Hardware is more expensive, games are more expensive, and not there are even fewer studios making them. Bad news is in air this week as the games industry is dealing with some data-center constrained realities. This week we try to hunker down through it all! Show Notes:

• Music by Brad Sucks

We are back and overflowing with game news! The video game summer Santa himself, Geoff Keighley, has come to town and left behind some shiny new trailers and announcements for all of us good kids. Whether you like first person horror or games or have really been craving a new Gitaroo Man, it has been a packed few weeks. Join us as we try to unpack a small portion of it!

It's time to find out what's truly more horrifying: ghosts or a hundred blue balls flying at your face! This week on the EXP Podcast, we debrief on the recent remake of Fatal Frame 2 and Saros, a highly-anticipated follow-up to Returnal. We also have a sparkly new domain to find us at in the future!

Show Notes: - Music by Brad Sucks

I have ventured into movie theater, with my family no less, and have lived to tell the tale. I couldn't escape The Super Mario Galaxy Movie's gravitational pull. How did my wallet and my psyche fare? You'll have to be the judge as we discuss both that movie and a couple other big transmedia happenings in the video game world.

We are back with our 800th (numbered) episode! This week on the show, we celebrate the only way we know how - talking about video games. This time we round out the Polaris List with debrief on Slay the Spire and Outer Wilds, then go for a ride with Donkey Kong Bonanza and Pragmata. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been listening to us over the years. We see you and we appreciate you! Show Notes:

• Music by Brad Sucks

We couldn't let March pass us by without doing our annual Journey debrief! We're well over a decade of debriefs on this game and it's very much become a symbol in my year. Forget about New Year's Eve; my year hasn't truly begun until I've made the trek up the mountain and talked about it with Jorge.

Won't someone think of the children!? This week on the EXP Podcast we open up a loot box and discover both misguided and righteous regulatory attention. And here I was hoping for a Switch 2.

Show notes:

- "PEGI Revises its age ratings," via Game Developer

- "Valve argues mystery boxes are 'widely used' in the tangible world," via Game Developer

- Music Brad Sucks

This week, we talk about Microsoft's rumblings about their next console and how Sony is rumored to be staying far away from those tremors. But what will it all mean in thousands of years? Perhaps some far-future technology will be able to piece together our console war in the way that we piece together Roman board games today.

We are back this week with two very different animal-themed video games: one about the trauma of war and dark magic inflicted on children... and the other about cats and butts! Join us for a debrief on two long-awaited games, neither of which you should play with your kids.

Show notes:

- Music Brad Sucks

Could it be that the reason this was so late in posting was because I got obsessed with Overwatch and finally launched by esports career? No; just boring life stuff getting in the way. If only I had another multiplayer live service game to motivate me, one with wacky robots and cartoonish characters. And I'm not talking about Fortnite, although Epic and Microsoft most certainly are. Yes it's another week of palace intrigue in the world of video games and we are here to further add to the whispers while we await some of 2026's large releases.