Like most weeks, there’s a lot of bad news this week, as we talk through the death by restructuring of Humble Games and Ubisoft making everything worse by both-sidesing racism. Then we pull out of a nosedive with a SAG-AFTRA strike and the formation of a massive game dev union at Blizzard, complete with a little union 101 session courtesy of a listener’s questions and quotes from World of Warcraft senior producer Samuel Cooper!

Timestamps

This is already coming in late so no timestamps, sorry!

Mentioned this week

Assassin's Creed Developers Didn’t Have To Explain Their Game

Kazuma Hashimoto on Ubisoft bullshit

Humble Games Lays Off All Employees, Carries On In Name Only

Humble Games ‘Restructuring’ Shows There’s No Easy Answer to Gaming’s Layoff Crisis

World of Warcraft Devs Form Blizzard’s First Wall-to-Wall Union 3 Years After Walkout

Five Years Later, Fire Emblem: Three Houses’ Best Character Is Still Edelgard

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We’re running through some news updates first this week, from alarming details about the death of one of the best game studios ever to Overwatch’s latest attempt to convince us it’s good again. Then we talk through some recent games we’ve been getting into, and by recent we mean some of them are 20 years old.

Timestamps

(00:20) The Mets are not doing great

(03:20) Spooky scary bag head man update

(8:20) Japan Studio you will live forever in our hearts

(13:00) Congrats Bethesda *The Internationale begins playing*

(16:00) Juno came from space to make Willa play Overwatch again

(21:30) Recent games roundup (feat. Riven, The Star Named Eos, Jeanne d’Arc, Cataclismo, Diablo 2, Nobody Wants to Die)

(49:00) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Spy x Family, Mayonaka Punch, Interview With A Vampire, An Education in Malice)

Mentioned this week

Overwatch 2's new space girl healer takes the throne as one of the most strategically satisfying heroes in the game

.45 Parabellum Bloodhound Trailer

Parasite Eve-Inspired Cyberpunk Game Announced, Looks Cool As Hell

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There’s lots of news to cover this week, so we’re spending half an hour talking about Endwalker instead. Also the Mets missed their shot this week and we’re bummed about it.

Timestamps

(00:30) Having a non-apocalyptic one

(01:30) Mets update

(04:00) Spooky scary bag head man

(07:00) Xbox Game Pass sucks now

(16:40) Jeanne d’Arc hive rise up

(19:00) Willa finished Endwalker/Tons of FFXIV spoilers

(45:20) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (feat. Flock, Spy x Family, Assassins)

(57:00) Mets update update

Mentioned this week

Is Xbox Game Pass really worth it anymore?

Final Fantasy 14’s Post-Endwalker Story Feels Like A Mini-Expansion In The Best Way

Flock Is A Delightfully Chill Birdwatching Game I Can’t Stop Playing

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Street Food by FASSounds

We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

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Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

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We’re halfway through 2024, so this week we’re running through our GOTFHOTY (Game of the First Half of the Year) picks and of course talking shit on this year’s most beloved games that we don’t like.

Timestamps

(00:30) Copious table setting

(03:30) Six months of being haters (the worst game of the year)

(19:00) Games we need to go back to

(24:00) Underrated games

(26:20) Surprise Mets break

(28:00) Back to 1000xResist (and more underrated games)

(34:00) Lots of Hoyoverse talk

(46:00) What we’re looking forward to in the next six months

(51:20) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week?

Mentioned this week

"Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria" Part 1: The Cooties Theory of Transgender Identity

‘The Bear’ Season 3 review: Carmy bears down on success, with uneven results

The Bear Season 3 Premiere is A Messy Amuse-Bouche

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As usual, we kick things off this week with Willa’s thoughts on the Mets, then move into Willa’s thoughts on Endwalker (which she likes less than the Mets). After an Alan Wake detour, we then dive into the excruciating but still funny Shadow of the Erdtree difficulty discourse and other meandering thoughts about Elden Ring. Let’s go Mets!

Timestamps

(00:30) Willa is here to talk about the Mets

(11:30) Endwalker is generally bad, but also good (or vice versa)

(29:40) Night Springs is also good

(35:50) *sigh* Elden Ring difficulty discourse

(56:50) Baseball lore

Mentioned this week

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Was A Flawed Finale I'll Never Forget

If Shadow of the Erdtree Feels Too Hard, Try Playing Like Hidetaka Miyazaki

Elden Ring balance update makes the first half of the DLC easier, so you don't have to be as good as games journalists

Jose Iglesias singing OMG!

Elden Ring streamers Robin has been watching: Alyska, elliejoypanic, ohlindsey, skyytea, wraff

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We survived the game showcase gauntlet and our reward is one more game showcase — but good this time! This week is a Nintendo Direct spectacular covering everything from the Apple Arcade jailbreak to the surprisingly controversial Legend of Zelda game where we finally get to fucking play as Zelda.

Timestamps

(01:00) Nintendogz, Catgirl Simulators, and the Nintendo Direct

(04:10) Mario and Luigi: Brothership

(09:00) Fantasian and Hello Kitty escape Apple Arcade (plus “other stupid announcements”)

(19:00) Dragon Quest trilogy

(32:00) Metroid Prime 4 and the Nintendo Switcheroo

(36:20) Put some respect on Zelda’s name

(59:50) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Metroid Prime and Arcane)

Mentioned this week

Princess Zelda Doesn’t Need A Sword to Be A Hero In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

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Music

Street Food by FASSounds

We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

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Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

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Fresh off SGF, we’re covering even more showcases this week, with Ubisoft Forward and Willa’s takes on the Tribeca games selection. We’re also running down some great Steam demos for games that should be on our radar. And if that’s not enough for you, Into the Aether invited us to be guest hosts this week (for some reason) along with Emily Price, Tamoor Hussain, and AJ Fillari, so please check it out!!!

Timestamps

(00:40) We’re on Into the Aether baybeee!

(02:50) Half of Girl Mode is excited for Star Wars Outlaws

(10:45) Both of us are intrigued by Assassin’s Creed Shadows

(19:20) Some of our favorite Next Fest demos! (feat. Tormenture, One Button Bosses, Dice & Fold, Whimel Academy

(36:30) Willa’s field report from Tribeca Festival

(1:06:45) What else have Willa and Robin been up to? (feat. Ring Fit Adventure and Valorant on console)

Mentioned this week

Listen to us on Into the Aether!

Willa previews darkwebSTREAMER, Neva, and Skate Story

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Music

Street Food by FASSounds

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Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

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Game Assist's "Gamers for Palestine" resource packet

Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

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We’re rounding up some of last weekend’s game showcases, and mostly focusing on what we actually liked there for once! Despite Geoff Keighley’s dire warnings, SGF was pretty good this year, at least according to Robin who’s typing this right now. Then, Willa walks us through her demo of Citizen Sleeper 2, which Robin is definitely not envious of, before Joanna Dark barges in.

Timestamps

(00:40) Welcome to Keigh3

(02:00) How to watch (and not watch) games showcases

(11:00) Games we liked at SGF (feat. Neva, Blumhouse games, Alan Wake, Outersloth, and more)

(30:30) Games we liked at Day of the Devs (feat. basically everything at Day of the Devs)

(44:30) Picking a bone with Devolver

(48:20) Honorable mention for Ebitapes

(52:50) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (Willa’s Citizen Sleeper 2 preview)

(1:07:20) The Perfect Dark interruption (not in real time because there was a lot of dead air)

(1:10:55) What else have Willa and Robin been up to this week? (Robin played some demos)

Mentioned this week

Citizen Sleeper 2 Ups The Ante With A Bigger And More Dangerous World

How the fight for bodily autonomy shaped 2022's most fascinating video game

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Music

Street Food by FASSounds

We stand for a free Palestine, and against the occupation, oppression, and genocide perpetrated against its people.

Please consider donating or otherwise standing up to support Palestinians in the wake of Israel's attacks.

Gaza Funds

Medical Aid for Palestianians

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Game Assist's "Gamers for Palestine" resource packet

Cartoonist Cooperative’s e-SIM fundraiser

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.