In this podcast, we take deep dives into two new PS5 titles. It Takes Two is a corny romantic two-person local cooperative game. Returnal is an atmospheric first person shooter featuring bullet hell difficulty and no easy mode. Both games are long, but neither outlasts its welcome. How do these very different games handle pacing and story ambiguity? There are also reviews for Killer Queen and No Man's Sky: Expedition 2 (Beachhead).

Introductions 0:00 - 3:20

Review: It Takes Two 3:21 - 7:24

It Takes Two: Cinematic style vs length vs minigames 3:22 - 15:07

It Takes Two: Local coop and communication 15:08 - 18:34

It Takes Two: Inclusivity and gender norm subversion 18:35 - 23:09

Review: Killer Queen 23:10 - 31:05

Nicole and Alex depart 31:06 - 33:20

Review: No Man's Sky: Expedition 2 / Beachhead

33:21 - 43:05 Review: Returnal (no spoilers)

43:06 - 47:38 Returnal: Theories on the story (spoilers) 47:39 - 1:06:59

Returnal: Accessibility and hardware tricks 1:07:00 - 1:10:39

Returnal: Save Issues, Rest Mode, and PS5 console lights 1:10:40 - 1:23:48