Welcome back to Episode 39 of Boss Run! Housh here, and this week we are shifting gears from the Sega arcade grind to cover a massive week of award news, new releases, and an absolute JRPG classic.Here is what we are breaking down on the show this week:

📺 Twitch Stream Update: https://twitch.tv/billyhoush Lost Odyssey: I have been absolutely loving my time streaming Lost Odyssey over on Twitch. We talk about why this classic Xbox 360 JRPG still holds up, the incredible emotional weight of the "Thousand Years of Dreams" sequences, and why this game is an absolute masterpiece for us geriatric millennials.

🎮 First Impressions: April Heavy Hitters: The massive mid-April game drops are finally here, and I am giving my early thoughts on what I've played so far:Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream: Is it the weird, chaotic life-sim we've been waiting for on the Switch?Pragmata: Capcom's highly anticipated, bizarre sci-fi fever dream is finally in our hands, and I am breaking down the opening hours.

🏆 2026 BAFTA Game Awards Recap: The BAFTAs just wrapped up in London, and we go over the major winners! We discuss Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 taking home Best Game, Dispatch cleaning up with Audio, Animation, and Best Supporting Performer (shoutout to Jeffrey Wright), and Ghost of Yōtei dominating the technical and music categories.

📅 Upcoming Release Radar: We wrap up the show looking ahead to the massive games dropping at the end of April and into May 2026. Keep an eye on your wallets for:

Saros (April 30)

Forza Horizon 6 (May 19)

Make sure to hit subscribe, drop a like, and let me know in the comments: Did the BAFTAs get it right this year, or did your favorite game get totally snubbed?

Housh here, and this week is an absolute massive one for the Sega AM2 nostalgia train. I finally did it—I powered through and secured the Platinum trophy for Shenmue II.

Here is what we are breaking down on the show this week:

🏆 The Shenmue II Platinum Journey: We dive into the final stretch of the game, the grind to get that Platinum, and how the sequel builds on everything established in the first game.

🥋 Shenmue Series Recap (The Good & The Bad): Having just played both Shenmue I & II back-to-back, I am doing a full recap of the journey so far.

• What I Love: The unmatched atmosphere, the deep martial arts training, the chill pacing, and that pure, undeniable classic Sega arcade DNA.

• What I Hate: The endlessly frustrating QTEs and CQTEs (Command Quick Time Events), the notoriously clunky controls, some of the severe pacing roadblocks, and fighting through the real-life motion sickness brought on by the HD ports.

✨ Anticipating Shenmue III Enhanced Edition: We are looking ahead to the newly announced Shenmue III Enhanced Edition dropping later this year! We discuss the publisher switch to ININ Games and the massive quality-of-life updates coming to PC and current-gen consoles, including:

• A highly anticipated, much larger QTE timing window!

• Increased NPC density to make Niaowu feel alive.

• The "Classic Camera Mode" to mimic the feel of I & II.

• Optional stamina tweaks, combat health restoration, and fast travel updates.

Welcome back to another episode of Boss Run! This week, we are geeking out over some major hardware upgrades and diving deep into the golden era of arcade history.

📺 Upgrading the Setup: I finally got my hands on an awesome new TV! We are breaking down the latest in display technology and discussing why getting the right screen is an absolute game-changer for your setup.

🕹️ Sega AM2 & The Military-Industrial Complex: We're taking a massive nostalgia trip back to the peak of SEGA arcade cabinets. We dive into the legendary history of the Sega AM2 division (the studio behind Virtua Fighter and Daytona USA) and how they literally took million-dollar flight simulator technology from US military contractors like Lockheed Martin and engineered it into the famous Model 2 arcade board.

🥋 The Shenmue Saga Continues: I finally rolled the credits on Shenmue I! We discuss the journey, the pacing, and the payoff as I immediately transition into booting up Shenmue II.

📅 April Release Radar: We’re also looking ahead at the heavy hitters dropping this month. We talk about what to expect from:

• Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

• Capcom’s Pragmata

• Saros

Welcome to Episode 36! Housh here, breaking down a heavy week of hardware news and what’s in the current gaming rotation.📉 Hardware & Industry NewsPS5 Price Hikes (April 2): Sony is raising console prices globally. The US PS5 Pro jumps $150 to $899.99 USD, while the Canadian Pro hits a massive $1,099.99 CAD. You only have a few days left to buy at the current price!Epic Games Layoffs: Epic is cutting 20% of its workforce (roughly 1,000 people) as Fortnite engagement slows and costs outpace revenue.🎮 What We're PlayingCurrently Playing: Crimson Desert and Shenmue 1&2 HD on PS4 (powering through the motion sickness ahead of the Shenmue 3 upgrade). Taking a much-needed break from Marathon.Upcoming Radar: The Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream drops April 16, right before Capcom's Pragmata officially launches on April 17.

Is Microsoft finally listening to PC gamers? This week on Boss Run, we discuss Microsoft’s surprising new commitment to strip the forced "AI slop" out of Windows and refocus on raw gaming performance.

Then, we are dropping back into Marathon to break down the chaotic new Cryo Archives zone and discuss how Ranked mode actually feels now that the player base is settling into the meta. Finally, we give our raw, day-one first impressions of Crimson Desert—does Pearl Abyss's massive open-world action RPG actually live up to the years of hype?

This week on Boss Run, we need to have a serious talk about the state of premium gaming hardware and knowing when to walk away from a franchise.

If you are dropping top dollar on a "Pro" controller, you shouldn't be tethered to a USB-C cable after a single extended session. We are breaking down the incredibly frustrating battery life of the DualSense Edge and discussing why standard over-ear headsets are a nightmare for anyone who wears glasses. If you are tired of the clamping fatigue, I am explaining why making the jump to In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) is the single best audio upgrade you can make for your setup.

On the software side, it is officially time to call it: after this current season, I am completely walking away from the Call of Duty grind. Bungie’s Marathon has entirely taken over the rotation, and we are diving deep into why this extraction shooter is hitting all the right notes. Finally, we wrap up the episode by going through the newly announced BAFTA Games Awards nominations to see who actually deserves to take home the hardware this year.

Boss Run is officially in its solo era! This week, the gaming industry is an absolute mess. Sony is shutting down Bluepoint Games, Xbox just handed the keys to an AI executive, and Toshihiro Nagoshi lost his studio funding.

On the gameplay side, I'm talking about my time with Yakuza 3 Kiwami & Dark Ties, Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined, Resident Evil Requiem, and Marathon. Grab a coffee, drop into the solo queue, and let's get into it!

While Sam has been thrashing it in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, Billy has been enjoying some cherished classics from the past such as Chibi-Robo! and Syberia. We discuss the brief drought of new titles before the deluge in October.

Sam can't stay away from Dune: Awakening and Billy is still up to no good in Mafia: The Old Country. We breakdown the current announcements from Gamescom and what we are looking forward to.

Sam is winding down on Dune: Awakening and Billy is steady mobbin' it in Mafia: The Old Country but both of us are gushing over the Battlefield 6 Beta. We discuss what worked and what we are worried about after spending some time in BF6.