Nintendo Direct dropped big news: Metroid Prime 4, more Fire Emblem, a quirky “Ditto Crossing,” and even Virtual Boy stuff, plus Hades 2’s 1.0 launch date is September 25. Meanwhile, Randy Pitchford remains the industry’s baffling clown in an ill-fitting suit, Sega is back with some old-school “Ninten-Don’t” ads, and speculation heats up around Cyberpunk 2 possibly including multiplayer (though Scott was sure that was already confirmed). And of course, LOTS MORE! 

Shared Games This Week

•Borderlands 4

•No Man’s Sky

Scott

•Town to City

•Cash Cleaner Simulator

Jon

•No, I’m Not a Human

Beau

•Hollow Knight: Silksong

•Elden Ring: Neightreign

•Void Crew

•World of Warcraft

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Frogs, flies, and state borders! Keanu Reeves expressed willingness to bring back Johnny Silverhand in future Cyberpunk projects, fueling speculation about DLC or cameos. PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct, hosts, and more. Exhibition 33’s concert tour selling out instantly, Halo Infinite getting Invasion mode, and Steam reviews for Silksong differing by language, with Chinese players criticizing localization. And LOTS more!

Shared Play

•Hollow Knight: Silksong

•No Man’s Sky

Scott

•Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots.

•Metal Slug Tactics

Jon

•Bodah-Lands 4

Beau

•Void Crew 

•World of Warcraft

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Gamescom brought big World of Warcraft reveals: the new housing system with public, charter, and guild neighborhoods (50 homes each, customizable biomes, permissions, and community events), plus new solo content like Prey hunts and ongoing Delves. Blizzard is also integrating add-on features directly into the UI (boss timers, nameplates, DPS meters), raising questions for Deadly Boss Mods and others. Bobby is here to help us make sense of it all. Also we have a LOT to say about the No Man’s Sky’s Voyager update—building Corvettes, exploring derelict ships, taming bizarre pets, farming nanites, managing settlements, and enjoying the endless systems, bugs and all. Plus all the games we played ands way more.

SHARED PLAY THIS WEEK

The ‘No Man’s Sky’ update!

SCOTT

•Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

•BlazBlue Entropy Effect

JON

•Hollow Knight: Silksong

BEAU

•Peak

•Metal Eden

•World of Warcraft

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Let’s talk the BIG September 2025 releases: Hollow Knight: Silksong (Sept 4), Everybody’s Golf: Hot Shots (Sept 5), Borderlands 4 (Sept 12), Silent Hill F (Sept 25), Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles, Lego Party, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, plus DLCs for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac. News about Expedition 33’s success and its Clair Obscur franchise plans, and Two Point Museum adding retro arcades, among a load more!

SCOTT

•The Last Spell

•Inkshade

•Titan Quest II

•Shapez 2

•Kill The Brickman

•The Rogue Prince of Persia

JON

•Final Fantasy XII

•Hollow Knight

•No Man’s Sky

•Sand

BEAU

•No Man’s Sky

•Rift Breaker 2.0

•Valheim

•World of Warcraft

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Let’s star with Steam’s new language-based review system, which pushed Palworld to an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating in English, for example. We looked at the debut of the World of Warcraft launch cinematic in October 2004, before the game’s release. A detailed rundown of Gamescom’s Future Games Show including major stuff like Resident Evil Requiem, Hell Let Loose: Vietnam, and loads others, along with release dates for some. Including Silksong. We also broke down mechanics for Kill the Brick Man and The Rogue Prince of Persia, and compared the critical and fan reception of Final Fantasy XII within the series and over time. Among a lot of other stuff!

GAMES WE PLAYED!

Scott

•The Rogue Prince of Persia

•Kill The Brick Man

•Shapez 2

Jon

•Final Fantasy XII

•Promise Mascot Agency

•Dyson Sphere Program

•He is Coming

Beau

•World of Warcraft

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Microsoft may shift Xbox toward a modular, PC-like system called Magnus, we have some debate over complexity versus convenience. Rod Ferguson has exited Blizzard, raising questions about Diablo IV’s future, while Blizzard’s cinematic team voted to unionize. Crimson Desert sees a delay, and rumors suggest Paladin could return in a Diablo expansion, too late or not. Mind blown around The Secret of the Weepstone, WASD controls coming to League of Legends, and a Vampire Survivors board game. And lots more.

GAMES PLAYED

Scott

•Shapez 2

•He Is Coming

•Time Flies

Jon

•Final Fantasy XII

•Final Fantasy X-2

•Fortnite

Beau

•Heroes of the Storm

•The Bazaar

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Let’s talk about older consoles and approaching games in unconventional ways, and address while we are here, developments in the gaming business this week. MK: Legacy Kollection looking very cool. Battlefield 6 also seems like things are poppin. GOG says come get these free nudie games. Kirby fans finally know what they are getting soon. Lucy from CyberPunk is coming to…Guilty Gear Strive? Guntouchables is FREE right now. And how many Power Ranges in Fortnite is enough? An Instance WoW segment with Bobby! And lots more! 

Shared Play This Week

•Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Scott

•The Spell Brigade

•Shapez 2

Jon

•Minishoot’ Adventures

•Juggling Final Fantasy X-2, XI, & XII.

Beau

•Titan Quest 2.

•More Abiotic Factor.

•Played War Within patch 11.3.

•Tried Yakuza Kiwami 2.

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We talked about upcoming games for August, including Metal Gear Solid Delta, House of the Dead 2 remake, and Gears of War: E-Day. We discussed the return of Nerdtacular in June 2026 in Salt Lake City and encouraged listeners to fill out the interest survey. We covered game delistings tied to payment processors, especially around sensitive themes, and had a broader discussion on censorship, parenting, and internet policy shifts. We debated the 1980s cultural resurgence, Roblox’s value, and Microsoft’s growing dominance via studio acquisitions and Game Pass. And a LOT more to boot!

GAMES PLAYED

Scott

Shapez 2

Fumes

More Bananza

Jon

Final Fantasy X (finished)

Final Fantasy X-2 (sampled)

Final Fantasy XI (sampled)

Final Fantasy XII (sampled)

Donkey Kong Bananza

Beau

Abiotic Factor

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Valheim (Trollstav incident)

Magic: Edge of Eternities

StarCraft 2 co-op

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Critical Role enters game dev, Outer Worlds 2 drops back to $70, and Splitgate 2 unlaunches. RIP Julian LeFay, and yes, that Hellraiser trailer is terrifying. Beau praises the SC2 World Cup. In “Dear Martha,” we “misremember” the PS2. Shared play this week: Donkey Kong Bananza. Scott tries Captain of Industry, Jon nears the end of FFX, and Beau dives into Pizza Tower, Slay the Spire, and more. Plus: Xbox handheld talk and some corrections.

Shared Play (Scott & Jon):

•Donkey Kong Bananza

Scott:

•Captain of Industry

•Back to the Dawn

•Fantasy Finds DLC (2 Point Museum)

Jon:

•Final Fantasy X

•Ghost of Tsushima (mentioned in passing)

•Magic: The Gathering Arena

Beau:

•Pizza Tower

•Roundguard

•Wildfrost

•Backpack Hero

•Fighting Fantasy Classics

•Slay the Spire

•Valheim

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