The Alpha Build

This week we start out discussing some quick hits in Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Death Stranding, and more (start). Whe then go in depth with Season 8 of Game of Thrones, which has been receiving heavy criticism from fans and critics alike, and been very divisive (30:00). Is it as bad as some people are saying it is, or is it a victim of unrealistic expectations? We wrap things up with a review of John Wick 3, the latest release in the beloved franchise (1:02:45). Is it just another over-the-top action flick, or is it something much greater, perhaps even one of the greatest?

This week we start out discussing the official announcement of the Steam Index VR system (start), and follow that with a quick review of the controversial Sonic The Hedgehog movie trailer (7:04). We then spend the bulk of the show doing an in-depth review of Avengers: Endgame (15:35), to have something for everyone we start with a small spoiler free review, before deep diving into spoilers for a full review (22:10). Does the movie hold up to the hype and the insane amount of money it's generated?

This week we discuss the Star Wars Live Action series The Mandalorian (start), and follow that with some (spoiler free) talk of the Game of Thrones season 8 premiere (9:00). Then some new talk and details about the upcoming TV series for The Witcher (13:30), and Halo (15:20). We then spend the last half of the show discussing the massive announcement from Sony about the Playstation 5 (24:00) and some of the insane specs they are boasting like ray tracing and 8K resolution support.

This week we discuss Captain Marvel (start), the first solo female super hero movie from Marvel. Then some discussion on Steam VR (22:00), which is mostly speculation, but there are some leaks. Our featured segment Deadliest Character is back! This week we pit Captain Marvel against Rey from the Star Wars sequel trilogy (34:50). Wrapping things up, we got a couple huge announcements from the Star Wars celebration, a new single player game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (40:00); and finally we have a trailer for Star Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker (54:18).

Good news, everyone! We have new trailers for the upcoming Wolfenstein Youngblood (start), and Borderlands 3 (13:45). Do they look like they'll hold up to their high standards? What's going on with the Steam review bombing (21:20)? We then discuss the Bioware controversy surrounding Anthem development (34:30), the latest scandal in the tumultuous game industry. And wrap things up going over the newly released Joker movie trailer (53:30) that has some up in arms.

This week we discuss the announcements of Google Stadia, Apple Arcade, and Project xCloud updates, as well as rumors of new consoles from Nintendo and Microsoft. We wrap things up talking about the messy divorce between Activision and Bungie, and the massive layoffs going on in the gaming industry.

This week, we discuss the monumental success of the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 and our review of the game (start). We then revisit our Featured Segment Deadliest Character, in which we pit Arthas from Warcraft vs. Tyreal from the Diablo universe (37:00). We wrap things up with an overview of the opening day of Blizzcon 2018, which had some big announcements with mixed results(44:00).

This week, we discuss the newly released Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (start), and Fallout 76 the controversy caused by a Bethesda studio head right before the beta test (23:00). We then wrap things up with an in depth dive on the recent uproar centered on Rockstar Games and the treatment of the developers working on Red Dead Redemption 2 (42:15). Special guest, the long anticipated return of David.

This week we discuss the newly released games Forza: Horizon 4 (start), and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (0:21:00). We then give a review of the recently released movie, The Predator (0:49:30); And follow that up with an in depth review of newest MCU sensation Venom (1:08:20). That is then followed by a Deadliest Character segment in which we debate who would win in a fight between The Predator and Venom (1:40:00).

This week we discuss our favorite take aways from the latest gaming conference, Gamescom 2018. We then give a quick review of Mission Impossible: Fallout, followed by a Deadliest Character segment in which we debate who would win in a fight between Ethan Hunt and James Bond. And to finish the episode we discuss Madden NFL 2019 and the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Multiplayer Beta.

This week we take a deep dive discussing the global sensation Marvel's Black Panther. Along with that we discuss our experiences from the Sea Of Thieves Beta test. We also debut our new segment "Shanghai Surprise" which goes over the Netflix Original Series Stranger Things.

Looking back at the entire 2017 year, we go over the best and the worst that Video Games, Movies, and TV had to offer. Where did the controversial Mass Effect: Andromeda land? Also, in our latest Deadliest Character segment, we discuss who would win in a fight between Darth Maul and Kylo Ren from the Star Wars universe.

This week we take a deep dive discussing the huge release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi. With us to discuss this long anticipated event is our Special Guest, David. The Sith Lords converge at last...

This holiday season saw the release of many highly anticipated triple-A games. We discuss some of favorites including Call of Duty: WW2, Wolfenstein II The New Colossus, and Assassin's Creed Origins. We also see the return of our segment Deadliest Character, where we discuss who would win in a fight between Bayek from Assassin's Creed or Hawkeye from The Avengers.

Max gives his review of Forza Motorsport 7, we discuss Nintendo's latest attack on streamers, and there's a debate over whether or not games should be easier.

This summer saw one of the worst slate of movies to release, along with a downturn in tickets sold to go along with it. What's going on? Plus, John and Mark talk Call of Duty: WW2

We spent almost the entire week play Destiny 2...it's time to talk about it.

Gamescom 2017 wrapped up and we discuss some of the announcements made over the last week. Also, we debut our new budget gaming feature with a review of some almost or completely free games you should try.

We discuss our favorite game to punch Nazis in, who would win in a fight between Indiana Jones and BJ from Castle Wolfenstein, and finish with a round-up of the latest GPUs.

On this week's episode we cover San Diego Comic-Con 2017 and all of the movie and video game goodness that was shown. We then spend some time going over the phenomenon that is Playerunknown's Battlegrounds, our experiences with it and upcoming changes. And finally, we debuted our new segment 'Deadliest Character' and this week we debated on who would win in a fight between Katniss Everdeen and a PUBG survivor. Be sure to cast your vote at http://blackarrowstudios.com/2017/08/alpha-build-39-sdcc-2017-playerunknowns-battlegrounds-deadliest-character/.

E3 2017 wrapped on June 15th and this episode focuses on the Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and EA press conferences. Sony kept a very game-centric show; Opting to minimize speakers on stage and emphasize their games. Among which were some big fan-favorite titles like the next Uncharted. Nintendo brought a line-up of the usual suspects including a new Mario title, some Zelda DLC and much more. Ubisoft Came in determined to win the trophy for awkward press conferences with their reveal of a Mario and Rabbids collaboration. Along with that was a lot of info on big franchises like Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and more. EA came in with a huge display of Star Wars Battlefront 2, Anthem, Madden, and their usual franchises. In non-E3 related news, we got the incredibly disappointing bit of News that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be receiving no single player DLC. However, it will continue to receive multiplayer DLC and patches/updates. This appears to be Bioware's reaction the the overblown criticism of the game and it's issues at launch. A good DLC could've undone all of the negative perception, but it appears we won't get that chance; The franchise is seemingly on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Important note: This came out through news media and there hasn't been an official announcement from the company to date.

E3 2017 wrapped on June 15th and this episode focuses on the Microsoft and Bethesda press events. Microsoft showed off the brand new Xbox One X (previously known as Scorpio) and it's insane native 4K and 60 FPS capabilities. Book-ending the 4K demonstration were Forza Motorsport 7 and Anthem, respectively, which both look to take advantage of the console's power. Along with that, they also announced a staggering 44 games, 20 of which are exclusives. Bethesda announced a few games that will foray into the VR world in Fallout 4 VR, and DOOM VFR. They blindsided us with the insanely fun looking Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus in a trailer that was near 10 minutes long. Skyrim gets a port to Nintendo Switch, Morrowind coming to Elder Scrolls Online and more.

Activision pulled the curtains back on the latest Call of Duty installment, Call of Duty: WWII. Is returning to its roots inject the franchise with a much needed refresh, or is it just a rehash of an older Call of Duty game? Also, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced his intention to rollback Net Neutrality regulations on May 18. It's imperative this anti-consumer move is stopped in its tracks.

The much anticipated The Last Jedi trailer is released and we break it down. Also, an in-depth discussion about Hollywood's continued whitewashing and lack of diversity.

This week came with a good amount of news and a significant controversy. Microsoft finally gave us real specs for Project Scorpio. With already high expectations, we go over where it currently lands. We give our review of the new Ghost In The Shell movie that just released. It has received mixed results as some purists are unimpressed, are those justified? Persona 5 got it's US release and it has been marred with a PR nightmare as the developer is going after streamers. Are there any streamers rights?

This week Bungie officially announced Destiny 2 with a trailer, which laid some groundwork for the upcoming story. After the revelation that Destiny 2 will have timed DLC, we discuss timed exclusivity in gaming and if it is a good thing for the industry. Also, this week gave us the surprise announcement of StarCraft: Remastered from Blizzard, coming Summer 2017.

The massively anticipated Mass Effect: Andromeda launched this week and we give our take on the game as well as some realistic views on the conrtoversies surrounding it. Also, this week gave us a supposed leak of Destiny 2's release date.

Phil Spencer recently released some new Project Scorpio details revealing Microsoft's plan to go all-in on 4K gaming. Also, a number of states look to make it easier to repair to hardware you've purchased.

Big episode this week as we discuss the Nintendo Switch launch, more details about the Xbox Game Pass, and a recent effort by the Senate to allow your private date to be sold without your consent.

Xbox broke news this week the announcement of a $10/mo subscription called "Xbox Game Pass" giving gamers access to a rotating catalog; all without streaming. Also, the FCC under GOP control continued its anti-consumer assault on Net Neutrality. Check out more content at: http://www.blackarrowstudios.com

On this week's episode we share our initial impressions about the Ghost Recon Wildlands beta ahead of its release on March, discuss the possible reveal of a new Overwatch character (will it be the Doomfist?)and finally, we revisit Gamestop's "Circle of Life" program after changes are rolled out internally.

Some interesting gaming news from an unlikely source, the Activision investor call, including hints at the next Call of Duty and a confirmation about Destiny 2. Also, we share our thoughts on For Honor after the beta.

In this week's episode we discuss Gamestop's "Circle of Life" policy that recently came to light; try and decipher what new Bioware game is coming out next year; and John reviews the latest Resident Evil.

The latest Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer dropped and we got a bunch of new story details as well as a more in-depth look at some of your Human team mates. Also, we discuss the impact Trump's election will have on the FCC, net neutrality, game costs, and more.

When's the last time you played a truly original video game? Feels like it's been a while. With so many new games simply just sequels to games we've been playing for years, we discuss if the video game industry is stagnating and how that compares to the movie industry. Also, some follow-up thoughts on Nintendo's Switch coming out party last week.

This week we give our predictions ahead of the Nintendo Switch presentation, we discuss the new information related to the Rogue One re-shoots, and finish up with our thoughts on home AI and personal assistants.

It's a new year so we spend some time discussing what we're most excited for over the next 12 months, plus we breakdown the new Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer and Nvidia's new video game streaming service.

We look back at 2016 and try and find some goodness in what was a pretty awful year with our "Best of..." awards.

This week's episode is 100% Star Wars focused with a discussion and review of Rogue One!

A slew of new gaming trailers was released during The Game Awards including long looks at Mass Effect: Andromeda and Death Stranding. Plus, we dive into the topic of if the presence of guns, and the prevalence of shooters, is holding gaming back.

The season 1 finale certainly didn't disappoint, to say the least, it was 90 minutes of fearing to take your eyes off of the screen for one second. We finally got our well-overdue confirmation of just who The Man In Black is. We get to see what really happened in Escalante so many years ago and what happened with Arnold. Maeve's uprising finally comes to fruition. We watch as The Bicameral Mind comes to life with Dolores in front of our eyes. The timelines theories get put to rest for good. And we finally get the unveiling of the new story line from Dr. Ford that has quite the interesting twist.

This week we get two movie reviews: "Fantastic Beasts" and "Dr. Strange," a review of Skyrim - Special Edition, and discuss the rise in popularity of Early Access games and whether or not it's a good trend.

This week was one big reveal after another, as Max put it "body blow after body blow", that kept us on the edge of our seats the whole time. Both Dr. Ford and Bernard both walk into a room and only one walks out, but not before revealing something huge about Bernard's past and creation; Dolores runs through time and reveals things both past and present; Teddy outlived his flesh wound for a time, while we learned more about The Man In Black's position outside of the park after he escapes a trap; Maeve enlists a partner in crime for the battle to come; and William and Logan make up, well, until William decides that some people have too many limbs. Whatever you do, don't call him William.

Mark and John tackle the issue of how our perceptions of a game or a series can drastically impact the success of a new release. Why did Battlefield 4 have, and grow, an enormous player base while No Man's Sky was empty within a week? Also, discussion about the remastered Assassin's Creed 2 and a new Titanfall 2 map is incoming.

This week had some big, albeit more subtle, reveals that either make or break some big theories some of which cause us to have revelations real-time. William's hat gets a little darker while Dolores gets lost in time; Logan comes riding in with some Ned Stark style; Maeve cuts a pizza delivery boy and decides to narrate Westworld; Ford continues to play god with Bernard; and is The Man In Black actually William? How many timelines are there? When are we?!

Pricing information has leaked out for the Nintendo Switch. Is it too much, too little, or just right? And with the growth of e-sports comes growing pains. What can they learn from other sports leagues?

This week we talk about the monumental reveal that changes everything; we also talk about the adventures of Dolores and William, the incident with Clementine, Maeve's master plan, and the incredible events between Theresa, Bernard and Dr. Ford. Who or what is real anymore? Are we?

This week we talk about the whirlwind of revelations; Maeve finds a way to wake up in Mesa Gold again and goes on a walkabout, Bernard finds some secrets in the basement and finds Dr. Ford's secret in Sector 17, Hughes flies too close to the sun in her investigations, Teddy and The Man In Black discuss the legend of the Maze and make short work of a platoon of soldiers, we saw a lot about the more vulnerable side of Dr. Ford and his past, Theresa gets found out and Lee keeps on being Lee. And most importantly, who snatched Hughes and is Arnold (somehow) alive?

We give our review of Titanfall 2, talk a bit about some VR news from the head of Xbox, and then tackle of the topic of "walking simulators" and what makes a video game

In this week's episode of our Westworld podcast, "Dreamless Slumber," we talk about the almost explosive confrontations with William and Logan, William and Logan falling out, Dolores hallucinating and gun-slinging, Maeve again coming to life in the real world, and the epic verbal standoff between The Man In Black and Dr. Ford.

Titanfall 2 releases today and we share our thoughts on what you can expect, and is Bethesda and 2K's policy of ending pre-release reviews (but not for streamers) anti-consumer?