This week we get extra retro with Gradius Origins, Operation Night Strikers, The Scouring, and (in a way) Mafia: The Old Country. Also: pressure builds inside Xbox against Microsoft's support of Israel's actions in Gaza, Switch 2 dev kits are still pretty scarce, more game cancellations and studio closures continue to be a fact of life, and more.

(00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening.

(00:00:08) Intro

(00:02:29) Revisiting your old school

(00:05:56) Fake Plastic Trees (or grass)

(00:11:11) Mafia: The Old Country  |  [PlayStation 5, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox Series X|S]  |  Aug 08, 2025

(00:33:22) First Break

(00:33:26) Gradius Origins  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S]  |  Aug 07, 2025

(00:47:57) Operation Night Strikers  |  [PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch]  |  Aug 07, 2025

(00:53:19) The Scouring (Early Access) |  [PC (Microsoft Windows)]  |  Aug 12, 2025

(01:06:52) Donkey Kong Bananza  |  [Nintendo Switch 2]  |  Jul 17, 2025

(01:11:18) Second Break

(01:11:22) Union members within Arkane call on MS to end military support

(01:18:58) Avalanche's Contraband development stopped

(01:27:54) Bithell Games announces major layoffs

(01:30:36) IGN Layoffs

(01:31:46) RedOctane Games is making a rhythm game?

(01:42:02) More details are appear regarding Switch 2 dev kits

(01:54:47) Emails

(02:01:13) Wrapping up and thanks

(02:04:49) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts

(02:07:25) See ya!