Video Games 2 The Max

This episode was originally recorded on 06/07/22. Apologies for taking so long to edit it and get it out. On this episode, Daniel has played quite a bit of Diablo Immortal. He discusses the game itself, how Diablo Immortal's Pay to Win strategy is a total detriment to gaining good vibes with gamers and it actually makes Sean and Marc not want to play it at all. Will this prove to be a winner for Blizzard? And could any of this bleed into Diablo IV as well? Marc also laments Jeff Gertsmann leaving Giant Bomb, his legacy in gaming, and what he could do next. (Turns out he's doing his own thing including a Solo podcast called the Jeff Gertsmann Show.)They also go through the highlights of the most recent PlayStation State of Play which featured the surprise of Final Fantasy XVI and even included a release window of Summer 2023. The Resident Evil 4 Remake also got show time too. Could this be the best State of Play ever? Also on this show: The latest Pokemon Scarlet & Violet trailer, the SEGA Mega Drive 2 an

This episode was originally recorded on 05/31/22. Apologies on taking so long to edit it and get it out. On this episode of Video Games 2 the MAX, Sean, Marc, and Daniel discuss playing V Rising, Warcraft 3 Reforged supposed roadmap and the overall picture of Blizzard heading into the release of Diablo Immortal. PlayStation also seems to be on this big turn to changing how many think of them. Moving away from only being known as a place for the big tent pole AAA games and doing more in the PC, VR, and games as service spaces. Will this wind up as a major win for Sony? Other things discussed on the show: The reveal of the Jedi Fallen Order sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The Marvel MMO that never was. Horizon Zero Dawn getting a Netflix show, and more.

This episode was originally Recorded on 05/24/22. Apologies that it took so long to edit and come out. On this episode of Video Games 2 the MAX, Sean, Marc, and Daniel discuss whether the sentiment that Xbox Game Pass is not living up to its billing of delivering on the AAA titles is truly warranted. Do gamers just need to be playing more indies? Or do gamers have a point? Is it time to start unsubscribing from the service? There's also discussion on how EA's deal to merge with NBC Universal falling through is a major statement about where the state of AAA gaming is at? And should we worry for other big publishers like Ubisoft and Square-Enix as well? Also on the episode: Would the Spider-Man games be as big a deal if they were an Xbox exclusive? Norman Reedus sort of confirming the existence of Death Stranding 2. Thoughts on the HALO TV Show and more.

The show goes through a little bit of a reboot to introduce a third co-host with Daniel Anderson making his return and Marc Morrison takes the reigns as host, with Sean not being on this one.In this episode, Marc and Daniel discuss the announcement of the first classic titles heading to the PlayStation Plus Premium service, the tiers, and the outlook of the service as a whole as it heads into launch. There’s also discussion on what’s happening at Blizzard, Activision putting on a front about Call of Duty Vanguard’s lack of sales, the EA and FIFA split, the possibility of several Silent Hill titles in the works, Square-Enix selling off much of their western studios, the WATA lawsuit, and much more.

After an unintended long layoff, Video Games 2 the MAX has returned with Sean and Marc joined by Jens Dietrich to talk about, you guessed it, more Elden Ring. Marc also has final thoughts on Horizon Forbidden West as he's beaten the game. Sean's also been playing some games too, with Tunic and Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin being the two main ones. There are quite a few things to discuss since the last episode, as CD Projekt has announced a new saga of The Witcher series is in development. Although scarce details are available as they are basically in the beginning stages. At least it is being made with Unreal Engine this time. Moon Studios is hugely toxic according to many former employees. We discuss some of the aspects of why this is so concerning and how it played a role in why Microsoft did not push to acquire them. Sony had not one, but two State of Plays since our last episode, and they've also acquired yet another studio in Haven. Supermassive has a new game, Gotham Knights is actually c

Well, there certainly have been a lot of big games that have come along lately to keep everyone busy, as Triangle Strategy now joins the list of yet another game someone on the podcast is playing. Sean discusses his very brief time with the game so far and also more on A Musical Story as well. Marc continues trekking through the huge open worlds in Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, and Lost Ark. As the War in Ukraine has intensified over the last week, gaming companies have done everything from donating money and game sale proceeds to even stopping their games and products from being sold in Russia too. EA even made sure to remove Russian teams from NHL 22 and FIFA 22 as well. New Pokemon games are coming THIS YEAR and it is in fact generation nine of the series as Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were revealed in a Pokemon Presents last week. Is Sean excited for more Pokemon? Or is there some Pokemon fatigue possibly setting in? Plus, Forspoken has been delayed into the fall, Switch Online subscribers get a semb

We are joined by The Outerhaven.net's Head Man and EIC Keith Mitchell and Jens Dietrich to discuss their spoiler-free thoughts on Elden Ring. Keith reviewed the game for The Outerhaven and is pretty far in the game, while Jens is still early on in his adventure. Being two major Soulsborne lovers will their ideas match? Marc is also playing the game too. Will there be a big difference of opinion? Plus, Marc also has more thoughts on Horizon Forbidden West as well.There's also discussion on the latest rumors surrounding Project Spartacus, the price tiers, and what they could offer. Is this worth it? Will there be changes to what's there? Or is this all a bunch of nothing that won't even happen? Not to mention, Street Fighter 6 has officially been announced, the PSVR 2 has some real images, Call of Duty skipping a year in 2023, Bethesda closes their launcher, another Western developed game doesn't sell well enough for Square-Enix, and more.

Another one of 2022's most anticipated games is finally out in the wild and Marc's had a chance to play it. He gives his first thoughts on the game in a review-in-progress style. Sean has plenty of questions since this is on everyone's minds this week. Marc also is further into Lost Ark and he beat Demon's Souls as well. Sean played a little Edge of Eternity and Kingdom of the Dead too. Nintendo once again causes controversy by announcing that as of March 2023 gamers will no longer be able to make digital purchases on the Wii U and 3DS E-Shops. Will this wind up being a permanent move? Or could Nintendo change course as Sony did with the PS3 and Vita storefronts? Plus, there's a chance another Fire Emblem game comes out in 2022, Street Fighter 6 was officially announced post podcast, but Marc gave plenty of thoughts on what needs to be changed from Street Fighter V. Ubisoft hints they could entertain an acquisition, a ton of video game TV and Movie news including a Sonic 3 already being greenlit, and much m

After a very much unintended delay, Sean and Marc are back and have plenty to discuss on this jam-packed episode of Video Games 2 the MAX. Sean finally gets to talk about his adventures in Pokemon Legends Arceus, while Marc has been spending a lot of time with Lost Ark. There's also a big Nintendo Direct to talk about as the Big N revealed additions to their 2022 slate of games, some we already knew about like Kirby And The Forgotten Land and Advance Wars 1 & 2: Reboot Camp, while others such as Xenoblade Chronicles 3 were a total surprise. Sean gushes about all the awesome stuff revealed in this Direct, while Marc will probably have a few less enthused thoughts. There are also the latest NPD numbers, and some major stories the guys haven't discussed yet like Sony acquiring Bungie news, World of Warcraft going Mobile, Grand Theft Auto 6 is actually real, and a lot more!

Originally Recorded January 27, 2022. Apologies that it is being posted now. Sean had been going through some personal issues that made this one very late, but also be sure to check out the new episode that was posted as well. The original description continues as follows... Sean talks about playing Nobody Saves the World, the indie RPG Paladin Dream, the mobile game Beat Star, and Marc beats Chorus too. In a calm before the storm of sorts before the big game releases start rolling in for the year, EA announces that Respawn is making not one, not two, but three Star Wars games at the studio. And while it looks like only one is coming relatively soon in Jedi Fallen Order 2, the others are farther away Hot off the big acquisition news of last week, Call of Duty will remain on PlayStation for at least three more years and there's even a Warzone 2 in the works. Blizzard also announces their own Survival game as well. Plus, more news on Overwatch 2, Diablo IV, and other franchises are on the way. All of that and t

Some huge news dropped on Tuesday morning that shook everybody in gaming. Microsoft announced that they are set to acquire Activision Blizzard King for a whopping $68.7 Billion. We spend the first 23 minutes of the podcast discussing what this means for Xbox, for Xbox Game Pass, Sony, and the rest of the gaming industry. Of course, between Marc, Sean, Randy Isbelle, and Jens Dietrich we also cover the workplace issues and the topic of exclusivity as well. The rest of the episode is dedicated to our Fantasy Critic Draft. Each host will have to pick seven games that they think will score the best on the website opencritic.com and do it in snake draft style. This should certainly be a fun podcast for sure.You can watch the podcast on video here: https://youtu.be/i5ydfBlNyBsYou can see our draft picks for the Video Games 2 the MAX League over at Fantasy Critic: https://www.fantasycritic.games/league/d838bf27-5d30-4b52-a907-22cf1bfc36ba/2022Sean's written thoughts on Microsoft Acquiring Activision Blizzard:

In the first episode of 2022, Sean gives out the reason why that is (hint, he and the family got COVID-19.) Marc also discusses his trip to Atlanta that was supposed to involve seeing the Final Fantasy VII Remake Orchestra concert, but COVID-19 canceled that too. After that, the guys discuss playing Gravity Chase, Heaven Dust 2, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, and The Anacrusis. Topics include: PlayStation deciding to keep making PS4's for another year. Discussing PSVR 2 Features and how much it will cost, PS NOW cards being removed from retail in the United States and the UK, what it means for Spartacus, and what could Spartacus actually include in its service. Plus, Sean asks Marc the golden question of when PlayStation exclusives should come to PC? They also discuss Days Gone not getting a sequel, E3 canceled as an in-person event, Take-Two purchasing Zynga, and the latest with NFT's in gaming involving Troy Baker and Square-Enix both saying agreeing to them, while SEGA reverses course

It is that time again to decide what games make up Our 25 Best Games. For the 2021 edition Sean and Marc are joined by Randy Isbelle to debate, order, and finally, decide on the ultimate choices. Each person also gives out their personal Top 10 Games of 2021 and takes a look back at the year that was during this special episode as well. In a year that was rife with great Indie titles will this be the year that a game like Death's Door, It Takes Two, or Kena: Bridge of Spirits takes the crown? Will it be a PlayStation exclusive like Returnal or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart? Or perhaps something from an Xbox studio such as Psychonauts 2, Deathloop, Halo Infinite, or Forza Horizon 5? Don't forget Nintendo also had a huge stalwart in Metroid Dread to consider as well. Plus, there are the third parties bringing their own major games to the table such as Resident Evil Village, Monster Hunter Rise, Scarlet Nexus, Tales of Arise, Riders Republic, and so many others. 2021 was another terrific year for games. Pic

It is games, games, and more games to discuss in this episode. Between Sean and Marc, the guys have been playing quite a lot. Sean delved deeper into the Halo Infinite Campaign, although all of the side stuff is kind of derailing the story portion of it. He discusses why this is both a good and bad thing for the series.He's also played an even more recent game in Dungeon Munchies, which was one of the four games that released the day of the most recent Indie World event. Of course, they discuss the showcase, and some of their favorite games from the show too.Also on the list to be discussed today: No Longer Home, Moonglow Bay, The Gunk, The Forgotten City, and a bunch of Game Awards and Indie World Demos too.In the news, the development team behind S.T,A,L,K.E.R. felt the blow of being on the wrong end of the NFT debate. Final Fantasy XIV is so popular that it has been taken down from storefronts to help curb the long queue times for veteran players excited for the Endwalker expansion. A new Splinter Cell gam

The Game Awards 2021 has finished and there certainly were a lot of announcements, advertisements, and I guess some awards given out at the show. Certainly, there is a lot to discuss about the event itself.Sean and Marc give their feelings on the show in general, the lack of showing awards, could it use being a little bit shorter, and of course their favorite announcements and not-so-favorite things from the show as well. Not to mention, their thoughts on the actual award winners. Especially with It Takes Two GOTY.

Randy Isbelle joins Sean and Marc to dish out early thoughts on the Halo Infinite Campaign. Since this is coming out before the actual 2021 Game Awards, the guys give out their games that will probably just barely be off their eventual Top 10 Best Games of 2021 and also discuss some games they've either recently finished playing or are still playing such as Resident Evil Village, Resident Evil 7, Unpacking, The Artful Escape, Persona 5 Strikers, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Demon's Souls, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits. Plus, there's also been some news this week as well. Could it be that a Chrono Cross Remake is actually happening? There are now two sources kinda sorta making Sean get really excited about it. Should gamers actually be upset about Spider-Man outfits not coming to PS4 and The Uncharted 4 and Lost Legacy Collection having a $10 upgrade for PS5? Also, according to Bloomberg, Sony may actually have a true competitor to Xbox Game Pass in the offing. What do the guys think about the rumored "t

After an unintended week off, it is back to gaming for Sean and Marc. Games discussed in this episode include: Sean took his first steps in the world of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, discussing his choice for starter, where he's at, and what it feels like to go back in time with the Pocket Monsters. He also played and beat Life is Strange: True Colors, is almost at the end of Resident Evil Village, and also got some time in with Deathloop and Persona 5 Strikers too. Marc takes his turn with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy does he feel differently than Sean has? Plus, he's had a lot more time with Shin Megami Tensei V too. Amazon is apparently close to making it official for a Mass Effect TV Show, Bobby Kotick keeps making a mess of things over at Activision-Blizzard including even hinting at resigning if things don't turn around quickly. Will he actually do it? Sean has major mixed feelings about Epic Games buying Harmonix. There's a possible Marvel MMO in the works, Phil Spencer wants legal emulation in the

Microsoft had their 20th Anniversary event stream and had quite a few announcements to share from it. Sean and Marc discuss the big ones including the final backwards compatibility additions, Halo Infinite Multiplayer releasing early as a Beta, and a big documentary series too. Right before the guys started recording the Game Awards 2021 Nominees were announced. So they go through the game-related ones and give their early predictions for who is going to take the crown and who they would like to see win. Marc also gives his first thoughts on Shin Megami Tensei V. Sean finally beat Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and also played a lot more of Eastward as well. There are also thoughts on the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition mess, the NPD for October 2021, Elder Scrolls VI being an exclusive for Xbox and PC, Gamepass was once a rental service and more.

Games discussed on this episode of Video Games 2 the MAX include: Sean spending a little bit of time with Forza Horizon 5, along with some indie titles in The Legend of Tianding and Tunche. Marc also gets to play some Deathloop too! In the news, rumors abound that a Donkey Kong movie could be up next for Nintendo after the Mario film. They also promise more for Switch Online and Switch Online expansion as well. Also, Xbox has some games leak, Phil Spencer talks about wanting more social and casual games as part of their portfolio, could it lead to the return of 1 vs 100? Sadly delays are also a topic of conversation once again, but hey, at least there's more news on Sonic Frontiers, right? Finally, there's also a look at the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles as they both have been out on the market for one year. Who's done more in that time? And what about those games?

Games discussed on this week's Video Games 2 the MAX include: Sean has hit about the halfway mark on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy so he has some thoughts on the game and why it is one you may want to pick up. Marc has spent some time with Far Cry 6. He gives you plenty of reasons why he did not enjoy it much. So you get two big games covered on the show. This wasn't the biggest news week, but the guys discuss the kinda recent Sony State of Play, more on the Warner Bros Smash Clone leak, SEGA's big partnership with Microsoft's cloud service, Amy Hennig making a Marvel game, Assassin's Creed Infinity costing money, and more!