Grumpy Gamers (Grumpy Gamers)

The new games are in full flow. Pokémon - completed it mate. Dying Light 2 - well, started it.  Lots of news too, GTA 6 has been confirmed, what's the future of Google Stadia now, and Sony are focusing on Live Service games.

Our feature discusses the Sony State of Play on Gran Turismo 7... it was a long event! Was it any good?

Kirk's away (don't worry, he's back next week!) so it's an old school episode with Pete, Eddy and Ben. Breaking Cyberpunk 2077 news... patch 1.5 has dropped. We go over all the info. It's a huge February of new releases, and we talk about the big week coming up.  We've played Sifu, and have our fresh take on PGA 2K21. Our feature this week recaps the full Nintendo Direct from last week, anything take your fancy? Let us know!

What we've been playing:
Sifu
PGA 2K21

Kirk's off again, what's going on?! And Eddy has used the wrong microphone... it's all falling apart! But anyway, as always, lots of news... and some heavy hitting brand new games! Plus our feature talks about reviewers, review scores, and does the system need changing?

What we've been playing:
Horizon: Forbidden West
Total War: Warhammer 3
PUBG

A packed 'What We've Been Playing' section dominates the pod this week. But let's not forgot Pokémon had a Direct last week too! One of the best RPGs of all time has been released, and we love to talk about it. Plus, our feature this week recaps the DICE awards Winners.

What We've Been Playing:
Elden Ring
Horizon Forbidden West
TW WH3
Death's Door
Resident Evil Village

Pete is ill so Ben, Kirk and Eddy are free to go off on as many tangents as they like! There are excellent questions from listeners, the big games keep on coming and the feature asks what the hell has happened to scary games?!?

What we've been playing:
Elden Ring
Gran Turismo 7
Kirby and the Forgotten Lands Demo
Spyro Remastered Trilogy

Pete's back, Eddy has audio issues, Ben is full of hyperbole and Kirk is full of something else... Just the usual then! Loads of news, reviews and there's a State of Play to talk about... and it wasn't terrible!

What we've been playing:
Elden Ring
Far: Changing Tides
Gran Turismo 7
Escape From Tarkov 

The news is pretty stacked this week with Gran Turismo controversy and Elden Ring nerfs. There are Xbox and PlayStation events to recap, and guess what, Kirk has played and completed Tunic! Big week!

What we've been playing:
Tunic
Mario Kart 8 DLC
Escape from Tarkov
Elden Ring

GT7 and GTA are in the news again, and we have PlayStation Plus/Game Pass rumours and the actual revealed service all in the same podcast... because we recorded over 2 days this time! Our feature is us creating our own game through the lens of existing games - a Frankenstein's monster of a game... it's our first attempt!

What we've been playing:
Ghostwire: Tokyo
Streets of Rage 4

We discuss more on the Microsoft/Activision deal, big news coming out from E3, and we've played new games! Our feature discusses the impact of toxicity in gaming.

What we've been playing:
Weird West
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time

Kirk is away but the show must go on! A host of new games have been announced, but they seem a long way off... but in the meantime there's plenty of controversy with Sony to keep us occupied. Ben's played Lego Star Wars and Pete has done everything there is to do in Elden Ring and gives his final thoughts.

Our feature this week is highlighting ACG (AngryCentaurGaming) as a YouTube reviewer we trust.

What We've Been Playing:
Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga
Elden Ring
RimWorld
Escape From Tarkov

Welcome to a bonus pod! We recorded this live on YouTube with Mr Boomstick XL on his channel 'Double Barrel Gaming' on 6th April 22.

We discuss Xbox Series sales, the success of the consoles and Microsoft's marketing strategy, plus we give our verdict on how we think the last 18 months have gone for Microsoft.

https://www.youtube.com/c/DoubleBarrelGamingWMrBoomStickXL

Pete is away but Kirk is back... who knows if that is a good thing! A few controversies and a delay make up the bulk of the news, and we talk about our predictions for the future of gaming in 10 years time in our feature!

What we've been playing:
Tormented Souls (Switch)
Life is Strange: True Colours
Lost in Random

We're struggling this week after going away for the weekend, but the show must go on! Big week of news with Nintendo leading the way with an excellent confirmed line up for the rest of 2022. We talk Gameboy/Switch leaks, the potential of an Ubisoft acquisition and the possibility of God of War: Ragnarok being delayed?!

Our feature this week is a Follower Q&A from Twitter, thanks everyone!

What We've Been Playing:
Cricket 2022
Life is Strange: True Colours

Interesting discussion in the news this week as we talk about the pluses and minuses of game trials through the new PS Plus, the Microsoft/Activision deal, all things Square Enix, and even Starfield.

And we've played 5 new games! Probably our most in one week! Our feature asks whether 2022 has lived up to the promised hype so far?

What we've been playing:
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodhunt
Ravenous Devils
Trigon Space Story
Solargene
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion 

Eddy is missing but do not worry... we have a guest for our feature! Christopher from the WTFDYW podcast joins us to discuss our favourite ever video games. We also review Trek to Yomi and the failings of Switch Sports. There was also an Xbox server outage, find out why this was actually a fantastic thing!

What we've been playing:
Trek to Yomi
Switch Sports

Kirk's off this week and Ben's ill but soldiering on because the show must go on! Especially when Xbox and PlayStation have been all over the news. Starfield and Redfall delays dominate our news chat and that new PS Plus line up isn't looking at all bad! We recap the Nintendo Indie Showcase in full and discuss what was missing.

What we've been playing:
Achilles Legends Untold
This War of Mine
Cricket 22
Surviving Mars
No Man's Sky

 

It is the season of showcases from the major game developers and publishers! We break from our normal format to do a special talking about our hopes and dreams for the announcements this summer.

Dylan from the Offshore Gamescast joins us! Check Dylan and Dave out on their podcast or at www.offshoregamecast.com 

We have a full contingent this week, Kirk is back! 2 weeks of news and new release to catch up on, and we've played a few newer Game Pass games. Our feature focuses on lost causes and in particular the cancelled game Star Wars 1313.

What we've been playing:
Mario Strikers: Battle League (demo)
Citizen Sleeper
Jurassic World Evolution 2

Pete is away, but we've got you covered in his absence. We have our best week of new releases in recent memory!

Our feature this week goes over the PlayStation State of Play event, the Pokémon Trailer and the new Sonic gameplay reveal.

What we've been playing:
Diablo Immortal
Judgement: Apocalypse Survival Simulation 

We have the one and only Boxenberger with us to drop genuine knowledge and expertise... unlike normal!!

We recap the main events over the last week including Summer Game Fest, the Xbox + Bethesda Showcase, and Boxenberger's thoughts on the State of Play.

@Boxenberger on Twitter and YouTube.com/boxenberger to catch more of him!

The news is still limited this week, but the new releases are plentiful... maybe a bit too plentiful! We actually have quite a few new games that we've been playing to talk about. Plus, being showcase season, our feature focuses on when we should actually hear about a game being developed. Sometimes it's just too soon!

What we've been playing:
Mario Strikers: Battle League
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
The Cycle: Frontier
Mass Effect 2

Kirk is back as the 4 of us reunite. We've been playing a fair number of new games this week. Can Nintendo get back to form after Mario Strikers with the release of a new Fire Emblem? Will Eddy ever get to hear what Pete thinks about Keplerth? Is Fallout 76 still that bad? Will Kirk have any spare time to play video games ever again? Will the theme tune music ever get turned down to a normal volume? Listen to find out.

What We've Been Playing:
Fire Emblem Warriors: 3 Hopes
Keplerth
Fallout 76
Fall Guys

Nintendo finally did their non-E3 event. It was a partner showcase and we recap all the games and our opinions on them. Pete's played a new city builder in space and Eddy basks in Chinese history in Three Kingdoms.

What we've been playing:
Fire Emblem: Three Hopes
Per Aspera
Total War: Three Kingdoms

Pete is away but no matter, Christopher from WTFDYW?! podcast is here to host and not scared to ruffle the old feathers. We discuss The Quarry after completing it on stream and Omori, which tackles some pretty heavy issues. Our feature allows Ben to rant a bit more at Nintendo - are 1st party Nintendo multiplayer games dead?

Catch Christopher: WTFDYW.co.uk & @WTFDYWPOD and @deadbeatpunk on Twitter.

What we've been playing:
The Quarry
Omori
Total War: Three Kingdoms
COD: Warzone

Eddy and Ben take on the podcast this week as both Pete and Kirk are off. That means a nice Warzone 2 chat for our feature, but don't worry the rest of the show remains the same!

What We've Been Playing:
Ghost of Tsushima
Industries of Titan
COD: Warzone

We discuss the big leaks this week around the Last of Us Remake, plus is the Resident Evil TV series that bad? Our feature asks us about our personal experiences with rage quitting!

What We're Been Playing:
Stray
As Dusk Falls
Stellaris DLC
Total War: Three Kingdoms

The news is pretty stacked this week, game news, financials and price increases everywhere! New releases yet again stack up, and Ben has played a new game which has flown surprisingly under the radar. Our feature focuses on the element of a game we most value.

What We've Been Playing:
Endling: Extinction is Forever
MLB The Show 2022
TW: Warhammer 2
TW: Three Kingdoms

A new JRPG anyone? Don't worry, let's talk about Xenoblade. There's also a couple of interesting Game Pass releases, old and new. Pete's played nothing... nothing new there. And we recap the Pokémon event and ask does the new game seem like a big enough 'evolution' for the series?

What We've Been Playing:
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Turbo Golf Racing

We discuss the latest news out of Brazil last week. Are Sony playing dirty by paying to keep games from Game Pass? Plus we've played both Cult of the Lamb and Two Point Campus. Our feature discusses what we would ask if we had 5 minutes with Obsidian.

What We've Been Playing:
Two Point Campus
Cult of the Lamb 

A shorter than usual episode marks a special crossover episode featuring Lyle Carr from God is a Geek! Special thanks to Thomas, @MrLlamaFluff on Twitter for suggesting a crossover!

In this episode we ask, has 2022 been a bad year in gaming? Let's recap the year and refresh ourselves in the lead up to Game of the Year discussions, which will be right around the corner.

We've played loads this week and have 2 weeks worth of big news and new releases to get through! Our feature recaps the big announcements from Gamescom Opening Night.

What We've Been Playing:
Splatoon 3
F1 Manager
Expeditions: Rome
Total War: Warhammer 3 - Immortal Empires

It's another Eddy and Ben pod, as other commitments get in the way, but the show must go on! A fair few of Xbox related stories dominate the news, and we have a packed week of new releases. Our feature focuses on our impressions on the Steam Deck after Ben has had his for a few weeks now.

What We've Been Playing:
F1 Manager 2022
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Inscryption

The presentations are coming thick and fast. We recap Disney and Marvel's gaming showcase, as well as the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners presentation. Our feature recaps the Ubisoft Forward. Not to mention our Splatoon 3 review and Pete's back on World of Warcraft!

What We've Been Playing:
Splatoon 3
Door Kickers
World of Warcraft

It's our 100th episode, so it's time for another special. Thank you to everyone and anyone who has supported us on this journey. Here's to 100 more!

No Kirk and no Eddy; however, that pathed the way for us to talk Cyberpunk. But don't worry, not before we talk about news on all the leaks this week in the gaming world! In an unusual twist, we review an anime TV show... Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix! Our feature discusses EGX from last weekend.

What We've Been Playing:
Splatoon 3
World of Warcraft
Return to Monkey Island
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners Anime (Review)

Pete and Ben hold the fort again whilst Eddy is on holiday. Much to discuss as Google announce that Stadia is shutting down, which leads to our feature - What is the Future of Cloud Gaming? Some other big stories to get into with the news this week, including Sony's continued PR losses!

What We've Been Playing:
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
Return to Monkey Island

Eddy's back and warning... it gets a bit sweary! A lot of news and a great week of new releases including the must awaited Scorn... which we will all have played by next week! Our feature focuses on cheating in video games, and is it wrong to cheat if you're a streamer?

What We've Been Playing:
Neon Abyss
Dead Space 2
Days Gone

The week of saying unpopular opinions for us... how many can we say in one episode? Bayonetta's VA controversy and frame rate issues plague the news. A huge week for new releases, and our impressions of Scorn. Our feature focuses on our remaining most anticipated games for 2022.

What We've Been Playing:
Scorn
ZERO Sievert
Pegasus Expedition

Another 2 person show. We talk about finally getting Silent Hill news, alongside Resident Evil news... and a conclusion to the Bayonetta 3 voice actress saga. We've played A Plague Tale: Requiem and our feature focuses on unpopular gaming opinions, with contributions from Twitter!

What We've Been Playing:
Despot's Game
A Plague Tale: Requiem

Kirk's back baby, and he's here to talk a lot of Microsoft news! Another packed week of new releases, and our feature discusses some of the Golden Joystick Award category nominees and our picks.

What We've Been Playing:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Football Manager 23
Keplerth

PSVR 2 gets a release date and a price... let's talk! Pete's back and ready to talk A Plague Tale: Requiem, and we get animated in our feature about video game graphics and why people use such hyperbole when describing good looking good!

What We've Been Playing:
A Plague Tale: Requiem
Keplerth
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
RimWorld

November games month is way underway! We talk God of War: Ragnarok news and impressions/initial review.. and there's also Sonic Frontiers! Our feature covers November's Nintendo Indie Showcase from last week.

What We've Been Playing:
God of War: Ragnarok
Sonic Frontiers
Tunic

We've been playing quite a few new games this week. One of the first week's in recent memory where we've all played new games! Our feature follows on with a discussion on the modern direction of FPS games.

What We've Been Playing:
Pentiment
Warzone 2.0 & DMZ
Pokémon Scarlet

Guess what's back in the news... or did it ever leave? The Microsoft, Activision, Sony love triangle, that's what. Big upcoming week of releases with Callisto Protocol leading the way, and Pete's played Dune: Spice Wars. We have updates on playthroughs of Pokémon Scarlet and the fatigue of God of War: Ragnarok.

Our feature is a Football Manager 2023 World Cup themed quiz!

What We've Been Playing:
Dune: Spice Wars
God of War: Ragnarok
Pokémon Scarlet
As Dusk Falls

Dony from Pure Dead Gaming Afterlife podcast and writer on the Pure Dead Gaming website joins us to talk Callisto Protocol and all things review scores!

There's a load of Nintendo news for a change and we go over the wonderful Mario Movie trailer from last week.

What We've Been Playing:
Callisto Protocol
Marvel's Midnight Suns
Dune Spice Wars

We are joined by the host of WTFDYW podcast Christopher Love, aka DeadBeatPunk, for a Game Awards recap episode. In 2 weeks time we have our GOTY episode where we, along with Punk, will argue the winner!

Punk's socials:
@WTFDYWPOD on Twitter
Download his pod anywhere... for example: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/wtfdyw/id1568854691

What We've Been Playing:
Callisto Protocol
Norco
TinyKin

We are joined by Dave and Dylan from the Offshore Gamescast for a special Christmas episode. We discuss what things are looking like for 2023 in the world of gaming. All things 3rd party, indie, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo!

Check the guys out at www.offshoregamescast.com

Finally, it's our GOTY show. We've banged on about it enough, built up the anticipation as much as possible... after you've no doubt heard everyone else's GOTY shows. Let ours be the last and most memorable, as we determine the objectively absolute best game of 2022.

Enjoy.

Check out wtfdyw.com for DeatbeatPunk's socials and podcast.

  

New year, same us. We back to the normal show format after a few weeks changing it up. Our GOTY show was episode 114 so go check it out. We talk the latest gaming news, including the potential Switch 2, and all the games that we've played over Christmas. Our features talks about the big releases in Q1 and what we are looking forward to playing.

What We've Been Playing:
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
Vampire Survivors
Pentiment
Forza Horizon 5 

We spot a wild Kirk who's back to talk about God of War: Ragnarok... did you hear he's got a PS5 now? New PlayStation IPs, rumours of console breaking issues and the latest expensive VR headset make up the bulk of the news. Our feature discusses if single player RPGs may die out in the near future.

What We've Been Playing:
High on Life
Marvel Midnight Suns
God of War: Ragnarok
Escape From Tarkov

Kirk's on for 2 weeks in a row... who would have thought! A fair bit of news this week taking about sales numbers with Ubisoft and Callisto Protocol. We actually have some big new releases to talk about and the Last of Us TV show is finally out to discuss.

What We've Been Playing:
The Last of Us TV show (watching)
The Last of Us Part 1
World of Warcraft
Wasteland 3
 

3 weeks on the bounce now for Kirk, is he back full time?! Microsoft dominate the headlines this week with lay offs including Halo developer 343. Marvel Midnight Suns is now completed, hear Ben's final thoughts. Our feature focuses on our gaming resolutions for 2023!

What We've Been Playing:
Marvel Midnight Suns
Infectonator: Survivors

Dony from Pure Dead Gaming joins us in a stacked 5 person show. We've played Forspoken and give our take on if it's getting a bad rap! We also discuss the Xbox Developer Direct in our feature. What grade would you give it?

LINK >>> puredeadgaming.com

What We've Been Playing?
Forspoken
Hi Fi Rush
Mahokenshi
This Land is My Land

Kirk's off this week and no guest but there's new Microsoft Activision/Blizzard news and PlayStation sales numbers to keep us company. There are heavy hitting new releases as Hogwarts Legacy approaches and Pete gives us insight into what's going to keep him busy for a while! Our feature talks about live service games and what's happening to them right now?

What We've Been Playing/Watching:
Last of Us Remake
Last of Us TV Show
World of Warcraft

Dony guests again for a missing Pete where we talk the latest news from the CMA and go all in on Hogwarts Legacy! Our feature recaps the Nintendo Direct and discusses the high and low lights.

Catch Dony:
Twitter: @DonyzTweets
Podcast: Pure Dead Gaming - Afterlife

What We've Been Playing:
Hogwarts Legacy
Last of Us: Part 1

Look no further! We have new Microsoft/Activision/Blizzard news (shock!) and a load of quick news to keep you going this week! Not to mention, a stacking New Releases section. Our feature this week spotlights a creator that 3 of us enjoy, Worth A Buy on YouTube. Check him out, we think you might like him!

What We’ve Been Playing:
Hogwarts Legacy
Dead Space Remake
Callisto Protocol
Atom RPG
Inkulinati

Pete's away for 3 weeks, so our first guest is the returning Dony. We have the standard weekly ABK deal updates along with big news on Nintendo and E3. Dony and Ben have both finished Hogwarts, we get their final thoughts, and Kirk has finally started LOU2! Our feature recaps the Sony State of Play from last week.

What We've Been Playing:
Hogwarts Legacy
Dead Space
The Forest
Last of Us 2

With Pete away for a 2nd week we have DeadbeatPunk, a.k.a. Christopher Love, a.k.a. host of WTFDYW podcast, back as our guest. A lot of insults flying in this one and we do talk about both Wo Long and Atomic Heart. There's a lot to love. Our feature looks at a few current Game Pass games that you may have missed!

What We've Been Playing:
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Atomic Heart
Pharaoh
Last of Us: Part 2

No Pete, no guests... it's a 3 man pod, law and order thrown to the wind. We talk about Jim Ryan's latest comments on the ABK deal, all the delays going on, and Xbox's terrible start to a generation. We've played the Resident Evil 4 demo and our feature talks about our favourite developers.

What We've Been Playing:
Resident Evil 4
LOU2
Sheltered 2

Pete makes his absence 4 weeks on the trot, we address some constructive feedback, and discuss all the latest gaming news, including the potential PS5 Pro and the ABK deal latest. Ben's played Diablo 4, be prepared to hear about a great game! Our feature has Eddy pick top draw £1 games for the others to play.

What We've Been Playing:
Stalker Anomaly 
Diablo 4 

Pete's finally back and order has been resumed. We have a genuine Microsoft ABK deal update, Redfall news and a big new Turtles game is on the horizon. We've played both Resident Evil 4 remake and more Diablo 4. Our feature looks at the biggest games in Q2 2023!

What We've Been Playing:
Diablo 4
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Stalker Anomaly

E3 has been cancelled, the PSVR2 isn't doing so well, but there was a Zelda Nintendo Direct... so it's not all bad. Join us for chats on the latest news and new releases. And we've played Dredge, is it as good as everyone's been saying? Our feature is Eddy's Real Deal part 2, where we play the £1 games Eddy picked for us 2 weeks ago.

What We've Been Playing:
Dredge
F1 Manager
Resident Evil 4

Kirk's off but the rest of us power through. The ABK deal edges towards a close and PlayStation have some rumoured new hardware on the way. We chat about the Mario movie, playing the new PGA Tour game in the spirit of the Masters, and Eddy sings the praises of Starbound. Our feature discusses jump on and play games for gamers with limited time at the moment!

What We've Been Playing/Watching:
 The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Starbound
EA PGA Tour 2023

Eddy's got a week off this time. Can Pete leads the charge with the new releases section this week with appropriate vim and vigour? We'll find out. We talk all things Redfall and 30 fps, follow up on EA PGA Tour 2023 chatter from last week, and revisit Warzone DMZ in Season 3. Our feature this week asks what is it about Nintendo that makes them so good?

What We've Been Playing:
Resident Evil 4 Remake
EA PGA Tour 2023
Warzone 2.0: DMZ
Mighty Doom

Eddy's back in a 3 person show, as Kirk's busy. Regardless it's action packed with the latest news and recap of the Nintendo Indie World presentation.

What We've Been Playing:
Total War: Warhammer 3
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels

Dony joins us to talk over the worst week for Xbox in recent memory. We talk new games and have played Jedi Survivor as well as Redfall. But the main event is the blocking of the Microsoft/ABK deal by the CMA. Let's talk what it means for Xbox now!

What We've Been Playing:
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Redfall
Surviving the Aftermath

Eddy is hungover, enjoy listening to him stumble over everything! We go over the Phil Spencer interview everyone is talking about, we have more Star Wars Jedi: Survivor chat, and our feature focuses on games that we feel should get sequels!

What We've Been Playing:
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Clanfolk
End Zone: A World Apart 

The European Commission have approved the ABK deal... we live in interesting times! We have a stacked week of new releases from Indie studios and our feature asks which game franchises we should have given more time.

What We've Been Playing:
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Two Point Campus

Eddy's Real Deal is back... but for Game Pass. A twist on a classic? We chat about what Jeremy Hunt had to say on the CMA's decision over Microsoft/ABK, Zelda news and that there's a new PlayStation showcase very soon!

What We've Been Playing:
Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Total War: Three Kingdoms
Rimworld
World of Warcraft

Kirk's back and just in time to review the May PlayStation Showcase. This week we've all played Planet of Lana, so let's be positive about that below delving into that presentation!

What We've Been Playing:
Zelda: TOTK
Planet of Lana

No Kirk this week, but regardless we have big things to talk about. It's 'E3' season and the showcases are round the corner. Let's talk hopes and dreams!

What We've Been Playing:
Diablo 4
Planet of Lana
Wo Long

This time Eddy is away, but don't worry Pete makes a valiant effort with the new releases. Plus Pete's bought a full price game! Imagine that. In our feature, it's showcase season, so we recap Summer Game Fest and the Xbox Showcase including Starfield.

What We've Been Playing:
Diablo 4
Horizon: Call of the Mountain

Honorary Grumpy Gamer, Dony, returns as we attempt a more PlayStation focused podcast... let's see if we managed it! Also, Kirk graces us with his presence for the 2nd week running in the absence of fan favourites Pete and Eddy.  We discuss more Diablo 4 as well as that damn good Final Fantasy XVI demo. Our feature talks about the PlayStation exclusives that we've been most surprised by... good and bad.

What We've Been Playing:
Diablo 4
Final Fantasy XVI

Eddy's back from his holiday... and he has notes. We go over the interesting trial news with Microsoft and the FTC and have a brand new game to talk about. It's not Final Fantasy XVI though... how about Aliens: Dark Descent? Our feature recaps last week's Nintendo Direct.

What We've Been Playing:
World of Warcraft
Aliens: Dark Descent

More Microsoft vs FTC news, playing older PS4 games in what we've been playing, and a feature discussing the pros and cons of min/maxing in games. What's not to love.

What We've Been Playing:
Horizon: Zero Dawn
Death Stranding
Diablo 4

We went to London at the weekend, we're one man down and the rest of us are feeling the after effects of a good time! Time for a high energy pod! Huge Microsoft/Activision/Blizzard deal news as the verdict is in. The much anticipated review from Eddy on Redfall is also upon us! It's Wimbeldon, let's talk about tennis games in our feature

What We've Been Playing:
Redfall
Only Up
Diablo 4

We discuss the latest Microsoft/Activision/Blizzard deal progress in and amongst a more varied week of news! A good week of news releases is capped off by discussing Oxenfree 2 and Exoprimal from last week. Also, has Kirk finally played Dead Space? Our feature discusses the Activision/Blizzard games/franchises that we are looking forward to with the deal.

What We've Been Playing:
Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals
Exoprimal
Fifa 23
Dead Space

Loads of PlayStation hardware rumours/leaks this week to go through, plus weighing up the Final Fantasy XVI sales numbers. We've finished Oxenfree 2, played more Exoprimal and Eddy gets into a 2022 GOTY contender in Vampire Survivors. Our feature taps into our gaming regrets. We buy a lot of games, which ones do we regret the most?!

What We've Been Playing:
Oxenfree 2
Exoprimal
Diablo 4
Vampire Survivors

Full house for the episode, a rarity these days! We discuss the Ratchet and Clank SSD controversy, more gaming industry lay offs and Final Fantasy 14 finally coming to Xbox. We've played Remnant 2 and it inspired our feature discussing the most underrated gaming franchises.

What We've Been Playing:
Remnant 2
Going Medieval
The Wandering Village
Transport Fever 2

Pete's away so Eddy, Kirk and Ben have no leash on the conversational path... musicals anyone? We're entering big game season and our feature looks at the games we're most looking forward to across August-October!

What We've Been Playing:
Remnant 2
Exoprimal
Total War: Warhammer 1
Dead Space

Shock, horror, Forza Motorsport doesn't have split screen?! We talk about it. Red Dead Redemption is getting a direct port, so it must be cheap, right? Right?! Oh, and there's potentially a new PS5 model... 2 of us have played Baldur's Gate 3, does it live up to the hype? Our feature asks what makes a great RPG?

What We've Been Playing:
Baldur's Gate 3
Escape From Tarkov

We talk about a lot of people getting angry about a lot of things in the news... the internet is the problem! But don't worry, the new releases are stacked this week. We've played more Baldur's Gate 3. Can it survive the cull with all the big games coming out? Our feature discusses DLCs and compares that to games which get annual new releases.

What We've Been Playing:
Baldur's Gate 3
Escape From Tarkov
Exoprimal

Starfield and Xbox dominate the news, but we are mere days away from release! At least there's Armored Core 6 to keep people busy in the meantime! Our feature recaps last week's Gamescom Opening Night.

What We've Been Playing:
Armored Core 6
Railway Empire
Dead Space Remake

Dony guests this week as our feature is a loooong discussion on our first impressions of Starfield. Even Kirk has played it! In other news, PlayStation did a price increase and set a release date for their Portal device.

What We've Been Playing:
Farworld Pioneers
Starfield

More Switch 2 rumours... not quite news, or big news? You decide. Eddy and Pete give their first opinions on Starfield and we discuss how the hell we're going to fit the remaining games we want to play into this year!

What We've Been Playing:
Starfield

Leaks a plenty today from Microsoft... let's discuss. Plus 3 presentations last week for us to talk about; Nintendo Direct, Sony State of Play and CD Projekt's Cyberpunk 2.0 show. It feels like E3!

What We've Been Playing:
Starfield
F Zero 99

Ben and Kirk chat through the latest news and new releases in a 2 person show! We've played Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 and EA FC 24, plus our feature discusses the potential remakes and reboots we'd like to see!

What We've Been Playing:
Cyberpunk 2077
EA FC 24
Armored Core 6

Big news this week with Jim Ryan set to leave Sony, Epic are now laying off staff, and the KOTOR remake looks to be in trouble. However, there are plenty of new releases to brighten the spirits! Eddy gives his thoughts on Starfield, now having played many more hours, and the Cyberpunk: Phantom Liberty appreciation is in full flow. Our feature asks us what makes a good action game?

What We've Been Playing:
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
EA FC 2024
Starfield 

Another 2 person show, but don't fret, we have guests in the coming weeks! We talk through all the Naughty Dog news that's circulating this week, and discuss the impact of the latest Redfall update. Will it make a difference? Our feature asks what are our favourite key games features... abstract or otherwise!

What We've Been Playing:
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
EA FC 24

Not to worry, as promised, we have guests this week! Dony and Punk join us in bickering about video games, in a stacked show. We've actually played new games! Our feature is a play along at home Spider-Man quiz... you may be able to beat at least one of us...

What We've Been Playing:
Lords of the Fallen
Forza Motorsport
Lies of P
Assassin's Creed: Mirage 

Ben and Eddy are joined by Dony and discuss Spider-Man 2 and Jagged Alliance 3. Our feature revisits the game length vs price debate in the wake of Spider-Man 2.

What We've Been Playing:
Lords of the Fallen
Jagged Alliance 3
Spider-Man 2

Pete's back so expect more structured nonsense! We have news on the PlayStation Slim and a load of new releases to get through. Our feature recaps the Xbox Partner Preview event.

What We've Been Playing:
Spider-Man 2
Football Manager 2024
Jagged Alliance 3

We talk about Fornite's recent successes, Bungie lay offs, and advertising in gaming. Plus we have a smorgasbord of new games to talk about. Lovely. Our feature recaps last weekend's Blizzcon.

What We've Been Playing:
City Skylines 2
Alan Wake 2
Dave the Diver

Eddy and Ben take on the challenge of a 2 person show but still deliver the usual dose of gaming news and moderately hot takes. We've played Modern Warfare 3 and also Eddy tells us about his game of the year. Our feature recaps the Nintendo Indie Showcase.

What We've Been Playing:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Wartales

There's more advertising in gaming, PlayStation pricing comes under fire and Call of Duty's next campaign could be an improvement. Also, does the Xbox Tax really exist? We discuss the facts and where the idea comes from in our feature.

What We've Been Playing:
Anvil Saga
Robocop: Rogue City
Alan Wake 2
Rimworld

Back to a 2 person episode with Ben and Eddy. We discuss the highly hyped GTA 6 trailer and what Phil Spencer has had to say on Xbox. Our feature talks about disappointing game sequels.

What We've Been Playing:
Stranded: Alien Dawn
Alienation
Alan Wake 2

Back to a 3 person strong team, but will we learn why Pete was playing Stellaris rather than on the podcast last week? Don't bet on it. We have breaking news on the pod, with instance reactions to The Day Before shut down. Pete's played multiple news games and we recap The Game Awards 2023:

What We've Been Playing:
Cocoon
TW: Three Kingdoms
COD Warzone
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Punk joins us in the first of two GOTY related episodes. We run through the top rated games per Metacritic in 2023, ignoring those that feature in our GOTY selections, which we'll reveal at the end of the episode. Next week marks our GOTY episode, where we will discover the completely objective, number one game of 2023!

It's our GOTY show and we're joined by Punk to see through deciding the completely objective, absolute, best game of the year!