Sacred Icon: A Halo Podcast

All good things must come to an end. We began this journey in 2019 with a deep passion for Halo. The success and love of everyone who listened, contributed and supported us took us further than we ever could have imagined. There's been highs and lows, but when it comes to this endeavor as a whole that is Sacred Icon, it's one big high. We love you all and hope this one and final JUICY episode serves the podcast and its legacy well. Keep it Sacred, friends.

Spoilers for both the original and the remake of Silent Hill 2 abound. What makes this particular franchise stand out in a way its horror peers cannot? It's only fitting we dive into the psyche of game that excels in doing just that itself.

It's been almost five full years since the PlayStation 5 hit the market. There has been highs and lows, but for all the success it's seen you wouldn't know it. Today, we're reflecting on why it's not quite the killer console the PS4 was, but also how its far from a disappointment. Lock in your second party deals and greenlight your next dozen live-service games because here we GO!

Do you ever reflect on the fact that there are so many amazing video games that no matter who you are you're destined to at some point be way late to the party on something massively special and/or influential? I may have been there for Ocarina of Time, Halo 2 or Skyrim, but the Metal Gear series manage to slip by me for over 30 years. Spoilers for Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty within!

Have you ever fully believed in something to the point where you would have confidently put money on the line that you wouldn't be wrong? That was me with Helldivers II coming to Xbox, a move I never saw coming...especially published by PlayStation directly. Nonetheless, it's here and it's a good thing for gamers everywhere. Is the way of the exclusive game going by the wayside?

There are two ways to look at anything in life. Through the lens of objectivity or caught up in your deepest of emotions. Those who can keep them separate are few and far between, but we will do our best. Perfect Dark and Everwild have been canceled, The Initiative is closed, staff across many teams have been laid off substantially and the confidence in job security is lower than it ever has been. The question of "Is Xbox Dead?" really isn't the one we should be asking, especially when it's owned by a trillion-dollar company. The real question is, when did the Xbox we thought we knew die?

We are just days away from the hotly anticipated sequel to Death Stranding, so we figured it was time to cover our thoughts on the first game in depth. If you've never played it or feel it doesn't interest you, we really hope you'll give this a listen. There's a lot more to Death Stranding than meets the eye and the passion for this title is on full display from beginning to end. Maybe we shouldn't have connected. Spoilers abound!

We're finally coming back down to earth from the whirlwind week that was Summer Games Fest. There's a lot of news bursting from the seams we didn't have a week ago. Silent Hill Remake by Bloober Team is coming, Metal Gear Solid Delta will have online multiplayer and the next generation Xbox in practice may have already been revealed to us. There's been a leak that suggests a Halo title is coming to other platforms soon...could it be Halo: Reach? It wouldn't be the first time.

In what is perhaps one of the biggest weeks for video games in recent memory there is most certainly something for everyone. With everything from the launch of a new Nintendo console to the next mainline Resident Evil we'd have to revoke your gamer card to say there isn't. The Witcher 4, Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Silksong, Clockwork Revolution...I know where it starts but tell me, where does it end?

Take a look, it's in a BOOK, a Reading Rainbow! That's right, we finally get to see what Chief and the gang are up to four years later in a new novel. What even is the current direction for the future of Halo? We know that it's in Unreal Engine 5 and a new studio name, but do we really know much beyond that? Summer Games Fest and Microsoft's Xbox showcase are right around the corner, as well as the release of the Switch 2! There's a lot happening, so let's discuss.

Bungie was once my favorite developer of all time, but that time was half my life ago. They're a company who's always claimed to know what's best no matter the situation and after a decade of ups and downs with Destiny the company has finally hit their own personal rock bottom. Their latest game, Marathon needs to reach a massive audience. The reaction thus far has been lukewarm at best, painting an already bleak picture. Now, they've admitted to stealing artwork. We've already seen floundering profits, huge layoffs and frustration from both fans and Sony. Is this Bungie's end?

Here to share with me his personal journey through gaming is none other than the Mustard Chief himself. We talk everything from early Nintendo days all the way to Halo.

Joining us on this episode is Photon, here to tell us about his own personal Great Journey with a series we love so dear.

(SPOILER FREE) We've been hands on with id Software's latest entry in the DOOM series for a few days now and we're excited to tell you if it lives up to the lofty expectations set by the previous games. Going back many years before the events of DOOM (2016), The Dark Ages sees us in the middle of a medieval war armed with a fur pelt and chainsaw shield. A lot has changed, but is it for the better?

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster. $80 games. $600 Xbox's. Gears of War on PlayStation. My brother Crayton is here to discuss it all with me during a wonderful Mother's Day afternoon. Enjoy.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster has been out for a little while now and it has many reassessing their thoughts on Bethesda. This studio is known for offering many gamers some of the best video game experiences of their life despite recent games receiving much criticism, fair or otherwise. Does a rose-tinted glance back into the past reveal the studio was always the GOAT or are we just drunk with nostalgia? Here to discuss the ends and outs of our Bethesda fandom is my friend Wesley! Also, Xbox's are $600, and Clair Obscur is $50...something is amiss!

Hey, guess what? The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster just stealth dropped. Oh, then Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 released to a 92 Metacritic and universal praise. There's a Marathon alpha going and in just over two weeks DOOM: The Dark Ages releases. Then less a month later the Switch 2 console releases with Mario Kart World. How is one supposed to engage in so much goodness with so little time?

Our deepest roots lie within one of Bungie's franchises, so what are our thoughts on their latest game after a news blowout and release date announcement? The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster is so close to stealth dropping that there's a good chance its out when you're reading this. Switch 2 pre-orders have finally gone live and the year is just about to get crazy busy with some high profile releases. We're excited.

After eight long years Nintendo has finally decided to unveil the successor to what is probably the most successful console of all time. We always expect Nintendo to fumble in some way, whether it be unneeded motion controls or some other gimmick we'll never use. Oddly enough, this time Nintendo has delivered perhaps the exact system we've always wanted. It's what came after the reveal that set everything on fire.

What's left in the final top 20? Will we see classics like Ocarina of Time and Knights of the Old Republic or is there truly nothing more exceptional than Breath of the Wild? Tell us what is right and what is wrong with Rolling Stone's top 50 games of all time.

What do Bubsy 3D, E.T for the original Atari 2600 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard all have in common? None of them are on this list.

We have finally arrived at the top 25. Will everything make the list? We're honestly a little surprised by just how much made it here, but as expected there are still a few glaring omissions. Join us as we round out the top 100 RPGs of all time in our second and final discussion.

We go through the first 75 picks in IGN's top 100 RPGs list to see how it all shakes out. What are the glaring omissions and what titles are right where they should be? In an era where everything has RPG elements the waters can get a little murky, but we're here to commentate on it regardless. Make sure to check back for the top 25 in part 2!

It's been five years since Avowed was first announced. Much has changed since then. Xbox has acquired Activision Blizzard and moved into third party publishing, so what does a product that was incubated in a different era look like all these years later? From Fallout: New Vegas to The Outer Worlds, it's time for Obsidian to strike again. Do they stick the landing?

WB has systematically gutted several of their internal development teams after years of poor management. Fable has found itself delayed to 2026 after being announced in 2020. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is being given away for free on PS Plus just FOUR months after releasing at full price. Now that the discussions around the quality of Avowed have escalated into sheer hyperbole what is true and what is not? There are many questions to ask with few direct answers, but we try our best nonetheless.

It's the thing that haunts developers and nerds on forums alike, the almighty review score. How can one little number cause so much stress and anxiety? We've all played that perfect 10/10 or returned to the rental store in terror after unintentionally diving headfirst into a 2/10, but there's one number that's more familiar than any...7. Whether that means good, average or something else entirely varies from person to person, but we're here to tell you that this industry needs more of it. Avowed, Stalker 2, Baldur's Gate 3, Spider-Man 2...I'm sure you'd love to know where we're going with this. So, tune in.

In a gaming climate full of never ending free to play experiences, countless sales, subscription services and a finite amount of time how can developers expect their specific game to break through? If you're faced with a litany of 10/10 quality games what makes you choose the one that is great, but simply less than perfect? If you only have money for one game, do you choose the one that has over 100 hours of gameplay, or the one that can be finished in a weekend? These are all such unfair questions these products must face, but they face them, nonetheless. What is the answer?

The dominoes have finally started to fall. Xbox is releasing one hit after another in a lineup fiercer than any in recent memory. Indiana Jones, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Avowed, South of Midnight and DOOM are all releasing within the same six-month time frame and that's only the first half of the year. Keep your schedule cleared and your wallets stocked because 2025 is coming for the jugular.

Microsoft has long teased, correction, flat out said that they would be bringing their titles to the competition's platform and the plan is now in full effect. Ninja Gaiden 4 was recently announced as a Microsoft published game coming to PlayStation on top of the prior announcement of Indiana Jones and The Outer Wilds 2. Now, Forza Horizon 4 is on its way to PS5 and corroborated credible leakers have shared that Halo MCC and Gears of War are next. Things may seem strange for Xbox, but in different ways they're just as strange at Sony. There's a lot going on for a generation that often feels like it’s just spinning its wheels.

Microsoft's annual Xbox Developer Direct is here and with it are nailed down release dates, hype gameplay footage and a few surprises. We share our thoughts on the first half of what is surely to be a stacked year from team green. Remember, this entire show doesn't even include Avowed, which we will be playing in just a few short weeks.

It's common to hear people say that 2023 was a banger of a year, but let's not sell 2024 short. From the very beginning until its last breath, 2024 gave us one phenomenal release after another. In this special episode we're giving you a brief overview of what this trip around the sun brought to the table. Join us as we get into Sacred Icon's top 10 games of the year. Damn, this one was fun.

None of Halo's story would exist without the Flood. In the same vein our podcast wouldn't exist as it does without the work of perhaps my oldest friend, Caleb Webster. We reminisce about old times together, Caleb's influence on Sacred Icon and the future to come. Caleb's latest Halo soundtrack can be found on Spotify at the link: https://open.spotify.com/album/7IVVUJ0Q0CZsLMDvP0pZze?si=lM69UwMdQsizzQziwO07xg

We're 10 days away from Xbox's annual Developer Direct where they will show off the latest games releasing this year and rumor mill is already swirling. Halo, Gears of War, Hellblade and more are reportedly coming to the PS5 and Switch 2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is getting the full remake treatment. Can this really all be happening and we're not even halfway through January?

2025 is finally upon us and there is much to be excited for. Join us as we RIP and TEAR through our most anticipated video games and movies coming this year. Will we see the next Halo? It's going to be one for the ages.

After a six month hiatus Sacred Icon is back and in full swing. Rested, nourished and ready to kick 2025's ass. 343 Industries is no more, the studio has switched to Unreal engine and new projects are in the works...but is anything really that different? Only time will tell.

In 2019 after 9 films the Skywalker Saga seemingly came to a close with The Rise of Skywalker. We've covered the Prequels. Then the Clone Wars & Star Wars Stories. After came the Original Trilogy before moving onto The Force Awakens and Last Jedi in the Sequel Trilogy. Join us as we take a look back at a film that had saw many feeling a collective sense of "meh" upon its release, but time can be both hard and kind. Where did we sit then? How do we feel about it now? Secrets only the Sith know? Time to join Rey, Finn, Poe and Chewbacca for one more ride.

It’s time to break out of jail, kick some Locust ass and GET THAT RESONATOR!! We discuss the recently announced Gears of War E-Day and then deep dive into the original EPIC trilogy we all know and love. Put em’ up sucker, this my kinda shit.

It's that time of year where people around the world tune into the latest news in the gaming industry. Whether it's the E3 of old or the current day Summer Game Fest as we know it there's usually something for everyone. This year, however, was saved primarily by one particular showcase...Xbox. An onslaught of amazing video games for over an hour surprised and delighted as we witnessed the bulk of video games anyone is excited about this year come down all in one fell swoop. It's time the Sacred boys weigh in with their thoughts.

In preparation for the Xbox showcase at Summer Games Fest with Geoff Keighley in the year of our lord and savior 2024 we are talking about Bungie’s classic Halo games. That’s right not 343, but Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, ODST and Reach. They defined the Xbox brand, but are they as good as Metacritic claims? The Sacred boys weigh in.

The stars have aligned in this SPOILER FREE episode. Both of us have managed to play Ninja Theory’s newest release on Xbox and beat it. The gaming industry has mixed feelings on it, but how do we feel? What happens next may shock you. Time to get loko.

We’re back to cover PSP, PS Vita, PS4 and PS5. The reveal and launch of the PS4 may be one of the most memorable console releases of all time. Sony decides to take advantage of a Microsoft that categorically made every mistake in the book. Can PlayStation keep its momentum?

Arguably the most contentious movie of all time. Disney’s third Star Wars film split the fandom in two. Most either love or hate it. We find the truth lay somewhere in the middle. After years of this one finding itself in conversations on other topics we've covered, it's time to finally give the floor to it fully. What's left to be said about this one that hasn't already been said though? Let's find out.

It's hard to imagine what the gaming industry would look like without the release and subsequent domination of Sony's first video game console. From broken partnerships and consumer friendly pricing to genre defining video game releases, this is the history of Playstation.

In a world where everything comes down to comparisons and competition, we reflect on the quality of the two main video game consoles removed of the semantics surrounding them. There’s no shortage of all time quality gaming no matter where you play.

Crawl out through the Fallout with us as we discuss our history with the video game series and our opinions on the new hit television show that is taking the world by storm. This episode is both SPOILER and RADIATION free!

Cinema This invades Sacred Icon!

Chewie, we're home.

Before the Disney era. Before the Clone Wars. Before the Prequels. There was THE Star Wars Trilogy. It's time to look back at the Original Trilogy. From our favorite bits, to the edits and so much more. We would be honored, if you would join us.

Halo the TV series season 2 has concluded and it’s left us wondering. What is Halo in 2024? Do we still love it? What does it need to be? Yeah, we’re back on our bullshit.

Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra has an impressive technical showcase while Epic Games continues to innovate and push the industry forward. Dragon’s Dogma II reviews are out and it looks like another game of the year contender is here.