Video Games 2 The Max

As we await the big game releases of next week, there are a few minor ones that have already made their way out to PC and Consoles. Sean's played Stop Motion narrative wonder Harold Halibut and the Final Fantasy XVI Rising Tide DLC. Does the Rising Tide serve as a seemingly fitting finale to FF16's content? Is Harold Halibut another indie darling that everyone should play? There's quite a bit of video game adjacent and actual video game news to discuss, with Nintendo providing a brand new Indie World and Sean has a few favorites to be excited about. The Witcher series gets a final Season 5, Sonic 3's Shadow has its voice actor, Mike Ybarra wonders if we should be able to tip AAA game developers, and are Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sales being overblown? Plus, Sean and Marc discuss more on the Fallout TV Show now that Sean has finished it. PC versions of PlayStation games will soon get trophies, Marc's been playing OuterWorlds and a lot more on this edition of Video Games 2 the MAX.You can also watch this episod

* Apologies for the audio version coming out a little later than usual. Sean had some family matters to attend to. * This week saw the premiere of the Fallout TV Series on Amazon Prime and Marc has binged through it all, while Sean has watched the first few episodes. So the duo discusses their impressions of the series that's already received the greenlight for a second season. Also, this was a week of announcements, trailers, and lost possibilities. As the Star Wars Outlaws Story trailer released to much aplomb and wonder, but does it have the guys excited about what's to come when it releases on August 30? The Triple iii Showcase also took place and both of us have some favorite games coming out of it. Then, there's the whole debacle with EA and if there was going to be a Dead Space 2 Remake or even a new Dead Space game. EA has put an end to that not happening. Is it the best move? Plus, could we see less big-budget $70 games? EA Play goes up in price and more!You can also watch this episode in video form

We are now fully into April and as we wait for the big games coming at the end of the month, there are some demos out for some of them. So, Sean has some Stellar Blade Impressions to share on this episode. Along with that, he's also played two versions of the Saga: Emerald Beyond. As well as a beloved game that was released bout a month ago in Unicorn Overlord impressions too. Marc is also just enjoying more Granblue Fantasy Relink.Some details have dropped on potential games for the June Xbox Showcase including a long-awaited Gears 6 reveal. Likewise, rumors abound that much like last year, Sony may opt to get ahead of the Summer Games Fest brouhaha and have a showcase in May. Xbox is also in the news for some others including making a games preservation team and Hellblade 2 being locked at 30 FPS. Plus, according to an annual report from Newzoo most gamers are playing old games or recurring annual franchises. Does this say anything about the state of gaming? And does this paint a grim picture for how many

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is so massive Sean had to bring in five guests to break down their thoughts on various parts of the game including The Ending and where we go from here into Part 3. So, if you didn't catch the title, there will be SPOILERS for the game on this special edition of Video Games 2 the MAX.Sean is joined by the man who loves Bad Brackets Randy Isbelle and two members of The Outerhaven crew in SithScott and Andrew Agress (also, Andrew reviewed Rebirth for the Outerhaven.) Plus, you have freelance writers Hayes Madsen (he reviewed Rebirth for Inverse) and first-time guest Josh Broadwell (who reviewed Rebirth for Roger Ebert.)So if you also have finished Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, join us in this all-encompassing, (positive and negative) discussion about the second part of the FFVII Remake Project. -------- Guest Links -----Randy's Bad Brackets: https://www.youtube.com/@BadBracketsScott's Stellar Blade Impressions: https://www.theouterhaven.net/2024/04/stellar-blade-demo-impressions/Andrew's

After a week that saw some big releases and exciting announcements, we have a week of interesting announcements, and more layoffs, Gearbox is free from Embracer Group, and Phil Spencer has a big interview talking about Xbox. Sean and Marc discuss it all in this edition of Video Games 2 the MAX. Phil Spencer had an interview with Polygon while at the Game Developer's Conference (links further below in the description) where he speaks about all sorts of things including wanting PC storefronts like Epic Games and Itch.io on Xbox, the cost prohibition of exclusives, a potential Xbox handheld, and more! Could this be a potential lifespring for Xbox? Or is this all essentially wish-listing from Phil? Marvel Rivals was suddenly announced and seems to take a lot of its inspiration from Overwatch. With Overwatch 2 in a bad spot, could a game from a big IP like Marvel overtake it and become the Defacto hero shooter? Also, Gearbox is sold to Take-Two Interactive, Resident Evil 9 could be open-world, layoffs at several S

A huge week in gaming with some major releases all occurring on the same day and also big gaming news with GDC and PAX East happening this week as well. Right before recording Square-Enix had their Final Fantasy XVI: Rising Tide DLC panel and they gave some new info on what we'll be doing in the DLC, an all-important release date and so much more! Sean tries to go through the gist of it, probably much to Marc's chagrin. Although the guys aren't playing any of the big games just yet, Marc did finally get to play Granblue Fantasy Relink and Sean finished the main story of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and also tried out the new Performance Mode Sharp as well. There's a ton of news including the U.S. Dept of Justice Suing Apple over Monopolistic practices which include Cloud gaming. Capcom once again being in hot water of its microtransactions, Helldivers 2 is the best-selling game of February 2024, PSVR 2 halting production amid overstock concerns, Larian dropping Baldur's Gate for something new, and much more!Mar

It's another week in gaming and another week of Video Games 2 the MAX as Sean and Marc are near the end of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, (actually, Marc beat it before we started recording), so the guys have some more thoughts on the game (without spoilers). And something that will help FFVII Rebirth look even better is a PlayStation 5 Pro as more rumors abound about the specs and insides of the future version of the PS5. Could 4K 60 really be a thing for consoles very soon? And will the guys think about maybe getting one? Plus, lots of announcements from Mario Day, including Super Mario Bros 2 Movie is official, Sabre Interactive is officially sold, and well, Helldivers 2 officially has sold extremely well. There are some other things to discuss too!You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/_hutkHgeOsA- If you prefer podcasts: Listen and give us a r

Sadly a huge loss was announced to the world late Thursday/Early Friday with the passing of the legendary Akira Toriyama. The creator of Dragon Ball undoubtedly leaves a huge legacy not just in the Manga/Anime world, but also in video games with his character art for Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon among others. Sean is joined by Marc and The Outerhaven's SithScott as they discuss what Akira Toriyama meant to them, their origins with Dragon Ball, and more. Scott also discusses his thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as Sean and Marc have progressed to Chapter 9 in the game, along with some other games like Zoria, Skull and Bones, and Cave of Lores. Xbox also had their Partner Preview and there was certainly a varying degree of enjoyment in that, but it did have some cool games to look forward to. Rooster Teeth shut down. Deviation Games closes. Warner Bros looks to fully move into live-service games. Yuzu quickly goes into a settlement with Nintendo over their Switch emulator, and more!You can

This week has been absolutely incredible in showing the duality of the games industry at the moment. Two giants of video games, Sony and EA both have layoffs within a day of each other, closing studios, and echoing the same refrain of needing to reassess their strategies going forward. Embracer Group entered an agreement with Sabre Interactive so they can be owned by private investors. Borderlands studio Gearbox could also be sold off, and Toys for Bob, makers of Crash Bandicoot 4 and the Spyro Reignited Trilogy enter into an agreement to go independent from Activision-Blizzard-King. Oh yeah, and around all of this business stuff was the release of a small little game called Final Fantasy VII Rebirth that so many gamers, including both Sean and Marc, have been eagerly awaiting. Sean and Marc give their thoughts on the game so far, why Queen's Blood might be the best card game, and a whole lot more. Plus, the Pokemon Company announced Pokemon Legends Z-A set in Lumiose City is coming in 2025 for Nintendo Switc

It is nearly upon us, the moment Final Fantasy VII fans have been eagerly anticipating, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is mere days away. Sean is joined by Gaming Trends Writer at Inverse Hayes Madsen. Hayes has reviewed and played the full game already ahead of its official release.In this SPOILER-FREE discussion about the game, Hayes gives his thoughts on the new additions, what's improved from Final Fantasy VII Remake, does going open-world make this everything we've ever dreamed of for FFVII? Hayes' favorite mini-game, what is so awesome about the new card game Queen's Blood, anything that stands out as a negative, and more!You can go read Hayes's review here: https://www.inverse.com/gaming/final-fantasy-7-rebirth-reviewYou can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/ukmBOegaKGoTimestamps: 00:01:00: START00:02:25: Talking about the state of Gaming and Ga

This was a week of anticipation for the industry focused more so looking forward to two major games that are coming in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Not to mention, Nintendo finally dropped that Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase as well. Sean and Marc discuss all of these things, how reviews are shaping up for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, thoughts on the Elden Ring DLC Trailer, and also on the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. They've also been playing some games, with Marc having some Helldivers 2 Impressions, and also can discuss the server issues preventing him from playing the game. He's also made it further in Persona 3 Reload and Regency Solitaire 2. Sean has more to say on Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden after spending a significant amount of more time with it. Plus, Sony will make it possible for PSVR 2 to work on PC so that the tech owners can access more games. The latest Circana report for January 2024 has dropped and brings with it some interesting info

Randy Isbelle joins Sean and Marc on this week's big episode, as Microsoft had its business update and wound up announcing four games will be coming to other console platforms. And while they did not announce which ones they are, reports are already out there that namedrop Hi-Fi Rush, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, and Pentiment as the four coming over. There's also new console hardware being worked on and even announcements coming in the fall regarding a possible mid-gen thing. Should this be enough to calm the fears? Or is this just the start of a whole new strategy for Xbox? On the other side, a recent earnings report from Sony had their president, CFO, and COO Hiroki Totoki state that no major franchise exclusives are coming in 2024, that they need to be more mindful of business when it comes to developing games, and even mentions being more aggressive about PC. Could Sony also be looking at modifying their strategy a bit? Unfortunately, layoffs and bad news also continue with Embracer Group once again leading

This week has been a whirlwind of rumors, speculation, and reports centered around Microsoft's possible direction for the future of Xbox as a brand, as a console, and what that means for the gaming world in general. Gaming social media imploded so crazily that Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer had to reveal a business summit is occurring next week that will cover this. Sean and Marc discuss this possible major change to gaming, will it really be all that bad? Is it a big deal if Xbox no longer has any "true exclusives?" does this mean that it is now Game Pass or bust? What avenues does Microsoft gaming really have at this point? And is this the death of the Xbox Console? Also, Marc is near the end of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Sean has some thoughts on Persona 3 Reload and speaks generally (without spoilers) about the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo and some things from the State of Play. Plus, Disney invests big money into Epic Games and promises a major Fortnite partnership, Capcom asks which of their f

This week, Sony graced us all with a rather lengthy PlayStation State of Play showing off the promised games such as Stellar Blade and Rise of the Ronin, but also delivering a few surprises such as an almost 10-minute look at Death Stranding 2 among other announcements. Sean and Marc give their thoughts on the State of Play and if they are more hyped about anything that was shown than they were previously. Also, Marc has been playing quite a lot of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, as he traverses through Hawaii with Ichiban and friends exploring the beaches, the Animal Crossing-like Dondoko Island, and battling it out with the Sujimon. Sean unfortunately hasn't been able to play much, but both of them will be able to discuss Persona 3: Reload next week at least. There's also a rumor that Sony may be working on a PlayStation Vita 2 or at least a true original portable device, but that it would not be released for at least another two years. Would it be possible to even have a PlayStation 5 portable? Does this m

In a total shocker, the first big move from Microsoft acquiring Activision-Blizzard-King becomes 1,900 employees being laid off. Many of them involved Activision-Blizzard employees and also Xbox employees leading to a 9% cut in Xbox's total gaming division among all of their studios. They also canceled the Blizzard survival game, "Odyssey" due to the engine being used to make the game being far away from being ready, and the game being many years from release.Sean and Marc attempt to do their best to discuss the story, the statements, and the aftermath, was this all really inevitable? Could something have been done to prevent it? And what does it say that the workers that have unionized were not part of these layoffs? Do the industry's employees need to do more to fight for themselves? And does this put a damper on acquisitions seeing such large-scale layoffs like this? Unfortunately, the layoffs don't end there, as Riot Games also suffered layoffs this week (530 employees) and closed their studio Riot Forge

This week it feels like 2024 in gaming has begun in earnest with Microsoft's Xbox Developer Direct 2024 where they showed off Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, and the first look at the Machine Games Indiana Jones. Sean and Marc have their reactions primed and ready on the showcase itself, what they think of each game, if the surprise of Visions of Mana is a big deal or not, and much more. Also, a Ubisoft executive got the company into some hot water when speaking on its newly rebranded Ubisoft + Premium streaming service after being misquoted by gaming websites for saying "Gamers need to get used to not owning their games." This led to a lot of discussion on the state of Gaming subscription services and if we should be afraid of them taking over gaming like they have for television shows, music, and film distribution. Should we be worried about this? Or is there data that shows it isn't a concern? Plus, Sean has some impressions on the newly released Early Access and Xbox Game Pass ti

The new January 2024 game releases are nearly upon us, as this week, not one, but two demos dropped for major games releasing this month. Sean and Marc have played Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown and Granblue Fantasy Relink. How do they stack up? Did they get them even more excited for their perspective releases? You'll want to tune in for this. Also, Xbox announced their now yearly Developer Direct is happening next week with Machine Games Indiana Jones game getting some major screen time and more info on Avowed and Senua's Saga Hellblade 2. But the shadow drop from last year's Direct, Hi-Fi Rush, sent the internet buzzing because rumors have swirled that it could be going multiplatform along with Sea of Thieves. Does it hurt Xbox to put its exclusives on other platforms after its initial release? Or is this a smart business move? Nintendo also is apparently in deep discussions about working with more third-party developers on some of its own IP. The guys discuss the news and what dormant franchises could

On this episode of Video Games 2 the MAX, Sean, Marc, and Randy take a look ahead at what's coming in 2024. Each of the guys give out their Top 10 Most Anticipated Games, some honorable mentions, and perhaps some predictions for the year as well. Everyone has games they are excited about. Let us know which ones you are most looking forward to as well. Could the new Switch successor finally be coming this year? A certain analyst certainly thinks so. Plus, what can we expect from PlayStation and Xbox? Not to mention, are we getting even more handheld gaming PC's too?You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/-_aOIJOXMDILinks: Dr. Serkan Toto says Switch Successor Will be an "Iteration:" https://kotaku.com/switch-2-price-launch-pokemon-games-1851139696#:~:text=In%20GamesIndustry.biz's%20yearly%20discussion,more%20than%20the%20original%20Switch. Check

On this edition of Video Games 2 the MAX, we bid farewell to 2023 by looking back at the year that was and also giving out as has become tradition, our 25 Best Games of 2023, which means you'll get our Game of the Year on this episode. Sean, Marc, and a surprise appearance mid-show by Randy Isbelle discuss the list from Game #, 25 all the way to Game # 1, as well as some of the big news stories of 2023, and how the big three console makers should feel about the year as well. You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube Channel, please give us a like, comment on the episode, and give the channel a subscribe and follow as well: https://youtube.com/live/bp_83UB8r8ALinks: Check out Randy's Sports YouTube show: https://www.youtube.com/@rrsportsreport9967 Radulich in Broadcasting's Review of Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom: https://youtube.com/live/8Vt8570IL_I The latest episode of Talk the Keki is their Anime Fall 2023 Season Awards: https://youtube.com/live/szNhQvYmviUTimestamps: 00:

After an unintended week off due to Sean having an internet outage on the day of recording last week, Video Games 2 the MAX returns in a very hectic week in gaming. Between last week and this week, more information has put into question the sustainability of AAA gaming with budgets ballooning, the increased amount of layoffs in 2023, and if games still don't cost enough to offset all of this. Is the answer to increase the price to $80 or $90 for new AAA games? Do gamers need to understand that the majority of games may have to lower their budgets? Could this bring subscription services more into play? Does this justify why there's been so much of a push towards Games as a Service? Or is this whole thing going to blow up entirely? According to Jeff Grubb, a PS5 Pro is surely coming in 2024 with its own DLSS tech and he's also been hearing rumors of Xbox possibly starting a whole new console generation as early as 2026. Could this actually help Microsoft achieve a bit of a head start like with the Xbox 360? Or