Jiggle Physics

Development of Perfect Dark is not going well, according to a recent report. There's also news about bad workplace behavior by the founders of Moon Studios. Hogwarts Legacy is expected this holiday season, and Rebecca tells us all about the first wave of content from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass.

LINKS:

• Perfect Dark development 'painfully' slow, 'as much as half' the core team has quit, states report | Windows Central
• Ori developers accuse Moon Studios' founders of creating 'oppressive' workplace, bullying | Windows Central
• Hogwarts Legacy debuts fantastical gameplay, launches this holiday | Android Central
• Is the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass worth it? | iMore
• Ghostwire: Tokyo for PS5 review — Tales of an empty city | Android Central

This week, the gang report on the PvP beta for Overwatch 2 coming in April, and Sony's suspension of PlayStation sales in Russia. They check out everything announced at the March 2022 PlayStation State of Play, Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood, and more.

LINKS:

• Overwatch 2 is really happening; PvP beta begins in April | Windows Central
• Sony suspends PlayStation sales in Russia | Android Central
• PlayStation State of Play: Everything announced in the March 2022 showcase | Android Central
• Nintendo delays Advance Wars remakes indefinitely | iMore
• Super Nintendo World is opening at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2023 | iMore

Miles Dompier joins the crew during the first half of this week's episode to review the Steam Deck and birth of the Toilet Console genre! We also talk about everything announced at the February 2022 Pokémon Presents, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and more.

LINKS:

• Ukrainian video game studios respond to Russian attacks, share how to help | Windows Central
• Russia-Ukraine War: Info and ways to help
• Game developers pull games from Russia in response to invasion | Windows Central
• Steam Deck review: Redefining how you play PC games | Windows Central
• Elden Ring for Xbox review: FromSoftware's magnum opus | Windows Central
• Everything announced at the February 2022 Pokémon Presents | iMore
• Pokémon Scarlet and Violet announced for later in 2022 | iMore
• A free demo of Kirby and the Forgotten Land arrives on Nintendo Switch | iMore
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land preview: An adventure that's actually fun for two | iMore

Sam Tolbert is here with a review of Elden Ring for Xbox. Spoiler: It's an early contender for Game of the Year. We talk in depth about the game, plus a possible delay of Call of Duty 2023, subscription tiers for PlayStation's Spartacus, and more.

LINKS:

• Ukrainian video game studios respond to Russian attacks, share how to help | Windows Central
• Elden Ring for Xbox review: FromSoftware's magnum opus | Windows Central
• Don't play Elden Ring on PC ... yet | Windows Central
• Elden Ring for 'Souls' newcomers: How to approach Souls games for absolute beginners | Windows Central
• Report: PlayStation's Spartacus could have three subscription tiers, up to $16 per month | Android Central
• Report: Call of Duty 2023 to be delayed | Windows Central
• Are people tired of Call of Duty? | Windows Central
• Nintendo recap: Pokémon Presents is almost here and a classic Zelda game came to Switch | iMore

This week, our intrepid hosts gush over Horizon Forbidden West. They also tackle the issue of games preservation in light of Nintendo's announcement that the Wii U and 3DS eShops will be shutting down in March 2023. There's a big patch for Cyberpunk 2077, and Netflix is developing a BioShock movie.

LINKS:

• Horizon Forbidden West for PS5 review: The pinnacle of excellence | Android Central
• Wii U and Nintendo 3DS online eShop purchases ending in March 2023 | iMore
• Cyberpunk 2077 Xbox Series X|S, PS5 upgrade and patch 1.5 now available | Windows Central
• Cyberpunk 2077's big Xbox Series X|S patch is here ... but is it good enough? | Windows Central
• BioShock movie in development with Netflix | Windows Central

There is a ton of news to consume Kirby-style from the latest Nintendo Direct. The team do exactly that and more, including Jen's review of Horizon Forbidden West, and rumors about a Resident Evil 4 remake.

LINKS:

• Everything announced at the February 2022 Nintendo Direct | iMore
• February's Nintendo Direct turned Kirby into a car, but also a meme | iMore
• Microsoft: Call of Duty will come to PlayStation after Activision Blizzard deal closes | Windows Central
• The Wolf Among Us 2 is coming in 2023 | Windows Central
• Ubisoft plans stealth-focused Assassin's Creed game | Windows Central
• Resident Evil 4 remake reportedly takes spookier tone | Windows Central
• Horizon Forbidden West for PS5 review: The pinnacle of excellence | Android Central

This week, the gang talk about Sony's purchase of Bungie, Rebecca reviews Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and more.

LINKS:

• Sony acquires Destiny developer Bungie for PlayStation Studios | Android Central
• Bungie joining PlayStation makes more sense than you think | Android Central
• Sony is buying Bungie: What this means for Destiny 2 players on Xbox and PC | Windows Central
• Nintendo Switch crosses 103 million units shipped, per Nintendo Q3 results | iMore
• Pokémon Legends: Arceus for Nintendo Switch review — Breathing fresh air into a stale formula | iMore
• Nintendo recap — Pokémon Legends: Arceus has second-best sales in Japan's history and more NFT shenanigans | iMore
• Ghostwire: Tokyo for PS5 preview — Western audiences should check this one out | Android Central

Hey, kids! Sony is buying Bungie, and the New York Times has snatched up Wordle. We won't be discussing either one of those acquisitions this week, but we WILL be talking about Blizzard developing a new survival game and Ubisoft shutting down Hyper Scape. Also, work is in progress on three new Star Wars games, and Rebecca helps us catch up on the latest news and rumors from Nintendo.

LINKS:

• Blizzard working on survival game in first new universe since Overwatch | Windows Central
• Activision Blizzard won't recognize Raven Software union, will reorganize QA workers [update] | Windows Central
• Ubisoft is shutting down Hyper Scape | Windows Central
• Ubisoft calling gamers clueless about NFTs is the latest in a long string of insults | Windows Central
• EA, Respawn working on three Star Wars games, including Jedi Fallen Order follow-up | Windows Central
• Nintendo recap: Direct possibly coming in February, and Switch outsells PS1 | iMore

Microsoft has announced their intent to acquire Activision Blizzard. Our intrepid team analyze what it means for the industry, for gamers, and what's likely to change (or stay the same) as part of this massive deal.

There's a certain big headline in gaming news this week. Alas, we recorded a few days ago before the announcement went public about Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for beaucoup bucks! You can rest assured that we WILL be talking about that in our next episode.

But for now, there's plenty of other things to discuss — Game length, Xbox One bring discontinued, blatant Wordle ripoffs, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and more.

LINKS:

• Phil Spencer: Xbox has changed some things about working with Activision | Windows Central
• Dying Light 2's Techland revealed a 500-plus-hour completion time — controversy followed, but why? | Windows Central
• Xbox One line is discontinued and not being manufactured, says Microsoft | Windows Central
• Report: Sony will continue to produce PS4s through 2022 to offset PS5 supply issues | Android Central
• Developer behind Wordle App Store clone admits he 'crossed a line' after being called out | iMore
• Kirby and the Forgotten Land releases on March 25th | iMore
• New Pokémon Legends: Arceus trailer shows the return of trading and Experience Candy | iMore