7 Minutes

We all saw it coming, but most of us hoped it wasn't true: the next console generation is taking the first step toward a digital-only future. Sony has confirmed disc production for new game releases will end in January 2028. The rumor mill suggests Microsoft is considering a move in the same direction. That leaves Nintendo as the only holdout and last bastion of physical games, and even then, they've already begun distributing some games as digital-only with their Game Key Cards.

We sat down to share our thoughts on this major development and what we think it means for the industry moving forward. And how will it impact us individually? Do we see ourselves buying fewer games in the future? Will it impact our buying and playing habits at all? Do we see this digital-only trend continuing on across all media, or do we think we'll see a reversal due to consumer backlash and younger generations' desire for a return to tangible media? Listen to our latest episode for more.

In the last few weeks, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and oodles of third-party developers have dropped their summer game announcements, previewing what’s coming later this year and into next year. From reviving long-stagnant franchises to launching new ones, to bombshell news confirming the remake of one of the greatest games of all time, there are a LOT of games coming down the pike.Join us as we discuss everything we’re looking forward to that was announced during Sony’s State of Play, Microsoft’s Xbox Showcase, the latest Nintendo Direct, and Summer Game Fest and Play Days. Grab some snacks and a drink — we’ve got a lot to talk about!
Timestamps

0:00:00 - Introductions and what Angie's been playing

0:08:26 - What Robert's been playing

0:16:04 - What Dom's been playing

0:23:16 - What Zack's been playing

0:34:53 - Thoughts on the State of Play

1:00:46 - Thoughts on Summer Game Fest and related events

1:52:59 - Thoughts on the Xbox Showcase

2:06:07 - Thoughts on the Nintendo Direct

2:29:54 - Lots of thoughts on the Ocarina of Time remake

As we kick off a new season, we find ourselves in a Groundhog Day-like loop of the biggest industry players making the same baffling decisions that leave us scratching our heads and wondering “why?” — or just shaking them in disappointment. From the sudden retirement of Phil Spencer and his questionable replacement to the sudden shuttering of Bluepoint Games, we sit down to hash out yet another round of troubling industry news and where we think it all leads from here. But first, we get carried away with talking about the games we’ve been playing and going on related tangents about the series we love.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introductions and what Dom's been playing (Neva, Cairn, Nioh 3)

10:54 - What Robert's been playing (Yakuza 0, Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth)

00:16:15 - What Angie's been playing (Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Yakuza Kiwami 3)

27:00 - Yakuza series sidebar

47:52 - What Zack's been playing (Gravity Circuit, Forza Horizon 5, NFS Heat, Burnout Revenge, Animal Well, Andro Dunos II, Fantasian, Nex Machina)

1:11:05 - Xbox leadership shakeup

1:49:43 - Sony ices Bluepoint

This year ended up being a strong one for games, with a steady stream of new entries in much-loved franchises, surprise drops, indie and AA gems, and a summer console launch. We got together to discuss our respective top-five games of 2025, along with our honorable mentions, and realized that it was harder than we thought it was going to be to narrow everything down and rank them. Tune in now to hear our year-end wrap-up as we reflect on the best of 2025.
The Honorable Mentions

0:02:58 Angie

0:16:00 Robert

0:22:24 Dom

0:29:08 Zack

The #5s

0:37:51 Angie (Yakuza Kiwami 2)

0:50:05 Robert (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

0:52:53 Dom (Dispatch)

0:56:31 Zack (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

The #4s

1:03:52 Angie (Shinobi: Art of Vengeance)

1:08:28 Robert (Metroid Prime 4: Beyond)

1:19:40 Dom (Split Fiction)

1:22:30 Zack (Birdcage)

The #3s

1:29:01 Angie (Silent Hill F)

1:44:16 Robert (Metal Gear Solid Delta)

1:48:45 Dom (Hades 2)

1:55:43 Zack (Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles)

The #2s

2:02:32 Angie (Mario Kart World)

2:10:07 Robert (Blue Prince)

2:13:18 Dom (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

2:22:22 Zack (Hollow Knight Silksong)

The #1s

2:28:48 Angie (Yakuza 0 Director's Cut)

2:34:01 Robert (Donkey Kong Bananza)

2:36:30 Dom (Hollow Knight Silksong)

2:41:56 Zack (Dynasty Warriors Origins)

It seems like every time we turn around, something new — and both good and bad — is going on in the industry. So this episode is a bit of a hodgepodge, where we touched on everything from the EA purchase to the fall of Game Pass, to our thoughts on Switch 2 so far to what we think the future of Nintendo Pictures will be. The industry is in a state of flux and we covered a lot of ground in our discussion, so grab a snack and settle in.

Timestamps

3:33: Introductions and what Zack's been playing (Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, Front Misson 3 Remake, Ship of Harkinian, Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail, Assassin's Creed Shadows DLC, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Shinobi Art of Vengeance, Hollow Knight Silksong)

17:22: What Angie's been playing (Mario Kart World, Shinobi Art of Vengeance, Pokémon Concierge Season 2) [Yakuza 0 and Metal Gear Solid discussed at end of Robert's segment]

29:08: What Robert's been playing (Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 , Metal Gear Solid Delta, Switch 2 versions of Switch games, Sonic Crossworlds Racing) [Donkey Kong Bananza discussed at end of Dom's segment]

47:37: What Dom's been playing (The Alters, Shinobi Art of Vengeance, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Hollow Knight Silksong, Hades 2)

1:01:59: Switch 2 initial impressions

1:21:56: Microsoft's Game Pass price hikes.

1:46:30: EA purchase

2:11:42: Nintendo Pictures

Description: With the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 right around the corner, we sat down to share our thoughts on the last eight years of Nintendo Switch. In this episode, we discuss what our initial thoughts of the Switch were when it was announced and whether our thoughts on the console were changed for the positive or negative once we got our hands on it. We also look back on how it changed the industry, our personal playing habits, and Nintendo as a company. And finally, we share our favorite Switch games and where the Switch ranks for each of us compared to all of the previous Nintendo systems.

Spoiler warning for the first hour or so of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Introductions and what Angie's been playing (Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33)

8:54 - What Robert's been playing (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Doom: The Dark Ages)

14:19 - What Dom's been playing (Split Fiction, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, South of Midnight)

25:01 - What Zack's been playing (Assassin's Creed Shadows, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Final Fantasy V's Four Job Fiesta, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

37:27 - Nintendo San Francisco

53:38 - Our feelings at launch and how they changed over time

1:07:33 - How Switch affected Nintendo, our habits, and the wider industry

1:37:07 - Our favorite games

2:17:16 - Where Switch stacks up compared to past Nintendo consoles

Robert and Angela just spent the last week at this year’s GDC. Between the fun and experimental games and the general excitement of the conference, there was an underlying sense of reservation and unease about where the industry is headed. It was most palpable in some of the sessions they attended, particularly on the state of PC and console games, AI, and games preservation.

In this episode, Robert and Angela lead Zack and Dom in a discussion about their takeaways from these sessions. The group covers how the industry is having to grapple with the dangers of AI, the very real risk of the loss of games and gaming history, and how gamers’ changing behaviors — and developers’ continued tone deaf decisions — have the industry standing at a crossroads (or possibly even a precipice).

Timestamps

0:00: Introductions and what Dom's been playing (Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, Lies of P, Split Fiction)

11:01: What Robert's been playing (Princess Peach: Showtime!, Super Mario RPG, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker)

20:23: What Angie's been playing (Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Hello Kitty Island Adventures)

38:38: What Zack's been playing (Rise of the Ronin, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, Avowed, Pillars of Eternity, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Hi-Fi Rush, Cocoon, Chants of Sennaar, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Assassin's Creed Shadows)

1:00:13: GDC coverage, starting with Day of the Devs highlights (inKonbini, Out of Sight, Ultimate Sheep Racoon, Star Fetchers, Demonschool, Super Farming Boy)

1:21:31: GDC itself and highlights (Spirit X Strike, Mononoke No Kuni, Big Hops, The Bustling World)

1:39:34: GDC session discussion, touching on topics from the following sessions:

• The State of PC and Console Games in 2025
• Game AI Summit: The Human Cost of Generative AI
• Preserving the Past for the Future: A PlayStation Case Study
• Capturing Game History Bits by Bits

Another year has come and gone, and the four of us invested some serious time into gaming this year. But what was the best of everything we played? In this episode, we come together to discuss our top-five games of 2024 and our honorable mentions. With a wide variety of genres across all major platforms making the cut, our end-of-year wrap-up was a fun one to hash out.

Timestamps

0:00 - Introductions.

2:16 - What Angie's been playing.

13:34 - What Zack's been playing.

18:14 - What Dom's been playing.

22:15 - What Robert's been playing.

35:39 - Angie's honorable mentions (Animal Well & Little Kitty, Big City).

42:09 - Robert's honorable mentions (Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, Castlevania Dominus Collection, Ace Attorney collections)

45:42 - Dom's honorable mentions (Hellblade 2, Minishoot' Adventures, Balatro)

50:04 - Zack's honorable mentions (Black Myth Wukong, Stellar Blade, Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail)

1:01:13 - Angie's #5 (Otxo)

1:05:49 - Robert's #5 (TMNT Splintered Fate)

1:09:14 - Dom's #5 (Persona 3 Reload)

1:13:08 - Zack's #5 (Dragon's Dogma 2)

1:17:31 - Angie's #4 (Rise of the Ronin)

1:23:58 - Robert's #4 (Indiana Jones and the Great Circle)

1:32:17 - Dom's #4 (Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown)

1:38:31 - Zack's #4 (Rise of the Ronin)

1:46:28 - Angie's #3 (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)

1:50:47 - Robert's #3 (Rise of the Ronin)

1:53:39 - Dom's #3 (Astro Bot)

1:56:06 - Zack's #3 (UFO 50)

1:58:30 - Angie's #2 (Yakuza Kiwami)

2:02:57 - Robert's #2 (The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom)

2:07:47 - Dom's #2 (Black Myth Wukong)

2:14:55 - Zack's #2 (Final Fantasy VII Rebirth)

2:20:34 - Angie's #1 (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)

2:23:56 - Robert's #1 (Astro Bot)

2:29:45 - Dom's #1 (Kunitsu-gami: Path of the Goddess)

2:34:54 - Zack's #1 (Devil Blade Reboot)

2024 has not been a good year for gaming. With thousands of people laid off and counting, multiple studio closures, and one flop AAA release after another, the industry is facing a crisis that it doesn't seem to understand how to contend with.

Timestamps

0:00 - Introductions.

2:00 - What Angie's been playing.

12:51 - What Robert's been playing.

21:43 - What Dom's been playing.

30:21 - What Zack's been playing.

51:08 - Concord, Star Wars Outlaws, and other recent smash hits.

1:21:29 - Consumer opinions may meet deaf ears, but consumer behavior cannot be ignored. Featuring special guest $700 discless PS5 Pro.

1:32:59 - California AB 2426.

What are your "sliding doors moment" games, the ones with an outsized effect on your taste and even on your life? That's the question we confront in this episode, taking turns examining the paths that brought us to where we are today. Less wistfully, we also lament the state of the industry at length.

Timestamps

0:00 - Introductions & what we’ve been playing

41:14 - Recent events, mostly layoffs and studio closures

1:24:48 - What does the future look like for Sony?

1:20:42 - The games that shaped us