4player Podcast

A lot has transpired in the world of gaming since our last recording. Summer Game Fest brought us a bundle of exciting announcements - including Resident Evil Requiem - and the Nintendo Switch 2 officially launched! We give some initial thoughts on the new hardware and Mario Kart World and do a quick recap of the SGF highlights. On top of that, Krispy takes us on a deep dive into Dune: Awakening, Chris Davis talks The Precinct, and Brad talks about exciting new demos for Mina the Hollower, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Absolum, and Baby Steps! Impressions - Dune: Awakening (9:20) Impressions - Demos: Mina the Hollower, Absolum, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, & Baby Steps (37:50) Impressions - The Precinct (1:31:05) Impressions - Mario Kart World + Nintendo Switch 2 (1:27:00) News - Resident Evil Requiem Announcement (1:45:50) News - Summer Games Fest Recap (2:03:00)

With E3 a thing of the past, Brad officially dubs early June as "Gamer Hanukkah" (more commonly known as Summer Game Fest) - A week (or more) long celebration of the gaming industry that comes with a boat load of big gaming announcements and reveals! We devote the entire first segment to talking about our expectations and dreams for the event, including the possible reveals for Resident Evil 9, a remake of Final Fantasy Tactics, IO Interactive's new James Bond game (Now titled "First Light"), and more! In the second segment, Brad talks about Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo - a game that might quell the wait for Mina the Hollower - and Chris Davis brings impressions of two new (and upcoming) indie games: Deliver at all Costs and Hell is Us (demo). Discussion - Summer Game Fest Predictions (1:25) Impressions - Pipistrello and the Cursed YoYo (53:50) Impressions - Deliver at all Costs (1:12:40) Impressions - Hell is Us Demo (1:29:10) 4Player Minute (1:42:40)

Brad's home has been invaded by Covid once again but not even that can stop Brad from digging into the hotly anticipated new deck-builder, Monster Train 2! Nick shovels more "Nick-slop" in the form of lo-fi indie horror game, Labyrinth of the Demon King and Chris Davis delves deeper into DOOM: The Dark Ages! We also talk Mission Impossible and try our best to convince Krispy to play Clair Obscur: Expedition 33!  Banter - Movie Talk (2:25) Impressions - Monster Train 2 (18:50) Impressions - Labyrinth of the Demon King (38:05) Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (47:00) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (1:08:35) 4Player Minute (1:22:20)

Don't let the episode title fool you, it's not all doom and gloom this week... DOOM: The Dark Ages is out and we dig into what it gets right and wrong; Regardless of it's faults, it's still great to see DOOM thriving in the year of our (dark) lord, 2025. Brad suspects that Mercury Steam may have lucked into creating a hidden gem with their latest IP, Blades of Fire, and Krispy can't say enough great things about Skin Deep (Blendo Games new joint). Impressions - Blades of Fire (12:46) Impressions - DOOM: The Dark Ages (30:35) Impressions - Skin Deep (1:00:05) 4Player Minute (1:20:20)

Next week is gonna be big but the calm before the storm comes in the form of more in-depth impressions of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33; An undeniably impressive RPG for the modern age that wears nostalgia on it's sleeve. Brad makes a strong case for playing Bionic Bay and Nick talks about the experience of replaying The Last of Us: Part II alongside season 2 of the HBO adaptation. Of course, we also take a moment to celebrate Giant Bomb's newfound independence in the wake of last week's game's media calamity.  Discussion - But what DOES Chris Davis watch? (9:54) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (24:55) Impressions - Bionic Bay (44:20) News - Giant Bomb Reclaims it's Independence! (55:28) 4Player Minute (1:09:00)  

On Brad's birthday episode, we talk about games journalism being culled in the name of "brand safety" - a concept completely foreign to us here at 4Player. We also dissect the shiny new trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI, analyze some outrageous claims from Chris Davis that relate to our Game of the Year lists, and let Brad get his nerd on when talking about StarVaders. Discussion - Ongoing 'The Last of Us' HBO impressions (2:35) Impressions - Warframe (11:50) Impressions - StarVaders (21:15) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 + GOAT List Controversy (39:30) News - Reactions to the 'Grand Theft Auto VI' Trailer (1:04:20) News - Games Jounalism (and all Media) is Under Fire Once Again (1:16:20) 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

This Week on the Show: Discussion - Nintendo Switch 2 Pre-Order Chaos (4:05) Impressions - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (15:15) Impressions - Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist (56:50) Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:09:50) Impressions - Marathon Alpha (1:23:20) 4Player Minute (1:34:30)

This week's discussion topics:  First Thoughts - The Last of Us Season 2 (7:55) Impressions - Nubby's Number Factory (15:40) Impressions - South of Midnight (27:20) News - Nintendo Switch 2 price expected to rise due to tariffs (46:50) Impressions - Blue Prince (53:52) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:25:40) 4Player Minute (1:43:00)

News - Nintendo Reveals Nintendo Switch 2 Hardware and Launch Details (4:15) News - Nintendo Announces Mario Kart World & Donkey Kong Bananza (27:45) Impressions - Atomfall (58:00) Impressions - Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (1:19:45) 4Player Minute (1:26:50)

After an unplanned two week haitus from recording, we return to the studio to talk through our early impressions of Assassin's Creed Shadows! Despite the series rocky history, Nick (and much of the general audience) is finding the game to be surprisingly satisfying! Brad is taking a break from Monster Hunter Wilds to play... Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate! Chris Davis played a bunch of Dragons Dogma 2 (for reasons?) but his experience is anything but average. We also check in on the latest Fantasy Critic drama and go for a new record with the length of our 4Player Minute.  Impressions - Assassin's Creed Shadows (6:40) Impressions - Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (33:30) Impressions - Dragon's Dogma II (59:50) News - Metroid Prime 4 Trailer Shown at Nintendo Direct (1:22:00) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:26:40) 4Player Minute (1:35:20)

Things in 2025 are starting to heat up and it's getting hard to keep up. This week, we delve into Split Fiction, a game that expands upon the strengths of it's predecessor (2021's hit, It Takes Two) in some really fun and interesting ways. We also deliver our reactions to the batshit insane trailer for Death Stranding 2 and discuss the release date which is coming sooner than any of us expected. Of course, we devote plenty of time to Montster Hunter Wilds and squeeze in some Like a Dragon talk to boot. News - Death Stranding 2 Trailer + Release Date (3:32) Impressions -  Split Fiction (16:20) Impressions - Yakuza: Like a Dragon (41:20) Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds (50:42) Fantasy Critic Updates (1:23:50) 4Player Minute (1:31:00)

The time has come. The long awaited sequel, Monster Hunter Wilds, is out in the... wild! Brad and Krispy take our first (of many) deep dives into the game's new systems and mechanics and assess where it stands in relation to the series other critically acclaimed games. Chris Davis has finished our Game of the Year videos so he kicked his year off with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza and Nick talks about his love for Kingdom Come Deliverance 2; Despite new found addiction to gambling the game seems to be instilling in him! Despite all that, we still find time for some truly unexpected tangents related to Shrek, finding dirt on John Lithgow, and... whales? Impressions - Monster Hunter Wilds (20:39) Impressions -  Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza (1:05:00) Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (1:24:30) 4Player Minute (1:40:40)

Between dramatic dips in internet, discord instability, and Nick's unprecedented noobism when it comes to podcast production, this week's live recording was about as messy as it gets... but the show must go on! Regardless, we've got some big games to talk about including the long awaited release of Avowed from Obsidian and the obligatory Yakuza release for the year titled, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza! Nick played a Yakuza game, finally finished Metaphor Refantazio, AND he talks briefly about his time with Spirit of the Samurai; The game he was tasked with trying after coming in last place during our 2024 Fantasy Critic competition! Impressions - Metaphor Refantazio (17:07) Impressions -  Avowed (23:30) Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (47:15) Impressions - Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza (56:20) Impressions - Spirit of the Samurai (1:12:40) 4Player Minute (1:27:50)

It feels like 2025 is off to somewhat of a slow start in the world of gaming but that changes as we move deeper into February. Brad spills the beans on the first surprise hit of the year, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2! He also brings a game that stands at the opposite end of the video game spectrum, Lonely Mountains Snow Riders. We continue to press Chris Davis about his midhandling of the Dino Crisis series and Krispy's love affair with Yakuza reaches new heights now that he has finally finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon! Impressions - Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 (11:15) Impressions - Lonely Mountains Snow Riders (58:00) Impressions - Yakuza: Like a Dragon (1:08:10) 4Player Minute (1:34:00)

David makes a sudden and somewhat chaotic return to the podcast this week to talk about the latest news involving the reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the surprise announcement of Ninja Gaiden 4! On top of that Chris Davis talks about his time with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black which was announced and shadow dropped at the same time. In the second segment, Brad talks about his addiction to Lorn's Lure; a game about climbing megastructures that seems like it was absolutely made for Brad specifically. David brings his usual randomness to talk about his frustration with Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and... Clock Tower Rewind? News - Ninja Gaiden 4 Announced Impressions - Ninja Gaiden 2 Black News - Nintendo Switch 2 Announcement Impressions - Lorn's Lure Impressions - Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Impressions - Clock Tower Rewind 4Player Minute (Filibuster Edition) 

As is customary, we jump start a new year by revisiting the old one! It's time to run through a bunch of meaningly award categories that we made up for fun! We even introduced a new set of "Wild Card" awards that are complete surprises for everyone at the table! So join us as we celebrate 2024 in all of it's glory. Our discussions cover everything from Dragons Dogma 2 to Silent Hill 2 to 1000x Resist... and everything in between.  Best World / Level Design (6:45) Best Storytelling (23:05) Best Gaming Moment (43:30) Wild Card Award #1 (1:08:13) Break | Best Soundtrack Picks (1:21:10) Best New Enemy / Boss Design (1:24:10) Best New Character (1:36:30) Biggest Surprise (01:48:30) Wild Card Award #2 (2:01:10) Break | Best Soundtrack Picks (2:15:10) Biggest Disappointment (2:16:30) I Won't Quit You, I Promise (2:33:20) The Spotlight Award (2:41:30)

This week, we found some time to squeeze in a semi-regular show in between our Fantasy Critic draft and our upcoming game of the year awards show! Brad talks about Slitterhead, the next game from the original creator of Silent Hill... and it turns out, it exudes some serious PS2 energy (which is not necessarily a bad thing). We also take a moment to speculate about the upcoming reveal of the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Xbox Developer Direct.  Impressions - Slitterhead (10:00) Rumor - Nintendo to Announce Nintendo Switch 2 on Thursday (29:05) Rumor - New Game Announcement at Xbox Developer Direct on Jan 23 (44:20) 4Player Minute (57:50)

As is customary nowadays, we kick off another new year by drafting games into our Fantasy Critic League rosters! If you are unfamiliar, think of it as Fantasy Football but for video games where scores are tallied based on each game's review aggregate score on Open Critic. Of course, this also gives us a great opportunity to talk about a bunch of great looking games that you can expect to hear us playing and talking about throughout the year! 

We bring 2024 to a close with some film banter right out of the gate followed by impressions of two new entries in sibling franchises. Chris Davis delivers his impressions of Metro: Awakening, marking the first time the franchise has delved into the VR space, and Nick talks about STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl now that recent patches have finally rendered the game playable! In the second segment, Brad takes us through the final results of our 2024 Fantasy Critic competition including announcing the winners in each of our community leagues! Thanks for sticking with us in 2024. We'll see you in 2025! Chit Chat: Film talk (2:40) Impressions - Dragon Age: The Veilguard (17:12) Impressions - Metro: Awakening (22:00) Impressions - STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl (46:00) 2024 Fantasy Critic Wrap-Up (1:06:13)

What a week! The Game Awards came and went but they left a trail of insane game announcements in their wake. We try our best to cover the highlights including Okami 2, a new game from Fumito Ueda, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and more! Unfortunately, we eventually ran into some poorly timed internet troubles so our broadcast (and this recording) took a hit. When we get those sorted out (for now), we jump into impressions of Marvel Rivals and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle!  Chit Chat: Brad Interrogates Nick about 'Dexter: Original Sin' (3:00) Recap - Highlights from The Game Awards (12:20) Technical Difficulties Impressions - Marvel Rivals (27:28) Impressions - Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (49:55)