457: Control Resonant, WARDOGS and Marathon

Control Resonant dropped the Service Weapon, swapped the Oldest House for a warped Manhattan, and became a character-action game. We dig into whether Remedy's shapeshifting melee combat and Dylan Faden's story make it one of the boldest sequels of the year, and who it's for now. Then we go back to WARDOGS one season in: why squads are building fortresses instead of fighting for the hot zone, how hard it is to join late, and what the October 15 wipe means for players who can't grind every night. In the second half, we cover Xbox's biggest reorganization yet. Halo moves to Activision, Obsidian goes to Bethesda for the next Fallout, Forza's studios merge, and Ninja Theory's future is in doubt. With Gears of War: E-Day out today, we ask what's left that makes Xbox Xbox. We close on Marathon. Bungie admitted it "didn't reach as many people as it had hoped" and is reshaping the game with PvE, deathmatch and better onboarding. Alongside WarDogs, it's part of a bigger shift toward developers being more open with players, and we ask whether that candor should earn a game more of your time. Show Notes: 0:51 - Housekeeping 2:05 - Control Resonant Is the Boldest Sequel of 2026 43:08 - WARDOGS After Season 1: Is It Built to Last? 1:06:27 - Xbox Just Rebuilt Itself Around Activision: Can They Save Halo? 1:30:06 - Can Marathon Evolve the Game and Win Players Back? 1:43:26 - Upcoming Video Game Releases Become a part of the conversation! If you donate $1 or more on Patreon you can get exclusive access to the Patreon-only chat and channels on the server. Visit our website to find our social channels, check past podcasts and donate to the show. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see all of our latest videos as they drop. Credits: "Blue Groove Deluxe" by BlueFoxMusic on audiojungle.net Woman Announcer - Ariana Guerra; Actress "Wisdom" by Super Nostalgia 64