The free to play horse shooter Highguard released this week, and within 5 minutes, the entire Internet agreed that it sucks. Coincidentally(?), the CEO of Larian Studios posted a lengthy comment about how criticism of video games has become too mean and too personal, which discourages artists from taking risks and failing.

This week, we unpack the discourse around hot take negativity, the process of being vulnerable as an artist, and why the business model of algorithmic media pushes so many of us into the trap.

Links discussed in this episode:

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/baldurs-gate-3-studio-boss-calls-out-hurtful-personal-videogame-reviewers-sometimes-i-think-itd-be-a-good-idea-for-critics-to-be-scored-metacritic-style

https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/highguard-devs-say-they-didnt-expect-the-hate-but-theyre-confident-in-their-game-3309463/

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This week in The Chat, we peruse the latest offerings from the Xbox Developer Direct, discuss the appeal of Fable, and hear about what it’s like to play a 16-year-old game with 800 mods (spoiler: pretty good).

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What beloved video games do you find insufferable? A lively discussion in our Discord community brought us to philosophical analysis of subjectivity.

Plus, Steam updates its AI disclosure guidelines, which seem like a step in the right direction yet still not granular enough.

And what's the deal with the "Cory In The House" DS game selling for thousands on eBay?

Links discussed in this episode:

Jenna Stoeber: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjf-GPp3n5k

Overrated games: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1qcl73d/whats_the_most_overrated_video_game_of_all_time/

Arc Raiders is still popular: https://gamerant.com/arc-raiders-has-already-sold-24m-copies-in-2026/

Cory: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/online-auctions-for-cory-in-the-house-ds-game-are-asking-for-hundreds-amid-meme-campaign/1100-6537472/

Valve's rules: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/valve-has-significantly-rewritten-steams-rules-for-how-developers-much-disclose-ai-use/

Hank Green, Why is Everyone So Wrong About AI Water Use??: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_c6MWk7PQc

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Colette and Matt reveal their top 3 game of the year picks for 2025 and what made them so outstanding.

Enjoy, and hop into the discord and let us know what your GOTY picks were for 2025 and what games you’re most looking forward to in 2026!

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As bury 2025 in the dust, we dig into one of our very favorite episodes to do: Best Games of 2025 (or GOTY, as some of us fondly call it). Matt and Colette have never been able to narrow their lists down to fewer than 5, PLUS honorable mentions, so this episode digs into the latter as well as our #5 and #4 picks. However, we had so much to say that this is a two-parter, so please tune in again next week to hear our top 3 picks for GOTY.

Drop by and let us know what games made your list in our Discord, a cozy lil' community where everyone is actually super nice. For real.

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Ah yes, The Video Game Awards: Not normally a thing we wait with bated breath for, but Colette pretty much tuned in just to watch Expedition 33 sweep (which, of course, it did). Aside from French Victory, however, there were many new trailers from big names, including a new chapter in the Control series from our beloved Remedy Entertainment, a new FPS IP from former Apex Legends devs, and a highly memorable Divinity trailer (almost) more nauseating than the news that Larian is embracing AI to make its future games.

Tune in and let us know what trailers you were the most excited about and, more importantly, why it took this long for Lenny Kravitz to be cast as a video game villain.

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We dive deep this week into the Wholesome Snack showcase, which aired on December 9 and was, per the usual, packed with absolute delights from beginning to end. From thrift store shop simulators and bug dating sims to summer camp as experienced through the eyes of non-verbal kids, Wholesome Games continues to champion some of the most meaningful indies in the space today.

Bonus: The last ten minutes are basically Colette losing her shit over the Rhythm Tengoku series AGAIN and forcing Matt to endure it.

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Valve surprises us (again) this week as we discover it's been nurturing the ingredients for a long-term plan that could potentially bring Steam games to every possible platform, including your phone. How it found time to do this while developing an entire ecosystem of new hardware, we'll never know. TL;DR - Gabe for president, please.

We also discuss Colette's very first foray into the vast universe that is Stardew Valley mods and whether it feels like fun or bad fanfic. Finally, for those of you unable to peel your eyeballs off Arc Raiders, Matt presents his thesis on the popular extraction shooter, which prominently features multiple cat tails. It can't be explained - only WITNESSED to be believed.

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With this year’s Golden Joystick Awards in the books and Sandfall Games winning a slew of awards for Expedition 33, as well as Megabonk’s dev “John Megabonk” withdrawing himself from a nomination, Matt and Colette dive deep into the “indie” darlings to question what exactly an indie game is, and what separates it from a  traditional title. Is it still indie if there were angel investors or a trust fund backing the game’s creation?

We also discuss Vampire Crawlers, the newest chapter in what Matt has rightfully deemed the Poncleverse. Is mashing Vampire Survivors with the old dungeon crawlers of yore pure genius, or just a way to keep gamers interested in Luca Galante’s delightful brand of Italian gothic?

Finally, Matt realizes he can get Jeni’s ice cream at the drugstore and experiences a revelation. Tune in to hear it in real time! 

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After months of rumors and leaks, Valve has officially announced 3 new hardware products that could transform console gaming and VR:

A new Steam Controller (modeled after the Steam Deck's form factor), a new Steam Machine console, perfect for couch gaming, and the Steam Frame, a new inside-out, wireless VR headset that can run games natively and stream them from your PC.

These three devices, on top of the handheld experience offered by the Steam Deck, along with years of updates and iterations to SteamOS and Steam Input, puts Valve in a fascinating position to completely upend what "console gaming" means in the next decade.

We discuss the specs, potential price points, and our excitement around the SteamOS ecosystem.

Plus: Rockstar Games apparently sucks.

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