Should video games be censored, or should anything go? The PlayStation ecosystem has recently found itself having to answer this important question, one framed around a peculiar (and often distasteful) grouping of fan service-heavy games. Some niche devs are claiming that they're being stymied, the consumers of those games aren't happy about it, and Sony itself has admitted that the rules are shifting. So, let's chat about where to go from here. Plus: December's PS+ games have arrived, GameStop posts a major financial loss, the FTC has its eyes on lootboxes, Fallout 76's drama continues, Rocksteady isn't making a Superman game, WayForward joins the Bloodstained team, and much more, enveloped -- as always -- by your questions, comments, and concerns. Oh, and it's Chris' birthday, so Colin got him a very appropriate gift. More details within.
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#23: The Censorship Conundrum

Sacred Symbols: A PlayStation Podcast is the internet's premiere weekly PlayStation show dedicated to coverage of PS5, PS4, PSVR2, and Sony's deep gaming legacy stretching back to the mid-'90s. Join 20+ year gaming industry veteran and PlayStation brand expert Colin Moriarty -- along with his co-hosts comedian Chris Ray Gun and producer Dustin Furman -- as they go through the news of the week, highlight the best recent games, and interact with their incredibly loyal audience, all without taking anything too seriously. New episodes post each and every Monday. To get early access to each episode, join thousands and thousands of your fellow listeners by supporting the show on Patreon at patreon.com/laststandmedia  

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Video Games

Games & Hobbies

Hobbies

Games

Leisure

For better or for worse, modern console manufacturers like Sony and Microsoft -- and even Nintendo -- are slowly learning that sustained success in the mid-to-long-term will require a wider view. Whether via mobile, or PC, or even your competitors' own machines, a certain message is getting through to the powers-that-be, and when it comes to Sony, the Japanese giant seems committed to opening a second front on home computers in particular. Thus comes word of a new PlayStation overlay that will launch with Ghost of Tsushima on PC this May, another step in a direction towards an inevitable conclusion. Other news this week includes so-called "transmog" drama in Helldivers 2, pending layoffs at publisher Take Two, compelling rumors of remakes for the original Persona game and its sequel, additional PS5 Pro details, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Do we track our gaming backlogs? Does Tencent's minority ownership of Stellar Blade developer Shift Up give us pause? How far back in time could you go before you could -- in no way, shape, or form -- explain what a video game was? Can British people ever overcome their insane shared vocabulary?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

Timestamps:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:26:55 - Sacred in Antigua
0:30:12 - British Vernacular
0:36:22 - Colin's Networking Solution
0:41:10 - Chris Ray Trump
0:43:09 - Dustin's vacancy
0:55:45 - Marriage insight
0:58:05 - Chess.com
1:10:39 - Ampere Analysis
1:16:23 - No Helldivers 2 transmog
1:22:04 - Take Two layoffs
1:36:08 - Ascendant Studios furloughed
1:37:37 - Persona remakes?
1:42:16 - March top downloads
1:45:39 - Possibility Space shut down
2:01:37 - Keanu Reeves cast in Sonic 3
2:02:48 - What We’re Playing
2:37:58 - PlayStation trophies on PC
2:56:54 - New PS5 Pro leaks
3:19:02 - Have we used Backloggd?
3:26:16 - Will companies chase the success of Helldivers?
3:35:47 - How do you explain video games to the past?
3:43:32 - Shift Up and Tencent
3:48:33 - Divergent timelines and parallel universes
3:54:57 - How do our personalities play into our taste?
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#303 | The Unified Field Theory

We've long-wondered what Sony's plans were with its dormant SOCOM franchise (or if it even had plans at all). After all, we can't just ignore the success the likes of Ubisoft have found with titles like Rainbow Six: Siege, and even in a post-Zipper Interactive world, it always felt like PlayStation's tactical shooter never really got a fair shake at success after its PS2 heyday. So color us both pleased and surprised when information from the resumé of a deceased actor pointed towards a SOCOM game that no one had ever even heard of: SOCOM 111. While it's fairly clear this project never got off the ground (or did it?), its existence gives us a fleeting glimpse into Sony's potential plans, and frankly, we can help but wonder if Zipper's defunct series may yet see the light of day in the future. Other news this week includes a release date for Star Wars: Outlaws, Vampire Survivors finally migrating to PlayStation platforms, Stellar Blade going gold, potential hiring for a new God of War game at Santa Monica studio, copious Destiny 3 and Dead Space 2 Remake rumors, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Will PlayStation's colorful old logo ever make a return? Do we ever rename the characters in our digital adventures? What's our worst 'losing progress in a game' experience? Should one listener extract his stolen garbage bin from his neighbor, no matter the cost?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:42:47 - Do you know what we look like?
0:46:42 - Colin's internet problems
0:55:01 - The return of Hector
0:57:14 - Micah Stan
1:00:19 - "clowns, the good kind"
1:07:05 - Plane worries
1:12:45 - Garbage can situation
1:21:36 - Portal hack correction
1:23:55- Stellar Blade has gone gold.
1:29:25 - Santa Monica Studio gearing up for a new God of War
1:37:47 - Dead Space 2 Remake drama
1:54:14 - Sea of Thieves PS5 closed beta
1:59:48 - Is Destiny 3 in development?
2:15:30 - Yuji Naka returns
2:19:41 - Fallout 4 next gen update
2:29:37 - What we've been playing
3:16:44 - New SOCOM rumors
3:32:42 - Star Wars Outlaws has a release date.
3:45:56 - Vampire Survivors is coming to PS5
3:53:25 - New PS Plus games
4:00:37 - Cozy games
4:09:08 - Will the original PlayStation logo come back?
4:15:23 - How do we name characters in games?
4:20:59 - Why do games keep getting greenlit?
4:28:00 - Game crash woes
4:33:38 - Ubisoft hate
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#302 | SOCOMeback

It was just a couple of weeks ago that we were discussing the newest PlayStation 5 Pro rumors, and now we have fresh scuttlebutt to parse through, particularly concerning our precious framerates and the potential of the still-unannounced console. But we can't help but also wonder what PS5's market potential will be. Will it spread the field or, as it's recently been suggested, merely sell to existing PS5 players? Heck, is there any saving console gaming at all in the long-term? Let's take some time to chat about all of that, plus other news: Helldivers 2's new patch, day-one games coming to PS+ Extra, Silent Hill 2 Remake's ESRB rating, revised PlayStation 2 sales numbers, and so much more. Then: Listener inquiries! How much to we absorb a given game's internal lore, codices, documentation, and so on? Are we ever going to figure out what a 'Soulsborne' actually is? Could a new Shark Tank-like show aimed at indie games help exciting products find their audience? Is Dustin hiding anything else from Colin and Chris that he'd like to talk about?

Start building credit at https://www.chime.com/sacred

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:27:41 - Is game drama exclusive on Twitter?
0:44:39 - Universal LSM fans
0:59:49 - Retro PlayStation Magazine
1:04:05 - Chris's Red Pants
1:12:37 - Tips for moving in together
1:18:10 - IGN's Zelda April Fools
1:21:19 - PlayStation Store Spring Sale
1:27:56 - New PS5 Pro news
1:41:51 - Helldivers 2 update
1:44:42 - PS+ Game Catalogue Day One games
1:50:55 - New PS2 sales data
1:57:16 - Portal hack reported to Sony
2:01:38 - Silent Hill 2 rated
2:19:10 - KOTOR Remake is alive
2:29:03 - Dragon's Dogman 2 Sales
2:29:59 - Unicorn Overlord 500k Copies sold
2:31:47 - Hollow Knight: Silksong incoming?
2:37:33 - PS5 Minecraft port
2:40:12 - What are we playing?
3:33:30 - Do we read collectibles and lore?
3:44:51 - "this will make me sound like a hater"
3:54:20 - Updated thoughts on the Portal
4:08:48 - What does SoulsBorne really mean?
4:20:54 - Pixel Pitch
4:31:20 - Post-game emptiness
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#301 | It's Never Too Late to Reinvent the Bicycle

Somehow, some way, we've made it to our 300th episode, and we did so without missing a single, solitary week between the first show in 2018 and today. We celebrated our milestone this past weekend with 500 listeners at a sold-out live show in New York City, and we're eager to reflect on what the experience meant to us. But the news marches on, too, albeit somewhat softly, and we'd be loath to ignore it. So let's delve in. The once-leaked Stellar Blade demo is set to be properly released on PSN by the time we publish, Embracer took a $800 million loss in selling Gearbox to Take Two, legendary game dev Shinji Mikami has founded a new team, Sony's Bend Studio seems to be going down the live service route, and more. Listener inquiries help us wrap things up, touching on topics like the golden era of RPGs, Dragon's Dogma 2's microtransaction drama, Nintendo's status as the ultimate gateway drug, and a listener too sick to come to Sacred 300 in NYC.

Start the Good Habit at https://www.tryfum.com/SACRED to save 10% off the Journey Pack today.

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:31:13 - Live show video?
0:36:01 - Sacred friends on the train
0:38:39 - Too sick for Sacred 300
0:41:05 - RIP
0:46:23 - YouTube Premium
0:52:39 - Stellar Blade demo incoming
0:55:51 - Embracer sells Gearbox to Take-Two
1:02:46 - Community Game Help
1:04:11 - Final Fantasy IX teased?
1:08:50 - It Takes Two sales
1:15:32 - Shinji Mikami is back
1:21:20 - What Are We Playing
1:42:44 - Sony Bend’s Live Service Project
1:56:33 - Final Fantasy XVI's DLC
2:02:10 - PS Plus Games
2:08:11 - The rise of RPGs
2:22:50 - Dragon's Dogma 2 discourse
2:38:29 - The power of $40-50 games
2:47:48 - The future of GameStop
3:00:21 - What's wrong with comic book games?
3:14:56 - Nintendo, the gateway console
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#300 | We're Nothing If Not Consistent

Various leaks (and our own sources) have long-indicated the arrival of a so-called PlayStation 5 Pro console this calendar year, and now new reports have given us a great idea of what this yet-unannounced machine can do. Similar to 2016's PlayStation 4 Pro, PS5's Pro model largely keeps its CPU functionality in place, instead focusing on GPU-centric graphical boosts that promise to please the discerning eye. Combined with mysterious proprietary upscaling technologies and AI-related features, it sounds like PlayStation 5 Pro will be a beastly machine when it comes to aesthetics. But what about the all-important framerate? The news may be less stellar. And the price? Well, that remains to be seen. We discuss. Other news this week includes continuing and seemingly never-ending drama at Sony's great unforced acquisition error Bungie, stalled sales numbers for Sony's struggling PSVR2 hardware, exceptional performance for Helldivers 2 on the US market, the beginning of the end (or maybe more like the end of the end) of Kotaku, and more. Then: Listener inquiries! Between multiple cancellations on one end and Helldivers 2 on the other, what is our current assessment of PlayStation's embryonic games-as-a-service initiative? Does Resident Evil 5's setting and antagonists make the game truly un-remakable? Has 2024's schedule of strong releases unabashedly picked up right where 2023 left off? Has our show successfully infiltrated Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, corrupting its personnel?

Please keep in mind that our timestamps are approximate, and will often be slightly off due to dynamic ad placement.

0:00:00 - Intro
0:18:17 - Sacred Symbols Military Base
0:20:27 - Use Sacred to make people think you're busy
0:27:44 - Boars Heads superiority
0:36:25 - Chris Chan catch-up
0:42:06 - concerning notification?
0:51:22 - Connie Booth goes to EA
0:59:09 - New Helldivers developments
1:03:09 - Palworld looking to release on PlayStation
1:09:07 - Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
1:18:18 - Halo co-creator's thoughts on EA
1:24:50 - Callisto Protocol spin-off
1:29:01 - Tales series character artist has pass away
1:30:22 - What We've Been Playing
1:41:50 - PS5 Pro leaks
2:14:17 - PSVR2 stops production
2:43:33 - Trouble at Bungie
3:06:32 - Monthly sales data
3:07:56 - Kotaku EIC resigns
3:15:17 - Community Managers
3:23:37 - What's the best handheld console?
3:36:28 - Should Resident Evil 5 be re-written?
3:47:28 - 2024 best year ever for games?
3:53:25 - Gut check on Sony live service games
4:01:21 - What games need to go?
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#23: The Censorship Conundrum

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