CORE - Core Gaming for Core Gamers

Early reviews for the Xbox handheld are out, and it is a mixed bag to say the least. Understanding Fearless Drafts. Glen Powell wants in on E33 movies. EA employees not happy about the sell out. Quantic Dream is making a….free to play MOBA? Yep. Also, all the games we played and loads more!

GAMES PLAYED

SCOTT

Ball X Pit

The Exit 8.

Funguys Swarm

Soulstone Survivors

Silent Hill f

JON

Megabonk

BEAU

Battlefield 6

Hades 2

Pinball FX

Star Trek Voyager Across The Unknown demo

Cosmic Invasion demo

Whiskerwood demo

Skate Story demo

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Straight into Hades II gameplay talk! Covering the “rat boss,” progress paths, end-game challenges, and tarot upgrades, all leading up to some admittedly broad comparisons to ARPGs and roguelites. Design depth, storytelling, and character reactions, Greg Street’s studio troubles, praise for Megabonk. Not to mention the mess that the gamepass changes continue to be. Sackbird Studios has our hopes. Make your own VR headset at home and WAY MORE STUFF!

SHARED PLAY THIS WEEK

Hades 2

Megabonk

SCOTT

It Has My Face

Soulstone Survivors

Deep Rock Survivors

JON

Final Fantasy Tactics Remastered Ultra HD Power Extra Edition

BEAU

Void Crew

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Scott & Jon’s Horror Video Game Fun Time kicks off Friday with Silent Hill f, running each Friday this month. Main topic covers October’s big releases like Ghost of Yotei, Battlefield 6, Little Nightmares 3, Pokémon Legends Z-A, Ninja Gaiden 4, The Outer Worlds 2, Mina the Hollower and more. Other news: Microsoft hikes Game Pass, EA goes private, Fortnite pulls Peacemaker, Capcom coy on RE9. Dear Martha Gameshow returns with “Find the Flaw.” This week in play: Hades 2, CloverPit, Shipbreaker, Kaiju Cleanup, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Megabonk, Sonic Racing Crossworlds.

GAMES PLAYED

SHARED

Hades 2

CloverPit

SCOTT

Hardspace: Shipbreaker

Kaiju Cleanup (upcoming)

JON

Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles

Megabonk

Sonic Racing Crossworlds

BEAU

Hades II all day all night!

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Happy ten years to CORE! Plus, Beau reminds us about a Kojima credit card coming soon. Highlights from TGS like Kojima’s new horror game OD and Capcom announcements including C. Viper in SF6, Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection, Pragmata, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword. PlayStation’s State of Play brought a bag of goodies: Saros, Zero Parades for Dead Spies, Flight Simulator 2024, a Deus Ex remaster, Mega Man in Sonic Racing, Dynasty Warriors 3 Complete, Code Vein 2, Let it Die: Inferno, Chronoscript, new Pulse speakers, and Wolverine. (Which looked REALLY good.) Plus all the usual fun times at CORE.

SHARED PLAY THIS WEEK

Scott and Jon both spent time in Megabonk, which is far better than its looks suggest.

Sonic Racing CrossWorlds was played by Scott and Jon.

Hades II saw time from all of us, with Beau having already played in Early Access and a bit more today.

Borderlands 4 continued, mainly Beau.

More No Man’s Sky, though not much new to report, Beau included.

SCOTT

Plenty of Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor.

Three hours of Metal Gear Solid Delta — very Kojima.

Tried the demo for Slots & Daggers, which will be a day-one buy.

JON

Fortnite remains a regular, especially the Blitz mode.

BEAU

Skate in Early Access.

More Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Some Heroes of the Storm, though waiting on the new patch.

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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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