This Week on the Show:

• Banter - Horror Movies & Spooky Season Stuff (2:00)
• Impressions - Ninja Gaiden 4 (23:00)
• Impressions - Dying Light: The Beast (43:20)
• Impressions - Once Upon a Katamari (1:08:00)
• Impressions - Slots & Daggers (1:24:25)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:50)

Discussion Topics:

• Banter - Horror Movies & Spooky Season Stuff (1:15)
• Impressions - Forestrike (18:50)
• Impressions - Silent Hill f | New Game + (32:45)
• Impressions - Hades II (57:35)
• 4Player Minute (1:16:18)

Spooky season has arrived! Before we delve into the absolute chaos of October 2025 in the world of video games, we indulge our desire to talk horror films and getting into the Halloween spirit! After that, Brad dives deep on yet another "definitive" version of his favorite game of all time: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. Chris Davis and Nick deliver some early impressions of Ghost of Yotei and discuss how Sucker Punch approached the sequel from a design standpoint. Brad also shines some light on an inspired new indie game, Consume Me, which is already sweeping up awards but struggling a little to gain traction for consumers.

• Banter - Spooky season is here! (1:00)
• Impressions - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles (18:30)
• Impressions - Ghost of Yotei (49:15)
• Impressions - Consume Me (1:16:50)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:50)

Chris Davis turned 40 but enough about that... October 2025 is poised to be one of the most beautifully chaotic months of gaming that we've seen in a long time. We recorded late this week but it gave us more time to delve into Silent Hill f, another impressive (original) entry in Silent Hill's ongoing comeback tour. Brad also siezes the opportunity to finally talk about Hades II after patiently waiting for the game to leave early access! Of course, there is more Hollow Knight Silksong to discuss as we each move through this difficult game at varying paces.

• Impressions - Silent Hill f (9:55)
• Impressions - Hades II (41:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:09:10)

We dig deeper into Hollow Knight Silksong this week and take the time to debate some of the nitty-gritty design choices that make the experience divisive but brilliant. Chris Davis delivers some final thoughts on his extended playthroughs of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and we briefly discuss the fun we had together last week streaming Peak! In the news, Kojima Productions hosted their own showcase with a host of announcements including a first look at OD: Knock. We also take a closer look at some surprises that hit this week with games like Silent Hill f and Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter debuting with impressive review scores.

• Banter (2:40)
• News - Trails in the Sky and Silent Hill f debut with surprisingly strong reviews (21:00)
• News - Hideo Kojima presentation reveals updates on upcoming projects (39:30)
• Impressions - Peak (49:10)
• Impressions - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (1:08:00)
• Impressions - Hollow Knight Silksong (1:24:09)
• 4Player Minute (1:48:00)

What is there to say? Hollow Knight Silksong is out and we have played a bunch of it. In fact, the game is so good that it brought Ed out of hiding and onto the podcast for the first time since our 2025 Fantasy Critic Draft! After slobbing all over Silksong, we take some time to recap this week's big Nintendo Direct and the abundance of announcements thaat continue to make 2025 one of the wildest years for gaming ever! Metroid Prime 4 and Hades 2 have new release dates and the next Fire Emblem is lookin hot.

• Banter - Catching up with Ed (7:20)
• Impressions - Hollow Knight Silksong (18:20)
• News - Nintendo Direct Recap (1:09:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:29:55)

As the clock ticks down toward the looming release of Hollow Knight Silksong, we say goodbye to a bygone era. Strangely enough, that era ends with us revisiting three established franchises with vastly different approaches to modernization. Nick and Chris Davis talk about the impressive - but slightly unambitious - remake, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Brad delves into Shinobi: Art of Vengeance which has reinvented the franchise with a shift of genre and a beautiful new coat of paint. Meanwhile, Krispy declares No Man's Sky: Voyagers to be the ultimate expansion which softens the barrier-to-entry and out Starfield's Starfield.

• Impressions - Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (12:10)
• Impressions - Shinobi: Art of Vengeance (45:15)
• Impressions - No Man's Sky: Voyagers (1:00:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:18:00)

This is not a drill. Hollow Knight Silksong not only has a release date... It's NEXT WEEK! As exciting as that is, we have to deal with the here and now. Brad tries his best to talk about Sword of the Sea without mentioning Journey but fails miserably. Nick delves into Heartworm, a 2025 indie horror game that harkens back to the days of PS1-era survival horror and Chris Davis continues his recent love affair with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 but focuses on the campaign this week. With a little Lumines Arise (Demo), Death Stranding 2, Donkey Kong Bananza, and some Deadlock Beta impressions sprinkled throughout, you've got yourself a podcast.

• News - Hollow Knight Silksong Release Date Announced (12:00)
• Impressions - Sword of the Sea (21:40)
• Impressions - Heartworm (34:40)
• Impressions - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (43:55)
• Impressions - Lumines Arise Demo (1:03:00)
• 4Player Minute / Deadlock Impressions (1:26:50)

Gamescom 2025 kicked off this week in Germany so we devoted most of this episode to recapping the news and announcements coming out of the Opening Night Live ceremony! This includes updates for highly anticipated games like Routine, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Resident Evil Requiem, and more! Believe it or not, there is also big news to report regarding Hollow Knight Silksong and Bioshock 4! Brad squeezes in some impressions of Fumes; a car combat game in early access which scratched his Twisted Metal itch (kinda).

• News - Hollow Knight Silksong Updates (10:45)
• News - Bioshock 4 Development Shakeup (23:10)
• News - Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 Recap (28:40)
• Impressions - Fumes (1:12:30)
• 4Player Minute (1:24:40)

Nick's making random gaming decisions again but it gives us a chance to revisit Octopath Traveler II; An RPG that didn't get a ton of coverage from us when it first released. Before the onslaught of AAA releases hits, Brad keeps the flow of indie darlings flowing. This week, he talks about Ooo and Is this Seat Taken; both of which are worth your attention albeit for very different reasons. Of course, Chris Davis is coming in hot with his in-depth impressions of the Battlefield 6 Beta!

• Impressions - Octopath Traveler 2 (8:50)
• Impressions - Ooo (16:00)
• Impressions - Is this Seat Taken? (23:42)
• Impressions - Battlefield 6 Beta (41:00)
• 4Player Minute (1:04:00)