Some Patches Required Aaron & Zak

War. War never changes... but the media landscape sure does. With Amazon's new Fallout show dominating headlines and streaming charts alike, Zak and Aaron returned to the vault this week to dust off an old favorite topic: video game adaptations. 

This time, the question at hand isn't the program's quality (spoilers: it's pretty good), but rather what its success means for the future of some of your favorite IPs. Namely, are we moving towards a world where successful games will be forced to operate as multimedia franchises to maximize profit? And how will that ultimately impact the already troubled world of AAA development?

Please, enjoy.
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Ahh, Apple. Creators of the smartphone, pioneers of industry, the gold standard for excellence, the last bastion of inspiration in a world that's gone dull, and... an illegal monopoly? That's what a recent set of lawsuits allege - and they're gaining traction.

Between an all-out assault from Epic Games' Tim Sweeney and an 88-page treatise on illegal practices from the US Department of Justice, Apple's lawyers almost certainly have their briefcases full to the brim. But what does any of this mean for the games industry and the future of the platforms you use every day? Maybe everything.

Please, enjoy.

Editor's Note: Episode 69. Nice.
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Rejoice, RPG fans, for Dragon's Dogma 2 is finally here! The reviews are in, and the consensus is... well, complicated as hell. While critics are stoked overall, fans seem to have some grievances — and they're quite happy to share them. 

This brings Zak and Aaron to the ever-relevant topic of review bombing, or the practice of leaving droves of negative reviews on a product as a response to some real or perceived slight at the hands of its makers. The whole endeavor is a political, economic, and ethical mess, but does it ever actually work? And while we're at it, is the term "review bombing" even useful as a catch-all for several vastly different forms of feedback? There's only one way to find out.

Please, enjoy.
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When you think of AAA games, does your mind fill with excitement imagining what spectacular worlds dedicated artists have crafted for you with the benefit of near-limitless resources? Or do you imagine boardrooms filled with disinterested people demanding endless compromises in pursuit of maximum profit?

This week, Zak and Aaron sit down to politely inform you that option A is likely a nice dream you once had, while option B may very well be playing out somewhere right now. With high-profile failures like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Ubisoft's AAAA fumble Skull and Bones simultaneously generating disastrous headlines and serving as the model for future "safe investments," there's a lot to talk about.

Please, enjoy.
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At this point, trying to find a new or clever way to say that the games industry is in turmoil is a profound exercise in futility. There is no one way to "fix" the problems that seem to follow developers from studio to studio, but there's one pretty clear step in the right direction: unions.

This week, Zak and Aaron sit down with former union organizer and current Austin, TX City Council candidate Adam Powell to chat about — you guessed it — unions. How do they benefit workers? What makes them so offensive to businesses at large? Where do you start if you feel it's time to organize at your workplace? And, most relevant to us, can they help get us closer to the industry devs deserve?

Please, enjoy.

Learn more about Adam's platform and City Council campaign at AdamforAustin.com
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If you've spent any time on the internet as of late, odds are you've stumbled across something about a new game called Palworld - otherwise known as "Pokémon with guns." Hell, with north of 19 million downloads and record-breaking player counts on Steam, it's easily set to be one of the biggest games of the year. But what is it, really?

This week, Zak and Aaron talk about the nitty-gritty of Palworld, from its borderline-plagiaristic use of Pokémon designs to its disjointed art style to its... surprisingly competent gameplay? They also try to quantify the fine line between inspiration and imitation and nail down why this particular mashup was such a runaway success.

Please, enjoy.

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