Beyond

In a surprise move, Valve has announced plans for a Steam Machine console, taking PC gaming from desktops into living rooms in a big way. Sony’s had the market cornered this console generation, but does the introduction of a device that simplifies PC gaming for more casual players (while still allowing more tech-savvy ones to get under the hood) pose a threat to the future of PlayStation? With Sony putting more games on PC, that means a PS5 isn’t the only way to play Ghost of Yotei and Death Stranding 2 on your couch. At the very least, it’s new competition, and competition is good news for players. In other news, a bunch of games about mice came out this month, Morsels, Winter Burrow and Whiskerwood. What’s up with all these mice? This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Published: 19 November 2025

This week, Sony surprised us with a nice little State of Play presentation focusing on PlayStation games coming from Japanese and Asian studios, which included a tease of Elden Ring Nightreign’s first major DLC, The Forsaken Hollows as well as what’s in store for Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls’ upcoming closed beta test. We also got a look at some cool horror games like Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Remake, BrokenLore: Unfollow and Ascend, plus some JRPG stuff like Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined and Octopath Traveller 0. Plus, we reflect on Sony’s latest PlayStation hardware (which is more PC-related gear) and the state of Marvel Games, which is… really good? Tokon Fighting Souls, Cosmic Invasion and Insomniac’s Wolverine game being just a few of the promising looking additions to that universe. This weeks show is hosted by Max Scoville, Nick Limon, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 November 2025

This week, we’ve heard Rockstar games co-founder Dan Houser talking about cancelled GTA 5 story DLC and Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman sharing his pitch for a Saints Row reboot, which has us lamenting the lack of open-world action games set in contemporary settings. Specifically, the kind where you can steal cars and cause mayhem - you know, like in GTA. It feels like we used to get these all the time, and now, they’re few and far between, assuming they see the light of day. The Saints Row reboot was a flop, and Volition isn’t around anymore. Mindseye didn’t deliver on its ambitious premise. Contraband, the project from Just Cause developer Avalanche was cancelled. Sleeping Dogs might get a movie courtesy of Simu Liu, but it seems unlikely we’ll get a new game anytime soon. What happened? Will we ever see this kind of game make a comeback? What about The Simpsons Hit & Run? Plus, Sony has a new holiday ad campaign that harkens back to the weirdo marketing of the PlayStation 2. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 November 2025

It’s almost Halloween, so what better excuse to geek out about horror games? Max and Brian take a look back at the horror franchises that dominated each generation of PlayStation console. From the birth of Resident Evil on the PS1 to Silent Hill and Fatal Frame’s numerous outings on the PlayStation 2, to the PS3/360 era that gave us Dead Space, Condemned and of course, The Last of Us. A few major games arrived right on the cusp between PlayStation 3 and PS4, The Evil WIthin and Alien Isolation. And, of course, Bloodborne, which is absolutely a horror game and I can’t believe we have to keep having this conversation. Anyway, we also ranked the best horror games on PlayStation in the worst way possible, blindly assigning them ranking on a list without knowing what other games are contenders. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 October 2025

In the video game equivalent of Hell freezing over or pigs flying, the original Halo is coming to PlayStation. Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full Unreal Engine 5 overhaul of the 2001 Xbox original, and in honor of the 25th anniversary, it’s going multi-platform sometime next year. Nick got a chance to play it, and shared his impressions about new features, control changes, UI improvements, and more, as well as some of the stuff we don’t know, like how four-player coop will change the experience, or when the actual release date is. Meanwhile, Jada breaks down the new Secret Lair x PlayStation Superdrop of Magic: The Gathering cards featuring some beloved Sony video came properties like God of War, The Last of Us, Horizon, and even Twisted Metal. In other rare collectible news, Sony’s dropping a gorgeous coffee table book about the history of the PlayStation 1, as well as some super limited edition Reeboks in that classic PS1 colorway. If you need a new way to compulsively make hours melt away, Ball x Pit might be for you, though if you have chores to do or loved ones to spend time with, it might not be advisable. Meanwhile, Max sucks at Battlefield 6 but loves it, Jada has issues with Digimon Story: Time Stranger’s UI, Nick went to a real haunted house, and complains about it being too scary until it wasnt, and probably something else I forgot to mention but you probably stopped reading by now so I think we’re in the clear. Beyond! This weeks show was Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tom Jorgensen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2025

SPOILER ALERT! This week, we’re talking Ghost of Yotei yet again, but delving deep into late game content, including the ending. Joining us to unpack all that, and answer some more questions about how the open-world samurai epic came together are creative director Jason Connel and lead writer Ian Ryan from Sucker Punch Productions. We discuss story changes, their first impressions of Atsu, how Erika Ishii was cast, and what fan feedback about Ghost of Tsushima informed the direction of this sequel. Beyond! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 October 2025

This week on Beyond Jada Griffin is hosting yet again! Joined by Michael Higham, and Nick Maillet to talk more about Ghost of Yotei. We dive into how the Japanese community is embracing Yotei for how it quintessentially feels like Hokkaido, a few of the smaller touches of things we liked such as the various minigames in Yotei, and a couple of platinum trophy tips from Jada. We also read some viewer questions and thoughts after their first weekend with Yotei, and finally talk about the things we’d like to see in the inevitable Legends mode that will come to Yotei in the future. All this and more on this week's BEYOND! This weeks epsiode is Jada Griffin, Michael Higham, and Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 October 2025

Ghost of Yotei is almost out, and this week we’re joined by to members of the team at Sucker Punch Productions who were behind it. Creative director Jason Connell and art director Joanna Wang tell us about how the studio approached their follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, from the cinematic inspirations to the real world research that informed this new open-world vision of Japan, and its new protagonist Atsu, played by Erika Ishii. Plus, the hidden significance of the game’s logo, how collaboration with Takashi Miike and Shinichiro Watanabe came together, and the possibility of a Ghost game not set in feudal Japan. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 October 2025

Ghost of Yotei isn’t out for a little while, but the reviews are in, and we’re joined by IGN’s Michael Higham to discuss Sucker Punch’s highly anticipated samurai sequel stacks up compared to its predecessor. Ghost of Tsushima was one of the last great first-party exclusives of the PS4 era, but Ghost of Yotei takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5, and it’s definitely worth the wait. Join us as we discuss the improved visuals, open-world design, main story (without any spoilers) combat, and our handful of minor frustrations. How has stealth changed? What are the new weapons like? How does Atsu compare to Jin Sakai? How does Yotei’s climate and terrain compare to that of Tsushima? And, of course, how does this game feel after 2025’s other big open-world samurai game, but most importantly, why didn’t it get as high a review score at Ghost of Tsushima? We unpack all this and more in this week’s episode of Hosts of Yotei. This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Michael Higham and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 September 2025

Sony suprised everyone with their September State of Play and Max, Jada, Brian, and Nick broke down every major game announced. Starting off with the first look at the long awaited Marvel's Wolverine, and it didnt dissapoint. Wolverine is definitely earning it's likely M rating, and everyone on the show (espically Jada) was impressed with the small amount of gameplay we saw today. It's safe to say that we cant wait to sink our claws into it next year. Take a minute to soak in how well crafted that last sentence was, but not for too long because the crew also broke down other notable games from the stream such as Halloween, Saros, Megaman in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, Zero Parades for Dead Spies, Nioh 3, Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and why the Sony Desktop Speakers are interesting. Beyond! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Nick Limon and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 September 2025

This week we’re joined by notorious tie-guy Travis Northup, who just dropped his review of Borderlands 4, and who also went hands on with some large scale maps in Battlefield 6 at a preview event. What do these two games have in common, besides being shooters? They’re both shaping up to be returns-to-form for a couple series that haven’t stuck the landing with their core fanbase in recent installments. But sure enough, Gearbox has stuck to its guns (all bajllion of them) getting the looter-shooter in fighting shape, and it seems its first foray into the open-world space is fairly successful, aside from some rough technical edges. Meanwhile, EA and DICE clearly pulled out all the stops in making Battlefield 6 as big and loud as possible, but it also sounds like it’s going back to basics, cribbing from series highlights, going so far as featuring a beloved Battlefield 3 map, Operation: Firestorm. On a completely unrelated note, we were also joined by Bennett Foddy (of QWOP fame) to discuss the new open-world hiking game, Baby Steps, which is quite literally a walking simulator - and a very challenging one at that. Bennett discusses some of his inspirations and influences, which yes, include the Dark Souls games and their ilk, which seem downright easy compared to Baby Steps at times. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - Borderlands 4 Is No Bore 33:36 - IGN Fan Fest Returns This October 35:27 - Battlefield 6 Preview Impressions 51:07 - Baby Steps Developer Interview With Bennett Foddy 01:17:40 - BEYOND! This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Travis Northup, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 September 2025

The year is far from over, and some of the biggest game releases are still yet to come - so let’s run down 25 games of various shapes, sizes, genres, flavors and configurations that have our attention for one reason or another. From the obvious big sequels like Ghost of Yotei, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, to smaller offbeat indies like Baby Steps, Bye Sweet Carole and Mina the Hollower, we’ve got a lot to keep us busy in the coming months. The formerly PSVR 2-exclusive Alien Rogue Incursion gets a regular flat version, and Terminator 2 gets a retro-styled arcade side-scroller in Terminator 2D: No Fate. Double Dragon Revive puts the classic brawler in the capable and probably very calloused hands of the team at Arc System Works, Once Upon a Katamari lets us roll some new crap from throughout history into a big ball, and The Outer Worlds 2 indulges our worst decision-making abilities. 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Skate 04:08 - Dying Light: The Beast 06:37 - Baby Steps 10:30 - Silent Hill f 13:44 - Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds 19:24 - Alien Rogue Incursion - Part One: Evolved Edition 23:16 - Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles 25:50 - Ghost of Yotei 26:46 - Digimon Story: Time Stranger 28:36 - Bye Sweet Carole 31:35 - Dreams of Another 33:13 - Little Nightmares III 35:45 - Ninja Gaiden 4 38:39 - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 41:53 - Double Dragon Revive 44:37 - Once Upon a Katamari 46:48 - The Outer Worlds 2 49:11 - ARC Raiders 52:54 - Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD - 2D Remake 54:28 - Terminator 2D: No Fate 57:38 - Mina The Hollower 01:00:40 - Satisfactory 01:03:30 - Where Winds Meet 01:06:16 - Outlaws & Handful of Missions 01:07:38 - Octopath Traveler 0 01:12:48 - Beyond Community Suggestions This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2025

This week we break down Sony's surprise 007 First Light state of play and why the game looks like it's going to be Hitman With a Dash of Uncharted, Sleeping Dogs & GTA. It's been a while since we've had a good 007 game and thats looking to change thanks in part to the game's developers history making the Hitman games (which are basically 007 games without the goofiness and excellent hair). 007 First Light is looking promising, but we wont know fully until next year. As far as games you can play around now, Jada and Max talk about their imprsssions of Cronos: The New Dawn and Hell is Us and Brian talks about how hes been playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. All of which involve a guy wearing a cool outfit fighting very uncool monsters. They end the show with a discussion about the new Halloween game that was announced at gamescom and more importantly, John Carpenters love for the nintendo labo. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 00:11 - 007: First Light Gameplay Reveal 33:19 - Hell is Us 45:38 - Cronos: The New Dawn 52:01 - Theres a new Halloween Game 55:34 - John Carpenter Loves Nintendo Cardboard This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 September 2025

We’re back from gamescom, jetlagged, but excited to have some new and upcoming games to discuss. Capcom had a solid lineup including Pragmata, which doesn’t put puzzles above shooting, but still has puzzles, and probably isn’t a Mega Man prequel. The Resident Evil Requiem demo we had didn’t blow us away, but it also didn’t show too much, and maybe the element of surprise will work in its favor, much as it does with the best horror movie trailers that don’t show too much. High on Life 2 contains playable retro games, and probably really bad ones, and you can do sword things sword of swordways in Onimusha: Way of the Sword. LEGO Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight was one of the biggest surprise announcements out of ONL, and we’re very much looking forward to it, though anyone expecting a serious Arkham game, or a conventional TT Games minifig collect-a-thon might want to adjust their expectations, as it seems to be a mix of the two. Finally, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a damn good time, and it remakes one of the best games ever made with plenty of added bonuses, but without changing too much. Perhaps it could have benefitted from a few more changes, like Capcom’s recent Resident Evil remakes have taken liberties, but maybe keeping it simple is the first step in Konami winning back the trust of Metal Gear fans.  00:01:19 - Pragmata 00:06:33 - Resident Evil: Requiem 00:13:26 - High on Life 2 00:17:06 - Onimusha 00:19:09 - Road Kings 00:21:24 - LEGO Batman is Mixing Up The LEGO Game Formula 00:36:05 - Metal Gear Solid Delta is Really Good! 00:46:58 - Humble Bundle & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 August 2025

This week, we’re talking about the literally groundbreaking new destruction physics in Battlefield 6, which looks to be almost on par with Donkey Kong Bananza’s smashability, but in an obviously very different way. We’re also chatting with the developers of Ninja Gaiden Ragebound about the throwback platformer’s NES roots, and sharing some of the games we’ve been playing lately like the indie cycling racer Wheel World (which does not have pixies) and Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (which does) and also unpacking why Resident Evil and Duolingo have formed an unlikely social media friendship in Japan. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:03:13 - Battlefield 6 00:12:09 - Duolingo vs. Resident Evil 00:14:25 - Horizon Zero Dawn Lawsuit 00:21:22 - Wheel World00:27:55 - The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales 00:34:00 - The King is Watching 00:34:55 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound 00:41:00 - Ninja Gaiden Ragebound Dev Interview 01:10:58 - Outro This weeks show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2025

From forgotten peripherals to bizarre trends, we're taking a wild trip through PlayStation's strangest hardware. Plus, Jada shares her early impressions of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. This week we're going retro, weird, and very PlayStation. 00:00 - Intro 01:00 - Wuchang: Fallen Feathers 18:06 - PlayStation’s Best, Worst and Weirdest Experimental Products 39:24 - SDCC 2025 & Outro This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 July 2025

It’s a good time to be a fan of skateboarding video games, between Activision’s remakes fo Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 out now, plus EA’s long-awaited reboot of Skate (Sorry, “skate.”) arriving sometime in the foreseeable future. Nick had a chance to spend a few hours in the open world, and while the free-to-play live-service aspect is rubbing a lot of fans the wrong way, and the approach to monetization is still mostly under wraps, it sounds like it’s a fun enough time. Meanwhile, THPS3+4 features a cheeky little jab at Guitar Hero, with an easter egg featuring a familiar-looking rhythm game peripheral sitting in a garbage can. Some people think it’s funny, while others (like Activision) are less thrilled. In other news, Final Fantasy’s Naoki Yoshida offers a tidbit of insight on the future of the series’ combat folliowing the success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Finally, we wax nostalgic about some old video game developer logos from the ancient past. 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:47 - EA's Skate Is Like Forza Horizon With Skateboards 00:18:31 - How Does EA's Skate Compare to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 00:28:48 - Will Future Final Fantasy Games Be Turn-Based? 00:31:57 - From the Community: Best Developer Logos 00:40:11 - From the Community: Would you want to see another Fight Night game?  00:43:38 - Humble Bundle, IGN at SDCC 2025 & Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2025

Sucker Punch finally gave us our long-awaited look at Ghost of Yotei in action, and while it’s certainly looking like a gorgeous successor to Tsushima that’ll put the PS5 through its paces, it’s hard not to compare it to one of this year’s other big open-world samurai game, Assassin’s Creed Shadows. While there will definitely be some familiar themes, gameplay, and visuals, Yotei looks to have plenty of touches to set itself apart. Meanwhile, there’s clearly some anticipation for Yotei, because someone leaked footage of the game recorded through a window of Sucker Punch’s offices, and really, that’s probably a new low for leaks. We have some opaque new info from Mark Cerny about technology the PS6 will potentially by using - and which the PS5 pro already is - and spoilers, it’s AI frame generation. Naughty Dog dropped a surprise mode for The Last of Us Part 2 that puts the whole story on shuffle, which, uh, actually puts it in chronological order. Also we debate what Doom demon we would want to eat the most, and how we’d cook it - other than with a rocket launcher. 00:10 - Intro 00:36 - Ghost of Yotei 14:52 - Brian wants a Wu Tang Collab 15:08 - Is this worth buying a PS5 Pro for? 16:36 - More Ghost of Yotei 24:13 - July Humble Choice 24:52 - A new low for video game leaks 27:05 - The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered HD Story Intergrade 358/2 Days Remix 33:24 - The PlayStation 6 and Ai 39:09 - Turtle Talk 43:41 - Whats Brian Playin'? 47:43 - Max Likes Doom *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2025

Let’s get this out of the way: we’re happy there’s a new Resident Evil game on the way and we will absolutely be playing it day one. That said, the way Capcom is framing Resident Evil Requiem has us a bit skeptical - especially with them specifically bringing up the fact that Leon Kennedy (supposedly) isn’t in it. We discuss how Resident Evil’s latest installment has a lot of expectation to meet, and when something’s been around for thirty years and undergone as many changes and mutations as this one has, it becomes a very difficult balancing act making everyone happy. In other Capcom news, a new Street Fighter movie is in the works, and based on the cast that’s been announced and the director’s previous work, we’re very excited for… whatever the hell kind of movie this winds up being. The good news is that the bar is not very high, so best case scenario, it’s actually a good movie. Second-best, it’s bad in a fun way like the 1994 Jean-Claude Van Damme one. Worst case? It’s boring to the point of being unwatchable, like the 2009 film The Legend of Chun Li.  Oh, and this month’s Beyond game club game is Ghost of Tsushima. 00:00 - Intro 00:55 - Capcom Had A Stream 01:36 - Is Leon a "Bad Match" for Horror? 12:54 - How Can Resident Evil Requiem Keep The Series Fresh? 23:16 - Street Fighter Cast Discussion 33:21 - 50 Cent is Balrog 35:07 - The Tribal Chief is Headed To Street Fighter 36:57 - M. Bison Casting 41:04 - Street Fighter Movie Director 43:31 - The Original Street Fighter Movie 51:05 - BEYOND Game Club! *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 July 2025

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is finally almost here, and as one of 2025’s few big PlayStation exclusives, you can see why a lot of PS5 owners would be excited for this one. This week, we’re joined by Simon Cardy, who reviewed DS2 for IGN, to discuss the many things it does right, whether or not that’s enough to win over folks who didn’t live the first game, and also unpack a handful of criticisms of Hideo Kojima’s latest magnum opus. One thing’s for sure, it’s a step up in practically every way from the first game, with better visuals, better paced missions, and a whole arsenal of new gadgets, gear, and guns to help Sam Porter Bridges deliver the mail, fend off BTs, or terrorize roaming bands of ruffians throughout the Australian outback.  *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Limon, Simon Cardy, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 June 2025

The PlayStation 6 is still a long ways off, but Sony acknowledged they’re pushing the platform forward and exploring new ways for us to engage with it, but they’re well aware that streaming games from the cloud isn’t how most of us play our games. The PlayStation Portal might seem to suggest that’s the direction the company is taking things, but unfortunately, end-to-end network stability is out of their control - so, rest assured, it sounds like the next console generation will still be doing its thing locally. Death Stranding 2 is just a few weeks away, and we can’t talk about it quite yet, but we can talk about how weird of a game the first one was, and how its unconventional gameplay loop coupled with an extremely out-there story wasn’t exactly as accessible as your average AAA video game. But, if you’re antsy to take a hike and make some deliveries, we’ve got a list of other Death Stranding-likes that involve courier work, rough terrain, bleak post-apocalyptic landscapes, or some combination thereof. Beyond! *** 00:00 - Intro 01:23 - Sony Is Starting to Talk About Its Next-Generation PlayStation Console 23:55 - Death Stranding 2 44:16 - 13 Games To Play While You’re Waiting For Death Stranding 2 01:01:57 - Humble x IGN Live *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 June 2025

Resident Evil Requiem (or Resident Evil 9, RE9uiem, or whatever we’re supposed to call it) got an official reveal during Summer Game Fest 2025, and shortly after that, a select few people got to play a demo behind closed doors. IGN’s Matt Kim was one of those lucky people, so he stopped by to tell us about the game’s newest features. There’s option to swap between first and third person perspective, but that’s not the only new POV. Grace Ashcroft is a new protagonist, and despite rumors that Leon Kennedy would make his return, there’s no sign of him quite yet, but that could always change. We also discuss the demo’s hospital like setting, a big creepy new monster that’s chasing Grace around, and a few other details. RE9 wasn’t the only big reveal, and we recap and discuss a few others, like CD Projekt Red’s unbelievable Unreal 5 tech demo showing off something that’s sort of like The Witcher 4, but not quite gameplay, so maybe we should take it with a grain of salt. Other heavy hitters include Invincible Vs., Dying Light The Beast, Romeo is a dead man, 007 First Light, and The Expanse: Osirus Reborn, which looks like Mass Effect, and is from the developers of Pathfinder: Kingmaker and the Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader games. Finally, there are a bunch of cool-looking games that haven’t gotten quite as much buzz, possibly because they have weird names, such as Luto, Holstin, Aphelion, Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, Hela, and Mu Dang: Two Hearts. End of Abyss, Screamer, and Reach also look cool, though maybe their names aren’t weird enough. 00:00 - Intro 01:08 - Let's Talk About Resident Evil Requiem 14:30 - Grace vs Ethan 17:33 - The Rise and Fall of Capcom 19:34 - The Next Resident Evil Remake? 22:15 - What Other Games Did Matt Play At Summer Game Fest? 36:05 - The Witcher 4 47:45 - Invincible Vs 52:22 - Dying Light The Beast 56:54 - Other Cool Games With Weird Names 01:08:59 - Romeo is a Dead Man *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, Matt Kim, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 June 2025

It's our 900th episode! And we're at IGN Live! So, in honor of this momentous occasion, we invented a whole game show: Wheel of PS4-tune! Why? Because it was a good title. So, all the questions are about Sony's last console generation, its hardware, games, and so on. How well do Brian and Jada know deep-cut PlayStation 4-centric trivia? How are they at guessing video games based on their ESRB descriptions? Do they remember the whole launch lineup? How good are they at anagrams? Who can throw a teeshirt further? It's a big loud stupid birthday party episode, and I'm writing this before we actually shoot the dang thing so who knows how it'll go, so apologies in advance if it goes even further off the rails than we anticipated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 June 2025

On this very special episod eof Podcast Beyond, Max, Brian, and Jada are joined by John Davison to react to the latest PlayStation State of Play where Sony showed off a ton of games. This episodes highlights were the reveal of the new James Bond game from IO Interactve, 007 First Light, and the Arc System Works Marvel themed fighter MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls. After that the crew gives their thoughts on some of the other games announced like Silent Hill f, Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, Nioh 3, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Ghost of Yōtei, Lumines Arise, and a whole lot more. Beyond! This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2025

Kojima is always up to something and this week is no different. On this week's very special epsiode of Podcast Beyond!, Jada, Nick, and Max break down their favorite Kojima games, why hes so influential, and why him preparing to keep his legacy going long after he dies via a USB stick isnt even the strangest thing hes said lately. *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Limon and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 May 2025

Sony’s big push for live-service games hasn’t exactly been a resounding success, and the news that Haven, the studio behind the upcoming extraction-shooter Fairgame$, recently lost its founder Jade Raymond doesn’t exactly instill confidence. But, on the bright side, Helldivers 2: Heart of Democracy update takes the battle to Super Earth, giving the Starship Troopers-like a bit of an Earth Defense Force spin. Jada reviewed Blades of Fire, which apparently has a great smithing minigame, but underwhelms otherwise, and Max has been playing Revenge of the Savage Planet, and Nick’s been ripping and tearing through Doom: The Dark Ages. Finally, we chatted with Sea of Stars creative director Thierry Boulanger about the upcoming DLC, Throes of the Watchmaker. 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Will Fairgame$ be the next Helldivers 2 or Hyenas? 16:48 - Helldivers 2 New Patch Is Pretty Cool 22:06 - Come hang out at IGN Live 2025! 25:57 - Blades of Fire Review Discussion 35:28 - Max has been playing Revenge of the Savage Planet 43:40 - Nick’s Been Ripping and Tearing Through Doom: The Dark Ages 47:00 - Sea of Stars Creative Director Thierry Boulanger 01:03:29 - Outro *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Limon and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2025

This week, we’re rippin’ and tearin’ into Doom: The Dark Ages - but in a nice way! id Software’s recent installments in the beloved FPS series have been heavy-hitters in their own right, but the latest entry offers a truly satisfying experience with some of the most brutally crunchy combat in recent memory, an arsenal of new weapons and abilities that keep it fresh, and bottomless monster closet of nightmare demon hellspawn to explode into blood. Meanwhile, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 are still hella sick, possibly even more so since getting a modern overhaul, and Nick had lots of nice things to say about his time with them, aside from the snow levels, which he has a problem with for some bizarre reason. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will probably have some snowy areas, despite its title, and we unpack some of the details revealed in a recent preview event during which IGN Japan’s Koji Fukuyama got to play a whopping 30 hours of Hideo Kojima’s next magnum opus. Meanwhile, Jada and Michael Higham sat down the the developers of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to get some insight into how one of the best games of 2025 came together. Beyond! 00:00 - Intro 01:19 - IGN LIVE! 02:16 - Death Stranding 2: On The Beach 13:34 - Tony Hawk 3 & 4 is pretty cool so far 20:03 - Rippin’ and Tearin’ into Doom: The Dark Ages 39:21 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Developer Interview 01:08:40 - Outro *** For thousands of years (or at least since the 90s) PlayStation has been pushing the boundaries of the video game medium. For almost as long, Beyond has been along for the ride. Join a panel of passionate playstation experts and enthusiasts including Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Jada Griffin and company. Each week we unpack the latest gaming news, gush about what we’re playing, chat with developers and voice actors and explore the ever-expanding world of PlayStation - and Beyond! Catch a new episode every Wednesday on IGN, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, Nick Limon and is produced by Tayo Oyekan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 May 2025

GTA 6 is set to redefine visual fidelity in gaming, but beyond the graphics, we have nine very specific questions about Jason and Lucia's adventure. From gameplay mechanics like Jason's in-game console and Lucia's ankle monitor to narrative possibilities like prison time and relationship dynamics, this episode dives deep into what Rockstar's trailer suggests about the experience. We also explore whether GTA 6 could be gaming's first true "lovers on the run" story, a trope well-established in film but rarely attempted in games. Join Max, Jada, and Brian as they analyze these details and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 May 2025

On this weeks very special epsidoe of Beyond! Max, Nick, and Jada react to the Borderlands 4 State of Play where they share their thoughts on the games new direction, its gameplay improvements, Randy Pitchfords shirt choice, and if they think the game was moved forward to accomidate that one Florida simulator everybody is paitently waiting for. After that they get into their thoughts on the newest trailer for Ghost of Yotei, its similaraties to Assassins Creed Shadows, and how dang good that game is going to look when it releases this October. After that, Max and Jada give their honest reactions about the Until Dawn movie thats very much not like the game and Nick asks if this is worth watching if youre a fan of cheesy slashers. Finally, Jada reveals next months Game Club game, its Dave The Diver! Beyond! This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Red Rigos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2025

Whether you’d like a turn-based foray into a whole new fantasy realm, or a meticulously overhauled return trip to a familiar open-world, there’s plenty to keep you busy this week between Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. We’ve got plenty to say about these role-playing games, which are both doing very different things very well (and which of course have their own shortcomings.) But overall, the role-playing game genre seems alive and well. Baldur’s Gate 3 proved there’s plenty of demand for old-school isometric turn-based dungeon crawling, while Final Fantasy XVI and FF7 Remake/Rebirth have both broken into realtime action-heavy combat. We’re getting brand new IP like Clair Obscur and Metaphor Re:Fantazio, but plenty of classics are getting new leases on life, whether it’s in fully modern overhauls like Persona 3 Reload, or Dragon Quest’s HD-2D remakes. Heck, even Like a Dragon decided to ditch beat-em-up action for a turn-based party system. In other news, Jada and Nick have nice things to say about Unbeatable, which has a free demo on PSN and PC, and Max is obsessed with Bionic Bay, a puzzle-platformer that’s reminiscent of Limbo and Inside, but with a dash of Portal thrown in for good measure. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Nick Maillet, and is produced by Marhyan Franzen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 April 2025

This week, we’re joined by our pal Mike Drucker, stand-up comedian and writer, formerly of IGN, more recently of The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon and Full Frontal With Samatha Bee, and most recently the author of the book “Good Game, No Rematch: A Life Made of Video Games.” Drucker’s book is a semi-autobiographical trip down memory lane, recounting some hilarious and endearing anecdotes about growing up with gaming. So, we took the opportunity to reflect on some of our earliest memories of the PlayStation, and when we knew it would fare better than so many other Nintendo competitors. Looking ahead, there are rumors circulating yet again about a next-gen PlayStation Portable, or a portable PlayStation of some sort, which is in line with what everyone else is doing - but we do want Sony to do what everyone else is doing? The Steamdeck is an awesome machine, but it’s generous to call it handheld or portable device. The Nintendo Switch 2 is getting bigger, and more powerful, and for a lot of people, that’s great, but some of us are nostalgic for the days of gaming being a bit more… pocket sized. Meanwhile, we discuss this month’s Beyond Game Club game, Bloodborne. Have you heard of it? Well, too bad, you’re gonna hear even more about it. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Atlano, Mike Drucker, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 April 2025

We’ve got a jam-packed episode this week! First order of business, Blue Prince just dropped and it’s currently the best-reviewed game of the year so far, so what’s the big deal? We invited IGN’s executive reviews editor and Blue Prince reviewer Tom Marks to discuss the many brilliant things this roguelite first-person puzzle game does right, and the handful of nitpicks that keep it from being a totally smooth experience. But fans of The Witness, Return of the Obra Dinn and Outer Wilds will likely find something here to love. One thing we don’t love is the announcement of a very Bloodborne-coded FromSoftware game that’s not a Bloodborne sequel or even coming to PlayStation. The Nintendo Switch 2-exclusive multiplayer game The Duskbloods looks cool, but with a lot of caveats. Bloodborne turned 10 a couple weeks ago, so we’re celebrating the milestone with a return to Yarnham in this month’s Beyond Game Club. Also in this episode, Jada and Akeem sat down with performance-capture actor and stuntman Eric Jacobus to talk about what it’s like bringing some of gaming’s most brutal actions to live, from punching like Kratos to performing Fatalities in Mortal Kombat without anyone getting hurt, Eric had a ton of insight. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Tom Marks, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, and is produced by Nick Maillet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2025

This week on Beyond Jada Griffin is hosting yet again! Joined by Travis Northrup, Cameron Kingdom Hearts Hawken, Kevin Diaz and Brian Altano makes an appearance for an Atomfall Interview with Ben Fisher - Head of Design at Rebellion - and Rebellion CEO and modern day knight, Jason Kingsley. We talk about Sony’s appearance at Cinemacon with unveiling dates for not one but two Spider-Man Movies, we speculate on the tiniest of updates on Ghost of Yotei, and we spotlight six more games to keep an eye on that we hope to play before 2026. We also announce Aprils game for Beyond Game Club and we hope that you will all join us as we play it. All this and more on this week's BEYOND! 00:00:00 - Intro & Ghost of Yotei 00:06:35- Blue Prince 00:10:08 - Wildgate 00:15:58 - Sunderfolk 00:21:37 - Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter & Den of Wolves 00:31:15 - Spine 00:36:31 - Atomfall Developer Interview 01:00:01 - IGN Live & What We’re Playing 01:09:07 - Beyond Game Club Announcement 01:13:23 - Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2025

This week on Beyond Jada Griffin is back in the host chair along with Akeem and Brian for one of our longest episodes in a while. They talk about the numerous anniversaries happening over at Sony this month including Bloodborne's 10th which Brian gets nostalgic for, PSP’s 20th anniversary, and God of War’s 20th anniversary all with 67 inches of Jormungandr for your pleasure. We also picked out five plus one bonus game to keep your eye out for in 2025 and spoiler most of them are out in just a few months! Jada then shares her favorite games she got to play at GDC, including some with some really strange controllers. Finally March’s Beyond Game Club comes to an end as they give their final thoughts on returning to Batman: Arkham Asylum nearly 16 years later. All this and more on this week's BEYOND! This week’s show is Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Beyond! is a part of Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2025

It’s been in the works for years, and delayed by several months, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows is finally here, and it’s worth the wait. Y’know, assuming you like big huge open-world games, don’t mind when Assassin’s Creed games veer into RPG territory, and are interested in the feudal Japanese setting. We’re all having a blast, and while it doesn’t break the mold or color too far outside the lines of previous entries, specifically the one used to make Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla, it does a great job refining what worked best, creating a big huge playground for ninja and samurai mayhem that look absolutely stunning on the latest gaming hardware. The dual protagonists are endearing, and the different approaches to combat and exploration that Yasuke and Naoe’s playstyles allow for should help keep things fresh, even dozens of hours into the game. Now, the big question: what does this mean for 2025’s OTHER big huge open-world samurai game, Ghost of Yotei? Will it be a samurai showdown, or will a rising tide raise all ships? Either way, anyone who likes running around killing dudes with a katana and shuriken is eating good this year. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Mark Medina, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet, Beyond! is a part of Geek Media Podcast Network, an IGN Entertainment Brand. Eat smart with Factor. Get started at factormeals.com/FACTORPODCAST and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2025

Last week, we got some major news about The Last of Us. Unfortunately, that news amounted to Neil Druckmann saying “don’t bet on” a third game, and then the announcement of a limited edition The Last of Us Part 2 Dualsense controller. Though there’s a new season of the HBO series on the horizon, that’s got to be a bit of a drag for TLOU fans – but was there ever going to be a happy ending for this series, which basically takes place in a bad ending for humans, in general? In any case, this is par for the course for Naughty Dog, which has typically moved on from each franchise after a few games. Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter each got a trilogy and change, Uncharted stuck around for a fourth full installment, plus Lost Legacy, but considering the heavy subject matter and the amount of time the studio has spent on the series, maybe it’s time to move on to Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? That’s what Naughty Dog’s up to right now, but what about the rest of PlayStation Studios? We know about a few upcoming projects like Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei and Housemarque’s Saros, but the bulk of Sony’s first party development studios have been radio silent for quite some time - not counting a few closures, and announcements of cancelled projects. Finally, it’s not quite first party, but Death Stranding 2: On The Beach got a big 10 minute trailer gameplay reveal music video thing, and it looks gorgeous, but has us wondering how on board we are for more of Kojima’s drawn out cutscenes interspersed with trips to deliver peoples’ mail. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2025

As part of this month’s Beyond Game Club, we’re revisiting Batman Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady’s debut game featuring the Dark Knight, which arrived in 2009 and laid the groundwork for Arkham City and Arkham Knight. As much as we adore the massive open-world Gotham City, in a lot of ways, Arkham Asylum is the perfect Batman game: a mix of action-packed combat and detective work in the form of puzzles and navigating the labyrinthine penitentiary for Gotham’s most twisted denizens. So, what went wrong? Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League swung for the fences in multiple directions at once and ultimately struck out, while Gotham Knights sent us back into Gotham, but not as the character we’d most like to play as. Is it so hard to make a good Batman game? Well, yes, it’s hard to make any game, good or otherwise, about anything, let alone a character with this much lore and history and reverence. But still, a Rocksteady take on Batman Beyond and/or the Arkham formula retooled in a Bruce Timm-style cel-shaded Gotham both seem like missed opportunities. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet Eat smart with Factor. Get started at factormeals.com/FACTORPODCAST and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2025

Monster Hunter Wilds will soon be out in the wild, and this week we’re joined by IGN’s reviewer Tom Marks and resident Monster Hunter expert Case DeFrietas to talk about how the latest installment in Capcom’s most popular series pushing the franchise forward, discuss the numerous things it does right, but address one common complaint among reviewers, in that it’s too easy compared to the previous games. Plus, bad news just broke about WB Games, namely the closure of three studios, including Monolith, unfortunately putting an end to the long-awaited Wonder Woman project. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Casey DeFreitas, Tom Marks, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Beyond is an IGN production and part of the Geek Media network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2025

This week, we’ve got some games to talk about, including Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, the latest installment in the long-running organized crime series that’s a bit less organized than usual, namely because it ditches the criminal underworld for the high seas. It may feature plenty of familiar backdrops and a few familiar faces (like most games in the series) it keeps things fresh by getting creative. What can other publishers learn from RGG Studios’ scrappy re-purposing of existing environments and systems? We compare and contrast the Yakuza games’ reception to others, like certain semi-annualized Ubisoft franchises. Meanwhile, Jada played a bunch of Warriors: Abyss, the roguelike spin on Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. Max gave himself food poisoning in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and Brian’s looking forward to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In other news, a company called DevynPC is offering a way to make your PlayStation 5 look a little less like a funky spaceship and more like a stock image of a generic game console, if that’s your thing. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 February 2025

Sony’s first PlayStation State of Play showcased almost thirty new games (or updates for existing games) but still left us feeling a bit disappointed. The reveal of Housemarque’s Saros, a PS5 remaster of Days Gone, and a long overdue release date for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater were highlights, along with some proper reveals of relative unknown projects like the fast-paced FPS Metal Eden, the Arthurian Soulslike/Shadow of the Colossus-like Tides of Annihilation and Mindseye, the cyberpunk action adventure project from Grand Theft Auto series veteran Leslie Benzies. Borderlands fans have a Borderlands 4 State of Play to look forward to. Devil May Cry fans are likely going to be kept busy by Lost Soul Aside. Anyone feeling stranded without Death Stranding 2: On The Beach might appreciate the creepy vibes of Hell is Us. If you puppets, there’s Lies of P: Overture DLC, if you like cephalapods, there’s the octopuzzle-platformer Darwin’s Paradox, if you like pretty ladies in fancy outfits, there’s a Stellar Blade and Nikke: Goddess of Victory crossover, and if you’ve ever wanted to shoot a cloud with a gun and make it turn into something less abstract, there’s Dreams of Another. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2025

Rumor has it, Sony’s doing a State of Play next week, which seems more likely than not based on the timing of previous years’ presentations, so we run down a list of predictions of what we expect to see. Ghost of Yotei seems like a safe bet, as does Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. Live-service is a bit of a touchy subject for PlayStation at the moment, but Bungie’s Marathon and Haven Interactive’s Fairgame$ are both in the works the last we heard. On the third-party front, Metal Gear Solid 3 Delta Triange: Snake Eater Remake has been aligning itself with Sony since the jump, and we expected it’d drop last fall, but there’s still no release date. Midnight Walk is that creeply-looking platformer that’s coming to PS5 and PSVR2 alike, and it’s expected sometime this year. And of course, there are a number of soulslike and soulslike-lookalikes including Where Winds Meet, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Hell is Us, Phantom Blade Zero, Ballad of Antara and The First Berzerker Khazan, and we reckon at least one of those will make an appearance. Anything’s possible, but we’re less convinced we’ll see anything from Housemarque, and Xbox has been putting more stuff on PlayStation, with the recent announcement of Forza Horizon 5 and Age of Empires 2 coming to PS5, but where will that get revealed? We have our reservations we’ll see anything related to Silent Hill Townnfall or Silent Hill F, and it seems too soon for Marvel’s Wolverine, Project Robot or more of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, but we’d love to be wrong. And of course, a Bloodborne Remake or Remaster would be nice, but we’re not holding out breath. In other news Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is out this week and Max and special guest Ronnie Barrier have lots of good things to say about this open-world RPG that’s more often than not just as much a medieval life simulator, but for anybody after a fast-paced action game, this ain’t it.  If you want to help support IGN and Humble Bundle in providing support to those in need affected by the LA wildfires, you can donate here: https://promo.humblebundle.com/lafirerelief This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Ronny Barrier, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 February 2025

This week, we’re taking a minute to talk about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has a lot going for it, but also a lot working against it. Between Ubisoft’s financial woes, two delays, a bunch of other big games including but not limited to Ghost of Yotei, plenty of backlash online, and the fact that it’s yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game, it might not stick the landing. But hey, what’s wrong with yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game? We haven’t really gotten one of those since Valhalla in 2020, and it’s not like they’re putting out Far Cry games as quickly as they used to. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws were both technically big open-world Ubisoft games, but they didn’t quite scratch the same itch. Anyway, there are a bunch of big video game movies and TV shows coming out in 2025, like A Minecraft Movie and The Last of Us Season 2, plus some more later on, and then some that are supposedly in the works but which may never come out.This week, we’re taking a minute to talk about Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which has a lot going for it, but also a lot working against it. Between Ubisoft’s financial woes, two delays, a bunch of other big games including but not limited to Ghost of Yotei, plenty of backlash online, and the fact that it’s yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game, it might not stick the landing. But hey, what’s wrong with yet another big open-world Assassin’s Creed game? We haven’t really gotten one of those since Valhalla in 2020, and it’s not like they’re putting out Far Cry games as quickly as they used to. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws were both technically big open-world Ubisoft games, but they didn’t quite scratch the same itch. Anyway, there are a bunch of big video game movies and TV shows coming out in 2025, like A Minecraft Movie and The Last of Us Season 2, plus some more later on, and then some that are supposedly in the works but which may never come out. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Mark Medina, Brian Altano, and is produced by Tayo Oyekan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 29 January 2025

This week Max is out on assignment and Akeem is filling in as host! We’re talking about Sony’s gamble on live-service games: with the cancellation of two unannounced titles, is it going well for them? Our review for Dynasty Warriors: Origins is in and we dive deep into the details with Jada. Plus the legendary Shuhei Yoshida’s thoughts on PlayStation’s live-service push. Beyond! This week’s show is Akeem Lawanson, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 22 January 2025

This week, we’re talking about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, which is about.. Well, you can kind of figure it out from the name alone. Nick Maillet had a chance to go hands on, and shares some of the crazy stuff he encountered. The mainline Like a Dragon/Yakuza games are wacky enough under normal circumstances, but it sounds like Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is basically Like a Dragon: Blood Dragon in how overboard it’s willing to go. In other news Hideo Kojima sounds very tired, and Halo is probably coming to PlayStation 5 this holiday season, which is great for everyone. We also run down a few upcoming games that might not immediately be on your radar, including Date Everything, the sandbox dating sim in which you romance inanimate objects come to life, Hell is Us, a creepy looking third-person action game that’s taking some cues from the film Annihilation and the books it was based on, Baby Steps, which looks like open-world QWOP, or Mudrunner with a man instead of a truck, and Light No Fire, Hello Games’ fantasy-flavored follow-up to No Man’s Sky. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, Nick Maillet, Nick Limon, and is produced by Jobert Atienza. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 January 2025

Happy New Year! 2025 kicks off with a bunch of news out of CES, and it seems like Sony announced basically everything except games, from feature film adaptations of Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2 to a Ghost of Tsushima anime series to an immersive and probably weird-smelling experience in The Last of Us. Meanwhile, in the interest of not having a ton of game news to discuss, we’re taking a look back at some of the biggest games that’ll be celebrating their 10th anniversary in 2025, weighing in on how those game franchises are doing a decade later, and speculating on how they might get some recognition this year. The big one, obviously, is Bloodborne, which Sony seems to be teasing - or at least acknowledging - a bit more than usual. The Witcher 3 just got big a sequel reveal at The Game Awards, Fallout 4 was followed up by Fallout 76, but anyone who’s excited about the Prime Video series might be waiting around for a while for Fallout 5. Metal Gear Solid 5 may very well be the last proper Metal Gear game we ever get, but that could always change, but at least Hideo Kojima is cooking up a new tactical espionage game with Physint. Undertale is gradually getting a sequel with Deltarune, Rocket League and Rainbow Six Siege are alive and well, Until Dawn’s just got a remake and has a movie on the way, but Batman fans hoping for a conventional Arkham game haven’t gotten much love since Arkham Knight. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 8 January 2025

It’s the holidays, which means spending time with loved ones, and probably getting into an argument with them too. So, we���re deciding on Beyond’s Top 10 PlayStation Games Ever, but we’re doing it in a stupid, convoluted way that will result in a list that no one, including us, agrees with entirely. Spoiler alert: this was an excuse to talk about some games we love for an hour. Hopefully we name at least one game you like, but if you don’t, don’t worry, it’s all made up and nothing we decide is legally binding or official in any capacity. We had fun making this episode, we hope you enjoy watching it! Happy holidays from all of us to all of you! This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 December 2024

We sure do have a lot more games to look forward to than we did a week ago, huh? The Game Awards had quite a few big reveals, especially for PlayStation fans thanks to Naughty Dog finally letting the equally poorly behaved cat out of the bag and showing off Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the first brand new IP since The Last of Us. Considering it’s been well over a decade since that was unveiled, it’s something to be excited about. A deep-space adventure set on distant planets is arguably more uncharted territory than the actual Uncharted games, which is awesome, plus it combines bubble-era anime and early 80s synthpop. Other major reveals include The Witcher 4, Team Ico mastermind Fumeto Ueda’s Project Robot, the Like a Dragon Team’s Project Century, and FromSoft’s multiplayer survival-centric spin on Elden Ring, Nightreign. As for our very own awards, we have the winner of IGN’s best PlayStation game of 2024, which probably won’t come as much of a surprise, and the winners of our very own Beyondcé awards. Finally, Jada shares her PlayStation wrapped stats, and odds are, she played more video games than you. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ #GOTYwatch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2024

Some of the last big games of 2024 have finally dropped, including the open-world dress-up game Infinity Nikki, which is currently a PS5 console exclusive, and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle, which is currently Xbox console-exclusive, but which will be hitting PS5 next year. Both of these games are great in their own ways, and they’re each doing some new things that make them fun in ways we weren't expecting. Skydance’s Behemoth is also out for PSVR2, which promises Shadow of The Colossus-like monster fights. Meanwhile, Aliens: Dark Descent isn’t new, but it’s new to PlayStation Plus this month, and it’s an extremely nerve-racking survival horror spin on real-time strategy, and finally Entropy Survivors takes the Vampire Survivors formula but gives it a considerable visual bump, plus some cool physics-based power ups, plus a frog with a mech, which is pretty neat. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 December 2024

Between Nintendo Switch’s impending successor, Valve’s Steam Deck and its ilk, and Phil Spencer casually announcing an Xbox handheld is in development, portable gaming is in the midst of a revival. If recent rumors are to be believed, Sony will soon be following suit. So, what can be learned not just from the success of current handheld devices, but also Sony’s previous ventures into the pocket-sized gaming space? The PlayStation Portable and PS Vita were both wonderful devices, but a variety of factors kept them from achieving the same success as Nintendo’s handhelds. Speaking of last-gen Sony, the PS5 has gotten some 30th anniversary themes, which allow the startup and system noises to be changed, but sadly, it’s just for a limited time. Will we see more themes for the PS5 menu anytime soon? It’s award season, so we’ve got some categories to announce for our own very special award show, The Beyondcés, and Jada’s got her work cut out for her with a mountain of games to Platinum before the year is through. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Akeem Lawanson, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Join our Facebook group at - facebook.com/groups/podcastbeyond/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 December 2024

Have you ever been asked by your family during the holidays what a Kingdom Hearts is or why Solid Snake is in fact, not a snake? This week we answer those questions and many more in this very special holiday episode of Podcast Beyond. We also talk about why younger gamers aren't familiar with Metal Gear Solid anymore, why Brian is glad he bought a bad Unicorn video game, Max's emails to his mom about his job and Kojima, and Jada's thoughts on this year in RPG's. This week’s show is Max Scoville, Jada Griffin, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2024