Dropped Frames

We're joined by Warren Spector and Greg LoPiccolo to chat about their new multiplayer immersive sim: Thick as Thieves! After that we ask Cohh how he can split up a family of kittens before getting into our discussions of The Game Awards and our thoughts on Path of Exile 2 (so far)! 0:00 - Intro1:22 - Interview with Warren Spector and the Thick as Thieves devs26:00 - What's an immersive sim?48:10 - Interview over56:50 - Stream together1:05:00 - The Twitch Mobile app still sucks1:08:00 - The Game Awards... Controversies?1:16:00 - Astro Bot wins GOTY at TGA1:18:40 - Wukong devs criticize TGA1:21:00 - NFT cats1:25:10 - Real cats1:28:00 - Bungie hires fans to save money1:34:30 - Publisher won't commit to a 2025 schedule until GTA6 announces1:37:50 - Path of Exile 22:00:05 - Box opening2:23:00 - Dropped Frames GOTY vote2:25:50 - Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 2:27:40 - Zeke plays a ton of games2:44:50 - Metaphor: ReFantazio2:48:20 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a crazy week for game releases! JP has been deep into Path of Exile 2, luckily we've brought in a ringer with GassyMexican to give us the lowdown on Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Marvel Rivals! 0:00 - Intro2:20 - The week of games2:50 - AI emotes9:00 - Merged chat22:40 - More people watch games than play games30:50 - OTK Winter's Game Expo36:00 - PC Gaming Most Wanted37:05 - The Streamer Awards42:30 - Fortnite Ballistic49:40 - Moonlighter 252:45 - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle1:30:25 - Marvel Rivals2:09:30 - Twitter take of the week2:12:45 - Path of Exile 22:50:30 - Our TGA plans2:56:45 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're only 5 days until gaming nirvana: Path of Exile 2 launches into Early Access and Zizaran is here to check our hype levels (and his). The Witcher 4 is full steam ahead, Musk ruins everything, Balatro sales skyrocket, Marvel Rivals surprises with more characters, Cohh's time with STALKER 2 and more! 0:00 - Intro1:09 - The abyss2:20 - The Dark Souls of Wikis11:00 - Path of Exile 2 hype check1:21:40 - Hardcore World of Warcraft1:29:10 - Shoutouts for Zizaran1:32:00 - Wyoming1:43:00 - The Witcher 4 production in full-swing1:46:00 - Baldur's Gate 3 gets a major update1:49:10 - Musk trying to ruin everything1:51:40 - Balatro surges 1:56:00 - Squirrel Girl2:04:30 - Avowed2:17:10 - Kai Cenat reclaims world record2:26:55 - STALKER 22:40:10 - Our GOTY categories!2:50:00 - Manhunt2:55:10 - Use Your Words 22:56:05 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should DLC and Remakes be considered for games of the year? That's the topic of discussion this week as we go over all the nominations of The Game Awards that were announced this week! Then we go through our final thoughts on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the jankiness (affectionate) of S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 and more!  0:00 - Intro1:09 - Conspiracies5:10 - The Game Award Nominations1:55:00 - Dragon Age Veilguard2:35:00 - STALKER 22:45:00 - Ratshaker2:50:00 - Cottage Simulator3:01:10 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitch has created a new tag category to separate politics and "sensitive social issues," but what are the unintended consequences? How will this be enforced? In other news Playstation has shut down Concord developers: Firewalk Studios and recent acquisition Neon Koi. How can an industry learn from flops when everything gets destroyed after one failure? Nintendo launches the more Nintendo thing ever: Nintendo Music. Ubisoft is late to the grift with a new NFT game. Path of Exile 2 gets delayed a few weeks and our review of Dragon Age: Veilguard and Metaphor: ReFantazio! 0:00 - Intro  1:20 - POLITICS 4:10 - Going Camping 10:10 - Youtube streaming 13:50 - Twitch fumbles again 22:30 - Playstation shuts down Concord dev Firewalk and Neon Koi 31:20 - Destiny Rising 33:30 - Nintendo Music 37:40 - League of Legends Worlds 42:50 - Monster Hunter Wilds Beta 1:01:50 - Ubisoft's NFT game 1:07:00 - Path of Exile 2 delayed 3 weeks 1:14:40 - Phasmophobia sells over 20 million copies 1:15:25 - Exodus lore videos with Matthew McConaughey 1:18:00 - Dragon Age: The Veilguard 2:18:35 - Metaphor 2:51:50 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cohh has returned just in time to purchase the new $90 Brontosaurus mount in World of Warcraft! The creators of the horse armor are rolling in their graves (they're fine.) On the other side of the pond, Ubisoft is going through it with Assassin's Creed Shadows which could spell doom for the mega company if it fails. 6v6 returning to Overwatch, Netflix closes its game studio before revealing any game. a large discussion on ear shapes and Call of Duty, excitement for Monster Hunter Wilds and Dragon Age Veilgard and so much more! 0:00 - Intro1:20 - A very special episode10:40 - Casa Bonita15:50 - New puppy17:05 - Blizzard releases a $90 mount for WoW37:35 - Ubisoft changes Assassin's Creed plans42:30 - 6v6 returns to Overwatch48:35 - No new Prince of Persia52:30 - Netflix closes game studio58:50 - No Man's Sky launches a new Expedition1:03:10 - Call of Duty Black Ops 61:05:30 - Ear shapes1:20:30 - Monster Hunter Wilds open beta1:29:50 - Dragon Age Veilguard1:42:50 - Dragon Age Inquisition spoilers1:43:40 - Spoilers over1:48:00 - Batman Arkham Shadows1:50:30 - Alan Wake 2: The Lake House1:59:10 - Metaphors2:13:00 - A Quiet Place2:27:00 - Finishing Satisfactory2:28:40 - Starting Factorio2:34:30 - Towerborne2:35:00 - Eternal Strands2:38:50 - Neva2:50:00 - While We Wait Here2:52:48 - Silent Hill 22:58:30 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Jesse Cox this week to chat about spooky season, how to be a gracious podcast guest & vehicular marriage. CitizenCon also happened this weekend with all new gameplay footage of Squadron 42 and a roadmap that they will for sure keep. NetEase takes on Destiny and more Marvel, Ben Starr is in everything, we gush about Metaphor and much more! 0:00 - Intro1:20 - When is Halloween?4:00 - Podcast guests7:30 - Tiktok trends11:50 - Arnold Palmer's D***12:40 - League of Legends Worlds14:30 - Star Citizen still hasn't released41:20 - Subnautica 2 annouced49:20 - Alan Wake 2: The Lake House53:50 - Cronos: The New Dawn1:02:00 - Rule 34 cars1:09:50 - Mistfall Hunters1:14:20 - FBC Firebreak1:18:20 - Dragon Ball Sparking ZERO sells a lot1:23:00 - Spider-Man 2 coming to PC1:24:40 - Hades 2 gets a big update1:29:00 - Song lyrics1:32:00 - Claire Obscura: Expedition 33 reveals voice cast1:38:00 - Space Marine 2 sells a ton1:42:00 - Final Fantasy franchise sales1:50:20 - Destiny Rising1:53:50 - Marvel Mystic Mayhem1:56:50 - Factorio: Space Age2:00:00 - Steam Next Fest2:26:10 - Hordes of Hunger2:40:10 - Metaphor Refantazio continues3:03:50 - Neva3:07:25 - Beyond Galaxyland3:10:25 - Romancing Saga3:13:00 - The Penguin3:16:40 - Agatha All Along3:21:15 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Bruce Greene this week to chat about the megaton announcement this week: The Nintendo Alarmo! But also GOTY candidates Metaphor Re:Fantazio, Silent Hill 2 as well as a long discussion on the horror genre and more TCG Shop Simulator! 0:00 - Intro4:00 - Love your pets5:30 - Pokemon hacks9:05 - Red Dead Redemption 1 coming to Steam19:50 - Metaphor Re:Fantazio sells 1 million copies in 1 day21:00 - Dragon Ball: SPARKING Zero hitting top 10 on Steam25:50 - Zeke's origin story31:30 - Alien Isolation getting a sequel35:00 - Horror54:10 - Halo going Unreal 51:02:20 - The Halo TV show...1:08:20 - The Nintendo Alarmo1:12:00 - Dream mapping1:19:00 - Sunderfolk developed by ex-Blizzard devs1:31:00 - Like a Dragon the TV show1:40:00 - Roblox is a cesspool1:48:00 - One Piece going on hiatus1:52:20 - Metaphor Re:Fantazio2:15:00 - Silent Hill 22:29:10 - TCG Shop Simulator addiction2:33:00 - The Game of Thrones auction2:49:20 - Diablo 4 Vessels of Hatred2:53:40 - Grunn2:59:40 - Timberborn3:01:20 - Starship Troopers Extermination 3:09:50 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spooky season is upon us so everyone is getting jump scared by Nintendo this week as they take down another major Switch emulation platform and possibly streamers as well. We discuss upcoming games we're excited about such as the expansion Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred as well as Metaphor Re:Fantazio before losing it over the stacked February that is fast approaching! Then we talk about Starfield: Shattered Space, more Satisfactory, The Plucky Squire and the talk of the streamer world: TCG Card Shop Simulator! 0:00 - Intro1:20 - Spooky season2:20 - TwitchCon wrap up29:15 - Ironmouse becomes the highest subscribed channel on Twitch ever43:00 - Is anyone still playing Suicide Squad?46:00 - Nintendo shuts down Switch emulator Ryujinx50:50 - Original Horizon Zero Dawn gets delisted on PC57:20 - 3rd person coming to Halo: Infinite1:00:50 - Ubisoft blames the game players for poor Star Wars Outlaws sales1:04:20 - The crazy games coming out in February 20251:13:25 - Dragon Age Veilguard goes gold1:15:00 - New World Aternum 1:21:30 - Metaphor Re:Fantazio Demo1:36:30 - Starfield: Shattered Space1:48:30 - TCG Card Shop Sim2:13:00 - Diablo 4: Vessels of Hatred2:16:00 - Satisfactory continues2:28:30 - The Finals season 42:36:40 - The Holy Gosh Darn2:43:50 - The Plucky Squire2:48:10 - UFO 502:54:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone is away at TwitchCon so JP brings in Gothalion and Rami Ismail to chat about our fear of flying and other core anxieties like Nintendo's lawyers coming for us! The game director for Concord steps down from role, Square Enix admits the sales for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI didn't meet expectations. We chat about why AI will not make games faster to develop, we get excited about Tokyo Games Show and more!   0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Fear of flying 3:30 - TwitchCon in 2024 20:10 - GCX 2024 22:05 - Nintendo sues Palworld devs 34:00 - Game rating changes in Australia 45:50 - Concord Game Director steps down 1:03:50 - Krafton CEO thinks Hi-Fi Rush 2 won't make money, but wants to try 1:16:00 - Square Enix admits Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth & FFXVI didn't meet sales expectations 1:33:00 - The Oatmeal problem with AI 1:41:25 - Next Battlefield 1:47:30 - Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakzua 1:58:40 - Microsoft Flight Sim 2024 2:09:00 - New Dragon Age Veilguard previews 2:15:40 - Kingdom Hearts 4 will be a soft-reboot 2:19:10 - Football player Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury 2:22:25 - Towerborne 2:31:20 - Wild Bastards 2:34:00 - Star Wars Outlaws 2:37:15 - Observation 2:38:40 - UFO 50 2:41:50 - Satisfactory 2:44:30 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Playstation 5 Pro was announced this week with a cacophony of groans from the audience. Is the new console worth the small percentage of games that will utilize it? Elsewhere, more layoffs hit those at Microsoft, the staff of Annapurna Interactive collectively resign, Ubisoft stocks plummet and Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 soars. Then we get into some of the games we've played: Astrobot and a whoooole lot of Satisfactory! 0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Work schedules 3:00 - TwitchCon is this week 4:20 - Happy Birthday 25:50 - The PS5 Pro 49:30 - What IS Concord? 53:40 - More layoffs at Microsoft 1:00:25 - Employees at Annapurna Interactive collectively resigns 1:09:30 - Will Palworld switch business models? 1:12:10 - Modders hack into Baldur's Gate 3 level editor 1:17:30 - Ex-Sony President says people should "drive an Uber" about industry layoffs 1:22:00 - Ubisoft stocks plummeting 1:28:35 - Flappybird is back? 1:32:50 - Hasbro using AI for Magic the Gathering? 1:39:10 - Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 hits 225k on Steam 1:42:00 - Embracer embracing Metro devs 1:46:00 - Elden Ring patch nerfs boss? 1:49:30 - Tony Hawk teasing a new game? 1:53:45 - Is Dave the Diver an indie game now? 1:55:25 - Unity canceling usage fees 2:00:00 - Justin Wong causing players to quit Marvel vs Capcom 2:13:20 - Astrobot 2:37:45 - Satisfactory 1.0 3:08:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zeke has returned to celebrate episode 400!* We also bring back Maximilian to celebrate the occasion too and to chat about the return of Marvel vs. Capcom, his huge modding project and his incredible year as a content creator. All before bringing it down with the recent news that Sony's new hero shooter, Concord is shutting down after a very short 2 week launch. Is the AAA gaming space okay? We get the low-down on ad revenue across streaming services, gush over Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2, and glaze up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (no spoilers!) and much more! 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - The real episode 400 2:00 - A good year for Maximilian 4:20 - Why Marvel vs Capcom is a big deal 8:20 - Maximilian's modding project 38:40 - 2XKO reception after alpha 55:00 - Concord shuts down after 2 weeks 1:05:00 - Astrobot is a graveyard 1:13:40 - Phil Spencer says he has made mistakes 1:25:00 - Budgets are too high 1:35:00 - Actor for Yakuza told not to play the games 1:42:00 - Balatro coming to Switch and mobile 1:44:00 - Fishing in No Man's Sky 1:50:40 - The ad wars on Twitch 2:05:00 - Youtube vs Twitch streaming 2:23:00 - Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2:51:00 - Black Myth: Wukong needs a map 2:58:00 - Glazing up Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 3:01:00 - Wisdom 3:05:50 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by Jericho and DansGaming this week to chat about YouTube contracts expiring, trying to figure out why Twitch and Youtube are alienating their core audience and the weirdness of Ad revenue. We then get the lowdown on the new Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and how it's not really reinventing the wheel before ending on our in-depth review of Star Wars Outlaws! 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - FOOTBALL 3:00 - Everyone returning to Twitch 12:00 - Short-form content on a long-form platform 18:00 - ADVERTISEMENTS 23:00 - PAX West 24:50 - Remedy & Annapurna team up 30:50 - Should games cost more? 39:25 - Concord reportedly sold 25,000 units 46:50 - Deadlock over 100k players on Steam 1:03:30 - Stalker 2 have passionate devs 1:16:00 - Borderlands 4 1:17:20 - Itsuno leaves Capcom after 30 years 1:22:00 - Visions of Mana 1:32:00 - Nintendo Direct 1:34:20 - Blue Protocol ends services and cancels global release 1:34:40 - Foamstars goes F2P 1:35:10 - Call of Duty Black Ops 6 1:55:00 - Core Keeper 2:00:00 - Black Myth: Wukong 2:07:10 - Star Wars Outlaws review 2:53:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zeke is out burning it up for a couple of weeks so DansGaming is taking over to help catch us up on all the news coming out of GamesCom this week! Civilization VII, deep dives into Monster Hunter Wilds & Dragon Age Vanguard. Then we have our thoughts on Valve's Deadlock, Black Myth: Wukong, World of Warcraft: The War Within and much more! 0:00 - Intro 1:30 - Definitely not episode 400 4:30 - Twitch news: SUBtember 5:45 - Subscription prices rise on mobile 9:00 - Twitch knocks 16:40 - 3rd party Twitch clips 18:30 - Concord launched 27:00 - Deadlock 48:00 - Dragon Age Vanguard combat 58:20 - Avowed 1:09:00 - Civilization VII 1:20:40 - Monster Hunter Wilds 1:38:30 - Black Myth: Wukong 2:15:00 - Thank Goodness You're Here 2:17:00 - World of Warcraft: The War Within 2:38:00 - Starfield DLC 2:43:00 - Feed the Deep 2:44:40 - Gothic 1 Remake 2:46:00 - Path of Exile 2 2:48:00 - Peter Molyneux 2:54:30 - Shoutouts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cohh has returned fresh and well-rested to question, with the rest of the world: Is Australia alright? We then do a fairly in-depth review of the Twitch mobile app's mind boggling new design. The Borderland movie absolutely bombs at the box office, Suicide Squad has lost Warner Bros Games a lot of money, early reports of Bungie's Marathon not looking good. Then we get into the games! We played: Knock on the Coffin Lid, Delta Force: Hawk Ops, Mecha BREAK and is 2XKO too complicated for casual players? 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - Timezones 1:40 - Cohh's vacation 3:50 - Disney, Marvel, Fortnite 5:50 - Fall gaming 8:00 - Warhammer 40K Space Marine 2 10:20 - Suicide Squad loses WBD a lot of money 15:10 - Early Marathon impressions not good 18:00 - Borderlands the Movie bombs 24:40 - SEGA registers 'Yakuza Wars' trademark 31:10 - Twitch adds the "DJ" category 39:15 - Twitch mobile app review 53:30 - Australian Breakdancer 1:04:30 - Knock on the Coffin Lid 1:15:40 - Delta Force: Hawk Ops 1:30:55 - Mecha BREAK 1:41:00 - Zeke beat Blaster Master! 1:46:00 - Dragon Warrior 1:48:00 - Atlas Fallen 1:54:10 - Path of Exile 2:00:00 - 2XKO Alpha test 2:25:00 - Eternal Darkness 2:34:35 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cohh is on vacation this week! So joining JP and Zeke, this week are unofficial 4th seat Rami Ismail and returning special guest PirateSoftware! We get into the major news of Bungie firing 17% of their staff as well as relocating another 13%. What does this mean for the AAA industry? GameStop also surprises everyone by shutting down Game Informer including their own employees. Everything seems to be in freefall, but we look to a brighter future with Capcom and From Software working to become much more sustainable in the long term! 0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Flying airplanes 4:30 - Growing beards 6:00 - Improv 9:15 - Bungie lays off 17% of employees 30:00 - Dev tricks 40:00 - Game feature nitpicks 51:20 - Where From Software is going 1:02:40 - Game Informer ends after 30+ years 1:20:30 - Marketing games is hard 1:43:20 - Avowed gets delayed to 2025 1:58:20 - CapGod 2:14:00 - Animal Well 2:19:40 - EDF 6 2:30:00 - Custom Mech Wars 2:38:00 - Path of Exile 2:42:40 - Warframe 2:46:00 - Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth 2:50:00 - Meet Your Maker 2:54:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We return this week to chat about Celine Dion, watching the Olympics in 2024, the hype of EVO 2024, sweeping unionization across the industry, Ubisoft's series of blunders and much more before we get deep in the weeds with very old video games! 0:00 - Intro 1:10 - My Heart Will Go On 9:00 - The Olympics 19:15 - EVO 2024 31:50 - Fallout London 37:10 - Stardew Valley ConcernedApe will never charge for DLC 40:30 - World of Warcraft devs unionize 43:20 - SAG-AFTRA voice actor go on strike 47:40 - Humble Games lays off entire publishing wing 49:40 - Concord's second beta drops off 56:00 - Versus Marvel Rivals 1:02:20 - Ubisoft's unecessary response to trolls 1:11:40 - Robert Downey Jr. is Victor Von Doom 1:18:35 - Zeke's NES arc 1:45:00 - Video game violence 1:52:00 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're joined by first time guest PirateSoftware this week to hack into his journey leading into becoming a full-time streamer. We then move into the enterprise security software: Crowdstrike that has crippled many industries last week. How did it happen? Who's at fault? The Bethesda workforce unionizes, kids don't know what keyboards or controllers are, shady games on Steam and much more! 0:00 - Intro 2:30 - God of Thunder 7:00 - Profession vs Hobby 12:00 - Minmaxxing 17:00 - Farrets 22:40 - Hackers 30:00 - Defcon 34:00 - Social engineering 43:10 - An intervention 56:00 - Voice changer 1:15:00 - 2FA 1:27:10 - The Crowdstrike outage 1:54:20 - The workers of Bethesda unionize across the board 2:00:00 - FTC investigating Microsoft after Game Pass price increase 2:12:30 - EA Sports College Football 2025 early access sells a lot. 2:20:00 - Brain waves 2:28:00 - Mobile games 2:40:30 - Banana 2:45:50 - Crypto in games 2:53:00 - Path of Exile Login 2:58:10 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've returned to lots of games and lots of news this week! Twitch breaking streaming records over the week as subscription prices increase as well as resolutions increase with new tools for above 1080p streaming! XBOX Game Pass also changes. Palword expands with help from Sony. Ubisoft receives the ire of Japan and One Piece?! Then we get into a spoiler-filled discussion of Elden Ring, then our impressions of Concord and Once Human! 0:00 - intro 1:05 - Throat goat 11:00 - Terraria sells a lot 12:55 - Siphoning internet 23:00 - Twitch breaking streaming records 26:30 - Twitch subscription prices increase 36:00 - Enhanced Broadcasting 39:00 - What's Pog? 44:50 - Game Pass changes and price increase 56:00 - Gothic/Elex devs Pirahna Bytes closes 1:00:00 - Palworld expands 1:07:00 - The First Descendent's Destiny icons 1:13:40 - Ubisoft gets clapped by Japan and One Piece? 1:21:00 - The Lands Betwixt (spoilers) 2:01:30 - Concord the beta 2:21:30 - Once Human 2:48:00 - Privacy Policy 2:52:05 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our boys are out sick this week so JP brings in regulars: DansGaming and Jesse Cox to chat about all the new stuff announced at TwitchCon EU over the weekend as well as the consequences of a dude who got Twitch banned 4 years ago. Then we get into Elden Ring and our first impressions of the new FFXIV expansion - Dawntrail! 0:00 - And More 6:10 - The month of June 9:00 - Video Game News 13:00 - Behind the scene tricks 15:30 - The power of British voices 18:20 - Doctor Disrespect terminated from Midnight Society 23:50 - Shadow of the Erdtree sells 5 mil copies 28:40 - Kadakawa held ransom 33:40 - Steam users spend billions on games they never play 40:00 - Nintendo HD pricing 45:00 - Is Beyond Good & Evil 2 real? 51:50 - Stellar Blade sells over 1 mil copies 55:20 - Star Wars Bounty Hunter 59:00 - Nikke x Dave the Diver 1:02:30 - Mihoyo funding Fusion reactor research 1:10:40 - The Tiktokification of Twitch - TwitchCon 2:02:10 - Elden Ring DLC 2:32:30 - Chained Together 2:38:40 - Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail 3:09:20 - ShoutoutsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.