The Game Adventure

Michigan Harbor Studios

The gaming podcast for people with a "real world" schedule. Hosted by Dan (a former business analyst, turned pastor and dad), The Game Adventure helps you stay informed with highlights from across the gaming industry, without a huge time commitment. We provide: Family-Friendly Briefing: Professional, conversational, and always safe for all ears. Industry Analysis: A former business analyst’s take on the biggest headlines. Faith & Culture: How gaming interacts with the things that matter most to us. The Game List: Keeping the best new games at the forefront, to find out what's worth playing. Weekly episodes release every Saturday at 8am, just in time for cartoons, soccer practice, or whatever your weekend schedule requires!

  1. Aug 1

    Ep. 021: Halo on PS5 and Sunshine on NSO!

    This week on The Game Adventure, Xbox comes out swinging with an incredibly ambitious strategy to hit 1 billion users by 2030, but how will they pull it off while Game Pass revenue drops? Meanwhile, Halo: Campaign Evolved is finally here, and ironically, it plays best on the PS5 Pro! In the Tech Update, we discuss the rising costs of GPUs and highlight the best budget cards for your next build, while celebrating Valve fulfilling the Steam Machine reservations. For the Retro Rerun, we are looking at Super Mario Sunshine dropping on Nintendo Switch Online, the DIY physical media movement for PC gamers, and a massive roundup of the hottest retro handhelds (ModRetro M64, Retroid Pocket Nova, and the Anbernic RG35XXSP). Finally, in this week's Soapbox, I address a growing argument on the internet: If buying isn't owning, is piracy still stealing? We unpack the ethics of intellectual property and why voting with your wallet is always better than digital theft. Plus, The Game List and your thoughts in the Mailbag! Join the Adventure! Want early access to the video version of the podcast and an exclusive invite to our upcoming Discord server? Sign up for the free email list at thegameadventure.com! Send your thoughts, questions, or hot takes for the Mailbag to: thisisthegameadventure@gmail.com. Timestamps: 00:00 - Welcome to The Game Adventure! 02:05 - Industry News: Xbox's 1 Billion User Goal & Halo on PS5 07:43 - Tech Update: GPU Prices Rising & The Steam Machine 11:15 - Retro Rerun: Mario Sunshine, Custom PC Discs, & Retro Handhelds 20:17 - The Soapbox: Is Piracy a Valid Protest? 26:54 - The Game List: New Releases & Subscription Updates 33:00 - The Mailbag: The Physical Media Debate Continues

  2. Jul 25

    Ep. 020: Back to the Future of 2003!

    In this week’s episode of the Game Adventure Podcast, we talk about the Halo Remake, and a GBA SP remake (of sorts)! We cover the surprising indie developer backlash against generative AI, the drop in Steam Deck sales, and the specs for Valve's upcoming "Steam Frame" VR headset. Later, we time warp back 30 years to celebrate the Game Boy Pocket, debate CRT shaders vs. raw upscaling in our Soapbox segment, and run through the biggest games hitting Game Pass and PS Plus soon! Watch the new Video Podcast early by subscribing to the email list at https://thegameadventure.com! 00:00 - Intro & What I'm Playing (Forza Horizon 6) 01:37 - Industry News: The End of Physical Media  04:55 - Is Xbox Game Pass Viable? (Ad-Supported Tier) 07:25 - EA Acquired by Saudi Arabia 08:12 - GameStop Tries to Buy eBay (Again) 09:05 - Indie Studios Reject Generative AI 11:44 - Tech Update: Steam Deck Sales Drop 82% 12:51 - Valve's "Steam Frame" VR Headset Specs 15:00 - Halo: Campaign Evolved (UE5 Remake) 17:34 - Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced 18:55 - Retro Rerun: Preserving Gaming History 20:04 - Happy 30th Birthday, Game Boy Pocket! 21:16 - Anbernic RG SP: The Perfect Clamshell 22:56 - Playable Lego Donkey Kong Arcade Set 24:06 - Native Xbox Backwards Compatibility on PC 26:12 - Soapbox: CRT Shaders vs. Upscaling Retro Games 31:06 - The Beauty of Emulation & RetroAchievements 32:30 - The Game List: Splatoon Raiders 33:32 - Star Wars: KOTOR Remake Updates 34:57 - Xbox Game Pass Updates (Planet Crafter, Beast of Reincarnation) 36:45 - Leaving Game Pass: Celeste & Rain World 37:50 - PlayStation Plus: CoD MW3, CrossCode 38:25 - Xbox Free Play Days & Outro

  3. Jul 18

    Ep. 019: Do Subscriptions Kill Sequels?

    This week, we discuss the brutal reality of how Xbox Game Pass metrics might be quietly killing some of our favorite game sequels, using Avowed 2 as the prime example. Plus we'll take a look at the price jump expected for the Meta Quest 4, and dive into why the PS1 beat the N64 at courting developers! Chapter Markers: [00:00] - Cold Open Hook [00:32] - Welcome to The Game Adventure [01:21] - Industry News: PlayStation & Physical Media [03:21] - Industry News: Xbox Restructuring & Layoffs [04:21] - Industry News: Obsidian Shelves Avowed 2 [05:11] - Industry News: Microsoft Account Hack [07:38] - Tech Update: Meta Quest 4 Rumors [08:59] - Tech Update: NVIDIA RTX 5080 Slimline [11:03] - Tech Update: Switch 2 Backwards Compatible Docks [12:10] - Retro Rerun: New Handhelds & "Konkr" [14:16] - Retro Rerun: PS1 vs N64 Capabilities [16:30] - Retro Rerun: The 20-Year Retro Rule [17:53] - Retro Rerun: Xbox Summer Sale & Sims 4 Autosaves [19:36] - Dan's Cutscene Soapbox: Game Pass & Sequel Greenlights [24:16] - The Game List: AAA Games (Halo, Star Wars, MGS) [26:12] - The Game List: Subscription Additions (Game Pass & PS Plus) [28:48] - The Game List: The Indie Minute (Big Walk) [30:05] - The Game List: Family Games (Power Rangers) [30:47] - The Game List: Parental Advisory (Dispatch) [31:49] - The Game List: Castlevania Belmont's Curse Update [32:18] - Outro & CTA Join The Game Adventure Community! Head over to thegameadventure.com and join our free email list. Subscribers get early access to the video edition of the podcast and an exclusive invitation to our Discord server where the conversation continues!

About

The gaming podcast for people with a "real world" schedule. Hosted by Dan (a former business analyst, turned pastor and dad), The Game Adventure helps you stay informed with highlights from across the gaming industry, without a huge time commitment. We provide: Family-Friendly Briefing: Professional, conversational, and always safe for all ears. Industry Analysis: A former business analyst’s take on the biggest headlines. Faith & Culture: How gaming interacts with the things that matter most to us. The Game List: Keeping the best new games at the forefront, to find out what's worth playing. Weekly episodes release every Saturday at 8am, just in time for cartoons, soccer practice, or whatever your weekend schedule requires!