Video Games 2 The Max

This is a huge week for gaming with notable indie releases in the last week and a major one from Capcom in Pragmata that already has sold 1 million copies. Marc has his thoughts on Pragmata and Sean has gone the indie route with impressions on both Mouse P.I. For Hire, Replaced, Dosa Divas, Rubato, and demos for Inkonbini and Neverway too. Also, could Xbox exclusives be returning in a meaningful way? There's supposedly been some high level discussions about it, but is this all talk? Or could there be some kind substance to it? And doesn't even make sense for Xbox at this point? Plus, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced finally gets revealed this week, the duo discuss the Metro 2039 unveiling and if they are hyped for the game, lots of landmark sales news from Forza Horizon 6, Windrose, and Crimson Desert, Sean discusses the Galaxies Showcase and more!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 subscrib

In a surprise announcement from Deep Silver and 4A Games, Metro 2039 will soon be announced on Thursday as part of an Xbox First Look at 1 pm ET. Are Sean and Marc excited about a new game in the series after an earlier game was canceled?Also, Asha Sharma has hit on a hot button topic not only for Sean, but for many gamers, that Xbox Game Pass is too expensive and it has led to speculation that one of the ways to combat this would be to remove Call of Duty as a Day 1 game, but whether this happens or not, other measures must be taken if they want to lower the cost for Microsoft internally and thus be able to lower the cost for gamers as well. Sean and Marc discuss some strategies Asha and Co could implement to make this a reality. Plus, Sean's been playing another indie RPG in Dosa Divas, the last title from Outerloop games, and the mash-up of music game and beat-em-up in Dead as Disco, Marc has some ranting and raving to do about Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Epic and Disney are making an Ex

Gaming has certainly fallen into the same trap as Hollywood at least with a major part of AAA gaming where established franchises are king, and although movies also have the "indie space" they only really come up in the greater zeitgeist during award season. In contrast, with gaming, the indies are the area where originality has shined through more and more in each passing year. so it was interesting to hear Ben Starr say that "original IP should be King" right now. Should this be the case? Should more established gaming publishers steer into original IP again? Sean and Marc discuss if this is even possible outside of the indie space. Sean has also been playing a new indie game called People of Note that has just released from Iridium Games and Annapurna Interactive is the Rhythm Turn-Based RPG something you should pick up? Sean gives you the details. Also, Marc's been playing more Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown too. Plus, Xbox Fanfest is back, Marc has thoughts on the Super Mario Galaxy movie, Disney

Sometimes, there are those unfortunate weeks in gaming where it feels like the bad news just piles on top of each other, and this last week was almost the epitome of that, and for once, Xbox actually is not involved. But Sony, Nintendo, and Epic all took their swing at the crown. Sony announced major price increases for all formats of PlayStation 5 hardware with the PS5 Pro going up to a whopping $899 USD and the PS5 Disc version costing $649. Even the PS Portal went up to $249 as well. Should we be super concerned about what this means, gamers will be willing to spend on PS6? Or are we just in an extended bad period and things will eventually work themselves out? That's not all, because Sony also closed down another one of their studios Dark Outlaw Games, and the true depth of their dynamic pricing shows itself and it doesn't look great for those on the losing end of the big benefits. Plus, Nintendo introduces $10 off first-party digital games, is this another nail in the coffin for physical? Xbox had its Pa

If you thought we'd had the worst of the A.I. discourse, enter this past week, where NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 5, which was supposed to be their next big innovation, has turned into a nightmare for online push back, with even developers themselves not only making fun of it but also stating they were left in the dark on its existence. Sean and Marc share their thoughts on whether this is a glimpse of what we should expect in the future, or if it could prompt gaming to think differently about A.I. Crimson Desert has finally been released, and it has had its own set of controversies, from a mixed bag of review scores to their own issues with having players find Gen A.I. assets in the game and that doesn't even include problems with the game's control scheme too. But at least it didn't stop the game from selling a lot, as it already has 2 Million in the bag. Plus, Sean gives his thoughts on the indie game Rubato and more on Pokémon Pokopia. Resident Evil has its own sales milestone, can a majorly A.I. made game ever b

Trying to get back on schedule with some holdover stuff from the last week as Sean and Marc look back at the Spring Showcase bonanza that was GDC week with Dames 4 Games, Kinda Funny & Mix, Future Games Show, and a few others all unveiled new trailers for a plethora of games. Sean gives out his favorites from the two major indie showcases. Also, since we will officially be into the next quadrant of the year on our next episode, it may be a good time to do a first three months Game of the Year check-in. What are our Top 5 games so far in 2026? Plus, the Subnautica 2 saga hits another major milestone as the judge has rules in favor of the developers and the CEO has been returned to his former position. Could this mean the game actually will see its early access release soon? Another day, another percentage of investment by a Saudi-led company into a major game publisher, this time it's Capcom. Humble Games changes hands and goes under a new name, and more! You can also watch this episode in video form on th

The unintentional break has allowed for more time to gestate on the info given by Jason Ronald about Project Helix (the codename for the next Xbox) as Sean and Marc discuss the early details of the console and if they are convinced this is really going to deliver on the promise of Xbox and PC or if this is just sugarcoating the strategy that was already in the works before? Sean's also been playing a lot of games over this time as he has plenty of indies to discuss with 1348 Ex Voto, Mr. Sleepy Man, Love Eternal, Demon Tides, and Homura Hime all on the docket. Plus, he also picked up Pokémon Pokopia, and although still early on with the game, could this be the one that gets him to appreciate the Survival Craft genre? It certainly has the juice for sure. Marc also finished Resident Evil Requiem. Plus, Satya Nadella says he's in it for the long haul on Xbox, when Xbox Mode comes to Windows 11 PC's, Nintendo is suing the US Government over tarriffs, the Newzoo report shows how Survival games are becoming the new

One of the biggest releases of the 2026 gaming calendar, Resident Evil Requiem, is now out, and we had to bring back Randy Isbelle to discuss his most anticipated game of the year. It is so anticipated that he's already rolled credits on the game in the manner of a weekend! Is this truly the best RE game since RE 4? Marc also has thoughts on the game, albeit he hasn't gotten as far as Randy has. There's also a follow-up on both of the big stories from last week, as new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma had an interview with Jez Corden of Windows Central, and more details from Jason Schreier about the Bluepoint closing. However, it is another statement from Schreier about PlayStation backing out of bringing its single-player games to PC that is the major discussion for this week. The guys discuss why Sony may be heading in this direction and if they are truly leaving money on the table or not by putting the focus solely on the console. Plus, Marvel's Wolverine now has a release date, Paramount has won the bidding war for W

Two huge surprises rocked the gaming world first was PlayStation with Hermen Hulst announcing out of nowhere that Bluepoint Studios has been closed down. The studio responsible for the Demon Souls and Shadow of the Colosus remake is no more, and the major takeaway from it seems to be changing circumstances and a new direction. Could this indicate that Sony is nowhere near down with live service and are there other studios in danger?Then there's Xbox which delivered a massive change in one fell swoop with Phil Spencer suddenly retiring immediately and Sarah Bond stepping down from her role too and taking their place is Matt Booty and Asha Sharma who's not involved with gaming at all and was part of the Windows Core A.I. team. What does this mean for Xbox? Is the final nail in the coffin now? Or could this be positive for the brand?Randy joins Sean and Marc to discuss both of these major topics. Plus Randy has been playing Reanimal, the God of War Sons of Sparta, and Marc has been playing Romeo is a Deadman and

Back to our regularly scheduled day, Sean and Marc discuss what's been happening in gaming, which includes reports that the RAM shortage may, in fact, lead to Sony delaying the PlayStation 6 all the way to 2029, which may coincide with some major games being ready by then, too. Would this be beneficial for the industry and gamers? Or would that be too far out? Marc has been spending some time with Nioh 3, and he has thoughts on the game. Plus, Mewgenics is performing very well in major metrics. YapYap is another co-op title that does well on Steam. SEGA plans for four mainstay IP's per fiscal year. Ubisoft does well despite the bad news it's been involved in recently. Capcom surprise launches Dino Crisis 1 & 2 on Steam and more! 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/XT14T1Fl2iY

PlayStation had its big one-hour-long State of Play with a lot of announcements including a whole section from Konami with some big surprises. Sony also showed off its slate with Ghost of Yotei Legends, Saros, Marathon, and Marvel Tolkon Fighting Souls. Third parties also had a major role too. Sean, Marc, and Randy break it all down. 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/dtm-nyt3XPw

In hopefully the last time we have to move the episode to an early Friday morning, Sean and Marc discuss the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and some of their favorite games from the event. Also, the Nintendo Switch officially becomes Nintendo's highest selling console. Sean also has impressions on the quirky indie Hermit & Pig, a Baldur's Gate TV show is in development, Overwatch 2 becomes simply Overwatch, and more! 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://youtu.be/MbdDdiE21lQListen as a podcast and give us a review on these platforms...Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ag/podcast/video-games-2-the-max/id886092740Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wjd0u3xO7TdAm4gKRM44LAmazon: https://www.audible.com/pd/Video-Games-2-the-MAX-Podcast/B08JJPTZTWPodchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/video-games-2-the-max-181386Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict

The slam of winter weather caused Sean and Marc to delay the podcast recording this week. Still, we are here discussing what's going on in gaming, which is predominantly focused on two entities, Xbox and Ubisoft. Xbox had its Developer Direct 2026 last week and showed off some interesting things for both Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, with one getting the rumored May 19 release date and the other stuck on an Autumn release window. Did the broadcast do anything to get them more excited for these two flagship titles? And what about the other two games that were shown? The duo discusses their thoughts. Also, Ubisoft followed up on all of the talk from last week to introduce an entire restructuring plan that includes teams split among five creative houses. The cancellation of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, the reveal of what Vantage Studios will actually be doing and the prospect of more layoffs at an already over-inflated company. Plus, Sean has thoughts on Escape From Ever After, Cairn, and Steel Centu

Sadly, the bad news has begun early in 2026 as Meta has closed several of their VR studios and issued layoffs at others, raising the question of whether there should be concern about the viability of Virtual Reality as a gaming medium. Does this further push VR down the niche hole? Or is there still hope out there? Also, Ubisoft is in the news again for a lot of the wrong reasons. Closing a studio in Canada and facing their own troubles with avoiding unions, issuing layoffs at others, as they also attempt to get gamers excited about their future products, two of which feel like it's just a matter of when, not if, they will be officially released. Plus, Marc played the Forbidden Solitaire demo, Marathon has an official release date of March 5, Sony made some news for finally removing slop from the PSN store, Bobby Kotick is back in the news talking about Call of Duty and Xbox. All of this and more on this edition of Video Games 2 the MAX.You can also watch this episode in video form on the W2M Network Youtube

It's our first regular episode of Video Games 2 the MAX for the year, and already there's plenty to discuss and celebrate as well, as Sean and Marc bring up the 2026 Gaming anniversaries, this includes: The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Persona, Castlevania, Animal Crossing, Halo, Gears of War, and more. Will they get a new game announcement for the anniversary? Also, Microsoft announced the 2026 edition of the Xbox Developer Direct is happening on January 22, and Playground is bringing not just Forza Horizon 6, but also Fable to the party as well. Does this mean we can be sure both games release this year then? Also, how excited are we for Beast of Reincarnation from Game Freak? Plus, Sean has thoughts on two indie games he's reviewing that release this week in Big Hops and Cassette Boy. Marc's been playing some games as well. Nintendo is monitoring the RAM shortages when it comes to Switch 2, PlayStation patents an A.I. that can play games for you, a bunch more Xbox news, could a Final Fantasy VI remake actuall

We've officially begun the new year of 2026, and with that comes the outlook for the year, and of course, when it comes to gaming, the most important part of that is the actual games. Sean and Randy will give their thoughts on what the Big 3 will do this year with Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation. Plus, also look at PC Gaming and what's going to happen with the PC component increases and the Steam Machine, too. Then, of course, it's all about the Video Games as the duo give their Top 10 Most Anticipated Games of 2026 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/kZghWsaX1ZwListen as a podcast and give us a review on these platforms... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ag/podcast/video-games-2-the-max/id886092740Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wjd0u3xO7TdAm4gKRM44LAmazon: https://www.audible.com/pd/Video-Games-2-the-MAX-Podcast/B08JJPTZT

It's that time of the year for the unveiling of our Best Games of 2025. Sean, Randy, and Marc ranked their Top 15 games, the math was done, and now it is time to discuss why they are ranked where they are and to reveal the final list in this special edition of Video Games 2 the MAX.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/aLHC9k7d_v8Listen as a podcast and give us a review on these platforms... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ag/podcast/video-games-2-the-max/id886092740Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2wjd0u3xO7TdAm4gKRM44LAmazon: https://www.audible.com/pd/Video-Games-2-the-MAX-Podcast/B08JJPTZTWPodchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/video-games-2-the-max-181386Podcast Addict: https://podcastaddict.com/?podId=2465904IHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/53-video-games-2-the-m-28438312/ Check out other W2M Network Shows Late

Well, we brought it up last week, and this episode will finalize our series by looking back at the year that was for the three major console makers, as it's now Xbox's turn to get its 2025 Report Card. Sean and Marc go through the highs and lows of Xbox throughout the year, the game releases, and also look ahead to 2026 as the company is already promising a huge year ahead. This also brings us to a sour subject for many gamers, and that's Generative A.I., as Larian Studios and Sandfall Interactive both make news for their uses of it, and should it lead to the retracting of awards and vitriol online. Is the outlook for A.I. all grim? Or can there be some good use cases for it? Sean also has thoughts on the indie game Unbeatable. Marc's played more Ghost of Yotei; join us for the final regular episode of Video Games 2 the MAX for 2025. 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 we

Post Game Awards 2025, it feels as though we may as well join in on winding down and starting to look at the year that was. Although our GOTY episode is still a few weeks away, we are continuing our series on giving our grade to the year for the major console makers. This week, it's all about Nintendo as we delve into what its been in the first year of the Nintendo Switch 2, the Super Mario Galaxy Movie prospects, the year's releases, and what's ahead for the Big N. Marc has also been playing Ghost of Yotei so he has some impressions on that. Marathon announced its release window and price, Ubisoft buys an Amazon MOBA studio, Tomb Raider Catalyst being enough for non fans, and much more on this edition of the podcast. 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/28Ur9_9mx5I

Awards season officially kicks into high gear with The Game Awards 2025 event. Geoff Keighley's combination of ceremony with major game announcements happened, and Sean and Marc have their thoughts on the event, the announcements, and Clair Obscur Expedition 33, virtually completing the sweep of the awards. The guys discuss their favorite announcements and perhaps some that were not there as well. Join us as we discuss it all on this special edition of Video Games 2 the MAX. 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/t81ndhc5dcA