Shack Together

Welcome to episode 55 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest TJ Denzer to discuss his review of Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition, while also diving into the inexplicable announcement of Taco Bell's partnership with NVIDIA for AI integration. The show features the lovely, slightly belated "Operation Siege or Sham" segment, testing our knowledge of Rainbow Six Siege's numerous operations.

Today's episode covers several major releases, including our review of Assassin's Creed Shadows and an extensive preview lineup from GDC 2025 featuring titles like FBC: Firebreak, Winter Burrow, and The Finals Season 6. We also discuss Balatro's big win at the IGF GDC Awards 2025, where it took home Game of the Year honors.

In Story Time, we explore significant industry developments, including EA Sports College Football 26's player likeness payout details, Silent Hill F's platform reveal, and the formation of a united US-Canada video game workers union under CWA. We also cover NVIDIA's new partnership with GM for AI factory vehicles and Tesla's recall of 46,000 Cybertrucks. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Timestamps

• 00:01:12 Japanese Public Holidays
• 00:07:22 It's Shack Together!
• 00:09:35 TJ's Games: Deadlock, Xenoblade Chronicles X
• 00:33:15 John's Games: Pirate Yakuza, Assassin's Creed Shadows
• 00:58:00 Joe's Games: None!
• 00:58:50 Asif's Games: Wreckfest 2, F-Zero 99, Retro Slam Tennis, Bubbletron
• 01:07:04 Operation Siege or Sham!
• 01:18:43 Story Time!
• 01:18:59 Previews: FBC Firebreak, Winter Burro, Out of Sight, Clair Obscur, The Finals 6, To a T, The Knightling, Hero's Hand, Is This Seat Taken?
• 01:23:51 Reviews: Xenoblade Chronicles X, Assassin's Creed Shadows, FragPunk, Atelier Yumia
• 01:29:17 News: MLB + Nintendo, College Football 26, Game Dev Choice Awards 25, Atlus Games Are Hard, Nightdive's I Have No Mouth, Silent Hill f
• 01:37:53 Industry: Taco Bell AI, NVIDIA + GM, Tesla Recall, CWA Union, BYD Fast Charging
• 01:54:59 Community Notes

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Taco Bell & Yum Brands partner with NVIDIA for AI integration
• Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition review
• Assassin's Creed Shadows review
• FBC: Firebreak preview
• The Finals Season 6 Team Deathmatch preview
• EA Sports College Football 26 player likeness payout
• IGF GDC Awards 2025 winners
• Silent Hill F reveal platforms
• NVIDIA & GM AI factory vehicle deal
• Tesla recalls 46,000 Cybertrucks over exterior panels
• US-Canada united video game worker CWA union announced

Welcome to episode 54 of Shack Together! Today's show kicks off with John sharing his excitement about his new tabletop SEGA arcade, while we dive into major gaming news including Death Stranding 2's release date announcement as well as Josh Broadwell's (who was not able to join us today) emphatic reception of Wanderstop.

The gaming industry sees some significant shifts this week, with Niantic selling Pokemon GO to Scopely and Nintendo announcing their San Francisco location's opening date. We also explore new previews of Rainbow Six Siege X Dual Front and Mandragora, while touching on our review coverage for Wanderstop and The Hungry Lamb.

In addition, we discuss several curious announcements, including Katamari Damacy Live coming to Apple Arcade and the unfortunate shutdown of Mountaintop Studios' Spectre Divide. We also cover Apple's AI Siri delay and other industry developments. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Timestamps

• 00:01:07 First Ever Cold Open Audio Unboxing: Astro City Mini by SEGA
• 00:06:23 It's Shack Together!
• 00:07:02 John's Games: Pirate Yakuza
• 00:12:48 Joe's Games: PC Parts!
• 00:27:40 Asif's Games: Retro Slam Tennis, Super Mario Maker 2, F-Zero 99
• 00:39:42 No Game Today
• 00:39:59 Story Time
• 00:40:03 Previews: Rainbow Six Siege X, Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree
• 00:49:35 Reviews: Wanderstop, The Hungry Lamb: Traveling in the Late Ming Dynasty
• 00:56:53 News: Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Space Marine 3 in development, Katamari Mobile, Spectre Divide shut down
• 01:17:56 Industry: Niantic Sells Portfolio, Nintendo SF, Apple Delays Intelligence
• 01:37:26 Community Notes

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Rainbow Six Siege X Dual Front Preview
• Mandragora Preview
• Wanderstop Review
• The Hungry Lamb Review
• Death Stranding 2 release date
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 3 announced
• Katamari Damacy Live Apple Arcade announcement
• Spectre Divide shutdown at Mountaintop Studios
• Niantic sells Pokemon GO to Scopely
• Nintendo San Francisco opening date
• Apple AI Siri delay

Welcome to episode 53 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest TJ Denzer to discuss his review of Split Fiction, while we all buzz with nostalgic excitement over the (formal) announcement of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Remake. Today's show also features an in-depth look at Metacritic's 2024 publisher rankings, where a certain prolific publisher, famous for a certain Blue Blur, claimed the top spot.

The show features our Publisher Draft segment, breaking down Metacritic's comprehensive ranking system that evaluates publishers based on their average Metascores, quality ratios, and ability to avoid critical failures. From industry giants like Capcom and Sony to smaller publishers like Aksys Games and Gamera Games, our squad competitvely drafts last year's top players in an effort to come out on top.

In Story Time, we cover major industry developments including Monster Hunter Wilds reaching 8 million sales, Neil Druckmann's comments on The Last of Us Part 3, and the revival of the Acclaim publishing brand. We also discuss Pokemon TCG Pocket hitting 100 million downloads and explore several Steam Next Fest demos including Fumes and Curiosity. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Timestamps

• 00:01:11 LinkedIn Jump Scare
• 00:08:50 It's Shack Together!
• 00:09:35 TJ's Games: MH Wilds, KCDII, Split Fiction, Atomfall
• 00:26:36 John's Games: Pirate Yakuza
• 00:32:25 Joe's Games: Mother 3 Complete, XDefiant, PC Shopping
• 00:43:20 Asif's Games: MH Wilds, Retro Slam Tennis, Mario Maker 2, F-Zero 99
• 01:01:41 Shack Together's Metacritic Publisher Draft 2024
• 01:29:09 Story Time
• 01:29:19 David Craddock's Long Read: Catacomb 3-D
• 01:30:16 Previews: FUMES, Sims 4 DLC, Warframe Techrot, Curiosity
• 01:33:36 Reviews: Split Fiction, WWE 2K25, Slime Heroes, Knights in Tight Spaces, Carmen Sandiego
• 01:42:51 News: THPS3+4, TLoU 3, Absolum, MH Wilds Sales, Pokemon TCG Downloads
• 01:47:49 Industry News: Discord IPO, Acclaim is Back, Sasanqua Launch, Digg Returns
• 01:53:54 Community Notes

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Split Fiction review
• SEGA named top publisher of 2024
• Living the Dream: The Making of Catacomb 3-D
• Fumes Demo - Steam Next Fest
• The Sims 4: Businesses & Hobbies Preview
• WWE 2K25 Review: Island of Relevancy
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 Remake announced
• Neil Druckmann: Don't bet on The Last of Us Part 3
• Monster Hunter Wilds reaches 8 million sold
• Pokemon TCG Pocket hits 100 million downloads
• Acclaim publishing brand revived
• Studio Sasanqua opening with Kenji Ozawa

Welcome to episode 52 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest Bill Lavoy to discuss his take on Monster Hunter Wilds, while Pokemon fans worldwide buzz with excitement over the newly revealed Pokemon Legends: Z-A gameplay and the announcement of Pokemon Champions.

Today's show features Asif's mystery game segment which does feature a Monster Hunter flavor, alongside discussions of fresh previews from Steam Next Fest including Monaco 2 and Splitgate 2. We also dive into reviews of recent releases like Two Point Museum and Omega 6, while covering major industry news including Fable's delay to 2026 and Bloober Team's mysterious new collaboration with Konami.

In Story Time, we explore NVIDIA's impressive Q4 2025 earnings report and growing demand for their Blackwell GPUs, while also discussing devestating industry developments like Warner Bros. Games shutting down Monolith Studios. PlayStation VR2 gets a significant price cut for March 2025, and the Annapurna Interactive Showcase brings exciting new announcements and gameplay reveals. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Timestamps

1. 00:01:19 John's Airpods
2. 00:02:20 Intro
3. 00:06:32 Bill's Games - Monster Hunter Wilds
4. 00:21:38 John's Games - Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
5. 00:27:16 Joe's Games - Mother 3
6. 00:27:55 Asif's Games - REKT Party, Retro Slam, Omega 6, ToTK, F-Zero 99
7. 00:33:10 Game! Monster Hunter or Make Believe
8. 00:51:21 Previews - Monaco 2, Splitgate 2
9. 00:54:48 Reviews - MH Wilds, Omega 6, PGA Tour 2K25, Two Point Museum
10. 01:04:27 News - Pokemon Day, Fable Delayed, Bloober + Konami, + more
11. 01:27:02 Industry News - NVIDIA Earnings, PSVR 2 Price Cut, Monolith Shuttered
12. 01:56:06 Community Notes

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Monaco 2 Preview - Steam Next Fest Demo
• Splitgate 2 Hands-on Preview
• Monster Hunter Wilds Review
• Omega 6 Review
• PGA Tour 2K25 Review
• Two Point Museum Review
• Pokemon Legends: Z-A gameplay reveal
• Pokemon Champions reveal
• Fable delayed to 2026
• Bloober Team and Konami announce new game
• Annapurna Interactive Showcase 2025 recap
• NVIDIA (NVDA) Q4 2025 earnings report
• PlayStation VR2 March 2025 price cut
• Warner Bros. Games shuts down Monolith & Player First Games

Welcome to episode 51 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest Sam Chandler to discuss his in-depth (and belated - our fault, not his) review of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and share insights on the latest S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 update. In addition, TJ Denzer (not present) has published their review of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which we touch on during today's episode as well.

Our main segment today introduces "NOW! That's What I Call Trivia: Volume Gaming," a game that tests the crew's knowledge on everything from Marvel Rivals to Annapurna Interactive's catalogue of releases. In Story Time, we cover significant industry developments, including NetEase Games' Marvel Rivals layoffs despite the game's enormous popularity, GameStop's sale of its Canadian and French operations, and Pacific Drive reaching 1 million units sold. We also discuss the newly announced Annapurna Interactive Showcase 2025 and share impressions of the Delta Force: Black Hawk Down campaign. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Timestamps

• 0:00.000 Episode Summary
• 0:58.060 Chicken Chain Restaurants
• 13:43.046 It's Shack Together
• 14:44.963 Sam's Games - KC:D2, Elden Ring Neightreign
• 19:11.734 John's Games - Pirate Yakuza, GT7 on PS5 Pro
• 30:41.164 Joe's Games - Mother 3
• 36:02.404 Asif's Games - Balatro, F-Zero 99, Tokyo Xtreme Racer, Mario Maker 2
• 46:24.326 NOW! That's What I Call Trivia: Volume Gaming
• 1:15:08.506 Previews - Delta Force
• 1:16:51.511 Reviews - Pirate Yakuza, Warriors: Abyss, Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog
• 1:23:09.464 News - Annapurna Interactive Showcase announced, Pacific Drive sales numbers
• 1:25:13.497 Industry News - Unity Stocky, Rivian Stock, Cliffy B's Panic Garden, Marvel Rivals and NetEase, + more
• 1:54:42.227 Community Notes

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Update 1.2 patch notes
• Delta Force: Black Hawk Down campaign impressions
• Stories from Sol: Gun Dog review
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review
• Annapurna Interactive Showcase 2025 date and time announced
• Pacific Drive reaches 1 million units sold
• StreamElements State of the Stream January 2025: Marvel Rivals
• NetEase Games Marvel Rivals layoffs
• NetEase Games issues statement on Marvel Rivals layoffs
• GameStop sells Canada and Micromania France stores
• Humane AI Pin end date, bought by HP

Welcome to episode 50 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest TJ Denzer to break down the latest PlayStation State of Play showcase, which brought major announcements including Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's release date and Housemarque's new project Saros. TJ also shares his hands-on impressions of Killing Floor 3, giving us insight into the next chapter of the zombie-slaying franchise.

The State of Play dominated our discussion with its packed lineup of reveals, from Sonic Racing CrossWorlds to the intriguing Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. We also got a demo release announcement for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii along with the announcement of Lies of P: Overture, a snowy expansion of the beloved title.

In Story Time, we explore previews of South of Midnight and Elden Ring: Nightreign, alongside reviews of unique titles like Rift of the NecroDancer and Urban Myth Dissolution Center. The industry news rounds out with PS5 reaching an impressive 74.9 million units sold and Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii providing an update on the mysterious Dragon Quest 12. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Killing Floor 3 Hands-on Preview
• South of Midnight Hands-on Preview
• Elden Ring: Nightreign Preview
• PlayStation February 2025 State of Play
• Sonic Racing CrossWorlds announced
• Shinobi: Art of Vengeance release date announcement
• The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020 release date
• Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater release date
• Saros game announcement from Housemarque
• Lies of P: Overture reveal trailer
• Dragon Quest 12 Yuji Horii February 2025 update
• PS5 sales reach 74.9 million units

Welcome to the 49th episode of Shack Together! This week, we're thrilled to have fan-favorite David Craddock joining us for our "49er or Capcom Fighter" segment. In this segment, we challenge the crew's knowledge of San Francisco 49ers players and Capcom video game characters. Why this particular combination, you ask? Sometimes the best ideas start with a catchy title. Also sometimes mediocre ideas start with a catchy title. I'm not sure this title's even catchy.

In Story Time, we dive into hands-on previews of upcoming titles including WWE 2K25, Apex Legends: Takeover Season 24, and Dune: Awakening. We also cover major reviews of anticipated releases like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, Civilization 7, and Citizen Sleeper 2. The news brings some interesting developments, including Forza Horizon 5's surprise PS5 release announcement and Steam's new warning system for abandoned Early Access games.

Industry updates include ESA's announcement of IICON 2026, Nintendo Switch reaching new lifetime sales milestones, and EA's latest live service revenue reports. We also discuss Google's removal of their AI pledge and the slow sales figures for Mario and Luigi: Brothership. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Articles mentioned in this episode

• WWE 2K25 Preview: Throw your ones to the sky
• Apex Legends: Takeover Season 24 Preview
• Dune: Awakening Hands-on Preview - January 2025
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Review
• Spirit Swap Review
• Civilization 7 Review
• Steam adds warning system for abandoned Early Access games
• Forza Horizon 5 coming to PS5
• ESA announces IICON 2026 event
• Nintendo Switch lifetime console sales update
• Google removes AI pledge
• EA reports 2024 live service revenue

Welcome to episode 48 of Shack Together! We're joined by special guest Donovan Erskine to break down all the exciting announcements from the Xbox Developer_Direct, including the highly anticipated DOOM: The Dark Ages. The presentation brought several major reveals, including Ninja Gaiden 4, South of Midnight's release date, and an in-depth look at what's next for the DOOM franchise.

In Story Time, we cover a wide range of topics including Ted Price's retirement from Insomniac, the winners of the New York Game Awards 2025, and reviews of interesting new titles like Synduality: Echo of Ada and Mika and the Witch's Mountain. We also cover some discouraging industry news, with the cancellation of both the God of War live service game and Extremely OK Games' Earthblade, while celebrating Balatro's impressive milestone of 5 million copies sold. Last, we discuss Netflix's latest subscription price hike and Samsung's AI-focused Galaxy S25 announcement. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Watch Xbox Developer Direct January 2025
• Ninja Gaiden 4 reveal
• South of Midnight release date
• DOOM: The Dark Ages release date
• God of War live service game cancelled
• Extremely OK Games cancels Earthblade
• Balatro hits 5 million copies sold
• Assassin's Creed Shadows final preview
• Insomniac CEO Ted Price announces retirement
• New York Game Awards 2025 winners
• Netflix subscription price hike 2025
• Samsung Galaxy S25 AI smartphone

Welcome to episode 47 of Shack Together! Our gaming adventures continue as I wrap up Astrobot with a decidedly above average score and subsequently dive into Yakuza Kiwami, while Greg Burke joins us to share his continued thoughts on Marvel Rivals. John's been splitting time between Marvel Rivals, Fortnite Ballistic, and completing God of War Ragnarök, while Asif maintains his ever-eclectic mix of Disco Elysium, F-Zero, Balatro, and (you guessed it) Marvel Rivals.

Today's show, however, is dominated by the recent Nintendo Switch 2 announcement. We dive deep into the reveal, discussing our expectations for the launch lineup (including potential titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, Silksong, and Metaphor ReFantazio), backward compatibility concerns, and our hopes and fears for Nintendo's next generation of gaming.

In Story Time, we cover a range of news including hands-on previews of Civilization 7 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, AGDQ 2025's impressive fundraising total, and Sony's intriguing AI player input lag patent. We also discuss the upcoming Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo release and TikTok's preparation for potential USA server shutdowns. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

Articles mentioned in this episode

• Nintendo Switch 2 reveal
• Switch 2 Nintendo Direct coming April 2025
• New Mario Kart teased for Switch 2
• Civilization 7 preview
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii preview
• Donkey Kong Country Returns HD review
• Dynasty Warriors Origins review
• EA Sports College Football 26 announced
• Sony AI player input lag patent
• Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo release date
• AGDQ 2025 final total
• DICE Awards 2025 nominations
• TikTok USA servers shutdown prep

Welcome to episode 46 of Shack Together! Today's show features our first-ever Gaming Resolutions Draft, where we compete over a set of insane pre-defined gaming goals for 2025. It's a chaotic way to start the year, as we each try to draft the most achievable (or least ambitious) gaming goals for the many months ahead.

In Story Time, we cover some exciting developments, including AGDQ 2025's ongoing charity marathon, Ubisoft's potential strategic changes, and NVIDIA's reveal of their RTX Blackwell 50-series GPUs at CES 2025. We also discuss LocalThunk's Golden Thunk GOTY award going to Animal Well, and Valve's interesting move to bring SteamOS to the Lenovo Legion Go S. And that's all for today's show! Thanks as always for listening and enjoy!

• Freedom Wars Remastered review
• Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana review
• Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete review
• Awesome Games Done Quick 2025: Watch Day 5
• Ubisoft pursuing strategic options
• Assassin's Creed Shadows delayed
• Xbox Developer Direct announcement
• Animal Well wins Golden Thunk GOTY
• Steve Gibson joins Cooldown Games
• NVIDIA RTX Blackwell announcement
• Valve bringing SteamOS to Lenovo Legion Go S