TEXT US YOUR THOUGHTS!

Hosts **Tony Sisk** and **Jaime G** kick off the "video game fall season" by discussing two major new releases: the highly anticipated indie sequel **Hollow Knight: Silksong** and the AAA looter-shooter **Borderlands 4**. 

Jaime shares his enthusiastic impressions of **Silksong**, highlighting its six-year development history, its origins as an intended DLC for *Hollow Knight* that grew into a full standalone sequel, and its budget price point of $20. He praises its Metroidvania genre execution, comparing its difficulty to *Elden Ring*, noting the lack of a ramp-up for new players, and describing the protagonist Hornet's high mobility and fluid movement as a major gameplay addition. 

Tony offers his initial thoughts on **Borderlands 4**, which he picked up as a physical copy on launch day. He states that the game is **"very good"** and already **"easily" better than Borderlands 3**. Tony praises the narrative, specifically highlighting the **memorable NPC characters** and the investment in their stories, which he feels was lacking in the previous installment. 

The hosts note the interesting contrast between the highly-rated, budget indie title (**Silksong**) and the large-scale AAA release (**Borderlands 4**), setting up a future discussion comparing their reception and player count, especially on platforms like Steam.

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## Show Notes

**Podcast Title:** Good Game Radio

**Topics:** Video Game Fall Season Kickoff, *Hollow Knight: Silksong* Release and Review, *Borderlands 4* Initial Impressions.

### 🕸️ **Hollow Knight: Silksong (06:38)**

* **Release & Background:**
    * Developed and published by **Team Cherry**, an Australian indie team.
    * Released on September 4th, 2025, after being announced on February 14th, 2019 (a six-year wait).
    * Originally planned as a DLC for the 2017 Kickstarter-funded **Hollow Knight**, but its scope grew into a full, standalone sequel.
    * **Price:** Great price tag at **$20**.
* **Jaime's Impressions:**
    * **Genre & Difficulty:** A fantastic job in the **Metroidvania** genre; compared to **Elden Ring** for its high difficulty and lack of an "easy mode." The game offers little ramp-up, assuming players are familiar with the first title.
    * **Protagonist:** You play as **Hornet**; the game follows her own story and plot.
    * **Gameplay Mechanics:** Praised for its **high mobility**—Hornet quickly unlocks dash, air-dash, and ledge-grabbing abilities, making her feel like a "little Spider-Man."
    * **Exploration:** Features a challenging and intentionally unhelpful map system, forcing players to learn the kingdom and revisit old areas upon gaining new abilities (**core Metroidvania loop**).
* **Ratings:** Sitting at a **92 positive score on Metacritic**.

### 🔫 **Borderlands 4 (01:25 & 23:16)**

* **Tony's Impressions (10 hours in):**
    * **Overall:** **"Very good,"** and **"easily" better than Borderlands 3**.
    * **Narrative/Characters:** A huge step up from *Borderlands 3*. The **NPC characters are memorable** and provide a strong foundation for the story, recalling the quality of characters from *Borderlands 1* (e.g., TK Baja).
    * **Loot:** Not **"stingy."** Plenty of loot and guns are dropping, including numerous **Epic (purple)** tier weapons early on.
* **General Reception:** Currently sitting with an **84 Metacritic score**, which Tony argues is still "above good" and respectable.

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