4Player Podcast

Devolver Digital drops another indie banger this week with the release of 'Cult of the Lamb' and Nolan and Nick can attest to it's addictive qualities. Brad shares his initial thoughts on another Square Enix strategy RPG, 'The Diofield Chronicle' and Chris Davis brings up 'Ex-Zodiac'; An early access throwback to classic Star Fox (in everything but name). Nick, despite thinking he didn't have much to add after last week, lets his love of 'The Mortuary Assistant' get the best of him. In the news, we discuss a high profile and highly unexpected leak that appeared just moments before the live recording: 'Dead Island 2' is back and it's coming soon.

When we think of RPGs, we often think about classic mega-hits like Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger (rightfully so) but over the years, RPGs have taken many memorable forms. In spite of change, they have almost always been defined by the cast of characters that surround and support the player character. In this episode, we look back at our personal favorites to find the RPG parties that stuck with us the most. Our choices span decades of gaming history and explore the differences in approach that are explored in both Eastern and Western RPGs.

Brad dished up a real doozy for our latest Revival Club game. Vagrant Story may be verifiably impenetrable but it remains a fascinating RPG that remains unlike anything else out there. While the game may have proven too much for Nick (and perhaps the community at large) to overcome, Brad does an excellent job of explaining it's systems and what makes it so unique. Perhaps most notably, It shrugged off almost every other common RPG convention and defined itself as an unapologetic Yasumi Matsuno game.

Ed returns to the hot seat this week to talk with us about the early hours of 'Xenoblade Chronicles 3' and how it compares to the games that came before it - 'Xenoblade Chronicles X' in particular. Nick discusses his first night shift in 'The Mortuary Assistant' which takes the horror genre to some... inspired places. Brad pinches himself when he finds out that Ed wants to talk more about 'Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga' (what are the odds?). Of course, we also play catch up with Ed and answer some great questions from our listeners!

It's been a BUSY week! All 5 of us bring a new game to the table to discuss which doesn't happen often... Nick delivers his early impressions of a new suspense / thriller adventure game called 'As Dusk Falls' and Krispy took a break from Monster Hunter to get swept up in 'V Rising.' Nolan is playing Timberborn, a city-builder... with Beavers so as expected, prepare for some bad puns. Brad's annual "ugly but addicting indie" game finally shows itself in the form of 'Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga' and Chris Davis shares his thoughts on 'Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin.' But on top of all that, it has also been a big week for news with rumors swirling about an open-world Black Panther game in development and the first details about the future of Grand Theft Auto 6.

The games discussed this week range from adorable to unsettling to downright horrifying. Stray is finally out and despite a somewhat shallow outward appearance, this charming, cat-based adventure game still manages to impress. Krispy is smitten over a bizarre, "Lynch" adjacent indie game called "Who's Lila?" but conveying why proves to be a challenge. Nick is enamored with MADiSON, another new horror game that draws inspiration from PT while channeling the obtuse nature of escape rooms. Of course, we give a quick Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak update before delving into the latest Platinum Games development and our first look at Yakuza 8!

We can't promise answers to the important questions in life... questions like "Do babies drink water?" BUT we can promise plenty of enthusiastic video game discussions on this week's episode. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is finally out so Brad and Krispy take a deep dive into this massive expansion. Chris Davis sells us on Sniper Elite 5 thanks to some surprisingly open design elements and a cool invasion mode that sounds like a ton of fun. Plus, Nick brings his latest obsession with modern "Boomer Shooters" to the table with Forgive Me Father - an addictive FPS with Lovecraft undertones and a striking visual style. In the news, we cover new release dates and delays.

It's time to hash out another Top 3 list and this month we are taking a closer look at a handful of upcoming projects that look promising but remain just outside our hype threshold. While we are eager to get our hands on most of these games, they still have something to prove. We try to get to the bottom of what that is and discuss what moves they would need to make to earn our trust.

Another year. Another Steam Next Fest FULL to the brim with interesting demos for upcoming indie games! Between the five of us, we deliver quick impressions of 15 upcoming games that we think you should keep an eye out for including Cultic, Signalis, Cult of the Lamb, Metal Hellsinger, and more! It's not all demos though. Brad sells us on his latest addiction in the form of Neon White and in the second segment, we discuss the official announcement of Dragons Dogma 2 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth!

The summer announcement season continues. This week, we delve into the litany of reveals from the Summer Game Fest and the Xbox / Bethesda Showcase. Of course, that includes the reveal of the The Last of Us: Part I and the big gameplay reveal of Starfield! In the second segment, Nick discusses Supermassive's latest, The Quarry, and Brad delivers his first impressions of Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak following the demo that dropped earlier this week.

This week, Brad is sleepy but not even sleep deprivation can contain his enthusiasm for Monster Hunter Rise or keep him from discussing the future of Dragon's Dogma! Nick finished Elden Ring and is now free to diversify his playtime once again so he is starting with a strange anime-inspired action-adventure game called ANNO: Mutationem. In the news, we delve into the huge Silent Hill leaks (courtesy of Dusk Golem) which include a new core entry from Konami, a Silent Hill 2 remake from Bloober, and an episodic adventure game from Annapurna.

Carlos takes the Revival Club back to 2007 to revisit 'The Darkness' - a gritty, supernatural action game based on the comic book series of the same name. Starbreeze, best known for their take on "Chronicles of Riddick," developed the first game with their signature style but the game is perhaps most interesting for how it compares to its sequel which was helmed by Digital Extremes. On this episode, we take a closer look at how these two WILDLY different games coalesce to tell a singular and emotionally gripping story.

This bonus episode marks the long awaited return of the "Top 3" (Formerly Top 5) podcast! For this episode, we discuss our "Dream Projects" - the game ideas, pitches, sequels that we desperately want to see come to fruition. If you are a fan of this content, please be sure to let us know with a comment, a tweet, carrier pidgeon, etc. If you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed making this episode, expect at least one of these per month with topics submitted by our lovely supporters on Patreon and Twitch.

Announcement season is quickly approaching and the later half of 2022 is starting to come into focus. This week we react to the latest demo of 'Gotham Knights' which, even within our small circle, is shaping up to be a potentially divisive game. In impressions, we praise 'Rogue Legacy 2' for it's improved art style along with the bevy of improvements made to the original. Nick and Krispy come close to sharing a middling consensus on 'Trek to Yomi' and Chris Davis finally brings 'Sifu' to the table. Brad delivers the latest news related to the upcoming release of 'Monter Hunter Rise: Sunbreak.'

This week's episode has real dad vibes thanks to an exceptionally long conversation about lawnmowers that carried over from our intermission. Nolan talks about 'Peglin' which serves as an addicting hybrid of Peggle and RPG combat. Krispy gives us a look at a surprisingly effective new Battle Royale called 'Vampire the Masquerade: Blood Hunt' and Nick introduces a throwback survival-horror game called 'Remorse: The List.' Thanks to his love of Kaiju, Chris Davis is able to talk about 'Kaiju Wars' for ten minutes without taking a breath. In the 2nd segment, we delve into Square-Enix's decision to sell it's western studios/IP to Embracer Group and we touch on the latest shakeup effecting the 'Prince of Persia: Sands of Time' remake at Ubisoft.

With another Steam Deck added to our roster, we delve a little deeper into the new hardware and talk more about how it handles games like 'Supraland: Six Inches Under,' 'The Darkness 2,' and more. After last week's co-op stream, Nick, Nolan, and Chris talk about their immense enjoyment playing RAFT (Early Access) together; Honing their communication skills while surviving on the open the ocean. Brad brings two indie darlings to the table as well: 'Patrick's Parabox' is a mind-bending puzzler and 'Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness' is a love letter to retro gaming with an awesome soundtrack. In the news, we also discuss Amy Hennig's new gig working on a new Star Wars game.

On this JAM PACKED edition of 4Player Podcast, Brad delivers his impressions after spending a week with the new 'Steam Deck' from Valve, Nick talks Weird West, and Chris Davis goes to bat for Ghostwire Tokyo. In the news, we play serious catch up thanks to the announcements of a new Tomb Raider game, a remake of Max Payne 1 & 2, Return to Monkey Island, and Kingom Hearts 4! Oh and we try to wrap our heads around Cockney slang thanks to a question from a listener in London.

The group covers a ton of ground this week thanks to the release of Ghostwire Tokyo and the official unveiling of the new Playstation Plus service which launches in June! Brad finally talks in depth about his thoughts on Triangle Strategy and talks about Kirby and the Forgotten Land from an... unsusual perspsective. Nolan and Nick dive even deeper into Tunic and Chris Davis talks about Chorvs (yes, it's spelled like that). Of course, everyone tries their best to avoid more Elden Ring talk and they MOSTLY succeed.

In this episode focusing on Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Nick is joined by Chris Davis and community guest, Taq, to talk about the legacy of this game based on the wildy popular tabletop game. Space Marine not only holds up remarkably well but it serves as a nice entry point for newbies and a fun romp for Warhammer veterans alike. Of course, we also delve into our hopes for the freshly announced sequel that is due out sometime in the not-too-distant future.

We are joined by Jeff this week to gush over the unexpected brilliance of Tunic. This indie darling has not only delivered on its promises, it has tapped into an aspect of classic video game nostalgia that elevates the experience well beyond expectations. We also delve deeper into Elden Ring and Chris Davis encourages us to try a short, indie horror game from the creator of Dusk called Iron Lung. In the news we also delve into the announcement of 'The Witcher 4' and discuss what this means for CD Project Red in a post Cyberpunk 2077 world.

The Elden Ring bonanza continues but we also give our early impressions of another promising new game. After years of watching development and playing TUNIC at trade shows, the full game is finally upon us and it delivers something that is both incredibly nostalgic and fresh by modern standards. In the second segment, we discuss the big reveal of Hogwarts Legacy while also making sure to call attention to the important social issues that surround this highly anticipated release.

What an exciting week (month, year?) in gaming! Elden Ring has finally landed and the whole gang has shown up to talk about this epic new chapter in the From Software catalog; Not to mention the potential impact it could have on the future of open-world game design. We focus largely on design philosophy and mechanics but still manage to squeeze in a few fun anecdotes from our playthroughs thus far. While Elden Ring dominates the discussion, Brad also shares his thoughts on the demo for Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Nick and Ed delve into their early impressions of the OTHER huge open world game that launched recently: Horizon: Forbidden West.

This week, Brad shares his thoughts on Infernax and the first 3 chapters of Triangle Strategy which launches next month on Switch. We also dive a little deeper into our time with Dying Light 2 to talk about some of the late game developments such as the paraglider, grappling hook, and an increasingly disappointing story. In the 2nd segment, we answer a bevy of community submitted questions and Krispy loses his mind over a poorly voiced NPC.

With the new year just barely getting started, the gaming industry isn't slowing down. Dying Light 2 is out and despite some rough edges, it is shaping up to be a fun experience once again. Brad talks about his latest addiction, Vampire Survivors, Nolan goes all in on Pokemon Legends Arceus, and we return once again to the wonderful world of Supraland in the latest standalone expansion, Supraland: Six Inches Under. In the news, we recount all the headlines from Nintendo's latest Direct.

It is immediately apparent that Brad is back in the podcasting saddle this week and the timing couldn't be better because there is a ton to talk about. Brad and Nick are the most unqualified people to talk about Pokemon but are somehow the first to two to try Pokemon Legends Arceus. Nick is loving Drinkbox's latest game, Nobody Saves the World, and the whole crew reacts to the gameplay unveiling of Ghostwire Tokyo. In the news, we talk the Sony / Bungie acquisition and the first trailer for the live action Halo series on Paramount +.

We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 5 Categories: Biggest Surprise Biggest Disappointment The Asterisk Award Biggest Regret The Number 11 Award A sample from Nick's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 4 Categories: Best Ensemble Cast Best New Character Best New Enemy Design Best Boss Fight Best Video Game Moment A sample from Nolan's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 3 Categories: Best Debut (New IP) Best Looking Game Best World / Level Design Best Storytelling A sample from Kris's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 2 Categories: Best Multiplayer Experience Best Comfort Food Most Out of Comfort Zone Best Game Nobody Played A sample from Ed's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

We did it. Another year in the bag! In this 5 part series, we look back at all of the games, moments, characters, etc that defined 2021 in gaming. With all six of the core staff in attendance, we run through 23 categories that paint a pretty clear picture of what worked for us and what didn't in the past year. Buckle up because there is a LOT to talk about. By the time you reach the end, we hope we have inspired you to try something that you may have missed! Part 1 Categories: Best New Gameplay Experience Best Sequel / Most Improved Sequel Best Game Feel Most Addictive A sample from Brad's Favorite Soundtrack of the Year

First housekeeping update of 2022! 2021 Awards Show - January 27, 2022 @ 7:00pm (CST) on Twitch.tv/FourPlayerPodcast Community GOTY & Raffle - Submit your Top 10 Games of 2021 and Award Nominees before Noon on January 27th. Join our Community Discord - Discord.gg/4Player Follow Us on Twitter - Twitter.com/4PlayerPodcast Email your Podcast Questions / Feedback - [email protected]

It's a small crew this week but a BIG show. Not only is this our first "regular" episode of the new year, it also happens to be a huge week for the industry as Microsoft has announced it's intent to acquire Activision for the modest price of $69 BILLION. In the first segment, we talk about our efforts to play catch up with 2021 as our Award Show looms on the horizon (next week!). We talk Unsighted, The Artful Escape, Dodgeball Academia, Battlefield 2042, and more! Speaking of which, don't miss our big Award Show next week! Brad will be back in the virtual studio as we sit down to look back on the past year in gaming!

In our first episode of 2022, we take an in-depth look at all of the games that expected to launch in the year to come! In the first segment we cover all of the games with an expected release date or release window. After the break, we run through a big list of projects that have been announced that may drop in 2022 as well. It's a big list of well over 100 games put together by our lovely community! We cover everything from a fun new Supraland expansion to the highly anticipated release of Final Fantasy XVI! We also spend a shocking amount of time talking about Starship Troopers... Happy New Year!

This week, we are blessed with a Christmas miracle! Carlos joins the call on the spot and stays for the entire show! Not only do we deliver our final thoughts on the 'Halo Infinite' campaign (minor spoiler warning) but Krispy brings impressions of 'Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach' and it sounds kind of amazing! Chris Davis talks about his time with the promising (but somewhat controversial) 'Ready or Not' - a game that harkens back to the classic SWAT series. In the 2nd segment, Nick talks briefly about 'Lost in Random' and we delve into our first batch of community emails!

The usual crew is joined by community guest, TheDrunkenMerchant, to talk at length about the new campaign for 'Halo Infinite' - a game that seems made to appease fans of the series and welcome newcomers in equal measure. Krispy talks about his experience with 'Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker' now that the hotly anticipated expansion is out. In the second segment, we roundup all of the big announcements from 'The Game Awards' and talk with Chris Davis about the surprise announcement of a 'Splinter Cell' remake!

As the years winds to a close, we start to delve into all the fun conversations that come with the Holiday season. With 'The Game Awards' scheduled to air next week, we talk about the nominees and rattle off an extensive list of games that may or may not make their debut at the big show. As always, take it all with a grain of salt and prepare yourself for some level of disappointment. In the second segment, we also run through impressions of Shakedown Hawaii, The Forgotten City, Metal Gear Solid 4, and more! Mark your calendars! You can tune in and watch the Game Awards along with us next week on Twitch! The show is airing on Thursday, December 9th starting at 7:00pm CST.

To those who celebrate, Happy Thanksgiving! We here at 4Player are thankful to have such a lively and active community in Discord and on Twitch. So with that in mind, we did something a little bit different this week. We recorded two distinct segments featuring an upcoming game and brought in a community guest to talk about them! First up is Elden Ring! Our long time community liason, Jager, has been playing the hell out of the Elden Ring network test and came aboard this week to talk about his experience and answer our questions. In the 2nd segment, we are joined by TheDrunkenMerchant to talk about our time playing the new Halo Infinite multiplayer beta! As it turns out, both of these games show a LOT of promise...

After rattling off a few quick mentions such as Breath of the Wild, Alan Wake Remastered, and Sackboy's Big Adventure, we finally take a deeper dive into Inscryption. This game is a card-based deck builder that finds really creative ways of blending with elements of atmospheric horror and escape room design. Nolan has continued his Metal Gear run by jumping into Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker which seems like it may be the strangest entry in the beloved franchise. Of course, we also answer questions from our supporters which leads to some diverse and fun discussions.

This week the group takes a deep dive into one of the biggest surprise hits of 2021, Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos Montreal. David returns to the fray as well to talk about some more weird-ass David games... specifically Mary Skelter 3 and AI: The Somnium Files. Nick shares tales from his brief trip to New York City for the Dexter New Blood premiere and talks about his time with Tormented Souls; a love-letter to classic Resident Evil. In the 2nd segment, we also chat about the exciting new look at Elden Ring that was shown off earlier in the week.

Halloween season is upon us so we take the opportunity to revisit the new horror-esque DLC, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye and a short but sweet indie horror game called Chasing Static. Krispy sells us on Inscryption, a new horror deck-building game that is dripping with spooky atmosphere. Nick provides a quick update on Metroid Dread and then joins Ed in delivering some hands-on impressions with the new Nintendo Switch OLED. Chris Davis also provides more Back 4 Blood impressions now that he has finished the main campaign.

Jeff returns to the fray to talk about Metroid Dread! The game is out and has defied expectations in a pretty big way. Nick delivers a Far Cry 6 update now that he's had more time to really sink some time into it; turns out.... it's fun... if not also a bit perplexing in it's tone. Jeff and Chris also give their early impressions of the full release of Back 4 Blood which brings the Left 4 Dead formula back to life for the current generation.

With the recent release of Deathloop, it only makes sense for the Revival Club to look back at the games that helped shape Arkane as the respected development studio that it is today. We went back to 2006 to take a look at a game that feels distinct from the games that define the studio today (Dishonored, Prey, etc). Of course, that game is Dark Messiah of Might & Magic; a game that is full of high-fantasy tropes like orcs, mages, and demons yet still full of that signature Arkane DNA! For this discussion, Nick is joined by recurring Revival Club guests, Steve and Green.

Nick is joined by community guest, Self, and resident fan of obscure FPS games, Chris Davis, to revisit S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. For the uninitiated, this PC classic is often considered (for good reason) to be the precursor to the successful Metro series. While the series has spanned several major releases and a number of fan-made modded experiences, this particular chapter in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise is widely considered to be the best. All things considered, that makes Call of Pripyat the perfect game to delve into as the world prepares for the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl in 2022.

It's been two weeks since our last episode and despite some scheduling issues, the show must go on! It's a 3-player podcast this week but there is a TON to discuss including Nick's thoughts on the release of No Time to Die and a follow-up to our big Deathloop discussion from last week. Additionally, Nick feels compelled to give some VERY EARLY impressions of Far Cry 6 because right out of the gate, the game appears to be doing a few things right. Nolan gets nostalgic for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty which still holds up remarkably well. Finally, Chris Davis shares his thoughts on two indie-games that he has been enjoying immensely, Hero's Hour and Kaiju Wars.

For an episode with so much Deathloop talk, you would think it would have inspired the episode title... but Chris Davis threw that out the window when he let his enthusiasm for I Am Fish bubble over... With that said, we do talk A LOT about Deathloop this week. In fact, the discuss takes up the entire first segment! In the 2nd segment, we talk Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Bonfire Peaks, and of course, the big news dump from the latest Nintendo Direct! You know the one...

We kick things off this week with an MCU tangent in the wake of the new Hawkeye trailer plus a rant about the new horror flick, Malignant. Jeff returns to the hot chair this week to talk about The Forgotten City, There is No Game: Wrong Dimension, and his early impressions of Eastward! Nick gives his early thoughts on Tales of Arise as a newbie to the series and the Chris's give their first impressions of Deathloop! What a week!

Joseph makes his triumphant return to podcasting in this week's episode! He joins us to give a quick update on his game development adventures, talk about our time co-oping Aliens: Fireteam Elite, and share his unique brand of insight on the state of sequels (including The Matrix Resurrections!) Nick and Nolan talk about their foray into the wacky world of Psychonauts (1 AND 2!); Which continues to be an absolute delight in 2021. We revisit Ghost of Tsushima: Legends and give an in-depth rundown of the all big news out of this week's Playstation Showcase (including KOTOR Remake, Spider-Man 2, Forspoken, God of War Ragnarok, and more!).

Ed fills the 4th chair this week to talk about Death's Door, Nioh 2, and a beautiful indie boss-rush game called Eldest Souls! Nick and Nolan ponder the effectiveness of the long awaited 12 Minutes which is shaping up to be one of the most divisive games of the year thus far. Additionally, Nolan talks about his time with the Riders Republic beta, Nick and Chris hype up the Ghost of Tsushima Directors Cut and Iki Island DLC, and we break down the news from Gamescom including the bizarre roadmap for the release of Halo Infinite.

Long-time friend, community member, and former staff member, Jeff DeMelo, joins us this week to sit in for Brad who is absent due to the birth of his 2nd child! Chaos ensues. Jeff shares updates on the development of Refactor, how being a dad has changed his gaming habits, and gets us hype for 12 Minutes (which we'll talk more about next week). We also talk about Recompile, Final Fantasy VII Remake: Intergrade, Chernobylite, and more! Oh and... RIP Hotdog Bets 2009 - 2021.