed much but WE have changed a lot in those 12 years. In this episode we also take some time to check in on our Community Fantasy Critic Leagues now that we are a quarter of the way through the year and Chris Davis gives us an overview of the first Judas preview coverage that is rolling out this week. Also, if you were waiting for Nick to play Alone in the Dark... get ready... because he didn't; Chris Davis did... Twice.

• Housekeeping - Checking in with the Community Fantasy Critic Leagues (3:10)
• Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (30:40)
• Impressions - Alone in the Dark (1:14:00)
• News - Judas Preview Coverage Rolls Out and Chris Davis is here for it (1:46:00)
• 4Player Minute (2:11:45)

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This week is all about revisiting some of the big games that have been keeping us busy while we patiently await the launch of Dragon's Dogma 2! Nolan dives DEEP into the depths of Balatro; A game that has successfully pulled his attention away from Like a Dragon! Nick's complicated feelings about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth grow more complicated by the day but Brad's love of Unicorn Overlord has only grown deeper now that the full game is out. In other news, Brad goes off on Princess Peach Showtime after a disappointing demo and we argue over whether or not kids have naptime in Kindergarten!

• Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (10:48)
• Brad Rant - Princess Peach is a shameless Puppeteer knockoff for Babies (18:00)
• Impressions - Balatro (29:40)
• Impressions - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (58:05)
• Impressions - Unicorn Overlord (1:34:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:50:00)

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This may not be an official Final Fantasy VII Rebirth special but it may as well be as it accounts for more than 50% of the episode! Most of us have all spent a decent chunk of time with this hotly anticipated follow up to Final Fantasy VII Remake and while the game certainly has some ROUGH edges in places, it still manages to live up to the hype! Quite honestly, Rebirth is a baffling game; Capturing the spirit and variety of the original game in the most fanciful, expensive way possible... while clumsily fumbling the ball in some truly unexpected places. We also spend some time talking Fantasy Critic, random movie talk, and continuing to shake our heads at the awful state of the industry right now.

• Random Movie Talk! (2:55)
• Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (14:20)
• Impressions - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (46:10)
• 4Player Minute (1:52:40)

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With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looming on the horizon, Nick and Ed both bring other FF7 games to the forefront. Ed shares his thoughts on Crisis Core Reunion and Nick revisits the remake in the form of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission; the DLC starring Yuffie. While we manage to squeeze in a fair amount of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth talk, Brad jumps on the opportunity to nerd out over the demo of Unicorn Overlord; a demo which is actually just the first 7-hours of the actual game! Nick also sings the praises of Pacific Drive which finds new and exciting ways to tap into the magic of games like Subnautica. Oh... and the industry is on fire.

• Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (6:30)
• Impressions - Crisis Core Reunion (25:45)
• Impressions - Final Fantasy VII Remake Intermission (37:30)
• Impressions - Pacific Drive (58:30)
• Imrpessions - Unicorn Overlord (1:12:05)
• Impressions - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (1:37:50)
• 4Player Minute (1:48:00)

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We're down a chair this week but it has little effect; Even this early in the year, there is so much to talk about! After Brad officially challenges Nick to play more Japanese games in 2024, the Fantasy Critic talk leads straight into a discussion about Balatro; one of the year's first niche indie darlings! Later, Nick tries to decipher Ultros but it proves more difficult than he imagined. In the 2nd segment, Brad dives deep into the complicated reception of Aspyr's remaster of Tomb Raider 1 - 3. Of course, we cap off the show with some more Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

• Housekeeping - Brad's Japan challenge to Nick (2:40)
• Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (17:10)
• Impressions - Balatro (27:30)
• Impressions - Ultros (40:40)
• Impressions - Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered (57:15)
• Impressions - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (1:32:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:45:00)

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We open the show this week with the reveal of our community's top 10 games of 2023! After that, we are finally able to play and talk about Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League; Rocksteady's long-awaited follow-up to the Arkham series and their first (and hopefully last) foray into GAAS. Krispy has played the entire campaign and has plenty to say about it; Both positive and negative! Brad talks more about Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth this week but he focuses entirely on one aspect... a mini game that can only be described as "Sleazy Animal Crossing." Nick gives his early impressions of Persona 3 Reload as well; Which coincides with his first time playing this game... ever! Finally, the Chris's talk about Helldivers 2 which certainly holds the potential to be surprise hit... the question is: Does it have legs?

• Housekeeping - The Community's Top 10 Games of 2023 (3:50)
• Impressions - Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (30:20)
• Impressions - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (1:01:15)
• Impressions - Persona 3 Reload (1:20:00)
• Impressions - Helldivers II (1:35:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:59:20)

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This week, we discuss not ONE, but TWO, Sony State of Plays! First, we delve into all of the new info about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Nolan gives us his thoughts after playing through the brand new demo! After that, Brad takes another journey into the wackly world of Yakuza with Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and to nobody's surprise, he loves it. In the second half, Nick finally broaches the subject of Konami's handling of the Silent Hill revival after having a few days to contemplate. It's a complex subject given the breadth of projects in development versus the games we have actually played but he does his best. Of course, this includes his thoughts on Silent Hill: The Short Message, a free 2-hour experience that seems dead-set on artificially re-creating P.T... spoiler alert, that was probably a bad idea.

• Housekeeping - GOTY Videos! (3:45)
• Reactions - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth details + Demo Impressions (18:15)
• Impressions - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (46:00)
• Inquiring Minds want to Know: How does Nick feel about the Silent Hill Revival thus far?
• Impressions - Silent Hill: The Short Message (1:07:20)
• Recap: Sony State of Play (1:43:05)
• 4Player Minute (2:00:00)

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Despite the strong start to the year in terms of good game releases, it's been an overwhelmingly shitty week for the industry thanks to an abundance of layoffs and Embracer's continued reign of terror which has now led to the cancellation of a new Deus Ex game. We do our best to remain positive though amidst the chaos. In the first segment, we catch up on Fantasy Critic and talk predictions ahead of Sony's first big State of Play for 2024. In the second segment, Nick and Brad revel in the sheer quality of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Brad takes us through his early impressions of Tekken 8.

• Housekeeping - GOTY content is starting to roll out (2:40)
• Predictions - State of Play for January 31, 2024 (14:10)
• Headlines - Mass layoffs + Embracer's reign of terror leads to cancelled Deus Ex game (59:20)
• Impressions - Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (1:08:30)
• Impressions - Tekken 8 (1:28:30)
• 4Player Minute (1:46:50)

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Its 2024 and we are kicking things off with some indie gems and some closer looks at a few big games coming to Xbox later this year. Chris Davis gives us his thoughts on last year's Trepang2 which has us all spiraling about the state of Monolith and the potential (or lack thereof) for a return of the FEAR franchise. Brad talks about two games that seem tailor made for him; Cobalt Core has DNA from both card-based deck builders and FTL; Kingsvein is a super dynamic and systems driven strategy game that feels like a Final Fantasy Tactics game with a heavy dose of immersive sim. In the second segment, we discuss our reactions to Microsoft's latest "Developer Direct" presentation which gave us closer looks at Avowed and Senua's Saga: Hellblade II. Of course, we also got our first look at Machine Games new project, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.

• Housekeeping - GOTY Plans + Fantasy Critic superdrops
• Impressions - Trepang2
• Impressions - Cobalt Core
• Impressions - Kingsvein
• Headlines - A closer look at Avowed (Microsoft Dev Direct)
• Headlines - Hellblade 2 details and release date (Microsoft Dev Direct)
• Headlines - Debut of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Microsoft Dev Direct)
• 4Player Minute

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As is customary around these parts... we send off another great year in video game releases with our annual Awards show! Despite our best efforts to trim the fat, it's hard not to talk about the games that we love (and in some cases, hate) so enjoy another long episode! We talk about everything from hidden gems like Pseudorgalia, to indie bangers like Sea of Stars, to massive successes like Baldur's Gate 3! We even venture down some unexpected rabbit holes like the realistic snot that DEFINED Brad's moment of the year and the... tumultuous reactions to Starfield and Final Fantasy XVI.

• Community Game of the Year Drawing Winners
• 2023 Regrets - The games we didn't get to
• Best World / Level Design
• Best Looking Game
• Best Video Game Moment
• Break - Best Soundtrack - Dave the Diver (Nolan) and Baldur's Gate 3 (Kris)
• Best Storytelling BIG SPOILER WARNING FOR STAR WARS: JEDI SURIVOR (1:33:30)
• Best Boss Fight
• Best New Character
• Break - Best Soundtrack - Xenoblade Chronicles: Future Redeemed (Ed) and Sea of Stars (Chris)
• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• Won't Quit You, I Promise
• Break - Best Soundtrack - Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Brad) and Hogwarts Legacy (Nick)
• Spotlight Award
• Asterisk Award

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With a new year comes an onslaught of new games to be excited about. As is now tradition around these parts, we kick off the new year with the initial Draft in our ongoing Fantasy Critic league! This year, Ed joins the fray, bringing our roster up to seven! We learned a lot over the last year and I think it shows because not only are our individual rosters stronger and spicier, counter-picking was absolute hell! But hey, it makes for a fun podcast. Pay attention at the beginning for the rundown of the rules and all of the changes we have implemented and then sit back and enjoy. Thanks for joining us for another year of video games!

• How Fantasy Critic Works (4:20)
• Determining the draft order (12:10)
• Initial Draft (18:55)
• Counterpicks (1:15:00)

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For all intents and purposes, 2023 was a great year for gamers but the development / business side of the industry has taken a savage beating. In our final podcast of the year, we talk about two more high-profile cancellations: Naughty Dog's The Last of Us multiplayer project AND E3 were both taken off life support in the past week. Brad talks up Bomb Rush Cyberfunk and Pizza Tower as he squeezes in a few more games prior to Awards season and Chris Davis has us covered with his thoughts on the remake of Super Mario RPG. In the second half of the show, we devote our time to the past, present, and future of Fantasy Critic. We talk final rankings and then hash out the changes and improvements we want to implement in 2024 - including ways of allowing the community to join in the fun more directly!

• Housekeeping / Game of the Year Plans (2:38)
• Headline: E3 is (finally) dead (14:50)
• Headline: Naughty Dog / Sony Cancel 'The Last of Us' Multiplayer Project (19:45)
• Impressions: Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (35:40)
• Impressions: Super Mario RPG (47:00)
• Impressions: Pizza Tower (59:00)
• Fantasy Critic Results and Plans for the Future (1:15:30)

Follow the 4Player 2023 Fantasy Critic League Submit your Top 10 Games of 2023 for a chance to win a free game in January! The link is pinned in our #goty-2023 channel.

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It's an unexpected race against time this week! Sudden, unexpected technical difficulties near the end of the episode force us to do battle with Chris Davis' PC as it tries to silence us. Before that though, we delve into the first ever Grand Theft Auto VI trailer and take a look back at the history of the series and the impact it has had on culture and the industry. Rather than close out the show in our usual fashion, Brad runs us through a series of increasingly ridiculous predictions ahead of The Game Awards.

• Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer Reactions (09:20)
• The Game Awards Predictions (51:35)

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Ed returns to the show after a hectic but exciting year of traveling and moving across the country! We take some time to catch up with him about Final Fantasy XVI, The Talos Principle 2, Shadow Gambit, and even impressions of the new Steam Deck OLED! The group discusses the latest developments surrounding Dragon's Dogma 2 (including a release date) and the upcoming Fallout adaption on Amazon. Brad makes an argument on Persona 5 Tactica as a potential 2023 underdog and Nick shares his thoughts on Cyberpunk 2077 now that the big 2.0 update has redeemed it in the eyes of players years after launch.

• Catching up with Ed (6:05)
• Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic (25:20)
• Headlines - Dragon's Dogma 2 has a Release Date! (36:00)
• Headlines - Our first look at the Fallout TV series (50:30)
• Impressions - Persona 5 Tactica (59:25)
• Impressions - Steam Deck OLED (1:13:20)
• Impressions - Cyberpunk 2077 (1:26:00)
• 4Player Minute (2:05:40)

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After a week off from recording due to unforeseen circumstances, we are back with a vengeance! We are bursting at the seams with new (and mostly exciting) games to talk about! Brad gives us the skinny on the latest Yakuza titled: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his Name, and Nick recaps his time with Jusant; a touching and impassioned homage to classics like Ico. Chris Davis fills the group in on his latest... video game life choices which includes playing all the way through RoboCop: Rogue City and Redfall. Nick also takes a deep dive into The Talos Principle II which easily earns a place among puzzle game classics like The Witness and even Portal.

• Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic
• Impressions - Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his Name (15:20)
• Impressions - Jusant (30:00)
• Impressions - RoboCop: Rogue City (43:00)
• Impressions - The Talos Principle 2 (1:05:30)
• Impressions - Redfall (1:24:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:43:00)

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This week, we have the pleasure of delving into TWO quality games that couldn't be more different! Brad looks back on his time with Super Marios Bros Wonder and applauds it's accomplishments while pondering it's place in 2D Mario history. In the 2nd segment, Nick and Chris Davis dive into Alan Wake 2; a long-awaited sequel that brought the best out of Remedy thanks to it's ambitious, open-ended design and it's dramatic pivot into the horror genre. Of course, it's not all rainbows and lollipops. We discuss Konami's baffling decision to lead the Silent Hill reboot with Silent Hill Ascension; a perplexing and somewhat embarrassing experiment that nobody asked for.

• Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic Discussion
• Silent Hill Ascension and the reboot of Silent Hill (22:56)
• Impressions - Super Mario Bros Wonder (33:50)
• Impressions - Alan Wake II (58:50)
• 4Player Minute - (1:34:44)

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Another week, another huge release for 2023. We spend MOST of the first segment this week talking about Insomniac's Spider-Man 2; a bold, polished sequel that delivers on almost every front. As it happens, it almost over-delivers with it's new wing-suit mechanics. After that, we ponder the current state of Insomniac and hypothesize about their upcoming Wolverine game. In the second segment, Brad gives us the rundown on two new indie releases worthy of your time and attention: Killer Frequency (Happy Halloween!) and Laika: Aged Through Blood - a game that feels like Trials HD and Castlevania had a brutally challenging baby...

• Housekeeping / Fantasy Critic
• Impressions - Spider-Man 2 (12:55)
• Discussion - The state of Insomniac and the potential directions for 'Wolverine' (50:40)
• Impressions - Killer Frequency (1:09:20)
• Impressions - Laika: Aged Through Blood (1:19:35)
• 4Player Minute - (1:29:30)

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It's a strange week. We find ourselves in the midst of spooky season as we await the imminent release of some of the years biggest games. After some Halloween banter, we delve into the latest developments surrounding Naughty Dog's troubled Last of Us multiplayer project and the announcement of the new PS5 Slim. In the second segment, Brad finally has an opportunity to talk about the demo for Star Ocean: The Second Story R; An impressive remake of a PS1 classic that also calls more attention to the weird choices Square Enix is making. Nick and Chris Davis talk about the double edged sword that is Assassins Creed Mirage and then brad makes a compelling case for El Paso Elsewhere.

• Housekeeping - Please take our listener survey (link below)
• News - The Last of Us Factions 2 is in trouble - (35:15)
• News - Sony announces PS5 Slim - (42:45)
• Impressions - Star Ocean: The Second Story R (Demo) - (49:20)
• Impressions - Assassin's Creed Mirage - (1:02:10)
• Impressions - El Paso Elsewhere - (1:27:00)
• 4Player Minute - (1:43:10)

Link Dump:

• Take our short listener survey
• Follow the 4Player 2023 Fantasy Critic League

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It may be a skeleton crew this week but this industry slows down for nobody; Especially in 2023! We take an unexpected detour into Assassin's Creed territory up front but then go on to revisit Armored Core VI. Nick gushes over Cocoon; A game which may be struggling to find it's audience in such a crowded release season but is undoubtedly one of the best puzzle games of the year. A Starfield discussion goes sideways for Nick and Chris delivers his verdict on Telltale's The Expanse now that the full season has wrapped. Also, it's been an absolutely terrible week for game developers...

• Tangent - Assassin's Creed Mirage is Out
• Impressions - Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
• Impressions - Cocoon
• Impressions - The Expanse
• Impressions - Payday 3
• 4Player Minute

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Microsoft can't seem to catch a break. The Activision aquisition led to another massive document leak which gives us some insight into Bethesda's future lineup including new entries in the DOOM and Dishonored franchises and some rather shocking assessments about the value of certain games when it comes to Game Pass. We also react to the new gameplay footage for Dragons Dogma 2 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth which dropped this week at the Tokyo Game Show. Of course, the 2023 onslaught of cool games continues as we talk about the likes of Mortal Kombat 1, Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew (Mimimi's final game), and the new Separate Ways DLC for Resident Evil 4!

• News - Huge Microsoft Leak
• News - Reactions to new 'Dragons Dogma 2' and 'Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth' gameplay
• Impressions - Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways
• Impressions - Mortal Kombat 1
• Impressions - Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew
• 4Player Minute

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It has been a whirlwind week in the world of video games but more importantly, we are sporting new podcasting uniforms; In case there was any doubt that our nerdiness knew no bounds. Of course, we dip our toes in the big Unity debacle that has taken the industry by storm this week and we discuss a major departure from Respawn / EA. It is also a historic day in which a Nintendo Direct and Sony State of Play were held on the same day so we run through the highlights. In the second segment, Brad talks Pseudoregalia and we take our first stab at Starfield impressions which, thus far, is proving to be a bit of a mixed bag. Nick and Chris delve deeper into Sea of Stars and we discuss our time playing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre last week.

• New Uniforms!
• News - Unity fucked up big time
• News - Stig Asmussen leaves EA / Respawn
• News - Nintendo Direct / Sony State of Play recaps
• Impressions - Pseudoregalia
• Impressions - Starfield
• Impressions - Sea of Stars
• Impressions - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• 4Player Minute

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It's a good news, bad news week. The good news is that Starfield reviews have landed and while they aren't blowing Baldur's Gate 3 out of the water, they do seem to indicate that it's not a disaster! On the other hand, the industry suffered several unexpected studio closures this week. Mimimi announced Shadow Gambit would be their last game and Embracer group shut down Volition. With that said, the year of great gaming continues! We dig into Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon and Blasphemous 2; Two games that faithfully continue their respective franchises while opting to play it safe. Chris also gives us his very early thoughts on Sea of Stars which is on it's way to becoming one of the best reviewed RPG's of the year... outside of Baldur's Gate 3 of course.

• Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update
• News - Starfield Reviews are HERE
• News - Mimimi & Volition Studio Closures
• Impressions - Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
• Impressions - Blasphemous 2
• Impressions - Sea of Stars
• 4Player Minute

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We take a break this week from the onslaught of current games to delve once again into the world of "what if?" Inspired the release of 'Bomb Rush Cyberfunk' - an indie spiritual successor to 'Jet Set Radio' - we discuss our Top 3 games or franchises that we wish would be reborn as an indie spiritual successor. The possibilities are endless but our answers range from classics like Mega Man Legends to cult hits like Manhunt. These may never come to pass but anything could happen and it's always fun to imagine.

Want to share your thoughts or leave a comment on this episode? Visit the official posting for this episode on 4PlayerNetwork.com!

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The show name says it all. We live in a post Baldur's Gate 3 world and despite our best efforts at staying on topic, we feel the pull of this massive game in almost every segment. We take our 2nd dive into the game and talk about the impact it has had on the industry and more specifically, the impending release of Starfield which has officially gone gold! We also spend a few minutes talking predictions about next week's Opening Night Live presentation at Gamescom. Chris Davis shares his experience with the recent Payday 3 beta and Brad talks about Blasphemous which he has finally played now that the sequel looms on the horizon.

• Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update
• News - Starfield has gone gold
• News - Gamescom is next week; What do we expect?
• Impressions - Baldur's Gate 3
• Impressions - Payday 3
• Impressions - Blasphemous
• 4Player Minute

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It's been a couple weeks since our last recording but the world has changed. Baldur's Gate 3 is out and it's already giving Tears of the Kingdom a run for it's money as one of the year's most critically acclaimed releases. We spend the entire 2nd segment diving into this undeniably dense but absurdly rewarding RPG. But first, we discuss the announcement of the Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail expansion and Rockstar's incredibly disappointing Red Dead Redemption announcement. Chris Davis "prepared a statement" about Dead Island 2 and Nick highlights My Friendly Neighborhood which feels like Five Night's at Freddy's and Resident Evil 1 had a baby.

• Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update
• News - Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail expansion announced
• News - Rockstar announced a PORT of Red Dead Redemption on old hardware
• News - GTA6 might be coming next fiscal year
• Impressions - Dead Island 2
• Impressions - My Friendly Neighborhood
• Impressions - Baldur's Gate 3
• 4Player Minute

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If you like your video games extra video-gamey, we've got a great episode for you this week. After our Fantasy Critic update touches on the rumored Red Dead Redemption remake (remaster?), we deliver our impressions of some of the most vibrant games to release this year! Pikmin 4 is the most accessible entry in the series to date but it comes at a cost. Viewfinder is an impressive technical achievement that doesn't quite reach the heights of the games that inspired it. Gravity Circuit is a rock-solid homage to classic Mega Man that has struggled to find it's audience. Finally, as Brad put it, Exoprimal is "Everything, everywhere, all at once... with a Battle Pass." Don't be fooled, all of the games mentioned this week reinforce 2023's killer lineup.

• Housekeeping + Fantasy Critic Update
• Impressions - Pikmin 4
• Impressions - Viewfinder
• Impressions - Gravity Circuit
• Impressions - Exoprimal
• 4Player Minute

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With a few members out this week, we figured it would the perfect time to revisit our Fantasy Critic league, discuss the year so far, and look ahead at the games that have been drafted to predict how the remainder of the year might come together. Carlos even joins us to shine a light on his roster thus far and discuss some of the big question marks for the year such as Hollow Knight Silksong, Routine, and Counter Strike 2. Throughout the discussion, we review each of our rosters and dive deep on a lot of BIG games set to release in the fall and beyond including Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3, and a whole lot more!

• Catch up with Carlos
• Fantasy Critic Recap - A look at all of our current rosters
• A look ahead at the year to come
• 4Player Minute

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The week has been slow for headlines and Fantasy Critic but that gives us more time to gush over Dave the Diver and vent our frustrations with Final Fantasy XVI. We discuss a small update from IO Interactive regarding a new studio and what it means for their upcoming 007 project and then discuss the validity of the rumors surrounding an impending Red Dead Redemption remake. Beyond that, the gaps are filled with plenty of tangents including bear sex in Baldur's Gate 3 and the impending release of Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning which has Nick chomping at the bit.

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - IO Interactive announce Opening of a new Studio
• News - Rumors circulate regarding a Red Dead Redemption remake coming 2023
• Impressions - Dave the Diver
• Impressions - Final Fantasy XVI
• 4Player Minute

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Nintendo has spoken and Krispy agrees... the people are ready for an amazing 2D Mario game! We dig into all the big announcements from Nintendo's summer showcase including Super Mario Bros Wonder, a remake of Super Mario RPG, and a new Princess Peach platformer! Annapurna also brought it with their latest showcase thanks to the announcement of an internally developed Blade Runner game. In the second segment, we take our first dive into the meat and potatoes of Final Fantasy XVI, Chris makes a strong case for playing Aliens: Dark Descent, and Nick gives his initial thoughts on Trepang2, an indie successor to the original FEAR. Oh... and Brad found his new drug in Halls of Torment, a successor to last year's mega-indie, Vampire Survivors.

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - Nintendo Direct Recap
• News - Annapurna Interactive Showcase Recap
• Impressions - Final Fantasy XVI
• Impressions - Aliens: Dark Descent
• Impressions - Trepang2
• Impressions - Halls of Torment
• 4Player Minute

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We follow up last week's Xbox Showcase predictions game with the results and then recap all of the big announcements including updates on Fable, Avowed, Hellblade II, and more! Of course, we also discuss all of the exciting details that came pouring out of the big Starfield Direct which now has us appropriately hyped. In the second segment, we finally discuss our dissenting(?) opinions of Diablo IV and then take a close look at the big Final Fantasy XVI demo which now has us pretty optimistic ahead of it's launch next week. Chris Davis uses his 4Player Minute to give us a detailed breakdown of the rather bleak news about Embracer Group which seems to be faced with studio closures and game cancellations.

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - XBox Showcase Predictions Results & Recap
• News - Ubisoft Showcase Recap
• Impressions - Diablo IV
• Impressions - Final Fantasy XVI (Demo)
• 4Player Minute - Includes a detailed breakdown of the Embracer Group debacle

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It's June so Keigh-3 is in the air. The big Summer Game Fest showcase happened this week so we run down the list of all the big announcements including a new Prince of Persia game, Mortal Kombat 1 and Alan Wake II gameplay debuts, and the re-reveal of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth! After that, we take a new, points-driven, prediction segment for a test-drive ahead of the upcoming Xbox Showcase. In the second segment, Nick praises Amnesia: The Bunker as a new high bar for the series (and maybe even the genre) and Nolan introduces a clever new 1v1 (or 2v2) card-based FPS called Friends vs. Friends.

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - Summer Game Fest Recap
• Xbox Showcase Predictions Game
• Impressions - Amnesia: The Bunker
• Impressions - Friends vs. Friends
• 4Player Minute

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Nolan returns to the "studio" after 2 months of relative silence to talk Zelda and reveal that he picked up and moved across the country! Not only that but he gets a chance to chime in on the recent Playstation Showcase and join us for an important conversation about the state of The Last of Us multiplayer project which is apparently struggling to live up to Sony's expectations. Konami shed some light on Silent Hill Ascension which is interesting but concerning if they intend for this to be the first impression for Silent Hill's big resurgence. In the second segment, Nick talks impressions of Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (a Warhammer boomer shooter!) and the newly released remake of System Shock.

• Housekeeping
• Nolan Updates + Playstation Showcase
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - The Last of Us Multiplayer Development Woes
• News - Konami Reveals more about Silent Hill Ascension
• Impressions - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Impressions - Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Impressions - System Shock (2023 Remake)

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It's another big week in gaming. In fact, we spend almost the entirety of the first segment discussing the news and announcements out of this week's big Playstation Showcase! Strangely enough, that first-party showcase ended up being more of a third-party showcase but we still got big news including a release date for Alan Wake II, a debut of Dragon's Dogma II, and a lot more! In the second segment, we talk Planet of Lana, Humanity, and we dig a little deeper into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News: Playstation Showcase
• Impressions: Planet of Lana
• Impressions: Humanity
• Impressions: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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Nick is back from vacation and full of Coronavirus. Fortunately, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has been keeping him (and the rest of the crew) plenty busy. Before we delve into the biggest game of the year though, there is some important business to discuss... because Chris Davis was right and Mortal Kombat 1(12?) is real! We break down the biggest Fantasy Critic twist thus far and talk about what we expect from this new entry. Sony also announced their official 2023 Summer showcase for next week so we spend a few minutes talking predictions. Of course, the rest of the show is ZELDA ZELDA ZELDA.

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News: Mortal Kombat 1 Revealed (Release in September)
• News: Playstation Showcase Announced for May 24th
• Impressions - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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Recorded in the final hours of a pre-Tears of the Kingdom world and with Nick out on vacation, Chris Davis, Krispy, and Brad sit down to clear out their game dockets so that Zelda madness can consume them. Krispy and Brad give their impressions of Darkest Dungeon 2, a daring departure from the original's enjoyably challenging formula, followed by updated impressions of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. And there's no way we couldn't talk about the Mortal Kombat news and how that affects our Fantasy Critic league!

Topics:Housekeeping Fantasy Critic Update (5/11/23) News of the Week Impressions - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Impressions - Darkest Dungeon 2

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The Star Wars gods have shined upon us this year by giving us one of the best Star Wars games to date and allowing our recording date to coincide with May the 4th (be with you). Nick is joined by Krispy and Chris Davis to take a deep dive into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Respawn's bold new sequel to Fallen Order. Despite the rough launch on PC, our Console experiences have been more than enough to secure this one as a highlight in a year already bursting at the seams with quality games. It's not all sunshine and rainbows though; Star Wars may be great but Arkane Austin had a disastrous launch for Redfall which is on track to be the worst reviewed game of the year. We take a look at the circumstances that led to this unforunate outcome and discuss what it means for Microsoft and Arkane going forward.

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - Redfall has a Disastrous Launch
• Impressions - Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

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With the recent developments involving Microsoft's attempt to swallow Activision / Blizzard and Tango Gameworks continuing to rack up wins amidst apparent losses, there is plenty of news to chew on this week. In the second segment, we get our first taste of Street Fighter VI thanks to the new demo and Brad finally has a chance to share his thoughts on TWO grid based tactics games - Advanced Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp and Wartales. Nick and Chris also share their thoughts on the Burning Shores DLC for Horizon: Forbidden West; a DLC that is equal parts impressive and perplexing... Guerilla somehow decided to deny PS4 players the opportunity to play this chapter in favor of some bold new "cloud" tech...

• Housekeeping
• Fantasy Critic Update
• News - UK blocks Microsoft's acquisition of Activision / Blizzard
• News - Remedy provides development update on all projects
• News - Microsoft to Expand Tango Gameworks amidst rumors of Hi-Fi Rush failure
• Impressions - Street Fighter VI (Demo)
• Impressions - Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
• Impressions - Advanced Wars 1 + 2: Re-Boot Camp
• Impressions - Wartales

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It's not often that we focus our attention on the specifics of game development. With that in mind, our latest bonus episode is inspired by Brad's recent love affair with "PsychOdyssey" the exceptional Docuseries that chronicled the development of Psychonauts 2 at Double Fine! That's right, we run through our personal Top 3 lists of the games that we wish would inspire a similar DEEP dive. Answers range from bizarre (Blaseball) to fascinating (Fable) and everything in between.

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After a rather unexpected tangent involving coffee creamer, we kick the show off this week with the Playstation handheld that is rumored to be in development. It's been a light news week but we find plenty to chew on thanks to some additional developments related to the future of Resident Evil. Nolan makes his return this week so he and Nick talk about their time with DREDGE; A Lovecraftian fishing game that is sure to be a standout Indie game for the year. Brad finally talks about Wild Hearts - game that has challenged his Monster Hunter programming but is shaping up to be a worthy relative to the beloved hunting franchise.

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We brought the SPICE this week. Brad opens the show with a dramatic trade proposal during our weekly Fantasy Critic update and the wheels finally came off E3 2023 which has now been cancelled. We discuss the fate of the industry institution and then switch gears to talk about something a bit more positive... Nintendo gave us a brief glimpse of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and the game looks amazing. After the break, we take our first deep dive into the Resident Evil 4 remake and Nick goes to bat for Horizon: Call of the Mountain which, despite struggling hardware sales, manages to be a powerful VR experience.

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It has been quite the week in the games industry and it's got everybody feelin spicy! We've got a bevy of big point updates for our Fantasy Critic and some big headlines including a rumored release window for Spider-Man 2 and the acquisition of Night Dive Studios by Atari! But all of that pales in comparison to the dust kicked up by the recent Redfall preview coverage which continues to be one of the most divisive but compelling games on the horizon. In the second segment, we manage to find conflict in Tchia despite it being the most wholesome and delightful games of the year thus far. Krispy takes us on a journey through the Diablo IV beta and Chris Davis claims that Exoprimal could be a potential sleeper hit for the year after his time with the beta.

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It's a week full of noteworthy demos. In impressions we talk about our first hands-on impressions of the new Resident Evil 4 demo and our expectations for how the obvious changes will be applied across the full release. Brad also talks about the surprisingly charming demo of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. Before all that though, we deliver another Fantasy Critic update, run through the Naughty Dog heavy headlines for the week, and deliver some final thoughts on The Last of Us now that the first season has run it's course on HBO.

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We're mixing things up a bit by introducing an updated "News" segment and swapping the placement of the weekly discussion topic and impressions. With that in mind, we deliver a spicy update to our ongoing Fantasy Critic adventure and run down the juiciest headlines from the past week including an Elden Ring DLC announcement, Suicide Squad delayed, and the details regarding the upcoming XBox & Starfield showcases. We then turn our attention to a hot topic surging through the industry and our discord: the legacy of the term "JRPG" and the potential harm it is doing to the industry. In the 2nd segment, Brad talks Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty and Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania. Chris Davis discusses his playthrough of Metroid Prime Remastered which also happens to be his 1st time playing the game.

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Our first surprise twist of the year has landed... Mortal Kombat 12 is real! Proving once and for all that Chris Davis was right! In other news, Nick is smitten over Atomic Heart and is convinced that it is destined to be his 2023 underdog. Brad breaks down Theatrhythm Final Bar Line and explains how it compares to other entries in the series and other music & rhythm games in general. The group also delves into Like a Dragon: Ishin which is the latest entry in the recently rebranded Yakuza series. In the second segment, Nick gives his early impressions of the Playstation VR 2 headset and it's only true launch title, Horizon: Call of the Mountain.

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In our first Top 3 list of the year, we discuss the games that got away. The games that we booted up, enjoyed, and then never completed despite enjoying them thoroughly. Sometimes a game gets moved to the back burner and is forgotten despite our intentions to the contrary. To make things interesting, we treated this as a committment to return to the games on our list in 2023 in an effort to right these wrongs.

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This week we dig into two big events at opposite ends of the industry. On one hand, Nintendo just had one of their biggest Nintendo Direct events in recent memory so with that in mind, we devoted the first segment to breaking down all the big announcements including the release date for Pikmin 4, Metroid Prime Remastered (another Shadow Drop!), and the next big trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! In the second segment, we highlight a handful of games that are currently available as demos for Steam Next Fest including System Shock, Planet of Lana, Shadows of Doubt, and more!

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Thanks to a literal act of god, we are once again down to 3 people this week but the release of the Dead Space remake ensured that there is plenty to dissect. We dive deep into this remake and try our best to figure out it's legacy in comparison to other high-profile remakes. We also discuss the future of Dead Space under the EA Motive banner if this proves to be a success. Brad delivers a hefty Fire Emblem Engage update and Chris emphasizes how good Hi-Fi Rush is following it's surprise release last week. In the second segment, we discuss the recent culling of GAAS (Games as a Service) games and some major industry shakeups at 343 Industries which calls the future of Halo into question.

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Amidst travel and hardware issues, a smaller group convened this week to discuss one of the first big gaming weeks of 2023! Brad uses this opportunity to express some positivity for Fire Emblem Engage and explain some common misconceptions about the series. Chris Davis shares his early impressions of Forspoken which seems poised to be one of the first misfires (or at the very least, divisive releases) of the year. But the biggest news of the week comes in the form of a surprise shadow drop from Tango Gameworks! Hi-Fi Rush is a stylish new action game that uses music and rhythm to great effect. It also happens to be the first big surprise of the year.

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While we have plenty of actual video games to discuss this week, the recent premiere of 'The Last of Us' on HBO steals the spotlight this week. The show is off to a strong start so we take a minute (or 30) to talk about that first impression and the potential that it holds in the coming weeks (or even years). In the first segment though, we check in with Krispy as he continues to play Tunic (one of our 2022 game of the year contenders) and Chris Davis explains his split feelings on Generation Zero, an open-world FPS that came out in 2018. Nick discusses The Forest and delivers an important update to his Chained Echoes impressions from last week.

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With our 'Game of the Year' content behind us, we finally have some time to talk about the games we've been playing in the background for the past few weeks. Nolan introduces Dark and Darker which is currently in development but undergoing Alpha playtests; Despite it's early nature, it seems to have serious potential. Nick finally has a chance to talk about Chained Echoes after weeks of digging into this beautiful throwback to retro JRPGs. On top of that, he finally tore through Chernobylite, a game that has been on his backlog for years. Brad dishes on Citizen Sleeper - a game that could have easily been a GOTY contender had he played it in 2022. In the 2nd segment, we talk shady draft trades and ask the question: When is a game too big to fail critically? Will Starfield fall into the same trap as Cyberpunk 2077?

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2023 is going to be a ton of fun here at 4Player! In lieu of our usual "preview show" format, we have opted to create a "Fantasy Critic" league! This works a lot like fantasy football but publishers (players) draft games and points are dictated by their OpenCritic scores. In this episode, Carlos joins us for the initial draft and we take turns filling out the slots in our lineup! The league will consist of 12 games total per person but only 8 are selected in this initial draft. We will re-convene after E3 season to bid on our remaining 4 slots and fill out the rest of our teams. We will also provide monthly updates on the last podcast of every month so we can check in and see where we all stand as these games release.

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Another year comes to a close but it's been great! As always, we cap off the year with our annual awards show which gives us a chance to honor a whole bunch of games in over 14 categories! We trimmed some of the fat this year and introduced some new wrinkles which we think make for a leaner (even if it is nearly 4-hours), better show! We hope some of you find the inspiration you need to try some of the games featured on this episode and of course, we hope you will join us in 2023 for another year with a LOT to talk about!

Categories:

• Biggest Regret
• Best Looking Game
• Best New Gameplay Experience
• Best World/Level Design (that isn't Elden Ring)
• Best New Enemy/Boss Fight
• Best New Character
• Best Storytelling
• Best Video Game Moment
• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• Stubborn Award
• Spotlight Award
• Asterisk Award
• Number 11
• Best Soundtrack

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The end of 2022 is looming. In fact, this is our last "regular" show of the year. Krispy and Brad have good things to say about Midnight Suns with some... caveats. Nick and Chris finally have a chance to talk about the divisive nature of The Callisto Protocol and it's potential as a franchise. Chris talks about his time with Potionomics and we catch up with Ed who finished Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and has started up Sifu. In the 2nd segment we talk very early (and potentially misguided) impressions from the Forspoken demo and then we discuss all of the exciting announcements from The Game Awards!

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Brace yourselves. Nolan played 50+ hours of Pokemon Scarlet and he's here to tell us why it is both "the best" and "the worst" pokemon game ever made! Brad highlights ASTLIBRA: Revision, a crunchy new action RPG that - as Brad says - "Brings the meat." Nick talks Evil West (not to be confused with Weird West, Blood West, or Hard West) and the group digs a little deeper into the divisive nature of God of War Ragnarok. We also introduce the newly revamped community segment to discuss the Topic of the Week: Is it possible for Nintendo to screw up The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

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With the launch of God of War Ragnarok, 2022 finally has one of it's biggest AAA releases of the year. With that in mind, we kick things off with the most important questions... Why doesn't Kratos just go somewhere else? Once the big questions are answered, we delve into the nitty gritty to find out how we're feeling about it thus far. Nick provides a quick update (and PSA) on Signalis and talks about his playthrough of the long awaited Somerville. Brad talks about Tactics Ogre Reborn which is an odd duck in that it is the 2nd complete remake of Tactics Ogre; A classic grid-based strategy RPG that launched in the late 90s. All of this is of course against the backdrop of Twitter loudly and swiftly burning to the ground.

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For ages, The Steam "wishlist" has given us a way to show interest in a game without committing to it in the moment. Everyone's approach to managing that list is different. On this episode, we comb through our ever-expanding wishlists to pick 3 games that never quite make the cut regardless of how low the price goes or how often they go on sale. To make things interesting, we each commit to buying one of our list by the end of the episode! Listeners will also get bonus tangents regarding fast-food orders and dinosaur fluids (yes you read that right).

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Krispy returns to the show this week to finally dive deep into Gotham Knights and the take away is not as grim as you might expect! Meanwhile, Brad has dabbled in Bayonetta 3 but is impressed enough by the approach that he is eager to see what else the game has to offer. Nick showers Signalis in praise for walking a fine line between faithful love-letter and refreshing iteration while Chris Davis has less than great things to say about the Shadows of Rose DLC for Resident Evil Village. We also cover the new PSVR2 launch details and Nibellions sudden retirement from Twitter and the gaming industry at large.

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Rats. There's lots of them this week. Thousands of them! Nick and Chris discuss the impressive technological and design leap made in Asobo's A Plague Tale: Requiem - a game that Chris Davis is convinced will sit atop his Game of the Year list this year. Brad acknowledges the charm and skill on display in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope but laments what could have been if Nintendo had decided to pursue other Rabbids crossovers. Nolan charms the group with Bone's Cafe - another delightful (and morbid) indie gem that combines necromancy with the pressures of Overcooked. In the second segment, the group discusses the announcement of a Witcher remake and Nick rattles off a list of impressive horrors games from his most recent stream including In Sound Mind, Mother, Love Sam, and more!

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It's been 3 weeks since our last podcast recording but the industry hasn't slowed down to wait for us! The news segment this week is bursting at the seams with big headlines like the return of Silent Hill, our first real look at the remake of Resident Evil 4, and the unfortunate drama unfolding between Platinum Games and the original Bayonetta voice actress, Hellena Taylor. But before we get there, we have loads of new games to talk about. Things get weird (and squishy) when talks about Scorn, Nolan laments the troubled launch of Deathverse: Let it Die, and Krispy is losing time in Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. Nick also revels in the bliss that is Cultic: Chapter One; the "Boomer Shooter" that he has been searching for all year.

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Circumstances force us to record a "shorter" show this week but make no mistake... there is a lot to dig into. Brad shares some insightful but hilarious anecdotes about his family time with 'Disney Dreamlight Valley,' and Nick talks up 'Prodeus' which manages to deliver the goods as a classic "Boomer Shooter" while also making some bizarre design choices. Nolan finds more digging goodness in 'Dome Keeper' and Chris Davis brings another inspired "Boomer Shooter" to the mix with 'Fashion Police Squad.' In the news, we delve into the first teaser trailer for HBO's 'The Last of Us' and discuss Google's decision to call it quits on Stadia.

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Thanks to the Tokyo Game Show, it's another jam packed week in the world of video games! We take a (really) deep dive into the surprise demo of 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty,' Nick shows his support for 'SteelRising,' and Chris Davis talks about the demo of 'Valkyrie Elysium'. Brad and Nolan finally get a chance to talk about 'TinyKin' which seems poised to be one of the chillest and most enjoyable indie games of the year! In the news, Brad finally has his chance to talk about the newly announced remasters of Suikoden 1 & 2 and we of course delve into the massive (and unfortunate) Grand Theft Auto 6 leak at Rockstar.

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In this jam packed episode, we do our best to recap the boat-load of news that made headlines in the past week. Ubisoft laid out their plans for the next 4 Assassin's Creed titles, Disney announced Amy Hennig's new Marvel game, and Nintendo and Sony both hosted Direct events featuring tons of announcements. In impressions, Nick discusses the controversial but impressive remake of 'The Last of Us,' Chris Davis discusses 'The Ascent,' and Krispy delivers his analysis of 'Immortality' in true Krispy fashion. It's such a jam packed show that we didn't even have time for feedback or community questions (sorry!). Regardless, it's an exciting time for video games and that's always welcome news.

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Sam Barlow throws Brad and Nolan for a loop this week with the bizarre but undeniably impressive new game, 'Immortality.' It throws you into the deep end with no guidance and countless things to click on and discover... including boobs! Nick backs up Chris Davis with his assessment of 'Sifu' which somehow manages to be brutal and refreshing in equal measure. In the news, we talk about a frightening new precedent in the tech industry and Ubisoft's planned unveiling for the future of Assassin's Creed.

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It's hard to believe but Geoff Keihley now produces THREE huge gaming events every year! This week, we discuss the highlights (or lack thereof?) from 'Gamescom ONL' (Opening Night Live) including: Dune Awakening, Hogwart's Legacy, Tales from the Borderlands, The Expanse, Dead Island 2, and more! In the first segment though, Krispy discusses his enjoyment of the new "Saint's Row" despite middling reception from critics. Nick highlights the demo for 'Conscript' which channels classic Survival Horror by way of WW1 and shares his initial thoughts after finally trying 'Telling Lies.' Brad discusses an unfortunately named gemmie called 'Crystal Project.'

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Devolver Digital drops another indie banger this week with the release of 'Cult of the Lamb' and Nolan and Nick can attest to it's addictive qualities. Brad shares his initial thoughts on another Square Enix strategy RPG, 'The Diofield Chronicle' and Chris Davis brings up 'Ex-Zodiac'; An early access throwback to classic Star Fox (in everything but name). Nick, despite thinking he didn't have much to add after last week, lets his love of 'The Mortuary Assistant' get the best of him. In the news, we discuss a high profile and highly unexpected leak that appeared just moments before the live recording: 'Dead Island 2' is back and it's coming soon.

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When we think of RPGs, we often think about classic mega-hits like Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger (rightfully so) but over the years, RPGs have taken many memorable forms. In spite of change, they have almost always been defined by the cast of characters that surround and support the player character. In this episode, we look back at our personal favorites to find the RPG parties that stuck with us the most. Our choices span decades of gaming history and explore the differences in approach that are explored in both Eastern and Western RPGs.

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Brad dished up a real doozy for our latest Revival Club game. Vagrant Story may be verifiably impenetrable but it remains a fascinating RPG that remains unlike anything else out there. While the game may have proven too much for Nick (and perhaps the community at large) to overcome, Brad does an excellent job of explaining it's systems and what makes it so unique. Perhaps most notably, It shrugged off almost every other common RPG convention and defined itself as an unapologetic Yasumi Matsuno game.

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Ed returns to the hot seat this week to talk with us about the early hours of 'Xenoblade Chronicles 3' and how it compares to the games that came before it - 'Xenoblade Chronicles X' in particular. Nick discusses his first night shift in 'The Mortuary Assistant' which takes the horror genre to some... inspired places. Brad pinches himself when he finds out that Ed wants to talk more about 'Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga' (what are the odds?). Of course, we also play catch up with Ed and answer some great questions from our listeners!

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It's been a BUSY week! All 5 of us bring a new game to the table to discuss which doesn't happen often... Nick delivers his early impressions of a new suspense / thriller adventure game called 'As Dusk Falls' and Krispy took a break from Monster Hunter to get swept up in 'V Rising.' Nolan is playing Timberborn, a city-builder... with Beavers so as expected, prepare for some bad puns. Brad's annual "ugly but addicting indie" game finally shows itself in the form of 'Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga' and Chris Davis shares his thoughts on 'Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.' But on top of all that, it has also been a big week for news with rumors swirling about an open-world Black Panther game in development and the first details about the future of Grand Theft Auto 6.

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The games discussed this week range from adorable to unsettling to downright horrifying. Stray is finally out and despite a somewhat shallow outward appearance, this charming, cat-based adventure game still manages to impress. Krispy is smitten over a bizarre, "Lynch" adjacent indie game called "Who's Lila?" but conveying why proves to be a challenge. Nick is enamored with MADiSON, another new horror game that draws inspiration from PT while channeling the obtuse nature of escape rooms. Of course, we give a quick Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak update before delving into the latest Platinum Games development and our first look at Yakuza 8!

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We can't promise answers to the important questions in life... questions like "Do babies drink water?" BUT we can promise plenty of enthusiastic video game discussions on this week's episode. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is finally out so Brad and Krispy take a deep dive into this massive expansion. Chris Davis sells us on Sniper Elite 5 thanks to some surprisingly open design elements and a cool invasion mode that sounds like a ton of fun. Plus, Nick brings his latest obsession with modern "Boomer Shooters" to the table with Forgive Me Father - an addictive FPS with Lovecraft undertones and a striking visual style. In the news, we cover new release dates and delays.

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It's time to hash out another Top 3 list and this month we are taking a closer look at a handful of upcoming projects that look promising but remain just outside our hype threshold. While we are eager to get our hands on most of these games, they still have something to prove. We try to get to the bottom of what that is and discuss what moves they would need to make to earn our trust.

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Another year. Another Steam Next Fest FULL to the brim with interesting demos for upcoming indie games! Between the five of us, we deliver quick impressions of 15 upcoming games that we think you should keep an eye out for including Cultic, Signalis, Cult of the Lamb, Metal Hellsinger, and more! It's not all demos though. Brad sells us on his latest addiction in the form of Neon White and in the second segment, we discuss the official announcement of Dragons Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth!

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The summer announcement season continues. This week, we delve into the litany of reveals from the Summer Game Fest and the Xbox / Bethesda Showcase. Of course, that includes the reveal of the The Last of Us: Part I and the big gameplay reveal of Starfield! In the second segment, Nick discusses Supermassive's latest, The Quarry, and Brad delivers his first impressions of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak following the demo that dropped earlier this week.

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This week, Brad is sleepy but not even sleep deprivation can contain his enthusiasm for Monster Hunter Rise or keep him from discussing the future of Dragon's Dogma! Nick finished Elden Ring and is now free to diversify his playtime once again so he is starting with a strange anime-inspired action-adventure game called ANNO: Mutationem. In the news, we delve into the huge Silent Hill leaks (courtesy of Dusk Golem) which include a new core entry from Konami, a Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober, and an episodic adventure game from Annapurna.

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Carlos takes the Revival Club back to 2007 to revisit 'The Darkness' - a gritty, supernatural action game based on the comic book series of the same name. Starbreeze, best known for their take on "Chronicles of Riddick," developed the first game with their signature style but the game is perhaps most interesting for how it compares to its sequel which was helmed by Digital Extremes. On this episode, we take a closer look at how these two WILDLY different games coalesce to tell a singular and emotionally gripping story.

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This bonus episode marks the long awaited return of the "Top 3" (Formerly Top 5) podcast! For this episode, we discuss our "Dream Projects" - the game ideas, pitches, sequels that we desperately want to see come to fruition. If you are a fan of this content, please be sure to let us know with a comment, a tweet, carrier pidgeon, etc. If you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this episode, expect at least one of these per month with topics submitted by our lovely supporters on Patreon and Twitch.

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Announcement season is quickly approaching and the later half of 2022 is starting to come into focus. This week we react to the latest demo of 'Gotham Knights' which, even within our small circle, is shaping up to be a potentially divisive game. In impressions, we praise 'Rogue Legacy 2' for it's improved art style along with the bevy of improvements made to the original. Nick and Krispy come close to sharing a middling consensus on 'Trek to Yomi' and Chris Davis finally brings 'Sifu' to the table. Brad delivers the latest news related to the upcoming release of 'Monter Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.'

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This week's episode has real dad vibes thanks to an exceptionally long conversation about lawnmowers that carried over from our intermission. Nolan talks about 'Peglin' which serves as an addicting hybrid of Peggle and RPG combat. Krispy gives us a look at a surprisingly effective new Battle Royale called 'Vampire the Masquerade: Blood Hunt' and Nick introduces a throwback survival-horror game called 'Remorse: The List.' Thanks to his love of Kaiju, Chris Davis is able to talk about 'Kaiju Wars' for ten minutes without taking a breath. In the 2nd segment, we delve into Square-Enix's decision to sell it's western studios/IP to Embracer Group and we touch on the latest shakeup effecting the 'Prince of Persia: Sands of Time' remake at Ubisoft.

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With another Steam Deck added to our roster, we delve a little deeper into the new hardware and talk more about how it handles games like 'Supraland: Six Inches Under,' 'The Darkness 2,' and more. After last week's co-op stream, Nick, Nolan, and Chris talk about their immense enjoyment playing RAFT (Early Access) together; Honing their communication skills while surviving on the open the ocean. Brad brings two indie darlings to the table as well: 'Patrick's Parabox' is a mind-bending puzzler and 'Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness' is a love letter to retro gaming with an awesome soundtrack. In the news, we also discuss Amy Hennig's new gig working on a new Star Wars game.

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On this JAM PACKED edition of 4Player Podcast, Brad delivers his impressions after spending a week with the new 'Steam Deck' from Valve, Nick talks Weird West, and Chris Davis goes to bat for Ghostwire Tokyo. In the news, we play serious catch up thanks to the announcements of a new Tomb Raider game, a remake of Max Payne 1 & 2, Return to Monkey Island, and Kingom Hearts 4! Oh and we try to wrap our heads around Cockney slang thanks to a question from a listener in London.

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The group covers a ton of ground this week thanks to the release of Ghostwire Tokyo and the official unveiling of the new Playstation Plus service which launches in June! Brad finally talks in depth about his thoughts on Triangle Strategy and talks about Kirby and the Forgotten Land from an... unsusual perspsective. Nolan and Nick dive even deeper into Tunic and Chris Davis talks about Chorvs (yes, it's spelled like that). Of course, everyone tries their best to avoid more Elden Ring talk and they MOSTLY succeed.

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In this episode focusing on Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Nick is joined by Chris Davis and community guest, Taq, to talk about the legacy of this game based on the wildy popular tabletop game. Space Marine not only holds up remarkably well but it serves as a nice entry point for newbies and a fun romp for Warhammer veterans alike. Of course, we also delve into our hopes for the freshly announced sequel that is due out sometime in the not-too-distant future.

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We are joined by Jeff this week to gush over the unexpected brilliance of Tunic. This indie darling has not only delivered on its promises, it has tapped into an aspect of classic video game nostalgia that elevates the experience well beyond expectations. We also delve deeper into Elden Ring and Chris Davis encourages us to try a short, indie horror game from the creator of Dusk called Iron Lung. In the news we also delve into the announcement of 'The Witcher 4' and discuss what this means for CD Project Red in a post Cyberpunk 2077 world.

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The Elden Ring bonanza continues but we also give our early impressions of another promising new game. After years of watching development and playing TUNIC at trade shows, the full game is finally upon us and it delivers something that is both incredibly nostalgic and fresh by modern standards. In the second segment, we discuss the big reveal of Hogwarts Legacy while also making sure to call attention to the important social issues that surround this highly anticipated release.

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What an exciting week (month, year?) in gaming! Elden Ring has finally landed and the whole gang has shown up to talk about this epic new chapter in the From Software catalog; Not to mention the potential impact it could have on the future of open-world game design. We focus largely on design philosophy and mechanics but still manage to squeeze in a few fun anecdotes from our playthroughs thus far. While Elden Ring dominates the discussion, Brad also shares his thoughts on the demo for Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Nick and Ed delve into their early impressions of the OTHER huge open world game that launched recently: Horizon: Forbidden West.

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This week, Brad shares his thoughts on Infernax and the first 3 chapters of Triangle Strategy which launches next month on Switch. We also dive a little deeper into our time with Dying Light 2 to talk about some of the late game developments such as the paraglider, grappling hook, and an increasingly disappointing story. In the 2nd segment, we answer a bevy of community submitted questions and Krispy loses his mind over a poorly voiced NPC.

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With the new year just barely getting started, the gaming industry isn't slowing down. Dying Light 2 is out and despite some rough edges, it is shaping up to be a fun experience once again. Brad talks about his latest addiction, Vampire Survivors, Nolan goes all in on Pokemon Legends Arceus, and we return once again to the wonderful world of Supraland in the latest standalone expansion, Supraland: Six Inches Under. In the news, we recount all the headlines from Nintendo's latest Direct.

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It is immediately apparent that Brad is back in the podcasting saddle this week and the timing couldn't be better because there is a ton to talk about. Brad and Nick are the most unqualified people to talk about Pokemon but are somehow the first to two to try Pokemon Legends Arceus. Nick is loving Drinkbox's latest game, Nobody Saves the World, and the whole crew reacts to the gameplay unveiling of Ghostwire Tokyo. In the news, we talk the Sony / Bungie acquisition and the first trailer for the live action Halo series on Paramount +.

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We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed!

Part 5 Categories:

• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• The Asterisk Award
• Biggest Regret
• The Number 11 Award
• A sample from Nick's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

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We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 4 Categories:

• Best Ensemble Cast
• Best New Character
• Best New Enemy Design
• Best Boss Fight
• Best Video Game Moment
• A sample from Nolan's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

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We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed!

Part 3 Categories:

• Best Debut (New IP)
• Best Looking Game
• Best World / Level Design
• Best Storytelling
• A sample from Kris's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

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We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 2 Categories:

• Best Multiplayer Experience
• Best Comfort Food
• Most Out of Comfort Zone
• Best Game Nobody Played
• A sample from Ed's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

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We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed!

Part 1 Categories:

• Best New Gameplay Experience
• Best Sequel / Most Improved Sequel
• Best Game Feel
• Most Addictive
• A sample from Brad's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

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First housekeeping update of 2022! 

2021 Awards Show - January 27, 2022 @ 7:00pm (CST) on Twitch.tv/FourPlayerPodcast

Community GOTY & Raffle - Submit your Top 10 Games of 2021 and Award Nominees before Noon on January 27th.

Join our Community Discord - Discord.gg/4Player

Follow Us on Twitter - Twitter.com/4PlayerPodcast

Email your Podcast Questions / Feedback - Questions@4PlayerNetwork.com

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It's a small crew this week but a BIG show. Not only is this our first "regular" episode of the new year, it also happens to be a huge week for the industry as Microsoft has announced it's intent to acquire Activision for the modest price of $69 BILLION. In the first segment, we talk about our efforts to play catch up with 2021 as our Award Show looms on the horizon (next week!). We talk Unsighted, The Artful Escape, Dodgeball Academia, Battlefield 2042, and more! Speaking of which, don't miss our big Award Show next week! Brad will be back in the virtual studio as we sit down to look back on the past year in gaming!

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In our first episode of 2022, we take an in-depth look at all of the games that expected to launch in the year to come! In the first segment we cover all of the games with an expected release date or release window. After the break, we run through a big list of projects that have been announced that may drop in 2022 as well. It's a big list of well over 100 games put together by our lovely community! We cover everything from a fun new Supraland expansion to the highly anticipated release of Final Fantasy XVI! We also spend a shocking amount of time talking about Starship Troopers... Happy New Year!

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This week, we are blessed with a Christmas miracle! Carlos joins the call on the spot and stays for the entire show! Not only do we deliver our final thoughts on the 'Halo Infinite' campaign (minor spoiler warning) but Krispy brings impressions of 'Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach' and it sounds kind of amazing! Chris Davis talks about his time with the promising (but somewhat controversial) 'Ready or Not' - a game that harkens back to the classic SWAT series. In the 2nd segment, Nick talks briefly about 'Lost in Random' and we delve into our first batch of community emails!

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The usual crew is joined by community guest, TheDrunkenMerchant, to talk at length about the new campaign for 'Halo Infinite' - a game that seems made to appease fans of the series and welcome newcomers in equal measure. Krispy talks about his experience with 'Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker' now that the hotly anticipated expansion is out. In the second segment, we roundup all of the big announcements from 'The Game Awards' and talk with Chris Davis about the surprise announcement of a 'Splinter Cell' remake!

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As the years winds to a close, we start to delve into all the fun conversations that come with the Holiday season. With 'The Game Awards' scheduled to air next week, we talk about the nominees and rattle off an extensive list of games that may or may not make their debut at the big show. As always, take it all with a grain of salt and prepare yourself for some level of disappointment. In the second segment, we also run through impressions of Shakedown Hawaii, The Forgotten City, Metal Gear Solid 4, and more!

Mark your calendars! You can tune in and watch the Game Awards along with us next week on Twitch! The show is airing on Thursday, December 9th starting at 7:00pm CST.

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To those who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! We here at 4Player are thankful to have such a lively and active community in Discord and on Twitch. So with that in mind, we did something a little bit different this week. We recorded two distinct segments featuring an upcoming game and brought in a community guest to talk about them! First up is Elden Ring! Our long time community liason, Jager, has been playing the hell out of the Elden Ring network test and came aboard this week to talk about his experience and answer our questions. In the 2nd segment, we are joined by TheDrunkenMerchant to talk about our time playing the new Halo Infinite multiplayer beta! As it turns out, both of these games show a LOT of promise...

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After rattling off a few quick mentions such as Breath of the Wild, Alan Wake Remastered, and Sackboy's Big Adventure, we finally take a deeper dive into Inscryption. This game is a card-based deck builder that finds really creative ways of blending with elements of atmospheric horror and escape room design. Nolan has continued his Metal Gear run by jumping into Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker which seems like it may be the strangest entry in the beloved franchise. Of course, we also answer questions from our supporters which leads to some diverse and fun discussions.

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This week the group takes a deep dive into one of the biggest surprise hits of 2021, Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos Montreal. David returns to the fray as well to talk about some more weird-ass David games... specifically Mary Skelter 3 and AI: The Somnium Files. Nick shares tales from his brief trip to New York City for the Dexter New Blood premiere and talks about his time with Tormented Souls; a love-letter to classic Resident Evil. In the 2nd segment, we also chat about the exciting new look at Elden Ring that was shown off earlier in the week.

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Halloween season is upon us so we take the opportunity to revisit the new horror-esque DLC, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye and a short but sweet indie horror game called Chasing Static. Krispy sells us on Inscryption, a new horror deck-building game that is dripping with spooky atmosphere. Nick provides a quick update on Metroid Dread and then joins Ed in delivering some hands-on impressions with the new Nintendo Switch OLED. Chris Davis also provides more Back 4 Blood impressions now that he has finished the main campaign.

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Jeff returns to the fray to talk about Metroid Dread! The game is out and has defied expectations in a pretty big way. Nick delivers a Far Cry 6 update now that he's had more time to really sink some time into it; turns out.... it's fun... if not also a bit perplexing in it's tone. Jeff and Chris also give their early impressions of the full release of Back 4 Blood which brings the Left 4 Dead formula back to life for the current generation.

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With the recent release of Deathloop, it only makes sense for the Revival Club to look back at the games that helped shape Arkane as the respected development studio that it is today. We went back to 2006 to take a look at a game that feels distinct from the games that define the studio today (Dishonored, Prey, etc). Of course, that game is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic; a game that is full of high-fantasy tropes like orcs, mages, and demons yet still full of that signature Arkane DNA! For this discussion, Nick is joined by recurring Revival Club guests, Steve and Green.

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Nick is joined by community guest, Self, and resident fan of obscure FPS games, Chris Davis, to revisit S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. For the uninitiated, this PC classic is often considered (for good reason) to be the precursor to the successful Metro series. While the series has spanned several major releases and a number of fan-made modded experiences, this particular chapter in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise is widely considered to be the best. All things considered, that makes Call of Pripyat the perfect game to delve into as the world prepares for the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl in 2022.

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It's been two weeks since our last episode and despite some scheduling issues, the show must go on! It's a 3-player podcast this week but there is a TON to discuss including Nick's thoughts on the release of No Time to Die and a follow-up to our big Deathloop discussion from last week. Additionally, Nick feels compelled to give some VERY EARLY impressions of Far Cry 6 because right out of the gate, the game appears to be doing a few things right. Nolan gets nostalgic for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty which still holds up remarkably well. Finally, Chris Davis shares his thoughts on two indie-games that he has been enjoying immensely, Hero's Hour and Kaiju Wars.

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For an episode with so much Deathloop talk, you would think it would have inspired the episode title... but Chris Davis threw that out the window when he let his enthusiasm for I Am Fish bubble over... With that said, we do talk A LOT about Deathloop this week. In fact, the discuss takes up the entire first segment! In the 2nd segment, we talk Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Bonfire Peaks, and of course, the big news dump from the latest Nintendo Direct! You know the one...

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We kick things off this week with an MCU tangent in the wake of the new Hawkeye trailer plus a rant about the new horror flick, Malignant. Jeff returns to the hot chair this week to talk about The Forgotten City, There is No Game: Wrong Dimension, and his early impressions of Eastward! Nick gives his early thoughts on Tales of Arise as a newbie to the series and the Chris's give their first impressions of Deathloop! What a week!

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Joseph makes his triumphant return to podcasting in this week's episode! He joins us to give a quick update on his game development adventures, talk about our time co-oping Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and share his unique brand of insight on the state of sequels (including The Matrix Resurrections!) Nick and Nolan talk about their foray into the wacky world of Psychonauts (1 AND 2!); Which continues to be an absolute delight in 2021. We revisit Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and give an in-depth rundown of the all big news out of this week's Playstation Showcase (including KOTOR Remake, Spider-Man 2, Forspoken, God of War Ragnarok, and more!).

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Ed fills the 4th chair this week to talk about Death's Door, Nioh 2, and a beautiful indie boss-rush game called Eldest Souls! Nick and Nolan ponder the effectiveness of the long awaited 12 Minutes which is shaping up to be one of the most divisive games of the year thus far. Additionally, Nolan talks about his time with the Riders Republic beta, Nick and Chris hype up the Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut and Iki Island DLC, and we break down the news from Gamescom including the bizarre roadmap for the release of Halo Infinite.

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Long-time friend, community member, and former staff member, Jeff DeMelo, joins us this week to sit in for Brad who is absent due to the birth of his 2nd child! Chaos ensues. Jeff shares updates on the development of Refactor, how being a dad has changed his gaming habits, and gets us hype for 12 Minutes (which we'll talk more about next week). We also talk about Recompile, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, Chernobylite, and more! Oh and... RIP Hotdog Bets 2009 - 2021.

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Inspired by 'The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles,' Brad entices the group this week with the Dance of Sedu... ahem Deduction. Chris Davis talks up 'Chernobylite' (the next game from the developers of Get Even) and Nolan revisits the delightful world of 'Overcooked: All You Can Eat' to talk about the new Birthday Party expansion. We also discuss our time with 'Grounded' from last week which obviously devolves into a nostalgic discussion about 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.' Oh... and WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON WITH BLUE BOX?

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It's been an odd week to say the least. Aside from catching up on games talked about in week's past, Nick has been involved in a comedy of errors involving his PC. On top of that, Chris Davis did the impossible and FINISHED Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey! With that in mind, we opened up questions this week to the community at large and spent the bulk of the show addressing everything from difficult cheese questions to the pronunciation of places in the UK to the latest Blue Box conspiracy theories!

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The first segment this week is dominated by games developed by Nintendo or rooted in a deep appreciation of classic Nintendo game design. Nick and Nolan talk up Death's Door which feels heavily inspired by classic Zelda but with a modern spin. Brad is replaying Metroid Fusion in preparation for the release of Metroid Dread and Nolan is playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the first time thanks to the release of the HD remaster. In the news, we debate the approach EA is taking to the re-launch of the Dead Space series after the announcement of a remake at EA Play.

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Nolan hosts the show this week since Nick has fallen victim to the perils of being middle-aged. As they say though, the show must go on. Brad delivers his impressions of Monster Hunter Stories 2 (much to the dismay of Chris Davis) and the indie strategy RPG, Wildermyth. Krispy is finally far enough to deliver some juicy impressions of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers now that he's had some time with the expansion with the community! Of course, this episode was recorded mere hours after the announcement of the Valve Steam Deck so we deliver our first impressions of this bonkers announcement.

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Leave it to Nolan to make a game about flipping houses (House Flipper) sound super compelling! Additionally, Brad has a "new" game for fans of Slay the Spire called Griftlands, Nick gives an update on his progress in Returnal, and Chris Davis talks about his secret love of Photography... and why New Pokemon Snap doesn't quite capitalize on that concept in 2021. Of course, Nintendo dropped big (and unexpected?) news this week with the announcement of the new Switch OLED model so we cover our thoughts on that.

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Do you like Metroidvanias? We do! This week, Brad returns to talk about a "gemmie" that you won't want to miss called 'Astalon: Tears of the Earth.' On that same front, Nick played all the way through 'Blasphemous' and highly recommends it. We also talk about 'Mario Golf: Super Rush' for the Switch and the demo for the upcoming 'Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin!' In the second segment, David joined the group to answer questions and talk about the latest rumors involving Konami, Bloober Team, and Silent Hill.

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Not only are we rocking shiny new recording equipment (courtesy of our Patreon & Twitch supporters) but there is a LOT to talk about in this post E3 2021 world. Nick finally has a chance to talk at length about what he thinks of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Nolan has found his latest obsession in the form of Industries of Titan. Krispy surprises the group this week with a fantastic discussion about the potential behind an exciting early access gem called Phantom Abyss. Of course, Steam Next Fest recently ended so Nick and Chris Davis plug a few of their favorite demos from the event such as SABLE, They Always Run, Road 96, and more!

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For obvious reasons, 2021 may be remembered as the strangest year for both E3 and for the industry in general. Now that the first all-digital E3 has come and gone, we sat down to talk about the big news and glaring omissions from this year's bizarre showing. Despite all the weirdness, there is still a ton to be excited about including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Metroid Dread, Starfield, and more. This episode includes an extensive recap but it's not comprehensive. We recommend checking out the E3 Recap website to see everything discussed on this episode and more!

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It's hard to believe but after nearly two years, E3 is upon us. While the show is going full digital this year due to the Pandemic, the industry is bracing itself for announcement season nonetheless. In this episode we take a stab at predicting what we may or may not see at the various presentations from publishers like Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Capcom, and more! We also respond to some predictions and dream announcements from the community!  

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This week, Biomutant fails to deliver the experience we were hoping for but it's not all bad. Brad delivers an update on the Monster Hunter Rise 3.0 update and elsewhere in the industry, it begins to feel like E3 season despite the obvious caveats that go hand-in-hand with the event this year. We talk about the rumored Souls-like Final Fantasy spin-off from Team Ninja and we give our impressions of the big Dying Light 2 and Horizon: Forbidden West reveals that dropped this week!

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What's old is new again in 2021! Nolan is deep into the 1.0 release of Subnautica: Below Zero and loving this follow-up to one of our favorite games of 2018! Nick and Chris talk about their time with Mass Effect: Legendary Edition before it inevitably veers into the great Mass Effect debate of 2007. Brad delivers his final thoughts on Resident Evil Village and the group spends a surprising amount of time talking about theme park rides.

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Nick is joined by community guests, TheDrunkenMerchant and GonzoLewd, to talk about the 2nd Revival Club game of the year, Final Fantasy XII! While the series has a long and storied history, this entry is often overlooked or excluded during discussions about the series despite being chock full of inspired (but flawed) ideas and being heavily influenced by the growing popularity of MMOs in the early 2000's. There is even some discussion about what influences, if any, this game might have on the upcoming release of Final Fantasy XVI.

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Resident Evil has long been a celebrated franchise here at 4Player in one way or another so this week, we spend a considerable amount of time discussing our thoughts on Resident Evil Village. On top of that, we challenge ourselves to avoid mentioning previous games in the franchise with varying degrees of success. Nolan continued his journey into Zelda's celebrated past by playing The Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap for the first time and in the second segment, we revisit some of our favorite in-store demos from our youth and answer some fun hypotheticals courtesy of our Patreon and Twitch supporter questions.

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On Brad's birthday episode, we talk about our time with Returnal; a fun and demanding Rogue-Like that just might be one of the biggest arguments for going in on a PS5 this early. Chris Davis "prepared a statement" about Yakuza 7 and Nolan delivers his final thoughts on It Takes Two now that he and Bernadette finished it. We also pour one out for the talent that is departing Giant Bomb this week and in the news, we skim the surface of the big Epic vs. Apple lawsuit.

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David returns this week to talk about his more recent (misunderstood) obsession, Balan Wonderworld. Nick talks the new remake of Nier Replicant and Brad introduces a cool new indie-tactics game called Tenderfoot Tactics. Of course, Brad gushes over the new Monster Hunter Rise 2.0 update and we briefly revisit Resident Evil Village to about the new Castle demo that dropped this week.

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After week-off to hunt monsters together, we have a ton to catch up on! The first big demo for Resident Evil Village has dropped and resulted in some mixed feelings within the group. Brad played a really creative indie game called 'Before Your Eyes' which you control by blinking and Nolan has been enjoying more time with the shockingly long 'It Takes Two!' In the community segment, we answer questions and tackle the big rumors regarding Sony, Days Gone 2, and a remake of The Last of Us!

For more information regarding the 'Days Gone' Anniversary Stream, please visit 4PlayerNetwork.com!

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This week, we unintentionally butcher Donald Glover's name. Ed joins the fray with his first appearance since getting his hands on a Playstation 5. He shares some thoughts on the first few launch titles he played and then talks at length about his time with Outriders; a game that has become a major topic of conversation lately. Nick talks Narita Boy, Nolan is split on It Takes Two for an unexpected reason, and Chris Davis has prepared a statement... about Days Gone. We also talk a little more about Monster Hunter Rise and tackle some big news in the community questions segment thanks to a big announcement concerning E3.

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This week marks what might be the first major release of the year, 'Monster Hunter Rise.' While we take our first deep dive into this follow-up to Monster Hunter World, that conversation is almost overshadowed by an unexpected analysis of Nick's Letterbox history... Brad and Krispy delivery another Final Fantasy XIV update (including Heavensward) and Nick once again emphasizes the quality of indie-horror gem, Mundaun, which he finished since last week. We also take a brief detour to remember the Xbox 360 launch title, King Kong.

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Get ready for another journey of discovery. David joins us this week to talk about Mary Skelter 2; another grid-based dungeon crawler about "blood maidens" who... lick things? Brad is enjoying Bravely Default 2 despite the fact that he's about to drop it like a bad habit for Monster Hunter Rise. Nolan gives another Valheim update and Nick is loving Mundaun; an indie folk-horror game that was made in either Sweden or Switzerland (he cannot remember).

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In an interesting turn of events, Nick is playing through Lust from Beyond; an adults-only game that feels like a strange combination of Amnesia and Eyes Wide Shut. Krispy has uncovered the full potential of Monster Hunter World and has found himself obsessing over the new found depths while playing the Iceborne expansion. Nick also discusses the new demo for an exciting new indie horror game with a lo-fi style called Chasing Static. Of course, we also delve into community questions and answer the age-old question of: Which is worse, undivided public urinals or the dreaded trough...

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Do you like intense debates about the quality of the Final Fantasy XIV? Do you like hearing Nolan school the group on the proper way to thrive in open-world survival games? Do you like Nick's blatant disregard for important video game history? Well boy do I have a podcast for you! Brad and Krispy take a deep dive into the world's most popular MMO. While the group "played" Valheim last week, Nolan is building castles and raising wolves now so.... Oh yeah, Nick 100-percented Bowser's Fury and considers it one of his favorite 3D Mario games and he skipped the original Half Life in favor of the fan-made remake, Black Mesa!

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After an act of god forced us to skip the show last week, we play catch-up this week. David joins the fray again to talk with Brad about Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, Nick and Brad share differing opinions on Little Nightmares II, and Brad speaks to why he is cautiously optimistic for Project Triangle Strategy after playing the demo. On top of all that, there has been an abundance of news worth discussing including the cancellation of Anthem and the future of Konami IP.

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On this episode of the Revival Club, Nick is joined by Castlevania super-fan, Brad Simons, and community guest, Ferakin, to dig into what makes Symphony of the Night such a classic. We examine it's wealth of secrets and discuss how its rough edges and imperfections actually make it even better. Brad also conveniently reminds us that this episode started as a Double Feature so we also talk some about Rondo of Blood, the impact it had on the series, and how it paved the way for Symphony of the Night.

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This week, we forgo our usual itinerary in favor of breaking down a bunch of game demos from the recent Steam Games Festival. Brad shows up with an unexpected theme (Have you heard of Slay the Spire?) and Chris Davis played a Star Fox clone about Cats (Whisker Squadron)... Despite his best efforts, Nick was unable to avoid the cliche of liking fed up s and played 'Lust from Beyond' -- a Survival Horror game about infiltrating a demonic sex cult. Of course, this is just a small taste. We talked about a bunch of games, many of which you should keep on your radar in the coming year(s).

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We're off to the races. Nick discusses his mixed feelings on the next big game from Bloober Team, The Medium; a game that has been oddly positioned as one of the year's big Microsoft exclusives. Nolan and Brad talk about their time with the demo for a cool new Rogue-like called Loop Hero. Of course, with a new Monster Hunter game on the horizon, Brad went back to try Monster Hunter Stories in an attempt to quench his unquenchable thirst for more Monster Hunter. Oh yeah... KoToR might be coming back.

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As the new year starts to kick into gear, David joins us to talk about Hitman 3; a game that continues to deliver unparalleled freedom to the player for better or worse. We also delve into two major demos from Capcom that hit in the past week. Monster Hunter Rise delivers a fun and meaty demo that fails to consider series newbies while Resident Evil Village teases atmosphere and little else. 

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The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 5, we discuss the following categories:

• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• The Asterisk Award
• Biggest Regret
• The Number 11 Award

This episode includes a short sample from Nick's favorite soundtrack of the year: The Last of Us: Part II

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The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 4, we discuss the following categories:

• Best Ensemble Cast
• Best New Character
• Best Enemy Design
• Best Boss Fight
• Best Moment

This episode includes a short sample from Ed's favorite soundtrack of the year: Ghost of Tsushima

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The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 3, we discuss the following categories:

• Best Debut
• Best Looking Game
• Best World / Level Design
• Best Storytelling

This episode includes a short sample from Krispy's favorite soundtrack of the year: Kentucky Route Zero

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The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 2, we discuss the following categories:

• Best Multiplayer Experience
• Best Comfort Food
• Most Out of our Comfort Zone
• Best Game Nobody Played

This episode includes a short sample from Nolan's favorite soundtrack of the year: Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

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The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 1, we discuss the following categories:

• Best New Gameplay Experience
• Best Sequel
• Best Game Feel
• Most Addictive

This episode includes a short sample from Brad's favorite soundtrack of the year: Creaks**

Part 2 will be available on Tuesday, January 19th.

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What could be more fitting than inviting utter chaos on our 666th episode (HAIL SATAN) of the show? David joins us this week and brings the crew count up to 6! We dive deep into Immortals: Fenyx Rising to talk about why it's not as great as Breath of the Wild and why that doesn't really matter. Nolan and Chris Davis share their experience with the Back 4 Blood Alpha which brings Left 4 Dead back into relevancy in 2021. Nick talks about his introduction to modern Hitman and why he now feels more optimistic about IO Interactive making a James Bond game.

Disclaimer - I hope it goes without saying but... we do not worship Satan.

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It's finally here. The end of 2020. It's been a wreck of a year for the most part despite being quite good for the world of video games. But what better way to put it behind us than to look to the future. Working closely with out community in Discord, we put together a comprehensive list of games slated for release in 2021 (and beyond) that you might want to keep an eye on. In fact, the list is over 140 games long! However, we each kick things off with our personal Top 3!

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2020 May be almost over but it's still willing to claim one more victim. Cyberpunk 2077 has unfortunately had a somewhat... disastrous launch (the game was pulled from digital storefronts just moments before this recording). Despite all that, we have sunk up to 30 hours into a game that is, for all intents and purposes, incomplete. Nick recommends Tell Me Why from the creators of Life is Strange and Brad has found a lot to enjoy in Ubisoft's Immortals: Fenyx Rising.

Disclaimer: Due to an unforseen audio hiccup, the audio in the 1st segment may not sound as clean. Chris Davis's audio is garbled at the very beginning and a tad uneven due to some post production edits that needed to be made. Additionally, we ended up having to rip the audio from Twitch for the 1st segment so some of the Subscriber notification sounds may have found there way into the audio. We apologize for the dip in quality this week.

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4Player OG David returns to the hot seat this week and with him comes his unique brand of chaos... and impressions of a bizarre but intriguing game called 'Zanki Zero.' Nick and Nolan take a deeper dive into Assassin's Creed Valhalla to try and pinpont what makes this game more enjoyable than it's predecessors. Brad expounds upon why Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity might be worth your time and Chris Davis goes full Chris Davis on Project Wingman (a love letter to Ace Combat). Viewer questions also goes to some truly unexpected places. You have been warned.

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This week's episode is jam packed full of new games to talk about; It's an absolute Playstation 5 bonanza! Now that the system has been out for a week, we take a closer look at Bugsnax (obviously), Sackboy: A Big Adventure and Spider-Man Miles Morales. Nick and Nolan share their EARLY impressions of Assassin's Creed Valhalla which is clearly going to be another divisive monster of a game. Nolan surprises with The Pathless and Chris Davis is already almost through the remake of Demon's Souls. We also discuss the exciting news that IO Interactive is making a James Bond game and a BIG leak from Capcom.

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Even amidst the mess that is 2020, there are glimmers of hope. The next generation of console gaming has started and we have our first hands-on impressions of the Playstation 5. Nolan talks about his time with Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Nick shares tales of his time with Visage; a game that both terrifies and captivates. Furthermore, Krispy and Nick take a deeper dive into Ghost of Tsushima Legends now that it has been out for a few weeks.

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After taking a week off of podcasting to play Phasmophobia together, we finally have a chance to talk at length about what makes the game such a hit. Brad and Nick talk about the latest entry in The Dark Pictures anthology, Little Hope, and Nolan surprises us with an inspired indie survival game with adorable husky dogs called The Red Lantern. Nick also delivers his impressions of Watch Dogs Legion which doesn't revolutionize the genre but certainly takes a stab at some interesting mechanical ideas. 

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Try as we might, we couldn't resist the pull of Genshin Impact. We take our first look at this Gacha sensation to see how it really compares to (and differentiates itself from) Breath of the Wild. Kris gives us his thoughts on Ghost of Tsushima Legends, the new muiltiplayer update that launched this week, and Nick discusses the scare tactics of Amnesia Rebirth.

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In this (long overdue) episode of the Revival Club, we dig into the underdog of Rockstar's catalog: Bully. Released in 2006, this game established a cult following over the years thanks to it's charm, humor, and departure from Rockstar's standard M-rated subject matter. Together, with two community guests (Finding 404 & MrGreenTos), we discuss what makes this game special and why it remains one of Rockstar's biggest IPs this side of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. 

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With new hardware just a few weeks away, Sony has finally pulled back the curtain on it's new Playstation 5 UX (User Experience). We extract what we can from the virtual tour but there are still many questions left unanswered. In impressions, Brad talks about his time with 'Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time' and Ed introduces 'Wildfire,' a game that harkens back to 'Mark of the Ninja.' Nick also discusses his new found love of 'Mortal Shell,' the latest (and perhaps truest) love-letter to the original Dark Souls on the market.

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We never would have guessed that EA would manage to crank out not one, but TWO impressive Star Wars games in a row. Krispy returns to the fold this week to talk about 'Star Wars Squadrons' and how it has managed to surprise and delight against the odds. The group also dives even deeper into 'Hades', Nick highlights 'Lost in Vivo' courtesy of Carlos' recommendation, and Chris Davis revisits '13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim' now that he has sunk a considerable amount of time into it. In the 2nd segment, it's been a slow news week so we use that extra air time to catch up on supporter questions.

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October has arrived but before we dive into a slew of horror games, we take a closer look at 3 recent releases spanning 3 very different genres. Brad gives us his initial impressions of a visual novel and the latest game from Vanillaware, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. Nolan finally has his hands on Spelunky 2 and Nick played through Mafia: Definitive Edition, a ground-up remake of the original. We discuss the sudden announcement of Luna, Amazon's new Stadia competitor and we have some fun trying to decide which fictional post-apocalypse we would prefer to be stuck in.

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Nearly 20 years later, Super Mario Sunshine has returned as part of the Super Mario 3D All Stars Collection to remind us that the famous plumber has a dark side. Luckily, Ed joins us this week to ensure us that Super Mario Galaxy is still a delight and to gush over Hades, the latest game from Supergiant, with Brad. But despite all that, Brad assures the group that the best platformer on the market right now is the remake of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 & 2. Oh... and Microsoft bought Zenimax for $7.5 Billion! We hash out what that means for the industry and for big franchises like Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

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With only two months remaining until the launch of next-gen hardware, we take a deep dive into the launch strategies and lineups for both Microsoft and Sony. Of course, with that comes the unexpected chaos that unfolded around the pre-orders of the Playstation 5. We each bring a game to the table this week as well including our first look at Among Us, Spellbreak, and Terminator: Resistance. Nick chimes in on Paper Mario: The Origami King and Brad brings an indie gem called There is No Game: Wrong Dimension.

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With Y2K Month at an end, we finally have a chance to talk about some of the big games and announcements that took place in August. Nolan gives us the rundown on Fall Guys, Brad pimps Wasteland 3, and we take a closer look at an exciting indie title called Undermine! In the news, we share our thoughts on the Suicide Squad and Gotham Knights news plus the big announcements from Nintendo on Mario's 35th anniversary!

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It may be the end of Y2K Month but we still have a ton of nostalgia lined up. In our final episode of the month devoted to the games of the year 2000, we all find something to be excited about. Between the five of us, we revisit The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Parasite Eve 2, Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, Dino Crisis 2, and more! Brad even found a new passion for Valkyrie Profile and a new found appreciation for The Legend of Dragoon!

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With very little in the way of new releases to focus on in August, we have turned our eyes to the games that came out in the year 2000! All month long, we are playing and discussing nothing but games celebrating their 20th anniversary in the year of our lord, 2020. On this episode, we gush over Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, the original Deus Ex, and Perfect Dark! Brad hate-plays Shenmue and visits a classic entry in the Tales series, Tales of Eternia! There's also a healthy dose of Paper Mario in there for good measure.

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After weeks of intense discourse and controversy surrounding the release of 'The Last of Us: Part II,' the time has finally come for us to dive deep into spoiler-territory. We dedicated this entire episode to dissecting the biggest game of the year. There is a ton to discuss and we do our best to cover it all. We bridge the gap between both games and deliver our personal insights into the themes, characters, and events that make this game so impactful.

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It is rare that all 5 of us both play and enjoy a game on this podcast but that is exactly what happened with Ghost of Tsushima. The discussion that ensues is chaotic and unpredictable, but enthusiastic! Nolan and Brad are a bit torn however after their first few hours with Paper Mario: The Origami King. In the 2nd segment, we deliver our reactions to the big Xbox Games Showcase which included the first reveal of Halo Infinite gameplay and the return of Fable!

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On this episode, Nick is joined by three lovely 4Player community members, Skud, Steve, and ChaiThai, to discuss our time spent playing 'Sleeping Dogs!' Released in 2012 by Square-Enix and United Front Games, the project weathered a troubled development cycle and still managed to delivery a memorable open-world action experience at a time when Rockstar dominated with Grand Theft Auto. It draws inspiration from Hong Kong action cinema to tell a story of an undercover police officer who is trying to infiltrate the criminal underbelly of Hong Kong.

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There is a lot to love on the PC this year and in this episode we dive into 3 of them! Chris Davis played through Gears Tactics and praises it for it's approach even if it is not the most complex tactics game. Brad is loving his time with Supraland Crash, the big story expansion to the first game, and Nick is addicted to the punishing (but brilliant) Desperados 3. In the news, we talk about our hopes for the future of Fable and Perfect Dark; this amounts to: "everything should just be Breath of the Wild!"

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One of the biggest releases of the year is finally upon us! The highly anticipated 'The Last of Us: Part 2' is out in the wild and more than half of the group this week has already plowed through the game's surprisingly beefy campaign! Have no fear though, our discussion this week avoids spoilers by focusing almost exclusively on mechanics and design! (Expect an actual spoilercast in the coming weeks) In the 2nd segment, we discuss some rather disappointing news involving an industry veteran and some telling new domain names that shine a light on what is coming from Rocksteady and WB Montreal!

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It's been a few weeks since our last "regular" show so we have a lot of ground to cover! Chris and Nick crack open the newly released 'Desperados III' and Nick finally started up 'The Walking Dead: Saint's and Sinners' in VR! Thanks to the wave of faux-E3 demos flooding the market, we do our best to highlight a few standout titles like 'Gloomwood' and 'In Sound Mind'. There's also an awfully disturbing hypothetical involving Mayonnaise that you won't want to miss.

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Joining me on this episode of the Revival Club podcast is 4Player Alumni, David Liao, and community guest, KentonFTW! We took a deep dive into Okami to talk about its legacy, its influences, and even it's potential future as a franchise. There was a LOT to unpack with this game but the discussions in Discord over the past month made it easy to ensure we covered all of the bases.

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We return to the fold this week with a special episode featuring 3 distinct segments! First up, Sony finally revealed the Playstation 5 along with a lineup of new games so we run down the list and give our thoughts. In the 2nd segment, David joins the group to have a SPOILER-FILLED discussion about the Final Fantasy 7 Remake - What happened and what does it all mean?! Finally, we wrap up the show with our SPOILER-FILLED look at Half Life: Alyx which, to everyone's surprise, finally addressed the decade long cliffhanger of Half Life 2!

As mentioned at the start of the show, we encourage everyone to take advantage of the awesome Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality which supports a very important cause AND scores you upwards of 1600 games for as little as $5! Bundle expires on June 15th!

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Chris Davis's beloved Shark game, Maneater, is finally here! While some of us try to avoid shark puns, others aim to do the exact opposite. Brad successfully peddles Monster Train like it's a drug and Nolan vents his frustrations with trying to learn the flow of Civilization 6. Brad and Krispy also talk about their recent foray into Deep Rock Galactic with the community and Krispy shares his new found love of Final Fantasy XIV (a game that Brad then accuses him of peddling like a drug).

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Thanks to the announcement of the surprise remake, Nick dives head-first into the Mafia trilogy starting with the new "Definitive Edition" of Mafia 2. Additionally, Brad and Nolan soared through the skies in the demo for Iron Man VR and Brad tried out an exciting (and educational) mode in Assassin's Creed Origins. In the news, we discuss the rumors swirling about the return of Silent Hill.

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What a week for video games! We delve into all the surprises from this week including the 18-minute gameplay demonstration of Ghost of Tsushima, the reveal of Unreal Engine 5, and the stealth announcement of Paper Mario: The Origami King! Nolan delivers his early impressions of The Wonderful 101 remaster, Nick shares his thoughts on Pathologic 2 and VR horror "gemmy," Lies Beneath, and Ed brings Iron Danger to the table.

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Community extraordinaire, ChaiThai joins the fray in the first segment this week to talk about Streets of Rage 4; a game that has made a big splash in the past week. Nick went back and played some Assassin's Creed Syndicate DLC and we revisit some of the usual suspects including Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Animal Crossing, and XCOM Chimera Squad. In the 2nd segment though, the group reacts to the hyped Inside XBOX event which was supposed to give us our first glimpse of next generation gameplay.

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The group cracks open XCOM: Chimera Squad, a game that manages to be both affordable and a worthy follow-up to XCOM 2. Brad loses himself while talking about a big 2020 "gemmy" called Horizon's Gate and Nick revisits Dusk with pleasing results. In the news, Ubisoft finally unveiled Assassin's Creed: Valhalla and Sony announced the new release schedule for The Last of Us 2 AND Ghost of Tsushima.

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Courtesy of Nolan (what are friends for?), Brad finally got his hands on a PC VR headset so we finally get a chance to hear his impressions of Half Life: Alyx! We dive a little deeper into the Final Fantasy 7 Remake and discuss Elijah Wood's current abuse of power in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Patron questions are answered and our supporter spotlight shines a light on the popularity of the Football Manager series.

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After years of hype and anticipation (and perhaps some healthy skepticism), the Final Fantasy VII Remake (Part 1) is in our hands! The group gives their initial impressions which are leaning in a surprising direction! Nick finally played The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine, Brad got weird in Distaster Report 4, and Nolan seems like he's quite taken by Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Also, the return of the Supporter Spotlight!

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Despite Nick's best efforts to lead the group this week, he fails in spectacular fashion because David has returned to talk about the release of Resident Evil 3 and the future of the franchise! From there, Sony's new DualSense PS5 controller reveal is discussed, Resident Evil 8 rumors are abound, and a bevy of questions from our supporters are answered! Oh and let's not forget the countless number of tangents.

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Ed joins us this week from the walls of his own self-isolation to talk about Lightmatters and the other games that have kept him busy since we last spoke. Brad regales us with talk of Mount and Blade II: Bannerlord. Nolan has moved on from Peaches to Eggs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and we share our continued impressions of Half Life Alyx now that several of us have finished the game. The news is dominated by exciting rumors of a new Super Mario All Stars collection AND the unfortunate delay of The Last of Us: Part 2.

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The world may be in turmoil right now but at least there are plenty of exciting games to keep us preoccupied. The group has been ripping and tearing through DOOM Eternal which has proven to be both fun and somewhat overwhelming. Nolan has discovered his hatred of peaches thanks to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Krispy gives us a detailed breakdown of what makes Call of Duty: Warzone one of the best Battle Royale's on the market. And of course, it's been YEARS but Half Life: Alyx has finally brought the dormant franchise back to life... and it's amazing.

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With the Coronavirus taking a toll on the world at large, we have taken the precautionary steps of switching to remote recordings for the foreseeable future.  We won't let it keep us down though! We have plenty to talk about thanks to Ori and the Will of the Wisps , the recent release of Nioh 2, the Trials of Mana demo, and the reveal of the PS5 technical specs!

It may take a few weeks to get the audio right where we want it but if you have any feedback about the live stream or the quality of the audio, please let us know. Stay safe out there folks!

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The world is living in fear thanks to the Corona Virus which makes video games seem really damn unimportant. BUT we're going to talk about them anyways! The demo for Final Fantasy 7 Remake doesn't do a lot convince us of it's impending success but Ori and the Will of the Wisps wears it's Hollow Knight inspiration on it's sleeve and that's fine by us! Nick pleads with you to finish Telltale's The Walking Dead, Nolan played Legend of Bumbo, and Brad tried Murder by Numbers! Oh yeah... and E3 is f***ing cancelled!

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The Baldur's Gate 3 hype train has officially left the station. We analyze the promising new gameplay footage from PAX East and spend a bizarre amount of time "arguing" about whether Nick actually likes "high-fantasy." Platinum unveiled two more announcements and cause varying degrees of excitement. We also answer patreon questions and rattle off a bunch of quick impressions including A World of Horror, Overwatch, and Kentucky Route Zero!

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Dreams is finally out in the wild; Sony and Media Molecule's ambitious follow-up to Little Big Planet faces challenges ahead but they are overshadowed by vast potential. Brad and Krispy tackle this beast and do their best to cover all the bases. Nick discusses his very early impressions of the massive VR RPG, Asgard's Wrath and gives his final thoughts on Journey to the Savage Planet. Per usual, supporter questions leads down to some... interesting places.

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What a week! It's Nolan's birthday for starters but he also comes bearing impressions of Final Fantasy 7 which he is replaying in preparation for the upcoming remake. Nick is still swooning over Stormland in VR and Brad is getting swole thanks to Nintendo's Ring Fit Adventure. While most of the news is bad this week, Platinum saves the day thanks to it's wildly successful kickstarter of The Wonderful 101 port!

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For the past few months, the 4Player Revival Club has been plugging away at the beloved Capcom RPG, Dragon's Dogma. Released back in 2012, this game has built quite the devoted following in the years since it's release. On this episode, Nick is joined by Nolan and community guest TheGreenGoddamn, to discuss the game and respond to comments/questions from the community.

In February/March 2020, the club will be playing Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: Sith Lords; To participate, please visit us at Patreon.com/4Player.

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Behold! The first normal show of the new decade and we bring in the year in as if we completely forgot how to podcast! We may not have any idea what we are doing but we do have a lot of video games to talk about. Nick talks about the opening hours of Journey to the Savage Planet and gushes over his time with Stormland on the Oculus Rift. Krispy gives an impressive overview of Manifold Garden and Nolan shares his thoughts now that he FINALLY played through Half Life 2! 

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It's time to put a nice bow on both 2019 and the 2010s! In part 2 of our 2019 Awards Show, we cover 6 more categories dedicated to the last year in gaming and then 6 awards dedicated to the last decade as a whole. In this episode, we cover the following categories:

• Best Video Game Moment
• Best Narrative
• Best New Character
• Biggest Regret
• The Asterisk Award
• Number 11
• Best Narrative of the Decade
• Favorite Character of the Decade
• Most Underrated of the Decade
• Best Hidden Gem of the Decade
• Honorable Mentions of the Decade
• Best Game of the Decade

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Awards season officially begins here at 4Player. This week, we kick off our annual awards show by discussing our personal choices in 12 exciting categories such as best world design, best new gameplay experience, best debut, and more! Stay tuned for Part 2 where the 2nd segment will be devoted to our Games of the Decade awards and discussion! This week's awards:

• Best World / Level Design
• Best New Gameplay Experience
• Best New Enemy/Boss
• Best Multiplayer/Co-op Experience
• Best Comfort Food
• Most Out of Comfort Zone
• Best Debut
• Best Game Nobody Played
• Best Looking
• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• Best Character Relationship