What's Good Games: A Video Game Podcast What's Good Games

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Summer Game Fest Play Days 2024 just wrapped and we'll have lots to say on our next full episode but we sat down with Ashley Esqueda, founder and CEO of Rowdy Skeleton, to chat about our picks for Game of the Show. It was really hard y'all, but I think our Top 4 picks are all pretty stellar and some are playable so soon!

Follow Ashley on X: http://www.x.com/ashleyesqueda
Follow Ashley on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/msashleyesqueda

WGG is recorded on a Rodecaster Pro 2. Use our affiliate link to build your creator setup: https://brandstore.rode.com/whatsgoodgames

Chapters:
00:00:00 - Special Episode at Summer Game Fest Play Days
00:03:07 - Serendipitous Meetings with Ashley Esqueda
00:04:47 - Mind-Blowing Monster Hunter Wilds Demo
00:06:12 - Delicious Looking In-Game Food and Weapon Swapping
00:07:40 - The Mechanics of Healing and Greenery
00:09:07 - Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trailer Review
00:10:39 - Intense Reaction to the Demo and Highlights
00:12:06 - Excitement for Character Customization in Dragon Age
00:13:35 - Will It Be The Best Dragon Age Game Ever??
00:14:56 - Dragon Age and the Game of the Show
00:16:32 - Astro Bot: The Perfect Platformer
00:17:59 - Progression and Difficulty in Platformers
00:19:19 - The Charm of Astro Bot
00:20:44 - Assassin's Creed Shadows: Finally In Feudal Japan
00:22:25 - Is Shadows The Next Black Flag?
00:23:54 - The Innovation and Beauty of Ubisoft's Franchise
00:25:16 - Graphic Violence in Assassin's Creed
00:26:44 - Different Distinct Play Styles
00:28:22 - Honorable Mention

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Our website: http://www.whatsgoodgames.com

Follow the crew:
Andrea:
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Britt:
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Riana:
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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp — go to http://betterhelp.com/whatsgoodgames to get 10% off your first month.

With Summer Game Fest upon us, what else is there to do but let Britt tell us all the nerdy details about the newly revealed Yakuza Like a Dragon TV Series from Amazon Prime? After the husbando discussion we chat hands-on with Cat Quest III, XDefiant, 33 Immortals, and Andrea may have found her new mobile game garden designing addiction in Garden Joy.

Thank you to this month's Super Producers:

Faris Attieh

Punkdefied

Justin Foshee

Joshua Franklin


WGG is recorded on a Rodecaster Pro 2. Use our affiliate link to build your creator setup: https://brandstore.rode.com/whatsgoodgames

Time stamps:
02:50 - Like a Dragon: Yakuza Live-Action Series Announced for Amazon Prime Video This Fall!!!
06:05 - Series Plot Breakdown
07:24 - Character Descriptions
14:52 - Judgment TV Series is in the works, new RGG lead says
15:50 - Break 1
15:51 - A Message from BetterHelp
17:09 - Hands-on Section:
17:18 - Monthly Shout-Out to the Supercast friends.
19:15 - Britt's been playing Cat Quest III
20:05 - Cat Quest III Synopsis
24:58 - 33 Immortals
25:41 - Game breakdown
36:22 - XDefiant
40:49 - Skill Progression
43:52 - Garden Joy: Design & Makeover
54:03 - More Special Episodes Coming Up!


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Join our Discord community: http://discord.gg/whatsgoodgames
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Our website: http://www.whatsgoodgames.com

Follow the crew:
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Britt:
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Riana:
http://www.twitter.com/rianatweetsnow
http://www.instagram.com/rianagramsnow
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Go to http://shopify.com/whatsgood to sign up for a $1-per-month trial period.

We've got a shiny new 8-Ball and we're shaking our way to the hot gaming reveals of 2024...or "ask again later" if you're Britt. We look at possible announcements from Summer Game Fest, Xbox Summer Games Showcase, Ubisoft Forward, PlayStation State of Play, and the mystery Nintendo Direct.

Thank you to this month's Super Producers: Faris Attieh, Punkdefied, Justin Foshee, and Joshua Franklin!

Watch Ad-Free on Supercast: http://whatsgoodgames.supercast.com

Time stamps:
01:07 - Summer Game Fest 2024 By Magic 8-Ball
08:22 - Q1: Is Remedy going to announce a stand-alone narrative DLC for Alan Wake 2?
09:23 - Palworld
11:04 - 2K to reveal new game in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises
15:25 - Q2: Will we see the next installment in the Borderlands franchise?
16:05 - Q3: Is 2K going to announce what happening in the BioShock Franchise
18:40 - Q4: Is there going to be a Resident Evil 9 announcement?
19:49 - Q5: Is there going to be a Shadow Drop?
21:10 - Q6: Will streamers make celebrity cameos at SGF?
22:03 - Q7: Will we see the Lord of the Rings game from Amazon at SGF?
23:03 - Q8: Will we get over 2 minutes of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf gameplay at SGF?
25:57 - Q9: Are we going to get any news about Dragon Age: Dreadwolf?
28:51 - Q10: Are we going to get a deeper look plus the release date for Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra?
30:40 - Q11: Will we see Alexa Ray's personal project Black Panther?
31:13 - Q12: Are we going to see an announcement for Yakuza Kiwami 3?
31:59 - Q13: Are we going to see another look at Slitterhead?
32:29 - Break 1
32:29 - A Message From Shopify
34:21 - Xbox Summer Games Showcase
36:07 - Q14: Are we finally going to get the reveal of Gears Of War 6?
36:43 - Q15: Are we getting the Gears Of War 1-3 collection?
37:30 - Q16: Are we going to see the rumored handheld?
38:17 - Q17: Gameplay from State of Decay 3?
39:00 - Q18: What's going on with Perfect Dark?
41:04 - Q19: Will we see a new single-player Halo?
41:56 - Q20: Will we see a first look for a new Banjo-Kazooie?
43:33 - Q21: Are we going to get a first look at the Shattered Space DLC for Star Field?
44:15 - Q22: Will we see South Of Midnight gameplay?
45:58 - Q23: Will we see a Teaser Trailer for Diablo?
46:43 - Q24: Are we going to get a big mobile game announcement?
47:33 - Q25: Could we get an update on Outer Worlds 2
49:25 - Q26: Are we going to get a release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle?
49:59 - Q27: Are we going to see that Doom Year Zero game?
52:06 - Q28: Are we getting more content for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora?
53:35 - Q29: Will Britt be 100% sold on Assassin's Creed Shadows by the end of the showcase?
54:36 - Q30: Will XDefiant announce a new Assassin's Creed faction?
56:00 - Q31: Is Beyond Good and Evil 2 dead?
57:13 - Q32: Are we going to see a new IP from Ubisoft?
58:23 - Q33: Will there be a JRPG-a-Palooza during the Nintendo Direct?
59:06 - Q34: Metroid Prime 4?
1:00:03 - Q35: Is Britt going to get old Pokémon games on her Switch?
1:01:33 - Q36: Where is Mario Kart 9?
1:02:02 - Q37: New Smash Brothers announcement?
1:03:20 - Q38: Are we getting a new Donkey Kong platformer?
1:03:57 - Q39: Awe we going to get a Zelda port announcement?
1:05:03 - Q40: DLC announcement for Marvel's Spider-Man 2 at the State of Play?
1:05:32 - Q41: Are we getting a stand-alone Astro Bot game?
1:08:17 - Q42: Is Lego and Horizon going to have a partnership in the form of a game?
1:08:57 - Q43: Are we going to get a deep dive into Concord?
1:09:32 - Q44: Final Fantasy 9 Remake?
1:10:07 - Q45: Will we see anything about a Destiny Movie?
1:12:16 - Q46: Is Britt going to get her Ocarina of Time remake?
1:12:47 - Q47: Mother 3?
1:20:32 - Q48: Is Andrea going to be jumping up and down because of Peggle 3???
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In this week's episode Andrea and Britt are joined by the CEO and President of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Stanley Pierre-Louis to discuss their new Essential Facts report for 2024. They discuss how there are more gamers in the U.S. than ever and how many of them are older than you think. They also chat about how AI is impacting game creators, what the ESA is keeping tabs on in this election year, and so much more!
Learn about the Essential Facts Report at: http://www.theesa.com

Thank you to this month's Super Producers:

Bored Ape Gamer’s Club

Faris Attieh

Joshua Franklin

Justin Foshee

Punkdefied


WGG is recorded on a Rodecaster Pro 2. Use our affiliate link to build your creator setup: https://brandstore.rode.com/whatsgoodgames

Time stamps:
00:00:00 - Special Interview with Stanley Pierre-Louis
00:02:20 - The Growing Demographic of Video Game Players
00:04:22 - The Evolving Face of Gamers
00:06:28 - The Benefits of Gaming with Family
00:08:29 - The Educational Benefits of Games for Kids
00:10:31 - Creating a Safe Community for Players
00:12:26 - The Growing Market for Video Games
00:14:40 - The Health of the Video Game Industry
00:16:38 - Growth and Stability of the Gaming Industry
00:20:55 - The Changing Definition of "Gamer"
00:23:06 - Embracing the Nerd Identity
00:25:19 - AI in the Gaming Industry
00:27:24 - Unanswered Questions about AI and Copyright
00:29:35 - AI Tools in Games and Media
00:31:40 - Advocating for the Gaming Industry in Policy Discussions
00:33:33 - The Impact of Younger Policy Makers on the Video Game Industry
00:35:47 - The Impact of COVID-19 on Gaming Perspectives
00:37:52 - The Video Game Ecosystem
00:40:17 - The Death of E3 and The Future of Consumer Shows
00:42:29 - Celebrating 30 Years of the Entertainment Industry

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Ubisoft debuted the first trailer for Assassin's Creed Shadows, previously codenamed Red, confirming that the game is set in Japan. We dive into the details about the new protagonists, new features, and more. In headlines there is more layoff news from Square Enix, Sony announced their 2 new CEOs, and Helldivers 2 is breaking more records. In hands-on Britt recounts her spooky time with Crow Country, a retro inspired horror adventure game.

Thank you to this month's Super Producers:

Bored Ape Gamer’s Club

Faris Attieh

Joshua Franklin

Justin Foshee

Punkdefied


Watch Ad-Free on Supercast:
http://whatsgoodgames.supercast.com

Timestamps:
01:11 - Riana's got news!
02:21 - What's Good Games @ Supercast.com is up and running!!!
03:14 - Ubisoft Assassin's Creed Shadows official world premiere trailer is out!
07:12 - Iconic Synchronization
17:07 - Break 1
17:07 - A Message From Shopify
18:58 - Headlines:
19:48 - Report: Square Enix to lay off workers in European and American divisions
21:57 - Sony announces two PlayStation CEOs to replace Jim Ryan
22:48 - 'Helldivers 2' Becomes PlayStation's Fastest-Selling Game Ever
24:47 - Capcom's "Monster Hunter" series exceeds 100 million units sold worldwide
25:49 - Mortal Kombat 2 Release Date Confirmed October 4th 2025
26:31 - Break 2
26:31 - A Message From Into the AM
28:20 - Hands-on Section:
28:31 - Brittney's been playing Crow Country
28:51 - So what is Crow Country all about?
32:06 - Exploration mode?
33:08 - Stardew Valley Expansion is Coming!
36:18 - Magic 8-Ball is back & coming soon!

WGG is recorded on a Rodecaster Pro 2. Use our affiliate link to build your creator setup: https://brandstore.rode.com/whatsgoodgames

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Join our Discord community: http://discord.gg/whatsgoodgames
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Follow the crew:
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Britt:
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Riana:
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This week was a doozy with the massive news about Xbox studio closures including Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin. Andrea and Riana dive into this tough topic before moving to headlines featuring Helldivers 2 PSN Linking drama, Nintendo finally acknowledging Switch 2, and projections that might see the Switch become Nintendo's best selling console of all time. In hands-on Riana is IN LOVE with Hades II and according to the Steam charts so are A LOT of other people. Andrea dipped her toes into the handcrafted Claymation world of Harold Halibut.

Thank you to this month's Super Producers:

Bored Ape Gamer’s Club

Faris Attieh

Joshua Franklin

Justin Foshee

Punkdefied


WGG is recorded on a Rodecaster Pro 2. Use our affiliate link to build your creator setup: https://brandstore.rode.com/whatsgoodgames

Timestamps:
03:01 - WGG lead story of the week:
03:22 - Xbox SHUTS DOWN Multiple Studios, Including Redfall Developer Arkane Austin, Hi-Fi Rush Developer Tango Gameworks, and More 
06:03 - Matt Booty Head of Xbox Game Studio Email to staff
15:35 - Microsoft beats expectations as quarterly profits rise 20% to nearly $22B
17:31 - What's happening with Xbox GamePass
26:36 - Rumours Xbox might have more layoffs in the pipeline
28:08 - Break 1
28:14 - Headlines:
28:14 - Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement Backtracked on PC After Brutal Review Bombing Campaign
34:31 - Nintendo confirms the Switch 2 will be announced this year
38:06 - Nintendo Announces Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition for Switch With Release Date and Debut Trailer
42:03 - Break 2
42:19 - SuperGiant's Hades Il
44:58 - Hades Breakdown
45:43 - What is a Roguelike?
53:48 - Harold Halibut
54:46 - Harold Halibut Story-Line & Game Mechanics

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Follow the crew:
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http://www.instagram.com/andrearene_
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Britt:
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Riana:
http://www.twitter.com/rianatweetsnow
http://www.instagram.com/rianagramsnow
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