4Player Podcast

On this episode of the Revival Club, Nick is joined by Castlevania super-fan, Brad Simons, and community guest, Ferakin, to dig into what makes Symphony of the Night such a classic. We examine it's wealth of secrets and discuss how its rough edges and imperfections actually make it even better. Brad also conveniently reminds us that this episode started as a Double Feature so we also talk some about Rondo of Blood, the impact it had on the series, and how it paved the way for Symphony of the Night.

This week, we forgo our usual itinerary in favor of breaking down a bunch of game demos from the recent Steam Games Festival. Brad shows up with an unexpected theme (Have you heard of Slay the Spire?) and Chris Davis played a Star Fox clone about Cats (Whisker Squadron)... Despite his best efforts, Nick was unable to avoid the cliche of liking f***ed up s*** and played 'Lust from Beyond' -- a Survival Horror game about infiltrating a demonic sex cult. Of course, this is just a small taste. We talked about a bunch of games, many of which you should keep on your radar in the coming year(s).

We're off to the races. Nick discusses his mixed feelings on the next big game from Bloober Team, The Medium; a game that has been oddly positioned as one of the year's big Microsoft exclusives. Nolan and Brad talk about their time with the demo for a cool new Rogue-like called Loop Hero. Of course, with a new Monster Hunter game on the horizon, Brad went back to try Monster Hunter Stories in an attempt to quench his unquenchable thirst for more Monster Hunter. Oh yeah... KoToR might be coming back.

As the new year starts to kick into gear, David joins us to talk about Hitman 3; a game that continues to deliver unparalleled freedom to the player for better or worse. We also delve into two major demos from Capcom that hit in the past week. Monster Hunter Rise delivers a fun and meaty demo that fails to consider series newbies while Resident Evil Village teases atmosphere and little else.

The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 5, we discuss the following categories:

• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• The Asterisk Award
• Biggest Regret
• The Number 11 Award

This episode includes a short sample from Nick's favorite soundtrack of the year: The Last of Us: Part II

The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 4, we discuss the following categories:

• Best Ensemble Cast
• Best New Character
• Best Enemy Design
• Best Boss Fight
• Best Moment

This episode includes a short sample from Ed's favorite soundtrack of the year: Ghost of Tsushima

The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 3, we discuss the following categories:

• Best Debut
• Best Looking Game
• Best World / Level Design
• Best Storytelling

This episode includes a short sample from Krispy's favorite soundtrack of the year: Kentucky Route Zero

The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 2, we discuss the following categories:

• Best Multiplayer Experience
• Best Comfort Food
• Most Out of our Comfort Zone
• Best Game Nobody Played

This episode includes a short sample from Nolan's favorite soundtrack of the year: Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout

The past year has been anything but normal but we press on as usual with our annual awards show. Unlike in years past, we are eliminating runner-ups and honorable mentions in favor of a coordinated effort that eliminates any overlap between our choices. That means more games are honored in each category! In part 1, we discuss the following categories:

• Best New Gameplay Experience
• Best Sequel
• Best Game Feel
• Most Addictive

This episode includes a short sample from Brad's favorite soundtrack of the year: Creaks

Part 2 will be available on Tuesday, January 19th.

What could be more fitting than inviting utter chaos on our 666th episode (HAIL SATAN) of the show? David joins us this week and brings the crew count up to 6! We dive deep into Immortals: Fenyx Rising to talk about why it's not as great as Breath of the Wild and why that doesn't really matter. Nolan and Chris Davis share their experience with the Back 4 Blood Alpha which brings Left 4 Dead back into relevancy in 2021. Nick talks about his introduction to modern Hitman and why he now feels more optimistic about IO Interactive making a James Bond game.

Disclaimer - I hope it goes without saying but... we do not worship Satan.