We may only have a Skeleton crew on hand to record the show this week but that can't stop us from taking deep dives into hot new games like Slay the Spire and Metro Exodus! Brad jumps at the opportunity to rave about the recent Monster Hunter World event starring the titular character of the Witcher series, Geralt of Rivea! In the news we explore THQ Nordic's bizarre PR Snafu and Nintendo's big reveal of Pokemon Sword and Shield; In true 4Player fashion, this unfolds into an unexpected tangent that takes you to the deepest, darkest corners of the internet...

This week's show can only be described as a disaster. We lost power mere moments after going live and were forced to record the show out of order, in the dark, while streaming to Twitch from our phones! But as they say, "The show must go on!" Despite all that, we managed to crank out some good discussion of Metro Exodus and Chris Davis FINALLY got to share his thoughts on Ace Combat 7! Of course, we also reminisce briefly about Reggie Fils-Aimé now that he has announced his retirement from Nintendo!

It's Valentines Day at the 4Player "offices" but we care not; Instead, we raise our glasses to Nolan and Ed who both recently celebrated Birthdays! On the gaming front, we talk more about the hot (but charming) mess that is Kingdom Hearts 3 and Krispy gives his initial impressions of the new demo for Daemon X Machina. Of course, Nintendo dropped a bunch of exciting news at their recent Nintendo Direct including the reveal of a remake of Link's Awakening and Team Cherry tickled our balls with the announcement of a Hollow Knight: Silksong!

After more than a decade of waiting, Kingdom Hearts 3 is a real live video game that is available to purchase! It maintains it's charms but ends up being a bit of a mixed bag in our eyes thanks to some... questionable production choices. Additionally, the group shines a light on Wargroove, a love letter to classic Advanced Wars, and talks early impressions of Apex Legends and the potential implications it poses for the future of the Titanfall IP.

What a show we have for you this week! Not only is Resident Evil 2 Remake out turning heads in the wild but Nolan and Krispy spent some quality time in the demo for Anthem over the weekend! In the second segment, Patrons dug deep for some truly thought provoking (and informative) questions and the news is full of intrigue thanks to some unfortunate Metroid Prime 4 news, Batman rumors, and more!

With our 2018 Awards show behind us, it's back to business as usual but that means a TON of impressions and news that we haven't had a chance to talk about! Nick and Nolan talk about the games they played at PAX South including some exciting titles (Days Gone, Katana Zero, Tunic, and more!), Brad praises Ace Combat 7, and Nick revisits two more major entries in his Resident Evil series run! The news is also full of big news related to Bungie, Mortal Kombat 11, and some... unsettling news involving Randy Pitchford and Gearbox.

Our 2018 Game of the Year discussions continue with another set of 12 categories! While last week was very gameplay focused, the categories covered in this episode are a bit more narrative focused. Of course, we also wrap up the episode with the #11 award which will lead directly into our Personal Top 10 games which will be released in the coming weeks!

In Part 2 of 2018 Award Show, we cover our personal choices in the following 12 categories:

• Best Looking Game
• Best Storytelling
• Best World Building (Lore)
• Best New Character
• Best Ensemble Cast
• Best Character Relationship
• Best Video Game Moment
• Biggest Surprise
• Biggest Disappointment
• The Asterisk Award
• Biggest Regret
• The Number 11 Award

The soundtrack samples included in this episode are brief but you can find the full albums for purchase online:

• Frostpunk - Check out the soundtrack on YouTube!
• Wandersong - Available for purchase on BandCamp!

2018 is officially wrapped so our Award season has commenced! We are hard at work on our personal Top 10 lists of course but the podcast this week is all about celebrating the best AND worst that 2018 had to offer. In Part 1 of 2018 Award Show, we cover our personal choices in the following 12 categories:

• Best World / Level Design
• Best Sequel / Most Improved
• Best New Gameplay Experience
• Best Game Feel
• Best New Enemy Design
• Best Boss Fight
• Best Multiplayer Experience
• Best "Comfort Food"
• Best Game Outside of Our Comfort Zone
• Most Addictive
• Best Debut (New IP)
• Best Game Nobody Played

Tune in next Tuesday (1/15) night at 8PM (CST) for Part 2!

The soundtrack samples included in this episode are brief but you can find the full albums for purchase here:

• Chasm - Available for purchase on Bandcamp
• Far Cry 5 - Available for purhase on iTunes, Amazon, etc.

The great cannibalism debate of 2018 continues in our final show of the year! Brad is out this week but Chris Davis takes his place on the couch to talk Dusk and God of War! Nolan brings CrossCode, the last NEW game of the year for our show, and the game proves to be both traditional and mysterious at the same time. Nick played more Ashen and Return of the Obra Dinn and Krispy talks about his early experiences with Celeste now that he's had a chance to take it for a spin. See ya in 2019 folks!