Brad's home has been invaded by Covid once again but not even that can stop Brad from digging into the hotly anticipated new deck-builder, Monster Train 2! Nick shovels more "Nick-slop" in the form of lo-fi indie horror game, Labyrinth of the Demon King and Chris Davis delves deeper into DOOM: The Dark Ages! We also talk Mission Impossible and try our best to convince Krispy to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33! 

• Banter - Movie Talk (2:25)
• Impressions - Monster Train 2 (18:50)
• Impressions - Labyrinth of the Demon King (38:05)
• Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (47:00)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (1:08:35)
• 4Player Minute (1:22:20)

Don't let the episode title fool you, it's not all doom and gloom this week... DOOM: The Dark Ages is out and we dig into what it gets right and wrong; Regardless of it's faults, it's still great to see DOOM thriving in the year of our (dark) lord, 2025. Brad suspects that Mercury Steam may have lucked into creating a hidden gem with their latest IP, Blades of Fire, and Krispy can't say enough great things about Skin Deep (Blendo Games new joint).

**Please Note there that there is a hiccup in Brad's audio in the 2nd segment around the 1-hour mark that doesn't get resolved for approx 20 minutes. We apologize for the error... It was TOTALLY NOT NICK'S FAULT**

• Impressions - Blades of Fire (12:46)
• Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (30:35)
• Impressions - Skin Deep (1:00:05)
• 4Player Minute (1:20:20)

Next week is gonna be big but the calm before the storm comes in the form of more in-depth impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; An undeniably impressive RPG for the modern age that wears nostalgia on it's sleeve. Brad makes a strong case for playing Bionic Bay and Nick talks about the experience of replaying The Last of Us: Part II alongside season 2 of the HBO adaptation. Of course, we also take a moment to celebrate Giant Bomb's newfound independence in the wake of last week's game's media calamity. 

• Discussion - But what DOES Chris Davis watch? (9:54)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (24:55)
• Impressions - Bionic Bay (44:20)
• News - Giant Bomb Reclaims it's Independence! (55:28)
• 4Player Minute (1:09:00)

On Brad's birthday episode, we talk about games journalism being culled in the name of "brand safety" - a concept completely foreign to us here at 4Player. We also dissect the shiny new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, analyze some outrageous claims from Chris Davis that relate to our Game of the Year lists, and let Brad get his nerd on when talking about StarVaders.

• Discussion - Ongoing 'The Last of Us' HBO impressions (2:35)
• Impressions - Warframe (11:50)
• Impressions - StarVaders (21:15)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 + GOAT List Controversy (39:30)
• News - Reactions to the 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Trailer (1:04:20)
• News - Games Jounalism (and all Media) is Under Fire Once Again (1:16:20)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

This Week on the Show:

• Discussion - Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Chaos (4:05)
• Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (15:15)
• Impressions - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (56:50)
• Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:09:50)
• Impressions - Marathon Alpha (1:23:20)
• 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

This week's discussion topics: 

• First Thoughts - The Last of Us Season 2 (7:55)
• Impressions - Nubby's Number Factory (15:40)
• Impressions - South of Midnight (27:20)
• News - Nintendo Switch 2 price expected to rise due to tariffs (46:50)
• Impressions - Blue Prince (53:52)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:25:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:43:00)

• News - Nintendo Reveals Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware and Launch Details (4:15)
• News - Nintendo Announces Mario Kart World & Donkey Kong Bananza (27:45)
• Impressions - Atomfall (58:00)
• Impressions - Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (1:19:45)
• 4Player Minute (1:26:50)

After an unplanned two week haitus from recording, we return to the studio to talk through our early impressions of Assassin's Creed Shadows! Despite the series rocky history, Nick (and much of the general audience) is finding the game to be surprisingly satisfying! Brad is taking a break from Monster Hunter Wilds to play... Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate! Chris Davis played a bunch of Dragons Dogma 2 (for reasons?) but his experience is anything but average. We also check in on the latest Fantasy Critic drama and go for a new record with the length of our 4Player Minute. 

• Impressions - Assassin's Creed Shadows (6:40)
• Impressions - Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (33:30)
• Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (59:50)
• News - Metroid Prime 4 Trailer Shown at Nintendo Direct (1:22:00)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:26:40)
• 4Player Minute (1:35:20)

Things in 2025 are starting to heat up and it's getting hard to keep up. This week, we delve into Split Fiction, a game that expands upon the strengths of it's predecessor (2021's hit, It Takes Two) in some really fun and interesting ways. We also deliver our reactions to the batshit insane trailer for Death Stranding 2 and discuss the release date which is coming sooner than any of us expected. Of course, we devote plenty of time to Montster Hunter Wilds and squeeze in some Like a Dragon talk to boot.

• News - Death Stranding 2 Trailer + Release Date (3:32)
• Impressions -  Split Fiction (16:20)
• Impressions - Yakuza: Like a Dragon (41:20)
• Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds (50:42)
• Fantasy Critic Updates (1:23:50)
• 4Player Minute (1:31:00)

The time has come. The long awaited sequel, Monster Hunter Wilds, is out in the... wild! Brad and Krispy take our first (of many) deep dives into the game's new systems and mechanics and assess where it stands in relation to the series other critically acclaimed games. Chris Davis has finished our Game of the Year videos so he kicked his year off with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza and Nick talks about his love for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2; Despite new found addiction to gambling the game seems to be instilling in him! Despite all that, we still find time for some truly unexpected tangents related to Shrek, finding dirt on John Lithgow, and... whales?

• Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds (20:39)
• Impressions -  Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza (1:05:00)
• Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:24:30)
• 4Player Minute (1:40:40)