4player Podcast

It's release week for Deadpool & Wolverine and Comic-Con so movie-talk does manage to worm it's way in at the top of the show! After that, Nick talks about a delicious new survival-horror game, CONSCRIPT, which captures the overwhelmingly bleak backdrop of World War 1 through a top-down Resident Evil lens. Brad takes a deeper dive into Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure now that the full game is out (and FREE on Netflix apparently!) and Krispy talks about his time with Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail which has hit a proverbial reset button on the story with this latest expansion. Sony dropped the price of the PSVR2 finally and Chris Davis revisits Pacific Drive and talks late game developments. Movie Talk (1:45) Impressions - CONSCRIPT (17:05) Impressions - Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (31:50) Impressions - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (51:20) News - Sony drops the price of the PSVR2 dramatically (1:09:07) Impressions - Pacific Drive (1:13:04) 4Player Minute (1:28:10)

July might feel like a bit of a lull in the world of video games but there is plenty of fun to be found if dig a little deeper. Brad has now spent a good chunk of time with the full release of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. As it turns out, despite some rough edges, the game is... pretty darn cool! Chris Davis played through the first full episode of Fallen Aces; A retro FPS mixed with lite immersive sim elements that leans into comic books and classic detective stories to deliver something fresh! Finally, Nick also found himself playing a game focused around a detective but with a very different wrapper. Nobody Wants to Die is a futuristic, cyberpunk adjacent detective thriller running in Unreal Engine 5 (herefore referred to as a "Triple I" game)! Movie Talk (6:40) Impressions - Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (13:35) Impressions - Fallen Aces (40:55) Impressions - Nobody Wants to Die (1:06:30) 4Player Minute (1:31:20)

The calm before the storm. We take a breather this week to talk movies and do some much needed 2024 catchup! Brad finished up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and expresses some concerns over the recent demo of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. Nick and Chris Davis talk Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and Nolan takes us on virtual migration to (the) New York City where he and Bernadette attended a major Pokemon Go event this past weekend. Chris Davis reveals that he played Resident Evil 1 this past weekend... for the very first time and Nick highlights an exciting new indie Survival Horror game called Holstin which blends classic Resident Evil with more modern entries like Resident Evil 4! Movie Talk (3:30) Impressions - Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (27:40) 2024 Catchup - Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth / Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (40:35) Pokemon Go Event with Nolan (50:10)  Impressions - Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Demo (1:05:00) Impressions - Holstin Demo (1:19:40)

With the year half in the bag, we take some time to talk about what lies ahead in the second half of the year. With zero overlap, we each highlight 3 games that we are excited to play in the coming months. The discussion takes us to some expected and unexpected places; From Star Wars: Outlaws to The Plucky Squire to... Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (?!). Of course, we fill in some of the gaps with help from the community. Needless to say, 2024 has been an impressive year thus far and the best appears to be in our future.

Believe it or not, this week marks our 800th official episode! It's an episode full of impressions, drama, and even a couple pacts / agreements that may surprise you. We talk the long awaited Shadow of the Erdtree expansion for Elden Ring to find out if the game really is too hard or if they design was elevated to support the increased challenge! Brad talks about a couple new demos from Steam Next Fest including Arranger: An Role-Puzzling Adventure and Dungeons of Hinterberg, and Chris Davis' continue to talk up his time with Rise of the Ronin. Nick played through Still Wakes the Deep; a game with some serious vibes that can't help but paint a bleak picture for the team's next high-profile project. Things get a little tense during the Fantasy Critic update but it culminates in one of the most interesting trades / agreements we've made thus far. Off-Topic: Fast food shenanigans (3:00) Impressions - Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (9:15) Impressions - Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure - Demo (30:10) Impres

Nintendo came out swinging this week with a new Direct presentation full of surprises! We recap the highlights which include the reveal of Mario & Luigi Brothership, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, and of course, the re-reveal of Metroid Prime 4 Beyond! Nolan shines a spotlight on a demo for a fun new deck-builder called Dice & Fold and Brad talks about Dragon Age Inquisition: Trespasser; a game he delved back into in the immediate aftermath of the Dragon Age: The Veilguard reveal last week. Recap - Nintendo Direct ft Mario & Luigi Brothership, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Metroid Prime 4, and more! (3:35) Impressions - Dice & Fold Demo (44:45) Impressions - Dragon Age Inquisition: Trespasser DLC (56:45) Impressions - Quick mentions from Chris Davis - Alan Wake 2: Nightsprings DLC, Indivisible, Rise of Ronin (1:15:20) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:34:48) 4Player Minute (1:45:35)

It's a big week. Krispy has finally blessed us with Destiny 2 footage to coincide with the recent release of Destiny 2: The Final Shape! Not only that, Krispy takes us on a journey through the history of Destiny which has culminated in one of the game's most exciting and successful expansions! Brad talks about his experience with the demo for The Alters; an upcoming game from 11-Bit Studios which seems to combine survival gameplay with an intriguing narrative that involves cloning. In the 2nd half of the show, we recap the highs and lows of this year's Summer Game Fest including the re-reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (formerly Dreadwolf), Perfect Dark, Star Wars Outlaws, and more! Impressions - Destiny 2: The Final Shape (8:30) Impressions - The Alters Demo (45:40) Reactions to the Re-Reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (1:03:44) Recap - Summer Game Fest (1:25:50) 4Player Minute (2:14:50)

It's that special time of year once again... where the mess of showcases and preview events run amock without the comfort and organization of E3. Chaos aside... it's still an exciting time for anyone looking to know what the future of gaming has in store. With that in mind, we run through a long list of Summer Game Fest predictions put together by Chris Davis and discuss the highlights from last week's Playstation State of Play and Silent Hill Transmission events. But before we get to all that, Nick and Nolan talk about a hot up-and-coming new Metroidvania called Nine Sols and Brad shares his thoughts on a charming new arcade shooter called Minishoot Adventures! Housekeeping (1:40) Impressions - Nine Sols (6:15) Impressions - Minishoot Advenures (30:45) Recap - Playstation State of Play and Silent Hill Transmission Highlights (44:30) Summer Game Fest Season Predictions (1:13:30) 4Player Minute (2:09:00)

Summer Games Fest approaches and some serious rumors are starting to circulate. We set aside some time at the top of the show this week to address some whispers regarding the next round of Resident Evil remakes, an impending Astro Bot announcement, and more! Krispy does an excellent job of selling us on the latest game from Simogo called Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and a conversation about Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 leads to a deeper debate about what dictates success in this industry. Housekeeping (1:40) Rumors - The latest on the next Resident Evil projects (9:25) Rumors - Playstation preparing to announce the next Astro Bot (22:05) Impressions - Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (38:40) Impressions - Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (1:07:30) 4Player Minute (1:51:20)

Indie-May continues! We revisit Animal Well and focus a little more on what that game looks like once you have peeled back a few layers of the proverbial onion; More specifically, after the credits roll. Brad goes to town on Dread Delusion as it subverts expectations in both good AND bad ways. Despite that, Brad is very clearly all in on the game. Nick circles back to Stellar Blade which has, at this point, established itself as an uncompromising horny game with some rock solid mechanics to boot. Also... we ask the age old question... what will Chris Davis play next? Housekeeping / Chit-Chat (1:30) Impressions - Animal Well (30:08) Impressions - Dread Delusion (39:38) What will Chris Davis Play Next?!?! (1:03:40) Impressions - Stellar Blade (1:20:25) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:37:36) 4Player Minute (1:52:38)

The video game industry landscape continues to shift and collapse as everyone tries to time their layoffs to blend in with the outrage aimed almost entirely at Xbox. While the AAA space might be in turmoil at the moment, May is shaping up to be an absolutely incredible month for indie releases! We try our best (and mostly succeed) to not spoil Animal Well; but with a game built around discovery and experimentation, it proves difficult. As a lover of classic survival horror, Nick is ecstatic to share his thoughts on Crow Country while Brad hypes up V Rising which just hit 1.0 and offers one of the most genuine and addicting Vampire power fantasies out there. In the 2nd segment, Chris Davis entices Krispy to play Star Ocean: The Second Story R with an impressive but unexpected pitch. Impressions - Animal Well (13:10) Impressions - Crow Country (35:25) Impressions - V Rising (42:00) Impressions - Star Ocean: The Second Story R (1:10:40) News - Playstation now has TWO CEOs... Hurray! (1:02:00) Fantasy Critic Upd

It's yet another sad day for the industry - Unfortunately just another week of mass layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations thanks to out-of-touch, overpaid executives and bad management. On the morning of May 7th, Microsoft officially (and unexpectedly) closed down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, and Alpha Dog studio. As a result, hundreds of talented folks are suddenly unemployed and the future of promising IP like Hi-Fi Rush, Evil Within, and Prey are now in indefinitely in limbo. Of course, Sony is also in a hell of their own making (albeit a temporary one) thanks to a wildly misguided decision regarding Helldivers 2. It's a lot to unpack this week but it's not all doom and gloom; Nick takes the time to share his thoughts on the wacky world of INDIKA. News - Microsoft suddenly shutters Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, & Alpha Dog Studio (2:30) News - Sony stirs up controversy surrounding Helldivers 2 (43:35) Impressions - INDIKA(53:40) 4Player Minute (1:

The calm before the storm that is May. We have a smaller crew this week but we assure you... it's not short; it's not boring; and most importantly... it's not organized! Brad kicks things off with a little candy interrogation followed by some random movie talk before we buckle down to talk about video games. Nick shares his early impressions of Stellar Blade and is surprised by how much substance there actually is in a game that seems more interested in being titillating. Brad also returns to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and his enjoyment is only getting more and more intense as time goes on. Throw in a little bit of random Baldur's Gate 3 talk along with some of our usual chaos and you've got yourself a podcast! Housekeeping (2:00) Brad takes the Wheel (6:20) Impressions - Stellar Blade (21:35) Impressions - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (53:40) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:20:20) 4Player Minute (1:27:30)

We've got a short show for you this week but it's no less important! Brad - resident Suikoden fanboy - finally got his hands on the modern day spiritual successor, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes! It's a game that feels light on modern conveniences yet it remains relevant and important to the fans. In the Fantasy Critic segment, we cover some exciting new pick-ups following some big announcements and release-date reveals! PSA: We experimented with a new pre-show format this week by doing 'Trailer Talk' LIVE as a group before recording the show and we expect it to become part of the routine going forward! It's a lot of fun so make sure you tune in at 8:00pm so you can catch up on the latest game trailers! Housekeeping (3:20) Impressions - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (5:25) Fantasy Critic Updates (40:00) 4Player Minute (58:00)

We took a week off of podcasting but dipped our toes into the wild world of Content Warning and the results were hilarious to say the least! Chris Davis revisits Shadows of Doubt now that it is approaching its 1.0 release later this year; It's an interesting discussion that delves into the strengths and weaknesses of making games using procedural generation. Brad talks about Inkbound, the next game from the creators of Monster Train and of course, we spend a little more time with Dragon's Dogma II. During the Fantasy Critic and 4Player Minute segments, we talk a little about the recent news regarding Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed codename Red, and impressions of the new Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime. Housekeeping (2:30) Impressions - Content Warning (8:35) Impressions - Shadows of Doubt (24:35) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (51:00) Impressions - Inkbound (1:01:20) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:35:35) 4Player Minute (1:48:00)

Despite Team Ninja's apparent unfamiliarity with real world horses... Brad is happy to report that the world may have it all wrong about Rise of the Ronin! Despite an all too familiar open-world design philosophy, the game has proved to be fun, addicting, and surprisingly competent in the storytelling department! Krispy returns to share his thoughts on Dragon's Dogma 2 and Chris Davis has continued his love affair with Vanillaware thanks to Unicorn Overlord. Finally, Nick talks about his first impressions of the titillating new action game, Stellar Blade, now that Sony has released the demo. Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic (7:50) Impressions - Rise of the Ronin (13:00) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (39:30) Impressions - Stellar Blade Demo (1:14:00) Impressions - Unicorn Overlord (1:36:00) 4Player Minute (1:52:45)

Can you believe it has been 12 years since the release of Dragon's Dogma?! As we finally delve into Dragon's Dogma II, one of our most anticipated games of the year, we revel in just how impressive it is despite the formula having changed very little. To Brad's point, the game hasn't changed much but WE have changed a lot in those 12 years. In this episode we also take some time to check in on our Community Fantasy Critic Leagues now that we are a quarter of the way through the year and Chris Davis gives us an overview of the first Judas preview coverage that is rolling out this week. Also, if you were waiting for Nick to play Alone in the Dark... get ready... because he didn't; Chris Davis did... Twice. Housekeeping - Checking in with the Community Fantasy Critic Leagues (3:10) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (30:40) Impressions - Alone in the Dark (1:14:00) News - Judas Preview Coverage Rolls Out and Chris Davis is here for it (1:46:00) 4Player Minute (2:11:45)

This week is all about revisiting some of the big games that have been keeping us busy while we patiently await the launch of Dragon's Dogma 2! Nolan dives DEEP into the depths of Balatro; A game that has successfully pulled his attention away from Like a Dragon! Nick's complicated feelings about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth grow more complicated by the day but Brad's love of Unicorn Overlord has only grown deeper now that the full game is out. In other news, Brad goes off on Princess Peach Showtime after a disappointing demo and we argue over whether or not kids have naptime in Kindergarten! Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (10:48) Brad Rant - Princess Peach is a shameless Puppeteer knockoff for Babies (18:00) Impressions - Balatro (29:40) Impressions - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (58:05) Impressions - Unicorn Overlord (1:34:00) 4Player Minute (1:50:00)

This may not be an official Final Fantasy VII Rebirth special but it may as well be as it accounts for more than 50% of the episode! Most of us have all spent a decent chunk of time with this hotly anticipated follow up to Final Fantasy VII Remake and while the game certainly has some ROUGH edges in places, it still manages to live up to the hype! Quite honestly, Rebirth is a baffling game; Capturing the spirit and variety of the original game in the most fanciful, expensive way possible... while clumsily fumbling the ball in some truly unexpected places. We also spend some time talking Fantasy Critic, random movie talk, and continuing to shake our heads at the awful state of the industry right now. Random Movie Talk! (2:55) Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (14:20) Impressions - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (46:10) 4Player Minute (1:52:40)

With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth looming on the horizon, Nick and Ed both bring other FF7 games to the forefront. Ed shares his thoughts on Crisis Core Reunion and Nick revisits the remake in the form of Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intermission; the DLC starring Yuffie. While we manage to squeeze in a fair amount of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth talk, Brad jumps on the opportunity to nerd out over the demo of Unicorn Overlord; a demo which is actually just the first 7-hours of the actual game! Nick also sings the praises of Pacific Drive which finds new and exciting ways to tap into the magic of games like Subnautica. Oh... and the industry is on fire. Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic updates (6:30) Impressions - Crisis Core Reunion (25:45) Impressions - Final Fantasy VII Remake Intermission (37:30) Impressions - Pacific Drive (58:30) Imrpessions - Unicorn Overlord (1:12:05) Impressions - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (1:37:50) 4Player Minute (1:48:00)