But also: does it even matter? This week join Max Scoville along with IGN’s Kat Bailey and Ben Watts, plus special guest Kahlief Adams from the podcast SpawnOnMe. We frantically recap some of the highlights of the vaguely E3-shaped blob of showcases, presentations and virtual events, including: Mortal Kombat 1 striking a balance between being charmingly cartoony and disgustingly realistic, while also appealing to both hardcore and casual fighting game fans. Sidenote, which is grosser: a man being cleaved in half by a hat made out of a razor-sharp saw blade, or casually blowing a snot rocket in polite company? Star Wars Outlaws looks awesome, and we could probably prattle on about that until we’re blue in the face, but why do that when we can have a serious discussion about how successful Foamstars will be in the already crowded service game space? On a less enthusiastic note, we reflect on Sony’s recent PlayStation Showcase, which effectively kicked off the summer event season, but paled in comparison to some of the big reveals that followed. Does it matter? There are plenty of new games coming out, PlayStation 5 is selling well. 

Sure, PSVR 2 owners are being woefully neglected, and the Project Q is something nobody asked for, but it’d be nice if Sony was as willing to put on a show like some of the competition. In other news, Diablo 4 is a massive game in a year full of massive games, and we reflect upon how it’s hooking new and old players alike. As IGN’s resident Armored Core fan, Kat has strong feelings about the rapidly approaching Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. It seems to be taking a few cues from FromSoftware’s recent games, but it’s staying faithful to the original games, not trying to be a mecha-flavored Soulsborne. As IGN’s resident Yakuza (er, Like a Dragon) fan, Max has some strong feelings about the reveal trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and feels it is easily the best video game trailer featuring a nude man on a beach since Death Stranding’s debut.

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