Beyond

This week, Sony surprised us with a nice little State of Play presentation focusing on PlayStation games coming from Japanese and Asian studios, which included a tease of Elden Ring Nightreign’s first major DLC, The Forsaken Hollows as well as what’s in store for Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls’ upcoming closed beta test. We also got a look at some cool horror games like Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, BrokenLore: Unfollow and Ascend, plus some JRPG stuff like Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined and Octopath Traveller 0. Plus, we reflect on Sony’s latest PlayStation hardware (which is more PC-related gear) and the state of Marvel Games, which is… really good? Tokon Fighting Souls, Cosmic Invasion and Insomniac’s Wolverine game being just a few of the promising looking additions to that universe. This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville, Nick Limon, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’ve heard Rockstar games co-founder Dan Houser talking about cancelled GTA 5 story DLC and Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman sharing his pitch for a Saints Row reboot, which has us lamenting the lack of open-world action games set in contemporary settings. Specifically, the kind where you can steal cars and cause mayhem - you know, like in GTA. It feels like we used to get these all the time, and now, they’re few and far between, assuming they see the light of day. The Saints Row reboot was a flop, and Volition isn’t around anymore. Mindseye didn’t deliver on its ambitious premise. Contraband, the project from Just Cause developer Avalanche was cancelled. Sleeping Dogs might get a movie courtesy of Simu Liu, but it seems unlikely we’ll get a new game anytime soon. What happened? Will we ever see this kind of game make a comeback? What about The Simpsons Hit & Run? Plus, Sony has a new holiday ad campaign that harkens back to the weirdo marketing of the PlayStation 2. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s almost Halloween, so what better excuse to geek out about horror games? Max and Brian take a look back at the horror franchises that dominated each generation of PlayStation console. From the birth of Resident Evil on the PS1 to Silent Hill and Fatal Frame’s numerous outings on the PlayStation 2, to the PS3/360 era that gave us Dead Space, Condemned and of course, The Last of Us. A few major games arrived right on the cusp between PlayStation 3 and PS4, The Evil WIthin and Alien Isolation. And, of course, Bloodborne, which is absolutely a horror game and I can’t believe we have to keep having this conversation. Anyway, we also ranked the best horror games on PlayStation in the worst way possible, blindly assigning them ranking on a list without knowing what other games are contenders. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the video game equivalent of Hell freezing over or pigs flying, the original Halo is coming to PlayStation. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full Unreal Engine 5 overhaul of the 2001 Xbox original, and in honor of the 25th anniversary, it’s going multi-platform sometime next year. Nick got a chance to play it, and shared his impressions about new features, control changes, UI improvements, and more, as well as some of the stuff we don’t know, like how four-player coop will change the experience, or when the actual release date is. Meanwhile, Jada breaks down the new Secret Lair x PlayStation Superdrop of Magic: The Gathering cards featuring some beloved Sony video came properties like God of War, The Last of Us, Horizon, and even Twisted Metal. In other rare collectible news, Sony’s dropping a gorgeous coffee table book about the history of the PlayStation 1, as well as some super limited edition Reeboks in that classic PS1 colorway. If you need a new way to compulsively make hours melt away, Ball x Pit might be for you, though if you have chores to do or loved ones to spend time with, it might not be advisable. Meanwhile, Max sucks at Battlefield 6 but loves it, Jada has issues with Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s UI, Nick went to a real haunted house, and complains about it being too scary until it wasnt, and probably something else I forgot to mention but you probably stopped reading by now so I think we’re in the clear. Beyond! This weeks show was Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tom Jorgensen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SPOILER ALERT! This week, we’re talking Ghost of Yotei yet again, but delving deep into late game content, including the ending. Joining us to unpack all that, and answer some more questions about how the open-world samurai epic came together are creative director Jason Connel and lead writer Ian Ryan from Sucker Punch Productions. We discuss story changes, their first impressions of Atsu, how Erika Ishii was cast, and what fan feedback about Ghost of Tsushima informed the direction of this sequel. Beyond! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week on Beyond Jada Griffin is hosting yet again! Joined by Michael Higham, and Nick Maillet to talk more about Ghost of Yotei. We dive into how the Japanese community is embracing Yotei for how it quintessentially feels like Hokkaido, a few of the smaller touches of things we liked such as the various minigames in Yotei, and a couple of platinum trophy tips from Jada. We also read some viewer questions and thoughts after their first weekend with Yotei, and finally talk about the things we’d like to see in the inevitable Legends mode that will come to Yotei in the future. All this and more on this week's BEYOND! This weeks epsiode is Jada Griffin, Michael Higham, and Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghost of Yotei is almost out, and this week we’re joined by to members of the team at Sucker Punch Productions who were behind it. Creative director Jason Connell and art director Joanna Wang tell us about how the studio approached their follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, from the cinematic inspirations to the real world research that informed this new open-world vision of Japan, and its new protagonist Atsu, played by Erika Ishii. Plus, the hidden significance of the game’s logo, how collaboration with Takashi Miike and Shinichiro Watanabe came together, and the possibility of a Ghost game not set in feudal Japan. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ghost of Yotei isn’t out for a little while, but the reviews are in, and we’re joined by IGN’s Michael Higham to discuss Sucker Punch’s highly anticipated samurai sequel stacks up compared to its predecessor. Ghost of Tsushima was one of the last great first-party exclusives of the PS4 era, but Ghost of Yotei takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5, and it’s definitely worth the wait. Join us as we discuss the improved visuals, open-world design, main story (without any spoilers) combat, and our handful of minor frustrations. How has stealth changed? What are the new weapons like? How does Atsu compare to Jin Sakai? How does Yotei’s climate and terrain compare to that of Tsushima? And, of course, how does this game feel after 2025’s other big open-world samurai game, but most importantly, why didn’t it get as high a review score at Ghost of Tsushima? We unpack all this and more in this week’s episode of Hosts of Yotei. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Michael Higham and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sony suprised everyone with their September State of Play and Max, Jada, Brian, and Nick broke down every major game announced. Starting off with the first look at the long awaited Marvel's Wolverine, and it didnt dissapoint. Wolverine is definitely earning it's likely M rating, and everyone on the show (espically Jada) was impressed with the small amount of gameplay we saw today. It's safe to say that we cant wait to sink our claws into it next year. Take a minute to soak in how well crafted that last sentence was, but not for too long because the crew also broke down other notable games from the stream such as Halloween, Saros, Megaman in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Zero Parades for Dead Spies, Nioh 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and why the Sony Desktop Speakers are interesting. Beyond! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Nick Limon and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we’re joined by notorious tie-guy Travis Northup, who just dropped his review of Borderlands 4, and who also went hands on with some large scale maps in Battlefield 6 at a preview event. What do these two games have in common, besides being shooters? They’re both shaping up to be returns-to-form for a couple series that haven’t stuck the landing with their core fanbase in recent installments. But sure enough, Gearbox has stuck to its guns (all bajllion of them) getting the looter-shooter in fighting shape, and it seems its first foray into the open-world space is fairly successful, aside from some rough technical edges. Meanwhile, EA and DICE clearly pulled out all the stops in making Battlefield 6 as big and loud as possible, but it also sounds like it’s going back to basics, cribbing from series highlights, going so far as featuring a beloved Battlefield 3 map, Operation: Firestorm. On a completely unrelated note, we were also joined by Bennett Foddy (of QWOP fame) to discuss the new open-world hiking game, Baby Steps, which is quite literally a walking simulator - and a very challenging one at that. Bennett discusses some of his inspirations and influences, which yes, include the Dark Souls games and their ilk, which seem downright easy compared to Baby Steps at times. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Borderlands 4 Is No Bore 33:36 - IGN Fan Fest Returns This October 35:27 - Battlefield 6 Preview Impressions 51:07 - Baby Steps Developer Interview With Bennett Foddy 01:17:40 - BEYOND! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Travis Northup, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year is far from over, and some of the biggest game releases are still yet to come - so let’s run down 25 games of various shapes, sizes, genres, flavors and configurations that have our attention for one reason or another. From the obvious big sequels like Ghost of Yotei, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, to smaller offbeat indies like Baby Steps, Bye Sweet Carole and Mina the Hollower, we’ve got a lot to keep us busy in the coming months. The formerly PSVR 2-exclusive Alien Rogue Incursion gets a regular flat version, and Terminator 2 gets a retro-styled arcade side-scroller in Terminator 2D: No Fate. Double Dragon Revive puts the classic brawler in the capable and probably very calloused hands of the team at Arc System Works, Once Upon a Katamari lets us roll some new crap from throughout history into a big ball, and The Outer Worlds 2 indulges our worst decision-making abilities. 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Skate 04:08 - Dying Light: The Beast 06:37 - Baby Steps 10:30 - Silent Hill f 13:44 - Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds 19:24 - Alien Rogue Incursion - Part One: Evolved Edition 23:16 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles 25:50 - Ghost of Yotei 26:46 - Digimon Story: Time Stranger 28:36 - Bye Sweet Carole 31:35 - Dreams of Another 33:13 - Little Nightmares III 35:45 - Ninja Gaiden 4 38:39 - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 41:53 - Double Dragon Revive 44:37 - Once Upon a Katamari 46:48 - The Outer Worlds 2 49:11 - ARC Raiders 52:54 - Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD - 2D Remake 54:28 - Terminator 2D: No Fate 57:38 - Mina The Hollower 01:00:40 - Satisfactory 01:03:30 - Where Winds Meet 01:06:16 - Outlaws & Handful of Missions 01:07:38 - Octopath Traveler 0 01:12:48 - Beyond Community Suggestions This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we break down Sony's surprise 007 First Light state of play and why the game looks like it's going to be Hitman With a Dash of Uncharted, Sleeping Dogs & GTA. It's been a while since we've had a good 007 game and thats looking to change thanks in part to the game's developers history making the Hitman games (which are basically 007 games without the goofiness and excellent hair). 007 First Light is looking promising, but we wont know fully until next year. As far as games you can play around now, Jada and Max talk about their imprsssions of Cronos: The New Dawn and Hell is Us and Brian talks about how hes been playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. All of which involve a guy wearing a cool outfit fighting very uncool monsters. They end the show with a discussion about the new Halloween game that was announced at gamescom and more importantly, John Carpenters love for the nintendo labo. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:11 - 007: First Light Gameplay Reveal 33:19 - Hell is Us 45:38 - Cronos: The New Dawn 52:01 - Theres a new Halloween Game 55:34 - John Carpenter Loves Nintendo Cardboard This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re back from gamescom, jetlagged, but excited to have some new and upcoming games to discuss. Capcom had a solid lineup including Pragmata, which doesn’t put puzzles above shooting, but still has puzzles, and probably isn’t a Mega Man prequel. The Resident Evil Requiem demo we had didn’t blow us away, but it also didn’t show too much, and maybe the element of surprise will work in its favor, much as it does with the best horror movie trailers that don’t show too much. High on Life 2 contains playable retro games, and probably really bad ones, and you can do sword things sword of swordways in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. LEGO Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight was one of the biggest surprise announcements out of ONL, and we’re very much looking forward to it, though anyone expecting a serious Arkham game, or a conventional TT Games minifig collect-a-thon might want to adjust their expectations, as it seems to be a mix of the two. Finally, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a damn good time, and it remakes one of the best games ever made with plenty of added bonuses, but without changing too much. Perhaps it could have benefitted from a few more changes, like Capcom’s recent Resident Evil remakes have taken liberties, but maybe keeping it simple is the first step in Konami winning back the trust of Metal Gear fans.  00:01:19 - Pragmata 00:06:33 - Resident Evil: Requiem 00:13:26 - High on Life 2 00:17:06 - Onimusha 00:19:09 - Road Kings 00:21:24 - LEGO Batman is Mixing Up The LEGO Game Formula 00:36:05 - Metal Gear Solid Delta is Really Good! 00:46:58 - Humble Bundle & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we’re talking about the literally groundbreaking new destruction physics in Battlefield 6, which looks to be almost on par with Donkey Kong Bananza’s smashability, but in an obviously very different way. We’re also chatting with the developers of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound about the throwback platformer’s NES roots, and sharing some of the games we’ve been playing lately like the indie cycling racer Wheel World (which does not have pixies) and Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (which does) and also unpacking why Resident Evil and Duolingo have formed an unlikely social media friendship in Japan. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:13 - Battlefield 6 00:12:09 - Duolingo vs. Resident Evil 00:14:25 - Horizon Zero Dawn Lawsuit 00:21:22 - Wheel World00:27:55 - The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales 00:34:00 - The King is Watching 00:34:55 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound 00:41:00 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Dev Interview 01:10:58 - Outro This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From forgotten peripherals to bizarre trends, we're taking a wild trip through PlayStation's strangest hardware. Plus, Jada shares her early impressions of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. This week we're going retro, weird, and very PlayStation. 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Wuchang: Fallen Feathers 18:06 - PlayStation’s Best, Worst and Weirdest Experimental Products 39:24 - SDCC 2025 & Outro This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s a good time to be a fan of skateboarding video games, between Activision’s remakes fo Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 out now, plus EA’s long-awaited reboot of Skate (Sorry, “skate.”) arriving sometime in the foreseeable future. Nick had a chance to spend a few hours in the open world, and while the free-to-play live-service aspect is rubbing a lot of fans the wrong way, and the approach to monetization is still mostly under wraps, it sounds like it’s a fun enough time. Meanwhile, THPS3+4 features a cheeky little jab at Guitar Hero, with an easter egg featuring a familiar-looking rhythm game peripheral sitting in a garbage can. Some people think it’s funny, while others (like Activision) are less thrilled. In other news, Final Fantasy’s Naoki Yoshida offers a tidbit of insight on the future of the series’ combat folliowing the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Finally, we wax nostalgic about some old video game developer logos from the ancient past. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:47 - EA's Skate Is Like Forza Horizon With Skateboards 00:18:31 - How Does EA's Skate Compare to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 00:28:48 - Will Future Final Fantasy Games Be Turn-Based? 00:31:57 - From the Community: Best Developer Logos 00:40:11 - From the Community: Would you want to see another Fight Night game?  00:43:38 - Humble Bundle, IGN at SDCC 2025 & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sucker Punch finally gave us our long-awaited look at Ghost of Yotei in action, and while it’s certainly looking like a gorgeous successor to Tsushima that’ll put the PS5 through its paces, it’s hard not to compare it to one of this year’s other big open-world samurai game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. While there will definitely be some familiar themes, gameplay, and visuals, Yotei looks to have plenty of touches to set itself apart. Meanwhile, there’s clearly some anticipation for Yotei, because someone leaked footage of the game recorded through a window of Sucker Punch’s offices, and really, that’s probably a new low for leaks. We have some opaque new info from Mark Cerny about technology the PS6 will potentially by using - and which the PS5 pro already is - and spoilers, it’s AI frame generation. Naughty Dog dropped a surprise mode for The Last of Us Part 2 that puts the whole story on shuffle, which, uh, actually puts it in chronological order. Also we debate what Doom demon we would want to eat the most, and how we’d cook it - other than with a rocket launcher. 00:10 - Intro 00:36 - Ghost of Yotei 14:52 - Brian wants a Wu Tang Collab 15:08 - Is this worth buying a PS5 Pro for? 16:36 - More Ghost of Yotei 24:13 - July Humble Choice 24:52 - A new low for video game leaks 27:05 - The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered HD Story Intergrade 358/2 Days Remix 33:24 - The PlayStation 6 and Ai 39:09 - Turtle Talk 43:41 - Whats Brian Playin'? 47:43 - Max Likes Doom *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s get this out of the way: we’re happy there’s a new Resident Evil game on the way and we will absolutely be playing it day one. That said, the way Capcom is framing Resident Evil Requiem has us a bit skeptical - especially with them specifically bringing up the fact that Leon Kennedy (supposedly) isn’t in it. We discuss how Resident Evil’s latest installment has a lot of expectation to meet, and when something’s been around for thirty years and undergone as many changes and mutations as this one has, it becomes a very difficult balancing act making everyone happy. In other Capcom news, a new Street Fighter movie is in the works, and based on the cast that’s been announced and the director’s previous work, we’re very excited for… whatever the hell kind of movie this winds up being. The good news is that the bar is not very high, so best case scenario, it’s actually a good movie. Second-best, it’s bad in a fun way like the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme one. Worst case? It’s boring to the point of being unwatchable, like the 2009 film The Legend of Chun Li.  Oh, and this month’s Beyond game club game is Ghost of Tsushima. 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Capcom Had A Stream 01:36 - Is Leon a "Bad Match" for Horror? 12:54 - How Can Resident Evil Requiem Keep The Series Fresh? 23:16 - Street Fighter Cast Discussion 33:21 - 50 Cent is Balrog 35:07 - The Tribal Chief is Headed To Street Fighter 36:57 - M. Bison Casting 41:04 - Street Fighter Movie Director 43:31 - The Original Street Fighter Movie 51:05 - BEYOND Game Club! *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is finally almost here, and as one of 2025’s few big PlayStation exclusives, you can see why a lot of PS5 owners would be excited for this one. This week, we’re joined by Simon Cardy, who reviewed DS2 for IGN, to discuss the many things it does right, whether or not that’s enough to win over folks who didn’t live the first game, and also unpack a handful of criticisms of Hideo Kojima’s latest magnum opus. One thing’s for sure, it’s a step up in practically every way from the first game, with better visuals, better paced missions, and a whole arsenal of new gadgets, gear, and guns to help Sam Porter Bridges deliver the mail, fend off BTs, or terrorize roaming bands of ruffians throughout the Australian outback.  *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Limon, Simon Cardy, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The PlayStation 6 is still a long ways off, but Sony acknowledged they’re pushing the platform forward and exploring new ways for us to engage with it, but they’re well aware that streaming games from the cloud isn’t how most of us play our games. The PlayStation Portal might seem to suggest that’s the direction the company is taking things, but unfortunately, end-to-end network stability is out of their control - so, rest assured, it sounds like the next console generation will still be doing its thing locally. Death Stranding 2 is just a few weeks away, and we can’t talk about it quite yet, but we can talk about how weird of a game the first one was, and how its unconventional gameplay loop coupled with an extremely out-there story wasn’t exactly as accessible as your average AAA video game. But, if you’re antsy to take a hike and make some deliveries, we’ve got a list of other Death Stranding-likes that involve courier work, rough terrain, bleak post-apocalyptic landscapes, or some combination thereof. Beyond! *** 00:00 - Intro 01:23 - Sony Is Starting to Talk About Its Next-Generation PlayStation Console 23:55 - Death Stranding 2 44:16 - 13 Games To Play While You’re Waiting For Death Stranding 2 01:01:57 - Humble x IGN Live *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices