Workforce Gaming Podcast (Workforce Gaming)

We finally make our way through the action of Marvel's Spider-Man for PS4. It is finally time to bring the success of the MCU to video games! We go through all of Peter Parker's newest attempt to be the greatest hero in gaming.

Doug jumped into the universe created by Enigma Studios to follow the fantastic sci-fi horror story told through the games The Enigma Machine, ECHOSTASIS, Mothered, & Mothered Demo.

We return to one of Doug's favorite games of 2021 in Returnal with it's new DLC Ascension. Doug walks through how this free DLC expansion adds to and changes the world of Returnal. 

After what feels like an eternity of waiting we have both completed final fantasy 7 remake. We go though all the big story moments and the things that blew us away. 

Doug takes a quick trip down memory lane to check back in on the one of the PS2s best series with Onimusha Warlords. Is the first Onimusha game worth revisiting in 2024 or has it's time came and went? Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Brad heads back to the Raiden series for the re-release of Raiden III x MIKADO MANIAX on Playstation 5. Does this old shmup hold up as a new game in 2023? Raiden 3 x Mikado Maniax PS5 code provided by NIS America

We go back to one of the best games of 2023 and talk through all the story, ending, and general spoilers of Alan Wake 2. We break down the themes of Alan Wake 2, Alan Wake and Saga's story, what on Earth the ending is, and who is Scratch.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro

1:02 General Game Themes

11:24 Side Characters

20:50 Saga

31:46 Alan Wake

40:00 The Ending

Brad goes back to Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty to check in on one of his favorite games of all time after 20 years. It turns out after all this time the game might make more sense and even be more relevant in 2024. Plus it's still one of the greatest games of all time. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Brad ventures back in time to the earliest point he has ever been in the Final Fantasy series with the Pixel Remaster version of Final Fantasy IV. How does the first SNES Final Fantasy stack up to all the other entries in the series?

Brad jumps into the wonderful story book of The Plucky Squire. Is this new Indie game on released on Playstation Plus worth a read through? Or is it just another Legend of Zelda inspired game? Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Marvel's Spider-Man is one of my favorite PS4 games. It's time to find out if Spider-Man Miles Morales is a good successor to it and if it shows off the power of the PS5. 

At Pax East Doug took some time to talk with the developers of Heartworm, an upcoming PS1 inspired horror game. They discuss how PS1 style graphics can create a game more tense and scary than modern games. You can wishlist Heartworm or play the demo on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257030/Heartworm/ Support Workforce Gaming on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We go through the highs of Spider-Man 2 for PS5 and look at all the moments that we loved throughout this game. Who is Venom, What happens for Miles & Peter in the ending of Spider-Man2, and all of our favorite parts in between! Full spoilers for Spiderman 2 are here!

There are few things better than finding something weird and interesting on Xbox Gamepass. Doug stumbled into Echo Generation a unique indie JRPG. He breaks down how the interesting parts of this game got him through some frustration. 

We both dive in to and probably over analyze the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, and then think about what could come next for Spyro. 

Through the magic of Xbox Games Pass Brad had the oportunity to test out Forza Horizon 4. With little to no prior experience with the Forza series or racing games in general Brad attempts to review Forza Horizon 4.

After almost a decade Brad jumps back into one of his favorite series of all time with Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Up first we revisit the original Mass Effect and see how well the original kicks off the series. 

Doug and his dad have played through all the Destiny 2 campaigns and expansions together. They chat for a while after the final Destiny 2 expansion The Final Shape about their experiences with the game.

Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Brad goes back to one of the best games of 2023 to check out the Separate Ways DLC for Resident Evil 4. We talk through how Ada Wong's journey through the villages of RE4 compare to Leons and how the RE4 DLC serves as a great reminder of how amazing this game is.

Doug runs through the unusual but highly impressive Neon White.   Code provided by Annapurna Interactive

Halo is back! Not only is it back but Halo Infinite is the best Halo has been in years. We walk through how the newest version of Halo lives up to the games of old while still bringing some new things to the table. 

Brad loves Fantasy Football & Video Games. Doug loves Video Games. So we combined these things and are going through our third year of https://www.fantasycritic.games/ Fantasy Video Game League.   If you want to follow along all year long check out our league: https://www.fantasycritic.games/league/3a42c011-989b-40b9-904f-2210aef6ec01/2021

We jump back into the over the top world of Travis Touchdown to see if No More Heroes 3 to see how the legendary assassin fairs against a group of evil aliens and a bunch of technical issues!  

We look back on the reveal of Xbox's new first party lineup from their July showcase, including our thoughts on Halo Infinite, Fable, The Medium, Everwild, and More! 

Time Stamps: 

5:40 Halo Infinite

13:04 State of Decay 3

14:53 Forza Motorsport

15:10 Everwild

17:02 Ori & The Will of The Wisps

18:36 Avowed 

22:03 Psychonauts 2

23:28 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

24:39 The Medium

26:36 Warhammer 40,000 Darktide

27:53 Tetris Effect: Connected

31:31 Crossfire X

33:12 Fable

38:50 Closing

To get ready for No More Heroes 3 Brad takes some time to check out Travis Strikes Again to see if it's really as bad as it's scores look.

Years after the fantastic The Expanse series has ended we head back out to the belt to see what the revived Telltale Games has for us with The Expanse game. Focusing in on Drummer and a crew of scavengers is this game enticing enough to get fans of the show or new comers to follow along?

We've been waiting a long time for the follow up to Horizon Zero Dawn, one of our all time favorite games. We look at Horizon Forbidden West and see if it stands up to our sky high expectations for it.

We continue our trip through the Devil May Cry series. This time we look at the most recent releases with Devil May Cry 4 and DMC. In addition, we discuss our hopes for Devil May Cry 5.

Brad goes back to the early years of the Yakuza (Like A Dragon) series to fill in the one spot he is missing, Yakuza 3. We look at how this game fits into the Yakuza series as a whole and what The Yakuza Remastered Collection looks like on PS5.

Final Fantasy 16 is nearly here! We both played through the opening hours of the incredible new entry in the series. We explain how FFXVI after only a couple hours is already in the running for one of the best games of 2023 and one of the best Final Fantasy games.

Continuing to catch up on the best games of 2023 we take a look at Mortal Kombat 1. Is this reboot needed at this point for the Mortal Kombat story to continue and what else does MK1 bring to the table to help continue one of the best fighting game franchises.

Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

After trying nearly several SMT games and all the recent Persona's Brad has finally found the Atlus RPG for him with Soul Hackers 2. How is Soul Hackers 2 different than Persona and is it ultimately something worth trying?

We spent our 30 minutes running through the village in Resident Evil 8 Village during the 8 hours in the village demo. We try to decide if this will live up to Resident Evil 7 and how the setting will ultimately effect the final game. 

We talk through our thoughts on a bunch of games we played over the last month including: the new PS Classic Jeanne d'Arc, Doug's attempt at Dragon's Dogma 2, returning to an all time GBA great, and attempting Dark Souls as a Crab. Timestamps Jeanne d'Arc 0:39 Dragon's Dogma 2 3:53 Metroid: Zero Mission 8:34 Another Crab's Treasure 13:20 Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Doug goes back in time to the days of the original PlayStation to look for some new takes on what classic style horror games can be. We talk through the haunted PS1 collection as a whole as well as look at some of his favorites.   

[ECHOSTASIS] - 4:22
Torry 3D - 9:26
tmod -12:56
Agony of a Dying MMO - 15:42
ARD - 20:07

Doug spent some time with his family playing Minecraft, which means after many long years one of us can finally explain what Minecraft is and why it's so immensely popular. 

We journey back to the PSP through Playstation Classics on PS Plus with Resistance Retribution. We see if this PSP Classic actually holds in 2024 or if it should have been abandoned seemingly like the rest of the Resistance series. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Despite neither of us having a long history with Diablo a few incredible cutscenes convinced us to take some time to check out the Diablo IV Beta. We try to determine if this great beta was enough to convince us to check out Diablo 4 when it's released.

A pinball JRPG... Sounds like a giant mess, but somehow World Flipper turned out to be an incredibly cool and addictive new mobile game. How is this possible? Doug explains his current obsession with it. 

We get back to the 2002 version of the 1930s crime world in Mafia: Definitive Edition. Does this hold up as a great crime thriller or have the last 20 years really shown it's age? 

We jump back in time to check out the new collection of TMNT games in the Cowabunga Collection. Do these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games still hold up today?

We jump back into Final Fantasy XVI for the last time with The Rising Tide DLC. Finally, we find Leviathan The Lost and we discover if it is truly worth being the final ending for Final Fantasy 16.

Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We both take a look at the sequel to Gris, Neva. Both of us were shocked by how striking and incredible this game truly is at incorporating ideas from other games. Also our apologies about the audio issues!! Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

After finishing up Like a Dragon The Man Who Erased His Name, our attention turns to 2024s Infinite Wealth. Brad walks through what's available in both demos for the game and previews what Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth will end up being.

Doug goes back to an incredibly unique PS1 game with the new re-release of Tomba! Is this game still the unique game he remembers or have other games simply done what it does better at this point? Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Kingdom Hearts is back! Almost... We talk about all our thoughts on the crazy announcement of Kingdom Hearts 4 at the Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Event. How far out is Kingdom Hearts 4, is this secretly Versus VIII again, what's up with the realistic look? We talk through and speculate on all the big questions the Kingdom Hearts 4 trailer brings up. 

We take a look back at the complete package of Kingdom Hearts 3 now including the Remind DLC. Then we throw our thoughts as to where on earth we could end up at for Kingdom Hearts 4. 

Brad finishes up his return to Mass Effect, by finishing Mass Effect 3. Does some years after the ending controversy bring new perspective to it or is it still clearly the weakest link in the trilogy? 

We take a look at what is one of the best and most interesting games of 2022 so far, Norco. This old school Point-And-Click adventure game takes us all through near-future New Orleans.

In the continuation of one of the best JRPG series around, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 does it's best to subvert our expectations of what this game really can be.

We jump into and explore a cozy Colorado town in Life is Strange True Colors. How does this stack up with the rest of the franchise and does being released all at once help make this new Life is Strange feel different than the rest. 

Doug checks out the first expansion to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake story with the new INTERmission DLC. How does Yuffie fit in with this new version of the heroes of Avalanche? And should Doug have played Dirge of Cerberus?

After months of waiting and speculating the PS5 has finally been revealed! We look through all the initial games announced for the PlayStation 5 at the PlayStation 5 Reveal event.

Doug jumps into the 3D-Roguelike Risk of Rain 2 to see how it the leap it takes from 2D to 3D. 

Doug takes Vampire Survivors for a spin on his Steam Deck to see how the new DLCs have changed the game. He specifically looks at the Ode To Castlevania DLC to see if it's worth investing a few dozen more hours into the game. We also briefly discuss Operation Guns and Emergency Meeting DLC. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We check out the newest game from the creators of Danganronpa & Zero Escape, World's End Club. Does this game live up to the some of the greats of the visual novel genre? 

Axiom Verge 2 had a surprise release at last weeks Nintendo Indie World. Brad instantly downloaded it and ran through the fantastic new metroidvania. The game moves far and above the first Axiom Verge!

We break down another set of demos from the Steam Summer Game Festival.   This time we give our thoughts on:  Drone Storm, Metamorphosis, Rhythm Doctor, Say No More, Transient, Ynglet, Ex Zodiac, Gloomwood, Starstruck Hands of Time, ShipBreakers, Gori: Cuddly Carnage, Golden Light, Ghostrunner, Spinch, & SkellBoy.

We dive into the comedy genre for the new game High on Life from one of the creators of Rick and Morty. Is there a solid first person shooter under all of the jokes or should you just show up for the comedy?

We jump into the post apocalyptic world of The Cub. This indie game has us running and platforming our way through the world after a climate disaster while Martians play golf. Does it stand up to the heights of other indie platformers? Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming Code provided by Untold Tales

We both had some time between the big releases this fall and decided to check out Huntdown. This 2-D side scroller has a great 80s feel and some of the best gameplay we've seen in a while.

Doug takes a look at one of 2021's biggest indie games in Death's Door. It seems to have a lot in common with one of last years biggest games in Hades. How does this one stack up and is it truly one of the best games of 2021?

Doug discovers there is a SHMUP out there that is considered to be one of the best ever that he knew nothing about. So he goes to investigate if Zero Ranger is in fact the greatest SHMUP of all time. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Brad goes back to what some consider one of the best JRPGs with the re-release of Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door. Does this Gamecube classic still live up to those lofty thoughts or is the Switch Paper Mario version a let down? Or is it both... Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We've seen the ending, we've followed Sephiroth, and done dozens of hours of side quests, so it's time to talk about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth spoilers. In part one of our spoiler discussion we walk through the main story line of FF7 Rebirth. 0:00 Intro 1:22 Lets Get Into It 13:21 Junon 24:58 Costa Del Sol 28:21 About Zack 33:30 North Coral 35:02 Gold Saucer 43:10 Gongaga 47:40 Cosmo Canyon 51:47 Nibelheim Pt 2 57:55 Gold Saucer Pt 2 1:05:32 Temple 1:13:38 Ending Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We venture into a rarely explored space for us with the online free to play shooter The Finals. Doug somehow got extremely invested in cashing out in what feels like the online shooter we wanted back in the mid-00s.

Brad heads to the world of Athia in Forspoken to see what the follow up from the developers of Final Fantasy XV created in this action RPG. Is the adventure in this new world a start of a new franchise or just a one off adventure for Frey.

We journey back to one of our games of the year with Final Fantasy 16 Echoes of The Fallen. How does this compare to one of our favorite games. Is the Final Fantasy DLC worth checking out or just a new dungeon?

After asking for Brad's opinion on the first hour of Remnant: From the Ashes, Doug decided to ignore him and check it out himself. Turns out after the first hour or so Remnant becomes a much more interesting game. 

Doug ventures back into Elden Ring in what is essentially Elden Ring 2. He updates his thoughts on what Elden Ring is and how Elden Ring Shadow of The Erdtree fits in with the rest of the souls games. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Brad buckled under the pressure of a cool Sci-Fi story and went through what turned out to be one of the best games of 2020, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. The (almost) visual novels packs more sci-fi storylines into a game than you ever thought possible and the result is incredible!  

Doug jumps into the first PS5 exclusive in what feels like forever with Returnal. This game has a growing reputation for being incredibly difficult, how does he handle it? 

It may not be video games, but Doug experenced what he believes what may be the closest to in at Level99 in Natick Massachusetts. How does this place create the feeling of being in a game and could it be the future of arcades? Also, Dave & Buster's sucks.

Brad finally returns to the crazy story of Tekken in Tekken 8. We walk through how this may just be his favorite fighting game of all time and how Jin and Kazuya (plus Heihachi) are holding up after several decades of world domination.

Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Doug ventures back to one of his all time favorite games with We Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie. Is this the definitive way to play a classic game? Or do the new features in Royal Reverie hold it back?

We go back to the Forbidden West with the new DLC for Horizon Forbidden West. It turns out the thing Forbidden West needed most was a small cozy trip to the Burning Shores to show it's true potential.

Immediately after the State of Play Doug jumped into the newest Silent Hill game, The Short Message. He instantly sees the comparison to PT and tries to decipher what Silent Hill The Short Message could mean for the next Silent Hill game.

Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Doug said lets do an episode on Evangelion. I said I don't know anything about that. Doug said I don't care I'm going to talk about Evangelion and started recording... So here is our (Doug's) thoughts on Evangelion 3.0 + 1.01, along with the rest of the series.

Doug rolls the dice and decides to check out an interesting newer Indie Game with Betrayal At Club Low.

We dive deep into everything Kingdom Hearts to get ready for Kingdom Hearts 3. Are the portable/collection games necessary? Is it possible to be ready for KH3 without them? And ultimately what does Dream Drop Distance and 0.2 tell us for where Sora and his friends will be at when we finally get the chance to play Kingdom Hearts 3!

Doug caught up with an old friend at Pax East to talk about motion capture in gaming. Haptix Studio in Michigan does all sorts of work in creating, utilizing, and teaching the art of motion capture.

Check out Haptix Studios at: https://haptixstudio.com/

Support Workforce Gaming on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Episode 3 of The Expanse A Telltale Series is here. The First Ones gives us a glimpse into the darkside of the system as Drummer explores a Dead Space style space station. Does this trip through an abandoned ship elevate the series or are we starting to run out of hope for Drummer, Maya, and the rest of the crew?

Enter The Gungeon has made it's way to switch with a bunch of updates. That means it's finally time for Doug to jump in and see how Enter The Gungeon compares to other procedurally generated games.

We join up with the New Republic and the remainders of the Empire to check out Star Wars: Squadrons. A fairly boring Star Wars game but one that really shines on VR.

The wait is over for the newest installment in the Final Fantasy series with Final Fantasy 16. We jump in and see how Clive's journey compares to the history of the Final Fantasy series. Does the action gameplay change it, how does the change in summons affect the game, and ultimately is this one of the best Final Fantasy's?

We jump into the relaxing indie game Lil Gator Game to find out just how much fun it can be to pretend to play Zelda and make friends along the way.

Code provided by Playtonic Games

After decades of loving video games Doug finally decided to try The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Is it still possible to see this as one of the best games of all time with no prior experience?

We dive into the supernatural world of Ghostwire Tokyo to find out if there is a hidden gem here that was passed over here. 

We both were very curious about the Atari 50 collection, not for the games, but for the documentary presentation. This newer format of preserving video game history should be the standard going forward! Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We check in on the follow up to one of our favorite games Until Dawn with The Quarry. After several Dark Pictures games we take a look at what is really the true next massive game from Supermassive. 

Brad takes a step into history to play one of the great older JRPGs with the new release of Dragon Quest III. What does the HD-2D style bring to this classic game and is it enough to make it worth your time in 2024? Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

Brad looks into one of his most anticipated games of 2024 that he has been avoiding with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. We look at how this game fits with the rest of the Prince of Persia series and if it is truly one of the best Metroidvania games of all time. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbmkzYnktbGRpbUUwWlhnOGx2MVpLS05EMzZQd3xBQ3Jtc0trQllrWVA3c1Q1YzVwRmhWeks5bktBbGNPdDhMSnE2R19CeDlpX1pXUjRhcWJJc2NrUU1OQmdzbFpUMWRDZzZJSmhTS0pBbGJ3UWV5b0E3dnNOSUpsaFR0aFRDeVpmc1hsLWRKVW56T1oxZHNnd1RiMA&q=https%3A%2F%2Fko-fi.com%2Fworkforcegaming&v=Um8q8C9XTkc

As a long time Street Fighter fan Brad was very curious to finally check out Street Fighter 6, despite being pretty bad at it. Fortunately there is a ton to explore between World Tour mode in addition to all the classic arcade modes, but ultimately how does this new version move the franchise forward?

Doug talks with one of the creators of Kind Words and it's sequel Kind Words 2. What lessons have they learned from fostering a community of kindness and how do they plan to evolve from the original game?

Wishlist Kind Words 2 here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2118120/Kind_Words_2_lofi_city_pop/ Support Workforce Gaming on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We try a change of pace after watching the new Documentary about Hideo Kojima & Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds. We talk through all the things we found surprising, interesting, or just curious about the newest video game documentary on Disney+. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

The next entry in one of Doug's favorite series Echostasis has been out for a while. Doug talks through why it took him so long to get to around to it, and how this concludes the stories of The Engima Machine, Mothered, and Mothered Home. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We both dove into Astro Bot and found different reasons to very easily consider this incredible new platformer one of our all time favorites. Is it the Playstation legacy? Is it the gameplay? Or is it just the pure joy Astro Bot brings that makes this easily a contender for the best game of 2024. Support us on Ko-fi: ⁠⁠⁠https://ko-fi.com/workforcegaming

We go on a new adventure with 8 new travelers in Octopath Traveler 2. We look at the improvements this has made to the already excellent first game and take a very long journey with these interesting new travelers. Code provided by Square Enix

Doug checks in on the sequel the follow up to one of his favorite games from the last few years with Remnant 2. We look at how the Souls combat from the first is improved along with the randomization of quest lines to see if this sequel is a true improvement for the Remnant series.

Brad absolutely loves every Supergiant Game. However, he absolutely hates roguelike games. Doug wrapped up supergiant's newest masterpiece the roguelike Hades and ultimately answers the questions will Brad like this game or not?