Press START

Tori and Noah embarked on really similar journeys recently. She visited Japan and he watched some Wrestlemania. We discuss that and some news this week plus the games we're playing. THINGS MENTIONED: Kotaku on Possibility Space's shutdown: https://kotaku.com/possibility-space-shut-down-jeff-strain-email-employees-1851407683 This stupid tweet: https://x.com/Grummz/status/1777979507619881074 An arguably even stupider tweet: https://x.com/GameCharacterAI/status/1778300445821219189 Girl Mode: https://twitter.com/girlmode_pod?lang=en Rebekah Valentine's report on the Life is Strange devs: https://www.ign.com/articles/how-hidden-nazi-symbols-were-the-tip-of-a-toxic-iceberg-at-life-is-strange-developer-deck-nine Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah, Tori and Nathaniel take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Sometimes you don't want to talk about the news so you field listener questions instead. We hope you enjoy :) Happy eclipse day, too!! Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah, Tori and Nathaniel take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Big news this week about nonsense at gaming news outlet Kotaku, Tencent and more. Noah and Nathaniel break it down. THINGS MENTIONED: Aftermath on the latest nonsense at Kotaku: https://aftermath.site/kotaku-eic-resigns-over-new-editorial-edict Overwatch PVE is canned: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-03-22/blizzard-entertainment-makes-big-changes-as-overwatch-2-struggles IGN on the Will Smith game no one has heard of: https://www.ign.com/articles/even-will-smith-couldnt-save-zombie-survival-game-undawn-which-flopped-spectacularly Kotaku's take: https://kotaku.com/undawn-will-smith-tencent-mobile-pc-flop-1851358692 Ruby Retro on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC59nXsqCA9I2uXfidX6WQkQ YouTuber MorbidZoo on Sound of Freedom: https://www.youtube.com/@themorbidzoo Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah, Tori and Nathaniel take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about the Will Smith zombie game at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

It's a new week, and that means we're looking at the latest in gaming news and sharing what games we're playing, but it also means we're testing out a new segment: rating a silly Nintendo Direct "leak" on our very own Nintendo DS scale of foolishness (shout out to the No Dunks podcast for the idea). Let us know what you think about the segment! Like it? Hate it? Want us to rate a different silly leak? Tweet at us or email us :) THINGS MENTIONED: Kotaku's ongoing list of games industry layoffs: https://kotaku.com/game-industry-layoffs-how-many-2024-unity-twitch-1851155818 IGN on the latest EA layoffs and how they'll impact Respawn: https://www.ign.com/articles/apex-legends-hit-by-layoffs-amid-eas-ongoing-reductions Forbes' Paul Tassi on the launch of the Battlefront Classic Collection: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2024/03/14/the-star-wars-battlefront-classic-collection-launch-is-going-poorly The silly Nintendo Direct "leak" as hosted on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fsilv5bgr97oc1.png The Nintendo fanwiki page for Super Mario Party 2: https://fantendo.fandom.com/wiki/Super_Mario_Party_2_(2023) Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah, Tori and Nathaniel take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about the Nintendo 4DS at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

As if GamerGate 1 wasn't enough, it looks like we're in the midst of dumber, stupider GamerGate. Tori and Noah break it down and mourn Akira Toriyama (plus talk about what we're playing) in this week's episode. THINGS MENTIONED: Alyssa Mercante breaks down the Sweet Baby drama for Kotaku: https://kotaku.com/sweet-baby-inc-consulting-games-alan-wake-2-dei-1851312428 Aftermath's article about the drama: https://aftermath.site/sweet-baby-detected-conspiracy-theory-steam A good tweet thread re: Sweet Baby: https://twitter.com/veedztweets/status/1765898902702567726 Salmon's theme: https://youtu.be/gHp7-mW3yBI Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah, Tori and Nathaniel take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us with plane game recommendations at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Sequels, new releases and corporate nonsense. That's gaming, baby. THINGS MENTIONED: Polygon's reminder of the Nintendo Partner Direct stuff: https://www.polygon.com/24078620/nintendo-games-direct-february-2024-announcements-release-dates Polygon on Sony's latest layoffs: https://www.polygon.com/24086441/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-sony-layoffs-death-of-aaa And IGN on EA layoffs :/ : https://www.ign.com/articles/ea-to-lay-off-around-670-to-advance-the-way-we-work Nintendo Switch 2 delays??: https://www.ign.com/articles/nintendo-switch-2-reportedly-delayed-to-march-2025-in-part-to-combat-scalping IGN: Rockstar calling employees back to office: https://www.ign.com/articles/rockstar-games-is-asking-employees-to-return-to-office-amid-gta-security-concerns And IGN on the ensuing backlash: https://www.ign.com/articles/gta-6-developers-criticise-rockstars-reckless-decision-to-force-staff-back-to-the-office YouTuber Lockstin & Gnoggin on the new Pokemon game announcement: https://youtu.be/Ts2ficIZf84 Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

It's time for the Next Generation of gaming, at least that is what Sony reportedly might be thinking despite how many of us haven't even gotten on the "next" gen yet. We're talking gaming generations, more depressing layoffs and other gaming news. Hope you enjoy :) THINGS MENTIONED: From the Verge: Disney wants to creative a "creative universe" in Fortnite: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/7/24065281/disney-epic-games-investment-fortnite-metaverse Throw back: A 2016 article from Polygon about the closure of Avalanche: https://www.polygon.com/2016/5/10/11652866/disney-infinity-ending An update on Embracer Group's big year of purchases and their subsequent layoffs: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/embracer-says-it-s-looking-out-for-shareholders-after-cutting-almost-1-400-jobs The latest on what's happening at ZA/UM from VideoGames.si: https://videogames.si.com/news/disco-elysium-dev-zaum-layoffs IGN: The PS5 is entering the latter half of its lifecycle (???): https://www.ign.com/articles/ps5-entering-the-latter-stage-of-its-life-cycle-sony-says An update on Microsoft's plans to bring their games to non-Xbox consoles: https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/15/24073691/microsoft-xbox-games-ps5-nintendo-switch-exclusivity A good video from YouTuber ThorHighHeels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CowfDhKUNas Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

This week Tori and Noah are joined by internet renaissance man Mike Rugnetta. He's been a YouTuber, a podcaster, a game master and now he's leading the new independently-owned internet podcast Never Post. We goad him into roasting popular games, talk about the state of media and, as usual, talk about video games we love. Find Mike on social media @mikerugnetta and find Never Post at neverpo.st and wherever you listen to podcasts. Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Sometimes a gaming podcast is a gaming podcast, and sometimes a gaming podcast is also a sports podcast, a culture podcast, an anime podcast and a Curb Your Enthusiasm podcast. That's Press START this week. Tori and Nathaniel catch up on the week's gaming (and non-gaming) news as well as what they've been up to. SPOILERS FOR PERSONA 3 (42:10 - 44:57) THINGS MENTIONED Variety on Carl Weathers' passing: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/carl-weathers-dead-rocky-predator-star-wars-1235895634/ Eurogamer: SEGA lays off staff: https://www.eurogamer.net/sega-of-america-to-lay-off-61-staff-next-month Game Developer with an update on the SEGA layoffs: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/sega-of-america-set-to-lay-off-most-of-its-unionized-workers Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us VR game recommendations at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Hard to believe that all the bad stuff happening in 2023 didn't just stop once it became 2024. We dive into layoff updates, the demise of the 3DS and Wii U's last vestiges of official support and other news items. SPOILERS FOR METAL GEAR SOLID: 24:11 - 27:22 (MGS talk continues for a few minutes after that but the spoilers calm down) THINGS MENTIONED: The Verge on Microsoft's big layoffs: https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/18/23560315/microsoft-job-cuts-layoffs-2023-tech CWA's statement on the Microsoft layoffs from gamesindustry.biz: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/cwa-says-microsofts-job-cuts-did-not-impact-the-staffers-it-represents Polygon on the at-least-one canceled game from Blizzard: https://www.polygon.com/24050326/blizzard-survival-game-canceled-allen-adham-mike-ybarra Polygon: 3DS and Wii U online services to go offline: https://www.polygon.com/23902744/nintendo-3ds-wii-u-online-switchoff Polygon: What's up with Metroid Prime 4?: https://www.polygon.com/24050473/metroid-prime-4-nintendo-switch-2 Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us VR game recommendations at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Happy 2024! All of the bad stuff that was happening in 2023 is still happening now, believe it or not. This week we've got an update on the gaming industry's unceasing layoffs, Fortnite being used as a military recruitment tool and an odyssey that explores the dregs of the YouTube Content Industrial Complex. SPOILERS FOR THE IRON CLAW FROM 30:18-38:06 THINGS MENTIONED: Kotaku's ongoing list of gaming layoffs in 2024: https://kotaku.com/game-industry-layoffs-how-many-2024-unity-twitch-1851155818 TheGamer's article on the British Army's Fortnite recruitment program: https://www.thegamer.com/fortnite-british-army-creative-map-recruitment-epic-games-backlash/ And PCGamer's article about the same thing: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-british-army-made-its-own-fortnite-map-as-a-recruitment-tool-but-epic-could-block-it/ The latest episode of Delayed Input on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKuKXK-d804 I'm not including the URL for the Nick Robinson video because we don't actually want you to watch it and give him ad revenue. Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about what want to see change about the gaming world in 2024 at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Noah had an oopsie with his audio this week, but never fear: the lovely gals from Girl Mode are here to keep your feed well-stocked with podcasts. Here's their latest episode, with their hopes, dreams and anticipations for 2024 in gaming, dropped right into your feed. Go find Girl Mode wherever podcasts live or on social media @girlmode_pod on Twitter, girlmodepod on bluesky and girlmode-pod on cohost. See you next week! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Can you believe we've been doing this for 100 episodes? I mean, we can, but it's still pretty exciting. This week we go through our predictions for 2024, talk about the Guitar Hero games we liked as kids and go through other various detours. Thanks for listening :) THING(S) MENTIONED: This video of a pitbull pulling this lady's pitbull apart: https://youtu.be/PA8NI1ysCac Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori take turns producing the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about what you expect to happen in 2024 at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

This week, instead of listening to the usual crew talk about video games, Tori, Nathaniel and Noah are interviewing their respective partners to figure what they played in 2023. From a capital-G Gamer who played tons of 2023 releases to a burgeoning gaming hobbyist, tune in for some different perspectives than you usually get. Tori & Jesse: (0:58:00) Nathaniel & Angie (13:38:00) Noah & Christine (18:16:00) Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about your partners' favorite games of 2023 at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Another year is over and we wanna talk about the games we loved. There's a few we didn't love in here, too. Plus, you get to listen to us open the gifts we got each other, complete with bespoke paper ripping sounds. Thanks for listening :) Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about your favorite games you played in 2023 at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

It's Noah and Nathaniel this week and here's what we've got: The future is Zelda is almost upon us, E3 is really dead this time and whoa, there's other news, too. THINGS MENTIONED: This NPR story about E3's death: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/13/1218999254/e3-once-the-superbowl-of-video-games-has-been-canceled-for-good GamesIndustry.biz: E3 is dead, now what?: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/e3-is-dead-now-what YouTuber Arlo on "the AAA bubble": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWTzmELv7N4 Polygon: Zelda devs on future of Zelda: https://www.polygon.com/legend-zelda-tears-kingdom/24001489/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-totk-developer-interview The Switch is still selling like hotcake: https://gamerant.com/nintendo-switch-sales-pass-xbox-360-us/ Aftermath.site's breakdown of the Video Game History Foundation's cool new digital archive announcement: https://aftermath.site/the-video-game-history-foundations-new-online-library-looks-like-a-wonder-of-the-world Polygon on that canned zombie game: https://www.polygon.com/23997116/the-day-before-fntastic-twitter-steam-reviews-canceled Skill Up on YouTube on The Day Before's failure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdQXfXm8rjg PCGamer: Hasbro layoffs despite Baldur's Gate 3's success: https://www.pcgamer.com/theres-almost-nobody-left-ceo-of-baldurs-gate-3-dev-swen-vincke-says-the-dandd-team-he-initially-worked-with-is-gone-due-to-hasbro-layoffs/ Aftermath: "Valve said not to huff the Steam Deck, so I huffed two": https://aftermath.site/valve-said-not-to-huff-a-steam-deck-so-i-huffed-two This weird YouTube video that shows Luigi playable in Mario 64: https://youtu.be/3cHzwNRLddI Variety on Hideo Kojima's movie he's working on with A24: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/death-stranding-movie-a24-hideo-kojima-1235837362/ Nintendo Life showing off the now-removed fanmade Link's Awakening PC port: https://youtu.be/CXgXwDAwRaU Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about whether you bought the shitty zombie MMO at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Well, turns out only one third of our hosts watched Gaming's Biggest Night, so get ready for Tori to break down a three-and-a-half hour long program to Nathaniel and Noah who learned everything they know about it from like one article and social media. Color us surprised that Geoff Keighley didn't say "Free Palestine." There's also other stuff, too, like, updates on Twitch's future and more. THINGS MENTIONED: Polygon's handy breakdown of The Game Awards: https://www.polygon.com/game-awards-tga/23992648/the-game-awards-2023-biggest-game-announcements-trailers IGN's report about sexism from the devs of the Sun Wukong game: https://www.ign.com/articles/how-black-myth-wukong-developers-history-of-sexism-is-complicating-its-journey-to-the-west IGN: Wes Ball on his forthcoming Zelda movie: https://www.ign.com/articles/the-legend-of-zelda-movie-director-wants-it-to-be-live-action-miyazaki The AP News breakdown of Twitch closing up shop in Korea: https://apnews.com/article/south-korea-twitch-network-fees-fcbd14738fcdc911069f82f76cb62afa Followed by the Garbage Day take: https://www.garbageday.email/p/why-isnt-twitch-a-better-website The Verge on Epic's whacky moves with Fortnite: https://www.theverge.com/2023/12/9/23993686/fortnite-og-new-players-lego-fortnite Axios' more detailed breakdown on what exactly these new Fortnite updates add: https://www.axios.com/2023/12/08/fortnite-lego-rocket-racing Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about how you use Snapchat at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

This week we're joined by the incomparable (especially so considering there aren't that many people posting oboe VGM covers online) Abbytheoboist. You've probably seen her on social media, just scrolling and then, BANG, some of the nicest sounding oboe you've ever heard. We talk about her history with video games, the video game soundtracks that speak to her and the Final Fantasy workout playlist she pumps iron to. You can find Abby on social media just about everywhere, including Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok and Twitch as @abbytheoboist. OTHER THINGS MENTIONED: Abby's rendition of the Final Fantasy 6 opera (complete with outfit changes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Sx_UHVmAw The band Mega Mango: https://www.megamangoband.com/ The band Pool Kids (we love you Pool Kids): https://www.poolkidsband.com/ The band sports.: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4pyn62fo9bN7qCT9nBM6c6?si=1y1diZAHST2yRd67YglgUA&nd=1&dlsi=b58f733c59674a02 The band Stars Hollow: https://starshollowia.bandcamp.com/album/i-want-to-live-my-life Streamer atwentysomethingloser on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/atwentysomethingloser Streamer Hasanabi on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/hasanabi The This American Life bit about Final Fantasy 7: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/679/transcript  Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us your Final Fantasy hot takes at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

What's up, gamers! We've got a special treat in the feed this week: it's Video Game Podtimism! This is last week's episode of Video Game Podtimism featuring Noah and Tori from this show. Give it a listen and if you enjoy it (which, like, why wouldn't you?) subscribe to VGP on whatever platform you're on now and visit their website, podtimism.com. We'll be back next week with our regularly scheduled stuff! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support

Damn, pre-Thanksgiving was supposed to be a relaxing time of year when Americans mentally and physically prepare to gorge themselves. Instead we heard they're making a Zelda movie. What a time to be alive. THINGS MENTIONED: Shigeru Miyamoto's Twitter announcement heard 'round the world: https://twitter.com/Nintendo/status/1722011980129779795?s=20 Variety on one man's journey to direct a Zelda movie: https://variety.com/2023/film/news/wes-ball-directing-zelda-movie-23-years-after-tweet-1235783773/ A 12-hour YouTube essay on the history of video games: https://youtu.be/OAo8qdcvhlM Video Game Podtimism featuring Noah and Tori!!: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2iLBNNwBYRuaEe0HBpOg4f?si=DalZlkctRXSdrwt_PE7xuw Noah's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠noah_hurts⁠⁠⁠⁠ Tori's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠tori_as_always⁠⁠⁠⁠ Nathaniel's on Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠nathanbased⁠⁠⁠⁠ Our cool sounds and intro/outro music are by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠GEIST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and our show art is by Kai at Wisp Graphics. We curate your gaming news together and Noah and Tori produce the show. You can follow the show on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Press_StartPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠,  on tumblr at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠press-startpod.tumblr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and on bluesky ⁠⁠⁠⁠@press-startpod⁠⁠⁠⁠. You can email us about who you want to direct the Zelda movie at heypressstart@gmail.com. We'd also appreciate if you left us reviews on your podcast app of choice! Good text reviews will be read out on the show. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/pressstart/support