The Save Room

Take your shoes off and embark on a very French journey with us as we review this year's breakout J'RPG hit: Expedition 33! It's got everything you could want from a game: a breathtaking world, a heartfelt original story, and a brutal parry system that will snap your fingers if you don't snap your controller first. Listen for those who come after, mon ami.

The world of Monster Hunter is now open -- literally! While Capcom has expanded the hunting field, they've also streamlined the time-tested formula making for a leaner -- but not meaner -- beast. In our review, we discuss what works, what doesn't, and what's different in this these newfound wilds. Is it too easy? Is it fun? Can you throw Nata into the sun? The Guild authorizes you to listen to this podcast. Also: our Assassin's Creed Shadows impressions, a game that's silent but only somewhat deadly.

Nintendo did it again! And by it, we mean the Switch. But with increased power comes increased cost, proving that the only orange menace Mario can defeat is Bowser. Click the C-Button and join us as we GroupChat about the Nintendo Switch 2!

Hollywood decided to break the curse by making a copy, and that's just what they did when they remade Ringu in 2002 for western audiences. But does this adaptation add more to the title than "The"? Actually, yes! In a Millennia Macabre first, we watched something good for a change. Unfortunately, we only have 7 days to relish it.

The Save Room is back and so is our log (uh, our backlog, that is). Can we get through games like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Nine Sols while no-lifing Marvel Rivals? Never challenge a gamer. It always ends in tears. For all parties. ALSO: another Bloodborne-less State of Play and is Avowed the next Skyrim kille-- my lawyers are telling me I cannot legally compare the two games. They have fined me the price of one copy of Skyrim.

Love is in the air... and so is poorly motivated murder! Millennia Macabre is back with a 2001 Valentine's Day slasher that not only features a masked cherub killer, but an angel -- Mr. David Boreanaz! Will his brooding good looks save this love sick whodunit from obscurity? The answer may not surprise you.

Some times the best things in life must be split in two: Kit-kats, cruise liners, marriages... Okay, our voices were blowing out and we needed to reconvene. But it's to your benefit! Now you have the definitive Game of the Year 2024 podcast x2!

Kept you waiting, huh? After the Year of Dreams that was 2023, we were told to expect a soft year in gaming. But that was a lie. This year went hard. From card games becoming newfound addictions to JRPGs that did everything except end, there was no shortage of stellar gaming experiences. Join us as we celebrate interactive software using nothing but soundwaves and our lips.

We revisit the grungy bathroom where a franchise was born! The original Saw led to a slew of nasty imitators bearing the "torture porn" moniker, but you'd be surprised to learn that James Wan's directorial debut is rather sanitary (and a little Hitchcock-y). Let's meet John Kramer for the first time again and decide whether he's the devious folk hero the sequels make him out to be or just a nutty old man who enjoys a good Rube Goldberg machine.

In my restless dreams, I see that game. Silent Hill 2... because they remade it! And it's not just a love letter to the past of survival horror, it's a thoughtful modernization that stands among the horror greats of today. Join us as we look for our (dead?) wife and jukebox parts in our review. Disclaimer: we got a bit long-winded in our intro -- like an hour and a half winded -- so jump to 1:28:30 for the Silent Hill 2 review! (You'll hear the sirens).

We've earned the platinum in Astrobot -- the new Astrobot game starring Astrobot! It's really fun, but you're not allowed to smile while playing it because Jim Ryan strangled Sly Cooper in his sleep. Also! We discuss some State of Play stuff (pretend that didn't happen three weeks ago, Hollowbody, Vampire Survivors, Space Marine 2, and Silent Hill 1! Not 2. The first one.

He's faster, he's smarter, he's even sadder about his mom! In 2009, they remade the cursed summer camp classic "Friday the 13th" in the hopes of resurrecting Jason Voorhees (again). Instead, it became the final Friday. Join us on this rebooted revisit to Camp Crystal Lake. Just watch out for all the sex.

2022's top time-sink is back with a vengeance. "Shadow of the Erdtree" expands on loose branches from the main game while punishing veterans and newcomers alike with difficult bosses, a new leveling system, and those damned furnace-heads. Does this DLC make an all-timer and all-timier? Well, you just have to listen to the episode, my scadude.

We venture to 2004 when zombies came back from the dead to devour pop culture... until we got sick of them again. Listen, somebody's watching one of those dozen Walking Dead spin-offs. Not us, but someone. Does Zack Snyder's feature debut live up the legacy of Romero's classic? Not really. Does it have a fun montage using Richard Cheese's music? Sure does!

Turns out, spending $76 billion dollars comes at a cost! And Xbox's most beloved studios are paying the price. Does a future of fewer, less risky games sound interesting? (Hint: it doesn't!). Also, we dig into the Resident Evil 9 rumors featuring an open-world Leon; and we discuss Stellar Blade -- the near beer of Niers!

We're used to watching movies that suck so vampires are right up our alley. Anne Rice may have disowned this 2002 adaptation of her novel, but the nu-metal community embraced it with leather-clad arms. Grab your wallet-chain and cover your neck -- it's Queen of the Damned.

Save Room Reviews: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth by The Save Room

The Save Room proper is out of hibernation and back with our longest news episode to date. It's two months into the year so naturally we had to catch you all up on our thoughts on news and what we've been playing. (Consider this the infinite wealth of podcasts for those who like our show). Our big news topic is around the sweeping gaming industry layoffs. It's a long winding conversation that we come at at every angle. Two full months into the year we've already seen well over 8,100 game dev layoffs across Sony, Microsoft, EA, Embracer, Remedy, and many other studios. There is no one theme as studios are letting talented devs go in their name of “right-sizing” due to Covid over-hiring, merges, consolidations, forced RTO mandates, and studio closures. It's a dire time for those in the industry and even for those wanting to break into it with no clear end in sight. We also talk the new Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC trailer, Borderlands the movie, and Switch 2 rumors. At the back half, we talk what we've been playing: from spreading democracy in Helldivers 2 to charting eldritch horrors in Pacific Drive with two massive JRPGs at the end, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Both titles have been long anticipated for your Save Room boys. We've logged over 100 hours respectively in Infinite Wealth and have a lot to say. Our FF7 Rebirth conversation covers up through chapter 4 and is impressions-only (don't worry, we'll have a massive spoiler cast coming soon), but the TLDR is that we're loving it so far. Time codes below for the uninitiated. Thanks for listening! —————————————— Time codes: -Intro - 0:00 -Kevin saying “time code” - 11:04 -Main topic: Games industry hit with over 8,100 layoffs - 14:40 -Xbox business update conversation - 1:30:24 -Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC - 1:46:23 -Borderlands movie trailer - 1:54:04 -Pokémon Direct - 2:00:43 -Switch 2 Rumors - 2:06:00 -Remedy buys rights to Control - 2:10:55 -Rockstar RTO - 2:14:04 -Helldivers 2 - 2:16:15 -Pacific Drive - 2:42:11 -Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - 2:55:54 -Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - 3:27:31

Our adventures through the early aughts of horror has taken us to the woods where one Mr. Eli Roth awaits. This low-budget gross-out became a cult classic and propelled the director's career like diseased blood all over a windshield. But does this fever still run hot? Have its juvenile jokes become "scratch moded"?? What does "scratch moded" even mean???

Our eyeballs were eating good in 2023. We went Across The Spider-Verse; we plus one'd Godzilla Minus One; we had Thanksgiving with Eli Roth; and we got high and watched the last Guardians film (no play on words there, it's just what we did). So, of course we had to record almost three hours of drunken filth recapping the best movies 2023 had to offer! (WARNING: The audio gets pretty rough in this recording. No one would blame you if you skipped this.)

Welcome back Roommates and goons! The epic conclusion to our two-part Game of the Year 2023 discussion is finally here, which only means one thing: it's time for the boys to fight shirtless on the back of two metal gears while they debate their favorite games of 2023. At nearly 4 hours long, you will in fact scream HOW is this podcast still standing?! --------Time Codes-------- -Intro - 0:00 -GOTY #5 - 12:54 -GOTY #4 - 42:35 -GOTY #3 - 1:13:55 -GOTY #2 - 2:00:30 -GOTY #1 - 2:43:00 -End-All Collective Save Room GOTY 2023 - 3:42:46

Fuck you, it's January - a time for resolutions, winter snows, cozy socks, insurrections, and 3-hour podcasts? That's right, roommates, it's finally time for the big Save Room Game of the Year 2023 podcast! 2023 was a massive year for indie games, AAs, and games across the AAA space from our favorite franchises. And with a great year of gaming, comes the great responsibility to podcast about it - hard. We present Part 1 of our Game of the Year podcast, which we'd buy for a dollar, but probably owe you guys money just for how long it is. This covers our honorable mentions through our respective bottom 5 games with the next episode covering the final top 5. Fair warning: We do often litter these talks with spoilers so listen at your own risk. We appreciate your support over the years and for sticking around for these end of the year behemoth-casts. Have some time codes on us for your listening efforts. Cheers! -------Time codes-------- -Intro - 0:00 -Save Roommate's Top 3 Picks - 11:04 -What game surprised us the most? What games did we want play to but didn't get to? - 18:20 -Kevin's Honorable Mentions - 28:35 -Daniel's Honorable Mentions - 54:14 -GOTY #10 - 1:19:58 -GOTY #9 - 1:38:55 -GOTY #8 - 2:00:55 -GOTY #7 - 2:19:58 -GOTY #6 - 2:45:00

It's that time of year to take the holly out of your jolly! The original Black Christmas is considered a atmospheric classic, so of course we're not reviewing that! Instead, we picked the derided remake, which is filled with cannibalism, CW actors, and a spot of incest to accompany your eggnog! Merry X-Mas!

Episode 135: The All Games, Some Awards Show 2023 by The Save Room

Save Room Reviews: Alan Wake 2 by The Save Room

Save Room Reviews: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 by The Save Room

For our belated Halloween special, we thought it'd be great to revisit a horror genre classic! Instead of actually doing that, we watched Rob Zombie's foul-mouthed, white trash reimagining of Halloween. Some love the grounded approach that focuses on what makes a killer tick. Others think it's a slap in the face to the original's legacy. But everybody else loves hearing "Tom Sawyer" as a man poops.

Blood, wax, and Paris Hilton. No, we're not talking about an episode of The Simple Life gone wrong. We're talking about the 2005 re-remake of House of Wax! A film described by its own director as "not really a remake of House of Wax." Amid the glut of early 2000's horror remakes, this one is truly the waxiest.

It's the big Starfield episode! That's right, Spacers, this week we're giving our 20 hours-in impressions of Todd Howard's greatest vision (well, sort of) and talking the many lows and middling highs we've had with it so far. And because we can't just talk about one game - we also deep dive on some games we actually love: Sea of Stars, Mortal Kombat 1, and Armored Core 6. But before the gaming feast - we run down the September 13th Nintendo Direct (not sure why we continue to cover these), Sony's State of Play (goddam that was some good stuff), and the big Unity controversial (woof!). Enjoy!

Mr. Frederick Krueger. Sir Jason Voorhees. Fans have long dreamed of a nightmare where these two titanic slashers went head-to-head, and Hollywood long dreamed of making money off those suckers. Journey to 2003 with us as we review the trashy and thrilling ode to these horror icons: Freddy vs Jason!

It's been a year since our first episode, but the internet's biggest retrospective series, Backtrack, is back! And this week: we're deep-diving on Final Fantasy XIII. In a summer where Baldur's Gate 3 and other bigger releases are happening: why are we talking about one of the most divisive Final Fantasy entries, you ask? Because we had the itch for more Final Fantasy after FFXVI, and well, because we're sick, of course. Released in North America in 2010 on the PS3 and Xbox, FFXIII split the fandom and had us asking pivotal questions: Why is it so linear? What the hell is a L'cie? What accent is Vanille using? Is this the death nail for Square? It's a confusing and fascinating game of terrible lows, bad story beats and character work, but it also holds many things worth praising: cutting edge graphics, the music, and new turn-based combat elements with the stagger and Paradigm systems. (We're a big fan of gameplay here at the Save Room and the Paradigm system had its hooks in us). The game spawned two sequels and the stagger-based combat system has been a franchise staple since so even with the negativity around it, it's impact has been lasting. While it's nowhere near our favorite entry we still find a lot to love and talk about and made it our focus to subject you, the listener, to it. Enjoy!

When you think of James Wan and haunted dolls, the first thing that comes to your weird mind is Annabelle. But Wan brought us a more troubling first draft of "doll horror" back in 2007 featuring two things that scare us more than anything: ventriloquists and Donnie Walhberg. The curse of the early oughts continues with Dead Silence!

Have you heard of the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV? The game includes an expanded free trial which you can play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the award winning Heavensward expansion up to level 60 for free with no restrictions on playtime! Sounds great, however, this isn't a review about that game - but rather a different fantasy from Yoshi-P and the team that brought you it. That's right - your Save Room boys are back and we're doing a deep dive review on the Final Fantasy XVI. The latest entry in the 37 year franchise from Yoshi-P and CBUIII has spurned many debates: is it a real Final Fantasy; is the writing and portrayal of women good; does Clive fuck? It will be a contentious title but we find plenty to love between the bombastic cinematics and fights, deep character work, story, and DMC-style action combat. Unfortunately though, you can't take the MMO out of Yoshi-P, so there are side quests and pacing issues we found abound as a result. Regardless, this is a must-play title and one that will be in many Game of the Year talks. Still a skeptic? Well then, just press play to accept the truth, Mythos.

While J-Horror remakes of The Grudge and The Ring stand out in moviegoers' memories, there is a glut of unsung horror films that history has forgotten. Why? Because they mostly suck. But there's beauty in their suckiness. That's why we're reviewing horror movies from 2000 - 2009. Today's entry will make you bark at the moon: Wes Craven's CURSED. A movie that's truly... uh, well, you get it. Opening theme: "Haunting of the Flesh" - Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio

Save Room Plays: Tears of the PlayStation Showcase by The Save Room

Save Room Reviews: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor by The Save Room

Shinji Mikami, director of the landmark 2005 title, Resident Evil 4, once insinuated he would chainsaw his own head off if RE4 came to a console other than GameCube. 18 years, many console iterations, and a remake later, he had this to say of the recently released 2023 remake: “RE4 cleared successfully. I enjoyed it very much.” That's right, we're talking and spoiling the hell out of The Resident Evil 4 Remake on this week's episode! After many playthroughs, grueling hours and slain Plagas, we can confidently say we also enjoyed it very much and that it's an easy frontrunner for Game of the Year so far. Want to know what we think of the parry, the Ashley treatment, the Ada VA “controversy”, and what Leon and Krauser did while shirtless in the jungle? Well, hit play then, sacrificial lambs!

Save Room Reviews: HBO's The Last of Us (Ep. 6-9) by The Save Room

Save Room Plays is back, and like the name threatens - we're talking about the games we're playing as of late.

"Save Room who you can Save Room." Or whatever the line is. We're a little over halfway through the first season of HBO's The Last of Us, and whether you love where it abides to the game or hate where it branches off, you can't deny the view.

Save Room Reviews: Dead Space (2023) by The Save Room

Game of the Year 2022: Volume 2 by The Save Room

Game of the Year 2022: Volume I by The Save Room

Save Room Reviews: God of War Ragnarök by The Save Room

We may be halfway through the November, but we're still longing for October and our favorite spooky time of the year. So much so that we sat town around the Jack o lantern and talked about (nearly) every movie we saw during the 31 days of Halloween. That's right, we're doing a big Halloween grab bag of some of the best and worst horror movies we saw: from the new Hellraiser to V/H/S/94 to Terrifier 2 to the Grimcutty. It's a round robin conversation of found footage, slasher movies, body horror, and some of the nastiest video nasties we saw. So grab the candy corn and prepare yourself for a Halloween treat.

Save Room Plays: Survival Horror Hootenanny (Make Us Whole Edition) by The Save Room

The boys are returning to Haddonfield for Halloween Ends, the final entry in David Gordon Green's Halloween trilogy. Bullies, Scarecrow dance parties, and romantic melodrama are abound in this whimper of a conclusion to Michael and Laurie's 44 year bout. Where Halloween Ends maybe fails to stick the landing, it does excel at boldly introducing a new character and newish concepts that will undoubtedly make this one of the most talked about and divisive entries in decades. It was an interesting take that had us watching with open mouths while wondering: when will that Michael guy show up?! While Halloween Kills beat into us that Evil should and will die tonight, Ends instead proves that Evil is a presence that is still alive and well so long as you stare into its eyes for long enough.

Episode 133: Get Ready for a Whole Lotta Witcher by The Save Room

For the first time in the history of podcasts, Save Room Reviews is doing a double feature! That's right, roommates, we saw two horror movies that we just had to talk about back-to-back for you all. That's twice the movies with twice the scares if you do the math. In one corner is Zach Cregger's Barbarian which is a careening roller coaster ride of a movie with surprises around every corner and doors that you don't want to go through. In the other corner is Ti West's period character piece slasher combo, Pearl, which sees Mia Goth dancing, slashing, and shining in the main role. Both, while wildly different, exhibit the ways that horror stretches the parameters of the genre to extremes and prove that in 2022 horror fans are eating good with original concepts. In true Save Room Reviews fashion, this is a full-on spoiler cast shit show, so if you haven't seen either come back when you have and get ready for creepy basements, Justin Long freak outs, and endless buckets of technicolor blood.

Save Room Reviews: The Last of Us Part I by The Save Room

After a lengthy summer vacation, Save Room Plays is back! True to the namesake, we're running through all the games so strap in as we give impressions on Rollerdrome, Cult of the Lamb, ULTRAKILL, Xenonblade Chronicles 3, and more! We also bring our worst best Italian accents to talk through the Gamescom gabagool, and its many world premieres.