4Player Podcast

With the recent release of Deathloop, it only makes sense for the Revival Club to look back at the games that helped shape Arkane as the respected development studio that it is today. We went back to 2006 to take a look at a game that feels distinct from the games that define the studio today (Dishonored, Prey, etc). Of course, that game is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic; a game that is full of high-fantasy tropes like orcs, mages, and demons yet still full of that signature Arkane DNA! For this discussion, Nick is joined by recurring Revival Club guests, Steve and Green.

Nick is joined by community guest, Self, and resident fan of obscure FPS games, Chris Davis, to revisit S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. For the uninitiated, this PC classic is often considered (for good reason) to be the precursor to the successful Metro series. While the series has spanned several major releases and a number of fan-made modded experiences, this particular chapter in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise is widely considered to be the best. All things considered, that makes Call of Pripyat the perfect game to delve into as the world prepares for the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl in 2022.

It's been two weeks since our last episode and despite some scheduling issues, the show must go on! It's a 3-player podcast this week but there is a TON to discuss including Nick's thoughts on the release of No Time to Die and a follow-up to our big Deathloop discussion from last week. Additionally, Nick feels compelled to give some VERY EARLY impressions of Far Cry 6 because right out of the gate, the game appears to be doing a few things right. Nolan gets nostalgic for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty which still holds up remarkably well. Finally, Chris Davis shares his thoughts on two indie-games that he has been enjoying immensely, Hero's Hour and Kaiju Wars.

For an episode with so much Deathloop talk, you would think it would have inspired the episode title... but Chris Davis threw that out the window when he let his enthusiasm for I Am Fish bubble over... With that said, we do talk A LOT about Deathloop this week. In fact, the discuss takes up the entire first segment! In the 2nd segment, we talk Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Bonfire Peaks, and of course, the big news dump from the latest Nintendo Direct! You know the one...

We kick things off this week with an MCU tangent in the wake of the new Hawkeye trailer plus a rant about the new horror flick, Malignant. Jeff returns to the hot chair this week to talk about The Forgotten City, There is No Game: Wrong Dimension, and his early impressions of Eastward! Nick gives his early thoughts on Tales of Arise as a newbie to the series and the Chris's give their first impressions of Deathloop! What a week!

Joseph makes his triumphant return to podcasting in this week's episode! He joins us to give a quick update on his game development adventures, talk about our time co-oping Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and share his unique brand of insight on the state of sequels (including The Matrix Resurrections!) Nick and Nolan talk about their foray into the wacky world of Psychonauts (1 AND 2!); Which continues to be an absolute delight in 2021. We revisit Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and give an in-depth rundown of the all big news out of this week's Playstation Showcase (including KOTOR Remake, Spider-Man 2, Forspoken, God of War Ragnarok, and more!).

Ed fills the 4th chair this week to talk about Death's Door, Nioh 2, and a beautiful indie boss-rush game called Eldest Souls! Nick and Nolan ponder the effectiveness of the long awaited 12 Minutes which is shaping up to be one of the most divisive games of the year thus far. Additionally, Nolan talks about his time with the Riders Republic beta, Nick and Chris hype up the Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut and Iki Island DLC, and we break down the news from Gamescom including the bizarre roadmap for the release of Halo Infinite.

Long-time friend, community member, and former staff member, Jeff DeMelo, joins us this week to sit in for Brad who is absent due to the birth of his 2nd child! Chaos ensues. Jeff shares updates on the development of Refactor, how being a dad has changed his gaming habits, and gets us hype for 12 Minutes (which we'll talk more about next week). We also talk about Recompile, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, Chernobylite, and more! Oh and... RIP Hotdog Bets 2009 - 2021.

Inspired by 'The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles,' Brad entices the group this week with the Dance of Sedu... *ahem* Deduction. Chris Davis talks up 'Chernobylite' (the next game from the developers of Get Even) and Nolan revisits the delightful world of 'Overcooked: All You Can Eat' to talk about the new Birthday Party expansion. We also discuss our time with 'Grounded' from last week which obviously devolves into a nostalgic discussion about 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.' Oh... and WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON WITH BLUE BOX?

It's been an odd week to say the least. Aside from catching up on games talked about in week's past, Nick has been involved in a comedy of errors involving his PC. On top of that, Chris Davis did the impossible and FINISHED Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey! With that in mind, we opened up questions this week to the community at large and spent the bulk of the show addressing everything from difficult cheese questions to the pronunciation of places in the UK to the latest Blue Box conspiracy theories!