Interesting news broke while we were recording the episode, and we made sure to incorporate it: Rocksteady's beleaguered Suicide Squad game (Kill the Justice League) has been indefinitely delayed from its May release on PlayStation 5, no doubt a response to the drubbing-by-consensus it recently took. Is such a move necessary, and could it right the game's trajectory? Did it even need saving it all? Other news items this week include a wild Jim Ryan quote regarding the Activision-Microsoft deal, a huge firmware update for PS5, the potential of Spider-Man 2 going head-to-head with Starfield, and more. We intersperse our show, as we always do, with listener inquiries, ranging on issues like a remake's eligibility for Game of the Year, skipping cutscenes, playing a single-player title via multiple roles, and the reveal of the soon-to-be-famous Sacred Symbols-themed sandwich at a very special Ohio deli.

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#245 | Delayed Execution

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast is the internet's premiere weekly PlayStation show dedicated to coverage of PS5, PS4, PSVR2, and Sony's deep gaming legacy stretching back to the mid-'90s. Join 20+ year gaming industry veteran and PlayStation brand expert Colin Moriarty -- along with his co-hosts comedian Chris Ray Gun and producer Dustin Furman -- as they go through the news of the week, highlight the best recent games, and interact with their incredibly loyal audience, all without taking anything too seriously. New episodes post each and every Monday. To get early access to each episode, join thousands and thousands of your fellow listeners by supporting the show on Patreon at patreon.com/laststandmedia  

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Video Games

Games & Hobbies

Hobbies

Games

Leisure

During Sony's fiscal recent reporting, the company promised that it would further outline its respective situations and plans with each of its internal silos. When it comes to PlayStation, the result was an informative, information-rich PDF and an earnings call-like presentation that gives us a lot of extra insight into the brand. Here's what's clear: PlayStation is economically vibrant, growing, and reaching more than a hundred million people each month. Its generational revenue and profits are at all-time highs. People are spending more on the console than ever, purchasing more content, engaging with more products, and hanging around longer than ever. So, uh... maybe all of that chatter of an industry-wide console decline was a little premature? Sony (and Nintendo) is doing much better than just fine. Other news this week includes details on all 14 games shown during Sony's State of Play stream, including our first look at first party products like Firewalk's Concord and Asobi's all-new AstroBot game, rumors of the next Doom coming to PS5 day-and-date, the mystery behind Dragon Warrior III HD's long-time disappearance and recent return, controversy surrounding the misquoting of Neil Druckmann by Sony's own PR, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! When we say an executive has a fiduciary obligation, what do we mean? Should Sony be worried about Call of Duty going to Xbox Game Pass day one? Why is Activision being sued by the Uvalde shooting parents? Does Colin have any advice for a new Boston Terrier owner?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:18:09 - Texas Tornado
0:22:23 - Boston Terrier advice
0:26:02 - Listening in the shower
0:38:16 - Two rapid questions
0:49:31 - New Doom on PS5
1:11:53 - PSVR2 PC adapter
1:21:50 - Neil Druckmann misquoted
1:45:43 - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 announced
1:50:48 - Dragon Quest III HD update
1:57:28 - Dragon's Dogma 2 sells three million
1:59:14 - What are we playing?
2:34:27 - State of Play
3:21:54 - Sony investors meeting
4:09:34 - Days of Play 2024
4:21:07 - Resident Evil rumors
4:31:00 - Circana's April data
4:39:21 - JRPG lingo ranking
4:43:55 - Rebuilding a lost collection
4:51:30 - Will people switch to Xbox for COD on Gamepass?
4:59:54 - What are fiduciary obligations?
5:01:36 - Class Action lawsuit against games
5:14:35 - Was Destiny successful?

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#309 | No One's Dying Dishonorably

We talk about 'first parties' and 'third parties' all the time, and we all fundamentally understand the terms. But what about the mysterious 'second party' game? Where do those fit in? Well, PS5 has recently been the recipient of two key second party exclusives -- Arrowhead's Helldivers 2 and Shift Up's Stellar Blade -- and both have been wildly successful, surpassing the respective expectations surrounding each product. In years past with different studios (think Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Housemarque, and others), this level of accomplishment in the second party (where publishers own the game and/or its publishing rights, but not the team making it) often meant acquisition. But things seem awfully different now. There's no doubt Sony's interested in Arrowhead and Shift Up, but is it mutual? Other news includes hints surrounding PlayStation's bubbling mobile initiative, Ghost of Tsushima's amazing performance on PC, Death Stranding 2 entering its final phases of development, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Why are we so obsessed with PlayStation 3 games coming to PS4 and PS5? Have we ever kept a journal to chronicle our experience with a game? With LEGO Horizon rumors amok, what other Sony IP would make sense in that aesthetic? Has Dishwasher Gate officially broken the collective spirit of the Last Stand community?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:29:32 - Last week's unhinged start
0:42:42 - Sacred encouragement
0:45:28 - Southern man epidemic
0:50:15 - "I don't know"
0:59:39 - The Division 3 is coming
1:00:33 - Financial reporting correction
1:02:09 - Trophy completion data
1:05:26 - Where is the time to play games?
1:10:03 - Goodbye London Studio
1:16:10 - Death Stranding releasing in 2025
1:21:52 - Ghost of Tsushima is PlayStation biggest single player PC launch
1:32:27 - Strauss Zelnick is confident in GTA6's release date
1:41:38 - IGN buys everyone
1:55:57 - Rolling Stone revives its gaming coverage with Saudi money
2:15:00 - What we’ve been playing
3:06:28 - Changes at Arrowhead
3:26:11 - Shift Up's future plans
3:39:00 - PlayStation mobile job listings
3:48:50 - Why do we want PS3 emulation?
3:59:28 - Trophy addiction
4:07:15 - Video game journaling
4:12:13 - Dualsense Edging
4:18:22 - Other Lego PlayStation games
4:22:17 - Exclusives shouldn't exist?
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#308 | Second Party Puzzles

Jim Ryan's tenure leading PlayStation is officially over (as is Hiroki Totoki's stewardship), and he'll be replaced by a co-CEO format moving forward. Sony veterans Hermen Hulst and Hideaki Nashino hope to divide and conquer, turning an ever-growing brand -- and Sony's flagship -- into an efficient gaming powerhouse. But can they deliver? Good question. We discuss. Other news this week revolves around Sony's jam-packed fiscal year financials, Square Enix's abandonment of their by-platform strategy, release dates and timing for the likes of Grand Theft Auto VI, Assassin's Creed: Shadows, and EA NCAA Football 25, a rumored LEGO Horizon game, the cancellation of The Division: Heartland, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Could Helldivers be turned into a mockumentary-style TV show? Would Sony consider stepping in to save Tango Gameworks? Are Chris and Dustin excited about Destiny 2's upcoming The Final Shape expansion? Will we ever stop unintentionally convincing audience members to get divorced?

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This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/symbols to get on your way to being your best self 

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:32:19 - Happy Birthday Ethan
0:34:00 - Vampire Robot YouTube channel
0:44:52 - Sacred ending marriages
0:49:37 - Mid Year review
0:52:52 - The next generation of Kingdom Hearts fans
0:58:20 - Sony capitulating
1:00:33 - No new Sony games this year
1:02:07 - The Last of Us Season 2 First look
1:06:15 - Bungie's CTO joins PlayStation
1:11:41 - LEGO Horizon?
1:25:53 - Ghost of Tsushima's PC port Legends mode crossplay is in beta
1:35:25 - Ragnarok rumored to be the next PC port
1:46:17 - Xbox's initiative to bring more games to PlayStation
2:03:22 - PS2 games coming to PS5
2:11:08 - Ubisoft cancels The Division: Heartland
2:25:30 - Adult Swim games reverting ownership to devs
2:27:23 - Tomb Raider TV series coming to Amazon
2:34:28 - What We’re Playing
3:11:45 - GTA VI is launching Fall 2025
3:14:40 - PlayStation has announced two new CEOs
3:29:12 - Sony earnings report
3:50:01 - Square Enix's shift to 3rd party
4:08:49 - Assassin's Creed: Shadows announced
4:26:42 - New PS Plus Games Catalog titles
4:29:38 - Helldivers TV adaptation pitch
4:34:05 - LSM Showcase live reaction?
4:40:23 - Could Sony scoop up what remains of Tango?
4:42:46 - Final Shape gut check
4:46:41 - RNG woes
4:52:38 - Uncharted 5 tease
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#307 | Two Princes

What a week! It seemed like we were just done recording last week when Helldivers 2-related drama broke out, and yet by the time we were ready to record this time around, the situation had mostly settled. How serendipitous for us and our analysis. Now, we're left to reflect and ask some questions, starting with why Sony had to push the first domino in this scenario over at all. Couldn't they just leave well enough alone? And how does this portend the reception of future PC releases from the PlayStation camp? Other news this week includes major layoffs and closures at Fallout and Doom publisher Bethesda (plus what that means for Xbox's uncertain future), percolating rumors of an imminent PlayStation Showcase, confirmation that -- yes indeed! -- Media Molecule is making a game and not a service or toolset, Remedy bailing out of its multiplayer project as Alan Wake 2 still fails to break even, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. How do we choose what game to play next? Was Days Gone 'right-wing'? Are in-game animations getting out of control? Can Colin help revive a long-maligned (but incredibly descriptive) word?

Get a free gift with your journey pack at https://www.tryfum.com/sacred and use code SACRED

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:27:43 - King Radec
0:33:36 - Too long?
0:45:03 - R word uptick
0:56:14 - Derek’s Journey
0:59:28 - Colin, the gardener
1:01:01 - Next PS Showcase
1:14:15 - Helldivers 2 Drama
1:45:06 - Xbox/Bethesda studio closures
2:47:55 - Switch 2 incoming
2:54:31 - Media Molecule’s next game
2:55:38 - Alan Wake 2 hasn’t made a profit
3:02:31 - April’s best selling PSN games
3:05:03 - What we’ve been playing
3:30:15 - How do we decide what to play next?
3:38:22 - Why Sony killed Days Gone
3:42:23 - Returnal turning point
3:44:48 - Too much realism?
3:53:01 - Saved video game item from a natural disaster
3:59:24 - Being watched (playing video games)
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#306 | To Hell and Back

Times, they are a-changin'. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is rightfully pleased with Xbox's performance on the PlayStation Store, bragging about being the biggest publisher on PSN while presenting Microsoft's recent financial report. His company has seven games in the top 25, more than even Sony itself. So, uh, batten down the hatches, because you're inevitably about to get way more Xbox on PS5. Plus: Fresh leaks show us how Sony's digital games have sold in recent years, Square Enix writes-down $140 million in losses while cancelling multiple games, Take Two guts its Private Division label, Kingdom Hearts promises to horrify in film form, and more. Then: Listener inquiries. Based on recent moves by a rival, would Last Stand Media ever consider going platform-free with all of its content? Which drug from the Fallout universe are we most likely to become addicted to? How can a small indie game garner any attention in such a crowded market? What is it that Chris actually does all day?

Get a free gift with your journey pack at https://www.tryfum.com/sacred and use code SACRED

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:19:34 - RIP Claire, the Dutch Shepherd
0:25:56 - Sacred subs
0:29:40 - Take the leave Dustin
0:42:47 - Why is Chris busy?
0:55:25 - The last time we applied for a job
1:06:18 - Platform focused podcasts
1:26:41 - Returnal comic
1:38:59 - Firesprite director laid off
1:40:35 - New PSN social feature
1:51:06 - Rise of the Ronin is outselling Nioh
1:56:08 - Shinji Mikami wants to get away from survival horror
2:04:34 - Private Division closes Roll7 and Intercept games
2:16:16 - A Kingdom Hearts film is coming
2:21:04 - AAA GI Joe
2:23:24 - 750 million downloads for eFootball
2:24:22 - What we’re playing
3:04:12 - Xbox's 3rd party future
3:25:38 - PSN sales data leaks
3:41:57 - Square Enix cancelations and changes
4:00:06 - March NPD
4:07:55 - New PS Plus games
4:12:04 - Publicity for a small game
4:16:41 - Fallout chems
4:21:37 - Video game gambling
4:28:25 - Underrated influential games
4:36:00 - Crunch vs over hiring
4:39:17 - PSN stats
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#245 | Delayed Execution

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