Gaming Culture Radio

With E3 just a week away, the leaks and reveals are happening in bunches. First, we talk the new Death Stranding trailer which was accompanied by a release date in November 2019. How surprised are we that the highly anticipated game by Hideo Kojima is coming out this year? We also talk about the trailer itself and whether it tells us more about the story. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was officially announced, and we discuss the reveal trailer as well as the feelings by some that the game will be controversial because of the realism and some specific moments within the campaign. Where should the line be in video games? Also, it was accidentally confirmed that Square Enix will be talking about the new Avengers game during their briefing. We talk about a couple of the details we got on the game, and whether it sounds like something we want. Ubisoft is rumored to be revealing a subscription service during their E3 briefing this year - is some of the pushback against this trend within the gaming community valid? O

With only two weeks left until E3 2019, news is pretty scarce in the world of gaming. To make up for that, we discuss whether other developers will try to use the wildly successful Fortnite business model to their advantage in other genres, possibly as a way to replace the pay-to-win loot box model. Which games and genres could it work in? We know Sony is skipping E3 altogether, EA isn't holding a briefing this year, and Activision isn't having a booth on the show floor. How much is E3 hurt by these changes and absences? Does it damage the reputation of the show, or does it give an opportunity to other developers and publishers to get more exposure for a year? Sony recently made a statement that all three of their upcoming AAA exclusives will see PS4 releases. We talk whether that means we'll see Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, and The Last of Us 2 before the release of the PS5, or whether it was a way of saying the games will just be released for both consoles. Finally, we preview what Nintendo will brin

This week brought news of Xbox and PlayStation working together to make streaming games in the future more smooth and consistent for everyone around. How optimistic are we about where this new partnership will go? It's not going to be life changing, and they're still competitors, but we talk about what it could mean for the future of gaming. Ubisoft revealed how many major releases they'll be putting out in the next year - Spoiler alert: 4 - and we talk about the major upcoming game from Ubisoft that we know isn't included. Skull and Bones, the pirate simulator, was delayed again this week, this time until at least Spring 2020. We try to get over our sadness about the game being pushed back again and not even being at E3 this year to talk about whether this is a good thing for the game. Also, we preview what Ubisoft will have at E3 2019 this year, including what games we expect to see and what the publisher needs to do this year to call E3 a success for them. We also detail all the newest releases, and answ

This week, we dig into the legislation proposed in the United States Senate that would severely limit the ability of game developers to include loot box microtransactions in their games. We discuss whether loot crates constitute gambling, and talk about what might happen if developers and publishers lose the revenue stream found through microtransactions. EA Access finally got announced for PlayStation this week, and a new Ghost Recon game is on the way. We discuss Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and talk about whether it's worth picking up in October. Sony also held another State of Play where some new games were announced. We run down the list - some of them have us excited. Respawn has been busy, as 770K players have been banned from Apex Legends since April 1st. Finally, we preview what Bethesda might do at E3 2019, and discuss what they need to do to have a successful showing at the biggest gaming show of the year. We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice ma

This week starts our E3 preview content, as we discuss what we might expect to see from Electronic Arts and Square Enix at this year's show. We cover what they've done at E3 in recent years, talk about what they each need to do there this year, and finally, discuss what we expect to see from them this year. In news, Epic has purchased Psyonix, the developer behind Rocket League. What does this mean for Rocket League in the future? Is the small but vocal outcry about this acquisition warranted? Also, we got to see some more Borderlands 3 gameplay this week, and the game looks great. We discuss what we're most looking forward to with the new iteration of Borderlands coming this September. We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice mail questions -  in our Fan Mail segment! To become part of our awesome community, just use the links below: Links: Email: thegaminghubpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/725468307840683/ Twitch: www.twitch.t

This week, we learned a lot about what the PlayStation 5 will bring, as Mark Cerny revealed many of the specs of the upcoming console in an interview. We discuss what to expect from the more powerful console, and what each of the promised features means going for the next generation of consoles. Also, what might this console cost? Another episode of Inside Xbox took place this week, and two significant announcements emerged from it. First, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be available to all Xbox gamers sometime in 2019, and second, the Xbox One S All-Digital console was revealed. We discuss who this console might be for, especially at the price of $249.99 USD. Is Microsoft hurting themselves by putting this price on it? Microsoft also announced the date and time for the Xbox E3 briefing this year, and we chat about what we expect to see there. Finally, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order got a game play trailer at Star Wars Celebration last weekend, and we discuss our suddenly high hopes for the upcoming game from Resp

This week, we discuss the fact that you can now change your PSN name for $9.99. After finally doing this, should Sony get credit for it? Xbox has six more games hitting Game Pass in April - are any of them worth the download? Also, if you could take part in a real-life battle royale, would you want to? We discuss the potential three day event being proposed to take place on a private island in the near future. Finally, we discuss what counts as cheating in video games? Is taking advantage of a glitch in single player the same as doing it in multiplayer? After this topic had some "gamers" upset this week, we discuss what all the outrage was about and whether it was justified. We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice mail questions -  in our Fan Mail segment! To become part of our awesome community, just use the links below: Links: Email: thegaminghubpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/725468307840683/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/txhgamingh

This week brought more talk of game development and working conditions for developers, as a story broke that Bioware suffered from poor leadership and unfair expectations for its team during the development of Anthem. We discuss the impact this had on the actual game, what EA's role might have been in it, and Bioware's awful response to the article after it was published. What can Bioware do to correct their messaging and operations going forward? Borderlands 3 got a release date, and we're really excited about it. We discuss whether we'd like to see anything different in the new game, or is Borderlands the type of franchise where you just want to see and experience more of the same? Finally, a member of the Royal Family thinks Fortnite should be banned in the U.K., and we think that's preposterous. Why do "leaders" so often focus on video games as a problem while ignoring the real problems we have in the world? We get into that and more this week! We also detail all the newest releases, and answer communit

This week, Gearbox announced Borderlands 3 with a release by the end of Gearbox's fiscal year. They also announced the Borderlands GOTY remaster with a release date of much much sooner. How excited are we for the remaster and the third game in the series. We discuss how Borderlands has compared to other games in the loot chooter genre and what they need to do this time around. Sony held its first State of Play this week, and a lot of PSVR games were announced, along with updates on some first party titles. Did any of the VR games catch our eye? Spoiler: Iron Man looks pretty cool! Will anything make Graham look forward to Days Gone? He discusses why he just can't get excited for PlayStation's next exclusive. We also cover the rumor that PlayStation might have their version of Amiibos on the way, and the rumor that Nintendo is planning two new versions of the Switch for release this year. Who are they for, and how many will Graham buy? Finally, Ubisoft confirmed their E3 press briefing date and time - will we

GDC was this week, and Google made a huge splash by revealing Stadia as they enter the video game market. Does the new platform represent the future of gaming as a streaming service, or will consoles and physical discs still reign supreme? We discuss the benefits of Google's tech and talk about who this service is ideally for - as well as whether any of us will be adopting Stadia later this year. In addition, Phil Spencer supposedly responded to the Stadia reveal in an internal email to the Xbox team that was leaked. We discuss whether we think the email is true, and more importantly, what Xbox's response to Stadia will be at this year's E3. The Xbox team continues to say they're planning to go big at E3 this year; what could that mean? We talk about what we think will happen at the biggest gaming show of the year. Nintendo announced a bunch of new indie game releases for the Switch, and Konami is celebrating its 50th anniversary with three different collections. Which of these are worth buying? Finally, we d

This week, we kick off the show with a big announcement about where the podcast is headed in 2019! In news, there was another Inside Xbox this week, and we recap the biggest announcements from it, including Halo finally coming to PC. Borderlands 3 might finally be on the way after Gearbox teased a very Borderlandsy image this week promising an announcement soon. ESPN is putting on collegiate E-sports competitions this spring, and we think that's a good thing as it brings gaming more exposure. We're really excited about the announcement of Back 4 Blood, the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead by Turtle Rock. We discuss some of our favorite Left 4 Dead memories and talk about what we hope to see from Back 4 Blood. Will it be significantly different from Left 4 Dead, and should it? Finally, Jade Raymond was announced as a VP at Google just ahead of their announcement about Google's vision for the future of gaming. We discuss what Google might be bringing to gaming in the near future. We also detail all the newe

This week, we talk about the rumors that Xbox will introduce a disc-less Xbox One S that will go on sale in May. Who is this console for? Is it smart to release it in the early part of the year? Finally, if they're releasing it before E3 this year, what could that mean for their E3 plans as far as announcements go? We don't all agree here, as Steven feels the Xbox One is currently not worth a purchase (we come to Xbox's defense though - a little). Devil May Cry 5 looks great and is scoring very well in reviews so far. Only one of us is getting the game at launch though - why is Graham sold on it and the rest of us aren't? In PlayStation news, the early feedback on Days Gone has been very positive overall. We talk about why and see if we can get Graham to at least think about getting the game next month when it releases. MLB19 also is bringing a couple of new modes this year, and we discuss our feelings about each one. Spoilers: we're really excited about one of them. To wrap up news, EA announced that they wi

This week, we talk a lot of Nintendo, as we learned of Pokemon Sword and Shield. Graham and Steven look forward to the game and discuss what they're most looking forward to with the first mainline Pokemon game to come to a console. Also on the Nintendo front, the release date of the Resident Evil 0, 4, and Resident Evil Remastered ports were released this week. Will any of us be buying them? We learned very little about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order last year at E3, but more information is coming at Star Wars Celebration in April. What are we hoping to see from the new Star Wars game Respawn is developing? Also, why can't many Star Wars fans enjoy new Star Wars content? Finally, rumors are swirling about a new Fallout game after Amazon used the countdown image as a placeholder for a new Bethesda game this week, and we might have learned the release date for The Outer Worlds. We discuss all that and more on this week's episode! We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - includin

We begin this week with the news that Reggie Fils-Aime is retiring as president of Nintendo of America effective in April. We take a moment to reflect on his career and celebrate his contributions to gaming and his role as a positive force in the gaming world. Also, we talk in-depth about both Crackdown 3 and Anthem, and our experiences so far with each. It's not all bad, as there are positives for both games. Finally, we dig into Microsoft's first-party games problem in comparison to the exclusives Sony and Nintendo offer on their systems. How did Xbox arrive at this point, and how do they recover? In addition, we discuss the rumor that Xbox Game Pass could be coming to the Nintendo Switch soon and the implications partnerships like that could have on the industry as a whole. We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice mail questions -  in our Fan Mail segment! To become part of our awesome community, just use the links below: Links: Email: thegaminghubpodca

This week, Activision announced over 800 jobs were being cut during their quarterly earnings call. We talk about the decision, as well as the outrage from some of the gaming community and the reality that our favorite hobby is also a huge industry where financial results often come first for publishers. In other news, the DICE awards were this week, and God of War did incredibly well again. We discuss that and some of the other winners from the awards. Also, Nintendo had another direct this week where they announced a lot of games coming to the Switch. Some new and some are remakes, but we discuss the biggest announcements here. Finally, Sony's Shawn Layden spoke this week about both the decision for PlayStation to not be at E3 2019 and the possibility that we will be looking at a time where you can play all games regardless of which console you own in the future. We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice mail questions -  in our Fan Mail segment! To become

This week, The Gaming Hub Podcast discusses the launch of Apex Legends, the new Battle Royale shooter from Respawn. It has received a lot of positive feedback, so how do we like it? Also, what does this mean for the future of Titanfall and for Battlefield V's own battle royale mode, Firestorm. Is Electronic Arts allowing similar games and modes under its umbrella to compete with each other yet again? In other news, Xbox Live will be headed to IOS, Android, and Nintendo Switch soon. We get into what this could mean for the Nintendo Switch, and how much of Xbox Live we think will actually be accessible on the Nintendo platform. Also, we discuss the recent string of collaborations between Xbox and Nintendo, and what that relationship could mean for gaming in the future. Finally, rumors surfaced that the PlayStation 5 will have backwards compatibility - what does that mean for the next gen landscape? We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice mail questions -  i

Join us for Episode 145 of The Gaming Hub Podcast! Apologies for the late upload!

This week, we discuss the rumors that Fallout 76 might be going free to play soon. Bethesda has denied these rumors, but we talk about the chances that it could actually happen in 2019. More EA Star Wars news surfaced this week regarding what Bioware wanted to do with the license, and we dig into that as well. In other news, Kingdom Hearts 3 reviews are starting to come in, and Steven shares his thoughts on them thus far. Anthem's betas are here - how excited are we to get our hands on the game and try it out? Finally, did Best Buy really drop a hint as to when Death Stranding will be released? We also detail all the newest releases, and answer community questions - including new voice mail questions -  in our Fan Mail segment! To become part of our awesome community, just use the links below: Links: Email: thegaminghubpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/725468307840683/ Twitch: www.twitch.tv/txhgaminghub Twitter: https://twitter.com/TXHGamingHub Discord: https://discord.gg/TgjEmdf P

With a lot of big new releases now approaching, we discuss the news this week that Anthem will have matchmaking for every activity in the game. Will this make for a more seamless experience in the game, and does it affect our excitement level for Electronic Arts' much hyped competitor to Destiny? Speaking of EA, they also announced more changes to their planned Star Wars offerings this week. With the perception of disorganization and no clear plan for what to do with the Star Wars license, is it time to start asking if EA is the right company to have the license? If they're not, which developer or publisher would we love to see take Star Wars? We get into the latest news and rumors around Star Wars games, including what we know about the upcoming Jedi Fallen Order game. In other news, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is getting a new addition for Blackout, Hitman's developer is getting a second studio, and the real-life Pinkertons aren't happy with Rockstar and Red Dead Redemption 2. We discuss all of that on this w

This week, we discuss the announced split between Bungie and Activision. What does this mean for the future of Destiny? We talk about the implications of Bungie retaining the rights to the Destiny franchise, as well as discussing who we think initiated the breakup. Are we more or less excited for the future Destiny 3 based on this announcement? In other news, a new Alien game was announced - and it is a mobile only game. Are fans right to be upset about the game only being available for mobile devices? What are the benefits of the studio to make it mobile only? Also, CES was this week, and that meant the announcement of new TVs for us to feast our eyes on. We discuss two of the ones that really caught our eye, and make guesses as to how much they'll cost. Finally, we take the time to make some predictions for what will happen in the world of gaming in 2019. Will we see The Last of Us 2? Will the PlayStation 5 be announced and revealed? Will Nintendo release an upgraded version of the Switch? We make predictio