Episode 157 Ahmed and Connor have returned from Italy, and travel is on their minds. Today, we discuss video game settings that are inspired by real-life locations and talk about games that capture a sense of wanderlust. As always, we conclude with the games we're playing (Slay The Spire, Monster Hunter World, Lil Gator Game). This episode was recorded in April 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Visiting Real Locations Depicted in Games 15:43 - Popular Locations Adapted in Games 26:46 - Assassin's Creed and Historical Locations 30:28 - Ahmed and Connor's Italy Anecdote 34:17 - Uncharted and Wanderlust / Idealized Places 42:15 - Sucker Punch and Other Sony Studios Tangent 49:58 - Slay The Spire 56:55 - Monster Hunter World 1:02:22 - Lil Gator Game

Episode 156 When a game series is around for a while, eventually the identity of the series will begin to mean different things to different people. Today, we discuss games that divide fanbases and what the merits of each series pre and post divide are. As always, we conclude with the games we're playing (Monster Hunter World, Minecraft, Ultros). This episode was recorded in April 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Pre vs Post Breath of the Wild Zelda 8:41 - Portable vs Mainline Monster Hunter 13:11 - The Split Fanbase Between The Last of Us Part I and II 17:30 - Old vs New Fortnite 23:41 - Smash Melee vs Smash Ultimate and Fighting Games 30:56 - Pre vs Post Elden Ring Soulslike Games 35:40 - Distinct Final Fantasy Fanbases and Other Split Fanbases 42:28 - Monster Hunter World 54:17 - Minecraft 1:02:25 - Ultros

Episode 155 Video games have produced countless iconic and memorable characters over the decades. Today, we reflect on what makes a character iconic, and which ones we think stand the test of time. We also review the results of the recently conducted BAFTA poll naming the top 20 most iconic gaming characters of all time. We end the show by shouting out a couple of our favorite games (Stardew Valley, Mass Effect Trilogy). This episode was recorded in April 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Some of Our Most Iconic Gaming Characters 13:14 - Discussing the BAFTA List of Most Iconic Characters 41:12 - Discussing Notable Omissions / Final Thoughts on Iconic Characters 45:13 - Stardew Valley 51:04 - Mass Effect Trilogy

Episode 154 Mike has returned from PAX East, and he has many stories to tell! Today, we talk to Mike about some of the new games he played, the developers he spoke to, and the events he attended. As always, we conclude by talking about the games we're playing (Sea of Thieves, Dragon's Dogma 2). This episode was recorded in April 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Mike's PAX East Adventure 22:51 - PAX Tekken 8 Tournament and The Fighting Game Community 34:30 - PAX Final Thoughts and The Gaming Community 48:58 - Sea of Thieves 57:00 - Dragon's Dogma 2

Episode 153 As game development takes longer and costs more, remakes and remasters of older titles have become commonplace. Today, we talk about some of our favorite remakes and remasters, how the industry handles these games, and whether or not certain game remakes are warranted. As always, we conclude with the games we are playing (Rise of the Rōnin, Sea of Thieves, Disco Elysium). This episode was recorded in March 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Reach out to @PodcastGametalk on Instagram or Twitter, or @gametalk on TikTok Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Thoughts on Remasters and Remakes 9:23 - Notable Nintendo Remasters and Remakes 16:17 - Notable PlayStation Remasters and Remakes 21:08 - Our Favorite and Least Favorite Remakes 29:18 - Remakes That Don't Need to Exist 32:33 - Final Fantasy VII and PC Game Remakes 37:16 - Halo Master Chief Collection, Monster Hunter, and Other Notable Remakes 45:44 - Rise of the Rōnin 1:05:33 - Sea of Thieves 1:24:44 - Disco Elysium

Episode 152 The specs for the PlayStation 5 Pro have leaked, and they paint a picture of high resolutions and framerates via Sony's proprietary upscaling solution, PSSR. But do we need a PlayStation 5 Pro? Today, we discuss the Pro specs and the technology behind them, and talk about historical mid-gen refreshes and they impact they have. As always, we conclude with the games we are playing (Helldivers 2, Balatro, Baldur's Gate 3). This episode was recorded in March 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - The PS5 Pro Specs and PSSR 12:27 - 8K and Upscaling Tech 29:32 - Historical and Modern Pro Consoles 51:07 - Helldivers 2 53:06 - Balatro 1:00:19 - Baldur's Gate 3

Episode 151 In today's somewhat somber episode, we take a step back and reflect on the Rooster Teeth shutdown and the death of the legendary Akira Toriyama. As always, we conclude with the games we are playing (Balatro, Infinite Craft, Persona 3 Reload). This episode was recorded in March 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Reflecting on Rooster Teeth's Shutdown 27:14 - Processing Toriyama's Death 44:45 - Balatro 1:02:21 - Infinite Craft 1:05:15 - Persona 3 Reload

Episode 150 As long as the games industry has been around, various moral panics have cropped up around certain games and sparked public outcry. Games like Grand Theft Auto, Mass Effect, and more have drawn unwarranted suspicion for their controversial content. Today, we talk about games that have stirred controversy over the years and why those opinions are almost always misguided. As always, we conclude by talking about the games we're playing (Resident Evil 2 Remake, Human Fall Flat, Timberborn). This episode was recorded in January 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Examples of Games that Caused a 'Moral Panic' 22:45 - Growing Up with Parents That Don't Understand Games 41:05 - Controversial Material in Games and How The Kids and Parents Handle It 52:35 - Resident Evil 2 (Remake) 58:48 - Human Fall Flat 1:01:53 - Timberborn

Episode 149 Sony has laid off around 900 PlayStation employees, or roughly 10% of their workforce. This is just the latest in a seemingly never-ending bombardment of workforce reductions in triple-A game studios. Industry experts have long-warned of the unsustainability of the triple-A games space, and it seems as though the bubble is in the midst of bursting. Today, we discuss the PlayStation layoffs and what they portend for the triple-A games industry as we know it. As always, we conclude by talking about the games we're playing (Persona 3 Reload, A Little to the Left, Helldivers 2). This episode was recorded in February 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - PlayStation Layoffs 15:09 - Triple-A Fallout and Ballooning Budgets 22:47 - Yearning For Old PlayStation 28:03 - Sacrifices for Sustainable AAA Games 41:25 - Industry-Wide Layoffs and AAA Limitations 49:45 - Persona 3 Reload 53:53 - A Little to the Left 56:56 - Helldivers 2

Episode 148 Helldivers 2 has come out and conquered the gaming world - with its frenetic (and hilarious) co-op action, the game has gone viral and its popularity continues to climb. In today's episode, we discuss the game and why it works so well, and what its successful launch could mean for Sony's future first party plans. As always, we conclude by talking about the games we're playing (Remnant 2). This episode was recorded in February 2024. The music in this episode is from Helldivers 2 (created by Arrowhead Game Studios) and is owned by Sony, and was composed and produced by Wilbert Roget, II. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Helldivers 2 Impressions 11:52 - Discussing Helldivers 2 Gameplay and Design 28:00 - The Future of Helldivers 2 34:28 - Sony's Strategy and Helldivers' Success 48:48 - PlayStation VR Tangent and Evolving 1st Party Strategy 56:02 - Final Thoughts on Helldivers 2 and Upcoming Games 1:01:45 - Remnant 2

Episode 147 After a week of frenzy and anticipation, Microsoft finally comes forward with their plans for the future of Xbox - and while their brief announcement threw cold water on the ongoing discussion, this week we talk about what Phil and co. said (and didn't say), and analyze Xbox's position going forward. As always, we conclude with the games we are playing (Red Dead Redemption 2, Tale of Two Wastelands, Persona 3 Reload). This episode was recorded in February 2024. Royalty free music from BenSound. Questions or comments? Tweet @PodcastGametalk Or chat us up in Discord - discord.gg/JZCj5Qn Timestamps: 0:00 - Microsoft Porting Four Games to Other Consoles 8:36 - Microsoft, PlayStation, and Nintendo's Long Term Monetization Strategy 12:56 - Activision Blizzard Games On Gamepass 16:47 - Layoffs and Sustainability 23:30 - Xbox Teasing Next Gen and PlayStation Strategy 29:25 - Final Thoughts on the Announcement 32:50 - Red Dead Redemption 2 40:55 - Tale of Two Wastelands 42:07 - Persona 3 Reload