4player Podcast

David makes a sudden and somewhat chaotic return to the podcast this week to talk about the latest news involving the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the surprise announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4! On top of that Chris Davis talks about his time with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black which was announced and shadow dropped at the same time. In the second segment, Brad talks about his addiction to Lorn's Lure; a game about climbing megastructures that seems like it was absolutely made for Brad specifically. David brings his usual randomness to talk about his frustration with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and... Clock Tower Rewind? News - Ninja Gaiden 4 Announced Impressions - Ninja Gaiden 2 Black News - Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement Impressions - Lorn's Lure Impressions - Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Impressions - Clock Tower Rewind 4Player Minute (Filibuster Edition) 

As is customary, we jump start a new year by revisiting the old one! It's time to run through a bunch of meaningly award categories that we made up for fun! We even introduced a new set of "Wild Card" awards that are complete surprises for everyone at the table! So join us as we celebrate 2024 in all of it's glory. Our discussions cover everything from Dragons Dogma 2 to Silent Hill 2 to 1000x Resist... and everything in between.  Best World / Level Design (6:45) Best Storytelling (23:05) Best Gaming Moment (43:30) Wild Card Award #1 (1:08:13) Break | Best Soundtrack Picks (1:21:10) Best New Enemy / Boss Design (1:24:10) Best New Character (1:36:30) Biggest Surprise (01:48:30) Wild Card Award #2 (2:01:10) Break | Best Soundtrack Picks (2:15:10) Biggest Disappointment (2:16:30) I Won't Quit You, I Promise (2:33:20) The Spotlight Award (2:41:30)

This week, we found some time to squeeze in a semi-regular show in between our Fantasy Critic draft and our upcoming game of the year awards show! Brad talks about Slitterhead, the next game from the original creator of Silent Hill... and it turns out, it exudes some serious PS2 energy (which is not necessarily a bad thing). We also take a moment to speculate about the upcoming reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Xbox Developer Direct.  Impressions - Slitterhead (10:00) Rumor - Nintendo to Announce Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday (29:05) Rumor - New Game Announcement at Xbox Developer Direct on Jan 23 (44:20) 4Player Minute (57:50)

As is customary nowadays, we kick off another new year by drafting games into our Fantasy Critic League rosters! If you are unfamiliar, think of it as Fantasy Football but for video games where scores are tallied based on each game's review aggregate score on Open Critic. Of course, this also gives us a great opportunity to talk about a bunch of great looking games that you can expect to hear us playing and talking about throughout the year! 

We bring 2024 to a close with some film banter right out of the gate followed by impressions of two new entries in sibling franchises. Chris Davis delivers his impressions of Metro: Awakening, marking the first time the franchise has delved into the VR space, and Nick talks about STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl now that recent patches have finally rendered the game playable! In the second segment, Brad takes us through the final results of our 2024 Fantasy Critic competition including announcing the winners in each of our community leagues! Thanks for sticking with us in 2024. We'll see you in 2025! Chit Chat: Film talk (2:40) Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (17:12) Impressions - Metro: Awakening (22:00) Impressions - STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl (46:00) 2024 Fantasy Critic Wrap-Up (1:06:13)

What a week! The Game Awards came and went but they left a trail of insane game announcements in their wake. We try our best to cover the highlights including Okami 2, a new game from Fumito Ueda, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and more! Unfortunately, we eventually ran into some poorly timed internet troubles so our broadcast (and this recording) took a hit. When we get those sorted out (for now), we jump into impressions of Marvel Rivals and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!  Chit Chat: Brad Interrogates Nick about 'Dexter: Original Sin' (3:00) Recap - Highlights from The Game Awards (12:20) Technical Difficulties Impressions - Marvel Rivals (27:28) Impressions - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (49:55)

It has been awhile since an unexpected discussion topic reveals some unusual truths about the group... That changes this week as we learn some interesting fears that Brad has about sleeping. But of course, we are here to talk about video games so we revisit some big recent releases like Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Metaphor ReFantazio! On the new game front, Brad talks about new, fast-paced indie game called Echo Point Nova and Chris Davis (and Nick) talk about their early impressions of STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl! Quick Mention - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2:55) Impressions - Echo Point Nova (23:45) Impressions - Metaphor ReFantazio (36:40) Impressions - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (1:00:40) Fantasy Critic Update (1:39:00) 4Player Minute (1:46:48)

It's the week of Thanksgiving here in the states so we decided to take a little podcasting detour to talk about the games that we are most thankful for! These aren't necessarily our favorite games of all time but they all mean something important to us for one reason or another! Whether it helped shape our current tastes in games or put us on a new path in life, the impact these games had on us cannot be understated. **Please Note: We had an internet hiccup early on during the stream so there is shift in audio quality around the 16 minute mark.**

With Nolan officially out on paternity leave (congratulations!), we press forward into the wacky world of video games once again! We re-visit Dragon Age: The Veilguard to discuss how the game is progressing and examine Nick & Brad's drastically different playstyles. Chris Davis expresses his enjoyment of Life is Strange: Double Exposure after the first three episodes but braces himself for the tides to shift (if the reviews are to be believed). Brad also brings back the UFO50 minute with two new games from the collection and hypes up I am your Beast, the next game from the developer of El Paso Elsewhere! Oh... and we also dig a little bit into the controversary surrounding The Game Awards GOTY nominations. Nolan's big news! (1:38) Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (10:30) Impressions - Life is Strange: Double Exposure (36:30) Impressions - I am your Beast (59:30) The UFO 50 Minute (1:09:00) News - The Game Awards Announces their GOTY Nominees (1:19:45) 4Player Minute (1:39:00)

Time to get back on the podcasting horse... It IS Brad's week to shine as there is a new Dragon Age game AND some major Castlevania content to discuss so he is firing on all cylinders! We take our first deep dive into Dragon Age: The Veilguard and find that Bioware has managed to put together a polished, fun, and addicting game despite having an undeniable resemblance to modern God of War. In the second segment, Brad goes full nerd while discussing the crazy new Castlevania DLC for Vampire Survivors and Chris Davis revisits Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 now that he has spent some time with the co-op campaign. Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (5:15) Impressions - Vampire Survivors Castlevania DLC (1:04:00) Impressions - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (1:22:40) 4Player Minute (1:36:00)

The stars have aligned on this very Hallowed Eve; Blessing this episode with a bevy of sweet horror games to talk about! Krispy continues to tackle his backlog of life-changing games and talks about his time with Signalis! Brad brings two new indie-horror games to the table with The Closing Shift and Tormenture; Both of which defy expectation but in completely different ways. Nick discusses his first night of playing The Outlast Trials with the community and delivers his early impressions of this year's reboot of Alone in the Dark (RIP Pieces Interactive). Of course, we also talk a little about the critical reception of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the looming Beta of Monster Hunter Wilds! News - Dragon Age: The Veilgaurd Reviews are Out! (10:30) Impressions - Signalis (19:40) Impressions - The Closing Shift (37:10) Impressions - Tormenture (46:40) Impressions - The Outlast Trials (1:08:00) Impressions - Alone in the Dark (1:24:45) 4Player Minute (1:42:10)

We're running a little late this week but we have a lot to talk about! After a little detour to talk horror films and general spooky season stuff, Krispy takes us back to 2019 now that he has finally played (and loved!) Death Stranding: Director's Cut! It's a fun discussion that puts a lot of us in the mood to revisit the game ahead of the looming sequel. Brad gives his first impressions of the Silent Hill 2 Remake now that he's played a significant chunk of it and Chris Davis shares some thoughts on his time with the story campaign of Mech Warrior 5: Clans. Of course, we've got another does of UFO 50 highlights and some Fantasy Critic talk mixed in there for good measure. Halloween Season Chatter (2:40) Impressions - Death Stranding: Director's Cut (17:55) Impressions - Mech Warrior 5 Clans (48:45) Impressions - UFO 50 (1:05:10) Impressions - Silent Hill 2 Remake (1:15:00) 4Player Minute (1:49:30)

The surprises keep on coming. Not only did Creative Assembly announce the development of Alien Isolation 2, but Bloober Team's remake of Silent Hill 2 AND the new IP, Metaphor ReFantazio released to stellar reviews! Nick digs deep into Silent Hill 2 Remake and praises it as a faithful and worthwhile adaptation of one of the best horror games ever made. While Metaphor ReFantazio has not officially released, a lengthy prologue demo that carries over to the full game gives us a detailed look at what to expect from the next game from the Persona team! Brad also highlights two more games from UFO 50 and highlights a spooky horror game making the rounds this Halloween season called Ten Bells. News - Creative Assembly Announced Alien Isolation 2 (13:55) Impressions - Silent Hill 2 Remake (19:05) Impressions - UFO 50 (45:00) Impressions - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (57:05) Impressions - Metaphor ReFantazio (1:14:35) Impressions - Ten Bells (1:33:50) 4Player Minute (1:46:00)

I was so tempted to name this show the "Piss Filter" show but alas, it is Chris Davis' birthday so this episode is named in his honor! How did Chris Davis spend the days leading up to his birthday? By playing through two 20-year old games (read: bonafide classics!): Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater! Brad and Nolan deliver some early impressions of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and then highlight 4 seperate games from UFO 50 that have their hooks in deep! There has also been some intense developments with our ongoing Fantasy Critic league so stay tuned! Banter - Spooky season has begun (7:18) Impressions - The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (21:08) Impressions - UFO50 (47:20) Impressions - Resident Evil 3 / Metal Gear Solid 3 Double Feature (1:22:30) Fantasy Critic Update (1:29:45) 4Player Minute (1:38:30)

After a week off to play Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies together (seriously, check it out), we return to the podcast studio to talk about the latest and greatest in the gaming industry. First up, Sony debuted a new State of Play presentation which, among other things, revealed Ghost of Yotei to the world (the long awaited sequel to Ghost of Tsushima). After a few minor technical hiccups, we get back on track with impressions of UFO 50; an impressive collection of (50) games designed and built around the specs for a imaginary piece of retro gaming hardware! Krispy and Nick gush over Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 and Chris Davis finally got his hands on Dead Rising Deluxe Remastered! Of course, Warhammer also has Krispy spiraling towards an inevitable (and expensive) future in the tabletop space. Impressions - Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies (2:00) News - Highlights from the Playstation State of Play (15:08) Impressions - UFO50 (31:05) Impressions - Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (1:01:30) Impressi

Sony manages to be the talk of the town this week in more ways than one... First, we delve into the ridiculous Playstation 5 Pro announcement: a $700 system with NO DISC DRIVE and NO STAND included. Luckily, Astro Bot also released this week and has easily won the hearts of all of us who have played. Brad talks about new indie hotness, Shogun Showdown, and Krispy finally has his opportunity to talk about his extensive time with Star Wars Outlaws; a game he is thoroughly enjoying! Of course, this also leads to bewildering discussions about "Space Jizz" (you read that right) and eventually, more of Chris Davis's hilarious homebuilding shenanigans. News - Sony unveils the Playstation 5 Pro system and it is absurd (2:30) Impressions - Astro Bot (28:00) Impressions - Shogun Showdown (57:25) Impressions - Star Wars Outlaws (1:04:45) Fantasy Critic Update (1:32:40) 4Player Minute (1:40:00)

What a wild (and not great) week it has been in the world of video games! Sony shut down Concord less than two weeks after it launched to middling critical reception and tragic concurrent player counts. On top of that, Hideaki Itsuno - the famed designer behind classics like Power Stone, Devil May Cry, and Dragon's Dogma - announced that he is leaving Capcom after 3 decades. Despite all of the doom and gloom, new and exciting games continue to trickle out. Nick gives us his early impressions of Star Wars Outlaws which has been competing heavily with Black Myth Wukong for his time. Nolan walks us through his experience with the Quest 3 VR headset over the weekend and Brad talks about a cool new "Mesoamerican Fantasy RPG" called Arco. During the 4Player Minute, Chris Davis stuns with a shocking revelation about... Mattress shopping? News - Sony shuts down Concord less than 2 weeks after release (2:50) News - Hideaki Itsuno leaves Capcom (13:05) Impressions - Star Wars Outlaws (19:10) Impressions - Meta Quest 3

After recapping the latest (and Silksong-less) Nintendo Direct presentation, Nolan shares some exciting news with the community and ultimately opens the door for one of the most bizarre conversations we've had since "Zip-Whip-Pee." Nick digs deep into the rewarding and addicting systems of Black Myth: Wukong while also scoffing at the most ridiculous requests ever put to paper in a video game embargo (one which we are happily not beholden to). Brad and Krispy go onto to rave about Tactical Breach Wizards; The next game from the developer of Gunpoint which some describe as "a DnD campaign gone horribly right." Krispy also dabbled in the early access builds for Abiotic Factor and Deadlock. News - Recap of Nintendo Direct (1:40) Nolan's Special Announcement (24:25) Impressions - Black Myth: Wukong (37:00) Impressions - Tactical Breach Wizards (58:35) Impressions - Abiotic Factor (1:21:34) Fantasy Critic Update (1:43:50) 4Player Minute (1:52:30)

We have good news and bad news. The good news is that Krafton swooped in and SAVED Tango Gameworks from closure AND acquired the rights to Hi-Fi Rush so a sequel is all but confirmed. The bad news is that Gamescom kicked off with a rather disappointing Opening Night Live AND Silksong remains as elusive as ever. Regardless, there are some announcements that caught our attention such as Dying Light: The Beast, Blur's new anthology tv series for Amazon Prime called Secret Level, and the reveal of Mafia: The Old Country. After we discuss the highlights (and lowlights) of the show, Brad gives his thoughts on Steamworld Heist 2 and Thrasher! News - Krafton Acquires Tango Gameworks along with Rights to Hi-Fi Rush (10:34) News - Highlights from Gamescom ONL (16:20) Impressions - Steamworld Heist 2 (50:35) Impressions - Thrasher (59:45) 4Player Minute (1:19:30)

The bad news keeps on comin. This week, Bungie was hit with a significant round of layoffs and even an internal project cancellation which has called the future of Destiny and the studio into question. Not to be outdone, Gamestop suddenly and unexpectedly shut down Game Informer magazine; A shocking turn of events for a company that has relied on the publication to prop up their business for many years. On a less depressing note, Brad talks about World of Goo 2 which, despite the long gap between releases, manages to end up just as great and just as flawed as it's predecessor. Chris turned off his brain to play Earth Defense Force 6 and Brad did something similar with a hilarious little game called Thank Goodness You're Here. News - Bungie hit with layoffs / cancellations (8:25) News - Gamestop abruptly shuts down Game Informer (18:00) Impressions - World of Goo 2 (25:55) Impressions - Earth Defense Force 6 (43:20) Impressions - Thank Goodness You're Here (56:55) Impressions - CONSCRIPT (1:13:00) 4Player Min