The VGBees Podcast

This week, Niki and John discuss their favorites so far in the year's most astonishing release, UFO 50. What's your favorite from the collection? Also:Ghost of YoteiLegacy of Kain 1 & 2 RemasteredHell is UsOverwatchThe Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomAs always, your burning questions from The Hive are addressed and answered!

Nintendo decided to sue Palworld this week so Niki and John would have something to really dig into. Thanks, Nintendo!!!!!!!Also this week:Switch 2 possibly leakedConcord's team is in limboshockingly positive Dragon Age: The Veilguard previewsthe PSX-styled PS5 fleetthe breadth of UFO 50Your Hive questions are also answered and the podcast got emotional over the loss of communal spaces and arcades!

This week, John breaks the news of Annapurna Interactive's staff resignation to Niki. They also break down the PlayStation 5 Pro reveal and talk about the 650 additional people laid off from Microsoft this week. As far as specific game chat:Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade ClassicsPaper Mario: The Thousand Year DoorI Am Your BeastSuper Mario OdysseyAstro BotFinal Fantasy VIIISoulcaliburPower StoneAs always, we answer questions straight from The Hive!

Niki has been blessed to have several days with Astro Bot and decided to tell John all about it, despite the fact that John can't play it for another few weeks. Tragedy. It sounds absolutely lovely and what a time for it, too. In addition to contemplating the overall state of games, the two discuss:ConcordMarvel SnapBalatroWe also answer your burning questions from The Hive and wow, y'all really asked some good ones this week!As always, you can join The Hive and ask us questions each and every week!

Niki and John have a good old fashioned "hey are we separating art from artist now" conversation they didn't plan for when tackling the receptions to Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, and the inevitable Assassin's Creed Shadows. In lighter fare, the two also discuss:Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door RemakeThe Legend of Heroes: Trails in the SkyAstro Botthe Double Dragon moviewho we'd put in Fortnite nextand much more!As always, we answer YOUR questions from The Hive! You can join The Hive right now and ask questions each and every week!

This week, Niki and John celebrate the return of Peter Molyneux to the world of games with his main stage appearance at Gamescom Opening Night Live. We were just talking about needing more weird guys in games, and wow we got our wish! Will his game ever come out? How much did he actually make on that NFT game he probably used to fund this new game? Will he be sued by Microsoft even though "Albion" is not a trademarked name? This and much more:Indiana Jones and the Great CircleCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 6Lynked: Banner of the SparkInZOIMasters of AlbionCivilization VIIBorderlands 4We also answer your Hive questions, like which celebrity should Hideo Kojima put in the next Death Stranding but is too scared to do so? Spoilers, there is one correct and immediately agreed-upon answer from your hosts!As always, you can join The Hive to get your burning questions answered on the show each and every week!

We have a big confession to make, gamers. John and Niki have watched videos and read articles about a video game called Deadlock, which Valve has sworn us to secrecy never to divulge its very existence. Consider it then, dear gamer, a privilege that we've chosen your ears as the recipient of our knowledge. If we disappear from this earth, you will know our sacrifice. Also:2XKOMadden 25FortniteDragon Age: The VeilguardThe Plucky SquireWe also answer questions from The Hive and continue developing the all-important VGBees Census!

This week, John and Niki are joined by former Video Lead at Game Informer Alex Van Aken to talk about the abrupt, ghoulish closure of the storied publication. It's a great chat that illuminates what the past few months has been like at the magazine as well as a bit of a dive into some history and memories of the brand. Alex also pulls the curtain back on his new supporter-funded project Viewport.Also discussed:The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomThe Borderlands filmWolfeye's Dishonored/Prey-like new RPGCollege Football 25With Hive questions like:When you do consider a game completed?What ancient game do you want to see a Balatro for?Does a LEGO minifig have fingers or thumbs?As always, you can join The Hive and ask us questions we'll tackle every single week!

This week, Niki and John discuss a terrible week for Bungie employees, a terrible week for Jon Blow, and a terrible week for AI discourse in video games. All in all, it's a laugh riot for two straight hours! Also discussed:Thank Goodness You're Here!Steamworld Heist IICollege Football 25Madden NFL 25NBA 2K25Also, Hive questions about:Richard GarriottPeter MolyneuxShane McMahonBubsy (essentially)Grand Theft Auto (complete with thorough discussion about why the modern political nature of these games is so goofy and outdated)As always, become a member of The Hive to have your questions answered on the show!

This week, Niki and John got way into it about Evo 2024, the brilliance of fighting games, and the way sports have (and haven't) infiltrated the industry's biggest event for the genre. Also:No Man's Sky 5.0FlockDungeons of HinterbergThe crew also (clumsily) dissected the ramifications of Bethesda and World of Warcraft teams forming wall-to-wall unions this week. Seems particularly big in the face of Humble Games shutting down and the weird spin Ziff Davis put on the closure.Hive questions include:What's the gaming equivalent of saying Macbeth in a theater?Are curved monitors a scam?Who should write the Skibidi Toilet movie?This episode marked the debut of The VGBees Census, a new segment designed to pull biographical and taste information from our guests. This week's test subject was cohost Niki Grayson. Thanks Niki! Also, happy birthday Barley!As always, you can join The Hive and ask questions in our Discord and we'll answer them on the show!

This week, Niki and John tackle the most important news of the week, including:whether Niki should see Longlegsnot wearing headphones on video callshanging doorsOh also video games, including:Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the GoddessBioshock InfiniteEmio - The Smiling ManIn hour two, they're joined by Secret Base's Kofie Yeboah, who is as excited as everyone else about the return of EA Sports' college football...aptly called College Football 25. John also asks about Skip Bayless, in what is likely the only time he will ever come in on this program. Thanks for your patience.As always, join The Hive and ask questions and we'll answer them on the show!

This week, Niki and John are joined by The Verge's Ash Parrish. On the agenda:- our favorite jazz musicians- which wines pair best with human aging- disgusting Aperol- Cody Rhodes' appalling chosen aestheticOH ALSO video games!- Zenless Zone Zero- Supermoves- Xbox Game Pass tier changes- Steam Deck- 2K's rumored FIFA game- College Football 25- Riot's canceled platform fighterAs always, you can support VGBees by joining The Hive over at https://vgbees.com/join

This week, John's riding solo due to holiday scheduling apocalypses. Never fear! He's here to chat about the best in games this week, including:- The new Switch Online slate (it's weird)- Fragpunk's closed alpha- M. Bison is live in Street Fighter 6- The Land Beneath Us puts an interesting spin on roguelitesALSO, we answer questions directly from The Hive!- Will AAA development ever find a path to sustainability?- Which Kingdom Hearts game is the best?- Have you ever thought about roasting your own coffee beans?This and more in this week's episode!Join the Hive at https://vgbess.com/join

John and Niki are back at it again with all the news and analysis in games you need to know. This time, they're joined by Imran Khan, who is totally normal when it comes to heating up leftovers!Anyway! The crew covered a lot of ground this week including:Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm's overdue ouster from the public consciousness in the wake of the revelations of his "inappropriate" correspondence with a minor in 2017Elden Ring: Shadow of the ErdtreeSuper Monkey Ball Banana RumbleChained TogetherFortniteThe crew also discusses the best sales at the beginning of the Steam Summer Sale and answers the burning questions directly from The Hive!

John and Niki take a deep dive into a very strong Nintendo Direct, featuring discussion of:The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomMario & Luigi: BrothershipMetroid Prime 4: BeyondMarvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade ClassicsThe New Denpa MenLater, they're joined by writer, author, and budding miniature painting YouTuber Merritt K to chat everything Warhammer 40,000, including:What's in the heads of the guys from Space Marine 2?Do Space Marines have balls?Why did the Squats go away?and much more!Don't forget to Join the Hive!

Niki and John are joined this week by Game Informer associate editor and MinnMax contributor Charles Harte. All three were all in Los Angeles to cover Summer Game Fest 2024 and came away feeling mostly energized by what they saw and played.Covered in this episode:- LEGO Horizon Adventures- Wanderstop- Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind- Skate- Fable- Doom: The Dark Ages- South of Midnight- Gears of War E-Day- Dragon Age: The Veilguard- Monster Hunter Wilds- Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess- Fear the Spotlight- Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves- Hyper Light Breaker

On the eve of SGF, John posted up in his downtown Los Angeles hotel room to talk to himself for roughly 40 minutes. Niki's busy getting ready for Giant Bomb's extremely busy weekend and John's trying to get a website launched, so please enjoy this more low-key second episode before we go deep on everything going on with SGF.Topics covered:Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has a new name and it's pretty badMicrosoft's rumored handheldThe $200M disaster of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice LeagueThanks for being here! See you next week!

John & Niki are officially back in the saddle talking what it means to be back working in games media after a hiatus!TL;DR, they're both excited to be doing this again together.This week, our hosts are eaten up with what makes a game "finished" in 2024 and does it even matter? Hades 2 is certainly big for an Early Access game, but how does it evolve between now and 1.0?John's wondering what was up with that weird Neil Druckmann interview and Niki's just asking questions about that very unfortunately Destiny 2 leak.If you can believe it, another massive publishing company is getting in bed with AI for reasons that make sense (if you're a suit who doesn't care about the majesty of human creativity).Also discussed:The Rogue Prince of PersiaWildermyth's bow and exitWhat we expect to see at Summer Game FestHead to VGBees to sign up to be informed when the site launches! We'll have tons of SGF coverage!