Yo Videogames

Multiversus seems to really be causing a split in the fgc over the fate of free to play being good or bad. We've said in the past that it would probably be overall good for fighting games to go the f2p route - even though we don't typically like f2p.

We had been trying to move a little further away from news-centric episodes but today several delay bombs dropped and we had to talk about it. Does this point to a major hole in project management for studios?

We knew things were getting serious when Microsoft bought Activision (and that is being finalized now) but Sony buying Bungie, and for a staggering amount, has really kicked the buying war into gear. Tune in and follow us on a journey of what could be if all the big 3rd parties get snapped up.

Yesterday (7/11) Matt celebrated the second most important day of his life - that's right, his birthday! He's a man now and we decided to reflect on his favorite birthday gaming memories. Can you think of the best games you've ever gotten as a birthday gift?

Rockstar announced it has killed its remaster of GTAIV and Red Dead Redemption. A mixed bag because we both sort of looked forward to RDR coming back but we have mixed feelings about remasters and remakes in general. Is this a sign that remakes, remasters and the dreaded re-re-remasters are finally slowing down industry wide?

Today's episode is all about the Nintendo Partner Mini Direct to round out our Not E3 Gamer Holiday! The title is a reference to an old meme. Would you like to know more?

It wouldn't be announcement season without at least one good leak and this year it is a big one. The entire roster, and art for Street Fighter 6 has leaked. We talk about who's returning and whether bringing back all of the original 8 is a good thing or stagnant. Shine on!

First thing - this episode my audio mixer seems to have died. So, I am quieter than Matt even after post processing. It is not your audio, please do not crank up volume. I'll get a replacement before next week's episode. Apologies! That being said, you can still hear me, it just sounds like Matt is closer. ANYWAY - with the exception of a rumored Nintendo (and Squeenix) presentation coming - we have had our totally not E3 but sorta E3 announcement train roll through. Today's episode has us talking some highlights and what game we were totally surprised by. Shine on!

Welcome to Not E3 week! Last week Sony had a really great State of Play. This weekend is Summer Games Fest and Microsoft's event. So we are taking the downtime this week to reflect on E3 and how this time of year retains its importance even without an event to centralize the news and frenzy.

I'm sure everyone at Sony is pretty happy with how that State of Play went. Of course you had the big three announcements, but it is hard to pick out a weak showing in the entire half hour. Join us as we discuss our favorite announcements and speculate on what we might expect from these games as Sony finally takes the next gen seriously!

In 1982, a melt down occurred in the video game industry. The next decade saw a market flooded with consoles and an absolute tsunami of bad software. Another shock had come. This time instead of coming for Atari, it came for Sega and resulted in one of the lamest years in gaming history. Our episode today references this wonderful post on Mega Drive Shock: https://mdshock.com/2022/05/09/a-second-atari-shock-the-decline-of-the-16-bit-console-era/

Sony confirmed a list of games that will be on its GamePass competitor - PSN Premium. The highest of the three tiers, it will include older games from PS3 down to PS1. While it is an astonishingly small number of ps1 and 2 games that have been announced, overall it looks like a selection of good games from every generation. Especially PS4 - where if you are new to the Sony console ecosystem, Premium offers a mix of the best games from last gen.

So, it turns out that Nintendo is not a great company to work for - shocking. But apparently it is even worse for contractors (or associates as Nintendo calls them). Now, it is not exactly a well kept secret that tech companies use a TON of contract labor to avoid hiring more full time employees. It's a way to save on benefits packages, save the hassle of the often long hiring and firing process, and it reads as temporary cost on your earnings, rather than the fixed cost of staff. Being a contractor can be brutal, and often there is a sort of social hierarchy within the companies that separate FTE from Contractors. I know from experience. This is one of the worst/most extreme examples I have ever heard of though. So strap in cus it gets a bit weird.

It's a battle of the bastards in this episode. Yuji Naka has sued Square Enix over being removed unceremoniously from his position as director of Balan Wonderworld. In a shocking twist, notorious d%khead Yuji Naka may be the hero of this story. We top this episode off with the news that Square Enix has sold its western development teams which comes with renewed hope that we will see a Legacy of Kain game again someday!

It's not a great title for SEO but I genuinely love Business Suit Blanka and it makes me laugh so I am keeping it. This week sees some news finally drop, from Sony's cool less known update to PS5, to Microsoft having a shockingly good quarter. And because BS Blanka is cool we had to get into a couple cool cross over moments we remember.

Normally this would be when teases and rumors start flying for in the build up to E3, but since E3 is dead - I guess the rumor season will have to evolve. Today's episode is about the unexpected news Nintendo just dropped and how it is easier than ever to find an audience. Question of the day is whether an early teaser trailer, sometimes years before a games release, or the rumor mill is better?

Slow news week means evergreen-ish topic. I haven't seen Sonic yet. To be honest, I had no plans to see Sonic but Matt loved it and we decided to talk about what made it a good adaption in an attempt to sell me on it.  

Matt has been going through some retro games lately and he's been wanting to talk about what it's like finding games that have real staying power versus others that age like moldy old cheese. With back logs being a big selling point GamePass and Sony's TotallyNotGamePass - how much of that backlog has even aged well I wonder?

Sony officially announced its GamePass competitor today! It is NOT called Codename: Spartacus - which would have been super cool - but instead is called PlayStation Plus Essential, Extra, or Premium (sometimes called Deluxe). We dive in with a comparison of the offerings and a small debate on which is better value: GamePass or Sony's PPP. Shine on!

We got another great suggested topic, this time from Myles! The evolution of genre in gaming. He uses the example of SRPGs and how they have grown due to incorporating new genre elements - like dating sims in their case - to freshen things up. I'd hazard a guess that literally every series shifts genres here and there, but those shifts can be interesting reactions, or miscalculations about cultural trends or audience desires. Shine on!