4player Podcast

Halloween season is upon us so we take the opportunity to revisit the new horror-esque DLC, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye and a short but sweet indie horror game called Chasing Static. Krispy sells us on Inscryption, a new horror deck-building game that is dripping with spooky atmosphere. Nick provides a quick update on Metroid Dread and then joins Ed in delivering some hands-on impressions with the new Nintendo Switch OLED. Chris Davis also provides more Back 4 Blood impressions now that he has finished the main campaign.

Jeff returns to the fray to talk about Metroid Dread! The game is out and has defied expectations in a pretty big way. Nick delivers a Far Cry 6 update now that he's had more time to really sink some time into it; turns out.... it's fun... if not also a bit perplexing in it's tone. Jeff and Chris also give their early impressions of the full release of Back 4 Blood which brings the Left 4 Dead formula back to life for the current generation.

With the recent release of Deathloop, it only makes sense for the Revival Club to look back at the games that helped shape Arkane as the respected development studio that it is today. We went back to 2006 to take a look at a game that feels distinct from the games that define the studio today (Dishonored, Prey, etc). Of course, that game is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic; a game that is full of high-fantasy tropes like orcs, mages, and demons yet still full of that signature Arkane DNA! For this discussion, Nick is joined by recurring Revival Club guests, Steve and Green. 

Nick is joined by community guest, Self, and resident fan of obscure FPS games, Chris Davis, to revisit S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. For the uninitiated, this PC classic is often considered (for good reason) to be the precursor to the successful Metro series. While the series has spanned several major releases and a number of fan-made modded experiences, this particular chapter in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise is widely considered to be the best. All things considered, that makes Call of Pripyat the perfect game to delve into as the world prepares for the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl in 2022. 

It's been two weeks since our last episode and despite some scheduling issues, the show must go on! It's a 3-player podcast this week but there is a TON to discuss including Nick's thoughts on the release of No Time to Die and a follow-up to our big Deathloop discussion from last week. Additionally, Nick feels compelled to give some VERY EARLY impressions of Far Cry 6 because right out of the gate, the game appears to be doing a few things right. Nolan gets nostalgic for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty which still holds up remarkably well. Finally, Chris Davis shares his thoughts on two indie-games that he has been enjoying immensely, Hero's Hour and Kaiju Wars.

For an episode with so much Deathloop talk, you would think it would have inspired the episode title... but Chris Davis threw that out the window when he let his enthusiasm for I Am Fish bubble over... With that said, we do talk A LOT about Deathloop this week. In fact, the discuss takes up the entire first segment! In the 2nd segment, we talk Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Bonfire Peaks, and of course, the big news dump from the latest Nintendo Direct! You know the one... 

We kick things off this week with an MCU tangent in the wake of the new Hawkeye trailer plus a rant about the new horror flick, Malignant. Jeff returns to the hot chair this week to talk about The Forgotten City, There is No Game: Wrong Dimension, and his early impressions of Eastward! Nick gives his early thoughts on Tales of Arise as a newbie to the series and the Chris's give their first impressions of Deathloop! What a week!

Joseph makes his triumphant return to podcasting in this week's episode! He joins us to give a quick update on his game development adventures, talk about our time co-oping Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and share his unique brand of insight on the state of sequels (including The Matrix Resurrections!) Nick and Nolan talk about their foray into the wacky world of Psychonauts (1 AND 2!); Which continues to be an absolute delight in 2021. We revisit Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and give an in-depth rundown of the all big news out of this week's Playstation Showcase (including KOTOR Remake, Spider-Man 2, Forspoken, God of War Ragnarok, and more!).

Ed fills the 4th chair this week to talk about Death's Door, Nioh 2, and a beautiful indie boss-rush game called Eldest Souls! Nick and Nolan ponder the effectiveness of the long awaited 12 Minutes which is shaping up to be one of the most divisive games of the year thus far. Additionally, Nolan talks about his time with the Riders Republic beta, Nick and Chris hype up the Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut and Iki Island DLC, and we break down the news from Gamescom including the bizarre roadmap for the release of Halo Infinite.

Long-time friend, community member, and former staff member, Jeff DeMelo, joins us this week to sit in for Brad who is absent due to the birth of his 2nd child! Chaos ensues. Jeff shares updates on the development of Refactor, how being a dad has changed his gaming habits, and gets us hype for 12 Minutes (which we'll talk more about next week). We also talk about Recompile, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, Chernobylite, and more! Oh and... RIP Hotdog Bets 2009 - 2021.

Inspired by 'The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles,' Brad entices the group this week with the Dance of Sedu... *ahem* Deduction. Chris Davis talks up 'Chernobylite' (the next game from the developers of Get Even) and Nolan revisits the delightful world of 'Overcooked: All You Can Eat' to talk about the new Birthday Party expansion. We also discuss our time with 'Grounded' from last week which obviously devolves into a nostalgic discussion about 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.' Oh... and WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON WITH BLUE BOX?

It's been an odd week to say the least. Aside from catching up on games talked about in week's past, Nick has been involved in a comedy of errors involving his PC. On top of that, Chris Davis did the impossible and FINISHED Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey! With that in mind, we opened up questions this week to the community at large and spent the bulk of the show addressing everything from difficult cheese questions to the pronunciation of places in the UK to the latest Blue Box conspiracy theories!

The first segment this week is dominated by games developed by Nintendo or rooted in a deep appreciation of classic Nintendo game design. Nick and Nolan talk up Death's Door which feels heavily inspired by classic Zelda but with a modern spin. Brad is replaying Metroid Fusion in preparation for the release of Metroid Dread and Nolan is playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the first time thanks to the release of the HD remaster. In the news, we debate the approach EA is taking to the re-launch of the Dead Space series after the announcement of a remake at EA Play.

Nolan hosts the show this week since Nick has fallen victim to the perils of being middle-aged. As they say though, the show must go on. Brad delivers his impressions of Monster Hunter Stories 2 (much to the dismay of Chris Davis) and the indie strategy RPG, Wildermyth. Krispy is finally far enough to deliver some juicy impressions of Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers now that he's had some time with the expansion with the community! Of course, this episode was recorded mere hours after the announcement of the Valve Steam Deck so we deliver our first impressions of this bonkers announcement.

Leave it to Nolan to make a game about flipping houses (House Flipper) sound super compelling! Additionally, Brad has a "new" game for fans of Slay the Spire called Griftlands, Nick gives an update on his progress in Returnal, and Chris Davis talks about his secret love of Photography... and why New Pokemon Snap doesn't quite capitalize on that concept in 2021. Of course, Nintendo dropped big (and unexpected?) news this week with the announcement of the new Switch OLED model so we cover our thoughts on that.

Do you like Metroidvanias? We do! This week, Brad returns to talk about a "gemmie" that you won't want to miss called 'Astalon: Tears of the Earth.' On that same front, Nick played all the way through 'Blasphemous' and highly recommends it. We also talk about 'Mario Golf: Super Rush' for the Switch and the demo for the upcoming 'Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin!' In the second segment, David joined the group to answer questions and talk about the latest rumors involving Konami, Bloober Team, and Silent Hill.

Not only are we rocking shiny new recording equipment (courtesy of our Patreon & Twitch supporters) but there is a LOT to talk about in this post E3 2021 world. Nick finally has a chance to talk at length about what he thinks of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Nolan has found his latest obsession in the form of Industries of Titan. Krispy surprises the group this week with a fantastic discussion about the potential behind an exciting early access gem called Phantom Abyss. Of course, Steam Next Fest recently ended so Nick and Chris Davis plug a few of their favorite demos from the event such as SABLE, They Always Run, Road 96, and more!

For obvious reasons, 2021 may be remembered as the strangest year for both E3 and for the industry in general. Now that the first all-digital E3 has come and gone, we sat down to talk about the big news and glaring omissions from this year's bizarre showing. Despite all the weirdness, there is still a ton to be excited about including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Metroid Dread, Starfield, and more. This episode includes an extensive recap but it's not comprehensive. We recommend checking out the E3 Recap website to see everything discussed on this episode and more!

It's hard to believe but after nearly two years, E3 is upon us. While the show is going full digital this year due to the Pandemic, the industry is bracing itself for announcement season nonetheless. In this episode we take a stab at predicting what we may or may not see at the various presentations from publishers like Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Capcom, and more! We also respond to some predictions and dream announcements from the community!  

This week, Biomutant fails to deliver the experience we were hoping for but it's not all bad. Brad delivers an update on the Monster Hunter Rise 3.0 update and elsewhere in the industry, it begins to feel like E3 season despite the obvious caveats that go hand-in-hand with the event this year. We talk about the rumored Souls-like Final Fantasy spin-off from Team Ninja and we give our impressions of the big Dying Light 2 and Horizon: Forbidden West reveals that dropped this week!