Podcasts about ps2

It's been a few weeks now but the Sony backlash is continuing online. Splatoon Raiders and Halo Campaign Evolved are out now and Bethesda went crazy with Fallout announcements.

I had a chance to play through Halo Campaign Evolved ahead of launch on the PS5 and today I'm joined by a couple of others to discuss our thoughts on the game.

Read transcriptBy 2005, Konami had made three TMNT beat-em-ups based on the 2003 animated series, which is the kind of commitment usually reserved for tax filings or long-term relationships. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Mutant Nightmare landed that November on GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and Nintendo DS as the trilogy's closer, and Konami sent it off in style by giving it the series' first E10+ rating, as if four years of shell-based violence had finally crossed some invisible threshold of Too Much. The game loosely adapts the show's third season across four “Episodes,” which means the Triceratons invade Earth, Agent Bishop kidnaps Splinter for reasons that presumably made sense to somebody in a government facility somewhere, and Shredder shows back up to remind everyone that retirement isn't really a thing that happens to ninja warlords. Along the way you can pour experience points into skill scrolls, transform into a Dino Turtle or an Ultimate Turtle depending on the mood, and, if you clear the first Episode, unlock a modified version of the 1991 arcade classic Turtles in Time, which is Konami's way of saying “here's the good one, in case this one doesn't land.” Joining me to sort the Triceratons from the Foot Ninjas is Pierce Lydon of Spawnography, the podcast where he and George Marston work through Todd McFarlane's entire Spawn mythology one hellish arc at a time. Pierce has already survived one trip through the Play Comics gauntlet with me on Spawn in the Demon's Hand, so they know exactly what they signed up for this time: showing up, being extremely knowledgeable, and getting talked into yet another licensed beat-em-up nobody asked for. So grab a ninja scroll, pick a turtle, any turtle, and let's find out whether Mutant Nightmare sent Konami's turtle trilogy out on a high note, or whether the Triceratons should've just stayed home. Learn such things as: When is it appropriate to make a game without the most iconic villains? How much can you cram into a game when you know it's your last one? What magical things can you find at your public library? And so much more! You can find Spawnography on BlueSky, and Instagram, and of course those Apple Podcast, YouTube, and Spotify places. Or you can find Pierce as a wonderful human on Instragram @lapsed.punk. If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you're interested in. If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store. Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix. You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicspodcast on Threads, @playcomics on YouTube, or the Play Comics website. If you want to hear Chris talk with Karrington Martin about the lessons we learned from children's media and how crazy it is that we're supposed to just forget about that now that we're adults, then Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine is probably something you should check out. A big thanks to Glitterjaw Presents and Byrds Eye View Comics for the promos today. Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who knows the difference between ooze, slime, and muck. But doesn't want to tell us what the difference is. Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-89f00a for 40% off for 4 months, and support Play Comics.

At least it's a funny joke. (Unfortunately, the stream decided to crash again so the end of the show is missing.) If you missed Saturday's live broadcast of Molehill Mountain, you can watch the video replay on YouTube.  Alternatively, you can catch audio versions of the show on iTunes. Molehill Mountain streams live at 7p PST every Saturday night! Credits: Molehill Mountain is hosted by Andrew Eisen.  Music in the show includes "To the Top" by Silent Partner.  It is in the public domain and free to use.  Molehill Mountain logo by Scott Hepting. Chat Transcript: 6:58 PM@jaredknisely6213​​is this joke about smoking? 6:59 PM@jaredknisely6213​​theres a good show thats has smoking in it 6:59 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Hello 6:59 PM@jaredknisely6213​​store one is very good 7:00 PM@jaredknisely6213​​hes your agfe 7:01 PM@jaredknisely6213​​age 7:02 PM@eathdemon​​turn on ac andrew we arent filthy europens /s 7:04 PM@eathdemon​​does your apartment not have ac? 7:04 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Suikoden 3 and 4 are available on the PS3 store (while it is still up) 5 is sadly trapped on PS2. 7:04 PM@eathdemon​​get a portable ac window lol 7:05 PM@eathdemon​​il stop with ac stuff now lol 7:07 PM@jaredknisely6213​​they do run around 400 if you want to save for one 7:08 PM@jaredknisely6213​​but i dont know your apartment rules 7:09 PM@eathdemon​​as far as games im looking foword too is sw zero company and second chapter remake lol 7:10 PM@eathdemon​​no your fine 7:13 PM@eathdemon​​im lazy I just do 7k to 10k steps a day and thats about it 7:14 PM@Sheekago​​Hey everybody 7:15 PM@Sheekago​​Hip Pop? Hip Hop? 7:16 PM@addictedtochaos2​​At least you weren't like my idiot coworker who climbed up the warehouse racking and fell, fracturing his hip. 7:16 PM@eathdemon​​sounds like you should go see a doctor lol 7:16 PM@jaredknisely6213​​$$$$ 7:17 PM@Sheekago​​@addictedtochaos2 please tell that co worker didn't file workman's comp. 7:17 PM@jaredknisely6213​​perks of being at a physical gym and not a home gym 7:17 PM@addictedtochaos2​​I have no idea. 7:18 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Climbing the racking is a big no-no. That is what the forklifts are for. 7:22 PM@eathdemon​​I mean anyone shocked physical media is dying? im not lol 7:22 PM@addictedtochaos2​​PlayStation is still dead to me. 7:22 PM@Sheekago​​@eathdemon shocked? No. Disappointed, yes. 7:24 PM@eathdemon​​hate to be the debi downer here, but the era of mantaining 400 person teams are over. in the future it will be scaling up/down/ outsourcing/contracting. its not economicly rational 7:25 PM@eathdemon​​ 7:25 PM@Sheekago​​***DLC not included 7:25 PM@Sheekago​​****Just give us your money, damn it 7:26 PM@jaredknisely6213​​thats my fav when they ack you to buy something for 100's of $$$ and they cant even give you a copy of the game 7:26 PM@addictedtochaos2​​You either die as Sega or you live long enough to see yourself become PlayStation. 7:26 PM@eathdemon​​tbf they did that b/c embracer gabled up all the support studios 7:27 PM@jaredknisely6213​​its more than that, those studios where give years and a lot of moeny to do something which a good amount like 90 percent of them wasted 7:28 PM@jaredknisely6213​​only the Doom devs did something with those resources 7:28 PM@addictedtochaos2​​PlayStation's downfall began when Jim Ryan was placed in charge, and while he no longer is, we are now seeing the effects. 7:28 PM@Sheekago​​Look at vinyl records. They became niche and now they're making a come back. 7:30 PM@Sheekago​​That's true. It's all about control. Those cars with heated seat "subscriptions". They're trying to get rid of Android or Apple on their cars and create their own OS to lease to us. 7:31 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Their first party games actually sell more physical copies, but it comes down to maximizing profits. Nothing else. 7:31 PM@eathdemon​​also I cant say shit since all my games are on steam, so digital lol 7:32 PM@jaredknisely6213​​[message retracted] 7:33 PM@jaredknisely6213​​its the by-product of the gaming industry cancer that fortnite popularized 7:34 PM@jaredknisely6213​​we like show and tell 7:38 PM@eathdemon​​casting your mind back in to the abyss :) 7:38 PM@jaredknisely6213​​crab rav 7:40 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Sony dominated the PS1 and PS2 eras and that lead to the PS3, and while they did rebound, it wasn't as successful. Xbox shot themselves in the foot with the Xbox One reveal and never really recovered. 7:41 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Which lead to Sony dominating the PS4 and PS5 eras and had lead to their arrogance now. 7:42 PM@eathdemon​​thanks for making me feel old lol 7:42 PM@addictedtochaos2​​The game was Genji 7:46 PM@addictedtochaos2​​The first Genji was on PS2 and was quite good. 7:47 PM@eathdemon​​the ps2 and 360 era was heavily contract based 7:48 PM@addictedtochaos2​​If you mean Mr. Caffeine it was the Ubisoft presentation. 7:50 PM@AndrewEisen​​Sorry folks. The stream is just disconnecting and reconnecting. I'll give it a few minutes and see if it stops. 7:51 PM@addictedtochaos2​​I can see you moving 7:51 PM@addictedtochaos2​​But no sound 7:51 PM@addictedtochaos2​​Now I can hear you. 7:53 PM@addictedtochaos2​​The Wii U wasn't arrogance, it was more just Nintendo misread the market. 7:57 PM@AndrewEisen​​And here we go again with the damn disconnects. 7:58 PM@eathdemon​​I mean it could be restream getting slammed b/c its the weekend 7:58 PM@jaredknisely6213​​just a thought have you tried obs? 7:59 PM@AndrewEisen​​I'm using OBS. I'm just using restream so that I can stream to both YouTube and Twitch on Sundays. Maybe I need to stream the Sunday night podcast directly to YouTube. 7:59 PM@AndrewEisen​​Saturday night podcast, I mean. 8:00 PM@eathdemon​​I think its possable its just high ussage on restreams end 8:01 PM@AndrewEisen​​It doesn't appear to be my connection so that appears most likely. I've been using Restream for years and only had this problem in the last couple months. 8:02 PM@AndrewEisen​​Okay, well. Long story short. That anime is one joke over and over but I kept laughing at it. I don't know how it's going to maintain an entire series but I guess we'll see. 8:03 PM@jaredknisely6213​​from the internet reading i see its a restream thing 8:03 PM@AndrewEisen​​I'm ending the podcast. Hope to see you all tomorrow for Cold Steel III. 8:03 PM@jaredknisely6213​​would take more than a few mins of reading to see the main issue

Today I'm breaking down some thoughts on the a gaming industry that is in turmoil with Mat Piscatella over at Circana.Mat: https://bsky.app/profile/matpiscatella.bsky.social

Sony is ignoring a massive wave of backlash while Microsoft is getting hit with a ton of cuts within Xbox.Panel:MrMattyPlays: https://www.youtube.com/@MrMattyPlaysRadec: https://www.youtube.com/@realradec Celia: https://x.com/CeliaBeee Playeressence: https://www.youtube.com/@Playeressence Kimerex: https://www.youtube.com/@KimerexProjekt #Sony #Nintendo #Microsoft

Sony is still seeing backlash after their announcement to end physical media in 2028, and tensions are getting higher even for their partners.

In the first hour of Stokely and Evans with Mark Schlereth, John Davis and Chad Andrus sit in for the Morning Crew. They recap the rousing success of the World Cup in America and looking ahead to the Finals on Sunday. They look back at Camp Russ with less than two weeks until Broncos training camp. Bill Barnwell evaluated how valuable the best players across every NFL roster, how much capital are guys like PS2, Bo, and Bonitto worth? John and Chad wrap up the first hour debating whether the Rockies should trade Hunter Goodman or make him a franchise cornerstone.  

Welcome to Retro Runback! A look back at games from believe it or not… 25 years ago. A new special series with Console Creatures' retro game coverage.In 2001, the world was introduced to incredible PC games, and while we got our hands on the GameCube and Game Boy Advance for the first time, it was also another year of the PS2, the now-beloved Dreamcast, and the first-ever Xbox.We're beginning this new series with a game that launched a massive franchise on the PlayStation 2, from one of the most renowned and recognized developers and publishers in gaming: Capcom.Let's explore 2001's Devil May Cry.Theme music:aluminumCompuSiege (Mizar's Palace)You can also WATCH this series and episode on the Console Creatures Youtube page: https://youtu.be/h5vlzZ7_p9oWebsite: https://www.consolecreatures.com/

En este especial de Rejugando nos metemos de lleno con una de esas obras que, para mí, están en la historia más grande del videojuego: Shadow of the Colossus. Y lo hacemos dentro de nuestro recorrido por la obra de Fumito Ueda, después de haber hablado de ICO, para analizar no solo el juego que todos conocemos, sino también todo lo que hubo detrás: su desarrollo, sus ideas descartadas, los colosos que nunca llegaron, la tecnología que llevó a PlayStation 2 al límite y las decisiones creativas que hicieron que este juego siga siendo tan especial tantos años después. Empezamos hablando de nuestras propias experiencias con el juego y de esa sensación tan difícil de explicar que produce la primera vez que llegas a las Tierras Prohibidas. No hay tutoriales interminables, no hay un mundo lleno de personajes diciéndote qué hacer y no hay una gran interfaz explicándote cada paso. Estás tú, Agro, una espada, un arco y un territorio gigantesco que parece esconder algo. Y entonces aparece el primer coloso. A partir de ahí hablamos de cómo Shadow of the Colossus consigue convertir cada enfrentamiento en algo completamente distinto. Cada coloso es prácticamente un nivel entero, un puzle y un jefe final al mismo tiempo. No se trata simplemente de golpear a un enemigo enorme, sino de observarlo, entender su comportamiento y descubrir cómo puedes subirte a él. La progresión jugable es una auténtica barbaridad. El juego no necesita explicarte constantemente las mecánicas porque cada coloso te enseña algo nuevo. Aprendes a agarrarte, a gestionar la resistencia, a utilizar el arco, a aprovechar el escenario y a interpretar el comportamiento de cada criatura. Y todo eso lo hace sin convertir a Wander en un superhéroe. De hecho, una de las cosas que más comentamos es precisamente la vulnerabilidad del protagonista. Wander es pequeño, torpe y parece completamente insignificante al lado de los colosos. Y eso es fundamental para que cada combate tenga esa sensación de escala y de aventura épica. Pero también para que empieces a hacerte preguntas. Porque a medida que avanzamos, cada vez resulta más difícil pensar que estamos haciendo lo correcto. Los colosos no parecen simples monstruos. Algunos son tranquilos, otros parecen incluso ignorarnos hasta que nosotros les atacamos. Y después de cada victoria no tenemos una fanfarria de triunfo, sino una música triste y melancólica. La propia evolución de Wander nos va dando pistas. Cada vez está más deteriorado, más oscuro, más alejado del personaje con el que empezamos. Y llega un momento en el que la pregunta es inevitable: ¿quién es realmente el malo de esta historia? También repasamos el desarrollo del juego y la enorme cantidad de ideas que se barajaron. Uno de los conceptos más sorprendentes fue la posibilidad de hacer un Shadow of the Colossus multijugador, con varios personajes colaborando para derrotar a las criaturas. Una idea que terminó descartándose, pero que demuestra que el proyecto fue cambiando muchísimo durante su desarrollo. Y después llegamos a uno de los temas más fascinantes: los colosos descartados. El juego llegó a plantearse originalmente con 48 colosos. Después fueron 36, luego 24 y finalmente se quedaron en los 16 que conocemos. Y por el camino quedaron diseños, ideas, escenarios y criaturas que durante años alimentaron la imaginación de los fans. Hablamos de algunos de ellos, de sus nombres internos, de sus posibles mecánicas y de cómo algunos llegaron a aparecer en imágenes, vídeos o materiales previos al lanzamiento. Hay diseños que son absolutamente increíbles y que hacen que te preguntes cómo habría sido el juego si se hubiera mantenido todo ese contenido. Aunque, siendo sinceros, con 48 colosos probablemente el juego habría sido una experiencia completamente distinta. Otro de los aspectos que más me gustan del desarrollo es la manera en la que trabajó el equipo. El diseño de los colosos no parece haber sido un proceso completamente jerarquizado y cerrado. Gente de escenarios, animación, combate y otras áreas aportaba ideas para las criaturas. Era casi un enorme brainstorming colectivo. Y creo que eso se nota muchísimo en el resultado final, porque cada coloso tiene una personalidad, un comportamiento y una forma de enfrentarse completamente diferente. También hablamos de la tecnología. Porque lo que hizo el Team ICO con PlayStation 2 es absolutamente demencial. Las criaturas, el tamaño de los escenarios, las animaciones, la física, el pelo, las colisiones y la forma en la que Wander se agarra a los cuerpos de los colosos hicieron que el hardware sufriera de lo lindo. El equipo utilizó técnicas muy avanzadas para conseguir que las criaturas parecieran realmente orgánicas y vivas. Y, sobre todo, para que no fueran simplemente enemigos gigantes, sino seres que parecieran formar parte de su propio ecosistema. También nos detenemos en el diseño de las Tierras Prohibidas, en la importancia del vacío, de la soledad y de los silencios. Porque en Shadow of the Colossus el silencio es casi tan importante como la música. Y hablando de música, la banda sonora de Kow Otani merece un capítulo propio. La mezcla de épica, orquesta, melancolía y silencio es absolutamente perfecta. Y comentamos también la historia de la música que suena después de derrotar a los colosos: una pieza que, según se cuenta, sorprendió inicialmente al propio equipo porque no era la típica fanfarria de victoria. Pero precisamente por eso funciona tan bien. Has ganado. Pero no tienes claro que debas estar celebrándolo. También repasamos el impacto comercial y crítico del juego. Después del éxito de crítica, pero las ventas más modestas de ICO, Shadow of the Colossus consiguió llegar a mucha más gente y vender aproximadamente 1,1 millones de copias, multiplicando enormemente el alcance de su predecesor. Y, curiosamente, también hizo que mucha gente descubriera posteriormente ICO. Hablamos de las versiones posteriores, los modos de dificultad, los desafíos, los objetos desbloqueables, los secretos, las teorías de los fans y los detalles que han hecho que la comunidad siga investigando el juego durante años. Incluso comentamos un final descartado en el que Wander y Mono podrían haber sobrevivido juntos en las Tierras Prohibidas. Y, por supuesto, terminamos reivindicando lo que para mí es una evidencia: Shadow of the Colossus es una de las grandes obras maestras de la historia del videojuego. Un juego que no necesita llenar cada rincón de contenido para hacerte sentir que estás explorando un mundo gigantesco. Un juego que convierte a sus jefes en niveles completos. Un juego que te hace sentir pequeño, vulnerable y, en ocasiones, directamente culpable. Y una obra que, tantos años después, sigue teniendo algo que muchos juegos modernos no consiguen: una identidad absolutamente propia. En este especial hablamos de Fumito Ueda, Team ICO, el desarrollo de Shadow of the Colossus, los 48 colosos originales, los diseños descartados, el multijugador cancelado, la tecnología de PS2, Wander, Mono, Agro, las Tierras Prohibidas, la banda sonora de Kow Otani, la evolución de la jugabilidad, los secretos, el impacto comercial y el legado de una de las mayores obras maestras del videojuego. Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

This week's episode is all about RoboCop: Unfinished Business, the follow-up to RoboCop: Rogue City which is basically just Dredd, but with RoboCop instead.

As you know we do have a love for Capcom games on this Podcast.  Wanted to take a look at another Ps2 game that we never got to play, Devil Kings. This is Capcom trying the Musou style of game.  Also this is from a series that we only got 2 in America with this being the first.  Come hear us Discuss Devil Kings, a game you might of not even knew existed.  Starring Mike Albertin and Dominic.  Dominic's Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@dissonantwaves7752 A Gamer Looks at 40 - https://agamerlooksat40.com/ Carrying My Cross - https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/carrying-my-cross-a-faith-journey-podcast/id1865524685 Phoebe's Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/theletsplayprincess Phoebe's Podcast - https://nerdsabroadcast.podbean.com/ Zac's Podcast - https://linktr.ee/absolutelythebest Helena - https://linktr.ee/helhathfury Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/GamesMyMomFound Follow us on Facebook. Instagram - gamesmymomfound_ YouTube  - https://youtube.com/c/GamesMyMomFoundPodcast Discord - https://discord.gg/

Welcome to Dev Game Club, where this week we continue our series on Psychonauts. We dive into (ha) the lungfish levels and the Milkman Conspiracy and talk about the tension between systems and individually scripted experiences, before turning to user questions. Dev Game Club looks at classic video games and plays through them over several episodes, providing commentary. Sections played: To Milkman Issues covered: a special announcement, turkeys everywhere, long digression into weird Spelunky, setting up the Lungfish, hunting down all the collectibles, an underwater bubble and moving around, consistency in levels, coming in with different player options, involving the empathy of the player, the limits of other genres in engaging empathy mechanically, the difficulty of reading the environment, the unfortunate PS4 port from the PS2, avoiding oysters, a direct lineage of creativity, becoming Godzilla, reuse of abilities when you return, every level being a genre, leading the way creatively, parallel to indie film, re-entering the levels and the tongue-in-cheek, going every direction and the costs, relearning rules each level, the cost of testing boundaries due to other mechanics, jumping between gravity spaces, describing the Milkman level, conspiracy mad-libs, being in an environment where you will fail again and again, memorable levels here and elsewhere, zingers of stingers, lines in movies vs lines in games, reinforcing them, a typical day in the life for a game designer, iterating to solve problems, getting people on board and carrying vision, people who show what's going on with the project, building consensus.  Games, people, and influences mentioned or discussed: Spelunky, Andy Nealen, mysterydip, Beyond Good & Evil, Crash Bandicoot, King's Quest, Costume Quest, Headlander, Keeper, Stacking, Trenched/Iron Brigade, Tim Schafer, Daron Stinnett, LucasArts, Community, Velvet Underground, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Psychodyssey, Nintendo, Majora's Mask, Microsoft, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, Outer Wilds, Portal, Duke Nuke'em, John Carpenter, Them, Roddy Rowdy Piper, Sasha/scarytiger, Jonno, Starfighter, Kirk Hamilton, Aaron Evers, Mark Garcia.  Next time: Finish the game? Twitch: timlongojr and twinsunscorp YouTube Discord DevGameClub@gmail.com 

This week's episode is all about Mafia: The Old Country and how it starts slow and never quite finds its footing gameplay-wise, but has a strong enough narrative to see it through to the end.

This week we talk about Sony, Nintendo, and the Playstation.We also discuss Grand Theft Auto, the 3DO, and digital dark ages.Recommended Book: 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John ScalziTranscriptThe earliest video game consoles that were made to be used in the home, as opposed to being set up in an arcade, were hardwired like their arcade kin. That means rather than being able to play a bunch of different games, they were basically just single-game boxes: you would buy a machine that allowed you to play Pong, for instance, and if you wanted to play another game, even by the same maker, Atari, you would have to buy another whole console with its own screen, controls, etc, to do so.That was the state of the art in the early to mid 1970s. By the late-70s, the concept of swappable games became reality with the introduction of what are called ROM cartridges. ROM stands for read-only memory and is a type of storage common in computers and other devices, which allows whatever you store on it to persist, which is a contrast to RAM, which is the type of memory that determines how much you can do on a device at any given moment, and which disappears when the device is turned off.So these ROM cartridges were kind of like the portion of the hard drive that's used to boot up your computer, storing the bare-basics of the system so it can be initialized and understand how to run all the other software that builds upon that baseline. And that memory was stored in durable, plastic cases that made them usable by ordinary, non-techy people. You could buy a game and handle the cartridge, popping it into your game console hardware and removing it, to make way for another game, over and over and over again, and that use would be unlikely to damage the ROM chip.This same general format was flexible enough that it lasted through the mid-90s, the capacity of the ROM chip continuing to grow as the associated tech improved, and the capabilities of the central console hardware that used these cartridges became more sophisticated. Upgrades were slowly added to the innards of the plastic case, as well, including things like battery backups that enabled saved games, and the Super Nintendo's Super FX chip, which enabled 3D graphics that would have otherwise been impossible with the contemporary state of the art.The next generation of gaming consoles relied on another medium, though, and one that had several benefits over the long-lived game cartridge.CD-ROM discs, which were flat, circular, and contained information that was encoded and read with lasers, had been around in some form since the late-1980s, and were even used in a few early gaming consoles, like the PC Engine CD-ROM, which barely anyone bought, and the Sega-CD add-on for the Sega Genesis, and 3DO consoles, which a few more, but still relatively few people purchased.The release of the first Sony Playstation, now known as the PS1, in 1994 changed that, though, and this shift was partially the result of Sony's impressive game lineup, but was also due to the strength of the CD medium. Each CD-ROM could hold 650-700 MB of information, which was more than 100-times the capacity of the competing Nintendo 64's cartridges.There were downsides to this new standard; CD-ROMs were less durable than plastic-encased cartridges, and they were very slow to load, as well, because information stored in ROM chips could be more or less instantly booted, while the info stored on discs had to be spun up and read first, resulting in sluggish load screens throughout the gaming experience, and especially on the initial boot-up of the system.That said, the far superior storage, and the dramatically reduced cost of these laser-etched discs—cartridges could cost $15-20 apiece to manufacture, while CD-ROMs often cost pennies apiece—that triggered a rapid transition in the gaming world to this new medium. Handheld consoles stuck with cartridges for a lot longer, due to the nature of the use-case and difficulties associated with trying to use spinning discs in portable hardware, but everyone else moved to discs pretty rapidly, after Sony proved the utility of the model, and many aspects of video gaming were upgraded as a result of all that additional storage capacity.That capacity continued to grow as CD-ROM were replaced with DVDs, which could hold 4.7-8.5 GB per disc, again, up from 650-700 MB; the industry made that change in the years 2000 and 2001, with the PS2 and Xbox consoles. And then in 2006, the PS3 moved to Blu-ray discs, which could hold a whopping 25-50 GB per disc, once again resetting gaming expectations—though Xbox stuck with DVDs, and Nintendo's Wii, Wii U, and Gamecube consoles used proprietary disc formats that had a lot lower capacity compared to their competition.Leading into the 2010s, even those Blu-rays were straining under the weight of some big-name, AAA games, some of which required multiple discs and mandatory hard drive installs from those discs, because the scope of these gaming worlds and their high-end graphics required just a stunning amount of space.Video game companies had already started making the shift to digital products in the early 2000s, though, Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Store emerging in 2005 and 2006 respectively, and Steam, which popped up in 2003, was making digital downloads for games common on PCs several years earlier.Digital became even more popular in the 20-teens, and in 2020, digital sales of console games surpassed physical sales for the first time. The PS5 and Xbox Series S shipped console versions without disc drives for the first time, and many physical games became basically methods of checking a game's license, to ensure it's not pirated, because the discs installed the game on the console's hard drive, just like a download, anyway.What I'd like to talk about today is the perhaps natural next step in this transition: a recent announcement by Sony that they'll no longer be making disc-based Playstation games beginning in 2028, and why some critics are calling this a worrying and anti-consumer move.—On July 1, 2026, Sony announced that's it's going all-in on digitally delivered games. It will halt production of game discs beginning in January of 2028, and after that, customers will only be able to purchase new games digitally, via their Playstation Store and retailers.This follows another recent announcement by game company Rockstar Games that their massively anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI game, which is set to hit digital shelves on November 19 of this year, will not be available on disc at all; it will be downloadable, and the physical copies customers can buy in stores won't be physical copies at all: it will be a box with a download code inside, which amounts to the same thing—you use the code to download the game, exactly the same as if you had bought it online, but with packaging for that code.That's a big deal because the Grand Theft Auto series is one of the biggest and most popular series in gaming history; other game makers have been scrambling to adjust their own release dates so as not to overlap with this new, highly anticipated game's release; it's expected to be an absolutely massive moment in the gaming world when this new entry in the series finally lands.That said, the writing has been on the wall for the transition to digital games for a while, now. Game company Capcom recently announced that 93% of its game sales were digital in its last fiscal year, and other companies have reported similar numbers; it's currently around 85% for Sony. As a result, many consoles are now shipping models without disc drives, and some, like the recently announced Steam Machine, don't even have a disc-drive version.Digital games are also cheaper to make because the company behind them only has to provide download keys, rather than having to pay some amount for each and every physical item produced, packaged, and shipped, and these companies, and the retailers that sell their games, will never run out of a popular game, which might otherwise be an issue for big released like the aforementioned Grand Theft Auto.There are quite a few downsides to the digitization of games, though, including that in many cases, you don't actually own the games you buy, you just own a license to download and play them. That means if licensing changes, or the storefront through which you bought a game closes, you will likely lose access to that game you bought, without getting any kind of refund.If your account is banned or you lose access to your account for some reason, all your games will suddenly be inaccessible, too. If you don't have access to the internet, allowing your console to phone home and check to make sure you're not pirating things on a regular basis, that might also mean no gaming for you.Almost always, you can't sell or trade digital games, while physical games allow for a thriving secondary market, often allowing gamers to buy old discs and cartridges decades after a game was released, and often for far lower prices. Many of these games can even be played by later consoles that have back-compatibility.Doing away with discs and other physical media is great for companies like Sony, then, because they no longer have to pay to create the individual discs, no longer have to pay for the drives that play the discs, so the price of making consoles drops a bit, and it also means that secondary market for games goes away: if you want to play old games, you have to buy them from Sony, and all those used games already on the secondary market, or a game disc borrowed from a friend, are no longer competition for them, serving as alternatives to the digital version they'd prefer to sell you.Another bigger-picture concern here, though, is that this will make game preservation efforts a lot more difficult, and for many of the same reasons it will make maintaining a library and back-catalog of games difficult for consumers.Often, when a video game store shuts down, either for economic reasons or because it sells content for devices that are no longer maintained, those games and other content also go away. Sometimes they can remain on those older devices, and sometimes the digital rights management software, the DRM in that content and on those devices auto-deletes games from the hardware.Right now, for instance, Sony is saying that after it halts digital sales of PS3 and Vita games, that halting taking place over the next year, players will still be able to download their previously purchased content for the foreseeable future. That ‘foreseeable future' phrasing is doing a lot of work, there, though, and historically this kind of shut down has eventually become a full shut down, a lot of games, those that haven't been carried over to new stores to be played as vintage options on newer consoles, have simply disappeared; maybe still existing on some old hardware somewhere, if it wasn't deleted by DRM, but maybe not. In either case, preserving that software for historic research and archiving purposes becomes very difficult and expensive, at least compared to archiving the same game on a disc or cartridge.That closure of the PS3 and Vita stores, for example, is expected to result in the loss of about 2,200 digital-only games that will no longer be available for purchase, and of those, about 138 are not available on any other platform, and will thus essentially disappear.This game industry concern echoes larger concerns about what's called a digital dark age: a moment in time, maybe just a few years, maybe a few decades long during which a whole lot of the content that was created and available, disappears, possibly because of outdated file formats, maybe because the storage mediums that were used didn't hold up over time, or possibly because the data from the era was somehow corrupted, encrypted, or decayed.There's concern that a whole lot of information from the early personal computing era will disappear from historical records, for instance, because the floppy disks on which a lot of that information was stored are obsolete and thus increasingly difficult to access; few people have hardware that allows them to use floppy disks, these days.CD-ROMs, DVDs, and other optical discs are also a concern because of so-called disc rot, which refers to the chemical degradation of this storage medium. Many such discs are prone to failure because of light damage, the oxidation of their reflective layer, and the de-bonding of the adhesive that was used to hold the disc's multiple layers together.A lot of seemingly archival media might then degrade, even after being stored in a seemingly long-term fashion, which could also contribute to a dark age moment, a whole period's worth of data and entertainment and art lost because the CDs and DVDs on which they were stored simply fell apart before they could be converted to a longer-form medium. This could serve as an argument in favor of digitization, then, because many of the mediums on which these games are currently stored might degrade, anyway, and moving them to hard drives, rather than discs, could serve as a superior long-term home.That said, the concern with digitizing everything is similar, in that media made available for online purchase is simply stored in a hard drive somewhere else on the planet. If something happens to the data centers in which these games are stored, or those data centers are needed for another, more profitable purpose, or a bunch of them are destroyed in a conflict, that could result in the same outcome as disc rot and the storage of data in formats that are no longer accessible.It also makes these games susceptible to economics, though, because if the company behind them decides it's time to move on, there won't be physical copies archivists can scoop up and save; they could try to download these games, but often the nature of the software, of the DRM that keeps them from being pirated, hinders or prevents such efforts.The digitization of gaming and the shift away from physical copies of games seems to be inevitable at this point, and there are a lot of good economic, technological, and convenience reasons for it.There are quite a few downsides to this evolution as well, though, including those that negatively impact game consumers, alongside many of the same issues that threaten other types of media and data. And we don't, technologically or civilizationally, have solutions for those problems yet. And that gap could someday result in massive gulfs in our knowledge and documentation of this moment in video gaming history.Show Noteshttps://blog.archive.org/2026/04/23/gone-but-not-forgotten-recovering-the-dead-web/https://www.engadget.com/2207297/playstation-just-struck-a-hammer-blow-to-game-preservation/https://www.engadget.com/forza-horizon-4-will-be-pulled-from-digital-stores-and-game-pass-in-december-134510642.htmlhttps://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/03/why-game-archivists-are-dreading-this-months-3ds-wii-u-eshop-shutdown/https://www.engadget.com/2205792/sony-will-stop-making-disc-based-playstation-games-starting-2028/https://www.engadget.com/2207546/sony-repurposing-austrian-playstation-disc-factory/https://www.engadget.com/2206315/xbox-is-reportedly-testing-a-way-to-digitize-your-disc-based-games/https://www.engadget.com/2205792/sony-will-stop-making-disc-based-playstation-games-starting-2028/https://www.theverge.com/report/960173/microsoft-xbox-disc-to-digital-feature-physical-game-collectionhttps://www.theverge.com/games/956389/grand-theft-auto-6-gta-digital-code-in-box-physical-gameshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_dark_agehttps://longnow.org/ideas/shining-a-light-on-the-digital-dark-age/https://www.americanscientist.org/article/avoiding-a-digital-dark-agehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoleshttps://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/history-of-game-media/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_rot This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

JUNE-JULY OF JRPG REVS UP SOME CHAINSAWS! Join the HG101 gang as they discuss and rank Square's first handheld RPG. Then stick around for Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, enduring proof that Valve can't count to three! This weekend's Patreon Bonus Get episode will be THE BOUNCER — Square's early PS2 beat-em-up! Donate at Patreon to get this bonus content and much, much more! Follow the show on Bluesky to get the latest and straightest dope. Check out what games we've already ranked on the Big Damn List, then nominate a game of your own via five-star review on Apple Podcasts! Take a screenshot and show it to us on our Discord server! Intro music by NORM. 2026 © Hardcore Gaming 101, all rights reserved. No portion of this or any other Hardcore Gaming 101 ("HG101") content/data shall be included, referenced, or otherwise used in any model, resource, or collection of data.

Sound the alarms, because the Binge Buddies are wading straight into a cinematic dumpster fire. > Welcome back to "Hall of Just Us." This week, Bryan, Matt, Joel, and Ryan are suffering through the jarring tonal whiplash of 2017's theatrical Justice League—or as we affectionately call it, the "Josstice League." The guys are breaking down the infamous collision of directorial visions that resulted in this Frankenstein's monster of a superhero team-up. From the sheer horror of Henry Cavill's digitally erased mustache and painfully forced quips, to Steppenwolf's PS2-era graphics and a completely butchered color palette, we're dissecting every mismatched puzzle piece. Did any of Joss Whedon's reshoots actually work, or is this the biggest misfire in comic book movie history? Grab a fire extinguisher and hit play—we're trying to survive the wreckage!

After a few years away, I finally returned to Resident Evil with Village, a game full of tall ladies, a zombie Santa Claus, and more dolls than anyone could ever want.

We're back for Episode 181 of Pixel Gaiden!In this episode the boys catch up on what they've been playing and adding to their collections + Battle Of The Systems - 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker on DC vs The King Of Route 66 on PS2  6:02 - Quick Questions22:05 - Patreon Song25:30- Cody's Corner - Heroes of Might and Magic III 1:09:44- Catching Up2:26:20 - Battle Of The Systems - 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker on DC vs The King Of Route 66 on PS2  Please give us a review on Apple Podcasts!Thanks for listening!You can always reach us at podcast@pixelgaiden.com. Send us an email if we missed anything in the show notes you need. You can now support us on Patreon. Thank you to Henrik Ladefoged, Roy Fielding, Daniel James, 10MARC, Eric Sandgren, Brian Arsenault, Retro Gamer Nation, Maciej Sosnowski, Paradroyd, RAM OK ROM OK, Mitsoyama, David Vincent, Ant Stiller, Mr. Toast, Jason Holland, Mark Scott, Vicky Lamburn, Mark Richardson, Scott Partelow, Paul Jacobson, Steve Rasmussen, Steve Rasmussen's Mom, Retro Gamer Nation, Peter Price, Brett Alexander, Jason Warnes, Josh Malone (48kram), AndrewSan, Joe Ochwat, Mevunky, and Adam from Commodore Chronicles for making this show possible through their generous donation to the show.

We're back for Episode 181 of Pixel Gaiden! In this episode the boys catch up on what they've been playing and adding to their collections + Battle Of The Systems - 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker on DC vs The King Of Route 66 on PS2    6:02 - Quick Questions 22:05 - Patreon Song 25:30- Cody's Corner - Heroes of Might and Magic III  1:09:44- Catching Up 2:26:20 - Battle Of The Systems - 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker on DC vs The King Of Route 66 on PS2    Please give us a review on Apple Podcasts! Thanks for listening! You can always reach us at podcast@pixelgaiden.com. Send us an email if we missed anything in the show notes you need. You can now support us on Patreon.  Thank you to Henrik Ladefoged, Roy Fielding, Daniel James, 10MARC, Eric Sandgren, Brian Arsenault, Retro Gamer Nation, Maciej Sosnowski, Paradroyd, RAM OK ROM OK, Mitsoyama, David Vincent, Ant Stiller, Mr. Toast, Jason Holland, Mark Scott, Vicky Lamburn, Mark Richardson, Scott Partelow, Paul Jacobson, Steve Rasmussen, Steve Rasmussen's Mom, Retro Gamer Nation, Peter Price, Brett Alexander, Jason Warnes, Josh Malone (48kram), AndrewSan, Joe Ochwat, Mevunky, and Adam from Commodore Chronicles for making this show possible through their generous donation to the show.

GTA 6 pre-orders are live, the price is confirmed, and the internet is melting down — so naturally that's the whole episode. Raz and Jake break down the $80 standard / $100 Ultimate pricing, the "physical copy" that's really just a download code in a box with no disc, and whether you're actually losing anything (spoiler: lending to your buddies, and not much else). Then it's the free-market case for why $80 is eminently fair, the cost-per-hour argument that makes GTA the cheapest entertainment on Earth, and the uncomfortable truth that the loudest complainers have already pre-ordered. Then, meanwhile: EMPULSE. The $15 Titanfall-like from the Splitgate devs launched into early access with no store, no battle pass, and no microtransactions — and the guys explain, with the utmost confidence and zero gameplay watched, exactly why it's dead on arrival. Paint bombs included. Plus: 50 million GTA 6 pre-orders, companies closing on launch day, and a $1,000 bet on EMPULSE failing inside three months. 0:00 — Intro & "we have no likes" cold open 1:34 — GTA 6 pre-orders are live: $80 standard, $100 Ultimate 2:58 — The "code in a box": a physical copy with no disc 4:47 — Is the disc even a loss? Lending, Blockbuster, PS2 days 9:00 — Servers, Stop Killing Games & whether discs matter anymore 12:17 — Onto pricing: is $80 fair? "That person does not exist" 15:31 — The $100 Ultimate Edition: scam or just a menu? 19:22 — Does $80 GTA give every other studio license to charge $80? 23:00 — Big Macs, Netflix & the "communists in our comments" tangent 31:00 — Cost-per-hour: video games are the cheapest entertainment on Earth 34:22 — The one scummy thing: PC release delayed behind console 39:59 — Back to physical ownership: resale, lending, longevity 43:13 — Did GTA kill the disc? No — it was already dead 1:00:30 — Why no disc, really: anti-leak vs. just cheaper (part 2) 1:05:20 — Ultimate Edition breakdown: tattoos, car finds, gang raid 1:06:30 — Day-one Ultimate content: cut from the base game? 1:06:40 — "We're going to pre-order anyway, aren't we?" 1:09:54 — Is GTA review-proof? Outrage-proof? The Kotaku prediction 1:11:06 — Vote with your wallet & why a boycott is inconceivable 1:18:40 — 50M pre-orders, $4B, companies closing on launch day 1:11:06 — MEANWHILE: EMPULSE, the $15 Splitgate-devs shooter 1:13:01 — "This game will fail" — the arena shooter genre is dead 1:18:10 — No store, no battle pass, no microtransactions = $60k revenue 1:23:31 — "60 grand, baby" & the $1,000 bet it fails in 3 months 1:30:20 — GTA vs EMPULSE juxtaposition & "consumer-friendly?" rebuttal 1:32:31 — Announcements: bonus eps, Patreon, shoutouts, sign-off _Note: timestamps may be slightly misaligned on podcast apps (but not on YouTube) due to dynamic ads._ The podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, and ad-free & early access versions - as well as bonus episodes - are available to all of our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/thedropshot) supporters. We stream the podcast live on our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/thedropshotpodcast) every Saturday morning at ~9 o'clock Pacific Time. We typically start the stream 30 minutes early to answer viewer questions, banter, and chat. Links for everything are below. Thanks for checking us out!

Read transcriptSuperman Returns came out in 2006 and asked audiences a very sincere question: what if Superman, but sad? Brandon Routh brooded his way across the big screen, lifting improbable objects and pining for Lois Lane, and somewhere in a boardroom, someone decided this emotionally complex theatrical event needed to be a video game on four different platforms. Five if you count the Game Boy Advance version, which is technically a different game but we're counting it anyway because we paid good money decided that we just needed to talk about it. The PS2 and Xbox versions let you fly around Metropolis, absorbing explosions with your face in service of a health bar that belonged to the city rather than Superman himself, which is either a genuinely clever design idea or the most passive-aggressive mechanic in superhero gaming history. The Xbox 360 version turned the whole thing into an open-world showcase for what next-gen hardware could do, which in 2006 meant “look at those buildings.” The DS version was a side-scrolling beat-em-up. The GBA version was something else entirely. Superman Returns contained multitudes, is what we're saying. Joining me to dig through the whole sprawling, melancholy, city-defending mess is Adam Williamson, real-life friend, frequent Play Comics guest, and owner of a podcast idea that has been marinating for what I can only describe as a concerning length of time. Adam, I say this with love: at some point you're going to have to actually make the thing. In the meantime, he's here, the knowledge is flowing, and we've got a Superman game across half a console generation to get through. So settle in, try not to let the city's health bar drop to zero, and let's find out whether Superman Returns deserved better — from Hollywood, from the games industry, and honestly, maybe from all of us. Learn such things as: Did we finally crack the secret on how to make a good Superman game buried somewhere deep inside this one? Are real estate moguls the true evil in today's society? Are you a deadbeat dad if nobody besides you knows that you're the father? And so much more! You can find Adam on BlueSky @effectnotaffect and absolutely nowhere else except for on Play Comics where he writes comic reviews and appears on other episodes. Of particular interest to listeners of this episode are The Gimmick #1 and The Job #1. If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you're interested in. The next episode is going to be Garfield's Nightmare and Scary Scavenger Hunt, so get your thoughts ready and over to me if you want to hear them in the show. If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store. Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix. You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicspodcast on Threads, @playcomics on YouTube, or the Play Comics website. If you want to hear Chris talk with Karrington Martin about the lessons we learned from children's media and how crazy it is that we're supposed to just forget about that now that we're adults, then Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine is probably something you should check out. A big thanks to Big Game Saga Issue 2 and DC Specialcast for the promos today. Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who just wants the Supergirl movie to be good. Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-89f00a for 40% off for 4 months, and support Play Comics.

I asked my dad if he wanted to watch me play any game for Father's Day and he asked for Call of Duty since he used to play all of them before his serious stroke a few years ago. Long story short, it didn't go so well...

Check out the Spawncast network: https://spawncastnetwork.com/ Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/spawnwave Panel: Gene: https://www.washingtonpost.com/people/gene-park/ RGT: https://www.youtube.com/@RGT85 Celia: https://x.com/CeliaBeee Playeressence: https://www.youtube.com/@Playeressence Kimerex: https://www.youtube.com/@KimerexProjekt #Sony #Nintendo #Microsoft

Check out the Spawncast Network: https://www.patreon.com/Spawncast Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/@MysticRyan Spawn: https://www.youtube.com/@SpawnWave #Sony #PS5

(00:00:00) Intro and Background (00:25:06) A (Very) Brief Introduction to Mitsuda's Sound (00:48:32) Selected Works: Chrono Trigger (01:22:23) Selected Works: Chrono Cross (01:49:35) Selected Works: Shadow Hearts 2 (02:00:56) Selected Works: Sea of Stars (Brief) (02:02:54) Selected Works: Mario Party (Brief) (02:08:49) Non-Game Music (02:18:54) Wrapping Up Please consider supporting the show on Patreon! You can also click here to join the free Discord server or connect with the show on Bluesky and Instagram!Yasunori Mitsuda is a name that hardly needs an introduction to those steeped in JRPGs—but both his catalogue and his tastes are broader than you might expect. Nick (Friday Night Gamecast) co-hosts as we give an introduction (an admittedly very broad introduction) to his works and style. Although many of our favorites were left out, there is discussion aplenty. We talk two major works, a few lesser-known titles, non-game music, music theory analysis, and much more. Hope you love the show today. Please enjoy!Referenced Links2000 Interview, Shmuplations 2003 Interview, Shmuplations Square Enix Music interview, 20005Thank you for listening! Want to reach out to PPR? Send your questions, comments, and recommendations to pixelprojectradio@gmail.com! And as ever, any ratings and/or reviews left on your platform of choice are greatly appreciated!

In this episode, the boys talk about the Fortnite Festival double kicks update, every song now being FC'd on PS2, and YouTube Live 2008 with Freddie Wong and Joe Satriani.

This week's episode is about how Doom Eternal wants you to play it the way it wants you to play it and isn't open to how you want to play it.

Check out the Spawncast network: https://spawncastnetwork.com/ Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/spawnwave Panel: Celia: https://x.com/CeliaBeee Radec: https://www.youtube.com/@realradec Playeressence: https://www.youtube.com/@Playeressence Kimerex: https://www.youtube.com/@KimerexProjekt #Sony #Nintendo #Microsoft

We talked about The Rock and Xbox in the opening of the show. Zack tried to talk his dad into getting a PS2 because it makes a great DVD player. Microsoft started off evil, but Google took a little time to get there. Would you support Florida getting rid of property taxes? Find out what homeowner Erick thinks about it. Does Erick like strong women? You don't even have to listen for the answer to that one it's yes. Plus, the boys talk about Microsoft Game Pass and playing video games together again. All of that and so much more on the show today.

This week's episode is a little bit about Hades and a lot a bit about how my Xbox Series X has slowly been dying, one overheat after another.

Check out the Spawncast network: https://spawncastnetwork.com/ Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/spawnwave Panel: Celia: https://x.com/CeliaBeee RGT: https://www.youtube.com/@RGT85 Radec: https://www.youtube.com/@realradec Playeressence: https://www.youtube.com/@Playeressence Kimerex: https://www.youtube.com/@KimerexProjekt #Sony #Nintendo #Microsoft

In the first hour of Stokely and Evans with Mark Schlereth, Stoke is back to tell us all about his 2nd Pro Am experience. He guys react to Game 1 of the NBA Finals where Jalen Brunson proved them very, very wrong. Mike updates Stoke on the Avs’ coaching and GM situations. The guys discuss the benefit of doing business right in the NFL after the Broncos gave PS2 a bonus out of nowhere. Mike and Stoke wrap up the first hour rounding up the topics they covered like Stoke’s experience at the Memorial Tournament, the Knicks, and the continued disrespect for Bo Nix.  

This week's episode is 1) the last time I'll be talking about Stardew Valley (I promise) and 2) all about how Stardew Valley has weaseled its way into my top 100 games of all-time.

The Game Deflators break down new pickups, big gaming news, PS6 backwards compatibility rumors, a Steam Deck price jump, and a retro review of Woody Woodpecker on PS2. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 03:34 Game Pickups and Retro Game Books 06:45 Magic Card Collection and Trading Insights 09:44 Valkyrie Profile Gameplay Experience 12:40 Saros Game Review and Gameplay Mechanics 15:33 Upcoming Game Releases and Personal Gaming Plans 18:51 Microsoft's Exclusive Titles and Banjo Kazooie Nostalgia 35:39 Nostalgia and Character Development in Gaming 37:38 The Future of Xbox Exclusives 40:46 Lenovo's Controversial Handheld Console 47:45 Steam Deck Price Hike and Market Impact 54:43 PlayStation 6 and Backward Compatibility 59:42 Woody Woodpecker Game Review and Nostalgia 01:11:12 Outro John and Ryan return with a fresh round of gaming talk, starting with new pickups from RetroGameBooks.com and a look at what each host has been playing. John is closing in on the finale of Valkyrie Profile, while Ryan celebrates completing Saros and shares thoughts on its final stretch. The conversation shifts to community sentiment as Xbox players voice a growing desire for a revival of Banjo Kazooie. The guys break down why the franchise still resonates and whether Microsoft might finally listen. From there, the episode takes a sharp turn into hardware drama. Lenovo has pulled a handheld device that shipped preloaded with Nintendo and Sega games, raising questions about licensing, oversight, and how something like this makes it to market. The Steam Deck also enters the spotlight after a major price hike that has players debating value, timing, and Valve's long‑term strategy. PlayStation rumors heat up as reports suggest the PS6 could support PS3 titles thanks to a new CPU design. John and Ryan explore what this could mean for backward compatibility and how it might reshape Sony's next generation. To wrap up the show, the Inflation Deflation Challenge features a retro review of Woody Woodpecker: Escape from Buzz Buzzard Park on the PS2. The guys revisit its chaotic platforming, oddball charm, and current market value to decide whether it still holds up.   Find us on TheGameDeflators.com   Twitter - www.twitter.com/GameDeflators Facebook - www.facebook.com/TheGameDeflators Instagram - www.instagram.com/thegamedeflators   The views and opinions expressed on this channel are solely those of the author. The content within these recordings are property of their respective Designers, Writers, Creators, Owners, Organizations, Companies and Producers. Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted. Permission for intro and outro music provided by Matthew Huffaker http://www.youtube.com/user/teknoaxe 2_25_18

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Read transcriptAt some point in the early 2000s, someone looked at the Dragon Ball Z manga and anime, a story full of screaming men who power up for entire episodes, hair that defies physics, and villains who monologue long enough for the protagonist to reach a new power level, and said, “Yes. This. But make it a fighting game. On two, and only two, consoles.” And thus, Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2 arrived on PS2 and GameCube, ready to let you spend an unreasonable amount of time unlocking characters and pretending you know what a Fusion Dance is supposed to look like in real life. This episode, we're going Super Saiyan on the whole thing. The game, the manga, the anime, the drama, the capsules, the questionable story mode decisions. All of it. And joining us to power up the conversation is Russell Moran from Kaiju ComiCast, who brings exactly the kind of kaiju-sized enthusiasm this franchise demands. So take a deep breath, squeeze out every last drop of ki you've got, and let's get into it. Your hair may or may not turn gold by the end. No promises. Learn such things as: What's worse than taking a risk and totally failing? What's keeping us from getting the epic Toriyama Universe fighting crossover event that we all want to badly? Can you really say that the roster has 50 different characters when 10 of them are different versions of the same dude? And so much more! You can find Russell on BlueSky @kaijucomiccast, Instagram @kaijucomiccast, and of course at his podcast Kaiju ComiCast. If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you're interested in. The next episode is going to be Justice League Heroes The Flash, so get your thoughts ready and over to me if you want to hear them in the show. If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store. Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix. You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicspodcast on Threads, @playcomics on YouTube, or the Play Comics website. If you want to hear Chris talk with Karrington Martin about the lessons we learned from children's media and how crazy it is that we're supposed to just forget about that now that we're adults, then Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine is probably something you should check out. A big thanks to “Fun” and Games and Anime Field Guide for the promos today. Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who only does things at levels of 9000. Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-89f00a for 40% off for 4 months, and support Play Comics.

Check out the Spawncast Network: https://www.patreon.com/Spawncast Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/@MysticRyan Spawn: https://www.youtube.com/@SpawnWave #Sony #PS5

Check out the Spawncast Network: https://www.patreon.com/Spawncast Ryan: https://www.youtube.com/@MysticRyan Spawn: https://www.youtube.com/@SpawnWave #Sony #PS5

Check out the Spawncast network: https://spawncastnetwork.com/ Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/spawnwave Panel: Celia: https://x.com/CeliaBeee RGT: https://www.youtube.com/@RGT85 Radec: https://www.youtube.com/@realradec Playeressence: https://www.youtube.com/@Playeressence Kimerex: https://www.youtube.com/@KimerexProjekt #Sony #Nintendo #Microsoft

Read transcriptIf you've ever wondered what would happen if professional wrestling, superhero nonsense, and a generous helping of “did they really just do that?” collided in a PS2-era video game, congratulations you've found your people. This episode dives headfirst into Galactic Wrestling Featuring Ultimate Muscle, a game that asks the important questions, like how many absurdly named wrestlers can fit into one ring and whether flexing harder is a legitimate combat strategy (it is). Along the way, we're joined by Josh “Anoriand” Fagundes. Yes, that Anoriand from Twitch. He brings his streaming-honed wisdom and an appreciation for delightful chaos. Between the manga roots, anime flair, and a game that absolutely commits to the bit, there's plenty to grapple with here. So lace up your boots, oil up your… everything, and get ready for a match that's less about winning and more about how spectacularly weird the journey can get. Learn such things as: How do you make a sequel to a game and not have it on the same console? What happens when the humor and moral values of such different societies don't really match up? Does this game have anything surprisingly good in it, and does it even matter if it does? And so much more! You can find Anoriand on Bluesky @anoriand, TikTok @anoriand, YouTube @AnoriandGD, and Twitch @anoriand. And he was on Super Deluxe GamesCast but as this is getting published, it was announced a few days ago that they're changing the name to Maximum Hearts and I want to make sure that this horrible timing is saved for prosperity. If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you're interested in. The next episode is going to be Dragon Ball Z Budokai 2, so get your thoughts ready and over to me if you want to hear them in the show. If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store. Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix. You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicspodcast on Threads, @playcomics on YouTube, or the Play Comics website. If you want to hear Chris talk with Karrington Martin about the lessons we learned from children's media and how crazy it is that we're supposed to just forget about that now that we're adults, then Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine is probably something you should check out. A big thanks to Lee Carvallo's Podding Challenge and Peace Down and Down for the promos today. Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, who would probably have a glitch somehow as a special move. Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-89f00a for 40% off for 4 months, and support Play Comics.

This week, we return with The Mummy Returns! Chris hates it. Rob kind of loves its PS2 looking ass graphics. We've only done “bad” Brendan Fraser films at this point. Maybe we'll end the season on a positive note with Airheads or something. Who knows? It don't matter. None of this matters. Ancient Anubis artifact antagonizes archeologists, always awaiting, awfully archaic, also arachnids! Scorpions are spiders! CG-Aye-Aye-Aye! Non-flesh Imhotep! Jock rockin' Rob! Bring back the skin beetles! Super fucking bullshit hieroglyphic spoken trash babble! Double-decker London bus theft! Lots of sucking, so much sucking! Alex running from inaccurate rifle fire! Anck-su-namun's today body! All pyramids are the Pentagon! Waterface eats the balloon! Steggles & Gooch, Attorneys at Law, and much, much more on this week's episode of The Worst Movie Ever Made! www.theworstmovieevermade.com

Read transcriptSomewhere in the mid-2000s, a group of developers looked at the Justice League and said, “What if we made a game where all your favorite heroes team up… and then we just kinda vibed with that idea instead of sticking to any specific comic storyline?” Which kind of works actually because they got Dwayne McDuffie to write it but that's not the point. So anyway, Justice League Heroes burst onto the scene for PS2, Xbox, PSP, and Nintendo DS like a Watchtower alarm that nobody remembers installing. This week on Play Comics, we grab our capes, charge up our vaguely canon-adjacent superpowers, and dive into a game that absolutely has Batman, Superman, and friends… ummm, friends are definitely there I promise and sometimes they have to be there because of contractual obligations. And sometimes even the best version of those friends if you're lucky and the best version of that hero had been invented already. Joining the adventure is Gavin Mevius from The Mixed Reviews and The Q Division, bringing along just the right blend of insight, chaos, and “wait, was that ever a comic plot?” energy to help us make sense of it all. So get ready for teamwork, button mashing, and a Justice League game that is just kind of meh, especially considering the story that it had to work with. Learn such things as: When you can have Justice League adventures without Batman or Superman Why you don't need a 100% comic plot line to have a good comic plot line. What the world was like before micro transactions got involved with everything And so much more! You can find Gavin on BlueSky @shhhitsgavin, Instagram @gavinmev, and of course on his podcasts The Mixed Reviews (a monthly film review show taking a deep dive into a subject, actor, director, or something else along those lines) and The Q Division (a monthly deep dive into James Bond). If you want to be a guest on the show please check out the Be a A Guest on the Show page and let me know what you're interested in. The next episode is going to be Galactic Wrestling with Ultimate Muscle, so get your thoughts ready and over to me if you want to hear them in the show. If you want to help support the show check out the Play Comics Patreon page or head over to the Support page if you want to go another route. You can also check out the Play Comics Merch Store. Play Comics is part of the Gonna Geek Network, which is a wonderful collection of geeky podcasts. Be sure to check out the other shows on Gonna Geek if you need more of a nerd fix. You can find Play Comics @playcomics.bsky.social on Bluesky, @playcomicspodcast on Threads, @playcomics on YouTube, or the Play Comics website. If you want to hear Chris talk with Karrington Martin about the lessons we learned from children's media and how crazy it is that we're supposed to just forget about that now that we're adults, then Sugar, Spite, and Everything is Fine is probably something you should check out. A big thanks to Gimmicks and Spawnography for the promos today. Intro/Outro Music by Backing Track, whose super power is always knowing exactly where to find that file you're looking for. Support Play Comics by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/playcomics Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-89f00a for 40% off for 4 months, and support Play Comics.

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Want to be featured on the next Q&Andy? Send us a video on our socials or email us at askandy@servedmediagroup.com Andy Roddick dives into all things tennis rackets. He breaks down the racket and string tech that shaped his career and changed the modern game. Andy explains why he trusted his stringing team with almost complete control and what really changed when Roger Federer made his famous racket switch, including why Rafael Nadal called Federer's 2018 version the toughest he ever faced. He also gets into string tension strategy across different surfaces and weather conditions, reveals that James Blake secretly used Dunlop rackets inside a Prince bag for years, and argues that strings, not rackets, have been the biggest revolution in modern tennis power. Andy then reacts to his brutally accurate PS2 ratings in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2, where the game nailed his serve and roasted almost everything else.

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Check out the Spawncast network: https://spawncastnetwork.com/ Support the stream: https://streamlabs.com/spawnwave Panel: Celia: https://x.com/CeliaBeee Radec: https://www.youtube.com/@realradec Playeressence: https://www.youtube.com/@Playeressence Kimerex: https://www.youtube.com/@KimerexProjekt #Sony #Nintendo #Microsoft

Things are quiet recently. It feels like we're waiting for something to pop-off; some new announcements, or tantalizing rumors, or whatever. We have a little of that this week, though -- perhaps as usual -- it's good news mixed-up with a few questionable items. Let's start with PS5 sales, which picked up substantially in the days leading up to the hardware's global price increase. We then move into the surreptitious release of once-hidden Grand Theft Auto Online numbers, which shows a game still making around $10 million a week, with around two-thirds of its playerbase on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Then, we get into first and second party fare: More details about the unannounced (but heavily rumored) Faye-driven God of War spinoff, casting and performance capture details for Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT, word of a Bloodborne animated feature in the works, and a Metal Gear Solid film, too, both being steered by Sony Pictures. And did Insomniac's Spider-Man 3 get leaked, too? Inquiries from the audience help us round things out, as always. Why is PlayStation 2 Colin's least-favorite Sony console? Is there room for the point-and-click adventure genre in modern gaming? Will Xbox really go back down the path of exclusivity? Can we act as an effective billboard for a listener's pregnancy announcement? Sign up for your $1 per month trial period at https://www.shopify.com/sacred Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/SACRED and use code SACRED and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup! Go to PrizePicks.com/DoItLiveSweepstakes or check out PrizePicks social pages for more info. Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.0:00:00 - Intro0:35:29 - Player 30:39:45 - Timothy's weight loss0:44:56 - RIP Juno0:56:18 - Back to PSVR2?0:57:39 - Weird Pragmata discourse1:09:20 - Roblox on PS51:10:14 - PS5 sales boost due to the price increase1:22:13 - GTA Online makes $10 million a week1:36:28 - New Faye God of War details1:47:42 - Physint casting details1:56:27 - Bloodborne animated movie2:12:37 - Metal Gear Solid movie rumors2:21:39 - Mocap for Spider-Man 32:32:29 - New PS+ games2:39:39 - What We're Playing (Starfield, Marathon, Mouse PI For Hire)3:00:56 - Defending capitalism3:16:27 - "AI-free"3:27:11 - PlayStation in Super Smash Brothers3:38:01 - PS2, the least favorite3:43:06 - Point and Click adventure games3:49:05 - Xbox returning to exclusives? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices