Podcast Beyond - IGN's PlayStation Show IGN Staff

Join us as we explore how Naughty Dog created the terrifying Rat King and revisit an interview with director Neil Druckmann and narrative lead Halley Gross.

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Once upon a time, video game consoles were defined by their exclusive game lineups… these days, that seems like less of a sure thing, and with the rising cost of game development, it’s not hard to see why. Between a simultaneous PC release making Helldivers 2 PlayStation’s fastest-selling game ever, to Square-Enix aggressively exploring a multi-platform strategy, to Xbox Game Studios games like Sea of Thieves topping PS5 sales charts, it sure looks like more publishers are ditching the idea of keeping their games on just one platform or device. On a semi-related note, back in our day, video game controllers were small enough for little kids to play them, and now they’re too darn big! But really, maybe Nintendo’s on to something by offering teeny-tiny Joycon, but also a Switch Pro Controller. Meanwhile, the DualSense is practically twice the size of the first three generations of DualShock controllers, could there be a market for a smaller controller? Animal Well is, well, a game about animals at the bottom of a well, and that’s all well and good. Little Kitty Big City is the latest adorable indie game that has entirely too much NPC dialogue for its own good, and if you don’t mind reading the Elden Ring manga is easily the funniest interpretation of a FromSoft game this side of Prepare To Try. Podcast Beyond this week is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin, and Akeem Lawanson.
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Helldivers 2 is a hit, and thanks to its simultaneous PlayStation 5 and PC release, and not only is it the best-selling game of 2024, it’s Sony’s 7th most profitable game in dollar sales, just a couple months since it launched. So, what could go wrong? Well, with Arrowhead Studios’ shooter riding high, some powers-that-be at Sony decided to make the announcement that playing Helldivers 2 on Steam would soon require a PlayStation Network account. Unsurprisingly, the community was not happy about this news, and once again mobilized against a common enemy, though this time, it was unfortunately the game’s Steam reviews. Following this backlash, and the revelation that Helldivers 2 was now made unavailable in 177 territories where PSN isn’t supported, Sony reversed its decision. Live-service games are high risk endeavors to begin with, and Helldivers 2 managed to stake its claim to the time and money of gamers amidst some steep competition. Why mess with it? In other news, Elden Ring is still very good, but you might not be as good as you remember, so it might be prudent to get in fighting shape before Shadow of the Erdtree drops in June. The Fallout Prime Video series is probably better if you know some Fallout lore, but it’s not a requirement, and we discuss the pros and cons of an adaptation that’s directly translating an existing story from another medium, like HBO’s The Last of Us, or one that tells a brand new story in an established universe, like Fallout, and potentially the upcoming Death Stranding movie from A24, as well as the Netflix Horizon series. Most importantly, does Ray-Man wear socks? And how does he eat? We had fun this week, we hope you did too.

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This episode, we’re chatting about Sand Land, the open-world (“sandbox”) action RPG based on the late and great Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama’s manga. While it’s got exploration and melee combat and sidequests, at its core Sand Land is all about its vehicles, which are playable and heavily customizable versions of some of Toriyama’s coolest creations. We reflect on the toyetic kitbashed aspect of the game as well as the charm of cel-shading compared to realistic graphics. Plus, Stellar Blade’s new game plus patch and Fallout 4’s next gen update both dropped, the former jam-packed with bonus costumes and added content, the latter with technical hiccups and confusing issues for PlayStation Plus subscribers. A couple other recent games caught our attention, Another Crab’s Treasure, which swaps the grim and gloomy trappings of your usual soulslike for colorful undersea fun, while still maintaining a solid challenge. Then there’s Botany Manor, which feels like a game full of Resident Evil puzzles without any of the horror stuff, and Nour which is a pretty and colorful food toy game thing where you throw snacks around. This week, it’s just Max Scoville and Brian Altano. Congratulations, you have read this whole episode description!

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Stellar Blade is finally upon us! The verdict? The long-awaited and surprisingly controversial PS5 exclusive from Shift Up solidly delivers on its promise of a visually stunning action game, though it falls short of greatness in a few other areas. IGN’s reviewer Mitchell Saltzman joins us to have a nice spoiler-free chat about what he loved about the game, and what didn’t blow him away. We break down what makes the combat so satisfying, the awesome boss fights, the many collectibles and costumes, but also some of the frustrations, like wonky platforming, convoluted backtracking, and a nothing-burger cast of characters. This week podcast Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and Mitchell Saltzman.

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This week, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU creative director, Surgent Studios founder and former assassin Abubakar Salim joins us to discuss his upcoming Metroidvania, and the journey from starring in a video game to developing one. Meanwhile, more PS5 Pro details leak, including its cool codename, “Project Trinity,” continuing the Matrix-esque naming convention started with PSVR’s “Project Morpheus.” Video game monsters are rarely rooted in practical effects, but Stellar Blade’s Naytibas began as clay sculptures from Hee-Cheol Jang, whose previous work includes Bong Joon Ho’s creature features The Host and Okja. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sales aren’t anywhere near its predecessor’s, which isn’t that surprising when you dig into the different circumstances they released under. If demo downloads are any indication of sales, Stellar Blade should do well, Ratchet & Clank’s Bouncer weapon has been added to the 2016 game in honor of its 8th anniversary. Finally, some cool games are hitting PS+ this month, including Dave The Diver, Animal Well, Nour and Misma Chronicles. Podcast Beyond is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and this week features special guests Abubakar Salim and Max’s disruptive epoxy-stealing toddler.

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