Pixels & Ink

In an all hands on deck edition of the Pixels and Ink Podcast, the crew discuss everything from gamescom 2022, to the rise of fantasy sequels hitting streaming series everywhere.

Now that gamescom is over, Eduard joins Jordan, Dayna, Chris and Brendan to break down all the big announcements, previews and spectacle that made up this year's show. From the countless games that line the massive convention centre, to the crowds and publishers flooding one of the biggest in-person gaming events since the pandemic, this show was one to be remembered.

Beyond the talk of gamescom, the crew took some time to talk about the Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power along with The House of the Dragon and how these massive shows are shaping the landscape of streaming moving into the fall.

To round things off, with the summer now coming to a close, the crew look back at the games that were released, and how even though the months are normally slow, this has been a monumental time for gaming, both indie and AAA.

With gamescom 2022 underway, and FanExpo also coming back, the Pixels and Ink crew decided to take some time to discuss if big conventions are making a comeback, and what that will mean for the industry. With Jordan, Chris, and Brendan on cast to discuss, they dive into what the future holds for everyone that loves in-person events.

Looking past conventions, the cast also dive into the many issues and announcements coming out of Sony in recent days. From the PlayStation 5 price increase, to the PSVR2 having a launch window, there are some interesting times ahead for PlayStation fans.

To round this off, the crew looked into new IPs actually moving units. With Cult of the Lamb reaching over a million sales, and Elden Ring having sold over 16 Million, could the age of sequels be on the decline?

With the release of Stray on PC and PlayStation consoles, the debate about how a game's story should be told has started once again. Many people love to be completely immersed in the experience, with others wanting to ensure the option to be handheld as they work through the experience does not go away. In the latest episode of the Pixels and Ink Podcast, Eduard, Dayna, Chris and Brendan dive into the topic and see what really makes sense going forward.

Beyond this, the news of the full TIFF 2022 lineup is finally here, so the crew takes some time to delve into the list, how the festival is different this year, and what we all hope to see as in-person events are slowly coming back.

With episode 400 now here, the CGMagazine crew talk about the years of the magazine, and what were some of the most memorable moments up to this point. Chris, Dayna, Brendan and Jordan reminisce about the many gaming announcements, special guests, and news stories covered over the many years they have all been working together.

If that were not enough, the crew sit down and dissect the recent announcements from James Cameron about movie length, the new games coming to PS Plus, the latest antics from Ubisoft, and the excitement of Amazon Prime Day.

It turns out that some major players in the game industry are Canadian! WB Games Montréal is currently developing the new Gotham Knights and were previously responsible for Batman: Arkham Origins. This year, the newly created Haven Studios in Montréal announced that they are developing a "AAA multiplayer experience". All of that doesn't even touch on studios like Bioware, Yellow Brick Games or even countless indies created in our own backyard.

Streaming services were next up on the docket, and the team had some strong opinions, mainly "they own us".  Starting off with movie and TV services like Netflix, Crave, AMC+, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV, they clearly found out just how deep the streaming hole goes. Factoring in their console subscriptions, game subscriptions, even music and underwear subscriptions, this conversation went on a while.

The last love letter to Canada was surrounding Canadian media. Being Canada Day, it only made sense,. The cast discussed the number of Canadians in the limelight, even some that surprised them. They also touch on Canadian filming locations like St Catharines in A Christmas Story, or Toronto for The Boys, The Umbrella Academy and so many more, since it is "little New York".

Sequels, remakes and re-releases are dominating the sales charts, but is that a good thing? On this week's Pixels and Ink, Brendan, Chris, Dayna and David explore what these releases in movies and games do for the industry, and are they good for fans. Is it always better to release a new entry in an existing series, or is it sometimes good to go outside the box and see what new concepts could be explored.

Even with the year being dominated by sequels and re-releases, there are still some amazing titles both in movies and games that are worth everyone's time. For the second segment, the crew discuss some of the best of 2022 so far, looking at the best and must experience titles that may have slipped through the cracks.

Summer Game Fest has come to a close, and the Pixels & Ink Podcast is here to dive into all the latest announcements, news, and previews to make sure you do not miss out on any of the fun. Host Chris, Dayna, Brendan, and Eduard discuss everything, from the Play Days where the CGM Crew got to test out the latest and greatest, to the press conferences where we all got a glimpse of the next twelve months of gaming.

With Brendan and Dayna on-site at Summer Game Fest: Play Days, they get to tell us all about the games they played, including hands-on time with the games shown by Day of the Devs, Sonic Frontiers, Street Fighter 6, F1 2022, and the Gaming Hub from Samsung.

On this week's Pixels & Ink podcast: Chris, Dayna, David, and Jordan talk about everything revealed at the March State of Play and their hesitant excitement for the reveals. Continuing the reveal discussion, the gang talks a bit about the reveal gameplay for Sonic Frontiers—Jordan worries that it maybe looks TOO good. Afterwards, the gang talks about the extended gameplay reveal trailer for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. 

On this week’s Pixels & Ink Podcast: Brendan, Chris, Dayna and Jordan sit down to talk cross-overs in games like Fortnite with Among Us, PUBG with Evangelion, and even Marvel with...Marvel.

From there, the team discusses the Marvel Disney+ takeover, beginning with the new She-Hulk: Attorney At Law trailer, its story, graphics and the magnificent Tatiana Maslany. With movies like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness crossing over so closely with Marvel shows like Wandavision, is the MCU becoming too much?

With Silent Hill rumours running wild, the cast breaks down past games. Members mention which Silent Hill titles were great, which weren't and who they think should bring the title back for another run.

Dayna also shares her new found love for indie games, and how some of her favourites are no longer AAA titles. After reviewing Cat Cafe Manager and APICO in the last few weeks, the team discusses the charm behind indie darling.

On this week’s Pixels & Ink Podcast: Brendan, Khari, Dayna and Chris sit down to talk about the week's latest news, including the recent Sonos event, where the company announced a new soundbar that is looking to target a more budget conscious audience.

After this, the gang talked all about the potential of Commander Shepard returning for Mass Effect 4, ways to get the most from Xbox Game Pass, and the recent news of Bethesda delaying Starfield and RedFall to 2023.