4Player Podcast 4Player Podcast

It's yet another sad day for the industry - Unfortunately just another week of mass layoffs, studio closures, and project cancellations thanks to out-of-touch, overpaid executives and bad management. On the morning of May 7th, Microsoft officially (and unexpectedly) closed down Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, and Alpha Dog studio. As a result, hundreds of talented folks are suddenly unemployed and the future of promising IP like Hi-Fi Rush, Evil Within, and Prey are now in indefinitely in limbo. Of course, Sony is also in a hell of their own making (albeit a temporary one) thanks to a wildly misguided decision regarding Helldivers 2. It's a lot to unpack this week but it's not all doom and gloom; Nick takes the time to share his thoughts on the wacky world of INDIKA.
News - Microsoft suddenly shutters Arkane Austin, Tango Gameworks, Roundhouse Games, & Alpha Dog Studio (2:30) News - Sony stirs up controversy surrounding Helldivers 2 (43:35) Impressions - INDIKA(53:40) 4Player Minute (1:15:20)  

The calm before the storm that is May. We have a smaller crew this week but we assure you... it's not short; it's not boring; and most importantly... it's not organized! Brad kicks things off with a little candy interrogation followed by some random movie talk before we buckle down to talk about video games. Nick shares his early impressions of Stellar Blade and is surprised by how much substance there actually is in a game that seems more interested in being titillating. Brad also returns to Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes and his enjoyment is only getting more and more intense as time goes on. Throw in a little bit of random Baldur's Gate 3 talk along with some of our usual chaos and you've got yourself a podcast!
Housekeeping (2:00) Brad takes the Wheel (6:20) Impressions - Stellar Blade (21:35) Impressions - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (53:40) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:20:20) 4Player Minute (1:27:30)

We've got a short show for you this week but it's no less important! Brad - resident Suikoden fanboy - finally got his hands on the modern day spiritual successor, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes! It's a game that feels light on modern conveniences yet it remains relevant and important to the fans. In the Fantasy Critic segment, we cover some exciting new pick-ups following some big announcements and release-date reveals!
PSA: We experimented with a new pre-show format this week by doing 'Trailer Talk' LIVE as a group before recording the show and we expect it to become part of the routine going forward! It's a lot of fun so make sure you tune in at 8:00pm so you can catch up on the latest game trailers!
Housekeeping (3:20) Impressions - Eiyuden Chronicles: Hundred Heroes (5:25) Fantasy Critic Updates (40:00) 4Player Minute (58:00)

We took a week off of podcasting but dipped our toes into the wild world of Content Warning and the results were hilarious to say the least! Chris Davis revisits Shadows of Doubt now that it is approaching its 1.0 release later this year; It's an interesting discussion that delves into the strengths and weaknesses of making games using procedural generation. Brad talks about Inkbound, the next game from the creators of Monster Train and of course, we spend a little more time with Dragon's Dogma II. During the Fantasy Critic and 4Player Minute segments, we talk a little about the recent news regarding Star Wars Outlaws, Assassin's Creed codename Red, and impressions of the new Fallout TV show on Amazon Prime.
Housekeeping (2:30) Impressions - Content Warning (8:35) Impressions - Shadows of Doubt (24:35) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (51:00) Impressions - Inkbound (1:01:20) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:35:35) 4Player Minute (1:48:00)

Despite Team Ninja's apparent unfamiliarity with real world horses... Brad is happy to report that the world may have it all wrong about Rise of the Ronin! Despite an all too familiar open-world design philosophy, the game has proved to be fun, addicting, and surprisingly competent in the storytelling department! Krispy returns to share his thoughts on Dragon's Dogma 2 and Chris Davis has continued his love affair with Vanillaware thanks to Unicorn Overlord. Finally, Nick talks about his first impressions of the titillating new action game, Stellar Blade, now that Sony has released the demo.
Housekeeping - Fantasy Critic (7:50) Impressions - Rise of the Ronin (13:00) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (39:30) Impressions - Stellar Blade Demo (1:14:00) Impressions - Unicorn Overlord (1:36:00) 4Player Minute (1:52:45)

Can you believe it has been 12 years since the release of Dragon's Dogma?! As we finally delve into Dragon's Dogma II, one of our most anticipated games of the year, we revel in just how impressive it is despite the formula having changed very little. To Brad's point, the game hasn't changed much but WE have changed a lot in those 12 years. In this episode we also take some time to check in on our Community Fantasy Critic Leagues now that we are a quarter of the way through the year and Chris Davis gives us an overview of the first Judas preview coverage that is rolling out this week. Also, if you were waiting for Nick to play Alone in the Dark... get ready... because he didn't; Chris Davis did... Twice.
Housekeeping - Checking in with the Community Fantasy Critic Leagues (3:10) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (30:40) Impressions - Alone in the Dark (1:14:00) News - Judas Preview Coverage Rolls Out and Chris Davis is here for it (1:46:00) 4Player Minute (2:11:45)