YoVideogames!

This week's episode comes from Patron Scott M. He asked: what's a console that is too primitive or old for us to go back and play? Now, I am young. A baby even. Just a forever young, some might say devilishly handsome - I won't stop them - man. So, while I played an Atari 2600, and have seen a couple other gen one and two consoles, really things started with gen three and the NES, or even Gen four and the Sega Genesis. That being said, everyone has memories of playing the oldest consoles from the 70's because there are pizza shops all over that have the arcade versions. Given that we talked about a new Neo Geo being made, and who might want that... Does anyone want newly manufactured RCA Studio 2? No. But do we want a modern version of the Coleco Telstar Arcade from 1977? Uh, yeah I'd be down for a modern upgrade to that for sure. Also, we talk about how I plan to spend my eighties. In a few words? Drug fueled spiral unto death.

This is an eclectic episode where we catch up on some of the news floating around. First, we talk about the new Neo Geo being released along with 10 games. The console itself will be 250 USD, and the games $90 each. Or you can get a bundle of the console, and all ten games for 1k even. Seems steep until you compare it to the price of the original Neo Geo: 1k for the console, 200 bucks per game in 1990 money. Personally, I have to ask: who wants this? In this day and age, is this anything beyond a collectors item? And then it hits me: that's exactly what they said about the original Neo Geo. Maybe the universe is healing. Then, we talk about the new, lower, Game Pass price, and finally we talk about Shuhei Yoshida's comments about Jim Ryan. They should shock people because comments like this just don't really happen in the game industry, and especially not from the Japanese side. Makes you wonder how poorly Jim's tenure is viewed if Yoshida casually dropped these comments.

I'm alive! I spent last week fighting a sinus infection - sorry for the missed episode but as you'll hear in the beginning of this episode: it was gross as hell and unavoidable. There's a few topics going this episode, but the theme seems to be companies having too much money to be doing the layoffs they claim are necessary. We also talk Crimson Desert, Pixar, Disney Layoffs, and the Rockstar financial leak.

In this weeks episode we talk rumors and how I got got by a Zelda rumor. We talk insane pricing and while the RAM crash has begun, we doubt it'll ever drop back to pre-AI craze pricing. Plus we talk about the Disney/Epic Games rumors. Then, we dive into how exciting 2026 is for FGC. Marvel Tokon, Invincible VS, and Avatar are all coming very soon this year. And pricing is reasonable on all three games. Especially reasonable on Avatar. So, while the bad news, and the rumors still swirl - it is still shaping to be a great year for games.

Epic laid off a bunch of leads on the Fortnite Team. Does this signal that Fortnite is slipping? Is this related to Epic going after Google and Apple app stores? We talk about this and more in this episode!

The guys at Digital Foundry put themselves in a bit of hot water because they absolutely glazed DLSS 5 - the new technology shown by NVIDIA - and it amounts to an advanced Snapchat filter. I'm willing to give them a pass if only because geeking out about tech is what they do, and I am sure this is very impressive on a technical level. However, NVIDIA is calling it "content control Generative AI" and they say it is just a tool. In one breath, they say it doesn't change anything about the art style or graphics, and in the other they proudly announce it makes changes at the "geometric level". But it's just a tool, guys. The devs have the control and it isn't meant to replace a team member, duh. Ofcourse then one need ask: why does it generate geometry, rather than say enhance/smooth like DLSS4.5?

Apparently this has been a thing for a few years now, but I just noticed it. March 10 - MAR10 - Mario Day. You get it. This caused us to start talking about the mainline Super Mario games and... Is there any other franchise as consistently good as Super Mario? And if there is: is it as long running as Super Mario? Probably not on either count. Additionally, we talk about current industry news (spoiler: more layoffs) and why Nintendo seems immune to making the same blunders everyone else is making.

We're talkin RE9 (mostly spoiler free). We're talking Capcom Spotlight (could have been a text). We're talking Xbox announcing Project Helix. (It's a PC).

It's like news breaks in chunks these days. Is that planned? It feels planned. In this episode we cover: Saudi Arabia buys the rest of EVO and announces plans for multiple cities worldwide to host their own. Phil Spencer has retired and his replacement is definitely a signal of what is to come. And Aussies are fun to hang with wherever you meet them. (Okay we don't really cover that but I do mention it.) In this episode we reference these articles a few times, and I recommend you read them if you have time because they add a ton of context: The Verge article about Xbox Leadership shake up (Sarah Bonds abrupt exit): https://www.theverge.com/tech/883015/microsoft-xbox-new-ceo-shakeup-notepad Seamus Blackley says Xbox is being sunsetted: https://gamesbeat.com/what-an-xbox-founder-thinks-of-the-new-xbox-ceo-seamus-blackley-interview/ Do I think Xbox is being sunsetted? No. If it gets back on track it is a big earner, and it fits with Satya Nadella's goals. Namely consumer cloud compute and AI adoption. I expect the next iteration of Xbox to have an AI assistant that you can't opt out of, and of course AI "tools" will be used in all projects moving forward. I expect it will be used as a selling point on every game. "New AI makes bots behave naturally!" "AI learns and adapts to how you play!!!!" " GenAI generated levels mean every playthrough is unique!!!!!!!!" Stuff like that. Do I think Xbox is being brought in line with Satya Nadella's AI push? Absolutely. Do I think Asha Sharma is going to bring about a new Xbox Golden Age? No. But I do think we need to wait a year to see what she actually does. Because this year will mostly be finishing up Phil's plans. We won't know her real priorities for 6 months minimum, and I am saying a year to be generous.  

In the 90's and early 00's you typically saw multiple (2 or more) entries into a series per decade. That meant you could really fall in love with a series, and it also meant you could overlook an entry that sucked. This is a story about DragonQuest. It's a story about Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Mario, Zelda. Basically all of the beloved franchises today. As development costs soar, development time does too, and that means you aren't getting as many games in a series per decade. There's pros and cons to that I guess, but one major con is that any single game that releases can tank a franchise, or company. Is there anyone who still has an output that looks like this? We think there is, and they are clearly doing something right.

Sony's State of Play 2026 finally delivers a show worth watching. If it were a competition (it is), this would be the first big win of 2026! 30+ games over 70 minutes. Some weird, some wonderful. Lets dig in!

No big surprises this time, but not a bad direct. I think we all know partners will mostly be porting games for Switch 2. We talk about the direct, what Nintendo's year is looking like and then finally: the rumored Xbox Magnus.

The VirtuaBoy re-release is one of those things where the more you look at it, the dumber it gets, but also if it brings someone a lot of joy to own: who am I to judge? I hope it DOES make someone out there deliriously happy. But all the games will be on the e-shop only, and only accessible via a subscription. And THAT is downright criminal. Because there will come a day when you lose access to that. Then, the VirtuaBoy becomes detritus that sits on your desk or in a closet. All of this to say the High Seas will be the only place to find these things and it'll be (insert company here)'s fault piracy makes the comeback it does.

Are we burned out? Probably yes. 2026 has started with 20 days of constant churning news. But there are good games coming this year. Games we should be seeing lots of hype for. Instead it seems like the hype train has derailed. So, why is that? What brings the hype back?

Clickbait title is clickbait. Sorta. Because Matt is back from his honeymoon, and maybe the industry is entering a new spiral phase... But the title is about Matt's honeymoon. We cover a lot this episode. Matt finally saw Titanic and he's got some feelings. I go a little overboard talking about Billy Zane. We discuss games we waited to play and are happy we did because they are great. It's an eclectic but fun episode. And it won't make sense until you listen to the episode all the way, but I just want everyone to know I pronounce Appalachia correctly and Matt is wrong :P

As the year comes to a close we like to review the past twelve months in gaming with an eye on what to expect next year. What games missed the mark? What games ended up sticking with us (sometimes to our great surprise)? Was it overall a good or bad year for the industry? For the gamer? Happy New Year! We hope you guys are having a wonderful holiday. Here's to 2026 being a great year for games, but also a great year for each of us in our personal endeavors!

A Christmas Carol themed holiday episode? That's right. It's a Christmas Carol themed holiday episode. But... What does that mean? It means we are going to look at ghosts of Christmas Past (1995), Christmas Present (what it's looking like this year) and Christmas Future (if nothing changes) to try and figure out what is going on with the industry and where it might be going. So, if you're stuck driving to your in-laws, visiting family, or have to work this Christmas Eve and need the company of foul-mouthed nerds - we are here for you. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Small bomb dropped when indie darling Larian revealed it uses AI in the preproduction and ideation phase of game development. Naturally, opinions deviate strongly, especially because artists have left Larian over their use of AI. In this episode, we discuss Jason Schreier's Bloomberg interview with Larian CEO Swen Vincke. Specifically, we discuss Vincke's quote about how Larian uses AI, and what, if any positive effect it has had. For the full context and a great read - check out the full article here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-12-16/-baldur-s-gate-3-maker-promises-divinity-will-be-next-level It is no secret that neither of us are fans of AI, but I take the devil's advocate position this episode. I do actually think there are spots where AI could help creatives with busy work. (Our problem is: we all know that isn't what AI is targeting.)

Recently, both Marvel Tokon and Avatar: The Last Airbender had their beta weekends. In a shocking turn - the perception of each game FLIPPED. Where players expected Tokon to dominate attention, and Avatar to be a fun but forgettable curio tie-in game; we instead watched people lose their minds at just how good Avatar was while also being underwhelmed by Tokon. Nothing is set in stone and Tokon is by no means bad, but I don't think anyone was expecting how good Avatar has turned out to be.

Like all gamers, we sometimes get hit by ideas we just NEED to see made into a game. From extraction shooters to racing games, here are some ideas we have been noodling on for a while. Comment with your burning idea (unless of course you are currently developing it)!

Next year looks pretty cool for the FGC. Three promising games, from promising teams, are coming at some point in 2026. An interesting connection between all three games? They are all based on animated shows/comic books IP... Huh. Is this a good thing? Or is this a trap?   To all our listeners in the USA - Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a wonderful meal with family and friends.

Handhelds are on the rise! Where once the only option was a Switch or a Steam Deck, now we have Android devices like Ayn's ODIN line, Lenovo's Legion Go, and ROG's Ally series. Plus, Playstation and Xbox are expected to commit to hybrid or handheld consoles in the near future. So, how do you know where to start? Do OS's matter? Do price points differ greatly? Here's a casual guide to handhelds on the market today or coming very soon. Their price points, who we think they are for, and why you might choose one over the other. We aren't trying to be Digital Foundry. We aren't going in depth into tech specs. This is just an overview of what we like and don't like of each.

Sony dropped a State of Play just for its Japanese Developers. Matt and I are split on this one. He feels it fell flat, I feel it says: Sony is finally waking up to the type of games it should be pushing harder. Plus: We debate horror elements and their effectiveness. I love ambience and build up, he loves sudden unavoidable terror. We score the State of Play out of TEN. We talk Marvel Tokon and how maybe Sony didn't think this was going to get much attention (Kpop Demon Hunters all over again!?) And we close talking about alleged Rockstar Union Busting.

In the 90's tie-in games for movies and TV shows were pretty much BS. I mean most of the time they had little to nothing to do with the property they were tying into, and in the worst of cases actively made the original property worse by association (ET). Not to say that there weren't good ones, too. But more often than not, a tie-in game never raised expectations. That isn't true into the 00's and later though. So, we get to thinking, what would be an unlikely tie-in game for a movie, or tv show or book - whatever. And what genre/gameplay would the game have?

Hey, so all these layoffs? Well, it means lots of projects are dead in the water. And that means we are going to see a serious dip in games coming to market. Will that be next year some time? Maybe the year after? And I hear you - AI is gonna solve this problem! But what if it doesn't? What if AI goes bust? No your highly profitable money printing game business is limping because you shot it in the foot. Also, because it was fun we talk about theme parks and which, if any, are worth the money right now.

I liked the title The Freak Leak, but then who would click on it? GameFreak had a leak. It was possibly an old school phishing scheme, which is sort of hilarious. That leak did tell us what games they are working on for the coming five years or so, but that isn't what we are interested in - two guess what it the games are though lol. No they leaked GameFreak budgets and earnings for the last several games, and what that tells us is pretty interesting.

It's Microsoft. Rumor has it that Microsoft wants out of the hardware business (surprise, surprise!) and that means Xbox may not have a new generation next year. But does that mean Xbox is dead? Maybe not. As we have seen: Xbox branded portable could lead into Xbox branded gaming PCs and so on. So, if 3rd party is close to dead in the US, and Microsoft is considering taking up that mantle instead of 3rd party - where does that leave Indie Games? Kickstarter. I've never been a huge fan of crowdfunding games (or movies to be honest) but it is undeniable that good things have come from the platform.

What is the state of the gaming industry going in to Holiday 2025? Shockingly fragile. There is only one major third party publisher left in the US. Microsoft is backing away from hardware. Sony is facing down stagnation. And then there's Nintendo. Who's mostly fine. They aren't happy about tariffs, but for the most part they are weathering this storm exceedingly well? Why is that? Let's get into the State of Games!

Sony and Microsoft had their showcases this week for TGS 2025. We dive into what's exciting, what's confusing, and what is just plain bad. Join us for some musings on the next six months in gaming!

The price of gaming keeps going up. Sure, part of it for those of us in the US is tariffs. But gaming has become much more expensive world wide. Especially AAA gaming. However, with games like Clair Obscur and Silksong coming in well under AAA pricing, and punching far above their weight - we need to ask: will triple A games be worth the price next year?

Did Nintendo beat expectations? No. Well, according to Matt. While nothing was BAD in the direct, and plenty was GOOD: Nintendo didn't justify the new system or the cost increases (Tariffs not included). Personally, I was easier to please. Maybe because I know I am not going to buy a Switch 2 for at least a year. We gave the PS5 a year to try and justify itself, I think we need to be fair and give the Switch 2 the same amount of time. Positive side: at least Nintendo is supporting its platform. They have a slate of good games and a large one at that.

Game journalism is often derided as pointless or nonexistent. We ourselves have made those jokes in the past, especially when talking about the old school game magazines. But what happens when game journalism dies? Journalism in general is on its last legs, and game journalism seems to be on the very edge of disappearing. Content creators sometimes conflate themselves with journalists, or pretend they are doing the same job, and it is important to realize that much of the content we love could not exist without the work actual journalists do in investigating the business, and interviewing game devs.

Or "Old Men Yell At Cloud" There's a lot of great games. Honestly, there might actually be more good games than bad ones these days. But sometimes, even a good game, that people love, make us scratch our heads. We've talked about them here and there in the past, but now we are going to focus on them. For fun. Don't take this too seriously. Enjoy the goofs and hop in with some of your own. The more over the top, the better. You don't understand why people still love Mario games? Hell yeah, brother. Don't get how anyone could care about the new Shinobi game? Okay well, hey now... Wish people would shut up about Xenoblade? We're getting a little hurtful... Lets-- WISH PEOPLE WOULD JUST STFU ABOUT CLAIR OBSCUR!? Getting carried away boys!

I held it together and we recorded a little Gamescom talk. We didn't go super deep on any one game, but the biggest takeaway this year? Horror fans are gonna EAT. At least, in my opinion. Hop in, hang out, I only cough twice and never into the microphone. I was very brave: say it!

We're in the doldrums before Gamescom, so there is a tight lid on anything new and exciting. I just got back from a week of travel so bad I'm having flashbacks straight out of Apocalypse Now. And that means: we meander a bit this episode. We cover a bunch of small topics and tangents. Enjoy us in your ears as we cover industry panic, and the usual "back in my day" generational hate that corpos love to pump out whenever the newest punching bag is old enough to "kill industries".

Episode 500 is for the haters! We've been on a positive upswing for almost two years now, but it's time to return to our roots. We were born haters, and haters we shall remain! Actually, we've spent so long focusing on staying positive that we had sort of a hard time being too harsh - even when the games deserved it. But we still had fun and I bet you will too! So, jump in and enjoy the most trash games we ever spent our dollars on. Maybe, you also feel this way. Maybe, you played something worse. But if you say Blasto... Oh my momma if you say Blasto!

Something entirely new. Not based on an existing IP. Built from the ground up by a good team without the restrictions of making characters that match expectations. How do you do it? Matt brings out his Fighting Game Triangle: Content, Roster, Presentation and we dig into finding a balance among the three. He does not like my ideas. :P

Taking a suggestion from you guys: we decided to talk about games we hope don't get forgotten by end of year. And maybe a couple we know definitely will. So, let's talk early GOTY contenders, and a couple disappointments.

The reactions to Ghost of Yotei have been mostly positive, but one common complaint is that there was "no reason" to not continue Jin Sakai's story. In my opinion, it's okay that his story is done and it is more interesting to leap to a new time and new character. This provokes another conversation about sequels/franchises in general: do gamers want more of the same? Is there no market incentive for new ideas?

Microsoft has ruined all its goodwill from even six months ago. Is that Phil Spencer's fault? Probably not. In fact there is evidence that ol' Philly boy has done his best, but that doesn't help the thousands Microsoft laid off - so our sympathy is limited. I don't think Xbox is ever going to climb out of the hole it dug itself fifteen years ago. This may all just be the long slow death spiral. ANYWAY, it's Matt's birthday episode! Besides Microsoft we talk about Matt's strong thighs, Donkey Kong setting up for GOTY, Ghost of Yotei, and we fan-cast James Bond. 

Hey! Welcome back. You may have noticed a lack of episode last week, and that is because of not one, but three freak acts of nature. It is not an exciting story, but it does emphasize that I might be cursed. Anyway, the delay meant that I could buy and check out Death Stranding 2. I didn't play DS1. I had seen enough of it at several E3s to know it wasn't gonna be my jam. But it is a Kojima game. So, I'd be a liar if I didn't say I was always tempted. Now, here comes a sequel. It looks like Kojima has gone maximalist. The writing? Max Kojima. Now with more combat. More stealth. More weirdness. And it hadn't been shown to death at several conventions. So... I decided to go for it. Now, I am several hours in and I am beginning to think my initial instincts were right. This one isn't for me. If you liked DS1, though? You're probably going to love DS2. My yapping to Matt about it inspired the topic for this episode, because it turns out: Matt isn't sold on a coming sequel that everyone is amped for. So, what sells us a sequel? Why did I get DS2, and why isn't he interested in Resident Evil 9?

2025 Sony State of Play, Summer Games Fest, and the Xbox showcase have come and gone. We've had some time to step back, come down from the hype, and think of what really grabbed our attention last week. So, what stood out to you? What got you hyped in the moment, but now that you've had a minute, the optimism has cooled? Was Not-E3 a major success? For us: it's looking like a good year. Let's talk about why.

This week we have a special guest on the show: Madfinger Games' PR and Comms Director - Rick Lagnese! Madfinger Games is currently developing Grayzone Warfare, an MMO FPS in early access, but has its beginnings in mobile games. You might think that is a huge leap, but there is a clear through-line from their earliest games to today. Developing and self publishing a AAA title is no easy feat and we get into what that means for the team and why early access is what makes it possible. Jump in, meet Rick, have good times with us!

Oh, okay Sony. I don't know why people are so hard to please these days, but this was a solid presentation. Went from one game on the horizon to now like half a dozen dropping just in September? Pragmata isn't dead? Romeo IS dead? Overall this is one of Sony's better state of play presentations - let's get into why!

It's that time of year where things slow down. The calm before the storm of summer announcements. E3 may be dead but the excitement of E3 week lives on. Unfortunately, it means this time of year - unless there is a major leak - is usually quiet. But that's okay because this episode we talk about areas of the world, mythologies and cultures that could come to prominence in gaming. With the US industry seemingly stumbling, are there other countries that could grow to dominate the industry? Also, at the end of the end of the episode I mention a great horror book, but couldn't recall the exact title: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman. Enjoy!

Subjectively, yes. There are games I would pay 80 for and not feel bad. Although one problem may be that you don't know until you own it and have played it - whether it is worth it. Profits in the game industry have never been higher, so why is Randy saying he needs the real fans to shell out 80 bucks for a game? What makes a game "high end" in his mind, and thus worth the extra money? The fact is: 80 dollar games are coming. And that means that the market is likely going to shrink. F2P is going to continue to dominate because most people will play that and only occasionally buy other games. And maybe that's okay. Personally I think that will cause a bigger contraction than expected, but again, maybe that is for the best. Randy only wants real fans buying Borderlands anyway.

Alright, who the hell knows what's coming for Summer GamesFest 2025. Microsoft has blown it's load so maybe we have a shocking Xbox Games Showcase in June, or maybe it is a dead zone. Sony has Ghost of Yotei and Marathon, but Marathon is in rough shape by many accounts. And Nintendo is going to do its own thing. What's that leave? Two hours of Death Stranding 2? We spend half the episode talking anime and movies too because it was fun.

1000xRESIST was a GOTY contender for Matt last year and by a twist of good luck we got to sit down with Remy Siu, the creative director, for the one year anniversary of release. With such a small team, Remy wore a lot of hats. He comes from a performing arts background, and during the COVID shutdown he found himself with the time to start learning Unity, and the prototype for 1000xRESIST was born. We talk inspiration, process, and delivery. Plus Remy drops hints for some special One Year Anniversary news. You can find Remy on: Bluesky @sunsetvisitor.studio & Twitter @remysiu

This week saw the buying of Polygon (and subsequent layoffs), GiantBomb's implosion (and subsequent staff exodus) and in a bright spot Clair Obscur Expedition 33 released (it is great!) So, why is the industry seemingly cannibalizing itself at the height of its fortunes? Well, we've said it before: short term gains to entice investors. Alanah Pearce just did a deep dive video all about it. In her video she discusses an investment analysis of the video game market and she talks to investors to get their takes. We reference her video a lot because it confirms things we have said over the last year - now with hard data! Watch here: https://youtu.be/9HM9nmqNioQ?si=JNVKxNR0NTM0sEoQ

In this week's episode we wanted to keep it fun and light again. So, we talk about the true enemy of a good time: realism. Okay not always. Some realistic elements can really add to a game. Certain mechanics being realistic adds authenticity, or keeps a loop challenging and fresh. But when does realism go too far? Also in this episode: reasons Miami sucks. Reasons LA sucks. Matt finally played GTA5. Reasons so many people died on the Oregon trail. And The Hatchet.